You might say that first

graders in Jessica Luke's

class at Hope Elementary
School have had a pretty
good relationship with the
Town of Hope and its governing body. Mayor Timothy
McDonough and his wife
Maria, along with their
daughter, Lacey DiTondo,
annually participate in the
national
program
Read
Across America at the
school. Every year, the mayor
invites students from the
school to visit Town Hall and
learn about local government.
Mrs. Luke's first graders were

an integral part of both of

those experiences this year.

Now, the first graders will

Bangor Boutique, located

at the Bangor High School,
is collecting gently used
formal wear, shoes and
jewelry for prom. The
Bangor Boutique is set up to
ensure that every student has a
memorable prom experience
regardless of financial status.
The Bangor Womens Club
will be accepting applications from senior students at
Bangor and Faith Christian
High Schools for consideration for their 2016 scholarship. The scholarship amount
is $1000. Applications can be
obtained from the school
guidance office and the deadline to submit the completed
application is April 15th.
The Slate Belt Chamber of
Commerce applications for
the Scholarship Achievement Award 2016 are available at the guidance departments of Bangor High
School, Pen Argyl High
School, Faith Christian and
Career Institute of Technology. The Slate Belt Chamber
of Commerce will award one
scholarship to a senior from
each of the five area schools.
Applicants must reside in the
Slate Belt to apply. The scholarships will be presented to
the students based upon the
following criteria: academic
accomplishment,
demonstrated service to school
and/or community, demonstration of leadership capabilities, and future vocational
plans. Please note: A separate award, The Frederick
R. Curcio, Jr. Scholarship
Award, may also be applied
for at this time. To qualify, a
senior must be either registered at Lincoln Technical
Institute or majoring in

computer science. Applications must be received by

April 15th. A Scholarship
Awards Dinner is planned for
May 19th. For more information, contact the guidance
department or the chamber
office at 610-588-1000.
Slater Family Network is
sponsoring a $2,000 scholarship for a 2016 Bangor High
School graduate. Applications are now available on the
school district website under
the Slater Family Network
tab, in the HS guidance office
or the SFN office behind
DeFranco Elementary School.
Completed applications are
due at SFN on April 28th.
The family of Denny
Strouse is sponsoring a
$1,000 scholarship through
Slater Family Network for a
2016 Bangor High School
graduate. The applications
are available on the school
district website under the
Slater Family Network tab, in
the HS Guidance Office, or
the SFN office behind
DeFranco Elementary School.
Completed applications are
due at SFN on April 28th. Call
the SFN office at 610-5997019 with any questions.
Families First, Pen Argyls
family center, will award a
$500 Scholarship to a qualifying student from the Pen
Argyl School District. The
scholarship promotes volunteerism in the community and
recognizes the efforts of a teen
volunteer. Criteria for application are: volunteered in
community service for at least
two years; is a 12th grade
student at Pen Argyl High
School; has been accepted at a
post-secondary college, trade
school or technical school.
Deadline for application is
May 1st. Applications may be
obtained from the guidance

office at PAHS or Frank W.

Jones, Jr., Director of Families First at the Wind Gap
Middle
School.
For
additional
information,
contact Frank Jones, at 610863-3688
or
email
jones.frank@penargylsd.org
Upper Mt. Bethel Twp. is
looking to form a community park committee and is
seeking three residents of
Upper Mt. Bethel Twp. to
join.
The committee is
strictly volunteer to oversee
phases of the park and scheduling of events at the park.
Please submit your letter of
interest to Upper Mount
Bethel Township Municipal
Building, Attn: Board of
Supervisors, 387 Ye Olde
Highway, Mount Bethel, PA
18343, or email officesec
retary@uppermtbethel.org.
The Bangor High School
Class of 1966 will hold their
50th Reunion at the Delaware Water Gap Country
Club on Saturday October
8th at 6pm. The Class has
also been invited to sit at this
years high school graduation
as guests. The following
addresses are needed: Bruce
Dietz, Carol Ann Reinhart
Hutnick, Peggy Ealey Kish,
Richard Hunt, Natalie Crouse
Donate, Larry Stenlake,
James LaBarre, Marshall
Bailey, Sondra Buskirk Baier,
Patricia Pysher Bennett,
Robert
Mack
Charlene
Pasqualino, Linda Repsher
Silvius,
Linda
Meixsell
Yeakel, Richard Danner,
Glenda Dunk, Diana Galatioto,
Donna
Davidson
Edwards and Thomas Kittle.
Anyone with information
please contact: Karen Brewer
@ 610-588-8615 or 484894-5661. Those who have
received invitations and are
planning to attend the high
school graduation exercises
are also to notify Karen
Brewer so a seat count can be
given to the school.
The Salvation Army in Pen
Argyl has several slots available for overnight youth
summer camp in the
Poconos. For more information, call 610-863-6677.
The Slate Belt Regional
Police have a drug takeback box at their 6292
Sullivan Trail office in
Nazareth. For more information, call their non-emergency
line at 610-759-8517, or fax
610-759-8523.
The Pen Argyl Easter Egg
Hunt winners for 2016 are
as follows, ages newborn to
two: Zachary Gower, Wind
Gap; Andrew and Joseph
Dorsch, Bangor; Cooper
Schab, Bangor; Ages three to
four: Leila Vitel, Pen Argyl;
Coltan Flyte, Pen Argyl;
Nolan Cardwell, Pen Argyl;.
Five to six: Alexis Shaika,
Bangor; Parker Gava, Nazareth; Carter Rowe, Wind Gap.
Seven to eight: Christopher

Ash,
Plainfield;
Hailey
Klingle, Easton. Nine to ten:
Helynn Heisler, Roseto;
Tianna and Gianna ToutPuissant, Saylorsburg.

Knowlton Twp. Elementary School is planning for

the 2016-2017 school year.
At this time they would like
to identify as many children
as possible who will be
eligible for kindergarten in
September. To be eligible
for kindergarten, a child must
be five years old by October
1st. If you have not already
done so, and you have a child
who will be eligible for next
years kindergarten class, call
the school at 908-475-5118,
ext. 200. Dates for screening
of next years kindergarten
students will be released at a
later date.
Parents will
receive details in the mail.
Please pass this information
along to anyone in Knowlton
Twp. who may have a child
eligible for kindergarten in
September.
Knowlton Twp. Elementary is now accepting registrations for their preschool
program for fall. Children
must be four years old by
October 1st, and must be
toilet trained. The program
runs Monday through Friday
from 9am to 11:30am when
school is in session. Transportation is not provided for
this program. If interested,
please contact the school
office at 908-475-5118, ext.
200.
Knowlton
Twp.
has
entered into a cooperative
gypsy
moth
control
program with the NJ
Department of Agriculture.
A contract will be awarded to
apply Bacillus thuringiensis
var. kurstaki (FORAY 76B,
EPA Reg# 73049-49) using
aircraft to areas infested with
gypsy moth larvae. Aerial
application will begin on or
after May 16th through June
15th or until completion from
5:30am to 2pm, and possibly
in the evenings from 5pm to
8pm in the affected areas. A
map indicating the exact
areas to be treated along Mt.
Pleasant Road is available for
inspection at the municipal
building.
Residents may
contact the municipal clerks
office at 908-496-4816, ext.
6, or stopping by the office,
located at 628 Route 94 in
Columbia for information
regarding the exact date,
application times and any
other information concerning
the
treatment
program.
Individuals
wishing
additional information about
pesticides may contact the
National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-8587378. For emergencies, call
the NJ Poison Information
and Education System at 1-

800-222-1222. For pesticide

regulation information, pesticide complaints, and health
referrals, call the NJ Pesticide
Control Program at 609-9846507. Upon request, the pesticide applicator, or applicator
business shall provide a
resident with notification 12
hours prior to the application
except for Quarantine and
Disease Vector Control only,
when conditions necessitate
pesticide applications sooner
than that time. Additional
information
about
the
program is also available on
the NJ Department of
Agriculture's
website
at
nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi
/prog/gypsymoth.html.
Registration is now open
for the Tri Mountain Lake
Sprint Triathlon taking
place on July 16th, in
Liberty, (Mountain Lake).
The sprint triathlon tours the
surrounding area of Mountain
Lake in Liberty NJ. After a
half-mile swim in the pristine
lake, get ready for some ups
and downs on the 15-mile
bike ride. Then finish off on
the three-mile run giving a
view from each angle of the
lake. Participants can sign up
to compete as individuals or
as a team of three. Teams will
compete with each member
completing one leg of the
event, and their time will be
recorded and displayed versus
other team entries. To register,
visit
runsignup.com/
Race/NJ/Liberty/TRIMountai
nLake.
Knowlton Seniors is seeking new members 55 or
older from Knowlton Township and surrounding areas,
including PA. They offer
multiple trips to different
sights each year. They meet
the first Friday of each month
at the Knowlton United Methodist Church on Rt. 94 at
1:30pm with few exceptions.
For more information, call
Sue at 908-496-4740.
Quality
artisans
and
antique vendors are wanted
for the Belvidere in Bloom
Summer Festival on June
11th, from 9am to 5pm at
Garret D. Wall Park in
Belvidere. For more information, call 908-310-7203 or
visit BelvidereinBloom.com.
In anticipation of its 13th
anniversary assisting northwestern NJ residents, Project Self-Sufficiency is asking
former
participants
to
contact the agency. Information gathered from former
participants would be used
throughout the upcoming year
as part of the agencys

celebration.
Former adult
participants, as well as the
grown children of former
participants, are asked to call
Project Self-Sufficiency at
973-940-3500 or 844-8073500.
Blairstown
Recreation
Summer Day Camp is now
open for registration. The
camp is open to resident and
non-resident
pre-school
children ages four and five
(age four by October 1st,
2015) and for boys and girls
currently in grades K through
sixth. Summer Camp is held
Monday through Friday, June
27th through July 8th (closed
July 4th), from 9am to noon at
Blairstown
Elementary
School.
Registration is
accepted at the Recreation
Office on Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 8am to 1pm,
by mail-in, or by drop-off box.
For additional information
visit www.blairstown-nj.org
or call 908-362-6663 ext. 232.
North Warren KnitWits
needs new members to
crochet or knit items to be
donated to various charities,
nursing homes, hospice and
the
needy
throughout
Warren County. KnitWits, a
group of mostly senior
women, have donated thousands of items over their 25+
years of existence. They meet
every Tuesday from 9:30am
to noon at the Catherine Dickson Hoffman Library, located
on Lambert Road in Blairstown. Donations of yarn are
always needed. For more
information, call Anne at
908-459-0453.
Glenwood Baptist Church,
located at 1863 County
Road 565, in Glenwood
invites you every Sunday to
experience God's anointing
and blessings through the
Adult Sunday School at
9am, and Children's Sunday
School at 10am. Worship
service is held at 10am with
Pastor Edgir. For more information, call 973-764-7681.
Vendors are wanted for St.
Jude Knights of Columbus
4th annual outdoor flea
market on May 14th, in the
St. Jude Church parking lot
on Eisenhower Rd. in Blairstown. For more information, call Joe at 908-3626044.
Star-Light Small Animal
Rescue is looking for volunteers to help with transport
and online tasks, and for
fosters/adopters.
Visit
starlightrescue.webs.com or
email
StarLight_Rescue@
hotmail.com for more information.

Adult Fiction: Binchy,

Maeve: A Few Of The Girls;
Box, C.J: Off The Grid;
Coben, Harlan: Fool Me Once;
Cussler, Clive: The Gangster;
Deaver, Jeffrey: The Steel
Kiss; Ellison, J.T: No One
Knows; Fluke, Joanne: Wedding Cake Murder; Jance, J.A:
Clawback; Patterson, James:
Private Paris; Steel, Danielle:
Property Of A Noblewoman.
Adult Non Fiction: Schaap,

Rosie: Drinking With Men.

Young Adult Fiction: Clare,
Cassandra: Lady Midnight.
Young Adult Non Fiction:
Lang, Andrew: The Blue Fairy
Book.
Junior Fiction: Anderson,
Laurie Halse: Homeless
Easy Reader Fiction: Kann,
Victoria: Pinkalicious, Pinkie
Promise.
Dvds: The Hunger Games
Mockingjay Part 2.

OAA Orthopaedic Specialists have become independent

members of the medical staff
at Easton Hospital and have
begun to see patients as of
April 4th, at the Easton
Hospital Health and Wellness
Center at Park Plaza in Forks
Township.
The orthopedic specialists at
OAA study, manage and treat
all types of musculoskeletal
conditions and will extend
those services to patients in
the Easton and Slate Belt area
through the new office in
Forks Township.
Easton Hospital is proud of
its history in orthopedic
care, says CEO John Zidansek. Since 2013 we have
held two certifications from
The Joint Commission in
total-knee and total-hip
replacement. The physicians
at OAA care about maintaining that high standard of care
and the excellent outcomes
associated with it.
"The relationship with
Easton Hospital is an
outstanding addition to the
OAA network," says Vincent
Hudson, Chief Operating
Officer at OAA. "Easton
Hospital demonstrates a high
quality,
multidisciplinary
approach to orthopedic care."
A number of orthopedic
physicians will offer services
at the practice office on Sullivan Trail:
Richard D. Battista, M.D.,
specialist in elbow, arm, hand
and wrist
Kenneth J. Brislin, M.D.,
specialist in elbow, arm, knee
and shoulder
Stephen P. Falatyn, M.D.,

specialist in spine, back and

neck
Amir H. Fayyazi, M.D.,
specialist in spine, back and
neck
Gregor M. Hawk, M.D.,
specialist in elbow, arm, knee
and shoulder
Robert C. Palumbo, M.D.,
specialist in elbow, arm, foot,
ankle, knee, leg and shoulder
Lawrence E. Weiss, M.D.,
specialist in elbow, arm, hand
and wrist
In 2014, Easton Hospital
launched a Comprehensive
Spine Management Program
to treat neck, back and lumbar
pain. We have treated
hundreds of patients who
suffer with acute back pain,
says Fern Dougherty, director
of orthopedic services and
certified orthopedic nurse.
We are excited to offer those
patients the expertise of the
back pain specialists from
OAA.
To make an appointment,
patients should call 610-9736200 . Their office will be at
the Easton Hospital Health and
Wellness Center, 1800 Sullivan Trail, Suite 350, Park
Plaza, Easton, PA 18040.
With multiple locations in the
Greater Lehigh Valley, OAA
Orthopaedic Specialists has
been a dynamic provider of
orthopaedic care and research
for more than 40 years. The
practice is comprised of 25
physicians and surgeons who
diagnose and treat conditions
related to the Foot and Ankle,
Hand and Upper Extremities,
Joint Replacements, Physical
Rehabilitation, Rheumatology,
Spine and Scoliosis, Sports

Medicine, Work Injuries,

Chiropractic Medicine, and
more. OAA is the only
independent
orthopaedic
practice in the region. For
more information about OAA
Orthopaedic Specialists, visit
oaaortho.com.
Easton Hospital is a 254-bed
acute care teaching hospital
serving more than 300,000
residents in Northampton
County and the five surrounding counties in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. Founded in
1890, the hospital celebrated
its 125th anniversary in 2015.
Easton Hospital offers an
active Emergency Department
which sees more than 32,000
annual visits; a cardiac care
program recognized as an
accredited Chest Pain Center
and one of 55 designated Heart
Attack Receiving Centers in
the country; a Center for
Orthopedics, Joint and Spine
which is accredited by the
Joint Commission for both
total-hip
and
total-knee
replacement;
a
certified
Primary Stroke Center; a
Surgical Weight Loss program
designated as an accredited
center in Bariatric Surgery;
and the Easton Regional
Cancer Center which is a
member of the Sidney Kimmel
Cancer Network at Jefferson.
In addition, the hospital maintains two free-standing, fullyaccredited residency training
programs in surgery and internal medicine. For more information and a complete list of
services offered at Easton
Hospital, visit the hospitals
website at www.eastonhospital.com.

A special guest speaker will

be at Totts Gap Arts Institute
to talk with local property
owners in the Minsi Lake area
about vernal pools and how to
keep their backyard healthy
for wildlife. Afterward, everyone will be invited on guided
night-time nature walk to see
nearby vernal pools. The
presentation and walk will
take place on Friday, April
15th, with the talk beginning
at 6:30pm, followed by an
optional hour-long walk at
7:30pm.
The evening events are free;
co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Natural
Heritage
Program, The Nature Conservancy, Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy, and Totts Gap
Arts Institute, but preregistration is requested. Call
570-643-7922, ext. 320, or
register online at nature.org/
pennsylvania/events.
The

presentation is best suited for

adults and youths age 10 and
up. The walk is recommended for adults and kids
age six and up. Walkers
should bring a flashlight and
wear boots or shoes that can
get wet and muddy.
Guest speaker Betsy Leppo,
a zoologist with the Pennsylvania
Natural
Heritage
Program, says the Minsi Lake
area in Upper Mount Bethel
Township is extraordinary in
that it has one of the highest
concentrations of vernal pools
in Pennsylvania. These pools
serve as nurseries for frogs
and salamanders that mate
and lay their eggs there during
the springtime. Vernal pools
can be small puddles in
someones backyard or large
pools in the midst of the
forest. If the pools are filled in
or paved over, the survival of
frogs and salamanders is
threatened. Ms. Leppo notes
that there are serious threats to
amphibian populations locally
and globally, and people in the
Minsi Lake area have a unique
opportunity to help protect the
forested lands and healthy
wetlands that make the region
an important refuge for frogs
and salamanders.
During the evening presentation, shell talk about the types
of amphibians found locally
and provide tips on how
people can manage their own
property for wildlife. Afterward, she will guide people to
The Nature Conservancys
Minsi Lake Vernal Pools
Preserve to see some pools
and search for signs of
salamanders and frogs.
All are invited to join Jim
Wilson from Northampton
Countys Division of Parks
and Recreation on a Salaman-

der Safari at Bear Swamp in

Bangor on April 17th, from
2pm to 3:30pm Meet at the
Bear Swamp archery complex
parking lot on Lake Minsi
Road to accompany Jim on an
exploratory walk to find frogs
and salamanders that are
emerging from their winter
slumber. Hunt for red efts and
giant salamanders with yellow
polka dots, tadpoles and frogs
wearing black masks.
Wear boots or shoes that can
get wet and muddy to enjoy
the trail less traveled. This
free, family-friendly afternoon,
co-sponsored
by
Northampton County and
The Nature Conservancy, is
best suited for people age five
and up, including kids, teens,
adults, grandparents and
elders.
Pre-registration is requested,
but not required. Call The
Nature Conservancy at 570643-7922, ext. 310, or register
online at public events on
nature.org/Pennsylvania.
The Nature Conservancy has
protected 265 acres of wildlife
habitat in the Minsi Lake area.
Its Vernal Pools Preserve,
located on Institute Drive, is
open to the public for hiking,
hunting and outdoor enjoyment. Totts Gap Arts Institute
(www.tottsgap.org) is an
institute for learning, arts and
creativity located at 1494
Totts Gap Road, Bangor.
Funding support for Betsy
Leppo is provided by the
Community
Conservation
Partnerships
Program,
Keystone, Recreation, Park
and Conservation Fund,
which is administered by the
PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,
Bureau of Recreation and
Conservation.

St. Elizabeth's Church

Casino Trip: April 14th.
First pick-up, church parking lot, Pen Argyl, 9am;
second pick-up, old St.
Joseph's parking lot, Wind
Gap, 9:05am. Will receive a
voucher for slots & food.
FMI, call Mary Lou at 610863-4846 or 610-844-4630.
Stroudsburg Aglow Meeting: April 14th, 9:30am. St.
Peters UMC, Saylorsburg.
FMI, contact 610-614-0507
or
stroudsburgaglow
@gmail.com.
Slate Belt Heritage Center
Re-Opening Ceremonies:
April 14th, 7pm. Slate Belt
Heritage Center, 30 N. 1st St.,
Bangor. FMI, call 610-5994993.
Slate Belt Photography
Club Meeting: April 14th,
7pm.
Trinity
Lutheran
Church, 4th & Broadway,
Bangor.
New
members
welcome.
FMI,
visit
facebook.com/groups/Slate
BeltPhotographers/.
Ackermanville
UMC
Pancake
&
Sausage
Supper: April 14th, 5pm7pm. 1410 Ackermanville

Rd., Bangor. Adults, $8;

children (4-10), $4. Take out
avail. FMI, call 610-5887818.
UMC Rummage Sale:
April 15th, 9am-2pm, &
April 16th, 8am-noon.
8538 Delaware Dr. (Rt. 611
& 5 pts. Richmond Rd.),
Bangor. Fill-a-bag Saturday,
10am-noon.
Pet Parade: April 16th,
1pm-4pm.
Downtown
Portland. FMI, call Stephanie
at 610-216-6716.
Nazareth Area Science
Project
3rd Annual
Science Fest: April 17th.
Bushkill Elementary School.
Free. FMI, visit www.
nazarethscience.org.
Safe Haven Rescue Dogs
Meet & Greet: April 17th,
11am-3pm. Rt. 940, Mt
Pocono.
FMI,
visit
www.SafeHavenPa.org, or
email SafeHaven@epix.net.
Traditional
Spaghetti
Dinner: April 17th, noon5pm. Our Lady of Victory
R.C. Church, Cherry Lane
Rd., Tannersville. FMI, call
570-629-4572.
Pastie Sale: April 19th,
11am-1pm. Christ Lutheran

Church, 703 S. Delaware Dr.,

Mt. Bethel. FMI or to order,
call Chrissy at 610-588-0809.
Bangor High School Broadway Night: April 21st,
7:30pm. M. Craig Paine
Performing Arts Theater.
Belfast
Wesley
UMC
Bake/Rummage Sale: April
23rd, 8am-noon. 607 School
Rd., Nazareth. FMI, call
Teddy at 908-235-8811.
Salvation Army - Pen Argyl
Community Yard & Bake
Sale: April 23rd, 9am-1pm.
Space is limited. FMI or to
reserve table space, call 610863-6677.
Footprints in the Sand
Relay Team, Relay For Life
8th Annual Golf Outing:
April 23rd, noon. Shawnee
on the Delaware. $95 registration fee incl. golf cart,
greens fees, dinner buffet &
awards. Sign-in starts at
noon, shotgun start at 1pm &
dinner at 6pm. All proceeds
benefit the American Cancer
Society. FMI, call Donna at
610-588-7786 or 610-4175550.
Hope UCC Worship &
Waffles: April 24th, 9am10:30am. 2nd Street, Wind
Gap.

Bangor High School Band

Boosters & the Washington
Twp. Vol. Fire Co. Pancake
Breakfast: April 24th,
8am-noon. 920 Washington
Blvd., Bangor. All proceeds
benefit BHS Band Boosters
& Washington Twp. Vol.
Fire Dept. Tickets $7, avail.
at the door, from band
students or the fire dept. FMI,
contact
Michelle
at
michellecollinsrma@yahoo.c
om or 336-812-3861.
Pen Argyl Alumni Assoc.
Baskets, Bags & Cash
Bingo: April 24th, 11:30am.
Pen Argyl Comm. Center.
$20 in advance, $25 at the
door. Bingo starts at 1pm.
Refreshments avail. FMI or
tickets, contact Ann at 610863-6426 or ehle.ann@
gmail.com.

Fish & Chips Dinner: April

14th, 5pm-7pm. Yellow
Frame Pres. Churh, 1 Yellow
Frame Rd., Newton. Adults,
$14; children 10 & under, $7.
Eat-in or take-out. Must
purchase tickets in advance.
FMI or tickets, call 973-3835701 or 973-579-0157.
Little Tykes Baseball (TBall) Instructional Program
for Ages 4-7: Saturdays, 6
weeks, starting April 16th,
10am or 11am. The Youth

Center, 16 Hampton Rd,

Glen Gardner. $60 incl.
membership. Open to all
communities (no geographical limitations). FMI, call
908-537-4594 or visit www.
theyouthcenter.net.
Honoring the Late Area
Archaeologist
Robert
Kocher's Extensive Collection of Indian Artifacts:
April 16th, 10am-3pm.
Masonic Lodge 275, Hwy.
31, 1.4 mi. N. of Rt. 57. Free.
FMI, call 908-750-4110.
18th Annual Stateliner
Spring
Classic
5K
Run/Walk & Childrens
Fun Run: April 17th.
Phillipsburg High School,
Maloney
Stadium,
489
Hillcrest Blvd., Phillipsburg.
FMI, contact James at 908213-2404 or springclassic@
hotmail.com.
Pet Adoption Leagues 6th
Annual Pasta Dinner: April
22nd, 5:30pm-8pm. Panther
Valley Ecumenical Church,
1490 Rt. 517, Allamuchy.
Adults, $12; kids under 6, $6.
If you cannot attend, donations can be made to: PAL,
P.O. Box 206, Hackettstown,
NJ 07840.
FMI, visit
www.palpets.org,
email
info@palpets.org or call
973-584-0095.
100% of
proceeds go toward helping
homeless animals in the area.
Rummage Sale: April 22nd

& 23rd, 9am-4pm. The

Youth Center in Glen Gardner, 16 Hampton Rd. FMI,
call 908-537-4594.
Auditions for Roy's Hall
Production of Bye Bye
Birdie: April 23rd & 24th.
Production dates: July 29th,
30th & 31st. FMI, part
descriptions & audition
forms, visit RoysHall.org.
Soroptimist International
Annual Tricky Tray Fundraiser: April 23rd, 6:30pm.
Independence Firehouse, 24
Cemetery Rd., Great Meadows. FMI, tickets & donation
opportunities, email sitricky
tray@gmail.com or call 201952-3732.
Yard Sale to Benefit Pet
Adoption League: April
23rd & 24th, 9am-3pm.
Willow Grove St., Hackettstown (across from the hospital). FMI, visit www.
palpets.org.
Paulinskil Restoration &
Dam Removal Open House:
April
25th,
7pm-9pm.
Knowlton Twp. Lions' Club,
505 Rt. 94, Columbia.
Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church Rummage Sale:
April 29th, 9am-3pm &
April
30th,
9am-1pm.
Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church, 1490 Rt. 517, Hackettstown. Donations may be
brought to the church April
25th-27th, 9am-2pm; & Mondays & Tuesdays, 6pm-8pm.
Accepting all clothing, HH
items, glassware, baskets,
small appliances, sporting
goods, jewelry, & seasonal
items.
11th Hour Rescue Pierogie
Dinner: April 30th, 5:30pm.
201 Howard Blvd., Mt.
Arlington.
FMI,
visit
www.ehrdogs.org.
Soup & Sandwich Benefit
for Heifer International:
April
30th,
4pm-6pm.
Broadway UMC, 2233 Rt.
57, Broadway. Silent auction
items avail. FMI, call 610417-7184.

Legislation sponsored by PA
Senator Mario Scavello
(R-40) to increase fines for
littering was approved by the
Senate recently.
Currently, fines for littering
under Title 18 (Crimes and
Offenses) run from $50 to
$300 for a first-time offense,

and $300 to $1,000 for a

second
and
subsequent
offense. Senate Bill 973
boosts fines up to $2,000 for
multiple offenses based on
the size of weight and cubic
feet of litter.
This legislation will also
increase the littering fines

outlined
in
Title
75
(Vehicles), with heavier
penalties for littering from
vehicles on highways, properties and water, including in
an agriculture security area.
I believe the current fine
system is not a proper deterrent for this crime, said

Scavello. The amount of

trash along roadways and
elsewhere is not just aesthetically unpleasant, its bad for
the environment.
The measure now goes to
the House of Representatives
for consideration.
You can follow Senator
Scavello on Twitter and
Facebook.

This years Springfest of

Music, presented by the
Warren County Community
Singers, will be held the
weekend that ushers out
April and welcomes in May.
The first concert will be
Saturday, April 30th, at
7:30pm at Grace Lutheran
Church, located at 300 Roseberry Street, Phillipsburg.
The second will be Sunday,
May 1st at 3pm at the First
Presbyterian Church, at 40
East Church Street, Washington.
The singers are a nonaudition group of adults, high

school age and above, from all

around the county and its
environs. They are directed by
Hunter Chadeayne and Associate Director/Accompanist is
Ann Hoyt.
The concert also features the
Childrens Chorus of Warren
County under the direction of
Mariah Thomspon. Laura
Rader is accompanist. The
children are age seven through
middle school age with
unchanged voices.
Springfest features show
tunes, popular music and other
genres.
Community Singers do two

concerts a year, in the spring

and the first weekend in
December, and also perform
at other venues throughout the
year. New members will be
accepted for the fall semester
in early September.
The Childrens Chorus is
sponsored by the Singers.
Funds are provided, in part, by
the Warren County Cultural
and Heritage Commission.

By Kara Diefenderfer

The Washington Business

Improvement District has
something sweet in store
for its Annual Arts Festival
this year. New this year is a
spot
for
Everything
Sweet! thus its new name,
Warren Arts, Sweets, and
Craft Beer Festival. To be
held in downtown Washington, this years event will be
held on Saturday, April 23rd
(rain date April 24th).
In addition to a variety of
artists representing jewelry,
fine art, and crafts, there will
plenty of food, from food
truck fare, soul food, ice
cream and more, as well as a
choice of craft beers, and
other vendors.
Cash prizes will be
awarded to the top three
winning artists (original
works only: first, second and
peoples choice. This event
has grown in the past three
years, with dozens of participating artists and vendors
and Washington businesses
and more drawing large
crowds throughout the day.
There will be special activities during the day, from
music with the JerZgirls,
demonstrations,
book
signings and readings, and
kids activities including a
free craft project sponsored

Many people believe addiction is a lifestyle choice that

people make. The myth is
that there is no one but themselves to blame for the situation they are in. I would like
to challenge this thought.
In the treatment world, after
someone has had some
clean/sober time under their
belt, picking up drugs the
first time IS a choice. The
saying in recovery goes, The
first drink got you drunk.
When someone is in active
addiction, the choices are
very limited or nonexistent.
Let me explain.
Those in the throes of addiction are not in the right mindset to even start to make
healthy choices until the
substance is removed and
clear thinking can be
by Washington Borough
Clean Communities.
The festival takes place
along Route 57 throughout
the downtown and runs from
10am to 5pm, with the beer
tent open starting at
11:30am.
Only artists displaying
original works are eligible
for cash prizes. All art styles
are welcome, from painting
to pottery to jewelry and
everything in between. Resale vendors are also
welcome to register for the
festival. There is a $15
charge for artists with origi-

nal works and it is $25 ($35

day of show) for all resale
vendors. Vending spots are
10 by 10. If you are interested
in registering, please contact
the WBID office at 908-689-

4800,
or
visit
www.
washingtonbid.org.
This
event has been a sell-out for
the past two years. Preregistration is highly recommended.

restored. Their brain has been

hijacked and is telling the
persons body that the
substance is more important
than basic needs such as
food, water, and shelter.
Another aspect to consider is
the guilt, shame, and stigma
attached to addiction and how
hard it may be to break away
from the only lifestyle an
afflicted person may know.
Lastly, the majority of
individuals that are addicted
have had significant trauma
or abuse, which attracts them
to substances in the first
place.
To help educate you or
someone you love on the
disease of addiction please
visit A Clean Slate at 100 S.
1st St., in Bangor, PA or call
610-452-9348 for more information.

St. Lukes East Stroudsburg

Health
Center,
formerly St. Lukes Pocono
MRI Imaging and Diagnostic Center, has adopted a
new name to better reflect
all of the sites health care
services.
The location houses diagnostic imaging, including
MRI, CT scans, general and
ascular ultrasound, walk-in
x-ray, and pelvic, transvaginal and first trimester ultrasounds. The facility offers
walk-in lab services weekdays from 7am to noon. St.
Lukes specialists also practice in the building.

For years, the site has

served as a community
health resource, offering
high quality diagnostic
imaging services. Today, the
new name better represents
the broad spectrum of St.
Lukes health care services
now available here, said
Christine Davco, Executive
Director, St. Lukes East
Stroudsburg Health Center.
Neurologists
Mahesh
Chhabria, MD; Raj Katara,
MD; and James Kerrigan,
MD, as well as physical
medicine and rehabilitation
specialist Suman Katara,
MD, of St. Lukes Neurol-

be part of an even bigger

project involving the town.
The mayor, his wife and
daughter, along with AnnMarie Schwartz, are working on
a book project about Hope.
The photo-filled book will
also be filled with commentary by the students as to their
favorite things about Hope.
It was an outcome of the
Read
Across
America
program,
Maria
McDonough said. We got to
talking about it after this
year's reading and it just
seems like such an exciting
project for the children and
us!
Luke embraced the idea of
the project and presented it to
the board of education, as

well as obtaining permission

for the students to take a field
trip to Town Hall. As the book
project moves forward, Luke
will play an even larger role.
The McDonoughs have been
visiting the school for many
years as part of Read Across
America.
Read
Across
America, celebrated throughout the U.S., coincides with
Doctor Seusss birthday.
Education for youth is
something very important to
the
family,
Timothy
McDonough said. We are
totally committed to education.
The book project clearly is a
step up in that commitment.
The McDonough family is
very active in the community
at-large, as well as the school.
Maria and Lacey are also
agents with Re/Max Town
and Valley, which also
supports many Hope Township activities.

ogy Associates of Monroe

County see patients on site
and provide care and management for neurological
disorders,
including

Tucked in the far Northwest

hills of New Jersey, Water
Street, an up-and-coming
young pop band, has been
attracting and engaging audiences with their fresh, innovative range of music styles
from catchy high-energy
rock tunes and lyrical
anthems to inventive folk
songs and downtempo jazz
ballads, skillfully mixing
instrumentation and moods.
The sophistication and originality of Water Streets
writing, arrangements and
performances intrigue listeners in venue after venue.
Water Street is proud to be
performing right in their
hometown of Blairstown on
Saturday, April 30th at 8pm,
in celebration of their debut
album, "Waiting For Martin."
The event will feature a

Alzheimers
disease,
Parkinsons
disease,
multiple
sclerosis
and
epilepsy.
Fellowship-trained ortho-

special opening act by Bradley White and Friends. Tickets are on sale now.
Water Street started in 2011
as an unnamed act featuring
vocalist/guitarist Dave Paulson, a North Warren graduate, then joined by fellow
musician, Claire McNulty
(who currently attends North
Warren) on vocals, guitar and
piano. With their seamless
harmonies and fresh energy,
they landed steady gigs and
began to gain a following. In
2012, Dave's sister Milly, a
North Warren graduate as

paedic
surgeon
Stacey
Gallacher, MD, of St. Lukes
Orthopaedic
Specialists
provides advanced diagnosis
and treatment for a wide
variety of musculoskeletal
disorders and injuries. Pain
management specialist Stanley Ikezi, MD, of St. Lukes
Pain Management provides
advanced medical treatments and surgical procedures for pain caused by
many
conditions
and
injuries, including work
injuries, spine problems,
cancer and other chronic
diseases.
To create a more comfortable environment for our
patients, the buildings wait-

ing room recently underwent

renovations as well, says
Davco.
St. Lukes East Stroudsburg Health Center is
located at 3 Parkinsons
Road, East Stroudsburg,
near Route 447 and close to
I-80 and Route 209.
Appointments for diagnostic
imaging may be made
through St. Lukes Central
Scheduling toll-free at 1800-801-7745.
For more
information about St. Lukes
physician specialists and
health services in Monroe
County, please call St.
Lukes InfoLink at 1-866STLUKES (785-8537) or
visit www.sluhn.org.

well as a multi-instrument
musician, and Claire's father
Dave McNulty, a former
Chicago
jazz
musician,
joined the duo adding violin,
mandolin, bass and sax to
their sound. After a year of
playing out, the band took the
name "Water Street" in
homage to their hometown,
Blairstown, NJ and the
address of the building where
Dave and Milly lived above
an old warehouse. Claire,
Milly and Dave became
friends and made music at the
Water Street building, which

now houses the band's

rehearsal studio.
Connor Konecnik, also a
North Warren graduate,
joined the band in the Sumer
of 2014, adding drums and
percussion. The group continued performing at a variety of
venues in the tri-state area,
including the historic "Bitter
End" in NYC "The Saint" in
Asbury Park, NJ, as well as
local festivals, performance
venues,
restaurants
and
private gatherings. In 2015
the band went into the studio
to record their first original
CD, Waiting For Martin,
music from which will be
featured at the Roy's Hall
hometown show.
Tickets are $15 in advance;
$20 at the door. Advance
purchase is recommended at
royshall.org. Water Street's
CD Waiting For Martin is
now available on iTunes,
Spotify, Amazon and other
media platforms or for
purchase at the show. For
more
information,
visit
waterstreetofficial.com
or
call 973-896-0030.

Project
Self-Sufficiency
invites area residents to join
Team Project Self-Sufficiency
in the ninth annual Susan G.
Komen North Jersey Race for
the Cure, a 5K Race/Walk at
the Essex County South
Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange on
Sunday, May 1st. Interested
participants are encouraged to
register
online
at
www.komennorthjersey.org/r
ace and click on Team Project
Self-Sufficiency. For those in
need of transportation, a bus
will leave the Newton campus
promptly at 7:15am The bus
ride is free and open to the
public, but registration is
required.
Thousands of participants are
expected to come together to
help raise funds for breast
cancer research at the 5K
Race/Walk. A 1.5 mile Walk
is also available for those who
find the 5K Race/Walk too
challenging. For the youngsters, the event will feature a
special Kids for the Cure
Color Run, along with musical
entertainment, clowns, sports,
and arts and crafts. A survivors procession, ceremony
and celebration will highlight
the morning.
Project Self-Sufficiency has
been proud to be the recipient
of funding from Susan G.
Komen for the Cure North
Jersey for our Breast Health
Campaign for many years,
commented Deborah BerryToon, Executive Director of
Project Self-Sufficiency. As
a result of this funding, more
than 70,000 women and girls

have received breast health

education, and the mobile
mammography van funded by
the foundation has allowed
more than 1,000 women to be
screened for breast cancer.
Sussex County has a higher
incidence of this type of cancer
than the state average, and we
are determined to continue our
efforts to raise awareness of
the importance of early detection in the fight against breast
cancer. Participating in Team
Project
Self-Sufficiency
during the Komen Race for the
Cure on May 1st gives our
community an opportunity to
thank the Susan G. Komen for
the Cure North Jersey for
the early detection programs
they have made available. Its
also a fun way to help those
who have been afflicted by
breast cancer, and a great way
to support the many women
who have survived as a direct
result of the efforts by the
Komen North Jersey Affiliate.
Seventy-five percent of net
funds raised by the Race will
be allocated to the Affiliates
nine-county northern New
Jersey service area to support
life-saving programs for uninsured
and
underinsured
women.
The remaining
twenty-five percent of net
proceeds will be directed to
research through the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure Grants
Program.
The multi-faceted Breast
Health Awareness campaign
at Project Self-Sufficiency is a
recipient of grant money from
Susan G. Komen for the

Cure North Jersey. Funds

are used to promote early
detection and prevention in
the community, by combining
in-school visits and multimedia efforts at middle
schools, high schools and area
colleges. The agency also
uses the funds to staff a
mobile mammography unit
and offer free breast exams to
eligible women multiple times
a year.
Project SelfSufficiency has been joined
by the New Jersey Herald,
Sussex Honda and Intercar
Mercedes Benz in the Mammograms
Save
Lives
campaign which features
news articles, flyers, print
advertisements
and
billboards.
To join Team Project SelfSufficiency at the May 1st
Komen North Jersey Race for
the Cure at the Essex
County South Mountain
Recreation Complex, log onto
komennorthjersey.org/race
and select Team Project SelfSufficiency. A free bus will
take members of Team
Project Self-Sufficiency to the
race site, leaving the Project
Self-Sufficiency
campus
promptly at 7:15am and
departing from the area by
noon.
Project SelfSufficiency is located at 127
Mill Street in Newton.
Advance registration for the
bus is required. To register
for the free bus ride to the
South Mountain Recreation
Complex on May 1st, call
Project Self-Sufficiency at
973-940-3500 or 844-8073500.

Saturday, March 19th,

marked the ninth successive
year for Recovery Revolution to celebrate recovery in
the Slate Belt. More than 225
members of the community
stopped in at A Clean Slate
Recovery Center in Bangor,
PA to recognize the St.
Patricks Day weekend in
clean and sober fashion.
Food, Fun and Fellowship
marked the day and were
wrapped around speakers on
recovery topics running the
gamut from a primer look at
Addiction 101 to personal
stories
of
experience,
strength and hope to the
impact of alcoholism and
addiction on the family. The
speakers created laughter,
humility, gratitude, and even
moved many participants to
tears with their honest

sharing.
Recovery
Revolution,
established in 2005 is a
charitable non-profit organization that is fully licensed to
provide outpatient, intensive
outpatient and partial hospitalization services. They are
also licensed for the treatment of problem gamblers
and provide assistance to
families of people that have
addiction problems. Their
mission is to provide healthy,
responsible and individualized treatment for addiction
though programs responsive
to family and community
needs. For more information, please visit them at
www.recoveryrevolution.or
g
A Clean Slate, opened in
2014 by Recovery Revolution in partnership with the

Northampton County Drug

and Alcohol Division, is a
Slate Belt drop-in center
which provides safe haven
and a sober environment for
individuals and their families
in recovery. Resources, referrals and a public computer
lab are available during
drop-in hours and the Center
also makes space available
for autonomous 12-step
groups and continues to
develop and offer programs
to the community including
Yoga classes, free tax preparation in cooperation with
AARP and Life Skills and
Art Journaling classes in
cooperation with Bangors
Bloom Creative Studio. For
more information, Like A
Clean Slate on Facebook or
visit their website at
www.cleanslatebangor.org

The NJ Assembly Appropriations Committee recently

approved
Assemblyman
Parker Spaces legislation to
lessen the burden on property
taxpayers by increasing
energy tax receipts to
municipalities for property
tax relief. Spaces bill
(A302) requires towns to
subtract the additional aid
from its adjusted tax levy,
benefitting property taxpayers.
New Jersey is unaffordable, and our highest property taxes in the nation

deserve much of the blame,

said
Space
(R-Sussex,
Warren, Morris).
Local
governments,
benefiting
from more aid, can provide
direct relief to overburdened
property taxpayers. This is a
step toward making the state
affordable again.
The bill increases the distribution of property tax relief
aid from energy tax receipts.
Phased in over a five-year
period, the increase restores
approximately $331 million
in reductions to consolidated
municipal property tax relief

aid (CMPTRA) and energy

tax aid.
NJ Assemblywoman Gail
Phoebus, a member of the
Assembly
Appropriations
Committee, voted in support
of A302.
High property taxes is the
number one issue New
Jerseyans face, said Phoebus (R-Sussex, Warren,
Morris). I look forward to
cosponsoring this bill soon
and I applaud all the prime
sponsors for bringing this
issue to the forefront of the
Legislature this year.

Taxpayers in Monroe and

Northampton Counties are
painfully familiar with the
effects of unfair and inequitable state education funding.
Unfortunately, despite his
promises of schools that
teach, Governor Wolf has
unilaterally
decided
to
continue this trend of underfunding and to ignore the
educational needs of our
students.
For years, our growing
schools have been shortchanged as urban school
districts have received a
wealth of new funds under an
outdated school funding
formula.
Recognizing the severe
disparity among schools, a
bipartisan Basic Education
Funding Commission (BEFC)
was established to develop a
new, fairer funding formula to
equitably distribute new
education
dollars.
After
months of public hearings and
cooperation between lawmakers, school administrators,
education advocates, teachers
and parents, a new formula
was established.
At the time, Governor Wolf
praised the work of the BEFC
and its formula to bring more
equity into the distribution of
education money. But now,
the Governor has made an
about face and dealt a

Ciao Amici,
As spring is upon us I am
reminded of planning the
garden with Grandmom
Teodora. Every year she
would say I think, Josey,
this year we will make the
garden smaller, but by
years end every inch in the
garden was utilized; some
flowers,
but
mostly
vegetables.

crippling blow to schools

across the state.
Last month, the Governor
decided to end his nine month
budget standoff and allow the
state budget to become law.
By doing so, he agreed to a
budget that stated a specific
formula was necessary for
distributing new education
dollars to schools.
This budget, which passed
with the support of both
Republicans and Democrats,
raised state spending on
education to the highest level
in the Commonwealths
history and added an
additional $200 million in new
funding for Pennsylvania
schools.
However, Governor Wolf
vetoed the new, clearlydefined basic education funding formula contained in the
states Fiscal Code the bill
that outlines how budget
monies are spent. His authority to ignore the new funding
formula is not only constitutionally questionable, but
makes painfully clear his
commitment to special interests over education equality.
The Governor decided to
unilaterally pick winners and
losers.
Under the Governors own
formula, three school districts
are winners receiving $100
million out of the $200 million

in new money and leaving

the remaining 497 losers with
the scraps of remaining funds.
In a shameless show of
political nepotism, Governor
Wolf single-handedly cut
funding to rural and suburban
school districts in order to
bolster his political allies in
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and
Chester
Upland
School
Districts.
Schools throughout Monroe
and Northampton Counties
will join the vast majority of
Pennsylvanias
school
districts in figuring out how to
handle the crippling cuts
inflicted by Governor Wolf.
The Governors repeated
campaign
promises
of
schools that teach are a
mere flicker in the memory of
many school districts who just
weeks ago were held hostage
to the Governors budget
demands. Our schools are now
licking their wounds yet again
as they attempt to regain their
footing in the wake of his
crippling cuts.
Stand up for our schools by
contacting Governor Wolf and
tell him to treat all districts
fairly, rather than sacrificing
the education of our children.
Senator Mario Scavello of
the 40th Senatorial District
represents constituents in
Monroe and Northampton
Counties.

The only flowers you can

eat are zucchini flowers,
she would say.
In the base-ament is where
it all began; she saved the
seeds from last years crop
and planted them in egg
cartons. Saving whatever
they could was their mantra.
I would check at night with
her to see the progress. As a
young one I found it amazing to see the seeds grow. It
was as if Grandmom had
some type of superpower;
more like a green arm as
opposed to just a thumb.
Soon enough the seeds had
turned to plants, ready to be
planted in her beautiful
garden. The many different
types of lettucered leaf,
spinach and arugulaalong
with cucumbers and cherry
tomatoes would soon be
served after dinner as the
Insalata [salad].
The eggplant la melanzana would soon have the
purple flower and turn into
the purple vegetable, picked,
then breaded and fried for
the classic parmigana. The
zucchini flower would be
picked and stuffed with
mozzarella, battered and
fried. As we would eat these
we would wonder how long
our arms would stretch
before the melted mozzarella would snap.
And then the plant that
made Italians famous: the

tomato. One type was not

enough; we needed to have
the Beef Steak, Cherry,
Roma Plum, San Marzano
Lungo, and Yellow, Big Boy
and countless others; that is
how Grandmom had fun. She
used the many varieties of
tomatoes, such as, the yellow
tomato in the chicken stock
or salad, the beef steak
tomato salad, the plum san
marzano cooked for sauce
and Sunday gravy. And of
course the herb garden was
always filled with fresh
oregano, basil and parsley.
Da un piccolo seme un
possente
tronco
pu
crescere.
From a small seed a mighty
trunk may grow.
~ Aeschylus
Con cordiali saluti, Joe
Growing up in the Butcher
Shop, is available at the
shop or on our web page. To
receive menu specials and
our newsletter, join our mailing list at www.JDeFranco
And Daughters.com, click
on mailing list and enter your
email. Send your Roseto
stories, recipes and comments
to
portipasto
@epix.net or call 610-5886991. J. DeFranco and
Daughters is located at 2173
W. Bangor Rd. in Bangor,
PA. Store hours are 7am to
7pm, seven days a week,
with
catering
available
anytime or by appointment.

State Senator Mario Scavello will host a free College

and Career Fair on Thursday,
April 14th from 5pm to 8pm
at Pleasant Valley High
School (1671 Route 209,
Brodheadsville, PA 18322).
The fair includes representatives from many employers,
institutions of higher education, and the U.S. Armed
Forces.
This College and Career
Fair is an opportunity for
people of all ages students,
seniors, and everyone in
between looking to pursue

higher education or a career

change, Senator Scavello
said. If you are curious as to
how to apply for college or
what job opportunities are
available in the region, I
encourage you to come out
and see what resources are
offered.
In addition, sessions will be
held at both 5:30pm and
6:30pm regarding how to
utilize PHEAA and how to
navigate the scholarship
application process.
For a list of exhibitors or to
register for an informational

session, please visit www.

senatorscavello.com/learnmore.
For further questions, please
call
Senator
Scavellos
Tannersville District Office at
570-620-4326.
State Senator Mario Scavello represents the 40th Senatorial District, which includes
portions of Monroe and
Northampton Counties. To
find out more information
regarding this event or any
state-related issue, please visit
www.senatorscavello .com or
email mscavello@pasen.gov.

The St. Lukes Singers will

present
the
ensembles
annual Spring Concert on
Sunday, April 24th at Wesley
Methodist Church in Bethlehem. The prelude will begin
at 2:45pm, and the concert
will begin at 3pm.
The first half of the concert
contains a sacred repertoire
that includes The Heavens
Are Telling by Haydn, and
the spiritual Evry Time I
Feel the Spirit, arranged by
William Dawson. The choir
is also working on The King
Singers arrangement of Gift

to Be Simple, and Mark

Hayes contemporary setting
of Wade in the Water that
includes brass, piano and the
rhythm section.
In the second half of the
program, the singers will
perform two folk songs. The
first is an Israeli melody
entitled
Erev
Shel
Shoshanim, and the second
is a new adaptation of
Shenandoah by Jeff Funk.
Instrumentalists will join the
choir on Cole Porters Its
De-Lovely and Singin in
the Rain from the 1952

film.
The program closes with
The Rhythm of Life from
the musical Sweet Charity by
Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields
and Neil Simon.
Please join the St. Lukes
Singers for an afternoon
filled with music from many
different times and places.
Tickets are $12 and may be
obtained by calling 610-7596325 or by visiting the hospital gift shops, located at St.
Luke's University, Allentown, Anderson, and Warren
hospital campuses.

Rep. William F. Adolph,

Chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee,
issued the following statement in response to the
governors
decision
to
distribute education funds
without required legislation:
Once again we see that the
governor is ignoring legislation that has become law in
order to achieve his goals.
This blatant disregard of the
legislative process is very
concerning. Instead of using
a formula that would distribute education funding in a
fair and equitable manner,
the governor is picking
winners and losers. The
Basic Education Funding
Commission (BEFC) worked
hard for over a year and a
half on creating a fair funding formula that addressed
the needs of growing schools
and those schools facing
tough economic conditions.
The BEFC formula was bipartisan and something that
Governor Wolf signed off on
and it should be the formula
we use to distribute school
funding.

Under the governors

distribution formula 423
school
districts
would
receive less funding than
they would under the distribution found in the Fiscal
Code that the governor
vetoed. For example Upper
Darby School District would
receive $656,000 less, Ridley
School
District
would
receive $392,000 less, Allentown School District would
receive $2.5 Million less, and
Lancaster School District
would receive $1.9 Million
less. These school districts
shouldnt be harmed just
because the governor didnt
hand pick them to receive
more money.
House Bill 1801, which was
the General Fund budget that
became law at the end of
March,
required
that
enabling
legislation
be
enacted before the governor
could distribute education
funding above what was
distributed in FY 2014-15.
That enabling legislation was
contained HB 1327 which
was the Fiscal Code that
Governor Wolf vetoed.

Therefore, the governor has

no legislative authority to
distribute this money.
We must come together,
both Republican and Democrat, to fix this reckless
action taken by the governor.
We need to be open and
transparent with how we
distribute education funding.
The Basic Education Funding Commission worked
hard for many months going
to all four corners of the
Commonwealth.
The
formula that was developed
was unanimously approved
and it is the formula that we
should be using.

Edward Ed Nawrocki
recently was named president
of St. Lukes Quakertown
Hospital, a title he held for
seven years before being
named president of St. Lukes
Anderson campus in 2011.
He continues his role as
president of St. Lukes Anderson campus, as well.
I am excited to be back at St.
Lukes Quakertown Campus. I
have fond memories of my
previous service, so I am
profoundly invested here,
Nawrocki said.
Reflecting on his history in
Quakertown,
Nawrocki
stressed he is proud to work
with the hospitals caring and
dedicated employees and

physicians. They are great

people who have treated me
extremely well, and it has
been my privilege to work
with them. Im especially
proud of the St. Lukes Quakertown team given the recent
recognition as a 100 Top
Hospital by Truven Health
Analytics.
Nawrocki is known for his
leadership
and
heartfelt
commitment to excellence.
His considerable skills are
also evident in his ability to
create a professional environment that blends compassionate, personal patient care and
service with the best technology and physicians in a
comfortable, patient-friendly

hospital.
His key goal, therefore, at
each campus is to offer easy
access to an exceptional health
care experience.
Nawrocki has consistently
demonstrated
insightful,
results-producing leadership
in various Network management positions.
He came to St. Lukes in
1999 from the University of
PA Health System. Prior to
assuming the role of President
at St. Lukes Quakertown in
2004, Ed served as Vice President of Operations at St.
Lukes University Hospital in
Bethlehem. He also served as
interim President of St. Lukes
Miners Hospital in 2010.

The Hope for Strength

Breast Cancer Fund is
celebrating the arrival of
spring with a new event, A
Blush of Pink. The event is
being held on Thursday, April
21st, at Talbots, 3303 Bath
Pike, in Bethlehem, PA starting at 5pm.
Talbots will host a fashion
show to present their spring
line of modern classic styles;
Jeni Hackett of the Steel
Creek Country Music Band
will provide live entertainment, light refreshments will
be served,and Pink Heals
Lehigh Valley Chapter will
have on display Sally, their
pink fire truck. There will
also be a pink candy buffet
for your enjoyment and
youll have the opportunity to
purchase a $5 Hope Tag to
place on the Tree of Hope
in honor/memory of someone
whos been affected by this
disease.
Admission is free. Enjoy a
night out with your friends
while supporting breast
cancer patients. Shop Talbots
and register to win a chance
for one of two $100 gift cards
(need not be present to win).
Ten percent of all sales

benefit the Hope for Strength

Breast Cancer Fund. If you
cannot attend the event and
would like to support this
great cause, you can contact
Talbots at 610-865-6370 or
jackie.warner@talbots.com
during that day to make your
purchase and still be a winner
just use the code HOPE16.
All proceeds from the Hope
for Strength Breast Cancer
Fund are used to help minimize the financial and emotional impact of breast cancer
diagnosis and treatment.
Fund provides male and
female patients of the Dale
and Frances Hughes Cancer
Center at Pocono Medical
Center assistance with their
basic living expenses.

We are so happy to create

these new partnerships in the
Lehigh Valley and value their
support. We are excited about
this opportunity and look
forward to their participation, states Carole Ann F.
Bowyer, the Funds cofounder. For more information, visit the website,
www.hopeforstrength.com.
Also on Facebook, hopeforstrengthbreastcancerfacebook.
Contact Carole Ann F.
Bowyer at Hopeforstrength
2012@gmail.com or 570977-0872 for more information about the Hope for
Strength Breast Cancer Fund
and how you can get
involved.

(NAPSI)Making a few
simple DIY changes to your
home can help you decrease
monthly costs and reduce the
need for upkeep. Check out
these five tips that can help
you
increase
energy

efficiency and save on home

expenses year-round.
1. Seal windows and doorways. Your windows and
doorways should be barriers
to hot, humid heat in summer
and chilly temperatures in
winter. Sealing windows and
doorways will help keep cold
air in and hot air out, lowering energy bills. Make sure to
use the appropriate binding

component: caulk for more

stationary applications and
weather strips for movable
parts.
2. Install shades. When
temperatures rise, energy
bills neednt follow. You can
stabilize temperatures in
your house by raising and
lowering your shades, so the
sun keeps its heat to itself in
warmer months and provides
heating gratis when its cold
out. Pay special attention to
southand
east-facing
windows, as they tend to get
the majority of sunlight.
3. Swap to cost-effective,
energy-saving LEDs. Swap
out traditional incandescent
lightbulbs with LEDs. This
simple update will save on
your electric bill and is better
for the environment. For
example, the inexpensive
SYLVANIA 10-Year LED
portfolio offers high-quality
lighting for all around your
home, inside and out. Compared to similar LED products, these can save you
around 50 to 70 percent and

they last up to 10 years, so

you wont have to replace
them frequently as with oldfashioned bulbs. You can
find the portfolio at major
retailers nationwide and
online.
4. Unplug household appliances and electronics when
not in use. Some household
appliances and electronics
use energy even when
theyre turned off or in
standby mode. According to
Energy.gov,
unplugging
unused electronics can save
you as much as 10 percent on
your electricity bill.
5. Turn off the lights. Create
a personal habit of turning
lights off when you leave a
room. This contributes to
savings in energy and costs
over time. LIGHTIFY smart
connected lighting from
OSRAM SYLVANIA can be
turned off wherever you are,
via your mobile device, if
you forget to do it at home.
To learn more tips on
energy-efficient
lighting,
visit www.sylvania.com

Hello, fellow readers!

What a roller coaster this
spring has been. It came on
like a lamb with highs up to 70
degrees stimulating early
growth. Then, in comes the
lion of overnight temps well
below freezing. Many of the
early blooming trees like
magnolia froze their faces I
can hear Mom say. While its
sad their bloom cycle was cut
short and the dead flower
petals hanging on will fall to
the ground and not be
replaced, the trees will leaf out
without missing a beat. That
is, unless Mother Nature has
something else in store.
I was speaking with Donald
of Stillwater who said his
donut tree did just fine with
the freeze and his apple trees
did too as they have not yet
gone into bud. I had never
heard of a donut tree so of
course quickly asked the
botanical name of which there
is none. Donald went on to
share the tale of how he
surprises his grandkids with
donuts from time to time

picked from the donut tree just

as they become ripe. One time
he bought munchkins, the
center part of the donut, and
tossed them under the tree. The
kids went out to visit the donut
tree and Donald pointed out the
undeveloped fruit.
Now dont eat those, he
advised. As you can see, they
dropped to the ground before
they ripened and now they are
starting to rot.
Then there are the seeds in the
donuts (that look remarkably
like pumpkin seeds), which is
where donut trees come from.
At school the next day, one of
the kids told where his
Grandads donuts came from.
When challenged that the story
could not be true he exclaims,
I know its true; I just ate a
donut from the tree yesterday.
Perfectly logical and its good
to know that Donalds donut
tree was spared from the
freeze.
Devon of Blairstown, NJ
kindly took my call to find out
how their fruit trees faired. She
thinks they lost their apricots as
they bloom early. The apple
trees are in their quarter-inch
silver leaf stage and havent
come to bloom, she explained.
Still, they have laid the quick
connect pipes above their
blueberries, peach and apple
trees which works essentially
like a big overtop sprinkler.
They can run the irrigation to
gain two or three degrees
during a freeze; which also
helps prevent frost from sitting
on the plants. I wonder how
they keep their donuts from
getting wet? Maybe thats
where Joey Bagadonuts comes
in.
Garden dilemmas?
Askmarystone.com

Pocono Medical Center held

its
Biggest
Winner
Challenges Third Annual
Graduation Ceremony for
this years participants on
Tuesday, April 5th, in the
Serenity Conference Room
of the Dale and Frances
Hughes Cancer Center.
The Biggest Winner Challenge is a 6-month drug and
supplement-free
healthy
lifestyle program aimed
towards helping participants
lose weight and take initiative of their health through
motivational and education
talks given by expert dieticians, nutritionists, and
physicians and providers of
Pocono Medical Center. The
programs founder, champion
and health guru, Dr. Musa
Tangoren, alongside other
dedicated Pocono Medical
Center staff and professionals, directs and coaches the
participants throughout their
entire 6-month journey
toward healthier, happier
lifestyles.
While Dr. Tangoren is
primarily a Board-Certified

Anesthesiologist of Pocono
Medical Center by profession, that does not dilute his
effort, passion, and dedication toward nurturing and
educating the community on
the importance of embracing
ones health. This years
installment had over 370
participants comprised of a
team competition of 36 teams
and the programs first-ever
teen challenge specifically
created for teens ages 12-19.
This new extension to the
program allowed 12 teens to
embark on the challenge, I
wanted teens to become
involved because there is a
growing concern about the
increasing incidence of
obesity and diabetes in this
population and the best way
to a lifetime of health is by
developing healthy habits
early in life, said Dr. Tangoren.
From the start of this years
installment back in October
2015, the initial, combined
weight of the 371 participants
tipped the scales at 67,640
pounds. With bi-weekly

weigh-ins, exercise sessions,

nutritional tips from dieticians and nutritionists, and
motivational speeches, 62 of
the participants lost over five
percent of their body weight,
17 of the participants lost
over ten percent of their body
weight, and the teen group
lost over 40 pounds. The
combined efforts of all
participants in this years
challenge totaled in an
astounding loss of 2,133
pounds.
The Biggest Winner Challenge is part of Pocono Medical Centers Healthy Living
Program, which aims to
motivate and inspire people
to make positive changes
through health and wellness
education, awareness, and
outreach. As the attendance
grows each year, the results
grow along with it. The 2,133
pounds lost through this
years challenge contributes
to a combined total of over
6,000 pounds lost since The
Biggest Winner Challenges
inception back in April of
2014.

Preparations are being made

for the opening of the Lehigh
Valleys newest addictions
inpatient and detox recovery
center.
Malvern Institute,
Lehigh Valley, will host its
ribbon cutting event April
25th. This new facility will
accommodate both male and
female adults with assorted
addiction issues. Located in
Catasauqua, it is easily accessible to all of the Lehigh
Valley, the Slate belt as well
as Berks, Bucks and Monroe

Counties.
Malvern Institute, founded
in 1948, has always been a
leader in the field of addiction
recovery takes pride in
providing
state-of-the-art,
evidence based treatment
that is always client centered.
All programs are facilitated
by our team of professional
clinical staff and our inpatient
detoxification is monitored
by our team of doctors and
nurses 24/7. Malvern Institute provides a 12-step

approach to recovery incorporating the principles of NA,

AA and GA in its treatment.
The ribbon cutting will
showcase the recovery facility and acknowledgements
from local and state dignitaries. The key note speaker
will be Congressman Charlie
Dent. For more information
please feel free to contact
Jennifer Lively, Executive
Director Malvern Institute,
Lehigh Valley, 610-4038888