September 20, 2017

COVER STORY

The voices of recovery

In its 27th year, National Recovery Month is continuing its climb out of the darkness that is the stigma of addiction and into headlines around the globe. This year, Recovery Month follows only a few weeks after President Trump declared the opioid epidemic in America a national emergency. Local Lehigh Valley news has been plagued with stories of tragic deaths from overdoses and families torn apart by addiction. There is no one path to recovery and no one way to erase this problem, but there are millions of voices that are willing and able to help, and here are just a few of them.

By Heather Nigrone

UPDATEMissing woman’s body found

Nearly one month after a woman was reported missing from a home for senior citizens in Salisbury Township, the search is over. Audrey Penn, 78, was pronounced dead 3:44 p.m. Sept. 17 by Deputy Coroner Jack Fliter after her body was found in a drainage ditch in the area of Hamilton Boulevard and Kressler Road, Lower Macungie Township.Initially identified as Jane Doe by Fliter, she was positively identified as Penn in a news release to the media 9 p.m. Sept. 18 following testing earlier in the day. An autopsy was performed Sept. 19 to determine the cause of death.Penn, who had Alzheimer’s disease, lived in Woodland Terrace at the Oaks Senior Living Community, Salisbury Township. She was last seen Aug. 23.

By Paul Willistein and Deb Galbraith

 

STATE

Senators say property tax #1 complaint

Mark Twain once observed that the only difference between a tax man and taxidermist is that "the taxidermist leaves the skin." That was the sentiment of most of the over 200 people who crammed into Bethlehem Township's meeting room Wednesday night for a town hall on property taxes. The forum was hosted by state senators Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton), Mario Scavello (R-Monroe) and Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill). Each is a co-sponsor of the Property Tax Elimination Act, which was defeated in 2015 when Lt. Governor Mike Stack broke a 24-24 tie to send this reform measure to perdition. But Argall has resurrected the legislation and is conducting town halls statewide to whip up support.All three state senators agreed that the public is clamoring for a change. Photo: It was standing room only at Bethlehem Township’s meeting room as over 200 people cascaded into a town hall on school property tax reform.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

STATE

Child welfare workers: Overworked, under paid

A lengthy report from the state Auditor General on the child welfare system is calling out numerous pitfalls in the relevant agencies that can have deadly results. “In 2016, 46 children died and 79 nearly died in Pennsylvania from abuse and neglect. Of those 125 children, nearly half of their families were already in the child-welfare system. Pennsylvania’s child-welfare system is broken. “This is not hyperbole or exaggeration,” Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in the report that concluded a yearlong study of the state’s child welfare system.

By Brian Myszkowski

 

MORAVIAN COLLEGE

New shining star on campus

Representatives of Moravian College -- from the president to incoming first-year students -- gathered at the corner of Main and Laurel streets Aug. 20 to take part in the informal opening of the the Sally Breidegam Miskiewicz Center for Health Sciences. Built over the last year, the 55,000-square-foot center will support Moravian’s programs in health-related fields including nursing and public health, among others. Sally Breidegam Miskiewicz was a graduate of Moravian College in the Class of 1994. She was the chairperson and chief executive officer of East Penn Manufacturing in Berks County. She also served on Moravian College’s Board of Trustees from 2008 till her death in an accident in 2014.

Photo: Seen from Monocacy Street, the Center for Health Sciences sits just beyond the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex (foreground, left) and next to the Collier Hall of Sciences (distance, left). The lawn and walkway offer open space on a fairly busy campus.

By Dennis Glew

 

LEHIGH VALLEY

Memorial Day parade 2018 celebrates state’s musical roots

Washington, D.C., has its National Memorial Day Parade, Philadelphia marks the occasion with Penn’s Landing Waterfront Day, and in 2018 for the first time, Northeast Pennsylvania will observe the holiday with the “The Great Allentown Memorial Day Celebration” on May 27 and 28 at the historic Allentown Fairgrounds.The plans for the annual event were announced at a news conference Aug. 21 by Jeffrey Tapler, president of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Music Preservation Society (PAMPS), sponsor of the celebration, and Alex Meixner, Grammy Award nominee and nationally acclaimed musician, performer, bandleader, educator and leading advocate of polka music.   Photo: William Allen HS Marching Band tuba players high-five each other after award-winning musician and Lehigh Valley native Alex Meixner compliments their playing. The students had only been playing the tuba for three weeks.

By Carole Gorney

 

CLASSROOM

Partnership provides school supplies

ArtSkills, a local arts and crafts company, for the second year donated hundreds of backpacks filled with fun goodies to the Freemansburg ES student body Sept. 1. Teachers got packages for their rooms, too. ArtSkills worked with The Kids in Need Foundation, a nonprofit whose purpose is to keep kids and teachers alike stocked with school supplies. KINF Executive Director Dave Smith said, “We know that when children and teachers get the tools they need, it creates a more equal learning environment and promotes confidence in the classroom.” Photo: ArtSkills co-owner Bradford Demsky hands a backpack to Ruben Fantauzzi as Marinellys Ibanez receives her own. Both students are fourth graders.

By Nate Jastrzemski

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS

Pates upend Northampton

Getting a win in East Penn Conference football is a goal every week and that’s what Freedom was able to do in last week’s 26-13 home victory over Northampton. The win pushed Freedom to 3-1 on the season and that was the most important take-away for head coach Jason Roeder.

By Peter Car

Bethlehem Catholic blows by Eagles

It was a test of grit and resiliency on Saturday night for Bethlehem Catholic and Hawks answered against Nazareth in resounding fashion. Trailing 20-13 at halftime against the Blue Eagles, Becahi exploded in the second half, outscoring Nazareth 38-7 en route to a 51-27 victory.

By Peter Car

 

LV FOCUS

Pain awareness month

For Julian Phillips, chronic pain is an everyday fact of life. Nothing in Phillips’ active childhood years in England, where he was born, indicated that he would later be living a life of constant physical agony. September is “Pain Awareness Month” in the United States. Phillips again this year brought the American Chronic Pain Association awareness program to the attention of the board of commissioners in Salisbury Township, where he resides. Township commissioners agreed to allow “Pain Awareness Month” signs to be placed in the township.

By Ed Courrier

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem HCC: Business signage changes approved

Bethlehem HARB: Artefact scores four for four in Sept.

Bethelhem Area SD: Freedom HS’s 50^th anniversary Oct. 15

Opinion: Equifax-Life will never be the same

Letter: Bethlehem gift ban still too loose

Lehigh Valley: Family fun at the fair

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

Student profiles

High school news reports

 

MEET THE PRESS

The Bethlehem Press online

Where to buy the Bethlehem Press

To subscribe: New start

Send news to the Bethlehem Press

To advertise: Ad staff

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

 

September 13, 2017

COVER STORY

A political ‘beacon’ retires

On Sunday, Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15th) hosted what was supposed to be a “formal announcement” concerning his intentions next year. But news of his retirement leaked out on Thursday. Dent had revealed his intentions to a few of his congressional colleagues, and they spilled the beans. “They’re wonderful friends, but they have big mouths,” Dent joked Sunday at the swanky Renaissance Hotel in downtown Allentown.

Dent’s retirement announcement a surprise by Nate Jastrzemski

Standing Up for ‘sensible center’ by Bernie O’Hare

‘Working from the center’ by Bernie O’Hare

 

STATE LEGISLATURE: D-133RD

Community remembers McNeill

A stunned public learned of the death of state Rep. Daniel McNeill, D-133rd, Sept. 8 many of them were unaware the 70-year-old Hokendauqua resident had been battling cancer, as he had carried out his work without interruption and with determination and a smile. Whitehall Township Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. said,  “Danny was the ultimate ‘fighter’ for the people, whether it was for Whitehall Township or the entire Lehigh Valley. Danny’s tireless efforts to make his constituents aware and educated about the opioid crisis and his constituent services assisting countless people of the 133rd District will not be forgotten.”

By Al Recker

 

VEGAN HEAVEN

Veg-Fest celebrates cruelty-free, meat-free, dairy-free lifestyle

South Bethlehem was overrun by a voracious group of people Aug. 26, when the city held its seventh annual VegFest, celebrating and promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle and delicious meat- and dairy-free foods. “VegFest began in 2011 when the Downtown Bethlehem Association staff and board of directors were looking for a new event to host on the Southside,” Timothy A. Brooks, DBA manager of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, said. “There are not many vegan festivals in Pennsylvania. I believe that is one reason for the draw. Another reason is the healthy lifestyle of a plant-based diet.”

By Brian Myszkowski

 

COMMUNITY

Annual golf tournament benefits Chamber

The annual Walla Gazoo Golf tournament and clambake, organized by the Bethlehem office of the greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, was held Aug. 21 at the Bethlehem Golf Club. Lynn Collins Cunningham, senior vice president of the GLVCC’s Bethlehem office, reported that 136 golfers participated in the event, enjoying a round of golf on the well-maintained course and a clambake in the evening. Cunningham said the decades-old event remains one of the major fundraisers for the Chamber of Commerce in Bethlehem and that proceeds support both staffing and various initiatives. The tournament was played in a four player scramble format and the winning foursome at 12 under par (59) was comprised of Julian Sghiatti, Joey Cappelli, Dan Kluemper and Ed Kluemper. Other winners were Joe Feilmeier (closest to the pin), Pat Sewards (longest drive-men), and Linda Rosencrance (longest drive-women). Photo: Walla Gazoo participants enjoy a clambake buffet dinner after completing their rounds of golf.

By Dana Grubb

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS

Becahi rallies to top Emmaus

Despite falling behind by two touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the game, Bethlehem Catholic didn’t panic last Friday against defending league champ Emmaus. The Golden Hawks quickly answered with three unanswered first-half touchdowns then held off Emmaus in the fourth quarter for a 28-21 win over the host Hornets.

By Mike Haines

 

LV FOCUS

Nobody does Bond better

A Broadway diva meets a suave secret agent on Sixth Street in Allentown when songstress Rachel York joins the Allentown Symphony Orchestra for the 2017-18 season-opening Pops Concert, “The Music Of James Bond And More,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. York is well-known for her Broadway performances in the original Tony Award-winning production of “City of Angels”; “Les Miserables”; “Victor/Victoria” (Drama Desk Award), with Julie Andrews; “Sly Fox,” with Richard Dreyfuss, and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” with Jonathan Pryce.

By George Vandoren

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: Council adopts ethics ordinance

Bethlehem: Anderson Campus opens Specialty Pavilion

Bethlehem: Book sale opens today (Sept. 13)

Fountain Hill: DEP says borough must help clean river

Lehigh Valley: German grocery chain sinks roots in Valley

Lehigh Valley: Annual TPA picnic

Lehigh County: No tax increase in proposed 2018 budget

Hanover Township: Supervisors approve Sun Inn Distillery

Bethlehem Township: Edinger honored for 20 years service

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

Student profiles

High school news reports

 

MEET THE PRESS

The Bethlehem Press online

Where to buy the Bethlehem Press

To subscribe: New start

Send news to the Bethlehem Press

To advertise: Ad staff

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

 

September 6, 2017

COVER STORY

The power of the T-Rex

While school crossing guards were mobilized recently for the opening of Bethlehem schools to protect community children, no crossing guards have been available to make sure senior citizens and the disabled can safely cross Westgate Drive. That is until now. Passing motorists couldn’t help but notice the T-Rex accompanying Lutheran Manor residents last week as they continue their safety walk at the intersection of Westgate and Bathgate drives where they have asked for a lighted crosswalk and a lower speed limit. Photo: T-Rex (Amy Zanelli) assists Lutheran Manor walkers as they continue their safety walk at the intersection of Westgate Drive and Bathgate Drive, where they have asked city officials for a lighted crosswalk and a lower speed limit.

Contributed story

 

LEHIGH VALLEY

Sen. Toomey’s Town Hall at PBS39

Fairly or unfairly, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa) has come under heavy criticism for refusing to meet his constituents at a town hall. One group calling itself Tuesdays with Toomey actually camps outside his legislative offices weekly. Last week, it was Thursday with Toomey. It was a one-hour televised town hall Aug. 31 at the Steelstacks’ PBS-39 Studios before a small crowd of 54 people and nine reporters and photographers. Before things got started, about 35 protesters rallied outside the PBS studios. Many of them were Dreamers, the name used for undocumented immigrants who came here as children. Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, as many as 800,000 dreamers have been granted a reprieve. President Donald Trump could have ended that program as early as Sept. 1, but Toomey said at the end of his town hall that “we should find a way” to help this group. Photo:
Senator Pat Toomey said he is sympathetic to the plight of Dreamers, the name used for undocumented immigrants who came here as children.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

BUSINESS

Food a big industry in the LV

We love our food. Before every snowstorm, we flock to local supermarkets to stock up with milk, eggs and bread. A trip to the grocery is a weekly ritual. Holidays are an excuse for a feast, picnic or barbecue. But amazingly, we only spend about 6.5 percent of our household budget on food. This is far less than any other country in the world. Europeans spend between two and three times as much as we do. Russian families spend nearly a third of their household budget to put food on the table. This was one of the first points made by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) as it recently kicked off its national tour with a tour of Hanover Township’s Freshpet Kitchens, followed by a roundtable discussion and of course, lunch. Photo: Freshpet Kitchens is where the Grocery Manufacturer Association kicked off their national tour.

By Bernie O’H            are

 

PEOPLE

‘Still send[ing] love’

Family and friends gathered around Gertrude Kuhnsman to celebrate her 106th birthday at the Moravian King’s Daughters Home on West Market Street Aug. 26. “She’s always very appreciative and she’s always liked a party, so she’s happy for this celebration,” said daughter Shirley Bilheimer. The celebration was marked by live music, a porch full of guests and a visit from a mounted policeman and two horses. The visit from the horses was in honor of the horses that Kuhnsman owned earlier in her lifetime. Photo: Daughter Shirley Bilheimer reads a birthday card to her mother, Gertrude Kuhnsman, on her 106th birthday.

By Katya Hrichak

 

COMMUNITY

Comfort for chemotheraphy patiends one bag at a time

The CHEMO Bag, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing gift bags full of comfort items for chemotherapy patients, held its first major fundraiser in August at the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course. Founded in 2013 by Leah Walia, a nurse who herself had gone through chemotherapy, the group now has more than 40 volunteers and sponsors. About 1,000 gift bags were distributed this year, but Community Outreach Director Judy Swartley says that is only about one-third the number of patients who undergo chemotherapy annually. “My goal is to provide for every one of them.”  Photo: Bethlehem resident Susan Chavanne takes home the Pampered Chef grill, one of the sought-after lottery prizes awarded as part of the fundraiser.

By Carole Gorney

 

NEIGHBORHOOD

‘Someone else’s junk’

The weather for the fifth annual yard sale at St. Anne’s Parish in Bethlehem could not have been better. Moreover, its location on Washington Avenue between Linden Street and Easton Avenue ensured a steady stream of visitors who stopped when they spotted the sale. And there were great buys on appliances, baskets and blankets, furniture, kitchen goods, books, tools and toys, stuffed animals, games, and decorative objects, among other items. Organized each year by the Parish Knights of Columbus, the sale benefits numerous charities, including Coats for Kids, Special Olympics, the Soup Kitchen in Allentown, ARC, Disabled Vets and St. Anne’s. In addition, people who have had a fire in their home or some other misfortune get help, as well as individuals in need of hearing aids. Photo: An assortment of goods donated by St. Anne’s parishioners awaits customers

By Dennis Glew

 

LV HOSPITAL-MUHLENBERG

Family fun at the festival

The 56th Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg  Summer Festival concluded its three-day run Aug. 19. Carnival rides, games and local musical entertainment attracted thousands of Lehigh Valley visitors to the free event. The festival is known for its large art and craft tents which feature notable vendors with handmade and homemade items. The popular summer event is spread out on the hospital’s Bethlehem area property. Above: After getting his face painted, Charles Mynar fills a bottle of colored sand in the Kiddie Land tent. Mother Crystal Mynar, a former Catasauqua resident who recently moved to Arizona, said she was visiting her sister.

By Tim Gilman

CLASSROOM

Student-run sports camps aid PCFLV

Students from Freedom and Liberty high schools volunteered time from their summer break to run a three-day sports camp for Bethlehem area elementary students July 10, 12 and 14. BASD Mini-Thon members partnered with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley to organize the event. Athletes from the Freedom and Liberty varsity teams provided instruction in the basics of field hockey, baseball, football, cheerleading, lacrosse and volleyball to the eager day campers, who ranged in age from 5 to 11 years old. The Monday and Wednesday activities were held on Freedom’s new turf field, where the kids were cycled through different sports stations where they received instruction for 25 minutes before Mini-Thon councilors ushered them to another sport. The Friday camp was moved indoors due to rain.

By Ed Courrier

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS

’Canes coach not happy with loss to Easton

To say that Liberty head coach John Truby was upset following last week’s 24-7 defeat to Easton would be an understatement. Truby let his feelings be known about a lost opportunity on the road against the upstart Red Rovers (2-0), where his team failed to execute, gave up big plays on defense and lost the turnover battle in their first real test of the season. “We literally shot ourselves in the foot time after time after time,” Truby said. “I can’t even begin to tell you how angry I am with our poor execution overall. It was really just that bad. We had spots where we could do things and we just couldn’t keep it together. The little things killed us tonight. I guess I have to preach it a little bit more this week.” Easton quarterback Scott Poulson and wide receiver Jake Herres proved to be a problem for the Hurricanes last week, as they hit for a pair of big TDs to distance themselves from Liberty (1-1).

By Peter Car

 

LV FOCUS

‘Heroes of Flight 93’

The terrible trauma of 9/11 made us family. Images of two hijacked airliners crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City on  Sept. 11, 2001, and the aftermath are indelibly burned into our memory. We recall a third plane slamming into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Va. And we remember the fourth plane burrowing into a field in Shanksville, Somerset County. “9/11 And The Heroes Of Flight 93” by The Media People, whose executive producer is Scott Stoneback of Alburtis, completed in April 2017, has received two international awards, the Hermes Creative Platinum award in the category of education, and the 38th annual Telly Bronze award in the category of documentary. Videographer and editor was Gregory Roth of Emmaus.

By Paul Willistein

 

 

OTHER STORIES

BASD: New teachers, new school

BASD: Rivera tell teachers ‘Identify what students need’

Lehigh County: Hartzell rethinks Cedarbrook project

Lehigh Valley: Lanterfly quarantine area increases

Fountain Hill: St. Luke’s receives Heart Assoc. award

Fountain Hill: Council adopts drastic collections plan

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

Student profiles

High school news reports

 

MEET THE PRESS

The Bethlehem Press online

Where to buy the Bethlehem Press

To subscribe: New start

Send news to the Bethlehem Press

To advertise: Ad staff

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter