Voters Reportedly Turned Away at SouthSide Poll

A Bethlehem councilman said the judge of elections in Ward Five at St. John's Windish Lutheran Church did not follow proper procedures for voters who aren't on the rolls.

  A number of voters in South Bethlehem were forced to cast provisional ballots because of confusion and a failure to adhere to proper protocol on the part of some poll workers, according to on-site observers. City Councilman Michael Recchiuti said that the judge of elections in the Fifth Ward was handing out the provisional ballots to voters who did not appear on the voter rolls instead of placing a call first to the Northampton County Election Bureau, which is the proper procedure. Some voters walked away, Recchiuti said. “We could call 10 times and all we’d get was a busy signal,” said Dick Jones, the Fifth Ward judge, pointing to a cell phone on the table where he worked in the auditorium of the St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church. “We’…

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Who Were Packer, Fiot and Jeter Streets Named For?

Historian shares stories from the streets of southside Bethlehem

Residents Want Southside Post Office Kept Open

News of the possible closure of the southside Bethlehem USPS branch was met with dismay.

It may not be the largest of area US Postal Service locations, but if the Southside Bethlehem post office were to close (18015), it would be a big inconvenience for local residents. “It would not be good,” said one customer as she left the post office at 131 W. 4th St. after sending a package. She said the alternative would be to go three or four miles out of her way, to the Broad Street location on the other side of the Lehigh River. In a neighborhood where many, if not most, rely on public transportation to get around, the news of the possible closure of the neighborhood post office was met with universal dismay. Southside resident Hasmin Santiago said she visits the post office nearly weekly, and if it were to close, it would mean a bus…

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Southside Post Office May Close

U.S. Postal Service looking at locations to close to save money

Bethlehem's Southside post office (zip code 18105) is on a list of 3,700 post offices that may be shut down to save money. The U.S. Postal Service announced this morning that it is conducting a review of 3,700 post offices as an effort in “right-sizing” the service, which has 32,000 retail offices. To put that in perspective, UPS has 4,300 offices; Wal-Mart has 4,300 stores; Starbucks has just over 11,000, and has more than McDonald’s 13,000 restaurants. By all accounts, the USPS is huge. And that, according to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, is the problem. “Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, …

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