Vol. 124 No. 25 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 Sunday, August 25-31, 2013 The DALLAS POST = WILKES-BARRE, PA. WWW.MYDALLASPOST.COM AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER °DHS students to hear Sandusky appeal trial Is it a learning opportunity or not? Parents wonder CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas Post Correspondent Convicted child sex offender Jerry Sandusky will NOT be present at his appeal court hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the auditorium at Dallas High School, according ‘to PA Superior Court president Judge Jack Panella. Nevertheless, parents are question- ing why the school was selected as the site for the trial in the first place and how appropriate the choice of a high school is as a courtroom loca- tion. Having appeal trials, which are argued only by attorneys, in public schools has been done in Luzerne County before — in 2003 at Hazleton High School and in 2010 at MMI Preparatory School in Freeland. The idea is to bring court proceed- ings out of major cities (Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh) so the general public might have a chance to see the judicial process at work. The idea was the initiative of Correale Stevens, a Supreme Court Justice from Luzerne County. “The purpose is to better under- stand the court process,” said Stevens. “None of the defendants will be there. The Sandusky case just came up routinely on the docket. This will be a better, less damaging and realistic presentation than what kids see on ‘NCIS’ or the ‘Law and Order’ show.” But others aren’t completely con- vinced. Dr. Joan Gruelick, an area pediatrician, complains that horrific offenders are given too much public- ity and notoriety for their offenses. “The whole thing is sickening. What's to appeal here?” she asked. “Why make rock stars out of these criminals?” Gruelick wants public officials and the press to act more judiciously when presenting criminals and their cases to the public. And, considering the nature of the crimes in the Sandusky case, there is the question of how appropriate it is to have the case appealed in a high school auditorium with students lis- tening. “It’s fascinating that they would pick a high school to hear this case,” Gruelick adds. Judge Panella insists that “All dis- cretion and professionalism will be exercised by the court and attorneys and that any inappropriate material will be omitted.” Elizabeth Martin, a mother of a Dallas High School stu- dent and a Dallas Township See STUDENTS | 5 Back to school in style Charlotte Bartizek | For The Dallas Post ~ Four-year-old Katie Esposito, shopping with her grandmother, Kate Olsen, of Shavertown, finds eye-opening, sparkling and shiny shoes at Gino's Shoe Store in Dallas that she can wear for her first - day at school. Clasases in the Lake-Lehman School District begin Monday, Aug. 26 while students in the Dallas School District return to classes on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The Brass Ring Fund Committee put in an appearance at the Joe Nardone/Eddie Day & the Starfires Reunion Concert at Irem Pavilion on Saturday, Aug. 17 to initiate a fundraising cam- paign to secure the Wintersteen Carousel from the family that has maintained ownership since 1915. Bring it home Campaign under way to secure vintage carousel The Brass Ring Fund Committee put in an appearance at the Joe Nardone/Eddie Day & the Starfires Reunion Concert at Irem Pavilion on Saturday, Aug. 17 to initiate a fundraising campaign to secure the Wintersteen Carousel from the family that has maintained ownership since 1915. The organization also hopes to build a pavilion to house the century-old carved wooden animals that once thrilled chil- dren and adults alike at Hanson's Amusement Kingston Twp. intersection now 4-way stop New signs to be installed Aug. 30 The Kingston Township Board of Supervisors approved the installa- tion of a 4-way stop sign at the intersection of fast Center Street and rth Main Street in avertown. After holding several public meetings to hear public comments on the issue, the board retained the services of Borton- Lawson Engineering to conduct a traffic study to 6 | 81542007989 address concerns raised by the public and to eval- uate stop sign warrants for the potential installa- tion of a multi-way stop condition based upon the criteria in PennDOT’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD, 2009 Ed.). The traffic study was conducted during peak hours of the morning and afternoon. Due to the limited sight distance and crash history, the intersection fell under the MUTCD requirements for a 4-way stop. Motorists are advised that the intersection of East Center Street and North Main Street in Shavertown will be a 4-way stop. New stop signs will be installed Friday, Aug. 30. Park at Harveys Lake. Plaques presented to Mathers family Since the spring of this year, the Brass Ring Fund Committee (the group that flew to Florida ‘in 2008 in an attempt to save RN TIE The Kingston Township Board of Supervisors presented plaques to Mrs. Chris Mathers, wife of the late Supervisor Gary Mathers, daughter Nina Mathers Van Mater and granddaughters Mia and Clair Van Mater in memory and in honor of Mathers’ service to the township as a supervisor from January 2012 to December 2012. From left, Supervisor Sam Barbose; daughter, Nina Mathers Van Mate; granddaughters, Mia and Clair Van Mater; Vice-Chair Shirley Moyer; Mrs. Chris Mathers; Chairman Jeffrey Box and Supervisor Jim Reino. the carousel from being auctioned to the highest bidder) has made great strides in securing a loca- tion that would provide the best visibility to fami- lies in the Back Mountain. Active Committee mem- bers Rev. Roger Griffith, Liz Martin and Carol Wall, all of Dallas, met with Doug Ayers, chair- man of the board of The Lands at Hillside Farms, and members of the board of directors who voted unanimously to grant pre- liminary approval to the group to erect a pavilion on the site of The Lands’ Victorian Park, located across Hillside Road from The Cottage. While the carousel may be opera- tional at The Lands, it will be maintained, operated and funded by the Brass Ring Fund. Meanwhile, the com- mittee continues to work behind the scenes to secure necessary per- mits and approvals, con- struct a footbridge across Huntsville Creek and come up with a design for an See CAROUSEL | 5
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