Two Lehighton residents who have been sweethearts since their high school days were the first couple of the new year to be issued a marriage license by the Carbon County Register of Wills Judy F. Moon.

Mollie Jean Hine and Gregory Vernon Watts had the honor of being number one in this regard, the license having been released to them on Monday morning at the Carbon County Courthouse in Jim Thorpe. The couple plans to wed on Jan. 31 at the Blue Mountain Community Church in Palmerton.They have been dating for eight years since their days as students at the Lehighton Area High School. Mollie graduated there in 2009, and Gregory received his diploma the following June."We wish them long, happy and healthy lives together," said Moon, who issues about 350 licenses annually (335 last year).Mollie is the daughter of Daniel Hine of Lehighton and Carolyn Sherry of Summit Hill. After graduating from Lehighton, she went on to receive a bachelor's degree in English and a certification in paralegal studies in 2013 from Kutztown University. She is employed as a paralegal for the Rappa Law Offices in Lehighton.The husband-to-be is a son of Denise Watts of Lehighton and Vernon Watts of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He attended Kutztown University for two years after leaving Lehighton and is currently employed as a security guard for Allied Barton in Bethlehem.