Peeps' 60th Birthday Celebrated at Chamber Dinner

96th Annual Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce Dinner will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of Musikfest and contributions by former Mayor Gordon Mowrer, others.

  The Peep, which has held a unique place in the American candy landscape and been an integral part of Easter celebrations for 60 years, will be celebrated Wednesday night as the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce holds its 96th annual dinner. Just Born, the Stefko Boulevard candy maker, will receive a "Milestone" award from the chamber for the Peep's longevity. The dinner will be held 5 p.m. Wednesday at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks—the home of one of the other honorees—ArtsQuest, which also gets a “Milestone” award as the 30th anniversary of Musikfest is feted. Former Mayor Gordon Mowrer, tireless anti-poverty advocate Alan Jennings and longtime city economic development professional Tony Hanna will also be celebrated for their …

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Your Call Is Important to Us. NOT!

Automated answering systems contribute to the public’s impression of government being run by nameless, faceless bureaucrats.

My 90-year-old mother still has all her marbles, though sometimes she forgets where she put them. But a recent go-round with a couple of government agencies and a doctor’s office over a misprint on her Medicare card tested her patience and her sanity. The main villains were automated answering systems, those unforgiving “Press 1 if you want this, press 2 if you want that” mechanisms that mostly don’t let you talk back. Trying to navigate them can be frustrating for anyone, but it’s especially tough for those with poor vision.    “I just remember I thought I was going crazy for three days,” said my mom, who otherwise is a huge fan of Medicare.  When I call an agency or company and the first thing greeting me is a live voice, a feeling of …

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Life in the Slow Lane

Charity Chief Tired of ‘Blame the Poor’ Mentality

Growing mean spiritedness is used to justify abandoning those laid low by the economy.

There’s a concept in social psychology that goes something like this: When other people err, we attribute it to flaws in their character; when we screw up, we blame it on circumstances – the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. So when someone else runs up credit card debt, we think “spendthrift.” When we do it, it’s because of a medical emergency and necessary student loans.  Alan Jennings, executive director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, says he has seen this type of thinking amplified since the economy tanked. Instead of sympathizing with those who lost their jobs or homes, some blame the poor for their plight – which makes it so much easier to justify not helping them. These critics have found a home on …

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Political Payback Alleged in City Budget Cuts

Two-thirds cut to anti-poverty agency leads to a heated e-mail exchange between officials.

Allegations that officials in the Callahan administration have been guilty of political payback for perceived slights or betrayals surfaced Tuesday night as City Council’s Finance Committee discussed proposed cuts to Bethlehem’s Community Development Block Grant allocations. Most of the conversation fixed on a two-thirds cut to the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley’s program for home ownership and foreclosure mitigation. City Councilwoman Karen Dolan, who raised the issue of “political payback” during the discussion said the cuts to Community Action, which has been a city partner in anti-poverty work, is a “stunner,” especially considering the other budget cuts that the regional agency is currently facing from federal and …

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