The Moravian Book Shop is starting another new chapter in its centuries-long story as it sheds its corporate oversight and repositions itself as a local arts hub.
Also in today’s newsletter…
🚨Bethlehem baker pushes for free cancer screenings
🎉Seeking Good Neighbors for tonight’s premiere party
☑️Catch up on local candidates and races as we enter the final stretch
Moravian Book Shop declares independence. What’s changing?
The historic business was under the Barnes & Noble umbrella for the past eight years. That corporate oversight limited the shop’s ability to feature local authors and artists.
But its shelves could soon be stocked with lesser-known names, including titles from Moravian and Lehigh universities’ many writers. Poetry readings, book signings and painting classes could be on the way, too.
Steph Sigafoos has the story ➔
Helping to sound the alarm
A short walk from the book shop, a well-known baker is also getting back in the game. But with a deeper purpose.
Angela Malpedo is championing cancer screenings for first responders to honor her late firefighter father. She closed up shop in 2017 to help her dad in his fight against multiple myeloma, known as “the 9/11 cancer.”
Lou Malpedo was exposed to toxins as he saved an officer’s life amid a chemical spill at Lehigh University. Several colleagues on that shift also died from cancer, reflecting a somber reality: career firefighters are significantly more likely to develop cancer and die from it.
Angela spoke to Megan Frank for “A Community Conversation: Sounding the Alarm,” our in-depth look at firefighting in the Lehigh Valley.
🏫
“Good Neighbors Live Here” screening and premiere
Community leaders are gathering tonight at the Univest Public Media Center to celebrate the launch of our “Good Neighbors Live Here” series. Across 10 episodes, we showcase inspiring stories of impact from neighbors throughout the Lehigh Valley. A few free tickets are still up for grabs for the 5:30 p.m. screening and a night of stories, connection and music. Featured guests include Hasshan Batts, founder of Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley and Prison Survivor Network; and Dawn Godshall, executive director of Community Action Lehigh Valley.
If you can’t join us tonight, be sure to check out the first episode of “Good Neighbors Live Here” when it airs at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on PBS Passport. The series is slated to air in the same slot every other week.
More from LVPM
⚜️ Peeling back the curtain: Local Boy Scouts are coming to the Univest Public Media Center today to work on a video for the Lehigh Valley Leadership Dinner later this month at Wind Creek. Check out our story on Facebook and Instagram for some behind-the-scenes action.
🗳️ Campaigns making their final push: Tom Shortell and Chris Borick take stock of the Lehigh Valley’s many races, with less than eight weeks until Election Day.
🌿 Gene’s back for more: Longtime host Gene Dickison recently kicked off his eighth season of “More than Money.” Watch the first few episodes of the new season on PBS for some fun, easy-to-understand financial advice.
From Around the ValleyA Lehigh County commissioner facing more than 100 drug-related charges intends to stay in his seat. Zachary Cole-Borghi confirmed he won’t quit despite calls for his resignation in the wake of new charges against him. (The Morning Call)The Tack Barn, a historic building along the Little Lehigh Creek, is set to stay thanks to an anonymous $750,000 donation. (WFMZ)Dairy farmers at a conference in Harrisburg voiced optimism about Chobani’s recently announced $1.2 billion move to Upper Macungie Township. (Fox43) 
Brought to you by St. Luke’s University Health Network
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