Whitehall-Coplay Press

The first total eclipse to span coast to coast across the U.S. mainland in almost a century will be visible Aug. 21. For people in Pennsylvania, the eclipse coverage will reach over 75 percent.

This rare celestial event is a spectacular occurrence; however, there are precautions people should take to help maintain their eye health while witnessing the spectacle in its full glory. Looking at a solar eclipse without proper protection can cause serious eye damage, including blurry vision that can last months, or even permanent problems.

As of July 1, Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce have merged. The decision to merge comes just nine months from beginning a partnership between the two chambers.

Jessica O’Donnell, senior vice president of central affiliated chambers, and John Ferreira, manager of both Lehigh Valley Mall and Whitehall Mall and a member of the board’s executive committee, spoke with The Press Aug. 2 to discuss the merger.

The town hall meeting for the proposed Hokendauqua historic preservation district, set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Teamsters Union Hall Local 773, 3614 Lehigh St., drew a protest at the board of commissioners meeting Monday by Commissioner Linda Snyder, on grounds the session should instead be held at the municipal complex.

“It should be here. All township meetings should be in this building,” Snyder said.

The 38th annual Party in the Park Coplay Community Days will be held rain or shine Aug. 25-27. The three-day festival is the community’s largest fundraiser of the year, supporting local and surrounding neighbor organizations.

The event offers plenty of free parking and admittance to the festival grounds at the borough’s Parkway.

There is no cover charge to concerts.

The final service at Trinity United Church of Christ, Coplay, Aug. 6 had the congregation in the pews for two hours, much longer than usual.

Emotions swept over the families present. Men and women clung to every Scripture read and each hymn sung. They were in no hurry to leave, realizing it was the final chapter in the church’s 146 years of serving its members and the community.

On leaving the church for the final time, there were many teary-eyed persons; voices crackling were met with warm embraces on the realization Trinity UCC has closed its doors forever.

Less than two weeks from the official start of the school year, five of Whitehall-Coplay School District’s newest teachers were introduced to the school board at the Aug. 14 meeting.

Coplay Borough engineer Daniel Witczak, of Acela Engineering, presented council members with a host of plans at their meeting Aug. 8.

“We are ready to award the handicap curb cut project to Vanic Company for around $63,000,” he said. “They were the low bidder. I have not worked with them before, but they met all of our requirements.”

The project will clean up Hokendauqua Street and includes curbing that was disturbed by recent construction. There is also a price in the package for sidewalks.

Councilman Carl Luckenbach agreed with the pricing.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has announced a reduction in standardized testing for students in the commonwealth.

According to an Aug. 14 news release from the governor’s office, “the change to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) will reduce the length of the tests by 20 percent in grades 3 through 8.”

Wolf commented on the change during a “Schools That Teach” tour stop at Susquehanna Middle School, Dauphin County, with state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera.

The Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Task Force has been recognized for effectively ending veteran homelessness across the Lehigh Valley.

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski accepted the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, announced in June 2014 by then-First Lady Michelle Obama in the fall of 2014.

Pawlowski approached Director of the Lehigh County Office of Veterans Affairs Thomas Applebach to spearhead the challenge.

Applebach organized the first meeting of the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Task Force in February 2015.