Friday, May 10, 2013
PA governor declares May as a safety month.
Warm weather brings us nicer days at the park, the season's sports and longer days of sunshine. With them also comes an increase of another sight and sound of spring. Motorcycles are out more than ever, as clear weather is a welcome mat for area riders. "With the increasing popularity of motorcycling in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Corbett has signed a proclamation commemorating May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month," said Jan McKnight, of PA Internet News Service, said in a recent release. To bring the issue of such safety measures more into the Commonwealth's citizens' eyes, the governor Act, which was passed in 2012, reminds drivers to be careful. "Motorcycle safety was emphasized with Corbett's signing of Act 84 of 2012, which …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Various locations will host the summer project.
The Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) will be conducting its annual Low-Cost Rabies Immunization Clinics on Saturdays in June for the the program's 22nd consecutive year. "As in previous years, these clinics are located throughout the county in order to ensure that resident pet owners have access to this disease prevention service," said Jessica Willingham, communications assistant for the Montgomery County Office of Communications. The 2013 Annual Rabies Clinic locations, dates and times are: LOCATION DATE TIME Abington Recycling Center, Florey Lane (off of Easton Road), Abington June 1 9 – 11 a.m. Collegeville Community Park, Fourth and Park avenues, Collegeville June 8 9 – 11 a.m. Encore Experiences at …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Schwartz names campaign staff for 2014 primary run at PA governor.
It's no secret that U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, (D-Montgomery), is making a run at the 2014 Pennsylvania's governor race. Now, the campaign staff isn't being kept quiet either. According to PoliticsPA, Schwatz has hired: 1. Rich Davis, Dixon/Davis Media Group 2. Pete Brodnitz, Benenson Strategy Group 3. Ed Peavy, Adnaan Muslim, Mark Bergman, Mission Control Inc. 4. Rachel Hirschberg, President, Berger Hirschberg Strategies 5. Pat Millham, Senior Advisor 6. Aubrey Montgomery, Finance Director 7. Reesa Kossoff, Communications Director 8. Neil Deegan, Political Director 9. Erin Gorman, Deputy Finance Director – National Fundraising For more information, including full bios on each staffer, visit the PoliticsPA story posted here.
New mobile site allows users to check in on the go.
Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is offering a new mobile optimized website, specifically aimed at smartphone users across the country. People visiting the agency’s website, via smartphone (Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows devices) will be redirected to the agency’s new mobile-friendly site. Once there, visitors can access a mobile version of Social Security’s Frequently Asked Questions, an interactive Social Security number (SSN) decision tree to help people identify documents needed for a new/replacement SSN card, and mobile publications which they can listen to in both English and Spanish right on their phone. "We are committed to meeting the changing needs of the American …
Monday, May 6, 2013
State Rep. Dean will host a panel on abating gun violence on Thursday at Abington Friends.
The Cheltenham Area Multifaith Council will sponsor a panel on abating gun violence on Thursday, May 9 at 9 a.m. at the Abington Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, located at 520 Meetinghouse Road. State Rep. Dean, D-153, will lead the panel. Dean is a founding member of the Pennsylvania SAFE Caucus. In the Pennsylvania State Legislature, Dean is the prime sponsor, and co-sponsor, of several upcoming bills regarding gun legislation and is currently scheduling a gun buy-back event with fellow bipartisan representatives in the area. State Rep. Stephen McCarter, D-154, will join Dean. In addition to Dean and McCarter, invited panel participants are Charles Peterson, long-time member of Abington Quaker Meeting; Shira …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Still in recovery from Sequestration, the Montgomery County Housing Authority looks at options for saving even more.
Federal funding is already stretched thin when it comes to Pennsylvania's housing authorities. Montgomery County is no different. Still feeling the hurt from cuts known as "sequestration," the county's Housing Authority is now reviewing what to do with even less. According to Herald-Mail.com, the state is facing deeper cuts to federal funds, "prompting them to shed employees, cut back rent vouchers or put off repairs to housing they own," according to the report. "The cuts leave some housing authorities without enough money to meet existing lease agreements with private landlords, although HUD has suggested that it will cover those deficits, said Joel Johnson, executive director of the Montgomery County Housing Authority, which is among …
The move would transfer the responsibility for $17-18 million in needed repairs from taxpayers to a private owner. The county could then lease the building back from its new owner.
Montgomery County could sell and lease back its primary office building as it seeks to avoid spending tax dollars on needed repairs to the facility, the county announced Thursday. The county purchased the One Montgomery Plaza tower, which sits across Swede Street from the county courthouse in Norristown, for $26 million in 2006. The building houses the bulk of Montgomery County's government offices, but needs as much as $18 million in repairs. "There is significant cost to fixing this building and putting it in a condition that, frankly, it should have been put in several years ago, but that maintenance need was ignored by the prior administrations," Board of Commissioners chairman Josh Shapiro said. By selling the building, the county …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
County Republicans say the interim Voter Services director's involvement with a Democratic political committee is evidence of 'cronyism.' Castor: 'Everyone associated with this process has acted honorably.'
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday continued to face questions regarding the recent dismissal of Joseph Passarella, the former long-time head of the county's Voter Services department, as the county's Republican committee pointed to his interim replacement's erstwhile role in a Democratic political committee as evidence of "Philadelphia-style political cronyism." Passarella was dismissed April 17 after almost two decades in the post. Commissioner Bruce Castor led off Thursday's meeting of the Board of Commissioners with a statement directly addressing the "public controversy," saying that he believed "everyone associated with this process has acted honorably and in the belief that they were doing what they thought …
Jody Holton comes from SEPTA, where she was a long range planning manager.
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Thursday, May 2
From Montgomery County: The Montgomery County commissioners today announced the appointment of Jody L. Holton, AICP, as the new executive director of the county Planning Commission. Holton comes to Montgomery County from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), where she was manager of long range planning. She has more than a decade of experience as a project manager and planner for a wide range of projects, many of them in Montgomery County. "We are extremely happy to have Jody assume the leadership of our planning commission," said Commissioner Leslie Richards. "She has a broad range of talents as a leader, manager and planner and she has the personality, understanding and vision to maximize the immense talents of…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturns old cases, some with defendants as young as 10.
A judge should know the law to a "T," making it that much more strange when one breaks it. But according to the courts, that is exactly what former Pennsylvania judge Mark Ciavarella Jr., 61, did while serving his role. According to multiple media outlets, Ciavarella was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 years for "literally selling young juveniles for cash." The judge was paid kickbacks for sending children to local prisons during his term in Luzerne County, sometimes refusing them legal representation, according to the Huffington Post. "He was convicted of accepting money in exchange for incarcerating thousands of adults and children into a prison facility owned by a developer who was paying him under the table," said BlackNews.com. "The …
Spud
10:14 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
How about reminding Motorcyclists to follow traffic laws? When we are 20 cars deep stuck at a red light, they should have to stay in lane like the rest of us instead of flying up on the shoulder and bypassing any traffic jam they want. If you want to share the road like you are a car, then act like it! Last summer on 202 in KOP I was right next to a motocyslists who was hit by a car for this very… more ›