| 8 The Dallas Post il EDITORIAL Dallas, PA Friday, May 9, 2003 Hemlock Gardens crusader proves you can fight, and win Millie Monk must never have heard that old saying, “You can’t fight city hall.” Either that, or she decided to pay it no ' mind as she crusaded to get the streets in her little develop- ment, Hemlock Gardens, repaired and paved. Millie decided several years ago that she and her neighbors deserved to be treated as well as anyone else in Harveys | Lake Borough, and set out to get someone to provide streets | that were properly graded, drained and surfaced. As the years dragged on and frustration mounted, | | roads. | dirt roads. she never showed signs of giving up the quest she had set off on. Her first challenge was to establish who was responsible for the “Not me,” said the original developer, who had built “Not us,” said borough officials after drainage | “improvements” left the roads rutted and nearly impassable, ' particularly in winter. But Millie pressed on. Once it became | clear the borough was the logical party to make repairs, i ‘money became an issue. But Millie’s persistence, both in | prodding officials and looking for grants that could offset the expense, paid off with a state Growing Greener grant that | paid the bulk of the cost. In the process of getting her road fixed, Millie and her hus- band Bill did the entire borough a favor, too. It seems that sediment runoff from Hemlock Gardens was flowing into Harveys Lake, degrading water quality. That dirty little se- “cret was helpful in attaining the grant money that would ul- timately bring this issue to a positive end. Millie Monk wasn't always received with open arms as she ‘attended council meetings, cajoled neighbors to join her ‘quest and generally made a pest of herself — for a good cause. But she wasn't worried about what other people ‘thought, she was determined to do something good for her- self, her neighbors and her community. Every community should be lucky enough to have a Millie Monk within its bor- ders. Publisher’s Notebook - #MIRon Bartizek After a round of golf last weekend, the wife and I stopped for lunch at one of the chain restaurants that have sprouted in this area like mushrooms after a spring rain. This particu- lar establishment shall remain nameless, but does it really ‘matter when they all have quesadilla, 17 burgers and bro- colli and cheese soup on the menu? Really, other than that ‘phony Mediterranean place, which I've yet to visit, I don’t see a lick of difference between most of them. You need look no further than the “Blue Blarney” drink at the one that claims to be Irish to see what I'm getting at. It's a blue margariia, ‘but I guess that doesn't fit their chosen stereotype. An ethnic or national identity, no matter how farfetched, ‘seems to be the hook for most ‘of these places. Take Outback ‘Steakhouse, please. There; everything must have an Aussie touch, right down to the restrooms. I've been told, though, that actual Australian women are offended at the “Sheilas” . label on their door, since down under that's a derogatory term for a lady who isn’t, in delicate terms, really a lady. In reality, I think all these restaurants have a common kitchen hidden away somewhere in Wilkes-Barre, and the most important thing the cooks have to worry about is get- ting the crab cakes and mozzarella sticks on.the right platter before it's whisked away to your table through a secret un- derground passageway. That's the only way the menus could be so similar. i e000 f Speaking of menus, do you think it occured to the out- raged Congressmen who renamed their side dish “Liberty ~ Fries” that they still order from the menu, and that some of the items are available a la carte? Letters, columns and editorials The Dallas Post welcomes opinions on a variety of topics in many forms. Editorials, which are the opinion of the managment of The | Post, appear on the editorial page and are written by the editor unless otherwise indicated. Any artwork represents the opinion of the cartoonist, and columns are the opinion of the author. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, sub- ject to the following guidelines: * Letters should not exceed 500 words. * No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30-day period, except as a reply to another letter. Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. * Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. * The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. In addition to letters, we welcome longer pieces that may run as columns. The author or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting mate- rial for publication. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL A 18612 * 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek EDITOR/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 Funseekers lined up on the dock at Hanson's in this 19402 photograph. I ES LCB store union chief says Sunday sales are no plus Editor, The fundamental justification for an institution like a retail al- cohol monopoly is that there are important tasks that can be ac- complished better than private interests can. The state store sys- tem has traditionally attempted to minimize harm from drinking. No financial incentives for em- . ployees to sell to intoxicated or underage persona; total coopera- tion with law enforcement not to serve any customer they consider a threat to the community; and, non-promotion by billboard, ra- ‘dio or newspaper advertising pro- moting the sale of liquor and wine in Pennsylvania. The adverse effects of drinking on others — on the family, friends and acquaintances. and on strangers — are the greatest source of social concern and the most compelling justification for the government's intervention in the marketplace. The fundamen- tal justification of the PA state store system is that it occupies a field that would be otherwise oc- cupied by private interests in competition to sell more alcohol. The number of retail state stores in Pennsylvania is limited. Less than 10 percent of the chil- dren age 6-18 in Pennsylvania are exposed to liquor and wine at an early age compared to all the children who are exposed to liquor and wine sales in a super- market setting in other states. State stores. in Pennsylvania are not clustered in urban areas to be the focal point of neighbor- hood disruption and crime. Pennsylvania ranks 37th in wine per capita consumption and 48th in liquor per capita con- sumption. This statistic should please Pennsylvania citizens; drinker and non-drinkers alike. The National Institute for Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in. a study just released, in a national alcohol data (Survey #59), indi- cates that 48.5 percent of Penn- sylvanians are non-drinkers. While the state store system of- fers the largest selection of liquor and wine in the country, it does not promote or attempt to grow the business as supermarkets and private sellers would neces- sarily do. Presently, one (1) out of every 878 Pennsylvanians now visit the 60 state stores open on Sunday. These stores are, in general, the largest stores in the most affluent areas with the highest annual volume. Sunday sales will pro- duce annually $17 million in sales, half of which will be trans- ferred from other days of the week. The net revenue to the Commonwealth enhanced by Sunday sales will be less than $4 million in additional profit and taxes. The state store system will generate $1,300,000,000 in sales and $325 million in profit and taxes this fiscal year. A legislator in central; Pennsylvania reported; this month he had polled his con- stituents who did not want state stores open on Sunday by a 72- 28 margin. A government monopoly changes the contours of the polit- ical arena in which alcohol policy is debated. After Iowa privatized their system, the private store- owners quickly succeeded in forc- ing a reduction of the state’s alco- hol tax to make their businesses more profitable. The balance between the pri- vate pleasure from drinking on the one hand, and the private and public harms on the ll) can be determined by the inter: of the broad public rather than by the interests of commerce with the present state store system. . Alcohol is the number one drug of use and abuse in both the USA and Pennsylvania. Ed Cloonan, President yingependen: State Store Union here too Harrisburg, PA New books added to Back Mountain Library collection The Back Mountain Memorial Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas, announces the addition of the following books to their collection: FICTION The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark Dirty Workby Stuart Woods All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracey A Visible Darkness by Jonathan King Stone Heart by Diane Glancy The Force of the Past by San- dro Veronesi The Room-Mating Season by Rona Jaffe NON-FICTION Training for Climbing by Eric J Horst Snowmobiling: * have fun, be smart by Michael A. Sommers MYSTERY Engaged to Die by Carolyn Hart The Kalahari Typing School for ~ Men by R.A. McCall Smith SCIENCE FICTION Red Thunder by John Varley LARGE PRINT FICTION The Arraignment by Steve Martini King of Torts by John Grisham The Rana Lookby Sandra Brown | Sit Hotspur by Rita Mae Brown Every Waking Moment by Meryl Sawyer Celt and Pepper by Ralph M. McInerny The Miracles of Santo Fico by D.L. Smith The Hobbit, or, There an Back Again=94 by J.R.R. Tolkien Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk Lionheart by Connie Mason Caramelo, or Puro Cuentoby Sandra Cisneros YOUNG ADULT To the Edge of the World by Michele Torrey (O'R 4 YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - May 12, 1933 NEW WATER TANK INSTALLED HERE A tank of 8,000 gallon capaci- ty was put into service by the Harry E. F. Goeringer Water Company. It supplies 50 homes at Hillcrest View, Shavertown. The former tank collapsed. Some of the items at the A & P Store: potatoes 10 lbs. 29¢; milk 2 tall cans 11¢; butter 2 lbs 47¢; pears large can 19¢; prunes large can 15¢. Movies that played at the Himmler Theatre: Luxury Liner with George Brent; Smoke Light- ning with George O'Brian; Bil- lion Dollar Scandal with Robert Armstrong; King Kong with Fay Wray. 60 Years Ago - May 7, 1943 FREAK WEATHER RETARDS CROPS Pasture development is way behing schedule in the Back Mountain region. Dairymen who turn their herds out to pasture between May 1 and 15 will prob- + ably not be able to put their ani- mals in the fields before the alst of May or early part of June. Temperatures throughout the State averaged below normal and ranged fronm 25 to 78 de- grees. Farmers are planting oats and potatoes when weather per- mits First member of his class to join the armed services, Richard LeGrand, Dallas Borough High School senior left for the Naval Training station at Sampson N.Y. ; Farmers were among the first to feel the pinch of the gasoline shortage when tank truck dis- tributors were unable to supply them with much needed fuel for their tractors. 50 Years Ago - May 8, 1953 DANIEL RICHARDS MADE SECRETARY OF JOINT BOARD Daniel Richards was elected secretary for a four year term at the meeting of Dallas-Franklin Joint School = Board. Mr. Richerds succeeds Floyd Cham- berlain who resigned. Dallas Township Supervisors started on the construction of the new short-cut road Shaver- town to Fernbrook over the old traction company right of way. Lester B. Squier was elected to head the ninth annual Back- Mountain Horse Show. Squier is principal” of the Lehman-Jack- son Joint Schools, . code 40 Years Ago - May 9, 1963 HIGH SCHOOL SELLS 1100 FLAP-JACK TICKETS Aunt Jemima Pancake Festival sponsored by Kiwanis in Dallas High School cafeteria was the social event of the week. Around 1,100 tickets, were sold, with an unofficially estimated $700 to $800 profit, benefits of the Key Club, Back Mountain's out- standing youth civic organiza- tion. Bill Purcell, proprietor of Pur- cell's Oil Company Memorial Highway Shavertown, received a letter from the Kingston Town- ship Board of Appeals approving his request to construct a 20,000 gallon storage tank for petroleum products on his land where he conducts a filling sta- tion. Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will petition the Court of Quarter sessions to en- force that part of th township which would requrie Larksville Borough to share maintenance costs of Steele's Farm Road with the township. 30 Years Ago - May 10, 1973 POST PREPARES VOTE GUIDE The Dallas Post prepared as a public service preceding the pri- mary election, a Back Mountain Voters’ Guide. Only those candi- dates aspiring to offices which are considered policy-making positions have been interviewed Atty. Ben Jones III, solicitor for the Dallas School District stated at the regular board meeting that a young man, over 18 had come forth and admitted being the sole cause for the van- dalism at the senior high school. The Lake-Lehman Band won two first place prizes at the Shendoah National AppleBlos- som Fesitval in Winchester va. One of almost 200 bands they won a first prize in the World's Largest Firmen's Parade and an- other first prize in the field whos - competition. 20 Years Ago - May 11, 195; @ LEHMAN-JACKSON PTA WINS FOR THIRD YEAR The Lehman-Jackson PTA was proud to announce it had been awarded the “Most Out- standing Local Unit Award in the State” for the third consecu- tive year. Twp. Numerous Kingston residnts will have new address- es, courtesy of the U. S. Post Office and the Township. Under the new system every residence has been assigned a house and a street number rather than the formerly used box number or R.D. number. At Daring’s Market you could get smoked bologna, 1b $1.59; pork loins lb. $1.29; pork roast Ib. $1.49; bulk sausage Ib. $1.49; lebanon bologna Ib. $2.49. | Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers