Latest news with #ReadingRegionalAirport
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
May was wet and warm then turned its back on the norm in Berks
Measurable rainfall was recorded on 18 of 31 days in May at Reading Regional Airport as umbrella weary Berks County residents slogged through the third-wettest May in a lengthy record period of 156 years. An even 10 inches of rain was recorded at the airport. 'This May was wet throughout with no more than three consecutive days without rain,' said retired meteorologist and Berks Area Rainfall Networks founder Jeffrey R. Stoudt. The measurements he collects from the numerous observers ranged from about 8 inches to more than 12. Was it just what the doctor ordered for the only county in Pennsylvania under a drought warning declaration by the state Department of Environmental Protection? The agency hasn't yet lifted the declaration. Meanwhile, you might have begun to put the cold-weather attire away in the first half of May and began breaking out the summer gear, but then about the 18th came a major weather pattern flip, and it was back to long pants and sweatshirts for most of the rest of the month. A most peculiar May that played out like a September in Berks and the region came to an end with a once-large temperature surplus knocked down to near normal. 'It's common knowledge months of May trend warmer as they progress,' said Stoudt, also a Berks weather historian whose work and observations have been included by the National Weather Service in portions of the official record for Berks. 'But this May was blatantly backward, as is normal for a fall month. Mays of 1913, 1930, 1949, 1965 and 2000 were somewhat backward, but not nearly as blatantly so as May 2025. 'Some might remember May 1965, 60 years ago, during which warmth dominated with only two brief interruptions. Temperatures were conducive to outdoor swimming before the first week had passed. … But alas, temperatures turned obnoxiously cool for opening day on Saturday the 29th and remained cool for the Memorial Day holiday. … So although this change was very sharp, it came much later than this May's change.' In the final two weeks of May 2025, the highest temperature recorded at the airport was 80 degrees at a time when two or three 90-degree days can often transpire. 'The warmest of 86 was below the more typical May warmest of 90 while the coolest of 45 was well above the upper 30s, which is typical for May's coolest,' Stoudt said. 'The timing of the highest on the 2nd and lowest on the 26th are opposite of normal for May.' This year had been going along as many since 2010, the year when significantly above-normal temperatures became dominant most years, though January was a bit colder than normal and February was about average in temperature. Then came what has become the typical spring fling: March and April well above normal temperaturewise. May started that way. 'This pattern would have threatened the warmest May standard of 68.4 (degrees) from 1944 had it continued to the end of the month,' Stoudt added. A highest temperature for the year of 86 degrees at the end of May is somewhat unusual in this century's warming. The only year this decade that was similar was 2023 when 88 degrees was the annual high through May. In 2023, we didn't have to wait long for things to escalate. June 1 reached 91 degrees and June 2 hit 96 degrees at the airport. But that month saw its share of cool weather, too, ending nearly 2 degrees below normal. For 2025, the mercury is expected to rebound from the current cool conditions to 82 degrees on Tuesday, with sunny conditions and highs in the upper 80s Wednesday and Thursday, according to AccuWeather. Don't be surprised if the temperature does bump up to 90 those two days. Cooler conditions are likely starting Saturday for a few days. Beyond that the accuracy of the forecast diminishes, though if it holds, there are no 90-degree days listed through next week. At month's end, the precipitation total at the airport for 2025 is about 3 inches above normal. 'The very large rainfall amounts (in Berks last month) have been largely beneficial as rains were well distributed over the month … Therefore, flooding was minor at worst,' Stoudt said. 'Best of all, these widespread hefty monthly amounts reduced drought from very severe beginning of May to moderate by Memorial Day. A few more inches of rain over and above normal will be needed to completely eradicate the longstanding drought.' This current drought period began with August and worsened during the fall. A hundred years ago There have been some weather centennials recently marked for Berks, such as the driest month on record in October 1924 that was broken exactly 100 years later in October 2024. And here's another: The blistering heat wave to open June 1925 that still holds five straight date records for high maximum temperatures and four straight for high minimum temperatures. That heat wave is responsible for the earliest 100-degree reading in a year in a Berks temperature database now in its 128th year. Very little was made of the hot weather in the Reading Eagle by the third day, June 3, 1925. Minimal hoopla started other landmark weather episodes from that period and earlier. But that day, and its roughly 35 words about the weather, did share the front page with the upcoming demolition of Farmers National Bank, the ransacking of Christ Church near Fifth and Court by burglars, and the passing of William B. Bechtel, 64, 'brilliant Berks trial lawyer and citizen.' However, the coverage did heat up a bit the next day with a lengthy article that proclaimed 'Weather records for the past 100 years show nothing comparable to the present first-week-in-June torrid spell.' The start of the month included days of 95, 96, 97 and 99 degrees, and 101 degrees would be the next day. Fans were selling briskly, pools were crowded and so was the still relatively new Pagoda. And readers learned that the USS Los Angeles, a dirigible, was going to be flying over Reading on Sunday, June 7. It's not clear what records the newspaper was referring to. Records dating to the 1820s would be considered a treasure-trove today. Hit-and-miss showers and thunderstorms finally brought some temperature relief to Berks on Monday, June 8, though the rainfall wasn't widespread, much to the dismay of the Berks farmers. But, at least the city's annual baby parade scheduled for the 9th was not canceled since the weatherman promised tolerable conditions. 'Mothers and their cherubs can enter the parade even if they have not registered, provided their tots are Welfare Station babies,' the Eagle wrote. Berks County May weather Temperature: 63.4 degrees Normal: 62.5 degrees Precipitation: 10 inches Normal: 3.51 inches Records Rainfall: 1.85 inches on the 9th (1 inch 1960) Top 10 rainiest Mays (inches) 13.34: 1894 11.64: 1989 10.00: 2025 9.72: 2019 9.70: 1897 9.49: 1953 9.29: 1942 8.50: 1948 6.97: 1984 6.68: 1882 Source: National Weather Service/U.S. Weather Bureau May rainfall totals in inches from the Berks Area Rainfall Networks: • Strausstown, 12.39 • Muhlenberg Park, 12.33 • Auburn, 12.13 • Shartlesville, 12.07 • Bally, 11.03 • Bechtelsville, 10.99 • Wernersville, 10.98 • Reading E, 10.91 • Mohnton, 10.65 • Mohrsville SW, 10.64 • Hamburg, 10.55 • Boyertown, 10.43 • Bernville, 10.41 • Mohns Hill, 10.41 • Topton, 10.36 • Mohrsville, 10.28 • Greenfields, 10.13 • Shillington, 10.05 • Morgantown, 10.01 • Knauers, 9.99 • Oley Furnace, 9.98 • Boyers Junction, 9.91 • Henningsville, 9.84 • West Reading, 9.75 • Lobachsville, 9.66 • Douglassville, 9.57 • Birdsboro, 9.48 • Reiffton, 9.44 • Dryville, 9.36 • Elverson N, 9.32 • Lincoln Park, 9.19 • Oley, 9.18 • Cacoosing, 9.14 • New Morgan, 8.97 • Cornwall Terrace, 8.94 • Cumru Township building, 8.65 • Womelsdorf, 8.51 • Quaker Hill, 8
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Primary election 2025: What you need to know before you head to the polls
Voters across Berks County will head to the polls Tuesday. They will help decide who will win party nominations for seats on the state appellate courts, local judicial positions, municipal boards and councils, school boards and some county row offices. Pennsylvania operates a closed primary — meaning only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans will receive a ballot to select nominees to represent their party in the general election. Here's what voters need to know before heading to the polls: Where to vote Each voter is assigned to a specific polling place. Voters unsure of where to go can look up their polling place by visiting the county election services website at When to vote Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Who is on the ballot Voters can check out the sample ballot for their voting precinct by visiting the county election services website or by checking out this candidate guide the Reading Eagle compiled. Can I bring my mail ballot to the polls Mail ballots will not be accepted at any polling location. All absentee and mail ballots must be placed in one of the three official ballot drop boxes located at the Berks County Services Center at 633 Court St. in Reading; the Berks County South Campus at 400 E. Wyomissing Ave. in Mohnton; and the Reading Regional Airport terminal at 24 Liberator Way in Bern Township; or turned into the county election services office by 8 p.m. on election day. What voters may/may not bring Voters cannot bring campaign signs or distribute materials within 10 feet of a polling place entrance. They may wear political apparel as long as they don't draw attention to it. Voters legally allowed to carry firearms may do so unless the polling place is in a location where guns are prohibited, such as a school. Voter intimidation It's illegal to harass, threaten, discriminate against or get aggressive with voters inside or outside polling places. Such behavior should be reported to the county elections office and district attorney. Questions or issues Call the state elections office at 877-868-3772 or the county elections office at 610-478-6490.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Air Force major and Berks native returns to the roost for new air show
When Maj. Taylor Hiester was 9 years old, his mother surprised him with a trip to Reading Regional Airport. She didn't tell him that the visit would bring him inside the cockpit of one of America's most legendary aircraft — a plane that once ferried Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. 'I got all shaky for a moment,' a young Hiester told the Reading Eagle at the time. Taylor Hiester as a child poses for a photo with his mother. (Courtesy of Taylor Hiester) Despite his excitement, Hiester's encounter with the former Air Force One was far from his first time around a plane. He'd already been taking flying lessons for a year in pursuit of his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot. Today that dream is Hiester's reality. 'I grew up in Robesonia and went to Conrad Weiser and just fell in love with planes,' Hiester said. 'Learned to fly at the Reading Airport and went off to Air Force pilot training. Fast forward about 10 years later, I'm the Air Force's F-16 demo pilot.' On the weekend of May 24, Hiester will return to his roots, flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon in a new air show at Harrisburg International Airport. 'To have the opportunity to come back and fly so close to home … feels like once in a lifetime,' Hiester said. Air Force Maj. Taylor Hiester, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, briefs the demonstration profile at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in April. (Courtesy of Nate Reimers) Hiester's career Hiester's tenure with the Air Force has taken him on adventures across the country and beyond. He's served with the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing and the 81st Fighter Squadron in Georgia and was an F-16 instructor pilot in the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. His role as an alert pilot on watch for foreign threats even saw Hiester patrol the skies of Washington, D.C., during the presidential inauguration in 2021. 'Having that front seat to history … that is something I look back on with a lot of endearment,' Hiester said. In 2024, Hiester was chosen to lead the Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, a group of specialists dedicated to showcasing the F-16. The F-16 Viper Demonstration Team at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in March. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Steven Cardo) Since then he's performed at more than 30 air shows in the U.S. and abroad, including Peru and Belgium. 'It's about 15 minutes of the most aggressive flying the F-16 can do,' Hiester said of his demonstrations. Pushing limits His single-plane display is designed to force the F-16 to its limits, and will involve flying just short of the speed of sound. 'It's as fast as we can go (around crowds),' Hiester said. 'We don't want to break the sound barrier … (a sonic boom) would break some belongings.' That speed will see Hiester cover roughly three football fields per second. It will also subject his body to 9 G's of force, or nine times the force of gravity. 'A roller coaster is probably anywhere between one-and-a-half and two G's,' Hiester noted. '(When I fly) I wear a pair of what look like snow pants. They squeeze my lower legs to keep the blood into my brain so I can stay awake and make decisions.' As the only pilot, the stakes for Hiester are high — passing out could mean crashing the plane. 'Even with the equipment and the training I've received, staying awake is still a challenge,' Hiester said. 'I'm flexing all of my lower body muscles, keeping my upper body relaxed and also doing some (breathing techniques) that allow me to keep air in my lungs.' Despite the strain, and the stakes, Hiester said pushing the boundaries of machine capability and human potential in the cockpit is an unmatchable high. 'As a little boy that grew up dreaming of flying the F-16, it is a thrill that I know I will not be able to get anywhere else,' Hiester said. 'To merge man and machine like we do in an F-16, it's just the coolest job in the world. I feel like it's an opportunity I will never be able to repay the country for. That's why I try and cherish every moment of it.' For Hiester, cherishing that opportunity means sharing it with the people he grew up with. 'All my closest friends and family are still in the Robesonia area … the people that I grew up with, I'm looking forward to sharing it with them,' Hiester said. 'It feels like a huge homecoming, to be able to do an air show so close (to where I grew up.)' For more information about the Harrisburg Air Dot Show tour, including dates and times, visit A Reading Eagle article featuring a young Taylor Hiester touring the former Air Force One plane at the Reading Regional Airport. (Courtesy of Maj. Taylor Hiester)
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Berks officials celebrate upgrades at Reading Aviation
It was a rare situation for Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach. With a booming voice and ample experience speaking in public, it isn't often that he has trouble being heard. But standing behind a podium inside a cavernous hanger at the Reading Regional Airport Friday afternoon, his words struggled to reach the crowd sitting in front of him. As he began to speak, he was quickly drowned out by the roaring engines of an airplane taxiing nearby. Leinbach took the momentary interruption in stride. 'This is an airport, after all,' he said with a chuckle. Leinbach couldn't be too mad at the plane since having a busy airport is important to what he and other local leaders had gathered at the Bern Township airfield to celebrate. The airport authority held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of recent renovations to Reading Aviation that represent a $750,000 investment to enhance its service and infrastructure. 'It's been a long journey to get to this point and we still have a lot to do, but I think overall we are very pleased with how things have turned out,' airport director Zackary Tempesco said during the event. Since taking over as the sole provider of aviation services at the airport in January 2024, the authority that oversees it has been busy renovating and revamping the facilities it secured as part of the deal. The authority purchased the assets of two fixed base operations — the Reading Jet Center and Millennium Aviation — at the airport at a cost of about $14 million. The assets acquired in the deal included a 18,000-square-foot building located next to the main terminal that offers passenger and pilot lounges, office space and a conference room. It also came with more than 70,000 square feet of hangar space. State, county and airport officials cut a ribbon for the Reading Aviation facility ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) The operation provides fuel, aircraft maintenance and detailing, towing, cargo handling, planeside access and parking services. Those assets have been rebranded under the new moniker Reading Aviation. Tempesco said that as the sole fixed-base operator at the airport, Reading Aviation plays a vital role in supporting general aviation and driving economic activity throughout Berks County. He said the recent renovations further the overall mission to make the Bern Township airfield the best general aviation airport in the state. Tempesco noted a study conducted by PennDOT found the airport generates a total annual economic impact of about $78 million. But, he said, that figure could be even better with the moves they are making to attract commercial service and create more leasable hangar space. For instance, the airport authority granted approval earlier this year to proceed with the design of a 24,000-square-foot hangar that Wyomissing-based Gaming and Leisure Properties will lease from Reading Aviation. It is part of a larger $16 million project that will include the construction of three hangars. Leinbach, who serves as chairman of the airport authority, touted the ongoing turnaround at the airport since the county took a more active role in its operations. He said there had been a 20-year decline in usage of the airfield that prompted leaders to get involved. And that is no longer the case, he said. 'I'm so excited about the future of Reading Regional Airport,' he said. 'I appreciate everyone who is here to celebrate a new beginning as we move forward to become the best general aviation airport in the commonwealth.' The refurbished lounge area at the Reading Aviation facility on Friday, April 25, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Primary election 2025: What you need to know about voting by mail in Berks
Voting is about to begin in Berks County. Election officials said the first batch of about 16,000 mail ballots are being sent to voters who requested them and should begin arriving in mailboxes this week. Voters can decide to cast their ballot by mail or they can go to the polls on May 20. They will help select their parties' nominees for seats on the state appellate courts, local judicial positions, municipal boards and councils, school boards and some county row offices. Here's what you need to know about voting by mail. How can I request a mail ballot? Voters can apply online by visiting apply in person at the county elections office or contact the county elections office directly at 610-478-6490 to request a paper application. You will need to apply with a valid Pennsylvania identification card or supply the last four digits of your Social Security number. What is the deadline to apply for a mailed ballot? The deadline is May 13 — seven days before the primary. But election officials ask that voters request a ballot as soon as possible. How do I vote with a mail ballot? 1. Carefully open the ballot package when you receive it in the mail. 2. Make sure there is a secrecy envelope included because a mailed ballot not in a secrecy envelope, also known as a naked ballot, will not be counted. 3. Fill out the ballot immediately. 4. Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then put the secrecy envelope into the official envelope. Be sure to sign and date the declaration or your ballot will not count. 5. You can mail ballots to the county election office in the services center, deliver them in person to the office or place them in one of the three drop boxes available in Berks County. Will there be drop boxes for ballots? Three drop boxes are available in Berks. One box is in the lobby of the Berks County Services Center at 633 Court St. in Reading; one is in the lobby of the Berks County South Campus at 400 E. Wyomissing Ave. in Mohnton; and another is inside the Reading Regional Airport terminal at 24 Liberator Way in Bern Township. The drop boxes will be open the following days and hours beginning May 5: • Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Saturday, May 17: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Sunday, May 18: noon to 4 p.m. • Monday, May 19: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. • Election Day, May 20: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All three drop boxes are secured by deputies from the sheriff's department and are monitored by security cameras. Workers in the election services department collect the ballots at the end of each day and seal them when the centers are closed. Voters who choose to drop off their ballots are not allowed to drop off ballots belonging to anyone else — a practice Democrats call community collection and Republicans deem ballot harvesting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled the practice is illegal. What if I don't get my mail ballot? No problem. You can go to your assigned polling place and vote in-person by filling out a provisional ballot if you have not received your mail ballot. What if I signed up for a mail ballot but want to vote at the polls? If you misplaced your mail ballot or have decided to cast your ballot at the polls, you still have an opportunity to vote. Go to your assigned polling place. If you have the mail ballot, you will need to surrender the ballot and its envelopes to the judge of elections to be voided in order to vote on the voting machines. If you misplaced the mail ballot, you will need to tell the judge of elections and they will give you a provisional ballot to fill out.
