Latest news with #Reading-based
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
TV teen who needed French polisher in Yellow Pages ad unrecognisable 34 years on
One of the best-remembered ads for the Yellow Pages phone directory featured a floppy-haired teenager waking up to the aftermath of party he'd thrown while his parents were away Before the rise of the internet, we had the Yellow Pages, a comprehensive directory of local businesses – from advice centres to zoos – all vying for your custom, packaged in a hefty, distinctively coloured phone book. In the 1990s, the Reading-based company became famous for its unforgettable TV adverts, each new release bringing a buzz of anticipation akin to the unveiling of a new John Lewis Christmas advert today. These TV commercials even turned their stars into temporary celebrities, long before the era of reality TV, and gave birth to several catchphrases. Anyone around at the time will easily remember the Yellow Pages ad featuring elderly man searching for a book titled Fly Fishing by J R Hartley, with the surprising twist that it was Mr Hartley himself seeking his old publication. There was also the cheeky young lad standing on a stack of Yellow Pages to sneak a kiss under the Christmas mistletoe. And in 2003, Cold Feet actor James Nesbitt was enlisted to rejuvenate the brand, with the actor channelling his character Adam's hapless persona from the show, using the Yellow Pages to navigate tricky situations. But one of the most memorable adverts, first aired in 1991, featured a shaggy-haired teenager waking up on his living room floor after hosting a house party while his parents were away. Venturing into a bedroom, he stumbles upon a stranger on the bed, exclaiming: "Wake up! My parents fly back today," as a small group hastily tidies up the house. Then after his abject horror at noticing a scratch on a wooden table, he turns to the reliable Yellow Pages to find a solution. "Hello, French polishers?" he enquires over the phone, adding: "It's just possible you could save my life." The scratch is skilfully polished away in the nick of time and everything seems fine, until the final moment when the unfortunate lad realises that someone has doodled a beard and glasses onto a woman on one of the family's treasured paintings. The teenager in the advert was portrayed by Nottingham actor Simon Schatzberger, who later played Adrian Mole in a stage production in London's West End, and has since appeared as a Woody Allen-esque character in a stand-up comedy show. Now aged 57, he's also had a stint as David Klarfeld on the BBC soap Doctors and made appearances in EastEnders as a Rabbi, both in December 2018 and again in January 2019. His other television roles include Band Of Brothers, Daniel Deronda and Father Brown. In 2019, Yellow Pages announced it would cease printing its iconic directories, after more than half a century. The final editions of the once-indispensable guide were delivered in Brighton, the city where the directory's original copies were distributed. It boasted 104 editions, each customised to specific areas of the UK, with nearly 23 million copies circulated each year. And in 2023, a perfume was launched that even smelled like Yellow Pages, proving the brand lives on... sort of.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
HUD officials tour highlights of revitalized Pottsville
POTTSVILLE — U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials toured the city on Wednesday, getting a firsthand perspective on important projects backed by numerous local organizations to revitalize downtown. Joseph J. DeFelice, HUD's assistant deputy secretary in the Office of Field Policy & Management, Regional Administrator Senior Advisor Elvis Solivan and Regional Administrator Special Assistant Adam Kelly joined local business leaders on a tour of downtown Pottsville, transported by an old-fashioned city trolley. The tour showcased the progress being made with the help of organizations such as the Pottsville Area Development Corp., Barefield Development Corp. and local state legislators. The delegation met at the newly opened Discovery Park at 3rd and Market streets, then went to the former Miners National Bank, which will become The Rosalia hotel and event space. Bill Metzinger, owner of Metz Properties in Orwigsburg, which is developing the building, presented plans for The Rosalia. The tour then moved to the Schuylkill Trust Co. building at 101 N. Centre St., which is being developed into market-rate apartments. Savas Logothetides, executive director of PADCO, pointed out the other 'white whale' of downtown apartment development, the historic Thompson Building across the street. The city seeks conservatorship of that long-vacant building, which is owned by an out-of-town landlord, Logothetides said. * U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice learns about the Miners National Bank becoming a hotel and event space during a tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) * U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice, left, talks with Bill Metzinger inside the Miners National Bank during a tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) * U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice takes a tour of Alvernia University – Pottsville CollegeTowne during a tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) * U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice discusses his tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) Show Caption 1 of 4 U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice learns about the Miners National Bank becoming a hotel and event space during a tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) Expand The tour ended at Alvernia University-Pottsville CollegeTowne, the local campus of the Reading-based university which opened at the former Giant store at 500 Progress Ave. DeFelice, who started his day with a similar tour in Tamaqua, remarked on the power of collaboration between local organizations to spur economic development. He had previously visited Pottsville in 2019, and was impressed with the progress made since then. 'What I was most impressed with was the collaboration across multiple sectors, whether it's housing, hospitality, health, education,' DeFelice said. 'They seem to have kind of everything they need here now.' DeFelice believes the one missing piece is affordable housing, which he acknowledged HUD will continue to address with its public and private partners locally. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph DeFelice takes a tour of Alvernia University – Pottsville CollegeTowne during a tour of Pottsville, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) He noted that many communities, even in rural areas, have urban centers that need vital attention in regard to housing and accessibility. 'The president and (HUD Secretary Scott Turner) have made a strong commitment to rural communities,' he said. Pottsville appears to have 'all the amenities that they need,' he said, 'but the rents need to be right.' 'With the price of housing skyrocketing, people need the urban center (in Pottsville) … and that's all here,' DeFelice said. 'It's just a matter of making it affordable for people to live here.' Dave Young, executive director of Schuylkill Community Action, stressed better collaboration between local municipal governments. 'I wish there was a way to bring them all together … to really, collectively find solutions,' he said. 'I think that would be the biggest piece here, getting some of the municipal entities involved in that.' Others who attended the tour included State Sen. David G. Argall, members of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, and staff assistants for Argall and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayfield to open bids on $15M mine reclamation project for industrial park
A nearly $15 million mine reclamation project is on track to start this summer in Mayfield and Archbald, paving the way for a $110-million-plus warehousing park above the Casey Highway. Mayfield Borough Council will open bids during its meeting Wednesday to select a contractor to carry out a large, grant-funded project that will reclaim 87 acres of mine-scarred land just off Exit 5 of the Casey Highway at the end of Rushbrook Street. Once that land is usable, Reading-based Century Development Associates will construct two warehouses — a 745,200-square-foot warehouse in Mayfield and a 646,380-square-foot warehouse in Archbald — totaling 1.4 million square feet of warehousing space for its planned Century Logistics Center, which is projected to create hundreds of jobs. Mayfield council President Diana Campbell expects to have the borough's engineer and solicitor review the bids in hopes of beginning work in June or July after council awards the contract. Mayfield, which operates on a $1.2 million annual budget, has never had a development as large as the $110-million plus warehousing project, she said. 'The process is a lot more involved than we ever could have imagined,' Campbell said. 'It's been a learning process for all of us, and we're coming out strong.' In Archbald, borough officials anticipate extending the conditional approval the town granted for its portion of the project a year and a half ago. Borough Manager Dan Markey said council granted conditional use approval for the logistics park in December 2023, which expires after 18 months, requiring Century Development Associates to seek an extension if they do not have all of their permitting in place by June, Markey said. The project still needs permitting at the local and state level, including land development, zoning, stormwater and highway occupancy permitting, he said. To fund the mine reclamation, the state Department of Environmental Protection awarded Mayfield $14.97 million through its Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program. According to a public notice published May 2 in The Times-Tribune that advertised the available contract, work will entail installation of temporary erosion and sedimentation controls; drilling/blasting and earthmoving of 815,000 cubic yards of material; drilling/blasting and over-excavation, including structural backfill of 820,000 cubic yards for deep mine remediation; and final grading and site stabilization. According to a DEP grant summary for the project, there were two coal seams that were historically deep mined on the site: the Top Clark and Clark beds, with a 16-acre area covering a portion of the Clark mine that is considered a potential subsidence zone. In addition to reclaiming the mines, other work includes removing spoil piles (mine waste), backfilling pits and excavating high walls, according to the DEP. The contractor will have 365 days to complete work, said Ron Ryczak, Mayfield's grant administrator and a former borough councilman. Ryczak, who spent 32 years working at the DEP's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, said the most significant portion of the project will be 'daylighting' the uppermost coal vein. Core drilling found that the first underlying coal vein had been mined so much that it would not be conducive to building on top of, requiring crews to 'daylight' it, or blast all the way down to the original floor — about 50 feet down — and remove all of the material. 'All the material that gets blasted gets moved all the way down to what's considered the floor of that vein, and then at that point, they start bringing the material back up as engineered fill,' he said. The engineered fill would be compacted and used as an underlying sub-base for the future warehouses. Other remnants of coal mines include pits from strip mining and spoil piles, he said. The borough hired Kaufman Engineering, Ryczak said, explaining the firm did the work necessary to calculate the figures included in the contract. As work is underway, Kaufman will track the material being moved and the blasting using a drone, he said. Mark Powell, the owner of Century Development Associates, said his project wouldn't have been possible without the nearly $15 million in grant funding. He estimates the total project will cost between $110 million and $120 million. He anticipates starting construction on the first of his two warehouses next spring. Which warehouse he builds first depends on who will occupy the buildings, though Powell said he believes the Archbald one will probably be first because the mine reclamation work on the Archbald side will be done sooner. 'We're going to go all at it,' he said. 'We're going to put the foot on the pedal and go.' The warehouses will take 10 to 15 months to build, depending on who the user will be, Powell said. He projects it will create 500 to 700 jobs across the two buildings, though it depends on who occupies them. Powell estimated the jobs will pay $20 to $24 an hour with benefits. Both Campbell and Markey noted the impact the logistics park will have on their communities. The location is ideal because it's above the Casey Highway, so it won't bring truck traffic into residential areas, Markey said. The new jobs will support businesses in not just Archbald and Mayfield but other nearby towns like Jermyn, he said. 'The benefits are really widespread,' Markey said. 'They're not just going to benefit Archbald. They're not just going to benefit Mayfield. They're going to benefit the entire area.' Although the site has a 10-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance designation, or LERTA, that reduces how much it will pay on property taxes for the first decade, Campbell pointed to the annually increasing tax revenue from the development, with the landowner paying more each year under the LERTA. LERTAs are often applied to large warehousing projects like this, with officials touting them as key for being competitive and attracting developers. 'It's helping the developer, but it's … going to allow us to see a little more every single year than we ever had before,' Campbell said. Roads will be the borough's top priority with the new tax revenue, in addition to parks and recreation with playground improvements and additional support for the borough's police, fire and emergency medical services, she said. 'It's going to help release the burden off of our residents a little bit,' Campbell said. 'We want to make our community as great of a place to live as possible.'
Boston Globe
25-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Spring cleaning? Here's where to donate to do the most good.
Advertisement Catie's Closet This Dracut-based organization creates shopping experiences for kids living in poverty: They turn unused areas inside schools into discreet spaces where kids can browse for free clothing, toiletries, and other basics. Donate Prom attire, dress shirts, ties, hoodies, dresses, tank tops, shorts, joggers, and leggings. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Sign up for Parenting Unfiltered. Globe staff #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Subscribe * indicates required E-mail * The Children's Room This Arlington group offers grief support for families — several friends have benefited from their community after the death of a parent. They need gender-neutral, blank journals, as well as art supplies: Sharpies, washable markers, stickers, stamps, poster boards, scissors, decorative tape and papers, and paint brushes. Circle of Hope Needham's Circle of Hope provides kids and adults experiencing homelessness with clothing and hygiene essentials. They make regular deliveries of clothing, coats, shoes, bedding, and hygiene essentials to 32 partner shelters and clinics. Give them gently used T-shirts, sweaters, flannel shirts, sweats, shorts, sports bras, baby, and maternity clothes. Advertisement Fresh Start Furniture Bank This Hudson-based organization distributes kid-friendly plastic dishes and cups, utensils, appliances, good-condition linens and towels, decorative pillows, framed artwork, and all sorts of furniture. They even pick up in several Metro West locations. Friends of the Homeless of the South Shore Based in Weymouth, this group needs like-new home essentials — sheets, blankets, curtains, area rugs — plus non-perishables like soup, pasta, coffee, and tea. Call 781-340-1604 to schedule a donation drop-off. Household Goods Acton's Household Goods donates high-quality furniture and household items to 2,500 families each year. Need to streamline your linens, kitchen items, or sheets and towels? This is your place. They also accept tables, chairs, and other furniture. Mission of Deeds This Reading-based organization furnishes homes for people in need, with a focus on kitchenware, matching kitchen and dining room chairs, lamps, ironing boards, and more. Plus, they offer pickup in various towns north of Boston. More Than Words I love the mission: This nonprofit, youth-run online and retail bookstore in Boston and Waltham is staffed by kids who are in foster care, homeless, or involved in the court system. Donate all genres of books (less than 10 years old), plus LPs, clothes, jewelry, used (but intact) games, artwork, and lots more. Schedule a pickup or browse their many drop-off locations. New American Association of Massachusetts (NAAM) Advertisement Based in Lowell and Lynn, NAAM makes the transition to the United States a little easier with staples like Chromebooks or other laptops in working condition, plus backpacks, diapers, strollers, and baby formula. Savers Savers is a thrift retailer with branches throughout the region. Their motto hits close to my (overfilled) home: 'Declutter responsibly.' They accept a wide array of donations, from housewares and clothing to electronics to stuffed animals (a rare find!), with many drop-off locations. South Shore Stars This youth-development agency, with a brand-new school for dyslexic learners, needs supplies for their centers in Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth, geared to kids six weeks to middle school: tops and bottoms; shoes; and seasonal clothing like sandals, bathing suits, and rain jackets. Call 781-340-5109 to arrange a drop-off time. StoryTime Crafts This Needham-based group champions literacy and equitable access to education by partnering with schools in under-resourced communities. They need new and gently used books for preschool up to eighth grade. Their Needham book slot is open daily. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayfield to put major mine reclamation project out to bid, making way for logistics park
A 1.4 million-square-foot logistics park is one step closer to materializing in Mayfield and Archbald. Mayfield Borough Council voted Wednesday to put a comprehensive mine reclamation project out to bid that will make way for a logistics park just off Exit 5 on the Casey Highway at the end of Rushbrook Street, representing an estimated $110 million to $120 million investment to build the logistics hub. In September 2023, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced $14.97 million in funding for the proposed Century Logistics Center through the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program, awarding Mayfield, who applied on behalf of the project, with a reimbursable grant to reclaim 87 mine-scarred acres of the 230.4-acre site. According to a DEP grant summary for the project, there were two coal seams that were historically deep mined on the site: the Top Clark and Clark beds, with a 16-acre area covering a portion of the Clark mine that is considered a potential subsidence zone. In addition to reclaiming the mines, other work includes removing spoil piles, backfilling pits and excavating high walls, according to the DEP. The nearly $15 million grant covers the cost of both the mine reclamation and engineering, said council President Diana Campbell. Mayfield Mayor Al Chelik said the borough plans to open the bids during its May 14 meeting, and if council authorizes it for the lowest responsible bidder pending review, the contract would be awarded May 16. The mine reclamation work could then begin by June, taking up to a year to restore the land, Chelik said. 'We're looking forward to June when they start blasting,' he said. Because it is a reimbursement grant, the borough will receive invoices from the contractor, which it will then forward to the state for review. Once approved, the state releases the money to the borough to pay the contractor, Chelik said. The mine reclamation will prepare the land for two warehouses: a 646,380-square-foot warehouse on the Archbald portion of the property, and a 745,200-square-foot warehouse in Mayfield. In a recent phone interview, Reading-based Century Development Associates owner Mark Powell emphasized the importance of the mine reclamation, expecting it to take a year. With some luck, Powell hopes to start work on the first warehouse in the late fall; if not, it won't start until March 2026, he said. Construction will take 10 to 15 months for each warehouse, Powell said. As the mine reclamation work goes on, Powell said he would also start work on utilities and other off-site items. He projects it will create 500 to 700 jobs across the two buildings, though it depends on who occupies them. Powell estimated the jobs will pay $20 to $24 an hour with benefits. By applying for the funding, Mayfield saved the developer $15 million, Chelik said. 'It's something we've been waiting for a long time,' he said. The project is finally coming to fruition, Campbell said. She pointed to the property and earned income taxes the development will generate, increasing Mayfield's total revenue. Campbell also anticipates workers from the logistics center shopping at local businesses, benefiting not just Mayfield but neighboring towns. 'It's going to benefit the whole region, really,' she said.
