Lehigh Valley Ramblings

UPDATED: How Did LV Delegation Vote on House Bill Opening Up Primary Elections

2026-10-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Pa/ State House voted on Tuesday to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections for candidates for public office. They would still be barred from voting for internal state party offices like committee members. The bill passed 115-88 and goes on to the state senate.

How did members of the Lehigh Valley delegation vote?

Voting Yes were Bob Freeman (D - Pa. 136), Steve Samuelson (D - Pa. 135), Mike Schlossberg (D - Pa. 132), Pete Schweyer (D. Pa. 134), Ana Tiburcio (D - Pa. 22), and Joe Emrick (R - Pa.137)

Voting No were Ann Flood (R- Pa. 138), Milou Mackenzie (R - Pa. 131) and Zach Mako (R- Pa. 183) and Gary Day (R- Pa. 187)

Opening primaries is one way to assure that everyone has a say. Currently, 44% of voters nationwide consider themselves independents. It will also result in more moderate party nominees.

Currently, 20 states have open primaries in which members of one party can choose to vote in another party's primary. Pennsylvania's proposed law would only allow unaffiliated voters to choose to vote as a Democrat or Republican.

UPDATED 11:12 AM - In the original version, I had Gary Day as a Yes and was mistaken.

Zrinski to Unveil NorCo's 2027 Budget on Friday

2026-10-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

According to a news release, Executive Tara Zrinski plans to unveil her 2027 Budget from Northampton County on Friday, 10:30 am, at the Human Services Building, located at 2801 Emrick Blvd in Bethlehem Tp. It will be her first budget as county executive. A tax hike is all but guaranteed.

Her proposed budget will go into effect even if it is rejected by County Council. They have the power to amend the budget but have no authority to interfere with revenue projections.

The budget must be balanced.

Will she pay into the county's pension funds this year? Will she begin addressing the wage disparity that exists? Will she fund open space?

Stay tuned.

Mackenzie's Comms Director Posted Racist Tropes

2026-10-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've seen some of Arnaud Armstrong's comments as Communications Director for Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who is facing a tough battle against blue headwinds that just may blow Democratic challenger Bob Brooks into office. Some have been downright bizarre, like his explanation when Mackenzie was accused of embellishing his career in the private sector. Rather than dismissing this DCCC story as clearly false, which it was, Armstrong gave it weight by saying that these were "passing mentions, mostly from third parties." But now a much uglier story has surfaced. During his days at UPitt, Armstrong was the "editor" of an online conservative leaning website called Polis Media that decided it would be fun

Members of that website shared memes including jokes about statutory rape, the Holocaust, a young African-American boy looking at a piece of cotton candy and saying, 'You mean I don’t have to pick it and I can eat it?!'"

Armstrong gave the incredible explanation that they "were shared with facetious intent and certainly not reflective of the beliefs of those who shared them.” They were joking, so it's OK, right? He also called it an experiment to see "what the worst of the internet could produce."

He may find out soon when his boss loses a close election because of his (at-best) juvenile antics.

Zrinski's Campaign Funded in Part by County Employees and Vendors

2026-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

We all know what happened in Allentown not all that long ago, when former Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski was charged and eventually convicted of public corruption. For a brief time, it had a chilling effect on campaign contributions. But the Lehigh Valley's pay-to-play culture has gone on far too long to let a few federal bribery prosecutions get in the way. Pay-to-play is back, and with a vengeance. Candidates are spending more now than they ever have.

Years ago, before I even started this blog, I used to be at nearly every county council meeting, asking them to curb the practice by enacting an ordinance that would bar anyone who contributed to a county elected official or candidate from county employment. I also would complain about county vendors who contribute to county candidates and asked for legislation that would bar them from doing business with that county or municipality for a limited period of time after the donation.

I was a real pain in the ass, unmindful of the simple reality that the more you harp on any topic at a public meeting, the less effective you become. I thought I was dazzling them with my oratory. I was boring them instead.

Though I've stopped haranguing elected officials on this topic, I do remain concerned about county candidates who accept donations from county employees and vendors.

Executive Tara Zrinski presents herself as a grass roots candidate and truly is. Over the years, her finance reports demonstrate that she has a solid base of small and local donors. But when she ran for Executive, she began accepting money from county workers whose further employment with the county would be in her hands. She also accepted donations from two county vendors.

COUNTY EMPLOYEE DONATIONS

Below is a listing of county employees who donated to her 2025 Executive race

• Lamont McClure — $15,000. McClure was Northampton County Executive and supported Zrinski as his successor. After the election, he was appointed a PT Assistant County Solicitor

• Susan Wandalowski — at least $1,090. County Human Services Director.

• Melissa Rudas — at least $1,050. County solicitor.

• Michael Corriere — at least $750. Former county council member and assistant county solicitor.

• Michael Emili — at least $815. County Public Works director.

• Tina Smith — at least $550. County DCED director.

• Stephen Baratta — $500. Northampton County district attorney. (Ironically, Zrinski suggests Baratta had political motives for a Grand Jury report critical of Gracedale when he actually supported her campaign).

• Mary Lou Kaboly — $500. Former county human-resources director.

• Mark Aurand — at least $300. former deputy county controller and now, the county administrator.

• Richard Groff — $500. Now a county election commissioner.

A COUNTY ARCHITECT GIVES $2,000

One contribution has a particularly direct connection to county business. Randy Galiotto contributed $2,000 to Zrinski. He is a principal of Alloy5, the Bethlehem architectural firm selected by Northampton County as project architect for replacement of the Government Center parking deck.

County procurement records identify Alloy5 as the project architect. County Council approved approximately $463,000 in architectural services for the project, but it is important to note that Alloy5 was selected on June 18, 2025, six months before Zrinski was ever elected. but six months after Zrinski's election, County Council unanimously approved a $62,400 increase to Alloy5.

A $10,000 CONTRIBUTION FROM THE FAMILY OF A COUNTY LANDLORD

Another notable contribution came from Nimita Kapoor-Atiyeh, who gave Zrinski $10,000. Kapoor-Atiyeh is the wife of Abe Atiyeh, a local real-estate developer who owns the West Easton work-release facility leased by Northampton County. Thus, a $10,000 personal campaign contribution came from the immediate family of the owner of property being leased by the county.

In addition to the work release center, an Atiyeh company (Ridge Ventures recently agreed to lease a property in Bethlehem Township to the county for a DUI center at a rent of $2,500 a month over a period of 10 years.

These records establish the contribution and the family/property relationship. There is no evidence, aside from the contribution itself, that the contribution was made in exchange for favorable treatment by the county or that the county's lease was affected by it.

These donations are completely legal. I have no reason to believe that Zrinski's decision-making is in any way impacted by those who gave her money, especially because she has a broad base of grass roots support and is actually at odds with a District Attorney who donated to her. But to remove any uncertainty, these types of contributions should be limited or outright banned.

Why 6thTuesday Pre-Election Campaign Finance Reports Should Be Mandatory For All Elections in Pa.

2026-09-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Under current Pa. law, only statewide candidates must file 6th Tuesday pre-election reports, which cover the period between June 8 and September 22. Other nominees, including state house and senate candidates, can wait to detail their expenses until October 23, 2026, the 2d Friday before the actual election. This system worked when most people voted on election day. People could inform themselves in advance about who is financing electoral hopefuls. That system no longer works.

Changes in our election laws now permit Mail-in Ballots and Ballot by Demand well in advance of election day. Candidates have responded by intensifying their fundraising efforts much sooner than in previous campaigns. You can see this in your mailbox on a near daily basis. Those who wait to make their pitches risk losing a critical segment of voters who prefer the convenience and simplicity of MIBs and Ballot-by-Demand over standing in line at the polling place.

The problem is that many who chose to exercise these voting alternatives have no idea who is funding the campaigns of the politicians they choose. They are unable to follow the money in any meaningful way.

For that reason, the state legislature should change current campaign finance laws to make 6th Tuesday pre-election reports mandatory in all campaigns.

NorCo Court Administrator Charged With Criminal Mischief After Domestic Dispute

2026-09-28T04:04:49.034-04:00

Earlier this month, Lehigh Valley Live reported that Northampton County's Court Administrator Jermaine Greene has been the subject of a temporary Protection From Abuse Order (PFA) based on allegations by his wife that he soaked his wife's clothing in gasoline, broke her rib and threatened to kill her.

It is important to note that a temporary PFA is based on allegations alone. Rightly or wrongly, I generally avoid writing about temporary PFAs unless they are accompanied by contemporaneous criminal charges or involve a police officer. I've taken a lot of heat for refusing to write about this story. Greene has many enemies at the courthouse. Moreover, there are those who would rather see me writing about Greene's PFA than a very negative Grand Jury report about Gracedale.

I am writing about the PFA now because criminal charges have been filed. Greene been charged by Middle Smithfield Tp police with criminal mischief as a summary offense based on his wife's allegation that he soaked her clothing in gasoline on August 22. No charges have been filed concerning any assault or death threat.

The courts have declined comment.

(This was originally posted on 9/26, and is being reposted).

President Judge Craig Dally: DA Can Hire Assistants Without Interference By Executive

2026-09-28T04:02:56.551-04:00

Back in August, I told you about a mandamus action that District Attorney Steve Barratta filed against the Northampton County Executive. The suit was filed after 11instances in which the Exec has prevented Baratta from onboarding new hires.

A mandamus action is one that compels a government official to perform a clear and nondiscretionary duty that it has refused to perform. In this action, Baratta filed a motion for peremptory judgment, which can only be granted when his right to relief is clear.

It is.

Late last week, President Judge Craig Dally ruled in Baratta's favor. (See links to Opinions below)

In this action, Baratta filed a well-written brief that should serve as a primer for anyone interested in county government.

Judge Dally ruled, as he did once before when John Morganelli was DA, that the county's top prosecutor has the right to select the pay grade for a newly hired assistant District Attorney so long as he remains within the budget allotted by County Council and stays within the pay grade scale they establish. "[T]he District Attorney has not asked this Court to grant him the 'unfettered authority to cut checks from a checkbook that belongs to the County,' is not asking the Court to grant him the ability to exceed the budget allocated to his office by County Council, nor is he arguing for the authority to construct salary standards for new hires by pulling numbers out of the sky on his own accord."

"A cursory review reveals that the Home Rule Charter bestows within the District Attorney a hiring power, which this Court has applied to encompass the authority to select the pay grade step, on the schedule and within his budget provided by County Council, at which his newly hired Assistant District Attorneys start. Any insinuation otherwise is flatly inconsistent with the law of this County."

The Pa County Code does provide that the "number of assistants and salary shall be fixed by the county salary board [which is county council]." But as Judge Dally observes, " Since the District Attorney is not pursuing the unilateral authority to select his pool of assistants or construct the salary schedules for his Office, the Court finds that the District Attorney's position is wholly compliant with [the County Code]. Simply selecting the pay grade step on the schedule produced by County Council does not constitute the District Attorney infringing upon County Council's authority to fix the salaries for his assistants."

What makes this case truly bizarre, aside from the Executive's interference with an independently elected official, is that Northampton County courts have already ruled on this exact question. In the Morganelli case, to which I alluded above, the Judge Dally ruled that "[w]hile the District Attorney is limited by Council in the numbers of assistants he can hire and the range of the salaries he sets for them, he, pursuant to his hiring power, selects the pay grade step at which each of his Assistant District Attorneys start."

Instead of following an established precedent, the county tried to have Dally recuse himself. Not only did that effort fail, but the county solicitor's office was itself disqualified because it was trying simultaneously to represent Lamont McClure, a former Exec and current assistant solicitor, who had been subpoenaed to testify. The solicitor's office was conflicted. Does that office represent him or the current Executive?

(In the past, I've been able to upload judicial opinions and briefs to Scribd. That system is currently inoperable, but I have uploaded Judge Dally's Order Denying the County's Motion for Judgment as his Order granting DA Baratta's Motion for Peremptory Judgment to Google Drive. You can click on the links to read these matters).

Should NorCo Council President Have Unfettered Authority to Appoint Committee Members and Chairs.

2026-09-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

In early July, Northampton County Council voted 6-3 to establish a Gracedale Oversight Committee proposed by Council member David Holland. Earlier that evening, Executive Tara Zrinski condemned the idea. Council President Ken Kraft first tried to table the matter, and when that failed, he voted against it. So did Council members Kelly Keegan and Nadeem Qayyum. (Qayyum had argued in support of the Oversight Committee, so I think his No vote was a mistake.) Though he ultimately voted to establish the committee, Council member Jeff Warren said he had "serious" reservations about the word "oversight."

Each of County Council's standing committees exist for that express purpose - oversight.

After this vote, Kraft chose to ignore the expressed will of a Council majority and dragged his feet at establishing any oversight committee. July and August breezed by with nothing. It looked like that would happen in September, too, until District Attorney Steve Baratta released the findings of an Investigative Grand Jury highly critical of Gracedale's administration.

Now the committee has been established and Kraft named Keegan the Chair even though she voted against it. He also put himself on the committee, although he voted against it, too.

The Chair should have been Holland, who not only proposed the idea of a Gracedale Oversight Committee, but was also himself an administrator there and elsewhere.

Near the end of last week's meeting of Northampton County Council (September 17), Holland suggested that it's time for the governing body to decide how committee members are appointed. Holland pointed out that though the Home Rule Charter provides that the Council President (currently Ken Kraft) has the authority to preside at meetings, nothing in either the Charter or its rules and regulations governing the conduct of meetings invests Council President with the authority to members to Council's various standing committees. That has been a matter of tradition rather than law. He believes the President should nominate the committee members and Chairs, but the vote to confirm should be made by Council's nine-member body.

This matter has been referred to Council's Governance committee, which is next scheduled to meet in October.

If Council does decide to take control of committee appointments, it should do so by ordinance so that it binds future county councils.

What Government Reforms Would You Like to See - Part 2

2026-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I presented you with a list of governmental reforms that many of us would like to see. The comments were quite interesting.

One person, likely a member of NorCo Council, attacked me for supporting term limits for county offices. I do believe term limits for state and federal office are way overdue. But the truth is that I never supported term limits on a county level and consider that a gray area. I would oppose them for offices like borough council or township supervisor because those offices pay very little but take up a lot of time. It is hard to attract good people. On the county level, I did support letting the people decide the question in a referendum. This was opposed by former Council members Kevin Lott, Ron Heckman and Tara Zrinski. It was also opposed by former Exec Lamont McClure, whose veto had to be overridden. One person suggested that a term limits bill should be called the Bob Freeman Act.

Most of you would like to see some form of open primaries but a few of you would limit voters to party members. I know that outfits like Working Families oppose open primaries and I think this is probably because the only way they can get one of their more extreme candidates nominated is through a closed primary.

One of you, a reader named Hoople, had a great idea. "If you cannot vote for a candidate - do not live in the area they will represent - you cannot contribute to their campaign. Exceptions for relatives - if your, for example, son is running for office and lives out the area, you can make a small donation to the campaign.

" "If you are a paid elected official and you vote for a tax increase, your pay is adjusted down by the percent you approved. 17% tax increase? Your pay takes a 17% cut.

"If you are a paid elected official, you cannot endorse candidates at campaign events. Writing an op-ed in support is sufficient. No more using a paid day to travel and rally for someone."

I've begun work on a post detailing elected officials who accept donations from their subordinates as well as people who have business interests with the municipality they represent. It is a fairly widespread pratice, but I consider it a form of soft corruption that should be banned. I expect to bring you that story in a day or two.

What Governmental Reforms Would You Like to See?

2026-09-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Below is a list of government reforms proposed, way back in 2016, by Ron Beitler (now a Lehigh County Comm'r), myself and a few readers. These were sent to then Governor Tom Wolf and the Lehigh Valley delegation to the state house and senate. I never received a reply.

These are neither Republican nor Democratic proposals. You either believe in good government or you don't. Feel free to add any suggestions you have.

1. Term limits now and tweak the terms. Three four-year terms for State Reps. Two six-year terms for State Senators. A two-year term for State Reps is too short. They have to start campaigning for the next election virtually the day after they win. (I would oppose term limits for municipal offices because it is hard enough to attract people.)

2. Reduce the size of PA government so state rep districts have 85,000 people within. This is small enough to maintain constituent services at the current level, but large enough to eliminate 52 positions entirely.

3. Eliminate pensions for elected officials. Salaries for a full-time state legislator should be adjusted to be the median for the district represented. It is a full-time job, but not a career. Pensions are for career positions.

4. Enact Resign-to-run rules that would apply to any full-time elected position that draws a taxpayer funded salary. Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley should not be able to use the perks of his office as a springboard to the state senate. The only exception is if the candidate is in the final year of his term.

5. End gerrymandering by establishing independent commissions to do the redistricting. (The current commission is appointed by incumbents to help them keep their jobs.

6. Require all candidates for statewide office to file campaign finance reports electronically so the people know immediately how the campaign is being funded. Too many candidates refuse to file electronically, and the state elections office is never in a hurry to get reports online. Each county government should adopt ordinances requiring that campaign finance reports be posted on the county webpage within 24 hours of filing. (NorCo lists campaign finance reports, but this is at the whim of the Exec, who could change her mid tomorrow. County Council needs to adopt an ordinance requiring their publication).

7. Ban the use of campaign funds for criminal defense.

8. Increase penalties for noncompliance with state campaign finance laws and continue the requirement that a candidate pay for violations out of his own personal funds.

9. All local governments should be required to provide an Internet broadcast of every meeting. If it is too expensive, the government should be dissolved.

10. Ban gifts of any kind, on a state and local level.

12. Require receipts for per diem payments.

13. Allow independent voters to participate in Primary Elections.

14. Ban local governments and school districts from attaching risky derivative "swaps" to their debt.

15. Ban candidates or elected officials from using campaign funds to make contributions to any other PAC or candidate committee. This prevents money laundering and ensures that money given to a candidate is used only for his campaign.

16. Limit campaign expenses to year of election requiring forfeiture of unspent monies. Eliminate rolling campaign accounts and expenditures in non election years. I believe district magistrates must spend it or lose it and cannot accumulate funds when they are unopposed. Similar rules for everybody.

17. LIST candidates on the ballot (per office) in random order with no party affiliation attached.

18. In addition to term limits, place "None of the Above" on the ballot for every elective office. If "None of the Above" wins a majority or plurality of the votes, the other candidates are disqualified and a new slate of candidates (including "None of the Above") must be drawn for a new election. Lather, rinse and repeat until someone other than "None of the Above" receives a majority of the votes.

*****

Some new ideas

19. Limit both individual and PAC contributions to $1,000 a year.

20. Ban all public employees from contributing to candidates in races for the municipality by which they are employed.

21. Prohibit all individuals who contribute to candidates for a specific municipality from having any form of business relationship with that municipality for a period of two years after making the contribnution.

How Does Gracedale Stack Up With Other Lehigh Valley Nursing Homes?

2026-09-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've spent a lot of time covering the problems at Gracedale over the past several years. This home gets a lot of coverage from me because something always is going on there and it is publicly owned. It also recently attracted the attention of a NorCo Investigating Grand Jury. Is it packed with lies and perjury, as Zrinski asserted just last week? And what about other nursing homes in Northampton and Lehigh County? Are they even worse, as NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski has suggested during a county council meeting? I've reviewed the Department of Health and ProPublica inspection records for nursing homes in Northampton and Lehigh counties from 2024 to present. They reveal numerous deficiencies since 2024, ranging from relatively minor regulatory violations to findings classified as posing immediate jeopardy to residents’ health or safety. Gracedale is among the worst.

What is a deficiency? It means inspectors determined that a facility failed to meet a federal or state requirement. The seriousness of those deficiencies, however, varies considerably.

The most significant findings involve deficiencies classified as J, K or L, the highest levels on the federal scope-and-severity scale. Recent federal data identify J-level findings at both Gracedale and Bethlehem South, while Phoebe Allentown had a K-level infection-control finding in 2025.

Gracedale

It appears that the coverage I've given is warranted. It has had more than 20 deficiencies since 2024.

Among the most serious was a J-level finding in May 2026 , which occurred six months after Exec. Zrinski assumed office. It involved a failure to ensure that the nursing-home environment was free of accident hazards and that residents received adequate supervision to prevent accidents. Federal records classified it as immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety, affecting a few residents.

Gracedale also had a serious finding in September 2025 involving resident assessment and care planning. Pennsylvania Department of Health's inspection records document the September 23, 2025 abbreviated survey and resulting deficiencies.

Inspection records also show a K-level staffing finding in May 2026 (5 months after Exec. Zrinski was in office), determining that Gracedale did not provide enough nursing staff every day to meet residents' needs and did not have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. That finding was classified as immediate jeopardy and resulted in a $21,756 fine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health's inspection database shows that a subsequent abbreviated survey completed August 10, 2026 found no deficient practice related to the particular complaint allegations investigated during that survey.

Bethlehem South

Bethlehem South Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has accumulated 28 deficiencies in the current federal reporting record.

Its most significant recent finding came from a June 9, 2026 complaint inspection. Inspectors cited the facility at the J level, finding that it failed to protect residents from abuse and neglect. J means immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety. The facility also had two D-level deficiencies in an April 29, 2026 complaint inspection involving pressure-ulcer care and bowel and bladder care. The inspection resulted in a $27,378 fine. Pennsylvania's inspection records subsequently reported that the deficiencies cited in the June 30, 2026 survey had been corrected by the July 17 revisit.

Bethlehem North

Bethlehem North Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center also has a substantial number of deficiencies. A February 2026 standard inspection identified deficiencies involving such areas as nutrition, treatment and care, resident notification, activities of daily living, range of motion and infection control.

A May 2026 complaint investigation also produced an E-level deficiency involving the failure to timely report suspected abuse, neglect or theft.

The pattern illustrates why simply counting deficiencies can be misleading. A facility can accumulate a large number of D- or E-level findings without those findings reaching the immediate-jeopardy level.

Phoebe Allentown

Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center had 13 deficiencies, one of which was particularly serious. An August 19, 2025 complaint inspection produced a K-level infection-control deficiency. Inspectors found that the facility failed to provide and implement an effective infection-prevention and control program. The finding was classified as immediate jeopardy and involved some residents.

A July 2025 standard inspection produced three additional D-level deficiencies involving resident rights, range of motion/mobility and accident hazards or supervision. That inspection also resulted in an $11,087 fine.

Interestingly, Gracedale Administrator Michelle Morton came to NorCo from Phoebe. At last week's County Council meeting, Zrinski stated that she visited that home to pick up a few pointers. Why she'd visit a home with a K-level deficiency is beyond me.

Cedarbrook

Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation has accumulated 16 deficiencies in the current federal record. This is Lehigh County's public home. The deficiencies are all minor involving resident rights, assessments, activities of daily living, resident care, accident hazards, dietary equipment, infection control and reporting of suspected abuse or neglect. They've all been corrected.

Complete Care at Lehigh

Complete Care at Lehigh LLC has 12 deficiencies. They include deficiencies involving food handling and storage, pressure-ulcer care and pharmacy services. Most of its recent deficiencies were classified at the D level — meaning no actual harm was identified but there was potential for more than minimal harm.

Northampton Post Acute

Northampton Post Acute has 15 deficiencies. A May 2026 standard inspection identified four D-level deficiencies, including problems involving resident rights, care planning and accident hazards or supervision. Those deficiencies were documented as corrected during a June 2026 revisit.

Easton Skilled Nursing

Easton Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation has 20 deficiencies. They include repeated issues involving resident care and activities of daily living.

A December 2025 inspection produced nine health deficiencies, most at the D level.

An April 2026 complaint inspection also cited the facility for an infection-control deficiency.

The Gardens at Easton

The Gardens at Easton, including its memory-care operation, has had several deficiencies during the period examined, generally at the lower levels of the severity scale.

What the severity ratings mean

The federal nursing-home inspection system uses a scope-and-severity system that ranges from relatively minor deficiencies to immediate jeopardy.

D, E and F indicate no actual harm was found, although there was potential for more than minimal harm. G, H and I indicate actual harm that did not rise to immediate jeopardy. J, K and L represent immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety.

Consequently, a nursing home with 20 D-level deficiencies should not automatically be considered more problematic than a facility with fewer deficiencies that includes a J- or K-level finding. The nature and seriousness of the deficiencies matter at least as much as the raw number.

What the records do show is that several nursing homes in Northampton and Lehigh counties have experienced recurring regulatory problems since 2024. Gracedale, Bethlehem South and Phoebe Allentown have each had recent deficiencies classified at the immediate-jeopardy level.

The good news is that Gracedale is making strides to improve. Just last week, Northampton County Council voted to raise the wages for nurse supervisors to a level that is competitive and should attract professionals. Executive Tara Zrinski has stated this is only the beginning of changes to compensation. In six visits from the state Department of Health since May, no deficiencies have been found. Gracedale Oversight Committee has been established, although it has yet to meet.

Zrinski Announces that New Parking Deck Construction to Start in October

2026-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

At last week's NorCo Council meeting, Executive Tara Zrinski announced that work on a new parking deck for the courthouse campus will begin in October. This work was supposed to have started in July, but had to be postponed because the bidder failed to comply with the county's responsible contractor ordinance.

This is a good time to consider a bus, bicycle or one of those dreaded e-bikes savaged on the season opener of South ~~Park~~ America.

NorCo Council Increases Salaries for 26 Gracedale Nursing Supervisors

2026-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

At Thursday night's meeting, Northampton County Council voted 7-0 (Ken Kraft and Tom Giovanni were absent) to increase the salaries of 26 nursing supervisors at Gracedale. The wage increases will go to 9 full-time, 8 part-time and 9 per-diem nursing supervisors. This was recommended in an outside performance audit of Gracedale nursing home back in 2023 and was recommended repeatedly by Council members over the past two years to attract and retain the county workforce and reduce reliance on outside agency nurses.

Unfortunately, the Council Clerk failed to attach supporting documents to the agenda and thus it is impossible to tell you the exact amount of these increases. The paygrade is set with room for these career service employees to get step increases as they go through annual reviews. According to Executive Tara Zrinski, the wage starts at about $52 an hour. She indicated that previous administrations have been reluctant to give step increases and noted that long-time employees would get the same pay as people who are recently hired.

Council member Jason Boulette noted that his reading of Career Service Regulations and the Employee Policy Manual led him to believe that every career service employee who gets a positive evaluation should get a step increase. "Listen, I just got here," said Zrinski. She noted she could only state the past history, and said the budget does limit what can be done.

Currently, only two of these positions are actually filled by county employees. The rest are vacant.

Council member Dave Holland asked about other front-line nursing positions and was told that this is just the beginning of the salary review process.

Elder Abuse Charged at Moravian Hall Sqaure

2026-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

As many readers of this blog are aware, I have been highly critical of the way that the county administration has responded to problems at Gracedale, our publicly owned nursing home. While it particularly bothers me to see elder abuse or neglect at a publicly owned facility, it can also happen in more private settings that get less attention. A case in point is Moravian Hall Square, which is often held up as the gold standard that everyone else should try to emulate. While that might be generally true, Nazareth police have charged a CNA employed there with elder abuse (abuse of a care dependent person).

According to the online blotter known as Crimewatch, "On September 10, 2026, at 10:34 AM, Nazareth Police responded to a report of elder abuse at Moravian Hall Square, located at 175 North Street. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the reporting party, who stated that a resident's husband had reported observing bruises on his wife's body in the area of her wrist. An internal investigation was conducted by Moravian Hall Square staff, resulting in the accused being placed on administrative leave pending further notice. The police were subsequently contacted, and an investigation was launched, involving interviews with the alleged offender and others connected to the incident. The Northampton County District Attorney's office was notified of the allegations. Following the completion of the investigation, charges were filed against the accused individual.

The accused indicidual is Lindsey Roberts, age 43. According to LinkedIn, Roberts is a CNA at Moravian Hall Square.

Interestingly, I am unable to locate this case in the Unified Judicial System Portal.

Zrinski Claims She Tried to Keep Grand Jury Report Secret Because It Contains "Lies" and "Perjury"

2026-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, member Dave Holland asked Executive Tara Zrinski why she tried to suppress the Grand Jury Report concerning Gracedales made public by NorCo DA Steve Baratta on September 10. He did so in accordance with an Order of Court obtained from President Judge Craig Dally, which was issued after Zrinski had asked that the report be kept from the public and was given an opportunity to make her case.

Zrinski had argued that an investigative grand jury can be convened only to investigate crimes, but as President Judge Dally observed, an investigating grand jury can also "propose recommendations for legislative, executive, or administrative action in the public interest based upon stated findings." Those findings included "sluggish emergency response times, the inconsistent presence of law enforcement, medicare inspection deficiencies, derelictions in resident care, troubling resident conduct, elopements, staffing shortages, and a reliance on outside nursing agencies."

Although Zrinski had earlier stated that she took the Grand Jury Report seriously, the opposite was apparent.

She told Holland she tried to suppress the report because ...

"There were lies in testimony. There were people in that report that committed perjury, and there was no one holding them accountable."

Holland: "That's a pretty serious allegation."

Zrinski: "And I made it right here."

Holland: "Testimony is testimony, right?"

Zrinski: "I get it. I have made testimony under oath. I understand what it means."

She sure does. In a custody dispute from a long time ago, it was Zrinski herself who was sanctioned $2,750 by then Judge Emil Giordano for "perjury." (See NorCo Docket 2007-9468, Court Order dated 12/16/08, Paragraph 14). Ironically, the attorney who sought and obtained that sanction was Melissa Rudas, who is now the county Solicitor.

Now she's accusing others of what she did.

What were the lies and perjury? The numerous DOH deficiency reports issued in 2025, for which the county was fined? The testimony of several police officers, including an officer who testified that she saw supervising nurses sleeping at their desks when called to the home at night?

What I also find interesting is that, though Zrinski told Holland that she attempted to suppress the work of the Grand Jury because it's full of lies and perjury, she at no time made that argument to the court. The argument that she did make, i.e. a grand jury can only investigate crimes, is legally frivolous.

She said that "[j]ustice should do no harm. And therefore, that is why I asked for it to be quashed."

In addition to being full of lies and perjury, Zrinski added that the unwashed masses would be unable to judge for themselves how much weight to attach to a Grand Jury Report. "[I]t wasn't to hide the report per se, but just like anything else, the public doesn't have the capacity or the knowledge to discern what was true and what was not in those narrative statements. So, to them, everything was true."

Now you know. She thinks you're stupid, and she was only trying to hide the report to keep you from falling for Barfatta's bullshit.

After claiming the report was full of lies and perjury and that you're too stupid to distinguish fact from fiction, she took a passive aggressive shot at Baratta: "I'm not going to speculate what the DA's objective was, but he got his headlines."

Holland thanked Zrinski for her explanation, saying he was asking them on behalf of the public. "I have to say, those questions were better than Bernie O'Hare's," she answered.

I agree. At at the time of her news conference, I was unaware that she actually had really tried to keep the report from the public. I discovered that later in the day, when I was able to read her full reply. So Holland's questions needed to be answered, and they were probably better coming from him than me. But whether Zrinski knows it or not, and apparently, she does not, they have made her look worse

Zrinski Proposes Wage Hikes for 27 Nurse Supervisor Positions

2026-09-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last night, Executive Tara Zrinski asked NorCo Council to approve wage hikes for 27 nurse supervisor positions at Gracedale. She described the proposal as part of an “Operation Stabilization Strategy" to restore stability, strengthen accountability, and secure the long-term future of Gracedale. She acknowledged that immediate action is required.

In a recent visit, Zrinski spoke with several agency nurse supervisors who told her they would be willing to become Gracedale employees if only the county could offer competitive compensation.

The financial disparity is significant:

- Gracedale’s nurses are making approximately $34 per hour.
- The county is paying an agency approximately $31 per hour on top of the nurse’s compensation.
- The resulting cost to the county is approximately $91 per hour for an agency nurse.
- Zrinski said agency supervisors indicated they would consider becoming county employees if their compensation were increased by approximately 40 percent over what the county currently pays.

Her argument was that the county is already spending substantial amounts on agency personnel and could redirect some of that money toward better compensation for its own supervisory nurses. She believes a starting salary of $52 an hour is the "magic number" needed to attract and retain supervisory nurses who actually work for the county instead of an agency.

She is also planning revisions to the pay structure in her 2027 budget, including adding new steps and creating additional starting-salary opportunities.

The agency-supervision problem

Agency employees are currently supervising county employees. She has seen herself and has heard of supervisors on their phones while working, wearing Crocs and simply disregarding county policies because they were not county employees. She believes this upgrade in pay would both reduce reliance on agency nurses and make Gracedale safer and more accountable.

Her point was that county-employed supervisors would have greater authority and accountability over Gracedale employees. Zrinski said having county RNs supervising county staff would therefore not only address the staffing issue but could also contribute to a safer and more accountable Gracedale.

Zrinski also addressed the District Attorney's Grand Jury report concerning Gracedale, which was released last week. She still tried to minimize the matter, noting it addressed deficiencies found in 2025. There have been 5 occasions this year in which Gracedale has been cited for patient assaults, an elopement and failure to provide care.

She said the administration is taking the DA's findings seriously, while noting that the conduct described in the report occurred approximately a year earlier and had already been discussed with County Council on two previous occasions. But she acknowledged that the report has created an additional "sense of urgency." and said several times that the home is in "triage" mode.

In particular, she said the report is affecting Gracedale's public reputation, referrals and overall ability to attract and retain residents and staff.

Zrinski emphasized that the county needs to act immediately rather than simply discuss the problems.

I agree and wonder why she has waited nearly a year to do so.

Council member Dave Holland said that increasing nurses' pay made sense as a first step toward addressing the problems at Gracedale. Council member Jason Boulette added that the proposal could help address the longstanding issue of hiring experienced nurses at the lowest possible step.

While Gracedale Burns, What is NorCo Council Doing?

2026-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

When a county-owned nursing home is run so poorly that it attracts the attention of an Investigating Grand Jury, it's time to pay attention. When the County Executive both minimizes the problems and actually tried to prevent the public from knowing what is going on, it's time to pay attention. While Gracedale burns, Executive Tara Zrinski has been fiddling with a long-range continuum of care concept, unmindful that unless current problems are fixed, there'll be no continuum at all. But what about County Council, who even Zrinski now agrees is the county's governing body? Last year's County Council raised numerous concerns. So did this year's County Council, which voted to establish a separate Gracedale oversight committee for the problem-plagued home on July 2. Since then?

Crickets. Sure, they voted to appoint a Continuum of Care Director, but there have been no Gracedale oversight committee meetings or reports about Gracedale itself.

Why has nothing happened since then? Two words.

Ken Kraft. He is County Council President.

When Council member Dave Holland, himself a former Gracedale Administrator, proposed a Gracedale oversight committee he received a lot of pushback from the usual suspects - Zrinski, Kraft and Council members Jeff Warren and Kelly Keegan. At first, they tried to table the matter. When that failed, Kraft argued that this new committee was "over-reaching our authority as a Council." When Keegan was told the committee would provide oversight, her response was "I don't understand. That's the administration's job." Jeff Warren agreed and said he had a "significant" problem with the word "oversight." So the administration is supposed to provide oversight over itself?

In the end the resolution creating this new oversight committee was adopted by a 6-3 vote. Even Warren voted for it in the end.

Kraft, who tried to table this oversight committee and voted against it, has dragged his feet over the formation of this Gracedale watchdog, which has yet to meet. For a period of 10 weeks, the County Council website still fails to identify any members. But Zrinski let the cat out of the bag at her news conference last week. She said the committee, consisting of four members has been formed.

I've made some calls and have learned that the Gracedale Oversight Committee Chair is none other than Kelly Keegan, who voted against it. Kraft, who also voted No to the Committee, put himself on it.

It's clear that Kraft and Keegan decided to disregard the will of a Council majority and just refuse to call a meeting.

With the release of the Grand Jury report, they now will probably have to do something.

In my opinion, a Council President exists to preside over meetings. He makes committee assignments as well, but there is nothing in the Home Rule Charter that gives him this authority. In this instance, he has clearly abused his authority and has defied the will of six members of County Council. County Council has the authority to reverse Kraft and appoint members who will provide real oversight of the beleagured home instead of the charade that Kraft has created.

Why Taiba Sultana Will Never Be Elected Ever Again

2026-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is what former Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana posted on the 25th anniversary of 9/11:

25 years ago today, 2,977 people were killed.

In their name, the U.S. launched a “War on Terror” that cost about $8 trillion in public tax money and directly killed more than 900,000 people across Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. Count indirect deaths from disease, hunger, and displacement, and the estimate climbs to 4.5 million deaths.

We were told it was justice. It was for arms profits, oil, and imperial control.

Honoring the fallen means condemning the lies that sent so many more to their graves.

I SAID WHAT I SAID!!! 

How Did PJ Craig Dally Handle Zrinski's Attempt to Keep Gracedale Grand Jury Report Away From You?

2026-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, NorCo District Attorney Steve Baratta released a 44-page Grand Jury Report (click on link to be able to read it for yourself) that found serious weakness in the way that Gracedale has cared for its nearly 500 residents, particularly when it comes to their physical safety. As a result of 14 deficiencies in 2025, the home's license has been downgraded from Regular to Provisional II. Immediately following this release, Executive Tara Zrinski attempted to minimize the issues presented during a defensive and evasive news conference in which she declined to answer a question whether the county has established any kind of protocol with Upper Nazareth police about emergency calls after an incident that occurred well over a year ago, when a mentally ill agency nurse assaulted a resident in the delusional belief she was possessed. Zrinski instead blamed everything on Gracedale's former Administrator even though most of these problems occurred after she had already resigned. Former Exec Lamont McClure played the same blame game in a response attached to the Grand Jury Report. In an over-the-top reply, he accused Baratta of trying to sabotage McClure's congressional hopes, although that election was over in May and the Report was only released in September. He also dismissed the 14 citations, for which the county was also assessed monetary penalties, as "isolated incidents." What I did not know at the time of the release of this report or at Zrinski's news conference was that she actually tried to keep us from ever seeing it. She actually asked President Judge Craig Dally to seal it. He instead ordered that the matter be released in an Order and Statement of Reasons (linked here) that you can read yourself.

In her attempt to suppress the report, Zrinski argued that grand juries have no authority to investigate non-criminal activity and only should look into crimes. The law says differently, according to Judge Dally. He notes state law specifically providing that an investigating grand jury can be convened to look into crime or to propose recommendations for legislative, executive, or administrative action in the public interest based upon stated findings."

In short, her attempt to suppress the report is legally frivolous. It's also politically stupid. I think many people will actually be angrier at the attempt to suppress this report than they are by the report itself. It's an indication that she's listening to the wrong people.

In fairness, Judge Dally did rule that some of the persons mentioned in the report, such as Zrinski and McClure, should be allowed to respond, and they did. The Court also agreed to redact the names of some residents.

I got a late start for today's story. Tomorrow, I'll tell you what actions Northampton County Council has taken to provide oversight at Gracedale.

Zrinski's Attempts to Minimize Grand Jury Report in Defensive and Evasive News Conference

2026-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Immediately after last week's release of a 44-page Grand Jury report calling for reforms at Gracedale, NorCo Executive Zrinski conducted her own high-noon news conference from inside the acoustically challenged rotunda of the courthouse. Her newly-appointed Continuum of Care Director and Gracedale's Administrator stood by her as she said the District Attorney's investigation should be met with "seriousness, transparency and resolve." While her resolve is beyond question, she has been far from transparent. She actually tried to have the report sealed (more about that later) so that the public would never see it. Moreover, instead of treating the probe with gravity, she minimized it and was both defensive and evasive when responding to questions.

She started by tugging on heartstrings instead of facts. noting that Gracedale had cared for her mother and provided excellent care when Zrinski was a member of County Council. She has now told this story many times as a member of County Council and several times as Executive. I'm sure her mother did receive a high level of care because, after all, she was the mother of member of County Council. Funny thing, Gracedale's Administrator at that time was Jennifer Stewart, who has since been scapegoated for all the problems. In fact, right after praising Gracedale for looking after her mom, Zrinski said that many of its problem501c3 s came while Stewart was Administrator.

Her solutions? She's issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a feasibility study on her "continuum of care" expansion. She's established a non-profit 501c3 to receive philanthropic support. She added that she would strengthen executive oversight with the hiring of a Continuum of Care Director whose background is therapeutic recreation and has no experience in nursing home administration.

She also claimed to be improving communication and transparency. It must have been hard to talk about transparency with a straight face after her unsuccessful attempt to prevent the public from seeing the Grand Jury report. The improved communications have consisted mostly of feel-good stories about things like chair volleyball and a luau.

When it came time for questions, WFMZ-TV69 had concerns about what steps were being taken to address how police should respond to 911 calls, which can be baseless when coming from residents with cognitive issues. This issue came to a head well over a year ago when 911 calls about an exorcist nurse were being ignored, both by police and even by Gracedale nurses. They claimed falsely to have checked on the matter but did nothing until after a third 911 call.

A year later, Zrinski's response was "I don't believe I can address that right now." She then slammed Upper Nazareth police. "I'm sorry that answer could not be more clear, but it is ... um ... working with the Upper Nazareth police force has been somewhat challenging."

More than a year has passed since this incident, yet there still is no protocol on how to respond to 911 calls from a facility with 500 elderly and residents?

While WFMZ-TV69 attempted to decipher exactly what Zrinski had just said, I had a question of my own. I pointed out that, in 2023, Medicare issued 3 minor deficiencies when Jennifer Stewart was at the helm. In 2024, there were just two. But in 2025, once Michelle Morton took the reins, there were 14 deficiency reports for serious shortcomings that extended well beyond a mentally ill nurse. They included residents who wandered off, poor security, physical assaults and failure to provide care that had been prescribed by doctors.

"Under these circumstances, how can you possibly justify keeping Michelle Morton as the Administrator of Gracedale, especially when her own testimony indicates that nurses like to eat their young?"

Zrinski: "I think you're assuming that everything in that report is accurate and true."

Me: "That is her testimony."

Zrinski: "I understand her testimony."

Me: "I understand that everything is true because those are the deficiency reports that are on the record. They're on record. Department of Health deficiency reports. Gracedale has paid significant fines as a result of these deficiency reports. There are 14 reports ...."

Zrinski: "I understand what you're saying, Mr. O'Hare, if you let me finish the question, I will respond to you. So there's an admissions process and there are individuals who are admitted years before [Morton] got there."

She went on to blame the McClure administration for increasing census. And she failed to acknowledge it, but the Grand Jury report shows that Morton was all about accepting new residents no matter how unsuitable they might be. Morton actually placed Jennifer Stewart, the Admissions Director, under a mandate to increase census, and even would override Stewart's admission denials. She slammed an "admissions director who let anybody in," which has been a common theme at Gracedale. Morton has managed to make the former Administrator, Jennifer Stewart, a scapegoat for her own admissions errors. These errors were the result of a previous executive, Lamont McClure, who wanted quantity over quality. Yet Zrinski insisted that Morton "has my confidence."

Transparent Zrinski then went on to say she'd rather have questions from someone other than me. That's OK. But I was not done.

Zrinski went on to slam DA Steve Baratta for bringing Gracedale "out in the public forum. ... This has been a public discussion in nearly every election cycle. Gracedale has been a political football. Sell it, save it. Sell it, save it, sell it, save it are always the priorities of candidates running. I want to take that out of the political sphere and make it more about care and treatment. It shouldn't be an open discussion that we're arguing about all the time. These are people's lives. These are people's jobs."

Me: "There are no county offices up this year. So where do you get the idea that this is some form of political football?"

Zrinski: "I said, in the history, it has been a political football. How many different rallies have you gone to or how many different discussions?"

Me: "Right now we're talking about what's going on at Gracedale, how we can improve it, what's wrong with it ...'

Zrinski: "Mr. O'Hare, I think you know better than anybody else that there are motivations that are political for anybody to put a report out about Gracedale."

Me: "So you are saying that DA Baratta had a political motive?"

Zrinski: "I'm not suggesting it. I'm saying it could possibly exist."

Me: "You're saying it could possibly exist?"

Zrinski: "Sure."

Me: "But it could also be that he genuinely desires to see Gracedale improve."

Zrinski: "He has no authority or experience to make recommendations for Gracedale."

Me: "You say he has no authority or experience. What is your background in administration.?"

Zrinski: "I am not making these recommendations. I am following the recommendations of other individuals who know how nursing homes run."

She was talking over me, but at that time I was pointing out that her newly appointed Continuum of Care Director and Administrator have backgrounds in therapeutic recreation.

Me: "Why did you speak against an oversight committee for Gracedale? When you're saying you want to be transparent, why would you oppose an oversight committee?"

Zrinski: "I'm not opposed to an oversight committee. What I was guarding was county council's overreach. When you create a continuum of care department, you're supposed to create a continuum of care committee. That should be the level of oversight. And it has four members on it."

Me: "Is County Council the governing body?"

Zrinski: "Yes."

Zrinski, who is used to bloviating at length, decided to cut the presser short.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you how the court reacted to Zrinski's failed attempt to keep you from seeing the Grand Jury report.

McClure's Histrionic Reaction to Grand Jury Report

2026-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday, I told you about an Investigating Grand Jury Report detailing serious resident safety concerns and poor leadership at Gracedale. Earlier today, I told you about NorCo Executive Tara Zrinski's defensive and evasive reaction. But that's nothing compared to former Executive Lamont McClure's histrionics. They are attached to the report itself (linked above). McClure endorsed and contributed $10,000 to Zrinski's campaign to succeed him. He is currently employed by NorCo as an assistant Solicitor.

McClure calls the Grand Jury Report a "politically motivated hit job launched on [him] at a time when the current District Attorney believed he could damage [McClure's] Congressional campaign." He fails to explain how this report, published months after he came in third in a four-way primary, was somehow able to torpedo his Congressional ambitions.

McClure also contends that Baratta "seeks to minimize his own incompetence and petty corruption as District Attorney."

He calls the 14 deficiencies found in 2025, while he was Executive, "isolated incidents." 14 deficiencies in one year are "isolated incidents"? No, that's a pattern, and it's one that resulted in the home's license getting reduced from Regular to Provisional I status. When the home continued to decline, it was reduced again to Provisional II status.

After attempting to minimize 14 deficiencies as "isolated incidents," McClure insists that "there is no demonstrated causal connection" that they were caused by the use of agency nurses or poor staffing levels.

Excuse me? The exorcist nurse that prompted the grand jury investigation was herself an agency nurse. And at least one of the elopements was the result of Gracedale's failure to provide 1 on 1 care for an at-risk individual.

Perhaps the most disappointing feature of McClure's response to the Grand Jury report was his attempt to savage and scapegoat Jennifer Stewart, the person he himself appointed Administrator. This is precisely what he did to County Administrator Charles Dertinger, after a botched election. She testified that she was increasing census pursuant to his directions and that current Administrator Michelle Morton actually reversed some of her denials. In paragraph after paragraph, McClure attacks the honesty and integrity of a loyal county employee who started as a CNA and worked her way up. He attacked a person known to have herself spent long evenings herself at Gracedale when the home was short-handed and who was willing to do the dirty work, including the changing of bed pans. He blames her for wanting to increase census but told County Council he made her his Admissions Director "because there hasn't been a county contribution [to the nursing home] from the general fund for many years. ... One of the things that we think is necessary in order to continue to be viable as a county-owned and operated institution is to continue not to have county contributions coming from the general fund..... Jennifer Stewart is an expert at getting the census up."

What he failed to tell County Council at that time was that there was a simmering crisis in which monies that had been set aside for retention bonuses were spent instead on other Gracedale expenditures. What he also failed to tell Council was that Gracedale actually did get a county contribution of $9.9 million in 2024, a point highlighted by the annual independent audit.

So when McClure told County Council that there had been no county contribution in many years, was he lying?

It appears that Jennifer Stewart, an unusual and special kind of person who actually care about the residents, was scapegoated and sent to Admissions.

Investigating Grand Jury Releases Report Raising Serious Resident Safety Concerns and Poor Leadership at Gracedale

2026-09-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, NorCo A Steve Baratta released the results and recommendations of a 44-page Grand Jury Report* concerning resident safety issues at Gracedale, the county-run nursing home. The grand jury found serious weaknesses in the way that the long-term care facility has cared for its residents, and jurors felt the gravity of these problems warranted public attention and corrective action. No single person was blamed. The report instead points to a combination of questionable management, the use of outside agency nurses, failure to provide appropriate care, poor security and a lack of accountability. 19 Grand Jurors voted to file the report, with another three absent.

Interestingly, Executive Tara Zrinski, who likes to call herself the very model of a modern major Executive, actually tried to have the report sealed or quashed without the public ever seeing a word. She failed. That's another story, and I'll fill you in on that next week.

The genesis of this Grand Jury probe was a Gracedale agency nurse who on 6/23/25 was attempting to perform an exorcism on one of three residents who share a room. Multiple 911 calls had to be made over 30 minutes before Upper Nazareth Tp police responded. In the second call, a nursing supervisor told 911 she had already checked the situation, (Pges 13-14). In a third, a nursing supervisor told 911 she was going to "take [the complaining resident's] phone away or something." Police finally responded when a nursing supervisor herself personally witnessed an agency nurse who wouldn't let anyone in or out of the room. (Pge 14). When Officer Zach Dugan arrived on scene, he could see that the agency nurse, festooned in PPE gear, had her hand and fingers inside the resident's mouth. She indicated the resident had "demons inside of her" and they needed to come out, along with a considerable amount of blood.

Baratta said that the victim of this attack was severely injured and never recovered. She died not long after the attack, but from unrelated causes.

The agency nurse has been charged with a litany of crimes, and that matter is still pending.

After this incident, DA Baratta sought and was granted permission to conduct a Grand Jury investigation, which was headed by Deputy DA Bill Blake and Detective Brad Jones. Baratta himself questioned Gracedale Administrator Michelle Morton.

At a news conference announcing the report, Baratta warned reporters to expect "some pushback." That's putting it mildly. Not only was Baratta accused of interfering with the Executive branch, but he's also been accused of having a political motive. "My response to this is, read the report," he said.

I did. It's devastating.

Deficiencies. - It consists of a factual documentation of 14 state Department of Health citations in 2025, all of which occurred under the tenure of Gracedale Administrator Michelle Moton. This is substantially more than 3 minor inspection deficiencies in 2023 and just 2 in 2024, when Gracedale was administered by Jennifer Stewart. (Pges. 5, 6-12).

These reports chronicle assaults that extend beyond the exorcist nurse and include resident-on-resident violence resulting in injuries.

They include elopements, which are runaways by residents who've been identified as incapable of caring for themselves. One of them involved a man who was gone for more than 24 hours and was located by Upper Nazareth Police sleeping outside a convenience store. Another involved a wheelchair bound double amputee who was tooling along the local roads with no place to go. There was even a fellow who left Gracedale to visit his girlfriend at Fox's Gentleman's club. He was found in Moore Tp.

Some of these elopements were supposed to be under 1 to 1 supervision.

They include failure to provide the medication or rehabilitative care prescribed by doctors. One resident with partial paralysis missed 19 days of prescribed exercises. Medication carts have been left unsecured.

Read the report.

Witnesses. - The Grand Jury report includes summaries of testimony elicited from witnesses, including the officers who responded to the exorcist. Officer Clinton Wambold, a former Deputy Sheriff, said that Gracedale staff made "little or no effort" to stop the exorcist when she was assaulting the Gracedale resident. He also noted that Gracedale staff disposed of or cleaned all the clothing or gowns involved in the assault, making it impossible for him to collect physical evidence. (Pge. 19). Officer Danielle Petrucci testified of one assault involving two residents. The aggressor was supposed to be under 1 on 1 supervision but was not. The victim of that assault suffered a cognitive and physical decline, is now bedridden and unable to interact with others. (Pge 20). She also testified that members of the nursing staff were found sleeping at their desks while police were present. (Pge. 22).

Michelle Morton, Gracedale's Administrator, was examined by Baratta. Affinity Health Services prepared a county council funded report in 2023 that conducted an analysis of the problems at Gracedale, but she told council on November 6 that she had never read the report. She still had failed to read it when she was questioned by Baratta on 12/30/25.

With respect to the deficiencies found under her watch in 2025, "Morton's response to the claims was that an inspection is only a moment in time and not a reflection that overall, things were poor. She appeared to minimize the documented infractions, as well as her role in the prevention of those matters. She also denied that staffing shortages contributed to the documented deficiencies." (Pge. 27)

Her plan for recruiting new employees? Staff development and training initiatives. And she likes committees. She certainly seemed to accept that nurses can bully each other, telling Baratta that "nurses eat their young." (Pge. 29)

Jennifer Stewart, Gracedale's former Administrator, worked at Gracedale from 2005 until she resigned in 2026. She started as a CNA and worked her way up until she was appointed Administrator in 2019. As she approached retirement age, she decided to step back into her former role as Director of Admissions so she could act as a mentor to her replacement. When she attempted to help Morton, she was rebuffed. (Pge. 37).

Although she had never been reprimanded in any way during her tenure at Gracedale, that changed when Morton arrived. Instead of asking for help, Morton gave Stewart a "Program Improvement Plan" mandating her to increase census to 525-530. Morton instructed Stewart to admit everyone. "Morton also usurped Stewart's authority as Director of Admissions by reviewing, and in many cases, overriding admission denials in cases where Stewart believed that the resident was not an appropriate candidate for Gracedale." (Pge. 38). She felt she was being micromanaged and decided to resign and accepted a position as Administrator at a nursing home in Bethlehem.

"Stewart is extremely knowledgeable in the field of nursing home administration, and it is clear that Gracedale benefitted from her knowledge and leadership. She believes that Gracedale was thriving under the management of Premiere Healthcare, although she feels it took a step back under the administration of ray Soto. Stewart strongly believes that the prior county administration failed the residents at Gracedale by canceling the partnership with Premiere Healthcare, by forcing an increase in census at the expense of patient safety, and by forcing reliance on outside nursing agencies. It is clear to the Grand Jury that Stewart truly cares for the wellbeing of the residents at Gracedale and served the county effectively when she was Gracedale's Administrator."

The Grand Jury recommends that (1) Gracedale move away from agency nursing to county-employed personnel; (2) revise policies concerning administration; (3) Beef up security; (4) create a liaison or ombudsman with specialized training in proper administration of a nursing home; (5) require supervisors to physically check each 911 call and document each matter; (6) establish in-house training for CNAs; and (7) establish a protocol with Upper Nazareth police concerning 911 calls.

Baratta made clear that he is making no recommendation that Gracedale be sold.

"However, we have to also remember that government is designed to provide services and services to the medically needy, vulnerable, elderly people that need assisted care, needs to be reliable and safe. They cannot provide for their own safety. They rely on us to provide that care. So, my hope is that these recommendations, and the publication of these issues, will further spur discussion and debate, in county government, and in the community, and that in the long run, we're going to be able to make Gracedale a safer, more productive personal care facility. And be successful into the future."

Right after Baratta had finished with us, we sauntered down the hall for yet another press conference being conducted by Executive Tara Zrinski, who had tried unsuccessfully to suppress the Grand Jury's report. So much for transparency.

I'll tell you about what she had to say on Monday in response to some tough questioning by your truly. You can also read her attempt to quash the Grand Jury report because it's attached to the report. You can also read former Executive Lamont McClure's bashing of just about everyone who isn't named Lamont McClure. He calls the report a political hit job designed to ruin his congressional bid even though the report was not released until well after the primary in which he finished 3rd of 4.

Finally, I'll fill you in on how the court handled Zrinski's attempt to suppress a Grand Jury report being released precisely to provide the transparency sorely needed at Gracedale.

*) You can read the entire report on my Google Drive. I tried to upload the Grand Jury Report to Scribd, but that third party hosting site is currently inoperable.

NorCo DA Baratta To Release Grand Jury Report About Gracedale

2026-09-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

At 11 am, NorCo DA Steve Baratta will unveil the findings of a Grand Jury report about Gracedale. He had previously told County Council the report's focus would be "issues of patient safety that we were made aware of over the past year."

The home has been the focus of some bizarre happenings, from an agency nurse who attempted to perform an exorcism on a resident, a substance-abusing resident who was pocketing pain pills and several residents who wondered off and are retuned by police.

Gracedale is the only county-owned nursing home in the state with a Provisional II license. It also has been flagged by Medicare for abuse.

On the bright side, the home has been deficiency-free in five DOH (Dep't of Health) visits to the home since May 14. (The home has been visited 14 times by DOH this year).

Following Baratta's news conference, Executive Tara Zrinski will issue her own comments. She will include her newly appointed Continuum of Care Director, who himself acknowledged during the confirmation process that he has no training in nursing.

The Great Alan Jennings Responds to Toy Factory Story

2026-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

The last time I spoke to the Great Alan Jennings was during the late Summer or early Fall of 2018. He made a point of telling me he was calling me from the beach, which I thought a tad odd for someone who proclaims himself as the voice of the voiceless. In our brief conversation, he churlishly berated me in a profane-ridden tirade over my coverage of Upside Allentown's corrupt facade grant program, in which insiders were awarding grants to themselves. Upside Allentown then operated under the rather large umbrella of Community Action LV, whose biggest accomplishment in recent years has been to change its name. Jennings, its former Executive Director, had responded to my inquiries and did have to amend one of his tax returns, but was nevertheless upset with me for giving a voice to two people who would otherwise have been voiceless. He got ugly in that call.

Fast forward to the present. I recently wrote a story about Allentown's Toy Factory, in which Jennings plays a minor role as a member of Allentown's Redevelopment Authority (ARA). This vacant factory was purchased by the ARA in 2022 for $400,000. Hasshan Batts, a two-time convicted drug dealer who is nevertheless heralded by the increasingly irrelevant PBS as a hometown hero, proposed turning it into a mosque, and nearly succeeded.

Nothing much happened since then until earlier this year, when the ARA finally got around to publishing a formal Request for Proposals (RFP), and the main purpose was to provide affordable or workforce housing.

That's what Allentown developer Nat Hyman does, and without sticking his hand in the taxpayer's pocket for grants or LERTAs or TIFs. And he's been successful at it, having completed 41 projects with 1,480 apartments over the years. He submitted a plan to turn the defunct factory into 20 apartments with on-site parking. He also offered to pay $410,000 for the properties with no contingencies.

Another developer, Warren Lim, gave the ARA two options. The first would be 6 apartments, a daycare and no on-sire parking. The second would be 12 apartments with no on-site parking. The ARA would lose between $50,000 to $100,000. And Lim's offer is contingent upon his ability to get a loan for $1.39 million.

This seems like a no-brainer, right? But this is Allentown, land of pay-to-play, a former Mayor who went to jail for public corruption, and a city Council that very nearly ignored state law a few years ago to appoint hometown hero and convicted felon Hasshan Batts as Mayor.

After a private meeting with LIM, the ARA has tentatively decided to go with him. Jennings actually insisted that Hyman should apologize to ARA.

Allentown developer Nat Hyman has sued. That's another thing he does.

This case is making its way through the legal jungle, but Jennings hates any form of criticism. He is more accustomed to adulation. He also occasionally pens condescending op-eds railing about numerous topics, including how to solve the affordable housing crisis. Hypocritically, when he had an opportunity to provide 20 affordable rental units in Allentown, he said No.

His real schtick over the years has been to threaten banks and wealthy developers unless they give him money. When they do, he gives them cover like he has done with the NIZ. His approach has helped some people over the years, but there's no denying that his shakedowns are nothing short of legal extortion.

He would have done well in the Mafia.

In my Toy Factory story, Jennings was unable to take the public criticism. Like so many public figures, he is incredibly thin-skinned.

Here's a few excerpts from that story, including what people said and how he reacted.

Jennings once again proves he is the north end of a south bound jackass.

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

This stinks and doesn't surprise me that Jennings was involved!

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

All you have to say is “Alan Jennings” and you know the process is corrupt. That guy made a lifetime of fleecing people out of their money and doing nothing for the community. He thinks he’s important and that people admire him. Little does he know that everyone thinks he is do nothing asshole !

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

Ok what the hell is Alan Jennings doing in that room? I swear, I have never seen someone try harder to remain relevant. Alan, you're retired. Enjoy it already.

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

There’s no bigger blowhard in the world than Alan Jennings. If you ask him, he knows everything ! A legend in his own mind.

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

Nat is a decent guy- on the other hand, Alan Jennings has been a scrubber his entire adult life- I wish he would just go away!

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

Hasn’t the First presbyterian Church of Allentown already erected a monument for Alan?

Jennings: Fuck you, coward.

Jennings: Anonymity is cowardice.

Me: That is more often than not true but they could be cowards who are still telling the truth. You, on the other hand, have been behind nearly every major mistake in Allentown, from your rabid support of Fed Ed to your role in the facade grants, and don’t get me started on other communities. Yet you think every time you fart. People should applaud.

Jennings: Speaking of cowards, it's pretty pathetic that you won't publish my response to the paranoid schizophrenics. And you take cheap shots knowing we can't comment on the substance of the lawsuit.

I know you're too smart to believe your bull shit. You know damn well that my salary was among the lowest in the nonprofit sector. You know damn well that I declined raises. You know damn well how modest my home is. You know damn well that I received countless awards from groups throughout the Lehigh Valley, from the Conference of Churches to the Chambers of Commerce, from the US Marine Detachment to the CPA's. You may not know that my papers are in the archives of the Lehigh County Historical Society and that I was inducted into the National Community Action Foundation Hall of Fame. Surely you can''t believe that all of these people are members of Sinister Creeps and Satan Worshipers of America's Lehigh Valley Chapter.

Despite my retirement I continue to volunteer my time working on a range of groups' agendas, including housing, the arts, children and community development.

You, on the other hand, have, for decades, been a mean-spirited loser, a malicious liar who takes pleasure in trying to smear good people trying to do good things for their community, trashing their motives because you hate that people could care for others if for no better reason than that it makes them feel like decent human beings.

So, come after me, you pathetic SOB, remind us what a small, ugly antidote you are for all that is good in our world.

Me: Alan, I have published every comment you submitted, from you patting yourself on the back to the vulgarities. Aren't you special!

Zrinski Plan to Save Northampton Boro Senior Center Falls Short

2026-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Back in July, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski told County Council she was working on a "sustainable operating plan" to save the Northampton Senior Center. Earlier in the year, cuts in federal and state funding had already resulted in the closure of a dozen senior centers across Pennsylvania have already closed, with 40 more on the chopping blck..

She suggested that an autonomous community group could provide volunteers for a newly organized nonprofit like Neighbors in Need. to provide a safe setting fand social interaction or seniors.

Her efforts fell short.

"We tried," she lamented at last week's county council meeting. "We tried to make an agreement to provide a grant to the senior center in Northampton Borough. We even got matching funds and additional state support from Senator Nick Miller to operate one independently while hiring an individual to oversee the senior programming. But the Grace UCC Church voted the proposal down because "the complexity of getting grants and running a senior center would be too much responsibility," even if Northampton Borough agreed to operate it.

"Good intentions often don't land where we want them to," she said.

I believe Zrinski could find the funding for Northampton by merging two senior centers on south side Bethlehem that are within a stone's throw from each other. One is located at the Rooney building, and the other at the Hispanic center. At a time when we should be more inclusive and have even established a Human Relations Commission, why would we want to have separate senior centers for those who speak Spanish and those who don't? With the money saved by this merger, it might be possible to continue the senior center in Northampton.