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RailRiders win league-best 8th straight

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Eddie’s Diner closed until August due to the illness of owner

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s farm grew a bit this week after they purchased a 17.5-acre parcel next to their original lands.</p><p>The owners of Larry O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s Farm &amp; Greenhouse on River Street did not think that would be the case six months ago when <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/512699/omalias-fear-proposed-excavation-operation-would-endanger-their-plains-township-farm" target="_blank">they were locked in a heated battle over the property</a> that had, at that time, been owned by Stell Enterprises.</p><p>The brothers were opposing a variance that Stell had requested from the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board for mining operations on the adjacent land.</p><p>The business that had purchased the land from relatives of the O&#8217;Malia brothers wanted to use the land for topsoil excavation, a practice that the O&#8217;Malias, their family and many supporters thought would jeopardize the quality of their farmland and the environment in general.</p><p>In May, in the middle of what many thought would be a final hearing, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/538107/omalias-settle-zoning-dispute-with-stell-enterprises-agree-to-buy-land-adjacent-to-their-farm" target="_blank">Stell Enterprises offered to sell the land</a> to Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia for $80,000.</p><p>Although Larry O&#8217;Malia said the cost was certainly significant, he now views it as a type of insurance.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s expenses involved in protecting your property,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think that this purchase gave us long-term peace of mind for the next 10, 12 years.&#8221;</p><p>As O&#8217;Malia made his way through the farmland, taking time to grab a vegetable for a morning snack, his relief was palpable.</p><p>Walking along the road into the farmland, he stopped in the middle of the road, which would have been the dividing line between the properties.</p><p>&#8220;Twenty-five feet back from this line, they would have started excavating,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Just 25 feet from the line.&#8221;</p><p>O&#8217;Malia said that he imagined river waters rising and washing parts of his farmland into the pits of what would have been mineland.</p><p>&#8220;I could imagine returning to the farm and (finding) 25 feet or so washed away,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t want that to happen.&#8221;</p><p>The journey, he said, was a spiritual one.</p><p>&#8220;When a representative from the Indian tribe came to visit us, he smoked a peace pipe in the middle of the property,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Then, his eyes filled with tears when he said, &#8220;An eagle flew over the farm that day, and he said that was a good sign.&#8221; O&#8217;Malia said he and his brother had mowed the grass on the adjacent property even before they owned it.</p><p>&#8220;We were concerned that if we let it go, animals would get into it and eat some of our crops,&#8221; he said.</p><p>O&#8217;Malia said he felt the purchase of the land was a win, not only for his extended family, many of whom live on properties near the farm, but for the community as a whole.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Our lawyers said we can go ahead and plant,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to start with pumpkins and red beets.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Larry O&#8217;Malia says he and his brother, Gary, are determined to make good use of the land they recently purchased after a court battle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Larry O&#8217;Malia says he and his brother, Gary, are determined to make good use of the land they recently purchased after a court battle. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Standing among the crops on his Plains Township land, Larry O&#8217;Malia talks about the challenges and satisfaction of farming. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Standing among the crops on his Plains Township land, Larry O&#8217;Malia talks about the challenges and satisfaction of farming. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry O&#8217;Malia uncovers moist soil, which is necessary for his vegetables to grow well. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Larry O&#8217;Malia uncovers moist soil, which is necessary for his vegetables to grow well. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry O&#8217;Malia says he is looking forward to a successful farming season in spite of various challenges experienced this year, including a lack of consistent rain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070216Omalia4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Larry O&#8217;Malia says he is looking forward to a successful farming season in spite of various challenges experienced this year, including a lack of consistent rain. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

O’Malias moving forward after new farmland acquisition