LCCC GRADUATES: Lehigh Carbon Community College is proud to congratulate the students that graduated in December 2025. The graduated students and their hometowns are below. Students that graduated with honors are noted.

Breinigsville: Paige Bleiler, Dartanyon Delillo*, Matthew Gappa**, Clarissa Howard, Paige Knowles**, Andrew Ladley, Jennette Lopez, Patrice Parker, Xiana Romero, Anthony Schmoyer**, Jenelle Weeks*, Iasjahle Wright

Fogelsville: Shannon Castellanos, Olivia Henritzy

Kutztown: Mary Bowman, Braedyn Schuler, Tessa VanDam*

New Tripoli: Erika Altif**, Summer Hammack**, Tim Noctor

Schnecksville: Ilana Badillo, Christina Donofrio, Bradley Drews*, Natalia Jaskiewicz, Chelsea Lore, Mackenzie Tobia

Topton: Jonathan Miles

* Indicates student graduated Cum Laude, earning a grade point average of 3.5 - 3.75.

** Indicates student graduated Magna Cum Laude, earning a grade point average of 3.75 - 3.95.

*** Indicates student graduated Summa Cum Laude, earning a grade point average of 3.95 - 4.0.

DEAN’S LIST: The following students were named to the Dean’s List at the University of Connecticut for the fall 2025 semester:

BREINIGSVILLE-Sarah Longenderfer.

NEW TRIPOLI-Arden Kaas.

IRS MILEAGE: The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that the standard mileage rate for business use of automobiles increased by 2.5 cents for 2026.

IThe rates are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating vehicles for business, charitable and medical purposes.

Effective, Jan. 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck became:

• 72.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 2.5 cents from 2025.

• 20.5 cents per mile for medical purposes, down a half-cent.

• 20.5 cents per mile for moving purposes for certain active-duty members of the military and certain members of the intelligence community, down a half-cent.

• 14 cents per mile in service of charitable organizations, equal to the 2025 rate.

HOAGIE FUNDRAISER: Weisenberg Volunteer Fire Department is accepting orders online until 5 p.m. Jan. 26 for its hoagie sale. Choose between Italian, with onions and peppers, or onion and no peppers or peppers and no onions or no onions or peppers; ham and American cheese; turkey; roast beef or tuna salad. Ingredients supplied by Thomson’s Meat Market, Walnutport. Hoagie pickup will take place 2:30-6 p.m. Feb. 5 at the fire station, 2500 Golden Key Road, Kutztown. They are also offering ice cream sandwiches from The Nesting Box Creamery available in traditional chocolate wafer with soft vanilla ice cream or chocolate chip cookie with soft vanilla ice cream. They come six to a pack.

They are also selling one pound of chocolate covered sourdough pretzels or one pound of milk chocolate nonpareils from Tara’s Treats and Goodies. To place an order, call 484-357-8827.

FAFSA WORKSHOP: The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is hosting a several free webinar from 6-7 p.m. on March 11 to assist college-bound students and their families in correctly completing and submitting the free application for Federal Student Aid. All students and contributors (such as parents and spouses) must establish their StudentAid.gov Account (FSA ID) at StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account before attending a FAFSA completion workshop. Attendees should visit the PHEAA website before attending an event to determine who should create a StudentAid.gov Account. PHEAA Access Partners will present an overview of the 2026-27 FAFSA process to guide students and families through a step-by-step process of filing the FAFSA and PA State Grant applications. You can register for this webinar at pheaa.org/virtual.

PHEAA Access Partners will provide one-on-one support with completing the 2026-27 FAFSA from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 22 and April 21. This is especially helpful for families with unique circumstances. Sessions are approximately 30 minutes long. Registration is required for these events as space is limited. PHEAA also provides free FAFSA resources online and offers a free FAFSA tool kit to aid counselors and partners in assisting students and families with FAFSA completion.

WRITERS WORKSHOP: Registration for the 2026 Write Stuff Writers’ Conference, presented by the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group is open. One of the premier writing events in the area, the conference welcomes writers in all genres, at all levels of publication, from unpublished to several writing credits. The conference will be held on March 12-14 at Homewood Suites Center Valley, 3350 Center Parkway, Center Valley. Early Bird prices are available through Jan. 15. Conference registration deadline is March 1, or until the hotel’s maximum capacity has been reached. New York Times-bestselling author Kristin Bair is the keynote speaker and main presenter. Bair will be presenting two half-day workshops as well as a breakout session on Saturday. Recorded sessions will be available for a limited time after the event for those who cannot attend the conference. Registered conferees under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, with separate registration. For a complete schedule, list of presenters, and rate schedule, visit glvwg.org.

FOSTER CARE: The Salvation Army Eastern Pennsylvania Children’s Services announces the launch of a new Short-Term Foster Care Program that provides safe, loving homes for children who require temporary care. No prior experience is required, just a willingness to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for children in need for days or weeks. Contact Emily, 610-821-7706, emily.anthony@use.salvationarmy.org.

HAWK MOUNTAIN

APPALACHIAN WINTER ECOLOGY WORKSHOP: Taught by Dr. Dan Ardia, professor of biology at Franklin and Marshall College. This 3-day workshop will explore Hawk Mountain’s winter wildlife and how plants and other wildlife adapt to this critical life cycle period 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17. There is a cost and registration is required to attend this program. For more information or to register go to hawkmountain.org.

LEHIGH GAP

MEDIA WORKSHOP: Join staff at Lehigh Gap Nature Center for a Mixed Media Art Workshop with Board Certified Art Therapist Chris Zweifel 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 20. Participants will be making Artist Trading Cards! Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art that measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches, the size of a standard baseball card. The ATC movement originated in 1997 by the Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann. ATCs are traded, not sold for monetary gain, and are a great way to practice art techniques. Create, swap and collect at this very special event. Artists of all skill levels are welcome — even brand-new artists! All necessary materials will be provided by the facilitator, but participants are welcome to bring materials from home if they would like. There is a per person fee to attend. Register online via Zeffy at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mixed-media-workshop-artist-trading-cards.

WINTER BIRD WALK: A Winter Bird Walk will take place 10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 21, at the Osprey House. Discover the many bird species that spend their winter at LGNC! Binoculars will be provided to those who do not have them. Although these walks will be geared toward beginner birders, people of all ages are welcome to attend. This event is free to LGNC members. There is a $5 per person fee for nonmembers. For questions, contact LGNC staff at mail@lgnc.org or call 610-760-8889. Register online via Zeffy at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/winter-bird-walk-2.

FEEDER WATCH: An annual tradition since 1998, the Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch is a community-supported effort to monitor winter bird populations in our region. Do you have at least one bird feeder in your yard and live within 15 miles of Lehigh Gap Nature Center? If so, we invite you to participate in this year’s count! As a volunteer Feeder Watcher, your objective is to observe your backyard bird feeder(s), record your bird sightings, and submit your data to Lehigh Gap Nature Center. In 2026, Feeder Watchers may count on either Feb. 13, 14, or 15 and share their sightings via online form, mail, or email by Feb. 27. To learn more information, go to https://lgnc.org/research/bird-counts/.

SENIORS GROUP: Lehigh Gap Nature Center, 8844 Paint Mill Road, Slatington, has formed a new group for nature-minded seniors. Each session will include coffee/tea, refreshments, and a time for socializing. This will be followed by a brief presentation about a topic of interest and an open forum discussion among the group members. The sessions will be held in the Great Hall at the Osprey House on the second Monday of each month from 9-10:30 a.m.

SPEAKER SERIES: Join LGNC staff on select Thursday evenings from 6-7 p.m. through March to learn about local history and ecology, conservation initiatives, and more. There is a suggested donation per person for nonmembers. For more information or to register, go to https://lgnc.org, email mail@lgnc.org or call 610-760-8889.

ECOLOGY CLUB: LGNC’s Ecology Club is back for the 2025-26 school year! Children ages 9 and older are invited to meet from 4:15-5:15 p.m. at the Osprey House on the first Wednesday of every month until June 3 for fun, hands-on nature adventures. Participation is free to all LGNC members and their families, and no registration is required. Email riley.davenport@lgnc.org if you have any questions.

BOOK CLUB: The Cabin Fever Book Club meets once a month from 10 a.m. to noon during the fall and winter months to discuss books on ecology, environmental history, and environmentalism. This year’s book list is “The Comfort of Crows” by Margaret Renkl for Jan. 15, “West with Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge for Feb. 19 and “Tip of the Iceberg” by Mark Adams for March 19. Books are available at the Palmerton and Slatington libraries, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, or on Amazon for purchase. For more information, email mail@lgnc.org.

NEWS WELCOME: The Northwestern Press welcomes student news, business accomplishments and details about your organization’s events and accomplishments.

To have your news published, send information about the event and photos to gtaylor@tnonline.com.

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