Wawa vs. Sheetz: Fast-Food Chains Mark Their Own Territories

English: Interior of a Super Sheetz in Altoona, PA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania divides a few ways: Phillies vs. Pirates. Democratic ex-factory towns vs. Republican ex-farming townships. Nittany Lions fans vs. everyone else.

And Wawa vs. Sheetz – though that might be the least bitter rivalry:  The state’s two big gas-and-milk, Cokes-and-smokes, Tastykakes-and-store-built sandwich chains try not to fight.  They’re not like Ford vs. GM. Instead, they have mostly drawn lines and split the land between them.  Like Comcast and TimeWarner Cable.

Which you prefer depends on where you were raised:

Wawa is Philly and the Shore from Jersey to Virginia Beach.  Also Florida, since last year.

Sheetz is Pittsburgh and the valley highways below the green ridges, all the way to Greensboro, N.C.

English: Wawa gas station located along Pennsylvania Route 611 (Easton Road) in Horsham, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20130331_Wawa_vs__Sheetz__Fast-food_chains_mark_their_own_territories.html

Western Pennsylvania’s Rural Areas Increasingly Struggle With Population Loss

Locator map of the Greater Pittsburgh metro area in the western part of the of . Red denotes the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, and yellow denotes the New Castle Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Pittsburgh-New Castle CSA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

James DeBlasio has lived all 88 of his years in southern Lawrence County, where he’s a longtime Taylor Township supervisor and has seen many of the people he grew up with move away or die — with no young people coming in to replace them.

Like most of rural Western Pennsylvania, and the non-urban sections of West Virginia and eastern Ohio as well, his is an area where census counts and estimates have noted a population decline due to multiple factors that appear hard to reverse.

The trends have been especially rough in Taylor, which experienced a 13.6 percent population decline between 2000 and 2010.  Of its 1,052 residents, more than twice as many are over age 65 as under age 18.  That ratio is practically unheard of among municipalities and doesn’t bode well for the township’s future.

“I don’t think there’s been a new house built here in 10 years, maybe longer,” Mr. DeBlasio noted.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/western-pennsylvanias-rural-areas-increasingly-struggle-with-population-loss-681566/#ixzz2PAdHb86b

Pittsburgh’s Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, Church For Homeless, Celebrates Resurrection On Easter

English: Shield of the US Episcopal Church, colors from http://www.episcopalchurch.org/imageshop_11785_ENG_HTM.htm. The shield was adopted in 1940. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  A truly inspiring story on this Easter Sunday.

When Leonard Williams attends the Easter service today at Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, an Anglican church for the homeless in Uptown, like Christians everywhere he will be celebrating the resurrection of Christ from the tomb.

But Mr. Williams, 53, and others who attend Shepherd’s Heart also will be celebrating the new life that has been breathed into their church after a recent significant agreement between Pittsburgh‘s Episcopal and Anglican dioceses.  A long-running conflict in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh resulted in a 2008 split, with many of the churches leaving and creating the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, linked to the theologically conservative Anglican Church in North America.

Shepherd’s Heart was originally founded as an Episcopal church by the Rev. Michael Wurschmidt. But after the split in the diocese, Rev. Wurschmidt switched his affiliation to become an Anglican priest.  At that point, Shepherd’s Heart became one of a number of congregations caught between the two dioceses.

While few settlements have been reached over parish assets, the Episcopal Diocese agreed in October to give Shepherd’s Heart and its ministry to the homeless a clear title to all of its property and assets, despite its affiliation with the rival Anglican church.  It is the lone case in which a parish kept all of its assets and its Anglican affiliation.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/church-for-homeless-pittsburghs-shepherds-heart-fellowship-celebrates-resurrection-on-easter-681581/#ixzz2PAaLl2hb

Weather Does Please, But It’s Just A Tease

Ah, at long last, golfing weather.

Abundant sunshine, temperatures near 60 and the Easter spirit got Willy Quick in the mood Saturday to practice chipping and putting.

“This is a good golfing day,” declared Quick, 68, toting an 8-iron at Reading’s Third & Spruce Recreation Center.

Not to put a damper on things, but the scent of spring is likely to be short-lived.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=464630

Mapping System Keeps Berks Residents Abreast Of Crime

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

Editor’s note:  This is an awesome tool!!!

Of the four reported crimes in Birdsboro between March 20 and Tuesday, none was likely to be newsworthy.

The crimes reported to police, according to www.CrimeMapping.com, were a vandalism incident at East Second and Hook streets; a theft in the 300 block of Furnace Street; a burglary in the 900 block of Berks Street; and a drunken driver in the 400 block of East Eighth Street.

But just because these apparently unrelated incidents didn’t grab headlines doesn’t mean nobody besides the victims is interested.

As a way of helping the public keep abreast of crimes in their communities, nearly every police department in Berks County feeds data to www.CrimeMapping.com.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=464627

Pottstown, Pottsgrove, Limerick Primaries On Tap

Editor’s note:  We urge voters to check out the Reform Party candidates for Pottstown Borough Council and mayor of Pottstown.  Pottstown desperately needs a leadership change!  The elected leadership needs to have a positive vision for the future of the borough.   Currently that vision does not exist or if it does, it is a well kept secret.  It’s time to clean house.  Vote the incumbents out of office.

Although the ballot isn’t official yet, primary elections are shaping up in several Montgomery County communities.

As of Friday, some candidates had already withdrawn, but so far it looks like there will be three primary battles in Pottstown, but no contest for the school board.

In the neighboring Pottsgrove School Board race however, it looks like a real race may be brewing and several tax collector contests are in the offing as well.

In the Pottsgrove School Board race, four incumbents — B. Scott Fullmer, Nancy J. Landes, Diane M. Cherico and Michael G. Neiffer — will square off against four challengers.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130331/NEWS01/130339980/pottstown-pottsgrove-limerick-primaries-on-tap#full_story