August 1, 2018

COVER STORY

Changing the narrative

”Stronger Than Steel: Forging a Rustbelt Renaissance” is Jeff Parks’ intensely personal perspective on the role that the arts played in the revitalization of Bethlehem when it was struggling in the wake of de-industrialization and the ultimate demise of the once-prosperous Bethlehem Steel Corporation. In the preface, Parks asserts that there is “a direct connection between the arts and economic success,” and he spends the next 348 pages making his case.

While the focus of his book is on the history and contributions of the arts initiatives he was instrumental in creating, it is clear he has a broader mission, urging community leaders everywhere to “take a close look at cities like Bethlehem that have demonstrated that the arts, if accessible and relevant, can play a pivotal role in building social capital.”

By Carole Gorney

Sidebar: A conversation with Jeff Parks

 

LEHIGH VALLEY

Pa. Dems tackle the intellectual disabilities waiting list

Too many people with intellectual disabilities and autism are waiting too long for treatment.

That was the consensus of a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing held July 24 at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Bethlehem. The event, co-chaired by Pa. Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd and Rep. Michael Sturla, D-96th, featured testimony from county and state administrators, employees and doctors. It was one of a series being held across the commonwealth. Photo: Sheila Theodorou, director of the bureau of supports for people with intellectual disabilities for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, tells  legislators her agency provides services to more than 56,000 people.

By Stephen Althouse

 

PEOPLE

A Peeps dream comes true

When the time comes for Bethlehem resident and Moravian College nursing instructor Michelle Sayenga to retire, she told her group of friends, who have nicknamed themselves “the breakfast club,” that she wants to “retire into a job where people are happy to see me.” She told her friends about her desire to fulfill that need by driving the Just Born PeepMobile when she does retire, and friends Chris and Adrin Eline took over from there. Photo: Just Born associate vice-president of company Performance Acceleration Ed Broczkowski delivers a gift pack of Just Born treats to Michelle Sayenga upon his arrival with the PeepMobile.

By Dana Grubb

 

BUSINESS

AblePay joins the downtown

Bethlehem based AblePay Health has relocated to join Bethlehem’s Historic Main Street business community with second- and third-floor offices at 574 Main St. AblePay Health is a no-cost benefit  available to business entities and individuals. According to founder and CEO John Fistner, AblePay is the only provider offering these kinds of services, which are designed to assist healthcare patients with deductibles and co-pays. Photo: The management team at AblePay Health consists of Rick Schoenen, director of marketing, Valerie Banotai, vice president of operations, Ryan Werling, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and John Fistner, founder and CEO.

By Dana Grubb

CLASSROOM

Cops ‘n’ Kids summer fun

Sixty Donegan ES students came down the hill for a day of fun and education promotion at the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program special event July 12. With Reading Room, Lehigh University international student, and city Health Bureau volunteers directing and playing with the kids throughout Northampton Community College’s Southside campus, complete with gift bags of goodies and books, the fun and promotional event lived up to the Cops ‘n’ Kids mission of connecting kids and the community through literacy. Photo: Author Jannie Pilgrim, center back, of Holland, NJ had just read from, “How do you wake a sleeping prince?” from her Prince Garrett series. Pilgrim said she once visited the Southside for the annual Chili Festival and delighted at the Cops ‘n’ Kids section of the event. “I reached out to Beverly [Bradley] and said, ‘I have to be a part of this.’”

By Nate Jastrzemski

 

SPORTS: FREEDOM ATHELETS OF THE YEAR

Huertas helped bring home a title

By Peter Car

Roman admired by all

By Katie McDonald

 

LV FOCUS

A first for Packard

The Packard, featured car for the 55th annual Das Awkscht Fescht, Aug. 3-5, Macungie Memorial Park, Macungie, is legendary, from being one of the first gasoline-powered vehicles to powering military aircraft during World War I and II. Das Awkscht Fescht is said to be the largest antique and classic car show in the United States, with 2,500 vehicles expected.

By PaulWillistein

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: June book sale tops $10,000

Bethlehem: HARB goes esay on Hardball Cider

Bethlehem Township: Candidate’s office vandalized

Center Valley: Craziest mini-golf tourney held

Lehigh County: Board talks citizen status

Lehigh County: Sheriff’s office implements canine program

Northampton County: Pension 90% funded

Pa. Turnpike: Tool increases set for 2019

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

Student profiles

High school news reports

 

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The Bethlehem Press online

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July 25, 2018

COVER STORY

There’s a new sheriff in town

At its July 19 meeting, Northampton County Council voted 8-0 to confirm Richard H. Johnston as Sheriff.  He is also the joint top choice of both Executive Lamont McClure and President Judge Michael Koury Jr. Johnston’s salary will be $89,235. Peg Ferraro, who was absent for Johnston’s confirmation hearing the previous day, abstained. Johnston is the 72nd person to serve as Northampton County Sheriff since the county was first formed in 1752. The county’s first sheriff, William Craig, was a captain in Pennsylvania provincial militia under Major William Parsons during the French and Indian War. Johnston’s immediate predecessor, David Dalrymple, was a major in the New Jersey State Police. Photo: Sheriff Richard Johnston, flanked by wife Barbara on the left and daughter Maya on the right.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

THE COURTS

Atkins to stay behind bars

A hit-and-run driver whose car struck and killed a 9-year-old boy in 2015 as he crossed Schonersville Road will stay behind bars for four years.  A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Friday affirmed a four-to- 10-year sentence imposed by President Judge Michael Koury Jr., against Royce Atkins, now 25, for failing to stop after his blue 2007 Mazda Speed struck Darious Condash, a fourth-grade student at Shecker ES. Atkins had testified that he was aware he had struck something, but thought it was a pothole or the center median. He told friends at a party that night that he had struck a deer on Steuben Road.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

POLITICS

Sen. Casey visits Gracedale

Gracedale, often referred to as the jewel of Northampton County, is home to about 670 senior citizens. They had a special visitor Friday, when U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) stopped by to meet with them and speak with workers. One of them gave him a box filled with tiny Moravian stars, and another provided a Nazareth baseball cap. Casey made sure he greeted every resident he could, and then spoke to the staff from a pavilion on the campus. He described a strong America in which people help each other. Photo: Senator Bob Casey made sure he spoke to as many Gracedale residents as he could.

By Bernie O’Hare

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Liberty HS choir backs Manilow

When Liberty HS director of choral music Julie Wydrzynski was approached by a member of Barry Manilow’s management in March to provide backup vocals for the singer’s performance at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in early July, she gladly accepted the invitation and began preparing. Unfortunately, Wydrzynski couldn’t be there to lead the choir as she was literally having a baby during the performance. Assistant band director Allen Frank filled in and along with several parents made sure Wydrzynski was kept up to speed minute by minute. The 26 students comprising the choir rehearsed during a preshow sound check and then performed during three Manilow standards toward the end of the concert: “Miracle,” “I Write the Songs,” and “Copacabana.” “It was extremely exciting to see these kids shine and get the recognition they deserve,” Wydrzynski said. “The students acted professionally and took their job very seriously.” Above: The 26-member Liberty HS choir backs Barry Manilow during his concert at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center July 5.

By Dana Grubb

 

THE CLASSROOM

SHE has everything

The music was loud. The elementary school girls were having an afternoon out at Bethlehem Skateaway in Bethlehem Township – some were roller skating, some were playing a table game with Haneef Muttaqi, an adult volunteer, and others were walking or lounging around in their socks just talking with friends. The June 27 skate party was part of bigger plan. They were all part of a pilot program designed to improve the self-esteem, health and education (SHE) for girls aged 9 to 10 years. The program is based out of Fountain Hill Elementary School and sponsored by the Community Action Committee of Lehigh Valley (CACLV). Photo: Some of the SHE girls take a break from roller skating to pose with their leaders.  Top row: Maya Hernandez, Shyla Colon, Sherley Perdomo, Niani Vaughn, Delores Singletary and Ginny Sandoval. Sitting in the middle: Aniya Holmes. Sitting in first row: Janiyah Kinder-Love, Valeria Robles and Kritize Diaz-Rivera.

By Douglas Graves

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS: LIBERTY HS ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Mittl always going to give her best

By Katie McDonald

Vazquez became all-round athlete

By Peter Car

 

LV FOCUS

Penn’s Peak a CMA venue nominee

When Pencor Services, Inc., took a chance on a concert hall in the mountains of Penn Forest Township, general manager Craig Stelling never dreamed the site would one day be in the company of legendary country music venues like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Austin City Limits Live. But as Penn’s Peak embarked on its 15th anniversary this year, Stelling learned that the Carbon County concert hall is one of five nominees for the Venue of the Year - Small Capacity in the Industry Award and Studio Recording division for the 53rd Academy Of Country Music Awards (CMA).

By Kathy Lauer-Williams

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: Residents, council praise conversion ordinance

Bethlehem: Morning Star Rotary grant supports BAPL

Bethlehem HCC: CADCB façade changes approved

Bethlehem: Farmers’ Market offers fresh produce and more

Bethlehem Township: Freemansburg Ave. work imminent

Fountain Hill: Borough officer among traffic safety honorees

Northampton County: Record cash seizures from drug arrests

Northampton County: County solicitor faces DUI charges

Lehigh County: Valley non-profits in pipeline to receive grants

Lehigh Valley: Synergy Fund helps volunteers, non-profits

State: Budget bolsters economy, workforce through education and skills

 

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

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July 18, 2018

COVER STORY-EAGLE PROJECT REMEMBERS

Bethlehem first veteran

Did you know that 500 American soldiers once died in Bethlehem while in service and were buried here? Did you know that a few of them – four, to be exact – are still interred in the city, while the others’ bones were scattered who knows where? Does it matter? It matters to Robert Henry, a rising senior at Bethlehem Catholic HS, and he did something about it. A Boy Scout since kindergarten and a member of Troop 352 of Notre Dame Catholic Church of Bethlehem, Robert completed scouting’s final challenge, the Eagle Project, on the Fourth of July. Photo: Robert Henry next to the crypt containing the remains of the soldier whose grave was found in 1934.

By Dennis Glew

 

ED’S WORLD

Graphic commentary by Ed Courrier

 

ROTARY CLUB-ACTION AGAINST SLAVERY

Demand for commercial sex

“Many of you know that sex trafficking occurs in India, in Russia, in Thailand, in China, but it happens right here in Pennsylvania, right here in your community in Bethlehem,” said Dee Dee Foran, a Bethlehem Rotary Club member and Accredited Pension Representative at GF Pension Corp. “Raising awareness is crucial and it often leads to action.” Raising awareness is exactly what the Bethlehem Rotary Club’s Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery aimed to accomplish the evening of June 26. Those interested in learning more about this issue’s presence in the Lehigh Valley gathered in Moravian College’s Priscilla Payne Complex to attend the talk, titled “Harm of Demand for Commercial Sex,” which featured five speakers addressing different sides of the issue. Photo: Christi Domingues, executive director of the Valley Against Sex Trafficking, urged everyone in the room to begin changing their language and the way they talk about sex trafficking.

By Katya Hrichak

 

PEOPLE

Bethlehem teen an early Eagle

On Saturday June 23 Peter Garrett Docteroff was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.  The Eagle Scout ranking is the highest advancement ranking in the Boy Scouts. The ceremony was attended by PA State Representative Marcia Hahn and Jake Glessner who is an assistant to PA State Senator Lisa Boscola.  Photo: Eagle Scout Peter Docteroff with parents Paul and Diana Docteroff.

By Mark Kirlin

 

BOUTIQUE AT THE RINK

Volunteers thanked at luncheon

The 2018 Boutique at the Rink cancer fundraiser is in the books and the efforts of over 300 volunteers and support of a far reaching community raised over $273,000 to fight cancer. The event is held at the Earl E. Schaffer Skating Rink where volunteers accept and sort donated items for resale to the public. Proceeds are shared with three area charities: the Cancer Support Community; St. Luke’s Hospice; and the St. Luke’s Cancer Center. Photo: Boutique patrons circle the blouse and shirt tables searching for the perfect style and color to add to their wardrobes.

By Dana Grubb

 

COMMUNITY

Butterflies to remember

In ancient Greek mythology and art, the butterfly frequently represents the spirit of a dying person, escaping the body. The Greek word “psyche,” or soul, also meant butterfly. On a beautiful Saturday morning, this historical link was the focal point of a memorial service organized by Aseracare Hospice Allentown in honor of individuals for whom they cared this past year. Called “A Butterfly to Remember,” the event offered prayer, encouragement, song and, finally, butterflies set free in the sunshine. Photo: Donna White, RN, director of Aseracare Hospice Allentown, releases 100 Painted Beauty butterflies, each representing an individual whom the hospice staff attended to their end of his or her life.

By Dennis Glew

 

EDUCATION

‘Never forget who you are’

Not everyone can have a legacy such as the one left by Dr. James F. Goodwin Jr.; one that continues to influence the lives of young men and women long after his passing. The African-American physician, who practiced medicine in Bethlehem in 1935, had struggled to get his education. According to a biography, the experience led him to start a scholarship program to “help deserving Negro students who needed financial assistance.” That legacy has continued to this day as the J. F. Goodwin Scholarship Fund, in ceremonies at The Meadow of Saucon Valley in Hellertown June 23, awarded scholarships to students, all from the Bethlehem Area School District. Photo: U. Harold Levy, chair of the Democratic Committee of Bethlehem, his wife Dr. Sharon G., Levy, a professor of English at Northampton Community College and (no relation) Bethlehem Area Public Library librarian Rayah Levy attend the scholarship ceremony where the Levy’s daughter, Nicole, delivery a speech.

By Douglas  Graves

 

BETHLEHEM SPORTS

Hawks fall in finals

Bethlehem Catholic’s girls’ basketball team made it to the finals of the A-town Throwdown Divaz Tournament this past weekend, but lost in its last game to Northampton, 38-29. The Hawks beat Northwestern in the quarterfinal, 28-24, and then went on to beat Allen, 22-18, in the semifinal. “I really like the way our girls are playing defense, and that’s one thing we talked about,” said Becahi coach Jose Medina. “We did a good job of getting in the gym for two months in terms of weight training, strength and conditioning, and it shows. It shows out here as these girls are scrapping in some tough conditions. We scrap for loose change, and today we got a couple of loose change baskets, and we prevailed.”

By Katie McDonald

 

LV FOCUS

A fab tribute

Tony Kishman has a job to do. He does it well and gives the other Paul McCartney impersonators hell. Kishman’s “Live And Let Die: A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney” lands at 7:30 p.m. July 21, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, and many Beatle and McCartney fans have got to get him into their life because he’s considered one of the best replicas around. The concert is the first in the 2018-19 Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops Series. “Some nights I could be inclined to sit back and take it easy,” Kishman notes in a phone interview. “But I don’t. Everyone is looking at every move you make.”

By Stephen Althouse

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: Ordinance outlaws conversion therapy

Bethlehem: Summer book sale opens June 18

Bethlehem HARB: Skyline West project denied, overturned by city

Bethlehem Area SD: Districy undergoes positive changes

Lehigh County: Worker is opposed to union dues withdrawl

Opinion: Tender age children

Opinion: Student need access to summer learning

Northampton County: DA wants misconduct report made public

Northampton County: Law firm disputes Norco resolution

Saucon Valley: Board hires high school principal

State Police: $7M in drug confiscated in second quarter

 

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

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