Vol.122 No. 34 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 October 16 - 22, 2011 The DALLAS PosT. WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Opponents of gas metering station continue to air concerns build a natural gas metering fa- ‘‘The Back Mountain is quickly, to me, becoming an area where you do not want to relocate....The gas industry comes strolling in, with money like they have been able to do, and quickly seems to make landowners forget about Residents have been protesting gas metering facility since February. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Opponents of a proposed nat- ural gas metering station con- tinued to testify at a Dallas Township Zoning Board hear- ing Monday evening. Chief Gathering LLC has submitted an application to cility off Hildebrandt Road, about 1,300 feet from the Dal- las School District campus. The meter would measure gas flowing through a gather- ing line from wells in Susque- hanna and Wyoming counties to the Transco interstate pipe- line. Concerned residents ary when the hearings began. Resident Jim DeMichele has learned a great deal about the and parents have been protesting the development since Febru- their neighbors...” Jim DeMichele Expressing concern about gas industry underground pipeline land- scape of the township through this proposed endeavor and has dedicated much of his time to fighting against “arrogant” gas companies. “I moved to the Back Moun- tain with my family to get away from the city life. The Back Mountain had beautiful ter- rain, wide open spaces, gor- geous scenery and lots of peaceful living,” he said. “The Back Mountain is quickly, to me, becoming an area where you do not want to reloca- te....The gas industry comes strolling in, with money like they have been able to do, and quickly seems to make lan- downers forget about their neighbors...” DeMichele is concerned about the way the gas industry is being bolstered by Gov. Tom Corbett and read excerpts from local newspaper editorials in an attempt to show that he is not the only one who thinks this way. “Where will it stop and how far will it go?” DeMichele asked. : Fairgrounds Road resident Wayne Dottor, via a slideshow See STATION, Page 9 Residents and “hockey players bombard board By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Parents and students pas- sionately addressed the dis- trict’s emergency preparedness and athletic team space at a meeting Monday evening. Fairgrounds Road resident Jane Tolomello slammed Su- perintendent Frank Galicki and board members for not respon- ding to an incident on the near- by Transco interstate natural gas pipeline. Tolomello said a 20-minute natural gas release occurred around 2 p.m. Sept. 22 at the site where Williams Field Ser- vices LLC is preparing to tap its Springville Gathering Line into = Transco line, located about #00 feet from Tolomello’s home and about 1,500 feet from the Dallas schools. She said county 911 was noti- fied of the planned release, but she and her neighbors were not. Tolomello said she e-mailed Galicki about the event, but he did not believe her. “I'm giving you infor- mation no one else has. | wasn't doing that be- cause you're my friend = | was doing that for all the kids sitting in this room." Jane Tolomello Fairgrounds Road resident Galicki said he called the township zoning officer, super- visors and chief of police, all of whom said they were not aware of a natural gas release in the ar- ea. “Im giving you information no one else has,” said Tolomel- lo. “I wasn’t doing that because you're my friend — I was doing that for all the kids sitting in this room.” Tolomello yelled for Galicki to present an evacuation plan and test it due to the onset of See BOARD, Page 9 HAVING SOME FALL FUN CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Justin Greyson bobs for apples at a Dallas Baptist Youth Group get-acquainted event. For another photo from this event, please turn to page 5. Tiffany Oplinger was crowned the 201 Lake-Lehman High School Ho CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST mecoming Queen during cere- monies prior to the Lake-Lehman/Northwest football game on October 8. Oplinger is shown here with her parents, Caryn and Wayne Oplinger, of Shavertown. Tiffany Oplinger crowned Queen Tiffany Oplinger was named the 2011 Homecoming Queen at Lake-Lehman High School during ceremonies prior to the Lake-Lehman/ Northwest ia. football game on October 8. Curtis Barbacci was crowned king. Members of the court included Lindsey Ben- nett, Shelby Foster, Morgan Mathews, Mikayla Orrson, Nikki Sutliff, Ryan Hoyt, Ke- vin Katchko, Christopher O’connor, Cody Poepperling Bd ee “We Asylum is By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Screams of terror are like mu- sic to their ears. When Bill Davis and James Starosta have down time, the creators of the phobia-filled Brokenharts Asylum at the Lu- zerne County Fairgrounds in Dallas Township sit at the exit of the self-guided haunted at- traction, watching and listening to reactions of petrified pa- trons. “It’s fun to watch their reac- tions, and you can tell when you've done a good job,” said Davis, of Harveys Lake, of the people who visit the spectacle. Brokenharts Asylum, an an- nual fundraiser for the Harveys Lake Fire Department, is based on the story of the fictitious Dr. Vanburen, a man gone mad af- ter exploring others’ nightmar- ish neuroses. “The different scenes reflect fears people have,” said Davis. Each room has a theme in the four-trailer attraction. There are clowns, bugs, pitch-black dark- ness - and plenty of chainsaws. have four chainsaws for BE Yili - W i i110 ¥ VAN a good cause Brokenharts Asylum is located at the Luzerne County Fairgrounds off Route 118 every weekend in October and Halloween night. Cost is $10; $5 for a re-ride. All proceeds benefit the Harveys Lake Fire Depart- ment. For more information, visit www.screamindemonshaunts.com. throughout the attraction,” said Starosta, of Hunlock Creek. “One girl just sits in a chair in a corner and revs the chainsaw.” The volunteerrun event is previewed at the Luzerne County Fair in September, al- though this year the Harveys Lake Fire Department had its hands full after Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc on the area. Davis said the group set up one trailer and charged just $1 for those looking to sneak in a quick scare at the family- themed event. “With the flooding, we were doing water rescues, pumping basements, so we were really busy,” said Davis. “And people didn’t have a lot of money at the time anyway, so we drop- ped the price.” The attraction got its start right on the lake, at the Har- veys Lake Fire House on Lake- Side IDzive. [avis said he Aud Starosta worked at the Haunted Fire House as youngsters, set- ting up and tearing down the entire site every night. “It was a lot of fun,” said Da- vis. “Girls would be so scared and running to their cars, and we would jump up from behind their cars and they'd slam their car doors so hard the windows would break.” Starosta, who works on light- ing and effects for a stage com- pany that tours with nationally- recognized artists, said those early years taught the volun- See ASYLUM, Page 9 60981512007 9%! L
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers