5 Things to Know Today

Good Morning Bethlehem.

1. Today is Tuesday, May 24, 2011, a day to celebrate two unique and important American cultural icons. First, it is Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday. Feel free to take a moment to wrap your head around that. Master songwriter, musician, singer, artist, poet, philosopher, “the voice of his generation.” Happy Birthday, Bob. May you be “forever young.” Second, it was on this day in 1883 that the Brooklyn Bridge was first opened to traffic after 13 arduous years of construction. When it was built, it was one of the great engineering marvels of its time. Today, it is merely as beautiful and functional a piece of architectural art that exists.
2. Mayor John Callahan has scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. this morning to formally announce the replacement for Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics, to become the chief of police for DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township. Deputy Commissioner Jason Schiffer has already been mentioned as Bedics’ replacement.
3. at PNC Plaza at the ArtsQuest SteelStacks campus opens at 3 p.m. today for its weekly four-hour run, featuring fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants, locally produced meats, cheeses and baked goods from 30 local vendors. PNC Plaza is at First Street and Founders Way in South Bethlehem, just west of the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces.
4. The Bethlehem Health Bureau is hosting a for children in the Bethlehem Area School District from 4 to 7 p.m. at , 10 E. Church St. Shots offered include those for tetanus, chicken pox and meningitis.
5. If you drive Route 22 during the evening and overnight hours, watch out for lane restrictions in each direction. A PennDOT-hired contractor is scheduled to install raised pavement markers along the highway’s stretch during the overnight hours all week long from the Lehigh County line to the New Jersey state line.