Monthly Archives: December 2015

Multi Author Book Signing December 12th Chester County Book Company

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tbI love Chester County Book Company. And on December 12 from 11 am to 1:30 pm they have this cool just in time for Christmas book signing featuring a whole slew of authors.  One happens to be a friend – former NBC10 anchor and media personality, Tim Lake.

Tim Lake along with former news producer Bill Shull, are scheduled to appear at Chester County Book Company’s multi-author book event on Saturday, December 12, 2015, to display and sign copies of their new and recently released non-fiction books.

Both embarked on writing and publishing ventures since leaving NBC 10.

Lake will be presenting his 2015 historical narrative nonfiction book, Hang on and Fly, A Post-War Story of Plane Crash Tragedies, Heroism, and Survival.

Shull will be presenting his 2015 historical nonfiction book, Philadelphia Television.

Lake and Shull completed and released the books after leaving long careers at NBC 10 News in Philadelphia.

The multi-author book signing event at Chester County Book Company, in the West Goshen Shopping Center near West Chester, Pa is scheduled for 11 am – 1:30 pm on December 12, 2015, and is one of the independent book store’s more popular annual events attracting hundreds of readers, according to Thea Kotroba of Chester County Book Company.

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Tim’s third book, Hang on and Fly, (Lake Publishing, 2015) is the dramatic true story of a series of passenger plane crashes in 1951-52 that frightened Americans in the infancy of passenger aviation and shaped all future aviation safety regulations and crash investigations. It portrays with deep emotion the longest stranding of a large group of plane crash survivors without rescue in North America. Four American heroes emerge from the story in Hang on and Fly: two men passengers, a stewardess, and a simple farmer’s wife with a deadly secret. Additionally, the story covers early post-war passenger aviation development and politics, and tragic, dramatic, and emotional crash events in many regions of North America, including Philadelphia, Newark and New York, Washington, Miami, San Juan, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Alaska. Hang on and Fly also includes 45 pages of vintage photographs, many of which are original and previously unpublished.

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Bill Shull is formerly a long-time news producer at NBC 10 who has written the first historical text and photograph book, Philadelphia Television, (Arcadia Publishing, 2015). It covers a nearly 70-year period from Philadelphia’s contribution to the invention of TV to the many celebrities and personalities on Philadelphia TV channels 3, 6, 10, 12, 17, and 29. It includes photographs and profiles of Dick Clark, Ed McMahon, Jessica Savitch, Edie Huggins, Tom Snyder, Sally Starr, Harry Kalas, John Facenda, Mike Douglas, and Kelly Ripa, among many others. Philadelphia Television is Shull’s first publication, compiled from his deep knowledge of the history of TV in Philadelphia, America’s fourth-largest television media market.

 

Lake and Shull are long-time residents of Chester County, Pa. Their books will be available and on display and the authors will be signing and discussing their books!

Chester County Book Company

967 Paoli Pike
West Goshen Shopping Center
West Chester, PA 19380
Tel: 610-696-1661

important bishop tube meeting december 9th in east whiteland

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bishop tubeBishop Tube. East Whiteland’s TCE albatross own by the developer Brian O’Neill. It sits like a dangerous slumbering giant on the heels of General Warren Village in Malvern. (Please note the cool old General Warren photos a friend lent to me to use.)

At the November meeting of the East Whiteland Board of Supervisors(which was recorded!) Bishop Tube came up again.

The representative for Developer O’Neill regarding Bishop Tube Site (9 Malin Rd?) [ on tape 78:07 – 90:25] was there.  Anyway, there is a PUBLIC HEARING DECEMBER 9th in EAST WHITELAND (during Board of Supervisors Meeting) – Developer is looking for zoning relief. ( Malin Road Development Steep Slope Ordinance Amendment) Relief of steep slopes and this guy indicated that development CAN’T be built without it (what a pity that would be, right?)

general warren 1Anyway, the guy was sort of posturing in my humble opinion (it is what he is paid to do, right?) and there were sliding comments to the effect of East Whiteland wants the site cleaned up and they need this steep slope accommodation, do I have that right?  Well umm THEY SHOULD HAVE TO CLEAN UP BISHOP TUBE REGARDLESS, RIGHT???

Maybe I have listened to or attended too many O’Neill development meetings over the years but that sort of rubbed me the wrong way.

O’Neill will supposedly be at this public hearing. So listen up East Whiteland especially General Warren Village residents: if you worry about the site and the litigation over the TCE in the aquifer (i.e. chemicals leeching into ground and water), you need to attend this hearing. What was it someone said to me about Bishop Tube? That it was a potential flipper baby site? Crude and harsh but could be very true if not properly remediated, right? And how many residents of General Warren and former employees have died over the years from all sort of cancers? Is it all coincidence?

general warren 3East Whiteland doesn’t have to say yes and I have to tell you Supervisor Bill Holmes expressed concerns several times. Supervisor John Mott was unimpressive and the other guy (Wrably?) didn’t open his mouth and sat there pretty much mute. Many thanks to Bill Holmes for getting it on this issue. I know I have been tough on Bill in the past, but I have to say I have taken the time to start to get to know him and he is a good guy.

BUT you can’t enact change or be heard on the record if you do not attend the hearing.

Again, as of now it is December 9th during next Board of Supervisors Meeting . You can listen to the back and forth on this recording at 78:07 – 90:25 .

I have been told about treatment some General Warren residents have received over the years for speaking out about things affecting them, and shall we say what I heard made me wince? And no, I am not recounting exactly what I have been told because I did not witness it, but I believe what I heard.

general warren villageFor anyone living in General Warren Village they have posted a zoning notice at the entrance of the Bishop Tube site regarding the steep slope protection. There will be a meeting on Wed, December 9th at 7:00PM at the East Whiteland Township building.  No one can make you go, but suffice it to say you guys are the most directly affected and have the best standing. Although truthfully every resident and taxpayer in East Whiteland has standing. Standing means you have the right to be heard.

I am praying for a Christmas miracle. I am praying East Whiteland residents pack and rock this meeting December 9th.

And oh yes, that lawsuit in Federal Court over Bishop Tube? VERY ACTIVE.

United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 2:15cv01919GJP
WARREN et al v. JOHNSON MATTHEY, INC. et al
Assigned to: HONORABLE GERALD J. PAPPERT

Cause: 42:6972(a) Solid Waste Disposal Act

URS B. FURRER
HARRITON & FURRER, LLP
84 BUSINESS PARK DR #302
ARMONK, NY 10504
9147303400
Email: ubfurrer@hflawllp.com

Defendant

CENTRAL AND WESTERN
CHESTER COUNTY INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
represented by ALAN PAUL NOVAK
LAMB MCERLANE PC
POBOX 565
24 EAST MARKET ST
WEST CHESTER, PA 19381
6104308000

Email: anovak@lambmcerlane.com
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED

HELEN J. ESBENSHADE
LAMB MCERLANE PC
24 E MARKET ST
WEST CHESTER, PA 19381
6104308000
Email: hesbenshade@lambmcerlane.com

ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED

SARAH DAMIANI
CONRAD O’BRIEN
1500 MARKET ST
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19102
2158648069
Email: sdamiani@conradobrien.com

ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED

Defendant

CONSTITUTION DRIVE
PARTNERS, L.P. (AKA O’NEILL DEVELOPMENT YES?)
represented by GARRETT DOUGLAS TREGO
MANKO GOLD KATCHER & FOX
LLP
401 CITY AVENUE SUITE 901
BALA CYNWYD, PA 19004
4844305700
Fax: 4844305711
Email: gtrego@mankogold.com

ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED

SUZANNE ILENE SCHILLER
MANKO, GOLD, KATCHER & FOX,
LLP.
401 CITY AVENUE
SUITE 901
BALA CYNWYD, PA 19004
(610) 6605700
Fax: 4844305711
Email: sschiller@mankogold.com

ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED

Defendant

linden hall late 2015.

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DSC_0967Linden Hall just a week ago in East Whiteland. All I see is work on the godforsaken townhouses no one needs. Where is the house preservation and restoration? What you can’t see because I was a passenger in a car headed east is the side of the house that now has  broken windows.

Note to self: it would be really nice when developers claimed they were going repair/restore/renovate an old structure they actually were made to do it. This development is progressing and I am sorry but what are they doing to save Linden Hall itself?

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Of course it would be also interesting to discover what it is that East Whiteland Historical Commission actually does.  We can see they schedule meetings but there are never posted meeting minutes current or archival. You never hear what they are proactively doing to live their mission statement (all they say on East Whiteland website is “The Historical Commission has been instrumental in identifying historic properties and in spearheading efforts to protect the Township’s historic resources. Although many of these resources are located in developed areas, future development and change could continue to threaten the historical sites.

Integration of these structures into the community’s changing landscape is the key to preserving the historic resources.”)

It’s depressing actually. They have the ability to try to save things…only what have they done recently? Within the past 5 years? It would be good to know wouldn’t it?

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philadelphia: file under life’s ugly realities

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Took this Thanksgiving Day. Found it quite profound.

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Christ Church (Old Swede’s) Flea Market on December 5th Swedesburg PA

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old swede

Come on out for a holiday flea market to support one of the most historic churches in Montgomery County and Pennsylvania at the holidays!

Household items, vintage wares and lots more.

Portion of the proceeds will support the Save Christ Old Swedes Church Campaign to upgrade and restore the church and hall.

Come early for coffee and donuts while they last!

Christ Church Old Swede’s is located at 740 River Rd., Swedesburg, Upper Merion Township 19405.

Yes, this is NOT in Chester County. But there are some old churches and church yards I find magical and historical.  Old Swede’s in Swedesburg (Upper Merion Township PA not too far from Conshohocken, adjacent to Bridgeport) is one of those.

When I first went to the church it was for a Memorial Day a few years ago when they dedicated a formerly unmarked grave of a Civil War battlefield nurse named Sarah Priest. Like many other women of her era who did extraordinary things, she was buried without the proper attention to her accomplishments.

Old Swede’s has been there for centuries. Don’t forget, before William Penn and the English, there were Swedish settlements.

Swedesburg is a small village in Upper Merion, Montgomery County, PA that in essence was cleaved in two by the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1952.

Old Swedes, once Lutheran, now Episcopalian is a Church that has stood in Swedesburg since the early 18th century.  The church has an amazing history and needs serious preservation.  It’s a damn shame the Episcopalian Church USA doesn’t take more notice because the sheer history contained in this place is undeniable and very exciting.  Even George Washington worshipped here I believe during his time at Valley Forge?

They also do a wonderful Lucia Fest, Main Line Media News covered it in 2012.

It is a beautiful church with amazing windows and an equally historic graveyard. Here is link to photos I took a few years back. Here is their YouCaring donation page that went up recently. This church is in desperate need of repairs and needs funds. Donations can also be mailed to Christ Church Old Swede’s 740 River Road Swedesburg, PA 19405 – it is #GivingTuesday and we need to save sacred and historic places of worship…or they end up like another sacred place I would love to see saved (yes Ebenezer AME on Bacton Hill Road)

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