"Holy Cow, what's that?" asked Carpenter.
"I bet it's for that arena," replied White. "I'll do some research."
Bill emailed Paul later in the day. I was right, the hole is for the arena.
Arena for what?
Hockey.
Carpenter reply. I love hockey, I'll do a column about that.
Since that walk, Bill attended the Great NIZ Debate at WFMZ, and pumped out two columns. Paul had his first one today.
photocredit:Harry Fisher/ The Morning Call
Another day, another Cheerleader Piece from The Morning Call.
ReplyDeleteJust another day in the City With No (Spending?) Limits ...
Allentown in 2029
ReplyDelete“What does the future hold for Allentown”, asked a boy wearing a letterman’s jacket emblazoned with “RCHS Class of 2030”. “I can tell you all that things are looking better than any time in recent years”, began the teacher. “Mayor Delgado is committed to rebuilding the city through more conventional methods…” The sound of the teacher’s voice could not be heard over the din of the massive, black helicopter that suddenly appeared overhead. The students covered their ears; some raced to retrieve hats and scarves, blown in all directions by the spinning, thumping propellers. Several children appeared to be genuinely terrified by the copter. “That’s ok”, Mr. Smith shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth, “The police are here to protect you”. The dried dirt and debris inside the fenced hole exploded into a swirling, brownish cloud. Litter, dust, dirt spun madly around the bewildered, frightened students. The helicopter stayed there, hovering about 40 feet above them until, convinced that they were actually students and not one of the marauding bands of teens which had begun to plaque this once proud city. “Attention”, came a command from the copter. “Show your street passes immediately!” Mr. Smith hurriedly fumbled inside his jacket pocket for the laminated permit. “Damn this debris”, he cursed the dirt, stinging his eyes. He found it! He waved it above his head. The scanner beam was red and he could see it as it recognized the permit. “OK”, came the response from above. “You have thirty-three minutes to finish up what you’re doing, so better move along”. The teacher knew better than to question the authorities. “everyone alright?” he asked the frightened students. No one answered. “We were just trying to answer someone’s question about Allentown’s future. I think you can see that it is indeed bright. Mayor Delgado gets it. The way to save Allentown begins with making it safe.”
The students hustled after their teacher in a westerly direction. They walked quickly, knowing that they had less than thirty minutes.