Alleged Head Of Massive Drug Ring Ordered Held Without Bail

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A South Side man accused of heading a drug ring that regularly brought in truckloads of cocaine and other drugs from January 2011 and until this September pleaded not guilty Thursday to a drug conspiracy charge.

Luis M. “Weezy” Carde, 41, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Maureen Kelly, who ordered him held without bail.

Other than answering the judge’s questions, Carde didn’t speak during the hearing. His attorney, Marvin Miller, declined comment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Haller said Carde should be kept in jail because he’s a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4974155-74/carde-affidavit-held#ixzz2jKPHwNFK
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Crane Installs $40,000 Public Art Project In Lancaster

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Workers used a crane this morning to install an “artwork cistern” on the Walnut Street side of the Lancaster Brewing Company building.

The cistern, commissioned by Lancaster city’s public art program, is made of steel and lengths of native wood.

Inside, a tank will hold 750 gallons of rainwater from the brewery roof. The cistern water will be used to support the plants in a rain garden along the street.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/912608_Pictures–Crane-installs–40-000-public-art-project-in-Lancaster.html#ixzz2jKNY9pnh

Scranton Police Department Launches Online Reporting System

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Rather than dialing 911 for every minor crime, Scranton residents can create their own police reports starting next week.

The Scranton Police Department will launch a new online police report system on Monday. Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said the new Coplogic system will allow residents to file police reports for minor crimes.

“This will alleviate 15-20 percent of officers having to respond to take these reports,” Chief Graziano said. “Those officers can be staying out in the neighborhoods.”

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-police-department-launches-online-reporting-system-1.1577969

Brandywine To Build 47-Story FMC Tower In University City

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FMC Corp. has agreed to move its headquarters from 1745 Market St. in Center City into the new tower that Brandywine Realty Trust has been trying to build, NE corner of 30th and Walnut Sts. in University City, for the past 5 years. The $341 million FMC Tower will rise 47 stories — 650 feet — and include 575,000 sq ft of offices, 10,000 sq ft of retail — plus 260 apartments. Adjoins a 2,000-space parking garage built by Brandywine that also serves IRS workers at Brandywine’s former 30th St post office nearby.

FMC will move its headquarters staff — currently 546 bosses and workers — to the new tower by June 2016, spokesman Jim Fitzwater told me. FMC will lease 253,000 sq ft for 16 years; the University of Pennsylvania will rent another 100,000 sq ft on four floors for 20 years.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Brandywine-to-build-47-story-West-Philly-tower-FMC-a-tenant.html#w8IKD7yI7Ry0uc0p.99

Suspended Pottstown Football Players Charged, Arraigned

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POTTSTOWN, PA — More details about the actions of three suspended Pottstown High School students were made public Tuesday after they were arraigned in district court.

Dayon Mohler, 18, Najee Johnson, 18, and Derrick Wilson, 17, were charged with multiple counts of felony aggravated assault and a series of misdemeanor charges including simple assault, possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, and other related charges after they allegedly used a BB gun to shoot two teammates on Oct. 24.

According to police, the victims did not suffer serious injuries.

The trio drove around Evans and East streets after school dismissed around noon, police said. The two victims told police they were playing catch when they saw Mohler’s silver Toyota Corolla drive past and fire the BB gun. One victim was hit in the head, police said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131031/suspended-pottstown-football-players-charged-arraigned

Pennsylvania Headed In Wrong Direction, Poll Says

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Pennsylvanians think their state is headed in the wrong direction and its governor isn’t doing a very good job steering the ship, a new poll shows.

The latest edition of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll was released today, and the survey of 628 registered voters showed that only a quarter believe Pennsylvania is headed in the right direction. According to data provided by the college that dates back to January 2010, that number is a new low.

A majority in the recent poll – 61 percent – responded the state is “off on the wrong track.”

Both the right direction and wrong track numbers are similar to results shown in the last Franklin & Marshall poll released in August, where 26 percent said the state is headed in the right direction and 61 percent said it’s on the wrong track.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=517834

Happy Halloween

Fourth Annual ‘8×8’ Art Show And Sale To Raise Funds For Allentown Arts Academy

Allentown, Pa. — Eight-inch-square canvases in a wide variety of styles and media will be on display Nov. 13 at “8 x 8,” the fourth annual art show and sale sponsored by the Allentown Arts Academy Alliance. Funds raised at the event will support the Allentown Academy of the Arts, at William Allen High School.

The show will include more than 50 works of art in a wide array of styles and media, created by the Arts Academy’s students, teachers and alumni, as well as artists from the community. Most of the artworks are paintings; however, some artists have mounted handcrafted jewelry or pottery on an 8-by-8-inch base. Artists this year include Nancy Bossert, Lee Butz, Fran Ackley, Claudia McGill, Jon Roylance, John Gaydos, Dana Van Horn, and many more.

The event will also include performances by Allen High School’s Chorale and Double String Quartet.

The event will be held at Muhlenberg College, in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, on the south side of Chew Street between 24th and 26th streets, Allentown. The address is 2400 Chew Street. The show takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and purchases may be taken at 6 p.m.

The Academy of the Arts, William Allen’s magnet school program, offers studio instruction to Allentown School District students in theatre, dance, visual art, and music.

Local Artist Featured In ArtFusion Solo Exhibit

Pottstown, PA –A Tribute to My Youth: The Artwork of Richardson Comly will run in ArtFusion’s main gallery from November 12 through November 30. Richardson is a local Pottstown artist and University of the Arts graduate with a BFA in animation. He mainly creates in acrylic paints but has also experimented with oil and watercolors. Richardson also likes to craft some of his own frames, and works with his stepdad, who is a carpenter by hobby, in creating them.

This show will feature original artwork that he created for the Weyerbacher Brewing Company select beer labels, classic pieces from his personal collection as well as all new artwork created just for his ArtFusion show. Richardson describes his artistic process: “My art is an expression of my subconscious. Almost every step of my creative process is left to ideas arriving by chance. I’ll do research on the painting’s subject and even sometimes create multiple thumbnails and sketches. These aren’t necessarily ideas that I will use for the painting, but more an exercise for my brain. Some artists sketch out their ideas, do their research, and reference their subject before starting a painting. I do it during. I become comfortable with what I am painting as I paint from background to foreground.”

ArtFusion will host an opening reception for this show on November 15 from 7-9pm. This free event is open to the public. Musicians Josh Jones (Univox) and Brandon Morsberger will be performing live.  Weyerbacher Brewing Company will host a beer pouring, and the Sunflower Truck Stop food truck will be parked in front of the ArtFusion building, open for business. Sunflower Truck Stop is a mobile cafe operated by Shorty’s Sunflower Cafe, a local Pottstown institution. Complimentary wine and light refreshment will be served in the gallery. The artist will also be on hand to answer questions about his work. RSVPs to 610-326-2506 are appreciated.

ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Transit Merger Report Is Due Out In April

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)

A private firm hired by PennDOT to study the merging of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 10 transit systems — which has drawn interest from county leaders across the region — said on Monday it will present its findings in April.

Officials from outside of Alle­gheny County said forming a regional transit system is a good idea but are wary of taking on the costs of the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

“We’ve got to look at it. All of these small transit systems are dying on the vine. There’s no federal and state funding. You want to see if you can consolidate some things, but a lot of details have to be worked out,” said Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi. “I certainly don’t want to absorb (Port Authority legacy costs) to Washington County taxpayers.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4961575-74/transit-county-authority#ixzz2j8v6KQEL
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Golden Triangle Triage: 5 PennDOT Options For Easing Traffic And Improving Safety At Manheim Township Intersection

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Think the intersection at Golden Triangle is a mess?

If so, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation agrees.

PennDOT hired an engineering firm to figure out how to improve the intersection at Lititz and Oregon pikes, Fordney Road and the Golden Triangle shopping center.

The state is prepared to spend between $300,000 and $1 million on construction, signals, signs and restriping of lanes to make traffic flow more smoothly and safely through the intersection.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/911475_Golden-Triangle-triage–5-PennDOT-options-for-easing-traffic-and-improving-safety-at-Manheim-Township-intersection.html#ixzz2j8sqjmCv

King’s Confirms Ramada Purchase

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WILKES-BARRE, PA — King’s College confirmed Monday that it has agreed to purchase the Ramada hotel property located at 20 Public Square for $2.7 million.

King’s also is seeking $7 million in state funding to purchase and renovate the hotel to accommodate expansion of its physician assistant program.

The college has applied for the funding through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program that is proposed in state Senate Bill 680. The legislation has been approved by the state House and Senate and is now in Gov. Tom Corbett’s office.

If approved, the legislation would provide the project with $7 million in state funding to be matched by the college, making for a $14 million project.

Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/941057/Kings-confirms-Ramada-purchase

Philadelphia Council Committee Says Yes To A Land Bank

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After years of talking the talk about getting a land bank in Philadelphia, where blight scars entire neighborhoods, City Council started Monday to walk the walk.

On a 6-1 vote, Council’s Committee on Public Property and Public Works approved a resolution to establish a land bank. The bill still needs a vote of the full Council.

If it approves, Philadelphia would become the largest city with a land bank. Land banks streamline the process for rescuing blighted property, whether by homeowners who want to turn a vacant lot next door into a garden or developers who hope to buy clusters of houses to make way for a major project.

One expert said Philadelphia was better equipped than some cities with land banks, such as Flint, Mich.; Cleveland; and St. Louis.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20131029_Phila__Council_committee_says_yes_to_a_land_bank.html#86b2DVYsKXDDfbXV.99

Reading School District Running Deficit Of Nearly $1 Million

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Four months into the 2013-14 fiscal year, the Reading School District is already running at a nearly $1 million deficit, the school board learned Monday night.

Robert Peters, chief financial officer, presented the board with a status update on the 2013-14 budget at a committee of the whole meeting.

He said unexpected increases in expenses and decreases in revenues have the district facing a $952,000 deficit.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=517608

Loans From Reading Sought For Downtown Hotel Project

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The long-planned Doubletree Convention Center Hotel downtown has hit a new snag, and its chief developer – retailer Albert R. Boscov – is asking the city for help.

Boscov told City Council and the administration Monday that the project has lost the $1 million commitment it was counting on from the Lancaster-based Community First Fund.

That fund last week announced it was giving $6 million in federal new markets tax credits to another city project – Shuman Development Co.’s plans for market-rate apartments in the old Big Mill outlets at Eighth and Oley streets – leaving none for the hotel.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=517591

Consol Selling 5 Coal Mines, River Transport Business In $3.5B Deal

English: Consol Energy Center (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the world’s oldest coal companies is selling off the business that gave Consol Energy Inc. its name, giving up five West Virginia mines and its river transport arm in an effort to transform into a growth-oriented gas business.

After weeks of speculation, Cecil-based Consol confirmed it is selling its Consolidation Coal Co. subsidiary to an Ohio mining competitor in a deal that includes $850 million in cash. The company will keep five mines to help supply overseas demand and use the capital it’s freeing up to reinvest in exploration and production of shale gas.

“We’ve kept the jewels for our shareholders,” CEO J. Brett Harvey said. “It’s important for you to understand that.”

Harvey said Consol retained an advantage over drilling competitors by retaining what it considers its best coal assets. The five mines it will hold, including its Pennsylvania operations, can supply both electric and metals makers, allowing it to sell at the best price and get more money to keep growing gas production by 30 percent annually, Consol executives said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4960070-74/consol-coal-billion#ixzz2j27tk12V
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Clarion To Suspend Programs, Cut Jobs To Close $8 Million Deficit

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Clarion University of Pennsylvania on Monday announced it will suspend two degree programs, eliminate 42.75 positions and launch several new programs in an effort to plug an $8 million budget deficit that could balloon to $12 million by 2015.

University President Karen Whitney said the moves are designed to position the state-owned university for the future following several years of sharp declines in enrollment and state subsidies.

“At the forefront of this plan is for our students to graduate and succeed in their professional careers, thanks to the marketable skills they learn at Clarion,” Whitney said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4960880-74/education-clarion-programs#ixzz2j2581ntI
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Girl, 2, A Victim Of Forty Fort Murder-Suicide

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FORTY FORT, PA – Police said Nicholas Shultz shot his 2-year-old daughter and then turned the gun on himself, in what the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office has ruled a murder-suicide.

Officers from Forty Fort and surrounding towns were dispatched to 52 Wesley St. at 11 a.m. Sunday on the report of a man with a gun threatening to kill himself and his daughter.

When police entered the house, they found a young girl, Camryn Lee Shultz, dead on the couch with one gunshot wound to the head, police said. Her father, Nicholas, 34, was found on the floor, also with one gunshot wound to the head, and was then transported to Geisinger Medical Center in Plains Township before eventually dying at the hospital, according to police.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/girl-2-a-victim-of-forty-fort-murder-suicide-1.1576005

What The Avenue Of The Arts Has Meant To Center City Philadelphia Real Estate

English: The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Banks moved out, theaters moved in, and – if the price of real estate in the neighborhood is any sign – things got a lot better around South Broad Street after the birth of the Avenue of the Arts.

Back in 1993, Peter C. Soens recalls, he sold the former Girard Bank building at Broad and Chestnut Streets, now home to the Ritz-Carlton, for $2 million.

Soon afterward, Soens, a partner at the commercial building broker and manager SSH Real Estate, sold One East Penn Square, across from City Hall, for $2.1 million.

By contrast, Soens said recently, “last year, 260 S. Broad St., a similar-sized building, also basically empty, sold for $27.5 million.” The buyer, Post Bros., says it will convert the former Atlantic office building to apartments.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20131028_What_the_Avenue_of_the_Arts_has_meant_to_city_real_estate.html#A0AAAizI3Fxq8j78.99

Five Arrested In One Of Largest Heroin Busts Ever For Scranton Police

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A man purported to be the main supplier of heroin in the Hazleton area was arrested Thursday night, smashing his drug ring and landing the Scranton Police Department one of the largest heroin seizures in its history.

Officers from the Scranton Police Special Investigations Division, with the assistance of Lackawanna County detectives and agents from the FBI, arranged a deal between a confidential police informant and Willy Perez, 35, who officers learned was operating a heroin ring in the Scranton and Hazleton areas, police said.

Mr. Perez had several people package and deliver heroin and cocaine for him, sometimes in disguise, according to an arrest affidavit. One “runner,” known as “Mohamed,” wore Domino’s Pizza delivery uniforms as a cover when delivering the drugs.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/five-arrested-in-one-of-largest-heroin-busts-ever-for-scranton-police-1.1574862