Police: Man Stole Wire During Hurricane Sandy Blackout

Charles Dean Landreth, 28, of Easton is accused of taking copper wire from truck in Stockertown after Hurricane Sandy. The truck, police say, was being used to “facilitate power.”

An Easton man is accused of trying to profit during the widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy. Court records say Charles Dean Landreth, 28, took long pieces of copper wire between the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 2 and the morning of Monday, Nov. 5 from a truck at Stockertown Cement Co., 501 Center St. The wire, used for welding, was on a truck carrying equipment being used to “facilitate power.” Power in Stockertown went out on Monday, Oct. 29 and wasn’t fully restored to most borough residents until the evening of Nov. 5, the records say. Landreth is accused of selling the wire at a scrap yard for $512.14. Yard workers told police they recognized Landreth from previous visits to the yard. Landreth, of 201 E. Nesquehoning St. on…

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Adam Sandler's Sandy Song

The comedian does a twist of an old standard in tribute to Hurricane Sandy victims.

Watch 12-12-12 Concert Live on Patch

The concert will benefit Hurricane Sandy victims, via the Robin Hood Foundation.

Some of the biggest names in music take the stage at Madison Square Garden for the live 12-12-12 concert for Hurricane Sandy relief. While thousands of people fill the arena, billions are watching live on a variety of screens worldwide.  The concert is streaming live on television networks, movie theater screens and on the Internet, including right here on Patch. The pre-event coverage begins at 4:00 p.m. EST and the concert is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. The all-star lineup includes Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters, Kanye West, The Who, and Paul McCartney, with other artists to be announced. Every penny sold from ticket sales…

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How Forks Fire Dept. Handled Hurricane Sandy

Forks Township Fire Department's October report shows busy two days dealing with Hurricane Sandy.

It was a busy few days for the Forks Township Fire Department handling Hurricane Sandy. Over the course of two days -- Oct. 29-30 -- the fire department responded to two dwelling fires, three transformer/substation issues, six downed trees and 11 downed wires. Fire Chief Charles Chapman said the fire department basically handled one month of calls in 24 hours due to the storm. The bulk of those storm calls took place on Oct. 29. Starting at 4:16 p.m. that day, the fire department handled 16 storm calls that ran through 11:17 p.m. Those calls involved about 52 manpower hours. On Oct. 30, the fire department responded to five wires down, a downed tree and a dwelling fire.

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Palmer Bike Path Cleared

Residents can ride their bikes throughout most of Palmer Township's bike path now that debris from Hurricane Sandy has been removed.

Patch.com blogger Dave Carr reports that Palmer Township's bike path has been cleared of debris from Hurricane Sandy. Carr, who heads Palmer Township's beautification project, also is an avid bicycle rider. He said people do not have to carry their bikes over fallen trees. Palmer Public Safety Director Tom Adams had reported that numerous trees had fallen around the bike path by the Lehigh River. Palmer Township suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Sandy, including power outages that shut businesses like Palmer Park Mall and kept most residents in the dark for nearly a week.

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Met-Ed Bills Not Lower Despite Hurricane Sandy Outage

Met-Ed customers may be wondering why their electric bill isn't lower if they were out of power during Hurricane Sandy.

You may have gotten the most recent electric bill in the mail, or maybe the bill is on its way. You may be thinking that the bill will be lower than usual because you were out of power due to Hurricane Sandy. Palmer and Forks Townships suffered severe power outages from the storm. If you’re a customer of Met-Ed, think again – at least for the latest bill. If you’re a customer of PPL, the bill very well may be lower. Why the difference? Met-Ed uses meter readers to measure customer usage. PPL uses advanced meters that don’t require people to read them. Met-Ed needed its meter readers to help in the process of restoring power to thousands of customers in the Lehigh Valley and elsewhere in Sandy’s aftermath. So Met-Ed had to base your bill on…

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Corbett's Approval Rating Up Thanks to Hurricane Sandy

Gov. Tom Corbett has seen a boost in his approval ratings after Hurricane Sandy

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent HARRISBURG – A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows Gov. Tom Corbett with a positive approval rating for the first time since March. Corbett’s approval rating in the poll is 40 percent among registered voters, with 38 percent of those voters disapproving. The governor has struggled with low approval ratings for most of the year, but pollster Tim Malloy said he won points with both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of Hurricane Sandy, which struck Pennsylvania in late October, causing flooding and widespread power outages that left 1.3 million Pennsylvania homes without electricity. “We would call this a Sandy bump,” Malloy said. “People like the way he handled everything recently during the …

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Forks Resident to Supervisors: Act Like Elected Officials

Forks Township resident complains about lack of communication, service during storms.

Forks Township resident Tracie Stump is tired of suffering during storms. Stump said that when a snowstorm hit in October 2011, she went without power for four days. She didn't have power or water and had to fend for two kids. When she inquired to township officials about getting help, Stump said she was told nothing. When Hurricane Sandy struck,  she went without power for six days. Again, she asked for help and received nothing. "Shame on me," Stump told the Board of Supervisors at last Thursday night's meeting in complaining how a lack of communication and services is crippling residents with every storm. "I don't mean any disrespect. But I elected you. That should mean having services afforded to you as a resident," the nine-year …

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