Off Campus
Issue date: 2/12/04 Section: News
Officials say lighter play caused fire
Allentown, PA - A 13-year-old boy playing with a lighter started a fire Monday morning that destroyed a row house at 507 Jordan St., Allentown Fire Marshal David Oncay said. The teenager, a son of the homeowner, was taken into police custody at the scene. The teenager will face criminal charges in juvenile court. The teen will be charged with three counts of criminal mischief. The fire started at 11:15 a.m. in the third-floor bedroom. The boy was lighting moss on the sill of a window in the building, and the embers blew back through the window and onto a rug that began to burn. The adjoining properties at 505 and 509 N. Jordan St. were left with smoke and water damage, which needs to be repaired. The police stated that the teen was playing with his lighter and the situation got suddenly "out of control." The row house that was gutted was owned by Janet Rodriguez. Rodriguez had lived in her house with her family. she will be living in the Regional Red Cross Emergency Center that services residents who are displaced by unfortunate emergencies.
Block scheduling on back burner
Allentown, PA- The Catasauqua Area School Board on Monday postponed plans to start block scheduling at the district's high school this fall. The board voted 7-to-2 to delay the procedure. Board Superintendent Robert Spengler, who describes himself as a supporter of the concept, said the school's staff doesn't feel "readily prepared to initiate block scheduling.'' The plan, which was approved last year, would conflict with a number of other projects in which the staff is currently involved with. Educators familiar with the issue say shifting from a traditional form of scheduling to a block method takes time and preparation. In Lehigh County, the Northwestern Lehigh and Northern Lehigh school districts also use block scheduling. Catasauqua district residents at Monday's meeting told board members they understand the need for more time, but they still want some assurances that things are moving in the right direction. "I want to ensure we are leading up to change and embracing change in the district,'' said Deb Becker of Catasauqua.
Allentown, PA - A 13-year-old boy playing with a lighter started a fire Monday morning that destroyed a row house at 507 Jordan St., Allentown Fire Marshal David Oncay said. The teenager, a son of the homeowner, was taken into police custody at the scene. The teenager will face criminal charges in juvenile court. The teen will be charged with three counts of criminal mischief. The fire started at 11:15 a.m. in the third-floor bedroom. The boy was lighting moss on the sill of a window in the building, and the embers blew back through the window and onto a rug that began to burn. The adjoining properties at 505 and 509 N. Jordan St. were left with smoke and water damage, which needs to be repaired. The police stated that the teen was playing with his lighter and the situation got suddenly "out of control." The row house that was gutted was owned by Janet Rodriguez. Rodriguez had lived in her house with her family. she will be living in the Regional Red Cross Emergency Center that services residents who are displaced by unfortunate emergencies.
Block scheduling on back burner
Allentown, PA- The Catasauqua Area School Board on Monday postponed plans to start block scheduling at the district's high school this fall. The board voted 7-to-2 to delay the procedure. Board Superintendent Robert Spengler, who describes himself as a supporter of the concept, said the school's staff doesn't feel "readily prepared to initiate block scheduling.'' The plan, which was approved last year, would conflict with a number of other projects in which the staff is currently involved with. Educators familiar with the issue say shifting from a traditional form of scheduling to a block method takes time and preparation. In Lehigh County, the Northwestern Lehigh and Northern Lehigh school districts also use block scheduling. Catasauqua district residents at Monday's meeting told board members they understand the need for more time, but they still want some assurances that things are moving in the right direction. "I want to ensure we are leading up to change and embracing change in the district,'' said Deb Becker of Catasauqua.