Archive: February, 2012
Whitehall Road in Montgomery County will close for six months starting next Monday, Feb. 20, PennDOT said.
The road will be closed between Sandra Lane and Stonybrook Drive as workers rehabilitate the bridge over Stony Creek.
This just in from Lower Merion Township commissioner Jenny Brown. Before running unsuccessfully for county commissioner on the Republican ticket in November, Brown had pushed for greater transparency in township government. Here she returns to her prior theme.
The issue comes to a head tonight, she says:
Switching to Delaware County for a moment to share some info that just came our way:
Tyler Arboretum holds its annual Pancake Breakfast and Maple Sugaring Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event will include a trek to one of the arboretum's sugar maples, a lesson on how to tap a tree and collect sap, and a talk on how the clear tree sap is boiled down to form sweet syrup. (Do not try this at home. We did, and it steamed the wallpaper off the walls.)
The lessons will be followed by an all-you-can-eat breakfast of pancakes, sausage, steaming hot coffee and cocoa, and of course, maple syrup.
Cost is $11 for adults, $6 for children ages 3 to 11. Kids under 3 are free. All proceeds benefit Tyler Arboretum. Snow date is March 3.
Tyler Arboretum at 515 Painter Road, Media, has 650 acres for visitors to see with renowned plant collections, champion trees, rare plant specimens, a native butterfly house, historic buildings and 20 miles of hiking trails.
For information, link to www.tylerarboretum.org.
Montgomery County's 2012 Black History Celebration will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Montgomery County Human Services Center, 1430 DeKalb Street in Norristown.
The program will focus on the contributions of black women to American history and culture.
Featured speakers are Renee Amoore, of the Amoore Group, and Rochelle Griffin-Culbreath, former president of Norristown Municipal Council.
"This is an important event as Montgomery County celebrates its African American heritage," said Josh Shapiro, chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners.
Black History Committee Chairperson LaVera Seymour said she believes it is important to honor “courageous, trail blazing women that have come before us."
"With their help and support, women have been able to have the opportunity to succeed in all fields and endeavors of life, she said.
Seymour said much remains to be done.
“It's our turn to provide the necessary uplift to women of today, tomorrow, and beyond by creating more opportunities to be successful women. Let us continue to 'lift as we climb'."
The Eisenhower Middle School Choir will perform at the event. So will The Hancock School Fourth Grade Chorus, drummer Larry B. Hopewell, poet Silvia Lares, and special dancer Richarda Dinkins.
The event is free and open to the public.
Americans have recognized Black history since 1926 when Carter G. Woodson established the second week in February as a time to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.
"We value the dignity of every individual, and recognize that each of us has a responsibility in our own way to advance the common good," Seymour said.
"Our diversity is our greatest strength, and day by day, we will continue to thrive and make great progress in our schools, our neighborhoods, our workplaces and our homes."
For information contact Seymour at 610-278-3512 or email her at lseymour@montcopa.org.
Weis Markets Inc., a Pennsylvania-based supermarket company, this morning announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase three Genuardi's locations from Safeway Inc.
The stores are at 200 Ridge Pike in Conshohocken, 13 Old Dublin Pike in Doylestown, and 25 West Germantown Pike in Norristown.
The stores will continue to operate as Genuardi's prior to the completion of the sale.
"We're extremely pleased to be adding these stores to our store base," said Weis Markets' President and CEO David J. Hepfinger. "We look forward to serving these communities ... as we have in 33 counties throughout central, eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania.
“We will also be reaching out to the associates of these stores to discuss employment with our company."
Founded in 1912, Weis Markets currently operates 161 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia.
The Empty Bowl event will kick off March 22.
It’s scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. at Lower Merion High School.
The aim is to raise awareness about hunger and to raise funds for the Narberth Community Food Bank.
The food bank provides groceries to over 50 families each week In Narberth and Lower Merion.
It also supplies school break boxes to some Lower Merion School District pupils.
Those who attend the event get to choose a bowl hand-made by a student or artisan. Then attendees can use the bowl to eat a meal of soup, bread and dessert.
An organizational meeting is planned for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Food Bank in the United Methodist Church on the corner of Price and Essex Avenues in Narberth.
Police in Lansdale said Friday they are seeking two young men who stole $1,500 worth of Mucinex from a pharmacy in Montgomery County.
And no, they did not have stuffed-up noses, police said.
Instead, police believe the thieves wanted the drugs to sell at knock-down prices to corner grocery stores.
Investigators say the theft took place at 7:40 p.m. on Jan. 13 at the Rite Aid Store at 10 W. Main Street in the borough.
Police said the suspects were two African American males in their late teens or early twenties. They can be seen on surveillance tapes entering the pharmacy, police said.
The pair used gift bags stocked by the store to hide the stolen items.
Mucinex is an FDA-approved drug that loosens the mucus that can cause chest and nasal congestion. It is sold over the counter.
The Montgomery County commissioners, on the advice of the Montgomery County Health Department, are declaring a Code Blue Weather Emergency for Montgomery County based on a review of forecasts from the National Weather Service.
The Code Blue will be in force for the 2-day period which begins at noon Saturday, Feb 11.
It will end at noon Monday, Feb. 13.
A Code Blue declaration is made when winter conditions pose a threat of serious harm or death to individuals without shelter.
It is called when the combination of air temperature and wind chill is expected to be 20 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
A Norristown resident has started an online petition to rename a street in the municipality for historian Charles L. Blockson.
Blockson, a Norristown native, has had his collection of books, lectures and memorabilia relating to African American history acknowledged by Penn State University.
He has also had an entire museum erected in his honor at Temple University, says Rochelle Culbreath, a former Norristown council member.
”Norristown itself has nothing to recognize this great Norristonian's contribution to our municipality. There’s no better time to do this than Black History Month 2012,” Culbreath wrote in an email.
“I have asked Council President Gary Simpson his feelings on this. I have also walked Green Street to talk to the residents of that street. I think the street Mr. Blockson grew up on would be a good street to rename. I have also agreed to help residents with change of address letters,” Culbreath wrote.
An online petition is posted at: http://www.change.org/petitions/municipal-government-of-norristown-re-name-a-street-in-the-municipality#share.
For more information: Call Culbreath at 610-277-4121.
This just in from Rachel Ezekiel-Fishbein, spokeswoman for Simon’s Fund in Plymouth Meeting:
We're already eight days into American Heart Month, and I doubt very many people are thinking about their kids' hearts.
Trish Harrington certainly wasn't - until her athletic eighth-grade son, Drew, was screened by Simon's Fund at Radnor High School last September.
(Simons’s Fund is the non-profit set up by Darren and Phyllis Sudman in memory of their son, Simon. He was born Oct. 21, 2004 with a genetic heart defect, and died 96 days later, when he failed to wake up from a nap.)
Drew’s EKG uncovered a potentially fatal heart condition, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.
A month later, Drew had a cardiac catheterization at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Today he's back on the lacrosse field.
Prior to the procedure, Drew was at great risk for sudden cardiac arrest, the leading killer of student athletes; now, his risk is less than 1 in 100,000, said Ezekiel-Fishbein.
Drew's medical procedure took place on Oct 21, Simon Sudman's birthday. To date, Simon's Fund has screened 3,709 children's hearts; one of every 100 has been found to have a potentially fatal heart anomaly, Ezekiel-Fishbein said.
“In honor of American Heart Month, we're focusing extra attention on our mission, and asking for help raising awareness that heart health isn't just or adults,” she said.
On Valentine's Day, a group of children whose life-threatening heart conditions were discovered at screenings will visit Harrisburg to deliver cookies and valentines to State Rep. Mike Vereb and members of the Senate's Education Committee.
The bill written by Vereb is sitting in the Education Committee, and the children hope their visit will help spur its passage.
“Our message? Passing this bill is the best Valentine you could give the Commonwealth's children. (And getting your child a heart screening is a great Valentine for any child!),” Ezekiel-Fishbein said.
Contact Davis at cdavis@phillynews.com or 610-313-8109.
Contact Parks at 610-313-8117, jparks@philly.com, or https://twitter.com/JS_Parks.
