Weiner Droops – “Carlos Danger” Places A Distant Fourth In New Mayoral Poll

, member of the United States House of Representatives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With strong support from white Democratic likely primary voters and voters critical of the so- called stop-and-frisk police tactic, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio leads the Democratic race for New York City mayor with 30 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

With four weeks to go, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has 24 percent, with 22 percent for former Comptroller William Thompson, 10 percent for former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, 6 percent for Comptroller John Liu, 1 percent for former Council member Sal Albanese and 7 percent undecided, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Stop-and-frisk is excessive and harasses innocent people, 60 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say, while 31 percent say it is an acceptable way to make the city safer. Among those critical of stop-and-frisk, 34 percent back de Blasio, with 24 percent for Thompson and 22 percent for Quinn.

Democratic likely voters support 66 – 25 percent the creation of an inspector general to independently monitor the New York Police Department.

Read more: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/new-york-city/release-detail?ReleaseID=1935

Lutherans Fail To Re-Elect Presiding Bishop On First Ballot

20px Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop Mark Hanson 20px Biskup Luterańskiego Kościoła Ewangelickiego w Ameryce, Marek Hanson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson fell short of the required votes to be re-elected on the first ballot as head of the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination.

Bishop Hanson garnered 440 of the 877 valid ballots cast during a meeting in Pittsburgh today of the 4-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Although it was nearly 400 more votes than the runner-up, it fell short of the 75 percent needed to elect on the first ballot.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/lutherans-fail-to-re-elect-presiding-bishop-on-first-ballot-699156/#ixzz2bs4tWndv

New Heinz Owners Cut 600 Jobs — Including 350 In Pittsburgh

PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Not off to the greatest start!

The new owners of the H.J. Heinz Co. are eliminating 600 office positions across the Pittsburgh company’s operations in the U.S. and Canada — including 350 jobs in Pittsburgh — as a move toward a more efficient operation.

A company spokesman this morning confirmed reports that layoffs had begun in Pittsburgh this week, about two months after the close of the $28 billion sale of the historic food company to 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway.

The cuts here will take Heinz employment in the region down from close to 1,200 to about 800.

“As part of our transition to a private company, the senior leadership team has examined every piece of our business to better position Heinz for accelerated growth in a very competitive global market,” said Michael Mullen, senior vice president of corporate and government affairs.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/new-heinz-owners-cut-600-jobs-including-350-in-pittsburgh-699153/#ixzz2bs2KegX2

Harrisburg Schools To Furlough More Employees Yet Hires Cyber School Director

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

The Harrisburg School District announced 15, and possibly more, furloughs for non-teaching staff to help save up to $687,000 as part of its recovery plan — if the union contract isn’t approved.

“We’re not playing here,” Chief Recovery Officer Gene Veno said Monday.  “This is about recovery — financial recovery.”

With tensions already high from recent teacher resignations and furlough notices, they further escalated when the School Board voted to hire a director for the district’s cyber charter school at an uncertain salary.

Veno said the next set of furloughed positions haven’t been announced.  As many as 20 positions with an average salary of $40,000 could be considered.  In July, the district furloughed custodians, library and health aides and maintenance workers,

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/harrisburg_school_district_to_2.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Meeting Crowd Fumes Over Hiring Brother Of Wilkes-Barre Mayor

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

WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board grappled with an angry standing-room-only crowd as they dealt with the fallout from hiring the mayor’s brother over a more qualified candidate at a tense meeting Monday.

Ten days earlier, the board voted 5-4 to hire Brian Leighton, brother of Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, as a truant officer. After that meeting, school board directors Christine Katsock and James Susek, who voted against the hiring, said Leighton was not the candidate recommended by the district interview committee.

Four residents, including an unsuccessful candidate for the job, stood before the board Monday and berated it for the hiring.  Robert Kadluboski, a Wilkes-Barre tow-truck driver and frequent critic of the city government and the school board, called the hiring “a slap in the face of the taxpayer.”

Board President John Quinn, Vice President Louis Elmy, Dino Galella, Phil Latinski and Maryanne Toole voted to hire Leighton at a special meeting Aug. 2.  Lynn Evans and Rev. Shawn Walker joined Katsock and Susek in the failed opposition effort.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/meeting-crowd-fumes-over-leighton-hiring-1.1535302

Times Leader Readership Sees Largest Annual Increase In State

The Times Leader has the second highest percentage growth rate in the nation — and highest in the state — for its total online and print audience, according to figures tracked by a newspaper auditing group.

The Times Leader ranked second among U.S. newspapers of any size participating in the most recently released report issued by the Alliance for Audited Media.  The company used total online and print reader numbers available at the end of March to create its rankings of the top 25 papers.

The Times Leader’s audience of 219,656 was up 19.4 percent from the year prior figure of 184,037.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/747370/Times-Leader-readership-sees-largest-annual-increase-in-state

Road Flooding Leads To Rescues In Southeastern PA And New Jersey

Stranded motorists needed rescue from flooded roads this morning, as heavy rains caused havoc around the area, disrupting airport and SEPTA service.

Montgomery County reported about 30 calls to assist motorists from vehicles on flooded roads, with about eight to 10 involving threateningly high water, according to a 911 supervisor. No injuries were reported.

Stranded cars were also reported in Southampton, Bucks County; Gloucester City, Camden County; and Woodbury and Deptford, Gloucester County, according to the Breaking News Network, a tip service.

Part of a roof collapsed at the Virtua Center for Health & Wellness in Washington Township, Gloucester County, spurring evacuation of the building.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/Thunderstorms_bring_tornado_alert.html#70IEl9w79bJ7LSrU.99

Potential Closing Of Arcola Road Bridge Stirs Controversy In Lower Providence

Location of Lower Providence Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER PROVIDENCE — More than 600 residents crowded into the Arcola Intermediate School auditorium Monday night to learn when the Arcola Road bridge over Perkiomen Creek will close to traffic.

If the bridge passes a Friday inspection and subsequent, six-month inspections, the bridge will close at the beginning of 2015 and be closed while a new $7.7 million, three-lane bridge is built in the same location.

“We’ve had many partners on this project,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Josh Shapiro said. “You will see leaders who are all working together to address our infrastructure needs.  Sixty-two of our Montgomery County bridges are structurally deficient.”

Montgomery County Commissioner Vice Chairman Leslie Richards said the bridge built in 1931 was “functionally obsolete and structurally deficient.  There is a weight limit of three tons.  It was placed on a six-month inspection schedule.”

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130812/NEWS01/130819905/potential-closing-of-arcola-road-bridge-stirs-controversy-in-lower-providence?nstrack=sid:772346|met:300|cat:0|order:1#full_story

Reading Officials Anticipate Announcement Of Funding For Downtown Project

Reading officials are hoping that a visit Wednesday from the state’s community and economic development secretary will result in millions of dollars in grant money to build a thriving business district downtown.

City officials are anticipating that the state has accepted the city’s application to be designated as a Keystone Community, which would provide access to economic development-related funds.

They say they haven’t been given the final word, but city officials said state Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker is coming to Reading to make an announcement Wednesday.

“We’re hoping that’s part of the reason why he’s coming,” Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer said Monday.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502229

Reading School District’s Bond Rating Dropped

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

The Reading School District has faced some major financial challenges lately, and it’s not going unnoticed.

Citing budget struggles and a $15 million accounting mistake discovered last year, Moody’s Investors Service, a major credit-rating firm, has lowered two district bond ratings by two levels.

Moody’s announced last week the district’s underlying general obligation rating was lowered to Baa2 from A3, and its enhanced rating was lowered to A3 from A1.

The outlook for both ratings, a release from Moody’s says, is negative.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502171

Relocation Of Downtown Reading Post Office A Lengthy Process

USPS service delivery truck in a residential area of San Francisco, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There seem to be few certainties surrounding the United States Postal Service’s plan to move its downtown Reading office from its landmark home at Fifth and Court streets.

But there’s at least one:  The change isn’t going to happen overnight.

Talking to City Council for the first time about the project Monday, Postal Service real estate specialist Richard Hancock laid out the lengthy process for finding a new home for the office and figuring out what to do with the old one.

“At a lot of these meetings people ask me:  Who’s going to buy the building?  Where’s the new post office going to go?” he said. “I have no idea.  This is just the beginning.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502204

New Cafe Opens In Downtown Reading

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

Reading PA – The customers of the cafe on the first floor of the M&T Bank building didn’t have much time to be disappointed when Dessert Dreamz moved to West Reading in June.

That’s because the cafe at 50 N. Fifth St. was vacant for only about a week until it reopened with the name Reggie’s Place.

Reggie McMullen, 54, of Cumru Township said she has worked in the food industry all of her life and served as catering manager for Panera Bread.

Building owner Alan Shuman knew of McMullen’s experience and contacted her when he found out Dessert Dreamz would be moving.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502219

Heroin Epidemic Spreads To Rural Areas, Official Says

English: Modified IM/IV syringe used for “plugging” heroin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

State Attorney General Kathleen Kane‘s top narcotics investigator identified cheap, potent Mexican heroin as the state’s No. 1 drug problem at a forum with Berks County municipal officials Monday at Penn State Berks.

Jonathan A. Duecker, special agent for narcotics control, said the heroin epidemic has spread from cities into rural areas and is challenging law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

“There’s no place in Pennsylvania that’s not seeing at a micro level what we’ve been seeing at a macro level in the big cities,” he said.

Duecker’s portrayal of the violence and crime that accompanies the availability of cheap heroin came at a forum sponsored by state Sen. Judy Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Democrat.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502230