Lititz Record Express

              THURSDAY¡ MAY 10, 2001
L i t i t z R e c o r d E x p r e s s ^ /JÍic a ü ° 'A
125TH YEAR 28 Pages-No. 3 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA Two sections 30 Cents
IN BRIEF
Library hours
The Lititz Public Library will
begin to expand its Saturday
hours, beginning on May 19 to
4 p.m. Old hours were 9 a.m.-1
p.m., and the new hours will be
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
INSIDE
□ Special Hours
Memorial Day
Due to the May 28 Memorial
Day holiday, deadlines for edit­orial
copy and advertising will
change as follows:
Retail and classified display
ads and all editorial copy for
the May 31 issue must be in the
Record Express office by 5
p.m. on Friday, May 25.
Classified reader ads will be
accepted until Tuesday, May 29
at noon.
The offices of the Lititz Record
Express will be closed on Mon­day,
May 28.
□ School
Choir Concert
This Saturday and Sunday,
the Warwick High School Show
Choir and Concert Choir will
present another eye-and-ear
dazzling extravaganza for local
audiences in the high school
auditorium. Everything you
need to know about the show
is featured on Page 6.
Japanese Students
Two Lititz families recently
hosted four Japanese students
through a two-week exchange
program designed to introduce
foreign cultures to typical life in
America. Page 6
Business
A Sassy Shop
The Sassy Tassel, a truly
unique business, has opened
on East Main Street. More in­formation
on the new owner,
Vicki Gassman, and her collec­tion
can be found on Page 16.
□ Entertainment
‘The Same Mistake’
Warwick Spanish teacher
Mark Hess has written and
published his first novel, and
will be appearing at the Lititz
Public Library on Monday, May
16. Page 14.
Police News
Cop’s Comer
In his debut column, “Cop’s
Corner,” Lititz Police Officer
Ken Wolfe challenges the com­munity
to get involved with
crime prevention. Page 2.
□ Sports
Playoff Bound
The Warwick baseball and
softball teams clinched berths
in the Lancaster-Lebanon
League playoffs. The softball
team beat Conestoga Valley on
Friday to lock up the second
berth in the section, while the
baseball team won its final
three games to advance to the
playoffs. Page 8.
□ Index
Arts/Entertainment................ 14
Births........................................20
Business.............................16-17
Classified.......................... 24-27
Commentary/Letters..... .......... 4
Obituaries...........................12-13
Out of the Past..................19, 28
Police/Fire Log.......................2-3
Religion............................... 22-23
School News...........................6-7
Social...................................20-21
Sports.............. .....................8-11
6 5
F i n a l c o u n t d o w n Lititz’ mayoral race will be decided next Tuesday, May 15
STEPHEN SEEBER_______________________ _
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — The Republican primary is a mere five
days away, and with it comes the hottest mayoral race
in recent memory. 1
Will it be incumbent Russell Pettyjohn who returns
for his third term? Or will borough council member
Greg Nies find enough support to overcome his GOP-endorsed
opponent?
On May 15 the campaign rhetoric takes a back seat
as the voters levy the final say.
Regardless of the outcome, the unusual competition
during a local Republican primary has stifled the
usual apathy that dominates spring elections here.
The last three months have been marked by patriot­ic
campaign kick-off rallies, a revote for the GOP en­dorsement,
more than a few letters to the editor, lots
of discussions between neighbors, and a debate be­tween
the candidates at the Lititz Public Library.
Lititz is awake for this election.
With less than a week to go, here are some final
thoughts from the candidates:
“I just hope everyone comes out to vote,” Pettyjohn
said. “We learned from the presidential election that
voting cannot be taken for granted.”
Nies looks back on the last few months as a great
learning experience, adding that he is especially
pleased that both candidates ran a friendly campaign.
“I have learned a lot about local politics in the last
month, some good and some bad,” he said, without
going into detail. “It’s good to see the people of town
supporting me, at least verbally. There was some ap­prehension
going up against the (GOP) committee,
but the support I’ve gotten makes me feel like I made
the right decision. It has been a friendly race, and that
More PRIMARY on A-15
S t a y i n g o u t o f ‘ t h e s y s t e m ’
Youth Aid Panel offers a third option for juvenile offenses
RICHARD REITZ___________
Record Express Editor
LITITZ — A teenager is caught
throwing eggs at a house. It’s his
first offense. Police are left with a
decision... do they charge the youth
with criminal mischief, or do they
let him go with a warning?
One option may seem too severe
for a youthful indiscretion, while
the other may fail to hold the teen
appropriately accountable for such
inappropriate behavior.
But now police in Lititz and
Warwick Township are hopeful
that there will soon be a third op­tion!,
perfectly suited for such
cases.
An effort is underway to create a
Youth Aid Panel for both munici­palities
as a way to hold youth ac­countable
for their actions without
“putting them into the system”
and charging them with a crime.
Mimi Girten, coordinator of the
local Youth Aid Panel program,
said guidelines for this program
have been established by the Lan­caster
County Court system, and
have been successful in other com­munities.
She said when juvenile offenders
are picked up, police have the op­tion
of referring them to the Youth
Aid Panel, an eight-member board
comprised of community volun­teers,
who will seek a way to re­solve
such problems for first time
misdemeanor offenders who admit
they are guilty, without getting the
district justice’s office involved.
“The volunteers on the panel
will listen to offender and the par­ents,”
she said. “The resolution
could be community service, letters
of apology, financial restitution,”
Girten said. “And there are guide­lines,
so we don’t have to reinvent
the wheel.”
Another benefit, she said, is that
youth are given a chance to see
that there are people in the com­munity
concerned about them, and
willing to give them an opportuni­ty
to make amends and prove that
they have learned their lesson.
Volunteers will have to complete
21-24 hours of training. “It will
help them become aware of the
psychological principals of the ju­venile
system, and about what nor­mally
happens; what might be the
underlying reason for misconduct
in kids.” She hopes that the first
training sessions will begin in June.
More YOUTH AID on A-3
Photo by Richard Reitz
The Weaver family of Lititz is ready to enjoy riding on an Ameri­can
LaFrance fire engine this Sunday as part of the Mother’s Day
Convoy to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pictured are
(from left to right) April Weaver, Kendrick Weaver, Brianna Weaver
and Ken Weaver.
A m o t h e r ’ s w i s h
The Weaver family knows how
valuable Make-A-Wish can be
Photo by Kathy Blankenbiller
Jeanme Kauffman, secretary of the organization, holds two cats
she has adopted — Foxy Lickity Split (left) and Jazzy (right), also
known as Jazzman.
Finding friends
New group finds
homes for pets at
Humane League
KATHY BLANKENBILLER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — “Agreeable friends...
they ask no questions, they pass no
criticisms.”
George Eliot explained it simply
— animals provide unconditional
love. Studies show that owning a
pet can actually improve your
physical health and mental well
being by relieving stress and allevi­ating
depression.
Yet, to some people, pets easily
become dispensable. Some people
tire of the responsibility, some
move, or for whatever reason, de­cide
to end the relationship by tak­ing
the pet to the Humane League.
Unfortunately, the older the ani­mal,
the less likely that it will be
adopted out.
These points did not go unno­ticed
by a group of caring people
who combined their efforts to form
a new organization, Special Pets
for Special People.
“It started out with four of us,”
said Jeannie Kauffman, secretary
of the organization since its incep-
More SPECIAL PETS on A-4
Borough will seek
$121,605 grant
LITITZ — The borough has
been applying for a Spruce Street
improvement grant for three years,
to no avail.
Following a public hearing on
Monday, Borough Council is pre­pared
to apply once again.
Lititz will be looking for funds
available through the county’s
Community Development Block
Grant.
After replacing a water line
along South Spruce Street, be­tween
West Lemon and West
Orange streets, which the borough
will fluid, the block grant proposal
is to mill and overlay the roadway,
including storm sewer installation,
curb work and tree removal.
The total estimated piojcd tost
is 1*262.595. and the amount of
funding lequested (hiough the
giant is M21.605 I he pio|eU will
benefit 125 iévidents
RICHARD REITZ _______
Record Express Editor
LITITZ — Brianna Weaver was
one week old when she endured
the first of a series of heart surger­ies.
Five surgeries and several heart
catheterizations later, the six-year
old Lititz girl seems as healthy and
happy as any other first grader;
and in many ways, she is.
Brianna was diagnosed as an in­fant
with tetraology of fallot with
pulmonary atresia. It was devas­tating
news for her parents, Ken
and April Weaver of Lititz, to
learn that their newborn daughter
had a serious heart defect.
She was born with a hole in the
bottom two chambers of her heart,
arid without a pulmonary valve.
Her aortic arch was located on the
opposite side ol the hcdil. «Mid (he
aoitci was liansposed between the
light and left ventílele Not to
mention, hei heait was enlaiged.
and even todav she is "glowing
into it,” her father said.
Her most recent surgery, and the
first since she was a year old, was
last August; and being more aware
of her situation, it was Brianna’s
most difficult experience.
Today she is doing well, and her
parents credit some of that recov­ery
to the Make-A-Wish Founda­tion
of Susquehanna Valley, which
granted Brianna’s wish five days
before her surgery.
“It was tremendous news, and
really helped with the surgery,”
Mrs. Weaver said.
“I think it definitely helped with
her recovery, too, when she knew
that she would be going to Disney-
World/’ Mr. Weaver added. “I
think she was ready to go before
the doctors said it was OK.”
In fact, they said that only three
weeks after the procedure, Brianna
wax back m class at Bonlicld Ele­mental
\ School
Hiianna was nominated for
More BRIANNA on A-15
Clowning around
Photo by Kathy Blankenbiller
ST. PAUL HOSTS NURSERY SCHOOL CARNIVAL - St. Paul Community Nursery
School held its annual carnival last Friday, a free event that has been held for 10 years. Banjo
the Clown entertained the youngsters, creating balloon animals and tickling some funny
bones. Banjo, known by some as Dwayne Arehart of Aspen Photography, donates his time
each year to the carnival. McDonald’s donated the juice for the event, while an anonymous
benefactor provided the participants with ice cream.
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