Residents near the plant may hear a steady three-minute tone during both tests.

This siren activation will help the company test the new system that features battery back-up for the sirens prior to its official implementation in April 2011.

Residents may contact the counties at the following numbers if they have concerns during testing:

Berks County
(610) 374-4800
Chester County
(610) 344-5000
Montgomery County (610) 631-6530

The test is performed on the first Monday of each month as part of Exelon Nuclear’s comprehensive Emergency Preparedness program. The warning sirens are one of several methods used by county emergency management authorities to provide notification of emergencies. Individual counties may activate the sirens to warn the surrounding community of events such as fires, floods, tornados, hazardous material releases, or nuclear energy plant events.

The sirens are not a signal to evacuate. In an actual emergency, residents should tune to one of the county Emergency Alert System radio or television stations for further information. Should a siren fail to activate, local police and firefighters would alert residents using mobile public address systems or door-to-door notifications.

Residents should refer to the “emergency” section of their telephone books for further emergency response information. Additional information on emergency preparedness is also available at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency web site, www.pema.state.pa.us.

Limerick Generating Station is located approximately 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The plant produces approximately 2,200 net megawatts of carbon-free electricity per hour, enough to power approximately two million homes.

###

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 486,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.

Comcast recently announced the launch of “Troop Greetings On Demand,” an annual service that delivers special holiday greetings from military personnel stationed overseas to their loved ones back home to watch whenever and as often as they wish.  For the seventh consecutive year, Comcast is offering Troop Greetings On Demand at no additional cost to its digital cable customers through the end of January 2011.  The video greetings are now accessible under the “Get Local” section of Comcast’s signature On Demand library.

This week, Comcast began reaching out to the nearly 1,200 families in states from Maine to Virginia with messages waiting for them to tell them how to view their holiday salutes.

“This special time of year is about family, friends and good will in the community, and we are proud to use our On Demand technology to bring holiday greetings from our troops overseas to their loved ones back home as part of our commitment to powering dreams in the communities where we live and work,” said Kevin Casey, President of Comcast’s Northeast Division.

To compile Troop Greetings On Demand, Comcast secured hundreds of videotapes from Army/Air Force Hometown News Service and edited them into short video greetings for viewers.  Each message includes the service member’s name and hometown, and some messages even include the serviceperson’s spouse and children.  Featured messages are from military personnel and civilian staff stationed around the world at bases in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Japan, Alaska, Korea and other remote locations.

To Watch Troop Greetings On Demand:

On Demand allows digital cable customers to watch the personalized holiday greetings at a time most convenient for them, and as often as they want.  The greetings are part of Comcast’s growing On Demand lineup, which now offers more than 20,000 programs a month that can be viewed on customers’ own schedules with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind.  Troop Greetings are grouped together and categorized by state.  Comcast customers can access the greeting just by going to the On Demand library from their remote control, clicking on the “Get Local” section and then selecting “Troop Greetings” and the respective state.  Individual greetings are approximately five to 25 seconds each.

In some areas, Comcast will provide complimentary digital service upgrades for families of service personnel seen in this year’s greetings who are Comcast Standard Cable customers.  Upgrades will be offered for the duration of the Troop Greetings On Demand program.  In addition, the general public can view greetings at most Comcast service centers.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 22.9 million video customers, 16.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net).  Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

SOURCE Comcast Cable

###

Hanger announced that 90 small businesses across the state will receive more than $560,000 in grants through the Small Business Advantage program to reduce energy use and pollution, enabling them to become more competitive.

“Small-business owners face many challenges including how to reinvest their hard-earned dollars,” said Hanger. “In recent years, a growing number of small-business owners have realized that investing in projects that reduce pollution and energy use produce immediate and long-term positive results. Owners can improve their bottom lines, allowing them to make significant investments in their own futures, and the economic and environmental future of Pennsylvania, as well.”

Pennsylvania’s Small Business Advantage program provides small businesses (those with fewer than 100 employees) with 50-percent matching reimbursement grants of up to $7,500 to implement projects that will save at least 20 percent annually in pollution prevention or energy-related costs. Since 2004, the Small Business Advantage Grant program has invested $6.7 million in 1,220 small businesses.

Examples of eligible projects include HVAC and boiler upgrades, high-efficiency lighting, solvent recovery and waste recycling systems, and auxiliary power units that help large trucks reduce time spent with idling engines.

The 90 projects in 40 counties will receive a total of $564,291 and leverage an additional $1.1 million in private investments. In the first year, they will have a cumulative savings of $521,782 in operating expenses related to reductions in energy and pollution. The savings include:

* 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity–enough to power 130 homes;
* 110,421 therms of natural gas;
* 28,000 gallons of propane;
* 26,000 gallons of kerosene and fuel oil; and
* 40,741 gallons of diesel fuel.

In addition, the projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly five million pounds, equivalent to the total energy used by 190 homes or removing 425 passenger vehicles from the roads.

Governor Rendell has initiated several other programs to assist small business owners. The Alternative Energy Investment Act he signed into law in July 2008, created the Small Business Energy Efficiency program, which provides a 25 percent reimbursement grant up to $25,000 to help small businesses acquire equipment or adopt processes that promote energy efficiency. The program has awarded $2.3 million to 214 small businesses.

The Investment Act also created the Sunshine Solar program, which reimburses small business owners and homeowners up to 35 percent of the purchase and installation costs of solar energy technology. To date, this program has allocated more than $44 million to 664 businesses to install solar energy technology. These projects will generate 59 megawatts of electricity, or enough annually to power 7,000 average homes in Pennsylvania.

“These financial incentives have made energy-conserving and pollution-reducing technologies more affordable to a greater number of small business owners in the state,” said Hanger. “These types of projects can make a business more productive and more profitable — a combination that is good for the company, the employees, the economy and the environment.”

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 717-783-8411.

…

This form allows borough residents to notify the city of issues in their neighborhoods while helping others.

We are working to improve the quality of life in Pottstown. We believe that for homeowners and renters alike we can help the Borough become a better place to live, which will ultimately help with the revitalization of the Borough.

Before this can happen, the substandard housing, slumlords and unkempt housing conditions must be eliminated.

We believe this website can help us change the landscape in the Borough of Pottstown.

Should you have a complaint regarding the above mentioned items please visit http://www.acleanerpottstown.org

Thank you for your participation in this new initiative!

An explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven crew members on April 20, 2010, sparking the greatest environmental disaster in United States history. In combination with the Texas City Refinery Explosion and the Prudohoe Bay Oil Spill, this marks the third serious incident involving BP in the United States in the last five years. Current estimates put the amount of oil being discharged from the broken well at above 1,050,000 US gallons per day! There are over 400 different species of animals living in the area affected by the spill. 330 sea turtles and 39 dolphins have been found dead within the spill area (NOAA). BP is operating oil skimmers and other cleanup tools to try to remove oil from the water and Louisiana is building oil containment berms to halt the spread of oil. Experts are uncertain what effect, if any, these efforts will have.

View what your town would look like here.

###

This acquisition will allow us to capture more web traffic and type in traffic via Google, Yahoo, Bing and the other search engines. This will result in more people reading our stories, articles & news in the Pottstown, Pa area. When people search for news in the Pottstown area, one of the search terms they use is “Pottstown Newspaper” this domain will allow us to capitalize on that traffic.

Up until about 2 months ago the PottstownNewspaper.com domain name was pointing to the Pottstown Mercury website, but for some reason the domain expired and was made available to the general public.

John Henning, the owner of the Pottstown Herald Newspaper, said today that this is a wonderful addition to our newspaper domain name inventory and we expect to increase our readership coverage and traffic within just a few weeks.

With advertising rates of $149/mth, the Pottstown Herald Newspaper is the most affordable newspaper in Pottstown.

Henning is also the founder of the Town NewZ Community Newspaper system. Now with 9 online newspapers operated by 4 different owners, the Town NewZ system is creating a nationwide network of digital newspapers.

Henning is seeking owners for the PhoenixvilleTimes.com newspaper as well as the ReadingTribune.com newspaper. Interested parties should contact John at: 610-326-0182.

###

Read more about the Town NewZ Community Newspaper system here.

Those projects are paying dividends for the state’s economy and putting people to work at the same time, according to Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger, who today presented the 1,000th rebate check to Montgomery County homeowner Sally Kauffman. Kauffman received a $10,800 rebate for the 4.8-kilowatt solar system she installed that is expected to generate more than 5,500 kilowatt hours of electricity, saving her nearly $800 each year.

“The PA Sunshine Program that began just over a year ago has created tremendous results and a number of opportunities for our economy and environment,” said Hanger. “Not only has the program helped to lower the price of solar energy here in Pennsylvania, but it also provides clean energy at a fixed price to our businesses and homeowners for the next 25 years.

“Ms. Kauffman is one of the Pennsylvanians who has taken advantage of the benefits that PA Sunshine has to offer. She recently took action with an eye on the future. Since the cost of the sunshine is free and the solar equipment requires little maintenance, Sally is locking in the cost of a portion of her home energy bill for the next couple of decades.”

All told, he said, Pennsylvania has added approximately 10 megawatts of installed solar capacity in just over one year as a result of the PA Sunshine Program. More than 790 residential solar electric and 137 solar thermal projects have been completed with another 895 solar projects approved for construction. Among small businesses, another 108 solar electric and 10 solar thermal projects have been completed with another 318 solar technology projects approved for construction.

In total, the secretary added, the $100 million PA Sunshine Program has provided more than $72 million in rebates to fund more than 2,300 solar electric and hot water projects that are either completed or already under construction. Rebates for the remaining projects are being processed timely in the order they were received.

“In addition to creating hundreds of new jobs, these projects will be responsible for infusing more than $252 million of private matching funds into Pennsylvania’s economy when completed,” said Hanger.

Mercury Solar Systems of Philadelphia installed Kauffman’s system and is one of more than 500 approved solar installers in the state. In the past year, the company has installed more than 50 solar projects and has dozens more scheduled to be installed in the coming weeks. That new demand has allowed the company to expand its workforce from three employees prior to the opening of the program, to 15 today.

“Alternative energy will be a key to Pennsylvania and the nation’s ability to grow its economy by harnessing the power of new technology to create jobs,” said Hanger. “PA Sunshine has been instrumental in generating interest in green energy deployment and is a driving force in helping to turn that interest into reality.”

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: PA Sunshine, or call the Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment at 717-783-8411.

###

Tunkhannock Area High School Principal Gregory Ellsworth illegally searched the 17-year-old’s phone in January 2009, even though she intended the racy photos to be “seen only herself and, perhaps, her long-time boyfriend,” according to the federal lawsuit.

It says the principal gave the phone to George Skumanick Jr., at the time the Wyoming County district attorney, who threatened to file felony child pornography charges against the girl unless she took a class on sexual violence.

The suit, filed in Scranton, seeks unspecified damages against Ellsworth, the district, the county, prosecutors and a detective. It also seeks the destruction of any images still in the possession of law enforcement.

The district in rural northeastern Pennsylvania was at the center of the nation’s first criminal case involving sexting – the practice of sending explicit photos via text message – to reach a federal appeals court.

District Superintendent Michael J. Healey, the school district’s lawyer and current District Attorney Jeff Mitchell all declined to comment Thursday, saying they had not seen the suit. Ellsworth and Skumanick did not immediately return phone messages.

“I was absolutely horrified and humiliated to learn that school officials, men in (the) DA’s office, and police had seen naked pictures of me,” said the plaintiff, now 19 and identified in court documents only by the initials N.N. She graduated in 2009.

“Those pictures were extremely private and not meant for anyone else’s eyes. What they did is the equivalent of spying on me through my bedroom window,” she said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which is representing her.

The court ruled in March that prosecutors could not criminally charge a teenage girl who appeared in a photo similar to the one involved in the latest lawsuit.

###

Luggage Smarts

* Weigh, Don’t Pay: If you can never seem to pack light or you plan on shopping during your trip, get a small digital scale to help you stay under the carry-on weight limit. The Travelon Ergonomic Digital Scale, for example, shows baggage weight up to 75 pounds on a backlit readout. It also includes a tape measure so you know when you’re within carry-on size limits.

* Find It Fast: Keep track of your luggage with electronic luggage locators. With the Luggage Locator Pro Deluxe, you put a receiver on each bag and keep the remote on your keychain. Touch a button on the remote and the receiver will beep and light up when you are within 60 feet.

Camera Ready

* Steady Shots: Keeping your camera steady is important for taking better pictures. The Gorillapod, by Joby, is a mini tripod with flexible, multi-jointed legs that let you balance it just about anywhere – on hills, tree branches and more. The original is suitable for compact cameras. A larger version can handle the weight of an SLR and a magnetic version lets you attach the camera to metal surfaces.

* Simple Sharing: Transfer your travel shots and videos to your computer and sharing sites with the Eye-Fi wireless memory card. Using Hotspot Access, you can upload media from tens of thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots across the U.S.

Business Tools

* Keep the Connections: Having a reliable cell phone signal is a must to stay in touch with the office or loved ones. Cell phone signal boosters like zBoost allow customers to take full advantage of voice, data and Internet services on mobile phones and data devices, including 3G high-speed data and video, instant messaging and pictures. zBoost travel units (www.wi-ex.com), including the zPocket and zboost Dual Band Car Unit, help you take advantage of your smartphone’s voice and data capabilities on the road.

* Capture Comments: Take better meeting notes with a smart pen. The Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen records audio and links it to what you write. If you miss something, tap on your notes or drawings with the tip to hear what was said while you were writing. You can transfer your notes to the computer, organize them, search for words and share the finished project with others.

Family Travel

* Keep Them Close: If you’ve got toddlers that like to roam, you need a way to find them easily. The Giggle Bug Toddler Tracker clips onto your child’s clothing. To find your wandering little one, press a button on the hand-held unit and the Giggle Bug emits a loud beep until the child is located and you release the unit. The range is 75 to 100 feet indoors and 100+ feet outdoors, depending on environment and obstructions.

* Keep Them Entertained: If you have movies or TV shows on your iPod or DVDs, everyone can watch them on a bigger screen. The iLuv i1166 portable multimedia player has a 9-inch widescreen display. It can work as a standalone player or you can use an adapter to plug it in to the car for drive time viewing. It also functions as a digital photo frame, iPod charger and music player.

###

Illustration courtesy of Getty Images
Source: zBoost

Premier Urgent Care provides affordable, walk-in health care services for medical situations that require immediate treatment. Nearly 80 percent of all hospital emergency room visits can be treated successfully more efficiently and more affordably by urgent care centers.

“While there are thousands of urgent care centers across the country, the concept of this health care option is relatively new to Philadelphia,” said Premier founder Dr. Edward Silverman. “We’re proud to introduce Premier Urgent Care to the region and provide convenient, quality services to improve the immediate medical care experience.”

On Saturday, May 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Premier Urgent Care will host a Grand Opening celebration to mark the opening of its new Limerick site. The Premier medical team will offer demonstrations of clinical services and provide free physicals just in time for summer and sports camps. The event also features family-friendly festivities, including a moon bounce and refreshments from Sonic.

The Limerick facility, located at the intersection of Ridge Pike and Township Line Road, will be open 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

ABOUT PREMIER URGENT CARE

Founded in 2006, Premier Urgent Care is the largest urgent medical care company in the Greater Philadelphia area, providing convenient, affordable access to health care for medical situations that require immediate treatment. Premier is equipped to handle a full range of illnesses and injuries as well as routine medical services. Premier has five urgent care centers in Pennsylvania in Limerick, Douglassville, Exton, Oaks and Hellertown, and one in Cherry Hill, N.J. All Premier Urgent Care centers are open 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. No appointments necessary. To learn more, visit PremierUrgentCare.net

###