News

Students graduating from Monroe or Northampton County high schools this spring who plan to attend college full-time to pursue an associate degree can now apply for Northampton Community College’s (NCC) […]

Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden supports the bipartisan effort to reform charter schools so charters are in line with traditional public schools. She said it's critical that schools across the commonwealth are equitably funded while addressing the burdensome and unfair costs of charter schools and cyber charter schools that get passed along to homeowners via higher property taxes. More at www.repmadden.com

As you probably know, we've been very busy doing brewhouse renovations, and today we've got some exciting news: The new tap lines are in, and that means we're back to a full 20 taps! We've also been canning like crazy... you'll find Winterfest, Slippery Slope, First Tracks, and Old 99 back in cans. This calls for a toast! Cheers and happy weekend!

In an interview with Fox 56, Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden urges Monroe County residents to get on board with its seniors, who are vaccinated against COVID-19 at 84%, as case counts rise and health care workers are stressed beyond belief. Vaccines and boosters, she said, help protect oneself, as well as one's family and friends, from the worst of the virus. More at www.repmadden.com

Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden supports Pennsylvania's efforts to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative because it's a step in the right direction and puts cleaner energy in the spotlight. With global temperatures rising and more frequent instances of extreme weather causing loss of life and significant damage, RGGI at least puts PA on a collaborative path that will put Pennsylvanians' spirit of innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness at the forefront as we continue to diversify our energy portfolio and try to preserve the beauty of our commonwealth. More at www.repmadden.com

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him… (Psalm 37:7a) The circumstances of life are tying me into a knot. There are all these appointments, news of more cancer and upcoming treatments. How can I find rest in all this? The psalmist tells us two things… First, “rest in the Lord.” The Hebrew word translated “rest” means to be silent or be in a resting state. This silence or rest is not to function on its own. We are to rest “in the Lord.” Rest is not found in our own efforts or in family or in friends, but only in the Lord. It is simply a drawing near to Him and leaving everything, including our circumstance and ourselves at His feet. This is just pure and simple worship. This rest is not just the amount of sleep we get, but the time we spend in His presence.

But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams… (Isaiah 33:21a) Thirst for water. One of our basic needs. For me, I can’t drink water right now. It is too liquid for my throat and will go down into my lungs. O for a glass of cool, thirst quenching water. Jesus spoke of a spiritual thirst: Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” John 7:37 “If any is thirsty.” In order to drink spiritually, we must admit that we are thirsty. Also, we are not to drink from any old watering hole, but from Jesus Himself, “let him come to Me and drink.” The world offers all sort of thirst quenchers, but there is only one who really satisfies.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Look around. Most of the people we see suffer from one problem: no hope. These people may have causes and crusades, but they are so empty. They just exist form birth to death with no real peace in their souls and no hope to sustain them. I personally like how Paul started off our text, “Now may the God of hope.” Hope means a confident expectation. Truly God is the source of our “great expectations.” What are these expectations? Joy and peace. Joy relates to the delight of seeing our hopes fulfilled and peace results from the assurance that our God will fulfill those hopes. Joy and peace together express “the apostle’s deep desire for all believers to have total spiritual satisfaction in their beloved Savior and Lord.” (MacArthur)

In her latest edition of 'Monroe Matters,' Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden sits down with U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright to discuss the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently signed into law by President Biden, and what it will mean for Northeast Pennsylvania. More at www.repmadden.com

Before voting against an open carry gun bill, Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden emphasized how the legislation would heighten danger for law enforcement during traffic stops, make it easier for people like those who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection to conceal firearms, and the fact that statistics show violence increases in areas where conceal carry without permits is allowed. Time and energy would be better spent passing legislation designed to actually help Pennsylvanians, she said, not bills that decrease safety within our communities.More at www.repmadden.com

The next committee meeting will be held Monday, December 6 at 4:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building ***Deadline for letters to be included in the 2070 time capsule extended until Friday, December 3!! Need stocking stuffer ideas, or a quick and easy gift idea? We can help!!! 150th Anniversary Movie on USB/Flash Drive $15.00Commemorative T Shirts $10.00 Short Sleeve/$15.00 Long Sleeve

Healthy Home Repair Program This program provides a one-time assistance grant to assist in repairing and removing health and safety hazards for COVID vulnerable and impacted families and individuals

Healthy Home Repair Program This program provides a one-time assistance grant to assist in repairing and removing health and safety hazards for COVID vulnerable and impacted families and individuals

Healthy Home Repair Program This program provides a one-time assistance grant to assist in repairing and removing health and safety hazards for COVID vulnerable and impacted families and individuals

“I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.” (Psalm 130:5) One of the things I had to do most in the hospital was to wait. Waiting for the nurse, for pain medications, for various tests, for healing, for the morning to come, and finally to go home. My hospital stay was a series of events centered on waiting. The psalmist also was waiting. The Hebrew word “wait” he used means to “look forward with confidence and eager expectation to that which is good and beneficial.” Now, the psalmist was not just waiting, he was waiting on the Lord. He was patiently, but eagerly looking to his Lord, the promise keeper. This was no casual exercise on his part. He says, “my soul does wait.” Here is a waiting that is wholehearted. With his entire being he was looking forward to the Lord to work in his circumstances.

At a State Government Committee hearing on term limits this week, Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden argued instead for campaign finance reform, suggesting too much corporate money puts well-meaning, grassroots organizers at a distinct and unfair disadvantage. Term limits, she said, already exist through the power of the ballot box, though she agrees there should be term limits for the President of the United States and the U.S. Supreme Court. More at www.repmadden.com

Taking a firm stance against Cher's musical desire to "turn back time," Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden joined the full-throated, bipartisan support to eliminate daylight saving time in PA and across the country. Daylight saving time, she said, "isn't fooling anybody. ... Let's just end this. It's annoying." More at www.repmadden.com

Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden stressed the importance of properly funding elections across the commonwealth to ensure voters and poll workers are educated, election workers are fairly paid, and elections remain free and fair during debate at Monday's State Government Committee voting meeting. Promoting politically motivated legislation surrounding election law, she said, undermines the will of the people. More at www.repmadden.com

“My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.”   (Psalm 31.15) Someone has summed up this verse in the following way: all my life, with its ‘sundry and manifold changes,’ its joys and sorrows, its hopes and conflicts, are not the sport of chance, or the creatures of a blind fate but are in Thy hand. David speaks of times. The Hebrew word “times” refers to points of time or to the events of life. The word is plural and thus covers all the circumstances of our lives. This means that our entire life is in God’s hands, whether in the hardness of adversity or in the ease of prosperity.

It's time for the weird, the wonderful, and the silly - also known as this week's edition of Welcome to My Insomnia. Thanks to some random late-night Googling, it's come to my attention that the Annals of Improbable Research have once again awarded their annual Ig-Nobel Prizes. While the Ig-Nobel Prizes might not be as well-known as the fancier Nobel Prizes (which definitely have better PR with all that "for the greatest benefit to humankind" shtick), the Iggy's are not some fictional prize made up in the middle of the night by the Ale Mail Editorial Board. In fact, Science People have been giving out Ig-Nobels for more than three decades, in order to honor and celebrate the best, the weirdest, and potentially the most pointless scientific research. Or, as they like to put it: research that first makes you laugh... and then makes you think. This year, Ig-Nobel Prize winners included intrepid researchers who proved: