Court action may delay Harrisburg school board appointment for months

February 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The Harrisburg school district’s Lincoln administration building

It may be months before Harrisburg residents learn who will be the newest member of the district’s school board, as a court hearing in the matter isn’t slated to take place until late April.

Court of Common Pleas Judge John McNally has scheduled an April 23 court date to hear a citizen’s group response to a petition supporting Ralph Rodriguez, a city resident who wants to fill the vacant seat.

The group known as Concerned about the Children of Harrisburg (CATCH) responded to the petition filed on Jan. 24 on behalf of Rodriguez. As part of its response, CATCH asked the court to appoint its own preferred candidate, Cornelius Chachere.

This petition response appears to have triggered a series of events that will take several months to resolve.

CATCH now has until Feb. 21 to file its answer to Rodriguez’s petition, followed by 45 days for discovery and an April 23 court hearing.

Jayne Buchwach, a member of CATCH, said that her group opted to respond to Rodriguez’s petition, as opposed to filing an original petition in support of Chachere, after they saw that Rodriguez’s supporters had filed first.

“The response states our objections,” she said. “It also tells the court—this is who we think should be on it.”

The response touts Chachere’s qualifications and, like an original petition would, asks the court to appoint him.

“Respondents say that Mr. Chachere is the most qualified candidate that has expressed interest in being appointed by the Court for the existing vacancy on the HSD Board of Directors,” according to CATCH’s response.

To add further complexity to this issue, former school board Director James Thompson also has filed a petition with the court for the seat. Technically, this makes four candidates for the seat: Rodriguez, Chachere, Thompson and Marva Brown. In their petition, Rodriguez’s supporters mention that appointing Brown also would be acceptable to them.

The board seat became empty following the Dec. 16 death of school board Director Melvin Wilson. The remaining board members, split between Rodriguez and Chachere, failed to muster a majority of five votes to replace Wilson within a 30-day time period, throwing the matter to the court.

Buchwach said that she wasn’t concerned about having only eight members on the board for an extended period.

“The board is contentious,” she said. “So, having eight there or nine there—it really doesn’t matter.”

Meanwhile, five of the nine school board seats will be up this election this year. Next week, on Feb. 19, candidates can begin circulating nominating petitions to run. Completed petitions are due by March 12. The primary election is May 21.

CATCH has vowed to put up its own slate of candidates for the board seats.

E-sports organization selects Harrisburg as host city for 2019 convention

February 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

HU President Eric Darr speaks during today’s press conference announcing the 2019 NACE convention.

First, Harrisburg got an e-sports team; now it’s getting an e-sports convention.

This summer, the city will host the 2019 National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Conference, a three-day gathering that will attract 300 to 400 university-level administrators, directors, coaches and others associated with the quickly growing field of e-sports.

At a press conference today at Whitaker Center, NACE Executive Director Michael Brooks said that Harrisburg was selected from more than 100 applicants to be the host city.

“Harrisburg University’s exceptional e-sports program and state-of-the-art facilities made Harrisburg a natural fit,” he said. “The city and surrounding community have been unwavering in their support of e-sports with HU really leading the charge.”

The conference, which takes place, July 17-19, will tackle a variety of subject areas related to e-sports, such as facilities, capabilities, scholarships and legislation, Brooks said. Events will take place primarily at Harrisburg University and at Whitaker Center, which houses the practice and competition areas for HU’s e-sports team, the Storm.

“You’re seeing Harrisburg emerge as a hub for e-sports,” said HU President Eric Darr. “This doesn’t happen without community support and community engagement.”

At 130,000 square feet in total, HU and Whitaker Center have the largest e-sports venue in North America, said Ted Black, Whitaker Center’s executive director.

“This facility doesn’t exist anywhere else in North America,” he said

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that all the players—the city, Dauphin County, HU and Whitaker Center—worked hard to bring the convention to Harrisburg.

“They’re coming here because of our parks . . . because of our facilities, because of our restaurants,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to hosting the convention this summer.”

Last year, the convention was held in Atlanta.

At the press conference today, Darr added that HU plans to host the second annual Harrisburg University Esports Festival later this year. Last year, the inaugural HUE Fest featured a weekend of e-sports tournaments, a block party and a day of music.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

February 14, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovers!

We have a bunch of recommendations from you, including how to celebrate at home, a millennial-friendly budget version, and cocktails to attempt. I’m making heart-shaped pasta I bought at Aldi, opening some good wine, and binging the rest of Russian Dolls. We’re actually going out for dinner on Saturday because I a) am a big fat liar, and b) never get to do anything.

Friday is 3rd in the Burg, which is a fun way to celebrate the love for Harrisburg, your friends, and sweetheart. See below for what’s going on.

What are you doing this weekend?

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A story of heroism, remorse (and a tank), coming soon to Midtown Scholar.

February 13, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Next week, you may see an unusual sight in Midtown Harrisburg: a Sherman tank parked right on N. 3^rd Street.

Don’t worry—it won’t be there in any official capacity.

The demilitarized tank will serve as an apt prop to help illustrate the life of Army veteran Cpl. Clarence Smoyer, whose life is recounted in a new book, “Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II.”

The 95-year-old Smoyer, a coal country native, will be on hand at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, along with the author, Adam Makos, and the tank’s owner, Gettysburg resident and collector Frank Buck.

“We’re very excited they’ve chosen Harrisburg for the book launch,” said bookstore Manager Alex Brubaker. “Originally, they were going to launch in Washington, D.C., but they got such a response from Pennsylvania, where Smoyer is from, that they shifted it to here.”

The book recounts Smoyer’s experience as one of the war’s premier tank gunners, known for his uncanny accuracy, according to the book.

Following the near-disastous Battle of the Bulge, Smoyer’s 3rd Armored Division was given a new weapon, the state-of-the-art Pershing tank, just one of 20 deployed in the European theater.

Soon, Smoyer’s unit led the invasion into Cologne, Germany’s “fortress city,” in the largest urban battle of the European war, much of it caught on film by a U.S. Army combat cameraman. For this, he earned the nickname, “Hero of Cologne,” destroying a German Panther tank right at the Cologne Cathedral.

Smoyer’s unit also was featured in the 2014 film “Fury,” which starred actor Brad Pitt and told of the unit’s role in the final days of the war, deep inside Nazi Germany.

In 2012, working off a tip, the book’s author, Makos, found Smoyer living in Allentown, one of the last living members of his unit. He then learned of the latter-day friendship Smoyer had forged with his long-ago enemy—a German soldier behind the gun of an opposing Panzer IV tank.

Makos also learned of the deep remorse that Smoyer felt for the fate of a young German woman, Katharina Esser, whose accidental death during the Battle of Cologne was filmed, footage that Smoyer had watched repeatedly and that had rekindled horrible memories from the war. Smoyer eventually returned to Cologne, where he met the woman’s family, the visit featured recently on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

“This is such a great story,” Brubaker said. “It’s so special that they’re coming right here to the bookstore to launch this book.”

Clarence Smoyer and Adam Makos will appear and sign books on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. The tank will be parked outside of the bookstore. For more information, visit www.midtownscholar.com.

First Stop, Harrisburg: Fetterman kicks off statewide “listening tour” for recreational cannabis.

February 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman listened as Dauphin County residents spoke up on the legalization of recreational marijuana.

A packed room and dozens of speakers greeted Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in Harrisburg tonight, as he kicked off his statewide listening tour on the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana.

Despite a snowy evening and long security lines, some 300 people filed into the auditorium of the Harrisburg Jewish Community Center for the first of 67 such events, as Fetterman begins to wind his way through every county in the commonwealth.

For about two hours, Fetterman, joined on stage by state Rep. Patty Kim, listened patiently and respectfully as speaker after speaker rose either in support of or in opposition to the proposal, often sharing with him emotional stories from their lives.

One young man named Darryl said that he was arrested and jailed for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and now can’t find a full-time job because of those convictions.

“That’s why I’m struggling so badly, because of a stupid possession charge,” he said. “It’s time to end this.”

To that end, a few speakers recommended not only legalization but expungement of criminal records for those previously convicted.

Les Stark, executive director of Reading-based Keystone Cannabis Coalition, a pro-legalization advocacy group, said that, in Pennsylvania, about 25,000 people a year are arrested for marijuana possession.

“How many lives have been ruined in Harrisburg alone?” he asked. “Over the next 10 years, will we ruin the lives of 250,000 more Pennsylvania citizens?”

Several speakers identified themselves as users of medical marijuana, which is legal, and testified to the effectiveness of cannabis for treating their conditions.

One man said he was a disabled veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The use of marijuana, he said, has helped relieve his anxiety and is a better choice for treating pain than opioids.

“My life has been changed for the better,” he said. “I can’t say more emphatically that I am for this.”

While most attendees spoke in favor of legalization, some did not.

Several speakers said they feared that legalizing recreational marijuana would lead to greater threats to public safety—from the potential of more car accidents to the possible greater use of harsher drugs.

“My main concern is that I have a grandchild turning 16,” said one man. “My concern is that I believe recreational marijuana is a mind-controlling substance. I’m afraid for her to be driving out on the highway when some other driver’s mind is being controlled by marijuana.”

A few speakers cited their experiences in Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012. One woman said that her sister, a Colorado resident, has complained that marijuana use there has become ubiquitous, while a man, who said he supports legalization, said that Pennsylvania should study and learn from the Colorado experience, which, he said, has been mostly positive.

“On the bad side, does it get into the hands of teens?” he said. “Yes, it gets into the hands of teens.”

Other speakers accused the state of wanting to legalize recreational marijuana as a revenue-raising tool.

“I’m not against medical marijuana, but I am against use of recreational marijuana,” said one man. “I believe the administration just wants to create a new revenue source to tax and spend.”

Throughout the lengthy event, Fetterman said little from his seat on the stage, listening attentively as people spoke their minds.

At one point, he asked would-be speakers to allow a woman, who was holding an infant, to move to the front of the long line. The woman, who said she drove in from Hummelstown, offered a moving story about surviving AIDS then, relatively late in life, giving birth to her baby.

“Medical cannabis helped me survive by the skin of my teeth,” she said. “It can’t be denied to others.”

The listening tour continues on Tuesday at the Newport Public Library in Perry County, then, on Wednesday, moves on to Cumberland County to American Legion Post 109 in Mechanicsburg.

For Fetterman tonight, it was one county down, 66 to go.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

February 7, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

A chiller weekend but not chilled. I could really go for some wings one night, I think.

While Saturday morning is for my usual routine and football is officially closed for the season, we’re excited to hang with friends Saturday night and have zero on the schedule for Sunday.

What are you doing this weekend?

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More Murals Please: 2019 HBG Mural Fest planned for late summer.

February 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

One of the many murals painted during the first HBG Mural Fest in 2017.

Two summers ago, Harrisburg became a far more colorful city, as 18 murals sprung up in the downtown and Midtown neighborhoods.

Now, the group responsible for this surge of large scale, outdoor art is planning a repeat performance, as Sprocket Mural Works has begun organizing the 2019 HBG Mural Fest.

So, the call is out for sponsors, artists and volunteers, with a goal of mounting another 10 murals over 10 days in the late summer.

“We would like to fill in the gaps of our mural trail,” said co-organizer Megan Caruso. “We want to fill in the gaps so we can have a more mural-dense area.”

The trail, Caruso said, begins near the Harrisburg train station and runs for about two miles roughly up 3rd Street, with some additional stops in Shipoke and along the river walk. She said that, while the first HBG Mural Fest laid a great foundation, more density is needed so that people easily can walk from one mural to another.

A mural takes shape during the first HBG Mural Fest.

Caruso said that she’d like to follow the example of Philadelphia, whose mural trail has become a true tourist attraction.

“In Harrisburg, people could get off the train and start their tour right there,” she said, adding that she’d also like to mount at least one mural on Allison Hill. “We want Harrisburg to be a mural-dense city, so they have to be concentrated.”

Sprocket’s impact on tourism has already been noted, as Visit Hershey & Harrisburg last year honored Sprocket with one of its annual tourism awards, “The Best New Event Award.”

This year, the Mural Fest will begin on Aug. 30 and will culminate with a block party on State Street downtown on Gallery Walk day, Sept. 8. Like in 2017, the 10-day festival will include many accompanying events, such as receptions, a community paint day, a bike tour and educational events.

In 2017, the greatest spectacle may have been watching the world-class artists go about their work, as crowds of people gathered around as the murals took shape. Caruso expects the same this year.

“People love to watch the art come to life,” she said.

According to Caruso, Sprocket is still in the process of signing up sponsors for the murals, so they welcome additional support from the community. So far, sponsors include companies such as LCSWMA and Premier Eye Care Group.

Caruso said that the 2017 event exceeded her expectations. Although 10 murals were planned, the group ended up painting 18.

“Hopefully, we’ll stick to 10 murals this year!” she said.

The 2019 HBG Mural Fest will run Aug. 30 to Sept. 8. For more information, including how to become a sponsor, donate or volunteer, visit www.sprocketmuralworks.com.

Disclosure: Megan Caruso is creative director for TheBurg.

Photos for Dani Fresh.

Harrisburg police demonstrate new protective gear, following donation from UPMC Pinnacle

February 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter introduced the bureau’s new protective gear, featured on the table.

Harrisburg police today showed off a pile of new protective gear, equipment it purchased with a grant from UPMC Pinnacle.

At a press conference this morning, the city’s police bureau shared samples of new vests, helmets and steel plates, part of about 120 pieces of protective gear that will help protect officers from lethal, high-caliber weapons, according to police Commissioner Thomas Carter.

In total, UPMC Pinnacle donated more than $40,000 for the equipment purchase. That figure includes about $20,000 raised last June from the “3.2 to Protect the Blue” race, which was organized by UPMC Pinnacle emergency room nurses, with the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation donating much of the remainder.

“I had no idea of the dedication and love that these people showed our officers,” said Carter, flanked by UPMC nurses and Harrisburg police officers.

The new gear includes 60 helmets, 40 “body armor level 3 ballistic” protective vests with steel plates and 20 additional steel plates, which can be inserted into the vests. The purchase was made through Royersford, Pa.-based Body Armor Megastore, which contributed another 10 armor body vest sets.

Carter said that the need for the equipment arose last year following the death of U.S. Deputy Marshal Christopher Hill during a raid on a house in Allison Hill. The bureau realized that its helmets and vests were not adequate to protect against today’s powerful firearms, he said.

“UPMC Pinnacle ED [emergency department] physicians and nurses have a great bond with the Harrisburg Police Department,” said Kathy Hogan-Flinn, nursing director of emergency services at UPMC Pinnacle. “Upon learning that they needed money to purchase protective trauma vests and equipment, our nurses sprang into action, and the ‘3.2 to Protect the Blue’ was born.”

Deputy Police Chief Deric Moody said that his officers will not wear the equipment regularly, but will keep it nearby in case it’s needed.

“The equipment will remain in vehicles most times,” he said. “If an officer is dispatched to a threat, they will have it on really quick.”

After the press conference, Mayor Eric Papenfuse stressed that the equipment was not the full body armor “riot gear” that the bureau requested in 2017, after high-profile clashes throughout the city between “anti-Sharia” protestors and “antifa” counter-protestors. That gear was already purchased following a $68,000 allocation from City Council, he said.

Both Harrisburg and UPMC Pinnacle representatives today said that they hoped the gear would help prevent gun-related injuries and deaths among officers.

“They see the tragic effect of gun violence in our country,” Papenfuse said, of the UPMC Pinnacle emergency room nurses. “So, they banded together.”

In hearing, Harrisburg school district lays out concerns with charter school application

February 5, 2019 | by Maddie Crocenzi

PA STEAM Academy charter school hopes to open in this building in Midtown Harrisburg.

Harrisburg school district administrators tonight presented their assessments of an application for a proposed charter school, asking the school’s founders about everything from financing to curriculum.

The Pennsylvania STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Academy submitted the application in November and presented it to the Harrisburg school board at a public hearing in January.

The school hopes to open later this year in the historic Midtown 2 (Evangelical Press) building at N. 3^rd and Reily streets, which is currently occupied by HACC.

Tonight, district administrators questioned various aspects of the charter school’s application.

The first presenter, Chief Academic Officer Jaimie Foster, focused her report on curriculum, assessment and school design. She highlighted what she perceived to be the school’s lack of a professional development calendar and written curriculum for science, social studies and Spanish.

Other presenters included Director of Special Education Yolanda Goodwin-Humphrey, Coordinator of Assessment, Data and Child Accounting Mary Lou Sypolt, Federal Programs Administrator Damali Brunson-Murray, Interim Director of Human Resources Barbara Richards and Acting Business Manager Bilal Hasan.

Examining the finances of the charter school, Hasan said that he found that expenses exceeded revenue for multiple school years. For the 2022-23 school year, for example, Hasan said that expenses would exceed revenue by more than $31,000.

At first, charter school representatives refuted Hasan’s findings, but later conceded that there were some miscalculations in their data.

Financing, the most significant issue of the night, also carried into the question-and-answer period. Allison Peterson of the Levin Legal Group, representing the school district, asked about such expenses as $50 laptops, $117,000 budgeted for full-time special education and ESL staff and why there was a promissory note, an issue that was left unclear.

At the end of the two-hour-plus-long hearing, Carolyn Dumaresq, a former Pennsylvania secretary of education who is a founding board member of the PA STEAM Academy, thanked administrators for their review and for pointing out “what they believe were some inconsistencies.”

Later, she said that she understood that some areas needed to be clarified. She added that some of the missing information is in the appendices of the application.

She also said that she believed that some questions were “a little unfair,” such as one about the “Future Ready PA Index,” a newly launched state Department of Education measure of school performance. The index wasn’t included in the application because it didn’t come out until after the application was submitted, she said.

“I think that some of the concerns are all answerable,” Dumaresq said. “So, I’m kind of glad that we have the document now, and we can see that.”

The charter school has seven calendar days to submit a concluding document. The document doesn’t need to follow a set form and can include anything the school wants to say about why they believe they meet the requirements of the charter school law. It can’t include any revised documents or supplemental information, but must be based on what the charter school has already submitted.

Dumaresq said the charter school is planning on addressing some of the concerns brought up tonight so the Harrisburg school board can “feel comfortable” that their concerns were satisfied.

There was only one board member present at tonight’s meeting, President Danielle Robinson. The rest were sick or out-of-town. Robinson said she she’d like to see the concluding document and understand the information from both sides before making a decision.

If the school board grants the five-year charter application, the PA STEAM Academy would open at the HACC Midtown 2 Academic Building, 1500 N. 3rd St., in fall 2019 for grades K-2. The school would add a grade of instruction every year, allowing the incoming cohort of 2nd-graders to progress through 6th grade by the time the charter expires in 2024.

HACC currently occupies Midtown 2, but the 15-year lease on the building expires in June 2022, and HACC announced in March that it would not renew it. The college plans to start moving some programs out of the building as early as next year.

As a public charter school, enrollment at PA STEAM Academy would be free, paid for by students’ school districts. Harrisburg students would have first priority for the 120 enrollment slots. If the school received applications for more students than it could serve, it would select students through a lottery system.

Enrollment would only be open to students from other districts if the school could not fill its seats from within Harrisburg.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

January 31, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

OMG how is it still January?? Jimi went me a meme yesterday that was like, “January was a tough year but we made it” but we DIDN’T yet! However, I am celebrating the conclusion — and celebrating making it — of January tonight with a wine dinner at the Hilton with my husband. Literally the last, oh I don’t know 3 times we arranged for a sitter, I’ve either had to cancel or had to come home after an hour, so WE’LL SEE. (I see you, seasoned parents, laughing at me.)

Tomorrow maybe we will maybe we won’t take a field trip to Carlisle. On Saturday, it’s my Broad Street Market and State Museum special, this time with a friend! Later in the afternoon, I’ll be joining Diane McCormick at Midtown Scholar to talk about her new book! Join us!

Sunday is the Super Bowl! Go Rams! Our friends at Big Bottom Brewery have some crazy good specials, especially for dining in and checking out their new brews.

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