Body Found In Hereford

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HEREFORD, PA — A body was discovered hanging in a wooded area behind Poor Richard’s Historic Hereford Hotel shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania State Police at Reading barracks.

Although police have not yet identified the person, they did say he is a white man and the death has been deemed a suicide.

Trooper David Beohm, the public information officer at the Reading barracks, said the body had been in the woods for weeks.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120831/NEWS01/120839865/body-found-in-hereford

Several Dead In Shootout In New Jersey Shopping Plaza

Editor’s note:  Is there something in the water this summer?  WTH!

NEW YORK (Reuters) – An early-morning shooting at a Pathmark supermarket in New Jersey has left at least three people dead, including the suspected gunman, local media said on Friday.

Shots were heard inside the supermarket in Old Bridge, about 35 miles from New York City, just before 4 a.m. EDT as employees were preparing to open the store for business, said the local ABC television affiliate.

Police found two windows bashed in, the station reported.

Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry described the suspected shooter as a disgruntled worker, the Star-Ledger newspaper said.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-usa-newjersey-shootingbre87u0ha-20120831,0,3082254.story

Jeffrey Lurie Reiterates How Andy Reid Is On Hot Seat

Editor’s note:  Well it’s about freakin’ time!!!  The fans deserve a winning season!!!

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Jeffrey Lurie will have no problem separating the utmost respect he has for Andy Reid as a coach and the sympathy he has for him as a person from the business of football when the time comes.

That subject was one of many covered by the majority owner of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday in a wide-ranging annual press conference that was postponed from its original date of August 5, when Andy Reid’s son Garrett was found dead at training camp.

Reid, whose contract expires at the end of next season, will not get an extension unless Lurie sees a major improvement over last season’s 8-8, non-playoff squad.  The Eagles have not won a playoff game since the 2008 season.

“It goes beyond [a certain level of expected success] but there’s no question what I said was we need substantial improvement,” Lurie said.  “We have a very good team I think on paper, and paper doesn’t get you that far if you don’t maximize it.  I’m so excited about this season.  I think everybody in the organization and the fan base is very excited but it’s a difficult league and I think you have to beat the other teams that are very good.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-lurie-0830-20120830,0,4304604.story

Homeschool Day At Pottsgrove Manor

Pottstown, PA (August 29, 2012) – On Friday, October 5, from 10:00am to 2:00 pm, bring homeschoolers out to historic Pottsgrove Manor for a fun-filled and educational field trip that will let them explore the skills, trades, and pastimes of the 18^th century.

Around the grounds, children will be able to participate in hands-on activities led by Pottsgrove Manor’s staff and volunteers, including candle-dipping, quill pen writing, historic toys and games, laundry, and colonial dress-up. Guests will get to visit with farm animals like sheep and rabbits and learn how their hair would be spun into yarn. Participants will also see demonstrations of 18^th-century crafts, open-hearth cooking, and food preservation.  The first floor of the Pottsgrove Manor mansion will be open for self-guided tours, with volunteers stationed in the rooms to share the house’s history and answer questions.  The museum shop will be open for the purchase of books, games, souvenirs, and more.

This program is ideal for elementary-aged students and is open to individual homeschool families, homeschool groups, and small school and church groups.  The cost is $5 per child.  Call 610-326-4014 to pre-register or for more information.  Activities will be ongoing throughout the day; allow at least two hours for the visit.  As most activities will be outdoors, this program will be held weather-permitting.  Limited parking and handicapped spots are available in the Pottsgrove Manor parking lot.  

Visitors may also park directly across on King Street in the Quality Inn parking lot.  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 Division of the Assets and Infrastructure Department.

Regular museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00am to 4:00 pm and Sunday, 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Tours are given on the hour.  The last tour of the day begins at 3:00pm. Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling 610-326-4014.  For more information and a full calendar of events, visit the website at http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor.

Like Pottsgrove Manor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PottsgroveManor.

Fire Rips Through Morgan Corp. Building

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An intense fire swept through an industrial building in Caernarvon Township late Thursday afternoon, spewing a cloud of heavy black smoke and leaving the facility a tangle of twisted metal.

Fire broke out shortly before 4 in a paint shop at Morgan Corp., which manufactures the box, or container, section of delivery trucks for Penske, Ryder and other corporate trucking fleets.

Brian McCafferty, the company’s risk management director, said the cause had not been determined.

No one was injured, he said.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412401

6-Year-Old Missing For Hours After Bus Mix-Up

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  As the grandparent of a six-year-old granddaughter, this would send me about over the edge!  Many thanks to Reading Police Office Chevron Salata for finding Adriann.

For more than four terrifying hours, Brenda McMullen and her family were left to imagine the worst.

McMullen’s 6-year-old grandson, Adriann Flemming Jr., was missing on Wednesday.  And those who love the little boy had no idea where to find him.

The ordeal was the result of yet another Reading School District busing mistake, a problem that has plagued the district during the opening week of school.

In this instance, Adriann was put on the wrong bus after school at 16th & Haak Elementary School and taken to the wrong day care center.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412488

Galens Of Ephrata To Close

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Galens of Ephrata, an independent retailer of furniture and appliances that has operated in Ephrata since 1949, is closing because of the retirement of its owners, Mike and Edith Amico.

The store, at 389 N. Reading Road, has launched a going-out-of-business/retirement sale that is expected to last through the end of October.

The Amicos said that with their lease expiring at the end of November, now is the time to get out of the business.  They said they never made an attempt to sell, since they figured it would be too difficult.  “We just ruled that out,” Mike said.

However, they said the store continued to do well, with customers coming from all corners of Lancaster County.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/722965_Galens-of-Ephrata-to-close.html#ixzz254UujluU

‘Jersey Shore’ Ending After This Season

August 30, 2012 (TheWrap.com) – MTV is ending the fist-pumping cultural phenomenon “Jersey Shore,” the network says.

The decision comes amid skyrocketing salaries for the cast of former unknowns that have made MTV’s most successful series increasingly expensive to produce. MTV said “Jersey Shore” will end after its sixth season, which premieres Oct. 4.

MTV will commemorate the end of the show with farewell programming beginning next Thursday, with a one-hour retrospective called “Gym, Tan, Look Back” that will air before MTV’s Video Music Awards.

The series, which has followed a group of self-proclaimed “guidos” and “guidettes” from the Jersey Shore to Italy, has popularized such phrases as “grenade” (an unattractive person), “smush” (have sex with) and “GTL” (gym, tan, laundry).

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/tv/sns-rt-ending-jersey-shoremt1thewrap54106-20120830,0,4120365.story

Fired Administrators Sue Reading School District For More Than $150,000 In Damages

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A group of administrators suddenly fired in April by the Reading School District has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $150,000 in damages.

The administrators claim the district violated the terms of their employment contracts by not providing 30 days’ notice before terminating the contracts.

After a series of retirements and resignations of several top administrators following the 2010-11 school year, the district found itself in need of a leadership team.  The district turned to a group of retired administrators who had been working with the district through the state’s Distinguished Educator Program.

The district hired several administrators, including acting superintendent J. Drue Miles, on a temporary basis.  They were asked to lead the district for up to a year, or at least until the district was able to permanently fill the slots.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412251

Isaac Steers Clear Of Direct Blow On New Orleans

Location of Orleans Parish in Louisiana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Isaac sidestepped New Orleans on Wednesday, sending the worst of its howling wind and heavy rain into a cluster of rural fishing villages that had few defenses against the slow-moving storm that could bring days of unending rain.

Isaac arrived exactly seven years after Hurricane Katrina and passed slightly to the west of New Orleans, where the city’s fortified levee system easily handled the assault.

The city’s biggest problems seemed to be downed power lines, scattered tree limbs and minor flooding.  Just one person was reported killed, compared with 1,800 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi.  And police reported few problems with looting.  Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew just to be sure.

But in Plaquemines Parish, a sparsely populated area south of the city that is outside the federal levee system, dozens of people were stranded in flooded coastal areas.  The storm pushed water over an 18-mile levee and put so much pressure on it that authorities were considering intentionally puncturing the floodwall to relieve the strain.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/isaac-steers-clear-of-direct-blow-on-new-orleans-1.1365207

Scranton’s Payday Hinges On Loan Closing

Scranton‘s next employee payday on Friday hinges on a loan closing on Thursday, city officials said.

Mayor Chris Doherty expressed confidence that the closing between the city and Amalgamated Bank of New York and Washington, D.C., would occur as scheduled Thursday and payroll would be made Friday.

“Everything seems to be on track” with the loan and payroll, Mr. Doherty said.

On Aug. 23, the mayor and council President Janet Evans announced the city had secured a $6.25 million tax-anticipation note loan from Amalgamated Bank, which bills itself as the largest union-owned bank in the country.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-s-payday-hinges-on-loan-closing-1.1365473

Unidentified Woman Found Dead In New Hanover Field, Autopsy Wednesday Night

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

NEW HANOVER TOWNSHIP (Montgomery County) — The body of a young woman was discovered by a township farmer cutting grass in his field Wednesday morning.

The identity of the woman, described as a white female by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, was not determined as of Wednesday night.

Sources further described the woman as being in her late teens or early 20s, though that was not confirmed by officials.

Renninger Road, for a report of an unresponsive subject around 10:21 a.m. When police arrived, however, they determined the person was deceased, and the Montgomery County Detectives were called to the scene.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120829/NEWS01/120829301/updated-unidentified-woman-found-dead-in-new-hanover-field-autopsy-wed-night-(video)&pager=full_story

Kane, Pennsylvania Being Evacuated After Butane Truck Overturns On Route 6

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting McKean County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An overturned tanker truck hauling butane has overturned in a northwestern Pennsylvania community where residents within a half-mile radius of the accident are being evacuated Wednesday morning.

A civil emergency message sent out at 5:42 a.m. through the National Weather Service‘s State College Bureau says the truck overturned on Route 6 in the borough of Kane in McKean County. The exact location of the spill is at Greeves Street and Fraley Street, which is Route 6 and near the junctions with Routes 321 and 66.

About half of the 1.6-square-mile borough of about 3,700 residents was being evacuated. Kane is located about 100 miles southeast of Erie and 100 miles northwest of State College.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pennsylvania-evacuation-butane-truck-birds-dead-20120829,0,3425805.story

MOSAIC To Hold “Open Garden” In Pottstown

August 29, 2012 – Pottstown, PA – MOSAIC Community Land Trust is holding an “Open Garden” on Saturday, September 22 from 12-2 pm.  All are invited into the Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown to participate in a salsa-making workshop, learn how the garden works, and pick vegetables to take home.

“The idea of many people gardening their own plot within a larger space may have seemed unusual last spring when this was just a vacant lot,” said David Jackson, President of MOSAIC’s Board of Trustees.  “We want to welcome the community to see the garden in action.”

The Community Garden has plots being tended by Pottstown residents, including groups from Pottstown Middle School, the Olivet Boys and Girls Club, and the Maternity Care Coalition/Early Head Start.  Hundreds of pounds of squash, tomatoes, kale, basil and many other vegetables and herbs are being harvested.  Members weigh their produce and record it on a sheet; totals will be announced at the end of the season.

Garden guests on September 22 will be able to take home vegetables and herbs from one of MOSAIC’s community plots. There will also be salsa-making demonstrations and tastings, along with pesto made from basil grown in the garden. MOSAIC is now seeking another site in Pottstown to add a garden next year.  Interested residents can get on a list for next year’s gardens.

Support for acquisition and construction of the garden on Chestnut Street came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust’s a mission to increase homeownership in Pottstown, develop community gardens, and support the arts.  Their office and gallery is at 10 S. Hannover Street. Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.

PMC Property Group Acquiring Fifth Downtown Pittsburgh Site

A Philadelphia developer is poised to grab yet another property Downtown, its fifth in the last two years.

PMC Property Group has signed a sales agreement with Alco Parking president Merrill Stabile to buy the Jackman Building at 526 Penn Ave. next to the Penn and Sixth Street parking garage in the Cultural District.

The 10-story building has been largely vacant since the Art Institute of Pittsburgh moved out a decade ago.  The first floor houses a Subway sandwich shop and Quest Diagnostics.  Floors 2 through 10 are empty.

Mr. Stabile said PMC plans to convert the upper floors into apartments, just as it has done or plans to do with several of the other buildings it has acquired.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/pmc-property-group-acquiring-fifth-downtown-pittsburgh-site-650827/#ixzz24sRq3tyQ

SAPA Plan Included In Scranton’s Updated Recovery Plan

More than two years after Scranton City Council slammed the door on a regional planning initiative, the Pennsylvania Economy League has pushed it wide open.

Tucked inside Scranton’s 60-page updated 2012 Recovery Plan, which council accepted Thursday, is one paragraph suggesting council will reconsider joining the Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association Comprehensive Plan.

“The PEL sneaked it in the recovery plan at the 11th hour, right before our final vote,” Councilman Jack Loscombe said. “I still feel the same way, though. I don’t see how the plan benefits the city economically.”

The plan, which has been adopted by nine municipalities, provides a policy guide for future land use, economic revitalization, open space conservation and historic resource preservation among the SAPA members. Scranton is the last SAPA member, of 11, to consider adopting the comprehensive plan, according to the updated recovery plan.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/sapa-plan-included-in-the-city-s-updated-recovery-plan-1.1364607

Reading Gets Unexpected $1.3 Million

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reading’s coffers got a welcome infusion of $1.3 million due to an excess of payments to the police and fire department pension funds.

City Council voted to transfer the money to the general fund at Monday’s meeting.

The excess, detected in a recent audit, was due to a miscalculation in allocations to the pension funds.

Council budgeted pension contributions of all police and firefighters, including those in the Deferred Pension Retirement Program, or DROP.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=411767

Strasburg Chef Out On ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

Logo of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barbie has left the kitchen.

Strasburg resident Barbie Marshall made it all the way to the final four on FOX‘s “Hell’s Kitchen,” but the chef was eliminated at the conclusion of Monday night’s broadcast.

In its 10th season, “Hell’s Kitchen” is hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.  Marshall was one of 18 contestants competing for the head chef’s position at the Gordon Ramsay Steak restaurant in Las Vegas’ Paris Hotel.

At the end of Monday’s episode, Ramsay told Marshall, 34, that he considered her improvement to be significant.  He called her a smart woman who should take her experience on the show “and run with it.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/722446_Strasburg-chef-out-on–Hell-s-Kitchen-.html#ixzz24sHpOd2Y

Macungie Councilman’s Public Urination Case Going To Lehigh County Court

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Macungie man told a judge Monday that he and his 3-year-old son saw Borough Councilman Linn Walker’s penis as Walker urinated outside his house in July.

Walker’s defense attorney argued that the alleged act doesn’t amount to open lewdness, the crime Walker is accused of committing that day.  But District Judge Donna Butler said she heard enough evidence during a Monday afternoon preliminary hearing to send Walker’s case to Lehigh County Court.

“I don’t think we would have a whole lot of [media] here today if peeing in public was a normal thing to do,” Butler said in issuing her ruling, adding, “I don’t pee in public.”  She said a jury can decide whether Walker committed a lewd act as alleged.

Walker did not speak to reporters before or after the hearing at District Court in Emmaus.  Although he said after he was charged on Aug. 3 that he planned to step down from council, he has not submitted his resignation to the borough.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-macungie-councilman-walker-lewd-urination-20120827,0,182651.story

Harrisburg Newspaper To Publish 3 Days A Week

Editor’s note:  According to Wikipedia, in 2011 The Patriot-News averaged over 492,000 readers per week between their print edition and Pennlive.com.  The newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily/Sunday circulation (United States) in 2005.

HARRISBURG, PA — The daily newspaper in Pennsylvania’s capital city is switching to a three-days-a-week publication schedule in January, in what it calls an adaptation to the changing world.

John Kirkpatrick, publisher of The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, announced the changes Tuesday in an email to friends of the newspaper.

The email didn’t say which days the paper will be published. It says the change will be accompanied by an expansion of the paper’s around-the-clock news coverage online.

“We are not making this move lightly,” said Kirkpatrick. “We understand how important the daily paper is to a large number of people in our region. However, this is a major step to make sure we are leading, not trailing, in the world of innovation and solutions.”

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-patriot-news-20120828,0,7285933.story