Electricity Costs Increase For PECO Customers

The 473,000 PECO customers who have made the switch to an alternative energy supplier must have felt pretty good about their choice Monday.

“PECO’s energy delivery rates have not changed but the price we are paying to purchase electricity for customers who have not switched to an alternative provider has gone up 21.5 percent from the third to the fourth quarter,” said PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engle Menendez.

“The price is adjusted quarterly and tied directly to the wholesale cost of electricity.  We have no control over this price.  It’s a pass-through.”

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/electricity-costs-increase-peco-customers/1

City Of Reading Budget Proposal Delayed

Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer’s administration has delayed until Wednesday presenting its proposed 2013 city budget, which was expected Monday, to deal with some recently projected higher bills for next year.

The move follows discussions with the city’s outside Act 47 consultants Sunday, which led to an order at a department directors meeting Monday morning for each area – from the departments to City Council to agencies such as the Charter Board – to propose a certain dollar amount of extra budget cuts.

The city charter requires Spencer to present the proposed budget at least 90 days before Jan. 1. That deadline is Wednesday.

“We are in a very challenging fiscal and economic environment,” Spencer said in a statement. “I have asked my team to take some additional time to adjust their spending plans and refine revenue calculations so we can present a preliminary budget to City Council that is achievable and balanced, and represents fair value for taxpayers.”

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=418179

Birdsboro Faces $114,000 Deficit As Tax Revenue Drops

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

Police Chief Theodore R. Roth spent most of Monday night’s Birdsboro Borough Council meeting silently staring at a copy of the 2013 budget spreadsheet.

But after more than 90 minutes of listening to council discuss how to balance next year’s $1.85 million budget, Roth could no longer keep quiet about rumors that his department was going to be downsized.

“I hear you’re facing two options, both of which are not very palatable,” he told council. “I’m asking what are those options but it seems like no one is willing to say it in public.”

Roth said his officers had heard that council discussed cutting an officer during recent executive sessions.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=418218

‘On The Town’ Captures ‘Young Soaring Spirit Of The Country,’ Bringing Out Character And Nostalgia Of The 1940s

Logo of Muhlenberg College (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Muhlenberg to celebrate Broadway’s golden age with Bernstein, Comden and Green in splashy WWII musical, Oct. 26 – Nov. 4

Allentown, Pa. (Oct. 2, 2012) — When the classic 1944 musical ‘On the Town‘ opens Oct. 26 on the Muhlenberg College stage, director Charles Richter wants the audience to feel as though they have returned to the golden age of the show’s 1944 opening.

“The show is a time-honored classic that captures the young soaring spirit of the country during World War II,” Richter says. “It brings out the character and nostalgia of the 1940s.”

Richter will once again be working alongside musical director Ed Bara and choreographer Karen Dearborn on Leonard Bernstein’s rich score, a zingy, fast-paced book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and choreography inspired by Jerome Robbins.

The show runs two weekends — just eight performances on Muhlenberg’s Empie Stage. Tickets may be limited, especially for the Nov. 2-4 performances during the college’s Family Weekend.

The curtain rises in the Brooklyn Navy Yard at 6 a.m. on a summer morning during World War II. Three sailors—Chip, Ozzie and Gabey—begin their 24-hour shore leave, eager to explore the big city. Gabey falls in love with the picture of “Miss Turnstiles, June 1944,” who turns out to be Ivy Smith. With the help of anthropologist Claire DeLoone and amorous cabbie Hildy Esterhazy, the sailors race around New York attempting to find Ivy before their leave ends and they have to ship out.

‘On the Town’ began as a story line in choreographer Jerome Robbins’ ballet “Fancy Free,” for which Bernstein had provided the score. Hoping to further develop his idea, Robbins sought out collaboration with Comden and Green, and the three sailors out on the town, looking for excitement and romance, became the kernel of a full-length musical, a fusion of classical and modern dance combined with jazz and vernacular moves — a Broadway first.

“The show brings together a collaboration of ballet and jazz, which had never really been done before.” Richter says. “The piece isn’t just a dance show; dance drives it. That’s why this show makes you feel so good.”

The show features a cast of 40, including 16 seniors, many of whom have worked with Richter in the past.

“‘On the Town’ brings out the sentiments of love and the sting of saying goodbye,” says senior James Patefield, who plays Ozzie. “With five of the six principals as seniors, the cast is very aware of the message of this show — the idea of hope, not cynically or sarcastically, but hope we can believe in, especially with so little time left with the ones you love and care most about.”

“The show emphasizes that you should live in the moment. Be spontaneous. And most importantly, love the one you’re with,” said senior Jessie MacBeth, who plays Claire DeLoone opposite Patefield. “With such a collaborative cast and production team, this show really embodies the sense of unity and feel-good entertainment that Comden and Green were striving for.”

Muhlenberg College’s Theatre & Dance Department offers one of the top-rated college performance programs in the country, according to the Princeton Review rankings. Muhlenberg is a liberal arts college of more than 2,200 students in Allentown, Pa., offering Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance.

“On the Town” runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 4 in the Empie Theatre, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26-27, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, Nov. 1-2, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 3, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $8 for patrons 17 and under, and $8 for students, faculty and staff of all LVAIC colleges. For group of 15 or more, tickets are $16.

Tickets and information are available at (484) 664-3333 or www.muhlenberg.edu/theatre.

Cedarville United Methodist Church – Community Event‏

Cedarville United Methodist Church, 1092 Laurelwood Road, Pottstown, PA 19465.  Join us for a special Music Sunday on Oct. 14th with traditional services at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and a contemporary service at 9:30 a.m.

All services will feature some or all of the following:  singing of hymns, praise team, choir, brass quartet, handbell choir, piano and organ.  A special children’s message in word and song will be held at the 9:30 and 11:00 services.

We look forward to having you join us for a joyous celebration of the gift of music in worship.

More details at www.cedarvilleumc.org or call (610) 326-4173.