North Catasauqua News

Gloomy weather has nothing on the people of North Catasauqua. The borough held its 4th of July parade Friday morning.

A Berks County community was one of many getting into the Fourth of July spirit today, even with some rain falling.

The Hokendauqua Bridge in Whitehall Township is closed after a body was discovered underneath, police said.

Just how popular are chocolate chip cookies? Very popular . We were amazed by the number of bakers who entered The Morning Call's annual Mayfair Recipe Contest with their variations on the original Toll House ...

“Hey, how would you like to do comedy nights?”

It's about 9 p.m. on a Tuesday and things are buzzing at the downtown club. Its soft lighting and exposed brick walls provide a cozy atmosphere as drinks and half-price burgers are served to folks at tables ... via The Morning Call

ALLENTOWN will conduct street sweeping in the following areas: Friday -- 19th Street west to the city line between Tilghman Street and the northern city line; 12th Street to 19th Street from Sumner Avenue north ... via The Morning Call

Jim Karol has a formidable memory -- the nationally known mentalist/illusionist and competitor on the recent NBC-TV reality show ''Phenomenon'' claims to know 80,000 ZIP codes, every word in the Scrabble dictionary and thousands of sports facts. He also has authored two books on improving memory skills.

But when the Allentown-born performer is asked to pin down the last time he performed publicly in the Lehigh Valley, he struggles. At first, he guesses ''more than 10 years ago.'' Then, a short time later it comes to him -- 1993 at Northampton's Roxy Theatre. On Sept. 16 of that year, Karol, then a North Catasauqua resident, headlined a benefit show for the Northampton Fire Department. Read more

“You can't park in front of the building.”

Q: There's a strange parking situation on the north side of the 1100 block of Union Boulevard in Allentown, between Kearney and Kiowa streets. via The Morning Call

William J. Albert of North Catasauqua will finish the year as president of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society, the group announced today. via The Morning Call

“The country is in a crisis. Everyone had their heads in the sand”

Northampton County Executive John Stoffa wants the federal government to chip in to fix a bridge, build a parking deck and give $1 billion over two years for an alternative energy resource center. via Express-Times

BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP Charged -- Todd M. Smale, 46, of 1152 Eighth St., North Catasauqua ; Wednesday with theft and possessing drug paraphernalia; according to court documents, Smale stole an empty beer keg ... via The Morning Call

FOUND Wheelchair ramp: Stanley of Allentown has a wheelchair ramp for Debbie of Center Valley . via The Morning Call

Catasauqua residents and officials are trying to determine the source of -- and the reason behind -- a spate of graffiti that has sprung up in the borough since the weekend.

The graffiti, which police said began to flourish Monday, includes mysterious configurations of symbols and letters drawn in varying colors on mailboxes, road signs and buildings. In some cases the same or similar configurations recur in different parts of the borough.

''I don't know what it is or where it's coming from, but we don't want it and hopefully we'll catch whose doing it,'' said Mayor Barbara Schlegel. Read more

BUSY WALBERT AVENUE in South Whitehall Township has has been closed temporarily on recent occasions. via The Morning Call

There are many constants on New Year's Eve: There will be confetti, booze, kisses, music and Dick Clark. Balls will fall, friends will hook up and memories will be made. And you don't want to leave deciding what to do until the last minute -- that's a surefire way to spend the night getting reacquainted with your couch and remote. Here are some ideas for a great New Year's Eve game plan.

Montana West, Quakertown: $10 gets you entry and noisemakers, plus discounts on rooms at the nearby Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn. Partygoers don't have to worry about driving to their hotel, either, as a free shuttle will be running. A varied crowd will enjoy tunes by Crystal Roxx at this spacious venue. Read more

For 40 years, Grace United Methodist Church has played an important role in the lives of Dale and Shirley Edwards and their family.

The North Catasauqua couple made friends at the church, a scant few blocks away in neighboring Catasauqua.

A Catasauqua High School teacher, Dale taught a Sunday school class and organized youth programs. He later became chairman of the administrative council, the church's governing body.

Shirley was a lay leader or spiritual leader of church.

Daughters Dawn and Heidi attended Sunday school and sang in the church choir. They returned to the church as adults, and Dawn eventually started bringing her two children, they said. Read more

“I feel if this would've happened at night when we were sleeping, none of us would be here. It spread that fast.”

Jason Strohl was carrying boxes of Christmas ornaments out of his basement Sunday afternoon when he heard a crackling sound akin to the popping of bubble wrap. via Express-Times

A Lehigh County District Judge today found a North Catasauqua Police Officer not guilty of disorderly conduct for stopping a car carrying a woman he thought had made an obscene gesture toward him. via The Morning Call

The state Department of Transportation is working on plans to replace the Lehigh Street bridge over Coplay Creek.

PennDOT officials are estimating that actual work on the bridge will begin in 2010. They said they are about a year away from completing a preliminary design on the bridge.

Work on the bridge was not prompted by the collapse of a bridge in Minnesota last August, said PennDOT officials, who noted they started drafting the preliminary plan in late 2002.

The bridge is currently safe, they said. Read more

Four people were forced from their homes Saturday morning after a fire broke out in a duplex at 1120-22 N. Fourth St., North Catasauqua, officials said. via The Morning Call