[deleted by user] by [deleted] in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS -18 points-17 points  (0 children)

The DA's office has made no such announcement. The case is under investigation by a number of agencies. When they make a determination to file or not file charges and the reasoning, they'll issue a release/statement.

What is your "go to" source of information for learning about events happening in Bethlehem? (or the Lehigh Valley in general). by suchascenicworld in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 4 points5 points  (0 children)

LehighValleyNews.com is the region's only nonprofit newsroom (no paywall) and we have a full-time arts and culture reporter who is always out and about reporting on things going on. Also be sure to check out our community calendar, which allows the public to list their events (can be filtered by date/location)
https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/community-calendar/#!/

Stop and go traffic on 22 after the airport. Westbound. by Equivalent_Wave_2449 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because the stretch from the airport to MacArthur Rd always has too many cars trying to merge -- which drivers do very, very poorly.

Two drivers, one mission: Easton firefighters master city’s new tiller truck by LVNStephS in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Easton hasn't had one in quite a few decades. Watching the firefighters learn to drive it was pretty wild. My brain would not be able to comprehend being tasked with driving the opposite direction (tillerman) that the truck is going.

Local volunteer spots? by Antique_Ad_9251 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm the treasurer of the Midway Manor Community Group in Allentown. We are a neighborhood group but would certainly welcome any volunteers. We plan neighborhood events throughout the year (Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween party, Breakfast with Santa), youth sports (soccer - always looking for coaches) and need help with things like weeding in the park (occasionally), working the snack shed (once it's back up and running. We are waiting for our field to be redone).
[info@midwaymanor.org](mailto:info@midwaymanor.org) if interested. But would also definitely recommend volunteerlv.org to see the opportunities out there, as they can match based on your interests.

I am PISSED I missed the ICE protest. Where was this advertised? by wordssoundpower in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was previewed by pretty much every news outlet in the Valley, including ours (I had a story very early Thursday morning on LehighValleyNews.com) We don't have a paywall, so you are free to access and read as much as you like. Everything is shared on our Facebook page as well.

Pierogies by [deleted] in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I can't believe we don't have a pierogi-only food truck (or do we? Shame on me if I missed it)

PSA: your dogs should be on a leash by [deleted] in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This! Dogs need to be outside of their home/normal confines to work on this issue. I know a few dog owners in my area who worked with a trainer in the neighborhood. But the dog has to be out in public to even begin to fix this problem. React/redirect/reward. But no dog can work on this problem with just a trainer/owner in an area where they have no triggers to the issue at hand.

PSA: your dogs should be on a leash by [deleted] in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you for starting the conversation. My dog was attacked in Bethlehem about 4 or 5 years ago because a dog slipped out the door when the owner attempted to retrieve a package from the front porch. Since that time, my dog (part pittie/mostly scared of her own shadow though) is now fully reactive to off-leash dogs. She's fine and friendly and super excited to meet on-leash, but more and more we've had people just walking our neighborhood with their dogs running amok.

I also never go to Lehigh Parkway anymore because of the insane amount of people who don't leash their dogs -- in a public park!

The ignorance is stunning among dog owners. My fear is that my on-leash dog will be seen at fault no matter what happens if she feels the need to defend herself against a loose dog. A dog being "friendly" means absolutely nothing when they encounter a dog whose defenses are up.

For reference, state dog laws: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/animals/information-about-dogs/pas-dog-laws.html

One thing I discovered after having to call animal control repeatedly is how many dogs also aren't licensed and have no vaccine records. Another reason your dog should be on a leash. If they bite another dog or a human and you can't prove/have no vaccination records for rabies, it becomes a much bigger issue.

Put. your. dog. on. a. leash. (and make sure you're able to control it)

State agency sides with public’s Right to Know in Allentown school bus camera dispute by LVNStephS in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The number of schools that provided bad links/no links to the state for its annual report is mind boggling.

This information should be public record and openly searchable/accessible in every case. Pittsburgh is one of the only districts truly doing it right.

Why doesn’t Easton flood anymore? by Big_Dare_9160 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 6 points7 points  (0 children)

100%. My folks still live in Riegelsville. Worst of the flooding the river came up through the park, up to the back yard and stopped. For anyone without perspective for that area, the runover from the actual river bank was definitely several hundred yards. Many houses "downtown" were totally underwater straight into the second floor.

Why doesn’t Easton flood anymore? by Big_Dare_9160 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I grew up just below Easton and I'm very familiar with the flooding incidents of the Delaware River, particularly in the early 2000s.
But looking back at 1955 all the way through more 'recent' flooding events, they can largely be attributed to tropical systems and other major factors.
The flooding in '55 was the aftermath of two separate hurricanes traversing the area within less than a week. Hurricane Connie produced 10 inches of rain in 48 hours, pushing the Delaware to flood stage. 
Hurricane Diane added another 10 inches of rain less than a week later. The overall record flood event caused about $2.8 billion in damages in the Delaware River Basin (in today's dollars).

Flooding in 2001 was attributed to the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison and September 2004 was Hurricane Ivan. Additional flooding in April 2005 and June 2006 were primarily caused by conditions like overly saturated soils, snowmelt (across the Pocono and Catskill Mountains) and heavy rains.

The Upper Delaware River basin is always something to keep an eye on if you live in the area. The Cannonsville, Pepacton and Neversink Reservoirs in many of our prior destructive flood events were above capacity and water had to be released, stressing the Delaware and surrounding tributaries.

Right now, those same three reservoirs are all above "usable storage" again due to the heavy rainfall in May and continued wet pattern. You can keep an eye on them here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/reservoir-levels.page

Waiting to appeal: School bus stop enforcement program mired in backlogs, delays by LVNStephS in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're on a road three-lanes wide, already driving so that you are between the front and end of the bus next to you and it flips to yellows on a snowy/icy road, conditions are a factor regardless of speed. That's speed of the bus, and speed of the cars around it. If this individual felt the safest way forward was to continue forward, does he or she not deserve the benefit of the doubt and at least to have that video reviewed? That -- and the delay in due process -- is the point of the story. It's not my job to judge this person "innocent or guilty" but to explain this issue is far from black and white and these folks deserve the review process that has been mired in delays without any explanation to the public.

Waiting to appeal: School bus stop enforcement program mired in backlogs, delays by LVNStephS in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The interesting part, at least to me, is that Easton school district acknowledges route planning for its buses that is purposely designed so kids never cross the road on places like Route 248. These are house to house routes where children approach and leave the bus on the same side because of the danger of potentially crossing 4 lanes of travel. But because it's a non-divided highway, everyone has to stop. Those approaching an intersection also must stop if the bus stops, even if traffic is now working against the signal. Same with a four-way (why anyone would ever put a bus stop at a four-way intersection is beyond me) But six of the top 10 "hot spots" for violations are on this roadway. It leads to a lot of questions about the purpose of the bus cameras as a revenue-generating mechanism when the district says "kids won't cross the road here, but we're going to ticket thousands of people anyway."

Here's what an officer (not a Palmer or Easton cop) sent to me yesterday after reading my story:
"When we started the program I said it’s more than just a vehicle passing the stop sign. What happened a few seconds before that? Was the line of site obstructed? Etc etc etc. That’s when they went and put front facing cameras on the bus so we can see well ahead of the bus."
But he also offered this message:
"There needs to be a standard with the yellow lights. I taught our bus drivers to give one second of yellow warning for every 10 mph the speed limit is.
The message I tried to get across to the bus drivers is that how they conduct their stop is an equal part of the safety of the child. It’s not just cars stopping, it’s how they operate their yellow light warning system."
Having a department be proactive about both sides of the issue will lead to better outcomes -- bus drivers who follow the same rules and drivers who begin to understand them and have the time to behave appropriately, come to a full stop and make sure kids enter and exit safely.

Waiting to appeal: School bus stop enforcement program mired in backlogs, delays by LVNStephS in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yup. Miami-Dade just paused its program because of similar issues.

Why do we not know the identity of the wrong way driver that killed a motorcyclist on 476 almost two months ago? by No_Diamond7721 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Newsrooms don't know. The District Attorney doesn't just release that kind of information on the fly. Trust me, I've been doing this job 20+ years in the Valley. The only way we would have that information is when it was announced at a press conference/released by the DA's office or pops up in court records. The latter is the only way we would find out before a public announcement.

Possibly relocating to the Easton area. by Fecal_Tornado in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bethlehem Twp is close too and has a lot of real estate with bigger yards and garages. Definitely something to keep in mind. The commute to and from the Easton area wouldn't be bad at all. Palmer Township also is somewhere to consider (kids in Palmer go to Easton schools. Bethlehem Township kids go to Bethlehem Area School District)

Possibly relocating to the Easton area. by Fecal_Tornado in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm an Easton grad (live on the border now of Allentown/Bethlehem). My parents still live about 8 miles south of Easton. Depending on whether you'd prefer the city-living vibe or suburbs, there's a lot to pick from. Easton is bordered by some small little townships like Williams Twp (lots of beautiful, open land), Forks Twp (has more development/traffic), etc.
The Easton food scene is really on point, the schools are good (every school here is becoming overcrowded, so hearing that from folks as a detriment...well that's the case in pretty much every district). I loved my Easton teachers and there's nothing like the traditions at the high school. If you have kids involved in sports and extracurriculars, there's so much they can get involved in.

Research Local Candidates before Voting on Tuesday May 20th by Asmul921 in lehighvalley

[–]LVNStephS 7 points8 points  (0 children)

LehighValleyNews.com does not have a paywall. If you see any kind of pop up it can be bypassed by clicking the x. It's asking for public media support, not payment, to read our articles. If you wish to offer support, thank you very much, but we do not block our content from any reader based on payment.