5 Things You Need to Know This Week

Good Monday morning, Bethlehem.

Ever notice that when crude oil's price per barrel begins to skyrocket, the gas stations follow suit really quickly, but when those per barrel prices start to plummet the price adjustment at the pump seems to be a lot slower?

This week, we launch a new part of our 5 Things repertoire by advising you on the cheapest places to buy gasoline in Bethlehem. Our source is the gasbuddy web site, which locally can also be found at allentowngasprices.com.

1. As of this writing, the cheapest gas in and near Bethlehem can be found at $3.89 per gallon at the Sunoco at Easton Avenue near Falmer Drive in Bethlehem Township and at the Quick Fill on Linden Street near Macada Road. There is a pretty broad selection of area stations that were charging $3.91 as of early this morning, including the at Linden and Elizabeth, as well as , Wawa, Gulf and stations along Easton Avenue. There are also Turkey Hills along and that were charging $3.91. No need to pay any more than that.

2. If you have a bundle of recycling to bring to the Theis/Cornfeld Recycling Center or you need to grab yourself a hunk of mulch from the same place, do it today, or you will have to wait until Friday. The center is closing from Tuesday to Thursday for its annual spring cleanup. After closing at 4 p.m. today, it will not reopen until 10 a.m. Friday.

3. The Bethlehem Area School Board meets at 6 p.m. tonight at for Finance Committee, a budget hearing and a special meeting for general purposes. In that special meeting for general purposes, the board is expected to vote on its proposed budget in a preliminary vote that is required to take place at least 30 days before the final vote. Yeah. We know that makes no sense. As of the last meeting in which the budget was the main topic of discussion, seems likely.

4. The new SteelStacks Farmers Market makes its debut Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the PNC Plaza between the ArtsQuest Center and the blast furnaces. The market promises to have at least 30 vendors selling the freshest locally grown and produced the region has to offer, including fruits and vegetables; organic beef, bison, pork and poultry; gluten-free products; artisanal breads and homemade desserts; and fresh herbs. A free Norway pine seedling will be offered to the first 100 people in attendance, courtesy of Springfield Tree Farm. The ribbon cutting is expected to take place at 3 p.m. The market will be open every Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. through Nov. 8.

5. This week in road and highway maintenance, you can expect sporadic delays along southbound Route 33 for pothole patching and along Route 22 in Lehigh County for some unspecified moving ramp maintenance projects. The big news continues to be the lane restrictions and delays along southbound Route 378 on the Hill-to-Hill Bridge. Traffic on and near the bridge will continue to be slow during peak traffic hours.

Be careful out there. Have a great week!