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HANDS OFF THE CHIPS

Schuylkill County PA making worldwide news tonight.. all over UTZ potato chips.

This is how the snooze station reports things,

UNION TOWNSHIP — An argument over a bag of potato chips landed a man behind bars in Schuylkill County.
George Beaver of Union Township faces assault charges after troopers say he told his wife not to touch his ‘Utz Ruffled Sour Cream and Onion chips’.
When she did, Beaver allegedly grabbed her face and bit off a chunk of her skin.
Beaver is locked up tonight in Schuylkill County.

UTZ honey BBQ chips are likely the best chips in the world.. I wouldn't be this vicious over sour cream and onion, not at all..

The Northern Schuylkill County prison industry lives to die another day

Score one for corrections in the northern part of the coal region.. today Governor Wolf announced that SCI Pittsburgh would be shuddered in a cost savings move. Surviving was SCI Frackville, and the rest of the prisons in the Northeast, that some thought would have occurred..

Local legislators utilized the event to celebrate with BOILO..


This news came with an obvious sigh of relief from the personnel within the county who rely on the prison 'industry' for jobs.. not only those who work within Corrections but also any remaining local restaurants or hotels that benefit from facility..

For obvious reasons.. some of the biggest industries in Schuylkill County revolve around area prisons..

Missouri company snags the Schuylkill Mall!

The mall has been sold!
New management!
Out with the old!
...in with the new... But what is the future?

This is a press release to persons within the mall ..

The winning bidder was Northpoint Development LLC for $2.1 million and the assumption of the leases for A&A Auto Parts, Total Renal Care, Big Lots, McDonald’s, Holiday Inn Express and Cracker Barrel. Northpoint will also maintain Bon Ton’s rights under their ground lease agreement. They will allow rejection of all leases by the trustee pursuant to the bankruptcy code.
This bid is subject to a hearing and approval by the United States Bankruptcy Court For the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which is scheduled a hearing tomorrow. If approved by the court, closing is to take place by February 24.

The death of the mall? Or a new birth.. time will tell..

But for now, we can tell this about the new ownership of the mall from their own website..

We believe we have an obligation to give back to the community through charitable efforts and, as a token of our appreciation to those who have helped us succeed, we will pay it forward.

The relationships with our customers, employees, and investors are our most valuable assets. We will strive to always take care of each other and to operate our business so that we maintain our culture of appreciation, respect, transparency, and we shall avoid office politics.

We also know this about Northpoint.. the development company has also recently purchased Highridge properties in Minersville.. They spent $28 mil, as a matter of fact, on two parcels in Highridge late 2015..

In January 2017, just days ago, it was reported that chew.com company based in Dania Beach, Fla., will lease an 800,000-square-foot distribution center that NorthPoint is developing on a 172-acre site in Hanover Township near Wilkes-Barre.. NorthPoint acquired the site, which was remediated after being scarred by coal mining, for $15 million in September.
In 2014, the Kansas City Missouri went nation when it launched big industrial and apartment projects..

The company also made national headlines in 2016 when it considered a $32 million facility in Indiana ..

 

Just a few days ago, Kansas City BUSINESS JOURNAL reported that the company's developments were 'taking off like rockets' ..

Northpoint apparently has 'found a friend in Pennsylvania.'   And now the future of the Schuylkill Mall is in their hands..

Extreme weather: Florida tornado warning, January 22 2017

This is direct from a post only moments ago on Weatherboy Weather:

Know anyone in central Florida? Vacationing at the Orlando-area theme parks? Visiting the Florida Space Coast? Relaxing in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area?
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT: A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION / TORNADO WATCH has been issued for this region. This rare but extremely severe watch is issued when theres'a high chance of life-threatening tornadoes.
Tornadoes can be large, extremely strong, and pursue very long touch-down tracks across many towns.
If you or your loved ones are in this area, make sure they are aware of this imminent danger. People in this zone should constantly monitor the National Weather Service for TORNADO WARNING information and take IMMEDIATE ACTION should a Tornado Warning be issued for their county --you may only have minutes to save your life!!!
THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL LEAD TO ADDITIONAL LOSS OF LIFE. PLEASE TAKE THESE THREATS SERIOUSLY AND TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND
PROPERTY.

DEVELOPING

BE SAFE!
PRAYERS FROM THE COAL REGION ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE PEOPLE I KNOW IN THIS VERY AREA..

coalspeaker:The restaurant formerly known as Marrones on a snowy...

coalspeaker:

The restaurant formerly known as Marrones on a snowy vacant day in Girardville PA #girardville #coal region

I already posted this photo today .. but I was so moved by it I am positing it again.

You have to imagine the scene.. Girardville Pennsylvania. One Saturday during the snow.. it was lightly coming down at this point, the roads were covered.. the former MARRONES restaurant was just .. simply.. there. Vacant. Lights were out.. No one was home.

There are collapsing buildings in Girardville on 2nd St.. The former home of the former Second Street Pub. And now just a street littered with the remnants of yesterday, the memories of a time gone.. of a century gone.

Girardville is very sad to me lately.. There are amazing and beautiful people in the town. But so many places within are literally falling. It is somewhat emblematic of so many other areas of the coal region..

So cheers for what once was.
….and tears for what is no more.

The restaurant formerly known as Marrones on a snowy vacant day...

The restaurant formerly known as Marrones on a snowy vacant day in Girardville PA #girardville #coal region

Dropping like flies from heroin in my home town

I have written about the coal region’s decline over the years.. I have also explored a bit about the drug epidemic in the area, as well. But not enough. That will change in 2017.. It is beyond a problem.. it is beyond a crisis.. it is a complete breakdown of certain societal functions that bond friends and families together in a community.. 

NBC NEWS has a special report about a place all too close to home.. Luzerne County Pennsylvania.. Where people are ‘dropping like flies’ from heroin.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ6Ziyvp8SU?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304]

From the Pottsville REPUBLICAN HERALD.. Marrones has been a...

From the Pottsville REPUBLICAN HERALD.. Marrones has been a staple in my local coal region for decades.. Very important events have occurred there for families for years.. It has been the place for half price pasta on Mondays and endless memories for those who were there at any point.

It has been an important place. A well-known place..

.. It is now closing after 83 years in existence..

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM A COAL SPEAKER. DRINK BOILO IF YA GOT IT

Speaking of boilo, here is a recipe for those not aware of the ancient coal region tradition during holiday time:

Boilo recipe #1: Crock pot style
2 oranges (med-large size)
2 lemons
1 small box raisins (about 1 ½ ounces)
8 oz honey
12 oz whiskey (or more, to taste). Use Four Roses, or Seagrams 7, or something similar. At least 80 proof (40% alcohol).
½ to 1 teaspoon each of any or all of these spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Caraway seed, Anise seed

Make this in a crock pot. It’s easier than cooking on the stove and much less likely to overcook or scorch. For the quantities shown here, a small (1.5 quart) crock pot will do.

Peel the oranges and lemons. Cut up the fruit and squeeze them into the crock pot. A garlic press works, or you can use some kind of juicer or fruit squeezer if you have one. Put the remaining fruit pulp into the crock pot as well.
Add the raisins, honey, and spices. Stir.
NOTE: do not add whiskey yet!

Start the crock pot and let the mixture cook for about 2-4 hours. Stir occasionally. It’s done when the fruit pulp gets “cooked-down”.
Strain into a pitcher. Mash down the fruit in the strainer to get all the liquid. NOW add the whiskey to the pitcher and stir. If you cook the whiskey, even for a short time, the alcohol will start to evaporate (and who wants that to happen??). Taste, and add more whiskey to your liking.

Serve hot in shot glasses, espresso cups, or coffee mugs. After the first round, each individual serving can be heated in the microwave.

This recipe makes about 12 ounces of “virgin” boilo. Add 12 ounces of whiskey to this and you get 24 ounces of coal region nectar, enough for 12-18 servings.

The small town clown ban hits my son’s school!

I received a circular from my son’s school today the clowns are banned!!

The Halloween parade coming up for his kindergarten has been marred by the small town clown scare of 2016.. The clowns, the mailing to parents said, will not be permitted.

No outfits with white paint.
No red wigs..
nothing…Clowns are barred from appearing.

It is getting a bit silly, isn’t IT?

A ban on clowns, but not on vampires..? Not on ghosts..? Not on ghouls of any sorts.

No, clowns. They are an emblem of death but … maybe they are being banned because of a fear of death and not the fear of clowns!

Maybe we are not afraid of the teenagers hiding in the woods with white paint? Maybe we are not too affected by those meandering around under street lights with wigs and red noses.. No, instead, maybe we are frightened by what these symbols of the underworld represent.. maybe we are freaked by our own demise?

Regardless of what they represent or why we are afraid, schools and entire towns banning clowns for Halloween seems a little big ludicrous..

Target is affected, too..

Target Removes Clown Masks From Stores After Recent Scares »
It is a world a silly. Insane. CLOWN. Can’t wait for November when the clown crisis clears up… Until then it’s cloudy with a Chance of mild hysteria

And along with stores banning them, ENTIRE TOWNS are also saying they can’t appear during Halloween trick or treating. School across America, not just my son’s nestled in the coal region of Pennsylvania, is calling quits on white paint.

It is all silly. It is all ridiculous.. it is all too much.

Let the small town clown nonsense of 2016 just end.

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This is an image from the 2016 Bloomsburg Fair in Bloomsburg PA...

This is an image from the 2016 Bloomsburg Fair in Bloomsburg PA ..

A friend first alerted to me about this here on Tumblr.. she is also from the area and noticed it was making the viral social rounds in the coal region on Facebook and Twitter.

The image was taken by someone who visited the fair and was moved enough to publish her photo of the Nazi flag (next to the make America great again Trump banner) on the truck.. The vendor is selling items that include derogotive bumper stickers and other apparrel of controversial appeal..

I have been attending the fair since childhood .. I have great memories. Yes, there are places that you’d conclude it’s Pennsyltucky. But this flag being showcased at the fair goes well beyond accepted social norms of the area..

I would hope now that the original Facebook posting with the picture has been shared thousands of times online, someone from the management of the local week long fair will get with this vendor and act accordingly..

One other aspect of this year’s fair that floored me a bit: The political nature of it all! Yes, the Bloomsburg fair has always been a home for Republicans and Democrats from the local area selling banners and yard signs. Presidential elections have been intense. But this year? I don’t think I recall a political year like this since after 9/11 .. There are gigantic–and I mean GIGANTIC–cutouts of Donald Trump (one was a 20 or so foot replica of him advertising a donut stand)… Cardboard cutouts of Hillary and Donald.. political shirts being sold on every corner.. and people wearing Alex Jones’ INFOWARS Hillary for prison shirts just about in every portion of the fair …

2016 is a political year.
But I would certainly say that politics and controversy aside, a Nazi flag at an American county fair is beyond tasteless and out of place.

SMALL TOWN CLOWNS!! THE POLICE STRIKE BACK!

They seem to be. Especially in the southern United States..

And getting arrested when found!

New York MAGAZINE is reporting on the pop culture phenom in a latest September 23 run.. Adam Raymond writes,

Reports of creepy clowns first emerged in Greenville, South Carolina, where a red-nosed creepo was reportedly trying to lure kids to a house in the woods by flashing wads of cash. Police looked into the claims and found nothing.

In Alabama, schools across the state ramped up security after reports emerged on social media that clowns were going to attack local high schools with guns. In Ohio, a sheriff’s office is looking for two clowns and advising citizens to contact the department because “we are unsure what their intentions are at this point.” And in Florida, a state where you might think clowns would be among the most normal roadside sightings, police keep getting calls about clowns but are having a hell of time finding them.

Here in coal country, the news is the same..

SMALL TOWN CLOWNS

Frackville PA.. Pottsville PA .. Ashland PA. Supposedly clowns lurking behind scrubs, scaring people at night..  I am dubbing it the small town clown fad.. There are some new stories reported today that Wilkes Barre PA is also having a burst of clowns..

I have written before that a clown under a street light at midnight holding a balloon could very well be one of the most frightening images one’s mind can endure.. But are these sightings really sightings?

I have come to a conclusion that some of these local sightings are just psychosis..  I don’t think people are seeing nearly as many clowns as they 1) report they are and 2) think they are..

The whole fad is also being driven by the media–a media that decides to use stock images of ghoulish clowns or Pennywise from IT in their news articles..

This past week, the Frackville police here in my local area thought it would be wise to post an image of clowns with a report that they are in the neighborhood.. the story took off like a rocket, to the point where kids on school buses were scaring little kids about deadly clowns behind woods. It is the stuff urban legends are made of.. or even local yokel legends.. Nonetheless, I have it from a good source that some of the local police departments professing word of clown sightings are now regretting their early decisions. Almost annoyed with the number of sightings that are being reported through social media..

Last night, under the Friday night lights of coal region football, the plays on the field were the second topic. Up first: Who is dressing up like clowns and terrorizing a region. I bet that topic was also being discussed around America from coast to coast.. and beyond to the rest of the planet where the phenomenon is popping up.

My prediction stands: We will face a clown deluge from now until Halloween night. When it gets cold, the masks were come off and attention will be turned to the next fad. But until then clowns will abound. 

Keep calm, Earth.

The most wonderful time of year

The sun is shining bright today.. this is a fine Sunday, the kind that I feel like I will remember in my ripe old age. 

LABOR DAY 2016 is upon us.. my birthday just took place two days previous, and as I age, I really have come to love this month. From September 1 through about October 31, I believe is the best time of the year.. The most remarkable weather here in the eastern part of the former once great Coal Region of Pennsylvania.. The late summer grass begins to fade from green to yellow, leaves start to turn vibrant.. The festivals and fairs of fall usher in a new feeling.. a crisper feel to the air and a rash of hurry in the atmosphere..

The nights get longer.
That part isn’t my favorite..

The days grow weary.. But until November, there is still abundant sun and warmth.. 

I just love this time of the year.

The future of the building formerly known as Cardinal Brennan High School

Some local flare for a Friday night..

There have been a ton of opinions about what should happened to the shuttered and sad former high school Cardinal Brennan (my alma mater in the coal region of the Eastern mines) .. North Schuylkill school district purchased it, auctioned off the internals.. The building is vacant. Some believe it should be knocked down, others say keep it.

Some encouraging news took place recently from the camp keep it..

Substantial optimism was expressed at the latest North Schuylkill School Board meeting for the possibility of saving the main Cardinal Brennan High School building–built in 1926.. an all girl’s school then that eventually become an integrated Catholic high school that closed in the mid 2000s..

During a presentation to the board, a professional expert advised he believed the building is structurally sound and can be rehabilitated much more inexpensively than if it were razed and replaced by a new school building.

A decision is still to come. But this is giving many hope that the building which once houses voices and laughter of children will once again do the same..

A blast from the coal region past.. The “Ashland Daily News”...

A blast from the coal region past.. The “Ashland Daily News” doesn’t exist anymore.. but in 1949 it reported that homes were demolished – homes in the path of proposed stripping.. The road mentioned in the brief snippet is what is now called “Snake road” that ties together Ashland and Mt Carmel..

All the stripping left the landscape vanquished. What exists now? Dirt, rubbish, couches, and just about any piece of garbage people can dump along a highway.

A much needed homage to Knoebels.

The park is in my back yard, almost literally..We get there as many times a year as we can. This year, with my son Ayden being 5 and going on 25 in his intelligence, he has finally opened his world up to more there.. The rides. The kfun. The kfanstasy. The kfood? Well he is still a bit picky..

But seriously.. let me just say: Knoebels may be the single happiest, best, and most amazing place on earth.

The little secret 90 years young, tucked away in the mountains of the coal region, is quite possibly the only place on earth where I forget troubles for a bit… where life as it is – out there – is on hold.

You can ride rides. If you want. Play golf. Maybe. Eat food. Whichever.. get soaking wet.. or just drive a slow train into the woods …

Whatever. The floor is yours.

I sort of am half and half… I want to tell the world how amazing Knoebels is. But also , sometimes, just keep it a secret …

But the secret is out.

Knoebels.
IT’S THE PLACE TO BE IN THE NEW CENTURY.

National TV show to film in Hazleton

National TV show to film in Hazleton :

The show is….
Drumroll…

COPS.

A few days after it was revealed the persons who carried a gun to the White House and was shot by secret service was from Ashland PA, now this news of the syndicated program filming in the coal region is released..

Awful notoriety.
We used to be famous for halupkies, block parties, and Centralia. Those were the days.

Unfortunate reasons that ASHLAND PA is in the news

The homeland is making headlines.. the coal region is not comforting today.

Yesterday, the day started in the little former bustling coal region villa of Ashland Pennsylvania with a horrible fire. As reported right here.

At the end of the day, while my and son and I enjoyed some evening pizza and adult beverages (Ayden excluded on that one) at a local Italian restaurant, we came to discover that the person who brandished a gun at the White House and was shot was Jesse Oliveri from Ashland PA! Small town boy. Big city headlines.

This is how CNN reported the shooting:

A Secret Service spokesman said the incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. ET when a man carrying a gun approached a checkpoint on E Street near the White House. The suspect was given verbal commands to stop and drop the gun, and when he failed to comply, he was shot once by a Secret Service agent and taken into custody. Secret Service officers and an agent provided medical aid to the suspect, and the city’s EMS said he was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries.

The president wasn’t there at the time, instead he was away golfing. Oliver was shot in the abdomen. He is in critical condition at last report.

Rumors fly in small town. 

While we were eating out food and discussing the high degree of embarrassment that an entire town feels with an indictment like this, another customer announced that he received word a street in town was closed and that the FEDs swooped in to the home of Oliveri and were conducting searches. While I have no idea if that was true or not, it seemed reasonable that someone who just showed off a gun at the Presidential mansion and then got shot would have searches performed at his house.

And that’s the story. 
Surely there is MORE to the story  yet to be heard. But at this point, it’s blemish on an already blemished town.

For hours I hoped the news got it wrong and they meant Ashland, Kentucky.. 

Trump Catches Fire In Depressed Coal Region

Trump Catches Fire In Depressed Coal Region:

The war on coal… the battle lines drawn. Particular states may be of interest to the Trump campaign this fall..

In rustic Buchanan County, 94 percent of residents are white and pickup trucks are the vehicle of choice – many carry bumper stickers declaring the primacy of the region’s main industry through slogans like “Can’t Keep The Lights On in America Without Coal From Virginia” or “Stop The War On Coal.”

For generations, coal has been the lifeblood in the region known as Appalachia, which includes southwestern Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and parts of Pennsylvania.

That’s changed drastically in the past 20 years. A major consumer of coal, the U.S. steel industry, has struggled against cheaper imports, closing down smelters from Pennsylvania to Ohio and cutting the demand for metallurgical coal, the higher-grade coal found in Buchanan and surrounding areas.

In the past five years, a global supply glut has driven down coal prices drastically. The company that operates Buchanan County’s largest functioning coal mine reported a steep fall in fourth-quarter prices, from $68.58 per ton in 2014 to $48.41 in 2015.