Vol. 116 No. 46 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 November 13 - November 19, 2005 50¢ SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS = KUNKLE | EGE DEY 1 Bs LS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Tim Haddle of Kunkle has trouble keeping up with daughter Zoe at the open house for the new fire station. Fire station opens doors to the public By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor KUNKLE - For more than five decades, the Kunkle Volun- aa-T Fire Co. station was home @- firetrucks, an ambu- lance and a small office. Now, it’s home to a lot more. The fire company dedicated its new station during three days of activities last weekend. An open house that attracted more than 350 people was sandwiched around a square dance and a special dinner for current and past fire company members. In addition to a full-scale kitchen, meeting rooms, and offices, the new station is home to a lounge with a donated large, flat-screen television and @ couches. The company ad slowly outgrown the previ- ous station — a former grange hall - since it started using the building in 1949. “We’re very happy with the new station,” said Chief Jack Dodson. “The last one was so small. We wanted more office space. Our officers can come in, use computers, and get some work done.” Members of the fire and am- bulance crews have been spending more time at the sta- tion in 2005. The company has already responded more than 600 calls this year, compared to 570 in all of 2004. “The new station is very (fireman-friendly). We have a lot of good volunteers who have been spending more and more time here. It’s going to benefit us and it’s also going to benefit the community. We're going to be able to provide bet- ter protection.” The company financed al- most two-thirds of the approxi- mate $600,000 cost of the new station, said Dodson. The fi- nanced money will part of the company’s annual budget and Dodson is hoping to hold sever- al special fund-raisers each year to help pay off the debt. Members of the community got an opportunity to see the new digs during the five-hour See KUNKLE, Page 5 Members of the community got an opportunity to check out the new fire station in Kunkle. i Studying Dallas Elementary School students continue study of watersheds By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — One of the goals of the Toyota Tapestry Grant Program is for participa- ting students to gain an in- creased awareness of the envi- ronment. That is certainly happening with science stu- dents at Dallas Elementary School. “I think it’s better than read- ing an article about it,” said fifth-grader Taylor Hodle. “You can visually see what you're studying about.” Hodle was referring to a re- cent field trip to study the af- fects of acid mine drainage at the site where Toby’s Creek en- ters the Susquehanna River. “There was like an orange glow in the water from the acid mine drainage and it smelled like rotten eggs,” said Hodle. “I Ronnie Chupka, a fifth-grader at Dallas Elementary School, helps a © A e Robert Hughes take a water sample from a coal canal in Nanti- coke. think it is less attractive and it could be affecting things in the water so they will not survive as long as they would without it.” The fifth grade science class- es at DES are the beneficiaries of a $10,000 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. It is one of 552 awards made to science teachers throughout the coun- try over the last 14 years. The company has granted more than $5 million for students to study various subjects in sever- al scientific fields. ' Last year, teachers Margaret Bestwick and Barbara Wesnes- FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK the great o Fifth-graders Raymond Schultz, Dylan Pilger, Chris Reimard, and Tommy Stitzer take water samples and notes from the Honey Pot mine shaft in Nanti- coke. does utdoors ki received a grant in the field of environmental science edu- cation to conduct a water qual- ity and environmental study of the Susquehanna River and one of its tributaries, Toby’s Creek. “We started out this year learning about watersheds in general, moved to studying our schoolyard watershed, then our local watershed (To- by’s Creek). We have now moved on to studying the Sus- quehanna River and the Chesa- peake Bay Watershed,” said Bestwick. “We're examining the water quality of these wa- tersheds, looking for sources of pollution, and coming up with solutions to the problems that affect our watershed.” As part of the visit to their schoolyard watershed, the stu- dents were asked to draw maps to reflect what they thought the water run-off pattern would be. They revisited the area after a rainstorm to check See WATERSHED, Page 6 Dallas Borough By ALLISON MUSSO Special to The Post There's been a recent change in Dallas. And at least one borough official hopes it will have a positive affect on businesses and residents in the Back Mountain. The New York-based Medi- care claims processing com- pany Health Now recently re- located from the Kanjorski Center on Main Street in Nan- ticoke to a new location at the Twin Stacks Center on Route 415. The Health Now office is currently home to 155 em- ployees, with another 45 or so expected to relocate to the Dallas location in the near fu- ture. The relocation of the health company is expected to result welcomes Medicare claims processing company 11 HELE \ & Joe Moskovitz, right, welcomes Health Now executives Bill Wick- is; left, and Don Ingalls, center, during a meeting of the Back Mountain Business and Professional Association. The company has recently moved an office to the Twin Stacks Center. in positive results not only for the company, but for the FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK growth and development of the area, says borough manag- “It's a shot in arm and a boost in the develop- ment of the Back Moun- tain.” Joe Moskovitz Dallas borough manager er Joe Moskovitz. “It’s unfortunate Health Now had to relocate, but it will benefit our restaurants and local businesses,” said Moskovitz. “It’s a shot in arm and a boost in the develop- ment of the Back Mountain.” - With the acquisition of See HEALTH NOW, Page 10 ¥ Inside The Post 10 Pages, 1 Section Calendar ......ivviiveimiin. 10 Church. en tiie 284 Civic Driefs .......coxusrridise 3 Only Yesterday.......ccceu.... 4 SDOPES scrieiis ees iiioessnsennss 7-9 ¥ How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net " 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 DALLAS GIRLS WIN CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Using a powerful combination of guts and skill, the Dallas girls cross country team captured the PIAA Class 2A championship last weekend in Hershey. With the win, the Mountaineers be- came the first cross country team from District 2 to win more than one state championship. Dallas also won the title in 2003. For a story about the team's effort in Hershey, see page 7. Members of the state championship team, shown on the win- ner's platform in Hershey, from left are assistant coach Ed Rad- zinski, Mariel Adams, Cassie Snider, Hillary Adams, Kenslie Ker- estes, Lisa Giacometti, Jill Nutche, Erin Delaney, Kasia Szulbor- ski, Debra Ketchner, Katie Gilligan, Alyssa Retzena, head coach Matt Samuel and Hannah Bestwick.
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