State Representative Craig Dally will be Northampton Community College’s (NCC) commencement speaker at the ceremony on Thursday, May 24, 2007. The ceremony begins at 6:30 PM and will be held at the Spartan Center, Main Campus, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem Township.

Dally has served as representative for Northampton County’s 138th District since 1996 sitting on many committees. He is on the board of directors of the Nazareth YMCA, where he was president in 1995 and 1996. He is a former director of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley and was awarded the organization’s Martin D. Cohen Award. He was also honored by the organization for his work to promote youth mentoring.

Additionally, Dally serves on the boards of the Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation and the Moravian Hall Square Retirement Community. He is a former councilman for the borough of Pen Argyl and a member of the council of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Nazareth.

Dally continues a family tradition of support for higher education. His father was among a group of citizens who founded Northampton Community College in 1967 so that county residents could enjoy an affordable higher education close to home. With other members of the House Republican Caucus, Dally secured for NCC $1 million in state funds to transform the former Bethlehem Steel headquarters into NCC’s Fowler Family Southside Center, a center for education and workforce development. Known for his regional perspective, he has been a leader in bipartisan support for the project.

A graduate of Pen Argyl Area High School, Dally earned a bachelor of arts degree from Lafayette College and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law. He is a member of the bar associations of Pennsylvania and Northampton County.

BANGOR- The Slate Belt Heritage Center recently received a grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development in the amount of $20,000. The grant was sponsored and presented by Pennsylvania Representative Richard Grucela. The grant will be used to restore the exterior of the Heritage Center with much needed repairs to the roof, eaves, spouting, windows and bricks.

The grant comes at an auspicious time because the Center will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the erection of the Old Town Hall. Built in 1907, the building is of Italianate and Jacobian architecture, and served as the Bangor Council Chambers, Borough Offices and Fire Department. The Center was incorporated in 1999 when a group of citizens decided to save the deteriorating building and use it to house local heritage. It was designated the Slate Belt Heritage Center and reopened to the public in the year 2000.

The focal point of the building is the clock tower. The antique four-faced clock was manufactured by the E. Howard Clock Co. of Boston, Mass and was installed in 1907 in the borough hall. In addition to being Bangor’s time piece, the clock chimed a coded ring to alert the borough fire department as to the location of town fires. The tower was also used to hang the fire hoses after a fire, in order to dry. The clock had been restored and electrified to current standards. It is the intent of the Heritage Center board of directors to conserve this precious building for generations to come and to keep the history of the Slate Belt alive through this preservation.

The Bangor Elementary PTA is sponsoring a theme-filled basket bingo on Friday, April 27 at Five Points Elementary School. The cost is $25 per ticket which includes 20 games, a light dinner and a beverage. The doors will open at 5:30 PM and the games begin at 7 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the door but only the first 200 will be admitted. Extra game cards can be purchased for $5 and grand and special basket tickets will be available at an additional cost. All proceeds will benefit the Bangor Elementary students. Five Points Elementary School is located at 363 Five Points-Richmond Road. For more information, call Debbie at 610.588.5854 or Patty at 610.588.0545.

Pius X Blue & White Bash

The Blue and White Bash will be held on Saturday, April 28 at the Blue Valley Farm Show. Doors open at 5:30 PM with dinner served at 6 PM. Dinner will be catered by Lora of Rose’s Main Street Café and entertainment will be provided by DJ Chuck Seese. Tickets cost $30 and benefit the Blue and White Scholastic Foundation. For more information, call 610.599.0982 or 610.588.5387.

Wind Gap Area Athletic Association March Public Meeting

The Wind Gap Area Athletic Association (WGAAA) will hold a general meeting on Monday, April 30. The meeting will be held at the field house and is set to begin at 7:30 PM. The public is invited to attend and each public comment will be granted approximately five minutes. For more information, visit www.wgaaa.org.

Trinity United Church of Christ Pastie Bake & Rummage Sale

Trinity United Church of Christ Church will hold a rummage sale from 8 AM to 3 PM on Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28. Food will be available during the sale. Proceeds will be used for the Parsonage Kitchen Fund. The church is also holding a pastie supper to benefit the Parsonage Kitchen Fund at 7:30 PM on Saturday, May 5 at the church. Takeouts will also be available and orders should be placed by April 28. For more information, call Carla Shrout at 610.588.5190.

Green Knight Economic Development Accepting Grant Applications

The Green Knight Economic Development Corporation (GKEDC) is accepting grant applications from non-profit groups within Pen Argyl, Plainfield Township and Wind Gap. Income generated from the Green Knight Energy Center is annually donated to support community-based educational programs and organizations. GKEDC provides $4,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors that plan to attend a college or university. Scholarship applications will be accepted through May 1. For more information on the GKEDC, visit www.gkedc.com.

Plainfield Twp. Lions Club Spaghetti Dinner

The Plainfield Township Lions Club is holding a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7 PM on Saturday, April 28 at Hope United Church of Christ. The cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children 5 to 12 years old. Children under age 5 eat free. All proceeds will support the club’s work with the blind and local community service projects. Hope United Church of Christ is located at Second and Cherry Streets in Wind Gap.

Slate Belt Farmers Market Holding Vendor Meeting

Slate Belt Farmers Market will hold a meeting for all vendors at 7 PM on Sunday, April 29 at Kelly’s Ice Cream located on Route 611 in Portland. For more information, call 570.897.0135.

Bangor Class of 1957 Planning Reunion

The Bangor Area High School Class of 1957 will meet at 12 PM on Wednesday, May 2 at Country Roads Restaurant. The meeting is being held to plan for the class’ 50th reunion. All classmates are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call 610.588.0387.

Washington Township Fire Company Roast Beef Dinner

The Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company is hosting a roast beef dinner catered by Elite Gourmet from 4 to 7 PM on Saturday, April 28. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 10 and children under age 6 eat free. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610.588.6417 or at Bangor Hardware, Speers Meat Market and Flicksville Deli.

Green & White Youth Association Seeking Advertisers

The Green and White Youth Association is seeking local businesses interested in purchasing a sign advertising their business that will be hung on the fences of the playing fields at the Green and White Complex located on Main Street in Pen Argyl. The signs are 4 X 8 foot and will be hung throughout the 2007 season. For more information, contact Rich Mutton at 610.863.7615.

Second Ward Fire Ladies’ Aux. Holding Mother’s Day Fashion Show

The Ladies’ Auxiliary of Second Ward Fire Company will hold the Mother’s Day Fashion and Craft Show from 12 to 4 PM on Saturday, May 12 at the fire house. The event is sponsored by Jen’s Odds N’ Ends and will feature crafts and fashions from various vendors. Light refreshments will be served and part of the proceeds will benefit Second Ward Fire Company.

Richmond United Methodist Church Holding Yard Sale & Auction

Richmond United Methodist Church is holding a yard sale and auction from 8 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, May 5 at the church. For more information, call Dawn Olson at 610.588.0148 or Robin Hughes at 610.588.0455.

GFWC Bangor Collecting DVDs for U.S. Troops

GFWC Bangor is collecting DVDs for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Kuwait. Troop Commander CM Sgt. Nelligan is trying to establish a DVD library for over 1,000 troops who work 12 hour days, every day, and don’t have TV service available to them. The DVDs can be new or previously viewed. Donations can be dropped at Merchant’s National Bank of Bangor, The Bangor Public Library and Patt-White Realtor.

Merchants Bank Walkers Busing to New York City

The Merchants National Bank Walkers, a Relay for Life Slate Belt team, is sponsoring a bus trip to New York City on Saturday, April 28. The trip includes a tour of Little Italy, Zabar’s, and many other attractions. The bus will depart Merchants National Bank (25 Broadway, Bangor) at 7 AM and depart New York City at 5 PM. The cost of the trip is $30. For more information, please call Mary Jo Martino at 610.588.9265.

Plainfield Fire Company Bloodmobile Site

Plainfield Volunteer Fire Company is a weekly bloodmobile site. Blood drive hours are every Thursday from 3 PM to 7:30 PM and every other Tuesday from 3 PM to 7:30 PM. The Plainfield Fire Company is located at 6480 Sullivan Trail. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at this site and nearby areas, visit www.GiveAPint.org or call 800-223-6667.

Relay For Life Easton Changing Venue for 2007 Relay

Relay for Life Easton is moving to a new location for 2007. Relay for Life Easton will be held on June 15 and 16, from 2 PM to 2 PM at Lafayette College’s Metzgar Field on Sullivan Trail, Forks Township (adjacent to the Forks Airport). The next meeting is planned for 7 PM on Wednesday, May 2 at the Met-Ed Building on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township. It is not too late to build a team and register. For more information, contact Rosemarie at the American Cancer Society at 610.921.2329, ext 3109 or rmurphy@cancer.org.

Grucela Reminds that Financial Aid Application Deadline is May 1

State Rep. Richard Grucela is urging students and their families who plan on applying for financial aid through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency for the 2007-08 academic year to do so by the May 1 deadline.

PHEAA allows eligible Pennsylvania residents to obtain financial aid for undergraduate study at any agency-approved institution of higher education. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, serves as the program’s application.

Grucela added that students and their families may submit the FAFSA electronically at www.EducationPlanner.org or www.pheaa.org, which is the online home of PHEAA, after obtaining a Personal Identification Number at www.pin.ed.gov.

The FAFSA is also available by calling or stopping by Grucela’s offices: 239 S. Broad St. in Nazareth, 610-614-1312; or 5 Mt. Bethel Plaza in Mt. Bethel, 570-897-0401.

NCC Student Art Exhibit to Open at Fowler Center

The artwork of student artists will be on display at Northampton Community College’s Fowler Family Southside Center from Friday, May 4 through May 25. The exhibit will open with a First Friday reception from 6 to 9 PM on May 4.

The exhibit will showcase the works of students in the Painting 1 class, and features a variety of styles and expressions. The exhibit will feature paintings, drawings, mixed media pieces, and video works. The student artists are: Monica Moser, Michelle Fraser, Valderie Givens, Serayah Gray, Jenna Laughery,
Paola Mero, Alexandra Poniktera, Gary Warren, Candy DeJesus, Allison Antonson, Cynthia Rossi, Molly Devlin and Danielle Solano.

NCC’s Fowler Family Southside Center is located at 511 East Third Street in Bethlehem. The exhibit is on display Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Rendell Announces $927K Investment Helping PA Business Increase Use of Recyclables

Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the award of $927,000 in grants to help manufacturers buy equipment and increase their use of Pennsylvania-generated recyclable materials in production of finished goods. These Recycling Markets Infrastructure Development grants will leverage more than $3 million of investments by Pennsylvania businesses.

“By helping businesses increase the use of recyclable materials in their products, these grants will help to build market demand for recovered glass, metal, plastic, paper and other recyclable materials,” Governor Rendell said. “The success of the commonwealth’s recycling programs is directly related to demand for recyclable goods. Not only does this investment increase the use of recovered materials, it also showcases some of the innovations being developed by Pennsylvania businesses.”

“These grants are targeted to companies that will develop useful and necessary products from recycled materials for which there is currently weak or limited demand,” said Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty. “For recycling to succeed in the long-term, we need to support innovative ideas that turn waste into raw materials for industry and build strong, profitable recycling-based businesses.”
The three companies receiving the Recycling Markets Infrastructure Grants are:

• LCL Industries Inc. of Schuylkill County will use its $500,000 grant as part of a $1.6 million project to process mixed broken glass into an abrasive product that can be used for sandblasting. The innovative process could greatly benefit the recycling industry because it incorporates a commonly recovered glass that is not currently used in the remanufacturing of glass bottles and has few uses. Additionally, LCL’s product would eliminate the health risks of silicosis and exposure to heavy metals associated with many currently available abrasives. Once operational, LCL will have the capability to process 300 tons of mixed broken glass per day and will create more than 10 jobs.

• Pandya Inc. of Cambria County received a $302,736 grant to purchase equipment allowing this manufacturer of composite wood products to process additional types of recyclable materials, such as agricultural plastics, plant and flower containers, and grocery bags. Pandya currently produces parking blocks, speed bumps, picnic tables, and landscaping and fencing materials from post-consumer bottles, sawdust and cardboard. With this equipment, Pandya will double its production capacity to use 4,000 pounds per day of recycled plastics and broaden its product line. Pandya anticipates the grant will create up to 10 jobs at its facility and in other segments of the recycling industry. Increasing the beneficial reuse of agricultural plastics is a priority for Pennsylvania’s recycling programs.

• Waste Not Technologies LLC of Monroe County received a $124,200 grant to purchase equipment to process additional types of plastic. The company manufactures fencing from recycled plastics obtained from industrial and residential recycling programs, including low-density polyethylene and polypropylene, for which no other regional markets exist. The new equipment will enable Waste Not Technologies to use recycled high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, and increase consumption of recycled plastics by more than 4 tons per day. The addition of HDPE materials will provide a more stable supply of recycled plastics, making the business more sustainable and allowing it to create two jobs.

Pennsylvania’s recycling and reuse industry leads the nation in employment, payroll and sales numbers. More than 3,200 recycling and reuse businesses and organizations made more than $18 billion in gross annual sales, paid $305 million in taxes and provided jobs for more than 81,300 employees at an annual payroll of approximately $2.9 billion.

Recycling Markets Infrastructure Development Grants finance the purchase of machinery or equipment that will increase consumption of recyclable materials recovered in Pennsylvania. The grants are made to businesses and nonprofit organizations that are manufacturing a product or reusing an existing product using recyclable material from Pennsylvania or that want to begin using recyclable material. Grants are available in amounts up to $500,000 for any one recycling infrastructure development project.

Civic Theatre School Presenting “The Wizard of Oz”

Civic Theatre of Allentown presents one of the most beloved stories of all time, “The Wizard of Oz” as their annual theatre school production. Directed by Civic Resident Company Member and Muhlenberg College alumnus Noah Herman, “The Wizard of Oz” features a 55-member cast comprised entirely of Civic Theatre School students.

The show runs from April 27 to May 5. The Crayola Factory sponsors the production, made possible in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

This production will feature all of the magic that has made “The Wizard of Oz” so popular, including songs “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “If I Only Had a Brain,” and “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” The cast features students from many area school districts, including Kate Stauff, from the Holy Family School in Nazareth, as Dorothy; Dustin Wingate, from Parkland School District, as the Lion; Sean Gradwell, from Moravian Academy, as the Wizard; and Sydney Yonak, from the Lehigh Valley High School for the Performing Arts, as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

The Civic Theatre of Allentown is located at 527 North 19th Street in Allentown. Call 610-432-8943 for tickets and information, or visit www.civictheatre.com. Hearing assistance is available, and we will provide ASL interpreters on Saturday, April 28 at 1 PM.

"The Wizard of Oz" plays Friday, April 27 at 6 PM, Saturday, April 28 at 1 PM, Thursday, May 3 at 6 PM, Friday, May 4 at 6 PM, and Saturday, May 5 at 1 PM Tickets are $10 general admission, $6 for students, seniors and children. Group rates are available.

Acoustic Guitar Genius Willy Porter Returns to Mauch Chunk Opera House

JTAMS Productions Presents Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Willy Porter with opening musical guest Natalia Zukerman, live at The Mauch Chunk Opera House at 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe, on Saturday, April 28 at 8:30 PM.

Porter's emergence as one of the artists at the forefront of the modern folk-music scene dates back to 1990 with his debut CD, "The Trees Have Soul". At that time he was traveling in his Volkswagen selling discs out his trunk, mesmerizing audiences with his guitar chops and original tunes, while quickly developing a cult following. In 1994, he released his second independent CD entitled, "Dog Eared Dream." The song "Angry Words" became a top-10 staple on Triple AAA radio stations around the country. This radio success established Porter as a nationally recognized artist. European and American tours with Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos and The Cranberries followed over the next year and a half.

In 1999 Porter signed with San Francisco-based Six Degrees Records and released the folk-pop gem, "Falling Forward." Produced by Grammy winner Neil Dorfsman (Dire Straits, Sting), "Falling Forward" contained the radio friendly tracks "Mystery" & "Cut the Rope." National tours commenced with legendary artists Paul Simon, Sting, Jeff Beck and Jethro Tull.

In 2002, Porter released a self-titled disc, "Willy Porter." In 2003, the solo live album "High Wire Live" clearly showcased his mastery of the acoustic guitar in his most comfortable environment-his live show. He continued to stretch over the next couple of years morphing performance art, live audio looping, and improvisational sketch comedy into his shows.

Always the independent Porter combined his experience at both major and independent record labels and ultimately fueled his drive to release a wider variety of music on his own label, Weasel Records in December 2005. His latest release, "Available Light" (Ryko Distribution), features Porter at the peak of his powers as a guitarist, singer, songwriter & recording artist.

Opening this concert is special guest Natalia Zukerman who is the daughter of world renowned violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman.

Doors for this show open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 8:30 PM. For more information, call 570.325.0249 or visit www.jtams.net.