Boy Airlifted After Shooting In North Coventry

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

NORTH COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, PA— Two bicycles were left abandoned on the sidewalk of West Main Street in the South Pottstown section of the township Friday evening while emergency responders treated a child who suffered a gunshot wound.

The 8-year-old boy, according to witnesses, was riding his bicycle past the Pottstown Dance Studio near Coyne Alley when the incident happened.

An arch of blood that started near the bikes showed the path the victim took after the shooting. The crimson spots stopped in the grassy driveway next to the dance studio at 72 W. Main Street.

The child was not a student of the school, a dance studio official told The Mercury.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140509/boy-airlifted-after-shooting-in-north-coventry-video

Some Roads Reopen As DuBois, Nearby Locations, Begin Flood Recovery

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

Water receded in some areas overnight and main thoroughfares have reopened in DuBois, Clearfield County, emergency officials said today.

Clearfield and Jefferson counties declared disaster emergencies after about 6 inches of rain fell by 3 p.m. Thursday, leaving as much as 4 feet of water on some streets and forcing the closure of all roads going into DuBois.

Between 7 and 8 inches of rain fell in some parts of Jefferson County, Department of Emergency Services director Tracy W. Zents said at a press conference this morning.

“Right now, we’re getting out of the response mode, and into the recovery mode,” Mr. Zents said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/some-roads-reopen-as-dubois-nearby-locations-begin-flood-recovery-693507/#ixzz2XWzWozWL

More flood coverage: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/4-feet-of-water-close-all-roads-into-clearfield-county-city-693413/

Woman Found Alive | 6 Dead | 14 Hurt Cleanup Underway

English: Center City viewed from West Philadelphia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though the rubble is being cleared, the collapse of two buildings in Center City that left five women and one man dead, in addition to the dramatic late night rescue of a survivor, will surely go down as one of the biggest tragedies in Philadelphia’s history.

City officials were still grappling with the events of yesterday early this morning.  They have yet to make an announcement as to what may have gone wrong at a demolition site that led to the destruction.

A search and rescue operation that was expected to continue today has apparently been suspended.  Early this morning, firefighters were standing by, not actively combing the site.  The ambulances that lined Market Street for much of yesterday are gone.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/6_dead_in_Philadelphia_building_collapse.html#18GCkOqYMexevE2F.99

Bedford, Blair, Center And Huntington Counties Brace For Hurricane Sandy

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

As Hurricane Sandy continued to batter the East Coast and mid-Atlantic states, county officials in central Pennsylvania moved Monday to enact emergency disaster declarations ahead of the storm’s expected turn toward the area.

Bedford, Blair, Centre and Huntingdon counties issued emergency disaster declarations, and other Pennsylvania counties are expected to follow suit.

The declarations mean emergency management officials and first responders have greater access to resources necessary for relief efforts without the “red tape” of soliciting bids or other typical government procedures, Bedford County Director of Emergency Services Dave Cubbison said.

“We’re definitely going to have water,” Cubbison said.

Read more: http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/565622/Counties-brace-for-Hurricane-Sandy.html?nav=742

Scranton To Return Part Of ‘Free Money’ For Firefighters

After learning the hard way that closed fire stations can slow responses to fires, city officials last month celebrated an almost $8.2 million federal grant that would pay for recalling laid-off firefighters and hiring more.

Now, they plan to reject about a third of the money.

The grant was enough to pay for calling back 29 laid-off firefighters plus one on military leave and for adding 20 new firefighters – a total of 50 – for two years, but Mr. Doherty decided to decline the money for the new firefighters because the city could not afford to keep paying them after the two years and because the city would have to pay unemployment benefits when they were laid off.

It is unclear whether the city will be able to afford to keep all the other 29 after two years.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-to-return-part-of-free-money-for-firefighters-1.1331750

City Of Harrisburg Switching To Dauphin County Police Dispatch Services

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Mayor Linda Thompson announced that the City of Harrisburg will move their emergency police dispatching to Dauphin County.  Dauphin County has been courting Harrisburg for months now trying to get the city to commit to a switch.

If all goes well, it will take Dauphin County about six months to ramp up before the switch.  The county feels this transition of services can be accomplished seamlessly.

Fortunately, Dauphin County Commissioners included money in their 2011 budget in the event Harrisburg decided to use the county dispatch services.

Harrisburg officials feel they can save an estimated $400,000 a year if they make this change.

Montgomery County has been slowly taking over these services for many municipalities in our area.  Centralization of services usually makes sense from a cost saving perspective.

Update!  And informed reader has supplied this information about Montgomery County dispatch centralization:

There are currently seven departments who have not made the switch: Abington, Lower Merion, Narberth, Upper Merion, Lower Providence, Upper Dublin and Pottstown.  Horsham and Montgomery are planning to switch in the next couple weeks.

 

Lower Providence did switch but was unhappy with the results and resumed their own operations.