Vol.117 No.3 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 January 15 - January 21, 2006 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Ae 5} Political field 1s crowded Two Back Mountain residents might seek state representative seat By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor When longtime State Senator Charles Lemmond recently an- nounced he would not be seeking another term in office, it meant a prominent Back Mountain resi- dent would be leaving a high-pro- file position in Harrisburg. But now, there’s a chance an- other well-known local resident could be heading to the state cap- itol to fill a different soon-to-be- vacant post. Dallas Mayor Tim Carroll and Harveys Lake resident Karen Bo- back are contemplating throwing @: hat into the ring to fill the eat of State Rep. George Hasay, who recently announced he won't be seeking re-election when his 17th term expires Nov. 30. The Repub- lican primary election will be held May 16. Earlier this month, Boback announced she was joining the crowded field to fill Lem- mond’s position. But that was be- fore Hasay announced his retire- ent from politics. No decision has been made re- garding a run for the (state) House of Representatives versus the state Senate,” said Boback earlier this week. “Ever since Representative George Hasay an- nounced his decision to not run for another term, I have been in- undated by phone calls and e- mail messages encouraging me to reconsider my decision to run for the Senate. Most of the callers are from local communities who believe that I can best represent them by vying for the House seat. “My decision to run for either office will be made based upon what I feel I can do for the com- munities that I would represent. My only consideration at this time is which office will give me the opportunity to best serve my constituents.” Carroll did not immediately re- turn a phone message from The Post. But earlier this week, Dallas rBorough manager Joe Moskovitz aold a Times Leader reporter that oll would be announcing his candidacy in about a week. “The mayor will be throwing his hat in the ring,” said Mosko- vitz. The first the first day candi- dates may circulate nominating petitions is Feb. 14 and March 7 is | George Hasay See HASAY, Page 9 ¥ Inside The Post 10 Pages, 1 Section Church Briefs ¥y 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 A record number of dancers enjoy a night of contra dancing lan Warrington plays while dancers - including Jim Reese (center) of Dallas - get into the swing of things. Fun and fellowship Alison Thatcher and Ben Warrington join hands with their partners. The contra dance was sponsored by the Chicory House. By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor DALLAS TWP. - Dave Martin has been attending local contra dances for the last 15 years. But he never saw a crowd like he did last week- end. More than 120 people attended a contra dance — dancing somewhat similar to square dancing and ball- room dancing — at the Fellowship Evangelical Free Church of Dallas on Hildebrandt Road. The event was sponsored by the Chicory House. “It was the biggest turnout ever,” said Martin, who organized the dance. “There were people of all ag- es. They ranged from young people to old people. It was great to see.” The dance, which was held for many years at St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown, was held for the first time at the FEFC. “It’s a very nice location,” Martin said. “There’s lots of parking and it’s a nice, big area. The floor is good and the acoustics are good.” Another reason for the large turn- out was the music provided by the Warrington family. The former Kingston residents — Jean on guitar, Peter on bass and their offspring Ben on piano, Lucy and Ian on fiddles — played Celtic and English country-style music during their annual contra dance appearance. The popular Bob Ni- cholson called the dance. Trucksville resident Jean Grube, PHOTOS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK “It was the biggest turnout ever. There were people of all ages. They ranged from young people to old people. It was great to see.” Dave Martin Contra dance organizer who has been attending the local dances for the past two or three years, was part of last weekend’s large crowd. “I love the fact that there’s a live band,” she said. “There are very few things that you can go to with live band and a live caller. It’s a New En- gland-style. dance and it has an American tradition. I like the tradi- tional and historical aspects of the dance.” There’s not a lot of standing — or sitting — around during a contra dance, says Martin. “Everyone gets involved,” he said. “Even people who come alone not intending to dance get pulled in. After every dance, the caller encour- ages people to dance with someone new. It can be done by all skill level.” It’s easy and novices are warmly welcomed, says Grube. “In square dancing, you stay with your partner and there are many steps to learn,” she said. “In contra dancing, you don’t have to know any See CONTRA, Page 3 Former Phillies pitcher hits a home run at Ross Elementary School By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor You might think celebrating a World Series championship on the field with his teammates was the highlight in the life of Dickie Noles. But it’s not even a close second compared to an encounter the for- mer Philadelphia Phillies pitcher had with a year-old boy nearly two decades ago. Noles, who was pitching for the Phillies at the time, had finished giving a speech to a group of young students when the youngster ap- proached him. The fourth-grader told Noles he had a problem —- a drug problem. “I was floored,” said Noles, who spent nearly two hours earlier this week at Ross Elementary School, taking to students in grades 3-6 about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. “Nme years old! 1 couldn't believe it.” Several years later, Noles re- ceived a letter from the young man thanking him for helping to save his life. “T've had a lot of great experienc- es,” said Noles, a fourth-round draft pick in 1975 who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. “But nothing is even close. I'll nev- er forget being able to help that young man get help. Nothing can ever compare to the way I was able to touch that young man’s life. “There’s nothing that can match the feeling of being able to help an- other human being.” As the Phillies’ employee assist- ance professional, Noles spends a lot of time helping others. The 49- year old has spoken to students in See NOLES, Page 3 FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dickie Noles, an TI-year season pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, came to Ross Elementary School to speak about substance abuse and sign these this baseball belonging to Kay Leigh.
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