`games Are Over,' Homicide Suspect Told Victim 
Co-workers Testify That 
Harry Butry Jr., On Trial In 
The Shooting Death Of His 
Estranged Girlfriend, Made 
Ominous Comments About Her 
And Their Two Children Prior

Allentown Man To Head Area Bank

Friday, January 16, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





Region's ski slopes open, recovering from winter warm spell &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hank Montz is gearing up for the second opening of Montage MountainA second
opening is something Montage has in common with Blue Mountain, Elk Mountain,
Eagle Rock, Shawnee and Tanglwood- all forced to close during the height of an
unseasonably warm January thaw that shattered weathermen's records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Only Jack Frost Mountain, Big Boulder and Camelback suffered through the
recent warm weather without closing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We hung in there as long as we could," said Montz, the marketing director
at Montage ski area in Scranton. "But we had to shut down. The snow erodes
really fast when you have five days of 60-degree weather." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Montage cranked up its lifts again at 5 p.m. Thursday, and Montz is
anticipating a banner weekend, as are employees at every other local ski area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Montz added that few skiers bothered showing up during the warm spell, but
scheduled tour groups may have been disappointed. He remains optimistic that
this three-day, Martin Luther King weekend will be a good one. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We have been making snow since Saturday and have really been pumping it
out 24 hours a day during the last two days of extremely cold weather," Montz
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Montage opened Thursday afternoon with snow on a beginner area, an
intermediate trail and the North Face. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As along as the cold weather holds we will be opening more terrain daily,"
he said. "I expect we will have double the terrain we have open now by the
weekend." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the thaw, Montz believes skier interest remains high. It's not time
to forsake alpine skis for golf clubs and mountain bikes just yet. "We usually
go through a January thaw every year, but it's not usually that drastic. We
bounce right back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Skiers know it's mid-winter," said Montz. "It's January. It's too early in
the year for interest in skiing to wane. That doesn't happen until mid-March." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ski Camelback in Tannersville was hit hard with weather woes like every
other ski area, but it remained open, said spokeswoman Gina Bertucci. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were able to remain open in spite of the variable temperatures because
of our snowmaking," she said. "We have invested over $10 million in expansion
in the last five years with a portion of that going to snow-making
improvement. That investment has made the difference." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bertucci added that 22 of Camelback's 33 trails and 11 of 12 lifts will be
up and running by the holiday weekend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As is the case at every Northeastern Pennsylvania ski area, Bertucci said
the snow-making system at Camelback has been working constantly. And an
expected winter storm heightens the anticipation of good snow on Saturday and
Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The upcoming holiday weekend has traditionally been popular with families.
Coming on the heels of one of the most successful Christmas weeks in our
history, with the snowstorm and the return of winter, we anticipate a
successful weekend," Bertucci said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Elk Mountain reopened Tuesday and expects to have eight trails open today,
said spokesman Tim Tichenor. "We had to close, but we opened again Tuesday and
have been making snow around the clock since then." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He expects the weekend at Elk to be a good one. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We always have had good numbers of skiers turn out, but it won't be
anything like the President's Day Weekend in February," Tichenor said. "This
weekend marks the first holiday after Christmas and New Year's, and that gives
skiers an incentive to come out." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Night skiing will resume tonight at Elk, Tichenor said. And he expects 10
trails to be open by Sa

Region's Ski Slopes Open, Recovering From Winter Warm Spell Hank Montz Is Gearing Up For The Second Opening Of Montage Mountain.