NASD to build "spiteful" fence around LNES

According to the article in the Morning Call, NASD is leaving behind a "goodbye gift" for the residents who fought the installation of the three acre Commercial solar array on Residential zoned property in Lower Nazareth.

This move by the board can only be described as spiteful. This is somewhat similar to the neighborhood kid who doesn't get his way so he takes his ball and goes home.

Back in early 2008, I was at a NASD board meeting when a friend of mine asked about the possibility of erecting a fence around the Shafer playground. His concern was that the playground was relatively open and given the number of sexual predators (as registered by Megan's Law and easily determined by anyone with a computer) near Shafer, he was concerned for the children's safety. The boards response to that request?....

Not necessary. Too expensive.

Yet now, the board is more than willing to spend the money (estimated by some to be approximately $30-40,000) to erect a fence just to "spite" the neighbors who got the school and township to realize that zoning laws matter. That is, you cannot construct a commercial enterprise in a residential zoned area.

The school district had NO case and no legal standing to build a commercial solar array on residential property. Let me give you a simple example that I think will help those who didn't understand this situation:

I like hamburgers. I have a large property with property behind my house (next to my neighbors). What if I decide I want to lease my "extra" property to Five Guys so they can build a restaurant there and in return, they'll give me a break on the price of hamburgers? You think that would fly with the zoning board?

If NASD goes through with building this fence, I think they need to consider fences around Shafer and Bushkill too...

Bushkill Man Charged with Possessing Child Porn

The Express-Times reports (read the article here) that a Bushkill man was charged with possessing child pornography.

A complaint in late January that the individual had taken improper pictures of a nine year old led to a search warrant, which resulted in finding video of two under-age girls, half naked splashing in a pond. Police seized computers, video equipment, and DVD's.

The 44 year old, Harold Moser, had previously been charged with receiving a stolen handgun, endangering the welfare of children, and corruption of children.

Bushkill Break-Ins

The Express-Times reports a series of vehicle break-ins were reported to Bushkill Twp. police on Thursday of last week (read the article here).

The article notes:

The thefts were in the 100 block of Firehouse Lane, the 200 block of Lucas Lane, the 1000 block of Bushkill Center Road, the 100 block of Constitution Avenue, the 100 block of Belfast Road and the 100 block of Blackstone Drive, police said.

Unfortunately, I'm quite sure this is not the last report of this kind we'll get this summer - keep your vehicles locked.

Solar Panel Regulation

The federal government's investment in reimbursing people who install solar panels has resulted in an increase in people deciding to install the product. Most municipalities, however, do not have ordinances regulating placement and use of solar panels.

The Express-Times reports that many municipalities, including Bushkill, are now in the process of creating ordinances and a draft ordinance from the state should be ready next week (read the article here).

Route 33 News

There are two articles in the Express-Times of late, both related to Route 33.

The first (read it here) announces a Philadelphia company received a contract to improve a five mile stretch of the highway in Plainfield and Bushkill Townships.

The roadwork is scheduled to begin in July and will begin about one mile north of Stockertown exit to Wind Gap exit.

The second (read it here) announces the Palmer Township Supervisors will tonight hear plans to add an on/off ramp in Palmer to Route 33.

DEP Public Meeting on Herceg Landfill

The Express-Times reports that the DEP is holding a public meeting on July 15, to discuss the plan to monitor contaminents (read the article here).

The landfill operated for 30 years, unlined and without a permit, with operations ending in 1981. It is located along border between Upper Nazareth and Bushkill.

Bushkill Principal Announced

The Express-Times reports that the new Bushkill Elementary Principal will be Greg Shoemaker (read the article here).

Shoemaker was formerly a principal in the Easton School District, moved to become Easton's Director of Elementary Education, and recently was appointed to head the Palmer Elementary School under Easton's re-organization.

Basket Bingo to Benefit Cancer Society

Got this note from a reader and wanted to pass it along:

Our team is having a Longaberger Basket Bingo on Sunday, April 26th at Bushkill Township Fire Hall.

• Longaberger Basket Bingo
• Sunday, April 26th
• Doors open at 11:00 AM, Bingo Begins at 1:00 PM
• 20 games, 5 specials, Door prize raffle, 50/50 drawing, Tricky Tray Raffles
• Bake Sale & Refreshments will be sold
• Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door
• Call 610-614-1077 for advance ticketsAll proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society

Heroin in Nazareth

The Express-Times reports that an 18 year old Bushkill woman was arrested at a home in the 500 Block of Whitfield Street after police were called because a man was unconscious.

While on site police saw the woman with drug paraphernalia and heroin (read the article here).

In the past there have been more than a few posts and comments about drugs in the area and calls by adults to adults not to be blind to the fact that they exist and they are not the 'harmless' variety.

I certainly hope this woman gets treatment and help, and I'd imagine the same is true for the unconscious individual (though the article didn't give the cause).

Another, sad, wake up call for parents.

Nazareth's Next Racing Generation

While Marco Andretti is well known locally and worldwide as an open wheel driver, two other Nazareth natives are making an impact in the sport, and both of these individuals are competing at Sebring this weekend in races leading up to the famous 12 Hours of Sebring (visit the official 12 hours of Sebring Site here).

In December, Sage Karam, 13, became the youngest driver to earn the top award at the Mazda Shoot-Out, which pits the best young kart racers against one another over three days and provides a $50,000 scholarship to race the upcoming season in the 2009 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda as part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development team (read more about this year's Shoot-Out here). This is the same series Marco Andretti drove in prior to joining the IRL. Karam earned one of two full rides out of a field of over 50 drivers competing that weekend.

Corey Lewis, 17, (read previous post here) has received sponsorship to compete at Sebring, but is still looking for support to continue in the National Series.

Despite the fact that these two drivers are in their teens, the series is open to all ages.

This morning, the National Series Qualifying was held and Lewis and Karam both got six laps in with Lewis qualifying 18th and Karam 19th out of 23 drivers. Lewis was able to shave a second off his time from final practice to qualifying, while Karam was about the same at 0.1 lower in qualifying.

Good luck to both in the race!

Community Treasure

It should come as no surprise to those that regularly read posts that I happen to be a strong advocate of our public library. Each year around budget time, I hope everyone implores their local elected officials to provide full support as requested by the library board, because the service provided is exceptional and, yes, critical for many people.

Recently the Morning Call had a story on Ten Treasures at local libraries (including a few references to Nazareth - read it here) and a follow-up "More Hidden Gems, again including reference to Nazareth (read it here). One tremendous item that wasn't mentioned was the online version of the "Nazareth Item" collection. The newspaper was first published in 1891 and its final issue was 1975. The online version is searchable, allowing those with relatives to learn more about their history, and for the curious you really can get a sense of what life was really like 'back then'.

On Monday, the Express-Times wrote specifically about Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity (read the article here). In it, was mentioned the increased use and record number of loans despite fewer hours due to budget cuts.

Our library is not only housed in a wonderful facility, but in addition to books, there are collections, resources, internet service, story hours, craft programs, movies, audio books, and so much more.

This Saturday is the deadline for the Young Authors Contest. A program where students write and illustrate a book. The winners in each age category have their book bound and entered into the library collection, and receive a copy to keep. The past several years the Friends of the Library have funded the publication of all entries. Students are recognized for learning the art and craft of writing and illustrating a story, and they have a great time doing it.

Congratulations to all of those who work and volunteer to provide our community with an exceptional and invaluable resource. To those elected officials, please do not look at the library as a way to cut or save money, but instead make an investment in the betterment of the residents you serve and support it at the requested funding level.

Dally for Judge

On Thursday evening Bushkill resident and current PA State Representative Craig Dally announced his candidacy for Northampton County Court Judge at the Holy Family Club in Nazareth.

Having attended myself, I'd guess there were close to 300 people on hand for the announcement. Preceding Dally at the podium were State Senator Patrick Browne, State Rep. Julie Harhart, State Rep. Rich Grucella, and Dally's campaign treasurer Sue Jarvis.

Also in attendance were two other candidates for Judge (you can vote for three) and among many others, I saw Northampton County Republican chairman Roy Shuman.

In fair disclosure, I worked for Rep. Dally as a legislative assistant when he was first elected some twelve years ago.

Library Vandals Caught?

The Express-Times reports that Nazareth Police believe they have caught the individuals who vandalized the library at the end of 2008 (read the article here).

The three teens were from Bushkill, Upper Nazareth, and Gillette. In addition to charges they face for the library, additional charges are pending for at least six vehicle thefts.

Let's hope in addition to penalties they may face, these individuals are required to pay to replace and repair all damage at the library as well.

Bushkill Elem Science Night

Bushkill Elementary will be having a Science Fair this evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. according to an article in the Express-Times (read it here).

The event is for students and families and will feature Dr. Crayola , a senior color chemist and Larry Sabino from Air Products and Chemicals.

More information is available here.

Building Principal Position Open

The NASD has posted its end of year to be available principal position, in the Morning Call (read it here).

Not too much detail, doesn't identify Bushkill, but does note it is K-3. Current Bushkill Principal Yanek will be leaving to be principal at the 4-6 grade intermediate building.

Police Beat

Bushkill Police are searching for a burglary suspect according to the Express-Times (read it here). The article notes the suspect is a white man, appeared to be in his 30s, brown hair, balding, and "drove a silver, foreign-made car with Pennsylvania registration DZN-2169, police said. Anyone with information about the burglary should call township police at 610-759-9588."

Both the Morning Call and Express-Times report on the Nazareth Police Force's first use of a taser following Bushkill resident, John Hendricks, attempt to fight an officer. According to the reports (read Express-Times here and Morning Call here), Hendricks was pulled over while driving through Nazareth Friday morning, he failed field sobriety tests, was taken to the DUI Center, and while enroute attempted to twice get out of his handcuffs/get his hands from his back to front. On the second attempt it worked, the officer pulled over and Hendricks peed on him. Hendricks then tried to fight the officer after arriving at the station and for the good of all he was tasered. Several charges are now pending against Hendricks.

Municipal Tax Rates

The Morning Call had an article on area municipal tax rates for 2009 (read it here).

I was a bit surprised, maybe naive, to see that the borough tax rate was much higher than the townships (tax on a $50,000 assessment, 2009 Budget):

• Nazareth - $510, $3.2M Budget
  
• Bushkill - $275, $7.34M Budget
  
• Lower Nazareth - $207.5, $3.4M Budget
  
• Upper Nazareth - $175, $2.3M Budget

This isn't a negative on the borough, it is due to the size of the municipality which impacts the number of properties that can be taxed.

I am surprised that Bushkill's budget is so much bigger than everyone else's.

Finally, in light of how much less in tax the residents are paying in the townships, I hope when it comes time for Library funding these townships pay their requested share and don't claim poverty as they have in recent years.

Local Dance Studio & the Philadelphia Parade

Art of Dance located in Hecktown and owned by Susan Smith of Bushkill Township will have its Center Stage Dance Company featured in several numbers during the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade presented by IKEA.

The Express-Times has a nice article on the participation by this group (read it here).

I'm a bit biased regarding Art of Dance, as both my daughters take classes at the studio. I've written about the wonderful production that is put on each year at recital time, and I'm always impressed with the skill level of the dancers, especially those on the high school level. Given that, I'm not surprised that in a short few years parade directors have moved them from one of many others participating to a featured company.

While I don't have names of all the participants, I can say they more than likely have a strong representation from Nazareth, but also Easton, Bethlehem, and many surrounding communities. I'm always amazed when I see how far students travel to take classes at this studio.

Best wishes for good weather and a great performance!

In Need of Your Prayers

The Express-Times reports (read it here) on sixteen year old Alyssa Bray, of Nazareth, who was hospitalized and determined to have an AVM a rare (140 people in 100,000 in the US will ever get one) condition where arteries and veins connect abnormally and can rupture, particularly when occurring in the brain.

Bray has had two surgeries since Thursday night and her prognosis remains unknown.

Now at Nazareth HS, Alyssa had attended Holy Family, both school communities are supporting her and her family.

You can help too by keeping her, her family, friends and doctors in your prayers.

Article on Ferraro and Palin

The Morning Call has a nice article on former MS teacher and local political leader Peg Ferraro (read it here). The angle is on Ferraro's impression of Palin and how she relates to the Alaskan VP candidate.

In sharing those impressions some of Peg's political background and upraising is brought in and it is a poignant reminder of how short a time women have had to engage in local, let alone national politics.