5 Things to Know Today

Good morning, Bethlehem. Happy Summer!

1. Today is June 21, 2011, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the first official day of summer. On this day in 1877, 10 miners of Irish birth – all supposedly part of a secret society known popularly as the Molly Maguires – were hanged at the county prisons in Pottsville and Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) for their alleged part in a series of killings – allegedly retribution for poor treatment by their English, Welsh and German bosses in the anthracite mines. To this day, scholars and historians argue over the guilt of the condemned men, while the episode lives on in the collective imagination of those who have spent any time in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania.
2. The makes its weekly appearance at 3 p.m. today at PNC Plaza, just west of the blast furnaces, with an array of fresh produce and other locally produced goodies, including baked goods, meats and cheeses. For a special treat this week, the makes an appearance, beginning at 4 p.m.
3. It’s Family Fun Night at the. Magician and juggler Al Grout performs for kids of all ages. And it’s free.
4. City Council meets tonight, beginning with a Community Development Committee meeting, starting at 6 p.m. in Town Hall, when council will discuss the city Redevelopment Authority’s for about 2 acres of city owned land and improvements. The full council, meeting at 7 p.m., is then expected to make a decision on that, as well as make a final vote on a proposed , which was over lingering concerns about language in the bill.
5. Overnight repair work to median barriers along Route 22 from Route 191 to Route 33 will cause lane restrictions both east- and west-bound tonight and tomorrow night, beginning at 7 p.m. and going until 6 a.m. Pothole patching continues along Applebutter Road and the construction at the southern end of the Hill-to-Hill Bridge continues.