40¢
70th Year, Issue No. 21 USPS 248-700
MAY 26-June 1, 2011 A General Circulation Newspaper Serving The Community Since 1942
SERVING BATH, CHAPMAN, NORTHAMPTON, NAZARETH BOROS; ALLEN, E. ALLEN, MOORE, LEHIGH, BUSHKILL, LOWER NAZARETH & UPPER NAZARETH TWPS.
Ballard given Death penalty For killing four
BATH JUNIOR GIRL SCOUTS and their leaders, along with two men from Boy Scout Troop 33 in Bath unloaded the troop trailer and filled carts with some 3,700 books for the Cops ‘N’ Kids reading program on Bethlehem’s South Side. –Home News photo
Jr. Girl Scouts collect 3,700 books for reading By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News
“I wish I had the energy these girls have,” said Tiffany Yob, leader of Junior Girl Scout Troop 8219, as they moved about, chattering, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of a trailer outside the Northampton Community Center Fowler building on Bethlehem’s South Side this past Tuesday, May 17. Finally, the trailer, owned by Boy Scout Troop 33 of Bath, arrived on a cool and damp May evening, and the girls hurriedly rushed outside to meet it. What the trailer brought was a load of 3,700 books – all of it collected by the Girl Scouts from bins they had left at local banks and businesses in and around Bath. The books were collected for one purpose – to bring some great material to the Cops ‘N’ Kids reading program that meets each week on the fourth floor of that building. There were only six girls that evening with Tiffany and her assistant leader, Rachel Rasley, for the six others in the troop were committed to participating in a musical program at school. All of them, the girls and
their leaders, and Sean and Greg Corey from Troop 33, put their energy to work and unloaded the red trailer that was filled almost top to bottom with boxes of the books. Loading them on carts, they then walked up the ramp outside the big brick building, pushed the carts through the automatic doors, and up the elevator to the Cop ‘N’ Kids reading room. It was a very satisfying measure of work for all concerned. Junior Troop 8219 meets at Christ UCC Church in Bath. Girls who were able to make the trip to Bethlehem were Sara Corey, Gabby Demchak, Chloe Frantz, Emily Simpson, Destiny Kissalbach, and Jasmine Rasley. Unable to be there as the project was completed were Shaely Gorman, Hannah Paukovits, Oriana Perry, Reem Shadid, Brittany Wertman, and Kristen Unangst. For the youngsters who attend the reading program with volunteers from the Bethlehem Police Department, they’ll have plenty of books to keep them busy for now and way into the future, because some Girl Scouts from Bath care. They put their combined energy to good use.
A Northampton County jury ruled on Tuesday, May 17 that Michael Eric Ballard should die for killing four people in Northampton last summer. It took the jury just two hours to impose four death sentences for his having knifed to death his former girlfriend, Denise Merhi, 39; her father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh, Jr., 87, and a neighbor, Steven Zernhelt, 53, in Ms. Merhi’s home at 1927 Lincoln Ave., Northampton, on June 26, SENIOR HIGH PRINCIPAL William Hume received certificates 2010. – Home News photo Ballard had pleaded guilty from Sgt. Dennis Yost and Carl Schroeder. to the killing last month. His defense attorneys, public defenders Michael Corriere and James Connell, had sought a life sentence based on abuses in his youth, as well as brain By BILL HALBFOERSTER otic theme, the high school’s damage from numerous The Home News mixed chorus sang the “Star crashes. Two special awards were Spangled Banner” and a presented at the meeting of medley of patriotic songs on the Northampton Area School stage as the school board lisBoard on Monday night. tened, along with those of the The Pennsylvania Commit- public in attendance. tee for Employer Support of Announcements the National Guard and RePreceding the presentaserve presented a certificate tions, NASD Superintendent of patriotism to Northampton Joseph Kovalchik made sevHigh School and another to eral announcements: high school Principal William A scheduled East Allen Hume. Township zoning hearing Carl Schroeder, East Central on May 17 had to be postArea Representative for the poned until May 31 because organization, cited the sup- the stenographer was a no port the school gives to mili- show. The hearing involves tary service and how conflict the land at Nor-Bath Blvd. is resolved through mediation. & Seemsville Rd., which the Hume was cited as a patriotic school district has proposed MICHAEL BALLARD employer. for a new middle school. Taking part in the presenta- Zoning issues are involved. It was the first death pen- tion was a member of the miliThat same day, May 31, alty imposed in Northampton tary, Sgt. Dennis Yost. County in almost 25 years. In keeping with the patriContinued on page 8 That sentence was eventually overturned and Josoph Henry is serving a life sentence for strangling a Lehigh University student. But in 1933, a death verdict was carried out against a Lower Saucon Township man for killing his step-son. Ironically, that sentence was carried out on June 26, the day of the quadruple killings. By law, to reach a death verdict it had to be unanimous. The jury, one by one, gave their decision. The sentence will automatically be appealed to the Pa. Supreme Court, so Ballard could be sit- TWO VENDOR TENTS at the Bath Farmers Market Friday ting on death row for years. opening. – Home News photo Relatives of all the deceased were relieved at the death verdict, feeling that justice had been done. Ms. Merhi’s two children After a week of clouds and at almost the exact hour of are being raised by her moth- rain, the Bath Farmers Mar- opening at 3 p.m., and the er, Geraldine Dorwart, in the ket opened its 2011 season on vendors were thrilled that home where the murders oc- Friday afternoon in sunshine. curred. The sun magically appeared Continued on page 4
Patriotic awards presented At school board meeting
Sun greets market opening