Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Questions. Motions. Votes.

Then silence swallowed the room as the audience counted and realized the Allentown School Board had rejected Russ Mayo’s first budget as superintendent in a stunning 5-4 vote Thursday.

“OK,” board President Robert E. Smith Jr. said. “Now what do we do? We need a budget. We need to do something.”

When another idea failed, the directors voted again on Mayo’s spending plan, which raises taxes 2.6 percent, or 1.3 mills, to 49.3 mills for the next school year. This time they passed it.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-schools-budget-627-20120628,0,4984180.story

I am constantly amazed at the quality my little camera phone picks up! I love the way the clouds, fountain, and trees are so beautifully balanced against the deep blue sky.

Thank you all for continuing to support my work, my “Pants-4-Art” celebrity charity project, and my blog… If you haven’t already liked my Facebook page, please consider taking the time to hit the link to the right and liking my project.

MACK TRUCKS (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mack Trucks is continuing to see high demand for its rigs.

The truckmaker produced 2,687 rigs in May, up almost 60 percent over the same month a year ago, the company reported Monday.

Mack, a division of Sweden’s Volvo AB, is headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., and produces all rigs at its Lower Macungie Township plant, which employs roughly 1,700 workers.

The company has produced 12,191 rigs through May, up 56 percent compared with the same span in 2011.

“Come See The Peacock At Fullmoon” acrylic approx. 18″ x 24″

“Dance With Me In The Moonlight” acrylic approx 24″ x 24″

Have a happy Monday…! You can see more of my artwork in my Gallery.

Camp Imagine, now in its 14th year, gives middle schoolers a daily experience in drama, vocal expression and movement. About 60 participants rotate through the three activities, learning from Muhlenberg College students and alumni — and from each other. At the end of the four-week session, the ensemble presents a world premiere showcase performance, developed over the course of the program.

Founded in 1999 as a program to supplement the arts curriculum in the Allentown School District, Camp Imagine was originally conducted on site at Harrison-Morton Middle School. The camp has since both expanded and moved to the state-of-the-art performance facilities on the Muhlenberg Campus.

“We found that one of the most important aspects of the program was giving the students a chance to experience the college campus environment,” says Charles Richter, a Muhlenberg theater professor who helped found Camp Imagine. “Many have gone on to study the arts in college — and study other things in college — in part because they came to Camp Imagine.”

Camp Imagine remains free to Allentown School District students, and many other students benefit from full and partial need-based scholarships. The program participates in the District’s free lunch program, and provides free daily busing to and from all four ASD middle schools.

Camp Imagine runs 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily, July 2-27, and a showcase on Saturday, July 28, at 10 a.m.

Camp Imagine’s sister program, the Performing Arts Workshop, is now in its fifth year. The Workshop gives high school students — many of them alumni of Camp Imagine — a chance to extend their performance training through intensive workshop performances taught by professional performers, as well as master classes with Muhlenberg faculty members.

The Workshop runs 1:30 to 4:30 daily, July 2-27, with a showcase Friday, July 27, at 7 p.m.

“The objective of both programs is to use the arts as a means of helping young people to nurture their passions and enhance their social and communication skills,” Richter says. “And also to build self-esteem, concentration, and confidence — all of which help them in the performing arts, in school, and in life.”

And it’s working. Parents of participants consistently report that their children are more independent, more self-confident, better able to focus on tasks, and better at cooperating and collaborating within their families.

“The best thing was that my child, who is usually negative, was positive, upbeat and excited,” wrote one parent. “He came home one day and said, ‘I asked my teacher if I could do this a certain way. The teacher said that not only could I be loud, silly and different, but that they encouraged me to be! It’s the first time that everything I do at school is right. There is no one saying, Don’t! Stop! Wrong!’ This camp was a very positive experience in my child’s life and for our family.”

Enrollment is still available in both the Camp Imagine and Performing Arts Workshop programs. Tuition for Camp Imagine is $365 for non-Allentown School District students. Tuition for the Workshop is $465. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available for both programs, based on financial need.

More information and enrollment forms are available online at www.muhlenberg.edu/camp, or by calling 484-664-3693.

Today, Amazon warehouse workers say the facility is refreshingly cool when it’s hot and muggy outside. The company recently installed 40 roof-top air conditioners in its 615,000-square-foot warehouse, part of a $52 million investment in cooling its warehouses around the country.

“I didn’t even break a sweat today,” one worker said at the end of his shift Tuesday, when Lehigh Valley temperatures topped 90 degrees. “It was really nice. I noticed the difference as soon as I walked in the door.”

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-amazon-warehouse-air-conditioning-20120602,0,7480474.story

English: View of Allentown, Pa from Keck Park (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Allentown School Board on Thursday approved a proposed $235 million spending plan for 2012-13 that includes a nearly 5 percent tax hike.

The board’s 8-1 vote means a property owner’s tax bill would rise about $86, to $1,890, on a home assessed at the district’s $37,500 average. The millage rate would go up 2.3 mills to about 50.4.

Superintendent Russ Mayo faulted Gov. Tom Corbett for shifting a greater financial burden on school districts.

He said the governor’s proposed state budget for 2012-13 has about $100 million less for kindergarten, tutoring and class-size programs. That’s on top of the $900 million in school funding he cut statewide in 2011-12.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-school-budget-0524-20120525,0,4061905.story

A total of 466 homes sold in April in Lehigh and Northampton counties, up 24.9 percent from the same month a year ago, according to the Prudential Patt, White Real Estate HomExpert Market Report. The median sale price was $170,000, up 6.3 percent from a year ago and up 8.4 percent from the median sale price in March.

April was the tenth consecutive month of year-to-year sales increases and it was the second straight month of price increases. If the sales pace and price trends holds, it will mean the local housing market bottomed out last year.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-home-sales-april-20120521,0,518533.story

“In the late 1940′s and early 1950′s, the shoe-fitting x-ray unit was a common shoe store sales promotion device and nearly all stores had one.  It was estimated that there were 10,000 of these devices in use.

The radiation hazards associated with shoe fitting x-ray units were recognized as early as 1950. The machines were often out of adjustment and were constructed so radiation leaked into the surrounding area.

By 1970, shoe fitting x-ray units had been banned in 33 states including Minnesota and strict regulation in the remaining 17 states made their operation impractical.”

Perhaps the arena situation will be similar. Where will the folks of Allentown find themselves in 20 or 30 years?

The “something new” is the regional professional premiere of “Hairspray: The Broadway Musical” that opens the season, June 13 – July 1. Adapted from the John Waters movie that was partially filmed right here in the Lehigh Valley, “Hairspray” will feature Angela DeAngelo as Tracy Turnblad and SMT mainstay Bill Mutimer as her mother, Edna. MSMT co-founder Charles Richter directs.

The “something old” is Gilbert & Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore,” the duo’s first commercial hit (way back in 1878), and a precursor to the Broadway blockbusters of today. The show runs July 11-29. Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance Department chair James Peck directs.

This season’s production for young audiences, “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” accounts for both the “borrowed” and the purple. The play is a movement theater adaptation of Crockett Johnson’s beloved children’s book, created by Enchantment Theatre Company. “Harold” plays June 20 – July 28.

“Hairspray: The Broadway Musical” features a book by Mark O’Donnell, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It’s 1962. Beehive hairdos are in, rock ‘n’ roll is young, and Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad dreams of dancing on “The Corny Collins Show.” Plump and proud, Tracy wins a role on the program, then uses her newfound fame as a platform to rally support for racial integration.

Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book, and Score, “Hairspray” is a big, goofy, good-hearted celebration of young people, rock ‘n’ roll, and doing the right thing. Ken Butler is the musical director, and Karen Dearborn is the choreographer.

“HMS Pinafore” was the first big hit by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, whose 19th century comic operas have been featured regularly on the MSMT stage. In this romantic comedy, Ralph Rackstraw, “the smartest lad in all the fleet,” is in love with the captain’s daughter, Josephine, but her father has a more sophisticated suitor in mind.

Full of hijinks and silliness, as well as the duo’s trademark wit, satire, and tunefulness, the production features musical direction by Ed Bara and choreography by AlexJo Natale.

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” adapts Crockett’s 1955 picture book about a curious four-year-old boy who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. The play follows Harold’s adventures as he explores oceans, braves dragons, and finds friendship.

The production is created by Enchantment Theatre Company, whose “Cinderella” was a hit during the 2011 MSMT season. The show tells Harold’s story through movement, narration, and imagination, with innovative animated scenery and an original score by Charles Gilbert. Enchantment founder Leslie Reidel directs.

The show is recommended for ages 4 and up. The actors wear masks and full-body costumes throughout the show, and parents of young children are encouraged to bring their children at least ten minutes early to meet members of the cast without their masks on. Cast members will be available after the show to talk to audience members and sign autographs.

Tickets for the first four performances of both “Hairspray” and “HMS Pinafore” are $32 regular admission; seniors are $28; students and children are $18. For the remaining 11 performances, tickets are $38 regular admission; seniors, $35; students and children, $20.

All tickets to “Harold and the Purple Crayon” are $10 for June performances and $12 for July performances.

Sundays are Family Matinee day; tickets for children ages 5-18 are just $10 when purchased with a full-price or senior ticket. (Limit two discounted tickets per full-price ticket.)

Subscriptions to “Hairspray” and “HMS Pinafore” are available for $50 for the first four shows, or $60 for the remaining 11 shows. Group discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

Open Captioning and Audio Description will be available at the Sunday, June 24, performance of “Hairspray.” Call 484-664-3087 for tickets in the accessible section of this performance. 

Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre performance information and tickets are available at 484-664-3693 or www.muhlenberg.edu/SMT.

Uniforms.

The school board’s Education Committee on Thursday again scratched the itchy subject of requiring student uniforms. But unlike uniform debates that have taken place in the last decade or so, this one seems more real as anger and frustration boils over scantily clad students who ignore the district’s unenforceable dress code to either act sexy, defiant or think their particular style is just fine.

A growing number of school directors, administrators, students and teachers voiced strong support for establishing a mandatory, homogeneous clothing style for schools, beginning in September 2013 for elementary schools, 2014 for middle-schoolers and 2015 for Allen and Dieruff high schools.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-school-uniforms-20120510,0,2595084.story

City of Allentown from east side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A woman walking her dog in east Allentown late Tuesday morning thought she saw a small, reddish dog dart out of the bushes near an apartment complex.

Until she saw its teeth and tail.

By then, it was too late.

The fox sunk its teeth into her ankle. The woman grabbed the animal with her right hand and tried to throw it. The fox latched on to her hand.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-woman-rabid-fox-attack-20120511,0,1722157.story

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard…is what makes it great!”
~Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own~

AFTER YOU SEE MY SMILING FACE BELOW, YOU WILL SEE MY TRUE INSPIRATION TO KEEP GOING IN THE FOLLOWING PHOTO. KEEP IN MIND, THESE GUYS RAN THE WHOLE WAY AND FINISHED THE RACE A FEW MINUTES AHEAD OF ME! THANKFULLY, MY MOTHER WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE THIS MOMENT. ITS A WOW.

I COULD NOT COMPLETE THIS RUN WITHOUT REMEMBERING KYLE – WITH THE HELP OF MY MOTHER, SHE CUT OUT ONE OF THE MEMORIAL SHIRTS AND IRONED IT ON MY PINK SHIRT. I BELIEVE IT LOOKS PERFECT. I HOPE TO COLLECT MORE MEMORIAL SHIRTS AND MAKE ANOTHER ONE! KYLE, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE AN INSPIRATION TO ME.

Saturday morning, I headed back up to Allentown to pick up my bib number (#2454) and searched the expo.  I so happen to run into Kathrine Switzer’s booth.  SUCH a nice person! She greeted me with a hug and spent about 5-10 minutes talking with me.  It was awesome because she was talking to someone before me who had lost 125 lbs by diet and exercise who was running her first half.  Needless to say, Kathrine, myself and a few others were giving her the advice to enjoy the race.  Hearing about her running Boston and the women who came after who ran until it finally became acceptable for women to run was incredible.  I got both of her books and began reading Marathon Woman last night.

This morning, I left Philly (with my stuff that I was taking back to Ohio) around 6 AM to get to Allentown and parked.  I stopped for gas before I got to the race and there were other runners utilizing the bathrooms there (great minds think alike).  After parking at the fairgrounds, I headed over to Allen High School to hang out in the gym before the start.  At 8, we headed to the start.  It was fairly chilly out- I had cheap gloves that I bought at the expo that I kept on for the first 5 miles or so.  Kathrine Switzer started the race and off we went.  I felt ok the first few miles, but felt like I was falling apart around mile 3 after I took a bathroom break.  We saw the leaders come circling back around the 5K mark.  We kept on chugging along the streets and then crossed over a bridge and before you know it, mile 6 comes along and slams you with a hill.  A massive hill that felt like it was at like a 30 degree incline that didn’t want to end.  I’ve been training for the Cap City Half in Columbus (which is flat), so I’ve had limited (read absolutely ZERO) hills in my runs.  One guy actually asked if I was ok (which was appreciated).  It also felt like we had 4 miles of hills.  Did I mention that we spent a good chunk of miles 7-10/11 were on gravel trails?  I was beyond thrilled to get back on solid roads.  After hitting mile 12, knowing we were almost done was a bonus.  Until I overheard someone saying there was one last hill leading into the stadium and we had to a lap- I was less than thrilled.  The hill wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I ended up passing 4-5 people by then.  I was surprised that I crossed the finish in 2:09 ish.  My final time was 2:07:38- I was expecting to worse to be honest!!  I grabbed a water and picked up my back of stuff I checked and got stretched out by the PT people.  Best thing about the race? SHOWERS AT THE FINISH! Since we finished at a stadium, there were locker rooms.  Locker rooms have showers- this meant I didn’t have go to LA Fitness to shower.  The water was a little cold, but sweatshirts were invented for a reason.  I grabbed some food and hit the road.

In 6 days, I do it all again in Columbus.  And, I have a mission to accomplish- whether it happens, is TBD!

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Nothing says I love you Mom like a couple whacks with a mallet!  WTH!

A 79-year-old Muhlenberg Township woman was beaten by her 55-year-old daughter with a meat tenderizing mallet in the daughter’s Lehigh County residence, state police said Tuesday.

Teresa Kauffman was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, near Allentown, for injuries suffered in the attack early Monday morning in the Lower Macungie Township home, investigators said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Kauffman was in fair condition Tuesday.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/Article.aspx?id=381669

The PPL Building (seen here in the distance) is the tallest building in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Allentown will transfer an aging turbine plant on the Little Lehigh Creek to PPL so the power company can rebuild and modernize the facility, creating electricity to sell back to the city.

City Council unanimously approved the 25-year agreement at a meeting Wednesday night, with members saying the city would save on electric costs in the partnership.

Allentown has to provide the byproduct gas from the nearby wastewater plant and buy the electricity generated at the new plant. The city won’t spend anything on capital costs or maintenance.

The deal will help the city avoid the cost of dismantling or operating the 8-year-old plant that has come to the end of its usefulness, said Rich Young, the public works director, at a meeting last week.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-ppl-biogas-electric-facility-20120418,0,3278821.story

wm-license-information-description-missing wm-license-information-description-missing-request LANTA logo.png (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Regional political leaders and transportation officials held a groundbreaking Monday for a new maintenance garage for the Lehigh Valley‘s public bus agency, anticipating growing demand for the service as well for newer hybrid-electric buses.

The Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority faced public opposition in 2009 when the initial plans for the building on LANTA’s property at 1060 Lehigh St., Allentown, showed it encroaching into the parking lot of adjacent Bicentennial Park. The baseball field once was home to the semi-pro Allentown Ambassadors, and the bus garage would have covered 40 percent of Bicentennial’s parking spaces.

LANTA officials reversed gears, having the project redesigned for a garage expansion to the southwest of the existing building, away from the ball field rather than toward it, pushing the new garage close to the edge of the LANTA property.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-lanta-garage-ceremony-20120416,0,5643129.story

Mayor “Hozbollah” Hozza is for the plan. He believes Whitehall must be made into a “vibrant community” once again. He’s right. The plan he wants seems like window dressing though. New street signs, walkways, trails…eye candy more or less. And that doesn’t take into account the finances of the deal. There was little mention of what the final costs would be or where the money would come from. Like lemmings, the Commission went along with the plan, except for Snyder who wants to know more.

Good for her! It’s about time someone takes a stand over at the Township Building