Snow Storm Starts; Many NEPA Activities Stop

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s a snow day for almost everyone.

With the winter storm pummeling Northeast Pennsylvania expected to continue into early Friday, schools and most government offices are shut down, and many businesses and some employers have followed suit.

Getting around is already difficult and is only going to get worse. Plows and salt trucks were prepared for a long siege. Roadways speed limits have been lowered.

COLTS announced its buses will quit running this afternoon, and most commercial bus runs to and from the area have been canceled. It’s the same at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, where most flights have been scrubbed.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/snow-storm-starts-many-activities-stop-1.1621652

Corbett: Gas-Line Project Fuels Jobs

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

SWIFTWATER — Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday’s announcement to extend the Route 6/11 Corridor Natural Gas Line is about creating and attracting jobs but, more important, he said it’s about retaining jobs already in Pennsylvania.

Corbett visited the campus of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi in Monroe County, to announce the $5 million extension project, made possible in part through the recent release of a $5 million Economic Growth Initiative grant.

While Corbett said the project is expected to boost job creation and retention in the Northeast Pennsylvania region, he said by lowering utility costs to large employers such as the vaccine maker the 2,000 jobs at the Swiftwater facility — plus 500 contractor positions — are likely to stay.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/678739/Corbett:-Gas-line-project-fuels-jobs

Hospitals Become Key Players In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Economy

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a massive consolidation of the region’s health care industry, Community Health Systems has become the largest private employer in Northeast Pennsylvania.

With about 6,500 employees at eight area hospitals and nonhospital entities, Community Health Systems has even surpassed Tobyhanna Army Depot, which has about 5,400 workers.

“Whenever you have an employer that size, clearly that has a huge impact on the economy, not just for the people we employ, but those folks go out and buy houses and cars and gas,” said Cornelio Catena, CEO of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Commonwealth Health, the umbrella group for Community Health Systems’ area hospitals.

“It’s a huge economic contributor to our area.”

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/hospitals-become-key-players-in-region-s-economy-1.1387891

NEPA Plagued With Poverty, Census Numbers Say

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nearly one in every three children in Scranton lived in poverty in 2011, according to a new census report released Thursday.

In Lackawanna County, about one in every five children lived in poverty last year, while in neighboring Luzerne County, about one in three children did, U.S. Census Bureau estimates show.

Overall, on average, about one in every seven residents in both Lackawanna and Luzerne lived in poverty in 2011, the figures show.  In Scranton, nearly one in four city residents lived in poverty.

The poverty numbers underscore what local community leaders already know: More people in Northeast Pennsylvania are struggling to make ends meet.  And, they say, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/nepa-plagued-with-poverty-census-numbers-say-1.1376654#

SAPA Plan Included In Scranton’s Updated Recovery Plan

More than two years after Scranton City Council slammed the door on a regional planning initiative, the Pennsylvania Economy League has pushed it wide open.

Tucked inside Scranton’s 60-page updated 2012 Recovery Plan, which council accepted Thursday, is one paragraph suggesting council will reconsider joining the Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association Comprehensive Plan.

“The PEL sneaked it in the recovery plan at the 11th hour, right before our final vote,” Councilman Jack Loscombe said. “I still feel the same way, though. I don’t see how the plan benefits the city economically.”

The plan, which has been adopted by nine municipalities, provides a policy guide for future land use, economic revitalization, open space conservation and historic resource preservation among the SAPA members. Scranton is the last SAPA member, of 11, to consider adopting the comprehensive plan, according to the updated recovery plan.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/sapa-plan-included-in-the-city-s-updated-recovery-plan-1.1364607

To ‘Hell’ And Back: Milford, Pennsylvania’s River Rock Inn Featured In Sept. 3 Episode Of New Gordon Ramsay TV Series

Logo of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With show titles like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” already under his belt, it’s no surprise that Gordon Ramsay has garnered a reputation for being a no-nonsense chef and businessman.

The renowned culinary artist and hospitality expert recently launched his newest reality TV series, “Hotel Hell,” on the Fox network, in which he visits and effectively takes over failing hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts across the country.

One of the stops Mr. Ramsay made for the show was River Rock Inn in Milford.  The episode featuring the Pike County business is scheduled to air Monday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. on FOX, locally WOLF-TV, Channel 56.

During a recent conference call with reporters, Mr. Ramsay, who owns several restaurants and a hotel of his own, explained his desire to branch out from the kitchen to the hospitality sector was based on his own misgivings and bad experiences as a guest at various places.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/lifestyles-people/to-hell-and-back-milford-s-river-rock-inn-featured-in-sept-3-episode-of-new-gordon-ramsay-tv-series-1.1363248