By Bob Halberstadt

Sixty three years ago a

Blairstown, NJ resident and
neighbor became ill and had
to wait two hours for an
ambulance. That was one of
the main reasons a group of
townspeople decided to
institute a better response
system to service the
surrounding rural farm country.
Their current location on
Stillwater Road off of Route
94 broke ground in 1953. Its
small quarters and ambulance
bays were fine in the beginning. The first ambulance the
squad used was a 1942 Packard hearse. As the town grew
and the population multiplied, storage for medical
supplies, ambulances, rescue
vehicles and the space the
squad needed to train its
EMTs and members of the
community who wished to
learn CPR, the building has
become obsolete.
The new location, located
behind the townships munici-

pal building on Route 94 has

three double bays and a large
bay for a rescue truck. There
is squad ready room, kitchen
and a training facility.
On hand for the ground
breaking at that time were
Captain Scott Durlester, then
President Sue Lothian, who
now is on the committee
handling the grand opening
ribbon cutting, and current
President Joe DiGrazia. On
Saturday, October 24th the
new building will have an
open house and tour of the
new facilities.
The Blairstown Ambulance
Corps. handled 44 calls that
first year. During the last 10
years they handled almost
10,000 calls. This year there
have been over 5,000 volunteer man-hours accredited to
the squad. Their territory is
nearly 100 square miles
covering Blairstown, Hope,
Hardwick, Columbia, Frelinghuysen with mutual aid given
to Knowlton, Allamuchy and
Stillwater Township.

Jeff Alte Jr. Roofings first

install of a free roof to a
deserving member of the
community through No Roof
Left
Behinds
national
program has been completed.
Mary Lou Sherrer of the
Mountain Lake section of
Liberty Twp. received the
most votes in an online vote
and was named winner of a
new roof.
The install of the new roof
and gutters was completed in
September. Some rotted roof
decking was also found once
the tear off was taking place,
and plywood was replaced as
needed. Sherrer was delighted
with the new look, and with
the help or her daughter, Tara
Rader, is also doing some yard
clean up, painting and siding
work and other repairs. The
roof was just the start of the
issues, but has given Sherrer
the springboard needed to
accomplish the other tasks.
Sherrer was nominated for

the new roof by Rader, who

never dreamed she would
actually win.
My moms new roof is a
true blessing! Rader said.
Rader went on to thank Jeff
Alte Jr. and his crew, No Roof
Left Behind and others.
You have all come together
to do a wonderful thing for
someone who truly needed it.
I couldnt be more grateful,
Rader said .
Sherrer suffers from a
degenerative nerve disease,
was injured at work not too
long ago and had to take
additional time off from her
job due to a car accident. She
fights through the pain every
day working to keep the
electric on, but the needed
maintenance had mounted
and she wasnt able to keep
up with the many repairs.
The home has been in the
family for four generations,
and Rader says it is now well
on its way to being restored

to its former glory.

We are very pleased with
the success of this initiative.
This is the first year we have
participated in the No Roof
Left Behind program and we
are excited to see the difference this gift has made in
Sherrers life. We wish her all
the best going forward. said
owner, Jeff Alte Jr.
For more information about
Jeff Alte Jr. Roofing, or their
No Roof Left Behind
program, please call 908850-8558
or
visit
alteroofing.com or noroofleft
behind.com/program/nj/1196.
No Roof Left Behind is a
nationwide program that gives
folks in the community a way
to help their good neighbors
that have fallen on hard times.
The No Roof Left Behind
program provides a local
contractor the framework to
provide a new roof at no cost
to a deserving homeowner in
need.

The
Salvation
Army,
located at 301 West Main
Street in Pen Argyl, will be
accepting Christmas applications now through October 23rd from 9am to 3pm,
and November 9th and 10th
from 9am to 3pm, and 5pm
to 8pm. All applicants will
need to have their current
driver's license/state ID, proof
of address, and proof of age
for children 12 and under.
The Chandler Estates are
looking for vendors for
their fall celebration on
October 24th from 9am to
4pm. For more information,
call Tina at 610-863-3503 or
email
Tina@chandler
estate.com.
Christ Lutheran Church
will be holding a pastie sale
on October 27th, from 11am
to 1pm. Christ Lutheran
Church, is located at 703 S.
Delaware Dr., Mt. Bethel.
Call Chrissy at 610-588-0809
to order.
The Bangor Area School
District will hold Ski and
Snowboard Club sign-ups
on October 28th and 29th
for students in fifth through
12th grades. Sign-ups will
be held in the middle school
auditorium at 7pm. This is
the only time for students to
sign up for the club. A parent
and child must attend one of
these nights in order to
participate in the club. If you
cant make it, you must
contact the advisors before

the meeting date, not after. All

online payments must be
completed on time; no exceptions. Information packets are
available on the high school,
middle school and DeFranco
websites. Questions regarding
the club can be directed to
Mrs. Diane Lobb, at 610599-7011, ext. 1027.
East Bangor United Methodist Community Church is
holding a Gertrude Hawk
fundraiser. Orders must be
in by November 15th. For
more information or to order,
call Diane at 610-588-2397.
The Pen Argyl Alumni
Association is sponsoring a
trip to Deck the Halls at
the
American
Music
Theater on November 28th.
The trip includes dinner, show
and all tax and gratuities. For
more information or tickets,
call Bill Ruggiero at 610863-6297.
The Slate Belt Heritage
Center has commenced a
new project and is asking
for volunteers to assist them
in reading and summarizing
over 4,000 letters written by
Slate Belt World War II
soldiers. These letters were
written to Horace and Mona
Strunk, who were editors and
founders of the Homefront
Magazine. This magazine
was distributed throughout all
the different war areas and
kept local boys in touch with
home. Working hours for this
project are Mondays, 9am to
noon, and Tuesday through
Friday, 1pm to 4pm. If interested, or for additional infor-

mation,
email
blau.marc@outlook.com or
call 610-588-8615.
Slate Belt Health and
Rehabilitation is looking for
volunteers. If you enjoy
talking, singing, dancing,
exercising, reading, and more,
and would like to share your
gifts with the residents, stop
by 701 Slate Belt Boulevard
in Bangor for an application
or call 610-588-6161. Volunteers must be at least 16 years
old.
The Ladies Auxiliary of
the Mt. Bethel Volunteer
Fire Company is seeking
new members and volunteers. If you are interested
and would like further information, contact Gail at 570897-6293 or Kris at 610-3927975.
St. Johns Cemetery is
seeking donations to help
with the upkeep of the
cemetery, roadways and
monuments. They are also
exploring the idea of adding a
Community
Columbarium
near the mosoleum. Donations can be sent to Carol
Hummel c/o St. Johns Cemetery, 136 Messinger Street,
Bangor, PA 18013.

The Frelinghuysen Township Recreation Committee

and Municipal Alliance will
be
holding
Halloween
together at Town Hall on
Saturday, October 31st
from 4pm to 8pm. The
hayride will be from 4pm to
6pm. Refreshments will be
served. There will also be a
Halloween lighting contest
for Frelinghuysen Township
residents. Please pre-register
before October 25th at Town
Hall. Judging will be on
October 30th for spookiest,
and most original decorations.
On Saturday November
14th, Blairstown township
will be holding a public land
clean-up day. Blairstown
volunteer groups, such as
scouts, school groups and
church groups, can earn
money while helping the
community. Each group must
contain six people, including
an adult, with a maximum of
two groups per organization.
If you are interested, meet at
the recycling center located
on Lambert Road at 8:30am
to fill out paperwok. For more

information, call Maureen at

908-310-2910.
Religious education classes
at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sussex
County have begun. Children ages three through 12
will participate in a
program called Sing to the
Power, which includes
lessons and activities that
help children explore ways
they can use their different
forms of personal power to
effect positive change in the
world. The classes are held
every Sunday from 10:30am
to noon in the fellowship hall,
located at One West Nelson
Street in Newton. For further
information, call 570-8282732
or
visit
www.
UUNewtonNJ.org.
Free exercise classes will be
held for adults at town hall
in Johnsonburg. Classes are
an hour long on Monday and
Wednesday at 10am, and
Saturday at 9am; or Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday at
4:45pm. For more information,
visit
www.
frelinghuysennj.us/aerobics.h
tm, call Cathy at 908-8527426, or email cathy@cathy
baobean.com.
Blairstown Recreation is
offering
fall
workout
sessions of Zumba, PiYo,
Pilates and Yoga for adults
and teens. Zumba will be
held Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 6pm to 7pm now
through December 10th at
Blair Academy Dance Studio.
PiYo is offered on Fridays,
now through November 20th
from 8:30am to 9:15am at the
Evangelical Free Church of
Blairstown. Pilates will be
held Tuesday and Thursday
mornings from 9:15am to
10:15am at the Evangelical
Free Church now through
November 19th, and Yoga
will be held Mondays and
Wednesdays from 6pm to
6:50pm at Catherine Dickson
Hofman Library. For more
information, visit www.
blairstown-nj.org.
The Warren County Community Singers are looking
for new members. The
singers are a non-audition
group. Rehearsals are Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 9:30pm at the
First Presbyterian Church of
Washington, located at 40
Church Street in Washington.
Singers present two concerts a
year: a holiday concert in

December and Spring Fest of

Song in early May. All voice
parts are welcome. Mens
voices are especially needed.
For more information, call
Jane at 908-399-4771.
Public Notice: In accordance with the Adequate
Notice provision of the Open
Public Meetings Act, please
be advised that the 2015
meeting schedule for the
Warren County Mental Health
Board is as follows: November 17th and December 15th
at 5pm. Meetings will be held
in rooms 123A and B at
Warren County Community

College, located at 475 Rt. 57

in Washington.
Public Notice: In accordance with the Adequate
Notice provision of the Open
Public Meetings Act, please
be advised that the 2015
meeting schedule for the
Warren
County
Human
Services Advisory Council is
as follows: November 24th
(location TBD) at 1:30pm.
Meetings will be held in the
Freeholder Meeting Room at
the Wayne Dumont Jr.
Adminisration
Building,
located at 165 Rt. 519 S. in
Belvidere.

Adult
Non-Fiction:
Kidder, Tracy: Strength In
What Remains; Kingsland,
Rosemary: The Secret Life
Of A Schoolgirl; Oberle,
Cheryl: Knitted Jackets 20
Designs; Pogue, David:
Windows 10 The Missing
Manual;
Macomber,
Debbie: Knit Along With
Debbie Macomber A Turn
In The Road; Smith,
Dennis: A Song For Mary.
Junior Fiction: Herman,

Gail: Fira And The Full

Moon; Thorpe, Kiki: The
Troublewith Tink.
Fiction Audio Books:
Coben, Harlan: Six Years;
Kellerman, Jonathan: Dr.
Death; Lescroart, John: The
Keeper; Saul, John: Comes
The Blind Fury; Rice,
Luanne: Secrets Of Paris.
Non
Fiction
Audio
Books: Dyer, Wayne: The
Essence Of Being In
Balance.

At the monthly meeting of

Martocci-Capobianco
American Legion Post No.
750, in Roseto, PA, held on
October
6th,
Stephen
DeFranco, in his capacity as
30th District commander,
informed the local post that
as of January 1st, 2016, the
National American Legion
will increase the yearly dues

by $5. DeFranco stated that

The Department of Pennsylvania American Legion
voted against the increase,
but there were enough votes
from the other states to pass
the measure. The dues for
the Roseto Post are currently
$25. Of this amount, the
local post sends $22 to be
divided between the Depart-

ment and National Organization. The local post keeps

only $3 per member. As of
January 1st, the Post will
have to send $27. DeFranco
said that neither Roseto nor
department has any control
over this. Unfortunately the
local post will most probably
have to increase its dues to
$30. The officers are trying

to come up with some way to

alleviate this, but as of yet
have not.
DeFranco
suggested that anyone who
has not yet paid their 2016
dues should pay them as
quickly as possible so that
they can be sent to
Department/National before
December 31st.
It was noted at the meeting,

at which Jr. Vice Commander

Ken
Werner
presided, that the local Post
has 164 paid members so far
for 2016. DeFranco said that
the 30th District is in 6th
place in the State for membership.
He said that
anytime you are in the top
10, it is good.
It was further announced

that the Roseto Post will

have the honor of hosting an
Eastern Sectional American
Legion meeting on Sunday,
November 15th. An Eastern
Sectional meeting has never
been held locally, so this is
somewhat of an honor. The
Department of PA Commander will be in attendance
at this meeting. All Legionnaires from the area are
invited to attend.

Apple Festival: October

23rd, 4pm-7pm. Hope UCC,
2nd St., Wind Gap.
American Legion Aux.
Coach Bingo: October
24th, 11am. Bangor VFW,
202 Veterans Rd., Bangor.
FMI, call Laura at 570-8976442.
Comunales Italian Market
Grand Opening & Ribbon
Cutting: October 24th,
11am-5pm. 1 Mt. Bethel
Plaza, 2165 Mt. Bethel Hwy,
Mt. Bethel.
Free Movie Night: October
24th, 7pm. Cross Road
Baptist Church, 2nd & Chestnut St., Bangor. Movie:
Gods Not Dead.
Haunted Hayride: October
24th, 7pm-9pm. Blooming
Grove Vol. Firehouse, 484
Rt. 739, Lords Valley
(Hawley). FMI, call 570775-7355.
St. Peters UCC Vera Brad-

ley Purse Bingo: October

24th, 11:30am. FMI, call
Sheila at 610-837-1533.
Brunch w/ the Author
Karen
Shoemaker
Katchur: October 24th,
10am.
Bangor
Public
Library. Registration req'd.
FMI, call 610-588-4136.

FMI, email boomersangels

@gmail.com, visit boomers
angels.com, find them on
Facebook, or call 570-3504977.
Spaghetti Dinner: October
25th,
12pm-5pm.
St.
Josephs Episcopal Church,
Verona Ave., W. Bangor.

Annual Multi Family Yard

& Craft Sale: October 24th
& 25, 9am-3pm. Ginder
Greenhouse
&
Garden
Center, 588 Lake Minsi Dr.,
Bangor, PA. FMI, call 610588-0222. Certain items for
sale will help support the
Slate Belt Santas Elves
Committee.

Weona Park Pool Pals

Fundraiser: October 26th,
6:30pm-7:30pm.
Detzi's
Tavern, 570 N. Lehigh Ave.,
Wind Gap.

Community Presbyterian
Church Fall Festival:
October 24th, 11am-3pm.
Rain date: October 25th.
1755 S. Delaware Ave., Mt.
Bethel. FMI, email community presby@gmail.com or
call 570-897-6766.

Rummage & Bake Sale:

October 30th, 8am-4pm &
October 31st, 8am-2pm. St.
Johns Lutheran Church, 12
N. Westbrook Ave., Pen
Argyl. FMI, call Dawn at
610-863-7498.
Halloween Party: October
31st, 1pm-3pm. Upper Mt.
Bethel Fire House, Rt. 611,
Mt. Bethel.

Boomer's Angels Boo at

the Zoo: October 25th,
10am-4pm. 5150 Game
Preserve Rd., Schnecksville.

Bangor Women's Club Fall

Card Party: October 29th,
11:30am. FMI, call Ellen
Prudenti at 570-897-5787.

Northampton

Comm.

College Open House: October 31st, 10am-12:30pm,

Monroe Campus; & November 21st, 10am-2pm. Bethlehem Campus. FMI, visit
northampton.edu/openhouse
or call 610-861-5550.
East Allen Twp. Vol. Fire
Dept. Bingo: November 1st,
11:30am. 5354 Nor-Bath
Blvd., Northampton. FMI,
call 610-767-7140.
Weona Park Pool Pals
Meeting: November 2nd,
7pm. St. Johns Lutheran
Church, 12 N. Westbrook
Ave., Pen Argyl.
Those
interested in having a community pool in Pen Argyl
without raising taxes come.
Bangor
High
School's
"Bandorama"
Concert:
November 4th, 7:30pm. M.
Craig Paine Performing Arts
Theater. Indoor performance
by the BAHS Marching Band
complete with our 2015 Halftime Show. FMI, visit www.
bahsbands.weebly.com
Delaware-Lehigh Amateur
Radio
Club
Meeting:

November 5th, 7:30pm.

Bethlehem Twp. Comm.
Center, 2900 Farmersville
Rd., Bethlehem. FMI, visit
www.dlarc.org or call 610432-8286.
Annual Holiday Bazaar:
November 7th, 9am-2pm.
United Methodist Church of
Matamoras, Ave. H & Third
St., Matamoras.
Spaghetti Dinner: November 7th, 4pm-7pm. St. John
Ev. Lutheran Church, 12 N.
Westbrook Ave., Pen Argyl.
FMI, call 610-863-5365.

Blairstown Seniors Trip:

November 20th. Sign up by
October 22nd at Town Hall
at 1pm. FMI, Call Mickey at
908-362-8919.
Hardwick Seniors Seminar
on Medicare Fraud: October 22nd, 1pm. Hardwick
municipal
building,
40
Spring Valley Rd., Hardwick. Any persons over the
age of 55 who lives in Hardwick & wishes to become a
member may visit that day,
or call President Laura
Randazzo at 908-362-8920.
Free Employment Readiness Training: October
22nd, 10am. NORWESCAP
Career & Life Transitions
Center
for
Women.
Regitsration reqd. FMI, call
908-835-2624.
Blairstown
Ambulance
Corps. Open House: October 24th,10am-6pm. 108
Rt. 94, Blairstown.
St. Jude Ladies Guild
Bingo:
October
24th,
6:30pm. McNulty Hall, 7
Eisenhower Rd., Blairstown.
No one under 18 is admitted.
Proceeds will go to local
charities, scholarships, the
needy &the Parish. FMI, call
Bev Kerrigan at 908-3627393.
France at a Glance: Mondays, Now-November 23rd,
3:15pm-4:30pm. Blairstown
Elementary School Library.
Classes are for boys & girls
grades 1st-3rd. FMI, visit
www.blairstown-nj.org.
Rummage Sale: October
23rd, 9am-4pm & October
24th, 9am-noon. Franklin
Twp. Vol. Fire Dept. Aux.,

37 Second St., New Village.

FMI or to donate, call 908689-3677.
Rummage Sale: October
23rd, 9am-4pm. Yellow
Frame Church, Rt. 94 & 1
Yellow Frame Rd., Fredon.
FMI, call 973-383-5364 or
973-383-9840.
Warren Co. Community
Singers Cabaret Caf:
October 24th, 7:30pm.
Grace Lutheran Church,
Roseberry St., Phillipsburg.
Tickets avail. at the door.
Horror, Hounds & Halloween Dog Walk of the Dead
III: October 25th, 11am3pm. Waterloo Village,
Byram. FMI, email Anthony
at deaddogwalk@gmx.com.
North Warren Democratic
Club Meeting: October
28th, 7pm. Catherine Dickson Hofman Library, Lambert Rd., Blairstown. FMI,
contact Fred Cook at 908362-6808 or fpchistory
@yahoo.com.
Free Historic Main Street
&
Cemetery
Walking
Tour: October 31st, 1pm.
First Presbyterian Church
lobby, 1 Main St., Blairstown. FMI call the Blairstown Historic Preservation
Committee at 973-997-0920.
Walpack Historical Society
4-Mile Loop Hike: November 1st, 11am. Rosenkrans
Museum in Walpack Center,
Walpack Twp. No children
under 10 years old. No strollers. FMI, call 973-948-4903.
Pancake
&
Sausage
Supper: November 7th,
4:30pm-7pm.
Walnut
Valley UMC, Vail Rd. at Rt.
94, Blairstown. FMI, contact
Christie at christiebende
@yahoo.com.
Free Holiday Bazaar for
Caregivers: November 8th,
Noon-3pm. The Manor/
Belvidere Firehouse, 689
Water St., Belvidere. FMI,
call Robin at 973-993-1160
ext.
305,
or
email
Robin.Ennis@UnitedWay
NNJ.org.
The Raptor Show: November 13th, 6pm-7pm. North
Warren Regional H.S., 10
Noe
Rd.,
Blairstown.
Advance Ticket Sales Avail.
FMI, Call 908-362-8211,
ext. 1303.

Ciao Amici,
Growing up in an Italian
home, the phonetic sound
of food items is just beautiful. This poem by Shel
Silverstein
demonstrates
what I am talking about.
Gather the children and

grandchildren and recite it;

it is a guaranteed smile.
Italian Food
Oh, how I love Italian
food.
I eat it all the time,
Not just 'cause how good it
tastes
But 'cause how good it
rhymes.
Minestrone, cannelloni,
Macaroni, rigatoni,
Spaghettini, scallopini,
Escarole, braciole,
Insalata, cremolata, manicotti,
Marinara, carbonara,
Shrimp francese, Bolognese,
Ravioli, mostaccioli,
Mozzarella, tagliatelle,
Fried zucchini, rollatini,
Fettuccine, green linguine,
Tortellini, Tetrazzini,
OopsI think I split my
jeani.

~ Shel Silverstein
A tavola non si invecchia.
You dont age while seated
for a meal.
Con cordiali saluti,
Joe
Growing up in the
Butcher Shop, is available
at the shop or on our web
page. To receive menu
specials and our newsletter,
join our mailing list at JDeFrancoAnd Daughters.com,
click on mailing list and
enter your email. Send your
Roseto stories, recipes and
comments
to
portipasto@epix. net or call
610-588-6991.
J. DeFranco and Daughters
is located at 2173 W.
Bangor Rd. in Bangor, PA.
Store hours are 7am to 7pm,
seven days a week, with
catering available anytime
or by appointment.

The five singers who compose the acapella singing

group LYRA from St.
Petersburg, Russia, will
return to St. Lukes Church
in Hope, New Jersey, Friday
evening, October 23rd at
7pm. They return by popular
demand for their 10th
performance there.
The historic interior of St.
Lukes, with its wonderful
acoustics, will again resound
to the pure sound of these
exceptional singers.
The first part of the
program will be Russian
church music. Some members of the LYRA group
have sung in the choirs of
famous churches of St.
Petersburg, such as our Lady
of Kazan, and most have
been trained in this music in
the St. Petersburg academies
of music, where these traditions have been carefully
preserved.
Although the Russian
Orthodox
Church
has
inspired vocal music of
incredible beauty, we in
America rarely get to hear it
properly performed by
expert musicians trained in
the Church Slavonic it

employs
and
in
the
techniques of Russian unaccompanied vocal singing.
The church music that will
be heard in Hope dates
mostly from the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, when
various composers sought to
return a largely westernized
musical tradition to its Slavic
medieval roots. The restoration of Russian chant gained
momentum in the early 20th
century, partly due to the
influence of Slavic nationalism, and several works of

leading composers of this

time will appear on the Hope
program. These same early
20th century masters also
provided many of the choral
arrangements of the secular
songs which will be sung in
Hope as Part 2 of the concert.
Russian church music stems
from a very ancient tradition
brought to Russia over a
thousand years ago when the
country was converted to
Orthodox Christianity (988
A.D.). Over the centuries the
Byzantine traditions, which

originally dominated Russian

music,
were
gradually
changed by the influence of
specifically
Russian
elements, particularly the Old
Slavonic language used in
church (as opposed to Byzantine Greek) and various
developments in Russian folk
and secular music.
The Russian songs that
comprise the second half of
the program have proved to
be enormously popular with
audiences at St. Lukes.
This concert, one of a series
sponsored by Music at St.
Lukes, is supported in part
by the Warren County
Cultural and Heritage Commission.
Tickets will be available at
the door before the performance. St. Lukes is located
at 346 High St, Hope, NJ
07844. For information and
reservations contact Tanya at
908-818-9661.

By Jennifer Lively

We are well aware that the

American culture puts a great
deal of emphasis on being a
winner. Vince Lombardi, the
well known football coach,
was famous for saying, Winning is everything. It may
come as no surprise, therefore, that for a small number
of individuals (among the
many who gamble for fun and

entertainment), the need to win

turns into an addiction.
For this group, gambling
takes over their lives, sometimes
destroying
their
marriages and ruining them
financially. Some warning
signs that your gambling may
be a problem are: gambling
alone, giving up most other
activities,
continuing
to
gamble to try to gain back

losses, hiding your gambling

habits from others, and
gambling until all your money
is gone and then borrowing
more to continue gambling.
If you are experiencing any
of these signs, consider
talking to the staff at A Clean
Slate, located at 100 S. 1st
St., in Bangor, PA or call
610-452-9348 for more information.

The benefits package your

employer offers is a valuable
part of your total compensation.
Making the right choices is
critical and its worth spending the time to get it right.
Use the Open enrollment
season as an opportunity to

review plan options, ask

important questions and
make informed benefits
choices youll feel good
about all year.
It isnt
uncommon for many of us to
simply check the boxes to
continue
our
current
benefits.
Maintaining the status quo
takes less time and is a subtle
way to validate the choices
weve made in the past.
Those who have gone
through a major life event,
such as a marriage, divorce,
the birth of a child or a child
leaving the nest, are more
likely to make changes. Yet
these benefits should not be
taken lightly. Here are some
key areas you should
consider during your open
enrollment period:
Health benefits: Insurance
coverage is a top priority for
most of us. Think about your

own health and what your

anticipated medical needs are
in the coming year and pick
an appropriate plan. You
might want to choose a plan
with lower deductibles if you
expect to address specific
medical issues. A high
deductible option may be best
if you dont anticipate any
major
medical
issues
(although we never know
when such issues will occur).
If you go the high deductible
route, look into a Health
Savings Account (HSA). It
allows you to set money aside
on a pre-tax basis that can be
used to meet current eligible
out-of-pocket
medical
expenses, but can also be
invested to grow and help pay
future medical costs.
Flexible spending accounts
(FSAs): Your employer may
offer you the ability to use
pre-tax dollars to fund spend-

ing accounts to help pay for

medical and child care
expenses. In effect, this
reduces your out-of-pocket
expenses in each area. In 2015,
individuals could put $2,550
toward a health care FSA and
$5,000 toward paying dependent care expenses for children
under age 13.
Retirement savings plan:
This is a prime time to boost
your retirement plan contributions and assess your investment choices. Individuals
under 50 years old could
contribute $18,000 to their
401(k) or 403(b) plan in 2015,
while those ages 50 and older
could contribute $24,000.
Also consider a Roth 401(k)
or 403(b) if it is offered as a
way to build up retirement
savings that may qualify to be
withdrawn on a tax-free basis
when you retire. Its important
to note that the 2016 limits for
both FSAs and retirement
savings plans are indexed to

The North Warren Relay

For Life team, Keep Calm
And Fight On, would like to
invite you to the third annual
5K to benefit the American
Cancer Society. This year
they will also be having a
noncompetitive one mile
walk. The event will be on
November 28th, rain, snow
or shine. Registration will
open at 7:30am at the Knowlton Lions Club Pavilion,
behind Smittys on Rt.46. We
will be starting both the race
and the walk at 8:30am.
The cost to participants who
register by November 13th is
only $25, or group registration at $15 per member, but
you have to register by
November 1st to be guaranteed a t-shirt. Registration
after November 13th is only
$30 with group registration
being $20 per member. You
can register by visiting
active.com and searching for

Keep Calm and Fight On, or

by contacting Mark Klouda
at 908-283-3025 or markk
1013@gmail.com.
All proceeds raised will go
to help the American Cancer
Society, the official sponsor
of birthdays. The American
Cancer Society needs your
help to continue all the many
things they do. From groundbreaking research that helps
everyone win the fight
against cancer, to free rides to
and from a patients treatment, to providing lodging
near treatment, to helping
patients and caregivers find
answers to their many questions.
No single nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in the United States has
invested more to find the
causes and cures of cancer
than the American Cancer
Society. Since 1946, the
American Cancer Society has

invested over four billion

dollars in research grants that
has made possible almost
every major cancer research
breakthrough.
Facing cancer is hard,
having to travel out of town
makes it even harder. The
American Cancer Society has
a place where cancer patients
and their caregivers can find
help and hope when home is
far away, called Hope Lodge.
Each lodge offers cancer
patients and their caregivers a
free place to stay when their
best hope for an effective
treatment may be in another
city.
Every day, thousands of
cancer patients need a ride to
treatment but do not have any

way to get to there. The Road

to
Recovery
program
provides transportation to
and from treatment for
people who do not have a ride
or are unable to drive themselves. In 2014 alone, more
than 341,000 rides were
given to cancer patients.
The American Cancer Society
Patient
Navigator
Program connects a patient
with 24/7 support year round
to a cancer treatment center.
Cancer patients have a oneon-one contact to help in
understanding their diagnosis, treatment options and
possible side effects, help
dealing with insurance issues
that may come up and being
there in their time of need.

inflation and have not been

set yet (as of October 2nd,
2015).
Other types of insurance:
Many
employers
offer
disability income coverage.
This is a valuable benefit to
provide an income stream to
you if an accident, injury or
illness prevents you from
working for an extended
period. Any option to
purchase additional coverage
is worth considering to have
more complete protection.
Some employers also offer
the opportunity to purchase
long-term care coverage with
a group discount. Compare
the costs with coverage you
can purchase on your own to
determine where you will get
the best value.
Open enrollment season is a
good time to talk to your
employers benefits administrator if you have questions
about your options. It also
makes sense to consult with

your financial advisor for

perspective on how your
benefits fit with your overall
financial plan.
James
Fahey,
AAMS,
LUTCF, CLTC is a
Financial Advisor and Vice
President with Ameriprise
Financial Services, Inc. in
Bedminster,NJ. He specializes in fee-based financial
planning and asset management strategies and has been
in practice for 26 years. To
contact him, please visit
ameripriseadvisors.com/jame
s.fahey.
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
and its affiliates do not offer
tax or legal advice. Consumers should consult with their
tax advisor or attorney
regarding their specific situation.
Ameriprise
Financial
Services,
Inc.
Member
FINRA and SIPC. 2015
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All
rights reserved.

(NAPSI)Falling leaves
and dipping temperatures
signal the turn of the season
and with that comes the need
to prepare your home for
winter. Your outdoor living
space is no exception; its an
area you spent months enjoying with summer barbecues
and gatherings. All that foot
traffic wear and tear and
direct sunlight can take a toll
on any deck, but with a few
easy tips, you can safeguard
this area of your home and
prepare it for the harsh winter
weather ahead.
Protect Your Deckcessories: Excess moisture
and freezing temperatures
can bring a host of problems
for the items in your outdoor
space, including furniture,
grills and planters. Its
important to guard these
investments and make sure
they stay protected for years
to come.
For areas that experience
extreme weather, its best to
store furniture and cushions
indoors to prevent snow
accumulation or cover them
with a water-resistant material to prevent damage from

the elements. For milder

climates, protect smaller
outdoor wooden items, such
as garden boxes, birdhouses
and wooden benches, by
sealing with Thompsons
WaterSeal
Waterproofing
Wood
ProtectorClear
Aerosol.
Before the first freeze,
move plants that can be
easily transplanted indoors.
Outdoor planters that are too
big to bring inside can be
wrapped with a heavily
insulated
material,
like
burlap, and moved to an area
of the space that will allow
them to still get enough
direct sunlight.
Clean Your Grill: Thoroughly clean the racks of
your grill with a grill brush
and coat the burners and
other metal parts with cooking oil to repel moisture and
prevent rust. If its a gas grill,
turn it on and let the last of
the gas burn off. Remove the
tank from a propane grill and
store outdoors, away from
the house. Tape a plastic bag
over the gas line opening to
keep curious critters from
nesting there. No matter the

grill type, a heavy-duty vinyl

cover should keep it safe and
dry all winter long.
Defend the Surface:
Heavy foot traffic, barbecue
grill stains and exposure to
the elements can not only
ruin the decks appearance,
but also create the perfect
environment for the growth
of mold and mildew.
HGTV/DIY network star Jeff
Wilson notes that these
conditions make it important
to thoroughly clean the
remnants of a summer well
spent and get your deck
ready for winter. And its the
perfect time of year to tackle
this outdoor project with the
heat of summer giving way
to cooler fall temperatures.
Coating your deck with a
premium
product
like
Thompsons
WaterSeal
Penetrating Timber Oil not
only nourishes and beautifies
wood with a unique triple
blend of fast-absorbing oils,
but it also includes waterproofing protection against
ice, snow and sleet that can
penetrate an unprotected

surface and cause splitting

and cracking of the wood.
Taking the time to winterize
your outdoor living space
will not only protect your
investment, but it will also
give you peace of mind
knowing that your decorating
and designing efforts made
during the warmer months
will not go to waste because
of harsh winter elements.
Both
Thompsons
WaterSeal
Waterproofing
Wood Protector-Clear Aerosol
and
Thompsons
WaterSeal
Penetrating
Timber Oil are available at
The
Home
Depot.
Thompsons
WaterSeal
Penetrating Timber Oil is
available in five colors:
Natural, Teak, Pecan, Walnut
and Redwood.
For further facts, tips and
helpful hints for your
outdoor living space, please
visit
www.thompsons
waterseal.com. For even
more ideas and inspiration,
see Thompsons WaterSeal
on Facebook, YouTube and
Pinterest.

Hello, fellow readers!

Recently I met with Andrea
of Morristown, NJ, whose
property is graced with grand
old ash trees, one of which
has died. Dave Dubee, arborist, shared that while the
dreaded Emerald Ash Borer
(EAB) is getting close to
home, Andrea's ash was not a
victim but others should be
protected.
EAB, Agrilus planipenni, is
an invasive wood-boring
insect that kills all species of
ash trees. EAB has been
found in five counties in NJ,
as close as Bergen and Somerset counties, and has
invaded much of PA, 52
counties in fact, and is now as
close as Bucks County. It was
first discovered in Michigan
in 2002, likely imported from
overseas cargo, and is now in
23 states.
Ash trees are found in a
quarter of all forests and are
commonly seen in landscapes, along streets, and in
parks. Tens of millions of ash
trees have been lost to this
pest. While EAB beetles can
fly a half mile, much of the
spread is believed to be
through the movement of
infested firewood. There are
now quarantine laws prohib-

iting firewood between counties and states to prevent

further spread.
The adult Emerald Ash
Borer is a half-inch long
metallic green beetle with a
copper red abdomen. Larvae
of this beetle feed under the
bark of ash trees, which is
what kills them. The inchlong larvae are white or
cream and have ten bellshaped segments. EAB adults
emerge in May or early June,
creating D-shaped exit holes.
They first infest the top of the
trees crown, which makes
them hard to see. Woodpecker activity can be an
initial sign and, as EAB
populations increase, crown
dieback will occur. Trees will
only live three or four years if
untreated.
Of the insecticides that can
effectively control EAB,
trunk injections work best;
specifically
Emamectin
benzoate, also known as
Tree-age, which is injected
into a tree's vascular system.
Because it is not sprayed on
the bark or leaves, animals or
insects that do not feed on the
tree will not be affected.
Most effective insecticides
are systemic and must be
applied by a professional.
However, there are protective
cover sprays that homeowners may apply. But is the case
of the invasive Emerald Ash
Borer, it would be much
wiser to do more than just
cover your ash.
Garden Dilemmas?
askmarystone.com
Tip: Theres an official EAB
website at, www.emeraldas
hborer.info,
created
by
authorities of our impacted
states and Canada that
provides continually updated
information on the invader,
advice on what you can do,
and what authorities to
contact should you suspect
you have EAB.

The Pocono Garden Club

will hold a general meeting
on Tuesday, November 10th,
at 1pm. The meeting will be
held at the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center,
located on Running Valley
Road, in Bartonsville, PA.
The program will be a group
event making a holiday
wreath. Members are asked
to bring a glue gun and/or
floral wire. Materials for the
wreaths will be supplied by

the club.
The monthly design is
suitably titled Harvest

Home. There will be a

choice of design using an
assortment of fresh or silk

materials of natures bounty.

and arrangements will be
nestled in or on a basket with
no accessory.
The horticulture entry is a
berry stem or branch a maximum of 24 inches, in a clear
container. The houseplant
entry is a potted begonia that
may be flowering or not.
Anyone interested in plants
and gardening is welcome.
For more information please
call 570-977-613l.