Bomb Scare Reported at Easton Area Middle School

School buses were delayed after a bomb scare at Easton Area Middle School Monday afternoon.

A bomb scare was reported at Easton Area Middle School Monday afternoon. School officials and authorities confirmed that a bomb scare was reported at the 5-8 grades school, delaying school buses at least 20 minutes at the end of the school day. The bomb scare took place in the 5th and 6th grade building, sources said. Police from Forks and Palmer townships and Wilson and a Northampton County rescue unit responded. A Forks Township fire truck and Suburban EMS vehicle was also at the scene. The Easton Area School District issued alerts about the bomb scare and informed parents at neighboring Shawnee Elementary School that school buses were delayed from "an incident at the middle school." One parent said that her son was informed to leave his…

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Panda

8:19 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I agree! Bottom line: The kids were kept safe, were comforted by the school staff and got home ALIVE and SAFE!   more ›

Reindeer Raise Holiday Spirits

Forks Township farm features five reindeer as a holiday tourist attraction.

You know Donner and Blitzen... Well how about Ginger, Clarise and Gus? They may not be in Santa's sled, but on a farm in Forks Township, five reindeer have become one of the Christmas holiday's hottest attractions. At the Z Arch Barn Farm, an upstart Christmas tree farm, the reindeer are just as popular as the pre-cut Fraiser and Douglas fir Christmas trees that owner Vince Zarate has on display on Klein Road. He built a barn over the past year and turned it into a place to sell Christmas trees in late November, opening for business on Black Friday. But the reindeer are the stars of this show. Zarate said he acquired three of them from a breeder in New York and the other two from another one in Wisconsin. The reindeer are very friendly for…

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Easton Hospital "Opens" Forks Center

Easton Hospital officials celebrate its new Forks Township branch with a grand opening Tuesday afternoon.

It's the anchor right now of the new Park Plaza at Sullivan Trail. And after being open since August, Easton Hospital's wellness and health center was officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon. "This is a major ambulatory hub serving Forks Township and surrounding communities," Easton Hospital CEO Brian Finestein said. "We were looking for a place along Sullivan Trail and this was good space. It's easy access and not too far away from the main hospital." The 16,000-square-foot wellness center offers everything from physician office hours, imaging services, a lab and walk-in care with no appointment necessary during certain hours. Finestein said that he hopes to add physical therapy service by the end of the year and …

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Robber with Sawed-Off Shotgun Stole $8 Worth of Cigars, Fled on Bicycle

The man police say robbed a Forks Township convenience store carried a sawed-off shotgun, swiped packs of Black & Mild cigars and fled on a bicycle

Police used surveillance video, bicycle tire tracks and a person’s preference for Black & Mild cigars to track down the armed man they say robbed Chubby’s convenience store in Forks Township around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. A criminal complaint about the incident and the alleged robber, Tariq Jahad Yusuf Jackson, 22, also of Forks, reveals the following: --Jackson wore a black-knit ski mask and yellow gloves, and brandished a sawed-off shotgun. A Forks officer found the mask on nearby Meco Road about an hour after the robbery. --Jackson visited the store about 10 the night before – six and a half hours before the robbery – and asked an employee what time the store opens in the morning. --His home at 2305 Jamie Court is .76 miles from Chubby’s, …

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Former EASD Administrator Lands in Reading

Former Easton Area School District Assistant Superintendent Maura Roberts joining Reading School District.

A former Easton Area School District administrator has a new job. Maura Roberts, the district's director of K-12 Pupil/Curriculum Services who announced her resignation in late May, is signing on with the Reading School District. Roberts is expected to begin her new assignment in the next week, according to the Easton Express-Times. Roberts announced her resignation to the board in late May, handing it in without giving a reason. Her salary was listed as $132,613. Her new position in Reading will be executive director of accountability and instructional support, with a pro-rated salary of $117,000, the story states.

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EASD Busing Issue Resolved

The Easton Area School District will bus children to area arts academy.

They came to protest at the last Easton Area School Board meeting, wondering why their children couldn't be bused to the Arts Academy Charter School in Salisbury. Parents had protested the school district policy of the arts academy being 10 miles away from district boundries. But now the matter has been resolved, according to the Morning Call. The district now expects to provide busing by Oct. 15 and may have to pay as much as $20,000 to cover the route, the story states. At the recent meeting, Chief Operating Officer Mike Simonetta had told parents that the arts academy was outside boundaries. But after prodding, he retested the route, the story states, and found that it came in right at 10 miles. About 10 people had protested to the …

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Survey: 4,200 State Teaching Jobs Shed

State survey indicates that 4,200 teaching jobs were cut for 2012-2013 school year. Easton Area School District had 135 of them.

The Easton Area School District wasn't alone in cutting teaching positions for this school year. According to a state survey released Monday, 4,200 state teaching jobs were slashed for the 2012-2013 school year and EASD had at least 135 of them, the Morning Call states. The story says that the survey, conducted by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, found 30 percent of respondent school districts cut 4,200 teaching positions through layoffs, attrition and vacancies left open in the 2012-13 school year. The Easton Area School District cut teaching positions in May and July as a way to close a major budget deficit, school officials said. A hearing to reinstate …

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Forks Pulls Out of Regional Skate Park

Forks supervisors say cost to join Easton effort not worth the benefit.

Forks Township won't be a part of a regional stake park proposed by the city of Easton. The Forks Township Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Thursday to reject a proposal that would have Forks, Easton, Palmer and Wilson pitching in to pay for a regional skate park. Worried about high costs for such a project, the board decided to drop out. "To invest in a regional skate park when we are going to have one here is not wise spending on our behalf," Supervisor John O'Neil said. Supervisors were worried about how much Forks' share could be. At a recent meeting, Palmer Township supervisors expressed concern that their expense would be too high. Supervisors mentioned Palmer's worries Thursday and also wondered whether grants would come through that …

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Forks Officer Singing at Phillies Game Tuesday

Forks Township Police Officer Brooks Kranich will now sing the National Anthem to kick off the game and commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

Lehigh Valley Officer to Sing for Phillies Sept. 11

A police officer from the Lehigh Valley has been invited to sing at the Sept. 11 Phillies game

On the wall in the office of Forks Township, police officer Brooks Kranich hangs a cherished piece of memorabilia. It's his ticket stub and a rally towel from Game 3 of the 2008 World Series he attended at Citizens Bank Park watching his beloved Philadelphia Phillies. On Sept. 11, though, the 38-year-old Kranich might be able to top that Phillies memory. The team has invited Kranich to sing a patriotic song at the Phillies Sept. 11 game against the Miami Marlins -- the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against America. For Kranich, a Forks Township native who has been on the force since 2007, it's a dream come true. After all, this isn't someone who has a normal law enforcement background. Kranich holds a bachelor’s degree…

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