A Public Service Announcement From The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority (PDIDA)

POTTSTOWN, PA – SNOW IS ON IT’S WAY – PLEASE If you plan to park along High Street between York and Evan’s, please go to the various municipal lots so that the parking areas can be cleared of snow as easily as possible. PENNDOT only plows the center lane for us. PDIDA must do the rest, it will be best for all if we can manage a few hours in the lots, clear the streets without issue and then park again on High – Please share this information if you can so things go smoothly. If 5″ or more is laid, we will begin snow removal as quickly as possible. Thanks everyone for your cooperation!

Specific municipal lots are assigned to the 100, 200, and 300 hundred blocks of High Street. Vehicles which park overnight on the 100 block of High Street are assigned to the parking lot across the tracks from the old train station. In the 200 block, cars are assigned to the lot behind American Cash Traders and cars from the 300 block should park in the Evans Street lot.
Questions? Please call Sheila at 610-323-5400 or 484-948-6061.

Reefer Madness Arrives In Colorado As Sales Begin

DENVER, CO — At 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day, in an industrial area a few miles from downtown Denver, a former Marine named Sean Azzariti walked into a giant store and bought a bag of weed. Legally. To smoke just for fun, if he’s so inclined.

Mr. Azzariti’s transaction Wednesday — 3.5 grams of Bubba Kush for $40 and 50 mg of Truffles for an additional $9.28 — was the first in the state’s grand experiment in legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The first-in-the-nation law was greeted with long lines at retailers and a lot of “Rocky Mountain High” jokes. But beyond the buzz, the measure represented the institution of a major new public policy in America — one opponents fear will turn the state into a dangerous land of debauchery and that backers hope sets a nationwide precedent.

If Colorado is able to successfully legalize marijuana without causing a social backlash, the tourism, tax and other considerations are likely to compel several other states to quickly follow suit.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2014/01/02/Reefer-madness-arrives-in-Colorado-as-sales-begin/stories/201401020165#ixzz2pGsOK9DV

Second York City Man In Custody For Monday Homicide

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

An alleged York City killer wanted by police turned himself in at the county’s Central Booking Unit about three hours into the new year, county officials said.

Victor Martinez-Raices, 21, of 320 Walnut St., is now in prison along with co-defendant Ruben Delvalles-Vicente, 29, of 344 Smyser St.

Both men were denied bail and are charged with homicide and conspiracy for Monday’s fatal shooting of Carlos Ramos-Diaz.

The 19-year-old victim, who lived in the 700 block of South Court Street, was shot at 2:08 a.m. in the city’s east end after fighting with Delvalles-Vicente at a birthday party, according to York City Police Capt. Russ Tschopp.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24833169/second-york-city-man-custody-monday-homicide

Online Publication: Scranton Is Nation’s Most Hungover City

Sam Bernardini had the Bog pretty much to himself Wednesday night.

The Scranton was packed with New Year’s Eve revelers the night before, but Bernardini rang in 2014 at home.

“Amateurs go out on New Year’s Eve,” he said, one of four patrons at the bar. Few city watering holes were open, and those that were had far more barstools than customers, suggesting that a study published by Business Insider might have merit.

The online publication ranked Scranton the “Most Hungover City in America” in a list of 25 communities where citizens were likely to be nursing sore heads and queasy stomachs Wednesday morning.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/online-publication-scranton-is-nation-s-most-hungover-city-1.1610427

Expect Heavy Snow But Not Blizzard In Lehigh Valley, Northwest New Jersey, Experts Say

A snowstorm headed toward the Lehigh Valley will likely fall short of becoming a blizzard locally, but meteorologists are expecting heavy snow to arrive Thursday evening and Friday morning.

The National Weather Service is putting out a winter storm warning for Lehigh, Northampton and Warren counties. The three counties under the warning could face 6 to 10 inches of snow and wind gusts ranging from 15 to 25 miles an hour, according to the weather service.

Snow is expected to start around 1 p.m. in the three counties, according to the service.

The same report placed Hunterdon County under a winter storm watch, saying it could see 3 to 7 inches of snow beginning around 2 p.m.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2014/01/reports_project_between_4_to_1.html

Montgomery County Declares Code Blue Due To Cold

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

NORRISTOWN, PA – Color Montgomery County blue once again. Code blue, that is.

County commissioners heeded the advice of the Department of Public Safety and have declared a Code Blue Weather Emergency that will run until 9 a.m. on Monday.

A Code Blue Weather Emergency is when there is “extreme, life-threatening weather, defined as a windchill factor of 20 degrees or below,” the county’s website says.

The declaration triggers expanded social services for people, such as homeless adults and families, who are more vulnerable to the frigid weather.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20140102_Montgomery_County_declares_Code_blue_due_to_cold.html#8oUEGxXZ6PUebMrR.99

Heroin Addictions Are Hitting Suburbs Hard

Brains Stolen, Sold On eBay, Man Arrested

Skyline of Indianpolis. This photo was also taken from the top floor of an IU Hospital parking garage in spring 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jars of brain tissue were recently stolen from an Indianapolis medical museum and sold on eBay, according to a report.

Apparently a “hot” brain goes for $100 plus shipping these days.

At least that’s the rate a San Diego man paid for six jars before he got suspicious about some labels and called authorities, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Indianapolis police set up a phony deal in a Dairy Queen parking lot on Dec. 16, and arrested David Charles, 21, a city resident, who just the day before allegedly stole another 60 jars of human tissue from the Indiana Medical History Museum.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Stolen_brains_sold_on_eBay_arrest_made.html#4F5OMX6vmlxkMFGQ.99

2014 Pennsylvania Farm Show Starts January 4th In Harrisburg

The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs Jan. 4 through Jan. 11 at the Pennsylvania Complex & Expo Center, North Cameron and Maclay Streets, Harrisburg.

Show hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 4 through 11 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 12

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/business/20140102/live-from-the-2014-pennsylvania-farm-show

Three Different Weather Services, Three Different Snowfall Forecasts

Three different weather services are predicting three different snowfall totals, making it difficult to forecast how much accumulation we will get when a storm hits Thursday in time for the afternoon commute.

Accuweather is offering the most conservative estimate, predicting 2 to 4 inches of the white stuff from the time the storm begins around 3 p.m. and ends about 12 hours later early Friday morning.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J., the regional headquarters of the government weather forecasting agency, at 5 p.m., was predicting 6 to 8 inches.

Finally, the Eastern PA Weather Authority, weighed in with a 6- to 10-inch snowstorm.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20140101/NEWS/301019943#.UsWpy_RDsxI