Sexual Abuse Charges Dropped Against Pottstown Middle School Teacher

NORTH COVENTRY — The sexual abuse charges against a suspended Pottstown Middle School teacher were dropped Thursday morning.

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

Jared Leimeister, 33, of North Coventry,had been charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated assault involving a child. According to the police report, he was accused of inappropriate contact with an 8-year-old girl, who spent time with Leimeister between October 2012 and February 2013.

Leimeister had also previously been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person less than 13-years-old.

He was accused of making the victim sleep in his bed or in a cardboard box when she misbehaved while she was at his apartment in the 800 block of East Schuylkill Road, police said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130919/sexual-abuse-charges-dropped-against-pottstown-middle-school-teacher

Coventry Mall Sold At Auction, Will Remain Open

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

NORTH COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, PA — The Coventry Mall was sold Thursday at auction for $49.5 million to U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, pending judicial approval of the proceeding.

An attorney for the bank was the lone bidder in the auction of the property.

The mall has remained open throughout the process and will continue normal operations, according to William Ritterling, general manager of Coventry Mall.

The auction, which lasted less than 15 minutes, attracted about 10 onlookers and was conducted outside the mall in front of the empty Sears store.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/business/20130919/coventry-mall-sold-at-auction-will-remain-open

Pittsburgh’s Median Family Income Rises

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)

Household incomes rose in Pittsburgh in 2012 while the overall metropolitan area and the rest of the country saw incomes remain flat.

The city saw what the U.S. Census Bureau calls a statistically significant increase in household incomes as the median income rose by $3,281 to $39,884 from 2011 to 2012.

That happened as the median income in the seven-county metropolitan area stayed statistically the same, rising from $49,809 to $50,489. The median income for the metropolitan area was below the average of all U.S. metropolitan areas of $53,607.

The income information was contained in data released this morning as part of the American Community Survey.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/pittsburghs-median-family-income-rises-703920/#ixzz2fLzN7EPP

Dauphin County Coroner Identifies Harrisburg’s 12th Homicide Victim

Harrisburg’s latest homicide victim was identified as one Rafael Diaz, according to a press release issued by the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office earlier Thursday.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/09/dauphin_county_coroner_identif_1.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Lancaster Central Market Trust Looks Ahead With Strategic Plan

With the yearlong, $7 million renovation of Lancaster’s Central Market behind them, the operators of the historic market paused.

“After we took a breath, we said: ‘What comes next? Where are we going,’ ” said Peter Olmsted, chairman of the Lancaster Central Market Trust.

The result was a strategic plan that looks both inward at operations of the 123-year-old public market house and outward at the surrounding community.

The strategic plan, developed early this year, will guide the nonprofit organization for the next three years. It was unveiled Wednesday at the trust’s annual meeting in Southern Market Center.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/896304_Central-Market-Trust-looks-ahead-with-strategic-plan.html#ixzz2fLvMXcfV

Area Code 570 Businesses Get Ready For 10-Digit Dialing

Pennsylvania in blue with Area Code 570 272 shown in red (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Area businesses are gearing up for a big change that will begin Saturday: 10-digit dialing instead of seven.

For Phil Rudy, owner of Circles on the Square in Wilkes-Barre, the change means 200 numbers need to be reprogrammed in his fax machine. He faxes menus from his deli on Public Square to 200 area businesses. Circles employee Bill Scholl has been reprogramming all the numbers.

Beginning Saturday, everyone in Northeastern Pennsylvania will have to dial 10 digits to make a local call.

“I hate it,” Rudy said. “I don’t understand why we had to go that way. Why do we have to dial 10 numbers for local numbers? I don’t know why you have to dial 10 numbers for your neighbor next door.”

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/businesses-get-ready-for-10-digit-dialing-1.1554792

Woman, 22, Shot To Death In Phillipsburg

Map of New Jersey highlighting Warren County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 22-year-old woman was fatally shot to death Wednesday night in Phillipsburg and police are continuing to search for the shooter.

Phillipsburg police Chief James Faulborn said the woman was killed just before 11 p.m. Wednesday in her home in the 300 block of Spruce Alley.

Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-d-phillipsburg-nj-murder-woman-shot-to-death-20130919,0,7690406.story#ixzz2fLlfqFPk 
Follow us: @mcall on Twitter | mcall.lv on Facebook

State To Undertake $500,000 Cleanup Of Pottstown Plating

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

Editor’s note:  This is great news!

POTTSTOWN — The state is stepping in to make sure a half-million-dollar environmental cleanup at a closed plating facility in the borough gets completed after the bankrupt owner stopped work.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced Wednesday it would take over the removal of hazardous materials left over at the former Pottstown Plating on South Washington Street at the intersection with Industrial Highway.

The company, which performed electroplating, opened in 1950 and closed in 2009 just before going bankrupt, according to the DEP.

When the DEP inspected the site in 2009, it found a number of environmental issues that needed to be addressed and the company’s owners hied a contractor to removed hazardous waste there.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130918/state-to-undertake-500000-cleanup-of-pottstown-plating

PMMC To Consolidate Business Office, Move 30 More Jobs Out Of Pottstown

POTTSTOWN, PA — Pottstown Memorial Medical Center has confirmed that business operations for the hospital and several others owned by Community Health Systems will be consolidated in Easton, moving 30 jobs there.

Hospital spokeswoman Debra Bennis provided the following statement after The Mercury contacted her seeking confirmation of a tip: “Providing patients with quality health care while operating an efficient organization is one of our top priorities.  To keep hospital resources focused on our patients, we are moving our business office functions to a centralized, external office in Easton.  This transition will also enhance operational efficiencies through technological advances for scheduling appointments.  All 30 affected employees are being offered a position with the central business office or another area of our hospital. We value these individuals and appreciate the professionalism they bring to our organization.”

A business office worker who contacted The Mercury, and whose name has been withheld, said the office workers were gathered into a meeting Sept. 11 during which the hospital’s CEO and CFO informed them of the change.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130919/pmmc-to-consolidate-business-office-move-30-more-jobs-out-of-pottstown

Pottstown Man Charged With Robbing High Street Bank Twice In One Month

LOWER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, PA — The man accused of robbing the National Penn Bank on East High Street in Pottstown made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Christopher Lee Blount, 37, of Pottstown, was charged with two counts of felony robbery, two counts of felony conspiracy to commit robbery and multiple misdemeanors, according to court paperwork.

Blount, who was arrested Tuesday night, appeared in court wearing a light blue paper jumpsuit and black flip-flops.

A former employee at Jake’s Wayback Burger, Blount had the same mode of operation for both bank robberies, police said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130919/pottstown-man-charged-with-robbing-high-street-bank-twice-in-one-month

Colebrookdale Township Names New Police Chief

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

Editor’s note:  Congratulations Dave!

The Colebrookdale Township commissioners have named a new police chief.

Sgt. David Viola, who has served as officer-in-charge since the December retirement of Chief Christopher Schott, was permanently promoted to the post, effective Oct. 1, at the commissioners meeting Monday.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=512181

Spencer Announces Plan For Reading Development Corporation

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

Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer announced his plan Wednesday to form a community development corporation dedicated solely to the city.

He said that in the past Reading has not taken a unified approach to attracting development.

Spencer added that efforts to develop Reading historically have been carried out by state or county development authorities, where the city isn’t always the top priority.

He said recent efforts generated by the city, like the Main Street designation and the purchase of properties in the 400 block of Penn Street, will soon become the purview of the Reading Community Development Corp.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=512694

Reading Hospital Joins Alliance With Six Others

The Reading Health System announced Wednesday that it has joined an alliance with six other health systems in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a move officials say could lead to better and more affordable care for patients, improve hospital operations and reduce costs.

The alliance, AllSpire Health Partners, is not a merger, officials stressed.  Reading Hospital will remain locally governed and managed.

The seven health systems include a total of 25 hospitals with a service area of more than 6 million people.  The systems have a combined revenue of $10.5 billion, and AllSpire touts the partnership as the largest health care consortium in the country.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=512676

Poverty In Reading Worsens, Census Says

English: Downtown Reading, Pennsylvania; with Berks County courthouse on left; July 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reading’s poverty rate worsened in 2012, making it the second most impoverished city in the country behind Detroit.

The percent of city residents in poverty increased from 40.1 to 40.5, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

That’s less than the 41.3 percent of Reading residents who were in poverty in 2010 when Reading had a higher percentage of residents in poverty than any other U.S. city with 65,000 or more people.

But hope for Reading still exists, said Jane Palmer, principal author and coordinator of the 65-page 2011 report of the Rebuilding Reading Poverty Commission.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=512690