Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tension over police issues mounted at Nazareth Borough Council meeting among Police Committee members.
Monday's meeting of the Nazareth Police Committee might not have the fireworks that came about over police issues at the recent Borough Council meeting. As Councilman Jack Herbst was giving his Police Committee report, he responded to a question from Councilman Charles Donello. "If you have a police issue, you come to me," Herbst stated before a crowd that had gathered at the May 6 meeting to hear a presentation on the pool and find out who the borough chose at its new mayor. "There wasn't an issue," Donello shot back. "I'm not sure why someone would go crying to you. This is getting a little carried away. If a council member has to be afraid to ask a question, then something is wrong." Herbst responded that it obviously was an issue since…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Nazareth Borough Council has directed its board secretary to place advertisement for a part-time officer.
Nazareth residents, don't get your hopes up. The Nazareth Borough Council has asked its board secretary to advertise for the hiring of a part-time police officer. Councilman Jack Herbst, who heads the Police Committee, told the audience attending the recent Borough Council meeting that Police Chief Thomas Trachta recommended not hiring a part-time officer under consideration. But that does not mean that the Nazareth Borough Police Department's future is certain. The Police Committee is still awaiting a proposal from Colonial Regional Police before it decides the fate of its own police department. "We're reopening the process and leaving it open-ended," Herbst said. "We're putting in an advertisement accepting applications. We'll see them …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Karla Dewey admits Friday in Northampton County Court to setting fire to her townhome last March while her 3-year-old son was inside.
A Nazareth woman pleaded guilty Friday to setting her townhouse on fire last year. Karla Dewey, 31, of Nazareth, admitted before Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltrami Friday to arson and welfare endangerment charges in connection with setting fire to the 40 N. Green St. home she rented with her 3-year-old son inside, the Morning Call reported. Nazareth Police Chief Thomas Trachta said Friday that he would not comment on the case. Dewey's defense attorney, Christopher Shipman, could not be reached for comment. Assistant District Attorney John Obrecht, who prosecuted the case, also could not be reached for comment. Dewey was accused of starting a fire in March 2012 that destroyed the end unit of a row of townhouses at 40 N. Green St.—…
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Woman found by police was 'cowering on a couch' after alleged assault in Nazareth.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, May 2
Nazareth police were dispatched to a N. Whitfield Street apartment Tuesday night for a report of a woman screaming for help. When they arrived about 10:50 p.m., they could hear a woman “whimpering” upstairs. They found her “cowering on a couch” with red marks on her neck and throat and grip marks on her arms, court records say. Police later charged Isaiah Michael Martinez, 23, with choking the woman, grabbing her arms to restrain her and displaying a kitchen knife that he did not use on her, the records say. The records do not specify Martinez’s relationship with the woman. A criminal complaint filed by borough Patrolman Steven Lindstedt said that when police arrived at Martinez’s apartment at 23 N. Whitfield St., Martinez came to the …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Nazareth Borough Council is expected to address issues regarding the closing of the municipal pool at Thursday night's workshop meeting.
What's on people's minds in Nazareth these days? Try the police department, who will become the borough's next mayor, and what happened to the municipal pool. The pool will be one of the top talking items at Nazareth Council's Thursday night work session, which starts at 7 p.m. Council President Dan Chiavaroli made the announcement of the pool closing minutes after hearing the definitive news on April 10. The council will evaluate alternatives following a more comprehensive report from Wallover Architects at the workshop. The group calling itself Nazareth PA posted on its Facebook page that there will not be a petition about the pool due to recent information about the pool and that it literally cannot open this summer. The group, which is…
Nazareth Police Chief Thomas Trachta urges residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity around residential areas.
Nazareth residents beware. The Nazareth Police Department is asking residents to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity after a series of copper thefts. Police Chief Thomas Trachta said police are investigating several house burglaries where cooper piping is being removed from the walls and ceilings of vacant homes. The locations are throughout the borough in the vicinity of Mauch Chunk Street, Forest Drive, New Street and Whitfield Street. The investigation started several weeks ago and most of the locations were for sale at the time of the crimes. Police are asking neighbors to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and to report it immediately to 911. Anyone with information is asked to call Trachta at (610) 759-9575 or (…
Monday, April 29, 2013
Nazareth is undergoing an upheaval with its pool closing, its mayor resigning and the future of its police department up in the air.
Nazareth's past of month was everything to write home about. During April, officials announced that the municipal pool would not open this summer. Then Mayor Fred Daugherty Jr. announced he was resigning. Then it was announced that officials are awaiting a proposal from the Colonial Regional Police before deciding the fate of Nazareth's police department. Here is April in Review: The reasons for Nazareth Boro-Park pool staying closed during the 2013 season will be outlined during Nazareth Borough Council's workshop on May 2. 'Teen Mom 2' star and Nazareth grad Kailyn Lowry live-tweets during a recent episode and has a few choice words for the Lehigh Valley. Nazareth Mayor Fred C. Daugherty Jr. has resigned, according to a press release …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
New Patch Editor Dino Ciliberti wraps up first week covering one of Nazareth's hottest topics: The future of the town's police force.
Nazareth Patch got a new editor this week. But no new police force. Or mayor. Or pool. In our Week in Review, the focus was on Monday's meetings. A Police Committee in which the departed Mayor Fred Daugherty wasn't mentioned and an update on the police force wasn't as forthcoming as residents would have liked. A petition to save the Nazareth Police Department is circulating as officials await a proposal from Colonial Regional Police. The school board is raising taxes but at least no programs are falling by the wayside. Nazareth Councilman Jack Herbst said the fate of the Nazareth Police Department remains up in the air until council hears from Colonial Regional Police. As Nazareth awaits proposal from Colonial Regional Police, a petition …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Some residents who have commented on Patch.com feel that Nazareth Borough Council is not even considering keeping a local police department.
They are disgusted and disturbed. Nazareth citizens have voiced their opinions on Patch.com this week, outraged over how the Nazareth Borough Council is handling the future of the police department. About 15 residents attended Monday night's Police Committee meeting in which they were told that officials are awaiting a proposal from Colonial Regional Police before deciding the fate of Police Chief Thomas Trachta and his personnel. The meeting was the first without Mayor Fred Daugherty Jr., who resigned the week before. Some are even signing a petition that is circulating to save the Nazareth Police Department. And that doesn't sit too well with some who commented on Monday's article: "Wake up Nazareth before it’s too late," Jake Tucker …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
As Nazareth awaits proposal from Colonial Regional Police, a petition drive has been launched to save the Nazareth Police Department.
Have you signed the petition yet? Nazareth Council members and fire officials and others say they have been approached about signing a petition to save the Nazareth Police Department. Council Vice President Larry Stoudt stated at Monday's Fire Committee meeting that he was approached to sign the petition but "respectfully declined." Nazareth resident Michele Howey last week began circulating a petition to keep the borough police department intact. The Main Street resident has gathered 50 signatures and will try to gain about 200 by the May 2 workshop meeting, the Easton Express-Times reported. Howey, who also has a Facebook page on the subject, then plans to turn the petition over to council. A Facebook page called Nazareth PA has also …
Ben Miller
10:41 am on Monday, May 20, 2013
Wayne, you make a compelling point and while we may not always agree (though it seems to be rare that we don't) I am very glad you are out there and taking note of ALL the stories, not just what is reported. I wish I could do the same... Rick, it's hard to disagree with anything you just said. more ›