L Vol. 114 No.52 ®.005 in photos. ™ Page 4 SERVING THE COMMUN The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 December 28 to January 3, 2004 OST . TIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Burn ban proposals varied in Scope, focus By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN — If Kingston and Dallas townships pass their pro- posed bans on open burning, many home owners could be looking at reg- ular trips to drop off yard waste. Both townships have introduced legislation that would do away with most outdoor burning. Officials have said they don’t have a choice if they want to continue to receive grant money for their recycling programs. If passed, residents would become responsible “Stop burning for carting yard waste garbage, but like leaves, not limbs. limbs and oi grass clip- Don tj ust pings to ei- completely ther their Stop it.” township's re- cycling facili ty, or to the Dallas Area Municipal Au- thority (DAMA). The townships do not, how- ever, have the ability to dispose of larger limbs and fallen trees. Some Kingston Township residents have been outspoken about the pro- posed ban since it was first discussed in July. Residents there can currently burn both yard waste and trash. Rosaria Shaver organized a petition against the ban that attraeted 370 sig- natures. She believes the ban would be a violation of her rights as a prop- erty owner. “Basically it’s my yard. If they're go- ing to take that away, what's next?” she said. Shaver said shed feel differently if je supervisors were willing to com- promise on the issue. “Stop burning garbage, but not limbs. Don’t just completely stop it,” she suggests. Dallas Township has no burning re- strictions in agricultural areas and burning is permitted in residential ar- See BURNING, pg 2 Rosaria Shaver Shavertown ¥ INsiDE THE Post Dallas repeats as 6th grade champ of Holiday Tournament Page 9 12 Pages, 1 Section Calendar ¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@ieader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 970-7102 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 @ Dallas Middle School students brought more than ginger- bread to the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen last week. They also played and sang holiday music for an ap- preciative audi- ence. From left: Erika Miller, Samantha Backes, Mary Ketchner and Kristin Justice. POST PHOTO/ ERIN YOUNGMAN Students spread holiday spirit By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff WILKES-BARRE — Outside the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, 30 Dallas Middle School students filed off their Mountaineer bus with a spring in their step and smiles on their faces. For weeks their German class has been working to create gingerbread houses —dozens of them — to distribute to those who need extra holiday cheer. The soup kitchen was their second stop out of many this day, and the students were brimming with excitement. “It’s fun,” commented Alyxandra Howard, age 12, “It feels See SPIRIT, pg 2 POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dave Rogers was joined by his family at a recent meeting of Cub Scout Pack 281. From left: Erin, Alayne, Rychelle, Charlotte, Dave and Tom Rogers. ‘Person of Year’ 1s man in the middle ‘By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent DALLAS — While Time Magazine may have named the American sol- dier Person of the Year, National Guard Reservist Dave Rogers, with the 109th Field Artillery unit, Kingston, feels like a “man in the middle.” Rogers, 55 — father of four, a veter- an of two tours of duty in Vietnam and a staff sergeant in the 109th — has been placed on 24 hour standby call, while most of the men in his bat- tery have been called up for a 15 month assignment that is expected to include service in Iraq. “I feel I need to be with those guys, wed train together every weekend. It’s difficult not to go,” Rogers said. Rogers is employed as a civilian by the Army as a mechanic for the 109th, including a battery in Ply- mouth that has yet to be called up. For now, his job continues to be main- taining their equipment. But Rogers has other loyalties as well. As he spoke recently during a meeting of Cub Scout Pack 281, 10- year-old Tom Rogers, Dave's son, hung on his dad’s arm. “I'm a trained den leader and helper here for the Webelos of Pack 281,” Dave Rogers “I feel I need to be with those guys, we'd train together every weekend. It’s difficult not to go.” Dave Rogers Dallas said. Someone with Rogers’ experience and leadership ability is extremely prized since many of the young re- servists have never seen active duty. Rogers saw plenty of action in Viet- nam. “I was in the Navy in a rescue helicopter from ship to shore. My po- sition was at the bottom. I held an M- 16 in one hand and lowered the hoist to the downed pilots with the other hand.” Rogers quit the reserves in 1972, but a friend talked him into rejoining in 1990. He reupped partly to fulfill a 20-year career, but also because his oldest daughter, Erin, developed a cancerous brain tumor, which re- quired special medical treatment. “I knew that the government would accept my family for medical benefits regardless of all previous illnesses. My daughter has lost her hearing and needs an implant. We take her to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.” Rogers proudly notes that his daughter is now cancer free. But, he says, “It’s harder for those young kids to go, some have babies and pregnant wives, children they won't even know.” Rogers has all his shots and is ready to go. “I run like a kid, my health has been good, I can do all the push-ups, age is not a barrier in my case. We probably have two more years to get that country stable again. The biggest problem is that those people don’t understand we just want to help and some don’t know how badly they were treated.” Charlotte Rogers, Dave's = wife, found it difficult to talk but took a deep breath and said, “Of course, we are praying that he doesn’t go, but in our minds he already has.” “Of course, we are praying that he doesn’t go, but in our minds he already has.” Charlotte Rogers Dallas Insurance attracts lots of interest By ERIN YOUNGMAN Post Staff HARVEYS LAKE — Dock insur- ance, unattainable from conventional sources, has been the impetus for many new families to join the Har- veys Lake Protective Association. For approximately $100 a year and the annual $20 membership fee, asso- ciation members can obtain $3,000 worth of coverage. The insurance was dreamed up by association members who sought to create some monetary protection against spring ice damage. No insurance companies currently of- fer the coverage. “We got 15 to 20 new member fami- lies specifically so they could get the ice insurance,” said Mark Sobeck, president of the association. He said overall, the group has at- tracted a good number of insures. He expects as the December 31, 2003 deadline ap- proaches, appli- cations will come in more furiously. “Were hoping to see at least 100 (insures) the first year and I RE LE LBS SE Se Gis] The deadline for insurance applications is December 31. For more information call Sobeck at 639-5515. Judge appoints Gochoel to fill board vacancy By MARK GUYDISH For The Post WILKES-BARRE — The Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas de- cided December 18 that the Dallas mr sisi] School Board had incorrectly named Dennis Gochoel to fill a vacancy. Then the court gave the seat to Gochoel. = Hy Anthony Dennis Gochoel Bar- bose resigned from the board Nov. 1. The board failed to name a replacement by a state-man- dated deadline of Nov. 30, so the de- cision fell to the courts. But a board, with new members, took office on Dec. 2 and immediate- ly named Gochoel to fill Barbose’s va- cant seat. The board then filed a mo- tion asking the courts to declare the seat filled and to close the issue. Complicating the matter on Dec. 1, Ernest Ashbridge — who had been ousted by voters in the May primary — filed a petition to be appointed by the courts — one day before the courts started accepting petitions. Gochoel countered by filing a com- plaint contending that Ashbridge had filed a faulty petition. Gochoel said an unidentified notary public had “falsely attested under her notary public seal that she was present when the petitioners” signed Ashbridge’s paperwork. On Thursday, Judge Joseph Augel- lo overruled all objections and de- clared the seat still vacant. Judge Michael Conahan then issued an or- der filling the vacant seat — giving it to Gochoel. think that’s a re- alistic goal,” he said. The association began accepting in- surance applications in November. Because the association is not a li- censed insurance company, only members are eligible for coverage. Sobeck said attracting new mem- bers has the added benefit of addition- al dues and a growing bank account to use for community projects. The annual fee to be an association mem- ber is $20 per single person or $25 per family. Membership dues have recently been used to add buoys to unsafe ar- eas of the lake, contribute to the Lake-Noxen playground fund and put a flag pole at the entrance to the lake. Sobeck said the association, created over 70 years ago to look after sum- mer homes in the winter, is going through a period of growth. As mem- bership increases, so does its financial viability. “In the last two years we've gotten up to 40 new members. That’s really helped out in the income end.” Sobeck said the association has sev- eral projects going on from creating a web page to tracking quality of life is- sues at the lake. Holiday trash pickup schedule There will be no DAMA trash and recycling pickup on New Year's Day. Normal Thursday collections will take place on Friday. There will be no bag limit on trash through Wednesday, Dec. 31. The normal two-bag limit will resume Friday, Jan. 4.
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