Shell Touts Utica Gas Wells In Northern Pa.

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

Energy companies might have another sweet spot for gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

Royal Dutch Shell on Wednesday said two wells it drilled in the Utica shale below Tioga County are producing at levels comparable to the most successful wells in Southeastern Ohio.

“This opens a new potential for other drillers to follow Shell’s act,” said Tom Gellrich, founder of TopLine Analytics, a manufacturing consultant specializing in shale gas plays.

The energy giant drilled the wells in one of the top-producing Marcellus shale counties, north of Williamsport. But Shell’s Gee and Neal wells are tapping a formation several thousand feet below the better-known Marcellus and were drilled about 100 miles northeast of the closest producing Utica well.

Read more: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/6727554-74/wells-shell-producing#ixzz3CMn9NtUh
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York City Commuter Tax ‘A Very Real Possibility’

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

A majority of York City Council members said they are willing to consider authorizing a new tax in 2015 that would reach into the pockets of many more people.

The distressed pension earned income tax — more commonly known as the commuter tax — has been on the city’s menu of revenue-generating options for the past several years.

But, so far, city officials have been able to balance York’s budgets without wading into the controversial waters of taxing commuters’ earnings.

That might change next year.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26465818/york-city-commuter-tax-very-real-possibility

Lancaster Craft Beerfest – Saturday, September 6th

Bringing a great beer event to Lancaster, Pa.

On September 6th, the second annual Lancaster Craft Beerfest is returning to the vibrant, growing, and creative city of Lancaster. Last year was a huge success with a sold out crowd of over 2,000 attendees, and this year it’s going to be bigger and better. Like last year, our goal is to provide craft beer drinkers with an amazing selection of unique beers so they can discover new and old favorites. There will be dozens of options from some of the best breweries, including those right in our neighborhood and from across the country. Not only will there be craft beer, there will be great food and live music to enjoy as well.

To check out the website for all the festival information, click here: http://lancastercraftbeerfest.com/

Dessoye Stepping Down As Wilkes-Barre Police Chief

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

WILKES-BARRE, PA — So much for listening to his older brother about career choices.

City Police Chief Gerard Dessoye announced his long-rumored retirement Wednesday after 33 years on the force, rising to lead the more than 90-member department from patrolman.

Dessoye, 57, will leave his $91,305-a-year position later this month to take over as executive director of campus safety and security at King’s College, where he graduated in 1979 with a degree in criminal justice.

A decorated officer — Dessoye has been shot, and himself shot and killed a man — the outgoing chief acknowledged his brother Michael, chief detective with the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, discouraged him from following in his footsteps as a policeman.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/50249743/Dessoye-stepping-down-as-chief#.VAiPH_RDsxI

Nazareth Council Wants Harrisburg To Study Police Department; Petition Calls For Chief’s Job

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

Editor’s Note:  There are ways to get the state involved when outside intervention is needed.  This should have been done years ago in Pottstown because of the out of control crime rate, that apparently isn’t a concern to the leadership.

Political blogger Bernie O’Hare criticized Nazareth Council tonight for seeking a contractor to study the police force rather than take steps to fix it.

In a shouting exchange with solicitor Al Pierce, O’Hare claimed council had a similar study performed and didn’t like the results so the group is hoping for a better result this time.

“You don’t like what he’s telling you,” O’Hare told the mayor of the private investigator and his report.

Mayor Carl Strye Jr. said the previous study was internal. Pierce called O’Hare’s claims not “factually accurate.”

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2014/09/nazareth_council_wants_harrisb.html

Town By Town: In Pottstown, Plenty Of Sellers, Few Buyers

Pottstown Borough Hall

Editor’s note:  It’s pretty freakin’ sad when the Philadelphia Inquirer has to write up something like this about Pottstown.  Everybody knows why this situation exists, except for the do nothing Borough Council who are off in Lala Land taking a group cruise down the river Denial! What an embarrassing write up and very damning because of the enormous readership of this MAJOR MARKET publication!!!!!  Now that a big city newspaper has pointed out the same issues we bloggers have been harping on for years, maybe you all will be shamed into doing something. 

Trends in local housing supply and demand aren’t working in Pottstown’s favor right now. In a word, the market is troubled.

Andrew Himes, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors in Collegeville, said the borough “is one of the few places that hasn’t made any kind of a comeback.”

Though just about every market in the eight-county Philadelphia region has a shortage of supply, Pottstown’s problem is it has 300 houses for sale and very little demand, Himes says.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds/real_estate/town-by-town/20140831_Town_By_Town_.html#0CJjWTr05jzmHLlJ.99

Residents Facing Evictions At Jenkintown High Rise

Map of Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some 200 Jenkintown residents, many of them elderly, are losing their apartments due to a dispute between local officials and the property owner.

“We’re the pawns in this,” said Marshall Jones, 93. “[The owner] is saying, ‘If you won’t do it our way, we’ll just close it down.’ ”

Jones has lived in the Colonade high-rise apartments on Old York Road, in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township, for 16 years. He and other residents have had a string of complaints about leaks, electrical outages, broken elevators, cold water, broken heaters, and other issues, many of which ended up in the courts.

In 2012, the building was cited for more than 200 code violations, and the township’s solicitor was “looking into criminal charges,” according to an Inquirer report.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140904_Residents_facing_evictions_at_Jenkintown_high_rise.html#FfYzbjqVDIYStHix.99

Conshohocken Council Approves $10.5 Million Bid For Borough Hall, Offices

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

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Council approved the apparently low bid of $10.5 million to construct the Conshohocken Borough Hall and police station and retail spaces in the former Verizon building Wednesday night, contingent on a favorable review of the contractor’s qualifications by the borough engineer.

Borough Engineer Paul Hughes said he will review TN Ward Co. of Lower Merion, and the contract can be signed after Sept. 15.

Hughes opened the $10,497,600 electronic bid from TN Ward Friday, along with nine alternate bid options to give council leeway to trim the ultimate cost of the project. Allied Construction Services of Philadelphia bid $10,583,439, and Murphy Quigley Co. Inc. of Lower Merion bid $12,976,000 for the general contract.

Hughes recommended authorizing an intent to award the base bid and five alternate bid items with a total cost of $10,709,600 on Wednesday night.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/government-and-politics/20140903/conshohocken-council-approves-105-million-bid-for-borough-hall-offices

Patrick Callihan To Speak At TCN Meeting On September 16th

Patrick Callihan
Executive Director, Tech Impact

Patrick Callihan is the Executive Director for Tech Impact, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that nonprofits can use technology to better serve our world.  His background includes over 25 years of technology leadership and operations management.  As part of Tech Impact, Mr. Callihan led the development of national cloud-based service offerings for nonprofits under the brand npCloud (www.npcloud.org), providing organizations access to computing technology specifically designed for nonprofits.  Mr. Callihan also strongly believes in impacting his local community and led the launch of ITWorks (www.itworks.org); a program within Tech Impact that serves at-risk-youth with 21st century job skills.  He is an active member of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executives Group (GPSEG), Society for Information Management (Philadelphia chapter), C-Suite, and a member of the Cloud Computing Consortium at Stevens Institute of Technology.  Mr. Callihan will speak on the following topic:

 

Cloud Computing: Can Your Organization Benefit?

Cloud computing is one of the latest trends in Information Technology.  Mr. Callihan will demystify what cloud computing is and how it can benefit your organization.  Learn about the risks and benefits and specific programs available to help reduce your organization’s costs and increase efficiency.  Also learn how to utilize cloud computing to collaborate.

TCN Membership Meeting

Tuesday, September 16th, 8am-10:30am

Montgomery County Community College, West Campus

South Hall Community Room
101 College Drive, Pottstown

 

Join a TCN Committee.
Committees will meet 9am-10:30am

Caregivers Support  Community Partners Against Abuse  Environmental Health & Safety  Homeless Services  Workforce Development  Youth Development 

 

Registration required.  Click here to register or call 610-705-3301.

MCCC Offers Workshop To Help Adults Transition Into College‏

Sept. 3, 2014, Blue Bell, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will continue to offer its popular Career Transition Workshop for adults who may be thinking about returning to college.

The next workshop will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m.-noon. in the Advanced Technology Center, room 101, at the College’s Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The workshop is open to all adults and is free of charge, although pre-registration is requested. For more information or to RSVP, contact Denise Collins at 215-619-7313 or dcollins@mc3.edu.

During the workshop, prospective students will get an overview of the resources available to help them transition into college. Topics include using MCCC’s website and online registration tools, financial aid, assessment of credits for prior learning, stackable credentials, career pathways and job search tools.

After the initial session, MCCC advisors will follow up with participants one-on-one to help them identify programs and pathways that are right for them.

“Our goal is help adult learners be comfortable and successful at the College. We want this to be a place where they can get back on track with their education and transition into new careers,” said Denise Collins, who manages the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant at MCCC.

The grant is helping MCCC to develop a robust Prior Learning Assessment model and stackable credentials for adult students as part of the JobTrakPA framework—a joint initiative of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges to train and place underemployed and unemployed residents of the Commonwealth in high demand jobs.

The workshop also connects to MCCC’s participation in the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Plus 50 Encore Completion Program, which looks to train 10,000 baby boomers for high-demand jobs through 2015.

MCCC, Montgomery County Host Presentation On Addiction

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.— The Montgomery County Office of Drug and Alcohol and Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Student Support and Referral Team will host “The Other Faces of Addiction,” a program designed to help individuals cope with a loved one’s addiction, on Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 6:30-8 p.m.

The free program will take place at MCCC’s Central Campus, Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, and will be simulcast to the West Campus, South Hall room 221, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.

During the presentation, participants will learn strategies to care for one’s own life while living with a loved one’s addiction. Family members will share their strategies and triumphs, and Mana Mobile Massage will provide information on self-care, yoga and meditation.

To learn more, contact Eileen Lafferty at 610-278-3538 or elaffert@montcopa.org.

ArtFusion 19464 Hosts Reception To Kick Off New Native American Exhibit

Attached: Joe-Camaho-Sandpaint-color.jpg “Father Sky” sandpainting by Joe Camaho © 2014 Microsoft Terms Privacy & cookies Developers English (United States)

Pottstown, PA – The greater Pottstown community is cordially invited to the opening of ArtFusion 19464’s latest educational exhibit. Rainbow Crow and Other Stories will feature artwork inspired by Native American stories. Each participating artist will have created a piece in their favorite medium, which range from clay to recycled cans to traditional acrylic and oil paints.  The show runs September 20 through November 1, 2014.

The private reception is Friday, September 19 from 6-8pm. Tickets are only $20 and include wine, beverages, and delicious appetizers from Bause Catering. Native American singer-songwriter Terry Strongheart will be performing. Guests will be the first to see the incredible pieces imagined by talented local artists.

This exhibit is generously sponsored by The Foundation for Pottstown Education; Adam J. Sager and Family; David Garner, Attorney at Law; Heartland Abstract; J. H. White Financial Services; Judy and Jack Lupas; and Main Line Financial Advisors.

This show will be the fourth in ArtFusion’s popular educational exhibit series. Previous topics included the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and environmental issues involving recycling and recycled art.

ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.