119 Charged With DUI in Lower Saucon in 2012: Report

The statistic is found in the Lower Saucon Township Police Department's 2012 annual report, which was released this month.

Although Lower Saucon Township Police charged 119 motorists with driving under the influence and 65 individuals with drug law violations in 2012, that number combined "dropped slightly" from the previous year, police said in their annual report. In fact, in 2011 township police charged 124 people with DUI and 78 with drug law violations.  The 2012 Lower Saucon Township Police Department annual report also included the following crime statistics: In terms of DUI/alcohol enforcement, and in conjunction with the Hellertown and Freemansburg police departments, police said the following proactive measures were taken under the direction of DUI Coordinator Robert Winters:

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Report Finds Problems With Liquor Control Board

A report from Pennsylvania's Auditor General found technical errors leading to shortages and hoarding of merchandise.

By Yasmin Tadjdeh | PA Independent The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board faced widespread inventory shortages of alcohol and subsequent "hoarding" in fiscal 2009-10, a recent Pennsylvania auditor general’s report shows.  The agency, known as the PLCB, regulates alcohol sales at Pennsylvania’s 650 state-owned liquor stores. It spent $500,000 storing excess inventory, said the annual report, released this month by Auditor General Jack Wagner.  The PLCB is funded entirely with revenue from the purchase of wine and spirits, so the loss of $500,000 was not taxpayer money.  The auditor general’s report found that PLCB's electronic inventory system did not predict the inventory the stores needed accurately, causing major shortages in products. To…

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The Future of Wine Kiosks is Uncertain

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's experimental system has been mired in controversy and may not last past September.

By Yasmin Tadjdeh | PA Independent Legal issues may bring an end to Pennsylvania's year-long experiment with controversial wine vending machines in grocery stores. The wine kiosks, owned by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, or PLCB, have been riddled with controversy over the past year, from system-wide mechanical errors to poor sales. Earlier this month, the PLCB released a letter to Simple Brands LLC, the contractor which operates the wine dispensers, saying the company owed it nearly $1 million due to billing issues, and legal action may be taken if the state is not paid within 45 days of said letter, or by Sept. 20.  “There is an issue of non-payment,” said Stacey Witalec, agency spokeswoman, who added that she could not discuss …

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Turzai Unveils Plan to Privatize State Liquor Stores

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) argues that the tax reforms in the bill are revenue neutral.

Legislation to privatize state liquor stores in Pennsylvania promises millions in state revenue, but whether the tax reform in the measure will benefit residents is up for debate.  The proposal, HB 11, sponsored and introduced July 13 by House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, details a two-tiered licensing system and tax reform for the state’s 644 liquor stores, operated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, or PLCB. Turzai said the tax reform would be revenue neutral, meaning the state would not lose revenue or impose a higher tax burden on Pennsylvanians.  “That upfront revenue has to be used in a responsible manner and has to be part of the discussion, although it is not in the proposal of HB 11,” Turzai said. “(HB 11) is …

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An Independent View

Liquor Store Privatization Is a Balancing Act

Here is what consumers should want to see in the final bill this fall.

Liquor store privatization appears to be back on the agenda in Harrisburg this fall, so this is a good time to start thinking about what consumers should want to see in the final bill. While there's a lot of support for the general concept of alcohol reform, consumers need to pay close attention to the specific proposals because there's a conflict between what's best for revenues and special interests and what's best for the alcohol-buying public. To kick off the conversation, here's my wishlist: Supermarket Sales While other states sell alcohol in supermarkets, bars, restaurants and convenience stores without destroying the fabric of society, Pennsylvanians are restricted in their shopping options. Beer is sold at beer distributors, but …

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Liquor Store Privatization Battle Begins, Again

Turzai plan would also change taxes on alcohol.

A bill to privatize Pennsylvania’s state-owned and operated liquor stores aims at providing Pennsylvanians with better selection and lower prices, but critics argue that there are no guarantees.  “We have an opportunity to move Pennsylvania out of the post-Prohibition era by allowing the private sector to sell wine and spirits,” wrote Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, in an email July 8. “This is a proposal whose time has come.”  The majority House Republicans and Gov. Tom Corbett have supported this bill, which they have touted as an economic windfall for Pennsylvania. The proposal, to be introduced by Turzai before the end of the month, would sell off about 1,200 liquor store licenses to private …

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My Turn

Man, 82, Carded Buying Beer

Weis, Wegmans explain corporate policy on liquor sales

Senior citizen Dale Schneck of Schnecksville reached into the beer cooler at Weis Market along Route 873 in North Whitehall Township, took out a 12-pack and presented it to clerk Linda Henninger for purchase. “I’ll need your driver’s license,” she said. “Don’t think I’m old enough?” frowned the 82-year-old Schneck as he opened his wallet. Henninger explained that everyone who wants to buy alcoholic beverages at Weis, regardless of age, must present a driver’s license or a valid photo ID. As Schneck attempted to show her the license that was still in the wallet, she said, “I’ll need it out of the wallet, because I have to run it through the register.” Schneck struggled to remove the license from its plastic prison, but the license would not…

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Police: Woman Arrested for DUI Had .39 Percent BAC

Hellertown police say Julie Ann McCoy's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be .39 percent following a motor vehicle accident at Main and Water streets June 11.

Hellertown police say a woman arrested for DUI June 11 had a blood alcohol concentration almost five times the legal limit in Pennsylvania. Julie Ann McCoy, of the 200 block of Saucon View Drive, Bethlehem, was arrested at approximately 8pm, after she allegedly drove a 2001 white Mercury Cougar over a curb and onto an "Enter Only" sign next to the Wells Fargo bank parking lot at Water and Main streets. According to a police department press release, "police detected a strong odor of alcohol on Julie McCoy" after they made contact with her. Police said McCoy--whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was allegedly .39 percent at the time of the accident--was also observed staggering from her vehicle. The legal limit for BAC in Pennsylvania is…

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D.A.R.E. Officer Eric Medei: Helping Children One Classroom At A Time

In his second year teaching the D.A.R.E. program in the Saucon Valley School District, Officer Medei focuses on the dangers of drugs, alcohol, violence and the importance of good decision making.

Lower Saucon D.A.R.E. Officer Eric Medei has always believed that educating the children of today is the only way to prevent them from making the wrong decisions in the future. Now in his tenth year as a police officer, he has always had a place for children in his life. “I just love working with the kids and that’s why I do it,” he said of his role as the township's D.A.R.E. officer in Saucon Valley schools. Officer Medei has lived in Lower Saucon for most of his life. He graduated from Saucon Valley High School in 1992, attended Northampton Community College and even coached baseball and basketball in the area. From 1995 to 1999, he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia with the Navy. He decided to become a police officer in 2000 and joined…

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Police: Man Passed Out Behind Wheel at Glow Gentlemen's Club

Lower Saucon Township Police Blotter

The following incidents have been reported by the Lower Saucon Township Police Department:

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