A Crowd of Crowns

Dana Landes
Pottsgrove

Danielle Cronner
Boyertown

July 4th Homecoming Queens from four area high schools will be at the McDonald's on East High Street next week.

They'll be there, 1428 E. High St., on Wednesday May 28 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It will be the first Annual Meet of the July 4th Homecoming Queens.

They hail from Pottstown High School, Pottsgrove High School, Owen J. Roberts High School and Boyertown Area High School.

Sarah Maloney
Owen J. Roberts

Megan Remick
Pottstown

The girls will be raising money for the July 4th parade in Pottstown this year.

Each penny is a vote closer for them to become the 2014
Pottstown July 4th Queen.

Photos may be taken of your child with the Homecoming Queen of their choice for $1. 

So bring your camera or use your cell phone.

Being Strong in Body and Mind

Bud Jeffries holds Sharon Wagner up on his stomach.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District

Students at Rupert Elementary School learned that reading and being considerate of other people can help them become a stronger and better person.

 That was the message they heard at an assembly that featured “Strong Man” Bud Jeffries. 

 Jeffries impressed the students with some incredible feats of strength such as bending steel spikes and lifting teacher Laurie Gresko over his head. 

He pointed out to the students that as strong as he may be they also could become outstanding people by being strong both inside and out. 

He reinforced for them that reading was fun and told them that he enjoys reading every day.  

He wowed the students when he tore a deck of playing cards in half while teacher Shannon Wagner was standing on his stomach.

Jeffries message to the students was that bullying is wrong and that it is everyone’s job to stand up to and report bullies. 

 He said, “While you all think that I am physically strong it is much more important to be strong in your heart and your mind. Each one of you has the ability to be an outstanding person if you apply yourself and believe in yourself.”

“Bud’s feats of strength were amazing, but more importantly his message to our students was to be strong on the inside and value yourself as a person and respect others. I am sure that our students got his message today,” said Principal Matt Moyer.

How Can We Help Our Children Succeed?

Parents and caregivers, surely we all have hopes and dreams for our children and thoughts on how we can help them to succeed.

Well the Pottstown School District wants to hear from you.

A series of four listening sessions will be conducted next week as part of the $175,000 planning grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to determine how home/school partnerships can be strengthened; to find out what can be done to increase family participation; and to improve support for all children's growth and development from birth through grade 3.

(I wrote about the grant in March for The Mercury. Click here to read that story.)

 "What is learned from these conversations will be shared with other community agencies and used in designing and re-designing school district programs," according to a release from the school district.

The information will also be used as a basis for a major grant application to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for a multi-year grant of more than $1 million which could result in additional investment in early childhood education and engagement.

These "Community Conversations" will occur at the following times and locations:

• Tuesday, May 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Pottstown Middle School, 600 N. Franklin St.;
• Wednesday, May 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Connections on High, 238 E. High St.;
• Thursday, May 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, King and North Charlotte streets;
• Thursday, May 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Barth Elementary School, 467 W. Walnut St.

For this initiative to be successful, "participation from all social and ethnic groups is crucial," said the release. 

Your feedback, regarding ideas, including the kinds of programs and activities wanted, and what can be done to help participation, is needed, according to the release.

'We're Just Like Any Other Married Couple'

Photo courtesy of Loreen Bloodgood

Loreen Bloodgood, left, and Alicia Terrlizzi of Limerick, pictured here with their boys Lance and Blake.

When Montgomery County Register of Willis D. Bruce Hanes began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples last July, in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of the U.S. Defense of Marriage Act, Loreen Bloodgood and Alicia Terrlizzi were among the first in line.

Together for 17 years and the parents of two boys, the Limerick couple married immediately and for the last 10 months, that marriage has been in limbo because Pennsylvania did not recognize their marriage.

Yesterday, a federal court judge appointed by President George W. Bush declared Pennsylvania's version of DOMA to be unconstitutional and allowing same sex couples to marry immediately.

As a result, Bloodgood's and Terrlizzi's marriage became instantly legal.

I had the distinct honor of interviewing Bloodgood last July and again yesterday to get her reaction to the next step forward in equality.

Sometimes you just know you're writing about an important time in history and this was one of them.

When I asked for their reaction, Bloodgood said she and Alicia are getting their taxes organized so they can file jointly for the first time in their lives together -- a seemingly mundane act that has taken on great symbolic importance for them.

I actually spoke to Bloodgood before she had a chance to speak to Terrlizzi, who was out taking the boys to their soccer practice while Bloodgood made their lunches for tomorrow, "just like any other married couple."

Below is a Storify of Tweets reacting to the news, as well as the stories I wrote back then and yesterday (yes, in the midst of election day because it never rains but it pours.)

Congratulations to every one in love who only wants the world to recognize that they have chosen to spend their lives together.

It shouldn't have been this hard.

And the Winner Is.....

Photo by Evan Brandt

The Pottstown School District's Teachers of the Year wait to find out which will will represent the district in the statewide Teacher of the Year Competition. They are, from left, Sarah Paul, Julie Boettcher, Mandy Wampole, Jamie Fazekas, Amy Gazillo, Arden Moore and Kelly Smale.

Well for the umpteenth year in the row, the Pottstown School District chose to combine one of the most important votes of the year, the adoption of the tentative budget for the year, with a number of other ceremonies including the Teacher of the Year.

So, while families of the teachers talked with each other after the naming of the district's Teacher of the Year (I'm not telling, you have to read the Tweets), the board voted 7-2 to spend $55.9 million.

Photo by Evan Brandt

The 16th consecutive Distinguished Unit ribbon is attached to the 

Pottstown High School Air Force JROTC flag by 

Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagansa. 

Not that you'd know that from looking at the meeting agenda, where other crucial amounts like the hourly rate for the cafeteria manager are dutifully noted. But hey, why would you want to know what the budget is at a public meeting where, you know, you might offer public comment or something.

It's almost as if the budget vote is an after-thought, a sideshow after the main event.

Silly public.

And you thought it was YOUR school district.

You only get to pay for it.

There is still one more budget vote, in June.

In the meantime, this "proposed budget" is available for public review for 30 days, as required by law, after which you can offer public comment when, you know, its too late.

Please find below the Tweets and one Tout video from last night's meeting. And remember to click the blue "Read Next Page" bar to make sure you've got it all.

Letter Slams Quigley Mailers as 'Misleading'

Letter writer says Tom Quigley's mailers are misleading

Tomorrow is primary election day.

There are few local races in Pottstown with the exception of the Republican primary for the 146th state legislative district.

It pits former state Rep. Tom Quigley -- who lost the seat in the last election to Democrat Mark Painter -- against Harvey Friedland.

At attorney who lives in Trappe, Friedland bucked the Republican committee and filed to run against Quigley after Quigley won the committee's endorsement by one vote, after which two other challengers, Limerick Supervisor Thomas Neafcy Jr. and Pottsgrove School Board President Justin Valentine, backed out.

Painter, the incumbent Democrat, is unopposed on Tuesday's primary ballot.

The 146th District now only covers the eastern portion of Pottstown.

During the most recent re-districting, Tim Hennessey's 26th District was extended across the Schuylkill to include the southern and western portions of the borough. 

Not only is Hennesey, a Republican with decades in office, unopposed in the primary. It appears he will likely be unopposed in the general election in November as well.

Harvey Friedland is seeking the GOP nod Tuesday for the 146th Dist. 

So around here, it would seem that choices on primary day are limited to Republicans who live in the eastern portion of the borough.

I received this e-mail over the weekend and I suspect it may not make it into the print edition of The Mercury before Tuesday's election.

So I offer it here without comment. 

It speaks for itself:

Dear Mercury Staff,

I hope that this will reach the Editors page before the primary election on Tuesday May 20th, 2014 which is next Tuesday.

My name is David M. Alderfer, I have lived in Pottstown for 20 years. I am a proud Republican and have not missed a primary or general election since I've been here. In most past elections I've voted the party line, I have voted for Ex State Rep. Tom Quigley multiple times.

I am to the point now where I don't know who I should or should not vote for. I hate the political mud slinging, knit picking and misinformation that goes along with these people running for office.

Here is what I do know.

Ex State Rep. Tom Quigley keeps sending out political campaign mailers with misinformation about his opponent Harvey Friedland. Mr. Quigley quotes an article from the Pottstown Mercury, as April 3, 2014, twice in his first mailer on May 9, 2014 and once in his mailer on May 16, 2014 as saying that Mr. Friedland said "we wont see the complete elimination of the property tax."

Wow! I read it so it must be true! Really, now lets see an actual quote from the article that was written by "Award winning reporter Evan Brandt" that appeared in the Mercury. What was reported as the words of Mr. Friedland actually were "most property tax reform proposals he has seen do not generate enough revenue to allow for the complete elimination of the property tax."

I see that as politics as usual, omit parts of a statement made by a person to discredit them. It also seems to me as being weak, like school yard antics. When one child says things about another to make them look bad.

Really Mr. Quigley are you that insecure that you must mislead the public about your opponent?

You were in office for "FOUR" terms and talked about and "sponsored legislation to eliminate school property tax." That's funny I've lived here for 20 years and I've never heard one person say their property tax has ever dropped a little bit.

I'm sure Mr. Quigley is a real nice fellow, I'm sure Mr. Friedland is a real nice fellow.

What I have not seen is any mailers, flyers or articles with Mr. Friedland misleading the fine people of 146th district about his opponent. Isn't that the typical political agenda?

For years, ever since the incident when the Pa legislators in the middle of the night against the state constitution voted them selves a pay raise. I've heard people say to "vote them out." I believe Mr. Quigley was in office at that time and he was voted out, once.

Do we really need to put him back in office again? Can we trust him?

The Republican committee is endorsing Mr. Quigley, but that shouldn't surprise any one. If the same old, good old boys are there running things its easier for them to meet their agenda if they have the support of the politicians that they put in office, then it's politics as usual.
I for one would love to see change in Harrisburg, but its not going to happen until we put some new fresh ideas and people in office.

After looking over the mailers that Mr. Quigley sent out. Not only does it mislead the public on what was said in the Mercury. The dates that were used for the article quote was wrong.

Mr Quigley's mailers said 3 times the article date was April 3, 2014, when in fact Mr. Brandt's article was in the Mercury on Friday April 4, 2014. Not only that, Mr. Friedland's name was misspelled on the mailer that I received on May 16, 2014. Really? Come on Tom, that's weak.

(Blogger's note: I suspect Mr. Quigley is using the date the article was published on The Mercury web site, which is often sooner than it appears in print, which is the date Mr. Alderfer is probably using...)

Is this the kind of person we want in office representing us? Not me, and if Tom Quigley wins this primary I may have to vote the other party in the general election in November for the first time in 37 years.

I just wish this letter reaches the people and gives them something to think about. We can't change anything if we don't try to change it.

Thank you,
David M. Alderfer

We Are Pottstown -- for 175 Years

Mercury Photo by John Strickler

On Friday and Saturday, Pottstown School District wrapped up the celebration of its 175th Anniversary with a Friday dinner at Brookside Country Club for the Foundation for Pottstown Education and a celebration Saturday at Pottstown High School that culminated in the above photo.

Here are my Tweets and Touts from Saturday's event, almost outnumbered by Tweets from Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagana, who is new to Twitter but taking no prisoners, and a few from John J. Armato from Friday night.

(As always, remember to click the blue "Read Next Page" bar to make sure you don't miss any of those sweet, sweet Tweets.)