Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The state on Tuesday awarded a $938,000 grant for further cleanup of the Northwest Gateway site at the northern edge of Lancaster city.
The Department of Community & Economic Development’s Industrial Sites Reuse Program funds went to EDC Finance Corp.
EDC Finance will put the money toward assessing and remediating about 27 acres, formerly home to the Dillerville Rail Yard.
Map of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The campaigns for Gov. Tom Corbett and Democratic challenger Tom Wolf traded shots over education funding, natural gas drilling and other issues before Wolf won his party’s nomination.
Voters can expect a lot more of that before Nov. 4.
“I think it’s going to be a long, grueling contest, in which both candidates are going to have to defend an awful lot about their records,” said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.
Corbett has had lower approval ratings than Tom Ridge and Ed Rendell had at the same points in their first terms. In a January poll from Franklin & Marshall College, 23 percent of registered Pennsylvania voters said Corbett was doing an “excellent” or “good” job as governor.
Read more: http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_25828929/wolf-v-corbett-5-issues-theyll-tussle-over
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Municipal leaders, county planners and health advocates gathered Thursday morning to share a vision for a non-motorized transportation corridor that would connect Lancaster city will its eastern and western suburbs.
About half of the proposed Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway would be on the “Goat Path,” an abandoned bypass built by PennDOT in the 1970s, that stretches from the city to Leola.
The remainder of the 11-mile corridor would link a series of planned trails to carry the corridor to Lancaster General Heath’s suburban campus in West Hempfield Township.
The meeting was called by Lancaster General Health and the Lancaster Intermunicipal Committee. It comes a few months after LIMC received a county grant to study non-motorized transportation.
English: , member of the United States House of Representatives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The scramble to become a candidate for U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach‘s seat has already begun and the battle for the post will be a national spectacle, political watchers said Monday.
The Chester County Republican announced Monday that he will not seek re-election to a seventh term.
And while Gerlach said he mainly made the decision to spend more time with his family, he acknowledged that frustration with Washington had to play a role.
“I just get the sense that he was very unhappy with the situation, the gridlock, the partisanship, the inability to get much done,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. “Many (politicians) have reached a point where many don’t want to go through this anymore.”
Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20140107/NEWS/301079935/1052#.UsxmIfRDsxI
Map of Pennsylvania, showing major cities and roads (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pennsylvanians think their state is headed in the wrong direction and its governor isn’t doing a very good job steering the ship, a new poll shows.
The latest edition of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll was released today, and the survey of 628 registered voters showed that only a quarter believe Pennsylvania is headed in the right direction. According to data provided by the college that dates back to January 2010, that number is a new low.
A majority in the recent poll – 61 percent – responded the state is “off on the wrong track.”
Both the right direction and wrong track numbers are similar to results shown in the last Franklin & Marshall poll released in August, where 26 percent said the state is headed in the right direction and 61 percent said it’s on the wrong track.
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Political pundits warned about it.
Party leaders downplayed it.
But the voters have spoken.
For the first time in memory, the number of new Berks County voters who selected nonpartisan, or other, eclipsed those registering under one of the two major parties.
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Chester County residents like the county’s open space and scenery, but also value highly its proximity to metropolitan areas. They use its libraries and parks like gangbusters, and are confident its 911 and emergency response systems.
They do not, however, like the traffic and road conditions they encounter or the taxes they pay. They wish the county government would do more to help create job and business opportunities and manage the suburban sprawl that continues to plague the countryside.
In general, county residents see they place they live as an excellent place to raise a family, get a good education, and buy a home — even if they have a sense that it might not live up to the same expectations when looking to retire, open a business, or find a job.
Those, in part, are the results of a unique survey done to assess the quality of life in Chester County, completed earlier this summer by the Center for Social & Economic Policy Research at West Chester University. The survey results follow up on a similar project completed in 2009 by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.
“Fresh” and “local” are buzzwords used by marketers to promote everything from organic produce to fast-food sandwiches.
But the Buy Fresh Buy Local network is distinct from Madison Avenue marketing. It is a grass roots movement aimed at encouraging consumers and businesses to buy foods grown and produced in their immediate regions.
Linda Aleci is the chair of the Buy Fresh Buy Local steering committee in Lancaster County. The network’s state coordinator is the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, and its national coordinator is the FoodRoutes Network.
Aleci is an associate professor at Franklin & Marshall College and an affiliated scholar with the college’s Local Economy Center.
This is an inspiring story about how Lancaster’s success with their First Fridays event has inspired Harrisburg to follow suit. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Lancaster’s First Fridays event now involves 70 venues! This free event brings thousands into downtown Lancaster! This not only benefits the arts scene but all downtown businesses and restaurants. First Fridays runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every month, without exception! People come from as far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore! Franklin and Marshall College is the presenting sponsor of this event. As a side note, Franklin and Marshall has been instrumental in helping Lancaster with economic development!
While Lancaster has a larger population than Pottstown, it is also a very walkable city of only 7.40 square miles (land area). A year-round monthly event in downtown Pottstown could yield similar results that would benefit our emerging arts community and our downtown stores and restaurants. And maybe attract new ones.
Here is a link to Lancaster’s First Fridays event. Check out this map and list of venues: http://www.lancasterarts.com/_files/live/FirstFriday_Guide_2011_1st_Qtr_LArts.pdf
Some folks in Harrisburg had watched the success of Lancaster’s First Fridays. A year ago, three downtown business owners got together and started 3rd in the Burg. This idea has grown into a monthly event with up to 15 venues participating already! That is great for the first year!
The next 3rd in the Burg takes place on January 21st and will feature art, music and food from downtown to midtown! Nonna’s Delisioso! will feature a 3rd in the Burg dinner special. Nonna’s co-owner, Grace Diaz was quoted as saying, 3rd in the Burg has “introduced people from here and neighboring towns and cities to the revitalization that has taken place in our developing arts community.” Bingo!! What better way to entice people to come take a “look-see” than with the arts, food and music.
Participating businesses are experiencing increased sales and foot traffic at their locations. The event draws many people into downtown Harrisburg who would not ordinarily go there. Having multiple participants increases the public’s enthusiasm, creates a positive “buzz” and creates a snowball effect. The ball started out with three participants, now there are 15. As the momentum builds and the crowds increase, other merchants will take part in making the ball bigger. As shoppers stroll between participating merchants, they will pass other stores and restaurants along the way. I can bet you they will stop in those places as well.
The other part of the snowball effect is the arts community. As this event grows, it will inspire other artists to take part and possibly move to Harrisburg. Thereby increasing Harrisburg’s arts community and growing 3rd in the Burg further.
The desired result of 3rd in the Burg is to make Harrisburg a “destination” for the arts, shopping and dining. I give that two Roy’s Rants thumbs up!
Here is a link to 3rd in the Burg: http://3rdintheburg.com/
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