5 Things to Know Today

Good morning Bethlehem. Today is Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Election Day. It’s a great day. Democracy in practice, the peaceful transition of power, the end of those blasted political TV commercials …

1. The polls open at 7 a.m. as voters in Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township pick , as well as a number of judicial and statewide races.  A gorgeous, warm fall day will make it easy for voters to get out to their polling places. After early morning fog, it is expected to be sunny with a high of 67 degrees. The polls close at 8 p.m.
2. There is no school for students in the , as many district buildings are polling places. It is not a day off for teachers however, who have an in-service day.
3. One eastbound lane of Route 412 between the Minsi Trail Bridge and Sands Boulevard will again be closed from 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. while contractors work on building a new section of the .
4. opens from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. with locally grown fruits and vegetables and other locally produced food items including meats, cheeses, salsa and other delicacies. With construction of a  new already under way at PNC Plaza, the market this week will be hosted at the Air Products Town Square, directly in front of the .
5. Stick around SteelStacks for this week’s film discussion series at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, featuring Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, a biographical documentary on one of the more influential protest singer-songwriters of the 1960s. Thirty-five years after his death, the message in Ochs's songs still resonate. Following the film, which will start at 7:30 p.m., there will be a panel discussion featuring Ochs’s sister, Sonny Ochs; politics Prof. Ted Morgan; and Dave Fry, a folk singer and one of the founders of listening room. Tickets are $9.50, $7.50 for seniors and $7 for ArtsQuest members.