Corbett Suggests Natural Gas Drilling on College Campuses Could Fill Holes Created by His Budget Cuts

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett speaks to the Pennsylvania 

Association of the Council of Trustees at Edinboro University 

on April 28. ROB ENGELHARDT/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Posted by: Noël Jones

Sean McCracken of the Eerie Times-News reports that Governor Corbett, who received $800,000 in campaign contributions from the natural gas drilling industry, suggested in his speech yesterday at Edinboro University that colleges might be able to offset his recent cuts to their budgets by allowing gas companies to drill on campus! I kid you not!

It's not bad enough that gas drillers are dumping frack waste into the Delaware, threatening the drinking water of 15 million people in 4 states, and not enough that gas wells are blowing up around the state and spewing toxic frack water all over homes, fields and streams, as in the Bradford Country blowout recently--now, he thinks we should risk blowing frack waste all over collage campuses and students to make up for holes created by his recent budget cuts!

Seriously--you can't make this stuff up. These drillers and politicians who support them just want to be rich and powerful and DO NOT CARE about our health and safety anymore--we have to be willing to fight for ourselves. Please call or write your state representatives and senators  TODAY using the links on the right sidebar of this home page.

Free Weatherization Available to West Ward Home Owners

Posted by: Noël Jones

The West Ward Neighborhood Partnership is offering free weatherization to income qualified home owners and landlords with low-income tenants in the West Ward. Below are the details, in English and Spanish:

FREE WEATHERIZATION

Reduce your energy costs by insulating your home!

Region II EASD School Board Candidates Forum Scheduled for Monday, May 9th

Kerry Myers (center) will not run for re-election to the EASD 

school board. 3 candidates are running to take his place.

Posted by: Noël Jones


In Colin McEvoy's article today for the Express-Times, he outlines the Region II race for Easton's school board, which has 3 candidates running for 1 open seat, vacated by Kerry Myers, who will not run for re-election this year. The candidates are Ronnie DelBacco, Frank Pintabone and Bill Timmann. 


A candidates forum will be held on Monday, May 9 at Cheston Elementary School at 7pm. No more complaining about the school board--it is time to TAKE ACTION. Please make it a PRIORITY to attend the candidates' forum for the candidates of your region and encourage your neighbors to do the same, so that everyone can make an informed choice at the polls, and elect a school board that they have confidence will represent the best interests of students and taxpayers alike.

Correction: EASD Region I School Board Race Heats Up

The three Region I incumbents: left, Millie Mandarino; center, 

Pat Fisher; right, Jodi Hess. Fisher is not running 

for re-election, Mandarino and Hess are. 

Posted by: Noël Jones


We are just three weeks away from the May 17th primary and Colin McEvoy's article for the Express-Times gives us the rundown on the six candidates (2 incumbents and 4 challengers) running for three open seats on Easton's School Board. If you are in Region I (Easton precinct 8-W; Palmer) please get to know as much about these candidates as you can, so that you can make an informed choice for your school board representative on May 17th!


There will be a candidates forum on Wednesday, May 11 at the Chrin Community Center at 7pm so that the public can meet the Region I candidates and see them in action before voting for them--please try to make it a priority to go before making this important decision!

The Easton Farmers Market Comes Back to Centre Square Saturday, May 7th!

Posted by: Noël Jones

The Farmers Market comes back next weekend and I can't wait! Our farmers market is the oldest in the nation, and the best thing about weekends in Easton from Spring to Fall, complete with live music and all kinds of festivities. When I moved here four and a half years ago, the market was really hurting, and I was worried that it might go under, but the folks at Easton's Main Street Initiative have done an incredible job of planning and marketing and bringing the market back to its current, flourishing state. Last year's market was the best yet, and this summer's market stands to blow last year's away, with over 35 vendors (click here for a list of all 35, compiled by Kelly Huth of the Express-Times), live bands, cooking demonstrations and all kinds of other activities planned. Click here to see the Opening Day schedule for next Saturday, May 7th, which is focused on cultivating and cooking with fresh herbs. As this is the first market of the year, the whole town is bound to come out for the event, never mind all the visitors from Bethlehem, Allentown and the surrounding townships--see you there!

Ron Paul Throws His Hat into the 2012 Presidential Race

Republican (libertarian) U.S. Representative Ron Paul

Posted by: Noël Jones

The 2012 presidential race just got waaaaaaaay more interesting. After decades of saying that we are crazy to keep allowing the Federal Reserve to print money out of thin air whenever the bankers that run it feel like they want some more, and after two previous presidential runs--once as a Libertarian in 1988 and then the last Republican presidential primary in which he gained a huge and passionate youth following, Ron Paul, after winning

Mayor Panto Announces Mayor's Summer Youth Camp

Easton's Mayor Sal Panto

Posted by: Noël Jones

Mayor Sal Panto announced today that the Mayor’s Summer Youth Camp will be held from Monday July 11^th to Thursday July 14^th.  Monday, Tuesday and Thursday hours will be from 9:00 AM to 4:00 pm and Wednesday will be from noon to 7:30 pm.  The purpose of the camp is to allow hands-on experience into the day-to-day operations of a city.

Students will attend various seminars, tour city facilities, take a historic walking tour of the city and work side by side with the Mayor.  Each participant will formulate a piece of legislation and present it to Easton City Council on Wednesday evening where parents and relatives will be invited to the proceedings.

Students must be between the ages of 13 and 18 to attend.  Applications are available at the Mayor’s Office in City Hall, and the guidance offices at Easton Area High School, Wilson Area High School and Notre Dame High School.  Students do not have to be residents of the city.

Shad Tournament to Start Tomorrow!

Several fishermen were out on the Delaware warming up for 

the shad tournament tomorrow...let's hope the weather holds!

Posted by: Noël Jones

I walked down to the river today and saw the city prepping for the four-day Shad Tournament that starts tomorrow, according to three guys I bumped into on the lookout deck overlooking the convergence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers in Easton. "Oh, look he got one!"

Easton and Palisades School Districts Continue to Fight Over Riegelsville Kids

Posted by: Noël Jones


Colin McEvoy reports in today's Express-Times that a group of Riegelsville residents called the the Riegelsville Tax and Education Coalition have made some progress in their case to secede from the Easton Area School District and send their kids to the Palisades district. There are few things that aggravate me about this case. 


First of all, if you read the article, you'll see that the onus is on the parents to prove that the Palisades school district provides a better education than the Easton district, because apparently they cannot legally petition to send their kids to the other

May Day Party and Poetry Celebrating Spring at Mercantile Home

Posted by: Noël Jones

On Sunday, May 1st, at 3pm, Mercantile home at 140 Northampton Street, will host a poetry reading and general Spring celebration in their store. Owners Ron Morris and Ken Jones have invited various Eastonians to read the poems of others that focus on Spring. I will be there reading a Pablo Neruda poem with Manuel Fresneda, owner of Terra Cafe (I will read the English and he will read the Spanish). Many other Easton residents will be there reading great poetry as well, so make sure and stop by on May Day!

NEXT ACTION ON FRACKING WED APRIL 27th: Protest Outside the DEP in Harrisburg

This is our drinking water source--it's worth fighting to protect.

Posted by: Noël Jones

The Delaware Riverkeeper, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the waters of the Delaware River, is organizing a protest in Harrisburgh, PA outside Governor Corbett's Department of Environmental Protection. If you are interested in car pooling out there with other residents who want to fight this, read Tracy Carluccio's invitation below:

Fringe Festival Planned for the West Ward May 7th - August 20th!

North 12th Street between Northampton and Spring Garden 

Streets where the fringe festival will take place outdoors

Posted by: Noël Jones

More summer fun ahead! Chansonette Theater, with the help of City Council member Mike Fleck, is producing a fringe festival in the West Ward of Easton, on the block of North 12th Street just off of Northampton. It was originally planned to be

Get Ready for the SPRINGFLINGFEST!

Posted by: Noël Jones

The FUNdraisers continue for the skatepark that Easton's youth and supporting sponsors in the community have been pursuing for a year now--these events are a great time whether you skateboard or not--personally, I go to show support for kids who are taking matters into their own hands and engaging in their local political (and fundraising) process to achieve their goals. I also go to watch them do tricks and get cheap haircuts--either way, a good time is had by all--be there or be lame!

Street Light Controversy

One of the new high-pressure sodium street lamps that 

have been installed around Easton recently

Posted by: Noël Jones


I've been hearing opinions on both sides of the new street lamp issue--some neighbors think they are great, because they are bright and light up street corners where they feel there are now less riff-raff hanging out up to no good. Others, like West Ward resident, Maurice Luker, feel that the new lighting has done more harm than good, as it does not used dark-skies technology to avoid light pollution that makes the streets look bleak and cancels out the ability to see stars in the neighborhood--something we've all pretty much been able to do from our back yards in Easton. Click here to read Maurice's letter to the editor in the Express-Times.


My main gripe about this choice in street lamps is that they appear to be high-pressure sodium, which

Easton Resident, Maciek Ulbrecht's Animation To Be Featured on HBO

Posted by: Noël Jones

The animation of Easton's Maciek Ulbrecht will be featured in this HBO poetry special on April 28th at 7:30pm! For more videos and information about Maciek's Emmy Award-winning work, click the link to his Magik World News site on the right side bar of this page.

Fracking Well Blowout in Bradford County

Watch the video of WNEP Channel 16 coverage of the blowout 

Posted by: Noël Jones

As we pass the one year anniversary of the BP Oil Disaster in the Gulf, in which a blowout preventer failed and caused one of the greatest environmental disasters our country has ever seen, devastating the Gulf Coast fishing and tourism industries, the bad news on fracking for natural gas continues to roll in daily in our state--most recently a natural gas well blowout in Bradford County, PA just two hours and 47 minutes northwest of Easton (here's a map to show you how close they are). Toxic fracking fluid from the well spewed into the air, over farmers field and livestock and into the local Tiwanda Creek. Homes in the area were evacuated as Chesapeake Energy tried to get the well under control. You can watch the video above, or click here to read the Huffington Post article on the incident.

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is contemplating whether to allow tens of thousands of these wells to be drilled in the next ten years along the Delaware watershed, our drinking water source, starting this summer. The State of New York has not only declared a moratorium on all fracking until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can complete their study on cumulative health risks associated with fracking (due to be completed next year) but has now threatened to sue the DRBC, as they appear to be moving forward on granting to drilling permits in PA (which would pollute the same river that provides drinking water to New Yorkers, just from the other side).

Please do not let up on this issue. Make a personal commitment to call an elected official or send an email each week until our officials get the message that we are not okay with having our drinking water destroyed, whether its so gas companies can get rich, or so the state can make a severance tax on the gas companies to plug budget holes. We need a moratorium on drilling in PA like the one they have in NY--please use the links on the right side bar of this home page to contact our local officials and express your concerns!

Location Update: Photo-Sculptor Isidro Blasco To Give Artist's Talk at Lafayette's Williams Visual Art Center Monday, April 25th

Posted by: Noël Jones


This is cool! New York-based photo-sculptor Isidro Blasco will be doing a two-day residency at Lafayette College at the Williams Center for the Arts, room 108 on the corner of Hamilton and High Streets, and an artist's talk on Monday, April 25th at 4:10pm, which is free to the public. This is almost late enough in the work day that 9-5-ers who are art enthusiasts might be able to get off a little early and make it. To see just how strong this guy's work is (and how prolific he is), click the

EPD Raids Heroin Dealers on the 1100 Block of Washington Street

Posted by: Noël Jones

Michael Buck of the Express-Times reports that officers raided a home on the 1100 block of Washington Street this morning, finding heroin, scales and a fire-arm. Three people have been charged.

Two Area Teens Win Spots in NEA Grant-Funded "Art in Urban Environments" Festival in Easton This Summer

Shayna King of Easton Area High School and 

Amanda Jimenez of Phillipsburg High School

Posted by: Noël Jones


At the recent groundbreaking of the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, I met two teenagers from our area, whom the Mayor had announced were going to be exhibiting in the "Art in Urban Environments" festival happening in Easton this spring through summer. The festival is funded by an NEA grant that the City of Easton and Lafayette College teamed up to win last year, totally $200,000. Eventually, the call went out to the

DEP Orders Marcellus Shale Gas Drillers to Stop Taking Fracking Waste Water to Drinking Water Treatment Facilities

This is what drillers have already done in Western PA, and what Eastern PA will look like next, if we don't each take responsibility and join the public outcry to stop it. This map doesn't show the wells that have already been drilled along the Delaware.

Posted by: Noël Jones


The big news in fracking today is that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is threatening to sue the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) for trying to push forward new regulations allowing new gas drillers to drill along the Delaware Watershed before the Environmental Protection Agency has completed an environmental review and cumulative impact study on health risks according to Ilya Marritz of the WNYC News Blog.


Ian Urbina of The New York Times reported on Saturday that an investigation by Congressional Democrats has revealed that the nation's 14 largest gas drillers have been injecting millions of gallons of fracking fluid into their wells, including the toxic or carcinogenic B.T.E.X. chemicals — benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene.


Then there is this surprising--and great--news: The Associated Press reports that the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has determined that even waste water from fracking natural gas wells treated at sewage facilities and dumped into the Delaware River is too dangerous for our drinking water source, and has ordered drillers to stop taking waste water to these treatment facilities by May 19th. This is a stunning pivot for Governor Corbett's administration, which up until now has been fast-

Public Schools Beat Charters--Now: The Question of Vouchers

Does outperforming charter schools mean no one should get vouchers?

Posted by: Noël Jones


Ok, I am not positing anything here, I am truly confused, and appreciate comments from anyone who can explain all this to me in a way that makes sense.


There has been much debate about whether or not charter and cyber schools are better options for our children and youth than our public schools systems. An article by Colin McEvoy and Sara Satullo in today's Express-Times reports that public schools in Northampton County have outperformed both charter schools and cyber schools on recent PSSA test scores. Before we get too excited, lets take note that the scores being compared are only the percentage of students at or above proficiency in each subject. At the same time, a debate is also raging in our state government as well as locally as to whether or not our tax money should be taken from the school district in the form of vouchers, to be used to pay for

Josh Fox, Director of GASLAND, Writes Open Letter to DRBC on Facebook

This is the tap water source for 15 million people.

Posted by: Noël Jones

Today was the final day that the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) accepted public comment from PA residents concerned with water contamination of the Delaware River--our drinking water source--from fracking for natural gas.

Josh Fox, the director of GASLAND, submitted written comment to the DRBC today and posted it on Facebook for all to read:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/lovesocial/josh-foxs-open-letter-to-the-delaware-river-basin-commission/209624249057255

Two Signs of Spring!

Leaves budding on trees and...the street sweeper returns!

Posted by: Noël Jones


Few things get me as excited as seeing the street sweeper on my street again. Pathetic, I know--I have to get a life--but seriously--it's like when a five year-old boy points out the window, jumping up and down every time he sees a fire truck (which is why I couldn't resist taking a picture). Clean streets in the West Ward again...sigh...now if we can only get people to remember to move their cars without getting ticketed, they'll be able to get the entire street, instead of each delinquent vehicle sheltering whatever litter is tucked between their wheels and the curb...

Impressive Set of Lectures Being Presented by Lafayette College for Earth Week

Posted by: Noël Jones


I am very excited to learn that these lectures will be open to the public. In this day and age, when fracking for natural gas threatens an ever dwindling global drinking water supply for all of us, and when obfuscation abounds from politicians and our media. So the lectures on April 18th, and April 21st are most interesting to me...


Read below to see the schedule and line-up!

Music at Mercantile

For more information on Ron Morris and his music, click here.

Mercantile Home is located at 140 Northampton Street, Easton, PA

Easton Area School District Proposes 160 Jobs to Cut to Balance Budget

Posted by: Noël Jones


I will, for the most part, let these numbers speak for themselves. But I don't understand why almost $15 million has been proposed when the gap is only $12.9 million. Now, before any snarkies say "Noël, you call for cuts and then you don't like it when cuts are proposed!" I have to ask--why are no administrators being cut? I see athletics being cut at the end, but no coaches positions listed--are any included in that amount? Where are the construction project cuts? Where is the audit of Sodexo to see if they have defrauded us as they have districts in NY, NJ and Ohio (all states that border us)? Below is the list of cuts in each category of employees and the money that will be saved with each batch of cuts, and here is the Express-Times article covering yesterday's budget meeting. The only good news is that apparently the teachers' union and the administration are in ongoing talks and hopefully will come to a less painful conclusion than this:

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/AREA 

Elementary Schools (Gr. K - 4)

K - 4 Learning Support Classroom Teachers 

School Counselors 

Instructional Support Teachers (IST) 

Math Interventionists

Reading Interventionists 

Full-Day Kindergarten 

Half-Day Kindergarten 

Elementary Instrumental Music

-44 jobs saves ($3,432,000)

Federal Court Says Boobies Are Not Vulgar

Posted by: Noël Jones


Peter Hall of The Morning Call reports that the Easton Area School District lost the "I ♥ Boobies" bracelet case in U.S. federal court yesterday. In a 40 page decision, U.S. District Judge Mary A. McLaughlin ruled that the use of the word "boobies" on the breast cancer awareness bracelets was neither lewd nor disruptive, which was the basis for the school district's argument. "The bracelets are intended to be … viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce stigma associated with openly discussing breast health," and that punishing the two middle school girls who brought the case to court violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression under the U.S. Constitution.


I could not agree more. To argue that boys' bad behavior is somehow the responsibility of girls at all is outrageous--boys are responsible for their own behavior. To argue that boobies

The Antidote to Political Apathy

Click above to watch Dave Meslin, presenting at TED

Posted by: Noël Jones


A reader sent me this video with the note below, and after seeing it--since cynicism and apathy do tend to run amok in the Easton sometimes--I have decided to post it for readers to watch. Is it possible that our neighbors aren't stupid, lazy and apathetic, but rather that public engagement is being actively and deliberately thwarted via bureaucracy and the media?


"I just watched this and thought it might be something that interested
you, if you haven't already seen it. His points are things that I find
most appealing in your blog. I hope you find this TED talk intriguing,
and keep up the good work."


Many thanks to this reader...he's right, that's what we do here--help each other decipher the nonsense so that we self-educate as a community of individuals and can take action when it counts, hopefully inspiring more and more people to do the same.

SLO Architecture Needs Area Teens and Your Broken Umbrellas for Art Project

Give your broken umbrella a new incarnation...

Posted by: Noël Jones

A message from Dean Young, of the Boys & Girls Club:

Come Join Our Team! The Boys & Girls Club of Easton and SLO Architecture invite 10 Teens to join them in creating a Public Art Installation about Easton’s Industrial Waterway Heritage from April 17-May 1, 2011

Project Orientation: Sunday April 17, 2:30 - 5:30pm, Thursday April 21, Wednesday April 27, Thursday April 28, 4:30 - 7:30pm, and Sunday May 1, 2:30 - 5:30pm

Also: The Easton Community and Surrounding Municipalities are encouraged to help. We need your old and broken umbrellas! Please drop off any that you may find or have, at the

CALL TO ACTION: 3 Days Left to Submit Public Comment on Fracking!

Watch this video and then Click Here to tell the DRBC not to 

endanger our river with toxic shale gas drilling.

Posted by: Noël Jones

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has proposed regulations that allow shale gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin, the source of Philadelphia’s drinking water. The DRBC is only accepting public comment on water contamination concerns until April 15th--Please take a moment right now to click the link above and submit a comment!

The New York Times recently confirmed that gas drilling wastewater with radioactive elements, toxic chemicals, and salt is being and has been discharged into rivers across Pennsylvania.


And here is another New York Times article from yesterday's paper on the added threat of air contamination citing a new Cornell study that proves that natural gas is not cleaner than coal, as the industry is always saying in their commercials.

If you do not want your way of life destroyed--in other words, to be made seriously ill (as 19 families in Dimock, PA just 2 hours north of us have), to have to purchase bottled water and tanks of water every month for cooking, bathing, cleaning and drinking, and to have your property values destroyed (because who will buy your house if you can't drink the tap water?) then please do this now to speak up and fight for our tap water!

And please pass a link to this post to everyone you know!

Vulcano Family Wronged Again

(photo courtesy of Express-Times http://www.lehighvalleylive.com)
Millie Mandarino, incumbent school board member (far left in first photo) is cousin to Sandra

 Vulcano (pink shirt in 2nd photo). Sandra's husband Pat (spotted tie in 2nd photo) is also on

 the school board and Michelle Vulcano Hall (far right, 2nd photo) is a teacher 

without certification, suing the school district for discrimination. Sandra Vulcano

 is an City Council member and Chair of the Easton Democratic Committee.

Posted by: Noël Jones


Samantha Marcus of The Morning Call reports that Millie Mandarino is upset, because a technicality that would have insured her re-election to our school board without even trying has been eliminated. Now she has to actually campaign, like everyone else. Easton city councilwoman, Sandra Vulcano is crying

Get OUT and IN it! Extended Bike Sale at Genesis!

Posted by: Noël Jones


Any newcomers to the area might be interested to know that Easton has bike trails along its rivers that go all the way to New Hope, PA. If you're looking for an excuse to get a new bike and hit the trails, here's your chance!

Farewell to Robin Porter

Robin Porter with son Larry.

Posted by: Noël Jones


It is with great sadness that the Easton community says good-bye to Robin Porter, father of the Porter brothers, Larry, Kenny and Jeff who

Teachers Rally April 13th

Watch teachers' Union head, Kevin Deely announce the rally on April 13th

Posted by: Noël Jones


Colin McEvoy of the Express-Times reports on the latest in the Easton Area School District's negotiation with our local teachers' union, and the union rally scheduled for next Wednesday...

Ground Breaks on Arts Trail Along Bushkill Creek Named for Sculptor Karl Stirner

Judge Gay Elwell and metal sculptor, Karl Stirner 

for whom the trail is named.

Posted by: Noël Jones


About 80 people gathered yesterday for the groundbreaking for the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. It was an impressive display of hooplah, complete with a backhoe hovering over a freshly dug pile of dirt (carefully arranged on a blue tarp) and speakers blaring pop music, as the trolley continued to arrive in shifts, shuttling attendees from where they parked at the old Hummel Lumber yard. 


When the man of the hour, Karl Stirner, and his partner, Judge Gay Elwell arrived, it was a bit of a red carpet moment, with all cameras rushing in the direction of the trolley. I have to say that although Karl Stirner was the star of the event, Gay Elwell was looking fabulous (see above). This is certainly one of Easton's "power couples." And they both have really cool glasses. But I am getting carried away...


The Karl Stirner Arts Trail will wind along Bushkill Creek, connecting the old Simon Silk Mill on 13th street with Third Street downtown where the trail lets out just at the base of the stone stairs up to Lafayette, and will have art installations along the walkway. 


Mayor Panto started off the event with a moment of silence for a great Easton resident that had passed away the night before--Robin Porter--and the mayor talked about the positive effects that people like Robin Porter and Karl Stirner have had on Easton, by seeing its potential and committing