L Vol. 116 No. 14 The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 April 3 to April 9, 2005 Age group swimmers make a splash at state meet. Ko 50¢ SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Adoption across borders Russian orphans, chances slim in their native country, get a chance here. By JENNIFER JUDGE YONKOSKI Post Correspondent Russian orphans to the United States for five weeks during the summer. “By 16 they have to leave the orphanage because there is no room. They may be homeless; they may turn to prostitution. One in 10 never see their 17th birthday because Elina with Jennifer Vieczorek. The Tunkhannock family adopted Elina after she came for a visit in 2003 Life is hard for orphaned children in Russia. But through adoption, some local families have rescued them from an uncertain fate. “By the time children get to be 6 years old, they are considered older orphans and have virtually no chance of being adopted in their country,” explains Bill Jones, vice president and chief operating officer of Volunteers of America (VOA), an organization that brings the life of a child.” The program, dubbed “Summer Dreams,” gives orphaned Russian children the chance to visit the United States and be part of an American family, with the hope that they will be adopted. life is so hard they commit suicide. Our adop- tive families could quite possibly be saving PHOTO CONTRIBUTED See ADOPTION, Page 3 Overbrook falls prey to faster food Diners’ move to smaller meals and lighter fare left fewer customers for traditional fine dining. By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — Many people in the Back Mountain have fond memories of special events in their lives, some of which included a special meal at the Overbrook Restaurant. Reservations were made, Sunday-best clothes donned, and stories were shared over a plate of veal Oscar or baked snapper. “But times have changed and people’s wants and needs have changed,” said Tony Macri, the Overbrook’s owner or 20 years. “With both par- ents working and their chil- dren in all kinds of activities and sporting events, there is little time left to make dining the focus of an evening. People have moved to faster, more casual eating versus taking two hours to dine in a leisurely atmosphere.” Macri made several menu changes over the years to diversify the offerings and three remodeling efforts to accommodate more seating, but people still perceived the Overbrook as a fine dining restaurant and began to go elsewhere. See OVERBROOK, Page 2 Gobblin’ for good Richard Smith shows off his pie-eating style at Dallas High School. The contest was a senior project and fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. While stylish, Smith was not the winner. More photos on page 3. FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK 20 years ago, a very different dining scene When Tony and Lois Macri opened the Overbrook restau- rant in the middle of 1985, they entered a crowded local dining market. Among the fine dining choices at the time were the Brittany House, which was in the building now occupied by Smith-Hourigan Real Estate, and the Pinebrook, on Lower Demunds Road. “Family dining" was available at The Town House on Lake ° Street, Jededia’s (now Dough Company) or Franklin's, now Friendly’s. There were some fast-food choices as well, at the Hoagie Bar and Kentucky Fried Chicken, both along Route 309 in Dallas. Before the Macris opened the Overbrook, the building at 151 Overbrook Road had been the Overbrook Inn, The Dry Dock, and then briefly the Cartoon Pizzeria Saloon. O'Reilly star Crossin named best In state Another honor added to two state champi- onships, two-time all-star status. Staff report Bishop O'Reilly senior guard Tim Crossin was a runaway winner for the Associated Press Pennsylvania Class A Player of the Year award. The winner, announced March 29, is selected from a statewide voting of sports writers and broadcasters. It marks the second award for the Bishop O'Reilly senior since the Queensmen won their second con- secutive state title. Last weekend, Crossin, of Trucksville, was chosen as a first-team all-state selec- tion, also for the second time. “Timmy really deserves the honor,” said his coach, Mark Belenski. “He’s the best player I've seen in sin- gle-A. He does things on a court that, unless you have a basketball mind, you don’t see. He’s a great player and a great kid.” Crossin wasn’t the only member of the team to be recognized by the statewide media. Belenski was named Class A Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Like Crossin, the four-year head coach was a runaway winner for the award. “I'm elated,” said Belenski, referring to the Coach of the Year Award. “This is an honor for the entire team. I had great kids and two assistant coaches (Joe Darling and Paul Guido) who worked very hard for me. : Crossin becomes the first Wyoming Valley Conference player to receive the award since former GAR star Bob Sura was named the AP Small School See CROSSIN, Page 9 Study finds us growing .... older Back Mountain Council of Governments takes first step toward a regional master plan. By RONALD BARTIZEK : Post Staff DALLAS — As the Back Mountain is growing more populated, it also is growing older. That is one of the pre- liminary findings in research for a “multi-municipal master plan” cur- rently under development by a Philadelphia-based professional plan- ning contractor. An aging populace has implications for the future of the region’s communi- ties, and meeting their needs should influence zoning and planning deci- sions, said Marian Hull, project man- ager for Kise Straw & Kolodner, the lead firm for the study. The study, funded by a $100,000 grant, is sponsored by Dallas Borough and Dallas, Lehman and Kingston townships, members of the Back Mountain Council of Governments. Another $50,000 grant is paying for a study aimed specifically at identify- ing and protecting open space in the region. From 1990 to 2000, the median age in the council member communities See GROWING, Page 2 Some early goals, and more research Last week's presentation by Kise Straw & Kolodner and its subcontrac- tors included tentative goals in the areas of population and housing, eco- nomic development, historic resources, community facilities, land use, recreational facilities, open space, waste water, drinking water, the envi- ronment and transportation. Land use overrides all the other con- siderations, said Marian Hull, project manager. “We need to get agreement on how people want to grow before we can say where the growth will be.” The preliminary findings rested largely on Census data, on-site surveys and discussions with local officials. A few preliminary goals are: e Open space and water quality are exceptional, but must be protected. “What speaks to me is the amount of green,” said Courtney Marm, a plan- ner with Cahill Associates, which is conducting the open space study. One way to protect open space is allowing municipalities to transfer develop- ment rights between one another. e New commercial activity should be directed to clustered areas, not spread around the region. “That has some appeal to me,” said Dave Jenkins, a Kingston Township supervi- See GOALS, Page 2 FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Habitat helpers Windsor Davis, Harveys Lake, left, and Bart Balcomb, Luzerne use coping saw to finish moulding trim on a new Habitat for Humanity home in Nanticoke during a recent work day. TOBY'S CREEK FLOODING STUDY PRESENTATION RESCHEDULED A representative of Gannett Fleming Inc., the firm that conducted a study of flooding along Toby's Creek and its tributaries, will explain the findings and answer questions at a public meeting Tuesday, April 12, at the Kingston Township Municipal Bldg., 180 E. Center St., Shavertown, start- ing at 7 p.m. Representatives of DEP and the state Department of General Services are also expected to attend. The presentation was originally scheduled for March 23, but was can- celled due to snow. V Inside The Post 12 Pages, 1 Section Calendar Church TE TE TT Sr Sr Sr SY Boy Scouts travel across the Back Mountain to col- lect food. George M. Dallas Lodge No. 531 installs officers for 2005. 12 0 ‘The Fantastiks' on stage next weekend at College Misercordia. V¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers