L Vol. 116 No. 7 The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 February 13 to February 19, 2005 Youth basketball and high school photos and scores. SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Future tycoons meet at Dallas An opportunity to shine as school hosts regional competition. By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — As hosts, mem- bers of the Future Business Leaders of erica club at Dallas High School were gracious. But they also were com- petitive. Nearly 500 FBLA members met and competed at Dallas High School Feb. 4 Leadership Conference. “Hosting the event this year was a great opportunity for wus,” said Jonathan Baker, FBLA chapter presi- dent at Dallas. “We’ve had a steady corps of officers over the last four years so we were really happy to be able to do it.” Jonathan plans to study business administration at King’s College in the fall. Region 16 President Adam Snider, a DHS senior who plans to major in during the annual Region 16 actuarial sciences at Penn State next year, welcomed members to the annu- al competition. Eleven school districts including Bishop O'Reilly, Coughlin, GAR, Meyers, Wyoming Area and Wyoming Valley West sent representa- tives to compete in team and individ- ual events ranging from banking and finance, business law and business pro- cedures, to network design, technolo- gy concepts, and public speaking. “'m pretty confident that we're going to have some champions today,” See BUSINESS, pg 3 Dallas High School students worked at the registration table for the event. Pictured from left are Matt Daube, DHS Chapter Treasurer, Adam Snider, outgoing FBLA Regional President, and Jon Stephens, Chapter Treasurer. FOR THE POST/M.B. GILLIGAN e Cabbage pot kid Ted Mueller, Lehman, ladles out some cabbage at the 45th annual Dallas American Legion Pig Roast, held last weekend at the Post home on Memorial Highway. You could tell the event was going on by the packed parking lot. Dancing followed the feast. More photos on page 3. FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Idle talk’ dominates Kingston Township meeting Supervisors mull need for restriction on long-running "vehicles." By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff KINGSTON TWP. — Just how closely should the township regu- late people’s lives? That question was on the table Feb. 9, as the supervisors debated the merits of adopting an ordinance to regu- late how long a motor vehicle could be left idling in residential areas. The issue was raised last month by a township resident who said fumes from a neighbor’s car caused irritation to her chil- dren, who have asthma. An existing ordinance restricts the release of odors, smoke, noise and other annoyances in non-res- idential areas. But zoning officer Bill Eck and solicitor Ben Jones IIT both said it is unenforceable. Jones said drafting an ordinance was at least a four month process, and could be quite detailed. For example, when supervisor Jeffrey Box suggested an ordi- nance might be limited to vehi- cles, Jones asked, “How do you define a vehicle? Would a lawn- mower qualify?” Two residents spoke about the issue, both downplaying the need for township intervention. “It seems like a neighborly dispute,” said Steve Mathers, pointing out that only one complaint had been lodged. See IDLE TALK, pg 2 Dallas Senior Center ®offers fellowship, fun | By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS — From the outside, the Dallas Senior Citizen Center looks like a small place, but what happens inside means the world to those who come there. Dallas residents Joseph and Alfreda Malak come regularly and couldn't say enough nice things about the center and what it means to them. “It’s a wonderful place to meet other people our age,” said Joseph Malak. “You know we still have keen minds and wonderful memories and we enjoy sharing time with each other. We reminisce about the old days, and when we do, people here understand and remember and know what you're talking about. There are people here from all walks of life such as banking and nursing, and we all fit in.” Some of their conversational partners are former acquaintances. “We've even met old classmates here,” said Alfreda Malak. “We used to come once or twice a month, but now we come at least four days a week. It grows on you. We like the people and the things we do here, and the food is won- See SENIOR CENTER, pg 3 FOR THE POST/SANDY PEOPLES Joseph and Alfreda Malak of Dallas enjoy many days each week at the senior center and will no doubt celebrate their 46th wed- ding anniversary with friends there in April. Moratorium on permits lifted Finally, a plan is in place to improve the sewer system, allowing new connections. By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff JACKSON TWP. — If the weather cooperates, work should begin this spring on upgrades to the Jackson Township sewer system, ending five years of negotiations between the township, the Dallas Area Municipal Authority and the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection. “I think by early April we'll have a contractor,” said Brent Berger, an engineer with Quad Three Group, PRE-BID CONFERENCE which crafted a plan to any contractor interest- increase the capacity of the ed in bidding on the Hillside Road pumping sta- Hillside Road pump sta- tion. tion work can attend a Mark Carmon, DEP pre-bid conference spokesperson, said his Thursday, Feb. 17, at the Dallas Area Municipal Authority office, off Route 309. The confer- ence starts at 10 a.m. Sealed bids are due by March 10. For questions, call DAMA at 696-1133. agency had received a plan from the township that indi- cated the work would be completed by July 31. In response, DEP granted a par- tial reprieve from a ban on hookups to the system. “They got 10 new connections,” he said. Since 2000, the township and DEP have imposed an on- again, off-again moratorium on new connections to the sewer system. The restrictions were sparked by overflows of untreated sewage into Hillside Creek during periods of heavy rain. See SEWERS, pg 2 Little sympathy for tax collector Supervisors likely to cap payment rate at no more than 5%, maybe less, at a special meeting Monday. By CAMILLE FIOTI Post Correspondent JACKSON TWP. — Tax Collector Jacqueline Latosek protested a proposal to cap the compensation for town- ship tax collection services at 5 percent, or possibly lower during the Feb. 7 supervisors meeting. Her compensation from the township is roughly $7,600 per year. “I've been here 20 years,” she said. “I pay all my own expenses. I've never billed the township for postage, print- er, cartridges for the printer or paper. I've incurred all the cost myself, and by law, I can bill for those things.” Treasurer Allan Fox explained that the same job could be done for about $4,000. “We're here to save money for the taxpayers,” he said. “You've done a good job, but rather than raising taxes, were looking at every way to keep taxes down.” Resident Edward Chesnovitch agreed with the supervi- sors. “We're building $500,000 homes in this area now, and there’s no more work in collecting a $100 tax or a $5,000 tax. By leaving it at 5 percent it’s more beneficial for the tax collector, but not for the community,” he said. A decision on the matter will be made at a special meet- ing Monday at 9 a.m. See JACKSON TWP, pg 2 ¥ Inside The Post 12 Pages, 1 Section Calendar ...o.. ue + 12 Church. csv seed ia 1" ] Editorials vi. vio. 4 e+ Obituaries ......... ~ 5 SCRO0L oni ovens viniin 9-10 SPOILS ii 5 Ashton family's donation to hospital honors emergency personnel 5 Endless Mountains Habitat for J Humanity volunteers are honored for service. ¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. 10 Standout Students named at Dallas Elementary School Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 i i OP ————
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