Thomas Hylton Tells Derry Township How To Be All They Can Be

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From the Derry Township website:

Speaker to Kick-Off the Review of the Comprehensive Plan

Pulitzer Prize winning author of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns and Smart Growth leader, Tom Hylton, will kick-off the Township’s Comprehensive Plan survey, Your Vision for Derry Township, on Monday, September 12, at 7 p.m., at the Hershey Public Library. (The survey will be available online at www.derrytownship.org in late August.)

Hylton won the Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles he wrote about Smarth Growth issues in Eastern Pennsylvania.  He also authored and produced a documentary that showed on WITF.  He will discuss Smart Growth, Walk to School Programs, and how to make a community the best that it can be.  (Because it has worked so well in Pottstown)

The September 12th event is free and open to the public.  However, seating is limited. To reserve a seat, email SandyBallard@derrytownship.org and she will mark a seat(s) with your name on it until 6:45 PM and notify you via email if the event needs to be moved to a larger location.

Visit saveourlandsaveourtowns.org for more information on Tom Hylton.  Funding for the presentation is being provided through a Dauphin County grant. (Money for glossy mailers in November)

All I can say to the nice folks in Derry Township is, before you go getting all in a lather, come to Pottstown and see Mr. Hylton’s handiwork first-hand.

J. C. Penney Store At King Of Prussia Mall Splurges On Remodel

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J.C. Penney is the last original anchor store at the King of Prussia Plaza.  The plaza opened in 1963 with Penney’s, Wanamaker’s and Korvette’s as anchor stores.  To celebrate nearly 50 years at the Plaza, the store splurged on a makeover!

To read all about it, click here: http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2011/09/13/business/doc4e6fe79c39906162083352.txt

Harrisburg City Council Rejects Act 47 Plan And Mayor’s Plan – State Takeover Likely

Harrisburg City Council rejected the Act 47 plan, and now they have rejected Mayor Linda Thompson’s plan one last time.  Critics say the mayor’s plan is basically the same plan as presented by the Act 47 team.

Rejecting the mayoral plan means the original plan will end up being enforced by the Commonwealth.  Council is delaying the inevitable.  However, denying the plan gives naysayers the ability to distance themselves from the plan should it go badly.  This amounts to a CYA move for the no votes on council and the ability to come back and say “I told you so!” later.

Governor Corbett says he will sign legislation to appoint an oversight board to enforce the state recommended financial recovery plan.  Harrisburg is $310 million dollars in debt from a failed retrofit of the city’s incinerator.

Grim Report On Pennsylvania Damages From Tropical Storm Lee

The latest estimate on the number of homes damaged or destroyed in Pennsylvania, by Tropical Storm Lee, is 4,500.  This number is likely to rise as 4,500 is a preliminary estimate.

19 counties were declared disaster areas by President Obama and are eligible for federal disaster relief aid.

Pottsgrove Manor River Walk Sept. 24‏th

Pottstown, Pennsylvania — On Saturday, September 24, Pottsgrove Manor’s historic site supervisor will offer an informative walking tour from the Manor to the Riverfront Park along the Schuylkill River. The walk will begin at Pottsgrove Manor at 11:00 a.m. and will conclude at the site at 2:00 p.m.

Along the way, we will discuss the history and importance of the Manatawny Creek and the Schuylkill River to the ironworking business of the Potts family.  A picnic lunch along the river will be provided before heading back to the Manor.  An optional guided tour of the house will be offered upon returning to Pottsgrove Manor.  Please bring water, wear sunscreen and/or a hat, and wear comfortable shoes.  The route is approximately 2 miles of paved trail and sidewalk.  The terrain is mostly flat, with one set of stairs.

There is a fee of $15 for this program.  Registration is required by September 20th.  Registrants will be given a choice of boxed lunches when they call to register.

Pottsgrove Manor, home of John Potts, colonial ironmaster and founder of Pottstown, 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.

Regular museum hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Tours are given on the hour; last tour of the day begins as 3:00 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling 610.326.4014. For more information and a full calendar of events, visit us on the web at

http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor or http://www.facebook.com/PottsgroveManor.

Magic For Miracles – A Benefit For Alex’s Lemonade Stand – Sunday, September 18th

Magic Show to Benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Sunday September 18th, 2011 – Show starts @ 2:00pm

at 

Jacksonwald Elementary School,100 Church Lane Road

Reading,PA (ExeterTownship)

Tickets $5 each

100% of the money raised goes directly to Alex’s Lemonade Stand for childhood cancer research in memory of Shelli Lafferty.

For Ticket information contact Ryan Parsons (610) 779-5880 or email ryanparsons@comcast.net

6 magical acts for the whole family featuring members of

The Mingus Magic Club

Pittsburgh Is Getting Younger – Average Age Of City Residents Falling

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Pittsburgh has become an example of reverse brain drain.  The City of Pittsburgh is attracting more and more people in their 20’s and 30’s.  The median age of city residents fell from 35.5 to 33.2 in the last ten years.  (By comparison, the median age of Pennsylvania’s 12.7 million residents in 2010 was 40.1, up from 38.0 in 2000.)  This phenomenon is rarely seen outside the Sun Belt and never in the Rust Belt.  But then again, this isn’t you’re parent’s Pittsburgh, anymore.

The smokey steel city of the 40’s and 50’s is long gone.  Heavy industry has been replaced with education, health-care, robotics, computer technology and other high-tech and green industry.  Pittsburgh is building itself a more diversified economy and consistently ranks high on the list of America’s Most Livable Cities.  The cost of living in Pittsburgh makes it very attractive to young people.

Because of all these factors, and more, Pittsburgh will be hosting the One Young World Summit in 2012.  2,000 young leaders from 160 countries will be coming to Pittsburgh to discuss topics like global health, climate change and micro-economics.  Most of these delegates will be in their 20’s.  This will be the third year for One Young World.  Last year the event was held in London and this year it was held in Zurich.

Pittsburgh beat out Johannesburg, South Africa to host One Young World in 2012.  Other countries that bid for the conference besides South Africa were China, Australia, Peru and Dubai.  Pittsburgh was the only American city bidding to host this event.