County 911 System Experiencing Problems [Updated]

The county 911 system is facing difficulties Wednesday morning after problems at the Hatboro Verizon exchange.

  Wednesday, 8:50 a.m.: The county 911 system has been restored, according to Fox 29 and the Philaldelphia Inquirer. Wednesday, 8:35 a.m.: All calls to the Bucks County Department of Emergency Communications in Ivyland are being rerouted to a back-up facility in Doylestown due to a technical issue. The problem is linked to the Hatboro telephone exchange and is mainly affecting landlines in Ivyland, Warminster, Warrington and Upper Southampton, a county communications supervisor said. Verizon is working to fix the problem, which began at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, the official said. As of 8:30 a.m., officials were not sure when the system would be restored. Calls to 911 from other parts of the county are being routed through the Allentown …

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Lower Bucks County Experiences 9-1-1 Problems

Those encountering issues asked to use cell phones instead of landlines to make 9-1-1 calls.

  According to emergency management offices in Lower Bucks County, the 9-1-1 emergency call center is experiencing problems accepting incoming calls from household landlines.   Emergency Management offices in Falls Township, Middletown Township and Tullytown Borough, were among those first reporting problems shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday.  Falls Township officials advise residents who need to call 9-1-1 for an emergency to use their cell phones to call 9-1-1 or call 215-547-5222.  Those is in Tullytown are asked to call 215-945-3100 or use their cell phones to call 9-1-1. The issue is only affecting household landlines and not cell phones, according to alerts by area officials.   According to an alert at 8:10 p.m.:  Verizon is currently …

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The Garden Patch

Plant a Tree to Nurture Your Soul

Besides improving air and water quality, trees are beneficial to your mental and emotional health. Join the Plant One Million campaign in this area by planting a tree this fall as a remembrance of an event, to help save energy or simply to enjoy!

Fall is an excellent time to plant a tree. Trees will become more easily established now since the soil is better able to retain moisture in the fall rather than during the heat of summer. If you are too busy now or you're not sure what to plant, then wait until early spring. But don't plant in late spring or summer because the tree may suffer from heat stress. Trees that Heal. Over the last few weeks, we've all reflected upon the tragic events a decade after September 11, 2001, by gathering at memorial sites and sacred places around the country. At The Garden of Reflection 9-11 Memorial, the Pennsylvania state memorial located in Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, trees are an important part of the memorial site. From spring-…

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Viewfinder: September 11th Field of Flags

911 full-size flags were displayed by the Bensalem Kiwanis Club during an event at Central Park on Sunday, September 11, 2011.

Photo Gallery of Bensalem Township's Field of Flags memorial to honor those lost on Sept. 11th 10 years ago.

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Flood: A Journalist's First-Hand 'Harrowing' Account

Early Thursday morning, I found myself on the other side of the story. In the spirit of journalism, I opted to tell my story with hopes to inform others on the dangers of flooding.

As journalists, we often cover very personal stories relating to the natural disasters like Hurricane Irene and the more recent storm a few nights ago, remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Harrowing stories that come from these disasters are so touching and gripping and make many of us thankful to keep those we value—family and friends—close to us. As a journalist, it reminds me of the objective of my job: to inform my community, tell their stories and hope there is something to be gained whether its knowledge or action. Early Thursday morning, I found myself on the other side of the story. So in the spirit of journalism, I opted to tell my story with hopes to inform others on the dangers of flooding. I was driving home from an event I attended…

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Keziah Ridgeway

3:11 pm on Sunday, September 11, 2011

This really hits home. A similar thing happened to my husband and son a few weeks ago. Thank God your car is still working! We had to total ours out. Any ways, so happy that both of you were okay and whomever the good samaritan was that helped, I pray he is truly blessed.   more ›