MCCC Students Named To Who’s Who Among American Junior Colleges

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa. – Eighty students from Montgomery County Community College’s Class of 2014 were named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. To qualify for Who’s Who, students must be graduating during the 2013-2014 academic year with a grade point average of at least 2.75 and must be nominated by a member of MCCC’s faculty or staff.

The 2014 Who’s Who students are listed below by area of residence:

Ambler: Abigail Drakely, Devin Spillane, Ruschell Turner

Audubon: Kristine Kuhna

Bala Cynwyd: Helia Akbari, Robert Brothers

Bernville: Katie Williams

Blue Bell: Harris Risell

Cheltenham: Brian Hipwell

Coatesville: Heather Anderson

Conshohocken: Tina Ambs, Ali Mohammed

Eagleville: Dominique Lorena Owens-Pinkney

East Greenville: Ianna Rementer

East Norriton: Philene Moore, Melanie Schappell

Elkins Park: Octavia Beyah

Gilbertsville: Serena Dunlap, Donald Craig McHenry

Glenside: Victoria Clark, Jennifer Garvin, Otto Kuehrmann

Harleysville: Becca Bilofsky, Diane Doman, Katie Greiner, Syeda Hussain, Jordan Zdon

Hatboro: Emily Watkins, Fred Zajac

Hatfield: Md Sabir Islam, Cristy Stevens

Horsham: Danielle Cole, Nicole Hobbs, Cassandra West

Huntingdon Valley: Lisa Malone

Jenkintown: Min Choi

Lansdale: Magdalena Bartnikowska, Jeffrey Berest, Melissa Clark, Marisa Dormer, Sarah Fequiere, Jennifer Lundy

Levittown: Kaley Bradshaw

Norristown: Erin Cooper, Brianne Early, Carlos Gordon, Kenneth Hayse, Robert Hunt, Lisa Kalinovski

North Wales: Grace Kim, Catherine Quinn, Nicole Revitsky

Perkiomenville: Merissa DiMino

Philadelphia: Lauren Cimini, Jenna Clay, Christine Koller

Phoenixville: Amanda Force, Paul Gretzer, Yolanda Rosas

Pipersville: Emily Litwin

Plymouth Meeting: Diane Arnone, Amy Ecklund, Briana Granese, Kayla Hodges, Raya Jones, Tyler Tucker

Pottstown: Leyna Gilleland, Amber Quinter, Joshua Smith, Cynthia Steed

Roslyn: Alena Poli

Schwenksville: Devon Carrow, Jonathan Kivlin

Trappe: Amanda Beyer

Trooper: Heather Brown

Wayne: Kristen Born

West Chester: Manuela Whalen

Wyncote: Nikita Clayton

Wyndmooor: Paige Brower

Pittsburgh Buys iPhones For Building Inspectors In Effort To Streamline Operations

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

Brian Ralston used to arrive at the office with 15 or more voicemails waiting for him from Pittsburgh residents, business owners and contractors.

As an inspector with the city Bureau of Building Inspection, he spends his days in the field, navigating among property inspections.

“If you didn’t have my personal cellphone, you had to call and leave a message,” he said.

In mid-April, the city rolled out iPhones for BBI inspectors, a purchase intended to speed up operations and provide better service, said BBI acting chief Maura Kennedy.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/6087171-74/inspectors-ralston-bbi#ixzz31VnAmBbf
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Investigation Shows Heroin-Related Deaths Are Not Accurately Counted

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

Elected officials, law enforcement officers and others proclaim there’s a heroin “epidemic” sweeping the country, and it’s taking hold in rural and suburban communities once considered unlikely places to find illicit drugs.

But nobody knows how many people have died.

Nobody knows how many have overdosed and survived.

Nobody even knows for certain where the problem is most severe.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140511/investigation-shows-heroin-related-deaths-are-not-accurately-counted/1

Washington Post Ranks McCaskey Among State’s “Most Challenging” Schools

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

Student test scores are often used to evaluate schools, but The Washington Post thinks test participation is also worth measuring.

The national newspaper last month published its list, “America’s Most Challenging High Schools,” which scores schools based on the number of students who attempt college-level exams.

McCaskey High School in the School District of Lancaster ranked 20th on the listing of the most rigorous high schools in Pennsylvania.

No other Lancaster County schools made the list. The nearest school that did was Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/washington-post-ranks-mccaskey-among-state-s-most-challenging-schools/article_098fc76a-d949-11e3-9a57-0017a43b2370.html

Pottstown Schools Propose 2.9% Tax Hike This Year, 0% Next Year

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

POTTSTOWN, PA — School taxes may not rise next year if the school board approves a budget that raises them 2.9 percent this year, Superintendent Jeff Sparagana said Thursday night.

That was when the proposed $56.4 million Pottstown Schools budget got its first public airing — although few members of the public were in attendance — before the school board’s finance committee.

“This is not the year to tie our hands,” Sparagana told the finance committee.

Pointing to the $1.5 million in additional debt payments that begin this year to pay for the elementary school renovations; the additional $1.1 in retirement/pension payments and the $625,000 the district needs to start setting aside annually for roof replacements, Sparagana said the administration can balance the budget “without cutting programs and hurting students” with the additional $856,000 a 2.9 percent tax hike generates.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140509/pottstown-schools-propose-29-tax-hike-this-year-0-next-year

Marcellus Can Help Boost Pennsylvania Steel

English: Cropped portion of image from USGS report showing extent of Marcellus Formation shale (in gray shading). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania is home to the highest-producing natural-gas shale play in the United States, and Marcellus Shale wells continue to break records. During the last six months of 2013, the commonwealth produced 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas, or an average of 9.2 billion cubic feet per day – enough to satisfy about an eighth of the nation’s daily natural-gas demand.

The continued safe and responsible development of Marcellus Shale natural gas presents a great opportunity to create new jobs and provide economic prosperity in the commonwealth.

With this prosperity, Pennsylvania is taking center stage in helping the United States achieve energy independence and reduce our need to rely on foreign energy sources. In addition to capital investments and job creation in energy, the development of the Marcellus Shale has the potential to greatly benefit Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector, in particular the steel industry. Perhaps the single most important product used to ensure the safe development of this abundant natural resource is high-quality steel pipe.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20140512_Marcellus_can_help_boost_Pa__steel.html#MY1F1cQI3Vhy9OZH.99