Thank you, Bernie O’Hare and Lehigh Valley Ramblings

Aug. 20, 2024

The Lehigh Valley’s ace blogger, Bernie O’Hare, kindly posted a link today to this upstart news site. O’Hare’s Lehigh Valley Ramblings ( https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/ ) is a blog that focuses on Northampton County government and activities, but also strays into whatever the author finds worth writing about. It is essential daily reading for anybody who wants to know what’s going on in the Lehigh Valley.

He was on top of the pay-to-play scandal in Allentown, and his coverage of Northampton County government and the internal workings of the courts is unmatched.

Interestingly, Bernie takes a sympathetic stance on former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski’s requests for early release. See, from 2022: https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-letter-to-us-pardon-attorney.html .

“Justice has been done,” he wrote. “It’s time for mercy.”

The traditional local media do a good job on many things, but nobody covers Northampton County the way Lehigh Valley Ramblings does. LVR also shows how non-traditional sources are needed to promote public discourse as, nationally, news outlets focus on press releases, ribbon cuttings and what I call “set piece” events, where there is lots of talk but no news. These are often held in a “talk show” setting that tends to put people to sleep.

I have been a regular reader of LVR for years. After I retired in 2019, I took a job in local news and started every day by reading the blog. Bernie was the first one to draw attention to many items, including Northampton County Council’s failure to post an agenda on time in January 2023.

The “Sunshine Law” requires notice of most items to be voted on, so when Council met the next day, it could vote only to adjourn. That came after 65 minutes. No ordinances or spending could be considered.

I do it, and I recommend you do too: Start your day with Bernie.