NORTHAMPTON COUNTY SCAM: the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department has received reports about a male caller identifying himself as Lieutenant George Volpe contacting county residents being wanted for failing to appear at a court hearing and for jury duty. The caller then gives instructions on transferring money to them via Venmo, a mobile payment app. The public should be aware that this is a scam. The Northampton County Sheriff’s Department does not call residents and solicit money in lieu of arrest. Please report any suspicious solicitations to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office at 1-800-441-2555 or email them to scams@attorneygeneral.gov.

K-9 BEAN TO THE RESCUE: Around 6 p.m. Jan. 5, a young autistic male went missing from his residence. K-9 Bean and her handler, Bethlehem Police Officer Ra’Von Burton, responded to the location and began tracking the youth. Thanks to Bean’s nose, the young person was safely located and returned to his parents.

VALLEY HOME SALES: The Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS® (GLVR) reported December data showed homebuyer demand is picking up – with the first increase in pending sales since February 2022 – but without a significant increase in supply, experts believe home prices will likely remain elevated for some time to come.

Closed Sales dipped 10.9 percent to 483 listings. Inventory slipped 30.3 percent – there were 488 units in December for Lehigh and Northampton counties. With inventory still not at sufficient, comfortable levels, the median sales price increased 3.5 percent to $300,000. Other notable housing statistics for December include:

* New Listings decreased 4.3 percent to 355.

* Pending Sales were up 10.1 percent to 392.

* Homes sold, on average, in 21 days, four days faster than the previous December.

SOUPER SUNDAY: ArtsQuest is excited to announce that in addition to the return of the 14th annual Souper Bowl, Lee Chizmar of Bolete and Mr. Lee’s Noodles, and one of the Lehigh Valley’s most renowned chefs, will host the Best Thing You Ever Made Soup Demo on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12:45 p.m. at SteelStacks. The demonstration will last approximately 45 minutes, giving plenty of time for Souper Bowl ticket holders to attend both events! Tickets for the Soup Demo are $22.50 for members and $25 for the general public and can be purchased here: SteelStacks.org. Tickets for the 14th Annual Souper Bowl can be purchased here: SteelStacks.org.

RESTAURANT WEEK: The Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce the much-anticipated return of Hellertown-Lower Saucon Winter Restaurant Week, taking place to Saturday, Jan. 20. This delectable weeklong event promises an extraordinary culinary journey through the heart of our community.

For more information, please visitlehighvalleychamber.org/hellertown-lowersauconwinterrw.html.

AARP COMMUNITY GRANTS: AARP Pennsylvania invites local eligible nonprofit organizations and governments across the country to apply for the 2024 AARP Community Challenge grant program which funds quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and more. The Community Challenge is open to eligible nonprofit organizations and government entities. Other types of organizations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to tens of thousands for larger projects.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern, March 6. All projects must be completed by Dec. 15, 2024. To submit an application and view past grantees, visitAARP.org/CommunityChallenge.

STUDENT LOAN DISCOUNT: The Pa. Higher Education Assistance Agency is offering a new benefit to PA Forward Student Loan borrowers or co-signers working at an approved state organization. The PA Forward Commonwealth Employee Discount offers a 0.25 percent interest rate discount on any new PA Forward Student Loan – undergraduate, graduate, parent and refinance – disbursed on or after Dec. 1, 2023.

The 0.25 percent interest rate reduction is applied on top of the other rate benefits borrowers might qualify for, including a 0.25 percent Direct Debit interest rate reward when you participate in automatic payments, a 0.50 percent Graduation Benefit interest rate reward (for undergraduate and graduate loans only) upon graduation, and a 0.35 percent Loyalty Benefit interest rate reward when consolidating an existing PA Forward Loan into a new Refinance Loan.

To learn more about PA Forward Student Loans and to apply, please visit pheaa.org/PAForward or call 1-800-PA-FORWD.