Whitehall-Coplay Press

At its Nov. 12 regular meeting, Coplay Borough Council began its end-of-the-year activities. A first reading of the budget was authorized.

The approval of the budget is scheduled for Dec. 23. The budget will be available for a detailed review on the borough’s website, coplayborough.org. The new budget includes a 0.7-mill increase, which will cost the average homeowner in Coplay an additional $98 per year.

Borough resident Melvin Procanyn suggested council raise the tax increase to 1.2 mills and keep the rate constant.

NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 21

Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority meets 7:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority, 3213 MacArthur Road.

TUESDAY 26

Coplay Borough Planning Commission meets 7 p.m. at the borough municipal building, 98 S. Fourth St.

Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meets 7:30 p.m. in the public hearing room of the Lehigh County Government Center, 17 S. Seventh St., Allentown.

Whitehall Mall’s Sears store is expected to close in early 2020, according to a Nov. 7 news release from Transformco, which purchased the store’s assets in February.

This location, at 1259 Whitehall Mall, is one of seven Sears or Kmart stores in Pennsylvania set to close.

Help a senior this holiday season

The holiday season is also the season of giving and a time to share smiles with those around you. As you gather to drink hot cocoa and sing carols with family and friends, it’s important to remember there are seniors in your community who would love to celebrate, too. However, many seniors live alone, without someone to share this special time.

When you attend a wedding, many times the bride and groom’s interests shine through. That is very much the case for the wedding of Barbie (Hucaluk) and Shawn Fillman, of Whitehall. The couple had a baseball- and skull-themed wedding. The colors purple and black were used throughout.

Barbie Fillman is originally from Catasauqua. Her son, Jayden, is a student in Catasauqua Area School District.

It’s an early Christmas present for anyone affected by the closure of the Coplay-Northampton Bridge. The new $33.5 million state-of-the-art span will be open to traffic before the December holiday.

Rick Molchany, Lehigh County director of general services, confirmed the new concrete bridge will “certainly open” before Christmas, six months ahead of schedule. The specific date is expected to be announced shortly.