SEPTA Regional Rail Strike Begins; Corbett To Seek Federal Help

SEPTA logo with text (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SEPTA railroad engineers and electrical workers went on strike early Saturday, halting commuter rail service in the Philadelphia region, after last-ditch efforts by federal mediators failed to break an impasse in the long-running labor dispute.

The strike shut down 13 Regional Rail lines that provide 60,000 passengers with 126,000 rides on a typical weekday. That promised to snarl already clogged highways with additional cars and to hamper commuters and their employers throughout the region.

Service on SEPTA’s buses, subways, trolleys and the Norristown High-Speed Line – which carry about 85 percent of SEPTA’s riders – were not affected.

Gov. Corbett was prepared to ask President Obama to quickly appoint a presidential emergency board to mediate the rail labor dispute. Under federal railroad law, the creation of such a board would compel the workers to return to the job for 240 days.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20140614_Last-ditch_talks_pending_as_Regional_Rail_strike_looms.html#v26c8poq4F1xhoJB.99

Food Trucks, Beer Bring Crowd To Sly Fox Brewery In Pottstown

POTTSTOWN, PA — The parking lot in front of the Sly Fox Brewery and Tasting Room was transformed into a laid-back party scene Saturday during the Taps, Tunes and Trucks event.

The first ever combination event was the brain child of John Giannopoulis, who teamed up with representatives from the ODDyssey Half Marathon, which organized the preceding 5K race.

“(We) wanted to do a race out at the brewery and we were also talking about having a food truck event so we tied the two events together,” he said. “It’s about beer, food, running and music.”

While relaxing after the run, several teams of two lined up to play a larger-than-life version of beer pong that used trash cans painted red instead of cups and soccer balls instead of ping pong balls.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/lifestyle/20140519/food-trucks-beer-bring-crowd-to-sly-fox-brewery-in-pottstown

10 Homicides In Philadelphia Since Saturday

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

Ten people have been killed in Philadelphia since Saturday, an unusually deadly four-day span in the city.

The killings, which have all involved gun violence, have been reported across the city and are not related.  Police have not announced arrests in any of the slayings.

The most recent two homicides occurred overnight.

Shortly after midnight, a 21-year-old man was found fatally shot in a car on the 900 block of North Marvine Street, police said.  The man, whose name has not been released, was shot once in the head, police said.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/10_homicides_in_Philadelphia_since_Saturday.html#2bZHPrTGEXqhhZIA.99

Reopened Birdsboro Bridge To Buoy Annual Duck Race, Festival

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

Birdsboro will have plenty to celebrate on Saturday during its annual Duck Race and Spring Festival.

In addition to a pet expo, food, games, music and the signature rubber duck race, the community event will celebrate the highly anticipated reopening of the new Hay Creek Bridge.  The span, which crosses the Hay Creek along Main Street (Route 724), was deemed structurally unsound and closed in September for repairs.

The bridge reopened on May 2 and Borough Manager Aaron J. Durso said the impact was immediate.

“It’s nice,” he said.  “It frees up traffic on East and West First Street and opens up the main artery for emergency vehicles and fire police.”

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=476247

Postal Service Backs Off From Cutting Saturday Mail

USPS service delivery truck in a residential area of San Francisco, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service backed down from its plan to eliminate Saturday mail delivery because Congress barred it, officials said today.

But its governing board said it’s not possible for the financially ailing agency to meet cost-cutting goals without altering its delivery schedule.  Delaying “responsible changes,” the board said, only makes it more likely that the Postal Service “may become a burden” to taxpayers.

The Postal Service said in February that it planned to switch to five-day-a-week deliveries beginning in August for everything except packages as a way to hold down losses.

But that announcement was a gamble.  The agency essentially was asking Congress to drop from spending legislation the longtime ban on five-day-only delivery.  Congress did not do that when it passed a spending measure last month.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=467741

Scranton Shop Owners Hopeful ‘Small Business Saturday’ Takes Off

Retailers hope the third time will be a charm as they prepare for Small Business Saturday, the shopping season’s celebration of small boutiques and mom-and-pop stores.

In 2010, Small Business Saturday was a nonevent for customers of Lavish Body and Home in downtown Scranton.  Lavish was busy, but no one really knew about Small Business Saturday.

Last year, Lavish co-owner Jonathan Chernes said a good number of people came to the store solely because it was Small Business Saturday.  This year, more people are talking about it, he said.

“Merchants have gotten together, there is buzz in social media, and ever more advertising on television,” Mr. Chernes said.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/local-shop-owners-hopeful-small-business-saturday-takes-off-1.1407292

American Idol Live Tour Paying A Visit To Sovereign Center

The success that comes with being an “American Idol” finalist hasn’t gone to Skylar Laine’s head. She still enjoys the simpler things in life, like hanging out with friends, hunting and getting toasty by a bonfire.

But that doesn’t mean the 18-year-old native of Brandon, Miss., isn’t fired up about being on tour as part of American Idol Live!, which takes center stage at the Sovereign Center in Reading on Saturday night.

“It’s been awesome and a lot of fun,” said Laine about touring the country with the other top 10 finalists from Season 11 of “American Idol.” “It’s a really great experience.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412861

United States Postal Service Racks Up Another HUGE Loss

Image via Wikipedia

The United States Postal Service just ended their fiscal year on September 30th.  During that time period, the USPS lost $5.1 BILLION.  The only reason this figure was not $10.6 BILLION is because new legislation allowed the USPS to delay a $5.5 billion payment to a retiree health benefit fund.

The USPS needs to cut another $20 billion by 2015 to move back into the black.  On the table are more post office closings, dropping Saturday delivery, taking on non-mail related business and reducing retiree health costs.

The USPS saw their income drop about $1.4 billion dollars over the previous year.