Thursday, August 16, 2012
According to Montco Board of Commissioners chair, Josh Shapiro, the best way of avoiding West Nile Virus is by eliminating its source's breeding grounds.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
Since surveillance testing has indicated West Nile virus (WNV) activity is present throughout the county, the Montgomery County Health Department wants to remind residents that the risk of WNV is strong and may remain so for some time this season, thus the focus should be on personal protection. There have been 75 mosquito pools which tested positive for WNV so far this season, compared to 31 positive pools during the same period last year. The first positive test was reported on May 17 this year, compared to June 9 last year. A mosquito pool is a collection of mosquitoes (usually about 50) of any given species or group (i.e. Culex mosquitoes) that are likely to carry/transmit a virus. WNV is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes…
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The values and the vision for this country are reasons why President Obama is running for second term.
More than 1,500 people were fired up on Thursday to see First Lady Michelle Obama at the Upper Dublin High School gymnasium. Dan Siegel, the Montgomery County regional field director for Obama's re-election campaign, told the audience that in 2009, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. He said they were lucky to have full health insurance to cover to costs of her medical expenses. However, he added that the Affordable Care Act, passed by President Obama, means his mother's illness will never be considered a pre-existing condition and cannot be grounds for denial of health coverage. Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro said he and his wife spent time at the White House and were surprised by how much the President and First …
Monday, July 16, 2012
HB 2552 proposes that new revenue generated by the Valley Forge Casino and Resort be distributed to local parks and heritage sites and non-profits.
On Monday, July 16, the Montgomery County Commissioners, along with state Representatives Marcy Toepel (R-147), Mike Vereb (R-150) and Todd Stephens (R-151), held a press conference to reveal new legislation that would redistribute casino revenue from the county’s share assessment. If House Bill 2552 is passed, the casino would give 2% of its gross revenue back to the community – 75% of that will be going to maintenance and refurbishment services of parks and heritage sites, while the final 25% would be split evenly between local nonprofits Laurel House and Mission Kids. "An estimated $1.2 million will be generated. $900,000 to the parks and heritage sites, and $150,000 each to Mission Kids and Laurel House," explained Toepel. Currently, …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Shapiro: 'Overt gerrymandering' should again be struck down by the high court.
Montgomery County Commissioners Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards, along with six other public officials and Montgomery County residents, filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Monday contesting the latest reapportionment plan from the state legislature. The appeal is part of a second round of filing against the 2011 Reapportionment Plan, after the Supreme Court sent back an initial plan in January 2012 following a challenge. At that time, the court ruled that the redistricting plan did not adhere to the state constitution's requirements for compact districts. Many Democratic leaders hailed the decision, stating that the proposal gerrymandered districts in favor of Republican political interests. A second plan was then …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Ninety-five years later, Officer Eugene Lucas was honored after being killed in the line of duty on his second day on the job.
When Officer Eugene "Chic" Lucas climbed the steps of an apartment building at the corner of Fayette and Elm Streets in Conshohocken to serve an arrest warrant 95 years ago, there was no way he could have known those moments would be among his last. Lucas, 49, along with Officer Cliff Campbell, swung open the door of a third-floor apartment belonging to "Black Mike," a man wanted for Desertion and Intent to Kill, and found him sitting at a table eating his dinner. Lucas ordered Black Mike to put his hands in the air, but the criminal instead reached for his gun and fired three shots at the officers, one of which struck Lucas in the neck. The wounded officer managed to make it down the street to a doctor's office, but eventually succumbed …
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Over 900 Montco veterans have received their photo-ID cards, which can be used for discounts at more than 80 different locations across the county.
It's only been a couple of months since Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Nancy Becker implemented the county's veterans discount program, but already a group of nearly 1,000 former service-members has signed up to take advantage of the discounts made available by more than 80 local businesses. As a result, Chairman Josh Shapiro took the liberty to tout the program's early success during Thursday's Montgomery County Commissioners meeting. "We've handed out photo ID cards to over 900 veterans since we started the program in March of this year, and we've recorded nearly 500 new military discharges," said Shapiro. In order to participate in the program, veterans are asked to bring their DD-214 Certificate of Release to the Recorder of Deeds…
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Parks, roads departments being consolidated; county's legal department being rebuilt
Last fall, residents thronged a hearing held by the previous Montgomery County administration after a preliminary version of the 2012 operating budget proposed the elimination of the county's parks department, among other drastic funding cuts. That Board of Commissioners eventually passed a budget that hiked property taxes by 17.5 percent and kept the Parks and Heritage Services department intact. Thursday morning, Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro announced that the department had been eliminated, after all. Parks and Heritage will soon cease to exist. The same goes for the Public Property department and the department of Roads and Bridges. In their place will be a single, new department: Infrastructure and Public Assets. "The…
Friday, May 18, 2012
A total of 1,563 students received their degrees and certificates from Montgomery County Community College on Thursday evening.
Montgomery County Community College graduated their largest class in school history on Thursday evening, as family and friends packed the Blue Bell campus to see the1,563 students receive their degrees and certificates. The graduating class represents an increase of more than 18-percent from last year, which also includes the highest amount of west-campus graduates in a given year at 293. This year's class also boasted 11 Honors Program participants, 44 students with a 3.9 GPA or higher, and 49 foreign students from 23 countries. Keynote speaker William Truehart, who serves as president and CEO for "Achieving the Dream", spoke to students regarding the importance of a college education in our society, and Montgomery County Commissioner …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Also on the agenda are plenty of resolutions, advertising for bids and RFPs and over $500,000 in contract awards.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meets again today, Thursday, May 17, at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza. On the agenda today is the county's quarterly financial report, more than a half dozen authorizations of grant applications, various agreements, a filing deadline change for county board of assessment appeals and a for a bond refinancing for the Cherry Street Garage in Norristown. The also be discussing advertising bids for PODs for the Health Department, food service disposables for Parkhouse, and driveway repairs and window replacement at the Youth Center as well as request for proposals for a medical service provider for Parkhouse, relocation of the Black Horse …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
'Inside Story' airs at 11:30 a.m. today
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
Josh Shapiro, chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners, will appear on "Inside Story” this morning at 11:30 a.m. on WPVI, Channel 6, or Comcast HD Channel 231 The interview of Shapiro by Channel 6 anchor 6 ABC anchor Tamala Edwards will interview Shapiro; a panael discussion featuring political commentators will follow. The show was taped Friday, May 11. “Inside Story” airs on 6 ABC immediately after “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”. -- Information courtesy of The Montgomery County Office of Communications
GREG L
1:43 pm on Monday, August 13, 2012
And this is the real issue. The partisan divide is a fiction created to divert attention from this issue. The economy of state of California is something like 20% of US GDP IIRCC and it's having all sorts of issues along with other states. Its problem is the same as many other states and the government--debt. Do you really think the US can remain economically viable if CA or NY goes down the … more ›