Many Remain Wary Of West Virginia Water As Smell Lingers

Map of Charleston and vicinity. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CHARLESTON, WV—The smell lingers—the slightly sweet, slightly bitter odor of a chemical that contaminated the water supply of West Virginia’s capital more than a week ago. It creeps out of faucets and shower heads. It wafts from the Elk River, the site of the spill. Sometimes it hangs in the cold nighttime air.

For several days, a majority of Charleston-area residents have been told their water is safe to drink, that the concentration of a chemical used to wash coal is so low that it won’t be harmful. Restaurants have reopened—using tap water to wash dishes and produce, clean out their soda fountains and make ice.

But as long as people can still smell it, they’re wary—and given the lack of knowledge about the chemical known as MCHM, some experts say their caution is justified.

“I would certainly be waiting until I couldn’t smell it anymore, certainly to be drinking it,” said Richard Denison, a scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund who has followed the spill closely. “I don’t blame people at all for raising questions and wondering whether they can trust what’s being told to them.”

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/nation-world/ci_24940594/many-remain-wary-w-va-water-smell-lingers

Two Students Shot At Logan Charter School

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Two 15-year-old students were wounded Friday afternoon in what may have been an accidental shooting inside a charter high school in Logan, Philadelphia police said.

One of the victims, a girl who was shot through the arm, was treated at Einstein Medical Center, just blocks away from Delaware Valley Charter High School, where the shooting occurred. She was released from the hospital later in the day.

The second victim, her boyfriend, was struck by the same bullet, which lodged in his shoulder, police said. He remained at the hospital Friday night.

The shooting, which sent parents scrambling to find out if their children were safe, came two days after a 17-year-old boy was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to a West Philadelphia charter school.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20140118_Breaking__Two_students_shot_at_charter_school.html#EzOvRdAkfh5CfyY1.99

Phoenixville Council Appoints New Member To Fill Vacated Seat

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PHOENIXVILLE — In a split vote at Tuesday night’s meeting, borough council appointed a current planning commission member to fill the East Ward seat Mike Speck vacated by his election to mayor in November.

Shai Perednik, who also serves on the borough’s historic architecture review board, joined council in a 4-3 vote divided along party lines Tuesday night.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to get involved in the borough,” Perednik said, adding he’d like to see his family grow up alongside the borough.

One of three candidates interviewed, Perednik received approval votes from Council President Jim Kovaleski, Council Vice President Dana Dugan, Jenn Mayo and Jeremy Dalton.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140116/phoenixville-council-appoints-new-member-to-fill-vacated-seat

Phoenixville Man Accused Of Following Woman For 21 Miles

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WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, PA ­— A 25-year-old Phoenixville man is facing stalking and related charges after he allegedly made numerous unwanted sexual advances toward a woman before following her car for more than 21 miles.

During the early morning hours of Jan. 3, a young woman was driving when she noticed another vehicle following closely behind her own vehicle, according to the West Goshen Police Department. When the victim stopped at a Wawa store, the driver of the other vehicle approached her both inside and outside of the store and repeatedly asked for the victim’s telephone number.

Police said the driver of the vehicle, a silver Honda Civic with Pennsylvania tags, was later identified as Scott Andrew Rosenberg.

Investigators said that when the victim refused to give Rosenberg her phone number, he continued to harass her and suggested various sexual encounters he said he would like to have with the victim.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140117/phoenixville-man-accused-of-following-woman-for-21-miles

Auditor General: Reading School District’s Efforts To Fix Problems ‘Ridiculous’

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Eight months ago, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale lambasted the Reading School District.

In an audit report that he called the worst ever of a school district in Pennsylvania, he derided the district’s leadership, financial management and ability to provide students with a quality education. He said if things didn’t change quickly, there would be a more than strong chance the state would take the district over.

On Friday, DePasquale was back in town to provide an update. The story wasn’t much better.

“It is, again, not a pretty picture,” he said during a press conference at the Reading State Office Building.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20140118/NEWS/301189948#.Utqg8PQo6c8

Muhlenberg Honors Mildred Greene In Costume Retrospective

 

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Allentown, PA – Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance will remember Mildred Greene, long-time costumer and costume designer, with a special exhibition of her work Feb. 5-27. The exhibition, titled “It Fits, You’ll Wear It & Love It,” will honor Greene’s impact on the department and its productions.

Greene built and designed costumes for the Theatre & Dance Department and Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre from 1979 until her retirement in 2003. During her 24-year career at Muhlenberg, she designed and produced thousands of costumes for the stage.

The exhibition will feature costumes as well as photographs of Greene’s design repertoire spanning her Muhlenberg career. A free reception for the exhibition will be held Friday, Feb. 7 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Greene’s skill, expertise, and no-nonsense charm endeared her to her colleagues and hundreds of students, according to Curtis Dretsch, professor of design and technical theater.

“Mildred could do more, with less, more quickly than anyone else I’ve ever known,” Dretsch says.

Greene was destined to create costumes for the stage, as her father was an upholsterer and her mother sewed clothing and dance costumes for the family. She worked in New York City during World War II as a pattern maker for McCall’s Pattern Company while also work in alterations shops honing her construction skills.

Reviewers consistently praised Greene’s work throughout her career. “Mildred Greene’s costumes deserve to be kept on display as examples of theater art even after audiences can no longer enjoy the sterling play they frame,” wrote Morning Call theater critic John Flautz in his 1988 review of “The School for Scandal.” “They are nothing short of stunning!”

Muhlenberg College is a liberal arts college of more than 2,200 students in Allentown, Pa. The college offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. The Princeton Review has ranked Muhlenberg’s theater program as in the top twelve in the nation for the past seven years, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theater and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theater and dance.

“It Fits, You’ll Wear It & Love It” runs Feb. 5-27. The exhibition will take place in the Galleria Lobby, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.