Bushkill Township Supervisors will act on an ordinance designed to preserve open space by freezing the property tax on 315 acres.
The School District will also need to approve the freeze according to the article in the Morning Call (read it here).
Friday, January 04, 2008
Company Receives FDA Warning Letter
Keystone Food Products in Lower Nazareth Township received an FDA warning letter according to the Morning Call (read the article here).
According to the article the company responded to the letter and addressed the concerns cited.
According to the article the company responded to the letter and addressed the concerns cited.
Basketball Team Remembers Kehoe
For the second year a boys' basketball game was dedicated to the memory of Derek Kehoe and according to the article:
All of the game's proceeds will be dedicated to the National Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) foundation in memory of Kehoe, a 2005 Nazareth grad and former Blue Eagles team captain whose life was claimed by the rare and incurable cancer in 2006.The Express-Times has an article both on the fundraiser (read it here) and game (read it here), which the Eagles lost in overtime to Whitehall.
Information Needed by Police
The Express-Times reports (read it here) that a car crashed into shrubs of a home on Spring Street and drove away before police arrived.
According to the report:
According to the report:
A tan- and gold-colored, older-model Camaro crashed into shrubs outside a home on the 100 block of Spring Street in Nazareth on Wednesday evening, borough police said.If you have any information about the driver or vehicle - contact police.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Water Main Break at LNES
Received this email from the school today:
Due to a water main break at Lower Nazareth Elementary School this morning, Thursday, January 03, 2008, the students and staff are being transported to the High School at 8:30 AM. This message is to inform you that you may report to the high school at any time after 9:00 AM to pick your child up and take them home. Otherwise, your child will remain with his or her classroom teacher and other students in the high school auditorium for the remainder of the day. They will be dismissed from LNES at the regular time if you are unable to pick them up prior to the end of the school day. IMPORTANT: If you have an afternoon kindergarten child attending LNES their class is canceled…..NO PM KINDERGARTEN today January 3, 2008.
Nazareth COG Views Possible Expansion
The Nazareth Area Council of Governments is considering an expansion that would in essence see the group being comprised of the boroughs and townships that make up both the Nazareth and Northampton area school districts according to an article in the Morning Call (read it here).
Currently Bath, Chapman, East Allen, and Moore are members of the group, while Northampton, Lehigh, and Allen are not.
The expansion could take some time, just as the initial formation did.
The benefit is shared resources, better municipal communications, and a stronger voice in state government.
Currently Bath, Chapman, East Allen, and Moore are members of the group, while Northampton, Lehigh, and Allen are not.
The expansion could take some time, just as the initial formation did.
The benefit is shared resources, better municipal communications, and a stronger voice in state government.
Nazareth News Agency Closes
The Express-Times reports that the Nazareth News Agency has not re-opened following the holidays and that owner Heidi Wisner is evaluating her options (read the article here).
The News Agency opened in 1928, Wisner bought the business in the summer of 2006 and turned it into a coffee house and lounge with live music at night, but kept the coffee, newspapers, and magazines for the mornings.
Now she is evaluating if she can reopen under new management or sell.
The News Agency opened in 1928, Wisner bought the business in the summer of 2006 and turned it into a coffee house and lounge with live music at night, but kept the coffee, newspapers, and magazines for the mornings.
Now she is evaluating if she can reopen under new management or sell.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Express-Times on Evelyn Huth
The Express-Times has both a 'breaking news' post and a full article on Evelyn Huth.
My thanks to Alyssa Young of the Express-Times for including a quote and link to my post on Evelyn (read the ET post here and NOC post here).
JD Malone's article included many quotes from various community leaders in government, religious, and civic organizations (read it here).
Council President Dan Chiavaroli may have said it best when Malone quoted him as remarking, "I think that Nazareth lost one its prominent citizens."
Calling hour is at 10:00 a.m., a funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday at Nazareth Moravian Church. Burial will follow at Nazareth Moravian Cemetery.
My thanks to Alyssa Young of the Express-Times for including a quote and link to my post on Evelyn (read the ET post here and NOC post here).
JD Malone's article included many quotes from various community leaders in government, religious, and civic organizations (read it here).
Council President Dan Chiavaroli may have said it best when Malone quoted him as remarking, "I think that Nazareth lost one its prominent citizens."
Calling hour is at 10:00 a.m., a funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday at Nazareth Moravian Church. Burial will follow at Nazareth Moravian Cemetery.
Express-Times on Evelyn Huth
The Express-Times has both a 'breaking news' post and a full article on Evelyn Huth.
My thanks to Alyssa Young of the Express-Times for including a quote and link to my post on Evelyn (read the ET post here and NOC post here).
JD Malone's article included many quotes from various community leaders in government, religious, and civic organizations (read it here).
Council President Dan Chiavaroli may have said it best when Malone quoted him as remarking, "I think that Nazareth lost one its prominent citizens."
Calling hour is at 10:00 a.m., a funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday at Nazareth Moravian Church. Burial will follow at Nazareth Moravian Cemetery.
My thanks to Alyssa Young of the Express-Times for including a quote and link to my post on Evelyn (read the ET post here and NOC post here).
JD Malone's article included many quotes from various community leaders in government, religious, and civic organizations (read it here).
Council President Dan Chiavaroli may have said it best when Malone quoted him as remarking, "I think that Nazareth lost one its prominent citizens."
Calling hour is at 10:00 a.m., a funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday at Nazareth Moravian Church. Burial will follow at Nazareth Moravian Cemetery.
Regional Group to Assist Municipal Boroughs
The Morning Call has an article (read it here) about downtown development and the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation's (LVEDC) desire to bring together investors and business people on a monthly basis to different municipal boroughs and show properties available in them for development.
'We want to be more inclusive of not only the urban centers but also our boroughs,'' said Bob Wendt, the group's regional coordinator, adding that the new emphasis reflects changing demographics. ''A growing number of younger people are choosing to live in the boroughs -- where they can walk to the store and their kids can walk to school.This is good news for communities like Nazareth, where the Nazareth Downtown Association (NDA) is forming and can serve as a point of contact and liaison between the LVEDC and local property owners. Further, if NDA becomes a PA Downtown program grant money will become available to businesses and property owners for facade improvements and other purposes designed to improve the downtown district.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year!
Last year at this time NewsOverCoffee hadn't been on line a full year, but there were plenty of local controversies (new borough building, potential teachers strike, new MS, and sunshine law violations to name a few). These fueled the growth of the site and brought many readers, but there were so many issues that I wished for a calmer 2007 than 2006 when I wrote last New Years day. For the most part we got it.
The site got a boost to start the year when Bill White of the Morning Call featured it in a column and later JD Malone did the same in the Express-Times. The support and encouragement from the print publications spread the word and helped people understand that a blog doesn't have to be about the person writing, but instead can be about a place and can include more than one voice.
This formula seems to have worked and NOC celebrated its first full calendar year in 2007. There were roughly 800 posts made on the site during the year and 15,247 people visited the site more than 200 times each. Another 18,781 visited between 51 and 200 times each. To say the least there are many loyal readers and I very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit, read, comment, and email.
80% of visitors returned again and 20% were new to the site. The average visit lasted 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
The single highest individual day was on February 13, when 446 visits were made to the site, most days saw between 250 and 350 visitors.
The most read post of 2007 was in regard to the Calandras who didn't want to sell their property and were threatened by the NASD to sell or face eminent domain. This post had over 1,000 pageviews with over 900 unique visitors mostly in January.
It is clear that people read for the local news and are not very interested in sports or activities. This continues to surprise me because it is a tremendous venue for those activities and sports that don't receive adequate coverage in the local media. And despite low readership, I'll continue the book club simply because I like it.
I hope everyone has had a good 2007 and will have an even better 2008. Professionally I had some big changes since Thanksgiving which resulted in my not being able to attend as many meetings as I'd have liked, but as things settle I'm sure I'll be right back at them. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Brad Moulton for reporting on School Board meetings. These reports are invaluable as the press can't possibly provide the granular detail Brad does. Further, his ongoing coverage allows for an understanding and knowledge that is lost each time the print media changes reporters.
I'd also like to thank everyone who has sent emails and asked about issues or writing about certain topics. The content wouldn't be nearly as interesting without this input. While I may come across as the bad guy or pest in some circles, most times I'm asking the questions others have asked me about and aren't comfortable asking themselves. I don't mind this role and I think it is good to open up communications and share information as much as possible.
To that end, let's hope for less controversy and more sharing of information in the new year.
Best wishes!
The site got a boost to start the year when Bill White of the Morning Call featured it in a column and later JD Malone did the same in the Express-Times. The support and encouragement from the print publications spread the word and helped people understand that a blog doesn't have to be about the person writing, but instead can be about a place and can include more than one voice.
This formula seems to have worked and NOC celebrated its first full calendar year in 2007. There were roughly 800 posts made on the site during the year and 15,247 people visited the site more than 200 times each. Another 18,781 visited between 51 and 200 times each. To say the least there are many loyal readers and I very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit, read, comment, and email.
80% of visitors returned again and 20% were new to the site. The average visit lasted 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
The single highest individual day was on February 13, when 446 visits were made to the site, most days saw between 250 and 350 visitors.
The most read post of 2007 was in regard to the Calandras who didn't want to sell their property and were threatened by the NASD to sell or face eminent domain. This post had over 1,000 pageviews with over 900 unique visitors mostly in January.
It is clear that people read for the local news and are not very interested in sports or activities. This continues to surprise me because it is a tremendous venue for those activities and sports that don't receive adequate coverage in the local media. And despite low readership, I'll continue the book club simply because I like it.
I hope everyone has had a good 2007 and will have an even better 2008. Professionally I had some big changes since Thanksgiving which resulted in my not being able to attend as many meetings as I'd have liked, but as things settle I'm sure I'll be right back at them. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Brad Moulton for reporting on School Board meetings. These reports are invaluable as the press can't possibly provide the granular detail Brad does. Further, his ongoing coverage allows for an understanding and knowledge that is lost each time the print media changes reporters.
I'd also like to thank everyone who has sent emails and asked about issues or writing about certain topics. The content wouldn't be nearly as interesting without this input. While I may come across as the bad guy or pest in some circles, most times I'm asking the questions others have asked me about and aren't comfortable asking themselves. I don't mind this role and I think it is good to open up communications and share information as much as possible.
To that end, let's hope for less controversy and more sharing of information in the new year.
Best wishes!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Remembering Evelyn
Evelyn Huth passed away yesterday, Sunday, December 30, 2007. She was 82.
She had recently been admitted to Visiting Nurses Association Hospice at St. Luke's Hospital due to a combination of illnesses, but was able to enjoy Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the Moravian Church in Nazareth. Her son forwarded a note on the 26th from her that read in part:
There are any number of ways you may known Evelyn, and I'm quite sure if you knew her, she's had a positive impact on you. To say that Evelyn served the community would be an understatement. A list of her numerous contributions are available in her obituary (the Morning Call or The Express-Times). And it is not so much how many activities and pursuits she engaged, but the positive benefits that followed from them and the benefits that continue to flow from them.
She took great pride in the town and community of Nazareth. Over the past two years at Council meetings, she demonstrated tremendous institutional knowledge, but what struck me more was her ability to do and say the right thing, the right way and to call out if something wasn't being done the right way. She had the courage to point these things out and she did so the right way herself.
By doing so, she was very much the public conscience.
She was a tremendous role model.
And Evelyn will be very much missed by many, many people.
She had recently been admitted to Visiting Nurses Association Hospice at St. Luke's Hospital due to a combination of illnesses, but was able to enjoy Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the Moravian Church in Nazareth. Her son forwarded a note on the 26th from her that read in part:
I had a very nice Christmas. I was able to make it to church on Christmas Eve, and spend quality time with my family including Christmas dinner at Roger's.I was glad that she was able to have gone to this service and enjoy the holiday, and I feel fortunate that my email was included in her address book allowing me to receive this warm holiday message. I was saddened to learn shortly thereafter of her passing.
There are any number of ways you may known Evelyn, and I'm quite sure if you knew her, she's had a positive impact on you. To say that Evelyn served the community would be an understatement. A list of her numerous contributions are available in her obituary (the Morning Call or The Express-Times). And it is not so much how many activities and pursuits she engaged, but the positive benefits that followed from them and the benefits that continue to flow from them.
She took great pride in the town and community of Nazareth. Over the past two years at Council meetings, she demonstrated tremendous institutional knowledge, but what struck me more was her ability to do and say the right thing, the right way and to call out if something wasn't being done the right way. She had the courage to point these things out and she did so the right way herself.
By doing so, she was very much the public conscience.
She was a tremendous role model.
And Evelyn will be very much missed by many, many people.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New Middle School Honor Society
Back in mid-November I received an email from a reader whose child was accepted into the new National Junior Honor Society at the Middle School. While they wished to stay anonymous, they were proud of their child's accomplishment and glad to see Nazareth support the program. Moreover, they wanted to give some recognition to the teacher who came up with the idea and volunteered to run it.
Miss Justice, a MS teacher on the Opal Team, approached MS Principal Bob Kern in July, according to Kern, to find out if she would be able to begin a National Junior Honor Society Chapter (visit the web site here) at Nazareth.
With the approval from the Principal, a request was made of the school board and that was also approved, though without compensation for the adviser.
The National Junior Honor Society web site outlines the five step process for starting a chapter (visit the page here) and these steps were followed at Nazareth.
The MS now has a chapter and an induction ceremony will be planned in early 2008 according to Kern.
From the parents who wrote me I also learned that roughly 400 students were invited to apply for acceptance. Those who applied had to write a letter stating why they would be a good candidate for consideration, perform 10 hours community service, get two teacher letters of recommendation, along with a few other requirements, and following the submission deadline a selection process ensued.
It is believed that 50 students were selected (25-7th graders and 25-8th graders) following the process.
In reading the web site student members of the society are able to apply for scholarships and participate in programs many of which emphasize leadership development. Many of these events also provide students the opportunity to meet fellow members from other schools and parts of the country which can be a great learning experience in and of itself.
Congratulations to those students who were accepted into the program and many thanks to Miss Justice for giving her personal time and energy to launch this new program at the MS.
Miss Justice, a MS teacher on the Opal Team, approached MS Principal Bob Kern in July, according to Kern, to find out if she would be able to begin a National Junior Honor Society Chapter (visit the web site here) at Nazareth.
With the approval from the Principal, a request was made of the school board and that was also approved, though without compensation for the adviser.
The National Junior Honor Society web site outlines the five step process for starting a chapter (visit the page here) and these steps were followed at Nazareth.
The MS now has a chapter and an induction ceremony will be planned in early 2008 according to Kern.
From the parents who wrote me I also learned that roughly 400 students were invited to apply for acceptance. Those who applied had to write a letter stating why they would be a good candidate for consideration, perform 10 hours community service, get two teacher letters of recommendation, along with a few other requirements, and following the submission deadline a selection process ensued.
It is believed that 50 students were selected (25-7th graders and 25-8th graders) following the process.
In reading the web site student members of the society are able to apply for scholarships and participate in programs many of which emphasize leadership development. Many of these events also provide students the opportunity to meet fellow members from other schools and parts of the country which can be a great learning experience in and of itself.
Congratulations to those students who were accepted into the program and many thanks to Miss Justice for giving her personal time and energy to launch this new program at the MS.
Library News and Information
Many thanks to Lynn Snodgrass-Pilla for forwarding this information about upcoming Library programs and activities:
RESOLVE TO READ IN THE NEW YEAR!
The Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity serves the residents of Nazareth Borough, Upper Nazareth, Lower Nazareth and Bushkill Townships.
IS OUR CARD ON YOUR WALLET?
MESSY MONDAYS
Starting January 14th @ 3:00
A one hour drop in craft program for children of all ages. Parents must accompany their children. No signup needed
TAX FORMS
Tax forms are now available at the Library. State & Federal forms are also easily found by clicking the Tax Forms link on our webpage at www.nazarethlibrary.org
5TH ANNUAL YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST
BEGINS FEB 1, 2008
Winners announced National Library Week
Applications available at the Library
2008 National Library Week
APRIL 13-19, 2008
Join the Circle of Knowledge at your Library where knowledge comes full circle. We are the place to go to dream, explore, learn, and grow.
AT OUR 2008 SUMMER READING PROGRAM
JUNE – AUG 2008
Details coming soon www.nazarethlibrary.org
295 E. Center St. Nazareth, PA 610-759-4932
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