`damn Yankees' To Light Up Kirby Stage 
Play Ball! 
It May Not Be Springtime Quite Yet, But Anyone At The F.m. Kirby Center On 
Feb. 21 Will Welcome An All-time Favorite Sport And A Great Broadway Play, All 
In The Same Evening.

2 Luzerne County Men Indicted On Drug Charges

Friday, January 30, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 8B 





AROUND TOWN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 RECORD PROFITS FOR FIRST NATIONAL: First National Community Bank recently
reported record earnings of $4,643,000 for 1997. That's 20 percent higher than
earnings in 1996Total assets for the bank increased $56 million in 1997 to
$428 million while loans and deposits each increased 8 percent from 1996
levels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Last year, First National Community Bank paid shareholders cash dividends
totaling $1,395,742 or $1.28 per share. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bank has offices located in Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Pittston, Scranton,
Dunmore and Dickson City. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 HILDEBRANDT LISTED IN TOP 50: The Hildebrandt Leader Centers has been named
one of the 50 largest for-profit child care organizations in North America by
the Child Care Information Exchange for 1998. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 HLC operates 19 employer-related child care centers throughout the state
including centers at the Social Security Administration's Data Operations
Center in the East Mountain Business Park, Plains Township, and the King's
College/St. Mary's Developmental Day Care Center, Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 HLC's corporate offices also are located in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 HLC employs more than 325 people throughout the state, including 45 in
Luzerne County. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NATION &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TOBACCO FIRMS SAY NO TO SUITS: Tobacco executives told a House panel
Thursday they will not agree to a settlement that deletes protection from
future lawsuits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We cannot agree to any legislation that does not include the limited
common sense civil liability protections," said Nick Brookes, chairman and
chief executive officer of Brown &amp; Williamson Tobacco Corp. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But neither Democrats nor Republicans seem anxious to grant the request of
an industry that has produced documents showing it targeted children in
advertisements for tobacco products in the 1970s. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The industry maintains that language affording it immunity from future
lawsuits is necessary to protect it from bankruptcy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A deal struck in June between the industry and state attorneys general
would end 40 state lawsuits against the industry if the companies pay $368
billion over 25 years and voluntarily change such practices as marketing. Part
of the settlement money would include payments to treat sick smokers. In
return, the industry would get protection from most future lawsuits. The deal
must be ratified by Congress if it is to become law. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the industry's case has been harmed by recently released secret
documents showing that in the 1970s, tobacco companies targeted children with
their marketing practices and conducted research to increase the nicotine
levels in their products. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In testimony before the Commerce Committee on Thursday, tobacco executives
condemned those strategies and pledged to make public a cache of new documents
on those subjects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 S&amp;P 500 SETS RECORD: Stocks extended a month-end rally Thursday, with the
S&amp;P 500 setting a record high and the Dow Jones industrial average moving
above 8,000 for the first time since early January before pulling back
slightly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Dow finished 55 points higher at 7,973 after swinging from an early
32-point loss to a gain of nearly 100 points. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Broader stock indicators also struggled at the open before drawing a boost
from the bond market, where interest rates fell sharply as Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan delivered an unalarming report to Congress. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 rose about eight points to 985, breaking its Dec.
5 record close of 983.79. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Volume was very heavy again Thursday, with about 750 million shares
changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange and more than 800 million
changing hands on the Nasdaq Stock Market. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The S&amp;P 500 and the Dow, which has risen nearly 275 points this week, have
quickly erased the remnants of a January loss that once exceeded 4 percent and
moved into positive territory for a month that has frequently foretold the
market's fortunes for the entire year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stocks rose sharply on Tuesday and Wednesday as jitters over Asia and the
White House sex scandal ea

Around Town 
Record Profits For First National: First National Community Bank Recently 
Reported Record Earnings Of $4,643,000 For 1997. That's 20 Percent Higher Than 
Earnings In 1996.

Around Town Record Profits For First National: First National Community Bank Recently Reported Record Earnings Of $4,643,000 For 1997. That's 20 Percent Higher Than Earnings In 1996.