Saucon Secrets

Winter Afternoon With a Woodsman

The day not only yielded an awakening of the beauty of local wilderness, but also thought-provoking data involved in lending thought to a current national issue.

The humidity hung over Saucon Creek with intermittent drizzle and mist that made the footing in the dense woods slippery, especially with the thick leaf covering. My balance-impaired body was at risk of tumbling down each downhill portion of the hidden path known only to my walking companion, Rich Geyer. Equilibrium be damned, I was determined to keep pace, but to no avail while lagging behind with distance between us continually increasing. Rich slid down banks on his feet and glided up steep slopes with ease. Having grown up for a few years living at the Geyer farm, now the Michael Heller Homestead, he was familiar with all the woods between Water Street and Walnut Street. This was my first trek taking this path along the creek. …

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Angie Drake

8:29 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013

I agree with Bob, mental health issues are key inthis debate yet are not getting enough consideration. If you look at all these shooters in the mass killings mental health issues are surely a big component of what brought the shooter to the terrible place they were when they took those assault weapons and went out to kill innocent perople. I also wonder why people are so loath to lock up their …   more ›

Tell Us: How Do You Feel About Newtown Conspiracy Theories?

Since the shooting of 20 Sandy Hook Elementary School students in Newtown, Conn., last month, conspiracy theories have emerged via social media claiming the entire incident was a hoax to further to the aims of the gun control lobby.

Please take our poll and post your thoughts about Newtown "Truthers" in the comments section below. Further reading:

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Moms Talk

Mom's Talk: Armed Guards in Our Schools?

Mom's Talk asks parents to tell us whether they think their children's school should have armed guards in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy

The debate over guns in schools heated up Friday as the NRA issued a sweeping call for armed guards nationwide and a group called MomsRising responded with harsh criticism of the powerful gun lobby. We'd like to hear the parents of our communities weigh in. Do you think your child's school should have armed protectors or does that idea worry you? There are strong opinions on both sides of this timely controversy. Post your comments below and you can also vote in our poll on an assault weapons ban. Our Moms Council members include: If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.

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NRA Says Saucon Valley Schools Should Have Armed Guards - Do You Agree?

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said Friday that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." He advocated a plan for putting armed guards in schools across the country.

The Katz Meow

America Needs the "Newtown Anti-Gun Bill"

The federal government should ban the purchase or possession of all military-type weapons including, but not limited to, automatic rifles and automatic handguns.

The gun massacre that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut was peculiarly an American catastrophe, happening in an almost ideal American town, to 20 children (and six adults). There have been seven such incidents since the beginning of the year. Our national sorrow and outrage is quite justified. At the same time, although our hearts are still in Newtown, our heads must be on what we can do to prevent another mass murder in the United States. It is a fact that the number of guns we Americans own per capita is the greatest in the world and almost twice that of our nearest competitor (Serbia). These numbers are as of 2007, but it is certain that our per capita rate has grown since then. Indeed, I have seen one estimate that suggests that our …

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Patch to Observe Friday Morning Moment of Silence for Newtown Victims

Exactly one week after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Patch and much of the Web will briefly go dark at 9:30am, in tribute to the students and school personnel who died.

Patch is among the many websites that will display a tribute to victims of the Sandy Hook shooting across their sites tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 21 at 9:30am. According to Patch's sister site Techcrunch, the online campaign was inspired by a call for a moment of silence by Connecticut’s governor--and follows a coalition of tech leaders calling for more gun control. Techcrunch writes: The awareness strategy seems inspired by the SOPA [Stop Online Piracy Act] website blackouts from January. Instead of completely blocking functionality of participating websites, though, the tribute message can be closed to resume normal browsing. Alternatively, people can click a link in the message to find out what else they can do to aid the campaign. The …

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Dear Newtown, Connecticut

This open letter in response to the tragic school shooting was penned by Hellertown native Emily Doll, a doctoral student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. It was first published on her Facebook page on Friday.

Dear Newtown, Connecticut, I don’t know you. I’ve never been to your town, I don’t know your friends and families and streets and memories. Like most people, I didn’t know you existed until today, and now my ears keep echoing with your name and your cries; now I close my eyes and picture your woods; now I think of you every time I inhale, exhale, breathe.  I don’t know you, but my heart shattered for you today in a way I can’t comprehend yet. I don’t have answers for you, only shared questions; I don’t have reasons for you, only resonating whys. I’m not there, I’m not with you, I’m not part of you tonight, but from 317 miles away, know that I am grieving with you. I don’t have the intellect to understand what happened today. I don’t have …

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Report: Up to 27 Dead in Connecticut School Shooting

Newtown, Conn. officials say they're trying to reunite parents with children who remain under lockdown at Sandy Hook Elementary School following confirmed shootings Friday morning.

NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT - Officials in Newtown say they're trying to reunite parents with their children in the wake of a shocking multiple shooting at an elementary school in the town’s Sandy Hook neighborhood. CNN reports that there may be as many as 27 dead. Newtown (Conn.) Patch is covering this unfolding news story. First Selectman Pat Llodra told Newtown Patch that there is no information being released about the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — only confirming that there was a shooting. "I'm horrified, saddened and shocked that this happened in Newtown," Llodra said. "Our priorities right now are making sure everyone safe and reuniting parents with their children." A reverse 911 call went out to all Newtown public…

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Tony

6:26 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012

well said Arthur. This is sickening. Maybe from a mankind perspective we can start by requiring background checks and more to access guns or stricter gun control all together. With lack of healthcare access in the country as well, more and more people are mentally unstable, like this crazy *#(&*(#&$*&$, that did this to these innocent kids.:(   more ›