🌱 Patch AM: How will nearly $670K in grants change Bethlehem’s traffic lights?

Good morning to you Bethlehem! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How will nearly $670K in grants change Bethlehem’s traffic lights?
• How did 2025’s biggest Bethlehem crises reshape daily life here?

Today's riddle: Playing golf is bad for your brain. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Cold with flurries, with a high of 29 and low of 17 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Friday: Periods of sun, temps: high: 30, low: 24.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high of 34 and low of 21 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Funding to go towards traffic signal upgrades in Lehigh Valley, Berks (wfmz.com) — Bethlehem is set to receive nearly $670,000 in state Green Light-Go grants to modernize about 100 traffic signals and replace LED bulbs at roughly 90 intersections, improving safety and traffic flow citywide. The funding, part of Pennsylvania’s 2025–26 budget, supports upgraded detection and control technology to better respond to real-time traffic and protect drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
   

• Lehigh Valley top stories of 2025: Chicken coop battles, ICE raid, children in danger and data centers (mcall.com) — Bethlehem residents saw a tumultuous 2025, from a major South Side apartment fire and an ICE raid near Five10 Flats to large “No Kings” protests at the Rose Garden and downtown. The year also brought homeless camp clearances in Allentown and Bethlehem, intense political drama, and big shifts in regional health care and business that will continue shaping local life.
   

📸 Around Bethlehem

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Bethlehem

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Saturday January 3

• At Whitâs End â Acoustic Trio Blending Originals, Swing, and Americana | Formerly Woomer & Whitaker
  Godfrey Daniels , 7 E. Fourth Street , Bethlehem
  8:00 pm

Sunday January 4

• First Sunday Open Mike Night
  Godfrey Daniels , 7 E. Fourth Street , Bethlehem
  7:00 pm

Monday January 5

• đżđ§ââď¸ Qigong: Meditation and Relaxation đżđ§ââď¸
  bethlehem area public library , 11 W Church Street , Bethlehem
  12:00 pm
• NEMS Girls Basketball @ Eyer
  Eyer Bethlehem, PA 18018
  4:00 pm
• đ¤đś Open Mic Night @BAPL đśđ¤
  bethlehem area public library , 11 W Church Street , Bethlehem
  5:00 pm

Tuesday January 6

• NEMS Boys Basketball vs Allentown Central Catholic @ Home
  Home Bethlehem, PA 18018
  4:00 pm

Wednesday January 7

• Gentle Yoga
  Bethlehem Area Public Library , 11 W Church Street , Bethlehem
  12:00 pm
• NEMS Girls Basketball vs Allentown Central Catholic @ Home
  Home Bethlehem, PA 18018
  4:00 pm

📣 Bethlehem Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday January 1

• Hank Williams Tribute with Jack Murray & The Blue Tarp Wranglers | Annual New Yearâs Day Homage to the Patron Saint of Singer-Songwriters
  Godfrey Daniels , 7 E. Fourth Street , Bethlehem
  7:00 pm

Saturday January 3

• At Whitâs End â Acoustic Trio Blending Originals, Swing, and Americana | Formerly Woomer & Whitaker
  Godfrey Daniels , 7 E. Fourth Street , Bethlehem
  8:00 pm

Sunday January 4

• First Sunday Open Mike Night
  Godfrey Daniels , 7 E. Fourth Street , Bethlehem
  7:00 pm

Wednesday January 7

• Line Dancing with Aleah
  Seven Sirens Brewing Company , 327 Broadway , Bethlehem
  7:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Bethlehem PatchAM possible:

• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hi neighbors my kids and I have been looking around online on fb google all shelters in area and on here for small puppies to raise of our own!
  I have been looking for months, but I have not found one yet I said small because of where I live so I would prefer it stay small as it gets older… (Nextdoor Edgeboro)
• It’s really unbelievable.
  Our recycling was not picked up yesterday. Last night, I noticed the lid had blown off, but the recycling was still in the bucket. They picked it up… (Nextdoor Catasauqua - Schoenersville)

• Hotel Bethlehem posted a job opening for Night Auditor - Part Time in Bethlehem. Apply here.
• Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. posted a job opening for Merchandiser Stocker in Bethlehem. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Bethlehem here.

🗞 Nearby News

Bath

• Lehigh Valley boys basketball: ‘Big shot Bob' helps Nazareth turn back Whitehall in OT; Allen loses first (mcall.com)
• 'Very excited to join the community': Lehigh Valley's newest Popeyes eatery nearing completion (wfmz.com)
• Why Christmas is the Greatest Story of All Time (discovery.org)

Northampton

• Police File Theft Charges, Make DUI Arrest: Northampton Crime Report (patch.com)

Nazareth

Ok Bethlehem! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I just heard a golfer say he had four strokes on the first hole!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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