Archive: March, 2013
You know you're in trouble, Maria Kefalas said sadly, when you're fast-tracked for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Kefalas, 45, is a St. Joseph's University sociologist whose daughter Calliope, 3, has a rare and untreatable genetic disease, MLD. It's a diagnosis without hope: Most patients don't live beyond age 5.
"Cal has showed me how pain and love and suffering and joy must coexist," Kefalas writes. She adds, "When I see my friends with healthy children, I just savor how beautiful and healthy they are. I hope I . . . never . . . follow up a friend's story about a baby's first step . . . with me recounting what the hospice nurse said this week."
- Teen adopted by Montco family returns to Russia
- Controversial apartment project moves forward in Norristown
- Man sentenced for role in meth ring
- Moody's boosts Montco's bond rating back to AA1
- Q&A: Former Montco doctor starting graphic design/branding firm
- Radnor venture capital firm to retire successful tech fund
- Fort Washington's Cantina Feliz makes "Philly's Hottest 20 Restaurants" list
- Teresa's Cafe in Wayne makes "Great Beer Bars" list
The family of the late Officer Bradley Fox and the Plymouth Township Police Department is celebrating the birth of Bradley Michael Jr. The mother, Lynsay, and baby Brad are both doing fine, as is big sister Kadence, 11 months. FULL STORY
- Radnor High alumnus, studying at Brown University, is still missing
- Wayne-based IT firm bought out Indian conglomerate
- Snow hits Philly area; 1-2 inches expected around Montco
- Ardmore businessman still believes in video stores
- D.A.: Pottstown teen was high, texting when he hit jogger
- Blue Bell businesswoman featured in "Top 10 Philly Entrepreneurs"
- $1 million Powerball ticket sold in Horsham, $325,000 Cash 5 ticket sold in Blue Bell
- Fort Washington school aims to keep Jews closer to Judaism
Montgomery County is assembling a working group to study the possibility of a county-wide non-discrimination ordinance.
A state law bans discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, age and religion, but it does not cover gay, lesbian or transgender individuals.
For example, if a person is fired from a job, denied an apartment, or turned away from a hotel because he is black, Muslim or blind and uses a guide dog, he could sue under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. But a gay man or a lesbian in the same situation would have no recourse under state law.
The Lower Merion Police Department said this week it would begin using portable speed displays that would show approaching motorists how fast they are driving.
The device, the township said, easily can be mounted on any existing pole or speed limit sign and has a "prolonged battery life."
The announcement from Lower Merion did NOT include the specifics of where and when the devices will be mounted. It did say that anyone with questions or concerns about them should call the Traffic Safety Unit at 610-645-6260.
The Inquirer's Linda Loyd writes that Supervalu Inc. has sold several of its grocery chains, including the Malvern-based Acme Markets, to a group of private equity firms and real estate investors. It looks like Albertson's LLC will run the stores beginning tomorrow, though it's unclear to me whether the name, "Acme" will go at some point. Read Linda's whole story here.
It just seems clearer to let SEPTA tell you about changes on its Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line. Here's the info we just got from the agency:
Shuttle Busing Scheduled Along SEPTA’s Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line
PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 21, 2013)---Due to track and signal work along SEPTA’s
Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line, shuttle buses will replace rail service between Elm Street
Station and Wissahickon Train Station on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24.
Passengers traveling inbound to Center City will board shuttle buses at Elm Street Station 32 minutes
before their regularly scheduled train times. After leaving Elm Street Station, shuttle buses will stop
at Main Street, Norristown Transportation Center, Conshohocken and Spring Mill Stations before
expressing to Wissahickon Train Station.
Shuttle buses will not serve Miquon, Manayunk or Ivy Ridge Stations. Inbound passengers traveling
to Manayunk or Ivy Ridge Stations will transfer from shuttle buses to outbound trains at Wissahickon
Train Station.
During bus substitution weekends, there will be no train or shuttle bus service to or from Miquon
Station. Customers who normally utilize Miquon Station are advised to use Spring Mill Station
instead.
Outbound Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line trains will operate as far as Ivy Ridge Station.
Passengers traveling to Norristown will board shuttle buses at Wissahickon Train Center to complete
their outbound trips. Shuttle buses will express from Wissahickon Train Station to Spring Mill
Station before stopping at Conshohocken, Norristown Transportation Center, Main Street and Elm
Street Stations.
All trains will arrive and depart from Wissahickon Train Station at regularly scheduled times.
Passengers should add approximately 32 minutes onto their trips.
Saturday Late Night Supplemental Inbound Service:
On Saturday evenings during bus substitution weekends, supplemental late night bus service will be
provided for inbound passengers traveling between Elm Street and Manayunk Station.
Four bus trips will leave the Elm Street Station at regularly scheduled train times of trains 235 (9:35
p.m.), 2573 (10:45 p.m.), 6239 (11:37 p.m.) and 6241 (12:37 a.m.). After leaving the Elm Street
Station, the shuttle buses will serve Main Street, Norristown Transportation Center, Spring Mill and
Manayunk Stations.
Saturday Late Night Supplemental Outbound Service:
On Saturday evenings during bus substitution weekends, supplemental late night bus service will be
provided for outbound passengers traveling between Manayunk and Elm Street Stations.
Two bus trips will leave Manayunk Station at the regularly scheduled train times of trains 6236
(12:43 a.m.) and 6238 (1:43 a.m.). After leaving the Manayunk Station, the outbound shuttle buses
will travel to Spring Mill, Conshohocken, Norristown Transportation Center, Main Street and Elm
Street Stations.
Passengers can visit www.septa.org to view changes to their train lines and download new schedules.
Riders can also contact SEPTA Customer Service representatives at (215) 580-7800.
A couple of pols are pals when it comes to doing good things for children in Montgomery County — U.S. Sen.
Pat Toomey and Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.
On Friday, Ferman gave Toomey a tour of a nonprofit agency called Mission Kids that she cofounded. The agency is what's known as a a child advocacy center. According to the nonprofit's webiste, "Mission Kids offers a comprehensive, centrally located, multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse in a dedicated, child-friendly setting ... Mission Kids provides neutral, fact-finding forensic interviews which are coordinated to avoid duplicative interviewing and supports Montgomery County’s multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse investigation and intervention."
Toomey liked the mission, liked Mission Kids.
Are you a high school, undergraduate or graduate student looking for something interesting to do this summer? The Montgomery County commissioner’s office is accepting applications for its summer internship program. Upper level high school students, undergraduate students, and graduate students are invited to apply. The office says that:
"Internship opportunities are available within the Commissioner's Office. Interested candidates should submit resumes via e-mail to Turea Hutson at thuston@montcopa.org. Please visit the Montgomery County web page and scroll to the bottom for internship information and an application. Please call 610-278-1464 with any questions."
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.
