Reading Police Investigating Scene Of Found Body

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A motorist made a grisly discovery this morning when he spotted the body of an apparent shooting victim along a Route 12 exit ramp in Reading near the Muhlenberg Township line, city detectives said.

The unidentified victim – described by investigators as a Latino man in his 30s – appears to have been dumped along the westbound exit ramp to River Road after he was shot somewhere else, investigators said.

Sgt. John M. Solecki of the criminal investigation division said there appeared to be gunshot wounds on the body. An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=503642

Booming Greater Berks Food Bank Considers Bigger Home

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Greater Berks Food Bank has seen its demand triple in the 18 years the organization has been in its Muhlenberg Township warehouse, and officials are eager to expand the facility or move into a larger building.

A feasibility study, initiated in June, is expected to wrap up this month and provide an idea of what that would cost.

“We simply are out of space and cannot do more at our current location,” executive director Peg Bianca said of the 19,500-square-foot warehouse off Tuckerton Road.

“We are constantly moving pallets of food out of the way to get to the products on the pallet behind them,” Bianca added, “and have been storing some of our inventory off site as well.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=501724

Fairgrounds Square Mall Sells At Auction For $13.6 Million

Editor’s note:  Hopefully somebody can turn Fairgrounds Square around.  It needs some TLC.

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. today bought the

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Fairgrounds Square Mall for $13.6 million, pending judicial approval.

The mall is expected to remain open and continue to operate.

An attorney for the trustee was the only bidder at the sale, performed by the U.S. Marshal Service in Philadelphia, said Patrick Ennis, supervisory criminal investigator civil unit for the marshals.

The mall was scheduled for marshal sale after GP-Fairgrounds Square LP, the mall owner, failed to meet its financial obligations.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/Article.aspx?id=457395

Maidencreek Man Charged In Route 222 Road Rage Case

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Maidencreek Township man was arrested after he pointed a loaded handgun at a couple in another vehicle in a road rage incident on Route 222 in Richmond Township, authorities said Monday.

Travis Heebner, 26, of the 6200 block of Allentown Pike was stopped by Muhlenberg Township police as he entered Business Route 222 in the township shortly after the incident Sunday.

Police said they seized his 9 mm pistol, which was on his lap in a nylon holster when he was stopped. Heebner has a permit for the weapon, which had one round in the chamber and 15 more in its magazine, according to court records.

Muhlenberg police turned Heebner over to Fleetwood police, who responded to the victims’ 9-1-1 call because they patrol Richmond Township.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/Article.aspx?id=410242

Amelia’s To Open Two Stores In Cumru And Muhlenberg Townships

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amelia’s Grocery Outlet plans to open two stores in the Reading area and close its Blandon store.

Michael L. Mitchell, president and chief executive officer, said the New Holland, Lancaster County, company, announced that it expects to open a 20,000-square-foot store in Muhlenberg Plaza, previously occupied by Pet Supply Warehouse, 3260 Fifth Street Highway, Muhlenberg Township, prior to Memorial Day weekend.

At that time, Amelia’s will close its 11,000-square-foot store at 8472 Allentown Pike, Blandon.

Amelia’s also will open a 20,000-square-foot store in subdivided space of the former Weis Markets in Parkside Plaza, Cumru Township, Mitchell said.

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Weis Markets In Muhlenberg Township To Shut Down

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Weis Markets, 3240 Fifth Street Highway, Muhlenberg Township, will close on April 14.

More than 50 full and part-time associates were informed of the closing and will be offered positions at other area Weis locations, said Dennis V. Curtin, director of corporate communications for Weis.

Curtin said the store is closing for business reasons and that it had been underperforming for some time.

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Muhlenberg Seeks Rebirth Of Fifth Street Corridor

Muhlenberg Township very badly wants to fill its empty lots and storefronts.

But there’s a holdup: The township’s major commercial stretch, Fifth Street Highway, needs updating before it will be an attractive place for businesses to set up shop.

The road is a hodgepodge of shopping centers, some empty and some filled, as well as offices, homes and a vacant industrial site. Entrances, driveways and side roads introduce traffic at every step.

“It’s a nightmare right now and people avoid it,” said Michael S. Malinowski, Muhlenberg commissioners president. “The last thing you want as an official of any community is to have your major corridor avoided by people.”

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J.C. Penney Closing Stores – Dropping Catalog Business

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I guess all good things come to an end.  J.C. Penney is getting out of the catalog business and closing all 19 of their catalog outlet stores.

This is possibly bad news for the Fairgrounds Square Mall, in Muhlenberg Township, which has a J.C. Penney catalog outlet store.  The store used to be a regular J.C. Penney and is one of the mall anchor stores.  The Fairgrounds location converted to the catalog outlet format in 1999. 

No closing date has been set other than it will be sometime in 2011 – 2012.  J.C. Penney would not say whether the store will close or convert back to a standard J.C. Penney retail store.

This would leave Boscov’s and Burlington Coat Factory as the remaining anchor stores in the event Penney’s pulls out of the Fairgrounds Square Mall.