“Roy’s Rants” Welcomes International Readers!

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Thanks to WordPress.com and their new and improved statistics, I am now able to see what countries my readers are coming from.

We here at Roy’s Rants would like to extend a special welcome to our international readers from the following counties: Canada, Philippines, India, The United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, Bangladesh, Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine and Sri Lanka!  I think I got everyone!  This feature is new and I just noticed it yesterday!  Sorry if I missed anyone!

Of course, many thanks to our readers from the United States!  We appreciate everyone taking time out of their busy day and dropping by Roy’s Rants!

Have a great weekend!

Amtrak Seeks Leisure Travelers

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A banner hanging in Lancaster‘s Amtrak station advertises a special promotion for travelers going to the current Philadelphia flower show.

The 15 percent reduction on tickets on Amtrak’s Keystone line is an effort to get more people to ride the rails rather than drive.

In the near future, there could be similar signs hanging in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station or the Harrisburg train station advertising First Fridays in Lancaster.

Amtrak and the state Transportation Department — Amtrak’s partner in the Keystone line — hope to build more leisure travel on the 104-mile line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Toby Fauver, deputy secretary for local and area transportation, said.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/601295_Amtrak-seeks-leisure-travelers.html#ixzz1ojKUHhx7

North Carolina Businesses Along I-95 Tally Tolling Impact

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Editor’s note:  $19.20 to drive across North Carolina and gas is more than $3.50 a gallon!  This will push more people to trains, buses and airplanes OR onto alternate routes.

Plans to charge a toll on Interstate 95 in North Carolina will make it more difficult for businesses to quickly and cheaply ship goods up and down the East Coast’s chief thoroughfare, critics say.

North Carolina, Virginia and Missouri all are considering tolls as a way to pay for expanding and upgrading interstates. Supporters say drivers from other states will pay much of the costs.

But like most highways, I-95 is itself a hub of businesses drawn to the asphalt link to markets from Maine to Florida.

Food Lion, Wal-Mart, and Lowe’s are some of the companies with North Carolina distribution centers, each employing hundreds of workers, near the highway. The world’s largest hog slaughterhouse operated by Smithfield Foods and one of the nation’s largest food-service distributors for restaurant chains built near the interstate.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/ap/602081_NC-businesses-along-I-95-tally-tolling-impact.html#ixzz1ojH6dDfe

Allentown Jobs: Lehigh Valley Ranks Fourth In Business Development

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Editor’s note:  This is great news for Pennsylvania!

The Lehigh Valley ranked fourth in new business development among mid-size metro areas for 2011 in an annual survey published by Site Selection magazine.

The magazine’s readers include economic development officials and key corporate decision-makers who choose new locations for businesses looking to relocate or expand.

Site Selection ranks metro areas by the number of “corporate facility expansion projects” they attract. In the category of metro areas with populations between 200,000 and 1 million, the Lehigh Valley reported 28 such projects in 2011, one more than the Harrisburg-Carlisle region.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-allentown-area-jobs-ranking-20120309,0,7746005.story

Hodge Podge, To Move From Clayote To Boyertown Storefront

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Editor’s note: Congratulations to my friend Heidi Bauer and her business partner Sandi Evans on moving their store to a larger location!  A win for downtown Boyertown!

Building a Better Boyertown commissioned a study which found that residents wanted to see two more businesses in Boyertown.

The first was a bookstore, and in July, The Book Nook opened at 130 E. Philadelphia Ave.

And now their second request has been met with Hodge Podge thrift and gift shop.

Heidi Bauer and Sandi Evans opened their consignment and area artisan gift store on Feb. 18 in the lower level of Clayote Art Studio and Gallery, 1 E. Philadelphia Ave.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=369474

Fleetwood School District Cuts Could Be Deep, Wide

Proposed staff cuts in the Fleetwood School District aimed at balancing the budget would primarily impact elective courses at the high school and speciality classes at the middle and elementary schools, district officials confirmed Friday.

The proposed cuts, which will be unveiled publicly at Tuesday’s school board meeting, include laying off three teachers and six support staff members, demoting seven teachers to part time and axing the district’s wrestling program. Four more teaching positions would be eliminated through attrition.

The school board will ultimately decide whether to go forward with the changes intended to help the district close a gap of at least $847,000 in its $38.6 million 2012-13 budget.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=370277

Turn Your Clocks Ahead Tonight!

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