Firefighters Beat Cops in Annual Softball Game

Every year since 2002, Bethlehem police and firefighters mark Sept. 11 with a few hours of fun and camaraderie in the park.

  On a day when thoughts often turn to the life-saving work of emergency first responders, it has become an annual tradition for Bethlehem police and firefighters to share a few hours of fun and camaraderie on a softball field. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, the city police and fire departments held their annual memorial picnic and softball game at Saucon Park in South Bethlehem. And while there are bragging rights – and a trophy – on the line between the city’s two uniformed departments, the larger point is for cops, firefighters and their families to enjoy a fun day out together, said Dave Saltzer, president of Bethlehem Firefighters Local 735. The annual event began in 2002. On the strength of slick infield defense and timely hitting, the …

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Lehigh Valley Officer to Sing for Phillies Sept. 11

A police officer from the Lehigh Valley has been invited to sing at the Sept. 11 Phillies game

On the wall in the office of Forks Township, police officer Brooks Kranich hangs a cherished piece of memorabilia. It's his ticket stub and a rally towel from Game 3 of the 2008 World Series he attended at Citizens Bank Park watching his beloved Philadelphia Phillies. On Sept. 11, though, the 38-year-old Kranich might be able to top that Phillies memory. The team has invited Kranich to sing a patriotic song at the Phillies Sept. 11 game against the Miami Marlins -- the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against America. For Kranich, a Forks Township native who has been on the force since 2007, it's a dream come true. After all, this isn't someone who has a normal law enforcement background. Kranich holds a bachelor’s degree…

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Should Parents Know When Teachers Address Sensitive Topics?

Be it the death of a classmates’ parent or the details of a school shooting, should parents be given a heads up when these sensitive issues are going to be talked about at school?

  Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics. This week’s Moms Talk question relates to whether parents and caregivers should be given a heads up when sensitive issues are going to be brought up at school. When my older child was in kindergarten, the parent of one of his classmates died unexpectedly. We found out about this sad occurrence as we were sitting around the dinner table. He informed us that we needed to “bake a cake or something” for the child’s family. When we asked why, he told us it was because the little boy’s mother had died and his teacher had explained that that’s the kind of …

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Mom of DnNnD

12:47 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Since 9/11 happened years ago, I would hope that parents have already discussed this by now. But back then it was discussed on the day it was happening. Since the children had no knowledge of what was going on (since there is no tv or news in the classrooms) the teacher should have stayed silent. There goes best judgement and trust me, not every one has good judgement or common sense. Also, let's…   more ›

September 11, Ten Years Later

Bach Choir of Bethlehem Joined in Musical Observance of 9/11 Anniversary

Combined choirs performed in Lower Manhattan to promote peace and reconciliation.

Hope. Peace. Love. Confidence in things eternal. When the Bach Choir of Bethlehem participated in a series of concerts in New York City on Friday in observance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the message of the music was very clear. The intent of the project was to promote reconciliation, and to demonstrate the power that music has to heal, unify and uplift. Every piece of music included in the programs for eight one-hour concerts and a culminating two-and-a-half hour concert by massed choir—all presented free to the public--was carefully chosen to express themes of reassurance, comfort, endurance and faith. Universal messages were found in the Requiems by Johannes Brahms and Gabriel Fauré, written in the late 1800’s; in the Negro …

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September 11, Ten Years Later

Lehigh Students Reflect on September 11 Anniversary

University replays CNN coverage of terrorist attacks, as part of its remembrance.

The image on the television screen was one that no one believed they would ever see. The World Trade Center towers were on fire. Lehigh University freshman Jordan Smith, 18, from Nazareth, was watching. "It's so surreal to watch everything happen," Smith said. "You know it is and what is going to happen but they (news reporters) don't." As part of the events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America, Lehigh University was airing CNN's coverage that morning of the terrorist attacks as they took place. The university had planned a day's worth of 9/11 anniversary events at Lamberton Hall, including an “eyewitness account of the Pentagon tragedy," presented by former Lehigh employee Kim Plyler. At 9:28 a.m., …

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Community Interfaith Gathering Focuses on Healing

On the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, area residents of different faiths "Come Together In Hope."

Silence descended upon the auditorium in the Jewish Community Center in Allentown Sunday as Matin Moosa, a Muslim, rose to speak.   Those who had gathered there had "Come Together in Hope," the theme of the interfaith community event on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  Moosa, who now lives in Allentown, was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower in the World Trade Center when the terrorists attacked. That fateful morning, he said, he went down to a cafeteria on the 44th floor for breakfast with two friends from work, one a Christian and the other Hindu. They heard a loud blast, and the building shook and swayed. Moosa and his friends began going down the stairs. They saw firefighters when they reached the 14th…

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