With Iseman On Vacation, Who Knows What Can Happen! 
Dave Iseman Recently 
Disappeared In The Swirling Vortex That He Calls A Family For A Vacation, 
Foolishly Leaving The Hazleton Bureau In The Hands Of His Overworked, Underfed 
Minions.

Anna Wilk 
Aug. 7, 1996 
Anna Wilk, Of Wilkes-barre, Died Wednesday In Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

Saturday, August 10, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Stish's levee referendum sows north-south discord &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some issues are just not open to debate or up for a voteProtection of life
and property are two such issues - especially when the way and means for
ensuring both for a large segment of Luzewrne County's population are within
our grasp. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, state Rep. Tom Stish, R-Hazleton, would like to open the issue of
county funding for the levee-raising project to a referendum. If a referendum
is allowed by state law, this move from the legislator could cloud a
straightforward issue with dissension and pit north against south in Luzerne
County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After almost a quarter-century of beseeching the federal government and
enduring flood damage totalling millions of dollars, there's a plan and
federal funding to raise our levees and keep the Susquehanna permanently
within its banks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the federal government kicking in $108.7 million and the state $16
million, Luzerne County must put up $22.6 million for the flood-control
project. That initial cost will be shared equally by all residents of the
county, but ongoing maintenance costs will be borne by those who have property
within the flood plain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There are countless Hazleton-area residents who earn their living in the
flood plain, who send their children to one of the three colleges in the flood
plain. There are even more who remember the economic, social and environmental
beating that the flood plain, and thus all of Luzerne County, took in 1972. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But state Rep. Stish wants to open the county's share for the levee-raising
project to a referendum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Until this recent announcement by Stish, many Luzerne County voters thought
they had witnessed the ultimate in unenlightened self-interest when Stish won
his assembly seat as a Democrat and within days changed parties - and the
composition of the State House. Stish had deserted Hazleton's Democratic Party
supporters who worked and raised money for his campaign. And, in order to take
the heat off, he left town within days of his defection for Florida, a trip
paid for in part by his new Republican friends. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His move earned him the dislike of some of his district's Democrats and the
distrust of some Republicans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now with an election looming again and his prospects not the brightest, Tom
Stish is taking his "me, first" strategy, expanding its embrace and sharing it
with his Hazleton constituents. Appealing to their fear of increased property
taxes, he is sowing discord and confusion between the northern and southern
parts of Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rep. Tom Stish is doing neither his district, his county nor his
re-election campaign any good by pushing for a referendum that endangers the
lives, property and economic viability of Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stish's Levee Referendum Sows North-south Discord Some Issues Are Just Not Open To Debate Or Up For A Vote.