The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Friday May 16, 2003 7 \ \ EDITORIAL Yoters must do their homework, then make the best choices Several candidates for local elected office have asked if the Post will make endorsements. As this column will explain, it is our usual policy not to endorse in local elections, unless there is an overwhelming reason to do so. We see no such circumstance this year. Whatever one may think about their capabilities and moti- vations, local candidates are by and large on the ballot be- cause they feel they can make a difference in the life of their community or school district. They certainly aren't in it for the money, since whatever modest payment might be avail- able hardly compensates for the time and effort most offi- cials put into their responsibilities. Sure, there have been of- or in a steering a particular issue, but, thankfully, they ave been the exception, not the rule. The fact is, we are grateful that so many citizens are will- ing to take on duties that are seldom rewarding and often bring more criticism than praise from the people they are elected to serve. This is particularly true for school board members, who seem to be blamed for every educational or fi- nancial shortcoming, even though their role is one of policy, not operations. Do local officials make mistakes? Sure they do. Are they always on the side of issues we would prefer? Of course not, and neither we nor anyone else should expect them to toe our particular line in all cases. What we ask is that they serve with dignity, honesty and with a sense for the effect their actions and votes have on their constituents. In most cases, there is nothing to complain about on those scores. Like anyone else, the people who work at The Dallas Post have opinions about the candidates, and not all of them are icials who had personal interests in maintaining the status he flattering. But none are strong enough to make us endorse a ° particular candidate, which has the effect of casting negative light on an opponent. “The foundation of our system of government is the open exchange of differing viewpoints. In order to hold up their end of the bargain, voters must pay attention to what candi- dates have to say and what they stand for, then choose the nes who they feel are best suited to the job at hand. We trust the voters of the Back Mountain will do that. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek It’s clear that I chose the wrong line of work on that long- ago day when I passed up. the chance to become head coach \of a college football or basketball team. I remember the con- ersation as clearly as if it occurred yesterday. “Would you like to make a little more than the minimum wage, travel ar und the country in rundown buses and eat in the cafete- ria \every day?” the athletic. director. asked. “Heck no,” I replied testily. “Who would be dumb enough to do that?” My how times have changed. Now college coaches earn mil- lions, fly around in chartered jets and some of them dine at the finest topless bars in America — until they get caught by the press. At least that’s what happened in Alabama recent- ly, resulting in the firing of a renowned coach after only four months with the program. Of course, like all deposed digni- taries, Mike Price will likely receive a generous settlement, probably an amount that could fund full-boat scholarships for a few dozen needy students. But, hey, he deserves it, having been “denied” a second chance to prove he’s more " mature than the teenagers he’s paid to lead. Boy, there have been a couple of times during my career when a second chance would have come in handy, but I didn’t even get a press conference to whine about the unfairness of it all. Letters, columns and editorials The Dallas Post publishes 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 car- toonist, and columns are the opinion of the author. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: & e Letters should not exceed 500 words. Cd [| * No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30- day period, except as a reply to another letter. e 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 li- bel, 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 material for publica- tion. : The Dallas Post TIMES*LEADER (g@munity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL Ronald Bartizek EDITOR/GENERAL MANAGER Kari L. Wachtel ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. A 18612 » 570-675-5211 Erin Youngman REPORTER Claudia Blank AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Darlene E. Sorber ‘ Terry Quinn OFFICE MANAGER PAGE DESIGN BEY CAVAN ATE Signups | now open Spring arrives — finally — in Jackson Township. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. (OF \ HB ¢ YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - May 19, 1933 BOARD TO ASK EARLY PAY- MENT OF STATE FUND Due to the financial problems caused by the delinquency of taxpayers, the secretary of Dal- las school board was instructed to write the State Department of Public instruction asking that the appropriation due is August be paid earlier. Starting with a charter mem- bership of 29 and without a church building St. Paul's Luth- ern church of Shavertown cele- brated its Eight anniversary with a membership of 136 per- sons. : Lettie Lee was elected presi- dent and Elizabeth Love, -vice- president of the Young Women’s club of Dallas at a meeting. The club plans to send a girl from the Girl scout troop in Fern- brook and one from the troop in Dallas to the Girl scout camp at | White's ferry for one week. 60 Years Ago - May 14, 1943 TWO SENIORS PASS ARMY-NAVY TESTS Harold Brobst of Pinecrest Av- enue and Paul Kocher of machell avenue are two Dallas High School seniors who have been notified by the War Depart- ment that they have passed the recently given Army-Navy pre-in- "duction qualifying tests with high standing and wil be accept- ed for the Army specialized Training Progress. The All-Back Mountain Memo- rial Day Observance and Horse Show will not be held because of the war according to an an- nouncement made by ghe gener- ° al communittee. Dripping gasoline from an au- tomobile fule line ignited on con- tact with a hot electric light bulb on an extension cord, Richard- son’s Garage was engulfed in flames. The automobile which was being repaired was undam- aged. 50 Years Ago - May 15, 1953 get at Gosart’s Store: 10 1b gag charcoal 59¢; round steak Ib. 99¢; bacon 1 lb. 59¢; saltines 1 Ib pkg. 19¢. 30 Years Ago - May 17, 1973 MEDITATION COURSES PLANNED IN DALLAS A course on Transcendental . Meditation, the practical aspect OPEN HOUSE AT BANK All Back Mountain residents were invited to attend the cere- monies to the formal acceptance of First National Bank of Dallas by Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre. W.B. Jeter, vice president of Miners Bank added taht a $100 and $50 Defense Bond will be awarded to two of the visitors on opening day. Back Mountain Little League will open its third season with a mammoth street parade headed by four high school bands and Vetersna’ of Foreign Wars Fife and drum corps. Ira Thomas, fa- mous catcher of the Philadelphia Athletics and Earl Mack Jr. grandson of Connie Mack will speak at the ceremonies. John Miliauskas, Back Moun- tain band leader, is first trumpet soloist with the army band at Camp Gordon, Ga. He is also leader of camp Gordon's four-. teen-piece orchestra. 40 Years Ago - May 16, 1963 BIGELOW, WEEKS WIN ZONING APPEALS Kingston Township Board of Appeals granted favorable deci- sion to Merl Bigelow and Frank Weeks, appealing refusal of zon- ing officer Chief Updyke to grand building permits, at a meeting of the board. Men and earth moving equip- ment of Sun Pipeline Company, affiliated with Sun Oil Company, were employed the past week boring passage for new twelve- inch pipeline between the rail- road and the highway near Hill- side. Some of the items you could of the newly developed Science of Creative Intelligence, is now being offered in Dallas. This is the first course actually offered in the Dallas area. Dr. Ronald D. Landa, College Misericordia Professor was named the recipient of the an- nual Leonard A. Covello prize, a national award. The national award is presented for the best unpublished article on the Ital- ian experience in the U.S. Dallas school directors split their vote on a resolution sub- mitted by district superinten- dent, Dr. Linford Werkheiser, to authorize the sixth payment of $209,000 to Panelfab Interna- tional Inc. general contractor for work on the temporary relocat- able school facility. 20 Years Ago - May 18, 1983 KT HOME BURGLARIZED Over $20,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from a Kingston twp. home when burglars broke a window to gain entry. The rob- bery took place in the middle of the afternoon.In addition to the jewelry, the burglars also stole a Smith and Wesson 22. caliber western revolver and a set of sterling silver. . Some of the items you could get at Daring’'s Market: bottom rounds lb. $1.69; round steak Ib. $2.19; eye roast lb. $2.59; chicken breasts Ib. whole $1.25; swiss cheese 1b. $2.49; ham Ib. $1.69. Robert Peters III of Shaver- town, was promoted in the U.S. Army to the rank of major. Pe- ters is a gastroenterologist at Presidio of San Francisco. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post for youth programs Registration for the “Donuts and Discussion” program for 10 to 13-year-olds has begun. Sign up now! There will be an organi- zational meeting on Monday, May 20, at 4 p.m. of .all those who have registered to deter- mine the book selections and the dates and hours of the meetings, which will start in early June. Call the children’s library at 675-1182 for further information and to register. Children's summer pro- grams: Summer is on its way! The summer reading game, with the theme, “Get in the Game at - Your Library,” begins on June 2. Come in and pick up your game cards at any time. The week of June 2-7 will be the time to register your chil- dren for summer story hours for toddlers and 3-5-year-olds. The hours will begin the last week of June. Auction kick-off dinner: This year the pre-auction din- ner will be held on Monday, June 16, at The Apple Tree Ter- race, Newberry Estate, Dallas, with cocktails from 6 to 7 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. The cost is $25 and proceeds help to pro- vide “seed money” for the auc- tion. It’s a fun affair, and every- one is welcome. Tickets are available at the library. Book ‘review: “The Blind-As- sassin,” by Margaret Atwood, was the topic at the last meet- ing of the book discussion group. It probably provoked the most varied opinions of any book we've read recently. One member declared that reading it was a waste of time, while an- other stated with equal convic- tion that it was definitely a worthwhile book. Everyone agreed, however, that it was brilliantly written; to quote one member, “every sentence is a jewel.” The plot is complex and convoluted, with three stories woven together. It certainly was thought-provoking and the dis- cussion, as always, was stimu- lating and thoroughly enjoyable. Some people have expressed an interest in joining the book discussion group. There is a waiting list at the front desk in the library. Just call (675-1182) or stop by and ask that your name be added to the list. New display: A display about baseball has been loaned to the library by Thomas Machovec, a fifth-grader. Books, auto- graphed balls, caps, gloves, a pennant, and bears you name them! Thomas sounds like a real fan. Book reading: As part of Tu- dor’s TLC program, Lisa Tucker, author of “The Song Reader,” will speak on Tuesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. at the Buckingham Center for the Performing Arts at Wyoming Seminary. Fresh Air Fund seeks volunteers The Fresh Air Fund is seeking more host families in the Dallas area to open their homes to a New York City child for two weeks this summer. The Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town Pro- gram has brought more than 1.7 million disadvantaged young New Yorkers to suburban and rural communities throughout 13 Northeastern states and Canada to explore country life and summer pastimes. Call Karin Spak at 570-655- 9342 or The Fresh Air Fund at (800)367-0003. You can also visit The Fund online at www. freshair.org
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers