Police Investigating Pottstown Codes Worker Regarding Landlord’s Check

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — An employee of the borough codes office was escorted out of borough hall by police last week and her removal is likely connected to an investigation of whether the employee received a check from a developer and landlord for personal use, The Mercury has confirmed.

Several sources confirmed that Michelle Fry, formerly Michelle Borzick, a “zoning work leader” in the codes office, was escorted from the borough hall code office on Feb. 13.

Contacted Tuesday and asked for comment, Borough Manager Mark Flanders said, “We don’t comment on personnel matters.”

In an e-mail, Fry wrote Tuesday that she also had “no comment.”

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130219/NEWS01/130219304/police-investigating-pottstown-codes-worker-regarding-landlord-s-check#full_story

Free Wi-Fi Now Available At All Pennsylvania Turnpike Service Plazas

Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Free Wi-Fi service is now available at all Pennsylvania Turnpike operational service plazas, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced Friday in a news release.

Customers can access free Wi-Fi at the 15 operating service plazas.  Wi-Fi will be available at the two plazas closed for construction, South Midway in Bedford County and Highspire in Dauphin County, when they reopen in May, according to the release.

Read more:  http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_22619793/free-wi-fi-now-available-at-all-pennsylvania

York’s State-Of-The-Art Housing Complex To Open In April

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

York, PA – The sawdust floated down like late-winter snow, but officials said by summer the city will have more than two dozen state-of-the-art housing units and a bright new view along South George Street.

George Street Commons, a collaborative effort between the City of York, the Y Community Development Corporation and Ohio-based developer PIRHL is nearing completion, according to Kevin Schreiber, the city’s community and economic development director.

Residents could begin to move in to part of the $10 million, 28-unit site along East College Avenue as early as April, he said.  It should be completed by August.

“This is a really strong, good city project, a good, mixed-use development,” he said, walking the muddy construction site on Friday.  “There’s a lot here we’re excited about.”

Read more:  http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_22615510/yorks-state-art-housing-complex-open-april

Johnstown Redevelopment Authority Refuses Council’s Request For Open-Door Meeting

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

Editor’s note:  This is never a good sign!

JOHNSTOWN — Three city council members are pleased the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority agreed to answer some questions, but none is comfortable with the closed-door format the authority leadership demanded for Wednesday’s briefing.

Councilman Pete Vizza said he has been asking authority Chairman Raymond Balta since November to have council briefed on billing changes and other issues related to the authority-owned Johnstown Regional Sewage.

“I asked for whatever I could get,” Vizza said. “What I got was a closed meeting.  They didn’t want any public in there jumping on everybody.”

On Wednesday, the authority’s acting director, Frank D’Ettorre, and a representative from the authority engineering contractor are scheduled to meet privately with council members, Vizza said.

Read more:  http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1633486348/Authority-to-answer-questions

Geisinger Study To Examine Health Effects Of Gas Drilling

English: Cropped portion of image from USGS report showing extent of Marcellus Formation shale (in gray shading). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DANVILLE – A Pennsylvania health company said it has gotten a $1 million grant to study possible health impacts of natural gas drilling on the Marcellus Shale.

Geisinger Health System said Monday that the Degenstein Foundation had awarded the money to help underwrite what it called a “large-scale, scientifically rigorous assessment” of the drilling.

Most of the money will be used for data-gathering, and some will go toward developing studies of the data. Officials said they expect other funders to come forward.

The study is to look at detailed health histories of hundreds of thousands of patients who live near wells and other facilities that are producing natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation thousands of feet underground.

Read more:  http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/568967/Geisinger-study-to-examine-health-effects-of-gas-drilling.html?nav=742

Armstrong’s Yearly Profit Climbs

Armstrong World Industries today reported a small drop in net profits for the fourth quarter but a sizable increase for the year.

For the quarter, net profits slid 1.2 percent to $8.4 million (14 cents a share) from $8.5 million (14 cents a share) in the 2011 quarter.

Sales dipped 1.6 percent to $612.8 million.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/816802_Armstrong-s-yearly-profit-climbs.html#ixzz2LOK0sAFf

Pottstown Approves Art/Exercise Park Concept Along River Trail

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — A key step in the effort to extend the Schuylkill River Trail out of Riverfront Park and into downtown Pottstown was unanimously approved last week by borough council.

The project was outlined during the Feb. 6 council meeting by Tom Carroll, who in addition to being the new chairman of the Pottstown Borough Authority, is also heading up this project as well.

Carroll’s proposal is to use the triangle of property between College Drive and South Street and turn it into an art and exercise park, call the Pottstown Art and Fitness Trail.

In addition to featuring a system of simple exercise equipment by Energi, the park would also feature platform on which sculptures would be placed.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130219/NEWS01/130219381/pottstown-approves-art-exercise-park-concept-along-river-trail#full_story

Bern Section Of Schuylkill River Trail To Be Built

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

It’s taken nearly five years to get to this point, but a half-mile walking trail along the Schuylkill River in Bern Township will be built by summer.

“It will be nice for people to get out on the trail,” Bern Township Manager Brian Potts said. “It’s picturesque in the summertime. It’s a nice location. Hopefully, people will enjoy it.”

The idea for the trail started in 1996, as Bern officials began working on a comprehensive parks and recreation plan. Potts said the trail was discussed again in the middle of the last decade, but Bern officials seriously began work on the project in 2007.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=453648