Press Enterprise from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania • 1

December 1997 FRIDAY500 Serving Berwick Danville Bloomsburg Catawissa Unityville Numidia Berwick water hard on GMC union file claims of election misconduct By MICHAEL LESTER Press EntarpriM Writer DANVILLE Penh State Geisinger Medical Center and Dis- trict 1199P of the Service Employ-eea International Union (SEIU) are both asking federal officials to throw out the results of a Dec 11 Union election for nurses Each is accusing the other of illegally trying to influence the the 82-year history of the hospital to represent workers here Each side accuses the other of influencing the outcome of the election through various tactics The election resulted in an apparent 10-vote win for the union The union contends that management threatened to take away employee benefits and to close one unit that employs about 90 nurses if they voted for the union The union says nines were also offered pots to vote against the SEIU Management accuses the union of offering perks to nurses too It -also contacts that the union forged signatures on campaign petitions Please see UNION page 5 it rah! i it In lengthy objections to election misconduct filed before pm With the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) both sides portray a dirty and deceptive fight over a union trying to become the first in d'- i i'f INVw Cm-SCITO Cops looking for man who said he was Santa Claus $12000 to fix The Pennsylvania American Water Co says softening the water could be harmful to some people and that Anderson should buy his own water softening equipment PIPES IN Hiram Anderson points out where he says water corrosion is eating through the copper pipes in the basement of his Berwick Laumhy business Anderson say the damage wW cost him Utility soften despite concerns people who are Santa this time of year that crack take the By LEON BOGDAN nVH CflMfpnW VyiMr By JACQUELINE SMITH Press Enlorprtso Writer fit was very said Annemarie Cud' group supervisor at the day care and learning center located just off Route 11 near! the 1-80 interchange here like to talk to said' South Centre Tbwnship Police Sgt Steve Savage of the stranger whose visit spread more concern than i said Anderson whose business stands at Second and Oak streets is happening in -every home The thing is accelerating it because the laundry uses so much water is this doing to kidneys? If it sate through copper pme surely it be declared safe drinking But Bob Manbeck spokesman for Pennsylvania American Water replied "We soften water because of research that indicates people with low-eodhun diets could be affected by water softening in a common water Larry Welfer who works in water supply management for the state Department of Environmental Protection agreed that soft- nuisance and not a threat to human health1 Welfer said advantage of softening is that most people agree hard water leaves scales and soap film on their dishes and things like that However on the disadvan-: tage side the potential health risk for people on low-sodium diets Welfer said the decision to soften or not to soften is usually one of personal preference People who dislike hard water can buy their own softening systems he said Manhwrk believes what Anderson should do He said the state Public Utility Commission made the same recommends- tion to Anderson after he filed a formal conn plaint Anderson denied having heard from tbs FUC customer has the option to soften Please see WATER back page PEKWICK A Laundromat owner here 'hays The water is so hard that eating through his pipes but the water company says that softeners could pose s' health risk for some consumers Hiram Anderson said be faces a $12000 repair bill from damage the water has done to the equipment at Berwick laundry And if die water hurts pipes he reasons it may be hinting people too But Pennsylvania American Water Co says softening the water could be harmful to people on low-sodium diets and a state official backs the company up If Anderson wants soft water the utility says have to buy Jiis own equipment eating through my uiR! RIDGE The cope are looking for Santa Claus That's who the stranger who walked into a day care center here claimed to be when he unannounced visit morning wanting to "see the The man who arrived in a small red beaten car that had a cardboard sjgnin the window reading 'Santa Claus Damage told staffers at the Wee Little Angels day care center he "just flew into When asked what the sign meant the stranger replied that it was group that was started for The visitor get past the front lobby after walking in the shorayl before 11 am He was stopped fay an adult monitor and asked to leave while teachers moved children into another part of the building Please see SCARE back page i to limit their ndinm intake softening simply removes hardness minerals and eliminates problems that are a Rival stations team up: All in the By PATRICK LESTER Press Enterprise Writer WBRE WYOU hope to beat top channel mein cost savings which a WBRE official hopes will translate into a ratings victory for his station WBRE Channel 28 and WYOU Channel 22 are both based in the Wilkes-Barre area and have been trailing WNEP in the ratings (he first time going to be done in televJ-skm said Art Daube vice president and general manager at WBRE an NBC affiliate of i peers are shaking their heads saying not Please see TEAM back page WILKES-BARRE Two rival television stations are joining forces in an attempt to unseat WNEP-TV as the top news channel WBRE-TV and WYOU-TV two longtime competitors are combining thir services under one roof a unique move officials say will save both stations money The union takes effect next year and affect what viewers will see on newscasts Most of the changes which include sharing production equipment and the latest television technology will take (dace behind the scenes The marriage between the network affiliates will Three generations bring more than 75 years of experience to the MiRville fire and ambulance companies Dayton Hess at top spent 55 years working as a first aid attendant and is now with the fire pofioe His daughter Cofieen Gordner (sitting next to him) has worked for 12 years as an EMT for Mllvile ambulance His three grandchildren are from left Kelly Yashimskl ambulance assistant and bookkeeper for the company Shefiy Yashlmakl an EMT) and Eric Hack an EMT who also serves on the Columbia County Rescue Task Force Dayton's wife Dorothy Hess said she was proud of them and wanted people to know about the sendee they give to the community State police find missing man By LEON BOGDAN Qmbb UJLiAd nets tmorpnst tweet Hiker turns up in Harrisburg was reportedly unaware anyone had been looking for him Harrisburg state police alerted Shickshinriy state police who had coordinated the local search in lower Luzerne County It was not dear why McCauley was in Harrisburg or how he got there Few details were available on the missing man last night He was the object of a two-day search after he took a walk in the middle of the night to capture an animal he had spotted outside his camper according to his common-law wife Gwen McCauley She said she last saw him about 1 am Tuesday when be put on his blue parka and told her he was going out to find the animal He left his truck keys and Please see MISSING back page WAPWALLOPEN A man miming for two days after he left his wife in a small camper at Council Cup Campground showed up Thursday in Harrisburg authorities said Harold Timothy McCauley 29 of Girardville was not injured or harmed when state police found him in Harrisburg about 4 pm He I Press Enterprise photo by JENNIFER DOMENICK 1 Divorce leaves mom deep in debt GOODlDAY HUCKLE The young mother is just getting back on her feet after a divorce that has left her sad and deeply in debt how she describes the set of events that force her to ask for help this holiday For some people love is like a blazing furnace Others cant even get the pilot HghtDL lflf EATHER MW TodayFahr High temp52 Predp0 Tonight Fair 32 Petals pagan Daily numbef6-7- Big Four3-7-4-5 Cash 55-P-13-31-33 whom it may concern am a single mother of a 15-month-old child! I work full-time for a local business moved back home and went on welfare After the bafay was born I found a part-time job and then I was lucky enough to go full time of my IS months I have received child support six months and my ex-husband shows no signs of supporting the baby make monthly gross pay of $1038 My monthly bills amount to $1000 That include gas money car repain and clothing or the diaper my sod I am receiving food stamps but it come close Even if my child support were bring Please see DEBT page 5 Quick trip2 Mi Street Beat3 Obituaries Commantary12 Eoonomy1 3 TV Mlngs17 Sporta1944 Neighbored 30 8aconda29 Comlca35 ''v I am going through a divorce from a man who took my credit cards and charged well over $7000 on them I was seven months' pregnant he abandoned me I was unemployed and in another stat away from my family i A.