Starters Riverport Closes in South Bethlehem

23,000-square-foot restaurant anchor of Riverport Complex on Second Street shut its doors on Friday.

  Starters Riverport, a sports bar and restaurant that anchored one of the first reclamations of a former Bethlehem Steel manufacturing building in South Bethlehem, is closed after seven years, The Express Times reports. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered on Friday evening. Efforts to reach management at the other two Starters restaurants – the pub in Lower Saucon Township and the Clubhouse Grille at the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Club, both of which remained open – were unsuccessful. When it opened in 2006, Starters was hailed as the largest restaurant or sports bar in the Lehigh Valley with 23,000 square feet. It boasted an arcade-style game room, 65 televisions and seven large-screen projection screens. Owner Dave Rank touted the …

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Crime News

Police: Allentown Man Fired Gun in Parking Deck

Allentown man fired gun in the air at Starters Riverport garage during argument with girlfriend, Bethlehem police say.

  Bethlehem police say an Allentown man fired a gun inside the Starters Riverport parking garage during an argument early Sunday. Mendez Niles, 24, of 619 N. 7th St., Apt. 3, got into an argument with his girlfriend around 2:15 a.m. and fired a gun into the air, according to court records. When police arrived, they stopped Niles' car on suspicion of driving while under the influence and found a handgun and spent round inside. Niles is charged with driving while under the influence, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and discharge of a firearm. He was arraigned before on-duty District Judge Richard Yetter in Wilson and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail.

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Police Seek Suspects in Pipe Attack

Public is asked to help identify two men following incident at Starters Riverport

Bethlehem police are asking the public to help them identify two men who may have been involved in an attack outside of Starters Riverport in South Bethlehem at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The victim was hit in the head with a metal pipe. Police have released photos and ask anyone with information to call the Bethlehem Police Department at 610-865-7187 or Detective Moses Miller at 610-997-7674. Tips can be kept confidential.

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