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JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 2, 2022
Looking by Back Ed Pany Weaversville to War, Part 3 of 5
Cpl. Wilmer C. Saylor, left, with Pvt. First Class Herbert Ruch, right. Photo courtesy of Beatrice Christoff. In this third column, Pvt. difficult. Hand-to-hand combat First Class Herbert Ruch, from was fierce; more than 216,000 Weaversville, is on one of the Japanese, United States and Auslargest islands in the world - tralian lives were lost in combat. New Guinea. Few of the soldiers More Japanese died from disease who landed there between 1942 and starvation than in combat. and 1945 had really ever heard When Pvt. Ruch landed on the of the island. Now, it was a ma- island, there still were Japanese jor war zone in the Pacific. resisting in the mountains. The island was under the conPvt. Ruch’s engineering unit trol of Holland and Australia. landed Nov. 7, 1944, at FinThe Japanese invaded the island schhafen, New Guinea. On Nov. in 1940 and constructed a large 10, they moved to their new base air field and naval base. The Japa- at Hollandia. nese motive was to bomb and inHe wrote, “Things are happenvade Australia. They constructed ing, but I cannot write about it. a system of tunnels and caves We are living off the ground and during their occupation. Jungle, have lots of work to do. We are monsoons and mountains made defeating the Japanese extremely Continued on page 3
50 cents
Northampton Borough Council hires New police Officer By CHRISTINA SANTO
The Northampton Borough Council met on January 20 to swear in a new police officer and discuss sewer EDUs. Council unanimously approved a motion to hire Evan Meddler as a part-time police officer. Meddler was sworn in at the meeting. Before he can officially start working, he has an 8-week MPOETC training to complete. Councilman Anthony Lopsonski Sr. suggested he walk the parking meters and get to know the people and businesses in town. In other business, Tim Tepes was present to ask for an update on the intermunicipal sewer agreement with Allen Township; Tepes needs 68 to 70 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) to complete his project. Tim Livengood, Towpath Estates developer, recently completed an agreement with the township for 50 EDUs, while Tepes says his family’s development began back in the 1960s and is still on hold. Borough Manager LeRoy Brobst explained that the borough is in the midst of creating a joint Act 537 with the township, and that they are working on a resolution to the sewer EDUs. Council passed a motion to advertise Ordinance 1220. The ordinance proposes mandating a right-turn only for eastbound traffic at the intersection of Station Alley and Main Street; it will be voted on at the next council meeting. Many council members commended the public works department, fire department, and sewer authority employees for their continued hard work. The public works and fire departments have been greatly affected by COVID, but have continued to “hold the ship together,” in the words of councilman Ron Glassic. Council also commended the job public
January Photo of the Month
The Great Horned Owl, taken January 6 by Carl J. Fischer, Jr. of Nazareth.
This photo is of a Great Horned Owl, also known as the Tiger Owl or the Hoot Owl, a large owl native to North and South America. Mr. and Mrs. Fischer spotted the owl on a hike in Bushkill Township; the owl was flying through the trees and landed in a tree nearby. This photo was captured using a 600mm
lens. The owl allowed the Fischers to watch it for about 10 minutes and then flew off. These owls are not only beautiful, they are also huge; they’re estimated to be about 30% larger than a Red-tailed Hawk. Great Horned Owls are considered very aggressive and are one of the most common owls in North America.
works did clearing the wintry mix from borough streets. Sewer authority employees recently fixed a water main break on Newport Avenue, and were beginning to repair the road when another main broke nearby. These employees worked tirelessly to fix both breaks, and returned to work the next morning. Finally, Brobst gave a brief overview of the Cementon
Bridge project. Bids will open in July, and they will break ground in August. The whole process, includContinued on page 7
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