Wvc Swimming  Personal Bests, Top Times

Ann Arnone 
December 24, 1999

By JOE SYLVESTER Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 26, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





The people of the Wyoming Valley saw new leaders come into power and a new
arena open in this final year of the 1900s. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Luzerne County political changes - the pair of vehicle crashes that fueled
them - and the area's new arena made some of the top headlines in 1999. Those
events were not without controversy, the smoke of which lingers in the waning
days of the year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some of the changes had their roots in 1998. Commissioner Frank Crossin
crashed his car on Aug. 17, 1998, into a utility pole in the Toys R Us parking
lot along Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre. Police did not administer a field
sobriety test, despite one officer smelling alcohol on him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A commissioner for nearly 20 years, Crossin decided not to run for
re-election this year, citing media pressure related to the crash. That opened
the door for Controller Tom Pizano to team with Democratic Commissioner Tom
Makowski for the election, which they won. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, Republican Stephen A. Urban received more votes than incumbent
Republican Commissioner Joseph ``Red'' Jones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A crash involving Sheriff Carl Zawatski occurred at about 2 a.m. Oct. 22.
The sheriff told city police he was driving when he swerved to avoid a dog and
struck a pole on North Washington Street. Police began an investigation after
receiving tips that the sheriff's daughter, Deputy Sheriff Heather Zawatski,
might have been driving. She had appeared drunk earlier that night at a nearby
bar. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zawatski lost November's general election to political newcomer Barry
Stankus. The investigation into the crash continues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In another significant county race, Republican Mary Dysleski, a college
instructor and former title searcher, defeated attorney C.J. Bufalino.
Bufalino comes from a political family and had the backing of the dominant
Democratic party. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The area's new $22 million arena opened the night of Nov. 13. The project,
spearheaded by arena authority chairman and state Rep. Kevin Blaum,
D-Wilkes-Barre, followed nearly a decade of debate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The conflict isn't over. The township revoked the arena's occupancy and
building permits earlier this month because it said the authority missed a
Dec. 11 deadline to complete a checklist of paperwork. Blaum said a judge's
order prevents the township from revoking the permits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There was conflict of a more serious nature in area schools last spring. A
rash of copycat bomb threats followed the April school massacre in Littleton,
Colo. Area school officials changed policies and bolstered security before
classes started in the fall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On July 20, Gov. Tom Ridge declared a drought emergency for Luzerne and 54
other Pennsylvania counties, setting off mandatory restrictions on water use.
In August, rainfall was more than 7 inches below normal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Relief came, but not without a price. Tropical Storm Floyd dumped four to
five inches of rain on the area on Sept. 16, raising ground water levels
enough to alleviate the drought. The storm's heavy rains and strong winds
toppled several thousand trees in Ricketts Glen State Park, located in
Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties, forcing the park to close for about a
month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The escape of two inmates from the State Correctional Institution at Dallas
on Aug. 16 touched off an intense four-day search by police and corrections
officers. Following the recapture of arsonist Anthony Yang and murderer
Michael McCloskey, the prison underwent a change of command and an
investigation of operating procedures. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A fire on New Year's Day injured several occupants and forced about 200
people from the Genetti Hotel &amp; Convention Center apartments in Wilkes-Barre.
Firefighters had to rescue some of the residents who lived on upper floors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The year also has been challenging for Luzerne County Community College
President Jon Larson. On July 2, a demoted employee filed several
discrimination complaints against Larson. In August, trustees tightened
controls on Larson's spending after an audit showed he had spent more than was
budgeted for travel and entertainment and had poorly documented those
expenses. In October, teachers went on strike for a day, until a judge ordered
them back to work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Dec. 8, Troy Oden held his ex-girlfriend hostage at gunpoint for more
than six hours at an Interstate 80 rest stop near White Haven. He allegedly
kidnapped her from Las Vegas several days earlier and held her captive while
the pair traveled cross-country by bus. The standoff forced state police to
shut down the interstate. It ended when a state police sharpshooter killed
Oden. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Weeks earlier in the same area of Interstate 80, a Penn State student and a
bus driver were killed and more than 100 passengers injured in a multiple bus
crash in the fog. The crash occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 21.
Four of six buses returning from a day of shopping and sightseeing in
Manhattan collided in the chain-reaction crash. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stephen Scher, who was convicted in 1997 of the 1976 shooting death of
friend Martin Dillon, was released from prison June 30 after the state
Superior Court reversed his conviction. State Attorney General Mike Fisher has
requested the state Supreme Court overturn the court decision that set Scher
free. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Joe Sylvester covers social issues. Reach him at 829-7219. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`in With The New' Local Theme For 1999