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'Finders, Keepers' Isn't Advised With A Grenade
North Penn Now's weekly newsletter
James Kratch
November 19, 2024
James Short | North Penn Now
Welcome back to North Penn Now’s weekly newsletter! The process to select the Grand Marshal for the 2025 Montgomery Count St. Patrick’s Day Parade is underway. All nominations must be made by Dec. 7; you can find criteria and more information here.
Have a comment or suggestion as we work to evolve and improve the newsletter? Just reply to this email. Let’s get going!
In This Week's Email:
📆 Upcoming Nearby Events
Tuesday, Nov. 19 (today!)
🎄 Festival of Trees | Pearl S. Buck Estate | Running through Jan. 5, more details here
Wednesday, Nov. 20
🎭 Kiss Me Kate: The Musical | The County Theater in Doylestown | 7 p.m., more details here
Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 21-23
📚 Book, Jewelry and Poinsettia Sale | Horsham Public Library | Hours vary, more details here
Saturday, Nov. 23
🎅 Lansdale Holiday Mardi Gras Parade | West Main Street | Starts at 1 p.m., more details here
You can find a calendar of events for the towns in the NPN region by following these links: Franconia | Hatfield | Hilltown | Lansdale | Lower Salford | Montgomery Township | North Wales | Sellersville | Souderton | Telford | Towamencin | Upper Gwynedd
💥 A Sunday Afternoon Bomb Scare
There were fortunately no fireworks in Hatfield over the weekend.
The Montgomery County Bomb Squad had to shut down a portion of Lexington Line Road after a resident reportedly found a grenade at Green Lane Reservoir and then brought the grenade home. The resident was also said to have found ammunition in the same area, although it was unclear if they brought that home as well.
The house was evacuated at 3:15 p.m. Bomb squad members were then observed carefully placing a grenade-sized object wrapped in black fabric into their truck around 4:30 p.m., formally defusing the situation. There were no injuries reported.
🚔 A 'Grand Theft Auto' Recreation In Lansdale
Talk about a doubleheader.
A Montgomery Township man is charged with a pair of serious hit-and-run incidents within minutes of each other in Lansdale.
Alexander Maxwell Handschu, 38, was arrested for running over a man with his pickup truck, among other mayhem, and then fleeing the scene around 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 30. The victim was transported to a trauma center with severe leg injuries.
Then, after Handschu was in custody police determined he had been involved in a separate hit-and-run incident in town around 11:50 a.m. Handschu allegedly sideswiped a driver and took off; when the driver followed him, Handschu isaccused of stopping abruptly and then backing up into the driver, pushing the car onto the curb and causing significant damage to the victim's vehicle before taking off.
Handschu, who has an extensive criminal record, remains in the Montgomery County Jail on almost $100,000 in bail.
🗞️ News Links
🦃 Local Organization Needs Holiday Help
The Keystone Opportunity Center is asking for the community’s help after its Fresh for All program, which provides weekly produce supplies for families in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, was abruptly suspended for the remainder of November due to unspecified circumstances beyond its control.
The program is scheduled to resume on Dec. 3. But KOC said it faces "an unprecedented challenge" in the interim. The program supports over 500 families and over 2,000 people each month; those recipients will be denied about 14,000 pounds of produce typically available to them during the freeze, which includes Thanksgiving.
KOC is asking for monetary donations, as well as produce donations. Fresh produce and non-perishable food items can be dropped off at KOC headquarters at 104 N. Main Street in Souderton. You can also contact Clarice Foster, the food pantry manager, at 215-723-5430 or [email protected].
😷 Hazmat Incident Leads To Hospitalizations
James Short | North Penn Now
A family of four and a firefighter went to Lansdale Hospital for precautionary reasons after a powerful chemical odor led to several home evacuations in Montgomery Township. The cause turned out to be benign, though. Workers had power washed a nearby apartment complex earlier in the day, and "atmospheric conditions" caused the smell associated with the cleaning solution to slowly evaporate, leading to the issue.
⚠️ Watch Out For The Wildlife
Lansdale Police issued a warning about an uptick in coyote sightings around Wissahickon Park, which borders an apartment complex and a school. Officials warn coyotes are becoming more prevalent in the region; they can attack pets and, on rare occasions, people -- especially when they become desensitized in areas like parks, where there is significant human interaction. Here are some important tips from police:
If you encounter a coyote, stay aware and calm.
Do not approach or feed coyotes.
Do not leave children and pets unattended.
Remove outdoor bowls and dispose of waste properly.
Utilize fencing or repellent.
🏘️ In Other Nearby News
To keep up with news outside the North Penn Now area, make sure to subscribe to the newsletters for our siblings sites — Central Bucks Now and Wiss Now.
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☄️ Great Ball Of Fire!
Courtesy of Travis Archuleta
A North Wales resident was driving northwest on Welsh Road near the American Star Diner in Montgomery Township when he spotted an apparent football-shaped ball of fire streaking across the sky, capturing the footage with his dashboard camera. NASA later said it was a meteor that appears to have been part of the Northern Taurids meteor shower.
💰 It’s Budget Season
Towamencin will not raise property or sewer taxes in 2025, the first time rates have stayed level in four years. North Wales will also keep taxes flat next year. But Telford will hike property taxes by 5% next year while Lansdale may potentially raise property taxes; its budget is expected to be revealed tomorrow (Nov. 20).
💼 Upcoming Job Opportunities
The School Districts of Montgomery County consortium are holding a Countywide Education Job Fair on Monday, Nov. 25 from 5-7 p.m. at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in Norristown. School district administrators will be on hand to discuss openings in various roles.
Also: Upper Gwynedd Police are hiring new full-time cops. The application deadline is Dec. 6 with a physical agility and written test the following day. More information can be found here.
🏈 Play Ball
For more on local sports, subscribe to our Philly sports newsletter, On Pattison (sent 5x per week):
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📊 This Week’s Poll Question
Have you seen a coyote in your area recently?Let us know! |
Thanks for reading! See you next week!
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