Monday, December 19, 2011

By: Edward Sieger | The Express-Times

As vice chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' community development committee, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski lobbied members of Congress to spare the federal grant program that provides his city more than $2.5 million annually for initiatives such as housing rehabs.

Pawlowski said he left Washington, D.C., a few weeks back with an indication that some type of deal involving Community Development Block Grant funding was in the works... Read more

December 17, 2011

By Scott Kraus, Of The Morning Call

Some regional groups worry about divided representation.

For decades, local leaders have made it a point to push a single identity for the two-county region that includes Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

That's why when the IronPigs came to Allentown in 2008 they were named the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

And the 'Pigs are just the latest example. While there have been setbacks, many local businesses and political leaders have embraced the regionalism mantra: that the communities that make up Lehigh and Northampton counties are stronger as a whole than their constituent parts... Read more

December 16, 2011

Four-term Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent, a Republican, will see the legislative district he serves change under a new political map - and some say those changes will make him vulnerable to defeat next year.

PoliticsPa ranks Dent fourth in a list of U.S. representatives made vulnerable by redistricting.

Morning Call columnist Bill White says the new gerrymandered congressional district map looks like "somebody holding a crayon had a series of seizures."

For the last 10 years, the 15th district has consisted of all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties... Read more

December 15, 2011

Believe it or not, I haven't always been the statesman I am today. Years ago, this post would have probably been titled The Hypocrisy of a Poverty Pimp. Anyway, putting aside my growing diplomacy, Rite Aid had a surprising ally at the zoning hearing Monday evening. According to The Morning Call's Devon Lash, Alan Jennings, executive director of The community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, spoke on behalf of Rite Aid's plan; "... Read more

December 14, 2011

The Lehigh Valley Toyota Dealerships will be collecting non-perishable food items this holiday season, during the 2nd annual Lehigh Valley Toyota Tundra Food Drive in support of local food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. The 2011 edition of the Lehigh Valley Toyota Tundra Food Drive is scheduled to culminate on Monday, December 19 at 11:30AM, when a convoy of Toyota Tundra pick-up trucks will deliver the collected non-perishable food items to the Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse in Allentown... Read more 

December 13, 2011

By: Devon Lash, Of The Morning Call

Monday, December 12th, 2011

(Allentown, PA) – Weis Markets today presented a corporate donation of $40,000 in Weis gift cards to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania.  It is making this donation as part of its Fight Hunger program, which generates donations for local food banks, pantries and community food programs throughout its five state market area.

The donation was made at Weis Markets’ South Cedar Crest Boulevard store in Allentown.

“Second Harvest will use our donation to support its Backpack Buddy program, which helps food insecure children... Read more

December 11, 2011

By: John Craven, Reporter

Families turn to government assistance to heat their homes. But this winter, those who need the most help may be left out in the cold -- literally.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Families turn to government assistance to heat their homes. But this winter, those who need the most help may be left out in the cold -- literally.

Christmas time means it's also time to crank up the heat.  For Sharl Morris of Allentown, who is raising three kids in a bad economy, paying for heating oil is a challenge... Read more

December 10, 2011

By Christina Georgiou

Available to both renters and homeowners in Northampton and Lehigh counties, this free program can help keep you and your family warmer in winter and cooler in summer while saving money on energy costs.

With the added costs of home heating in the colder months, many local residents struggle to pay the bills during the winter. But whether you live in a house, apartment or mobile home, help may be available in the form of free home weatherization courtesy of a program administered by the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV)... Read more

December 9, 2011

By Christina Georgiou  

After telling him what they wanted, children sat on Santa's lap so their parents could get a picture.

Pizza, Santa Claus, crafts and gifts were all part of a fun-filled evening at PaxinosaElementary School Thursday evening.

With nearly 600 members of the community in attendance, the “Pizza with Santa” party was held in two shifts to accommodate everyone... Read more 

December 6, 2011

By Irene Kraft, Of The Morning Call

Angels are wasting no time fufilling the wishes of nonprofit agencies participating in The Morning Call's Be an Angel campaign. Since publishing wish lists from 364 agencies on Nov. 27, we've received several donation reports... Read more

December 06, 2011

By Precious Petty | The Express-Times

December 03, 2011

By: John Craven

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

A new study estimates one third of all children have found themselves without permanent homes at some point.  What's surprising, many of the people now filling area homeless shelters are working and still can't make ends meet.

How do you picture the homeless?  A bum on the streets, a drug addict, or someone who's just lazy?  According to experts, it's time to re-think that image.

"The average family is a single mother with two children," said Staci Bell with Allentown's Sixth Street Shelter... Read more

December 01, 2011

By: Alan Jennings, Executive Director of CACLV

I don't understand the headline, "Exit stage far left," on the Nov. 27 piece about my recent resignation from the Pennsylvania Planning Board. It is not only inaccurate, but it also clearly puts a spin on my resignation letter that flies in the face of the objectivity that news reporting is supposed to demonstrate... Read more

November 30, 2011

By: Jon Geeting

LehighValley activist raised many important issues in resigning from state planning board.

CACLV Director Alan Jennings caused a small stir earlier this week when he publicly resigned from the Pennsylvania State Planning Board over disagreements with the Corbett administration. At issue was the Governor's failure to address the hollowing out of Pennsylvania's older core cities. 

Mr. Jennings argued that with so many of Pennsylvania's third-class cities in distress, Tom Corbett's administration can't afford to delay… Read more

November 26, 2011

By:  John L. Micek

Longtime activist Alan Jennings of the Community Action Committee of the LehighValley has quit the Pennsylvania Planning Board, arguing in a lengthy resignation letter that the agency had gotten away from its true mission… Read more

November 25, 2011

By: Phillip Molnar | The Express-Times

Stephanie Ruggiero thought she had nowhere to turn last year when, at 41 years old, she found herself homeless in Easton.

Her saving grace came, she said, when she came to live at the Safe Harbor homeless shelter on Bushkill Drive in September 2010

Although Ruggiero now lives at the Bartlett Hotel, she is one of many people who use the shelter every day and feared the roughly 20-year-old facility would close… Read more 

November 23, 2011

During this holiday season, as we consider how lucky we are, Americans often think of those who are not so fortunate. We are, indeed, a generous and caring nation. As we contemplate our blessings this Thanksgiving, let's be honest about the despair in our midst.

Hunger does not discriminate; it affects people in nearly all walks of life. But it is those who are the most vulnerable among us — children and the elderly — who are the most profoundly affected… Read more

November 12, 2011

By Riley Yates, Of The Morning Call

Despite drop in filings, experts predict respite won't last and Valley will again be 'socked.'

Foreclosure filings have fallen nearly in half in the Lehigh Valley compared to last year, but don't take that as a sign that things are finally getting better.

With state unemployment above 8 percent and job growth anemic, the drop may only be a short-term respite, foreclosure observers say, that has little, if anything, to do with whether more people are finally able to afford their mortgages.

Rather, it is an unintended blessing that struggling homeowners are receiving from the country's largest banks, which already have more properties than they need on their hands — and which are in the doghouse nationwide for rushing to repossess houses and making legal errors when they did so... Read more

November 11, 2011

By  Tom Shortell | The Express-Times

Roseto Mayor Desiree DeNicola’s home has been in her family for over a century.

She took her first steps in the Marconi Street residence.

The retired Bangor Area Middle School teacher made upgrades to the house over the years, installing a ramp after she was hit by a car and raising the ceilings and removing carpeting to ease her asthma.

Earlier this year, the payments for those changes started taking their toll... Read more

November 7, 2011  

By: Andrew Kutzer

The Lower Milford Township Board of Supervisors denied a request from Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley to help support local homeless shelters.

 CACLV had requested a contribution from the township of $3,390 for the Municipal Fund Appeal to Support Shelters. CACLV asks municipalities for a donation to support nine shelters located in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

“We feel they need to be responsible for sheltering their own,” said Sharol Weaver, Director of Planning for the CACLV. Weaver told a Patch reporter that two Lower Milford residents had made use of the shelters... Read more

October 27, 2011

By Tiffany Bentley | The Express-Times

Day of the Dead imagery including skulls and dancing spirits may scare some to draw false connections to the occult and darker sides of perceived Halloween macabre.

However, the Day of the Dead tradition is colorful and celebratory, characterized by festivities and rituals honoring the dead's time on earth.

To coincide with the Catholic All Saints' and All Souls' days, Day of the Dead has traditionally been celebrated Nov. 1 and 2. Typically, deceased children are honored Nov. 1 and adults are remembered Nov. 2... Read more

October 26, 2011

By Lynn Olanoff | The Express-Times

A housing project that would reuse a vacant church and provide 36 rental units for artists in south Bethlehem received a handful of variances from the city's Zoning Hearing Board on Wednesday, allowing the project to proceed despite a lack of parking.

Zoners unanimously granted variances to the nonprofit Housing Development Corp., which is the first step in erecting an artist residence at the site of St. Stanislaus Church at 419-429 Hayes St. The church sanctuary would remain and be incorporated into the project as an art gallery... Read more

October 26, 2011

By Edward Sieger | The Express-Times The Express-Times

The city’s Vacant Property Review Board began the condemnation process Wednesday on five more buildings.

The next round of properties on the planning commission’s agenda for blight designation includes:

• 900 Lehigh St., owned by Vanessa Reyes;
• 614 Northampton St., owned by Joseph Scorese and Joseph Basso;
• 515 Spruce St., owned by Robert Roy;
• 140 Nevin Terrace, owned by the estate of Francesca Marra, and;
• 153 W. Wilkes-Barre St., owned by Barbara Harris.

The city codes department posted 900 Lehigh St., which contains two apartments, as unfit for human habitation in September 2009... Read more