Vol. 115 No. 22 ® Playolf action in high school “ga sports Y Page 7 bug 5 L FEL The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 May 30 to June 5, 2004 S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS ls FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK ryan Daily comforts her husband, John, who suffers with Alzheimer’s disease. After years of caring for him mostly on her n, she has organized an Alzheimer’s Support Group that will meet for the first time Thursday. By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK ee Post Correspondent . DALLAS — Their bedroom is where the dining room used to be. A single hospital bed is where Dr. John Daily, a retired and once well-known optometrist, now talks on through the night to no one in particular. He scratches the walls, to the annoyance of his wife as she tries to sleep in the nearby twin bed. “Sometimes he’ll even try taking & throwing my pillow around. I get angry 7: put out,” says Maryan Daily. Their story is one that is becoming far more common as the population ages. When she looks back, Maryan Daily can see the subtle and dangerous signs that her husband was being slowly overtaken by Alzheimer’s disease. Once, “He was driving the car and just went off the road, he said he thought he had just fallen asleep, and I be- lieved him,” she says. Alzheimer's Support Group Thursday, June 3, 11 a.m. Meadows Nursing Center, Dallas Info, 822-9915, 675-8600, ext. 195 After more episodes of bizarre behavior and mild strokes, John Daily was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago.. Today Maryan Daily credits her sanity to two caregivers that come to help lift her hus- band out of bed in the mornings, dress and bathe him, and prepare an evening meal. Says Daily, “This whole process could take two or three hours, and I have disc and back problems.” The Daily home is safety proofed with gates at all stairwells, slide bolts, and drawer . locks. Even so, Daily worries. “I don’t leave him out of my sight. He has unlocked two locks and gone right to the steps. I've picked up all the rugs and he is strapped into his oo g BENERCE E FOR THE POST/M.B. GILLIGAN Dallas High School seniors with Cumulative A’s from left are Ashleigh King, Joseph Bednash, Michael Swartwood, and Meredith Lacey Dallas High students earn awards and scholarships More than 500 people attended the annu- al Dallas High School National Honor Soci- ety Induction and Awards Banquet at Irem Temple Country Club on May 25. Awards in recognition for academic achievements were given to 146 high school students. Freshmen and sophomores earned merit for high scores on the National Education De- velopment Tests and students from all des who have received A’s in all classes re recognized. Awards were also made to all students who have participated on aca- demic competition teams for JETS, Future Business Leaders of America, Life Smarts and Knowledge Bowl. Cash scholarships of $1,000 were award- ed to the top two graduating seniors, Meredith Lacey and Joseph Bednash, by the PTSO. In addition, Robert Reilly pre- sented the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal and Scholarship worth $60,000 to Christopher Baiamonte, the top math and science student in the junior class. Mrs. Maryann Gelso, third grade teacher at Wyecallis Elementary School, presented a $1,000 scholarship in memory of her late See AWARDS, pg 2 athering to care for caregivers wheelchair, but he is still a strong man and remembers how to unlock things.” John Daily doesn’t always remember his name. He becomes agitated, stubborn, and stiffens himself when he’s asks to move. Maryan has given up much of the social and community life she once had in order to care for her husband. Still, she does not feel sorry for herself. “I'm so blessed, my husband is still here. And I believe God works in mysterious ways.” John and Maryan Daily have always been close. They had no immediate family in the area, and their children had moved away. Re- cently their daughter moved back to the Poconos from New York City and now their son in New Jersey comes every second or third weekend to help out. “God has brought us back even closer to- See ALZHEIMER'S, pg 2 ¥ Inside The Post Young artists ‘work on display at Tyler. Page 9 12 Pages, 1 Section Calendar... ... ode 12 Church i... .. 253i 1" Crossword =. 4. ou 8 Editorials ........a%. 4 Obituaries - ........... 5 SChool>... .. desu, 9-10 SPOrts:...n.. viniwvmanie 7-8 ¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 970-7102 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 [aE He digs compost Tony Ference, Kingston Township, took advantage of the free compost that is available at the Dallas Area Municipal Authority in Kingston Township. Residents of communities served by DAMA can bring yard waste to the facility, and are welcome to take home compost made from the “donated” material. Expense savings, tax hike will help close budget gap Days of large reserves are ending. By RONALD BARTIZEK } Post Staff DALLAS TWP. — Putting Dallas School District fi- nances on a firm footing will cause some pain for taxpay- ers, at least next year. The district’s preliminary budget for the 2004-05 year calls for a 7.6 percent increase in the prop- erty tax rate to 213 mills. “It’s a difficult thing to do,” said Grant Palfey, business manager, about balancing the budget. But he feels it’s nec- essary for the district to better manage revenue and expen- ditures, particularly with a new round of capital projects waiting in the wings. “You can only dip into your savings account for so long.” There was no tax increase in the last budget, resulting in an operating loss of nearly $1 million. That wasn’t a prob- lem because the district started the 2003-04 budget with a fund balance of $4.7 million. The proposed new plan nearly equalizes income and ex- penditures for usual items. An extraordinary cost of $675,000 to pay early retirement incentives will reduce the projected balance on June 30, 2005 to about $2.3 million. Palfey expects a similar charge next year will bring the district’s savings to See BUDGET, pg 3 Early retirees cost now, but save later By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff DALLAS TWP. — The early retirement of 11 Dallas teachers and two administrators comes at a cost, but also produces substantial savings due to anticipated lower salaries for their replacements. Grant Palfey, business manager, said last week the dis- trict will shell out $603,000 next year in early-retirement in- centives. Each retiree will get a lump-sum payment averag- ing 70 percent of their last full-year salary, and the district will pay for single-coverage health insurance until they reach age 65. In addition, because they meet the requirements to col- lect a pension, “all of these people would be eligible the day they retire,” Palfey said. Pensions are paid out of a state See RETIREES, pg 3 FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK \ EE. h- Merk
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