UTILITIES SCRAMBLE TO RESTORE POWER IN PA., MD.

Editor’s note:  Ash, you’re a class act!

HARRISBURG, PA (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people spent a second day without electricity Thursday as utility crews from as far away as Canada and Arkansas scrambled to restore power lost when ice took down trees and limbs in the mid-Atlantic. Forecasters said a bone-chilling cold would remain in place for days.

Nearly a half-million customers lacked power in Pennsylvania and Maryland. In Pennsylvania, where most of the outages were located, officials likened the scope of the damage to a hurricane. Some who might not get power back for several days sought warmth — or at least somewhere to recharge their batteries — in shopping malls, public libraries and hastily established shelters.

One cafe in downtown Pottstown gave about 15 free meals to people without power, encouraged them to plug in devices and even let a few get a warm shower.

“It’s just kind of giving back to the community — there’s no other purpose of this,” said iCreate Cafe owner Ashraf Khalil.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/storm-leaves-hundreds-thousands-dark

Centre County Heroin Trafficking Drug Bust Video

Peduto Makes Pitch For New Housing In Pittsburgh

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

Whether it’s Oxford or Ralph Falbo, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has a message for developers — give me housing and lots of it.

And that applies to the North Shore, too, where you will find lots of offices and bars and even a hotel, but not a single place to call home.

In meetings with developers, Mr. Peduto is making it clear that there is a new administration with a new agenda in town — one that places a premium on housing and neighborhood business districts.

“Retail follows rooftop. That’s what [the late mayor] Bob O’Connor used to say. We don’t need to TIF retail centers. We don’t need to put public dollars behind big box. They’ll come. What we need to do is to build up the population that will shop there and then the retail would never need public subsidy,” he said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/02/06/Peduto-makes-pitch-for-new-housing/stories/201402060184#ixzz2saXXgnKv

Sharon Regional Hospital Agrees To For-Profit Buyout

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

Editor’s note:  Gobble, gobble, gobble….CHS is at it again.

A Mercer County health system will be sold to a for-profit Tennessee conglomerate that owns, leases or operates 206 other hospitals in 29 states, according to an agreement announced Thursday.

Sharon Regional Health System said it has reached a definitive agreement to be sold to Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems Inc.

The sales price was not released, but hospital officials said in a news release that Community Health will invest at least $75 million in the hospital in the next five years.

Sharon Regional has about 1,800 workers making it the largest employer in Mercer County, which borders Ohio along Interstate 80. Sharon Regional’s flagship hospital is about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2014/02/06/Sharon-Regional-Hospital-agrees-to-for-profit-buyout/stories/201402060266

Update: More Than 35,000 In York County Still Without Power

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

4:15 p.m. update: Met-Ed has restored power to about 1,000 additional customers in the last three hours, reducing the number of customers without power in York County to about 34,700.

Met-Ed has about 39,000 people without power across the state, an indication that York County is hardest hit among its service areas for power outages from Wednesday’s storm.

The company’s website indicates those outages are scattered throughout the county.

Met-Ed has brought in crews from out of state and has said power should be restored to 99 percent of customers by Saturday night.

Read more:  http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_25072774/43-000-york-county-remain-dark

Obama Declares Lancaster County An Emergency Area: What It Means

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

With thousands still without power, President Barack Obama on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Lancaster and six other Pennsylvania counties.

The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring resources to the clean-up efforts.

While local officials were still unclear about the extent of federal aid on Thursday afternoon, a FEMA spokesman said the first tangible result will likely come to the county in the form of gas-powered generators.

Peter Herrick, of Philadelphia-based FEMA Region III, said federal emergency management officials were talking to their counterparts at the state level to determine what equipment is needed.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/obama-declares-lancaster-county-an-emergency-area-what-it-means/article_851cb56a-8f60-11e3-8d16-0017a43b2370.html

Bolaris: Snow This Weekend? Probably. Mega-Storm? No.

So, no, there are no signs of a break in this vicious winter.

However, we will — thank goodness — miss a mega-storm this weekend, which should help in the recovery process of restoring power to many homes still in the dark.

Over the upcoming weekend, a storm system well off the coast, combined with energy racing across the upper Ohio Valley, could produce a period of snow showers from Saturday night into Sunday morning. The region is should expect light accumulation, from a possible coating in most places and up an inch or two. The most likely areas to see accumulation is coastal Cape May County, N.J., and Central and Southern Delaware.

After snow subsides early Sunday, the rest of the day will be windy and cold. Earlier in the weekend, starting Friday, temperatures will be hard pressed to crack the freezing mark.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Bolaris_Snow_this_weekend_Probably_Mega-storm_No.html#rtzT92yoXuz0uHmZ.99

Pennsylvania Heroin Ring Bust Nets 10

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Police arrested 10 people for drug possession and distribution offenses, marking the second phase in the dismantling of a heroin ring operating in Centre and Lycoming counties, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced Thursday.

Evidence and testimony regarding the alleged drug network was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges.

The grand jury found a New York heroin and cocaine source was living in Pleasant Gap and using residents to make drug deliveries in the State College and Williamsport areas, according to prosecutors. Investigators said agents used court-ordered wiretaps to determine area users and dealers were also getting heroin from contacts in Philadelphia and Williamsport.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/Alleged_heroin_ring_bust_nets_10.html#oA5Wd1EHG1HqFzOj.99

Business Booming At Montgomery County Hotels Due To Power Outages

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — If area residents who were without power may have felt like the losers in Wednesday’s icy winter weather games, the winners were the area’s hotels, where “no vacancy” seemed to be a recurring theme.

Then again, depending on where they chose to spend Wednesday night, some of those displaced “losers” may have felt as if their luck was about to change for the better.

“Where else would you want to be but at a casino on a night like tonight, right?” said Michael Bowman, CEO and president of Valley Forge Casino Resort.

With every one of the resort’s 485 rooms due to be snapped up within the hour, Bowman said the lobby was buzzing with folks who had closed up their dark and unheated homes in search of plush lodgings on First Avenue in King of Prussia.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/business/20140205/business-booming-at-montgomery-county-hotels-due-to-power-outages

Pottstown Police Department Sees New Recruits, Full Force On Duty

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

POTTSTOWN, PA — Borough residents will soon see several new faces in Pottstown Police Department uniforms after the largest class of officers in the history of the department started this past week.

On Jan. 27, seven men began a year-long probationary period with the department, Capt. Robert Thomas said.

Not only is this the largest class of new members, the addition means the department will be running at full complement.

“Our full force is 46 officers,” Thomas said. They represent 15 percent of the department and Thomas said that is a substantial addition.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/20140206/pottstown-police-department-sees-new-recruits-full-force-on-duty

Pottstown Keystone Chapter 565 Vietnam Veterans Of America Receives Donation

Our thanks go out to VVA Chester County Chapter 436 for their donation of $1,000.00 to the Memorial Fund for the Pottstown Chapter.  Everyone was very surprised and very grateful. Frank Strunk, Pottstown Chapter president (left) is receiving the check from Ken Schweitzer, Chester County Chapter (right).

The funds will go to help with the upkeep of the memorial and also help with all the services scheduled to start in the spring.

Thanks again guys for the support!!