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MARCH 6-12, 2025
4 NASD teams advance To state finals in Odyssey of the Mind Tournament
Moore Elementary School Grades 3-5 Submitted by MELINDA McCANN On Saturday, Feb. 22, nine Northampton Area School District teams competed in the Northeast Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Pocono Mountain West High School in Pocono Summit, Pa. Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problemsolving competition. K-12 students must solve a "problem" in a performance that includes
original costumes, scenery and technical elements. Teams competed from Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. The tournament included 400 students from 29 different K-12 schools. Sixty students from Northampton Area School District competed. Four Northampton Odyssey of Continued on page 11
NCC offering Lehigh Valley Residents a unique, culinary Tour with seasoned chef By KERI LINDENMUTH well as an exclusive private dining Chef Paolo Nota has spent over experience. 40 years sharing the tastes of Italy “Explore the Culinary World with the Lehigh Valley, serving as with Chef Paolo” will feature four head chef at local staples such as lessons, focusing on fresh pasta Paolo’s Italian Restaurant, A Ca (June 19), fish (July 10), meat Mia, and, most recently, Aromi at (Aug. 14) and soups (Sept. 11). Woodstone Country Club. Now, These hands-on, interactive leshe is offering an international cu- sons are open to all skill levels, linary tour to aspiring chefs and from beginners and home cooks foodies alike. to aspiring chefs looking to refine Northampton Community their skills. College and Chef Nota have “By focusing on both technique teamed up to offer an exclusive, Continued on page 3 non-credit course this summer, as
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Lappawinzo Fish & East Allen Twp. Fire Game Polar Plunge Dept. hosts Raises over $1,200 for 2 town Northampton EMS Halls; in Desperate Need of Volunteers
By KERI LINDENMUTH Since 1976, only 35 East Allen Township residents have served on the East Allen Township Volunteer Fire Department. It’s a longstanding problem Deputy Chief Ray Henry and his team are trying to overcome as volunteer fire departments face desperate volunteer shortages across Pennsylvania. There are only 38,000 volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania, and 23 of those volunteers currently serve on the East Allen Township Volunteer Fire Department. These men and women respond to an average of 350-plus calls per year, volunteering 16 hours per day, or over 5,000 hours per year. Most of these volunteers are not residents of the township. Burnout, said Henry, is common. Calls are increasing, especially during the workday when many volunteers are at their fulltime jobs. “At the end of the day, our goal is to make sure someone shows up at your front door [when there is a call],” he said. But to keep this promise, the department needs members. “I’m at a loss,” he told attendees at two town halls held on Feb. 26. “We don’t have members,” he added. “We are hurting like other departments, but we are not afraid to admit it.” There are only three paid fire departments in Northampton County: Bethlehem, Easton and Wilson Borough. Other fire departments, such as East Allen Township, Northampton, Bath and Moore Township, are run entirely by volunteers. These departments provide mutual aid regularly. Continued on page 2
Members of Northampton Regional EMS with Don Steager, president of Lappawinzo Fish & Game By KERI LINDENMUTH Roughly 50 individuals braved the cold for a good cause during the Lappawinzo Fish & Game Club’s Second Annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, March 1. Men, women and children took the plunge into the frigid Hokendauqua Creek to raise funds for the Northampton Regional EMS. It was a sunny, yet breezy, day, with the wind chills bringing temperatures into the ’30s. Several mounds of ice remained frozen along the creek banks as the day’s “plungers” huddled in their towels, waiting to run, jump or even cannonball into the water. Smiles and cheers were abound as several brave plungers submerged themselves beneath the surface. Plungers included members of the Lappawinzo Fish & Game Club, Northampton Regional EMS and many locals marking their first official plunge. Over $1,200 was raised for Northampton Regional EMS. This year’s total more than doubled last year’s. Participants were welcomed back inside with a warm toddy, hot chocolate, tea or coffee. The club also served food for the
plungers and spectators. The day’s youngest plungers kept the fun going with a series of games like cornhole in the warm indoors. Other upcoming events at the club include a children’s Easter egg hunt in April and the popular Wine Under the Willows event in May. More information can be found on the Lappawinzo Fish & Game Facebook page.
Mako to host Scam Jam Page 2 Noise, safety concerns Page 2
Naz. Bor. Council Page 8 84th Year, Issue No. 10 www.homenewspa.com
USPS 248-700
45 Years