OUR 10TH YEAR OF SERVICE
TO THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM AND HANOVER TOWNSHIPS AND THE BOROUGHS OF FOUNTAIN HILL, FREEMANSBURG AND HELLERTOWN

Phone: 610-625-2121 FAX: 610-625-2126 gtaylor@tnonline.com

Thursday, January 11, 2018


January 10, 2018
C
OVER STORY

B-r-r-r-r: 2018 off to frigid start

Sam Velez of Northeast Bethlehem uses a leaf blower to edge the sidewalk outside his home on Elm Street after last Thursday’s morning snowfall. Bethlehem Area School District announced its first snow day in anticipation of the predicted storm. “It’s cold,” said Velez who was bundled up against the bitter air. Velez, who moved to Bethlehem 10 years ago with his family, and the leaf blower had been idle in the garage with leftover gasoline from fall yard duties. The local snow was a mild offshoot from Winter Storm Grayson, which traveled up the East coast from Florida, intensifying along the way. The winter season’s previous snow total was 9.6 inches according to Lehigh Valley AccuWeather. Last season’s snowfall total to this date was 0.7 inches with milder weather. The bitter cold temperatures forecast after Thursday may set records.

By Tim Gilman

 

LEHIGH COUNTY

County invests in opioid fight

Lehigh County officials Dec. 20 introduced the newest initiative in their effort to meet the opioid crisis plaguing county residents; a website that shows parents how to look for drugs that may be hidden in a child’s bedroom.  Outgoing County Executive Tom Muller introduced the topic, telling reporters gathered in a basement room of the administrative building that the problem of opioid abuse is rampant in Lehigh County.  Alluding to a recent visit to one of the county’s school districts, he said that a student said his or her high school is referred to as “Heroin High.” Photo: J. Layne Turner, Lehigh County’s Drug and Alcohol Administrator, said that the county’s budget to operate his department and to fund the education program comes from a variety of sources to include state and federal money.

By Douglas Graves

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Celebrating at the Sands

The Sands Bethlehem Event Center’s Vision Nightclub hosted a New Year’s Eve bash for the sixth year in a row featuring DJ Matt Fly spinning music to the capacity crowd. A midnight balloon drop welcomed in 2018. Angela Duprey (second from right) and her friends partied throughout the evening at their private table in the nightclub’s mezzanine ringing in the New Year together.

By Dana Grubb

 

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

McClure takes the helm

On Jan. 2, before a standing room only crowd of over 300 people packed into Historic Courtroom One, Lamont McClure was sworn in by President Judge Stephen Baratta as the eighth Northampton County Executive since the inception of Home Rule in 1978. “Being elected county executive is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do in public life,” McClure would eventually tell this throng of well-wishers. That’s similar to what he said in 2006 when he was first appointed to a seat on county council after two unsuccessful attempts. At that time, he said his sole interest was county government. He would go on to serve for 10 years. After a two year break, he’s back. This time, after running a textbook campaign that relied heavily on social media, he stands at the forefront of a strangely united Democratic party. Photo: Lamont McClure with his cabinet: Charles Dertnger, Steve Barron, Nuria DiLuzio, Melissa Rudas, Elizabeth Kelly, Lamont McClure, Tina Smith, Michael Emili and Sue Wandalowski.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

BETHLEHEMN TOWNSHIP

Officers honored for stand-off response

On Dec. 22, shortly before students were being released from school, Justin Kephart, age 35, emptied 11 bullets into his mother, Marylouise Meixell-Moyer, as she left a family home on Dennis Street. Officer John Meehan was the first police officer on the scene, along with neighbor Douglas Wallace. They were forced to duck behind a car as they both began taking fire. One of the bullets fired at Meehan whizzed between his hand and head. Sgt. Daryl LaPointe, who was supervising officer, quickly arrived on location and  made decisions to secure a perimeter and warn students about to be released from school. Five Bethlehem Township police officers responded to this standoff with a shooter who fired at least 115 rounds at them after he had already killed his mother. They were honored Jan. 2 by Bethlehem Township Commissioners. Photo: Flanked by Chief Dan Pancoast and Capt. Greg Gottschall, the officers honored are Grimaldi Gonzalez, Robert Stametz, John Meehan, Sgt. Daryl LaPointe and Gretchen Kramer.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS

Yasso-Rothrock games take center stage

Freedom High School hosted the annual Yasso-Rothrock Christmas City Classic girls’ basketball games this past Saturday when Bethlehem Catholic won the day’s first game against Stroudsburg 55-34, Bangor won the second game against Liberty 33-31, and Freedom won the third over Phillipsburg 67-50. Phillipsburg took the early lead against Freedom, but all that changed when Patriot guard Corrin Gill came up with a turnover and scored.

By Katie McDonald

 

LV FOCUS

Bobby Collins: Bi-partisan laughs return to State Theatre

Bobby Collins may be one of America’s favorite comedians. He’s performed his stand-up before the Clintons at the White House for Chelsea Clinton’s birthday in 1999 and appeared in front of guests at President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Winter White House, Palm Beach, Fla., in early 2017. He’s played rooms in the deepest of red states as well as liberal enclaves in blue states and has proven that well-crafted observational humor results in bi-partisan laughs.

By Deb Boylan

 

OTHER STORIES

Lehigh Valley: Dent meets with ‘Dreamers,’ business owners

Bethlehem ASD: At year’s end, board lauds students

Bethlehem HARB: Several signage proposals discussed

Lehigh County: Several commissioners bid farewell

Bethlehem: Rotary Club’s Taste & Tunes generates $50K donation

News analysis: ‘Your government is here … working’ by Bernie O’Hare

School: Sharing the Christmas spirit

Bethlehem APL: ‘A story waiting to be told’

Bethlehem: NCC’s Criminal Justice program #11 in nation

 

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







 

No comments:

Post a Comment