Northwestern Press

Germansville Fire Company celebrates Halloween.

Hurricane Sandy, which brought devastation and darkness to 17 states along the East Coast Monday night and Tuesday, forced the closing of most Lehigh Valley schools and many roads throughout the Northwestern community.

School District Superintendent Dr. Mary Anne Wright wrote on the district website at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 30 schools would remain closed Oct. 31.

Lynn Township Supervisor Justin Smith continued a September discussion about how the fire companies should respond to a burn ban.

"Our procedures for a controlled burn are to go out and to call one of you [the supervisors]," Gary Kuntz, assistant chief of the Community Fire Company, New Tripoli, said on Oct. 10. "It's not up to the fire department to enforce it. If it appears dangerous, we'll put it out."

Township Manager Kevin Deppe said when they are called out and a controlled burn is not according to the burn ban, the company should put it out.

As holiday schedules get busy in the coming days and weeks, The Press and Blue Ridge Communications are asking the public to not forget those who have given so much.

Now in its third year of giving, Blue Ridge invites all to share in adding some of the warmth of the yuletide season with Keystone Soldiers and its Stockings for Soldiers program, by sending much-needed and requested food and hygiene items and Christmas cards to our men and women spending Christmas away from home and stationed in such countries as: Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Bonnie Lee Strunk, a writer and photographer for The Press weekly newspapers, received four awards during the National Federation of Press Women's annual conference Sept. 20-22 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

All four entries previously won first place in state competition sponsored by Pennsylvania Press Club this past spring.

This year, all Lehigh County residents will vote for the U.S. Representative from the 15th Congressional District.

As a result of redistricting after the 2010 Census, the portion of Upper Macungie the previoiusly was in the 6th District is now part of the 15th.

The district has also shifted west, dropping Easton and part of Bethlehem and picking up parts of the I-78 corridor toward Dauphin County.

Those changes should make the district, which has been in Republican hands under Pat Toomey and Congressman Charlie Dent for over a decade, less Democrat.

Lehigh County Commissioners passed an amended version of County Executive Bill Hansell's budget at their Oct. 24 meeting.

The amendment directed Hansell to reduce county spending on personnel by $5 million, and turned a $6.5 million, one-time tax credit into a reduction of the millage rate by a percentage that would decrease county revenue by $5 million.

The remaining $1.5 million will remain as a tax credit.

Commissioners Vic Mazziotti, Scott Ott, Lisa Scheller, Michael Schware and Thomas Creighton III voting in favor.

Voters in the 134th Legislative District may be a bit confused this year.

After Douglas Reichley resigned to take his seat on the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas, voters went to the polls April 24 to vote in a special election, and to vote in the 2012 primary.

Faced with a slate of choices, Republican voters nominated Ryan Mackenzie for a two-year term while Patrick Slattery was unopposed on the Democratic side.

At the same time, Mackenzie defeated Slattery in the special election to fill Reichley's seat by roughly 60 percent to 40 percent.

Wammer die Schteeg nuffallt hot mer Glick. If we fall up the steps, we will have good luck.

Wann's Fie schpotyaahrs in re Drupp weed, gebt's en hadder Winder. If cattle graze close together in fall, there will be a hard winter.

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Friday Night at the Movies will be presented 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at Lighthouse Baptist Church, 2096 Independent Road, Route 863 S, New Smithville.

The third in the Left Behind Series, "World at War," will be shown. Admission is free, so come out and enjoy.

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Lehigh Gap Nature Center has race.