Sunday, May 20, 2012
Power lines spark fire in a pine tree in Lower Providence Township.
At 12:21 p.m. today, Lower Providence Township's fire and rescue squads were called out to Rogers Road at Trooper Road for a woods/field fire. At the intersection, fire crews located a large pine tree set ablaze presumably from nearby powerlines that were sparking. Rescue squads at the scene said the fire was not in danger of nearby homes, and that there were no reported injuries or major damage. Traffic in the local area, along the busy section of Trooper Road in Lower Providence Township, however is delayed. Rogers Road is closed from its curve to Trooper due to crews working in the area. Emergency responders are currently awaiting a PECO Energy representative and work crew for more information on what may have caused the sparks and fire…
40.13706
-75.39503
S Trooper Rd & Rogers Rd, Eagleville, PA
/articles/tree-fire-on-trooper-and-rogers-roads-delays-local-traffic
/locations/7059935
This weekend, the 38th-annual G8 Summit meets at Camp David to discuss a number of issues, one of them being pollution. Will the summit really be successful?
What is the G8 Summit? According to chicagog8.com, in the early 1970s, several leading world economic countries would meet at the White House to discuss a number of different issues including pollution and conservation. By 1975, after France and Germany called for a more formal meeting, France hosted the first summit that included a group of six nations, and was called the G6. This tradition continues to this day, with an annual summit held in a location selected by that year's host country. Currently, the G8 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK, and the USA. On some occasions, other countries are involved in the summit. China, Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and the European Union have at least sat once in on…
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The what, how, where and why of applying for a passport.
It’s that time of the year. The sun is warming, the school year is winding down and everyone is starting to think about summer vacation. But if you or your family is planning on traveling beyond the U.S. borders this summer, it’s time to start applying for passports. There are three options for adults and minors when applying for passports. A passport book is good to travel via land, sea, or air to any country (keeping in mind that some countries require a visa). The passport book for adults (over 16) are valid for 10 years and for minors (under the age of 16) are valid for five years. The US State Department says, “All minors regardless of age, including newborns and infants, must have their own passport when traveling internationally by …
Friday, May 18, 2012
The seven-member family whose home caught fire on the 1000 block of Buttonwood Street yesterday are staying at the Red Cross' center for disaster recovery in University City.
Yesterday's fire on the 1000 block of Buttonwood Street displaced a family of seven. The family is currently being assisted by the Red Cross and staying at the Red Cross House – the agency's center for disaster recovery located in Philadelphia. All assistance by the Red Cross is provided free of charge and funded entirely by donations. Anyone wishing to the family displaced in yesterday's fire is urged to donate online at phillyhomefire.org. --- Related Stories House Fire on Buttonwood Street Quickly Controlled
40.12946
-75.3498
1019 Buttonwood St, Norristown, PA
/articles/red-cross-assisting-family-displaced-in-buttonwood-street-fire
/locations/7053429
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 …
Have unwanted items to sell but don't want to hold a yard sale? Montgomery County Sale or Swap Facebook Group to the rescue!
There are two new ways to sell your unwanted items without having to setup a yard sale in your front yard. Elisa Gossger began the Montgomery County Garage Sale or Swap and its counterpart Montgomery County Parent’s Garage Sale or Swap. The parent’s page is exclusively for kids, tweens and teens items, with current items listed including children clothing of all sizes, shoes, toy trains, a high chair and more. The Montgomery County Garage Sale or Swap page is perfect for household goods, gardening and lawn gear, adult clothing, and the like. Gossger told Patch, “I wanted to create a place you could easily upload your pictures, recommend the page to your friends and be able to browse items specifically in Montgomery County.” The sites can …
A car accident involving a parishioner at a local church caused a lot of damage, but no injuries.
Police were called to the scene of a serious accident shortly after 8:30 a.m. this morning in the parking lot of St. Patrick's Church at Green and East Oak streets today. Witnesses to the scene say an older parishioner who had just attended mass had stopped to deposit recycling in the bin located in the church parking lot and mistakingly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake as he approached the bin. His vehicle lurched forward, striking a trailer parked in the lot and pushing it through the fence and wall on the Green Street side. When officers arrived, the trailer was hanging over the edge of the wall. The trailer, fence and wall all sustained heavy damage. The driver of the vehicle was reportedly unharmed. Police called in a large tow …
40.11773
-75.33854
Green St & E Oak St, Norristown, PA
Accident site.
/articles/trailer-crashes-through-fence-wall-at-local-church
/locations/7053138
40.117492
-75.339933
Saint Patrick's Church
714 Dekalb St, Norristown, PA
/articles/trailer-crashes-through-fence-wall-at-local-church
1836613
/locations/7053139
The accident happened in a loading dock area in the rear of the facility.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Friday, May 18
A 43-year-old Delaware man was killed Friday morning at the Upper Merion printing facility of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, WCAU-TV reports. Jefferson Troester was crushed beneath a 1,500-pound roll of newsprint that fell out of a railroad boxcar when the door was opened at about 9:30 a.m., police said. He worked for ArcelorMittal, a steel and mining company. Contractors had to be brought in to free Troester's body from beneath the roll of paper. The facility is located on Route 23, a few hundred feet from the West Conshohocken municipal boundary.
Three faults were documented when the Limerick nuclear plant was planned over 30 years ago.
Local residents last month questioned whether the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission knew of local faults when the Limerick power plant was planned for construction. "The short answer is, 'yes,'" said Diane Screnci, NRC senior public affairs officer. Folks at a meeting in Limerick Township last month showed NRC officials a document which referred to "the Sanatoga fault" and asked whether the NRC was aware of its proximity to the Limerick site prior to initial licensing. The NRC hosted the meeting – which included workers from the commission and Exelon – to discuss with the public an annual safety performance assessment of Exelon's Limerick nuclear power plant. At that time, members of The Alliance For A Clean Environment brought copies…
Parks and 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% 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 system …
