Shickshinny Mayor Sues Borough, Officials Over Access

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

WILKES-BARRE, PA — Bitter differences between Shickshinny Mayor Beverly Moore have spilled over from the council room to the courtroom.

Following January’s dismissal of borough police officer Brian Morris, Moore on Wednesday filed suit against the borough and several officials, alleging a pattern of behavior including secret meetings, being denied access to municipal offices and being forced to file right-to-know requests to see borough documents.

Moore, who was first elected to the post in 1997, also named as defendants council members Michael Steeber, James Wido, and Roselee Whitbread and secretary Wendy Kramer, according to documents filed in Luzerne County Court.

Her suit describes some of the battles that have roiled the waters at council meetings for more than a year.

Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/1413124/Shickshinny-mayor-sues-borough-officials-over-access

Philadelphia Owed A Half-Billion Dollars In ‘Nuisance Liens’ – Maybe

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

Triumph Baptist Church wanted to grow. It bought an old suit factory in North Philadelphia in 1998, hoping to tear it down and build a house of worship.

But over time, Triumph changed its plans. The vacant factory became an eyesore and hazard, leaving the city little choice but to demolish it in 2011 at a cost of $794,191 to taxpayers.

The owners were supposed to reimburse the city for the work. Three years later, they haven’t.

Thus did 1801 W. Courtland Ave. join the list of 39,391 properties with “nuisance liens” – unpaid bills for sealing, cleaning, or demolition done at taxpayer expense by the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Work that building owners were supposed to pay for but didn’t.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/city/20140428_Philadelphia_owed_a_half-billion_in__nuisance_liens__-_maybe.html#IOycmdpuHCt3lXeF.99

Montgomery County Officials Release Parkhouse Documents; RFP Shows Intent To Build On Site

Location of Upper Providence Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Norristown, PA — Montgomery County officials have released Mid-Atlantic Health Care’s response to the Request for Proposal to purchase and take over the Parkhouse geriatric facility in Upper Providence Township.

The response was released after The Times Herald submitted a Right To Know request with the county asking for the document.

According to the response to the RFP, which is dated July 12, 2013, Mid-Atlantic Health Care did have intentions of developing part of the land involved in the sale.

“MAHC proposes to purchase all land, facilities, and operations on the 288 acre campus for a total of $35,000,000. While we have not finalized our plans for the additional land, we have had preliminary discussions with the Einstein Health System to participate in this project. Further, we are also speaking with Ganas Development (which is led by Dr. Elliot Menkowitz), and The Sukonik Building Companies to develop a comprehensive development strategy,” the response states.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140214/montgomery-county-officials-release-parkhouse-documents-rfp-shows-intent-to-build-on-site

Gov. Mifflin School Board Censures Member

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gov. Mifflin School Board member Elaine K. Fiant has been using her position to harass one of the district’s vendors and has repeatedly flooded school administrators with requests for information, her colleagues said Monday night.

On Monday, the board voted 8-1 to censure Fiant, with Fiant voting against the measure.

Board member Jill Koestel read the resolution aloud and said the move came after Fiant recently used her authority on the board “to intimidate and harass” one of the district’s vendors.

“It’s just unfathomable to me,” Koestel said. “It’s so wrong. It’s so inappropriate and so outside your scope as a school board member.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=519591

Coatesville Schools Don’t Provide Requested Information

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

The clock expired Thursday for the Coatesville Area School District to respond to three Right-to-Know requests submitted last month by the Daily Local News, a sister paper of The Times Herald.

The newspaper made the requests in response to the abrupt departures of former Superintendent Richard Como and former Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato.

Those requests, because the district hadn’t replied within 30 days of when it first said it needed more time to check on the legality of releasing the information, were deemed denied Thursday.

On Sept. 10, school board solicitor and attorney James Ellison advised the Daily Local the district needed an additional 30 calendar days beyond the usual five business days public entities have to respond to the newspaper’s Right to Know request.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/social-affairs/20131014/coatesville-schools-dont-provide-requested-information