Montco Commissioners Tell Pottstown The Era Of The “Big Check” Is Over

Editor’s note:  What else is new.  The county is over involved in Pottstown‘s affairs and has helped to create a great deal of the problems Pottstown and Norristown both face by making them the dumping group for Section 8 Housing and social services.  Now we just wash our hands and say “see ya”.  Typical!

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — Say goodbye to the big, giant check.

That was one of several messages Montgomery County Commissioners Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards had for Pottstown officials last week during a rare joint meeting of borough council, school board and members of the board of Pottstown Area Industrial Development, or PAID.

Officially, the joint meeting was also the required annual meeting of PAID at which the executive director, Steve Bamford, is required to give a report on the activities of the year before.

But since Bamford was not hired until November, there was not much to tell.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120529/NEWS01/120529365/montco-commissioners-tell-pottstown-era-of-the-big-check-is-over-(video)

Pottstown Crash Deaths Focus Shifts To Drug Sale

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The investigation into a Monday night crash that killed two people and critically injured a third shifted Thursday to a downtown store that allegedly sold synthetic marijuana to one of the crash victims.

According to court documents obtained exclusively by The Mercury Thursday, members of Pottstown’s Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 315 and 317 E. High St., which houses a convenience store called the Achi Store.

As investigators were searching Tuesday for Roger Tracey Malloy, 27, of 303 N. York St., Pottstown, the driver in the fatal wreck, authorities learned that one of Malloy’s passengers, 16-year-old Kendall Harper, of Pottstown, had purchased K2, or synthetic marijuana, from the Achi Store, according to court papers filed seeking the warrant.

According to court papers, authorities learned in their investigation that Malloy has been smoking K2 and drinking before the crash occurred.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120525/NEWS01/120529577/search-warrant-for-drugs-served-on-pottstown-store-&pager=full_story

Pay Frozen For Most Boyertown School District Administrators

The Boyertown School Board has voted to freeze most administrators’ salaries for the 2012-13 year, saving the district nearly $70,000.

Dr. Dion E. Betts, superintendent, had requested that the board freeze his salary earlier this month.

At its meeting Tuesday, the board approved the freeze unanimously for a savings of about $9,000.

It also voted 7-2 to freeze the salaries of all of the district’s 17 principals, assistant principals and special-education directors, for a savings of about $60,000.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=388974

Pottstown Borough Manager Lured Away By West Norriton Township

Location of West Norriton Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Pottstown‘s loss is West Norriton‘s gain.  And it is Pottstown’s loss!  Good luck finding somebody to replace Jason!  We wish Jason the best of luck in his new position and thank him for leaving Pottstown in better shape than he found it.

POTTSTOWN, Pa.  — Borough Manager Jason Bobst is leaving the post he has held for three years to take a job as the township manager of West Norriton.

With the 90 days’ notice his contract requires, his last day will fall sometime in August.

Bobst said Tuesday he had not been looking for long, “but I saw an opportunity that opened up and it piqued my interest.”

He was helped in what he said was “a difficult decision” by “ongoing issues around here,” but he declined to elaborate.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120522/NEWS01/120529831/pottstown-borough-manager-hired-by-west-norriton

Man In Hospital After Sunday Night Shooting In Pottstown

Editor’s note:  All is well.  Keep moving.  Nothing to look at here!

http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-southeasternpa/Man-in-hospital-after-burst-of-gunfire-in-Montgomery-Co-Sunday-night/-/121434/13498286/-/13jocrh/-/index.html

Wyomissing Schools Chief Downplays Pending Departure

It’s been 39 years, but Wyomissing School District Superintendent David P. Krem can still remember his first day in the classroom as an elementary teacher.

It was 1973.

He was teaching fourth grade.

And there were firecrackers.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=387472

Montgomery County Community College Graduates Largest Class In Its History

Location of Whitpain Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WHITPAIN — Sarah Munson told the Montgomery County Community College class of 2012 Thursday evening to be proud to say they are graduates of the school, considering the hard work each person put in to finish his or her degree.

“I hope as you walk across that stage tonight and receive your diploma that you have that same pride that I do, for you are not just graduating students, you are workers, veterans, single parents,” Munson said in her student address.

The largest class in history graduated from the community college on Thursday; a total of 1,392 students received 1,417 associate degrees and certificates. This year’s commencement ceremony was the 45th in the college’s history and was held at the central campus in Blue Bell for the first time in two years after renovations on major campus buildings were completed.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120518/NEWS01/120519475/mccc-graduates-largest-class-in-its-history

Meet Captain Buy Local And Trusty Sidekick Small Biz

 

Monday, May 21st – 7:00 to 8:00 PM

Pottstown

Visitor’s Center / PDIDA Office

17 North Hanover Street

Collegeville Farmers Market Gets A Jump On Second Season

COLLEGEVILLE, PA - Is one of your favorite days of the year the day the farmers’ markets open for the season?

Much-needed relief from a long, up-and-down winter will be sent on Saturday, with predicted temperatures in the 80s and, more importantly, the opening of the Collegeville Farmers’ Market.

Helping CFM launch its second season are returning vendors like the ever-popular gelato folks (Jenny & Frank’s) and first-of-the-season veggies – lettuce, swiss chard and the like – from Down Home Acres in Fleetwood.

Hand-crafted gifts, locally grown and produced artisan foods, activities for the entire family, and the music of Kendal Conrad round out the market’s 2012 debut.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-times-herald/story/collegeville-farmers-market-gets-jump-second-season/1

Rep. Tom Quigley To Speak At TriCounty Network May Meeting – Focusing On Local Job Creation

WHAT:      TriCounty Community Network (TCN) will be hosting Rep. Tom Quigley (146^th District, Montgomery County) at its May 15 meeting.  Rep. Quigley will be focusing on his jobs platform, discussing job creation initiatives, such as Employ PA, which is aimed at improving legal, regulatory, and tax areas for large and small companies to help them prosper and move forward, and ultimately create jobs and boost the economy.

This event comes one day before the 2^nd Annual TriCounty Community Career Fair, sponsored by the TCN Exelon Nuclear Workforce Development Program, where more than 70 employers will be exhibiting and more than 500 job seekers are expected.   

WHO:        TCN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, membership-based organization that partners with nonprofits, businesses and community members to improve health, social and environmental conditions.  Serving Western Montgomery, Northern Chester and Eastern Berks counties in Pennsylvania, TCN offers seven key programs: Build Up Youth, CARE (Caring in Alternative Residential Environments), Environmental Awareness, Family Literacy, Homeless Services, SAFE (Supporting Abuse Free Environments), and Workforce Development.  For more information on TCN, visit www.tcnetwork.org. 

WHEN:      Tuesday, May 15, 2012

                        8:00am – 10:00am

WHERE:     Montgomery County Community College – West Campus

                          101 College Drive

                           Pottstown, PA

COST:            Free

RSVP:            Members of the media should RSVP to Karen Higgins, A&E Communications, at khiggins@aandecomm.com or 610-831-5723.  To register for the May 15^th meeting or for questions on the May 16^th Career Fair, contact TCN at 610-705-3301 ext. 2.

TriCounty Community Network Announces The Addition Of John Hendrickson To Its Board Of Directors

Pottstown, Pa. (April 27, 2012) – TriCounty Community Network (TCN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health, social and environmental conditions in Western Montgomery, Northern Chester and Eastern Berks counties in Pennsylvania, today announced that John Hendrickson has joined its board of directors.  Mr. Hendrickson currently serves as CEO of Frederick Living, a non-profit retirement community located in Frederick, Pa.

“John will be an excellent addition to our board,” said Jen Doyle, executive director for TCN.  “His experience as the CEO of a non-profit organization will prove invaluable in helping us to maximize the collaboration within and beyond the current TCN membership to impact residents of our local communities.” 

Mr. Hendrickson has been CEO of Frederick Living since 2005 and has served as executive director of two other retirement communities.  For 14 years, he served in progressively responsible positions at Nyack College (Nyack, N.Y.) culminating in responsibilities as associate dean/registrar in 1990.

Mr. Hendrickson serves on the board of directors of the Anabaptist Provider Group, and has also served on the LeadingAge PA (formerly PANPHA) board of directors.  He earned his B.A. in social science from Nyack College and an M.S. Ed in counseling and personnel services from Fordham University.  Post graduate work in higher and adult education was at Teachers College, Columbia University and he also attended Alliance Theological Seminary.  Mr. Hendrickson is a licensed nursing home administrator in the State of Pennsylvania. 

About TriCounty Community Network                 

TCN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, membership-based organization that partners with nonprofits, businesses and community members to improve health, social and environmental conditions.  Serving Western Montgomery, Northern Chester and Eastern Berks counties in Pennsylvania, TCN offers seven key programs: Build Up Youth, C.A.R.E. (Caring in Alternative Residential Environments), Environmental Awareness, Family Literacy, Homeless Services, S.A.F.E. (Supporting Abuse Free Environments), and Workforce Development.  For more information on TCN, visit www.tcnetwork.org.

“Come To The Fair!” – Annual Colonial May Fair At Pottsgrove Manor

Pottstown, Pennsylvania – Celebrate spring at the Annual Colonial May Fair held at historic Pottsgrove Manor on Saturday, May 5^th from 11:00am to 5:00pm.

This yearly event is a fun-filled day with activities for all ages—games, music, dancing, and crafts. New to the fair this year is colonial conjurer Levram the Great, who will perform colonial magic shows and entertain visitors with pocket magic tricks throughout the day. Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre returns again this year to perform the puppet shows St. George and the Dragon and their brand-new adaptation of the classic Cinderella. They will also provide festive historic music around the grounds during the event. Members of the Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble will demonstrate authentic country dances and will lead visitors in dances around the Maypole to open and close the fair. 

In addition to the entertainment, a variety of Early American crafters and demonstrators will be on hand to display historic skills and trades and sell their wares. Young visitors can compete in hoop races, play with colonial toys and games, help churn butter, and more! The first floor of colonial ironmaster John Potts’ 1752 manor house will be open for self-guided tours during the fair. Historic foodways expert Deborah Peterson of Deborah Peterson’s Pantry will be demonstrating open-hearth cooking in the Pottsgrove Manor kitchen. Visitors can also shop at the Manor’s museum shop for colonial games, books, and unique gifts. 

While visitors can’t try the food cooked in the colonial kitchen, they will be able to purchase food during the event, including a variety of tasty baked goods from the Milkman Lunch Co. and Cake Shoppe of Pottstown.

A donation of $2 per person is suggested for this event. Visitors are asked to park at the Carousel at Pottstown building, 30 West King Street. Visitors can also stop in to the Carousel and see the progress that is being made there. Pottstown’s restored trolley will be giving FREE rides during the fair between the “First Saturday” activities downtown, the Carousel at Pottstown, and Pottsgrove Manor. Handicapped parking is available in the museum’s parking lot.

Pottstown Manor is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks and Heritage Services Department. For more information, call 610.326.4014, or visit us on the web at http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor.

Governor Corbett To Attend Solar Farm Unveiling In Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE, PA – State officials including Gov. Tom Corbett will be visiting Aqua America‘s largest water treatment facility Friday for the unveiling of a 6.5-acre solar farm.  According to a press release from Aqua America, Corbett will be at the Pickering water treatment facility around 11 a.m. as the company unveils the $6.5 million solar farm that powers the facility serving half a million residents of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The panels will provide 1.5 megawatts of power.

Read more:  http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-times-herald/story/corbett-attend-solar-farm-unveiling-phoenixville-0/1

SPRING-FORD YOUTH COMMUNITY THEATER TO PRESENT THE LARAMIE PROJECT

High School Students Tackle Controversial Play

Spring-Ford Youth Community Theater to Present The Laramie Project

ROYERSFORD, PA  – Spring-Ford Youth Community Theater is proud to present The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project at the Spring-Ford 8^th Grade Center located at 700 Washington Street, Royersford, PA 19468. Performances run Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, May 3^rd through the 12^th.  Curtain is a 7:30 p.m.

The cast is made up of high school students in grades 10 through 12.  Spring-Ford Youth Community Theater President, Bonnie Fetteroff, directs.  Laramie is the capstone production for the group’s 2011-2012 season, its 14^th.

The extensive research that would ultimately become The Laramie Project began in November 1998, one month after Matthew Shepard, a young, openly gay man, was abducted, brutally beaten, tied to a fence and left to die on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming.  Over the course of eighteen months, the writers traveled to Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews with its residents to document the community’s views on homosexuality, their reaction to the crime itself as well as to the fact that the perpetrators were two local youth.

The New York Times hailed The Laramie Project as an “. . . enormously good-willed, very earnest and often deeply moving work of theatrical journalism . . .” and Curtain Up called it “. . . a play of forceful but never showy dramatic impact, its seriousness leavened with laughter”.

The Laramie Project asks the audience to call into question the beliefs and values that form the very foundation of modern society: faith, trust, tolerance, forgiveness, community, and the desire for truth.

Please Note: Due to adult themes and language, this production is only suitable for mature audiences.

 Tickets for The Laramie Project are available at the door at a price of $10, advanced tickets are available for $6 from any cast member or by emailing tickets@sfyct.org.

Job Announcements

Pottstown Family Center/Family Services of Montgomery County

Position: Family Involvement Specialist.  Part Time: 12 hours per week @ $10.00 per hour.

Minimum Associate’s Degree in social work, early childhood education, human development/related field OR high school diploma with at least two years of related work experience preferred. Minimum two years working with parents and young children. Valid PA driver’s license and insurance; Child Abuse clearance, PA & FBI criminal background checks. Responsibilities: Assess general welfare needs of families and assist families in goal formulation and completion; collaboration with families and professionals in community agencies and schools; recruitment of families for open programs; provide initial support and follow-up with families; assist with parent group meetings. Qualifications: Knowledge of child development patterns, parent education, family systems and community resources; Bilingual a plus

Contact: Jessica McCartin (610.326.1610), fax resume (610.326.3104) or via email   jmccartin@fsmontco.org by 5/2/12

——————–

Family Services’ Project HOPE is seeking a full time medical case manager to work with clients infected with HIV/AIDS throughout Montgomery County, PA.  The medical case management position will entail linking clients infected with HIV/AIDS to infectious disease doctors and monitoring their progress through treatment adherence and quality of care.  This position will be located in Family Services’ Eagleville Office.  We are looking for a bachelor’s level staff person with experience in case management and working with persons who have a chronic disease.  Fluency in Spanish is a plus but, not necessary to apply for the position.  Candidate must have a car and current car insurance.  All interested candidates should send their resume to Daiquiri Robinson, program director, at DRobinson@fsmontco.org.

City Of Reading Hires Montgomery County Firm For Payroll

At Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer’s request, City Council on Monday awarded data processing giant ADP a $214,100 contract to take over the city’s payroll operations.

The move will get rid of an error-prone, in-house system for which the IRS has fined the city more than $100,000.

“We’re not payroll experts; we’re getting out of the business,” said Christopher Zale, acting director of administrative services.

The IRS fines - $50,400 each for tax years 2007 and 2008 because the city’s W-2 forms weren’t compatible with IRS computers, and weren’t re-filed properly until months after the deadline – were levied in 2010.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=378811

Coroner: Cardinal Bevilacqua Died Of Natural Causes

Image via Wikipedia

NORRISTOWN — A suburban Philadelphia coroner said Thursday that 88-year-old Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua died of natural causes a day after he had been ruled competent to testify at the child-endangerment trial of a longtime aide.

Officials had said Bevilacqua, who served as archbishop from 1988 to 2003, was suffering from dementia and cancer. But last month, prosecutors asked the coroner to investigate because of the timing of his death.

Bevilacqua, spiritual leader of the archdiocese’s 1.5 million Roman Catholics from 1988 to 2003, died Jan. 31 at a seminary and was laid to rest without an autopsy. He was suffering from dementia and cancer, according to church officials and his lawyers, and his death was widely assumed to be from natural causes.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-cause-philadelphia-cardinal-death-20120308,0,7254939.story

Foster Grandparent Program At Appalachian Brewing Co., Collegeville

Image via Wikipedia

Party with a Purpose

Eat, drink and shop at Appalachian Brewing Company while raising money for the Foster Grandparent Program and learning about Decorating Den Interiors. 

Thursday, April 12, 11am-10pm

Appalachian Brewing Company, 50 West 3rd Avenue, Collegeville, PA

11 a.m.-10 p.m.    Order from a special fundraising menu, bid on silent auction items, and receive a free design consultation from Decorating Den Interiors

5-9 p.m.    Shop with local vendors (Silpada, Tastefully Simple, and many more!)

For more information, call the Foster Grandparent Program at 610-630-0201. The Foster Grandparent Program, a program of Family Services, provides volunteer opportunities for limited-income seniors over the age of 55 to help children with special needs.

Casino Nears Completion At Valley Forge Convention Center

Image via Wikipedia

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on Pennsylvania’s 11th slot-machine casino, set to open next month at a convention center just outside Valley Forge National Historical Park.

The sounds of drills, power lifts and hammers filled the air at the still-under-construction casino Tuesday, when the casino’s operators gave tours of the new facility. That cacophony, however, will soon give way to the cha-ching of coins and the whirr of slot machines when the casino fully opens for business on March 31 with 600 slots and 50 table games.

The scheduled opening comes as competition for gamblers is growing in the suburban Philadelphia market, which already has the Parx Casino in Bensalem, SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack in Chester. By law, Pennsylvania could one day be home to 14 casinos.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-valley-forge-casino-20120228,0,6627210.story

Grammy Winner Is A Homegrown Celebrity, Working In A Montco Supermarket

Congratulations KEVIN!

CHELTENHAM, Pa. (CBS) — One Grammy winner last week is now back at work at his “day job” — working in a Shop Rite supermarket in Cheltenham, Montgomery County.

Kevin Mackie was in California last week to pick up a Grammy award.  His “All About Bullies, Big and Small” won as best children’s album of the year.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/02/16/grammy-winner-is-a-homegrown-celebrity-working-in-a-montco-supermarket/