Unfortunately, the recent detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) at a private Northumberland County game farm has prompted the PGC to adjust and somewhat curtail its late season pheasant stockings in order to help safeguard the agency’s pheasant program and better ensure it will continue next year in the 2024-25 hunting seasons.

That means in the next two weeks the PGC will release fewer pheasants statewide than initially planned. And here in our eastern part of the state, pheasant releases will occur only this week and not next, with properties that receive birds essentially seeing their final two releases of the year combined as one.

These relatively minor adjustments, however, could significantly reduce the risk of an HPAI outbreak with potentially devastating impacts for pheasant hunters. Here’s how.

Last week, the state Department of Agriculture announced the recent detection of HPAI at Martz’s Game Farm in Northumberland County. While the pheasants released by the Game Commission originate from a different facility, Mahantongo Game Farm, where HPAI has not been detected nor suspected, that facility also is in Northumberland County.

The proximity of HPAI to the facility represents a concern. If there was an HPAI outbreak there, agricultural regulations would require euthanasia of many or all of the breeding pheasants that provide stock for the Game Commission’s program, jeopardizing the program’s future.

In response the PGC is taking some precautionary measures. First, the agency will hold onto all of the hen pheasants, and about 5% of the roosters, that had been slated for release in the final two pheasant releases of 2023-24. Then, if HPAI remains undetected through continued testing of birds at Mahantongo Game Farm, pheasants there will be temporarily transferred to the Game Commission’s Loyalsock Game Farm. That’s why the counties served by Loyalsock will get their final two releases all at once this week. The pheasants to be released need to be cleared out to make room for those coming in.

Loyalsock Game Farm serves the following counties to be stocked this week: Adams, Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Centre, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin (State Game Lands 235 only), Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wayne, Wyoming and York.

The remaining counties are served by the Southwest Game Farm, and rooster-only pheasant releases in those counties will continue as scheduled in each of the next two weeks.

“This wasn’t a decision the Game Commission took lightly, because we know that pheasant hunters have been looking forward to the late small game season pheasant releases and will be inconvenienced by our making these adjustments on short notice,” said Ian Gregg, Wildlife Operations Division Chief. “However, we believe this precautionary approach is the right thing to do because it will significantly reduce the risk of disease impacts that would be far more devastating to pheasant hunting in the long run.”

For pheasant fans here in the southeast corner of the state, the PGC’s planned winter stockings of pheasants consisted of 6,900 cockbirds and 1,340 hens. Unaffected stocking sites here in our neck of Penn’s Woods include the Chester Water Authority, Struble Lake, French Creek State Park, and State Game Lands 43. The only nearby stocking sites restricted to a single stocking is State Game Lands 234 outside of Pottstown and Blue Marsh Lake in Berks County.

A list of properties scheduled to be stocked with pheasants in the next two weeks can be found on the 2023 Pheasant Allocation page at www.pgc.pa.gov.

2024 PA FISHING LICENSES NOW ON SALE

While the 2023-24 Pennsylvania hunting licenses remain valid until July 1, 2024, our Pennsylvania fishing licenses run concurrent with the calendar year. If you have plans to do any fishing here in the Commonwealth anytime soon, you’ll need to purchase a brand new 2024 PA fishing license. Here’s wishing all of our readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for the MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.

And then you remember those New Year’s resolutions you made last night at the party.

Pat Brown can help. He is a licensed clinical social worker at ETHOS Treatment LLC, which assists people with substance abuse, gambling and other addictive behaviors, and behavioral health issues.

“You need to be vulnerable and transparent, open to solutions,” Brown said about changing, “and try new ways to change the same old problems and new ways to find new solutions.”

Brown said that when making changes we need to be curious and seek answers.

“Change takes time, patience and perseverance,” he said. “If I’m going to change my life, it’s going to take time.”

Samantha Osterlos is director of marketing and is a certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor at ETHOS.

She said New Year’s is the perfect time to change those sometimes “grandiose” resolutions since it falls at the end of the year and the beginning of the next year.

At this time, when spending more time around our families, we are exposed to those who know us well and can “pick up on the nuances,” she said.

Osterlos said that the first step is to ask for help.

“We complicate the situation, it’s as simple as picking up the phone,” she said.

Osterlos suggested that those seeking change with addictions call ETHOS, a local drug and alcohol facility or a primary care physician.

“Call somebody who knows a bit more than you do,” she said.

Osterlos talked about all those who join a gym at the start of the year to get healthy.

“We should start putting some emphasis on physical health as well as mental health,” she said. “We all should do work every day to be better versions of ourselves and seek therapy.”

Brown said that New Year’s resolutions often don’t work and are inconsistent at best. He is a proponent of group therapy.

“If you’re trying to change something, and trying real hard for days and weeks, you can come to the realization that if you could have done it on your own, you already would have done it,” he said. “Building a new habit takes time.

“To win the game of life you have to ask for help. If I’m going to change a life, it’s going to take time.”

Brown said that we are all individuals.

“What might work for you might not work for someone else,” he said. “Change takes time, patience and perseverance.

“Give ourselves grace, it’s not always smooth and not always linear.”

ETHOS has seven locations in southeastern Pennsylvania. For more information go to Ethostreatment.com.

The company announced the closings in bankruptcy filings in December.

The 53 stores are on top of 255 store closings Rite Aid previously announced. One in the Lehigh Valley — at 104 E. Third Street in south Bethlehem — had already been announced to close in early January.

Rite Aid, which was based in East Pennsboro Township near Camp Hill for decades and is now based in Philadelphia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October to begin restructuring to significantly reduce its debt.

The 11 store closings in Pennsylvania from the company’s announcements in December are located at:

• 105 Old York Road in Fairview Township, York County (New Cumberland)
• 621 Clay Ave., Jeanette
• 104 E. Third St., Bethlehem
• 14 Fifth St., Williamsport
• 201 N. Washington Ave., Scranton
• 2100 Washington Pike, Carnegie
• 64 N. Mercer Ave., Sharpsville
• 230 Hays Ave., Pittsburgh
• 642 Eaton Road, Warrington
• 1628-36 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
• 39 West Side Mall, Edwardsville

Rite Aid previously announced that these Pennsylvania stores will also close:

• 2121 W. Lehigh Ave., Suite 5, Philadelphia
• 535 Lincoln Ave., Pittsburgh
• 700 Stevenson Blvd., New Kensington
• 351 Brighton Ave., Rochester
• 5235 Library Road, Bethel Park
• 5990 University Boulevard, Suite 30, Moon Township
• 2501 Saw Mill Run, Pittsburgh
• 5410 Keeport Drive, Pittsburgh
• 6090 Route 30, Greensburg
• 4830 William Penn Highway, Export
• 1730 Wilmington Road, New Castle
• 2178 W. Union Blvd., Bethlehem
• 1628 S. 4th St., Allentown
• 2401 E. Venango St., Philadelphia
• 6327-43 Torresdale Ave., Philadelphia
• 200 W. Ridge Ave., Suite 112, Conshohocken
• 301 Eisenhower Drive, Hanover
• 7036 Wertzville Road, Silver Spring Township (Closed on Sept. 26)
• 429 S. Hanover St., Carlisle (closed on Nov. 27)
• 1927 Atherton St., College Township, Centre County
• 306 Town Center, Route 202, New Britain, Bucks County
• 927 Paoli Pike, West Chester
• 821 E. Bishop St., Bellefonte
• 6200 Saltsburg Road, Pittsburgh
• 2545 Aramingo Ave., Philadelphia

A&G Real Estate Partners, which is working with Rite Aid to sell some of the pharmaceutical retailer’s leases and properties, has also announced it is selling 22 leases and fee-owned stores in Pennsylvania. Six of the stores are part of the list of store closings.

The other 16 are listed below.

Leases:

• 2722 West 9th St., Chester
• 5990 University Blvd., Coraopolis
• 1709 Liberty Ave., Erie
• 353 E. 6th St., Erie
• 301 Eisenhower Drive, Hanover
• 1130 Cumberland St., Lebanon
• 350 Main St., Pennsburg
• 5612 N. 5th St., Philadelphia
• 6101 N. Broad St., Philadelphia
• 208 E. Central Ave., Titusville

Fee-owned properties

• 136 N. 63rd St., Philadelphia
• 3000-02 Reed St., Philadelphia
• 7941 Oxford Ave., Philadelphia
• 10 S. Center St., Pottsville
• SR 940 and Main St., White Haven

©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Joshua Dallas, 44, North Wales, was sentenced to one year of probation under the negotiated guilty plea worked out by Deputy District Attorney Douglas Rhoads and defense counsel Michael Noone.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Kerley stood in for Rhoads during the hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Scanlon.

The act criminalizes the misclassification of employees as “subcontractors.” The law requires that independent contractors be truly autonomous, with their own businesses and performing tasks for the contractor on an “arm’s-length” basis for contractual payment.

Misclassifying employees allows employers to skirt things like payroll taxes and unemployment compensation contributions.

Dallas, doing business as Monster Paving LLC in Ambler and North Wales, was charged earlier this year following an investigation into two projects the company had worked on The Meadowgreen Park project in Springfield and the Gateway Slopes project in Lansdowne.

Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Edward Rosen and Edward Lounsberry of the Pennsylvania Foundation for Fair Contracting interviewed two people employed by Monster during the investigation: Richard Giangiulio, who worked as a heavy equipment operator from 2019 to 2022, and Flavio Quito, who worked on the Gateway Slopes project.

Giangiulio allegedly received an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-NEC (Non-Employee Compensation) stating $9,418 for his work. Flavio also allegedly received a 1099 from Monster in 2019 for $3,081 and a 1099 for $7,000 in 2021.

But investigators found both men functioned as employees, not contractors, and should have been paid as such through the company’s payroll system.

A prior release on the charges notes that the Misclassification Act also makes it a crime to take an adverse action against any person in retaliation for exercising their protected rights.

Giangiulio allegedly told detectives in March 2022 that when he went to pick up his final paycheck, Dallas said he was aware that Giangiulio was speaking with investigators and offered him $5,000 to “make it go away.”

Flavio also told investigators that Dallas told him not to come to work anymore after making him aware that he knew Flavio was speaking with authorities.

The Montgomery County Detective Bureau was also investigating Monster and Dallas, and served search warrants at Dallas’ home and Monster offices in April 2022. When Dallas’ wife was advised of the reason for the search, she allegedly told detectives that their accountant had warned them against using 1099’s to report income.

Noone said Wednesday that his client had never been in trouble before, but he was taking this “very seriously” and was prepared to enter the plea and make necessary restitution to the state.

Dallas, who has been free on unsecured bail since his arrest in September, was ordered to pay a total of $2,539 in restitution to the Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits and Uninsured Employer Guaranty Fund as part of the plea.

He declined an offer by the judge to speak during the brief hearing.

In July, Common Pleas Court Judge William P. Mahon signed an order discontinuing the court’s oversight of his mental health treatment after attorneys and psychiatrists said he no longer fit the constraints of the state’s protocol for those suffering from serious psychological disabilities but found not guilty by reason of insanity of crimes they had been charged with.

“It is incumbent on me to discharge Mr. Greist from any further involuntary treatment, as there is no basis for me to decide anything other,” Mahon — one of a multitude of county judges who had overseen his treatment and confinement at the state hospital — said at the end of a brief hearing involving his prior order that Greist had to continue treatment with his longtime therapist, but could do so on an outpatient basis.

Mahon said that his decision was prompted in large by the county’s Department of Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities filing of a petition saying that it was no longer seeking Greist’s treatment for a serious mental health condition. Absent the department’s request for continued treatment, the court was powerless under state law to order it.

“They have no intention of filing for an extension (of his treatment),” said the department’s solicitor, attorney Bruce Laverty. “There is nothing to indicate any reason for the extension.”

Greist had been committed to Norristown State Hospital for more than forty years and had been treated there for his mental illness after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the death of his then-wife, Janice Greist, in May 1978, the disembowelment of her body and removal of their unborn child from her womb, the mutilation of her and the boy, and the stabbing of his daughter and grandmother.

Greist, 72, attended the hearing with his wife, Frances Greist, but did not address the court.

Afterward, Greist expressed gratitude for Mahon’s action.

“I want to thank the court, and the hospital for my wellness,” he said leaving the courtroom with his attorney, Marita Hutchinson. “I want to thank almighty God for my wellness, and my wife for her continuing support.”

“It’s a blessed day,” echoed Frances Greist. “We finally got him home.”

In January, Mahon had ordered that Greist and his personal psychiatrist, Dr. Ira Brenner, should devote 45 minutes each week to his psychiatric treatment, divided into 15-minute sessions. It could be done via video or audio link. Should Brenner notice any psychotic regression or change in Greist’s mental status or if Greist fails to continue treatment, the doctor must notify the court, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and Greist’s attorneys.

July’s action discontinued that order.

Brenner had told Mahon that he had been adapting to life outside the hospital grounds where he had lived since 1980 quite well and that any stress that he had confronted since being released — including being involved in a traffic accident with an angry motorist — had not triggered any decompensation that would lead to a return of his psychosis.

Mahon, in his winter ruling, quoted Brenner as opining that Greist’s commitment to Norristown “is one of the most unusual” in Norristown history. The judge and the doctor noted that the original diagnosis of Greist as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia had been abandoned over the years. In his latest review, the hospital psychiatrist said Greist suffered from a “brief psychotic episode” that had been “resolved.” He now suffers from anti-social behavior that is unspecified.

“I’ve never seen any evidence of schizophrenia,” said Brenner. “They always try to find something wrong with him because he did something wrong.”

District Attorney Chief of Staff Andrea Cardamone, who last year opposed Greist’s discharge from Norristown, said her office still maintained its concern about his possible regression, but would not fight his discharge from involuntary treatment.

“We think someone needs to have eyes on him, and someone needs to be reporting to the court,” she said.

He has never had any problems or complaints about his behavior off-grounds, even as the restrictions of his commitment to Norristown eased.

The decision to discharge Greist from Norristown was made in August 2022 by the late Judge Edward Griffith. He was allowed to leave the hospital and live with his wife in Norristown, where he continues to reside.

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan, call 610-696-1544.

The 50-year-old outgoing Norristown councilwoman reflected on her eight years spent on the municipal governing board as her second and final term neared its end. It officially expires on Dec. 31. Reflecting on her experience, she said she felt “nostalgic” and “a little sad” about it.

“I had a lot of anxiety probably earlier on in this year,” Lewis said, “because I wasn’t done serving my community.”

Lewis has lived in Norristown for the last two decades, and expressed passion about the place she calls home. She devised a checklist at the start of 2023 with goals she aimed to accomplish before the end of her term. Along with recreation and overall development, Lewis focused on working toward how best to allocate the municipality’s share of federal COVID-19 relief dollars, furthering progress on the Norristown State Hospital property and improving the relationship with the Norristown Area School Board.

Lewis said the seven-member council “made some strides” over the past year, naming the new Norristown Police Department Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis and awarding a contract to develop the 68 acres of the former state hospital property into the Preserve at Stony Brook.

“I think it’s phenomenal. I am so, so happy,” Lewis said, adding that “the one that we chose had such a forethought, in-depth concern and care not only for the development but the community of Norristown that it impacted.”

‘Agent of change’

A native of Ambler, Lewis ended up to the county seat by way of Lansdale. Lewis’ family home burnt down when she was in the first grade and she moved to Lansdale, later graduating from North Penn High School in 1991.

Lewis never imagined herself having a career in politics, but community service was in her blood, she said, having a strong “lineage of being a servant leader.”

Her grandmother was president of the local VFW and her father was a little league coach.

“They always were in the community giving back and helping and so … I mean it certainly wasn’t something that I thought about like I wanted, (I) just kind of gravitated toward (it),” she said.

Lewis has had experience working as a social worker and advocate running the Reuniting Family Bail Fund, but her journey to public service began in a Lansdale hair salon where she worked for 18 years, first as a receptionist and then as a hairdresser.

Lewis spent much of her time exploring her passion for community-related organizing, putting on programming for varying initiatives such as Earth Day. She then parlayed those experiences into the nonprofit space and later got a master’s in human services from Lincoln University in 2013.

Entering politics

But Lewis recalled being cautious when the opportunity to pursue governing at the local level presented itself in Norristown. Lewis recalled an appointed council member approached her about running to fill an opening seat for Councilman Bill Caldwell.

Lewis remembered the conversation vividly and said “the last thing I want to do is join a board that does not do anything.” If she was going to run, she wanted it to be an “active” experience.

“I had never thought of politics,” she said. “I still don’t even think about politics like that. I think about it from a social services lens, but even more so now, not just a social service lens, but as an organizer.”

Lewis ran unopposed and won with 422 votes in the 2015 general election, according to Montgomery County’s election results. She joined the board and worked with several others, including former council members Hakim Jones, Derrick Perry, Sonya Sanders, and Valerie Scott Cooper.

“It was very inspiring and refreshing and we got a lot done,” Lewis said.

Lewis also noted a change in Norristown over the past eight years pertaining to proposed development projects in the residential and commercial spaces. Lewis served as vice president for the past two years.

“I think it’s great and it proves that Norristown can be relevant,” she said.

She’s noted a change over the years in Norristown that ultimately led to the opportunity for more strategic development.

“If you’re not an agent of change you’re a casualty of change,” Lewis said, observing that “we were on the verge I think for a very long time of being a casualty of change.”

Change is necessary

In an early 2023 interview with MediaNews Group, Lewis said “there were a lot of old politics that prevented a lot of the development. There was a lot of strongholds on properties.”

But reflecting on the past and what’s to come, she said that change is necessary for a community to thrive.

“Change is good, change is scary, change is change, and things will look different,” she said. “Norristown will look different, but hopefully it feels like Norristown. It feels the same. It feels like the same community — just that we’ve got people that have better jobs and higher incomes…”

While on council Lewis faced several trials ranging from governing during a global public health crisis to dealing with community opposition about homelessness and the old Airy Street prison.

“It absolutely has gotten worse since the pandemic,” Lewis said of the area’s homelessness crisis. “People want to blame it on the closing of the shelter, which I think the county obviously mishandled. You had five years and they didn’t come up with anything productive other than to ask Norristown to continue the lease.”

Referring to the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center, a 50-bed homeless shelter and resource facility overseen by the Philadelphia-based Resources for Human Development, the space was located inside Building 9, situated on 68 acres of land on the Norristown State Hospital grounds that were conveyed to the municipality for development.

The ongoing saga prompted some controversy, as CHOC served as the county’s largest and only homeless shelter for single adults. Resources for Human Development has still been providing services, but no new facility has been identified.

School board relationship

Lewis also spotlighted the municipality’s “relationship with the school board is a big challenge,” an issue she said never quite made sense.

“We always tried for that but I just didn’t understand what that whole energy was about, never understood it,” she said.

Lewis also noted she encountered an “attitude” from other developers, elected officials and “decision makers” when it came to the county seat.

“They approach Norristown as if we’re this orphan child and they’re coming to save us,” she said. While there are “challenges,” she stressed “our community is strong.”

Lewis noted that attending conferences with the National League of Cities was paramount to gaining knowledge about grant writing and other ways to improve things in Norristown. It’s a piece of advice she hopes her fellow council members follow.

“My best advice is to go to National League of Cities, learn as much as you can, stay off social media,” she said. “Because no matter how well intentioned your comment may be it’s going to get some backlash.”

A majority of the seven-member council is relatively new, with President Thomas Lepera and Councilwoman Rebecca Smith as the two seasoned council members. Council members Rashaad Bates, Tiffani Hendley and Dustin Queenan were elected in the 2021 election. Councilwoman Lauren Hughes was appointed to finish out the term of former Councilman Hakim Jones, who resigned in January to run for district judge. Incoming council members Dionne Lee and William McCoy will fill the vacant seats in District 4 and District 2, respectively.

‘Lead with facts’

“Lead with facts only. Leave your emotions out of it,” she said. “It’s not an emotional thing, even though you may feel emotions about it, but how you choose to, how you decide should be for the best of the community, legally, strategically … procedurally.”

In the meantime, Lewis said she plans to stay involved on the municipality’s recreation advisory council.

“I’m not going too far and that’s a very important project to usher in with the Recreation Department and building a new recreation center,” Lewis said.

There was $5 million of Montgomery County funding set aside through the 2024 fund balance to further the development of a new center.

She sought to pass along some final words of wisdom, both to her constituents and colleagues.

“Thank you for the support. I hope I served you well,” Lewis said. “I hope they’re happy with the direction that we’ve kind of steered Norristown and where we’re handing over the reins. I think they’re in good hands with Tommy but he needs help. He cannot and should not be the only decisions.”

What’s next for Lewis?

But Lewis may not be done yet after spending nearly a decade in government, and is mulling over the idea of higher office in Harrisburg in the 17th senatorial district, which encompasses Montgomery and Delaware counties. The seat is currently occupied by state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti.

“I just would love to learn what the needs of those more affluent communities are for a senator, and how that seat can support them where we know that the needs for smaller communities or less affluent are drastically different and how I would welcome the challenge to balance that and bring the people together,” she said.

“There’s tons of Black Lives Matter signs in Lower Merion, and it’s like OK how do we bring that support to Norristown where it’s a large population of Black and brown families that are lower income and may be struggling with education and health care, those types of things,” she continued. “So how do we bridge that gap and strike a balance between the very polar opposite communities?”

Lewis has yet to announce any formal plans and stressed she’s “still exploring” her options.

“I welcome the challenge,” she said. “I mean I’m up for a challenge, but just I’m torn between serving my community in that capacity as a legislator, and my day job as a community organizer, and really boots on the ground side-by-side with folks that are battling daily struggles. So that’s really is what’s going to be the deciding factor.”

Noon organ recitals: Zion Mennonite Church, 149 Cherry Lane, Souderton, will host the Philadelphia American Guild of Organists January Tuesday at Noon Organ Recitals beginning January 9th. The featured performers will be Vincent M. Ryan, organ and Melissa Freilich, flute. The late Gerre Hancock, the number one classical improvisor of his time in America, on numerous occasions called Zion’s Fisk Pipe Organ a National Treasure. These free recitals continue with Aaron Patterson on January 16, Parker Kitterman on January 23, and with Mark Bani on January 30.  For more information call Jon at 215-368-2884.

St. John’s United Church of Christ: The church holds one in-person service at 10:15 a.m. Choir rehearsal for families begins at 9, followed by Sunday school for all ages from 9:30-10. Later the service is available on St. John’s Facebook page, website and YouTube channel:youtube.com/stjohnsucclansdalepa. The church is at 500 W. Main St., Lansdale. Call 215-855-5489 or visit www.st-johns-ucc.org.

Wednesday Night Live: Every Wednesday evening, St. John’s United Church of Christ hosts Wednesday Night Live (WNL) which will include a Community Meal from 5-7 p.m., Worship with Communion at 5:30 p.m., Children’s Music and Adult Education at 6 p.m.,  Adult Hand Bell Choir at 6:45 and  Chancel Choir at 7:30. The church is at 500 W. Main St., Lansdale. Call 215-855-5489 or visit www.st-johns-ucc.org

Heidelberg United Church of Christ: Heidelberg UCC in Hatfield is holding weekly worship services at 10:45 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. for all ages. Live streaming worship service on YouTube, Facebook, and Boxcast.

Faith Lutheran Church: The “little church with a big heart” at 615 Cowpath Road, Montgomeryville, worships in the sanctuary as well as on Zoom at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday. Sunday School will take place during the 9:30 a.m. worship service each week. Nursery will be provided for the 3-5 year olds. Pastor Ethan Doan will be preaching and leading worship. All services will also be uploaded to Facebook. For the Zoom link or more information, email faithmontgomerville@gmail.com.

New Adult Sunday School: “AI and the Church — What Christians Need to Know” examines through a biblical lens the reach of artificial intelligence, what it means and what Christians should know as AI gains popularity. The series begins Sunday, Jan. 7 at 9  a.m. at Montco Bible Fellowship, 160 E. Main St., Lansdale. http://www.montcobf.org

Indian Creek Mennonite Church: Sunday school at 9 a.m.; worship, 10:15 a.m. Sunday evening, December 31: 7:30 Song Service by Indian Creek. Questions? Call Kevin Moyer (215) 721-9127. Church is at 647 Harleysville Pike, Telford.

The Church of the Holy Spirit (Episcopal), 2871 Barndt Road at the corner of Sumneytown Pike, Upper Salford, holds Communion services in-person at 8 and 10:15 a.m. on Sundays. The church also live-streams the 10:15 a.m. services on Sundays on the church website and Facebook page – Church of the Holy Spirit, Harleysville. On Sunday, Dec. 31, there will be only one Communion service at 10:15 a.m. in person and live-streamed.  For more information, call 215-234-8020 or visit www.churchoftheholyspirit.us.

Gwynedd Square Presbyterian Church PC (USA): Join live in the sanctuary, 837 Sumneytown Pike, Lansdale, or live online via Zoom with an internet-enabled device or by telephone. Sunday Worship is at 10 a.m. and Early Worship is at 8:30 a.m. For web links or dial in numbers, visit www.gwyneddsquare.org. or call the office at 215-699-9159 or email office@gwyneddsquare.org. Sunday school classes for 6th grade and under and for 7th grade and up at 9 a.m.; Young Children and Worship Program for 5th grade and under will take place during the 10 a.m. worship service, with the exception of the first Sunday of the month, with Pastor Wonjae leading. Wednesday Bible Study at 10 a.m. in the pastor’s study, reading Revelation. Contact Pastor Wonjae via email at wchoi@gwyneddsquare.org or voicemail at 215-699-9159.

Please send items for Worship News to religion@thereporteronline.com. Address questions to Nancy March, editor, at nmarch@thereporteronline.com. Deadline is noon Thursday to appear in the Saturday Worship News and Notes.

The order is slated to begin at 10 p.m. Friday and will remain in effect until 10 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2024, according to a Montgomery County spokesperson, who specified that “either the temperature or the wind chill is expected to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit” over the next few days.

County officials cited guidance from the National Weather Service when making a decision to issue the “Code Blue” as forecasts predicted a drop in temperatures. Weather.com reports are expected to have highs of around 44 degrees and lows reaching 27 degrees locally.

The county’s “Code Blue” guidelines were amended earlier this month. Previous rules stipulated that a declaration would be issued when “temperature or the wind chill is expected to be below 20 degrees,” but county officials raised the temperature threshold to 32 degrees in a Dec. 18 statement.

During a “Code Blue,” residents in need of shelter should call Your Way Home at 211 or text their zip code to 898-211. Designated shelters are expected to open in Lansdale, Norristown and Plymouth Meeting, with beds also available in the western part of the county through Pottstown Beacon of Hope’s warming center.

County officials encouraged area residents to check on elderly neighbors and offered the following tips during “Code Blue” conditions:

• Make sure your car is winterized with antifreeze, a full tank of gas, properly inflated tires, and is stocked with an emergency kit.

• Check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Wear appropriate clothing and avoid prolonged exposure when going outdoors in winter weather.

• Limit pets’ time outdoors during extreme temperatures.

• Report power outages directly to your utility company; DO NOT call 911.

District 11 invites students from Bucks and Montgomery counties to audition for an ensemble comprised of the best music students in the region. To audition for District 11 choir, students must perform a pre-selected piece of music. They are scored and ranked with the other singers in their section. Four North Penn students placed in the top 5 of their respective section. All seventeen students will sing in a festival at Bensalem High School from January 24-26, 2024, according to a North Penn press release.

“We are extremely proud of the students who will be representing North Penn in the PMEA District 11 choir,” said Matt Klenk, Director of Choral Activities in the North Penn School District. “These performers are highly dedicated students who work hard every day and have earned this recognition.”

The students are: Elizabeth Nardone, Soprano 1; Alayna Drolet, Soprano 2; Christina Pavlik, Soprano 2; Riddhi Date, Alto 1; Sarah Heath, Alto 1; Sierra Gomes, Alto 2; Malini Kondisetty, Alto 2; Athena Kwan,  Alto 2; Nicholas Goepel, Tenor 1;  Ethan Kwon, Tenor 1; Weston Paskewich, Tenor 1;  Nathanael Fitzgerald, Tenor 2; Samuel Johnson, Tenor 2; Sawyer Steinbauer, Bass 1; Allin Luu, Bass 2; Michael McCall, Bass 2; Stanley Oteng Aduboahen, Bass 2.

PMEA is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the musical development of all Pennsylvanians. The organization promotes and supports quality music education, learning and performance, as well as music education in schools and communities.

For more information about PMEA District 11 and the District Choir festival, visit www.pmea.net/.

As part of the effort, Norriton Hearing Center is now seeking nominations of people with hearing loss who are experiencing financial difficulty and would benefit from receiving a set of ReSound Nexia or ReSound OMNIA hearing aids. The center is waiving initial fitting and follow-up care fees for donation recipients, said a Norriton Hearing Center press release.

“Hearing is so important to stay connected with family, friends and co-workers, so we want to support those in our community who are struggling with hearing loss,” said Dr. Jorge Zavala.

Nominations can be made by visiting www.norritonhearing.com or e-mailing info@norritonhearing.com to request a nomination form. Nominations must be received by January 15, 2024, said the release.