Fountain Hill Borough Council met Nov. 4 with District Justice Wayne Maura in attendance. Maura was attending the council meeting for the first time since redistricting brought the borough under his authority in June. The Pennsylvania constitution requires that every 10 years district lines be redrawn to evenly divide the workload of the county's district justices.

After introducing himself to the council and those in attendance, Maura promised to maintain the quality of life of borough residents, as he has in Bethlehem since his election in 2005. Fountain Hill had previously been under the jurisdiction of District Justice Michael J. Pochron.

After Maura's speech, Mayor Jose Rosado noted a sharp uptick in assaults within the borough. Rosado noted that 87 had been reported already in 2013, 32 more than the 2012 total of 55 incidents.

Police Chief Ed Bachert agreed with Rosado that the figures were troubling, but added "people aren't just getting beat up on the street." He continued to say there are a few homes that rack up seven or eight calls a year but that a lot of times people just don't want to pursue prosecution.

The vacant junior council person seat was filled by Shannon Pabon. Pabon told council that she had developed an interest in politics and wanted to see how it worked. Council voted unanimously to approve her application.

In other news, the Fountain Hill Fire Department will hold their Christmas tree sale at the Fountain Hill pool beginning by Nov. 29.

Then, the borough Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. at Broadway and North Lynn Street.