Daily Archives: September 23, 2013
Scranton’s Burgeoning Indian Community Putting Down Roots And Sharing Culture
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The chanting of a Hindu prayer could be heard faintly on the streets of Petersburg Corners in Scranton. Inside a former Presbyterian church on Prescott Avenue, they lit candles made of hardened butter, sweet-smelling incense and sat with their legs crossed before Shiva and other deities of the Hindu pantheon, chanting in unison a prayer in Gujarati, a language of India.
Years ago, the cross of Christ was the symbol of faith here. A nearly 70-year-old organ played the hymns of the Christian faith.
That is all gone now, serving as another reminder of the shifting demographics of the city as it continues on a new path than the road taken by the Italians, Irish, Polish and other European immigrants. During the immigration waves of the 19th and early 20th centuries, they built the churches and laid the foundations of the city.
Petersburg Corners and the surrounding area reveal a new direction, a community undergoing change, where another wave of immigrants is now building a place they, too, can call home.
Today, the growing Indian community in this neighborhood, the surrounding Hill Section neighborhood and nearby parts of the city flock to the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple at 933 Prescott Ave. Harikrisna Patel, 57, is a spiritual leader at the temple, where roughly 300 adherents of Hinduism gather for prayer and meals.
Homicide: Woman Found Shot Dead In Pickup Truck In Easton
English: Skyline of Easton, PA from Lafayette College (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Easton police are investigating the killing of a woman found dead in a green pickup truck Sunday night.
Authorities have not released the woman’s name or details about the homicide, but have said the victim was shot.
The woman was found about 11:30 p.m. inside the cab of a pickup truck parked in the 100 block of South Peach Street, an alley between South 13th and South 14th streets that runs parallel to Ferry Street.
Police said they also are withholding information about how many times the woman was shot, but police said they received reports of gunshots being fired in the neighborhood prior to receiving a report of an unresponsive woman in a pickup truck.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-d-easton-homicide-woman-dead-in-pickup-truck-20130923,0,3222446.story#ixzz2fjIHIRJl
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Coatsville Area School District In Crisis After Racially-Charged Rext Messages Surface
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The abrupt departure of the Coatesville Area School District superintendent and another senior administrator came two weeks after numerous exchanges of inappropriate and racially-charged text messages were discovered on their district-issued cell phones, and multiple sources have indicated that school board officials were not only aware of the exchanges, but were prepared to allow the pair to remain in their positions until the conduct prompted a criminal investigation, the Daily Local News has learned.
The Coatesville Area School Board is expected to formally vote to approve the resignations of former Superintendent Richard Como and former Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato at Tuesday’s public meeting. Como announced his “retirement” through a letter posted on the district’s website on August 29. Reports of Donato’s resignation surfaced several days later. Both came unexpectedly during the first week of the school year.
Text messages exchanged from school-issued cell phone numbers between Como and Donato contained repeated use of a commonly known derogatory phrase referring to African American or black individuals. In one instance, the term was used 14 times in one conversation.
The school district has not commented on the resignations, but two sources with knowledge of the situation said the departures were the direct result of discoveries found on Donato’s cell phone. More disturbingly, the sources said the school board was made aware of the text messages and was prepared to allow Como and Donato to remain in their positions until the transcripts were leaked to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, prompting a criminal investigation.
10th Carousel Of Flavor A Hit In Pottstown
Editor’s note: Nice mention of iCreate Cafe in the article as a first time participant. We enjoyed the Carousel of Flavor again this year. The carousel itself is looking great. They are making excellent progress toward completing it. A very large event that showcases Pottstown in a positive light.
POTTSTOWN, PA — In its 10th year, the Carousel of Flavor proved to be a hit again.
“Word’s getting out,” said the event’s chairman, Miles Feather.
A board member of the Pottstown Carousel, the long-term project to bring a carousel as an attraction for the borough, Feather said 20 restaurants took part in the event this year, three more than last year.
That included nine different new establishments from the year before to go along with some of the standbys, such as The Very Best and Grumpy’s.
Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130923/10th-carousel-of-flavor-a-hit
Street Signs To Identify Reading’s Centre Park Historic District
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You may drive through Reading’s Centre Park Historic District and not even know it; no signs mark its boundaries.
That will soon change, thanks to district residents and others who are paying for the signs, and the city, which has agreed to chip in $8,000 in community development money to mount them.
“Centre Park Historic District a great place to call home” say the 18-square-inch signs with an arched top.
“We’ve been talking about it in some form or another for years, but the actual push to get something done began about three months ago,” said Michael Lauter, the district’s executive director.
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