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MAY 12-18, 2022
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Jacobsburg Historical Society celebrates Cement Worker of the Month: Max R. Gomez, Lehigh 50th anniversary Heidelberg, Nazareth
By SAVANNAH BROWN The Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce presented the 50th anniversary ribbon cutting ceremony for the Jacobsburg Historical Society on Wednesday, May 4 with recognitions from several es-
teemed offices in the community. Executive Vice President Jessica O’Donnell with the Affiliated Chambers of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce started off the celebration with some background information on
the Jacobsburg Historical Society, stating, “The Jacobsburg Historical Society was formed in the fall of 1972 with members of various community groups joining forces Continued on page 3
Sarah Shaner, NAHS DECA president, Earns third place recognition at DECA’s International Career Development Conference
Submitted by TARA MRAZIK Three Northampton Area High School DECA members earned the organization’s highest honors at DECA’s Annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, GA on April 23-26. Ezekiel Colyer and Mitchell Mondschein were finalists for the Financial Services Team Decision Making Event and Sarah Shaner earned third place overall for the Financial Consulting Event. Sarah is a senior from Walnutport and has been in DECA the past four years. She is the Chapter President and Pennsylvania DECA State Officer. For 20212022, Sarah assumed the role of a financial consultant for a hypothetical client wishing to buy a home who was unsure if they would qualify for a mortgage. Sarah was expected to explain the four C’s of qualifying for a mortgage to her hypothetical cli-
Continued on page 8
By ED PANY Mr. Max Gomez was raised in Schnecksville, Lehigh County, graduating in 2017 from Parkland High School. He also played club lacrosse. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, saying, “To help pay my college tuition, I was hired by Lehigh as a summer employee.” His sister Gabriella was also a college employee. Max recalled, “I was undecided
on a career. I enjoyed my job at the plant, so I returned in November as a full-time employee.” Old-timers Skip Lilly and labor leader Brandon Sanders shared their work experiences with him. Starting in the labor department, Max also had a keen interest in the massive machinery and the cement process. Today, he works as a production technician. Jason Schuler, Chad Jacobus Continued on page 3
Local restaurant will host Fundraiser for 7-year-old Venna Miller of Bath By CATHERINE STROH A local Bath family could use their community’s help right now, and Point Phillips Hotel will assist by hosting a fundraiser on Monday, May 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. Venna Miller, age 7 of Bath, is the daughter of Brieann (Merkle) and Gordon Miller. Venna was born with Patau syndrome, or Trisomy 13, a genetic disorder in which a person has an extra chromosome 13 (three copies of genetic material from chromosome 13, as opposed to the usual two copies). Trisomy 13 is very rare, with fewer than 20,000 U.S. cases per year. Although a yearly visit to the hospital is not uncommon for Venna, this year was different. Venna caught a cold, which re-
sulted in a hospital stay with an eventual diagnosis of severe sepsis, streptococcus pneumoniae, bacterial meningitis and complications coming off of a ventilator. Venna recently had a tracheostomy placed, requiring weeks of inpatient rehab, nursing and continuous care once she is discharged from the pediatric ICU. Venna’s family has been by her side as she recovers so the community is coming together to asContinued on page 2
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