Dutch Springs to Host Fundraiser for Sandy Hook Families

Dutch Springs is teaming up with the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue this weekend to host a fundraiser that will benefit the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.

Nazareth Community Invited to Join #26Acts Movement

The Nazareth Area High School Theatre Troupe invites community to join a viral effort known as '26 Acts of Kindness' in honor of the students and faculty who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The Nazareth Area High School Theatre Troupe on Friday kicked off the highly anticipated winter break with its "Winter in Nazareth Variety Show." But a powerful message and request mingled with Christmas favorites, like "There's No Place like Home for the Holidays" and "Hey, Santa." Members of the theatre troupe slipped an extra piece of paper inside each program. Typed on the slip of paper was the following: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr. #26Acts Please consider performing 26 Acts of Kindness in memory of the Sandy Hook victims. The request is part of a viral movement. On Dec. 16, Ann Curry, a national and international NBC News …

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Tatamy, Stockertown Mayors Want Tougher Gun Laws

Mayors for Tatamy, Stockertown and Bath -- as well as more than 750 U.S. mayors -- sent a letter to President Obama urging him to 'make it harder for dangerous people to possess guns, and easier for police and prosecutors to crack down on them.'

Editor's note: The following is a letter sent Wednesday to the White House from the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Among the mayors signing were Sherman Metzgar of Stockertown, Luke Duignam of Tatamy and Donald L. Wunderler of Bath. This letter is in response to a different gun crime: the school shooting last week in Newtown, Conn.   Dear President Obama, On Friday, Dec. 14, the entire nation watched as parents stood outside the Sandy Hook Elementary School and waited, desperately hoping to be reunited with their children. That moment will never end for the families of the 20 children and six adults who were murdered that day at the school. As mayors, we are charged with keeping our communities safe. But too many of us have sat with …

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TONIGHT: Nazareth Variety Show Proceeds to Benefit Sandy Hook

'Winter in Nazareth Variety Show' will begin at 7 tonight (Dec. 21) in the high school auditorium; the theatre troupe will donate all proceeds to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.

The Nazareth Area High School Theatre Troupe will kick off the highly-anticipated winter break with its "Winter in Nazareth Variety Show." Curtains will rise at 7 tonight (Dec. 21) in the high school auditorium. Admission is $2. All proceeds will be donated to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, which was established to provide direct monetary assistance to families of victims and the Newtown, CT, community. The variety show will feature Christmas favorites, including “There’s No Place like Home for the Holidays" and "Hey, Santa,” and scene performances from "A Christmas Carol.” Holiday goodies and snacks will be available for purchase after the show.

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Services Set for Mary Sherlach, CT School Shooting Victim

Sherlach was the school psychologist at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, where a gunman opened fire Friday, killing 26 people.

Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist killed in a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, will be laid to rest this week.  A memorial service will be held 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20 at Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, CT. Friends are invited to meet directly in St. Stephen Church, 6948 Main St., Trumbull at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 for a Memorial Mass. Interment will be private.  Condolences may be sent through the funeral home's website.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Fairfield County Community Foundation, Fund for Health and Wellness, 383 Main Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851, to continue Sherlach's work with children and mental health. Sherlach, 56, was …

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Dear Newtown, Connecticut

This open letter in response to the tragic school shooting was penned by Hellertown native Emily Doll, a doctoral student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. It was first published on her Facebook page on Friday.

School Shooting Drill in Northampton County Trained Cops for Connecticut-Type Tragedy

Officers from six Northampton County police departments participated in 'Active Shooter' training on July 26 to prepare for the unthinkable, like the horrific act of violence inside Sandy Hook Elementary School.

An "active shooter" drill in Northampton County helped police, school officials and emergency crews practice their response to a rampage like Friday's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Nazareth Area Intermediate School was the scene of multiple -- staged -- tragedies July 26 during specialized training co-hosted by the Upper Nazareth Township Police Department and National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA). About 20 police officers from six Northampton County departments participated in the “Active Shooter” training that Don Alwes, an instructor with NTOA, described as “kind of like a scrimmage.” The 10-hour day included a historical overview of active shooter situations and field training exercises, during…

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Patch Writer's Mother-In-Law Killed in CT School Shootings

Mary Sherlach, the mother-in-law of Patch writer Eric Schwartz, was among 27 people killed in the second-deadliest school shooting in American history.

The deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, claimed the life of a Patch writer's family member.  Mary Sherlach, the school's psychologist, was among 26 people, including 20 children, who died when a gunman opened fire at the school Friday morning. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also died in the rampage.  Sherlach was the mother-in-law of Deptford resident Eric Schwartz, a longtime Patch freelancer who covers high school sports in South Jersey.  Sherlach, 56, lived in Trumbull, CT. Schwartz and his wife, Maura, arrived in Connecticut on Friday evening to be with their family. They could not be reached for comment.  In the shooting spree, Lanza also reportedly killed his mother, who was a teacher …

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