End Cross-Filing by School Board Candidates, State Rep. Says

State Rep. Justin Simmons (R-Lehigh/Northampton) announced in a press release that he is sponsoring a bill to 'remove the ability of school board candidates to cross-file nomination petitions.'

State Rep. Justin Simmons (R-131) announced Wednesday that he is sponsoring a bill to remove the ability of school board candidates to cross-file nomination petitions. House Bill 1020 was approved by the House State Government Committee Wednesday, Simmons said.  The bill would amend the Pennsylvania Election Code of 1937, which currently allows school board member candidates to file nomination petitions for multiple political parties. Consequently, school board candidates in Pennsylvania who are cross-filed appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots in primary elections. "Historically, school board candidates have been permitted to cross-file because this position has been thought of as being non-partisan," Simmons said. "However…

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Bob Thomas

12:10 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

School Board races aren't partisan? I just came from voting. I saw a teacher that I know who took the day off school. She is a PSEA union representative. She was working for a candidate for school board that is a democrat who cross filed. Wake up people! The teachers union has been stacking the school board with their candidates for years. The only people that haven't figured it out yet are the …   more ›

Saucon's O'Donnell Wins State Wrestling Title

Saucon Valley senior wrestler Ray O'Donnell (220) defeated Brandon Smith of Lewisburg 2-0 at Hershey March 9 to win gold and become the district's 12th PIAA State Wrestling Champion.

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Joshua Malik

11:02 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013

I agree with Mean Mom - that is a great accomplishment and the school should have recognized and supported Ray on his return to school.... support of the other young lads that made it to states as well.... Recognize!!!   more ›

Main Street Needs More Money, Freeman Says

State Rep. Bob Freeman pushing bill that would extend Main Street programs.

State Rep. Bob Freeman (D-136) wants to give programs like Main Street Initiative more time to do their work. Freeman, whose legislative district includes Hellertown borough and parts of Lower Saucon Township, has proposed legislation that would extend the life of Pennsylvania's Main Street programs, which are designed to help communities improve their downtowns. The bill would extend funding for the administrative side of those programs for another five years, provided that the state Department of Community and Economic Development gives its permission. "Unfortunately, we have seen in numerous cases that the current five-year time frame to turn around a traditional downtown is too short," Freeman said in a news release. "A community just …

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Hellertown Snow Emergency Lifted

The Saucon Valley is cleaning up from a winter storm.

UPDATE (10am, Sat.): The snow emergency in Hellertown has been lifted. Property owners are being reminded to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks, as per the Borough Code. UPDATE (5:40pm): The National Weather Service has maintained its Winter Storm Warning for the Lehigh Valley, in spite of the fact that little snow fell during the day Friday. Overnight snow accumulations of 3 to 10 inches are possible throughout northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey, according to the latest updated NWS forecast and the current storm warning. UPDATE (11:45am): Due to the weather, the Red Out Saucon Valley High School Boys Basketball game/fundraiser for the American Heart Association has been rescheduled from Friday night to Monday, Feb…

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Barbara Valladares

6:38 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013

The Weather Channel named the storm Nemo. They decided it was easier to track big storms if they had a name. They posted the explanation and chosen names on their site: http://www.weather.com/news/winter-storm-names-20121001   more ›

Dog Control Officer Sought by Township

The position was discussed at length by Lower Saucon Township Council on Jan. 16.

Lower Saucon Township has announced that it is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Township Dog Control Officer. The position was discussed at council's Jan. 16 meeting, after Township Manager Jack Cahalan explained that Lower Saucon's relationship with the Center for Animal Health and Welfare--where stray dogs have been accepted for years--is tenuous. "This is a problem I guess all over Pennsylvania," Cahalan said. "The biggest problem is sheltering. There just (are) not enough facilities." Cahalan said the Center continues to have space issues, meaning that in some cases it is unable to accept stray dogs from municipalities with whom it has contracts. Before the township can attempt to drop off an animal at the Center--which…

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Tell Us: Do You Support Privatizing PA Liquor Stores?

Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett unveiled a plan Wednesday to privatize the state's network of wine and spirits stores. We want to know if Saucon Valley residents think that's a good idea.

The way Pennsylvanians purchase liquor could change forever if a plan presented Wednesday by governor Tom Corbett is ultimately implemented. Plans to abolish the state-run monopoly on liquor sales have been debated by many politicians in the past, but popular opinion now appears to support the idea. We wanted to know how Saucon Valley residents feel about this issue, so we posed the question on Facebook yesterday. Local resident Mary Anne Looby said her experiences living outside the commonwealth have influenced her opinion on the subject of privatizing liquor sales. "We are definitely for it," she wrote on Hellertown Patch's Facebook page. "It will allow for a greater selection of wines coming into PA. Competition means better prices. We …

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Barbara Scherer

12:59 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013

For now I believe the proposal is just for state stores but not the sale of beer. I agree the small distributors should be allowed to sell beer; keep the government out of these things. They control enough of our lives.   more ›

County Receives Sandy Federal Disaster Declaration

The action makes federal funding available to Pennsylvania, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations, according to a news release. Individual assistance will not be made available.

The following information was originally posted on the Lower Saucon Township website, www.lowersaucontownship.org: FEMA announced on Jan. 10, 2013 that federal disaster aid has been made available to Pennsylvania to supplement the commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy during the period of Oct. 26 to Nov. 8, 2012. The President's action makes federal funding available to the commonwealth and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Bedford, Bucks, Cameron, Dauphin, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Potter, Somerset…

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Boscola Proposes Child Protection Legislation

Among the legislative package recently introduced by state Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18) is a bill that would limit where registered sex offenders can live.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18) has introduced a legislative package that includes several bills focused on child protection, her office announced Jan. 8. “Children are our most precious resource,” Boscola said in a statement about the bills. “We owe them our love, support and every legal protection available.” Among the proposed legislation is a bill that would limit where sex offenders registered under Megan's Law can live. Specifically, under Boscola’s proposal registered sex offenders would be prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a school, preschool, daycare facility or public playground, and from within 500 feet of a school bus stop. The subject of sex offenders living near school bus stops became a hot topic in the Saucon …

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Local Gas Prices Dip Slightly

Regular gas prices in the Saucon Valley currently range from $3.47 to $3.54 per gallon.

The first two weeks of 2012 saw gas prices rise by an average of 12 cents because of geopolitical tensions with Iran. Throughout the same period in 2013, however, pump prices have risen only a penny, according to AAA’s weekly Fuel Gauge Report, which is based upon a national average. Over the last week gas prices have actually fallen in the Lehigh Valley area by an average of a penny, but at an average of $3.50 the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas is still about four cents higher than it was at this time last year. The price per gallon in Pennsylvania is also down by about one cent since last week, to $3.51. Meanwhile, the national average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is close to $3.30. In Hellertown, as of Tuesday …

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Walter

8:16 am on Monday, February 4, 2013

Oh what a difference three weeks can make.   more ›