Sky Zone Scranton Brings Jobs And Healthy Activity Into The Wyoming Valley

English: Map of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania highlighting Pittston Township (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PITTSTON TOWNSHIP, PA — Trading in his cubicle for a trampoline, Jeff Bowne is combining business with his love of healthy living by buying into a franchise called Sky Zone Scranton.

Unique to Northeastern Pennsylvania, Sky Zone is an indoor trampoline park franchise established in 2004. In 10 years, the company has expanded to include 65 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia.

Bowne and his sister, Jennifer Crounse, and her husband, Michael, of Allentown, will be opening a new Sky Zone in late September at CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park East, 525 Keystone Ave., Pittston Township.

The next closest Sky Zone parks are located in Harrisburg and Lancaster.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/business-home_top/50085187/A-new-Pittston-business-give-residents-reasons-to-jump#.U-jeE_RDsxI

Community Gardens Not Only Provide Good Nutrition, But Also The Perfect Exercise

When working in community gardens, participants reap what they sow and more.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah showed that the health benefits of a community garden go far beyond the fresh fruits and vegetables added to your diet.

After studying the body mass index data of 198 community gardeners and their same-sex siblings, spouses and neighbors, researchers found they had lower BMIs than their non-gardening counterparts.  They were also less likely to be obese or overweight.

When a gardener’s BMI, a measure of body fat, was compared to their non-gardening spouse’s BMI, the researchers found no discernible difference.  This led them to conclude that the spouses were benefiting from the harvested food and possibly helped out in the garden.  Results were reported April 18 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/health/community-gardens-not-only-provide-good-nutrition-but-also-the-perfect-exercise-699885/#ixzz2cRI9PsMr

Freedom Valley YMCA Members Approve Merger

English: Center City Philadelphia YMCA building. Now it looks like condos with the word “Metropolitan” over it’s doorway. On NRHP since December 2, 1980. 115 North 15th Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Several hundred members of the Freedom Valley YMCA approved a proposal to merge with the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity in a vote Thursday night.  The final vote tally was 507 voting yes, 449 voting no, according to the tabulation on the Freedom Valley Y’s website.

The merger proposal had been presented to members attending a Monday night town hall meeting at the Spring Valley YMCA.  The proposal will merge the Freedom Valley YMCA, with locations in West Norriton, Phoenixville, Pottstown, Limerick and Pennsburg, with the larger Philadelphia YMCA, which has 10 locations in the Philadelphia region.

Proponents of the merger plan said it would allow the combined YMCAs to build a branch in Conshohocken, pay one national YMCA fee, tap into the larger corporate donor base of the Philadelphia YMCA and achieve cost savings with the larger organization.  Fees would not be increased due to the merger, members would continue using their “home” YMCA facilities and overcrowding would not be a by-product of the merger, officials said.

On Thursday night, YMCA officials provided bus service from three of the Freedom Valley YMCAs for members who wanted to vote during a two-hour period.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121116/NEWS01/121119504/freedom-valley-ymca-members-approve-merger-(video)#full_story

Metropolitan Philadelphia Air Quality Alert!

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 12...

THE DELAWARE VALLEY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION HAS ISSUED
A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT TUESDAY FOR THE PHILADELPHIA
METRO AREA.

A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT MEANS THAT AIR POLLUTION
CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE REGION MAY BECOME UNHEALTHY FOR
SENSITIVE GROUPS. SENSITIVE GROUPS INCLUDE CHILDREN...PEOPLE
SUFFERING FROM ASTHMA... HEART DISEASE OR OTHER LUNG
DISEASES...AND THE ELDERLY. THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION CAN
BE MINIMIZED BY AVOIDING STRENUOUS ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE OUTDOORS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE
PARTICLES...