Burg Blog: The Market & Me

August 23, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

Artists painted the Broad Street Market last month as part of a post-fire fundraiser.

Back in 2009, when I arrived in Harrisburg, I immediately felt at home inside the Broad Street Market.

I had come from Washington, D.C., from the Capitol Hill neighborhood, so was accustomed to shopping in that city’s then-only public market—Eastern Market.

Generally speaking, I hate shopping, but loved the market experience: the beautiful old building, the community vibe, the personal nature of buying goods from someone, as opposed to from something—a soulless corporation.

I realized that I’m the type of person who wants to know where my beef comes from, where my peaches are grown, how my cheese is made. I want to get to know—and even become friends with—the folks selling me yogurt and chicken and heads of lettuce.

I’m not the kind of person who wants to wheel a cold metal cart through a cold, bleak aisle.

In Harrisburg, I was able to re-create what I had left behind in D.C. In fact, sacrilege, but I soon felt a stronger connection to the Broad Street Market than I ever did to Eastern Market.

On the downside, things weren’t going so well for either the market or for me at the time. We both were a little down and out.

The market was struggling financially, struggling with vendors, with customers, with the health code. Likewise, I was struggling, having uprooted myself from my long-time home with some bizarre notion of starting a newspaper in Harrisburg, Pa.

But, thanks to this community, things would turn around for both of us.

Harrisburg began to revive, and the market, under stronger leadership, did too. New vendors opened and customers increased. In 2016, I wrote a column for TheBurg called “Stocked Market,” in which I heralded the surprising and sudden revival of the Broad Street Market.

“This market is rocking!” Ryan Hummer, owner of RG Hummer Meats and Cheese, told me at the time. And, yup, it sure was.

I found myself, well, hanging out there. I regularly grabbed coffee at Elementary, a donut at Evanilla, lunch in the stone building.

I often met friends in the market. My fondest market memories came during 3rd in the Burg, when, for about two years, a group of us settled into a happy routine. We’d gather for “free wine” at Radish & Rye, venture down to JB Kelly’s for appetizer oysters, then cross the courtyard for a Zeroday beer and pizza or burgers or tacos.

The market’s renewal, and mine, seemed to go hand in hand.

Unfortunately, the good times wouldn’t last. The pandemic robbed us of so much joy, shattering our routines, our traditions. As we suffered, so did the market, and now, the fire has further cast doubt over our collective future.

Personally, I’m optimistic. It’s still early days, but, so far, I applaud the rapid response from city and state officials, including some who needed to be reminded just how important the Broad Street Market is to this community.

It may not be an easy two-plus years until the brick building is fully restored. But I can imagine a day when the ribbon is cut and those heavy wooden doors are opened again. I promise, I’ll be there with hot coffee and a fresh donut, with a renewed spirit and restored confidence for our shared fate.

Lawrance Binda is publisher and editor of TheBurg.

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Harrisburg area residents lost to gun violence memorialized through T-shirt display

August 23, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Memorial to local gun violence victims outside the Harrisburg Quaker Meeting House

Driving along N. 6^th Street in Harrisburg, you may see a colorful display of T-shirts lining a section of the road.

While brightly colored, the shirts symbolize a more somber issue of gun violence, memorializing those locally whose lives have been taken.

The display, located outside of the Harrisburg Quaker Meeting House, on the 1100-block of N. 6^th Street, was installed in partnership with the local chapter of the nonprofit Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence. The memorial features about 50 shirts with the names of Harrisburg area residents whose lives were lost to gun violence.

For Ruth Seitz, a member of the Harrisburg Quakers, also known as The Religious Society of Friends, the message hits home. She has lost two family members to gun violence.

“I have a personal real deep commitment to this issue,” she said. “A gunshot is so final. It’s such an incredible loss to families.”

According to Seitz, the memorial fits with the Quakers’ focus on nonviolence and peace. Both bringing awareness to the prevalence of gun violence and advocating to reduce it are important parts of the organization’s mission.

“Quakers are the kind of people that step out and want to make a difference,” she said.

In conjunction with the memorial, the Quakers and Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence will send letters to local and state lawmakers in support of gun reform legislation.

The memorial will be outside of the meeting house through Sept. 1. From there, it will move to different local religious places of worship.

“We are hoping people who pass by will maybe slow down and read what it’s about,” Seitz said. “We hope people will think about the ways they can be more peaceful in their own lives and maybe take action to reduce gun violence in some way.”

The Harrisburg Quaker Meeting House is located at 1100 N. 6^th St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website. To learn more about Heeding God’s call to End Gun Violence, visit their website.

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Harrisburg School District amends budget, hires several new principals

August 22, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg School District Lincoln Administration Building

The Harrisburg School has adjusted its budget to reflect recently announced state funding allocations.

At a school board meeting on Tuesday, district receiver Dr. Lori Suski approved an amended 2023-24 budget of $222.8 million.

The amended budget is about $4 million more than the initially approved spending plan of $218.5 million. The revised budget incorporates revenue that the district will receive from basic education and special education funding from the commonwealth.

When Suski originally approved the budget in June, the state had not yet passed its 2023-24 budget, which includes education funding, forcing district officials to estimate the amount they’d be receiving. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the commonwealth’s budget on Aug. 3.

The additional funds in the budget will support consulting services, contracting, technology upgrades, and building maintenance, among other items.

Also on Tuesday, Suski approved the hiring of several new principals at district schools.

Laquan Magruder will serve as the new principal of Harrisburg High School-John Harris Campus, effective on Aug. 1, at a salary of $120,152. Magruder replaces the previous principal, Michelle Felton, who transferred to the role of supervisor of professional development for the district in July.

Additionally, Suski approved James Snyder as the new principal of Ben Franklin Elementary School at a salary of $114,812, effective Aug. 7.

Also, Jason Rawls will serve as the new principal of Scott Elementary School at a salary of $115,000, as approved by Suski. Rawls’ start date will be effective upon release from his current employer.

In other news, Suski approved a plan for the district to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, L.O.O.P BOYZ AND GIRLZ and the Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg to provide after-school programming for district students. In February, Suski approved a 2023-24 academic calendar that includes two-hour early dismissals on every Wednesday of the school year, explaining that it would allow time for professional development for staff. According to district officials, the partnerships with the local organizations will help provide care for students on the early dismissal days.

At the board meeting, Suski also shared that district officials will make a presentation at the Sept. 12 board meeting on the district’s decision to demolish the long-vacant William Penn High School building. At that meeting, officials will share information on the history of the building, why the district is demolishing it, and how the history of the building can be preserved.

Suski encouraged concerned residents to attend the meeting, ask questions and share comments.

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Affordable housing development for seniors breaks ground in Harrisburg

August 22, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Local officials and project partners ceremonially broke ground on Bethel Village on Tuesday.

Some Harrisburg seniors in need of housing should soon have another option.

Local and state officials on Tuesday ceremonially broke ground on Bethel Village, an affordable housing development for seniors planned for the 1000-block of N. 6^th Street.

“This feels great,” said Ryan Sanders, co-founder of Harrisburg-based RB Development, the developer of the project. “This project is not just an affordable housing project, but a beacon of hope for the Black community that looks to be a catalyst to provide jobs and economic opportunity for developers that look just like them.”

Construction began two weeks ago for Bethel Village, which will be built on the corner of N. 6^th and Herr streets at the former site of the Bethel AME church that burned down in 1995. The 46,000-square-foot building will include 49 one- and two-bedroom affordable units, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Senior citizens, 62 years old and above, will be able to apply for housing likely by the spring of 2024, Sanders said.

Harrisburg City Council approved the $19 million project in September 2021. Since then, the pandemic, among other challenges pushed back the groundbreaking date, Sanders said.

According to Sanders, the project will likely be completed in September 2024.

Partners on the project include the nonprofit arm of the Harrisburg Housing Authority, Paladin Development, Gardner Capital and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), among others.

“This is something that’s needed in the community,” said Ryan Unger, CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. “This project adds inventory to the market and that’s critical.”

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Governor’s Square owner moves to change bankruptcy status, seeks more time to find a buyer

August 22, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Photo by Dani Fresh

The owners of a beleaguered affordable housing complex in Harrisburg are moving to change the status of their bankruptcy filing, as they seek additional time to sell the property.

Uptown Partners, LP, which owns the Residences at Governor’s Square, will seek to convert their bankruptcy filing from Chapter 7 to Chapter 11, according to their attorney, who appeared at a federal court hearing on Tuesday.

The change should give Uptown Partners additional time to market and sell the 222-unit housing development in Uptown Harrisburg, said attorney Robert Chernicoff. Currently, about half of the units are unoccupied.

While no formal offers to purchase the development are on the table, Chernicoff said that there are “people that are talking to us.”

“We are hopeful,” Chernicoff told TheBurg. “We are maintaining the status quo until we can get it sold.”

While looking for a buyer, Uptown Partners has enough money to continue to operate Governor’s Square “for now,” he said.

Chapter 11 is a “reorganization” bankruptcy in which a company formulates a plan to repay creditors, with the hope that it will be able to continue to operate under existing or new ownership. In contrast, Chapter 7 is a “liquidation” bankruptcy that requires the sale of assets to repay creditors.

The Baltimore-based owners of the housing complex filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May, with Chernicoff then stating that Uptown Partners was running out of money to operate the complex.

In June, bankruptcy trustee for the case, Kara Gendron, filed for a dismissal of the case. However, at a hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania last week, Chief Judge Henry Van Eck asked Gendron and Chernicoff to come up with another plan and continued the case for a week.

On Tuesday, Gendron and Chernicoff brought forth a new proposal to convert from Chapter 7 to Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which should give Uptown Partners more time to find a buyer for Governor’s Square.

According to Chernicoff, there has been some interest in the property, but, so far, there have been no formal offers to purchase it. The company plans to hire a national real estate broker to attempt to sell Governor’s Square, he said.

The case has been continued until Sept. 26, but that hearing would be cancelled if the filing is converted to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In recent years, the apartment complex has received hundreds of code citations and condemnations from the city, and residents have dealt with issues like mold, rodent infestations and leaky roofs, among other problems. About half the units are currently unoccupied as they have been deemed uninhabitable, Chernicoff said.

At last week’s hearing, Chernicoff said that a concern of entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy would be that the owners continue to rack up code violations from the city and lose more money.

According to Matt Maisel, communications director for the city, the codes department continues to cite Uptown Partners for serious health-related violations, but has backed off citing for less serious violations, such as those related to aesthetics.

Meanwhile, Rhonda Mays of the Fair Housing Council of the Capital Region said that their organization is still receiving regular requests from residents for assistance. Currently, however, there is not much they can do to help, she said.

“We are basically letting people know that the council does not have the information for them,” she said.

The council can refer residents to other housing assistance agencies and encourage them to find other housing, but that’s a difficult task during a housing crisis, Mays said.

Gendron shared previously that she believes that Governor’s Square needs to be sold for at least $12 million or more in order to pay off lien-holders. Separately, the city has stated that $22.5 million is needed to renovate Governor’s Square, based on a building assessment report ordered by the Harrisburg Housing Authority in 2021.

Gendron told TheBurg last week that finding a buyer for the properties also may be hard because of the mortgages and entities involved. For instance, Uptown Partners received an about $9 million federal loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development when they acquired Governor’s Square.

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Community Comment: International medical insurance provides peace of mind, lowers financial risk

August 21, 2023 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

International airport terminal. Asian beautiful woman with luggage and walking in airport

A 19-year-old man’s recent summer getaway to Cancun, Mexico, turned tragic when – while enjoying his pristine ocean view – he fell from three stories. Nobody saw him fall.

Later found unconscious, he was taken to a local facility – one with a reputation for refusing patient treatment and/or discharge, withholding passports until full payment is made upfront, and price gouging.

It could have been a worst-case scenario, since the man’s injuries left him in critical condition and in need of emergency surgery to reduce brain swelling. He’d need to be moved quickly to someplace that could deliver that level of care.

Fortunately, he had international medical insurance, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges Americans to purchase when traveling outside the U.S. That’s because nearly 1 in 4 Americans have had medical issues while traveling abroad, according to research from Harris Poll and GeoBlue, which provides health insurance coverage for travelers.

“It really makes sense,” says Capital Blue Cross Senior Account Executive Jackie Sariano. “It’s affordable, it’s accessible, and it provides peace of mind when traveling abroad.”

On Their Minds

According to Harris Poll and GeoBlue, Americans are increasingly thoughtful about possible medical issues when traveling internationally: Nearly two-thirds agree health concerns factor into their destination choice.

Still, too few are turning their worries into action by ensuring their health and finances while traveling internationally.

As a result, more than three-quarters of consumers either don’t know how they’d pay for or won’t have sufficient insurance to cover medical care when abroad. Too many mistakenly assume their domestic health plans will simply work the same way abroad.

Rethinking Employee Benefits

Post-pandemic, employers have been faced with a new dilemma: how to support employees who want to work remotely outside the U.S. or add leisure travel to international business trips. It’s becoming more common: 41% of companies are considering a permanent work-from-anywhere option and 80% of U.S. travelers are planning to add leisure days to future business trips.

But relying on a domestic health plan can result in increased financial burden, delayed or denied medical care, and other stressors. International providers often expect full payment at time of service; international claims are often considered out of network, making them more expensive; and most individual and employer-provided domestic health plans don’t cover medically necessary evacuation or repatriation to the U.S.

Covered Care That’s Right There

For employers, the path to safer employee travel is simple: health plans that include international health insurance coverage. These plans ensure access to quality providers who accept direct payment from the carrier, 24/7/365 multilingual support, coverage for medical evacuation, and more.

Capital Blue Cross, for instance, offers coverage from GeoBlue – a fellow member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield family – as an option for employer and individual plans. Capital also provides the option to purchase international medical plans directly at any of its five Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers, and further shows its commitment to coverage and risk management outside the U.S. by providing GeoBlue coverage to its own employees.

Quick Action, Quality Care

A GeoBlue plan covered the 19-year-old man who fell three stories in Cancun, and the people and policies behind that plan quickly kicked into action upon receiving the man’s injury report.

GeoBlue’s medical review team determined the emergency-surgery need, and within two days of being notified, GeoBlue had an air ambulance fly the man and his father to Houston in time to receive the necessary care at the appropriate cost.

In this case, the foresight to purchase international medical insurance couldn’t have paid off more.

“Life is full of unexpected events,” Sariano said. “Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

To learn more about GeoBlue, visit https://about.geo-blue.com.

(GeoBlue® is a trade name of Worldwide Insurance Services, LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.)

THINK (Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

August 18, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Shakey Graves performed at XL Live this week.

Tonight is 3^rd in the Burg and the weather is just right for a stroll through the city. Check out a new restaurant or art gallery and grab a copy of our August issue before they’re gone. In the meantime, catch up on all of our weekly news coverage, below.

Bob’s Art Blog focuses on the many creatives housed within Millworks’ art studios. Take a look at some of their work and see what Bob has to say about it, here.

Dauphin County’s Cultural Fest is returning to Harrisburg on Aug. 19, our online story reported. The festival will take place at Riverfront Park and feature music, vendors and food from around the world.

The Meadow recently opened in Harrisburg, offering a selection of handmade and curated clothing, art and home goods, our magazine story reported. Owner Kenzie Brinkman hopes the store will offer people an easier way to shop locally.

“Mutt,” about a transgender man who reunites with his family, gives a “breathtakingly honest performance,” says our film reviewer. Find out more about the movie and watch it in August at Midtown Cinema.

PennDOT dumped large rocks under the Mulberry Street Bridge at the former site of a long-time homeless encampment that was cleared by the city, our online story reported. According to PennDOT, they hope to deter people from entering the area.

Pilots with a Purpose connects underrepresented teens with education and experience to venture into successful aviation careers. In our magazine story, read about how the program has impacted students and instructors.

Road paving projects kicked off across the city, our online story reported. Harrisburg will complete 17 street re-pavings by the end of October, focusing on the city’s most troublesome roads.

Sara Bozich has lots of fun events for your weekend, from movies to brew fests and yoga. Find them all, here.

Shakey Graves performed at XL Live this week and our live music reviewer shared her experience attending the unique concert. Read about it, here.

Uptown Partners, the owner of the Residences at Governor’s Square in Harrisburg, has filed for bankruptcy, and the case was brought before a federal judge on Tuesday, our reporting found. The future of the affordable housing development, which has received hundreds of code violations and condemnations, is uncertain.

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Burg Review: “Anything can happen.” Shakey Graves delivers unique, creative night of music at XL Live

August 17, 2023 | by Skye Leppo

Shakey Graves plays on Wednesday night at Club XL (photo: Skye Leppo)

The crowd at XL Live experienced an unexpected evening on Wednesday night. What a joy it is to live in the same timeline as live music, where anything can happen!

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, who performs under the stage name Shakey Graves, brought his live band to the Harrisburg venue for a truly wild show unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

After popular central PA singer-songwriter Shine Delphi warmed up the room with a spirited set, Shakey Graves and his fellow musicians took the stage, played a few chords of “Family and Genus,” and admitted to the crowd that they were pretty beat after three weeks of non-stop touring.

To ~ shake ~ things up a little, Graves took off his signature cowboy hat and revealed they were going to choose songs at random. He pointed to the pockets in the mechanic jumpsuit he was wearing and shared that the band’s song titles were in one pocket, and a selection of musical styles and genres were in the other.

He hopped down from the stage into the photo pit, and asked two audience members each to pick one, with the first choice being “Excuses” in a surf rock style.

This creative process almost felt like it mimicked sketch and game shows in the vein of “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” and turned out to be extremely fun for the musicians and audience alike throughout the night. There was a palpable energy in the air that generated a lot of whoops, laughs, clap-alongs and more. The band frequently broke into smiles on stage and joked with the audience between songs.

The band even ventured into a doom core style to cover “Devil May Care” with the stage aglow in a red wash.

I didn’t catch the style selection for “Counting Sheep” and the genre wasn’t obvious to me while the band played it, but it was beautiful, nonetheless, and stood out to me as one of their best songs of the night.

The band did this innovative style for about seven songs before the full band left the stage, leaving Graves alone. He thanked the audience for “going on this adventure with me,” and said he’d never tried anything like this before, but he was “having a blast.”

Shakey Graves on stage (photo: Skye Leppo)

Graves put the cowboy hat (and his Americana persona) back on and performed a decent number of solo songs from various records he’s released over the last decade. “If Not For You” broke into a beautiful picking jam that seamlessly led into a brief cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” before finding its way back into the ending of “If Not For You.”

Graves made his way into the hit, “Roll the Bones,” closing his set by tipping his hat and holding up his guitar to the crowd. He exited, and the room was alive with thunderous cheers for about three minutes until the full band returned to the stage.

Graves introduced his full band and added that they’ve got a forthcoming album that’ll be available in September and played a track from it, “Evergreen,” which was also on the “Big in the World” EP released earlier this year.

They jammed out for a few minutes before “Playing Along,” which is also on the yet-to-be-released record (which will be titled “Movie of the Week,” for inquiring minds).

The band’s “swan song” was their lively hit “Dearly Departed,” which had the whole crowd roaring and clapping along.

The band exited again, and it seemed like Graves was about to walk off stage as well when he turned around with his guitar and played the gorgeous song, “Tomorrow,” for one final treat before closing the night.

SET LIST
Family and Genus (Intro)
Excuses (style: surf rock)
Kids These Days (style: post punk)
The Perfect Parts (style: reggae)
Devil May Care (style: doom core)
Look Alive (style: college coffee shop)
Ready or Not (style: Western)
Counting Sheep (style: undetermined)
Late July
Unlucky Skin
If Not For You (featuring a brief “Where Is My Mind” cover)
Nobody’s Fool
Roll the Bones

ENCORE
Evergreen
Playing Along
Dearly Departed
Tomorrow

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 17, 2023 | by Sara Bozich

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA!

What you’ll find:

For something new: HBG Flea SoMa Summer on Sunday Worth noting: Lovedrafts Brewing at the sip @ soma tasting room tonight/tomorrow Things on my agenda this weekend: sip tonight; Myrtle Beach with the fam through the weekend

For your weekend(ish) planning

Lovedrafts in SoMa! Visit sip @ soma this month (before it moves … ???)
WIN tickets to see The Head and The Heart in Riverfront Park with HU Presents
How to help the Broad Street Market and its displaced vendors
The Best Farmers Markets around Harrisburg
See what else you missed on the blog

Below are options for your weekend.

A Look Ahead

Add the August Block Party (8/31) to your calendar now
My top picks at Market on Market
Submit your events for the Weekend Roundup

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Dauphin County Cultural Fest to return to Harrisburg with music, dance, food

August 16, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Festival attendees watch a performance at a past year’s Cultural Fest.

Music, food and dance from around the world will return to Harrisburg this weekend.

On Saturday, Aug. 19, Dauphin County will host its annual Cultural Fest in Harrisburg’s Riverfront Park to celebrate and showcase diversity.

The free event will offer a lineup of local and national musical and dance performers, from 3 to 10:15 p.m. Stokley, a GRAMMY-nominated former lead vocalist for Mint Condition, will perform, as well as DJ Kool and Adrian Anthony Groupo Hipnosis, among others.

Additionally, small business and craft vendors, as well as human resources and professional development providers, will be on site. There will also be a Children’s Corner with activities for families, from 3 to 7 p.m.

Visitors can try flavors from around the globe at a variety of food trucks that will offer a range of ethnic cuisines.

The riverfront location is new for the festival this year, as it has been held on City Island in recent years and, before that, on a downtown street. This is the 15^th year that the county has hosted the Cultural Fest.

Large bags and umbrellas are prohibited at the event, including backpacks, large purses, clear bags, fanny packs, camera bags, drawstring bags, totes and suitcases.

Attendees can use the ParkMobile app to pay for parking and use the code “LUVHBG” at checkout for four hours of free parking on Saturday. Free parking is also available on City Island on Saturday.

For more information about Cultural Fest, visit their website.

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Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA!

What you’ll find:

For your weekend(ish) planning

A Look Ahead

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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