Hey there, Bethlehem! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Designer Purse Bingo and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: Is there anybody completely useless? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. BASD social media policy addresses student privacy, account oversight (wfmz.com) — Bethlehem families could soon see new rules for how Bethlehem Area School District runs official social media accounts, protects student privacy, and moderates comments, with Policy 816 moving forward after board discussion. Committees also advanced multimillion‑dollar special education contracts, mental‑health internship funding, a renewed partnership with the Bethlehem Health Bureau, new student clubs, and literacy grants for Spring Garden and Marvine elementary schools.
2. Duct tape used for repairs: What Northampton County restaurant inspectors found (lehighvalleylive.com) — Bethlehem Township diners can see how local spots like Bubbakoos Burritos, Dollar Tree, Courtyard by Marriott, and Texas Roadhouse fared in recent state health inspections. All passed overall, but inspectors flagged issues such as missing thermometers, limited trash receptacles, and record‑keeping lapses, while several nearby restaurants in other townships earned clean reports with no violations.
3. Data center debate moving to Bethlehem: Officials to review latest proposal at public hearing (lehighvalleypublicmedia.org) — Bethlehem residents will soon get a say on a massive proposed data center at 2184 Industrial Drive, with a public hearing scheduled just before City Council's Oct. 6 meeting. The 120‑megawatt facility would require a new substation and major privately funded utility upgrades, and comes as state officials tighten rules on large data centers' energy and environmental impacts.
4. This Pennsylvania town just joined the Grand Canyon on the world's most exclusive list (wheninyourstate.com) — Downtown Bethlehem's Moravian historic district now shares World Heritage status with icons like the Grand Canyon and Great Wall, spotlighting sites many locals pass daily. From the 1741 Gemeinhaus and Colonial Industrial Quarter to God's Acre and Central Moravian Church, the article traces how early Moravians shaped the city's architecture, music, and egalitarian traditions that still define Bethlehem today.
5. ArtsQuest Unveils 2027 Musikfest Poster Design (sauconsource.com) — Bethlehem residents can already mark their calendars for Musikfest 2027, set for August 5–15 at venues across the city. ArtsQuest has unveiled a whimsical, seek‑and‑find–inspired festival poster by Easton artist Kelly Sulca Hernandez, introduced during a Jeff Parks Founders Society celebration at SteelStacks that honored Musikfest's legacy and its support for arts education.
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Ok Bethlehem! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: No because they can always be used as a bad example! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
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