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FEBRUARY 22-28, 2024
Man fleeing from police Jumps into Lehigh River By CATHERINE STROH On Saturday, February 17 around 10 p.m., a man jumped into the Lehigh River in Coplay to evade police. The Northampton Borough Police Department was originally dispatched to Ninth and Main streets for a man that was possibly suicidal. A man matching the description that had been given to police was spotted across the Coplay-Northampton Bridge, who then ran from law enforcement and jumped into the river from the shoreline of the Coplay side of the bridge, said Northampton Police Chief Bryan Kadingo. Officers then lost sight of him.
The water search for the man was a joint effort between the Coplay Fire Department and the Northampton Fire Department, with many other neighboring fire departments also responding to the scene. After searching for a few hours, police found two sets of tracks nearby, however it is unclear if they belonged to the man. The investigation is ongoing; at time of print the name of the man has not been released. It is believed the man has outstanding warrants, however it is not believed that he is a danger to the public, said Kadingo.
Residents request policy Revision at Northampton School Board meeting By SAVANNAH BROWN At the Northampton School Board meeting on Monday, February 12, five residents read a prepared statement to the board regarding Policy 903: Public Participation in Board Meetings. During public comment, residents stated: “Policy 903: Public Participation in Board Meetings prohibits a broad array of constitutionally protected speech. It uses terms that are vague and subjective. I am requesting that the board revise the policy tonight and remove the words ‘personally directed,’ ‘abusive’ and ‘irrelevant’ from item nine on page two.”
Guideline nine of the policy states that the presiding officer may “interrupt or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, not related to school district business, or irrelevant; request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum; and call a recess or adjourn to another time when the lack of public decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting.” The residents reading the statement shared the sentiment that the guideline is unconstitutional Continued on page 5
50 cents
Lehigh Township by Supervisors Ed Pany Conduct routine Business; High school in 1923 Receive resort Last year, I received a century-old photograph of the And spa update Northampton 1923 girls bas-
Looking Back
By LAURA KLOTZ During the February 13 Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meeting, representatives from the Zachary Bittner subdivision project asked for an extension on their plan approval. They explained that there are some remaining issues, including stormwater testing, which cannot be completed due to the current weather conditions, so the extension would give them enough time to perform testing in the spring and comply with all stipulations in the engineer’s letter. On the recommendation of Township Engineer Michael Muffley, the board agreed to grant the extension until August 31, however the representatives were urged to have their client attend future meetings of the planning commission. Next the board heard an update from representatives of the Lehigh Valley Resort and Spa project, on the site of the former Mary Immaculate Center on Cherryville Road. Coordination with the utility providers is ongoing, while a parking deck has been added in an area where it does not detract from the view. The spa area is taking shape with both hot and cold water pools, saunas, treehouses and an amenity garden. A barn for special events, situated near Cherryville Continued on page 2
ketball team. The photo was sent to this writer by LeeAnn Jacksits, of Northampton. So, we did some research and were fortunate to have a 1923 Amtennian, the high school yearbook. My father-in-law, Mr. Raymond Shoemaker, was a member of that class. We wanted to look back and make a brief comparison with our current high schools. Naturally, they were small compared to our present schools. The 1923 graduation class consisted of 30 students17 girls and 13 boys. During the 1920s, high school was not a major priority for some families. Many prospective students joined the workforce at an early age. The school enrollment included 42 juniors and 48 sophomores, with a total enrollment of 120 students in high school. Northampton, as our neighboring schools did, had a superintendent and school principals. Faculties were very flexible. The Northampton High School staff consisted of teachers who taught multiple subjects. The assistant principal also taught mathematics. The athletic program sponsored five sports- football, boys
The Northampton High School girls basketball team, 1923 and girls basketball, track and baseball. Girls basketball was a new sport that gave the girls the opportunity to participate in the sports program. Eight girls were members of the 1923 team. They were Marguerite Berg, Ruth Newhard, Anna Kelly, Marion Kline, Helen O’Loughlin, Ethel Morey, Elizabeth Newhard and Eva Dotter. They played 13 games. Opponents were Lehighton, Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Slatington, Catasauqua and Palmerton. Their record was six wins and seven losses. There was also an eighthgrade girls program. These programs were the foundation Continued on page 3
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