'stormtroopers?' Ins, Advocate Differ On 
Immigrants' Treatment 
Roundup Of 137 At Scranton Meat-packing 
Plant Was `outlandish,' Volunteer Says. Not So, 
Says An Ins Director.

Activist `outraged' By Racist Posters 
The Fliers Contain Verbal Attacks On Black People And Bear The Address Of The 
`aryan Racial Loyalist Party.'

By MITCH MORRISON; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, December 15, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE -- What started as an early Christmas present is now a
permanent service. Public buses will continue to roll on Saturdays throughout
Wyoming Valley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That's wonderful. That's good for business," said Terri Simmonette, a
worker at Donuts Delite, whose business relies heavily on bus traffic in the
city's downtown. "Without the buses, people don't get out. People in Nanticoke
stay in Nanticoke. Now, they'll be able to come here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The return to Saturday service also means five laid-off bus drivers and one
mechanic will be recalled, said LCTA Executive Director Harold Edwards Jr. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said the level of service would be about one-third of the weekday runs
and would cost the authority about $200,000 -- $75,000 in addition to the
county's aid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Saturday buses stopped rolling after Feb. 26. In February, the authority
voted to lay off 12 drivers and three mechanics because of dwindling funds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last month, LCTA officials announced the LCTA's return to Saturday, but
only for the holiday season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since then, about 4,000 riders have used the Saturday service -- a figure
that LCTA officials expect to drop after New Year's Day. Ridership dropped to
3,000 when services halted in February. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Permanent Saturday service was revived when the Luzerne County
commissioners voted to hike funding of the Luzerne County Transportation
Authority from $400,000 to $525,000 as part of the 1995 operating budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Republican Jim Phillips voted against the budget, though he said he
supported the increased bus aid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Democratic Commissioner Frank Crossin credited senior citizens who
complained of being homebound without the bus service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I didn't know it affected so many people in such strong ways. I was
utterly amazed," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fellow Democratic Commissioner Rose Tucker said she had recently visited
three senior-citizen centers, where many people focused on the need for
Saturday runs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county's tentative budget released last month did not include increased
funding for the LCTA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But money became available when $900,000 in federal and state
reimbursements for programs imposed on the county arrived earlier than
expected, said Gene Klein, the county's chief clerk/administrator. The
reimbursements, which came this month, were not expected until early 1995,
Klein said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For bus times and bus routes, contact the LCTA at 287-8463. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Saturday Buses Will Roll Permanently Some County Cash That Came Earlier Than Expected Means Funding Can Continue After The Holidays