The Sanatoga Post

If you suffer from periodontal disease, this may be what your mouth needs.

BLUE BELL PA – Patients affected by periodontal (gum) disease are being actively recruited for treatment by the dental hygiene clinic at Montgomery County Community College’s  Blue Bell campus, the college recently announced. Patient eligibility screenings are scheduled to begin by appointment only in about two weeks (Monday, Sept. 20, 2010), with treatments slated to begin Sept. 27.

Treatment includes a complete assessment of the patient’s oral and periodontal health, dental x-rays (if necessary), education in self-care, scaling and root planing (deep scaling), tooth polishing and fluoride treatment. Multiple, three-hour appointments are required.

Those interested in the service should contact the clinic at 215-641-6483 and leave a message with their name and telephone number. The clinic is located in Room 211 of the college Science Center, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell PA, near the Morris Road entrance to the campus.

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A handout proof of the Mother Teresa stamp.

LIMERICK PA – One of the U.S. Postal Service’s newest stamps will be introduced locally next week with a little bit of divine assistance.

Postal officials are scheduled to join members of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Limerick PA on Tuesday (Sept. 7, 2010) at 6 p.m. at the parish education center, 256 Swamp Pike, for a ceremony that marks the issuance of a new commemorative postage stamp honoring the church’s namesake, Mother Teresa.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s press office announced Thursday (Sept. 2) that representatives of the Postal Service Philadelphia Metropolitan District would attend the ceremony.

Aug. 26 would have been the 100th birthday of the Roman Catholic nun who was internationally known for her charitable work with the poor in third-world countries. She died Sept. 5, 1997.

The 44-cent stamp showing her portrait will be officially released to the public 13 years later to the day – Sunday (Sept. 5) – during a ceremony at the Washington D.C. National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Associated Press reported.

Mother Teresa won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her half-century of work with the sick and destitute of India and other areas. She was declared an honorary US citizen by a joint resolution of Congress in 1996.

Photo from The Associated Press

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Work's available for those with special skills, but in mostly within a comunting distance for local residents.

PHILADELPHIA PA – Jobs are growing “slow and steady” in what a Philadelphia area web-search employment service calls “niche career communities,” a group of employers who hire workers with special skills. A scan of its listings, however, indicates that while such growth may be near Lower Pottsgrove, Limerick and Pottstown, it’s not yet really local.

The second-quarter 2010 Career Trend Analysis Report released Monday (Aug. 16, 2010) by Beyond.com Inc. says that 48 percent of industries with which it deals nationwide posted more job openings during April, May and June than in the first three months of the year. That signifies “a healthier economy leading into the second half,” the company claimed.

It also flies in the face of a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which said the national unemployment rate in July was unchanged at 9.5 percent. Beyond.com acknowledged the contradiction, but said its data shows “signs of a recovery” and that “hard-hitting sectors such as retail and travel are beginning to expand once again.”

Career categories that showed greatest quarterly improvement, the company said, included health care and medical, with job postings up 5.57 percent, and sales and sales management, up 2.24 percent.

Using the 19464, 19465 and 19468 zip codes as search filters on the Beyond.com website, however, yielded no results directly within Lower Pottsgrove, Limerick or Pottstown. There were openings within what most area residents consider an acceptable commuting distance; 18 miles east, for example.

In King of Prussia PA, companies sought several computer software developers, a health care account staffing director, a customer service representative, and a senior sales representative. Other openings were farther out, in Doylestown, Conshohocken, Fort Washington, and Philadelphia.

Photo from Clipart.com

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The senator's taste buds get a workout.

CREAMERY PA – How does a Pennsylvania legislator, who knows he’s about to be photographed, sample a piece of bread without opening his mouth too wide or dropping white crumbs on his bright red shirt and still look happy about the entire process?

Very carefully, state Sen. John Rafferty can attest.

Rafferty – who represents Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick PA townships and the borough of Pottstown in the 44th state Senatorial district – was among a team of four bread judges Friday evening (Aug. 13, 2010). They were asked to render verdicts on the quality and tastiness of about a half-dozen home-baked loaves that comprised finalist entries in a “Breads Of The World” contest held at the annual Montgomery County 4-H Fair in Creamery PA.

See a gallery of photos, below, from activities at the fair that ended Saturday. Click on any thumbnail image to see the enlarged photograph.

Rafferty, who’s never without a smile, proved to be a master of the photo session. He successfully chewed, thought about the sample, and discussed texture, moistness (or lack thereof) and flavor with fellow judges while cameras clicked away in the Maple Room kitchen at the Cooperative Extension complex on Route 113, where the fair bustled with thousands of visitors over three days.

Choosing a winner was harder than having shutters snap in mid-munch, the judges agreed. They had difficulty separating winners from the also-rans; yes, Rafferty promised, most really were that good. A list of the finalists is expected to be made available later his week by the county Cooperative Extension office.

Related:

• It’s A Crumb-y Job, But Somebody’s Got To Do It
• From Pottstown East, Dozens Competing In 4-H Fair
• WoodMobile, Ag Lab On Exhibit At 4-H Fair
• Annual 4-H Fair Offers A Wee Bit Of Everything
• Baking Contest Returns To 4-H Fair
• Start Planning Now For 4-H Fair Contests

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The Target store at Upland Square in Pottstown.

POTTSTOWN PA – Cedar Shopping Centers Inc. – which has ownership interests the Upland Square Shopping Center on Upland Square Drive, Pottstown PA, and the Heritage Crossing Shopping Center on Ridge Pike in Limerick PA – on Monday (Aug. 16, 2010) said it would spend about $200 million to buy all or part of seven additional plazas across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.

Five of the seven properties are reported to involve “power centers,” big, regional retail complexes much like Upland Square that annually attract millions of consumers looking to spend money for the latest fashions, accessories, electronics, household goods and services.

On the selling end is the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), which will use the proceeds to pay down mortgage debt and a line of credit. PREIT will continue to lease and manage the centers for Cedar. In this area, PREIT owns the Exton Square Mall.

Shopping centers involved in the deal are located in Sellinsgrove, Warrington, Allentown PA, two in Lancaster PA, and in Christiansburg VA and Forked River NJ.

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POTTSTOWN  PA – It’s part quilt-making, part animal and pet show, part music, part hay ride, and all fun.

It’s the annual Montgomery County 4-H Fair, which is scheduled to involve dozens of participants from Pottstown, and Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick (PA) townships, beginning today (Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010) and continuing through Saturday at the 4-H Center on Route 113 in Creamery PA, one mile south of Route 73 near Skippack.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Cucumbers grown by Collegeville's Jenna Keim won a red ribbon during last years fair.

Most of the area residents taking active roles in the fair are contestants who have entries in its several home talent competitions, like baking, cooking, growing prize vegetables and fruits, or raising award-winning livestock. The results of their labors and many other projects will be on display inside the 4-H Center Building, as well as outside on the fairgrounds.

In addition, there are free activities for the public to participate in and enjoy.

The fair opens tonight from 6:30 – 9:30, featuring a 4-H mounted drill team presentation, swine show, dairy goat show, pony rides, horse-drawn hay rides, large animal costume class, and special 4-H member and leader recognition awards. In the activity tent, a DJ will provide music and games for youths of all ages. The Graterford Mounted Guard will make a presentation in the horse show rings, and other fun activities for youth also include a kiddie pedal tractor contest and a pedal train ride.

On Friday, the fair is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It features poultry, rabbit, pygmy goat, beef and dairy 4-H shows. The Elmwood Park Zoo will feature several exotic animals during its demonstration at 11:30 a.m. Preceding that, at 10:15 a.m., will be an award-winning magic show titled “The Magic of Nutrition” that has been featured at numerous schools across the state.

In the activity tent Friday are demonstrations about alpacas (1:30 p.m.) and a special program on “Pet Emergency Preparedness” by the county Animal Rescue Team (1 p.m.). The afternoon will feature music and games by the D.J., a 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Club obstacle training course, and various children’s crafts. The “World’s Largest Sausage Patty” will be cooked, courtesy of Hatfield Quality Meats, and sold to benefit the 4-H Livestock Club.

As evening approaches, people can watch various horse demonstrations, see the sheep show, and bid on items in the silent auction. Starting at 6:30 p.m., clap along to the popular Daisy Jug Band, which has performed at Musikfest in Bethlehem and at numerous major events along the East Coast.

Key events Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. include the Can-Do Canine drill team, 4-H dog club grooming and showmanship, seeing eye puppy demo, model rocket launch, and open pet show. Equine events include a Parade of Breeds starting at 11 a.m. and a natural horsemanship presentation starting about 1 p.m. “Moms Morning Out” will be at 10:30 a.m. inside the air-conditioned building, and will offer a presentation and information on making healthy meals.

Fair attendees can get their picture taken on a pony (at selected times), visit and learn about agriculture at the Mobile Agriculture Lab, buy fabric at the fabric sale, take a ride on a pedal-powered train, see various tractors on display, and watch quilts being made. Pony rides are available at various times all three days of the fair.

In addition to all activities listed, there are children’s craft areas and food sales throughout the fair. Again this year is a silent auction on both Thursday and Friday night. Bids open at 7 p.m. in the back of the activity tent.

Parking fee is $5 per vehicle (any additional donations are gladly accepted) to help cover fair costs. Numerous vendors will also be on hand to offer education and/or products.

Related:

• From Pottstown East, Dozens Competing In 4-H Fair
• WoodMobile, Ag Lab On Exhibit At 4-H Fair
• Annual 4-H Fair Offers A Wee Bit Of Everything
• Baking Contest Returns To 4-H Fair
• Start Planning Now For 4-H Fair Contests

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POTTSTOWN PA – The following is a list of 192 organizations – whose mailing addresses are within coverage areas of The Sanatoga Post, The Limerick Post and The Pottstown Post – that as of June 30 (2010) are listed by the federal Internal Revenue Service as in danger of losing their tax-exempt status because they have not filed appropriate paperwork during the past three years.

• This story is a companion to “192 Local Charities Risk Losing Tax Exemptions, IRS Says,” found here.

Editor’s notes: This list was compiled by downloading an IRS spreadsheet of more than 12,600 similarly at risk organizations across Pennsylvania and using database filters to find organizations by desired mailing address zip codes. The Post believes the list to be accurate, but the possibility exists that one or more groups could be missing from its compilation; do not rely solely on it as a guide. Groups identified here should consult with professionals to determine how to resolve whatever issues caused them to be listed. Some groups identified here may already have resolved their issues. For security purposes, The Post has purposely omitted federal tax identification numbers in its compilation; for purposes of brevity, it also omitted zip codes used to filter its search.

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VALLEY FORGE PA – Several weeks after its first failed attempt to work on overhead lines crossing U.S. Route 422 in Upper Merion (PA) Township, crews from Philadelphia Electric Co. (PECO) will try again this Sunday (July 17, 2010), causing both the east- and westbound lanes of a portion of the highway to be closed to traffic between 6 and 10 a.m.

PECO originally scheduled the work for June 27, but violent storms that crashed down on the area only days earlier sent its workers off to fix damage wrought by Mother Nature, and the June attempt was cancelled.

According to the 422Improvements.com website, these detours will be posted and available while PECO’s work is being conducted:

• For eastbound 422 drivers: Exit at Route 23; turn right at Route 23; turn left at Gulph Road;  and take Gulph Road to Route 202.
• For westbound 422 drivers from Route 202 north: Turn left at Gulph Road; take Gulph Road  to Route 23; turn right at Route 23 and then turn left at the ramp to Route 422 West.
• For Interstate 76 drivers and from Route 202 south: Take the ramp to the  Swedesford Road exit; turn right at Swedesford Road; turn left at South  Warner Road; turn left at Gulph Road; turn right at Route 23 and turn left  at the ramp to Route 422 West.

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The twin towers of the generating station as seen from Evergreen Road.

LIMERICK PA – Almost 84 hours after an abrupt but reportedly safe shut-down, the Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Exelon Corp.’s Limerick Generating Station was returned to service Sunday morning (June 27, 2010) and has resumed producing electricity.

The reactor was manually turned off Wednesday night (June 23)at 8:51 “as a result of an electrical fault on a non-safety portion of the plant,” company spokesman Joseph Szafran said in a brief news release. It went back online Sunday at 8:37 a.m. “following repairs to electrical equipment,” he added.

The time of Wednesday’s outage, initially reported by Exelon as 8:54 p.m., was revised by three minutes. Its earlier announcement of the closure also said the shut-down was specifically caused by two re-circulation pumps that stopped working.

During the shut-down, “the plant responded as expected, safely and without incident. There was no risk to the public and no injuries associated with the event,” Szafran said.

Limerick’s Unit 2 reactor continued to generate electricity during the Unit 1 outage.

Related:

• LGS’ Unit 1 Manually Shut Down In Pump Loss

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Exelon Nuclear's Limerick Generating Station.

LIMERICK PA – In a rare incident Wednesday night (June 23, 2010) at 8:54, operators at Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station manually shut down its Unit 1 reactor after both of the unit’s two recirculation pumps stopped working, Exelon spokesman Joseph Szafran reported.

Szafran, in a brief press release e-mailed to local media Wednesday at 11:56 p.m., said the shut-down went “as expected, safely and without incident.” It involved “no risk to the public,” he added, and there were “no injuries associated with the shutdown.”

Limerick’s Unit 2 reactor continues to operate at full power, according to Szafran.

The Unit 1 shut-down comes only a little more than two months after an expanded team of Exelon employees and sub-contractors completed a 22-day-long refueling and maintenance outage there. The generating station at the time brought in more than 1,900 additional specialized workers to refuel the reactor and perform inspections, tests, maintenance and modifications on components and equipment.

When the maintenance outage started in late March (2010), Exelon boasted Unit 1 had successfully completed a power-generating run of 727 days. It was said to have set a new continuous run record at Limerick, as well as the second longest continuous run for a boiling water reactor in the United States.

Chris Mudrick, who then was Limerick site vice president but who has since been promoted, said Exelon had “replaced one-third of the reactor’s fuel, and performed preventive and corrective maintenance activities on plant equipment, to ensure reliable operations for the upcoming 24-month operating cycle.”

Szafran’s Wednesday e-mail did not offer an estimate on how long Unit 1 was expected to be out, the suspected or determined cause of the pumps’ failure, or details on the repairs assumed to be under way.

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