Franklin Township officials Rick Melvin, Steven Bekanich, Luzerne County EMA, and Ted Dymond walk along Valley View Rd. in March of 2008 and survey storm damage from two rain falls.

Charlotte Bartizek

Every time it rains this hard, I get nervous. It seems like over the past several years all it takes is a few inches of rain in a short amount of time to cause major flooding. I bet there are some of you in the Back Mountain who are holding your breath.

It’s not uncommon for runoff to damage roads in Franklin Township. Municipal Road, Valley View Road, Cider Run Road and Lewis Road have all experienced damage from runoff. Franklin Township officials said earlier this year that damage to these roads from heavy rain in March of 2008 would likely cost the municipality over half of its annual budget of $375,000.

Huntsville Road residents in Jackson Township, particularly near the Farmer’s Inn, must fear the spillover of Huntsville Creek. They, too, experienced flooding in March. Some residents had to be evacuated from their homes.

Low-lying areas of Ross Township are also often susceptible to flooding.

As I write this, we’re getting a break from the rain. But meteorologists say there is more to come. I can only hope this time the Back Mountain will be spared.
 

Are you upset the Starbucks in Shavertown is on the list of locations the company plans to close?

Shavertown Starbucks Manager Cordie Braun and the rest of the staff want you to help keep the store open. A sign in the coffee shop urges customers to call the Starbucks customer service number to voice your concerns about the Shavertown store’s closure.

On Monday, I was sitting in the Shavertown Starbucks when I overheard a teenage girl and her mother ask a member of the staff about calling the number. The employee told the two that out of all of the 600 Starbucks set to close, patrons of the Shavertown location have placed the most calls into the company asking to keep their store open.

That’s quite impressive. Will people of the Back Mountain miss their Starbucks that much? Judging by the volume of calls to the company and the number of comments on The Times Leader’s story about the location closing, I’d say so.

Even at 4 p.m. in the afternoon yesterday, closer to dinnertime, the store was booming. It appears to be doing well financially. I understand the chain needs to cut back somewhere- who doesn’t in the current economy- but aren’t there other Starbucks locations doing much worse? Why not target Starbucks in large cities where there is one on every block?

If you want to help save the Shavertown Starbucks, you can call the retail customer service number at 1-800-235-2883. 
 

Ed Kelly, of the Daniel C. Roberts Fire Company in Harveys Lake, in 2002 at the ballroom at Hanson's Park in Harveys Lake. The fire company sponsored the last dance at the park on Aug. 10, 2002.

Clark Van Orden

“Hamburgs, hot dogs, pizza.”

That’s what it says on an old stand off of Chase Road in Jackson Township. Every time I pass it, I laugh because it says “hamburgs.” I’m allowed to laugh at the Northeastern Pennsylvania coal cracker lingo because I have lived in “the valley” my entire life. I’m even the granddaughter of a coal miner who is still living.

But what I really wonder is what happened to the little snack bar. Who owned it? When did it close? Was it only open in the summertime? Why wasn’t it knocked down?

How many other old treasures like that exist in the Back Mountain?

When I was a child, my parents often took my siblings and me for rides around Harveys Lake. They would point out the remnants of Hanson’s Amusement Park and I would look at the rollercoaster track and the structure for “The Whip.” Even at seven or eight years old, I thought about youngsters like myself skipping throughout the park eating cotton candy and lining up for rides.

My grandmother and great-grandmother used to picnic on land owned by Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Dorchester Drive in Dallas near the church’s cemetery where they are both buried, along with my mother. Like much of the land in Dallas, it was sold and only the cemetery remains.

Solid Cactus recently moved into the former Westmoreland High School in Trucksville. I think it’s great to see the company take over and refurbish a historical building. My friends Shane, Amy and Patrick all went to elementary school at Westmoreland and have fond memories from there. They are happy the building is being used.

I don’t know if the old Dallas Township High School building is in structurally good shape, but wouldn’t it be great for it to be acquired, too?

Everyone is so quick to build in the Back Mountain that I speculate what will happen to many of the old and historical buildings, homes and restaurants. I can only hope they won’t become long lost remains on the side of the road.

 

Employees of the Starbucks on Route 309 in Shavertown have told customers the store that opened in September will be closing. The company announced July 1 that it would close 600 underperforming company-owned stores by the end of the year. On Monday the Starbucks Web site listed 50 stores that would close by the end of July, none of them in Pennsylvania. The Starbucks along Highland Park Boulevard in Wilkes-Barre Township, opened in 2006, will remain open, but stores in Bloomsburg and Stroudsburg will close, a Shavertown store employee told customers. Starbucks coffee shops in Barnes & Noble bookstores in the Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Township, and in downtown Wilkes-Barre are not company-owned.

S. John Wilkin/the times leader

The Times Leader reported on Tuesday that the Starbucks in Dallas will close. The Starbucks location opened less than one year ago. I can’t help but wonder how many, or how few, people will miss it.

As a reporter in the Back Mountain, having a Starbucks was great. I have conducted over five interviews there. The staff was always OK with it and even allowed us to take photographs of people inside and outside the building.

What I dreaded about each interview was that I had to dish out about $4 to purchase a beverage. Yes, Starbucks’ Double Chocolaty Chip Frappucino is a sweet delight. And I’m dying to try the new Vivanno Nourishing Blends in Banana Chocolate and Orange Mango Banana. They are supposed to be full of protein and fiber.

How often did I stop in the Dallas Starbucks just because I needed a pick-me-up? Once. If I want coffee at work, I visit the much cheaper Curry Donuts across the street. When a severe Starbucks craving kicks in, I go to the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble at the Arena Hub Plaza. That way I can drink coffee and skim a book to see how much I really like it.
But that doesn't change the fact I liked the Dallas Starbucks. I was able to get work done and enjoy their products. However, I never understood why thet didn’t have a drive-through. It certainly would have been possible. Nevertheless, that place appeared to do just as well as any other Starbucks I’ve visited outside of a big city. Let’s face it, if Starbucks wants to survive in the Wyoming Valley, they should be in the Back Mountain. It’s no secret many wealthy people reside there.
 
I just got off the phone with a woman who I’ll be interviewing next week. She wanted to meet in a mutual place. I suggested Starbucks in Dallas. I’m really going to miss that place, $4 drinks and all.

 

I just saw on msnbc.com that oil prices went down $9 per barrel on the Mercantile Exchange. This comes the day after President Bush lifted an offshore drilling ban originally created by his father. I can only hope gas will go down and the Dallas Uni-Mart will not continue to charge me $4.09 a gallon.

Gas prices have affected almost every American. In the “Man on the Street” question in the July 13 issue of The Dallas Post, I asked people if rising gas prices changed their summer vacation plans. Most of the answers I received were yes. Even if people were still going on vacation or don’t vacation in the summer, they had still cut back on travel.
 
I cringe when it’s time to fill my gas tank. I’ve eliminated unnecessary rides and try to hit places close to each other in one trip. Anyone who drives understands my pain.
 
I’m amazed at how people are wasting gas like it’s free and will never run out.
 
There are people who pass me at more than 70 miles per hour on Route 309. And I’m not a slow driver. There are times I can barely pass someone doing 35 when I am forced to immediately move over so some maniac can blow right past me at well over the posted 55 speed limit.
 
SUVs and trucks are still driven by people who obviously don’t use them because they have five kids or work in construction. And who really needs a Range Rover?
 
What annoys me even more are the people who cut their grass every other day. I can assure you no one noticed if it grew one-tenth of an inch in two days. And by the way, get a hobby.
 
I don’t know what the solution is for high gas prices. But I do know if we continue to use gas the way we are and pay the high prices, the simple rules of supply and demand will keep the prices high.
 
So if you’re doing 80 in an SUV on the Cross Valley, don’t complain about gas. You’re part of the problem.
 

About the Author

Rebecca Bria has been reporting for The Dallas Post since June of 2007. She is a 2007 graduate of Wilkes University and previously interned with the company at The Weekender and The Times Leader.

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