Pittsburgh Councilwoman Deb Gross Proposes Land Bank

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

Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Deb Gross is proposing the creation of a land bank for the city of Pittsburgh, a mechanism that could streamline the process of redeveloping tax-delinquent land.

Ms. Gross today introduced a bill today creating the legal framework for the land bank, which would be an entity separate from the city. The legislation is a work in progress because Ms. Gross wants to get community input on many of the program’s details.

In 2012, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed the State Land Bank Act, which allowed for the creation of land banks. Since the passage of the law, Westmoreland County, Dauphin County and Philadelphia have created land banks.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/01/14/Pittsburgh-councilwoman-Deb-Gross-proposes-land-bank/stories/2014011401450000000#ixzz2qQ6pSLFH

Scranton Wants To Declare Bankruptcy

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SCRANTON, PA — When Detroit filed for bankruptcy, hundreds of residents took to the streets to protest what they saw as a drastic approach to fixing the city’s budget problems.

But in this hilly town of 76,000 in northeastern Pennsylvania, residents have a different view of Chapter 9: They want the city to declare bankruptcy. And soon.

“The silent majority would like to see bankruptcy,” said Bob “Ozzie” Quinn, president of the Scranton and Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association. “Basically, it’s down to a point where people cannot afford to pay the taxes and are moving out of town.”

Faced with a $20 million deficit, Scranton had to do some tricky maneuvering to balance its budget and avoid defaulting on loans. Most of this maneuvering has involved increasing taxes and fees paid by the people who still live in the town, which has seen its population drop by half since the 1930s.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140111/scranton-wants-to-declare-bankruptcy

Exeter School Van Struck In Pottstown Hit-And-Run

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POTTSTOWN — Two Exeter Township School District students were sent to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after the school van they were riding in was broadsided in a hit-and-run crash on Berks Street

Around 2:30 p.m., the Pottstown Police responded to the crash at the intersection of Glasgow and Berks streets.

Ted Mohn, the van’s driver, said he was stopped at the four-way intersection there, began heading west again on Berks Street when a car traveling south on Glasgow Street “jumped the gun” and struck him.

The van, which was taking students from Buxmont Academy in Lower Pottsgrove, sustained damage to the mid-rear section of its passenger side and ended up sideways pointing northwest on Berks Street.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140114/exeter-school-van-struck-in-pottstown-hit-and-run

UPDATED: PECO Determines Cause Of Power Loss In Pottstown

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POTTSTOWN, PA — Several hours after a temporary power outage plunged more than 2,000 people around the borough into darkness on Tuesday, PECO crews determined the cause of the problem.

The outage occurred around 10:40 a.m. and impacted 2,250 customers. Power to all but five customers was restored around 11 a.m.

Greg Smore, a PECO spokesperson, said an issue with a piece of equipment and a downed wire cause the outage, which lasted a little under an hour.

“It was not a malfunction and it was not weather related,” Smore said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140114/updated-peco-determines-cause-of-power-loss-in-pottstown

Rock Lititz Starts Push To Make Lititz Area An Entertainment Technology Hub

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When The Rolling Stones or Maroon 5 hit the road, their production crews have spent months practicing, making sure the lighting’s just right, the special effects are perfect, along with the staging, video, pyro and all the theatrics that wow the audience.

Bands used to start tours in smaller towns to work out the kinks on the road.

Today, anyone can take a video and post it online, so that first show has to be perfect.

The question is how to do it. And a couple of Lancaster County music business powerhouses have a solution.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20140114/BUSINESSWEEKLY/301149999#.UtW9L_RDsxI