We caught some pics and video of Karakung creek (officially Cobbs Creek). About an hour after, the weather service issued a flood warning for Delco: FLOOD WARNING ISSUED APRIL 30 AT 4:27PM EDT UNTIL APRIL 30 AT 9:45PM EDT BY NWS PHILADELPHIA - MOUNT HOLLY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS EXTENDED THE * FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN... BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA... MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA... PHILADELPHIA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA... DELAWARE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA... NORTHERN NEW CASTLE COUNTY IN NORTHERN DELAWARE... CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND... CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA... * UNTIL 945 PM EDT * AT 414 PM EDT...RAINFALL, BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR INCHES, HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA. AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO THREE INCHES IS POSSIBLE INTO THIS EVENING. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RAINFALL WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF HIGHWAYS, STREETS, AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS SUCH AS UNDERPASSES. SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL ALSO RISE ABOVE THEIR BANKS. SOME CREEKS INCLUDE THE MANATAWNY, PERKIOMEN AND IT`S BRANCHES, FRENCH, WISSAHICKON, CHESTER, CRUM, AND THE BRANDYWINE AND IT`S BRANCHES. SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY. … [Read more...]
Friends of Haverford Trails Google Maps Bike Routes
The Friends of Haverford Trails sent out a how-to email with a step-by-step guide using Google Maps to highlight bike routes in the region. Here's how you do it (all quoted from the Friends of Haverford Trails email newsletter): The "Bicycling" layer of Google Maps highlights three types of facilities: readily bikeable trails, dedicated bicycle lanes, and bicycle-friendly roads. The roads indicated on Google Maps are generally selected for casual, local cycling. They avoid major roads with heavy traffic and high speed limits, mainly using pleasant residential “minor” roads that penetrate the neighborhoods, offer parallel alternatives to major roads, cross major roads at the best places, and/or go past parks, schools and other attractions. Roads shown specifically in Haverford Township match those roads, including bikeable major roads, which were identified in the analysis performed by the Haverford Walks and Bike committee and presented to our township's Board of Commissioners in October 2012. If you are a seasoned, experienced cyclist traveling longer distances, you will probably be comfortable on roads beyond those highlighted on the map. If you are not that comfortable with motor traffic, or are looking for a basis for discussion with younger bicyclists, you can use the map as a resource in your decision-making. Note that nearly all minor residential streets within our suburban neighborhoods are generally bike-friendly; we've just shown certain ones that work well as part of a larger network. To begin: Go to maps.google.com . On "Classic" Google Maps: (with a white area to the left of the map) 1. Search on “Haverford Township” or similar area. 2. Move pointer to “Traffic” box at upper right of map. 3. After box expands, click on down arrow. 4. Click on “Bicycling.” On the "New" Google Maps: (the map fills the whole window) 1. Search on “Haverford Township” or similar area. 2. Click on “Bicycling” below the search … [Read more...]
Cheltenham parents asking for later school start
This may come as a shock to most of you, but some of us Townies didn't grow up here. While my family has long historical roots in Haverford Township, I didn't move here until 14 years ago. One thing I loved about HT is the walkability of it (walkscore.com gives the 19083 an outstanding score of 71 out of 100). I grew up in the Poconos where we had to catch a school bus around 6:30 am to get to school by 8:15. That's a very long commute and a brutal rise time, not just for high school but for all 12 years because we attended the catholic school. When I see kids walking to school in the morning, I get flashbacks of seeing re-runs of Happy Days and the Brady Bunch. As far as I knew, only Hollywood had kids that walked to school! But even without those very lengthy bus rides to school, the HT school day still begins earlier than most of us are leaving for work in the morning. I never saw the logic in this. If anything, we could consider at least flipping the start times. The young kids could start at 7:35, as they naturally rise earlier, and the older ones could start at 8:35 or later. After-school activities can become before-school activities for those who are interested. These flipped times correspond better with decades of adolescent psychology and neurology research. Greater Philadelphia area Cheltenham school district is being challenged over the early starts. From CBSnewslocal: CHELTENHAM, Pa. (CBS) - The conversation is still in the very earliest stages, but some parents in a Montgomery County school district are considering asking administrators to change the start time for their high school. Rhonda Feder’s daughter is in 10th grade at Cheltenham High School. Class starts at 7:30. She can’t help but wonder whether her school work is affected because she and other teens may be sleep deprived. Feder started a Facebook page to get input from other parents and says the research is out there that shows a later start date would be beneficial to … [Read more...]
Middle School boys stopped by police under suspicion of firearms
We are asking the HPD for an official statement about this incident. Sara Christiansen, the principal of Chatham Park, sent out a robocall message at 4:18 pm today. Here are some facts: at approximately 3:30 pm many police officers, canine units and inspectors converged on a group of male Haverford Middle School students based on a citizen tip that one of the youths was carrying a weapon. The children were horse playing at some point between the Middle School and Chatham, and the citizen saw what looked to be a gun. It has been confirmed that the weapon was a "toy" (as Ms. Christiansen put it in her message). According to Christiansen, 3 of the youths were taken into custody (they were transported to the police station but they were not under arrest at any time). Ms. Christiansen said at no time were the people or children at Chatham Park in danger. Will keep updates on the site. The toy in question was a popular, realistic and scary-looking spring gun like this: From a distance, the handgun can look like it is made from a light chrome metal, lending the appearance of a real gun. If one is unfamiliar with firearms and toy firearms with bright plastic tips, it is understandable how one can confuse the toy with a lethal weapon. As far as we know, these toys are banned from school premises. We'll keep you updated on this aspect or if the toy guns are banned in this township. Please contact us via our Facebook page or our Contact page here if you have any further questions or statements. UPDATE: April 2, 2014: Havertownies.com spoke with Officer Shant Bedrossian. The order of events seems to mostly jibe with Ms. Christiansen's account. Here are some more details: Citizen from an undisclosed location in Haverford Township spotted a boy with a weapon and tipped off police. Going on description of the boys and general last reported direction, officers stopped the boys at Chatham Park Elementary school. When questioned about the gun, the boys at … [Read more...]
Delco News Round-Up
First let us offer a big apology for not handing out a great April Fool's joke. We missed the boat on that one! (See purplecar.net for a link to some good ol' fashioned Internet gags). If you haven't figured it out already, Havertownies is not the most bleeding-edge breaking news site. We Havertownies used to have a pretty sufficient Patch site, but things over there are a bit dreary with their recent upheavals. There's still News of Delaware County and other local news outlets. Still, we don't make a habit of trolling local news. We do LURVE to troll you all, though... in a good way. We here at HT follow y'all on Twitter, Facebook and G+ to see what you're linking, liking and sharing. That's how we catch a lot of the info we post. Here are some news stories making the rounds that you may have missed: Security guard at Marple Theater fires shots at (we're supposed to say alleged here but they are on tape) robbers in the parking lot UPDATE March 3, 2014: Suspect arrested, former AMC employee Southern Delco teacher faces more molesting charges 2 Paxon Hollow middle schoolers said a driver attempted to get them in a maroon van If you have any more you think need our collective Havertownies attention, please add links in the comments. Stay safe out there, HTies! … [Read more...]
Bomb threat at the High School
Today, Dr. Nesbitt, the principal of Haverford High School sent out a robocall to all of the parents of high school students. The text of the message, about a threat the school received via social media site Twitter, is posted on the Haverford School District website. Here it is in full: Late last night (March 23) a student posted a threatening comment towards the high school on Twitter. The administration worked cooperatively with the Haverford Township Police who visited the student’s home and determined that the threat was not credible. Dr. Nesbitt spoke with the police and the family late last night. All believe the student made an impromptu very bad decision. To add to everyone’s comfort level, the high school had additional staff and police present in the building when school began today. The principal met with the student and parents at 7:15 in the morning and appropriate disciplinary action was initiated. We would like to reiterate that this was a spontaneous posting and that it was not a premeditated, credible threat. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that you should always be careful regarding what messages you post in the online world. Thank you. (Read that over again. It truly is outstanding. It is anti-panic. It is practical. It is a perfect response to a regrettable mistake). Some chatter on Twitter names a student suspected of the threat but we won't repeat the name here. The student might be a minor. Also, the whole incident might be a bit blown out of proportion (by the students, not our excellent and calm-headed authorities), as one student tweet suggests: A few weeks ago, the reported Owen Boss of Patch.com put up a little article wondering if the bomb-threat evacuations that have happened in other parts of the US will happen in Haverford. The article sites the use of anonymous social media application Yik Yak. The offending message containing an alleged bomb threat against Haverford was … [Read more...]
Walgreens stalking the corner of Eagle & Darby
One day about 30 millionz yearz ago when we moved here to H-Town and promptly got our first case of raging poison ivy (Seriously, people, we need to monetize this township's poison ivy. It's industrial grade), we asked all around town for this miracle cure stuff called Zanfel that our neighbors swore by. No store had it, except Katz Pharmacy at the corner of Darby and Eagle Rd. Which meant I had to go in there. Katz was one of "those" businesses. It was the kind of place that just looked... private, like not the kind of place non-townies just strolled into and browsed around. I'd never set foot in the place and now I had to endure the Awkward First Customer Silence of Northeastern corridor small town shops. Southern shopkeeps save up their awkward silence for their own people, usually in efforts to pretend they don't know their regular customer has a scalding case of herpes which he just generously handed over to the preacher's daughter. Strangers, though, are overwhelmed with southern hospitality, good-natured questions and smiles. Northerners at most will acquiesce a cold "Let me know if I can help you with anything," which is basically saying, "We don't know you and aren't convinced we even want your money." And then they give you the shoplifter stare until you actually flash some cash in their face (which they'll still test with those stupid fake highlighter markers anyway). Katz Pharmacy seemed like exactly this kind of store. But as more and more of this wretched rash spread throughout my system, I was desperate to try anything. I had to get the Zanfel quickly, so first I called Katz under the guise to see if they had any in stock but in reality it was to pre-announce my arrival in hopes to avoid all of the aforementioned awkwardness. Whether it was my phone-in strategy or just the general ease of the pharmacists, my trip to Katz wasn't painful. The only squirmy part of the whole transaction was me. Some of that due to my anticipation of First … [Read more...]
Kaya’s Closing. ¡Vivan las tapas (y margaritas)!
First time I went to Kaya's was as a participant of a belly dancing group run by a local adult school teacher slash Chatham mom at the time. Small BYOBs like Kayas are usually dark, black holes to me because I have a serious case of Celiac's disease. Health-nut hipster I am not. Wheat gluten literally wears away at my insides (I'm not using "literally" figuratively here). So I tend to stay away from tiny, owner/chef restaurants. A chef's job is hard enough on any given night. They don't need a needy diner to boot. But I shouldn't have waited. The dinner Mr. Hawthorne of Kaya's presented was amazing. My meal was made just for me, with many of the similar ingredients to what the other diners were having. It was just scrumptious. I cleared my plate. Then I got up and did some belly dancing, in a room of mostly middle-aged white women. Fun times. Sorry to say that Kaya's just announced that they are closing, and some other outfit is coming to take over their lease. Unfortunately, it is a restaurant where I probably won't bother eating, as many of the traditional items contain mucho gluten. La Tez will be a tapas restaurant. Not familiar with tapas? It's basically fancy snack food to munch on while you drink. The main point of a tapas place is to drink (and chat. But mostly to drink). But here's where it gets interesante: La Tez is a Bring-your-own-boozle (not fighting the bottle vs. booze war here) establishment. The restaurant will provide the margarita mix ingredients (no alcohol therein) and we the customer are to provide the tequila. Which, as it so happens, contains 0% gluten. Which makes it one of my most preferred liqueurs. Which I had too much of last month to celebrate my birthday... Anyhoo! Here's what wikipedia has to say about the origin of "tapas:" The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover". According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were the slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian … [Read more...]
More burglaries in Haverford Township
Two more burglaries were reported in H-Town, this time in the Penfield section. The crimes occurred on Saturday March 1 after 5:00 PM The following email regarding the burglaries was sent to his constituents by 8th ward commissioner Chris Connell on March 3, 2014 at 9:30 PM: "500 BLKS CANTERBURY ROAD AND DEVON ROAD SAT MAR 1 AFTER 5:00 PM This past Saturday evening police were dispatched to the 500 block of Canterbury Road for a possible burglary. After returning home the homeowner noticed that the kitchen window was open. The homeowner responded properly by not entering the home, then immediately contacted 9-1-1 via a cell phone. Two police units responded, one being a K-9 unit. The K-9 and officers searched the premises with negative results of the intruder. After the home was cleared for the homeowner’s safe entry, it was realized that items from the second floor had been taken. While investigating the Canterbury Road burglary, the K-9 unit tracked a scent to the rear of another home on the 500 block of Devon Road. Upon arrival, police found an open back door to the residence which appeared to have been opened forcibly as indicated by the pry marks. A search of the unoccupied residence by the K-9 and officers had also resulted without incident of an intruder. After the residence was secured, a phone number was obtained leading to the homeowner being contacted. Once the homeowner arrived home, a search through the home brought question to some possibly missing items. Police canvassed the Penfield neighborhood. Interviews with neighbors did not yield any results. The Canterbury Road burglary was committed between the hours from 5PM to 7PM when the homeowner was out of the house doing errands. The home was entered that quick during a time when most families are home eating dinner, including the neighbors. As unfortunate that this incident is, the homeowner did the right thing by observing the house before entering it. Once an issue … [Read more...]
Fire on Darby Road at East Wilmot. Traffic diverted.
This fire was responded to by Llanerch, Bon Air, Brookline and Oakmont fire companies. Pay your dues, people! They are all volunteer and they do great work. No-one was hurt as far as we know. We learned that a contractor was working inside the house. We saw the contractor walk to the ambulance unassisted. We think the house was empty of residents at this time. No word yet when the traffic will be diverted. We did hear one of the major news network's helicopters so look out for the local news tonight. The fire companies did knock on doors downwind of the fire to warn residents of smoke. The smoke was pretty thick. It looked like that fog we had a few weeks ago. Did we remind you to pay your fire company and ambulance dues? Hopefully these pics will get you on that task right away. Be safe, y'all. … [Read more...]
More Snowmageddon Info Feb 13 2014
Here is information from two press releases & a phone call from Township officials concerning the latest snowy onslaught and newest state of emergency. We don't know about your houses, but the Havertownies Headquarters now has 4 more bottles of wine and some scotch. School What-Daze-Is-It-Again? No school for the whole district tomorrow, BUT: Friday is a FULL DAY OF SCHOOL for Haverford Middle School, instead of the half day and conferences originally planned. If you had a conference scheduled for Friday, forget it. That sucker will be rescheduled. It isn't Valentine's Day, It's Get To Love Your Garbage day. NO TRASH PICKUP tomorrow, Thursday, Feb 13 or February 14, 2014. We have special guests coming to our house Saturday, so we'll have to find more room in the cans out back and hope the squirrels show us some mercy. Them guys ain't comin' to haul yer rubbish 'til Tuesday. Hush, hush now, with yer complaints. Voices carry. Mooove Yer Vehickels! We like to keep things super secret here in H-Town, so we don't mark the snow emergency routes. Either that or we just don't feel like ponying up the bucks to pay for signs, like the rest of Pennsyltucky. Anyhoo: We suspect the township is a bit more serious this time around about snow route clearing, seeing that they sent a press release with the affected roads in it, AND traffic was all jumbled up for hours on Darby and Brookline roads yesterday as crews with a huge front loader were scooping up piles of snow from the curbs and dumping it on the medians (or in some pile on Brookline). To wit, here's a direct quote from their press release: "The Township is requesting that all vehicles be removed from the streets as soon as possible. As the storm arrives and intensifies the Township would like to remind people to be careful and that only essential emergency personnel should be on the highways." So go over to our other post and check out the list. If your car is on it, move it off now, as the State of Emergency … [Read more...]
What ‘State of Emergency’ means in H-Town
With today's icy conditions causing massive power outages (10,000 Township residents was the last updated number via Commissioner Dan Siegal), the Township has officially declared a "State of Emergency." That's nice and all, but... what the heck does that mean exactly? Well, we dug around the ridiculously dull terribly interesting township codes and found a bunch of stuff. Here is the relevant part: Chapter 175: VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC § 175-59, Article XI Schedules – §175-98 Schedule XXIII Emergency No Parking Areas: Ardmore Avenue Both Between County Line Road and Darby Road Burmont Road Both Entire length College Avenue Both Entire length Colonial Road Both Entire length Coopertown Road Both Entire length Darby Road Both Entire length Drexel Avenue Both Entire length Eagle Road Both Entire length Earlington Road Both Entire length Glendale Road Both Entire length Haverford Road Both Entire length Landover Road South Entire length Lawrence Road Both Between Eagle Road and West Chester Pike Manoa Road Both Entire length Marple Road Both Entire length Mill Road Both Between Earlington Road and Darby Road Township Line Road North Entire length West Chester Pike Both Entire length Wynnewood Road Both Entire length That means, if your car is parked on any of these specific lengths of roadway, you are asked to remove them so the township services can clear the area of snow and debris. Also, all non-essential travel is suspended. Now, from what we can gather from various sources, there are states of emergency and then there are STATES OF EMERGENCY. Governmental bodies can apply for state aid to help "weather the storm" of clean-up costs when they declare states of emergency. So, declaring one isn't all THAT special. Today's ice and power outages certainly warranted it. Why struggle to get it all paid for ourselves when … [Read more...]