March 2010

Strikes, spares and even gutter balls will be welcome as part of a special bowling benefit in honor of a deceased Slatington youth.

The sixth annual Boyer Bowl will be held Saturday at the Slatington Bowling Center. Session one is from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and session two from 9 to 11:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Asher F. Boyer Endowment Fund for Future Education. Asher was killed in a tragic car accident in 2004 at the age of 16.

The Pleasant Valley School District's school board gave the dates for the last day of school. For grades 8-12 it will be Friday, June 11 and for K-7 it will be Monday, June 14.

The board approved the following with the absence of member H. Charles Hoffman:

*Hiring of substitutes-Sammy Kachmar, maintenance; Kimberly DeTorres, monitor/cafeteria; Carissa Izzo, monitor; Deborah Mayberry, professional, all areas; Joel Smith, social studies; Amanda Eber, music; John Hoban, custodian.

Passover, the eight-day festival celebrating the Israelites' release and exodus from Egypt, began last night at sundown.

Also known as the Festival of Freedom, Passover is the oldest of the Jewish festivals, and probably the best known.

According to the Book of Exodus, about 3,000 years ago when the Israelites were still slaves of the Egyptians under Pharaoh Ramses II, Moses was told by God to go to the pharaoh and demand he set the Jews free.

With one week left in the regular season, three teams are competing for two playoff spots in the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission's Winter Basketball League.

Service Electric and R.R. Frey Services have secured the top two spots in the playoffs, while Two King's Pizzeria, Joe's Place/Joey B's and Cuz-N-Joe's Place battle it out for the final two openings.

Cuz-N-Joe's Place

-Two King's Pizzeria

A Monroe County teen is facing charges following an incident at the Shawnee Academy/Beacon School located in Smithfield Township.

State police at Lehighton said a 17-year-old male from Pocono Farms punched another 17-year-old male, from Saylorsburg, in the face twice. The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. on March 24. The teen was cited for harassment.

Budget talks are set to resume in the Palmerton Area School District.

The school board's Budget and Finance Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in an attempt to formulate the 2010-11 budget.

The committee will once again review the maintenance department's budget, just as it did earlier this month in what was expected to be the final in a series of four meetings.

However, at that time, committee members decided that the numbers from the maintenance department's budget needed to be reworked, hence the need for another meeting.

Pennsylvania State Representative Julie Harhart of the 183rd District, covering parts of Northampton and Lehigh counties, is sponsoring a free college financial aid seminar Wednesday, March 31, from 7- 9 p.m. at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School, 2930 Zephyr Blvd., Whitehall. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

This is an invitation to all 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students and parents from: Catasauqua, Northampton, Northern Lehigh, Parkland and Whitehall-Coplay High Schools.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) – A commercial breeder charged with neglecting scores of dogs and cats was convicted Monday of animal cruelty, capping a high-profile case that state officials have used to tout their crackdown on substandard kennels.

A Lehigh County jury convicted Derbe "Skip" Eckhart of two misdemeanor counts of cruelty – both for failing to maintain a sanitary kennel – after prosecutors alleged he permitted animals at Almost Heaven Kennel to live in their own feces and urine.

Children ages 4 to 14 are invited to take part in the Franklin Township Lions Club Krazy Katfish Fishing Kontest on Saturday, June 5, at the Lehigh Canal at Weissport. There will be prizes for largest fish, first boy and girl catching five fish; and other prizes. Registration is at 8 a.m. Youngsters must be present to receive a prize. For additional information, call (610) 377-5559.

Meeting changed

Members of the Eastern Star, Monroe Chapter 99, will not meet this Thursday due to the Maundy Thursday holiday. The regular meeting will be held next week at the same place and time.

Good Friday Service

The Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network is hosting a Good Friday service Friday, April 2, at Neola Methodist Church, 738 Neola Rd., Stroudsburg, beginning at 1 p.m.

All are welcome to attend.

Queen of Peace

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is warning small businesses to use caution if they are contacted by firms offering to help them apply for funds available through SBA programs.

SBA and SBA's Office of the Inspector General (SBA OIG) have received several complaints from small businesses about abusive marketing practices, scams, and exorbitant fees charged by firms offering to help them obtain a loan, grant, or other federal funds, from SBA.

Some of these complaints include:

The Tamaqua Blue Waves took part in the Anthracite Swim League Youth Championships this past Saturday. The Waves finished first with a score of 1,686 points.

Triple winners for Tamaqua included Claire Frank in the 11-12 age group with firsts in the 50 Breaststroke, 100 IM and 200 Freestyle; Joann Butkus in the 13-14 age group winning the 50 Freestyle, 200 IM and 200 Freestyle and Jordan Frank in the 13-14 age group winning the 50 Breaststroke, 200 IM and 50 Butterfly).

Tractor Supply Company (TSC) store in Lehighton has joined 4-H in support of local youth with the TSC Paper Clover Campaign, a national in-store fundraising effort to benefit state and local 4-H programming in each of the communities where a Tractor Supply Company store is located.