Times Herald, Other Local Papers Await Bankruptcy Sale

Journal Register Company, which owns six daily newspapers in the Philadelphia region, filed for bankruptcy in September. The new owner may not retain all the current employees.

The Times Herald of Norristown, the Pottstown Mercury, and the Lansdale Reporter will have a new owner in April, pending a judge's approval of the company's bankruptcy sale. The Associated Press reports that Journal Register Company has sought a judge's approval to be purchased by 21st CMH Acquisition Co., an affiliate of current owner Alden Capital, for about $120 million. 21st CMH Acquisition Co. was the sole bidder in an auction to purchase the Bucks County-based company, which filed for bankruptcy last September. The company had previously filed for bankruptcy in 2009. CEO John Paton cited onerous building leases and other "legacy obligations" as a factor in the most recent bankruptcy filing. Citing an article in the New Haven Register…

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Journal Register Co. Files for Chapter 11

The owner of The Reporter in Lansdale, The Mercury in Pottstown and The Times Herald in Norristown will be sold promptly, according to reports.

Digital First Media announced Wednesday that its subsidiary Journal Register Company is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the second time since 2009. JRC operates The Reporter in Lansdale, The Mercury in Pottstown and The Times Herald in Norristown, among other local papers. JRC filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and "will seek to implement a prompt sale," according to Digital First Media. Digital First Media operates MediaNews Group and Digital First Ventures. According to a press release from Digital First Media, the auction and sale would take 90 days. Digital First has reportedly signed a stalking horse bid for JRC from 21st CMH Acquisition Co., an affiliate of the …

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Corbett Signs Bid-Limit Bill For Township Advertising

Governor Tom Corbett signed Act 84 on Thursday, raising the minimum amount of bids that require townships to advertise.

Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill Thursday raising the threshold for the minimum amount that townships seeking bids for purchases and contracts would have to advertise for. Effective Jan. 1, Act 84 of 2011 will increase the minimum dollar amount that requires townships to advertise and seek bids for purchases and contracts from $10,000 to $18,500. According to a release issued by the Pa. State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS), the law means that fewer local purchases will fall under the state’s cumbersome and bureaucratic bidding procedures and more local tax dollars will be invested where they would do the most good – in local services and projects. “PSATS applauds the governor’s swift action in signing this legislation,” PSATS …

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Times Herald Plunges Into the Cloud

Norristown's daily paper leads the way for parent company JRC's digital efforts.

According to News & Tech, a trade publication for the newspaper industry, Norristown's own Times Herald will be the first of parent company Journal Register Company's (JRC) daily newspapers to begin using a cloud-based version of content management and publication software by Saxotech Mediaware Center. What does that mean for Times Herald readers? Probably not much difference in the daily paper (though apparently they've had some issues with stories re-running by accident) and a few bugs in the website as they get the new system up and running (Editor Stan Huskey addressed these issues in a recent editorial.) But the real difference may be how you get your news from The Herald in the future. The new system is part of a new initiative to …

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Irene Claims a Local Life

Flooding waters causes the death of Patricia O'Neill, of East Norriton.

Update: 2:32 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 29: The full article is available on Plymouth-Whitemarsh Patch. As a result of rising waters due to Hurricane Irene, East Norriton resident Patricia O'Neill was found dead today, according to a report in the Times Herald. O'Neill, 64, left her home in the 2600 block of DeKalb Street in East Norriton around 2 a.m. this morning, but did not return or appear for her shift at Genuardi's in Flourtown. Whitemarsh police officers and emergency responders searched the area along Wissahickon Creek and found the victim one-half mile from the found vehicle around 5 p.m. today, according to the story. For more on the incident, read the full article in the Times Herald or at Patch.com.

Norristown In The Headlines

Here's a quick look at what other area media outlets are saying about Norristown.

Both The Times Herald and Philly.com are reporting on the crowds of friends, family and area residents who turned out to the Greater Norristown PAL community center on Sunday to mourn the loss of 16-year-old Dominique Devlin. Devlin was shot and killed early Wednesday morning, and police are still investigating her murder. Dominique's father, Keith Devlin, told Phily.com, "We know who shot our daughter, but the process of the law just can't take him off the street." According to the Herald, a service is being planned at the Macedonia Baptist Church, 2633 Hillcrest Ave. in East Norriton Monday, Aug.1, at 11 a.m. You can read more of Philly.com's coverage here and more from the Herald here. Also in the Herald, the Montgomery County Cultural …

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