Click on Photo

Among some of the more interesting things I find on this photograph is that Cedar Beach is still a swimming hole, the pool has yet to be built. The 15th Street Bridge has yet to be built. The former quarry just south of Union Terrace is quite prominent, and the train spur going through the area is visible. The racetrack at the fairgrounds is very identifiable, as is the half circle driveway at Muhlenberg College. This aerial photograph is from 1939. Click on photo to enlarge.

Northampton County Pathos

In a rambling, incoherent statement yesterday, Northampton County Executive John Stoffa announced that he would appeal the recent decision by Judge Baratta, which allowed the Gracedale issue as a ballot question. Stoffa rambled on about the Constitution, Home Rule Charters, and not permitting 23 thousand executives. There may be nothing more important in our Constitution than the people's right to redress an issue through petition. Although Stoffa had previously indicated to the Save Gracedale Group that he would honor a successful petition, the turn around, although disappointing, is not surprising. The interplay between council president for life Ron Angle (doesn't know that he's no longer president), Stoffa and their consigliere, Bernie O'Hare, is becoming more transparent. O'Hare continues the second appeal against the signatures, while Stoffa now mumbles about defending representative democracy. The rush to shed a 100 year old county institution without public input is unconscionable.

John Stoffa is no longer acting like a community leader and responsible executive; he is making threats like a dockside bully. Mr. Stoffa has lost all credibility in the Gracedale discussion and has disgraced himself with his latest statements.
He calls the referendum and the signatures obtained on the petitions--an initiative which he himself encouraged upon the Coalition of Alzheimer's Families to pursue--an attempt by the voters to proclaim themselves "23,000 county executives." Mr. Stoffa insults both the voters and the democratic process. The petitioners are exercising their rights by asking that every citizen weigh in, yes or no, about one of the most important issues facing Northampton County. Mr. Stoffa claims that the power to decide is his alone, and that the voters shall have no say in the matter.
Mr. Stoffa has been unable with his allies to achieve this sale as he wants, swiftly, in isolation and without due diligence. Now he wants the voters to believe they have not the right to question or challenge him and his wishes. But Northampton county is not yet a dictatorship. Mr. Stoffa brings shame not on the rest of us, but on himself. Donald Dal Maso,comment at The Express Times

A Jewish Sport

Jewish fighters dominated boxing between the World Wars. In around 1930, a third of all fighters were Jewish, by far the largest ethnic group. Some fighters even purported to be Jewish when they were not, such as the Baer brothers. Jews ruled the light and welterweight divisions, with long time champions Benny Leonard and Barney Ross. Ten world championships were fought with both men in the ring being Jewish. Boxing has long been an economic ladder for immigrant and minority groups.
photo of Jewish heavyweights King Levinsky and Art Lasky, 1934

White Charter School

Is school superintendent Zahorchak's new magnet school for academically gifted at 4th and Allen Streets a defacto charter school for whites? The more I read about Zahorchak's plans, the less impressed I am. Although the school planners acknowledge that the hispanic population suffers from a high mobility rate, they then ignore that reality with sweeping changes based on a stable population. When you remove the bad apples to the new detention center in the old Jackson School, then the gifted to the 4th and Allen, what do you call the remainder at Allen and Dieruff, the mediocre? Who will be the academic role models for the mediocre? I'm beginning to believe that we have a mediocre school board who doesn't have the gumption to rein in an obvious poor hire.

UPDATE: Comments from The Morning Call indicate that people are not happy with the Zahorchak plan

I agree with you 100%!! My daughter is also one of the students that would be moved to the new Collegiate High and she doesn't want to leave Dieruff either. Her friends are there. See what people like Dr. Z forget is that school is also about social things too. Now I know people are going to be all over me for that because "school is about learning" however, it is also about social issues too. My daughter helps out other students at Dieruff with tutoring. She has friends in her honors/gifted classes and friends who struggle in many classes. You see, it doesn't matter to her where they are academically, they are friends. She tells me she will drop every honors/gifted class she has and stay at Dieruff. Well isn't that great for us, her parents. Moving the students around is not going to solve the problems in ASD. Again it is the parents. How to fix that I have no idea but pulling kids away from their friends is not going to work. My daughter will graduate as a Dieruff Husky...just as both her parents did.

Block Grants for Infrastructure

About this time of year the directors of the various social agencies crowd into Allentown Council Chamber for their annual CDBG handout. This ritual has been occurring for about 15 years. The blogosphere is full of Alan Jennings sobbing about the proposed cutback. The Federal Government allows the Block Grant to be used for infrastructure if enough of the population falls within their definition of poverty; unfortunately, we have qualified for many years. Putting aside my well know views on the poverty magnet, we have short changed the city's infrastructure. Although the condition of the gas lines has received much recent attention, the water lines are equally old and leaking. The leaking water washes away the ground supporting the aging gas lines, creating a double threat. In the last ten years we could have directed $100 million dollars of Block Grants toward our infrastructure, with tangible results. The results with the poverty situation are much less clear.

Depot at Overlook Park

Old timers have noticed that the contractor's building on Hanover Avenue transformed into a community center for Overlook Park. But only the oldest, or train buffs, realized that the building was the freight depot and office for the Lehigh & New England Railroad. Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as a coal carrier. The line ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York.

In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The line ceased operation in 1961. Among it's infrastructure were impressive bridges across both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, both of which were dismantled. Ironic that a remnant of our industrial era is being utilized by the successor of a public housing project.