L Vol. 114 No. 43 The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 October 26 to November 1, 2003 Old Shoe Game preview. Page 9 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Helping the poor any way ehey can J Operation Honduras brings hope to kids and villages By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent The poor will always be with us — children in third world countries, orphans too, people made deaf by untreated ear in- fections or suffering with AIDS. So what can an average Back Mountain resident do? Four years ago Audrey Simp- son of Shavertown wrestled with that very question. An an- swer was provided by her first ousin, John Prokopchak, who ong with some Friday night poker buddies had traveled to Honduras in 1997 to see how they could help the poor peo- ple there. The talented group of electri- cians, builders and tradesmen first traveled to Honduras in See HONDURAS, pg 8 Kingston Township @Scts budget meetings SHAVERTOWN The Kingston Township Supervi- sors have scheduled special meetings Monday, Oct. 27 and Tuesday, Oct. 28 to discuss the 2004 budget. Township Manager Eddie O'Neill will present prelimi- nary estimates of revenue and expenses, and the supervisors will make final decisions. “I present what I feel to the board,” O'Neill said. Kingston Township is unique among Back Mountain municipalities in being a home-rule government. The township is able to tax income at a higher rate, 1.5 percent, which has allowed for the elim- ination of a local property tax. But the economic slowdown has had an effect. “The econo- my’s bad, raises are down and eople have lost jobs,” O'Neill said. “Naturally, the earned in- come tax payable to the town- ship will taper off.” Last month, officials chose to postpone participating in a regional master plan until the budget was settled and they were sure they could afford it. The hearings will start at 6:30 p.m. each day in the mu- nicipal building at 180 E. Cen- ter Street. FOR THE POST/FRED ADAMS Amanda Sagan brought the ball upfield against Crestwood during Lake-Lehman’s his- toric victory over Crestwood Monday. The win was the 17th against no losses in the reg- ular season, the first time the Black Knights had gone unbeaten and untied. Story, more photos on sports page. Trail gets key piece of puzzle J Easement could pave way to 4-mile run By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN — An easement has been granted which will allow users of the Back Mountain Trail to make it through a large area that was previously impassable. Judy Rimple, President of the Anthracite Scenic Trails As- sociation, said the new section above Harris Hill Road will en- able hikers and bikers to enter and exit along Lehigh Street near Division Street and make a near continuous trail from Luzerne to Shavertown. Rimple said October 20 that the association is only a few easements away from complet- ing the Luzerne to Misericor- dia stretch and that as of an Oc- tober meeting of the associa- tion’s board of directors, the de- cision had been made “to ac- tively engage owners in conver- sation to gain the remaining right of way.” She said there are only three areas standing in the way of a continuous trail network. The easement recently grant- ed by Craig and Karen Williams of Trucksville will en- able the trail to proceed north See TRAIL, pg 3 Woman says cops ignore burglaries at her home By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff HARVEYS LAKE - A woman who lives at a Harveys Lake trailer park told council Tuesday night police have not helped her with ongoing thefts at her home. Michelene Bidgood, of Han- son’s Landing trailer park, emo- tionally told council how she has endured three years of re- peated robberies at her home and alleged her numerous calls to police have done nothing to solve the problem. Bidgood said that an intrud- er has been entering her home daily and helping himself to items such as sugar, eggs, and toilet paper. She said the in- truder will take any variety of things. Recently the vandal stole her vehicle’s battery and battery cables. She said calls to the mayor and police chief have not solved the problem and that Police Chief Jeffrey Butler has told her she needs to catch the criminal in the act. She also alleged that when officer Charles Musial respond- ed to a call at her home, he told her she was senile and should- See HARVEYS LAKE, pg 8 ‘Car nut’ partners launch dealership By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff SHAVERTOWN — Automo- bile enthusiasts will soon be checking out the shine on a Porsche or Ferrari where handymen once looked for just the right bolt. Three partners, self-con- fessed “car nuts,” have pur- chased the former Back Moun- tain Lumber & Coal property on Route 309, and plan to open Autoworks International, an ex- otic auto dealership, there in January. Jeff Dickson, Dan Monk and Bernard “Buz” Boback have shared a love for unique and high-performance cars for decades, and now hope to turn their hobby into a successful business. The former hardware store is undergoing a complete renovation, with the 8,000 square foot first floor now be- ing refitted into a showroom. There is another 8,000 square feet in the basement and a 1,500 square foot office in the building that fronts the high- way. A separate building at the rear, across Main Street, is also in the plans. “We will need that space,” said Dickson, for a serv- ice and detailing facility. Whether the existing 18,000 square foot structure can be used hasn't been determined, and that part of the project will wait until spring. The former hardware store, aside from offering a location with frontage on a high-traffic roadway, had another appeal. “We could have put it any- where, but we wanted to keep it in our town,” Boback said. All three have longtime Back Mountain roots. The partners feel they are en- tering a field that is on an up- swing. “The market is strong,” said Boback. “If youre not quick (to buy), you lose the See AUTOWORKS pg 4 AR sr tend POST PHOTO/RON BARTIZEK Jeff Dickson, Buz Boback and Dan Monk stood among some of their own unique cars in front of the former Back Moun- tain Lumber & Coal, which they are renovating into an exot- ic auto dealership. Region once had several new dealers By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff Though it had a small popu- lation, the Back Mountain was home to several new-car deal- erships over the years, and one of them continues to thrive. Louis Richardson estab- lished a Dodge dealership on Lake Street in 1938, and it’s still there. Prior to that, he had worked for A&P. “I don’t really know how he got into the car business, to be honest,” said James Richardson, Louis’s son. The third generation of the family, William, is now running the dealership, taking over from Jim, who entered the business in 1967 but is now semi-retired. Jim Richardson said the fam- ily’s dealership is one of only about 50 left in the nation sell- ing just the Dodge line. But that hasn’t proved to be a prob- lem, and the store sells an aver- See DEALERS, pg 4 14 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dallaspost@leader.net Dallas author inspires youthful writing By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent “l write narrative non-fiction POST PHOTO/M.B. GILLIGAN Catherine Gourley stood by a poster for the “Letters About Literature” program she is coordinating. DALLAS — When she isn’t writing books, Catherine Mec- Cormick Gourley is encouraging children, who are her audience, to take up the pen themselves. The award-winning author was at the Back Mountain Memorial Library last week to make plans for an upcoming workshop. Gour- ley, who lives in Dallas with her husband Dennis, has written 17 books, including several for the popular The American Girl se- ries. social history books for 10-14- year-old girls,” said Gourley, who grew up in Wilkes-Barre and grad- uated from Coughlin High School and Wilkes University. “I write feminist books for kids.” Her latest book, which was just recently released, is titled “Soci- ety’s Sisters,” and tells the story of several young women who worked very hard to change their communities before women’s suf- frage. “Pm talking about 14- and 15- year-olds who led rallies and boy- cotted,” said Gourley. Gourley taught teenagers at both Meyers and GAR. “I was a teacher with aspirations of being a writer,” said Gourley. “I feel that I'm still doing what I intend- ed to do, which was to work with children.” Gourley, a national director with the Library of Congress, is in charge of the annual writing competition called “Letters About Literature.” The contest is open to students at three levels: grades 4 to 6; grades 7 to 8; and grades 9 to 12. It involves writing a letter See WRITING pg 3
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