Thursday, May 9, 2013
Billions of cicadas are scheduled to hit the east coast this year.
Right on schedule, every 17 years, the little, bug-eyed monsters are coming. There are billions scheduled to be seen just on the east coast. And they are hungry for one thing. "It's not like these hordes of cicadas suck blood or zombify people," says May Berenbaum, a University of Illinois entomologist, told MyFoxPhilly.com. According to Berenbaum, the one thin they are seeking is sex. And, since they only come out every 17 years, they are more than ready. "It's just an amazing accomplishment," Berenbaum said. "How can anyone not be impressed?" ABC7, WJLA, said that the bugs will out-number humans 600 to 1 once they arrive. A site called "Cicada Mania" targets where the bug-eyed critters will arrive and when. There a map shows large, …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Various locations will host the summer project.
The Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) will be conducting its annual Low-Cost Rabies Immunization Clinics on Saturdays in June for the the program's 22nd consecutive year. "As in previous years, these clinics are located throughout the county in order to ensure that resident pet owners have access to this disease prevention service," said Jessica Willingham, communications assistant for the Montgomery County Office of Communications. The 2013 Annual Rabies Clinic locations, dates and times are: LOCATION DATE TIME Abington Recycling Center, Florey Lane (off of Easton Road), Abington June 1 9 – 11 a.m. Collegeville Community Park, Fourth and Park avenues, Collegeville June 8 9 – 11 a.m. Encore Experiences at …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Schwartz names campaign staff for 2014 primary run at PA governor.
It's no secret that U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, (D-Montgomery), is making a run at the 2014 Pennsylvania's governor race. Now, the campaign staff isn't being kept quiet either. According to PoliticsPA, Schwatz has hired: 1. Rich Davis, Dixon/Davis Media Group 2. Pete Brodnitz, Benenson Strategy Group 3. Ed Peavy, Adnaan Muslim, Mark Bergman, Mission Control Inc. 4. Rachel Hirschberg, President, Berger Hirschberg Strategies 5. Pat Millham, Senior Advisor 6. Aubrey Montgomery, Finance Director 7. Reesa Kossoff, Communications Director 8. Neil Deegan, Political Director 9. Erin Gorman, Deputy Finance Director – National Fundraising For more information, including full bios on each staffer, visit the PoliticsPA story posted here.
Constellation NewEnergy Inc. to help courthouse reduce uses of water, electric and gas.
Every house could use ways to "go green," including a Courthouse. The Montgomery County Commissioners agreed, and recently voted to hire one local business to help make their "house" get more ecofriendly. Constellation NewEnergy Inc., based in Fort Washington, was awarded a contract recently via an unanimous vote, to help the Montgomery County Courthouse go green by reducing uses of water, electric and gas, according to a WFMZ post. The courthouse currently spends more than $600,000 per year on energy. "Ultimately, we will realize significant savings right away," said Commissioner Chairman Joshua Shapiro told WFMZ. "As time goes on, our dollar savings will grow as we pay off the project." For the full story on the new contract and changes…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Still in recovery from Sequestration, the Montgomery County Housing Authority looks at options for saving even more.
Federal funding is already stretched thin when it comes to Pennsylvania's housing authorities. Montgomery County is no different. Still feeling the hurt from cuts known as "sequestration," the county's Housing Authority is now reviewing what to do with even less. According to Herald-Mail.com, the state is facing deeper cuts to federal funds, "prompting them to shed employees, cut back rent vouchers or put off repairs to housing they own," according to the report. "The cuts leave some housing authorities without enough money to meet existing lease agreements with private landlords, although HUD has suggested that it will cover those deficits, said Joel Johnson, executive director of the Montgomery County Housing Authority, which is among …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Johnston-Walsh has worked for AARP for seven years, most recently as Manager of State Operations for the association’s Pennsylvania office.
Friday, May 3, 2013
School, court, community program aims to prevent violence.
What can they say? It's a "GREAT" program. And, Montgomery County's Sheriff Eileen Whalon Behr hopes it can continue. "The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department seeks to expand the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program through the county’s public schools, court system and community events," said Behr in a recent release. "The violence prevention program aims to prevent bullying, youth crime, violence, drug use, and gang involvement." Behr says the program is designed to be preventative. “The program is specifically designed to avoid future problems and provides positive interaction with our deputy sheriffs,” said Behr. Behr said that the program "strives to immunize youth against delinquency, youth violence and gang…
Many city dwellers trek to Montgomery County daily for their jobs.
Rush hour in the Greater Philadelphia area feels like anything but a "rush." For some, however, traffic isn't so terrible. They happen to go against the grain, as it were. Instead of heading into the city in the morning, and out in the evening, they're trekking into Montgomery County. And, saving some time in rush hour traffic isn't the only perk. According to a report on NBC10, more and more city dwellers are heading into Montgomery County for employment. In fact, more are "reverse commuting" now then driving to the city for work. "'Philadelphia 2013: The State of the City' report by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that 68,986 Philadelphians head out to Montgomery County for work, surpassing the 64,575 Montgomery County workers who head …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturns old cases, some with defendants as young as 10.
A judge should know the law to a "T," making it that much more strange when one breaks it. But according to the courts, that is exactly what former Pennsylvania judge Mark Ciavarella Jr., 61, did while serving his role. According to multiple media outlets, Ciavarella was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 years for "literally selling young juveniles for cash." The judge was paid kickbacks for sending children to local prisons during his term in Luzerne County, sometimes refusing them legal representation, according to the Huffington Post. "He was convicted of accepting money in exchange for incarcerating thousands of adults and children into a prison facility owned by a developer who was paying him under the table," said BlackNews.com. "The …
State's governor says some are unemployed because they've taken illegal drugs.
Pennsylvania's governor has a new explanation for high unemployment rates. He says many of the unemployed can't pass a simple drug test. In a recent radio talk show, Gov. Tom Corbett said that while some of the state's issue with unemployment is a result of training for the new century's jobs, another has to do with applicants' abilities to pass a drug test. "We can't find anybody that has passed a drug test in a while," Corbett told PAMatters.com that employers have explained to him. Corbett relayed this on its live show. The governor said it is a "serious problem." According to ThinkProgress.org, the "number of people working in Pennsylvania tumbled by about 14,000 in March, following a drop of 6,000 in February."
Matthew Huff
4:31 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Its not an annual event...The last time we have had this type of visit by the cicada was 1996-1997. A lot of people confuse the locust for the cicada. We get locust every year. more ›