What Should Marino Do?

The Express-Times has an article today indicating that Dr. John Marino is eligible to continue serving on the NASD School Board while charges of indecent assault and harassment work their way through the legal system (read the article here).

Marino's attorney commented in the article noting that , "He is not guilty and the allegations against him are not true."

The question remains, should he remain on the board? He may not be able to be removed, but should he step down?

What do you think?

Powerhouse Gym Under Investigation

The Attorney General's office is now investigating Nazareth's Powerhouse Gym which was formerly located at the Giant Shopping Plaza at 191 & 248 according to an article in the Morning Call (read it here).

The article notes:

The lawsuit against Powerhouse alleges the new gym is not ''comparable'' to the old one, and is seeking refunds for 146 members. The lawsuit alleges the gym failed to post a bond or letter of credit to guarantee the long-term, prepaid memberships.

Having personally spoken to a few members who attempted to get out when the location initially changed from Nazareth to Bethlehem Township, the management wasn't agreeable at all to cancellations.

Now, according to the owner, the gym is doing everything it can to cooperate with disgruntled members.

I'd imagine there are many more members that the AG's office is aware of that have been penalized with cancellation fees or were told they could not get out of their contract, these individuals should contact the PA Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Congrats - Naz Girls Track - Day 1 leaders

Congratulations to the Nazareth Girls Track team who were leading the League Championships at the conclusion of day 1 (read the Call article here).

According to the article, " The Blue Eagles scored 51 points, followed by Liberty with 45 and Emmaus with 39."

And:

Nazareth enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the 300 intermediate hurdles with Amanda Denger crossing the tape in 47.6, followed by Alyssa Noll in 48.0. The Eagles' Tori Hamsher placed second in the long jump with a 16-7 3/4 and Margaret Diacont was third in the 3,200 in 11:07.90.

Good luck to all our competitors on day 2!

NASD Board Member - Charged with Indecent Assault

The Morning Call reports that Nazareth Area School District Board Member John Marino has been charged with indecent assault and harassment (read the article here).

The article states that Marino, a chiropractor, had four patients who knew one another, contact police indicating that he:

"asked them if they ever suffered from heartburn. When they said yes, he told them he had an ''adjustment'' to treat the heartburn.

Police allege Marino would then quickly put his hand down the women's pants."

Elected to School Board in 2001, Marino's attendance was at issue during a stretch. The article indicates the charges were from earlier this month, but does not note when a trial is scheduled.

We know we have a drug problem

The Express-Times reports on a drug raid late last week of three homes in the borough resulting in three arrests and three more being wanted (read the article here).

The article notes from one home:

Police seized more than 100 grams of marijuana, more than $1,700 and an assortment of pipes, bongs, scales and packaging materials, Lahovski said.

"We're done pretending," Lahovski said. "We know we have a drug problem."

At another home $500 and 100 grams were found, and later another $1200 was found at the first home with more marijuana and packaging with cocaine residue.

A third home was apparently raided based on a Google map accompanying the article but no arrest information was included.

New Placeblog - Weird Nazareth

Want to thank Kris, who created Weird Nazareth (visit the site here), for reaching out to let me know about his site.

I went through the site last night and really enjoyed it. Kris explained why he started the site to me: "I was always a big fan of the magazine Weird New Jersey and thought that Nazareth could use a site highlighting the quirky side of the town."

And let's face it, with over 250 years of history, there is plenty of quirk in our town, one of the key factors in making it a special place.

Kris' decision to start the site came on a walk, "a few years ago after I saw a plastic owl in a tree while I was taking a walk with my wife over near Washington Street. I thought it was really strange and wondered about why it was there and who put it there."

Like myself, Kris always envisioned his site being a community effort with multiple contributors. This is not always easy, most people like to read, some will comment, a few will send information by email, but very few like to actually make posts. Fortunately for Kris, he recently found a contributor, who in his words, "has posted more quality stuff in the past few weeks than I did in the first few years that I had the blog up."

The site points out everyday sights, both man made and natural, from town, many overlooked in our rush-rush world, and provides historical information, giving a fresh perspective to the community we live in.

Great job Kris and everyone else contributing to the site!

NASD's Diversity Celebration

Received this announcement from a reader regarding the NASD's upcoming "Celebration of Diversity":

The Nazareth Area Public Schools, in conjunction with the NASD Diversity Committee, proudly present "A Celebration of Diversity"

Traditional Dance, Music and Food from many of the cultures represented in Nazareth

Thursday, May 7, Nazareth Area High School Auditorium

For more information: Go to www.nazarethasd.k12.pa.us

The event is free and open to the public.

Tuskes Park Opening - Rain Date

Yesterday's grand opening of Tuskes Park was rained out so the new opening will be in 2 weeks on Sunday, May 17 from 1pm - 4pm.

NASBRA - What a Race!

The Nazareth Adult Soap Box Racing Association held its 2nd Annual event on Saturday, and what a great event!

In many ways the event was like Dick Dastardly's Wacky Races, but instead of racing around the world, these cars shot down a hill at (literally) break-neck speed, some with control, some without.

I make the comparison based on the diversity and character of the entries. There was a barrel cut out to serve as a car, a shopping cart, coffin, "Colonel Klink Special" with air siren, a belly-down, face first, hold tight machine, a Miller Lite Bottle Car, what appeared to be a John Deere Tractor deck converted to a car, many specially fabricated cars, a few test rockets (some more successful than others - but engines were not allowed), wings, no wings, I think we saw everything but a bed on wheels (this was a competitive lot afterall).

I intended to attend and missed last year's event, so this year I had to be sure not to miss it. I was not dissapointed.

I brought both daughters and we had a great time. We arrived right about noon and the first heat had already gone off.

We took a position near Green Street below the start/finish line, but my daughter's quickly noted it was a good location because we could not only watch them race down the hill, but we could see them attempt to slow down and come back, not as easy as it sounds.

As we watched the heats come down the hill, we took pictures and marveled at the myriad of cars. Then with a whoosh, a car blew by very much out of control and rolled over going up the hill. At about the same time, the rest of his heat was crossing the finish line. That car was moving and it was now a shambles with a broken wheel. It did get back in, but struggled afterward with new, smaller tires, in the rear and more than a fair amount of damage to the rest of the vehicle.

As I looked, I saw that there were several hundred people up and down the street. It was a great turnout and the crowd was very enthusiastic during each run down the hill.

It was a great crowd, and there was even a community group selling hotdogs and grill food from a tent on the north side of Prospect.

What surprised me most, was seeing Mario Andretti, waving the checkered flag for each heat. It added an almost surreal element to the event. If it were a movie and you saw Mario working the finish line for a soap box derby event, you'd think, "no way", yet there he was. Not only working the flags, but genuinely watching the competition, congratulating people and taking pictures with drivers and their teams/family members afterward.

He was there for the duration of the event and got to see Rob Leiser drive a replica of Mario's 1969 Indy 500 Winning number 2 go to victory lane once again. Rob's car was unbelievable, and untouchable.


Ron Beiler finished second and Matt Rinker came in third.
Many thanks to all the people who helped make this such a great success. The ambulance corp (was needed, but everyone was okay), police, community groups, volunteers, and community members who came out in support of the program.

And most of all the drivers. What a great mix of people, who not only created, but drove these vehicles down a hill that seemed to start so slowly and as the cars made their way down the speed climbed and climbed until they hit the finish, peaked, and began the incline toward Main Street to slow themselves down. I'm not sure what the top speed was, but these gravity driven cars probably hit mid 30s or more. And did I mention they didn't all have breaks?

HS Football Liftathon Fundraiser

NAZARETH FOOTBALL CLOTHING DRIVE AND LIFTATHON FUNDRAISERS!!!

Clothing Drive
A great time to clean out those closets and yard sale leftovers!

• WHEN: Saturday, May 30^th, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00
• WHERE: Nazareth High School / Mitchell Ave. Parking Lot (Behind Football Stadium)

Acceptable Items: Usable and wearable clothing, shoes, household items, made of fabric, pocketbooks, hats, scarves, linens, stuffed animals and hard toys. Items should be in well tied plastic bags, no boxes.

Liftathon

The football team will also be participating in their annual Liftathon fundraiser at this time in the Mitchell parking lot (or blue maintenance building if inclement weather). Please stop by and support and/or watch our players lift and compete for the benefit our football program!!!


Any questions, please call Lori Moyer @ 610 759 6778

Rendell Budget Cuts Library Funding

In an economic downturn, libraries become most valuable for residents. Want to save a few dollars, don't buy the latest book, check it out, same with audio books, dvds and videos.

If things are really tight, you can read the daily newspaper and get internet access their. These tools will allow you to job search as well. The more hours the library is open, the better the chance you will be able to have time around your daily schedule to visit.

Despite this, I received the following announcement from the library regarding the governor's proposed budget:

Governor’s Proposed 2009-10 State Budget Cuts Libraries, Again

In order to maintain vitally needed library services for constituents in FY 2009-10, libraries are calling for state funding equal to the current year (FY 2008-09)

Pennsylvania’s librarians understand the impact of this current recession. They experience it every hour of every workday. Our staff members serve on the front line:

1. Providing vital services to unemployed, undertrained and first-time jobseekers including access to the Internet and electronic resources for jobs, education, and training; information on careers and opportunities; and staff expertise to assist with resumes and applications.

2. Guiding students, families, and business people to the latest books and other printed and computer resources as well as DVD’s and downloadable books.

3. Offering well-trained, professional staff to meet the informational and educational needs of all library customers.

Demand for library services is up dramatically during this recession. Libraries across Pennsylvania, including the Nazareth library are busier than ever before serving people looking for work, families on tight budgets, and retirees grappling with shrinking savings. Yet the Governor’s budget proposes to cut 5.1% from state support for library services, or $4,790,000, even as the $14 billion Department of Education budget grows overall. Libraries which are part of the Department of Education will receive no increases just more cuts.

Even worse, these cuts not only reduce library services, they also will trigger the loss of nearly one million dollars in federal funds.

It makes no sense to leave federal LSTA dollars on the table at the very same time when Pennsylvania is trying to secure every nickel possible from Washington.

Librarians certainly recognize the reality of added budget pressures during a recession. They have been living with cuts in state aid since the 50% cuts to funding in 2004. But they also recognize the real growing need for library services precisely because of the recession. That’s why Pennsylvania’s libraries have not asked for a funding increase but, instead, level funding in order to meet some part of the rising demand for hours and access to computers, training classes, current books, publications, programs and much more.

In order to maintain vitally needed library services for constituents in FY 2009-10 contact your Harrisburg legislators and ask for state funding equal to the current year (FY 2008-09)

CALL

Rep. R. Grucela 610-614-1312 Senator L. Boscola 610-868-8667

Rep. C. Dally 610-746-2100 Senator P. Browne 610-821-8468

Jacobsburg Historical Society

The Jacobsburg Historical Society has announced upcoming exhibits and extended hours according to the Express-Times (read the article here).

Blood Drive at Shafer

What: Shafer Elem. Blood drive via Miller-Keystone

When: Friday, May 15, 2009 (early dismissal day) 1pm to 7:30 pm

Where: in Shafer Elem gym- enter back of building

Why: to honor those children (& their families) in the NASD that are battling blood-related cancers

to sign up/ questions:

Sally Santi

sallysanti@yahoo.com

610.365.2833