87 People Paddle Down The Schuylkill River For The Annual Sojourn

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

POTTSTOWN — Nearly 90 people dragged their kayaks and canoes into the Schuylkill River around 9 a.m. Wednesday as they started the fifth day of the 15th Schuylkill River Sojourn.

The group camped out Tuesday night at Riverfront Park in the borough before paddling 17.8 miles to Mont Clare on Wednesday.

The 112-mile guided kayak and canoe trip started in 1999 after the Schuylkill River was named River of the Year buy the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

According to the group’s website, it takes seven days to reach the Philadelphia Boathouse Row from their launch site in Schuylkill Haven. The canoeists and kayakers paddle between 14 and 18 miles a day, stopping for lunch, then camping overnight.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130606/NEWS01/130609563/87-people-paddle-down-the-schuylkill-river-for-the-annual-sojourn#full_story

First Snowfall Of Season In Forecast

Berks County could get a taste of snow this week.

Forecasters are expecting a slushy accumulation Tuesday. The snow, expected to amount to 1 to 2 inches, should start between midnight and 4 a.m. and end during the afternoon, said Mike Pigott of AccuWeather near State College.

But it’s not likely to stick around.

“A lot of it will actually melt on the roadways, but there could be a slushy coating,” Pigott said.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=431275

Isaac Becomes Category 1 Hurricane Near Gulf Coast

(Updated at 1:13 p.m.) MIAMI — Isaac became a hurricane Tuesday that could flood the coasts of four states with storm surge and heavy rains on its way to New Orleans, where residents hunkered down behind levees fortified after Katrina struck seven years ago this week.

Shelters were open for those who chose to stay or missed the chance to get away before the outer bands of the large storm blow ashore ahead of a forecast landfall in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday night or early Wednesday.  However, with the exception of some low-lying areas, officials had not ordered mass evacuations.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph.  It could get stronger by the time it’s expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana.

In Houma, a city southwest of New Orleans, people filled a municipal auditorium-turned-shelter.  However, in the bayou country of Terrebonne Parish off Highway 24, storms pose a perennial dilemma for those living a hardscrabble life.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120828/NEWS04/120829390/updated-isaac-becomes-cat-1-hurricane-near-gulf-coast&pager=full_story