L The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 March 27 to April 2, 2003 @" Pennsylvania Vol. 114 No. 13 SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE $2 & % Spring is here! It’s time to get A busy around the house. SCHOOL bee. Pg 9. Skylar Braun wins spelling COMMUNITY Lake-Lehman students show off their artsy side. Pg 3. 50 Cents Dallas cancels school field trips to high-threat areas By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff @vains — In light of the heightened terror alert, the Dallas School District has cancelled all field trips to Washing- ton D.C. and New York City. Adminis- trators say students’ safety is more im- portant than any possible loss of mon- ey. Dr. Gilbert Griffiths, Superintendent, said he and the rest of the administra- whether the district's students should go on field trips before deciding, finally, that seven trips to the two cities have to be cancelled. “On Tuesday, Times Square became a real interesting place to watch on CNN,” said Griffiths about the decision to not send students to the city. “They had a hazmat unit there, armored personnel - carriers, a SWAT team and on every corner they had two armed police offi- cers with submachine guns; not a place “This was looked at on a basis of student safety, not in any financial way.” Dr. Gil Griffiths Dallas Superintendent that we'd like to put our students.” Griffiths said the district is looking at alternative places and programs to re- place now-cancelled trips. He said decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis for trips that are not to those two locations. Before making decisions on those trips, Griffiths said district administra- tors would consult parents, students and faculty. For all future field trips, Griffiths said Ben Jones, district solicitor, has drawn up a “sign off sheet,” or release form for parents to sign. He said the form will make parents aware of possible ramifi- cations of going outside of the area. The form contains information about the terror alert level for the area each field trip is planned for. It also absolves the school district from responsibility for any problem that may occur due to terroristic activities. Trips for children at nearly every school in the district have been affect- See TRIPS, pg 6 tive staff spent two days going over Whers preserve land's ebeauty By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff Dallas chief back at work By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff DALLAS — After more than three months, Dallas Borough's police chief is back on the job. Kathy Kupstas, borough council president, says it was a matter of paperwork that kept him on leave. According to John Oliver, council vice president, Chief Jack Fowler returned to work two weeks ago after providing the borough's lawyers with his health records. Fowler had been out since going on sick leave November 4. Joe Moskovitz, borough manager, con- firmed at the January 15 council meeting that Fowler's sick leave was extended in- definitely until a fitness evaluation, asked for by the borough, was completed and the borough received the results. Oliver and Kupstas said Fowler's records were not released to the bor- ough’s lawyers until just recently. “There was a period of time in which he did not give us permission. They (his physicians) needed a specific release from him,” said Oliver. Kupstas said she doesn’t have any feel- ings one way or the other about the chief being back. “He requested the leave; he got the leave. We let him back when the appro- priate paperwork was finally completed,” said Kupstas. Fowler has appealed a three-day sus- pension, issued last year by Dallas Bor- ough Mayor Tim Carroll, to the Civil Ser- vice Commission. Oliver said he doesn’t believe a date for the hearing has been set. “The Civil Service Commission is meet- ing to determine whether the suspension he received is appropriate,” Oliver said. A girl’s first JACKSON TWP. — Thirty two land owners in Jackson Township recently elected to renew their participation in the township's Agricultural Security Area. The area will continue to maintain the rural character the township deems its most important attribute. “Everybody who owns any amount of land wonders how long they can hold on to it,” said Beatrice Ray, a founder of the special land designa- tion. “Farm security was passed to help people to hold on to the farms and property that they have,” she said. A total of 1,853 acres of farmland make up the securi- ty area first created in the 1970s. Back then, Ray, along with another property owner, See LAND, pg 3 POST PHOTO/ERIN YOUNGMAN Jackson Township landowners Beatrice Ray and Paul Niezgoda look at a map of the acreage in the recently renewed agricul- tural security area. The area was formed more than 20 years ago to help preserve farmland in the township. Young pleads guilty in 34 Pages, 2 Sections 9 ud . s ° 4 h 11] Calendar..............coaeer 14 (v9 || S 1 ng, Wi eS 1 Mi alrcu Wi Classified.................. 10-13 Crossword... 8 By DAVID WEISS ing for money for drugs. Young, Editorials......... nie A Special to The Dallas Post who was a baby sitter for the Cc p 0 ers Obiluaries............c..vies 2 REST family, went into the home to SOHOOk.....oocivii reise e) WIL : — A shack" make sure no one was there be- When Susan Shovlin's 15- SPOMS.....ove nes Sidverusristaesets 7 led Tina Young pleaded guilty fore Tooley entered. Zalenski and his younger brother were hiding upstairs. year-old sister died of cancer in 1985, she had lost all her hair to chemotherapy and radiation CALL 675-5211 in the slaying of : r in the slaying of Casey Za FOR HOME DELIVERY, @: 20 to third-degree mur- enski. The plea agreement guaran- tees her testimony against Larry Tooley, who is also charged in the Nov. 8 death. It also frees her from serving a life sentence in prison on her original charge of second-degree murder. Police said Young, 33, and Zalenski was shot after ap- proaching Tooley, police charge. His younger brother jumped out an upstairs window. Young re- entered the home to see Zalens- ki shot. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Tooley, and Young's testimony gives treatments. the mirrors in the house, Hair is very Susan’s “We took down all wouldn't have to look at herself. important to teenagers,” says Shovlin. Saturday Denise Maria Shovlin, 6-year-old daughter, had her 26-inch-long hair cut NEWS OR ADVERTISING so she E-mail: dallaspost@leader.net Last for the first time in her young life. She donated a 10-inch braid of hair to “Locks of Love,” a program that provides hair pieces to financially disadvan- taged children. Shovlin feels her daughter, a second grade stu- dent at Gate of Heaven School in Dallas, will look back and have something to be very proud of. Denise Maria's reaction at the Tooley, 46, entered Zalenski’'s Franklin Township home look- Township will scrutinize price tag on lock-in party See YOUNG, pg 6 By SCOTT VINNACOMBE Post Correspondent KINGSTON TWP. — For each tion. : -mail info@lock- program, e-mail INioeioc of the last few years, the Dallas Mark Albrecht, a township iif Tr Sp Ps or call toll free 1-888- High School parent-teacher or- resident who has done some re- Susan Shovlin hugged her daughter, who was “a little nervous” be- gg5_1588. ganization has held a senior nate whatever cash they can to- ward the night, which is consid- ered one of safety and protec- search into the event, believes fore getting her first-ever haircut. “This is cool.” More photos on page 6. moment, though, was simply, To find out more about this The Dallas Post lock-in for the graduating class b every year the group solicits there is one major flaw with it. According to Albrecht, the party is essentially meant to keep the students from acting out and breaking the law. “We seem to be bribing our children with ex- See PARTY, pg 3 H | t Il The Dallas Post would like to know how Back Mountain residents are re- ¢ p us te sponding to the war in Iraq. We would like to publish articles that cover a 1 wide variety of subjects, including profiles of military and civilan personnel about neighbors who are in the Middle East. who Serve E-mail your stories about local service men and women, as well as how your group or organization is responding, to dallaspost@leader.net. ariety of sources to fund the vent. Much of the funding comes from donated services, while a smaller amount comes directly from cash. Kingston Township has been asked to do- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612-0366
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