Local/Regional

The statistics of suicide in the of 14 to 24 age group in Montgomery County are alarming. The Pennsylvania Department Of Public Health hopes to reduce that number with outreach and Federal funding, which the department has recently received.

“About 478-thousand dollars a year over the next three years to build on our earlier efforts to promote early intervention, assessment services to youth that might be at risk of suicide and foster a collaborative working relationship with programs, both public and private in those regions to help identify youth who are at risk of suicide and also to get information out to youth who might be contemplating suicide”

Spokesman Michael Race says, the latest statistics from Centers For Disease Control, which tracks suicide rates nationwide, is that Montgomery County had 46 suicides
during the period from 2000 to 2006 among 14 to 24 year olds. The statistics place Montgomery County at 15TH among the 67 counties for suicide in that age bracket.

The hot and dry conditions of the summer of 2011 have moved State officials to take action. The Pennsylvania Department Of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for 40 Pennsylvania counties, including Montgomery county and a drought warning for four other counties. DEP Spokeswoman, Jamie Legenos says four factors are investigated for a Drought declaration.

“Precipitation, stream flow, surface water and soil moisture.”

Drought warnings and drought watches are voluntary. The DEP Asks residents in the 40 counties under a drought watch to reduce water use by 5-percent. Residents in the four Counties under a drought warning are asked to voluntarily reduce water use between 10 and 15 percent.

A 10-million dollar expansion will soon get underway at the Penn Foundation’s main campus in West Rockhill. The effort will double the size of the main building. The Penn Foundation serves over 10-thousand people with mental health treatment, including the mentally challenged and those struggling with substance abuse. The Penn Foundation will use 36-thousand square feet to expand, an initiative that signals the first construction at the site since 1978. The Penn foundation is rapidly closing in on its 10-million dollar fundraising goal, having raised 8-million dollars thus far for the expansion project.

Several years ago Norristown was abuzz with word a movie studio was going to be developed at the Logan Square Shopping center. The project never materialized, but local State Rep. Matt Bradford says the redevelopment of Logan Square is still a success story.

“If you go to that shopping center now and you see the U-S Maintenance Headquarters, it’s an unbelievable building. They’ll be having their grand opening in September. It’s a lead certified building. It’s a huge prospering company that’s creating jobs. It’s a great story. If that was the only story, it’s a huge win.”

The U.S Maintenance North American Headquarters will house about 700 jobs.