Harrisburg Leaders Believe Bankruptcy Is Inevitable For City

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Editor’s note:  How very sad that the capital city of this great Commonwealth has deteriorated to this extent!

The Patriot-News Editorial Board met Thursday with City Controller Dan Miller, Council President Wanda Williams and City Treasurer John Campbell.  Below is an excerpt of the conversation.

Q: Where do things stand in the city now?
Dan Miller: We’re going into bankruptcy.  The question is will we have the assets or won’t we have the assets [when we do].  Just because we adopt a plan, that’s not going to solve the problem.  I think [receiver] David Unkovic knows the same thing.

Wanda Williams: I had an opportunity to talk to Jefferson County, Ala., officials last weekend.  They tried to derive a plan there similar to Unkovic’s, but the people were up in arms and they said no, we are not going to allow you to sell our assets.  What you’re going to do is sell our assets and we’re going to be left with nothing, and we’ve been telling Unkovic that.  Where do you derive the revenue from after you sell all our assets?  Now Jefferson County has filed bankruptcy, and the judge is making that determination.  Their assets are safe for the time being. I see this as a ploy — Gov. Corbett has asked [Unkovic] to come in and do a plan, but in the interim, we’re going to be selling assets and filing for bankruptcy.

 Q: How significant was the city’s general obligation default on March 15?
Miller: I suspect we’re not paying any more debt for the rest of the year. I’m not the decision maker, but if you’re not going to pay it now, you’re not going to pay it anymore.  Unkovic is projecting a $9.5 million deficit.  I’m calculating $15 million.  We’re both acknowledging it’s a big deficit for this year.  Our general debt service is about $11 million a year.  Even if you sell the assets, it’s not going to impact the budget. We’re out of money.

Read more:http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/03/harrisburg_leaders_believe_ban.html

Gallery School Of Pottstown Fundraiser Travels To Venice For Carnival

Pottstown, PA – The non-profit Gallery School of Pottstown will hold its signature fundraiser on March 31 from 6 – 9pm at Brookside Country Club in Pottstown.  The theme for Fashion Plates 6 is Carnival in Venice.

This annual fundraiser returns to its roots as an evening, couples-friendly event.  Guests will enjoy amazing food, an unlimited signature cocktail and wonderful entertainment.  Community members will model in a fabulous fashion show, sponsored by Boscov’s Department Stores.  A magician, a harpist and more will entertain guests during the cocktail hour and as they browse the silent auction.  Every guest will also be eligible for fun door prizes.

The food for the evening will begin with an antipasti bar during the cocktail hour.  Guests can enjoy the unlimited signature cocktail, or take advantage of the cash bar.  Dinner will be a deluxe salad bar, a beef station with chef-carved top round of beef, and a pasta station with smoked mozzarella and roasted red pepper ravioli with plum tomato and pesto cream sauce, and penne tossed with sautéed julienne peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes in a parmesan marinara sauce.  After dinner, guests can enjoy a variety of delectable desserts.  All proceeds benefit the mission of the non-profit Gallery School: to enrich the lives of the residents in the greater Pottstown area through the visual arts.

This event is generously sponsored by VIST Financial, Unlimited Restoration Specialists, Inc., and Boscov’s Department Stores.  Table sponsors include Boenning & Scattergood, Inc., Independence Planning Group, Heartland Abstract, Inc., Dolan & Mayerson, P.C., Sager & Sager, J.H. White Financial, Creative Health Services and Your Claim to Frame.  Entertainment sponsors include Pete La Rosa Productions; 513 Entertainment; Betsy Chapman, Harpist; and Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly.

The Gallery School of Pottstown is a 501c3 non-profit community art school and gallery.  The School offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages.  The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence.  The Gallery on High hosts rotating shows featuring local artists.  The Gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The Gallery on High is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am – 4:30pm and Saturday 10am – 3pm.  The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.
 
 The Gallery School of Pottstown
@Gallery on High
254 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
610-326-2506
www.galleryonhigh.org

Game Commission Gives $250,000 To Hawk Mountain For Amphitheater

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The Pennsylvania Game Commission has given Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County $250,000 toward the construction of an amphitheater that will bear the commission’s name.

The 2,500-acre sanctuary in Albany Township welcomes about 70,000 visitors a year and is considered one of the best places in the Northeast to watch the annual autumn raptor migration. It is in the midst of a $10 million capital improvement campaign.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission Amphitheater will replace the current structure, where sanctuary educators present live raptor programs and school and other groups gather.

“The current amphitheater … offers no sheltered stage area and the wooden benches retain moisture,” sanctuary President Jerry Regan said.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-hawk-mountain-ampitheater-20120316,0,1907579.story

Former Rutgers Student Convicted In Webcam Suicide Case

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A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate’s love life was convicted of invasion of privacy and anti-gay intimidation Friday in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim threw himself to his death off a bridge.

Dharun Ravi, 20, shook his head slightly after hearing the guilty verdicts on all 15 counts against him.

He could get several years in prison — and could be deported to his native India, even though he has lived legally in the U.S. since he was a little boy — for an act that cast a spotlight on teen suicide and anti-gay bullying and illustrated the Internet’s potential for tormenting others.

Prosecutors said Ravi set up a webcam in his dorm room in September 2010 and captured roommate Tyler Clementi kissing another man, then tweeted about it and excitedly tried to catch Clementi in the act again two days later. A half-dozen students were believed to have seen the live video of the kissing.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-rutgers-suicide-verdict-20120316,0,208244.story

The Tavern On Penn Opens In Former Penn Cecil Hotel Location

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From a pizzeria in Rehrersburg to a corner tavern in Spring Township, Michelle Giorgio has made a big leap toward her dream.

Giorgio, who always wanted to own a restaurant along busy Route 422, is the proud owner of The Tavern on Penn, along with her husband, Joseph.

Housed in the former Penn Cecil Hotel in the West Lawn area, The Tavern on Penn opened for business Feb. 17.

The process started, however, in Rehrersburg in March 2011, when the Giorgios decided to sell their pizzeria.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=371745

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

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