The Home News Your Local News
MARCH 2-8, 2023
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Memorial Library of NOTEWORTHY NEIGHBORS Nazareth By HOME NEWS STAFF All seven members of the famA Moore Township home and ily and their two dogs were able And Vicinity barn were destroyed in an early to make it to safety, however acmorning fire on Monday, Febru- cording to a family member, the Celebrates ary 27. goats, chickens and cats perished East Fire Chief At 12:42 a.m. the fire was re- in the fire. The HomeAllen News is seeking essential ported, which occurred in the One person was injured at the Birthday workers in the community to interview 400 block of English Road in scene and local EMS responded. Smith details for aJosh new, ongoing feature, Noteworthy Moore Township. The barn was completely deBash in honor Klecknersville Rangers, Plain- stroyed and the home appears to Neighbors. Emergency responders, field Township Volunteer Fire be destroyed as well. Life local as government, a firefighter bus drivers, Of Dr. Seuss teachers, Co. and other local fire crews A Go Fund Me with a goal Fire in Moore Twp. destroys Home and barn, injures 1
were on the scene for several hours. According to a family member, in an attempt to start a fire in the barn’s woodstove to keep the animals including goats, chickens and cats warm, the fire quickly spread throughout the barn and to the nearby home.
of $15,000 has been started by a family member as everything was lost in the fire, and Red Cross is also assisting. If you would like to donate to the family, visit gofundme.com and search “Our family recover from a house fire.”
Northampton Area School District students Advance to Odyssey of The Mind State Finals
Submitted by RYAN BALTON Thinking outside the box is the name of the game for Odyssey of the Mind, an international creative problem-solving competition. The program emphasizes teamwork and quick thinking, while giving K-12 students an outlet to nurture and showcase their STEAM skills – science, technology, engineering, art, and math. It all came together as 350 students on 50 teams went head-tohead at the NEPA Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament at Pocono Mountain West High School on Feb. 25. A total of 34 teams from 19 area schools and community organizations are now set to match up against teams from across Pennsylvania in April. Thirteen teams from the Delaware Valley School District, six from Abington Heights, four from the Northampton Area, and one from Bangor Area earned their spots as state finalists. Students started their journey in the fall when they formed
teams and received their longterm problems, ranging from engineering to theatrical performance in nature. The teams spent the school year developing an eight-minute performance to present their solutions. This year’s long-term problems included designing a ride-on “pirate ship,” creating a Rube Goldberg machine, putting a creative spin on the “Trojan Horse” story, building a structure with multiple parts out of balsa wood and testing its strength with weights, and telling a humorous story about a character that overreacts to common events. The region also presented its Karl Schneck, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, in memory of the past NEPA regional co-director, to high school seniors Courtney Dorsey of the Northampton Area School District, Maisy Earl of Abington Heights, and Jessica Rhule of Delaware Valley. Pennsylvania State Finals will take place at Lock Haven University on April 1. Nearly 200 teams Continued on page 2
Submitted by JILL SILVIUS Come to the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity at 295 E. Center St., Nazareth on Thursday, March 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a birthday bash in honor of Dr. Seuss. Kicking off at 10 a.m. with a reading by Nazareth Mayor Lance Colondo, the celebration will include a four-hour marathon story time featuring guest readers from the community. The readings will be interspersed with songs, movement activities, games, and other fun literacy-based activities for children. Visitors can grab a take-home craft, join in on story times, enjoy a birthday cupcake, and even test out the library’s new custom-built talking book drop. Mayor Colondo will be joined by nearly a dozen guest readers, who will read from picture books throughout the day. Readers include Nazareth crossing guard Bob Frings, Library Board Members Chris Crook and Laura Dunne, Nazareth Rotary Club Members Kathy Heller and Lynn Ratzell, Fidelity Bank Branch Manager Davene Perusso, a Nazareth Borough police officer, early educators from local nursery schools, and more. The festivities will end at 2 p.m. with birthday cupcakes and an unveiling of the library’s new talking book drop. The book drop was custom-designed and built by retired engineer and library volunteer Brenda Reinert. Drawing upon her professional background, Reinert built the wooden drop box and the electronic, noise-emitting component of the box. As each book is returned, a laser sensor will trigger an everchanging variety of noises: from a barking dog, to a drumroll, to a quacking duck. Continued on page 8
farmers, etc.; if you do essential work for a living, we want to hear from you. If you are interested in being interviewed and sharing with the community the work that you do, please email AskUs@HomeNewsPA.com.
Photo by Wetherhold Photography. By SAVANNAH BROWN East Allen Township resident Josh Smith was brought up in the firehouse with his dad being a fireman at the East Allen Township Volunteer Fire Department for over 30 years. Growing up in the fire service, Josh knew he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up and officially started working at the fire station at just 13 years old. In fact, this May will mark his twentieth year as a firefighter at East Allen Township. Josh even became the East Allen Township Fire Department Fire Chief in 2021, a lifelong dream that he is proud of. However, since East Allen Fire Department is volunteer based, Josh also works full-time for the
Harrisburg International Airport Fire Department and part-time with the Emmaus Fire Department. Getting hired as a career firefighter is one of Josh’s proudest moments and he admits that he still gets excited when the pager goes off for fire calls. As a fire chief, Josh has to manage the fire department operationally and is in charge of fire calls, training, and writing policies beContinued on page 3
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