Bob’s Art Blog: Art Hangover, Hanging Art and Turning 100

September 12, 2022 | by Bob MacGinnes

Gallery Walk attendees look on as artist Jonathan Frazier works on a painting at the Riverfront Gallery at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

After an exhilarating and, at times, exhausting five hours out on the town downtown, Midtown and all around yesterday for Gallery Walk, the 34^th edition is “the talk.” My partner remarked it was the best kind of an art hangover she had experienced.

The Silver Screen brought some of Tinsel Town to the Burg with the Art Association of Harrisburg (AAH) saluting Hollywood in grand style. Hats off to Carrie Wissler-Thomas, CEO and Rachel O’Connor, curator and, as Ed Sullivan would say, “It was a really big show.” The weather did not dampen any spirits, only adding an air of intrigue to the day.

For two of the prizewinners at the AAH member’s show, the first name needed to be Jeff. Jeff Bye took “Best of Show” award with his grand scale oil painting, “Everett Theater.” His work demonstrated his love for abandoned old movie houses—this one in decay from Boston. Haunting and dreamlike, its memories linger from the past. Jeff Wiles took first place in photography with a nostalgic nod to the drive-ins of yesteryear in his black and white study, “Last Picture Show,” artfully staged and shot for all time.

“Everett Theater,” oil painting by Jeff Bye, won “Best in Show” at the Art Association of Harrisburg exhibit. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

The art hangover was helped along by the Gallery Walk impromptu after-party at the Millworks, where many of the artists congregated at the bar. Zack Rudy and Brooke De Marco of Huckle Buckle Boys held court regaling us with a “Tale of Two Cities”—Philadelphia the night before with a story you could not make up and now back in Harrisburg and so glad to be home. Reina “R76” Wooden did a live demonstration outside the Millworks restaurant doors and made it a point to direct the artists to the bar, including Paul Zemaitis of Moonrise Candle Company, who shared, “Foot traffic was steady all day long for Gallery Walk.” Rebecca Adey of Mod Sew Designs paved her way with a big smile and dog tales to melt your heart. Larry Washington, Jr, photographer at large, arrived after getting some great photos at the AAH early in the day. Jonathan Frazier dropped by after his painting demonstration at St. Stephen’s Riverfront Gallery. Larry traded camera tips and quips with Jonathan as the two weighed in on angles and apertures. PD Murray and Tina Barrier share a Zen-like bond with camaraderie to spare. This dynamic duo will be joined by Tami Bitner for the new show featured on the lobby wall opening this Friday for 3^rd in the Burg. Closing out the first hour with a sou’con of devil-may-care bravado, PD imposed on the chef for soup of all things, for which I will be eternally grateful. Thank you, Mr. Murray. Bon vivants out and about added to the ambiance of “Bohemian rhapsody,” reaching a swell of laughter and frivolity. And to all the art-lovers who toured the museums, murals, churches, galleries and restaurants yesterday, you are all winners.

“Last Picture Show” by Jeff Wiles won first prize for photography at the Art Association of Harrisburg exhibit. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

Hanging Art at CALC

In the G.B. Stuart Gallery, friendship and painting go hand-in-hand as female artists and age-old compatriots Peg Belcastro and Gail Walden Coleman express different perspectives in the exhibit “Heartscapes and Landscapes.” In her own words, Walden Coleman “follows her heart’s feelings” in her intuitive works reflective of her emotional barometer. Belcastro’s love of lush surroundings one may find in a forest is deeply infused with a painterly point of view, capturing “the landscape with bold exciting colors.” A study in contrast demonstrates once again that opposites attract. Gail’s paintings’ abstractness juxtapose precisely with Belcastro’s panoramic vistas grounded in realism. Instead of creating a dissonance as one might expect, they draw the viewers into two separate worlds—one with open-ended possibilities, the other taken at face value liberally sprinkled with imagination and color. Together or apart, each allows for introspection and reflection. “You’ve got a friend in me…” and them too!

You know you are of a certain age when your doctor recommends a diet high in fiber. So, we were elated to learn of CALC’s newest show, opening Friday, Sept. 23—“(un)Common Threads,” featuring fiber art in all its glory, in the Upstairs Gallery. This will be a contrast and a complement to “Heartscapes and Landscapes” downstairs. Curator “Dr.” Cathy Stone, my new art dietician, has assembled a gallery of textile technicians, highly skilled artisans so adroit at their craft that “magician” might be a more apt description. Weavers, dreamers and practitioners of tradition, transcending timeless tactile interest, bring it full circle to a contemporary cache perfect for the stage of tomorrow. Stone’s coterie of juried artists run the gamut from eco-dying, tapestry weaving, knitting, embroidery, felting, saori weaving and lace-making amongst paper and paint and found materials. All told, 31 pieces made the cut, a mere 40% of the entries submitted. There is no one better qualified to juror those select works than guest artist and felting facilitator par excellence, Erma Yost, a Carlisle resident of renown.

Outstanding examples from East Coast artisans include quilting in its many forms. Holly Cole’s layered organza organdy and cotton fabric are dye-painted, hand-embroidered, drawn and free motion quilted. Meghan Udell employed hand-knitted “Morse code” in her unique manner. Other quilt Quixotes include Linda Syverson and Liz Danish. From central Pennsylvania, Carol Reed, CALC instructor, fiber artist and land art enthusiast, specializes in fiber-mixed natural dyeing. In addition, the only wearable art was created by Jana MacGinnes with a flower fusion tunic via roses adorning the neckline and an encased hem with twisted fabric, much like trailing vines entwining romance and fiber as one, like a garden sonnet that captures beauty’s fleeting fancy. When viewed as a whole, this 30-plus-one collection weaves a dream of aesthetic acclaim where art meets craft in a hushed atmosphere. Listen closely as the works whisper to you.

Turning 100

It took me 50 years to turn 100 in my writing career, starting with Harrisburg Independent Press back in 1972. Never thought I would see 100…not years mind you. But this blog denotes my century mark-plus of art columns for TheBurg, including “The Painted Word” and “Bob’s Art Blog.” After my first 3^rd in the Burg coverage on Charlie Feathers’ show at H*MAC back on St. Patrick’s Day of 2019, I thought, what comes next? In those early days, I had to check in with my editor, Lawrance Binda, regarding topics before I headed out on assignment. Long story short—TheBurg was recently honored for “Distinguished Service to the Arts” for the region for 2022. We were humbled to be included that night at Whitaker Center to see Lawrance and the staff of TheBurg—Lauren Maurer, Kelsey Tatge and art director Megan Caruso–feted by Theatre Harrisburg actors. Here’s to turning 100!

September Art Events

Sept. 16: 3^rd in the Burg events throughout the city
Sept. 17: Hummelstown Arts Festival – 170 juried artists on Main St from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sept. 23: CALC’s dual art show “Heartscapes and Landscapes” and “(un)Common Threads” opening reception 5:30 to 7 p.m.

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Burg Review: Settle in for slow-burn suspense with Theatre Harrisburg’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

September 10, 2022 | by Gina Napoli

In the spirit of early American Gothic folklore, Theatre Harrisburg opens its 97^th season with David Ramón Zayas’ adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” a slow-burn suspense—a tall campfire tale made all the spookier because of its real New England setting along the Hudson River.

Sleepy Hollow’s superstitious townspeople personify the village as its own character in the story, an old-fashioned place where people co-exist uneasily with the spirit world. Set in 1790, Sleepy Hollow is a hidden place on the way to nowhere else. Travelers can’t get there by accident, and they tend not to leave, even when they die.

This production opens with mood-setting elements so thoroughly eerie, slowly unfolding and seeping their way into your bones: rolling fog, howling wind, shifty up-lighting on bare trees, hints of sage tingeing the air, and oddly synchronized hooded figures (Witte Wievens, Julia Toyer, Tessa Eberlein, and Francesca Amendolia) singing hauntingly. By the time we hear The Elder (Michael Greenwald), we suspect his voice is too soothing to be a reliable narrator.

The audience is thrust into Sleepy Hollow through Ichabod Crane’s (Trystin Bailey) eyes, walking in unfamiliar woods to his new post as the town’s schoolmaster. Everyone Ichabod meets along his journey and during his tenure fills his impressionable mind with other haunted legends, further infusing the time and place with menace.

To bring those stories to life, Widow Knickerbocker (Amber Mann), Baltus Van Tassel (Jeff Wasileski), Mrs. Van Tassel (Lisa Leone Dickerson), and Mrs. Van Ripper (Gerren Wagner) use unnervingly skilled storytelling, complete with scant lighting cutting through mist and shadows just dim enough for our eyes to strain at faceless and headless figures appearing throughout the theater from all sides. Nervous imagination fills in what we can’t see, questioning what we believe.

There’s only one non-believer in Sleepy Hollow: Diedrich Knickerbocker (Douglas Wann), a sensible young student who is saving money to leave someday. When he goes missing, everyone except Crane is positive that the spirit of a Hessian soldier, the Headless Horseman, took the boy. With the boy gone—however he went—Crane’s only lifeline to sensibility left Sleepy Hollow with him.

Bailey perfectly interprets the increasingly vulnerable Crane as skittish, sweaty and swoony over his voice student, Katrina Van Tassel (Laila Keadan). Keadan flirts and sings sweetly while a volatile love triangle forms with the brutish Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt (Brennen Dickerson), who shines in retelling his dramatic account of his first-hand meeting with the Headless Horseman.

It’s at the Van Tassel’s annual harvest party where the audience, as invited guests, are treated to period parlor games, synchronized dancing, and a heated brawl in the Horseman’s Woods between Bailey and Brennen Dickerson. Who won? What happened to our hero Ichabod Crane? Those answers weave themselves in to the tapestry of local legend.

Why has “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” endured over the centuries? Director Jeff Luttermoser suggests that we have made a larger connection with the story as part of the human experience.

“At some point, we all become stories that other people tell, and those stories are the ghosts of us…our beliefs and superstitions, our memories of those we loved and lost, and the tales we pass down within our families and communities,” he said.

With no one to fact-check in 1790, we may never know whether Washington Irving employed the old writer’s trick of copying names from tombstones to make them sound authentic, or how true to the story (or to actual life) his characters were. Even when written down, folklore grows with every interpretation.

After the curtain fell, my mother (and major character in my own story) leaned over to me and said, “Now we have to go outside to our cars.” Her eyes widened. “In the dark.”

I did. Quickly. Then I sped my car home to jump under my covers.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” runs through Sept. 18 at the Krevsky Center, 513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg. For more information on show times and tickets, visit www.theatreharrisburg.com.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

September 9, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and Police Commissioner Thomas Carter swore in seven new officers at Whitaker Center on Wednesday.

We want to thank all of our supporters who attended out first annual Friends of TheBurg Bash on Thursday. The party was a hit! Make sure you don’t miss next year’s event and become a Friend of TheBurg today. As always, all of our news coverage from the week is listed below.

Bro2Go, a Harrisburg nonprofit, received a $5,000 donation from Access Insurance Agency, which serves the commonwealth, our online story reported. With help from the community, the organization has a chance to double the grant.

The Broad Street Market in Harrisburg is searching for a new executive director, and our editor has some thoughts on the role. It may be a much more difficult job than it seems, he says.

TheBurg Podcast for September dives deeper into our recent magazine articles. Featured this month are the stories of a growing local basketball league, a runner whose life was saved by strangers and a nurse who has volunteered at the Harrisburg Marathon for 15 years.

Concerts are in full swing this September with a little something for every music taste. In our Musical Notes column, find out what bands and artists are headed our way.

Gallery Walk is happening this weekend in Harrisburg, our magazine story reported. Art museums and galleries around the city will open their doors to visitors to showcase local and national artwork.

The Harrisburg Independent Press covered many major city events in the 1970s, our magazine story reported. It’s been 50 years since the paper’s founding, but former reporters keep coming back to their time in the city.

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams moved to appoint three new Capital Region Water (CRW) board members, replacing three current directors, our online story reported. At a City Council meeting, CRW Board Chair Marc Kurowski clashed with the mayor over her decision to reappoint a majority of the board at once.

The Harrisburg Police Bureau swore in seven new officers on Wednesday, our online story reported. Speakers at the ceremony touched on the important, yet difficult role the new hires were stepping into.

The “Harvest Moon Womxn of Folk Festival,” will spotlight women-led bands and female artists on Sept. 10, our online story reported. Eight local and national musicians will perform at the Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville.

A mission team from Trinity UMC in Lickdale, Pa., traveled to Mayfield, Ky. to help build houses after a devastating tornado. Read about the group’s experience lending a hand, in our online story.

Narcisse Theatre began its season with classic tragic play, “Antigone,” a commentary on contemporary politics. The show runs through Saturday at Italian Lake Park in Harrisburg. Find out what to expect, here.

When runner Dennis Reardon collapsed during the Harrisburg Marathon Relay, runners and nurses jumped into action. In our magazine story, read about how the teamwork of strangers saved Reardon’s life.

Sara Bozich has a packed list of fun events happening in and around Harrisburg this weekend. Take a look, here.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, sign up here!

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Harrisburg makes final payment on bond spanning 25 years, hopes to be debt free by year’s end

September 9, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg’s MLK City Government Center

Harrisburg is getting closer to paying off its once-staggering debt load, following a milestone payment on Friday.

The city made an $8.4 million installment, its final payment, on general obligation bonds dating back 25 years.

This payment to the Debt Service Fund at the Bank of New York Mellon was the last of $125.6 million debt, including interest, on 1997 series D and F bonds initiated under the administration of former Harrisburg Mayor Steve Reed.

“I can’t say enough about the work done by our financial team to get the City of Harrisburg one step closer to being entirely debt free. This is a major, celebratory moment for all of us,” said Mayor Wanda Williams, in a statement.

Since 1998, the city spent money out of its annual general appropriations budget to pay off this debt. Without the debt payments, Harrisburg will have around $8 million additionally each year that does not need to go towards servicing that debt, according to the city. That money, the administration says, now can go towards city services.

“This is a great day for the City of Harrisburg,” said City Controller Charlie DeBrunner. “Rather than putting debt payments off any longer, and incurring any more interest, we’re proactively managing our outstanding debt. We are headed towards structural security in our budget for the first time in decades.”

Harrisburg still has about $20 million remaining in general obligation bond debt to pay off to bond insurer Ambac Assurance Corp. According to DeBrunner, the city’s goal is to pay off that debt by the end of the year.

“It is a goal for the entire city to enter 2023 without any debt,” he said. “We have a few additional items we need to take care of, but after today, we can finally start to see some real positive results for the city, and the cash flow is going to be phenomenal.”

According to Matt Maisel, the city communications director, at the end of July, the city had $40.7 million in reserve funds in the bank.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting on since I was first elected to City Council and we started restructuring this debt,” Williams said. “People told us we’d never be able to get the city out of debt. To think we’re now in a surplus, this was always my goal for the people of Harrisburg.”

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High Cholesterol: Prevention, Causes and How to Cope

September 8, 2022 | by Capital Blue Cross

Her father had a heart attack at 36, and died from another one at 51.

“I had thought his problems were due to lifestyle,” a woman identified only as Rhiannon tells the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “He was a smoker and didn’t have the healthiest diet. Imagine my surprise when I saw my cholesterol screening results from a life insurance blood test.”

Despite being a 30-year-old, fit, non-smoker with a healthy diet, Rhiannon’s bad cholesterol was triple the normal reading for her age. For Rhiannon and tens of millions of other Americans, high cholesterol is hereditary.

That’s just one reason the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults 20 and over, regardless of fitness and lifestyle, have preventive screenings for cholesterol every four to six years. An estimated 12% of Americans, or about 94 million people, have high cholesterol: levels of 200 milligrams or more per deciliter of blood, according to the CDC.

“Because high cholesterol comes without noticeable symptoms, it can lead to serious or even fatal consequences if left untreated,” explains Dr. Jennifer Chambers, chief medical officer at Capital Blue Cross. “Too much LDL – or what we often call ‘bad cholesterol’ – can build up and eventually block a coronary artery. This could limit blood flow to the brain and lead to a stroke, or can cause a heart attack.”

Multiple costs

High cholesterol – whether the cause is hereditary or due to poor diet or sedentary lifestyle – is among the reasons heart disease and strokes are the leading and fifth-leading causes, respectively, of death in the U.S.

The condition drains dollars as well. A 2015 report funded by the AHA found that high cholesterol would cost the United States $276 billion in lost productivity by 2030.

So while the CDC applauds progress in America’s cholesterol fight – roughly 2 in 3 U.S. adults say they’ve had a cholesterol screening in the last five years – more work clearly remains.

Keeping Things in Check

Experts across the board agree on proven approaches to help lower dangerously high cholesterol levels:

Take cholesterol-lowering medications when prescribed. These include those in the widely used statin family. Despite their proven effectiveness, these medications are taken only by about 55% of U.S. adults who could benefit from them, the CDC says.

Maintain a diet low in saturated fats. Saturated, or “bad,” fats are the main culprits leading to high LDL.

Manage your weight. Excess body fat often means higher cholesterol.

Don’t smoke. The habit makes LDL “stickier,” and more likely to clog arteries. It also lowers HDL, or “good,” cholesterol.

Here to help

Rhiannon’s cholesterol is now under control thanks to a regimen of medication, diet, and exercise recommended by her doctors. Her story exemplifies how important it is to have health insurance that covers cholesterol screening, counseling, and treatment.

Capital Blue Cross offers a variety of preventive services with no cost share to members who have standard benefit coverage. Services related to healthy cholesterol levels may include:

An annual preventive visit to review health, as well as family and personal risk factors.
Preventive medications such as statins. See a full covered medication list at capbluecross.com.
A lab test, called a lipid panel, to check cholesterol levels.
Blood pressure screenings.
Behavioral counseling for cardiovascular disease prevention.

“High cholesterol doesn’t have to create huge health problems,” Dr. Chambers said. “Preventive screenings, prescribed medications when appropriate, a healthy diet, and proper exercise can help control it, and help those with high cholesterol get their levels in check and lead healthy lives.”

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.

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Full Court Press: TheBurg Podcast, September 2022

September 8, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

On the basketball court, a full court press is an all-out effort… putting pressure on the opposing team. How does this concept tie into September’s podcast?

“The Most Harrisburg Thing” these days is the Knead Pizza story. An all-out effort by employees, to unionize, resulted in the shop’s closing. The story has gotten a lot of press, but editor of TheBurg Lawrance Binda, in conversation with TheBurg Podcast’s Karen Hendricks, adds new insights and context.

Josiah Peay of Middletown has mounted a full court press to bring professional basketball to the Harrisburg area, through the Central PA Kings.

Dennis Reardon of Camp Hill mounted a full court press of his own, as he pushed toward the finish line of last year’s Harrisburg Marathon relay. He pushed himself so hard, he nearly lost his life—but he also gained new perspective on life.

Karen Good of Harrisburg, who works at UPMC Harrisburg, has volunteered to co-chair the Harrisburg Marathon medical tent for 15 years running. What motivates her to support area runners? Her insights and stories may surprise you.

Many thanks to the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau for sponsoring this episode of TheBurg Podcast, through their Fall Fun Trail, featuring 18 classic ways to celebrate and experience the fall season. For more information, see VisitCumberlandValley.com.

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Everyone Loses | Hoop Hopes | Marathon Misstep, Marathon Miracle

Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because “there’s always more to the story.” TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks.

DYK? TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, 2021.

Visit Karen Hendricks’ website for more of her writing, journalism and PR work. TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

Interested in sharing your advertising message with TheBurg Podcast’s dedicated audience? Research shows that podcast sponsorships are one of the most effective forms of advertising! Contact Lauren ([email protected]).

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

September 8, 2022 | by Sara Bozich

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA! Scroll down or use the menu links to find ideas for your weekend.

What you’ll find:

For your weekend planning
Top Weekend Recs
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Like this content?

For something new: Wine with A Splash of Lyme tonight, Harrisburg Jazz Walk Friday, Oktoberfest at Dill’s Tavern Saturday; Gallery Walk on Sunday

Worth noting: BIG changes are coming in this space! Check out my private Facebook community, Cheers Harrisburg to get the first peeks.

Things on my agenda this weekend: Friends of TheBurg Bash tonight, Bug-O-Rama at Hershey Gardens on Sunday

For your weekend planning

Best Fall 2022 Getaways — it’s not too late!
Market on Market now open in Camp Hill
FAQ for SoMa Block Party
View my local Restaurant Directory or Local Brewery, Winery, & Cidery Directory
See what else you missed on the blog

Below are options for your weekend.

Things to Do in Harrisburg + Central PA | Weekend Roundup | Sara Bozich

Top Weekend Recs

Start planning your Harrisburg Restaurant Week visits
Save the dates for September in SoMa Harrisburg
Check out what’s next in HU’s Summer Concert Series
Make travel plans (with a discount + perks)
Submit your events for the Weekend Roundup

What are you doing this weekend around Harrisburg? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Like this content?

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Harrisburg mayor moves to appoint new Capital Region Water board members; current directors push back

September 7, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Capital Region Water Board Chair Marc Kurowski speaks during a Harrisburg City Council meeting.

The board chair of Harrisburg’s water and sewer authority clashed with Mayor Wanda Williams on Tuesday over her plan to flush out and replace many current board members.

At a City Council meeting, Williams introduced three appointees to the Capital Region Water (CRW) board who would replace directors whose terms have expired.

“At this point, it is time for a change,” she said. “This system is set up for a constant flow of new blood to always keep things fresh. To turn the page, I’m coming in front of this board with three very qualified individuals.”

CRW’s current board is made up of four directors, with one vacant seat. While CRW board members’ terms are set for five years, they may serve until replaced. Three of the current members’ terms have expired. The new appointments would replace board chair Marc Kurowski, vice chair Crystal Skotedis and assistant secretary/treasurer Andrew Enders. Board secretary Garvey Presley is serving the last year of his term.

Williams has appointed and is seeking city council’s approval for three people to replace the members with expired terms. Her appointments are Deborah Robinson, Joseph Link and Karen Balaban.

At the council meeting, Williams explained her decision to replace board members by saying it was time for “new, fresh, experienced, skill-based” people. Recently she’s been working to fill all city boards, not just CRW’s, she told TheBurg.

However, during public comment, Kurowski, who also owns Harrisburg-based K&W Engineers and Consultants, expressed his concern with a majority replacement of the board.

“The loss of continuity, board stability and institutional knowledge associated with replacing a majority of the board, or frankly just two members, on a five-member board is enormous,” he said. “This takes years. I do this for a living, and it is still complicated and complex every single day.”

At a council meeting last month, Enders echoed Kurowski’s comments, sharing his concern over the majority board replacement, during public comment. To preserve the board’s institutional knowledge, both members asked council to stagger the new appointments.

The three new appointees to the board have experience in law, engineering and human resources, according to the city. Balaban has been an attorney for over 40 years. Link is a retired professional engineer and former city engineer for Harrisburg. Robinson has 50 years of experience in administrative services and currently serves as the special assistant to the business administrator for the city.

According to city Solicitor Neil Grover, Robinson would not be the first city employee to also serve on a city board, as it is legally allowed.

However, Kurowski believes that, with the appointment of three new members at once, with one being a city employee, “optically, it’s going to be received as a takeover.” That, he said, could affect relationships with CRW stakeholders, such as PENNVEST, bondholders and governmental agencies.

Recently, the CRW board approved an amended agreement with several governmental bodies, including the state Department of Environmental Protection, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department, over an amended, long-negotiated plan to reduce pollutants flowing into area waterways.

During the council meeting, Williams also claimed that current board members may have used their roles to benefit themselves.

“It’s time for the ones who have been serving in that capacity for personal gain to now step out and let the new ones come in,” Williams said.

Kurowski responded forcefully to Williams’ comments, asserting that CRW board members adhere to the state’s Ethics Act, which prohibits personal financial gain.

“When people want to start tossing things out, implying and impugning board members for potential wrongdoing and personal gain, they better be specific, they better have examples,” he said. “It is offensive on every single level that somebody thinks they’re going to impugn me or my colleagues who have volunteered thousands of hours at no pay.”

When asked by TheBurg what she was referencing with her comment, Williams declined to give examples.

Moving forward, city council will need to vote on the three appointments and, if approved, will need to decide which seat each candidate will fill.

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Harrisburg Police Bureau swears in seven new officers at ceremony

September 7, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Mayor Wanda Williams and Police Commissioner Thomas Carter swore in seven new officers on Wednesday at Whitaker Center.

After a months-long selection process, the Harrisburg Police Bureau has several new officers joining its ranks.

Mayor Wanda Williams and Police Commissioner Thomas Carter swore in seven officers on Wednesday, acknowledging the important, yet difficult role they were stepping into.

“I’d like to welcome the seven new officers on a career that is so satisfying,” Carter said. “Policing isn’t easy. It’s becoming harder, but they answered the call.”

The new hires bring the complement of officers in the bureau to 136, according to Deputy Chief Dennis Sorensen.

The new officers include:

Nathan E. Carr
Tyler J. Glunt
Ernell R. Harley
Andrew K. Jones
Zachary A. Mateer
Michael T. McDevitt
Jakob C. Werner

Additionally, officer Anthony Cummings was promoted to detective at the ceremony, which was held at Whitaker Center.

The new officers will complete six months of police academy training before starting with the bureau. Two have already begun training at HACC, and five will soon start training with Temple University.

“It feels good,” said new officer McDevitt of his swearing in. “It’s a relief after a long process.”

At the ceremony, Williams spoke about the responsibility of the officers to serve the community and the city’s expectations for their conduct.

“The journey starts today, and we are watching in the city of Harrisburg,” she said. “We hold our police to the highest standards of excellence. We cannot wait to see the officers you soon will become.”

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Mission to Rebuild: Central PA church helps Kentucky town after devastating tornado

September 6, 2022 | by Diane McNaughton

A Trinity UMC mission team at work in Mayfield, Ky.

At about 10 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2021, a deadly EF4 tornado struck Mayfield, Ky., upending cars, buildings and lives, and causing catastrophic damage and dozens of casualties.

The small town was essentially destroyed. Homes were swept off their foundations, businesses collapsed into piles of rubble, and cars were tossed into the air and mangled into unrecognizable masses of metal. Hundreds of towering trees were snapped and debarked, and numerous power lines were downed, wiping out the town’s emergency operations center’s ability to transmit radio communications.

About 110 people were left trapped at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory when the tornado tore through that facility, flattening the building to the ground and tossing industrial vehicles. A total of nine employees were killed at the candle factory, and several others were injured.

All in all, 24 deaths were confirmed in Mayfield at the hands of the tornado, according to the Graves County coroner, and many others were injured. The tornado was on the ground for about 200 miles between the Kentucky and Tennessee border, and had a top wind speed of 190 mph.

Tornado damage in Mayfield.

On Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, Sue McFeaters of Susquehanna Township traveled with the Trinity UMC mission team from Lickdale, Pa., to Mayfield, where her team partnered with His House Ministries to build houses for tornado victims.

During her time there, she worked on three sites. On the first site, she completed sub-flooring, put up walls and trusses, and put sheeting on the sides and roof of a house.

At the second site, her team of volunteers laid block and poured concrete foundation, and, at the third site, they poured the footers.

“We had one rainy day, so we worked in the warehouse, building nine walls for future houses. And…I learned how to use a nail gun!” McFeaters joked –a far cry from her office tools as an admissions counselor at Central Penn College in Summerdale.

While McFeaters was working on houses, the townspeople were working alongside her team to rebuild the town’s water tower, which had been totally leveled by the tornado.

She recalled meeting a man named Forrest, who lost his home in the tornado. Forrest had been in bed when the tornado “blew his house down on him and sucked him out of his home,” propelling him three blocks away. He had to wait for someone to find him and then spent three weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

“Our team was grateful to bring a glimpse of hope to this town as they rebuild and put the pieces of their lives back together,” McFeaters said.

In helping a candle factory and a town to shine again, she is reminded of the words of Adlai Stevenson, in describing Eleanor Roosevelt upon her death: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

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