A Tailor From North Street

The Allentown Housing and Development Corp. recently purchased a home at 421 North St. That block of North Street was destroyed by fire, and the agency has built a block of new houses on the street's south side; it will next develop the other side of the street. The deed transfer caught my attention because Morris Wolf lived in the house in 1903. Wolf signed up with the Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry on July 18, 1861, in Philadelphia, when he was 22 years old. He was a private in Company A, of the 3rd Cavalry. This unit was also known as the 60th Regiment and was later called Young's Kentucky Light Cavalry.It defended Washington, D.C., until March 1862, then participated in many of the war's most famous battles: Williamsburg, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Wolf had signed up for three years and was mustered out Aug. 24,1864.

Recently, to commemorate Memorial Day, the local veterans group placed more than 500 flags at Fairview Cemetery. If that wasn't enough of a good deed, the group also set upright more than 300 toppled grave markers. Visiting Fairview recently, I saw they had not overlooked the graves of either Mr. Wolf, or another veteran, Joseph Levine. I have concerned myself with Allentown's Fairview Cemetery for the last few years. I first became interested in the small Jewish section, called Mt. Sinai. This was the first organized Jewish cemetery in Allentown. Currently, all the synagogues have their own cemeteries, and Mt. Sinai has been mostly unused for many decades.

Mr. Wolf lies next to his wife, Julia, who died in 1907. Morris would live on for 30 more years, passing away in 1937, at age 98.
Mr. Levine, a World War II veteran, and his wife, Ethel, were the first and last people to be buried there after almost 25 years of inactivity. When Ethel died at age 93 in 2000, it was the first burial at Mt. Sinai since 1976. Joseph was 103 years old when he passed away in 2006.

The Housing and Development Corp. and North Street are now part of Allentown's new neighborhood initiative called Jordan Heights.Although soon there will be a new house at 421 North St., there is a history that will remain with the parcel. Once a tailor lived there who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg.

reprinted from 2010

108-110 Union Street

When the illustrated map of Allentown shown above was marketed in 1879, 108-110 Union Street were already long standing twin houses. Behind the houses was the western channel of the Lehigh River, which went around Jeter's Island. Years later the island would be called Kline's, and become the city sewage plant. In the mid 1960's, that portion of the river would be filled in and no longer exists. While maps now indicate that the Little Lehigh joins the Lehigh at the southern end of the former island, previously it joined the channel on the western side of the island.

When the map was produced, 108 was owned by William Goetz, and 110 was owned by the Remaley family. Over the years the two sides appear to have been occupied by a number of families,  as both owners and tenants.

In 1921, both houses were purchased by H.H. Steinmetz, a former meat manager for Swift Packing. Steinmetz built a modern 10,000 ft. addition, opening his meat packing plant in 1922. Steinmetz Meat Packing supplied the chain of Economy corner markets with meat and provisions.

In 1941, the packing house was purchased by the Molovinsky family, and renamed Allentown Packing Company. While wholesale operations ceased in 1949, the business continued as a retail meat market until 1970. The plant was demolished several years later to provide parking for A&B Meats. The vacant parcel was then purchased by the neighboring commercial property.

reprinted from April of 2020

Zooming In On Allentown's Past

Today I assigned our aging staff photographer to document the demolition of the 1st National Bank building. He only took two photographs, complaining that there was no water spray to control the dust. For a building supposedly encumbered with asbestos, one would think that the pedestrians of Allentown deserved better treatment, but of course the upscale people have yet to arrive. Regular readers have been hearing about Lehigh Structural Steel on this blog. If you click on and enlarge this closeup, you can clearly see Lehigh Structural Steel Allentown is stenciled on this main beam. Imagine a time when an Allentown centered bank used steel beams made in Allentown for its headquarters in center square. We will be lucky if the beams used in the new building are made in the U.S.A.

UPDATE: A Morning Call video shows water being sprayed during the demolition. The spray person may have been on lunch break yesterday when I visited the site. 

reprinted from October of 2012

Morning Call Has New Dance Partner

I have had a continuous subscription to the Morning Call for over 50 years.  Over the weekend the paper changed hands once again.  The new owner, Alden Capital MediaNews Group, has had a major share in the paper even under Tribune's management. Although Alden is known for cost cutting, there is not much left to cut at our local paper.  The reduced staff work from home, the paper is formatted in Chicago and printed in Jersey City. 

While as a local advocate and blogger I take the paper to task on some specific issues, such as Wehr's Dam and the NIZ,  they do a very good job with the local news. Excellent reporters keep the public informed on a timely basis. Considering that there is no newsroom from which to direct operations, the publisher/editor Mike Miorelli, does a masterful job getting the paper out every day. 

There apparently is some interest by others to acquire the Morning Call from Alden. Whether this happens or not, we're fortunate to still have our local paper.

South Whitehall Determined To Destroy Wehr's Dam

It's been almost a year since the voters of South Whitehall Township told the Commissioners and Administration that they wanted to keep Wehr's Dam,  even if it took a few of their tax dollars.  However,  the Commissioners and Randy Cope, the park director,  still wanted to accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy, and demolish the dam.  Randy Cope has multiple ties to the Conservancy.  In addition to his father being a director of that organization,  he has commissioned it to implement the township Greenway Project along the Jordan Creek. In the last 11 months since the referendum passed, the township hasn't said one word about the dam, giving no confirmation that they would abide by the voters' wishes.

The large tree trunk seen above has sat on top of the middle of the dam most of the summer.  The tree has a branch stuck in the silt behind the dam.  It should have been pulled away from the back of the dam months ago, taken to shore and disposed of.  Randy Cope is now Director of Township Operations.  A tree contractor is being hired to bring in a backhoe below the dam, and pull the two ton trunk over the dam with chains, even though it is caught up behind the dam.   Randy Cope must be hoping that the process smashes the dam, or at least destroys the cement buttress and platform below it.

Although, the dam has survived for over a century, and was supposed to be saved by the voters' referendum,  the forces waged against it remain very real.  The Wildlands Conservancy/Conspiracy has undermined the dam with contrived accusations questioning its structural integrity with the state. The township administrators and commissioners have done nothing to defend the dam against those accusations. Although, I have documented the correspondence between Conservancy/State/Township, The Morning Call has refused to print my exposé about these sacred cows and their scheme.  This blog serves as the last line of defense for the historic structure. 

reprinted from October of 2017

ADDENDUM May25,2021:The tree trunk was removed without apparent damage to the dam. Perhaps at the time this posting influenced how the trunk was removed.

The Morning Call Couldn't Sell Morgan

Although the Morning Call editor tried, and tried hard, he couldn't sell Christine "Tori" Morgan for a fourth term to the voters of South Whitehall.  Morgan had served the sacred cows of South Whitehall well.  The Wildlands Conservancy now firmly dictates park policy in the township, and oversees the $multi-million-dollar Greenway Project.  The voters' wishes by referendum were repressed, while the Wildlands continues to chisel away at Wehr's Dam with the state in Harrisburg. 

While candidates are normally allowed two recommending letters, the editor placed five for Morgan, strategically spaced several days apart up to the election.

While he writes editorials on what great public service the paper performs,  he censors the truth on certain topics, and promotes myths on others.

Molovinsky And Morning Call Tumble Over Wehr's Dam

The Morning Call has declined to print the following letter, and a longer version of it.

The basis of the letter in question is centered on assumption of a result not yet known. We are declining to print the letter because it contains at worst faulty logic, at best an assumption. Please include this reasoning when you ‘go public.’   The Morning Call

The South Whitehall Commissioners never expected the voters to approve the referendum this past November to retain Wehr's Dam, especially when they had associated it with a possible tax increase. They thought that they could accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy in demolishing the dam, with no political consequence to themselves. In July of 2014, the Commissioners gave the Conservancy permission to conduct a study of the dam, which was intended to justify its demolition. The engineering firm for the Conservancy then claimed that the dam was leaking under itself, at one small spot. On February 13, 2015, the DEP wrote the township; "The Wildlands Conservancy has recently brought to our attention that there is some confusion relating to the current condition of the Wehr's Dam..." For the Commissioners to have granted the Wildlands Conservancy permission to interface with the state was improper. The dam is the historic property of the township residents, not an outside party. A subsequent study of the dam by another engineering firm could not confirm the above referenced leak. It is now necessary for the Commissioners to put aside their agenda of accommodating the Wildlands Conservancy, and honor the results of the referendum. They must change their Park Master Plan, which still calls for the dam's demolition. They must now advocate for the dam with the state DEP, and correct any misconceptions about its condition.
Michael Molovinsky

ADDENDUM: FEBRUARY 3, 2017. Although, The Morning Call has declined to print my letter(s), they claim that they will now inquire and report on the Township's intention in regard to the dam.

photocredit: molovinsky

ABOVE REPRINTED FROM FEBRUARY 2017

UPDATE JUNE 15, 2018: Although its been almost two years since the referendum, the township hasn't applied one dab of cement to the dam. On the contrary, last October they tried to breach the dam by having a contractor pull a tree trunk over it. The township has not said or written one word about the dam since the referendum. The new township magazine(summer 2018), which features capital projects in the park, doesn't show or mention the dam. The Morning Call never did make any inquiries or write one word about the dam since the referendum. The dam sits in a state of benign neglect, waiting for the state to accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy and condemn it. Only this blog defends the dam, its magic, and the voter's wishes.

UPDATE MAY 21, 2021: I have been fighting to save Wehr's Dam and the conspiracy against it since 2014.  This conspiracy was comprised of powerful components against it, including Commissioner Tori Morgan, The Wildlands Conservancy, and anti-dam sympathizers in Harrisburg's governing agencies. The Morning Call has declined to print my letters for five years.  The referendum was never intended to pass in the first place with inflated costs, it only did so because of the residents' love for their iconic dam. The Wildlands submitted the dam to absurd scrutiny, including a scuba diver in three inches of water. The state DEP accommodated the Wildlands, by ignoring their own previous low-hazard guidelines for the dam. The township public works never defended the structure with the state. 

Because of opposition to the Ridge Farms development,  the board of commissioners is becoming more transparent and responsive to the public.  A Morning Call reporter has reached out to me inquiring about the dam, I'm hopeful that an article may be finally coming.  Regardless, saving the dam remains a mission of this blog.

Stairway To Shame

In the mid 1930's, Allentown, and especially its park system, was endowed with magnificent stone edifices, courtesy of the WPA... Works Progress Administration.  This was a new deal program designed to provide employment during the aftermath of the depression.  Stone masons in this city built structures which are irreplaceable.  The walls and step structures in Lehigh Parkway, as the Union Terrace amphitheater, are legacies which must be protected.  Pictured above is the grand stairway from Lawrence Street (Martin Luther King Drive) up to Union Street, built in 1936.  The steps are in a state of disrepair.  They lead to the great Union Street Retaining Wall, thirty feet high and two blocks long, which was completed in 1937.  I call upon the Trexler Trust and Allentonians of memory,  to insist that these steps are re-pointed and preserved.  The current Administration knows nothing of our past, and really has no commitment to our future.  Save the things in Allentown that matter. 

above reprinted from September 18, 2008 

UPDATE MAY 20, 2021:Although it would take me many years, and along the way I inadvertently offended many people,  eventually I got the steps at Fountain Park and a few other structures repointed. However, much more needs to be done to maintain this irreplaceable legacy in Allentown. Just recently a corner of the stage wall at Union Terrace crumbled.  I will through this blog continue to advocate for these structures and the traditional park system.

Come November we will have a new mayor, but he will hear from me an old message.

Wildlands Conservancy Suffers Setback

Less than two months ago Tori Morgan was chosen as Lehigh Valley's 2021 Woman Of Influence.  What that really meant was that she was in her twelfth year of steering deals in well heeled South Whitehall. 

Traditionally, residents in wealthy bedroom communities don't get too involved in local government.  If the streets are kept clean,  their civic attention concerns only the quality of the school system. When the new Parkland High School was built, one contractor publicly noted that money was apparently no object in the township. 

Morgan allowed the park department to be taken over by the Wildlands Conservancy. They designed the new park masterplans (spending plans) and now administer the contracts.  Save but for me, there has been no public scrutiny of that scheme.  At least up to now, the Wildlands Conservancy has enjoyed sacred cow privilege with the Morning Call.  With Morgan's defeat in yesterday's primary, I believe that some of the shenanigans in South Whitehall will finally come to light.

What woke up the township's public is the massive development project coming at Walbert and Cedar Crest Blvds.  Concerned residents realized that their commissions were imbued with entrenched arrogance.  

Shown above is Wehr's Dam.  Although it was saved by voters' referendum,  dam removal is a Wildlands obsession. They continued back channel with the state to circumvent the referendum's intent. The township's public works, rather than defend the dam's structure,  is partner to their scheme.  I'm hopeful now that the iconic destination will survive for future generations.

The People's Candidate

In the late 1970's, neighbors would gather in the market on 9th Street to complain and receive consolation from the woman behind the cash register. Emma was a neighborhood institution. A native Allentonian, she had gone through school with Mayor For Life Joe Dadonna, and knew everybody at City Hall. More important, she wasn't shy about speaking out. What concerned the long time neighbors back then was a plan to create a Historical District, by a few newcomers.

What concerned Emma wasn't so much the concept, but the proposed size of the district, sixteen square blocks. The planners unfortunately all wanted their homes included, and they lived in an area spread out from Hall Street to 12th, Linden to Liberty.* Shoving property restrictions down the throats of thousands of people who lived in the neighborhood for generations didn't seem right to Emma. As the battle to establish the district became more pitched, Emma began referring to it as the Hysterical District.
Emma eventually lost the battle, but won the hearts of thousands of Allentonians. Emma Tropiano would be elected to City Council beginning in 1986, and would serve four terms. In 1993 she lost the Democratic Primary for Mayor by ONE (1) vote.

Her common sense votes and positions became easy fodder for ridicule. Bashed for opposing fluoridation, our clean water advocates now question the wisdom of that additive. Although every founding member of the Historical District moved away over the years, Emma continued to live on 9th Street, one block up from the store. In the mid 1990's, disgusted by the deterioration of the streetscape, she proposed banning household furniture from front porches. Her proposal was labeled as racist against those who could not afford proper lawn furniture. Today, SWEEP officers issue tickets for sofas on the porch.

Being blunt in the era of political correctness cost Emma. Although a tireless advocate for thousands of Allentown residents of all color, many people who never knew her, now read that she was a bigot. They don't know who called on her for help. They don't know who knocked on her door everyday for assistance. They don't know who approached her at diners and luncheonettes all over Allentown for decades. We who knew her remember, and we remember the truth about a caring woman.

* Because the designated Historical District was so large, it has struggled to create the atmosphere envisioned by the long gone founders. Perhaps had they listened to, instead of ridiculing, the plain spoken shopkeeper, they would have created a smaller critical mass of like thinking homeowners.

reprinted yearly since 2010

No Respect For Voters

 

Lehigh Valley Controller Mark Pinsley has demonstrated over and over again little to no respect for the voters.  When just elected as a South Whitehall Commissioner, he announced his candidacy for state senator.  When that attempt failed, he began his campaign for county controller.

When a drug fueled Dorney Park patron was shot and killed on Hamilton Blvd. by a South Whitehall police officer, Pinsley, although a township commissioner, stood with the protestors.  Although entitled to his personal sentiments,  he knew that there would be litigation against the township.

Pinsley has a paid facebook promotion criticizing  two commissioners (Kelly and Wolk), while endorsing two others for re-election (Morgan and Setton).  He writes... Commissioners Kelly and Wolk have both fought to rebuild the Weirs (sic) Dam, costing South Whitehall taxpayers $600,000-$1,000,000*. The cost for taking it down? $0. That amount of money, especially for a municipality, is incredibly substantial: COVID relief, tax credits, roads and bridges, infrastructure. All of these crucial programs could have been thoroughly paid for by this new funding, and yet it's wasted on a needless damn (sic) in an underfunded park.  Pinsley totally ignores the fact that voters chose by referendum to keep the dam.  He thinks that votes for him and his political minions are valid, but for other things that he doesn't want or like, the votes don't count. 

* The cost of the dam repair has been greatly inflated by those trying to circumvent the intent of the referendum. When the township decides to finally respect the voters' wishes, the actual repair will cost a faction thereof.

Defending Zion

With the election of two Muslim congresswomen, one of which is Palestinian, Israel as the oppressor is a front and center topic.

Most of all the world loves to read about a Jew bashing Israel. Al Jazeera routinely uses Jewish writers for that purpose. They're not that hard to find, the far left and Jews go together, like pastrami and rye bread.  They portray themselves as progressive and anti-zionists.

Over the years, the Morning Call has featured numerous anti-Israel columns.  While the writers change, the tradition continued.  The letters are often signed at the end associating the writer with some organization that sounds sincere about peace, but in reality, is anti-Israel.

Israel is low-hanging fruit. Jews have been portrayed as greedy for two thousand years, so why shouldn't they also be land grabbers?

In reality, Israel is eager for a sincere partner in peace.  Their withdrawal from Gaza was only met with the election of Hamas, and its dedication to Israel's destruction.  By the way, that's not Tel Aviv shown above, but Gaza City.

reprinted from February of 2019

Jews In Jerusalem

Except when barred by one conqueror or another, Jews had lived in Jerusalem since King David. Prior to Jordanian rule in 1948, there was a Jewish majority for 150 years. In 1864, eight thousand of the fifteen thousand population was Jewish. By 1914, two thirds of the sixty five thousand residents were Jewish. In 1948 the United Nations Partition Plan divided the British Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Jerusalem was to be initially an international city, with access guaranteed for all. This plan was rejected by the surrounding Arab nations, which attacked Israel in concert immediately upon the UN vote. When the truce was declared, Israel had survived, but East Jerusalem(walled Old City) was in procession of TransJordan. The Jordanians subsequently destroyed over 50 synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, which dated back to the 1400's. For hundreds of years both Christians and Jews were prohibited from building higher than Muslim structures. The few synagogues which survived were the ones built mostly below street level. The oldest surviving synagogue, The Jerusalem Synagogue, was built by the Karaite Jews in around 900. Shown above is the Ben Kakai, a Sephardic Synagogue built in the 16th Century.

Perhaps the most famous synagogue destroyed by the Jordanians was the Ashkenazi Hurva Synagogue built in 1720, it's dome visible in the top center of this photograph from the 1920's. It's replacement was completed in 2010.

This post was first printed in April of 2010, and titled The Synagogues of Jerusalem

Enid Santiago and Emma Tropiano

Readers of this blog know that for the last two days I posted about Enid Santiago, and her loss in the June 2nd primary election to Peter Schweyer.  Although Santiago lost by 55 votes, she has been claiming election fraud and corruption. The county election board granted her a hearing yesterday to consider her complaints.  Center stage, as mentioned in previous posts, was Ev Bickford darkening some ovals that were too faint for the scanner to read. Santiago was also complaining of several people, including her mother, who were turned away from voting. Santiago explained that Puerto Ricans use hyphenated and/or double names and/or multiple surnames, and that the poll workers should allow for every possible combination. It appeared as if the board entertained every possible irregularity that she could throw at the wall, and with each subsequent complaint becoming more frivolous, they allowed her lawyer to drone on for five hours.

In 1997 Emma Tropiano lost the Democratic primary by one vote. Although she was very upset, and pursued appropriate challenges, she made no allegations of stealing an election by systematic rigging, fraud, and corruption.  Worse yet for Allentown's future, is the cast of so called leaders who support Santiago's failure to accept that she lost the election.  Even the local Republican party, ever trying to ingratiate themselves closer with the hispanic community,  petitioned the DA to investigate irregularities on her behalf.

At the end of the hearing Ev Bickford was sacrificed on the alter of wokeness by the Election Board,  with their recommendation that she be investigated by the District Attorney and the Penna. Attorney General for violations of the election code.

If Chief Election Clerk Tim Benyo thought he had a problem getting people to work the polls for the primary, wait until November.
 
The future of local politics in Allentown looks indeed bleak.

reprinted from July of 2020

Allentown's Democratic Demolition Derby

The old poster shown above for the demolition derby at the Allentown Fair recently caught my eye.  A week from today at the election booth Allentown will be having its own Demo Derby of sorts.  Because no Republican has been elected since Dave Bausch won a council seat in 2003,  this coming Tuesday's Democratic primary may well constitute the election.  

Unlike the demolition derby, this year's Democratic candidates, at least for mayor, decided on a mutual campaign non-aggression pact. On facebook several candidates were seen having lunch together and exchanging best wishes. I'm not sure that posture benefitted either the candidates or the voters. The informed Allentown firefighter's union has endorsed O'Connell for mayor, with Hendricks, Zucal, Napoli, and Babayan getting the nod for council.

Removing The Undesirables From Hamilton Street, Circa 2007

In the fall of 2007, Allentown began the systematic removal of the undesirables from Hamilton Street, in cooperation with Lanta. At the time, I championed for the now former merchants and their customers. Among other things, I organized a meeting at a center city church. Below, three posts from that period are reprinted. For a more complete understanding of the bus stop issue, click on 2007, listed on the right side bar, under the archive section.

MEETING AT CHURCH
As the organizer of the forum at Faith Baptist Church on Lanta, I would like to make some speculations on what was not said at the meeting. First and foremost, the meeting was not covered by The Morning Call. I sent the press release to two reporters,plus the local editor. I'd like to note the "Paper" is a "partner" in the new Lanta Terminal. It was built on land they sold to the Parking Authority and they receive free parking at the new deck; Their publisher attended the dedication with the three amigo's.(scroll down to earlier posting). All four democratic candidates for county commissioner were no shows, although one of the candidates, Kevin Easterling, expressed solidarity over the phone; but Kevin was recently hired by Ed Pawlowski as our new Recreation Director. My attempts to connect with Lehigh Carbon Community College in regard to the effect on their students at the Hamilton Street annex were unanswered. I would like to thank all the candidates who did attend, Ellen Millard-Kern from Senator Browne's office and Bernie O'Hare for his coverage of my efforts.
UPDATE: As a result of a inquiry by Ellen Kern, I did finally receive a call from a dean at the Community College. They approve of the bus stop being removed from in front of their facility because it has "reduced the litter". I inquired about the inconvenience for their students who now must walk to the Lanta terminal; they have received "no complaints". As one who tried to contact a dean myself and received no replies, I must question whether that comment has much value. As winter weather approaches, common sense would indicate a bus stop moved from in front of the building to two blocks away, is not student friendly.

 ALLENTOWN CELEBRATES

Allentown's latest Dancing in the Street, Octoberfeast, will have multi-cultural attractions. There will be genuine rickshaw rides, pulled by former Asian merchants who were forced out of business by the City Department of Gentrification. After this week's party for the Brewpub, the rickshaws will operate on a regular basis between Hamilton Street and our new Lanta Transportation Center.

 SILENCE OF THE LANTA
Hannibal Lecter has been offered parole on the condition he restrict his diet to Hamilton Street bus riders. Once a month he will be permitted an Asian merchant; on thanksgiving he may have a preselected blogger. Mr. Lector will be micro-chipped and given a new Hamilton Street loft apartment. He will be monitored by the new surveillance cameras. Mayor Pawlowski and Armand Greco will provide more details at a press conference early next week at the new Lanta Terminal.               

above reprinted from July of 2015

UPDATE MAY 10, 2021: Because J.B. Reilly is building more apartments on the northeast corner of 7th and Linden,  the Lanta Terminal,  bus entrance and exit, will once again be reconfigured. As local activist Erin Keller points out, these changes to the Lanta property, which is only twelve years old, will be at tax-payer expense. 

It started years ago when they took the bus stops off Hamilton Street. The bus passengers and the merchants had a historical relationship, dependent upon each other. Now of course the bus passengers are just cattle, whose pens are moved around at the convenience of the current establishment. The Morning Call article on the changes, characterizes them as improvements for rider convenience.

Geriatric Rants Hurt Allentown

The other day on facebook, I stumbled upon these kind words about me, You can never trust Molovinsky's geriatric incessant rants about the city. He hates the city.... The young man who wrote this is one of the city's new gung ho boosters. I find his animosity curious. I understand those who are enthralled with Allentown's transformation. These new buildings, if on Hamilton Street or the waterfront, are the city's new reality. Hopefully, they will prosper, and give Allentown a long overdue awakening. However, these changes were not without victims and consequences. These changes deserve some scrutiny, which was for the most part was not provided by the local press. I'm proud that this blog could shine a light on some of the shenanigans, even if it makes some people uncomfortable. With the local paper acting practically as a promoter, I would think that a little balance is in order. The young man must think that my negativity will stop the city's renaissance. I assure him that J.B. Reilly will continue building, as long as the NIZ keeps transferring the tax money to him. But, what happens with no scrutiny is that too many people are tempted to get a taste for themselves, sometimes even a mayor.  Allentown is actually in for some real hurt, much more severe than my ranting. The mayor refuses to resign, and the city charter provides no remedy until which time he is actually convicted.  When that pending calamity finally occurs, Allentown will be rudderless for an extended period.  Hopefully, I will not be blamed for that coming commotion.

above reprinted from March of 2016

UPDATE APRIL 22, 2020: Of course now in 2020, Mayor Pawlowski is old news.  I'm in my sixth year of defending Wehr's Dam.  Despite the voter's referendum in 2016 to save the dam, the Wildland Conservancy continues their plot to demolish it. While the Morning Call refuses to publish my expose about that conspiracy,  they continue to promote the Wildlands Conservancy.  Hopefully, my incessant rants will continue, because the backroom shenanigans against the citizenry certainly do.

UPDATE APRIL 7, 2021: In solid Democratic Allentown, which hasn't elected a Republican since the 1990's,  the upcoming primary is essentially the election.  With such a large field splintering the vote,  more voters than not will be disappointed with the result. A massive residential development project has finally awakened South Whitehall to their sleepy board of commissioners.  Hopefully, board queen Tori Morgan's reign will end, and the township can begin life in the 21st Century.  Although I'm more geriatric than ever,  I'm still fighting for Wehr's Dam and other things important to the people of Lehigh Valley. 

photo of blogger at Wehr's Dam 2014

A Baby Boomer In Allentown

molovinsky on allentown is meant to intersect local politics and history. I grew up during a very prosperous era in Allentown's history. The post war (WW2) factories couldn't produce enough goods, despite some having three shifts. Local government was small, concerned mostly with infrastructure and public safety.  There was little concern with affordable housing and other social programs. Then, as now, there were always poor people. Eleanor Roosevelt visited Allentown for the opening of Hanover Acres, the public housing above the east side of the Lehigh River. For many residents of that project and Cumberland Gardens, the public housing was a stepping stone, not a lifestyle.

Hamilton Street was a thriving shopping district.  No subsidies needed there.  Those successful merchants handled their own parking system, no Parking Authority needed.  There might have been some nepotism and cronyism in city hall, but no need for FBI investigations.  Information and news came from your television screen and newspapers, but without agendas and misdirection.

A reader asked me why I made commenting more difficult.  Question.......isn't one of the purposes of your blog to foster discussion of the matters you raise? Purposely seeking to curb comment responses and possibly readership, seems counterintuitive to me.  Topics are not chosen in regard to expanding readership, nor do I count comments as a gauge of success. This blog is not monetized, directly or indirectly. I address those topics which are either under-reported, or misrepresented by the local main stream media. Consequently, I want the comments to be as relevant and responsible as possible.

When Walter Cronkite gave the news in the early 1960's,  he signed out each program by saying, "And that's the way it is."  

reprinted from July of 2016

The History Mission Of molovinsky on allentown

Since its inception, molovinsky on allentown has published local history along with political commentary. Allentown has become a city of immigrants; whether it's our from out of town mayor and his from out of town staff, or our new population demographics, it's difficult to find someone who has lived here for more than twenty years. Redevelopment is nothing new to Allentown. Entire neighborhoods and portions of Hamilton Street have disappeared in the past. There has never been a shortage of new bridges or political ambition. This blog, unencumbered by considerations of political correctness or business promotion, posts these short historical markers, as reference points for the curious.

When opened 1913, the Eighth Street Bridge was the longest and highest reinforced concrete arch bridge in the world. The Lehigh Valley Transit Company organized the Allentown Bridge Company in 1911 for the sole purpose of building the bridge. The structure operated as a toll bridge from its November 17, 1913 opening until the 1950s, at which time the toll was five cents for an automobile. The concrete standards that once supported the trolley wire are still standing. Harry C. Trexler, founding member of the Transit Company and Lehigh Portland Cement Co., was a principle player in the construction of this bridge. General Trexler's grave-site, in Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, affords unique views of the bridge and center city Allentown.

reprinted from January of 2014

UPDATE MAY 5, 2021: The shenanigans of the out of town mayor finally caught up with him a few years ago, and he is now a guest at a federal facility.  I believe that this blog played a role in highlighting some injustices from that period. The local newspaper was missing in action until the indictment,  and still continues to support the status quo and current sacred cows.  

Trolley To Dorney Park

When the Allentown-Kutztown Traction (Trolley) Company purchased Dorney Park in 1901, trolley companies were buying or building amusement parks all across the country. Perhaps the most famous was Coney Island. Usually located between two cities serviced by the company, it was a plan to increase weekend rider-ship. Passengers could spend a day at the park, swimming, picnicking, and partaking of the rides and amusements. Through merger, the trolley would become the Allentown-Reading Traction Company, whose line began just south of Hamilton, on 7th Street. The line went west on Walnut Street, and then followed the Cedar Creek to the park. The roller coaster was built over the tracks in 1923, the year that the Allentown-Reading sold the park to the Plarr family.  Trolley service would continue to 1934.

Jim Layland contributed to this post.

reprinted from 2013

Morning Call Endorses Problems In South Whitehall

In a long awaited article today, the Morning Call endorsed disfunction in South Whitehall. While the reporter hinted at the township's problems, she allowed the main culprit, Tori Morgan, to explain them away. “Transparency doesn’t mean each decision made by the board should be impetus for a referendum for a small vocal minority that participate in a meeting,”  For us concerned* with Wehr's Dam, Morgan's quote is particularly ironic.  Hundreds of people lobbied in person for over fourteen months for the dam, and thousands more voted for it by the referendum in 2016.  The reporter also allowed Joe Setton to explain himself away in a quote.

I refer to the article as long awaited, because weeks ago I furnished the reporter with documents showing that the township allowed ex-parte communication between the Wildlands Conservancy and the state DEP against Wehr's Dam. The relationship between Tori Morgan and The Wildlands Conservancy remains an unreported scandal by the newspaper.

In an attempt to increase readership, the Sunday Morning Call article I refer to is only visible as an exclusive to current subscribers.  How that will increase readership is a mystery.  At any rate, both Tori Morgan and Joe Setton should send the reporter a thank you card.

photocredit: Gregg Obst

* In fairness to both the reporter and newspaper, my term concerned could also be labeled focused. Since 2014, I have been a steadfast advocate for preserving Wehr's Dam. The article in the paper is a comprehensive report on development and politics in three townships.