Harrisburg hires consultant in effort to rein in I-83 widening proposal

June 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Aerial view of I-83 in Harrisburg from 19th Street to the Susquehanna River. A PennDOT proposal would double the width of this segment of the highway.

A split Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday night approved hiring an outside consultant to study the proposed expansion of I-83, with an eye towards possibly slimming down the project.

Council voted 5-2 to spend $72,500 to hire Harrisburg-based Kittelson & Associates to conduct a traffic and community impact study of the current state proposal to double the number of lanes running through the city.

The study would review PennDOT’s widening plan, which envisions as many as 12 lanes and new interchanges, and determine whether alternatives exist to reduce the project’s footprint and the impact on the community.

Before the vote, Councilman Westburn Majors said that the city had received a letter from PennDOT stating that it would take into consideration Kittelson’s findings.

“It looks like they’re open to further analysis,” Majors said following the meeting. “They trust Kittelson to be a straight shooter with them.”

At a work session last week, several council members requested such a letter prior to the vote today.

The letter wasn’t enough to sway council President Wanda Williams, who maintained her opposition, which she first publicly expressed at the work session. Before voting no, she reiterated that she believed that the expenditure was a waste—that it ultimately wouldn’t change PennDOT’s plans and that the money would be better used elsewhere.

“I don’t think that the city of Harrisburg should be committing $72,000 when I have potholes all up and down my streets and my pools haven’t opened yet,” she said.

PennDOT’s current widening plan would have a significant impact on areas of South Harrisburg, displacing as many as 28 city residences and 20 businesses.

The city plans to pay for the study from its large fund balance, Mayor Eric Papenfuse has said previously.

In other decisions on Tuesday night, City Council:

Unanimously approved the final land development plan for Harrisburg University’s new academic tower, hotel and restaurant, which allows HU to begin the project at S. 3^rd and Chestnut streets.
Voted 4-3 against the appointment of Franchon Beeks as the city’s new director of Housing and Development.
Voted 5-2 for the appointment of David Baker as the city’s new director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities.
Unanimously passed a resolution closing several “paper” streets (streets that exist only on paper) on the future site of the state Archives building near N. 6^th and Hamilton streets.
Unanimously passed a resolution supporting U.S. congressional efforts to enact the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019.

From the Mud: Rapper Geniuz rhymes to put Harrisburg on the music map

June 11, 2019 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Andu Desbele, aka Geniuz

A lot of people call Andu Desbele soft-spoken. He disagrees, but there might be some truth to it. There’s such a gentleness to his voice, it’s hard to imagine him being able to speak over a crowded room, let alone perform in front of one.

But, when he is on stage under his rap name “Geniuz” a different side of him comes alive.

“I am more vicious, I get to unleash more.” he said. “I can jump around, dance, do crazy stuff, throw shirts and everything I feel like doing. I get to get that energy up.”

The 22-year-old rapper has “unleashed” at multiple venues in and around Harrisburg. According to Desbele, all of his songs reflect moments of his life.

“[My music] is very reflective of my issues with being poor, and not having money when I wanted it, having a broken heart,” he said. “That fuels a person to do a lot of different things. For me, it was writing.”

Desbele fell into music during a cypher, a freestyle rap battle, with some of his friends when he was 14. Though they were mostly all rookies, Desbele might have been the rookie of the rookies since he barely listened to rap music before entering the ring. Most of the lines in the cypher were aimed at the other’s hairline or outfit. Still, Desbele felt the start of something.

After that, he dove into his music, writing rhymes whenever he had time and recording them on his laptop. According to Desbele, no one believed him when he told people he wanted to pursue rap until a year later, when he was chosen to participate in BET’s “Next Hit” in North Carolina.

For the first time, Desbele got to work with other established and emerging artists, record in a studio and send a professional email (which, at 15, was a huge accomplishment).

Since then, Desbele has been working the underground Harrisburg music scene. He performed at several locations such as Little Amps, the Harrisburg Improv Theatre and the Underground Bike Shop. His favorite thing about the Harrisburg music scene is the grittiness of the artists and how they are fighting to make a name for themselves and their city.

“We don’t have any big, Harrisburg rappers to put our name on the map. We’re really coming up with our own studios, our own venues,” he said. “The sound is so unique and everything’s just from the mud, and everyone is just trying to do everything by themselves and not by the book.”

Desbele is currently cultivating artists for his new music group Naomi17. The goal is to have the music group established in the next few months.

In 10 years, he plans to be in the later years of his music career and branching out into other venues such as television or comic books. But, he promises the music will never stop.

“I’m probably never going to retire, I’m just going to slow down a lot,” he said. “Music will always be a heavy presence in what I do.”

Check out the music yourself at soundcloud.com/geniuz717. Follow him on social media @Geniuz717 and @N17worldwide.

This story is one in a series of local musician profiles in celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month.

Judge issues order preventing Harrisburg school board from acting on contracts

June 10, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district’s Administration Building

A Dauphin County judge has issued an order preventing the Harrisburg school board from unilaterally entering into new contracts, including a settlement with Premier Charter School.

Judge William Tully issued the order late Friday, following a hearing in his courtroom, but the order was just made public this morning. It bars the board from entering into binding obligations without the express consent of the state’s representative to the district, Chief Recovery Officer Janet Samuels.

The order states that “. . . the [school] board is enjoined from binding the district to new—or terminating existing—commitments, obligations, or expenditure of resources, including by amending, altering or entering into any contracts for goods or services (including the hiring or contracting of personnel), unless such action is done with the written consent of the Chief Recovery Officer as being consistent with the 2016 Amended Recovery Plan . . . .”

The final sentence of the order specifically prevents the board from “entering into any settlement authorizing the granting of a charter to Premier Charter School.”

Last week, the board hastily scheduled a “special” meeting, which Tully stopped by issuing an injunction as the meeting’s private executive session was occurring. At that meeting, the board was to consider voting on a settlement with Premier Charter School, which would have allowed the school to continue operating, despite the board denying it a charter renewal last year.

The meeting also was called to discuss a variety of personnel issues, which district critics feared included entering into contracts with Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and Solicitor James Ellison.

On Friday, Tully held a hearing that revealed that Thursday night’s school board meeting would have taken up the issue of a settlement with Premier Charter School. According to Tully, Samuels had not been made aware of the proposed settlement.

In its petition for placing the school district into state receivership, the state Department of Education has recommended that Samuels be named the district’s receiver.

“Shouldn’t you have discussed the settlement with your CRO and possible receiver?” Tully asked Ellison during the court hearing on Friday.

Tully also criticized the school district for calling the special meeting so suddenly and then posting the agenda, which made no mention of the proposed settlement, just hours before the meeting was to occur.

“That timetable had a smell to it,” Tully said.

The hearing on the district entering into state receivership is slated for June 17.

“Painted Journey”: PA Watercolor Society opens exhibit at Brain Vessel

June 10, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

My personal 3rd in the Burg arrived early this month, and the “burg” got switched to Mechanicsburg. That’s accurate in that an art reception was held at Brain Vessel on the Carlisle Pike last weekend, but don’t despair. Harrisburg’s monthly 3rd arrives as scheduled on June 21.

Nothing evokes summer more than a wistful watercolor painting that engages a symphony of colors. So, it was appropriate that the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s board of directors opened their exhibit, “Along the Painted Journey.”

The board’s Debra Kreiger graciously guided me around the gallery for the grand tour of watercolors. A knowledgeable host, she has a personal connection to the gallery, as she is one of the co-owner’s mothers. In the background, the jazz duo of Rhoads and Putt provided the perfect seasonal sounds, sharing standards with a twist on electric guitars. The society’s Walker family was well represented—John, Virginia and Johnny. Rounding out the board of 12 were artists Donna Barlup, Jeannine Swartz, Pam Wenger, Linda Young, Helen Canfield, Eric Miller, Gay Dunn and Caryn Husowech.

Barlup is also a past president of the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters, and her works have also been well represented in “Art of the State,” the annual juried exhibition at the Pennsylvania State Museum. She and her fellow artists embrace the challenges created by watercolors, approaching their next work with planned precision as exacting execution determines the finished result.

Perhaps one of the most challenging mediums in the art compendium, watercolor painting, in its best representation, proves that focused attention to detail and a steady hand are paramount to success. Watercolorists’ lives are defined by beauty and passion, chasing ethereal eloquence on archival paper with brush in hand.

Speaking of challenging—on hand for the show was Roni Dietrich, who has specialized in the artistic endeavor of scrimshaw for 40 years. In case you’re not familiar, scrimshaw is the adornment of whalebone and walrus tusks with carved or colored designs. Her work has been featured at galleries in Maine and Rhode Island, as well as in art journals and national publications.

It makes sense that Dietrich is a house artist at Brain Vessel, since, as one pulls up to the building on the Carlisle Pike, piracy immediately comes to mind. Romance of the high seas is visibly present with a rusted ship’s anchor at the entrance to the gallery.

The brainchild of Doug Koozer and Jason Kreiger, Brain Vessel opened in 2013 and is known for incorporating their love and legacy of high-seas hijinks, branding its way onto a buccaneer’s bounty of treasures. It’s on playing cards, collectible coins, dice and tooled leather coasters, among other objects, all carrying a nautical theme. Brain Vessel’s own creations mark just the beginning of an adventure-worthy visit through a gallery that highlights artists’ works through showings and classes.

Brain Vessel houses a pirate’s plunder of products for adorning the home, from fine art to one-of-a-kind, out-sized sculptures. Woven baskets, pottery, turned wooden vessels, hand-cast jewelry, teas and botanical honeys complete the flagship’s first floor. With another studio gallery below deck and a sumptuous garden out back, I recommend allowing an hour or so just to navigate the “vessel” and experience the adventure in its complete package.

The real genius of Brain Vessel is its ability to cross-pollinate both merchandise and ideas with other central Pennsylvania merchants and businesses. This creates a network that helps all in the way of maximum exposure. By breathing life into a vision of their client’s needs, Brain Vessel creates a polished product uniquely its own, solidly establishing an identifiable brand that cements an intangible idea with a real commodity. No mad scientist here, but true genius, capable of executing an idea to its desired end.

Brain Vessel Gallery is located at 4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg. For more information visit https://brainvessel.com/ or their Facebook page.

The Week That Was: A summary of news and features around Harrisburg

June 7, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A meeting of the Harrisburg school board

It was a big news week in and around Harrisburg this past week. Here are some of the stories and features you may have missed.

Harrisburg City Council reacted warmly to Harrisburg University’s plan for a 17-story downtown tower. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg school district is set for a state takeover, as PA Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera filed a petition to place the district into receivership. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg school district played a bit of a cat-and-mouse game with the state Department of Education, which acted several times to prevent the school board from entering into new contracts ahead of a hearing on possible receivership. For the story, click here, here and here.

Lancaster’s Jonathan Burns appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” bringing his twisty routine to a national audience. Click here for the full story.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore’s stage is the scene of “Drag Storytime,” a national trend that has come to Harrisburg. Click here for the feature story.

PennDOT’s plan to wide I-83 is opposed by Harrisburg, but should the city spend money to try to influence the final design? City Council seems divided on the issue. Click here for the full story.

Sara Bozich has more than 100 ideas for things to do during this early summer weekend. Click here for her full list.

“Free Shakespeare in the Park” opened last weekend, and our reviewer recommends that you catch the annual production in Reservoir Park, this year featuring “Much Ado About Nothing.” Click here for her review.

Additional stories from TheBurg over the past week:

Ephraim Slaughter was one of the last surviving veterans of the Civil War, and his ancestors now carry on his legacy in Harrisburg.

Music is a big part of our lives in the Harrisburg area, and our music columnist shares her can’t-miss shows for the month in her monthly “Musical Notes” column.

Urban Churn has some of the best craft ice cream you’ll ever taste, and now, with a new shop, you can walk right in.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here.

Judge expected to issue order barring Harrisburg school board from entering into contracts

June 7, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district administration building

A Dauphin County judge is expected to issue an order stopping the Harrisburg school district from entering into certain contracts without the express consent of the district’s chief recovery officer.

At an hourlong court hearing on Friday afternoon, Judge William Tully said he was prepared to issue an order that would prevent the school board from acting on certain contracts and other legally binding matters, in anticipation of a June 17 hearing that could place the district into state receivership.

Tully seemed to reject the principal argument of district Solicitor James Ellison, who said that, even if the school board entered into contracts over the next couple of weeks, those contracts potentially could be unwound if the district were placed into receivership.

Tully, however, pointed out that that undoing those contracts would require litigation, which would end up unnecessarily costing the taxpayers of Harrisburg.

“That’s why this injunction is probably going to be granted, because that’s where the harm is,” Tully said.

He indicated that he would draft the order to allow the district to enter into contracts only with the explicit approval of Dr. Janet Samuels, the district’s chief recovery officer.

Last Monday, education Secretary Pedro Rivera filed a petition with the court requesting a three-year state receivership and asking that Samuels be named the receiver. The hearing on the petition is slated for June 17, and Tully then has 10 days to approve or deny it.

Immediately after the petition was filed, the current school board called a special meeting for unspecified “personnel” matters, leading some to believe that the board wanted to quickly pass long-term contracts for the district superintendent and solicitor.

Today, Tully also called into question Ellison’s reasoning for that special meeting, which was stopped last night after Tully issued a temporary injunction to prevent it from happening before today’s hearing.

Ellison said that the meeting was called so the board could approve a potential settlement with Premier Arts & Sciences Charter School, which would allow the threatened school to continue operating, and, in the process, approve a smattering of faculty contracts.

Tully, though, was not satisfied with that answer. He cited the board’s repeated reliance on special meetings, its alleged lack of transparency and the fact that the agenda for the special meeting was posted just hours before it was to occur.

“That timetable had a smell to it,” Tully said.

Today’s hearing also brought to light that the state’s petition for receivership is likely to be granted. Tully described the state’s burden of proof as a “low bar” to meet, as state law allows for receivership unless the judge determines that the request is “arbitrary” or “capricious.”

As the hearing ended, the crowd of about 50 people broke into applause with the belief that the judge would grant the emergency order preventing the school district from entering into contracts.

“I am extremely pleased,” said Jayne Buchwach, who, last month, won the Democratic nomination for a school board seat. “And I don’t feel badly for Mr. Ellison.”

Lancaster’s Jonathan Burns is funny, bendy and clearly has talent

June 7, 2019 | by Hanna Martin

Jonathan Burns performing on “America’s Got Talent”

Jonathan Burns first appeared on TV trapped inside of a zipped suitcase.

During his audition for NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” which aired on Tuesday, Burns proceeded to squeeze his entire body through both a toilet seat and a tennis racket.

It’s no wonder that the Lancaster resident has trouble explaining his unique comedy act to people.

“One of the reasons that it’s hard to describe what I do is because I try to be different,” Burns said. “I want to do my own thing and not be like anything else. I think that’s the artist in me trying to create something new and different for the audience to experience.”

His love of performing started when he was young. Originally from Johnstown, Burns, a self-described “weird kid,” said he always enjoyed performing in magic, contortionism and comedy. In gym class, he was the king of armpit fart competitions, and impressed his friends by bending his body in peculiar ways.

When Burns was in middle school, a magic shop opened near his house, and he spent hours learning the tricks of the trade. While his friends started getting normal first jobs at grocery stores or the local diner, he was booking gigs at birthday parties and retirement homes.

However, Burns wasn’t always a comedian. When he was first starting out in magic, he said that he tried to be serious, but “with this face, it didn’t work” — instead of getting the “wow” response he was looking for, he got laughs. He embraced the humor.

“Now, I get a wide array of wows, laughs and even amazement,” he said.

And that’s the reaction Burns got when he appeared on televisions across America on the June 4 airing of “America’s Got Talent.” Although he has been a full-time performer for 15 years and had considered auditioning on the show before, it just had never felt like the right time.

That is, until a friend who was a veteran of the show strongly encouraged him to try. During his audition, Burns hopped around the stage with funky dance moves in a tracksuit, throwing glitter and squeezing his body through various objects in creative ways.

The judges loved him, and he proceeded to the next round.

“Starting as a kid, I would perform for like five people in my kitchen, and now I’m on television in front of millions of people, which is pretty great,” Burns said.

Burns graduated from Millersville University in 2004 with a degree in art education. He said that he found “his people” at the art program and loved the encouragement to be creative.

“I still use things that I learned at Millersville every day in my act,” he said.

Burns is excited to continue to share his many creative talents, saying it felt great to hear the judges say “yes,” advancing him to the next round. And although he hopes to wow people in the future, he still has one main purpose when performing.

“The comedy is my main focus,” he said. “I’m always trying to make people laugh.”

To learn more about Jonathan Burns, visit his website.

Deputies halt Harrisburg school board meeting; judge schedules hearing as state attempts to stop action on contracts

June 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district administration building

Two Dauphin County sheriff’s deputies marched up to the second floor of the school district administration building to serve a temporary order to stop the school board from entering into any contracts during a meeting on Thursday night.

The board was in the middle of its private executive session when the deputies delivered the order, which forbade the district from “taking any action to bind the District to new — or terminate existing — commitments, obligations or expenditures of resources . . .”, thus halting the public portion of the meeting.

A hearing will now be held Friday afternoon at the Dauphin County courthouse on a motion filed today by the state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera.

In that motion, Rivera wants to halt all contractual decisions by the district until Judge William Tully decides whether or not to grant Rivera’s petition, filed Monday, to place the Harrisburg district into state-controlled receivership. That hearing is scheduled for June 17.

“The board should not be permitted to enter into or terminate existing contracts during this interim period with the Petition pending, impacting a receiver’s ability to effect meaningful change,” according to today’s court motion.

The school board had scheduled a special meeting for tonight to discuss unspecified “personnel” issues, which many believe could include action on several long-term contracts, including for the district superintendent and the solicitor.

“The disingenuous nature of the board’s actions here is illustrated by the vague description of its June 6 meeting which, by its own terms, could literally encompass anything,” according to the motion [bold and emphasis are contained in the motion].

In his response, school district Solicitor James Ellison stated that “there is no legal basis whatsoever for infringing upon or limiting their [school board’s] actions as the Secretary requests.”

On Monday, Rivera petitioned the court to place the Harrisburg district into receivership, citing numerous alleged failures on the part of the current school administration and board. The hearing was originally slated for tomorrow, but was pushed up 10 days.

State files motion to stop Harrisburg school board from granting contracts

June 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district’s administration building

The state secretary of education has filed an emergency motion aimed at stopping the Harrisburg school district from entering into new contracts, just hours before the school board is scheduled to meet in special session.

Secretary Pedro Rivera this afternoon filed an emergency motion for an injunction “to preserve the status quo,” in anticipation that the board would vote tonight on long-term contracts for the school superintendent and solicitor.

Rivera wants to halt all contractual decisions by the district until county Judge William Tully decides whether or not to grant Rivera’s petition to place the Harrisburg district into state-controlled receivership. That hearing is scheduled for June 17.

As of this posting, Tully had not taken action on the injunction motion.

The school board has scheduled a special meeting for tonight to discuss unspecified “personnel issues,” which many believe could include action on several long-term contracts.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

June 6, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Tonight! Join us at ABC for the launch of their newly renovated deck! On Friday, I’m at Shy Bear Brewing for a screening of Poured — maybe it’s a good night for a mini road trip? Saturday feels like a Market Day (and then just relaxing), and we’ll cap the weekend with swim lessons on Sunday.

What are you doing this weekend?

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Happy Weekend!

What are you doing this weekend?

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