Teen Hurt in Crash That Killed 2

Two teenagers were killed early Saturday and two others injured including a Lower Macungie girl

A car slammed into a utility pole on Race Street in Catasauqua early Saturday killing two teenagers and injuring two including Paige Esterly of Pine Grove Circle in Lower Macungie Township, according to a Lehigh Valley Live report. Esterly, 17, was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment. The teens killed were, according to a Lehigh County coroner's report: They died as a result of blunt force trauma around 6:15 a.m., the coroner said.  The Catasauqua police department is investigating. Police believe speed was a factor in the crash, according to a WFMZ report. Also, alcohol bottles were found at the scene.

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Two Racist Incidents Under Police Investigation

State police report two racist incidents in Lower Macungie but have not said the crimes are related

  State police are investigating racist grafitti and a report of ethnic intimidation targeting a Jewish resident. More than 190,000 such hate incidents and crimes occur each year in the United States, according to a 2005 report. KKK Sprayed on Garage A Lower Macungie Township woman -- Chermay Michelle Bullock, 31 -- told police that someone sprayed "KKK" on the door of her garage on Sequoia Drive, according to state police at Fogelsville. The act has been classified criminal mischief and occurred between 10:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 7, police said. Jewish Teen Targeted Earlier this month, an ethnic-related message sent to a Lower Macungie Township teen on a social media site is being investigated as a criminal offense, according to…

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$8,000 Reward for Tips on Skinned Foxes Found Dead

Lehigh Valley animal lovers are pledging thousands of dollars for tips in the case of 11 small animals found dead and skinned in a rural park.

The Lehigh Valley Pitbull Awareness Club is offering a reward for information about 11 small animals -- likely foxes -- found skinned and dead near Quarry Park in Lower Macungie Township last Friday. The animals were originally thought to be puppies. One was shot and the others appear to have been trapped. They looked to be about 6 months old, according to a Lehigh County Humane Society official. The club posted a notice of a $100 reward for information in the case on its Facebook page and donations have now swelled to $8,000, which includes a $1,000 pledged by Humane Society President Bruce Fritch. The club posted this update on Facebook Wednesday: We want to clarify two things. First, if the police, with help from the humane society and …

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tamarya

10:50 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012

I was thinking the same thing Mark.   more ›

Bed Bugs Now Creeping Into Our Libraries

Bed bug problems have been reported in libraries from Connecticut to California and the Lehigh Valley is no exception

Bed bug alerts are nothing new for hotel guests -- but libraries are now looking out for the insidious pests. A bed bug-sniffing dog was brought to the Lower Macungie Public Library recently after bed bugs were found in DVDs returned through the library's book drop. Library staff tightly bagged and discarded the DVDs and the pieces of rug that lined the bookdrop. The library was then closed until an inspection by an Ehrlich exterminator. Director Kathee Rhodes wanted to go even further to ensure the library was pest free, so she called in Dino, the bed bug-sniffing beagle from Good Night, Sleep Tight to give the final word. Dino was very interested in one sofa and --  though an inspection revealed no bugs in it -- the sofa was removed, …

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Richard Pollack

7:17 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012

Ben, Sorry about your nightmarish experiences. Yes, it can be difficult and costly to eliminate bed bugs, but it does not always need be so challenging. I think you could have saved much time and effort by not laundering all your clothes. I'm not convinced that really helped you. Unfortunately, such laundering is one of several controversial steps required or recommended by some pest control …   more ›

Dead and Skinned Animals Were Foxes, Not Puppies

11 small skinned animals found near a Lower Macungie park in Lehigh County on Friday were foxes not dogs, according to a Lehigh County Humane Society officer

11 Dead Animals Found Skinned Were Foxes, Not Puppies

11 small animals found dead near a Lower Macungie park on Friday have been identified as foxes, not dogs.

Eleven small animals found dead and skinned near Lower Macungie's Quarry Park Friday have been tentatively identified as foxes because of their teeth, according to Christine Wiggins of the Lehigh County Humane Society. Further testing is needed to be sure, Bruce Fritch of the humane society told The Morning Call. A press release from state police originally indicated the animals were puppies, sparking outrage among local animal lovers. An Upper Macungie woman who was walking her dogs on Friday afternoon near the park made the gruesome discovery and called state police. She did not want to disclose exactly what she saw for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. The woman told Patch, "It's very upsetting. And I worry what kind of person …

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tamarya

12:06 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Who taught you what PETA stand for? PETA stands for "people for the ethical treatment of animals". I do agree some of the hunting arguments people come up with are stupid, especially when they think they are doing much better buying their meat at a grocery store and buying meat that comes from factories after it has been pumped with growth hormones, overcrowded, and poisoned till death. And the …   more ›

Lower Mac Woman Averts Gift Card Scam

Woman believes she won $2.5 million, but pulls back payment in time, police say.

The Money Pak Card Scam recently reared its ugly head again. But, this time, the near-victim was able to stop it in time. A Lower Macungie Township woman no doubt was delighted Aug. 6 to hear by telephone that she had won $2.5 million. Similarly exciting was the offer that she quickly could receive $85,000 of that amount. The catch? All she had to do was send $5,000 via a Money Pak Card purchased through Walmart, according to state police at Fogelsville. But the woman, by unexplained means, learned her windfall was a scam. She subsequently successfully canceled payment. However, police learned she previously had been scammed out of $500 in another contest "win." Police said that telephone calls with Area Codes 876, 809 and 284 are …

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Truck Hits Gas Meter, Residents Evacuated in Lower Macungie

Emergency crews responded to a gas leak at a 55-plus complex in Lower Macungie.

Residents of 12 units in four buildings were evacuated from Legacy Oaks in Lower Macungie Township as the result of a gas leak Thursday morning. The driver of a Chevy pick-up truck told Patch that his vehicle accelerated beyond his control and crashed into a garage. The truck also hit a gas meter, causing a leak that led to the evacuations. The driver was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for observation. There were no reports of injuries. The emergency was originally reported as a house explosion at 2892 Donegal Drive at 10:30 a.m. Resident John Tycholiz said he had just gotten out of the shower when he heard a crash.  "I went to the garage and saw smoke. I saw the garage door buckled and smelled gas. Then I called 911," he said. Roads in …

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Michiel Van Kets

1:00 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I love that Ipad 3 has some significant improvements over its predecessor, but then it's the norm for most tech gadgets these days. Else, the practical of people will bound to think that there is no point in spending over a thousand dollars on a gadget that they already have.   more ›