Northampton Press

The 15th National Take Back Day drug collection event has been scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 28. During that time, Lehigh County residents can take expired and unused prescription and over-the-counter medications to police departments and other locations at 14 sites in Lehigh County.

County residents can dispose of capsules, pills and liquids, including pet medications.

Syringes or sharps will not be accepted. Residents who dispose of medications will remain anonymous, and no questions will be asked.

Caleb Oliver, of Northampton, has undergone quite a transformation — going from morbidly obese on Halloween in 2016 to running in the Boston Marathon April 16.

Oliver weighed in at 377 pounds that Halloween before undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery with Maher El Chaar, M.D., the co-medical director of bariatric surgery at St. Luke’s University Health Network.

Heading into the 2018 Boston Marathon, Oliver, 38, is now carrying between 236 and 241 pounds on his 6-foot frame.

For the ninth year in a row, teens and adults who have survived sexual abuse will be gathering together for Break the Silence, a sexual abuse poetry night April 27. They are joined there by this year’s speaker, local artist Amy Elise.

Elise is a survivor of child sexual abuse and lives with Dissociative Identity Disorder, a condition that used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder. She has several personalities who live inside of her, many of whom are artists. She will be telling her story and sharing all of their artwork.

The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) awarded Congressman Charlie Dent, R-15th, the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement on behalf of higher education at its annual meeting in Hershey March 26.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal, named for one of the nation’s and Pennsylvania’s earliest and most recognized leaders, is reserved for individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the ongoing vitality and effectiveness of Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities.

As a free service to the community, Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, will co-host a shredding event in Northampton to give residents of the 183rd Legislative District a chance to safeguard themselves against identity theft by having their personal documents securely destroyed.

The event, co-hosted with the Borough of Northampton, will be held 10 a.m.-noon April 14 at Northampton Banquet & Event Center, 1601 Laubach Ave.

Whitehall Township police officers responded to a call March 28 to assist officers from Allentown Police Department with apprehending a suspect believed to be in a residence in the 500 block of Catasauqua Avenue, Fullerton.

According to the news release, the Lehigh County Municipal Emergency Response Team (MERT) responded at approximately 5:30 p.m., assisted by a crisis negotiation team, in an attempt to have the suspect surrender himself.

The suspect, identified as Ayoub J. Tawil, was wanted on felony charges, police said.

In February, 142 Northampton Area High School DECA members competed at the annual Pennsylvania DECA State Career Development Conference at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey.

Students competed in written events or competency-based role-play events. Students either qualified at the district conference in December or completed a written event where they were tasked with writing a five- to 30-page paper, followed by giving a 15-minute presentation.

Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School students won 11 gold medals Jan. 31 at the SkillsUSA District 11 Championships. BAVTS students also earned nine silver and 12 bronze medals for a grand total of 32 medals.

Held annually at the Agri-Plex Expo Center, the regional event pits BAVTS students against peers from Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Career Institute of Technology, Monroe Career & Technical Institute and Upper Bucks County Technical School in more than 50 contests of skill ranging from automotive service technology to web design.

Upon the sale of its business to Hearst in January, the Rodale family was committed to ensuring that its property, nearly 40 acres in Emmaus, would be put to use in a way that would continue to enhance the community and support health and wellness in the region. With that in mind, Rodale and Phoebe Ministries have entered into an agreement of sale that will transform the Rodale corporate campus into a new wellness-focused residential destination for people ages 62 and older.

State Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, and state Sen. Mario Scavello, R-40th, have announced that more than $660,000 in Local Share Account (LSA) grants was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Agency for Allen and Lehigh townships.

LSA grants support economic development, job training, community improvement and public interest projects through gaming funds under Act 71 of 2004. These specific grants come from Monroe County, which funds projects in Monroe and its contiguous counties.