January 10, 2018
C
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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Area obituaries
Center for Animal Health and Welfare
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