`connected Mathematics Project' Introduced

2nd Murder Figure To Be Retried 
Ruling Means That Both 
Men Convicted Of Murder 
In Death Of Andrew Danko 
Will Get Opportunity To 
Have The Verdict Overturned

Thursday, January 08, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





Banks hold key to city's growth &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At least it's not my imaginationThe streets of Wilkes-Barre seem emptier
because they are emptier. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The U.S. Census Bureau says so. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Statistics released last week showed a 6.6 percent drop in city population
in six years- from 47,523 in 1990 to 44,407 in 1996. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the 1930s we boasted 86,000 city dwellers in a town alive with shops,
saloons, hotels, factories and more. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre, what happened? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although we have no reason to believe that the flight will cease any time
soon, we can change some things. We can increase the odds that life might
improve for most city residents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I'm not talking about plush condos overlooking Public Square, either,
although a few wouldn't hurt- as long as they're not sold to riffraff and are
located in the same refurbished building as dozens of new apartments for
middle-income renters and subsidized residences for the working poor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some poor people do have jobs, you know. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some even have two. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's a reflection of the forever-widening gap between the rich and the
poor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If this makes me sound like some kind of coal fields guerrilla, good. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Economic revolution is so long overdue around here that somebody had better
rebel if we ever hope to bring us all into some kind of cooperative living
arrangement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If not, look for more "us vs. them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Look for more gunfire, more crack pipes and more kids turning to the
needle. More college graduates leaving home for good. More pawn shops and
plasma centers- not that I have a problem with those kind of businesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Poor people rely on both ventures for survival and as long as the owners
manage their operations properly, they, too, contribute to the community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We need balance as much as anything. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Face it, we'll never be a tourist attraction. We're a working-class city
that's just not working. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So why not start simple? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Make the city safe, sound and secure for as many of our citizens as
possible, including the old, the sick and the poor as well as the young, the
healthy and the well-off. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Government and private industry have to work together intelligently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bankers can help most. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They have the power and the money to invest in every single block of this
town- and turn a profit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By purchasing and rehabbing buildings now run by slumlords who rent to dope
dealers, bank executives could woo young professionals into old homes with
"pioneer" loans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bankers also should take better care of properties they already own instead
of letting weeds grow over the porch and broken windows go unrepaired. They
should purchase commercial properties and rent them outright to businesses
lured to the city's rebirth instead of allowing monopolistic land owners to
gouge rents and keep entrepreneurs from thriving. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bankers with a genuine social conscience should develop entire blocks
downtown as well as in other parts of the city for families, couples and
singles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some bankers believe they already are doing enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They're kidding themselves and misleading their customers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Unless we face reality and improve the quality of life for all races,
classes and age groups in this community, one day the steady decline in city
population will turn Wilkes-Barre into a ghastly ghetto that imprisons us all. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For now, traditional neighborhoods throughout the city still anchor a
traditional middle-class lifestyle. They are home to the people who comprise
the 86 percent of city residents who were actually born here. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They sleep here. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But their children's children might not feel so attached to the old

Banks Hold Key To City's Growth At Least It's Not My Imagination.