By Maria Cascario

Dinky's Ice Cream Parlor,

located at 103 Broadway, in
Bangor, PA, celebrated their
4th anniversary of the
business on Saturday, May
7th, with fun, prizes, free
italian ice and so much more!
Jill and Norm Matthews,
owners, are always creative
in their approach to business
and that is what keeps patrons
coming back! They have
chosen Maura Lindsay as the
new Manager.
The torch is passed from
Miranda Geake to Maura.
She has big shoes to fill but
she's up to the challenge.
said Norm.
I've known Maura for a
very long time and my expectations of her have been
exceeded, said Jill.
Speaking of their customers,
Jill said with a smile, We
wouldn't be able to do this
without the support of our

wonderful patrons. We love

our customers.
We enjoy talking to our
customers as well as serving

them, both Norm and Jill

stated. With that outlook they
will enjoy many more anniversaries!

Bill Counterman has been a

member of the Bangor
American Legion, Emlyn H.
Evans Post 378 for 70 years!
Recently, he received a
Certificate of Continuous
Membership
from
the
National Anerican Legion
and it was presented by Bob
Steltz, Commander, at Country Roads Restaurant. Bill
joined the Amerivan Legion
in 1945 and has served in
many capacities over the
years including Past Commander and Past Adjutant.

Bill Counterman, Bob Steltz

and Anthony DeVito reminisced about their time in
service as well as their
participation in Legion activities.
One of the things Im
proudest of is that I helped
re-organize the Drum Corp. I
was a member of the Corp
and played baritone horn,
said Bill. Tony hasnt lost
any of his enthusiasm over
the years. Hes still active
after all this time.
Bill is responsible for quite
a few Vietnam veterans. He

made them feel welcome.

Also, up to five years ago he
replaced the old flags in the
cemetery, Bob said. We are
all active in many support
groups such as youth groups,
scouting groups, food and
clothing drives and helping
veterans any way ew can.
Anyone wishing to colunteer
to help is welcome to do so.
Tony spoke of the bond
among Legionnaires and it
was ecident listening to them
speak of their experiences in
the service, and their dedication to the Legion.

The purple bows are being

hung around town by the Girl
Scout Slate Belt Service Unit
703 to show everyone the
route to Relay For Life. It's
not to late to sign up and plan
on attending relay.
This year's relay will be held
May 20th and 21st at Bangor
Park from 4pm to 4pm.

Along with he ceremonies,

there will be games and
entertainment. On Friday at
6pm there will be Zumba by
Cuves, at 7pm Cody Templeton will perform, 7:30pm is
the great ice cream party, and
at 8pm there will be a scavenger hunt.
On Saturday, at 7am, the

bad hair contest will kick off

the morning, at 8:30am Miss
Julie's will present the purple
glove dance, 2pm there will
be a Frozen t-shirt contest,
2:30pm will be the Purple
Lap (wear as many purple
items as you can), and at 3pm
an aerial photo of the event
will be taken.

By Maria Cascario

Warren Hills Regional High

School,
Belvidere
High
School, Hackettstown High
School and North Warren
Regional High School, NJ,
students kicked off a very
successful Project Sticker
Shock during the week of
April 16th.
Project Sticker Shock is a
youth-led initiative to change
adult attitudes about selling
and providing alcohol to
minors at liquor stores
throughout Warren County.
This public awareness project
is sponsored by the Coalition
for Healthy and Safe Communities, a program of the Family
Guidance Center, to bring
attention to the issue of underage drinking and adults who
provide alcohol to minors.
The message of this years
campaign is What we
permitwe promote, which
directly challenges adult
attitudes and social norms
about selling and providing
alcohol to minors.
As a Coalition, we work
diligently and passionately to
create a safer, healthier

community for our young

people to grow and develop,
said Liz Montalvo of the Coalition for Healthy and Safe
Communities. The Sticker
Shock Project is one of the
many campaigns we initiate
during Alcohol Awareness
Month to accomplish this goal
and encourage parents and
teens to be safe during Prom
and Graduation season.
The Warning stickers
placed throughout liquor stores
serve as a strong reminder that
providing alcohol to minors is
illegal and doing so comes
with serious consequences. In
the state of New Jersey, providing alcohol to a minor can
result in up to $1,000 in fines
and a six month jail sentence.
Underage drinking is a
community problem requiring
members from the community
to be part of the solution.
The Sticker Shock Program
brought adults, youth and local
retail stores together during the
week to combat underage
drinking and help to make
Warren County a safer,
healthier community.

The public is invited to

attend the Township Supervisors Meeting scheduled for
7pm on May 11th, at Washington Township, Bangor, to
discuss stormwater and the
regulations for the MS-4
program as developed by the
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP
requires that municipalities
adhere to specific guidelines
for the management of stormwater. Municipalities are now
required to obtain an MS4
(Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer System) Permit. Please
RSVP via email to Rob Scott,
Township
Zoning
Officer/Planning Director, at
tbszoning@epix.net.
Upper Mt. Bethel Twp. is
looking to form a community
park committee and is seeking three residents of Upper
Mt. Bethel Twp. to join. The
committee is strictly volunteer
to oversee phases of the park
and scheduling of events at the
park. Please submit your letter
of interest to Upper Mount
Bethel Township Municipal
Building, Attn:
Board of
Supervisors, 387 Ye Olde
Highway, Mount Bethel, PA
18343, or email officesec
retary@uppermtbethel.org.
The Bangor High School
Class of 1966 will hold their
50th Reunion at the Delaware Water Gap Country
Club on Saturday October
8th at 6pm. The Class has also
been invited to sit at this years
high school graduation as
guests.
The
following
addresses are needed: Bruce
Dietz, Carol Ann Reinhart
Hutnick, Peggy Ealey Kish,
Richard Hunt, Natalie Crouse
Donate, Larry Stenlake, James
LaBarre, Marshall Bailey,

Sondra Buskirk Baier, Patricia

Pysher Bennett, Robert Mack
Charlene Pasqualino, Linda
Repsher Silvius, Linda Meixsell Yeakel, Richard Danner,
Glenda Dunk, Diana Galatioto,
Donna Davidson Edwards and
Thomas Kittle. Anyone with
information please contact:
Karen Brewer @ 610-5888615 or 484-894-5661. Those
who have received invitations
and are planning to attend the
high
school
graduation
exercises are also to notify
Karen Brewer so a seat count
can be given to the school.
Pen Argyl High School
Class of 1976 Reunion will be
held on October 1st at
Tolino Vineyard from 5pm
to 10pm. Casual party to catch
up with friends. RSVP to
Cindy (Letson) Cipriani at 238
Whitemarsh Drive, Sewell,
NJ
08080
or
at
Cls4361@hotmail.com.
The Salvation Army in Pen
Argyl has several slots available for overnight youth
summer camp in the
Poconos. For more information, call 610-863-6677.
The Slate Belt Regional
Police have a drug takeback box at their 6292 Sullivan Trail office in Nazareth.
For more information, call
their non-emergency line at
610-759-8517, or fax 610759-8523.
The Washington Twp.
Board of Supervisors is seeking members for the Recreation Committee. Volunteers
are needed to fill two permanent member vacancies and
two alternate vacancies. The
goal of the Washington Twp.
Recreation Committee is to
enhance the recreational
resources
available
to
residents. This Committee
meets the fourtth Tuesday of
each month at 7pm. Washing-

ton Township residents interested in filling these vacancies

are asked to submit a letter of
interest to: Washington Township Board of Supervisors,
1021 Washington Blvd.,
Bangor, PA 18013.
The BAHS Marching Band
uniforms, which are modeled after Her Majestys
Royal Welsh Guard, and
pay tribute to the heritage of
Bangor, must be replaced
after years of normal wear
and tear. The new uniforms
will continue to use the same
style. The Slater Band Boosters have initiated a fund drive
to support this effort. The
Boosters will appreciate any
donations, small or large, to
this cause. The names of
contributors will be acknowledged in concert programs
during the 2016-2017 school
year. Names of contributors at
higher levels will be memorialized on a plaque to be
displayed in the theater wing
of the high school. More information is available at bahsbands. weebly.com.
Send
your tax deductible contributions to: Slater Band Boosters,
Uniform Drive, c/o Charlie
Cole, 608 Shawnee Street,
Roseto, PA 18013.

Vendors are wanted for St.

Jude Knights of Columbus
4th annual outdoor flea
market on May 14th, in the
St. Jude Church parking lot
on Eisenhower Rd. in Blairstown. For more information,
call Joe at 908-362-6044.
The Don Bosco Council
Knights of Columbus is
hosting an Atlantic Health
Systems blood drive on May
21st from 9am to 1:30pm at
the St Joseph Church Community Center, located at 17
Halsted Street in Newton.
For every pint of blood
donated, Atlantic Health
Systems will donate a pound
of food to the St Joseph Community food pantry. Feed the
hungry and save a life!
Newton Memorial Hospital is
a member of the Atlantic
Health System. Unlike other
blood drives where your blood
donation may be sent

anywhere, all blood donated

through this drive will remain
in the Atlantic Health System.
Call 973-971-7444 to schedule an appointment or sign up
on
line
at
http://dbckoc.ahsblooddonors
ervices.org.
Quality
artisans
and
antique vendors are wanted
for the Belvidere in Bloom
Summer Festival on June
11th, from 9am to 5pm at
Garret D. Wall Park in
Belvidere. For more information, call 908-310-7203 or
visit BelvidereinBloom.com.
The Womans Club of
Belvidere is presenting
Belvidere in Bloom,
a
summer festival of artisans,
antiques and activities.
Castles and Cottages house
tours, Wuthering Heights Tea
and Architectural walking
tours. For information and
tickets, visit belviderein
bloom.com or call 908-8923874. Delicious foods offered
for sale at churches around
Garret D. Wall Park. Belvidere Garden Club will be
presenting their Secret
Garden Tours," and Historic
tours are offered by reservation,
to
reserve
visit
www.HardwickTours.com or
call 908-268-6871.
Registration is now open
for the Tri Mountain Lake
Sprint Triathlon taking
place on July 16th, in
Liberty, (Mountain Lake).
The sprint triathlon tours the
surrounding area of Mountain
Lake in Liberty NJ. After a
half-mile swim in the pristine
lake, get ready for some ups
and downs on the 15-mile
bike ride. Then finish off on
the three-mile run giving a
view from each angle of the
lake. Participants can sign up
to compete as individuals or as
a team of three. Teams will
compete with each member
completing one leg of the
event, and their time will be
recorded and displayed versus
other team entries. To register,
visit runsignup.com/ ace/NJ/
Liberty/TRIMountainLake.
Knowlton Twp. Elementary School is planning for
the 2016-2017 school year.
At this time they would like
to identify as many children

as possible who will be

eligible for kindergarten in
September. To be eligible for
kindergarten, a child must be
five years old by October 1st.
If you have not already done
so, and you have a child who
will be eligible for next years
kindergarten class, call the
school at 908-475-5118, ext.
200. Dates for screening of
next years kindergarten
students will be released at a
later date. Parents will receive
details in the mail. Please pass
this information along to
anyone in Knowlton Twp. who
may have a child eligible for
kindergarten in September.
Knowlton Twp. Elementary is now accepting registrations for their preschool
program for fall. Children
must be four years old by
October 1st, and must be toilet
trained. The program runs
Monday through Friday from
9am to 11:30am when school
is in session. Transportation is
not provided for this program.
If interested, please contact the
school office at 908-475-5118,
ext. 200.
Knowlton Seniors is seeking
new members 55 or older
from Knowlton Township
and surrounding areas,
including PA. They offer
multiple trips to different
sights each year. They meet the
first Friday of each month at
the Knowlton United Methodist Church on Rt. 94 at 1:30pm
with few exceptions. For more
information, call Sue at 908496-4740.
In anticipation of its 30th
anniversary assisting northwestern NJ residents, Project Self-Sufficiency is asking
former
participants
to
contact the agency. Informa-

tion gathered from former

participants would be used
throughout the upcoming year
as part of the agencys celebration. Former adult participants, as well as the grown
children of former participants,
are asked to call Project SelfSufficiency at 973-940-3500
or 844-807-3500.
Blairstown
Recreation
Summer Day Camp is now
open for registration. The
camp is open to resident and
non-resident
pre-school
children ages four and five
(age four by October 1st, 2015)
and for boys and girls currently
in grades K through sixth.
Summer Camp is held
Monday through Friday, June
27th through July 8th (closed
July 4th), from 9am to noon at
Blairstown
Elementary
School.
Registration is
accepted at the Recreation
Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am to 1pm, by
mail-in, or by drop-off box.
For additional information
visit www.blairstown-nj.org or
call 908-362-6663 ext. 232.
North Warren KnitWits
needs new members to
crochet or knit items to be
donated to various charities,
nursing homes, hospice and
the
needy
throughout
Warren County. KnitWits, a
group of mostly senior women,
have donated thousands of
items over their 25+ years of
existence. They meet every
Tuesday from 9:30am to noon
at the Catherine Dickson Hoffman Library, located on Lambert Road in Blairstown. For
more information, call Anne at
908-459-0453. Donations of
yarn are always needed. For
more information, call Anne at
908-459-0453.

Adult Fiction: Andrews,

Donna: Stork Raving Mad;
Baldacci, David: The Last
Mile; Bushnell, Candace:
Summer And The City;
Chevalier, Tracy: At The
Edge Of The Orchard; Christie, Agatha: Curtain; The
Mystery Of The Blue Train;
Cronin, Justin: The Passage;
Hamilton, Jane: The Excellent
Lombards; Knott, Robert:
Robert B. Parkers Blackjack;
Michaels,
Fern:
Double
Down; Morris, R.N.: The
Gentle Axe; Quick, Amanda:
Til Death Do Us Part;
Swavely, David: Silhouette;
Woods,
Stuart:
Foreign
Affairs.
Adult Non Fiction: Christie, Agatha: Black Coffee;
Cooper, Anderson: The Rainbow Comes And Goes A
Mother And Son On Life,
Love, And Loss; Goodall,
Jane: Through A Window My

Thirty Years With The Chimpanzees Of Gombe; Puyi,

Henry: The Last Manchu The
Autobiography Of Henry Pu
Yi, The Last Emperor Of
China.
Young Adult Fiction:
Kibuishi, Kazu: Firelight;
Stiefvater, Maggie: The
Raven King.
Junior Fiction: Barnett,
Mac: The Terrible Two Get
Worse; Riordan, Rick: Demigods And Magicians.
Junior Non Fiction: Miles,
Lisa: The Usborne Illustrated
Atlas Of World History;
Young,
Caroline:
The
Usborne Book Of The
Haunted World.
Easy Fiction: Alley, R.W.:
Gretchen Over The Beach;
Barrow, David: Have You
Seen Elephant?; Smiley, Jane:
Twenty
Yawns;
Yum,
Hyewon: Puddle.
DVDs:The Revenant.

Hospitals are more than a

place where people go to
heal, or to receive treatment
when sick or injured. Hospitals are often at the very heart
of
their
communities,
contributing to the physical,
emotional and financial
health. During National
Hospital
Week,
Easton
Hospital celebrates the thousand associates who work
together 24 hours a day, 365
days a year, to ensure quality
medical care is available to
every person in the Greater
Leigh Valley.
National Hospital Week was
established in 1953, and this
year it will be celebrated
from May 8 through May 14.
The dates overlap the
celebration
of
National
Nurses Week (May 6 through
12 this year), and were
chosen to coincide with
Florence Nightingales birthday, honoring her role in
revolutionizing hospital care
in the mid 1800s. This years
National Hospital Week
theme is Healthcare from the
Heart, an appropriate tribute
to the 5.6 million physicians,
nurses,
therapists,
food
service workers, volunteers
and many more who care for
their neighbors with competence, dedication and compassion.
Easton Hospital is proud to
serve the Lehigh Valley with
high-quality clinical services
that continue to expand, year
after year. In 2015, our hospital opened a new Behavioral
Health Unit and broke ground
on a new electrophysiology
lab. For capital investments,
we upgraded radiation oncology technology with new
Tomo therapy and linear
accelerator equipment. We
were honored to earn awards
and distinctions from the

American College of Cardiology, Society of Chest Pain,

The Joint Commission, Blue
Cross and the American
Heart Association.
In addition to celebrating the
millions of workers dedicated
to patient care in the U.S.,
National Hospital Week also
serves as a reminder that
hospitals truly matter in our
society, and are worth
fiercely protecting. From
providing treatment and comfort to the sick, to welcoming
new life into the world,
hospitals are indeed at the
heart of healthy and vibrant
communities. Easton Hospital is no exception. We are
proud to partner with the
State Theatre, Easton Public
Market, Easton Farmers
Market and Easton Main
Street Initiative along with
other local organizations and
charities.
This year, Easton Hospital is
proud to acknowledge and
celebrate our associates and
other healthcare providers,
who tirelessly serve the community and personify the
2016 Healthcare from the
Heart theme.
Easton Hospital is a 254-bed
acute care teaching hospital
serving more than 300,000
residents in Northampton
County
and
the
five
surrounding counties in
Pennsylvania
and
New
Jersey. Founded in 1890, the
hospital celebrated its 125th
anniversary in 2015. Easton
Hospital offers an active
Emergency
Department
which sees more than 32,000
annual visits; a cardiac care
program recognized as an
accredited Chest Pain Center
and one of 55 designated
Heart Attack Receiving
Centers in the country; a
Center for Orthopedics, Joint

and Spine which is accredited

by the Joint Commission for
both total-hip and total-knee
replacement; a certified
Primary Stroke Center; a
Surgical
Weight
Loss
program designated as an
accredited center in Bariatric
Surgery; and the Easton
Regional Cancer Center
which is a member of the
Sidney Kimmel Cancer
Network at Jefferson. In addition, the hospital maintains
two free-standing, fullyaccredited residency training
programs in surgery and
internal medicine. For more
information and a complete
list of services offered at
Easton Hospital, visit the
hospitals website at www.
easton-hospital.com.

Frustratingly, it is becoming
all too common. Someone, or
a few, work their way into a
school, a business, a restaurant, a mall, or a happy occasion party or concert with
guns blazing. In the blink of
an eye several people are
killed or injured.
It might be a terrorist attack,
someone with a grudge, or
someone with a mental problem. Unfortunately such
incidents have become all too
common and way too
frequent. And as we now
know, they can happen everywhere, in cities large and
small, in urban areas and rural
areas, airports, train stations,
etc.
The Washington Borough
Business
Improvement
District in New Jersey will be
hosting a special, extended
Lunch 'N Learn event on May

12th tackling this unfortunate

scenario: The Active Shooter
Awareness Event will take
place from 11:30am to
2:30pm at the Washington
Borough Hall, 100 Belvidere
Avenue in Washington, NJ.
William Eppell, Chief of
Staff of the Warren County
Prosecutor's Office, along
with Independence Township
Police Chief Dennis Riley,
will conduct this important
presentation
crafted
in
particular
for
business
owners.
The event is open to WBID
members and any interested
business person, as well as
non-profit
organizations,
churches, and others in the
region that may feel the need
for this awareness training.
An active shooter is defined

as person(s) actively engaged

in killing, or attempting to
kill, people in a confined and
other populated area. In most
cases, active shooters have no
pattern or method to their
selection of victims. Active
shooter situations are unpredictable and happen quickly.
Individuals must be prepared
both mentally and physically
to take action in order to deal
with an active shooter.
Everyone
should
be
prepared to help prevent
and/or react to potential active
shooter
situations.
This
presentation is intended to
provide guidance to individuals and to help them prepare
and respond to an active
shooter situation. Cost to
attend the event is $20 at the
door, which includes lunch.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Parish Casino Trip: May
12th. Church parking lot,
9am; old St. Joseph's parking
lot, Wind Gap, 9:05am. FMI,
call Mary Lou at 610-8634846 or 610-844-4630.
The
Crystal
Laundry
Presented
by
Harvey
Drury: May 12th, 7pm.
Slate Belt Heritage Center,
30 N. 1st St., Bangor. FMI,
call 610-599-4993.
Bangor Post Office Food
Drive: May 14th.
Safe Haven Meet & Greet
at Industrial Art Show &
Flea Market: May 14th,
11am-3pm. 1242 Old Coach
Dr., Blakeslee. FMI, visit
SafeHavenPa.org, email Safe
Haven@epix.net, or visit
Facebook.
Ham Dinner: May 14th,
4pm-7pm. Hope UCC, 2nd
St., Wind Gap. Adults, $10;
Ages 6-12, $5.00; Children 5
& under, free.
American Legion Riders
Chapter 927's Annual
Blessing Of The Bikes: May
15th,
noon.
Service
performed by Bishop James
Mills. American Legion Post
927 opens at 10:30 AM,

A memorial scholarship was

established in 1997 by the
Bangor Area High School
Class of 1986 to honor the
memory of deceased classmates. It is named in Gary
Moffetts honor because he
not only served as class
treasurer, but he also touched
the lives of all who had the
privilege to know him. They
have since dedicated this
memorial scholarship to
recognize other classmates
who have passed in recent
years:
David
Pritchard,
Cherry Oyer Klinger, Frank
Lisovich, Melissa Fox Nice-

kitchen opens at 10:30 AM.

Rt. 209 & Fairgrounds Rd.,
Gilbert.
Moving for Better Balance
Tai Chi: 10 week program,
May 20th to July 22nd,
1:30pm-2:30pm. Registration required by May 16th.
FMI, call Deborah Lang at
570-421-2525 ext. 124 or
email
dlang@pocono
ymca.org.
20th Annual Senior Fitness
Walk: May 18th. 9am.
Pocono Family YMCA.
FMI, call Deborah at 570421-2525 ext. 124 or email
dlang@poconoymca.org.
Slate Belt Young at Heart
Meeting: May 19th, 1pm.
St. Elizabeth church hall, Pen
Argyl. FMI, call Mary Lou
DeRea-Lohman at 610-8634846 or 610-844-4630.
ICS Handbag Bingo &
Raffle: May 20th, 5:30pm.
Tickets available at the door.
FMI, email icsfundraising
@yahoo.com.
BAHS Band Concert: May
20th, 7:30pm. M. Craig
Paine
Performing
Arts
Theater, Bangor.
Slate Belt Service Unit Day
Camp: June 20th-24th,
9:30am-4pm. Register by
May 21st. FMI, emnail

foro, and Kelly Cory.

A scholarship award of $500
will continue to be presented
annually to a member of the
graduating senior class at
BAHS who best exemplifies
the qualities Gary embodied
-- leadership, friendship,
service, character, and scholastic achievement.
The recipient is chosen by
Garys wonderful and loving
family and is announced
during
commencement.
Anyone interested in applying for the scholarship should
see the guidance counselor at
Bangor High School.

stephanie
sltaylor627@gmail.com.

at

Flicksville U.C.C. Church

Tricky Tray: May 21st,
4pm. Winners announced,
6pm. 1337 Lower S. Main
St., Bangor. Food & Baked
Goods for Purchase.
Blue Mountain Comm.
Library Fundraiser: May
23rd, 4pm-9pm. Detzis
Tavern, 570 Lehigh Ave.,
Wind Gap. FMI, call Lisa
(10am-12pm) at 610-8633029 or visit www.bmcl.org.
Girl Scout Troop 81 2nd
Annual Community Yard
Sale: May 28th from 7am4pm. Comm. Presbyterian
Church, Rt. 611, Mt. Bethel.
Vendor spaces for only
$10/space or $15 for 2. To
reserve a space or to donate,
call/text Lori at 610-5978483. All proceeds from this
event will help to defray the
costs of their troop's trip to
Alaska in June.
E. Bangor UMCC Strawberry Festival: June 10th,
4pm.Blaine Reimel Memorial Park, Park Rd., E.
Bangor. Rain or shine. Food
& "Jacktown" ice cream will
be available. FMI., call 610-

New Hospital Safety Scores,

which assign A, B, C, D and
F letter grades to hospitals
nationwide and provide the
most complete picture of
patient safety in the U.S.
health care system, were
announced today by The
Leapfrog Group, a national
patient safety watchdog.
Pocono Medical Center
received an A, ranking
among the safest hospitals in
the United States.
This recognition by our
nations premier advocates
for patient safety demonstrates both the dedication of
our medical staff and healthcare team, but most importantly, our value in being

588-4453
or
www.ebumc.org.

visit

NJ Audubon:
Nature
Infused Yoga: Saturdays,
Now-June 18th, 9:30am10:45am. 11 Hardscrabble
Road, Bernardsville. Cost per
class: $12 members, $15
non-members. Cost for all 8
classes: $88 members, $112
non-members. Registration
for full 8 week session req'd
by April 29th. FMI, or to
register, call 908-766-5787.
Roast Beef Dinner: May
14th, 4pm-7pm. Broadway
UMC, 2233 Rt. 57, Broadway. $14 Adults/$7, 12 &
under. FMI, call 908-6896951.
PAL Fill-A-Truck Fundraiser: May 14th, 10am2pm. Pasta Grill by Enzo, Rt.
57, Mansfield. FMI, visit
www.palpets.org or call
973-584-0095.
Tricky Tray: May 14th,
6pm. Independence Twp
Firehouse, 24 Cemetery Rd.,
Great Meadows. Adults
Only. Cost $10. FMI, call
Corinne at 908-459-5929.

recognized as the regions

only designated healthcare
provider delivering safe and
excellent care, close to
home, said Jeff Snyder,
CEO and President of
Pocono Medical Center.
Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number
one concern of our health
care leaders. Hospitals that
earn an A from Leapfrog
are leaders in saving lives,
and we commend them and
urge
their
continued
vigilance,
said
Leah
Binder, president and CEO
of The Leapfrog Group.
Developed under the guidance of Leapfrogs Blue
Ribbon Expert Panel, the

North Warren Regional

2nd Annual Art Show: May
17th 6:30pm-9pm.

$10; Students, $5. Proceeds

benefit 11th Hour Rescue.

Free History Open House

presented by Blairstown
Historic Preservation Committee: May 18th, 6pm8pm. Blairstown Municipal
Building. Blairstown Police
Department Director Robert
Gara will be the guest for a
discussion on Native American artifacts. Bring your
artifacts for Director Gara to
review and access. FMI,
email BlairstownHistoric@
gmail.com or call 973-9970920.

NJ Craft Beer & Food

Festival: May 21st, 1pm5pm. Lewis Morris Park,
Dow Meadow Fields, 270
Mendham Rd., Morristown.
Benefits 11th Hour Rescure.
FMI, visit njbeerbbq fest.com.

Skylands
Songwriters
Guild Monthly Gathering
& Acoustic Open Mic: May
19th,
7pm.
Feature
performer: Liz de Lise. 382
US-46, Budd Lake. FMI,
visit
skylandssongwriters
.org/shows.
Oxford Town-wide Yard
Sale: May 21st, 9am-4pm.
Rain or shine. Sponsored by
the Oxford Public Library, 42
Washington Avenue.
11th Hour Rescue School of
Rock Concert: May 21st,
3pm. Amphitheater at Montville Comm. Park. Adults,

Hospital Safety Score uses

30 measures of publicly
available hospital safety data
to assign A, B, C, D and F
grades to more than 2,500
U.S. hospitals twice per year.
It is calculated by top patient
safety
experts,
peerreviewed, fully transparent
and free to the public. For the
first time, the Hospital Safety
Score includes five measures
of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well
as two of the most common
infections, C.diff and MRSA.
To see Pocono Medical
Centers full score, and to
access
consumer-friendly
tips for patients and loved
ones visiting the hospital,
visit
www.hospitalsafety

Free Piano Concert: May

21st, 7pm. Ecangelical Free
Church
of
Blairstown.
Featuring Sam Rotman.

Gravestone Art & Symbolism Talk sponsored by the

Blairstown Historic Preservation Committee: May
22nd, 1pm. Blairstown First
Presbyterian Church, 1 Main
St., Blairstown. Visit to
Gravel Hill Cemetery to view
local gravestone art. Wear
comfortable walking attire.
The cemetery is located on a
hill with a steep incline. FMI,
email
BlairstownHistoric
@gmail.com or call 973997-0920.
Memorial Day Roast Beef
Dinner: May 30th, 1pm5pm. Free Union Community
Center, 3 Marble Hill Rd.,
Great Meadows. Adults, $14;
Seniors, $12; Children 6-12,
$8; 5 & under, free.

score.org or follow The

Hospital Safety Score on
Twitter
or
Facebook.
Consumers can also download the free Hospital Safety
Score mobile app for Apple
and Android devices.
Founded in 2000 by large
employers
and
other
purchasers, The Leapfrog
Group
is
a
national
nonprofit
organization
driving a movement for
giant leaps forward in the
quality and safety of American health care. The flagship
Leapfrog Hospital Survey
collects and transparently
reports hospital performance,
empowering
purchasers to find the
highest-value care and
giving
consumers
the
lifesaving information they
need to make informed
decisions. Hospital Safety
Score, Leapfrogs other
main initiative, assigns letter
grades to hospitals based on
their record of patient
safety, helping consumers
protect themselves and their
families
from
errors,
injuries, accidents, and
infections.

Women who are pregnant

with their first child can now
receive regular visits from a
nurse in the privacy of their
own home through the Nurse
Family Partnership program
offered by Project SelfSufficiency. Eligible, firsttime mothers of all ages are
paired with a nurse who visits
them throughout the pregnancy and up until the childs
second birthday. The voluntary program, which was
started in upstate New York in
the 1970s, has been adopted
in 42 states, and was recently
launched in Sussex, Warren
and Hunterdon Counties. The
initiative is one of three
different home visitation
programs for young mothers

which is provided by Project

Self-Sufficiency to families in
northwestern New Jersey.
The visiting nurses provide
support, education and counseling on health, behavioral
and self-sufficiency issues.
Our goal is to improve pregnancy outcomes, and to assist
parents with improving early
childhood
development,
while helping the family to
move towards economic
self-sufficiency,
explains
Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project SelfSufficiency. All of the home
visitation programs offered
by Project Self-Sufficiency
are designed to empower
mothers to be the best parents
they can be.

Nurse Family Partnership

(NFP) is one the most rigorously tested programs of its
kind. Mothers and children
who have participated in the
program have consistently
demonstrated significantly
improved prenatal health,
fewer subsequent pregnancies, increased maternal
employment, improved child
school readiness, reduced
involvement in crime, and
less child abuse, neglect and
injuries.
Project Self-Sufficiency
provides an array of services
aimed primarily at lowincome families. Programs
include career guidance,
computer training, help with
obtaining a GED, parenting

skills classes, legal assistance

and education, financial
workshops, health education,
childcare and family activities. The agency offers help
around the holidays, formal
dresses during prom season,
and assistance with emergency basic needs, such as
food and clothing to its
participants. Most services
are free and many are open to
the public.
Those who are interested in
learning more about the
Nurse-Family Partnership, or
any of the other programs
offered at Project SelfSufficiency, are encouraged
to call 973-940-3500 or 844807-3500, or visit www.
projectselfsufficiency.org.

Robert J. Malcolm III,

M.D., a familiar face in the
Pocono areas medical community, recently joined St.
Lukes
Gastroenterology
Specialists located at 239 E.
Brown Street in East
Stroudsburg.
Practicing in the area over
the last seven years,
Malcolm said he often was

the only hospital GI physician

on call in Monroe County, so
he is very familiar with the
area and with the community.
Malcolm graduated from the
Medical University of South
Carolina in 2002 in 2002 and
served residencies at St.
Vincent Catholic Medical
Center
after
graduation
through 2006.

He stayed at St. Vincent for

fellowship training in gastroenterology from 2006 through
2009 before moving to the
Pocono area to practice.
My promise is to provide
my patients with a proper
diagnosis and to get them
better. As a patient, thats
what you go to a doctor for,
Malcolm said. He also has

good, solid reasons for seeking out and joining St. Lukes.
I decided to make the move
to work for St. Lukes because
of its standard of excellence.
This Network has a great reputation, Malcolm said.
For more information or to
make an appointment with Dr.
Robert Malcolm, call 570421-3872.

The Pocono Garden Club

will be planning for the
Annual
Flower
Show
during a special meeting
scheduled for Monday, June
13th, at 1pm. Preparations
and general meeting will be
held at the Kettle Creek
Environmental Education
Center, Running Valley
Road, in Bartonsville, PA.
Melanie
Frassinelli,
owner
of
Melanies
Wedding-Event Flrls in
Stroudsburg, will present a
floral design demonstration
depicting an arrangement
from the Flower Show
theme category.
Members are encouraged

to participate in the
monthly
design
titled
Honoring Him. A succulent dish garden incorporating an accessory focusing
on your favorite mans
hobby.
The horticulture entry is a
single stem from an Iris or
any blooming perennial
including roses. Displayed
in a clear container. Any
flowering plant will be
included in the Houseplant
entry.
Anyone
interested
in
plants and gardening are
welcome. For more information, please email Linda
at nonnie0506@yahoo.com.

Representatives with the

Northeastern Pennsylvania
Blood Services Region of the
American Red Cross recently
presented Geoffrey Roche
with the Sponsor Recognition
Award on behalf of Pocono
Medical Center
The Sponsor Recognition
Award honors blood drive
partners that provide exceptional leadership and personal
dedication to the Red Cross,
said Veronica Torres, district
manager, donor recruitment
department for the Northeastern Pa. Blood Services
Region. Since 1969, Pocono
Medical Center has helped

ensure the success of their

blood drives by doing publicity, recruiting and scheduling
donors and creating innovative ways to make blood
donors feel appreciated.
Pocono Medical Center was
given a 2015 goal of collecting 650 pints of blood through
hosting a series of Red Cross
blood drives. The organization exceeded that goal and
collected a total of 656 pints at
31 community blood drives.
As a true community
hospital, we recognize how
strong of an impact something
as simple as donating blood
can have on the lives of the

On Sunday May 15th the

Walpack Historical Society
continues to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the
National Park Service by
presenting a new opinion on
the location of Fort Carmer,
which dates back to the
French and Indian War.
For years, a stone building at
the intersection of Old Mine
Road and Peters Valley Road
was identified as Fort Carmer.
It is now believed that this
building was constructed in
the early 19th century. Hixon
and Sharon Spangenberg of
Layton will offer their opinion
on the true location of Fort

Carmer. By 1757, the county

reported six fortifications
along the Delaware River.
In 1758, seven forts are
mentioned. Eventually, there
were more than a dozen forts
and ranging posts in northwestern NJ; Fort Carmer was
one of them.
The meeting begins at 1pm
at the Walpack M.E. Church,
Main St. Walpack Center in
the Delaware Water Gap
National Recreation Area,
Sussex County, NJ. Weather
permitting, after the meeting,
the society will visit the new
site. For details, call 973.9484903.

families in our community

and beyond, which is why we
are so grateful for the efforts
of The American Red Cross
supporting us in our commitment toward building a
healthier community, said
Brendon Abbazio, Community Relations Specialist at
Pocono Medical Center.
Sponsoring a blood drive
can be a rewarding experience
for organizations such as
businesses, schools, churches
and other civic groups. It is a
great opportunity to build
morale and camaraderie as
fellow members, students or
employees work together for
a good cause. Almost any
organization can support the
American Red Cross by
hosting blood drives. A Red
Cross representative will
work with the sponsor to
determine the best set up for
the blood drive.
For more information about
hosting a blood drive or to
schedule an appointment to

donate, call 1-800-RED

CROSS or visit redcross
blood.org.
Pocono Medical Center has
served the Pocono Mountain
region for over 100 years,
marking it as one of Monroe
Countys largest employers
with more than 230 physicians and now over 2,000 staff
employees. Pocono Medical
Center has three comprehensive
healthcare
centers
located in Bartonsville, Tobyhanna, and Brodheadsville
each offering imaging and lab
services. In addition, Pocono
Medical Center has 19
primary and specialty care
physician practices throughout the region. Pocono Medical Center offers a full
continuum of care from clinical and acute care services to
specialized services ranging
from endocrinology, neonatology and perinatology to
pulmonary, neurology, bariatric, general, orthopedic, and
even
minimally-invasive

surgery with our da Vinci

robotic surgery. Homecare
and hospice services are also
available through the Pocono
Health System Visiting Nurse
and Hospice. U.S. News &
World Report recently named
Pocono Medical Center
among the top 10 percent of
hospitals in PA and as a Best
Regional Hospital including
two High-Performing Hospital recognitions in both heart
failure and heart bypass
surgery. In addition, Pocono
Medical Center serves as one
of only 33 hospitals in PA to
receive an A rating from the
Leapfrog Group the nations
premier advocates for patient
safety.
Pocono
Medical
Centers ESSA Heart and
Vascular Institute offers a full
breadth and depth of cardiovascular services, including
diagnostic cardiac catheterization, cardiac angioplasty,
open-heart surgery, and minimally invasive heart procedures as well as vascular
surgery and cardiac rehabilitation services. The Dale and
Frances Hughes Cancer
Center at Pocono Medical
Center offers a variety of
treatments and modalities,
including
state-of-the-art

radiation therapy equipment

and
medical
oncology.
Pocono Medical Center is a
designated,
accredited
Primary
Stroke
Center
providing stroke care via
telemedicine. In addition to
PMCserving as one of the
busiest emergency departments in the state, it is also the
only fully-accredited Level III
Trauma Center in the Commonwealth as well as the sole
Trauma Center program for
all of Monroe County and its
surrounding
communities.
For more information or to
learn more, please visit our
website
at
poconohealthsystem.org, or
visit our Facebook page at
facebook.com/poconomedica
lcenter.
Simply
download
the
American Red Cross Blood
Donor
App,
visit
redcrossblood.org or call 1800-RED CROSS (1-800733-2767) to make an
appointment or for more
information. All blood types
are needed to ensure a reliable
supply for patients. To get
started and learn more, visit
redcrossblood.org/ RapidPass
and follow the instructions on
the site.

The Greater Blairstown

Business
Association
(GBBA) is proud to
announce its first Sip and
Shop to take place on
Sunday, May 22nd from 1pm
to 4pm at Brook Hollow
Winery, 594 Route 94, in
Columbia, NJ. Featuring
wine tasting, live music and
over a dozen great local
vendors, Sip and Shop is the
perfect way to enjoy a relaxing day in the sunshine.
Vendors for the day will
include local businesses
Usborne Books, Young
Living Oils, Kaleidoscope
Enrichment, Makeup Eraser,
Cozy Cabin Bakery, Nikken,
Bears
Den
Alpacas,
Perfectly Posh, Paulinskill
Photography and Tastefully
Simple. All will have cash
and carry items ready for
purchase. The GBBA will
also have a table with information about its members
and door prizes!
Music at Sip and Shop will
be provided by the talented
Andy Rimer. Rimer is a

Join the Evengelical Free

Church of Blairstown, NJ,
for a inspirational and entertaining Piano concert featuring Sam Rotman on May
21st at 7pm.
Mr. Rotman received his
Bachelor and Master of
Music degrees from the
Julliard School in N.Y.C.
While a student he was the
recipient of nine awards in
the form of grants, scholarships, and prizes. He has
been among the winners in
five piano competitions, both
in the United States and
Europe. The most prestigious
award was that of Laureate
Winner in the 4th International Beethoven Competi-

professional
performing
musician and songwriter
with over ten years of experience. Although his main
focus is singing, he also
plays and teaches guitar,
bass and piano. Vocally,
Andy has studied many
styles including opera, rock,
soul/r&b,
country
and
hardcore/death vocals.
For the last 32 years, the
Greater Blairstown Business
Association has worked to
encourage
and
support
retail, professional and nonprofit businesses in the
Northern Warren County,

New Jersey area by promoting activities and events that

build
a
strong
local
economy, showcase our
hometown
values
and
historical traditions, and
encourage community members to shop locally. As part
of that effort, the GBBA
hosts monthly networking
and business education
opportunities for its members and their guests.
To learn more about the
GBBA, or to become a
member,
please
email
shopGBBA@gmail.com or
visit www.shopGBBA.org.

States, Canada, Russia, and

South Africa totaling 60
countries.
The
Evangelical
Free
Church of Blairstown is
located by the North Warren
High School.

tion in Vienna, Austria. In

1978, Mr. Rotman participated in the International
Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia.
He has given over 2700
performances in the United

Ciao Amici,
I was quite fortunate to
grow up in the butcher shop
with Grandmom and Grandpop. Maybe it was not the
Harvard Business School
but, my mentors sure taught
me some valuable lessons.
Having a business there are
three basic principles like
three legs of a stool. One leg
is to be honest, it is with this
integrity that make customers trust you and become
repeat customers and spread
the word or word of mouth.
If you are selling prime meat
sell prime. The second leg is
to have moral and ethics.
Ethics and morals relate to
right
and
wrong
conduct. While they are

sometimes
used
interchangeably, they are different: ethics refer to rules
provided by an external
source, e.g., codes of
conduct in workplaces or
principles
in
religions.
Morals
refer
to
an
individuals own principles
regarding right and wrong.
As an example I remember
them telling me that my
grandfather had gotten a call
from a mill where one of his
best friends worked, his
friends 24 year old son had
died unexpectedly and no
one had the nerve to tell him
the bad news so they called
my grandfather who went
down to tell him. The third
leg is to keep your promise
if you are going to peddle
meat on Saturday and be on
Martino Avenue at 10:25
then be there on that day at
that time. One leg: honesty
and integrity, the second:
good ethics and morals and
the third leg is keeping your
word. If you weaken any
leg; the stool topples. The
corporate greed cannot
understand in this country is
in part due to the fact that
business school graduates
leave school without a clue
about ethics.
Con cordiali saluti,

Joe
Growing up in the Butcher
Shop, is available at the
shop or on our web page. To
receive menu specials and
our newsletter, join our mailing list at www.JDeFranco
And Daughters.com, click on
mailing list and enter your
email. Send your Roseto
stories, recipes and comments
to
portipasto
@epix.net or call 610-5886991. J. DeFranco and
Daughters is located at 2173
W. Bangor Rd. in Bangor,
PA. Store hours are 7am to
7pm, seven days a week,
with
catering
available
anytime or by appointment.

St. Lukes University Health

Networks Bariatric Surgery
program earned the right to
create a fellowship in its surgical weight loss program. St.
Lukes fellowship program
request recently was approved
by the Fellowship Council, a
national body that oversees
training
physicians
in
advanced surgical specialties.
Additionally, the Foundation
for Surgical Fellowships, an
organization that provides
funding for graduate medical
training, has approved a grant
for $20,000 to cover associated
costs with the program.
Dr. Maher El Chaar, will

It was quite a sight last year

when the streets of Downtown Washington were filled
with characters in sci-fi
garb, restaurants serving Star
Trek like goodies, and Live
Action Role Playing participants battling it out.
The Washington Business
Improvement District, in
partnership with Arcana
Toys, Games znd Hobby, is
ready to bring this out-ofthis-world experience back
to the Downtown, on Saturday, May 21st.
Scheduled for Downtown
Washington Borough, the
second annual Sci-Fi fantasy
adventure day is scheduled
for May 21st from 10am to
6pm, and it's free to attend.
The public, from folks in
Washington to the far reaches
of the universe, are invited to
come by and participate - or
just check it out!
With
characters
from
around the galaxy roaming
the downtown, the day will
be magical - and certainly
different from your typical
day in Warren County!
Writers
doing
book
signings, professional illus-

serve as the fellowship director

and Dr Leonardo Claros will be
the co-fellowship director. Dr.
El Chaar will report quarterly
to the fellowship council and
hopes the new will rapidly
grow to include two more
fellowship positions in the near
future.
St. Lukes is the regions only
Health Network to have a
bariatric fellowship program.
The process to put it in place
began almost two years ago.
To become qualified, a
program must meet rigorous
requirements including a
specific case volume, achievement of high quality outcomes,

trators, hand-crafted jewelry

artisans, tarot card readings,
fine art, and plenty more will
be a part of this ultimate
fantasy day.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
are genres that constitute a
huge business with a large
fan base from every walk of
life. The event is expected to
encourage local economic
growth for all involved.
Several local businesses are
expected to to open their
doors and share in the fantasy
spirit by co-playing, decorating,
playing
favorite
fantasy/sci-fi movies, and
promoting the days events in
one way or another. Lost
Ladies Grill, for example,

commitment to education,
strong presence in national
meetings and also peer reviewed
publications and, of course, the
organizations overall academic
excellence, El Chaar says. A
program must also perform a
robust and diverse set of procedures that show very positive
outcomes.
St. Lukes is a high-volume
Bariatric Center that performs
up to 450 procedures each year,
El Chaar says. Comparatively
speaking, the Cleveland Clinic
performs about 500 procedures
a year at its main and satellite
locations, he says.
In the coming weeks, we will

choose a surgical resident who

will have completed five years
of surgical residency by this
time next year. The surgical
resident will begin his or her
bariatric specialty training at St.
Lukes after graduation, in June
or July 2017, El Chaar says.
St. Lukes Bariatric Surgery
program was also recently
named an accredited center by
the Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery Accreditation and
Quality
Improvement
Program, an organization
dedicated
to
reviewing
standards and accreditation
process for surgical weight loss
programs.

will be making sci-fiinspired food.

In addition, there will be
live music, by the Piratethemed band Gasparilla,
Jenny Cat and the Felines,
and Rhiannon's Lark, created
by Alyssa Yeager (sensual
vocals,
growly
guitar,
candy-coated ukulele) to
express the reality of life as a
geek, goddess, and girl. She
brings gaming, fantasy,
morality,
and
T-Rexes
together into a show that will
comfort your ears, get you
laughing, and possibly even
make you think.
Also on May 21st, there will
be a special appearance by
artist Mike Fallek. Fallek is a
filmmaker, documentarian,
sculptor, puppet maker, and
podcaster who is installing a
very special and fun Sci-Fi
exhibit in the 5 East Art
Gallery!
His exhibit will
include a suspended web for
his stop motion props and
lighting from the ceiling to

create a nebula and other

worldly feel to the Gallery!
He will be joined by Bill
Derbyshire of Washington,
who will exhibit additional
Sci-Fi space models. In fact,
there will be a special Sci-Fi
Art Walk on Saturday May
14th featuring Fallek and
others. Additionally, students
from the area have been
invited to submit Sci-Fi
sculpture art that may be on
display in the Downtown in
May.
To add to the fun, Fallek has
created a character, a Shrew
Giant, who needs a name.
We often hear about Giants
eating people, but here is a
Giant
eating
people
cupcakes, surrounded by a
destroyed village! Please
help us name this shrew by
coming to 5 East Art Gallery
to submit name suggestions.
Winner will receive a $25
Gift Certificate! Contest is
open to all ages and is free to
enter. For further information
on the the naming contest,
the Art Walk, and student
submissions of art, contact
Kathy at Kathy's Kove, 908680-6878.
For vending opportunities
for this event, or to learn
more about the Washington
BID and what it has to offer,
and business opportunities,
visit
www.washington
bid.org or call 908-689-4800.
You can also find more about
the event on Facebook.

Looking for something to do

on Saturday, May 14th
Come on down to Knowlton
United Methodist Church for
an authentic Chicken BarB-Q and live music by Kelly
Planer and the Perks.
KUMC is hosting this Free
event for the surrounding
community from 5pm to 7
pm.
Bluegrass barely scratches
the surface of the music of
Kelly Planer and the Perks.
Alt-bluegrass,
American
Roots Music comes closer,
yet they prefer to keep their
options open. With Dave
Colins sly banjo, Kellys
guitar and vocals, and Dave
Imhofs solid bass, you never

know what the Perks will

come up with next. From The
Beatles and Nirvana to traditional Bluegrass, every Perks
show is full of unmistakable
style and fun.
Join us on Saturday, May
14th and enjoy some really
good, aromatic BBQ chicken,
classic salt potatoes, baked
beans, cole slaw, ice cream
for dessert and Kelly Planer
and the Perks! Everyone is
welcome to attend this free
event that will take place on
the KUMC lawn, 509 State
Route 94 in Columbia, next to
the Knowlton Lions Club
Building. Contact the church
office at 908-496-4313 if you
have any questions.

Summary of the April 28,

2016 Knowlton Township
Committee Meeting -Vote for
Settlement Agreement with
Township Clerk
The Township Committee
voted 4-1, with Committeeman
Farber dissenting, to approve a
settlement agreement that
would end the tenured municipal clerks employment with
Knowlton Township. As many
who read these summaries are
aware, this has been a long and
painful process for everyone
involved. It began when the
Township hired an independent
investigator experienced in
municipal matters to investigate
personnel problems that had
been ongoing in the Township
for a number of years. The
investigators report, which is a
matter of public record, recommended that the Township seek
termination. Those charges
were filed in October of 2015.
The matter was settled two days
into the recent hearing at the
Office of Administrative Law
after the Township presented
that report and some of its
witnesses.
The settlement agreement,
which is also public record,
ends the clerks employment
with the Township and provides
$45,000 and medical benefits
until the end of the year. It also
guarantees that there will be no
appeals and that no additional
or secondary suits can be
brought against the Township.
In a statement read by Mayor
Starrs after the resolution
passed, she stated that the sum
of the settlement is less than the
Township would pay if the
matter continued in litigation,
because under New Jersey law,
the clerk is entitled to be paid to
its conclusion. She also
expressed her desire to put this
difficult process behind us and
bring the Township together as

we all move forward.

The
Committee
then
promoted its longtime office
assistant to deputy clerk and
approved a veteran clerk to
oversee her for no more than
three months as the deputy
learns the ropes. One of the
Townships goals is to reduce
the tax burden on residents, and
to that end, Committeewoman
Shipps expressed the desire to
hire a new clerk who is parttime. She explained that by
using a deputy clerk and hiring
a part-time clerk, the Township
can increase service to
residents while cutting costs.
Committeepersons Shipps and
Cuntala agreed to begin
interviewing candidates as
soon as possible; see the Township website for more information about the position.
Dam Removal/Paulins Kill
Restoration Resolution
The Committee voted unanimously to approve a resolution
sponsored by Committeeman
Farber requesting a public
hearing for the Paulins Kill
River
Restoration/Dam
Removal Project and approving a referendum on the general
elections ballot. The referendum means there will be a
question on the ballot in
November asking whether
residents are in favor of or
against the project. An explanation, listing the pros and cons of
dam removal, will accompany
it. While a vote against dam
removal cannot force the
involved organizations to halt
the project, it is an effective tool
to show the will of Knowlton
residents and can then be used
at the public hearing on the
issue. By law, the public
hearing must be advertised in
a local newspaper. The Township will keep residents
apprised of the date and
location for that hearing once it

is announced.
DEP Grant Funds
The grant that the Township
received as a result of the coal
plant settlement is now in its last
year, so the Township discussed
what projects will be developed
with the last of the funds.
Resident Gerry Dolan, who
volunteers to maintain the Delaware Beach area, presented the
Committee with his plans for
repairing the road to the beach,
building a boat launch, and
setting up picnic tables and a
security camera. $23,100 is
allotted for this project. The
Committee also approved an
outdoor tennis court at Tunnel
Field, provided that the costs for
maintenance are minimal.
Knowlton Athletic Association
is being consulted so that
additional uniforms and sports
equipment can be purchased for
Knowlton schoolchildren with
any remaining funds.
Resolution
Regarding
Extended Voter Registration
Hours
The Township Committee
voted unanimously to cancel
extended voter registration
hours that had been scheduled
for 5 nights in May. The Committee was unaware that the
evenings, which require the
Township to compensate an
employee for afterhours work,
had been scheduled. It was
brought to Mayor Starrss attention when a retired clerk came
upon the information. The
practice is seen in cities, but it is
unusual in a town the size of
Knowlton. In Warren County,
for example, only Phillipsburg
is holding evening registration.
Residents who wish to register
to vote can simply mail in a

registration form to the Warren

County Board of Elections or
bring it in person to the Warren
County Board of Elections on
any day prior to May 20th.
Given the ease with which
voters can register by mail and
the cost of staffing the building
for five evenings, the Committee members all agreed to
cancel.
Conversation
over
the
Surplus
At the last Committee meeting, Knowltons CFO reported
on
Knowltons
healthy
projected surplus of approximately
$1,000,000
and
credited the Committee with
cutting spending and collecting taxes receivable, which
is outstanding revenue that
was owed to us. At this meeting Frank Van Horn, who was
mayor prior to 2013 and is
running for a seat on the
Township Committee again,
questioned this. He presented
the Committee with a sheet
that appeared to show that tax
increases have contributed to
the surplus. Mayor Starrs
reported that this year the
Committee decreased municipal taxes and the previous two
years the Committee held
them flat, so all tax increases
occurred prior to the current
administration.
--Adele Starrs, Rene Mathez
Please note our summaries
are intended only to inform
residents of issues that might
be of interest to them. The
summaries are not the
official minutes and have not
been approved by the Township Committee. They reflect
the views of the authors
only.

By Kara Diefenderfer

There is a common misconception that we do not need to

be concerned or informed about
something if it doesnt directly
touch our lives. I would like to
challenge this misconception
for a couple of different
reasons. Many of us believe
addiction doesnt touch our
lives, but addiction is such a
cunning and insidious disease
hidden by shame that often
even those closest to us hide the
deep, dark secret of addiction.
According to the National
Institute of Drug Addiction
(NIDA), one in eight Americans have an addiction problem
and one in four are impacted
significantly by a loved one
who suffer the disease of addic-

tion. If we became more aware

and informed of some of the
warning signs and symptoms of
addiction we may just realize
how close the disease is to us.
Another aspect I would like to
point out is addiction doesnt
start or stop with family or
friends, it touches everyone and
can impact those we work with,
fellowship with, those that
educate us or our children, etc.
Addiction is a disease that does
not discriminate. Learn more
about the disease, and you will
learn more about who it affects.
To help educate you or someone you love on the disease of
addiction please visit A Clean
Slate at 100 S. 1st St., Bangor,
PA 18013 or call 610-452-9348
for more information.

(NAPSI)Many
homeowners may be pleased and
surprised to learn that some
of the products that are
friendliest to the environment come from the
environmentand are available for their own houses.
Redwood is an excellent
example, offering more environmental benefits than
anything man-madefrom
how
its
grown
and
harvested to how it can be
reused and repurposed. Here,
for instance, are four environmental
benefits
of
redwood decking.
1. Redwood is grown green.
This species thrives along a
narrow strip of land that
hugs the Pacific coast in
Northern California. The
vast majority of old-growth
coastal redwoods are forever
protected within 450,000
acres of national, state and
local forests and parks.
The land designated for
commercial
growth
is
subjected to the worlds most
stringent management and
harvest practices. The Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC)
requires private forestland
owners to have harvest plans
and management operations
regularly audited. The FSC

Your home can be decked out in style and all the

while, you can help the environment.
also sets standards relating to
licensing and training forest
managers as well as broad
standards for forest resource
conservation. One hundred
percent
of
California
Redwood
Association
member forestlands are
certified well managed by
the FSC.
2. Redwood traps carbon
and never lets go. Redwood
trees continuously scrub
carbon from the air, retaining
carbon in their wood fiber.

Even better: That carbon

remains trapped even after a
redwood tree is harvested
and milled for lumber. The
average-size deck built of
redwood is holding on to half
a ton of carbon. A recent Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA)
documented that alternative
plastic-based
decking
contributes to global warming, while redwood actually
combats
this
climate
change.
3. Redwood is naturally
durable. Without any help
from
manufacturers,
redwoods natural features
reinforce the fact that this
lumber is built to last. With a
tight wood grain, a length of
redwood lumber will hold its
shape more consistently and
is less prone to warping or

cupping. Redwood is also

naturally
resistant
to
termites, decay and even
fire.
4. A redwood deck could
outlast your mortgage. The
same natural features that
give redwood its durability
also mean redwood decks
will hold a protective finish
longer
and
withstand
multiple refinishings over
the years. With periodic
cleaning and refinishing, a
redwood deck can last 30
years or longer. Even when
redwood is no longer useful
as decking, homeowners can
still recycle the decking to
use in other landscaping
projects or even shred it
down to use as mulch.
Redwood is a smart choice
for homeowners who want to
live a more sustainable
lifestyle. It is also a remarkable value, generally less
costly to your wallet and the
environment than plasticbased alternatives. With
careful forest management,
natural features that no
manufacturer has been able
to replicate, and incredible
beauty, strength and durability, redwood proves you can
improve your home but you
cant improve on Mother
Nature.
The experts at the California Redwood Association,
celebrating its 100th anniversary, can provide further
facts and can be reached at
www.realstrongredwood.co
m
and
(888)
CALREDWOOD.

Hello, fellow readers!

It looks like a sea
anemone, wrote Ruth of
Hope, NJ, referring to the
alien-looking bright orange
thingy with finger-like
protrusions found on a cedar
tree. Turns out, this two-inch
slimy blob is caused by a
fungi called Gymnosporangium
juniperi-virginianae
(wowee! The name is as
ugly as the gall!). Its an
infectious organism that
causes cedar-apple rust;
commonly found where
apples or crabapples (Malus)
and
Eastern
red-cedar
(Juniperus virginiana) are in
proximity of each other.
The lifecycle is fascinating.
It starts out causing a
reddish-brown gall that
grows into what looks like a
golf ball with pimples, often
construed as a seedpod on
the host cedar. After a spring
rain, it turns into a bright
orange alien gall. Thats
when the spores are active
and carried by wind to the
nearby apple trees. Its a
perfectly timed invasion;
just when the apple trees are
in the pink or early blossom

phase. The spores germinate

and enter the leaf or fruit
tissue causing infection
within a few hours.
Look for yellow leaf spots
soon after the bloom. The
spots then enlarge turning
orange or reddish and later,
black dots form. By late
summer, tube-like structures
develop under the leaf and
voila - the spores fly off the
apple trees and land back on
the cedars. The disease
doesnt spread between
apple trees, but passes from
cedars to apples then back
again. Its a vicious cycle
that defoliates apple trees
and disfigures fruit.
They say one of the best
remedies is to remove cedar
hosts within a mile of apple
trees. Easier said than done,
though as several species of
juniper also serve as host.
Not to mention quince
(Cydonia
oblonga),
hawthorn (Crataegus) and
crabapples that can host
cedar-apple rust as well.
Therere resistant varieties
of apples such as Red Delicious', 'Grimes Golden',
Jonafree', 'Winesap', and
'Staymans'. Crabapples tend
to be more vulnerable, but
there are resistant varieties
too, including my favorite
Malus 'Donald Wyman'.
A fungicide suitable for
edible fruit can be applied to
apple trees to protect them
when the cedar galls are
spewing pores. And, you can
use the same fungicide in late
summer on cedars to reduce
infection. Removing the
galls before they start flinging spores is effective too. If
in the orange alien stage, best
to wear gloves. Theyre
gooey.
Garden Dilemmas?
askmarystone.com

On May 21st, Forks Area

Art Society will hold its third
annual Art in the Park, "Amp
up the Art" event. This year
we are excited to announce
the opportunity to see a
Walking Dead zombie in a
special demo. The demonstration will feature Hollywood make-up artist Darren
Pastor, with Christopher
Weite , who appeared as a
Walker in the television
series The Walking Dead, in
season 4. Also featured in
the demo will be Carolyn
Seibert, who has appeared in
a number of zombie movies,
and Rick Higgins from
Smooth On, Latex providers.
This outdoor art event will
be at Forks Township Community Center Amphitheater.
Local artists and crafters
will sell and display their
work under tents at Amp up
the Art, with food vendors
and live music. Slated to
perform are the bands Big
Bone Daddy and Wayne
Scott Farleys "Force for

Good". There will also be

unique light show dancing
by Sarah DeReemer of
Whirled Dreams Burning
Heart Fire and Light Theater.
Art in the Park is designed
to promote awareness of
Forks Area Art Society and
foster relationship with the
community. Last year, over
70 artists and vendors
participated. The feedback
from previous festivals has
been very positive. From its
inception, the group's motto
has been to have fun with art.
Members utilize conventional mediums such as oils,
watercolors, and acrylics, as
well as mediums like colored
pencils,
wood
turning,
poetry, writing, stained
glass, wax art, and jewelry
making. FAAS meetings are
held every second Wednesday of the month at the Forks
Township Municipal Building.
Original Art and handmade
crafts will be available for
sale at the event. With the
popular
Crayola
Kids
Corner, there are attractions
for the whole family. A
selection of artists will be
demonstrating their mediums. Enjoy a spring day of
art, with food and music to
add to the fun.

The Blair Academy Players

take the stage to present Ken
Ludwig's Shakespeare in
Hollywood on May 12th,
13th and 14th at 7:30pm in
Armstrong-Hipkins Center
for the Arts Wean Theatre.
General admission is $10 for
adults and $5 for students,
and reservations can be made
by
emailing
mcmilm@
blair.edu.
Directed by Blair theatre
and English teacher Micki
Kaplan McMillan, the cast
and crew have been working
all semester to meticulously
perfect their roles in the
Shakespeare-meets-20thcentury production.
The play is set in 1934,
when Shakespeare's most
famous
fairies,
Oberon
(played by Liam Heino '17)
and Puck (played by Emmila
Hastings '17), have magically
materialized on the Warner
Bros. Hollywood set of Max
Reinhardt's (portrayed by
Chris Bottone '16) A
Midsummer Night's Dream.
Instantly smitten by the glitz
and glamour of show biz, the
two are ushered onto the
silver screen and tossed into
loopy love triangles, with
raucous results.
The cast comprises both
Blair theatre veterans and

newcomers,
including
Tiffany Sharma '16, Luigi
Pasquariello '18, Matthew
Bottone '19, Sade Johnson
'17, Brianna Annunziata '16,
Lauren Tung '17, Charlie
Stafford
'17,
Kendrick
Ng-Yow '19, Daiden Kent
'18, Irena Panchenkova '19,
Sadie Britton '16, George
Pektor '17, Amanda Goldsmith '18, Mekhi Holley '17,
Liam Cory '19 and John
Dragonetti '19.
Brandy Zhang '18 serves as
stage manager and Dean of

Teaching and Learning Gwenyth Connell is assistant

director. Maria Ngugi '18 and
Julia Wienberg '18 also aided
in providing props and
costumes.
Since attending a performance of the show at Rutgers
University's Cabaret Theatre,
in which former Player
Taylor McKay '08 had a role,
Ms. McMillan has wanted to
bring Shakespeare in Hollywood to campus.
This show is a great way to
continue to integrate Shakespeare into our theatre
program, making it accessible to both our students and
the audience, she explained.
Plus, because the show is
performed in the round,
meaning
the
audience
surrounds all sides of the
stage, it posed an added
challenge for the Players.
Movement and blocking
in the round' is an entirely
different acting experience,
said Ms. McMillan, noting
that utilizing the unconventional theatrical style is
Blair's unique spin on the
play. It's a balancing act of
sorts. The actors must move
in a rotational manner to
connect with all members of
the audience throughout their
performances.
But, it was a challenge the
cast was eager to take on, said
Ms. McMillan. It is very
rewarding to work with
students when what we do
means as much to them as it
means to me. They come in
ready to work. Nothing but
the highest standard is
acceptable to them, and they
strive to meet it at every
rehearsal.
While several seniors will
take their final bows next
weekend, a few Players are
just starting out their careers
on Blair's stage in Shakespeare in Hollywood, which
promises to be an exciting
and entertaining evening for
all who attend, Ms. McMillan
said.