40¢
70th Year, Issue No. 43 USPS 248-700
OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 2, 2011 A General Circulation Newspaper Serving The Community Since 1942
SERVING BATH, CHAPMAN, NORTHAMPTON, NAZARETH BOROS; ALLEN, E. ALLEN, MOORE, LEHIGH, BUSHKILL, LOWER NAZARETH & UPPER NAZARETH TWPS.
Four options presented for New NASD middle school By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News
FIRE destroyed much of the interior of this Moore Twsp. home on Monday morning. – Home News photo
Moore Twsp. family of Five displaced by fire By ALICE WANAMAKER The Home News
Fire, smoke and water damage destroyed the contents of the home of Joe and Jen Gibbs on Monday, Oct. 24. The family of five lived at 496 Monocacy Dr., Bath, in Moore Twp. The Gibbs family lost everything in the fire that started around 9 a.m. Family and friends are trying to pull together donations of clothing, money or gift cards to help them get back on their feet. With the family staying in a hotel for a while they are looking for restaurant gift cards as well as grocery store gift cards such as Ahart’s or Giant, and Walmart gift cards to help the family replace things that
were lost.. They will need to rebuild and replace the entire contents of their home in the near future, so any donations towards that would help. Joe and Jen, and their children, Curtis, Megan and Kiersten were not home when the fire started. Their cat made it out of the home, unfortunately their dog did not. The children are ages 2, 12 and 10. For more information on how you can help or to make a donation, please contact Dave and Deb Gantz (610) 837-4144 No other information on cause of the fire was available from the Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co., which responded.
In the wake of a zoning board decision affirming the ruling last year by the East Allen Township Board of Supervisors that a middle school would be allowable on former agriculturally zoned land, the Northampton Area School Board on Monday heard four options for use of land in the borough on which such a school could be built. The East Allen ZHB last Tuesday voted to okay the zoning change approved by the supervisors as a conditional use. However, several residents of the township have protested the location of the school on the 90-acre parcel at the intersection of Seemsville Rd. & Nor-Bath
Blvd. because of traffic conditions. They may still appeal the ZHB ruling in Northampton County Court. At Monday’s school board meeting, Supt. Joseph Kovalchik said the decision by the ZHB and supervisors gives the school district the “ability to construct a school at the site.” But he added that because of possible litigation “we’re not quite sure about the East Allen site.” Now, also, is the possibility that the abandoned Northampton Campus of Bethlehem Vocational-Technical School could be an alternative choice. Kovalchik said the administration and board are researching the possibility of purchasing the building and the land around it.
He said the board and administration need to look to the future. “The 329 site is still important, for who knows what will happen down the road. We still have to be cognizant of it,” he said. Monday night, Chris Haller and Arif Aziel of D’Huy Engineering presented four options for building a middle school in Northampton. Pros and cons for all four options were discussed by the board and persons in the audience. The options were as follows for building a new middle school: (1) On former Vo-Tech property (2) On the upper athletic fields Continued on page 13
Candidates Forum for Northampton County Council The League of Women Voters of Northampton County is presenting a candidates forum featuring candidates for Northampton County Council. It will be held at 7 p.m. until about 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Northampton County courthouse council chambers, 7th and Washington streets, Easton. All candidates on the ballot have been invited. They
are: in District 1, Ken Kraft and Seth Vaughn; District 2, J. Michael Dowd (Incumbent) and Robert Werner; District 3, Lamont McClure (Incumbent) and Matt Connolly; District 4, Ron Angle (Incumbent) and Scott Parsons. The forum will begin with a welcome by Joan Dean, League president, then BevContinued on page 10
PROMOTING the oral health campaign at Moore Elementary are (l-r) Sarah Whitworth, Chris Heffelfinger, Katy Dremick, the Moore Mountain Lion, nurse Lori Klitsch, Toothfairy a.k.a. Heather Shaner, and district dental hygienist Beth Arcury. – Home News photo
NASD schools trick or treat For America’s Toothfairy
On Friday, Oct. 21, Moore Elementary School kicked off the Trick or Treat for America’s Toothfairy, as this Halloween, the Northampton Area School District is partnering with the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) to raise money for children in need of oral health care. It is during the first annual Trick
or Treat for America’s Toothfairy campaign. Mrs. Beth Arcury, dental hygienist of the school district, who organized the entire event locally, said, “We’re excited to be involved with this cause and to help raise money to treat and prevent severe childhood tooth decay. Halloween is the perfect time to
remind children and adults of the importance of oral health care.” One hundred percent of the money raised will provide dental care and education to children in underserved populations. Faculty and staff at Moore, George Wolf, LeContinued on page 4