With prom and graduation season rapidly approaching a student leadership organization at Lehighton Area High School spearheaded a series of safety-focused events aimed at promoting responsible choices and preventing impaired driving among students supported through grant funding by the Highway Safety Network presented a mock demonstration Thursday on school grounds Facilitated by the Lehighton Ambulance Association in collaboration with other local emergency response agencies the reenactment depicted the potential life-altering consequences of impaired or reckless driving a representative from State Farm attended the event to share key insights on safe driving High school Principal Suzanne Howland said the mock demonstration was an imperative lesson for students “Today’s simulation was difficult to watch “If even one student walks away with a deeper understanding of how precious — and fragile — life is Howland added that the simulation attempted to impart upon the students the importance of making sound choices our responsibility goes beyond the classroom,” she said gives our students a chance to truly grasp the real-world impact of one decision.” From Monday through Wednesday during student lunch periods students had the opportunity to sign Prom Promise Pledges and make responsible decisions during prom and graduation season Student Forum recognized and rewarded safe student drivers to encourage the use of seat belts and reinforce good driving habits Mostly cloudy with a few scattered showers lingering overnight A problem bar in Carbon County has been shut down -- A problem bar in Carbon County has been shut down The Pleasure Lounge in Lehighton was in "deplorable" condition does not have a current health inspection certificate or liquor license and is the source of numerous police calls over the past two years Lehighton's zoning department revoked the business' zoning permit and occupancy certificate and a "stop work" order was issued and posted on the front of the building in the 200 block of N It comes after police executed a search warrant at the bar early Sunday morning confiscating alcohol and imposing fines because of the invalid liquor license The bar has long been a problem for the borough Lehighton police received 61 calls in 2023 complaining about the bar The calls ranged from loud music complaints to violent incidents with weapons A similar search warrant was served in April and $25,000 worth of alcohol was taken then Lehighton police and the zoning department will follow up as needed -- A problem bar in Carbon County has been condemned Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device A Lehighton-based church that aims to serve those in need of food in the community is celebrating 55 years of service this weekend Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Food Pantry in Lehighton has served thousands of people over the last five decades who have had trouble putting enough food on the table due to lack of funds the Carbon County Board of Commissioners recognized these men and women who have given their time and talents to the nonprofit organization to help the residents of Carbon County They presented a group of volunteers with a proclamation naming May 1 as “Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Appreciation Day” in Carbon County spoke to the board about the operations and said none of it would have been possible without dedicated volunteers showing up weekly to secure food items and distribute to area residents “It has been a pleasure of ours,” Long said it takes about 30 volunteers a month to make this pantry run who has worked to secure more funding or donations of food for area pantries over the years said that Trinity does an outstanding job for the Lehighton community this wouldn’t happen without Trinity starting this,” he said noting that they were influential in bringing the food pantry initiative throughout the county food pantries service approximately 1,000 families in Carbon County with Trinity providing food to 400 families each month Thank you very much for what Trinity has done and for the workers who are there.” Trinity’s food pantry began as a ministry in 1970 in the church’s library after Eleanor Zern saw a need in the community community groups and other organizations helped it expand from serving the Lehighton community into a countywide program in 1984 The pantry continued to flourish grew into additional space that was provided by the church in 1991 and 2001 under the leadership of Long and her volunteers residents are supported as best they can with nutritious foods Georgia Farrow of the Weatherly area said that Trinity has been influential to many other organizations outlining the Lehighton and Weatherly American Legions which provides food services to veterans in need noting that her group actively goes out into the community to create contacts with area businesses to obtain food that would otherwise be thrown out “It’s amazing what food we get that would have been thrown in the garbage,” she said the pantry volunteers make up weekly produce boxes from whatever they were able to get to distribute before it goes bad as well as a bag of frozen meat and “mish mash” boxes of whatever other items they secured the pantry began adding special kids’ bags that include nutritious food “Sometimes we have cookies and kids need cookies,” she said with a laugh Long then introduced some of the volunteers who came with her to the commissioners’ meeting It was noted that Muffley is the longest-serving volunteer still working with the pantry The county also highlighted one of their own who is Long’s grandson and a volunteer at Trinity Pantry as well Long will now take the proclamation back to Trinity to include in the special presentation on Sunday during the 9:30 a.m located at the corner of Third and Iron streets volunteers will receive a blessing of thanks and gratitude for their dedication over the last 55 years and a light brunch will follow in Luther Hall The food pantry is one of nine pantries affiliated with Shepherd House Inc and serves anyone living in the Lehighton Area School District The Lehighton Shade Tree Commission planted four trees in honor of Arbor Day Three trees were planted at the Lehighton Recreation Center and one was planted at the bypass Mulch was added to the trees along the D & L Trail and the Lehighton cemetery Volunteers planting a redbud tree at the recreation center Elsie Beckett is celebrating her 94th birthday today She worked at Gnaden Huetten Hosptial for 25 years She was president of Lehighton Seniors for five years and loved spending time with the women Maryland; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren She enjoys playing bingo and going to the casino and spending time with her family A party is being held in honor at the Lehighton Legion It’s been a roller-coaster season for Northern Lehigh’s softball team the Bulldogs responded with six consecutive wins — only to drop their next four games earning an 11-1 Colonial League victory over host Lehighton The team is hoping the result sparks another late-season surge with the postseason approaching “I think it’s definitely going to bring us back on a winning streak that we need,” said winning pitcher Addie Smith “I think with the way the schedule plays out things are looking up,” said Bulldogs head coach Dan Caruso We’re going to need some luck and some other teams to lose [to make the league playoffs] We don’t control our destiny now … I think this one and hopefully getting a win against Jim Thorpe [next] allowing just an unearned run in the sixth inning while striking out five The sophomore had a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings before Morgan Myers broke it up with a single to right “Addie’s pitching was great today,” Caruso said Her teammates didn’t light up the scoreboard early against the Indians as Northern Lehigh managed just one run through the first four innings off Lehighton pitcher Aliyeh Nothstein — a two-out RBI single in the second by Marisa Maehrer But the Bulldogs’ offense broke through in the fifth Northern Lehigh batted around in the frame scoring six runs to break open a tight contest two Lehighton errors allowed two runs to score and set the stage for a big inning Skyelar Horack and Emily Gad both delivered run-scoring hits while Kylee Snyder capped the outburst with a two-run single to make it 8-0 “I think it just took us a couple times to recognize her pitching Execution has been an issue for Lehighton — and it proved costly again Wednesday “We’ve seen that through the season so far,” said Indians head coach Taylor Cashner We say to them every game it comes down to who’s going to make the best plays and who’s going to hit the most The Bulldogs tacked on four more runs in the sixth on five hits Adriana Danyluk tripled and scored in the inning while Horack added another RBI hit and Maehrer delivered a two-run single and they finally started hitting there,” Caruso said Then we just stopped hitting … They’re very streaky with hitting.” Snyder and Gad each had three hits for the Bulldogs Outside of a sixth-inning miscue that led to Lehighton’s only run Northern Lehigh played error-free — something that’s been a team strength “Our defense has been really good,” Caruso said Northern Lehigh needs wins in three of its final four games to clinch a district berth but could qualify on rating points even if it falls short The Bulldogs are still on the outside looking in for the league playoffs If they win their final three league games (Jim Thorpe they would still need help from other results Lehighton 000 001 - 1 3 3 Records: Northern Lehigh (7-9; 6-8); Lehighton (3-13; 3-12) The Lehighton Downtown Initiative will host the sixth annual Wine on the River from 11 a.m Saturday at Baer Memorial Park in Lehighton The event is open to those age 21 and over Fifteen wineries will be in attendance from all over Eastern Pennsylvania The event will be comprised of sampling a variety of wines Those who attend are urged to bring their own lawn chairs All tickets come with a complimentary wineglass for taste testing A new stage will be added this year with the following live music: There will also be plenty of food trucks available for lunch “Our small businesses need your help by patronizing them with everything from charcuterie type foods to full meals,” said Bambi Elsasser “With over 30 crafters and vendors you will be sure to find that lovely trinket to take home with you.” Elsasser said that all advance ticket sales will be entered to win a basket of wine Tickets are available at https://tinyurl.com/6thAnnualWineontheRiver Elsasser thanked the event’s sponsors: Home Comfort Solutions “With a huge variety of food trucks and sweets there will be something for everyone.” Elsasser also urged visitors to shop and visit the vendors in between their tastings She said those who don’t want to carry their purchases may check them with their unique wine check operation Elsasser added that proceeds from Wine on the River will help with multiple revitalization and beautification projects throughout Lehighton contact Elsasser at 610-509-6465 or email LDILehighton@gmail.com A liquor store in Lehighton is set to move to the Route 443 corridor in early summer The Fine Wine & Good Spirits Store at 143 South St director of policy and communications for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board “Our board approved the move of this store from its current location to Blakeslee Station on Nov “We’re hoping to open the new store in early summer.” The new store will be located in a two-unit 7,500-square-foot building constructed on roughly one acre west of Advance Auto occupies 4,500 square feet of the building while the new Fine Wine and Good Spirits store will occupy the remaining 3,000 square feet who is the husband of Mason’s Cold Beer Too owner Jane Mason said they are in the process of completing the building “We’re just putting the finishing touches on the building,” Todd Mason said “We’re hoping that opening day will be sometime around Memorial Day for the new (Fine Wine & Good Spirits) store.” Mason’s Cold Beer Too opened in the summer of 2023 in the building which was slated to be a beverage center (beer store) Other Fine Wine & Good Spirits Stores are located at 221 Delaware Ave in Walnutport (Walnutport Shopping Center) Kinsley’s Shoprite Plaza in Brodheadsville and 210 Cedar St The Fine Wine & Good Spirits Store in Palmerton underwent remodeling that was completed in August 2023 The remodeling consisted of a new floor and signs The Palmerton store was temporarily closed July 8 PLCB spokesman Shawn Kelly said most of its 585 Fine Wine & Good Spirits Stores in the state have or were being refreshed While the Palmerton store was closed for renovation customers were able to shop at the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Stores in Lehighton and Walnutport Several fundraisers have been scheduled so that the Lehighton Area Halloween Parade can attract more bands Sapore Restaurant in Lehighton held a dine-in/take-out fundraiser recently with 10% of the proceeds going to the parade The committee also sold Easter flower tickets from More Pickles Please in Palmerton chair of the Lehighton Halloween Parade Committee said this marks the first year they’ve done fundraising Harris said several other fundraisers are set to be held including a dine in or takeout May 5 at Mario’s Pizza in Weissport takeout and delivery will be held July 17 at PJ Whelihan’s in Leighton Harris said three more fundraisers are in the works including a ticket sale at Pizza Como; ticket sale for hoagies from Cindy’s Deli; and orders for Penn State stickies She noted that the parade runs strictly on donations has lost a lot of monetary support from businesses that either shut down or business owners who passed away “People always ask why we don’t have more bands in the parade; we need to have funds to have more bands,” Harris said “That is our main goal of why we started doing this; so that we can book and confirm more bands for the parade.” Harris said last year’s parade included the Lehighton “Indian Pride” Marching Band She said this year’s parade will once again feature those two bands along with the Ceol Mor Pipe and Drum Band Any other bands or food vendors interested in performing in this year’s Halloween Parade may contact Erin at 570-807-4859 The 54th annual Lehighton Area Halloween Parade will be held at 4 p.m visit the Lehighton Area Halloween Parade’s Facebook page It will be a day declared for the beautification of its town The initiative will be known as Lift Up Lehighton Day As it happens to be the first Saturday after Earth Day it will be proclaimed Lift Up Lehighton Day and this was initiated through Lehighton’s Parks and Recreation Board and it’s a collaboration between the mayor’s office and parks and recreation,” Saunders said “Our idea is to get the community out sort of doing yard work not just a cleanup day; it’s a Lift Up Day it’s going to be an Internet thing and we’ll have it all over Facebook Saunders re-emphasized that the purpose of the endeavor is to lift up sort of to encourage people to beautify their area and in turn help their neighbor’s help beautify their area,” he said “Maybe there’s an older person who can’t; maybe help them clean up their yard.” Saunders said they’ve encouraged several special interest groups as well and noted that the Lehighton Downtown Initiative has also given a letter of support to band together to pick an area and try to beautify it He added that the Bearded Villains will be help in one or more areas of the town while parks and recreation will be working on Baer Memorial Park and obviously if there is residual garbage an opportunity to band the community together to all get together to help beautify our town.” Jordyn Miller and Rebecca Worthy from Lehighton borough council are currently sitting on parks and recreation “and they are driving this campaign very hard a big advocate for the D&L Trail,” he said “She has a very deep passion for nature and our community and I think that is exemplified here in this particular campaign.” Saunders said they are asking people to upload their pictures to Lift Up Lehighton Day on Facebook “Take pictures of you guys working together and go to your Lift Up Lehighton Day on Facebook and post your pictures as part of the community engaging all of the beautifying of our town.” Members of the Lehighton Area High School Indian Pride Band became part of Nashville’s live music scene during a recent trip to the Music City The 79-member band performed outside the Country Music Hall of Fame and its Jazz Band cut a recording at a studio frequented by Elvis Presley and other music legends The four-day visit was a whirlwind of activity — in more than one way “We were supposed to perform in front of the Grand Ole Opry House,” said band director Bryan Buffington The band and its 21 chaperones hunkered down as severe storms pummeled the area Saturday “It was a very interesting time for us,” Buffington admitted “We had the opportunity then to perform outside the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon,” Buffington said The band kept toes tapping with songs from its halftime show “We had a great crowd — people going into the Hall of Fame stopped people walking down the street stopped,” Buffington said Members also caught a show at the Grand Ole Opry A tour of RCA studios led to a recording session for the Jazz Band “They recorded three songs in the studio itself,” Buffington said “They truly did treat the kids like real recording artists in the way that they set up and the way that they did the recording “It was a pretty amazing experience for the kids.” Buffington noted that Studio B has hosted some of music’s heavyweights “This is the recording studio that Elvis recorded most of his songs in his catalog,” Buffington said Studio engineers put the finishing touches on the recording Buffington said the recent trip marks the band’s fourth to Nashville it was the first student group to ever perform at the Opry House It’s incredible to see the live musicians that are all over the place It’s phenomenal,” Buffington said of Nashville “Just to be immersed in music all around you is really impressive.” The Lehighton Area High School Drama Club held a dress rehearsal Saturday of its upcoming play “Mamma Mia!” The musical is directed by Laurel Zimmerman “We started rehearsals in January,” Zimmerman said “The kids were wanting to do ‘Mamma Mia!’ After I did some research The actors and staff went through microphone checks worked with the stage sets and sang the music the songs made famous by the pop group ABBA Sophie secretly sends a letter to her dad to attend the wedding Bill Austin and Harry Bright — arrive on the island to find Sophie’s mom playing the part of Sophia Sheridan; Rowan Schaffer a senior at Carbon Career & Technical Institute will play Harry Bright; and Patrick Devitt The cast features approximately 35 students in grades 9 through 12 including homeschooled students and some who attend Lehigh Carbon Community College and CCTI all from the Lehighton Area School District Friday and Saturday in the Lehighton Area High School auditorium Tickets can be purchased in advance at lahsdramaclub.ludus.com/ or at the door Lehighton Area School District announced Jason Moser as its next superintendent following a unanimous vote Monday night by its school board contingent upon his release from Danville Area School District where he currently serves as assistant superintendent Board President Jeremy Glaush praised the collaborative process that led to Moser’s selection calling it “a moment to move the Lehighton Area School District forward.” and consulting with the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit “The board is proud to have come together for the betterment of the community,” Glaush said “(Moser) is deeply connected to this community We believe his leadership will bring both stability and innovation to our schools.” Monday night’s hire comes roughly five-and-a-half months after the district and former superintendent had a contract running through August 2025 Her separation agreement included a severance payment of nearly $115,000 and compensation for unused vacation days who was also a finalist for the recent Palmerton Area School District superintendent opening expressed gratitude Monday for the opportunity to return to his alma mater and emphasized a student-driven approach to education “I’m honored to come back and lead in the community where I grew up,” he said “We will focus on providing a world-class education while being mindful stewards of taxpayer resources.” Moser highlighted several goals as he steps into the role His plans include implementing systems to monitor student growth and creating a culture where students take ownership of their education “Our primary function is ensuring that kids are learning,” he said “I understand how important a top notch education and educational opportunities are for all students Moser said he aims to introduce transparent metrics for tracking academic progress and fostering communication between administrators Building community relationships is another key priority for Moser He plans to host town hall-style meetings in each school building to hear concerns and preserve valued traditions “Education should advance the entire community’s goals,” he said with an annual base salary of $140,000 for the first year Subsequent years will see salary increases contingent on satisfactory performance evaluations rising to $151,635 by the 2027-28 school year The agreement also includes a comprehensive benefits package including professional development opportunities and reimbursement for travel and professional memberships Moser will also receive a $50 monthly stipend for his cellphone expenses Moser’s performance will be reviewed annually by the school board based on objective standards Moser takes the helm at a time when the district is focused on both maintaining high academic standards and addressing fiscal responsibilities Moser has pledged to prioritize transparency engage with stakeholders and lead with integrity it’s about creating generational change,” he said “I understand the challenges many families face and I’m committed to ensuring that every student A Lehighton business has been shut down after being deemed condemned following multiple code violations for fire hazard and sanitation conditions Borough police Chief Troy Abelovsky said that on Jan the contracted zoning company for the borough was granted a search warrant for the Pleasure Lounge Prior requests had been made by the zoning departments to the property owners of the Pleasure Lounge to follow up on health and safety concerns surrounding the business who noted the property owners “failed to respond to the zoning department requests.” The Lehighton Borough Police Department provided area security while Barry Isett & Associates conducted their investigation The zoning officials are specialized in commercial property code enforcement as a fire inspector multiple code violations were cited for fire hazards and sanitation conditions,” said Abelovsky who added the inspectors on location deemed this building to be “condemned” and all entrances and exits were posted accordingly “The zoning department will be completing a full report and notifying property owners of the violations found,” Abelovsky said “All violations which carry a monetary fine are issued at the discretion of the zoning officer.” Abelovsky said the Lehighton Borough Police and zoning departments will continue to follow up as needed the property owners of the Pleasure Lounge failed to secure the business as directed,” he said “Lehighton zoning officials had the building secured restricting all access.” a search warrant was executed at a Lehighton business for operating without having a valid liquor license The Lehighton Borough Police Department posted on its Facebook page at that time that officers of the Lehighton Borough Police Department assisted the Pennsylvania State Police — Liquor Control Enforcement Division with the execution of a search warrant at the business a preliminary estimate of $8,000 worth of alcohol was confiscated and numerous administrative fines were to set to be imposed on PA Liquor Control Enforcement Unit Abelovksy said a similar search warrant was executed back in April by the Lehighton Borough Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police — Liquor Control Enforcement Division over $25,000 worth of alcohol was confiscated the Lehighton Borough Police Department received 61 service-related calls Abelovsky said calls ranged from loud music complaints to active violent disturbances with weapons He said at that time safety for residents and visitors to the borough was paramount and that the Lehighton Borough Police Department would continue to work with the PA Liquor Control Board to designate the business as a “Nuissance Bar,” and that if the business was classified as a “Nuisance Bar,” it would prohibit the owners from renewing their currently expired liquor license 1/202025 District 11 4A boys basketball semifinals: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Lehighton.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Kyle Craig | For lehighvalleylive.comNorthwestern Lehigh’s boys basketball team won its 16th straight game and booked a trip to the district final on Tuesday night Northwestern (24-2) advances to meet Allentown Central Catholic (21-4) in the district final 8 p.m Central Catholic edged Saucon Valley 44-42 on Tuesday Lehighton (17-8) will play Saucon Valley in a third-place game 6 p.m The winner of that contest will advance to the state tournament took control of Tuesday night’s game with a 22-9 first quarter Tigers senior Eli Zimmerman led all scorers with 19 points Click the gallery atop this post for photos from the game Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices At least one person was injured Saturday night when involved in a crash in Lehighton when the driver was traveling west on Bridge Street and lost control near the entrance to the Baer Memorial Park The vehicle entered the right berm where it overturned coming to rest against a tree Members of the Lehighton fire department worked to extricate the victim from the wreckage The injured was treated at the scene by Lehighton paramedics before being transported to a nearby trauma center Lehighton fire police maintained traffic control at the scene shutting down the roadway Lehighton police are investigating the incident Lehighton has granted several Equivalent Dwelling Units to a proposed state facility set to be constructed in Lehighton Borough council on a 6-0 vote last week approved three EDUs for the maintenance facility off Bridge and Ninth streets Borough Manager Dane DeWire said the action was necessary for the new PennDOT maintenance facility it will now take the building up to 4 EDUs Councilman John Kreitz was absent from the meeting the Carbon County Planning Commission reviewed a plan from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 5-2 for the demolition and reconstruction of a maintenance facility off Bridge and Ninth streets The current facility was constructed in the 1930s The plans call for the demolition and removal of the current maintenance facility and then constructing a 40,104-square-foot government service building which includes office space and a vehicle repair facility PennDOT has proposed construction of a 2,960-square-foot truck wash; 289-square-foot brine storage building; 305-square-foot salt storage shed; 560-square-foot electrical room; and 1,040-square-foot storage tank Lehighton Borough Council has an open seat after a sitting councilman was chosen to fill the vacant mayoral position following the passing of its former leader borough council on Monday appointed Ryan Saunders to fill the open post Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky abstained because the mayor is in charge of the police department and she is married to police Chief Troy Abelovsky who had been handling mayoral duties in the wake of the death of former Mayor Clark Ritter disclosed why he voted against Saunders’ appointment “I think we should have advertised to give everybody a chance,” Hunsicker said “Because there were other people interested maybe.” Council’s decision came after Zimmerman asked for council’s approval to appoint Saunders to the position I want to make it clear that there is no replacement for (former) Mayor Clark Ritter nor am I looking for someone to be him,” Zimmerman said the Lehighton Police Department is in a state of transition with our ‘still fairly new’ chief settling in and establishing new directives within the department “It is for this reason that it is imperative that council choose someone as soon as possible Someone that is familiar with the activities of the police department works well with Chief Abelovsky and can fill the position in a hurry.” Zimmerman added that he believes Saunders is the right person for the post “I have witnessed firsthand his abilities at working with Chief Abelovsky and the rapport they have with each other,” he said who has served on council for the past seven years said his appointment as mayor “took me a little by surprise.” and obviously I’ll be really proud to serve in that capacity and do the very best job that I can in trying to continue Clark’s original vision of the department,” he said “I did think about running for mayor in the future and obviously with the untimely death of Mayor Ritter I thought obviously there was a protocol with how to move forward I thought maybe that would be something that would help the borough or maybe I would be a good fit in the interim until the next election Saunders said he anticipates a fairly seamless transition “I think I’ve had multiple conversations with Chief Abelovsky from the police so I’m well aware of the current state of the department and I think Chief Abelovsky and myself have a very similar vision of the future of our department,” he said “And I want to support him in any way possible for him to succeed in continuing that progress moving forward.” Saunders said among his goals as mayor are “to make sure that I am available to people.” “My vision of the department as mayor is to ensure our officers are providing the very best service to our community that our community deserves.” council on a 6-0 vote agreed to advertise for a new borough council member and will seek letters of interest from candidates Bethlehem Catholic’s football team is back to defend its title The third-seeded Golden Hawks defeated seventh-seeded Lehighton 35-14 in the District 11 Class 4A semifinals on Thursday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium Turning point: Lehighton lined up to punt from its 30-yard line trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter and Bethlehem Catholic’s Robert Cousar tackled the punter for a 14-yard loss Golden Hawks tailback Jeziah Gregory scored his second touchdown of the night on the next play Lehighton went four-and-out during the following possession Bethlehem Catholic linebacker Carlos Perez and Co dropped Indians quarterback Jayse Lawrence for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 on the visitors’ side of the 50 Bethlehem Catholic needed just 45 seconds to score with the short field Quarterback Cayden Vassa scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown Ethan Wiles’ extra point gave the Hawks a 21-0 lead with 51 seconds left in the first half Top performers: Gregory rushed for 33 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries Vassa threw for 120 yards and ran for 45 yards and a score Becahi defensive back Collin Peacock made an important interception to halt Lehighton’s momentum with the score 21-7 in the third quarter Lehighton’s Lukas Croizier rushed for 82 yards and was all over the field defensively advanced to the D-11 4A final for the third straight season Becahi blanked Allentown Central Catholic 29-0 in the 2023 championship game The Hawks will meet Southern Lehigh 6:30 p.m Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com The Carbon County Hall of Sports Hall of Fame committee will hold its 2025 induction dinner and program on Sunday at the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company hall The ceremony will honor 17 inductees from five Carbon County communities and Coaldale and Tamaqua who were selected for the honor by committees representing each of the towns Lansford: Bob Thomas and Charles “Sparky” Williams; special recognition: Brenda Banks Bobby Agosti and Elizabeth “Lisa” (Evans) Johnson Tickets to the event are available from the following: Dan McGinley The Times News will begin running the biographies of the inductees by town on Saturdays The inductees representing Lehighton are as follows: Roger Neff was a star wrestler and football player at Lehighton Area High School from 1982-85 he was one of only two wrestlers to have won over 90 percent of their bouts He was one of only nine wrestlers (including his brother Glenn Neff) to be both District 11 and Northeastern Regional champions - this with only three years of wrestling under his belt - no wrestling exposure before high school competing against two top wrestlers from Liberty Roger was also a member of the Lehighton football team that was the District 11 runner-up the family discovered papers indicating Roger had received multiple college offers including Lehigh University and a number of major western universities (Iowa Oklahoma and Nebraska) for his wrestling accomplishments He attended nearby East Stroudsburg University and coached at Jim Thorpe Area High School where he became an All American and then coach of the NJCCA whose teams had wrestlers who attained 14 national and 259 All American honors (the NJCCA record) He was an alternate for the 1992 Barcelona team becoming a trials finalist in both freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling Roger left coaching to get back into the ring himself and simultaneously joined Dave Smith Motors (largest auto dealer in he Northwestern U.S.) in the sales department Roger found a supportive corporate leadership staff which afforded him time off for athletic training He became involved in mixed martial arts and a second career took him all over the U.S (including residencies in Las Vegas to train with world champions in mixed martial arts and Brazilian Ju Jitzu as well as the UK and United Arab Emirates he was honing his sales skills (he was a natural here as well) and his competitive nature was evident Roger was awarded Sales Professional of the Year as Chrysler Corporation’s top salesperson in the country Roger opened his own successful gym in Coeur d’Alene with athletes competing with some of the best from Ken Shamrock and the famous Lion’s Den gym He packed a lot of life into the years he had with us Jean Buskirk played Little League Baseball in Franklin Township from 1980-85 and started on the 12U 1983 District 18 finalist Franklin Township All Star team She also was selected to be a member of the 13U all star team while continuing with Franklin Township at the Babe Ruth level Jean also excelled in the Lehighton recreational softball and baseball leagues She graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1989 but not before earning nine letters and achieving the Top Scholar Athlete award for her graduating class She started for four years on both the basketball and softball teams and was selected as an all-league player in both sports in her sophomore She led the Indians to the 1987 Centennial League softball championship Jean was also a member of the cross country team in her senior year and played off-season softball for the Slatedale club and played basketball in the summer league in Emmaus She graduated in 1993 from Bloomsburg University and was a four-year member of the softball team leading the team to four NCAA championship final appearances two third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish She was named to the NCAA All Mid-Atlantic region teams in 1992 and 1993 and the 1991 and 1993 All NCAA Tournament teams She was a four-time All PSAC East selection and a three-time All Region first team choice Jean was a two-time first team All American a two-time ECAC Division II South Region Player of the Year and the 1993 PSAC East Player of the Year She graduated as Bloomsburg’s all-time leader in career hits with 235 and helped the Huskies to a four-year record of 170-25 Jean was selected to try out for the USA Olympic team in 1993 She made it to the second round of the final 60 where she was selected to participate in the 1994 Olympic festival She went on to play ASA fast-pitch softball at the Class A and Major levels and participated in numerous ASA National Championship tournaments helping her teams finish as high as national runner-up She was named an ASA All American four separate times Jean also has had several stints as a collegiate softball coach She coached at West Chester University for the 1995-97 seasons as an assistant and then interim coach She was an assistant coach at Wilkes University from 2017-19 and has been an assistant coach at Muhlenberg College from 2020 to the present Jean is currently employed as a senior project manager in the information technology industry She earned a master of science degree in information technology from Penn State University and also earned her project management professional certification from the Project Management Institute Tom Schaeffer was a prominent figure in the Lehighton Area High School athletic programs for over 45 years as an assistant coach and head coach in three different sports He graduated from Muhlenberg College in 1959 and began his teaching career in chemistry at Lehighton he earned a master’s degree in chemistry-geology from Colby College he was awarded the Benjamin Rush Award for being one of the top 10 chemical educators in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tom began his coaching career in 1960 as the JV basketball coach four players were named to All State teams He was also the girls’ basketball coach from 1975-76 a Lehighton Area High School best record ever Tom was also responsible for the introduction of the golf program at Lehighton He began as an advisor to the Golf Club and in 1965 became the head coach of the newly-formed golf team He served as head coach for an astounding 40 years before leaving that position in 2005 the golf team won six Centennial League championships and five tournament championships Five of his players reached the PIAA state tournament and nine went on to compete at the college level He was named JV baseball coach from 1976-77 and then was named head coach in 1978 He led the LAHS baseball team from 1978-96 the team qualified for the district tournament Eight of his players went on to play baseball at the collegiate level To provide baseball expertise after the school year Tom supervised and instructed in the Lehighton Junior League baseball program from 1970-92 helping young ball players refine their skills and learn more about the game of baseball When a player indicated a desire to further his athletic career at the college level Tom wrote letters of recommendation and made personal phone calls to college coaches on behalf of his players His success in assisting players from golf baseball and basketball teams to reach the collegiate level reflects his dedication to these students Tom was also known as the voice of Lehighton Indian football from 1968-2005 he gave football fans knowledgeable commentary of the game every Friday night Tom was a valuable supporter of the Indian football program realizing the importance of athletic programs for the students at Lehighton High Tom’s career at Lehighton while coaching three sports and supporting Lehighton athletics yielded some astounding numbers - 41 years teaching chemistry 40 years coaching golf and 19 years coaching baseball Throw in 22 years as a supervisor and coach for the Lehighton Junior League and 37 years as the voice of Indian football and you realize that Tom Schaeffer gave a lifetime of dedication and sacrifice to the Lehighton Area High School athletic programs It was a clear road to victory for Lehighton in Wednesday night’s game against Palmerton When the teams met in the first game of the season the Bombers dominated the Indians en route to a 51-18 triumph Wednesday night was a different story for the Tribe The Indians worked together to shut down the Bombers time and time again in order to walk away with a critical 42-29 Colonial League win Lehighton’s Leah Uyvari drove to the basket with a layup to score the first points of the game which were the first of her six in the first quarter alone Palmerton struggled to get into a rhythm offensively as its only baskets in the first quarter came from Ella Baumgardt on the foul line at 1:30 remaining with the first period ending with the Indians leading 11-2 The Bombers began to play their game in the second quarter and it became harder for the Indians to execute their offensive plays Palmerton outscored the Indians 17-13; however Lehighton’s Ryleigh Trotman put up eight points in the second quarter and Uyvari added a three-pointer to the scoreboard with 2:04 left in the half Palmerton had two back-to-back three pointers by Cate Morgan and Hailey Barry The three-pointers helped Palmerton find confidence in its game but it wasn’t enough to set the Bombers ahead of the Indians Morgan put up a three-pointer with 3:46 remaining in the quarter which put the Bombers closer to the Indians than any other point in the game Palmerton’s only other scoring in the quarter came from Barry behind her second three-pointer Both teams scored six points in the third quarter It was Lehighton’s work under Palmerton’s basket that largely contributed to its win Emma Repsher and Trotman both stood out for the Indians when it came to rebounding and a strong defensive effort Sophomores Morgan Costenbader and Cayley Reph also both came up clutch at times for the Indians on defense the Indians pulled away from the Bombers for good as Palmerton was only able to put up one basket and two foul shots as Costenbader added her only three-pointer of the game Between Palmerton losing two starters to foul trouble and the dedication of the Tribe in the fourth quarter Lehighton was able to walk away with the win The girls basketball game was the first game of the Palmerton-Lehighton boys and girls doubleheader Palmerton and Lehighton’s Aevidum clubs teamed up to collect donations for a local food bank and to raise awareness of the club and its purpose for advocating for mental health Uyvari and Costenbader each added one three-pointer for the Indians Palmerton’s Barry and Morgan both scored two three-pointers in the second and third quarters Lehighton is ninth overall in the league standings This makes Palmerton 12-3 and Lehighton 7-8 overall in the league Lehighton continues to improve its record and take steps to earn a potential spot in the playoffs Uyvari was the leading scorer in the game with 14 points while Trotman added 12 points and Repsher scored 11 for the Tribe and Barry all contributed eight points for the Bombers there are plenty of festive things to do this weekend Hosted by the Lehighton Downtown Initiative the third annual event will take over Saturday at the Lehighton Park in Carbon County which has 168 trees decorated by local businesses and organizations Three roads around the park will be closed to provide space for roughly 60 vendors and other planned activities Bambi Elsasser is community operations director for the Lehighton Downtown Initiative “We're going to have a selfie Christmas village down by the bank,” she said “We have a whole bunch of blow ups and inflatables and everybody can take selfies or group photos Other festivities will include glass blowing demonstrations a cast of actors and one foley artist hope to transport their audience to a 1940s radio station where voice actors perform a radio version of "It’s a Wonderful Life."  The Little Theatre’s stage has transformed into the studio of WBFR in New York where the cast plays multiple roles to bring the story of George Bailey to life and Daniel Beeferman sits on stage surrounded by the eclectic collection of props he needs to create hundreds of sound effects David Parmalee is the director of It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at the theater He says the cast has added extra layers to their voice actor characters that will play out in the background “We’re using our imaginations for every aspect of it Beeferman’s role supplies the sound for the audience’s imagination He’d never done foley or sound effect work like this before this show and found or constructed all of the props he uses and a “creakbox” made to simulate the sound of a creaky door “My favorite is probably the air raid siren,” he said and you put a piece of nylon over it…and it sounds like wind.” WVIA News wants to hear from you! If you have a story idea for one of our journalists, it's as simple as sending an e-mail. Reach out anytime at wvianews@wvia.org A landmark restaurant in Lehighton open since the 1950s abruptly shuttered its doors Sunday night for the final time The Boulevard Drive-In and Family Restaurant posted on its Facebook page at 6 p.m “It is with heavy hearts that the Boulevard Drive-In and Family Restaurant has to close permanently,” the post states we have had the privilege of serving the Lehighton community but due to COVID and the PennDOT 443 road project Fred and Donna Kemfort had managed the store up until its closure as well as all of our staff present and of years past Thank you for loving the restaurant as much as we have,” the post said “We welcome everyone to share their positive memories when it comes to the Boulevard but we politely ask you to refrain from any negative comments This has not been easy for our staff and we would like everyone to provide them with as much encouragement as possible during this difficult time.” The restaurant said it is working out details for unused gift cards as several said Monday morning outside the business that they were just informed of the closure Sunday night Customers posted memories and said they will miss the breakfasts Many current and former employees of the restaurant replied to the post from the Boulevard Drive-In I am very saddened to say the Boulevard is closing for good “Not only was this my first job but it was my second home,” Christman said “When I was little I always wanted to be a server like my mom and I’m grateful I got to experience that Christman said her co-workers were like family and said they were reliable and hardworking people “My mom and I will miss all of our customers and hope to see them at whatever job we find in the near future.” Hailey Hricik thanked the Kemforts “for being great bosses.” and it was a wonderful first job experience for me,” Hricik said “You’ve both felt like second-family to me as well as the rest of the bv Amber Stanley thanked the Kemforts as well the laughs and memories I will forever cherish,” Stanley said Donna and all employees during this sad time.” said she was grateful to the Kemforts “for imparting invaluable skills that I couldn’t have learned in a classroom “I still remember starting as a high school student with Donna guiding me through my college algebra coursework,” she said you supported me as I completed my master’s and pursued my PhD It’s hard to believe I worked with you for nearly 14 years.” Jess Schoch said “I had so many good memories of working there as a teen and for many of us it was our first job “You guys gave us a chance and helped us grow along the way,” Schoch said Donna and all of the staff there on your future endeavors Dozens of customers flooded the post with reactions as well The business stayed afloat during the COVID pandemic with takeout and delivered meals to customers nearby owners have complained to Lehighton Borough Council about the burden the Route 443 widening project put on business and of course wide assortment of ice creams and desserts The business had previously been operated by William C located in the basement of the former Ebenezer United Methodist Church at Third and South streets in Lehighton is a place for the homeless to seek shelter during frigid winter temperatures whenever the temperature goes to 25 degrees or lower Vincent de Paul Society was founded for the care of the poor and the homeless The Lehighton Cold Weather Station was started in January 2024 to provide a safe haven for homeless during the cold temperatures one of our member actually found a woman living in her car just days before the cold weather came,” said volunteer Nancy Berchtold of Penn Forest Township ‘We have to do something.’ I would say in about five days we ended up finding a place; the cots came from (county commissioner) Wayne Nothstein The current shelter offers a warm bed and warm dinners and breakfasts but so far that volunteers have received donations of hot meals for the guests The shelter’s most immediate need is volunteers to chaperone those using the shelter The shift is four hours long and usually there are at least two volunteers on-site and mental health fields who stop in to help out Volunteers try to find out the reasons people are homeless and see what resources are available for them “We are like a family here,” Berchtold said The second annual Witches Midnight Market will be held from 2-11 p.m Saturday along First Street and expects to attract close to 10,000 people Hosted by the Lehighton Area Merchants Association it will be the final of three street festivals Henninger noted that last year’s inaugural event in the borough brought in over 7,000 people and added it’s the group’s largest festival “This is the largest witch-based festival on the East Coast and musicians to celebrate that spooky time of year.” Henninger said the Witches’ Walk/Parade will start at 4 p.m. The walks are immediately followed by dancing the Hexenbrut in the street we have hired a local drone pilot to take photos,” she said “Next year we are hoping to break the record for the largest Hexenbrut in the USA.” Henninger said this year’s event will have two stages for live music performances including Sixteen Candles Hatter and Two Taboo Strange Culture she said Mikey Roxx will perform on the First Street Stage while The Zenith will play on the Second Street Stage Aerial Inferno will delight guests with their daring acts and storytelling Aerial Inferno is a circus and fire performance troupe homegrown in eastern Pennsylvania that will be presenting their show COVEN Parking and shuttle service are available throughout the borough Visit https://www.lehightonarea.org/witches-market for up to date details and maps regarding parking Work will move forward at a recreational complex in Lehighton thanks to a donor who is remaining anonymous for the time being Borough Manager Dane DeWire reported to borough council on Monday that the donors are ready to move forward with a brand-new fence and brand-new pavilion DeWire announced that the borough had received $50,000 to renovate the Sixth and Coal soccer fields He said at that time the donor had requested to have a new fence installed DeWire said at that time that the remaining $24,000 from the donation could be applied to things like paving the alley behind the fields putting in some sidewalks or performing bleacher work He said the field will be renamed in memory of the donor’s parents council on a 6-0 vote granted its consent for the fence and pavilion at the expense of the donor or lose and your season is over scenario facing the Lehighton boys Friday evening the situation looked rather optimistic for the Indians at halftime Trevor Miller’s club made five three-pointers and played solid defense in building an eight-point advantage over Saucon Valley in the Class 4A consolation contest But a disastrous third quarter and a pair of empty possessions the last two times they had the ball resulted in a gut-wrenching 46-44 defeat and a sudden end to their year “This is right up there with one of the (toughest losses) I’ve been a part of I remember us getting layups that we missed along with some wide-open looks that just didn’t go in our defense kept us in that game but unfortunately if you don’t put the ball in the basket .. Lehighton shot 10-of-21 from the floor in the opening half who had missed the Indians’ semifinal game did most of the damage with three treys and 13 points there seemed to be a lid on the Lehighton basket with inside shots not falling and perimeter jumpers rimming in-and-out went on a 15-0 run to turn their deficit into a 36-29 advantage Robertson accounted for 11 of those points but his biggest contribution was still to come “We knew this was going to be a war,” said Saucon Valley head coach Brett Snyder “My biggest fear was they would come out and hit four threes in the first quarter .. But I was very happy with our defensive intensity in the third quarter and transition offense is tough when you can’t get stops All of a sudden we started getting stops in the third quarter because of our defensive intensity We got out and ran and the ball starts going through the ocean on our end helped the Indians close the gap near the end of the frame while Caden Meek’s three-pointer early in the fourth pulled Lehighton within two at 40-38 The two teams traded baskets before Andrew Gilbert’s layup off a steal set the score at 44-40 in favor of the Panthers with 1:07 to play Meek knocked down a pair of free throws with 48.3 seconds showing to pull Lehighton within two again Robertson managed a single free throw before Brayden Johnson’s baseline jumper trimmed the margin to one with 21 ticks remaining on the clock After a missed dunk attempt by Saucon’s Adam Clark in transition But Robertson poked the ball away to give the Panthers possession Elijah Miller made a single free throw to put the Panthers up 46-44 with 2.9 left but Robertson again reached in to disrupt the ball-handler and the Indians failed to get off a final shot “Everyone always looks at boxscores in the newspaper but there are just several plays in a game that don’t show up in a boxscore We have the type of kids that make those plays and it’s nice when your leader has such a will to win “He’s just a really good all-around player,” added Miller of Robertson I’ve watched him from afar when we were in the Schuylkill League and he’s about as good a point guard as you can have The multi-facet things that he can do for that team are impressive.” who also came up with some key rebounds down the stretch including five three-pointers while Clark ended with 13 The Indians will lose three key seniors from this season’s squad “This senior group is part of a group that turned the program around without them we’re not in the position that we are right now .. Brayden Johnson was our point guard the last few years and John Light was a spark plug his whole career Those are guys that’s we’re going to really miss And even the guys that don’t get a lot of playing time as seniors they’re just positive guys to have in your program Lehighton 15 14 6 9 - 44 Records: Lehighton (17-9); Saucon Valley (21-6) Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors The Lehighton Class of 1957 held its reunion on Sept The Lehighton Borough Police have announced the arrest of two fugitives who were considered 'armed and dangerous' in Lehighton Borough - The Lehighton Borough Police have announced the arrest of two fugitives who were considered "armed and dangerous" in Lehighton Borough Lehighton Borough Police were contacted by the Pennsylvania State Police and US Marshals Fugitive Task Force with information about a shooting that happened in Dennison Township Authorities confirm that two felony arrest warrants were issued from that investigation for Shaine Hawk for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless endangering The two suspects were believed to be held at 320 South First Street in Lehighton Borough Officials say that both suspects were considered "armed and dangerous," and that there were reports of additional people within the residence Units arrived to the location just before 11:30 p.m Officials say that multiple loudspeaker announcements were made directing the subjects to come out The home renter exited the building with a 3-year-old child and confirmed that the suspects were in the building Two additional children were also moved away from the building and the police were informed that both suspects had barricaded themselves in a bedroom on the second floor Officials say that a four-man tactical team was able to gain access into the bedroom and successfully took both suspects into custody without incident No injuries were reported from any police units or suspects involved in the incident The home renter and children returned to the building after the arrest Both suspects have been transported to State Police Lehighton and the investigation is ongoing It was 1994 when the Lehighton community was introduced to a new store’s everyday low prices The Lehighton Walmart in Mahoning Township will celebrate its 30-year milestone with a cupcake giveaway from 9 a.m As the demand for one-stop shopping with everyday low prices grew the store relocated to its present location at 1731 Blakeslee Blvd Dr Sunday will mark the 14th anniversary of the current store’s grand opening date of Oct “The move from our original store to our supercenter doubled the size of our location and added a full supermarket to our one-stop shopping format,” Janicki said two additional entrances for an easier shopping experience and a drive-thru pharmacy drop-off/pickup option.” the store added online shopping during its remodel which allowed customers the opportunity to order products from their mobile phones or any mobile device and have a Walmart associate pick and deliver directly to a customer’s vehicle the store added a home delivery option through a third party allowing customers to place orders online and get them delivered directly to their homes “Walmart has been important to the community due to its one-stop shop format,” Janicki said “The store pulls customers from a wide range of communities Janicki explained how the store has maintained its success for the last three decades “Walmart is always looking to invest back into its stores to continuously improving them,” he said “Some examples of this: the move to the present-day location Walmart is committed to saving customers money and time so they can live better.” the Lehighton Walmart associates are the number one reason it’s been able to maintain its success “Customers remark on a daily basis about the care and extra effort our associates put forth to help complete the customer shopping experience,” he said “The store’s associate experience is visible in all departments with 25% of associates working for Walmart 10 years or longer with 12 associates celebrating 30 years over the next nine months.”