Penns-Park News

“And the whole room is a place you would want to relax at the end of the day.”

Hilltop Farm, the site of the 33rd Bucks County Designer House and Gardens, officially opens for business on Sunday and will welcome guests through May 30. via PhillyBurbs.com

It got greener in Bucks County on Wednesday.

In a unanimous vote, commissioners made Bucks the first county in Pennsylvania to take a national pledge promising to combat global warming.

Bucks is now a ''Cool County,'' a Sierra Club-sponsored initiative that calls on communities to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, or 2 percent a year.

The pledge effort began last year in Fairfax County, Va., and King County, Wa., and has since spread to 30 counties nationwide, said Jason Brady, an organizer for the Sierra Club. Read more

“Festus the 3-Legged Wonder Dog”

Produced by the Reading Theater Project, the production features original works performed by local artists. via Reading Eagle/Reading Times

Home prices in the greater Philadelphia region fell only slightly in the first quarter, bucking the national trend, but sales plunged by more than one-third from a year ago, a regional real estate broker ... via WPVI-TV Philadelphia

“My goal is to bring more people into the process and give more citizens the opportunity to say who's nominated for the general election”

Independents and third-party voters don't have a say in Tuesday's red-hot primary elections, but a handful of lawmakers say they should. via The York Daily Record

The presidential campaign trail continues to run through Pennsylvania. Republican Nominee John McCain spoke this evening at Villanova University near Philadelphia. via WFMZ

Average worker pay rose between about 3 percent and 5 percent in Philadelphia, the South Jersey counties and in suburban Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania from September 2006 to September 2007, according to ... via Philadelphia Business Journal

UPPER BUCKS JOB FAIR TO BE HELD NEXT WEEK Bucks County Community College will host a job fair at its Upper Bucks Campus on Wednesday. via The Morning Call

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett on Monday announced the following charges against area residents. via Easton Express-Times

A Bangor area woman who worked at a dental practice in New Jersey allegedly stole forms from the office and forged prescriptions for Percocet that she sold to buy heroin, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said Monday.

Melinda Miller, 26, of 318 Johnsonville Road, Upper Mount Bethel Township, made the fraudulent prescriptions from Oct. 15 until Jan. 14, using her name and those of others, who also were arrested in the investigation known as ''Operation Bad Scripts,'' he said. Read more

“It's wonderful to see how people are taking each other's works and working with them, and with each other”

Reading Eagle: Susan L. Angstadt The moon becomes a connecting image in "In Our Backyard," featuring, from left: Maria T. Kowalski of Wyomissing, Adam L. Kissinger of Leesport and Michelle Wasik of Reading. via Reading Eagle/Reading Times

Delaware Valley residents, some five million strong, can now sign up for a public warning system that alerts people to emergencies through text messaging. via KYW-AM Philadelphia

“One of my concerns is that we'll come back in a week, and if we don't discuss process today there will be another delay and then another delay.”

Pennsylvania will have to wait at least another month for action on legislation to ban or limit smoking in public places. via KYW-AM Philadelphia

“We shouldn't be telling business owners and club officers how to run their businesses and clubs”

Groups that want a tough anti-smoking law for Pennsylvania workplaces were upset today when a House-Senate conference committee put off action on a smoke-free bill for nearly a month. via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“So if you're a family member of a deceased veteran to have to travel two hours to visit the grave site of a loved one really is unacceptable.”

A former congressman who was instrumental in working to bring a national veterans cemetery to Bucks County, Pa. via KYW-AM Philadelphia

A plan to build a national veterans cemetery for southeast Pennsylvania will move a big step forward today when the federal government formally takes possession of the 205-acre site in lower Bucks County .

Developer Toll Brothers Inc. is expected to sign the Upper Makefield Township farmland over to federal officials for $10.5 million at an informal event that will cap years of fights over the plan.

''It was a battle,'' said Dan Fraley, county military and veterans affairs director. ''It wasn't easy and it's a great victory for Bucks County.'' Read more

“Right now, we have a polarized society”

It wasnt a light decision. But Debbie McKee had grown to believe that the Republican Party no longer represented her beliefs, and recently switched her registration to Democrat. via The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Pennsylvania traditionally has a strong bridge inspection program.”

PennDOT plans to take additional steps in safety in the wake of Interstate 95 closing late Monday night. via NBC Channel 10

“A lack of equity not only affects women during their years on the job, but also when they receive their Social Security and pension checks later on in life.”

A bipartisan resolution calling for a study of pay disparities between men and women in Pennsylvania advanced from the House Labor Relations Committee on Tuesday. via Philadelphia Business Journal

“I'm not saying that any of these judges are influenced, but the perception out there is staggering”

Advocates for replacing Pennsylvania's system of electing appellate judges with an appointive system launched a new effort Tuesday to convince the Legislature that change is needed. via York Dispatch