E-mail: Jennifer.Marangos@patch.com

Telephone: 610-390-6559

Lives: Emmaus

Although born and raised in New Jersey, I have called the Lehigh Valley home in one way or another for the last two decades. I arrived in the Lehigh Valley as an undergraduate student at Lehigh University, which was followed by graduate school at Lehigh. After a brief stint living overseas, including time in my husband's homeland, Cyprus, we decided to return to Pennsylvania with our young son. We planned to move back to Bethlehem, where we had met, but our search for a place to live in the Bethlehem area proved extremely difficult. Then, the Fates smiled on us, connecting us to a new Realtor who brought us to  a lovely townhouse in the borough of Emmaus. It didn't take us long to realize that Emmaus was the perfect place for us. Now, five years and a second son later, we live in Vera Cruz and are simply thrilled to call Emmaus home.

Basics:

E-mail: Josh.Popichak@patch.com

Phone: 610-216-6043

Where I live: Bethlehem, PA

Birthday: July 30, 1977

Bio: Josh is a Lehigh Valley native whose mom's side of the family has called the Bethlehem area home for about half a century. He currently lives in Bethlehem, not far from where he grew up, but he feels a strong connection to the Saucon Valley. His interest in all things Saucon developed as a result of covering news and events in both Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township, first as a reporter and then as editor for the Saucon News. When he's not working, he enjoys day trips, cooking, spending time with good friends and some nerdier pursuits, such as reading articles on Wikipedia.

Beliefs:

At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

Politics: I'm a registered Democrat and I'm generally liberal on social issues in particular.

Religion: I was raised Moravian but I no longer regularly attend services. I have family members who are Russian Orthodox as well a grandfather who's an ordained Moravian minister.

Local Hot-Button Issues: The two main hot-button issues I've written extensively about over the last year are property taxes and impact from the Bethlehem casino. Of course there are many other important issues impacting Saucon Valley residents that I am interested in understanding and discussing.

Mary Ellen Alu has been a journalist for 32 years, since 1978. Her first newspaper job was near her home town, at the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre,  where, with colleague Betty Roccograndi, she won a national public service award for a series on Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18, primarily examining how directors spent taxpayers' money. She joined The Morning Call in Allentown,  in 1989, first as a reporter, writing primarily for the Sunday edition. She moved to the metro desk in the mid-1990s, and she served as an assistant metro editor there for more than a decade. She supervised coverage of the city of Allentown, the county of Lehigh, crime and police matters, health and medical issues, Latino affairs and courts. She also led special projects, supervising teams of reporters and editing content on a range of social and cultural issues.

Madhavi Saifee is a Regional Publisher for Patch in Northern NJ.  She is excited to join the Patch team and comes with indepth experience in the online news industry.  

e-mail: Daryl.Nerl@patch.com

telephone: 610-213-3988

Lives: Catasauqua

Born: October 31, 1966

Biography: Daryl is a Brooklyn, N.Y. native who has lived in eastern Pennsylvania since graduating from New York University in 1988. He started a newspaper career at The Pottsville Republican on his 22nd birthday. He moved to Bethlehem in 1998 after becoming a reporter for The Morning Call where he worked for 10 years. He is an avid baseball fan who participates in three fantasy leagues and roots for the New York Mets. A music lover, Daryl collects CDs, mostly in the rock, blues and folk genres. He also loves to hear live music whenever he has the time. Godrey Daniels coffee house in South Bethlehem is one of his favorite haunts. Musikfest week is one of his favorite times of year. During visits to the Lehigh Valley, his parents became so fond of Bethlehem, they decided to leave Brooklyn and retire here. Daryl is single and lives alone.

At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.

Politics: I am a registered Democrat and acknowledge that most people would find my views to be liberal. At the same time, I have a streak of libertarianism, especially where it concerns issues of personal freedom. I consider myself a pragmatist.

Religion: I was baptised and raised with Catholicism, but these days I consider myself a nonbeliever, much to my mother's chagrin.

Local Hot Buttons: There are none in particular that raise my hackles. I am generally a supporter of historic architectural preservation because I think it is important to preserve links to our past. I also think this principle has been a key to Bethlehem's charm and success. I don't believe the new casino has been detrimental to the community. It has created jobs, which are important right now. At the same time, I am always open to listen to any evidence to the contrary.

 Peggy Heminitz moved with her husband and their three boys to Upper Milford Township 23 years ago. She wanted a country atmosphere.  Peggy was born and raised in Minesite were she was involved with 4H. It's also where she became a journalist. She was a columnist for the East Penn Press. Peggy and her husband are the grandparents of four grandchildren.  Her hobbies include counted cross-stitch, knitting and taking walks.

I am a local boy, born and raised in Salisbury Township. I left the Valley for several years pursuing job opportunities, only later to return. I now live in Salisbury Township again and my children attend the same school where I went. I am a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and I've been on the culinary scene for over 34 years. My friends call me Chef Eric. My stepdaughters just call me Chef. Food is very important in our lives. We eat well to be well. Flavor, texture, appearance and aroma stimulate our senses and entice our palates. I believe in preparing food with local, fresh, wholesome and nutritious ingredients. Good food is not just a passion for us it is a way of life.

Phil Meyer is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism in the spring of 2008.  He joined the Journalism School in 1981 and served as Knight Chair in Journalism Professor from 1993-2008.  Prior to joining the school, he held a number of reporter and research positions at various media outlets. 

He has won numerous awards including the 2005 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Research About Journalism (with Scott Maier). He was named a Fellow of Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. In 2004, the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him its Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. And in 2000 he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.

Meyer is the author of several books including The Vanishing Newspaper:  Saving Journalism in the Information Age and Precision Journalism:  A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods.  Journalism Quarterly in 2000 listed this book as one of the 35 significant books of the 20th century in journalism and mass communication; and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, observing its 50th anniversary in 1996, listed it as one of 50 significant books on public opinion research.

He received his B.S. in technical journalism from Kansas State University and his M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

Steven Berlin Johnson is a pioneer in the web world, as a co-founder of FEED, Plastic.com, and Outside.in, which was acquired by Patch in March of 2011. He also co-created Findings.com, which launched in late 2011. Steven was the 2009 Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at The Journalism School at Columbia University, and served for several years as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU’s Journalism School. He is a bestselling author of seven books, and won acclaim and a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2010 Time Magazine cover story, "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live." 

Speaking of Steven's editorial prowess, check out this video based on Steven's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, which was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist.

Brian was Editor-in-Chief of Time Out New York magazine before coming to Patch. Before that he worked for a variety of publications both online and off, including Details magazine, New York Magazine, and the old, dearly departed Sidewalk.com. He has written for numerous publications, from the New York Times magazine to Harper's Bazaar. He graduated from Bowdoin College and got an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University so he could put his novel in a drawer with distinction. He lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, adorable son, angelic daughter and the world's most dog-like cat. He’s proud as hell of what the Patch team has built.

Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.  He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states.

He also is past-president of the American Society of News Editors, the nation’s largest organization of news media leaders.

Paulson also was the host of the Emmy-honored television program “Speaking Freely,” seen in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons, and the author of "Freedom Sings," a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses.  

He was an early advocate of making newspaper content available online, launching online newspapers in both Florida and New York in 1993.

For 12 years, Paulson was a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was honored with the API Lifetime Service Award. In 2010 and 2011, he served as chair of the PBS Editorial Standards Review Committee.

In 2007, Paulson was named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, “the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for extraordinary contributions to the profession.” In 2008, he  received the Robert S. Abbott Memorial Award for Meritorious Service in Mass Communications from the Southern Regional Press Institute. He has also been elected to the Illini Publishing Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from American University.