Montco Radio Hosts Alumni Broadcast Featuring DJs From 1980s-Now

Montco RadioBlue Bell, PA —Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) student-run, Internet radio station, Montco Radio, will host its first-ever Alumni Broadcast on Saturday, April 16. Starting at 8 a.m. and continuing through 6 p.m., radio station alumni from the 1980s through today will host and broadcast live shows from Montco Radio’s studio in the Advanced Technology Center at MCCC’s Central Campus in Blue Bell.

The community is invited to listen to the live broadcasts by visiting http://www.montcoradio.com or by clicking on the microphone icon on the lower left corner of MCCC’s homepage, http://www.mc3.edu.

Montco Radio, once named WRFM (Radio Free Montco), began as a record-spinning club in the early 1970s. Over the years, the club evolved and began to operate like a radio station, with music and content being broadcast into MCCC’s cafeteria in College Hall. Then, in 2003, Montco Radio gained an international audience when it began broadcasting over the Internet.

“As a student club, the radio station has a long history of bringing together students from all backgrounds and majors to share their passions with the broader MCCC community,” shared Senior Communications Lecturer Jeff Asch, who has served as faculty co-advisor to the radio station since 2000. “We’re excited to re-connect with the station’s alumni and to have them share their experiences with today’s students.”

The station’s alumni are equally excited to be back on campus.

“My time at WRFM was amazing, and I want to do my part in helping create something for today’s and tomorrow’s students,” shared former WRFM station manager, Rob Templeton, who will kick off the alumni broadcast from 8-9 a.m. “When we got it right, we were learning and having fun, and you can’t get more of a winning combination then that. I came away with strong life lessons that I carry with me even today.”

Former Montco Radio officer Jen Mitlas, who was a 2015 Sundance Institute / Knight Foundation Fellow, will co-host the 10 a.m. hour on April 16.

“I am honored that I can go back to the roots that started my passion and career in the world of sound,” said Mitlas. “Mc3 holds an extremely special place in my heart and I owe a lot of my motivations and accomplishments to the school!”

Former station manager Kerri Hughes, who will co-host the 10 a.m. hour with Mitlas, agrees.

“I am super excited that, after all these years, I can come back and do a show,” she said. “Every time I visit Montco, it feels like I have never even been away. I’m so excited to see how Montco Radio has progressed!”

For many of the returning alumni, the April 16 broadcast will be the first time they will see the station’s new home—a state-of-the-art broadcast studio in MCCC’s Advanced Technology Center that rivals those found in the industry.

“The station has come a long way since its early days of playing to the cafeteria, but none of this would be possible without the commitment of our station managers, board offers and DJs through the years,” said Asch. “Their work and enthusiasm as students laid the foundation for Montco Radio’s global presence today.”

To learn more, visit http://www.montcoradio.com or follow Montco Radio on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/montcoradio, on Instagram: @montcoradio, and on Twitter: @montco_radio.

We Are Changing Our Format

This blog was started as a public service to help keep folks informed about things going on in our world.  That “world” started out as Greater Pottstown but expanded to include the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (and sometimes our next door neighbors New Jersey and Delaware).

WE ARE 100% NON-PROFIT.  With more and more newspapers requiring paid subscriptions or offering only restricted access it has become increasing difficult to share information.  We have no budget, we have no advertisers or sponsors to offset these costs.  Therefore, effective immediately, we are only going to publish press releases, event flyers or original content.

As much as this saddens us, news access is going to continue to shrink without paid subscriptions.  This is a hobby, not a business.

We will continue to share news on our Facebook page because “sharing” information that way is kosher and free for now, apparently.  Our page can be found by clicking this link if you aren’t familiar with it

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roys-Rants/135214378191?ref=hl

We have to roll with the changing times and we thank you for your support since 2009.  Hopefully these changes will keep us around a while longer.

Pottstown Schools Launch New Website

The Pottstown School District is launching a redesigned website today with a host of new features that district officials believe will be more interactive for the community.

The new design is the website’s first significant change in over seven years.

It streamlines the process for teachers to create their own individual pages and provides full translation for a variety of languages.

Pottstown’s website can be found at www.pottstownschools.org.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/news/article/pottstown-schools-to-launch-new-website-today

Norristown Area High School Students Stage Walkout In Protest Of Alleged Racist Post By School Employee

WEST NORRITON TOWNSHIP, PA – More than 100 Norristown Area High School students staged a walkout Tuesday morning in protest of what they said were racist comments posted to the Internet by a school employee.

The peaceful protest was organized via Twitter following the employee’s two-day suspension, which the students and some parents said was too light a punishment.

“Basically, we’re protesting, standing up for what we believe,” said student protestor Imani Meade.

An employee “posted a racist statement that went viral for Norristown High School,” Meade said.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20150407/norristown-area-high-school-students-stage-walkout-in-protest-of-alleged-racist-post-by-school-employee

FCC Approves Internet Neutrality Regulations

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved regulating the Internet as a utility in a 3-2 partisan vote, handing a big victory to Net neutrality proponents who lobbied for a decade for tough rules to protect consumers.

The FCC’s action forbids telecom companies from blocking websites, and slowing or speeding up some Internet traffic. This means that all Internet streams should be treated the same, or neutrally, without preferences.

The FCC also voted to make it easier for municipally run Internet providers to expand and compete with Comcast and other private telecom companies, a move lauded by activist groups.

“Some states have created thickets of red tape to limit competition,” said FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler, who spearheaded the changes. “What we’re doing today is cutting away the red tape.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150227_FCC_approves_net_neutrality_regulations.html#U82MxlMqFvJ5vFJw.99

Lansdale Municipal Building Topped Off, Soft Cost Contracts Coming Before Council

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County

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

LANSDALE, PA – The steel frame of Lansdale’s future police station and municipal building has now been topped off, and several contracts for internal systems, servers and furniture could be awarded later this month.

Those soft costs total roughly $400,000 and will let contractors move ahead with interior fittings even if winter weather arrives soon, according to borough Director of Community Development John Ernst.

“Over the next couple of weeks, the entire building will be enclosed with glass, so they can work inside as inclement weather starts to come up on us,” Ernst said.

During his monthly update on the building’s construction, Ernst showed photos of the exterior glass and brick walls now surrounding much of the newly constructed police wing of the building, located to the northwest of the brick former borough hall walls that are now being restored.

Read more: http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20141107/lansdale-municipal-building-topped-off-soft-cost-contracts-coming-before-council

Lancaster Is Google’s 2014 eCity For Pennsylvania

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County

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

Editor’s note:  Just another reason to love Lancaster 🙂

Lancaster is known for its local foods and crafts, and in recent years, those traditional products have begun to be offered in a new way: online.

The Lancaster community on Thursday was recognized for taking business into the digital world.

It was named the “digital capital” of Pennsylvania and recipient of Google’s eCity designation.

For the second year, the internet search giant has recognized a community in each of the 50 states. Last year, Exton, in neighboring Chester County received the award.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/google-names-lancaster-its-ecity-for-pennsylvania/article_32d60764-555a-11e4-8ea5-0017a43b2370.html

Blame For Blighted Properties In Monessen Reaches Across Globe

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Westmoreland ...

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

Mayor Lou Mavrakis drove slowly through Monessen, block by block, pointing out one vacant, blighted building after another in the city of 7,700 along the Monongahela River.

“That belongs to me,” he said, pointing to a house with a collapsing roof that has become the responsibility of the city and the mayor.

Tax records show the building is one of 264 structures and lots in the city that have been abandoned by their owners. More than 26 percent of the city’s 734 blighted properties are owned by people from 24 states and five foreign countries, beyond the legal reach of Monessen officials.

“It’s almost impossible to get in touch with these owners,” Mavrakis said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/6562693-74/property-owners-monessen#ixzz3ACc2e4tx
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Birdsboro Men Among 6 Indicted On Sex Charges With Limerick Boy (with mugshots)

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County

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

NORRISTOWN, PA — Calling it a “significant” crackdown against child exploitation, authorities have charged six men, including two from Birdsboro and another from Upper Providence, with having inappropriate contact with a teenage boy from Limerick.

Mark David “Wilco” Wilczopolski, 22, of the 500 block of East Second Street, Birdsboro, was indicted by federal authorities on Thursday for allegedly using the Internet to entice a teenage boy to engage in sexual conduct and receiving and possessing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger.

Montgomery County authorities previously charged Wilczopolski with unlawful contact or communications with a minor and related offenses in connection with incidents that occurred between May and October 2013 with the 14-year-old Limerick boy, according to court documents. Wilczopolski is already awaiting trial on those charges in county court.

The federal indictment against Wilczopolski was announced by Memeger at a joint news conference Friday with county District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, Limerick Police Chief William Albany and other federal officials. Wilczopolski was scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Friday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140425/birdsboro-men-among-6-indicted-on-sex-charges-with-limerick-boy-with-mugshots

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Comcast Could Buy Time Warner N.Y. Cable Franchises

Logo of Comcast Latina: Insigne Comcast

Logo of Comcast Latina: Insigne Comcast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Comcast Corp. could acquire Time Warner Cable Co.’s New York cable-TV properties, along with other franchises on the East Coast, in a deal with Charter Communications Inc., according to sources in the industry.

A deal would expand Comcast’s market power along the I-95 corridor between Boston and Washington.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable-TV company, already offers cable and Internet in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

Charter declined to comment Monday. Comcast also had no comment.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20140128_Industry_sources__Comcast_could_acquire_Time_Warner_Cable_N_Y__franchises.html#HAyimeAaYY2LBdix.99

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Neiman Marcus Is Latest Victim Of Security Breach

NEW YORK—Luxury merchant Neiman Marcus confirmed Saturday that thieves may have stolen customers’ credit and debit card information and made unauthorized charges over the holiday season, becoming the second retailer in recent weeks to announce it had fallen victim to a cyber-security attack.

The hacking, coming weeks after Target Corp. revealed its own breach, underscores the increasing challenges that merchants have in thwarting security breaches.

Ginger Reeder, spokeswoman for Dallas-based Neiman Marcus Group Ltd., said in an email Saturday that the retailer had been notified in mid-December by its credit card processor about potentially unauthorized payment activity following customer purchases at stores. On Jan. 1, a forensics firm confirmed evidence that the upscale retailer was a victim of a criminal cyber-security intrusion and that some customers’ cards were possibly compromised as a result.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/nation-world/ci_24891807/neiman-marcus-is-victim-cyber-security-attack

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Pennsylvania Sales Tax Solution Sought

Traditional merchants are suffering a 6 percent disadvantage over their Internet-only competitors this holiday season.

Though the Supreme Court recently affirmed the right of states to tax online purchases made by state residents, it really didn’t help small-business owners.

Online appliance sellers routinely boast they sell appliances free of sales tax and often offer free delivery on big-ticket items despite a requirement that Internet merchants collect the 6 percent sales tax on anything they sell for use in Pennsylvania, said Brian Sutton, part owner of Maidencreek TV & Appliance in Maidencreek Township.

“They do it all the time,” Sutton said. “We’ve been dealing with this for years.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131216/NEWS/312169981#.Uq8i_vRDsxI

Strong ‘Turnout’ Expected For Cyber Monday

As interest in Black Friday shopping wanes among consumers, Cyber Monday is still expected to attract holiday deal hunters.

If Black Friday was too busy or too cold, shopping from home is a option being embraced by more people every year.

Anthony Liuzzo, Ph.D., professor of business and economics at Wilkes University, said even while holiday shopping tends to be blending together and retailers and e-tailers try to capture shoppers earlier, Cyber Monday will continue as a event – albeit a virtual one.

“Cyber Monday will hold up,” he said. “When people get back the office on Monday and get to their computers, they will be shopping.”

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/strong-turnout-expected-for-cyber-monday-1.1593893

President Obama’s Dragnet

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is s...

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. More than 5,000 men and women in uniform are providing military ceremonial support to the presidential inauguration, a tradition dating back to George Washington’s 1789 inauguration. VIRIN: 090120-F-3961R-919 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability.

The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it. That is one reason we have long argued that the Patriot Act, enacted in the heat of fear after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by members of Congress who mostly had not even read it, was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.

Based on an article in The Guardian published Wednesday night, we now know that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency used the Patriot Act to obtain a secret warrant to compel Verizon’s business services division to turn over data on every single call that went through its system. We know that this particular order was a routine extension of surveillance that has been going on for years, and it seems very likely that it extends beyond Verizon’s business division. There is every reason to believe the federal government has been collecting every bit of information about every American’s phone calls except the words actually exchanged in those calls.

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html?hp&_r=0

A Comeback For Anthony Weiner?

Official portrait of United States Congressman...

Official portrait of United States Congressman (D-NY). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Just when you thought it was safe!

One year after resigning from Congress following news he had emailed lewd photos of himself to women, married former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner desires a return to politics, according to New York news outlets.

“The disgraced former congressman—who’s sitting on a $4.5 million campaign war chest—is mulling a bid for citywide office next year and ‘seriously considering’ a mayoral run,” sources told the New York Post. The newspaper reported that Weiner has spoken with former staffers about returning to work for him.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/comeback-anthony-weiner-142709357.html

Boyertown School District Banking On Ads For Revenue

A year ago, Jim Bozzini came before the Boyertown School Board as a parent and taxpayer to suggest a new way for the cash-strapped district to raise money: advertisements.

Now the board is turning to Bozzini, president of School Media Marketing, Gilbertsville, to deliver on his suggestion and solicit advertisements for the district.

The board has approved a three-year contract with Bozzini, the lone bidder, that will give School Media Marketing a 20 percent commission on advertising proceeds.

Officials have estimated $25,000 in first-year profits for the district and say, based on the experience of other districts, that the number could grow to six figures in future years.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=396640

There’s A New Pottstown Area Chat Room/Forum

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s a new player in town for Pottstown area residents who have something to say or would like to discuss Pottstown area issues with other residents or even nonresidents.

http://pottstalk.com/index.php is a chat room/forum with categories like General, Announcements, Local Politics, Schools, Housing, Revitalization, Reviews, Buy/Sell/Trade and more.

You just need to create an account and start talking. 

You are allowed to be anonymous.

Hopefully this will be more productive than Sound Off 🙂

Code Blue Takes To The Blogsphere

Welcome to our friends at Code Blue as they have taken to the internet with their own blog.

I think you will enjoy reading their take on things as well as other voices here in Pottstown.  We can all discuss the same topic with different points of view.  Life is more interesting if it is not all vanilla.  I like more than one flavor!

http://codebluepulse.blogspot.com/ is their link and I have added them to my Blogroll for your convenience and future reference.  Feel free to stop by and check them out often along with Pottstown’s Blog and SavePottstown!

Power to the Pottstown people!  One town, one voice, one vision!

Thank You!

Many thanks to my friends at SavePottstown! and Pottstown’s Blog for their kindness and support!  Look what has been accomplished by working together, supporting each other and speaking with a unified voice and having a unified vision.  It is awesome beyond words.

This is only the beginning.  I know my friends at SavePottstown!, Pottstown’s Blog and others in the local media are deeply committed to moving our community forward and making it all it can be.  Groups like Code Blue and Citizens For Pottstown’s Revitalization are crucial to keeping the public focused on the tasks at hand.

We are at a fork in the road right now.  All things are aligning that will give Pottstown a choice in which direction to head.  We can keep the good old boy network, things like they have always been, don’t like change, the same people running the show etc… or we can boldly move forward and propel Pottstown to its rightful place in our region and Pennsylvania.

Change is scary and it is not easy.  People will resist, some people will lose their power while others will gain power.  If we truly care about our fair city, we need to leave our personal feelings and agendas behind and do what is best for Pottstown.

It is time to move forward and stop living in the past.

Power to the Pottstown people!

Forbes Magazine Top Web Celeb 25 List

This is a great list if you are interested in learning more about the internet, social media/marketing, tech stuff, finance, gossip, entertainment etc….  These are people who are not necessarily well known to many people but are making a big name for themselves and $$$ using the internet:

  1. Perez Hilton – perezhilton.com
  2. Michael Arrington – techcrunch.com
  3. Pete Cashmore – mashable.com
  4. Evan Williams & Biz Stone – twitter.com
  5. Kevin Rose – digg.com
  6. Guy Kawasaki – guykawaski.com
  7. Heather “Dooce” Armstrong – dooce.com
  8. Tila “Tequila” Nguyen – tilashotspot.buzznet.com
  9. Gary Vaynerchuk – garyvaynerchuk.com

10.  Corey Doctorow – carphound.com

11.  Om Malik – gigaom.com

12.  Leo Laporte – leoville.com

13.  Frank Warren – postsecret.blogsport.com

14.  Robert Scoble – scobleizer.com

15.  Chris Brogan – chrisbrogan.com

16.  Wil Wheaton – wilwheaton.typepad.com

17.  Matt Drudge – drudgereport.com

18.  Danny Sullivan – daggle.com

19.  Jeff Jarvis – buzzmachine.com

20.  John Dvorak – channeldvorak.com

21.  Ana Marie Cox – anamariecox.typepad.com

22.  Ree Drummond – thepioneerwoman.com

23.  Jason Calacanis – calacanis.com & mahalo.com (search engine)

24.  Seth Godin – sethgodin.com

25.  Shane Dawson – shanedawsontv.com