By Kim Gamel / Associated Press

KHAN BANI SAAD, Iraq – A $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children\’s hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets.

As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.

That amount is likely an underestimate, based on an analysis of more than 300 reports by auditors with the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. And it does not take into account security costs, which have run almost 17 percent for some projects.

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Bed bugs are becoming increasingly common and are starting to show up in more places than nasty hotel rooms. Just last week, a woman reported being bitten at the AMC Empire 25 theater in Times Square and experts warn that they’re on the rise in cities across the US. We talked to Changlu Wang, an urban entomologist at Rutgers who specializes in urban pest control, for the scoop on the bed bug situation in Philly and what we can all do to avoid becoming a nighttime buffet.

Q: What is the bed bug situation in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia right now? Do we have it as bad as other states?
A: Just like any in other major city, I think the cases are increasing, slowly but steadily. The number of cases will be increasing in the next decade or maybe longer.

Q: Why are they on the rise?
A: First, it is very difficult to control [bed bugs] and secondly, many people are unaware of the bed bug situation so they spread unintentionally. For example, furniture, clothing, traveling… all these cases can help spread bed bugs.

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Bishop Joseph Galante formally announced today, August 27th, that two new parishes will be established on September 29, 2010 through the consolidation of five existing parishes.

The announcement establishing the new parishes was made in two formal decrees, which were published in the August 27th edition of the Catholic Star Herald.

• St. Clare of Assisi Parish will be established through the consolidation of St. John the Evangelist in Paulsboro, St. Joseph in Swedesboro, and St. Michael in Gibbstown. The seat of the new parish will be located at St. Michael Church. St. Joseph Church also will be used as a worship site for the new parish. Father David Grover, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six year term. St. Clare of Assisi Parish, will retain the boundaries of the three existing parishes, and will serve about 3,760 families in Gloucester County.

• St. Michael the Archangel Parish will be established through the merger of Nativity Parish, Franklinville, and St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Clayton. The seat of the new parish will be Nativity Church. St. Catherine of Siena Church also will serve the new parish as a worship site. Father Jaromir Michalak, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six year term. St. Michael the Archangel Parish, whose boundaries will be those of the existing parishes, will serve about 1,740 families in Gloucester County.

Confidence and Gratitude

By Mark Matthews

By this time everyone knows the Brooklawn K-Mart is closing. The store is PACKED with shoppers. My wife was there on a Friday night and said every register was open! I was tempted to drive over to witness it! If all it took was to knock 20% off of everything to pack the store, why didn’t they do it years ago? J

HOWARD P. HANDY

Funeral services were held for Howard P. Handy, 63, of Franklinville, formerly of Camden and Gloucester City.

Loving husband of Dorothy. Devoted son of the late Walter & Florence Handy. Dear brother of Albert (Patricia) and Michael (Barbara). Brother-in-law of the late Robert Stimelski (Theresa) and their children Robert (Diana) and Bernadette Klaus (William). He is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Howard was a member of the Camden City Police Department for 28 years and retired as Lieutenant in 1997. After retiring, he worked as a N.J. Transit bus driver until 2007. Howard served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Interment St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Chews Landing.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

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Bellmawr — Two weeks before the ninth anniversary of 9/11, firefighters lined up on highway overpasses Saturday to salute a motorcade escorting steel beams recovered from the World Trade Center to Arlington, Va.

The daylong procession was the third run delivering steel from ground zero to be sponsored by the New York Fire Department\’s Fire Family Transport Foundation, the Iron and Steel Team of motorcyclists and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Units from the Bellmawr Fire Department covered three major highway overpasses. The members were proud to be a part of such a honorable event.

via www.bellmawrfire.com

8/9/08 PRESS RELEASE:

• Gloucester City Council Honors Longtime Barber Frank Anello
• Alice Costello School In Brooklawn Announces Classroom Assignments
• Have A Great Labor Day, Readers and Advertisers. Deadline Friday At Noon This Week
• Jay’s Elbow Room Wins Co-Ed Softball Championship
• Gloucester Terminal And Leo Holt Gets Contract For Del Monte
• Eric Fetterolf, Former Gloucester City Employee, Dies Suddenly

August 30, 2010

Philadelphia, – Mayor Michael A. Nutter has released the following statement regarding the announcement from Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), that HUD will immediately begin an audit of the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s (PHA) financial and management operations.

\”I commend the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for its decisive action in announcing an audit of the Philadelphia Housing Authority,\” said Mayor Nutter. \”As I outlined yesterday to Board Chairman John F. Street I am deeply concerned by the recent revelations regarding Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl Greene and by the Board’s oversight of the organization. I know that many Philadelphians share this concern and deserve answers to the many questions that have been raised. The City of Philadelphia will provide any help and support requested by HUD.\”

Mayor Nutter, in an August 25, 2010, letter to John F. Street, Chairman of the Philadelphia Housing Authority Board, called for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation of PHA activities. Mayor Nutter has also expressed his concerns directly to HUD officials over the last week.

 

via cityofphiladelphia.wordpress.com