Monday, May 21, 2012
A very busy Lehigh Valley crossroads will undergo a five-phase makeover
One of the busiest crossroads in the Lehigh Valley will undergo a major reconstruction project starting Monday, May 21. Motorists should use extra caution at the interchange of Route 22 and Route 145/MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. This first of five phases involves the construction of a temporary pedestrian bridge over 22, adjacent to the 145/MacArthur Road overpass. The temporary bridge will accommodate pedestrian traffic during the reconstruction of the interchange. This initial work will require about one week of nighttime lane restrictions on 22 between 15th Street and Fullerton Avenue. Motorists should anticipate weeknight lane restrictions on US 22 east or west between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. next week (May 21 …
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Rabid fox attacks confirmed in eastern Lehigh County
Lehigh County residents are warned to beware of unfamiliar animals following three rabies attacks in recent weeks. A fox that attacked a man in West Bethlehem on Wednesday has tested positive for rabies, city officials say. The attack occurred on Stanford Road between Eaton Avenue and Shelbourne Drive. Another fox attack occurred the same day in the same neighborhood, but officials don't know if the same animal was involved. Both men who were bitten are undergoing rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. A third attack took place May 8 in East Allentown near the border with Bethlehem along Tacoma Road between Catasauqua Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. Anyone who sees a potentially rabid animal should contact police immediately. The first sign of …
A local bridge with a deadly reputation will get a high fence meant to deter potential jumpers
Major improvements planned for the Eighth Street Bridge in Allentown include wider lanes and an eight-foot-high fence on both sides. The work on the structurally deficient bridge won't begin until 2014 and will take about two years to complete, The fence, described by PennDOT as an added safety feature, will be attached to the bridge's outer wall four feet up and will curve in at the top, according to a WFMZ report. Eighty people have jumped to their death from the bridge, which rises 138 feet over Little Lehigh Creek, according to the Morning Call. The project to rehab the 99-year-old bridge will cost $27 million. The bridge is formally known as the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge - named in honor of a well-known Allentown Band conductor who …
Friday, May 18, 2012
Upper Saucon and Catasauqua filed a class-action lawsuit against the state to prevent Allentown from diverting Lehigh Valley municipal taxes to pay for the city's new hockey arena.
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Friday, May 18
A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against the state on behalf of every municipality affected by Allentown’s hockey and entertainment arena project in the Neighborhood Improvement Zone, according to The Morning Call. Upper Saucon and Catasauqua filed the suit Thursday against a 2009 law that enables Allentown to use the earned income taxes of workers in the 130-acre zone in center city Allentown, no matter where they live, to pay for the city’s new hockey arena. Eleven other municipalities have already filed a suit challenging in court Allentown’s right to do that. Salisbury Township commissioners declined to join the suit. On May 7, Upper Saucon Supervisors passed a motion authorizing the solicitors Tom Dinkelacker and Jeff Dimmich…
40.60221
-75.47167
S 7th St & Hamilton St, Allentown, PA
/articles/new-lawsuit-filed-over-allentowns-niz
/locations/7052823
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Newly elected state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie says his office is open to help local residents
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, May 17
State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie wants to inform residents of the 134th House District of services that his office provides. Mackenzie won a special election last month to fill the unexpired term of former state Rep. Doug Reichley. His staff is available to help with: Mackenzie has a full-time office at 1245 Chestnut St., Unit 5, in Emmaus (Phone: 610-965-9933). This is former Rep. Doug Reichley’s previous office location. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can download state forms or contact him via his website, RepMackenzie.com. Also, Mackenzie interacts with his constituents on Facebook and Twitter.
40.527858
-75.508381
1245 Chestnut St, Emmaus, PA
/articles/mackenzie-s-office-offers-constituent-services
/locations/7032401
A New York Times story on graduates weighed down with college debt makes the case for last week’s column.
Once again, The New York Times is playing catch-up with Patch.com. On Sunday, The Times had a front-page story about the growing burdens of college loans, three days after my column ran on the same subject. The paper did a wee bit more legwork for their gazillion-word story – my research consisted mainly of talking to a friend at the deli counter at the Giant supermarket – so I’ll leave the term “copycat” out of this discussion. The lead of The Times story was about a young Ohio college graduate who owes $120,000 in loans and is working two jobs to pay the $900-a-month bill. Her mother is taking out life insurance on her because if anything happens to her daughter, she couldn’t pay the loans for which she co-signed. A decade ago, 58 …
Township supervisors across Pennsylvania are fighting unfunded mandates from Harrisburg and Washington.
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Thursday, May 17
Pennsylvania’s township officials are taking aim at unfunded mandates, which they say waste millions in tax dollars every year. Close to 4,000 local leaders attended the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors’ 90th Annual Educational Conference last week in Hershey, where they launched a campaign to eliminate the mandates that Harrisburg and Washington pass on to local governments without accompanying dollars. Township officials wore green stickers, which featured a rifle’s crosshairs over the words “Unfunded Mandates” throughout the conference. In particular, PSATS members have set their sights on the state’s outdated legal advertising requirements — studies say reforming these would save municipalities $23 million a year…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The new $4.5 million Lehigh County Detoxification Center will serve clients with drug and alcohol problems.
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Wednesday, May 16
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for a new $4.5 million residential Lehigh County Detoxification Center in Salisbury Township that will enable 700 patients a year with drug and alcohol problems to get treatment closer to home. The county-owned facility at 1600 Riverside Drive will be built next to the recently renovated Lehigh County Community Corrections Center, and is expected to be completed by November. The new 31-bed facility will be run by White Deer Run, Inc. Last year, Lehigh County paid to have more than 900 residents get treatment for drug and alcohol issues out of the county, according to The Express-Times. "When that time of crisis hits, having something close to home is also crucial because families need to be engaged…
40.615263
-75.424215
1600 River Dr, Allentown, PA
/articles/lehigh-county-detox-center-breaks-ground-in-salisbury
/locations/7028177
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Salisbury Township engineer will work with Flexer Avenue property owners and their contractors who will install new curbing.
Nine property owners along a portion of Flexer Avenue in Salisbury Township soon will receive letters telling them of their responsibilities to install 2,100 feet of curbing along the street, which is being repaved. Township commissioners recently approved sending out notices to affected property owners along Flexer Avenue, between Cedar Lane and Cedar Crest Boulevard. Board vice president Robert Martucci Jr. cast the lone dissenting vote on the issue at the May 10 board meeting. Property owners will be invited to an informational meeting with the township engineer. “We will guide them in the process,” said Township Manager Randy Soriano. “We will waive the permit fee if they hire their own contractor.” Township Enginer David Tettemer said…
40.57447
-75.51536
Flexer Ave & Cedar Ln, Allentown, PA
/articles/salisbury-township-will-waive-permit-fee-for-curbing-along-flexer-avenue
/locations/7005983
Monday, May 14, 2012
Salisbury Township Commissioner Joanne Ackerman says noise level of basketball players is out of control at Green Acres Park.
Salisbury Township Commissioner Joanne Ackerman recently answered a knock on her door to find a 9-year-old girl who handed her a letter. The letter described how the girl and her mother riding bicycles past Green Acres Park felt uncomfortable because of loud screaming and cursing from the basketball players on the park’s courts. Ackerman read the letter aloud at at last week's commissioners meeting. “When I was riding with my mom I got scared right away so we went riding somewhere else,” the girl wrote. “When I got home I started to cry.” Ackerman, who lives next to the park, said other neighbors have also complained about the noise level. As many as 50 players have been counted at one time on the park’s two full courts and several half …
40.5672
-75.4587
Green Acres Park
Green Acres and Andrea drives, Allentown, PA
/articles/rowdy-basketball-players-curse-urinate-in-green-acres-park-neighbors-say
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/locations/7005162
tamarya
1:57 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Or maybe they will attempt to climb and fall at the curve then an innocent driver going acrossed the bridge could run them over. more ›