NO SOUP: The Press received notification after printing of the Jan. 15 newspaper that Northern EMS, NOVA has postponed its January soup sale. More information will be provided when available. The event was listed in the North Whitehall column.

COOKIE SALES: Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania has kicked off the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie™ season, allowing Girl Scouts to “unbox the future” and raise funds to support their dreams through the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. Exploremores™, a rocky road ice cream–inspired sandwich cookie, will join the legendary lineup for the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie season. In addition to the exciting new cookie, the 2026 cookie lineup will include fan favorites such as Thin Mints®, Caramel deLites®, Peanut Butter Patties® and more. All proceeds from cookie sales stay with local councils and troops to power Girl Scouts’ amazing experiences year-round. For more information on how to purchase cookies in your community and support the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, visit gsep.org/cookies. 

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.

CHILI COOK OFF: Ziegels Church, 9990 Ziegels Church Road, Breinigsville, will be holding a free chili cook off and dessert contest 12:15-2:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Fellowship Room. For questions or more information, call 610-285-6157, email ziegelsfellowship@gmail.com or go to www.ziegelschurch.org.

POTPIE FUNDRAISER: Morgenland Church, 3120 Weidasville Road, Orefield, will be taking orders for its homemade chicken potpie with homemade noodles in quart size containers until March 1 for take-out only. Pick-up will take place 4-6 p.m. March 7. To place an order or a few orders, call Cindy at 610-554-0510 or Lisa at 610-984-7770.

DEAN’S LIST: The following students Sarah Longenderfer, Breinigsville, and Arden Kaas, New Tripoli, were named to the dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester at the University of Connecticut.

CAMP CADET: State Police Troop M, Bethlehem, have announced its annual Camp Cadet program will be held June 7 to 12, at Camp Fowler, 5851 Horseshoe Road, Orefield. The camp is an overnight summer program for boys and girls between the ages of 12-15. Its goal is to introduce them to the diverse criminal justice system and to establish a positive relationship between law enforcement and youths, while living in an atmosphere similar to an actual State Police Academy. Anyone interested in attending the camp can register online at https://www.troopmcampcadet.org/.

TOLL INCREASE: The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s 2026 Toll Schedule started Jan. 4, with a 4% increase, the lowest rate increase since 2014, according to a press release dated Dec. 20, 2025. “As in previous years, the increase will be used entirely to repay Act 44 debt service,” according to authorities. The press release continues as follows. “In lieu of raising taxes for transportation, Act 44 of 2007, which was amended by Act 89 in 2013, obligated the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to assist in funding statewide ground transportation beyond PA Turnpike operations. Since 2008, the commission has provided more than $8 billion to the commonwealth for this purpose.”

On the Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline and the Northeast Extension, where tolls are calculated per segment and distance traveled, the Act 44 increase moves the per-mile rate to $. 073 and the segment fee to $1.13.

On all other extensions, where the tolling infrastructure does not support a per-segment and distance traveled rate, the Act 44 increase will be a straight 4% increase to existing trips.

Toll rates round up to the nearest penny.

“In 2026, the most-common toll for a passenger vehicle will increase from $1.86 to $1.94 for E-ZPass customers and from $3.72 to $3.88 for Toll By Plate customers,” according to the press release. Since Act 44 went into effect, the commission has maintained its toll increase schedule in accordance with the Act 44 Financial Plan. In 2027, toll increases will drop to 3.5% and to 3% by 2028. Before Act 44, the Pennsylvania Turnpike only raised tolls five times in 64 years. The PA Turnpike’s E-ZPass passenger toll rates are below the national average compared to other U.S. toll roads, bridges and tunnels. E-ZPass customers receive the lowest toll rates, saving 50% compared to Toll By Plate rates. Motorists without an E-ZPass may download the PA TOLL PAY smartphone app and create an autopay account to earn a 15% discount on monthly Toll By Plate invoices, according to the press release. Travelers can also plan travel expenses using the PA Turnpike’s online toll calculator feature. It factors system entry and exit points, vehicle class and payment method (E-ZPass or Toll By Plate) and highlights the cost difference.

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. The 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.

FAFSA WORKSHOP: The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is hosting a 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 toolkit 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. 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.

LEHIGH GAP

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/.

ARTIST NEEDED: The LGNC Nature in Art Club is calling all artist for its art show to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 14 and 15. Registration to submit entries is midnight Feb. 27. Late entries will not be accepted. See registration form for complete details. Opening reception for the show will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 13. For questions, call 610-760-8889 or email riley.davenport@lgnc.org.

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 “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. Photos should be sent high resolution with captions that list everyone in the photo from left to right, front to back. You can also send news about upcoming events. Please send two weeks ahead of time if possible, though we make every attempt to get last minute information published. Be sure to include a contact phone number in case we have any questions.