Ross Firm Strives To Make ‘Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Viable Again’

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

Josh Adamek and Scott Hastings believe their work is a form of neighborhood-building.

“A lot of these properties are distressed, so they aren’t worth anything,” Adamek said of the houses they are renewing. “With some work, they are homes and they help the tax base.”

Adamek is president and Hastings is vice president of Synergy Capital in the Perrysville section of Ross. The 3-year-old real estate development and investment firm is renovating homes in what Adamek calls “trendy neighborhoods” such as Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and the South Side.

“They are doing quality work,” said Aspinwall architect Susan Tusick, who has worked with the pair on several projects. “They are trying to make these city neighborhoods viable again.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/business/realestate/5011466-74/adamek-hastings-homes#ixzz2lghMlszE
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Superintendent, 3 Others Charged In Fallout From Steubenville Rape Case

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STEUBENVILLE, OH — A school superintendent and three others face charges in the Steubenville teen rape case that has drawn national attention, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said Monday.

“It’s about holding adults accountable, that’s what this is about,” said DeWine during a news conference at Steubenville’s Eastern Gateway Community College.

Those charged include Steubenville Superintendent Michael McVey, who faces felony counts of tampering and obstruction and other charges.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/5142198-74/steubenville-charged-rape#ixzz2lgeGjQnG
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York Police ID Alleged Shooter In Saturday’s Double Homicide

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York City detectives have obtained an arrest warrant for the man believed to be responsible for Saturday evening’s double homicide, York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said.

Laquan Pierrelouis, 22, whose last-known address was in the 900 block of West King Street, is wanted for the 7 p.m. homicides of Braydon Aldinger, 23, of Danielle Court, and Derek Feree, 26, of Old Mill Inn Road. Both men lived in Manchester Township.

“The two victims intentionally called Pierrelouis and a Hispanic male to the 500 block of West Mason Avenue in order to conduct a drug transaction,” Kahley said.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24596225/york-police-id-alleged-shooter-saturdays-double-homicide

Scranton Landlords, Homeowners And Renters Brace For Tax Hikes

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University of Scranton students Bridget McVeigh and Ashley Opalka are apartment hunting with two criteria in mind: proximity to campus and lower prices than the university’s dorms.

The pair were alarmed city landlords are poised to hike rents in response to a proposed 2014 Scranton budget that would raise property taxes 56.7 percent, garbage fees 68.5 percent and rental registration fees from $50 to $150 per structure and $15 to $50 per unit.

Landlord Carol Smurl said she tries “to be compassionate to the tenants because they’re on a fixed income,” but she and her husband cannot afford to absorb that kind of increase.

Normally, Mrs. Smurl waits until tenants move out to raise the rent or tries to delay passing increased costs on for two to three years at her nine properties.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-landlords-homeowners-and-renters-brace-for-tax-hikes-1.1590772

Woman Arrested In Sherman Hills Stabbing

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Wilkes-Barre police are investigating a stabbing that took place at the troubled Sherman Hills Apartments on Monday morning.

Police say a 27-year-old woman, whose name was not immediately released, was stabbed by another woman during a domestic dispute about 8:15 a.m. at Building 308.

Officers were called to the area of the Sherman Hills entrance on North Sherman Street and arrived to find the victim had been stabbed in the back, police said.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/woman-arrested-in-sherman-hills-stabbing-1.1591058

Officials Say Heroin A Huge Problem In Pa.

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

HARRISBURG — Heroin is a growing epidemic in Pennsylvania, and Luzerne County is no exception.

State police Commissioner Frank Noonan told the state House Judiciary Committee this week that the drug is dangerous because users become adjusted to the high it produces. As a result, users have to inject more of the drug, which leads to a higher risk of overdose.

He said users will also typically mix the drug with others in an attempt to achieve the same high.

The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing to discuss the heroin epidemic this week. Afterward, committee member state Rep. Tarah Toohil provided data on the number of heroin deaths in Luzerne County. So far this year, 20 people have died form using heroin with other drugs — users often take multiple drugs. There were 31 deaths in 2012.

Read m0re: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/1001824/Officials-say-heroin-a-huge-problem-in-Pa.

Bethlehem Continues To Boost Christmas Events

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Bethlehem keeps working to earn its Christmas City nickname.

The city may have more holiday events than ever this year: Christkindlmarkt is open for its 21st year, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is holding holiday tours and carriage rides for its 20th year and Center City’s Christmas City Village is returning for its third year.

The continued addition of holiday attractions has only helped existing events, operators said. Christkindlmarkt, a German-style holiday marketplace put on by ArtsQuest, had two of its three best years following the debut of the Downtown Bethlehem Association-organized Christmas City Village in 2011, ArtsQuest spokesman Mark Demko said.

Christmas City Village — an open-air German-style market also known as Weihnachtsmarkt — is adding another five huts for a total of 35 this year, Downtown Business Association Manager Kara Johnson said. And Historic Bethlehem is already ahead of schedule on pre-sale tour and carriage ride tickets, according to LoriAnn Wukitsch, the organization’s vice president and managing director.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2013/11/bethlehem_continues_to_boost_c.html

Construction Of Philly’s Mormon Temple Without Caffeine, Smoking, Swearing

It’s been two years since ground was broken in Center City on a massive Mormon temple and visitors’ center, and it might just be one of the more remarkable construction sites in recent city history.

Let’s just say the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (LDS) goes by its own rules — not those typically found in local union handbooks. And it makes sure those rules are enforced.

No smoking. No coffee. No swearing.

Praying optional — but encouraged.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Construction_of_Phillys_Mormon_Temple_without_caffeine_smoking_swearing.html#BeIx151RoqqI1YFX.99

Good-Bye Ruby Tuesday?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) – Casual-dining restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday issued a press release last week meant to show investors that the company is taking steps to turn itself around, but what it told me is that theroad to recovery may be a long one.

Coming on the heels of worse-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter and then the sudden resignations of the company’s chairman and a key vice president, plus a downgrade of its debt by Moody’s deeper into junk territory, the press release gave more details about the cost-cutting initiatives Ruby Tuesday is undertaking in attempts to right its ship.

In its efforts to cut $6 million from its selling, general and administrative costs beginning in 2015, the company is reviewing its cost structure. The first move will be the elimination of 50 jobs at its Maryville, Tenn., restaurant support center. Next, the restaurant chain will hire a consulting firm to help it cut cost of goods sold and other restaurant operating costs.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/philly/story/good-bye-ruby-tuesday/12124084

Philadelphia Could Make History With Land Bank Plan

English: Map of Philadelphia County highlighting planning districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maybe City Councilman Bobby Henon said it best on Thursday: “Right now, we have opportunity to make historic changes.”

Henon, chairman of Council’s Public Property Committee, was talking about the bill to create a land bank.

It’s a system Atlanta, Cleveland, St. Louis, and other cities have adopted and that supporters say could help cure the blight haunting many Philadelphia neighborhoods.

But with history at stake, the proposal seems stuck

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20131125_Philadelphia_could_make_history_with_land_bank_plan.html#u0ZlRfmlg53GFGwF.99

Many Shoppers Say No To Buying On Thanksgiving Day

You have to wonder what Norman Rockwell’s interpretation of Thanksgiving would be today. His classic 1943 Thanksgiving painting,“Freedom from Want,” which shows Ma placing a beautifully browned turkey down for Pa to carve, family members eagerly leaning in over the dinner table and grinning at one another, doesn’t seem complete anymore.

There are no digital devices to be seen, the family roles might be a little outdated and, of course, there isn’t an inset panel showing a son or a daughter stocking shelves or working the checkout line at Best Buy or The Gap, both of which are open on Thanksgiving Day this year.

In competition for your holiday spending dollars, retailers have pushed what has been known as Black Friday well into the day before — that is, Thanksgiving Day. Some find it an affront to Thanksgiving traditions. For others, it threatens what have become Black Friday family traditions, too.

Becka Pankowski, 42, of Fountain, Colo., is quitting her long-held Black Friday tradition altogether, saying she’s opposed to the Thanksgiving openings.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/lifestyle/20131125/many-shoppers-say-no-to-buying-on-thanksgiving-day