Wednesday, January 9, 2013
At least two candidates plan to run for District Judge Gay Elwell's post, while an Easton attorney could announce her candidacy on Monday.
The race to fill Easton's vacant district judge seat could be a crowded one soon. Last week, city code enforcement officer Sharbel Koorie announced his candidacy for the position left open by the death of Judge Gay Elwell. On Friday, Lance Wheeler, a constable and former lead court officer in Northampton County, said he'll make his announcement January 15. And they could be facing a third opponent: Easton attorney Antonia Grifo has scheduled a news conference for Monday to "discuss the Magisterial District Judge position." Elwell, 54, died in December of natural causes. The county's retired district judges have been filling in until a new judge is elected or appointed.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
'Can't Fill These Shoes' invites people to create art from shoes to honor the late district judge.
When Easton District Judge Gay Elwell died last month, mourners at her funeral spoke of her connection to her family and friends, her fairness in the courtroom, and her love of art. There were also more than a few mentions of her shoes. The judge's trademark stilettos are the inspiration for Can't Fill These Shoes, an art show happening this weekend in her honor. Local artists have turned donated heels into works of art that are scheduled to go on display Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Easton Yoga building. Proceeds from the sale of the decorated stilettos will go to one of Elwell's favorite charities. You can also purchase one of the shoes Friday at ConneXions from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Funeral for Easton district judge draws family, friends, colleagues and even some former defendants.
If you wanted a sense of how many lives Gay Elwell touched during her 54 years, all you needed to do was see who spoke at her funeral Sunday. College professors and recovering addicts. Journalists and lawyers. Family members and longtime friends, as well as people who'd encountered her only a handful of times. They all lined up to remember Elwell, who died last Monday of natural causes. "Easton is a lesser place," Pastor Tom Robinson of Calvary United Methodist Church told a standing room only audience at the Bank Street Annex. "But also Easton is a much better place because she was here. The ripples of what she has done have changed this community for the better." And that change meant different things to different people. Speakers …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Viewing for deceased Easton district judge scheduled for Saturday. Funeral service Sunday.
Funeral services for Easton District Judge Gay Elwell have been set for this weekend. The Ashton Funeral Home, at 1337 Northampton St. in Easton, will hold a viewing for Elwell -- who died Monday at 54 -- Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Bank Street Annex, 316 Northampton St. Burial will be private at the Easton Cemetery. According to the funeral home's website, memorial contributions can be sent to the following Easton organizations: Elwell is survived by her mother, two sisters and two brothers, nieces and nephews, as well as her husband Karl Stirner, whom she'd been with for 30 years., and his children and grandchildren. Her brother, Jonathan, died earlier this year. On a related …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
City residents pay tribute to deceased district judge.
I've been doing news reporting in Easton for nearly 11 years now, but I'd only really gotten to know District Judge Gay Elwell in the last two. We'd both worked for The Morning Call as reporters in its Easton bureau, although she'd already been on the bench for five years by the time I came to town. I'd stop by her court during my newspaper days, but it was never with any consistency. Once I got this job, that changed, and her downtown Easton offices (first in Centre Square, then, oddly enough, inside the former Morning Call offices) became part of my normal routine. On Monday, when my friend Joe Frinzi called to give me the news that Elwell had been found dead, I had to pull my car over, mostly out of confusion. It seemed like a …
