SSE Ron Bartizek The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Thursday, April 3, 2003 EDITORIAL Yoters will have plenty to choose from this election This year’s May primaries will offer something that is often missing from local elections — choices. That is not the case in every township, but 2003 is shaping up as the liveliest lo- cal election year in recent memory. Perhaps the most notable municipal faceoff will be in Kingston Township, where seven Republican candidates have filed to fill the three available seats. A year ago, the township was shocked by the deaths of two supervisors and resignation of another, with the result that three men were appointed to the board. All three will be listed on the Repub- lican ballot, indicating they take seriously the responsibili- ties they were asked to assume last spring. The Dallas School Board race is another that will offer plenty of options, as nine cross-filed candidates vie for five open seats. Lake-Lehman voters will find contested races in each of the district's three regions. Harveys Lake continues its tradition of being a two-party borough, with five Republi- can candidates and four Democrats seeking one of the four open positions. It wasn't that long ago that Back Mountain voters had little reason to pay attention to local elections, since there was seldom a meaningful contest, and sometimes not even enough candidates to fill the openings. That's still the case in some places, such as Dallas Township, where Phil Walter is the only name on the ballot for the open supervisor seat. But elsewhere, a new generation of citizens has emerged, ready to devote time and talent to leading the community. We can’t agree with or support them all, but we salute their eagerness to enter the public arena. Everyone into the pool! The wider community now has a chance to enjoy one of the features it has provided for students, the new swimming pool at the Dallas Middle School. Public sessions have be- gun, as have clinics for youngsters who want to gain com- petitive training in swimming and diving. This pool belongs to the people who paid for it, as do all public and school facilities. And it’s not the only resource being used outside of school hours and events - youth sports programs can be found on school grounds in every season. But those are organized competitions. This one is different; you and your family members don’t have to join a team or attend practice. Just show up at the appointed time and make use of the wonderful facility your tax dollars funded. Family swimming session are held Mondays from 5-7 p.m. and Fridays from 6-8 p.m. Adult lap swimming and exercise are conducted Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m. and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. There is a nominal charge, and you must be a resi- dent of the Dallas School District. Publisher’s Notebook CRSA ER TR An argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court holds open the possibility that reporters can be sued for re- porting the outrageous public comments of politicians, or anyone else, I suppose. The case stems from a libel suit filed by a councilman in Parkesburg, about an hour west of Philadelphia, against an- other council member who, in a public meeting, called him and the mayor “liars,” “criminals,” “draft dodgers” and “child molesters.” The question before the court is whether the news media can report, in a neutral manner, outlandish comments of public officials without including verification of the truth or falseness of the charges. Think of the pressure such a responsibility would put on journalists. When Richard Nixon said, “I am not a crook,” re- . porters would have had to hold the comment back until they could prove he hadn't erased those 18 minutes from the tape. Let's not even get into “I didn’t inhale,” and, “I never had sexual relations with that woman.” If we can’t report the inane, foolish and reckless spoutings of public officials — along with their erudite and polished orations — what good are we? And what about the voters who inadvertently elect and employ incompetent, stupid or venal officials? In the Parkesburg case, the councilman who made the idiotic comments lost the next election, in part be- cause the public was informed about his behavior. Would covering for his ridiculous charges have better served the public interest? I think not. The press is far from blameless in the transmission of un- verified information, but usually in much less obvious cir- cumstances, like when they dutifully accept government handouts and pass them on unquestioned in the news columns. That's a lot more dangerous than reporting about lame-brained officials who fail the most basic tests of compe- tency. (1 1] War does not prevent us from sharing a good joke; some- times it even inspires a few. Have you heard this one? Be- cause of the war, all the Wal-Marts in Iraq are closing. Word is they've all become Targets. The Dallas Post TIMES*LEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DAL A 18612 « 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER Kari L. Wachtel ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Erin Youngman REPORTER Claudia Blank AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Darlene E. Sorber Terry Quinn OFFICE MANAGER PAGE DESIGN Last snow, old barn at Hayfield. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. Dallas High lock-in party well worth the money and effort Editor, For the past three years, I have been a volunteer chaper- one at the Dallas High School graduation lock-in party. I feel I must respond to Mark Albrecht’s concerns over the lock-in. The purpose is to provide a party or final gathering for grad- uating seniors. This is done in a safe environment. No drugs, no alcohol, fights or the like. Mon- LIBRARY NEWS Carol King The First Aid and Safety course, for .12-to 18-year-olds, will be held on April 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the library. There is a fee of $25 payable to the American Red Cross. Call the library for further details. Classes for Young Adults: The second American Red Cross this course. eys are raised by parents through solicitation of business- es, townships, bake sales, etc. These dedicated folks do such a good job at this, that they can reward the graduate as opposed to bribing them with an average of $140 per student. This program keeps students off the streets and out of trouble for one night. My experience with these students has always been positive, which is a tribute First Aid and safety course for babysitters class scheduled for April 12 is filled. There is now a waiting list for a possible third class. Call the library, 675-1182, if you are interested in taking ‘National Library Week: A se- ries of activities will take place at the library in celebration of this week, starting on Monday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. with the “I Love the Library” Magic Show for all ages. On Wednesday, April 9, there will be a Library Open House from 1 to 4 p.m. On Thursday, April 10, a Suc- cessful Perennial Gardening Seminar will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Speakers Beverly Turner from Perennial Pointe and Nancy Meyer will show to their upbringing and educa- tion. What value a life Mr. Al- brecht? For the cost of grocery order we can help prevent tragedy due to a poor judgement one night that statistically is a high risk. Local municipalities could take a lesson in fund raising from the dedicated parents and they need not justify themselves to anyone. We have had other slides of Nancy's outstanding perennial garden, share tech- niques for successful gardening, address gardening problems unique to the Back Mountain _ Area, and talk about this year's ‘newest perennials. Bring your gardening problems and ques- tions for discussion. Call the li- brary to make reservations for the seminar. The babysitters class on Sat- urday, April 12, concludes this busy week. Easter library hours: Please note that the library will close at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, and will be closed all day on Good Friday, April 18. Book review: The book dis- .arly ‘and enlightening school districts visit our pro- gram to develop their own lock- in affair, always with positive re- sponse. What we don’t need are people who want to put a negative spin such a fine program. How about showing up for the next lock-in and scrutinize for yourself what it's all about. That's where I'll be. Michael ot ) Shavertovgl kids in April cussion group reviewed “What Went Wrong? — The Clash Be- tween Islam and Modernity in the Middle East,” by Bernard Lewis. The group found it schol- y. and enlightening, and, above all, timely. We are v Iran Fahmy, who was born in Iran. We thank her for her con- tribution to our understanding of the current situation and the historical background of the prega. sent conflict. We highly reconfff)) mend the book. Library luncheon: An article about this May 1 event appears in this issue. Be sure to make early reservations for this rite of _ spring. ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - April 7, 1933 PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES STEM SCARLET FEVER CASES Deccrease in the number of scarlet fever cause in this sec- tion indicated that the danger of an epidemic had been overcome and that continued care on the part of parents and school offi- cials will remove the hazard en- tirely. For the first time in its history Dallas borough high school ath- letic association closes its fiscal year showing a profit, and with much of the indebtedness of pre- vious years wiped clean from its books. Some of the items you could get at the American Stores Co. were: applesauce, 3 cans 19¢; peaches, 2 big cans 29¢; peas, 2 for 29¢; Post Toasties, 2pkgs. 15¢; Ivory Soap, 4 caskes, 19¢. 60 Years Ago - April 2, 1943 RED CROSS DRIVE EXCEEDS QUOTA BY 27% IN AREA With seven days remaining before the official close of the campaign, Red Cross leaders in the Back Mountain Region were jubilant last night when it was revealed that they have raised $3,277.82, exceeding their goal of $2,575 by $27. A one-week scrap drive to raise funds for the American Red Cross was launched by stu- dents of Dallas Borough schools. At the same time a special drive for the cans was conducted by students of the sixth grade. Previously, the lo- cal schools collected 69,680 pounds of scrap and were among the leaders in the school scrap drive in Luzerne County. Jane Lohman, Trucksville’s first and only woman postmas- ter, is leaving the postal service involuntarily. She has served as postmaster and assistant post- master at Trucksville for the past eighteen years under both Republican and Democratic ad- ministrations. 50 Years Ago - April 3, 1953 MISERICORDIA BLOOD DONOR DAY NETS 138 PINTS Blood Donor Day at College Misericordia netted 138 pints, collected by a staff of twenty- nine. According to Sister An- nunciata Blood Donor day will be a semi-annual feature of stu- dent life. Farmers and dealers form as far away as Harrisburg, Lan- caster, Williamsport, and Bing- hamton, as well as those from the Back Mountain comprised the largest crowd ever seen at Charles Long's annual auciton of farm machinery. Chairman Mrs. Robert Maturi and Mrs. Harold Flack, an- nounced that $729 was raised for the Back Mountain Heart Drive. This was more than dou- ble the amount raised in 1952. 40) Years Ago - April 4, 1963 JACKSON TOWNSHIP HANDED NEW ROAD WOES A refusal by Larksville bor- ough to help Jackson Township maintain a border-line stretch of Route 599, also knows as “Steele’s Farm Road,” was re- ferred to consideration of solic- tor Jonathan Valentine at a board meeting. Proposed new Dallas Post Of- fice building, site still unspeci- fied, received encouragement by virtue of a $238,100 grant un- der Accelerated Public Works program by a Senate sub-com- mittee. South Pioneer Avenue thor- oughfare was blocked twice within a week when two heavy portions retaining walls on neighbors property toppled. 30 Years Ago - April 5, 1973 JET-POWERED PLANE LANDS ON HARVEYS LAKE A twin engine jet seaplane made several illegal landings on Harveys Lake. W.T. Howell, in- specot for th General Aviation District Office in Allentown, ex- plained if the FAA has no regu- lations governing the landing of seaplanes on lakes, but the state does. A plan to finance Lake- Lehman's new elementary school by issuing general oblig- ation bonds won the unami- mous support of the district's school directors at a special meeting of the board. Greenstreet News Co., which published the Dallas Post, the Abington Journal, and the Mountaintop Eagle, was cited by the Professional News Media Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania for dedication and unselfishness during the o@) emergency last June. 20 Years Ago - April 6, 1983 ‘NURSE OF HOPE’ SEEKS STATE TITLE Mary Simon, Wyoming Val- ley’s “Nurse of Hope,” was in Carlisle competing on a statewide level for the American cancer Socitey title. She is among 54 candidates for the stae “Nurse of Hope.” The first program of the Back Mountain parents and Kids (P.A.K.) is to be presented at the Tirnity United Presbyterian Church, and Ron Gaetono will deliver the sermon. William L. Moyer, esq was re- cently appointed vice-president and general counsel for Com- monwealth Telephone Enter- prises, Inc. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Posty i & IRM PRL Se A ny
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers