The Memo: Sept. 22, 2011

Morning, folks. Lots of Montgomery County news to get to today. So let's get cracking:

American hikers Shane Bauer and Elkin Park's-own Josh Fattal were released from 26 months in Iranian prison yesterday after being convicted of espionage earlier this year. The men were shuttled to Oman where they were reunited with family. [Inquirer]

Redevelopment on the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham is behind schedule, officials with the Horsham Land Reuse Authority say. Not only will the board likely fail to meet its December deadline for submitting a development plan to the Navy, any actual groundbreaking is likely to be put off until at least 2014. [Patch]

The NAACP has filed a complaint with the State Human Rights Commission against the Lower Merion police department saying it has discriminated against black officers in handing out promotions. Currently, there are three black officers on the 135-man force. The department has never had a black or Hispanic officer ranked sergeant or above, said Jerome Mondesire, president of the NAACP's state chapter. And other suburban police departments, watch out, Mondesire says, you may be on their radar next. [Main Line Times]

MontCo's Democratic commissioner candidates pledged yesterday to create a well-staffed, well-funded Veteran's Center for Montgomery County Community College should they be elected. Drawing attention to a near 50 percent rate of college-enrolled vets who contemplate suicide, Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards says more needs to be done to ensure soldiers are getting the most out of their college experience – both educationally and personally. [Intelligencer]

Retired Conshohocken Police Chief James Dougherty died Wednesday. [Times-Herald]

And finally ...

Nadin Khoury, the teenager who was bullied by a "wolf pack" in Upper Darby, then catapulted to fame after video of the attack went viral, has found a safe landing at a Montgomery County private school. [Inquirer]