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(WLOS)

ASHEVILLE, N.C. Someone is swiping packages off porches in Asheville in broad daylight.

According to police, the thefts have happened at least six times and three happened on Maywood Road in the past week.

Police think someone is following delivery drivers and swooping in to steal the parcels after they are dropped off.

One victim says its disturbing that people are doing this. But in her case, the thieves didnt make off with anything expensive.

My husband and I are going to an ugly Christmas sweater party. So they got one of those ugly Christmas sweaters, said Kristin Compton.

If you have packages on order, police say its a good idea to either have them delivered to a neighbor who is home or to where you work.

Some people are also putting up a note asking delivery drivers to leave parcels on a side or back porch.

Source: WLOS

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Packages being stolen from porches in Asheville

HAMBURG, Pa. -

Sneaky thieves are stealing holiday packages right off the front porches of some homes, authorities said.

Twice, over the past couple weeks, police say several packages were stolen off a porch in the 100 block of S. Third Street in Hamburg.

Both times, the packages were stolen from the same location, according to court documents.

Neighborhood surveillance cameras captured Ellis Garman of Reading, police said.

Garman was arrested and charged in connection with the crime.

But police say, sadly, there may be more victims.

"I think it's happening a lot more than we realize because I do not believe all of these thefts are being reported," said John Adams, Berks County district attorney.

Investigators say they believe the criminals are following delivery trucks like FedEx and UPS, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Once those packages are delivered, and there's no one at home, those homes are being targeted," Adams said.

Excerpt from:
Police investigate thefts of holiday packages from Berks front porches

HOUSTON -

Police are warning homeowners to watch out for thieves stealing packages from front porches all over Houston.

"I discovered it was seven boxes," said one homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.

He and his wife live on Mullins Drive in Westbury, they had seven boxes full of clothing and other items for his business taken. They estimate the value was about $5,000.

"I wasn't the only one," he said. "There were three other houses within a mile radius that were hit."

Someone in the area noticed a car pull up, a man get out, grab the boxes and go.

"There was a witness but they weren't close enough to get a license plate number," he told Local 2. "but it was a silver car."

This is a problem not just happening in Westbury, the Briar Grove Park association sent an email to residents warning them that it's happening there. too.

On Thursday a package delivered to a home in the 10000 block of Piping Rock was stolen.

Police recommend having items ordered online shipped to a workplace or residence where someone will be there to receive it.

See the rest here:
Thieves stealing packages from front porches

A driver was under the influence of cocaine when he crashed a minivan into a handful of cars along Allen Street in Allentown and smashed through two front porches, city police said.

Jason Simo, of the 500 block of St. George Street, is charged with three counts each of reckless endangerment and accidents involving damage, as well as driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and driving violations.

He was arraigned by District Judge David Howells Jr. and sent to Lehigh County Prison in lieu of $18,000 bail.

Police were initially called Monday night to North 10th and Allen streets for three cars struck and two front porches damaged by a minivan, according to court records.

Police said they found Simo confused and disoriented and he seemed to be under the influence. As the 27-year-old Simo was getting medical attention an officer saw that he was holding a small plastic bag containing a white substance; it would later test positive for cocaine, records say.

Police were then alerted to a series of damaged cars five blocks away on Allen Street, where witnesses said Simo rear-ended two cars with the minivan and hit a number of parked cars as he fled east on Allen Street, records say.

Continued here:
Driver under the influence of cocaine leaves mass of damaged cars, two front porches in his wake, cops say

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(PRWEB) December 11, 2013

HomeThangs.com the Online Home Improvement Store has made their goal to deliver the right product to the consumer. With that in mind, shopping and home design tips, as well as special product selections are being introduced.

When remodeling a small bathroom, the first and most important step is choosing the right bathroom vanity - one that's small in size but that has intuitive and accessible storage. But generally speaking even the very best small bathroom vanities still really only have room for the basics. Unfortunately, in a very small bathroom there isnt always room for a separate freestanding storage cabinet. Often one of the best and sometimes only solutions is to opt for a wall mounted storage cabinet. HomeThangs.com has introduced a simple guide to these innovative cabinets as well as a few features to look for.

Traditional bathroom storage cabinets or carts take up at least one or two square feet of floor space, which is far too much to sacrifice in a truly small bathroom. Wall mounted storage cabinets, on the other hand, take up exactly zero floor space. What that means is that they can be installed in even the very smallest of bathrooms without sacrificing precious floor space or head room above the toilet.

Now, medicine cabinets can be considered a type of wall mounted storage, but they generally only come in one standard size, and because they're mirrored, they're usually only placed either directly over or directly adjacent to a bathroom vanity. True wall mounted storage cabinets are available in a greater variety of sizes - tall and thin, short and squat, and anywhere in between. Plus, while the shelves in medicine cabinets are just a few inches deep, wall mounted storage cabinets are generally a little bit deeper. Of course, the thicker the cabinet the more space it's going to take up in the bathroom, but because they don't touch the floor, they're still easier and more comfortable to walk around than a floor mounted cabinet.

One of the few ways to add space to a small bathroom without doing major construction is to use the space inside the walls. Building recessed shelves is becoming much more popular in small bathroom design, but while this can have a nice artistic touch, it isn't so great for privacy, because it means storing everything on an exposed shelf. Instead, consider installing a recessed wall mounted storage cabinet. These are installed part way or nearly entirely inside the wall, meaning they have extra shelf space without the cabinet protruding as far into the bathroom.

Maybe the best thing about wall mounted storage cabinets is that many can be installed on the same wall at the same time. Large freestanding storage cabinets can often fit in one and only one spot in a small bathroom, but wall mounted cabinets - especially recessed ones - can fit just about anywhere, at any height or any distance apart from one another, restricted only by the wall studs. That means its easy to combine storage to meet the specific needs of any bathroom, no matter how small.

Finally, while a big, hulking freestanding cabinet screams "necessity," a more petite wall hung cabinet can actually be attractive. This admittedly tends to be more true the more modern the bathroom, but smaller, shapely wall hung cabinets can create a nice sense of balance and symmetry. Some designers even pair smaller storage pieces, like tiny square shelves, that coordinate with simple wall mounted vanities to create a display that looks almost like it's floating, weightless and streamlined and as pretty as it is functional.

HomeThangs.com is not only a home improvement superstore, it also provides expert design tips and a comprehensive shopping guide, taking the ideas from professional interior designers, and offering tips to the consumers on how to pick the products to best suit their needs.

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HomeThangs.com Has Introduced A Guide To Wall Mounted Bathroom Storage Cabinets

Christ the King Church parishioners celebrated their 65th anniversary on the feast day of Christ the King on Nov. 24.

According to the church website, after World War II increasing numbers of people moved to Manville to find work in the expanding Johns-Manville plant. With the need for a second Catholic church in Manville, Bishop William Griffin established the Church of Christ the King on April 22, 1948, and appointed Father Eugene B. Kelly as the founding pastor.

The first Mass for the new parish was celebrated in Fire Company No. 3 on Louis Street and North 8th Avenue on May 23, 1948. Excavation for the new church and rectory was begun on Feb. 22, 1949, and construction was completed later that year. The newly installed bishop of Trenton, Bishop George W. Ahr, dedicated the Christ the King Church on June 25, 1950.

In 1956, Father William J. Wrinn was appointed pastor. Father Wrinn acknowledged the need of a parochial school and initiated the plans for its construction. Christ the King Parish School was completed by the parishs third pastor, Father James E. Coley, and opened on Sept. 6, 1968, under the guidance of Sister Marie of the Bernadine Sisters of Maryview, the schools first principal. People filling the church for the anniversary celebration, which began with 10:30 Mass. The celebrant Monsignor Joseph Celano, along with former pastor Daniel Sloan and current pastor Stanislaw (Stan) Slaby, presided. Students from Christ the King School also participated by bringing up the gifts and singing special songs for occasion.

This year our parish celebrates the 65th anniversary as a thanksgiving, blessing and achievements that God bestowed upon us during these years, Father Stan said. Monsignor Celano acknowledged the imminent merger of the two parishes in the borough.

The celebration continued with a luncheon at Christ the King School. About 120 people attended.

Father Sloan was at the 50th, 55th and 60th Christ the King Church anniversaries and said, It is great to be back in this great little town and parish. It has always been a lively parish and it has done a lot of good to build up the kingdom here in the town of Manville. I hope it will continue to grow.

The rest is here:
MANVILLE: Christ the King celebrates 65th anniversary

He took the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century

To read about TIMEs choice in Spanish and Portuguese, click below. EL ELEGIDO: El Papa Francisco es la Persona del Ao 2013 de TIME A Escolha: O Papa Francisco a Personalidade do Ano eleita pela Time em 2013

On the edge of Buenos Aires is a nothing little street calledPasaje C, a shot of dried mud leading into a slum from what passes for a main road, the garbage-strewn Mariano Acosta. There is a church, the Immaculate Virgin, toward the end of the pasajeSpanish for passagewhere, on one occasion, the local priest and a number of frightened residents took refuge deep in the sanctuary when rival drug gangs opened fire. Beyond the church, Pasaje C branches into the rest of the parish: more rutted mud and cracked concrete form PasajesA to K. Brick chips from the hasty construction of squatter housing coagulate along what ought to be sidewalks. The word asesinomurdereris scrawled in spray-paint on the sooty wall of a burned-out house, which was torched just days before in retaliation for yet another shooting. Packs of dogs sprawl beneath wrecked cars. Children wander heedless of traffic, because nothing can gather speed on these jagged roads. But even Pasaje C can lead to Rome.

As Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires, a metropolis of some 13.5million souls, Jorge Mario Bergoglio made room in his schedule every year for a pastoral visit to this place of squalor and sorrow. He would walk to the subway station nearest to the Metropolitan Cathedral, whose pillars and dome fit easily into the center of Argentine power. Traveling alone, he would transfer onto a graffiti-blasted tram to Mariano Acosta, reaching where the subways do not go. He finished the journey on foot, moving heavily in his bulky black orthopedic shoes along Pasaje C. On other days, there were other journeys to barrios throughout the cityso many in need of so much, but none too poor or too filthy for a visit from this itinerant prince of the church. Reza por m, he asked almost everyone he met. Pray for me.

When, on March 13, Bergoglio inherited the throne of St.Peterkeeper of the keys to the kingdom of heavenhe made the same request of the world. Pray for me. His letter of retirement, a requirement of all bishops 75 and older, was already on file in a Vatican office, awaiting approval. Friends in Argentina had perceived him to be slowing down, like a spent force. In an instant, he was a new man, calling himself Francis after the humble saint from Assisi. As Pope, he was suddenly the sovereign of Vatican City and head of an institution so sprawlingwith about enough followers to populate Chinaso steeped in order, so snarled by bureaucracy, so vast in its charity, so weighted by its scandals, so polarizing to those who study its teachings, so mysterious to those who dont, that the gap between him and the daily miseries of the worlds poor might finally have seemed unbridgeable. Until the 266th Supreme Pontiff walked off in those clunky shoes to pay his hotel bill.

The papacy is mysterious and magical: it turns a septuagenarian into a superstar while revealing almost nothing about the man himself. And it raises hopes in every corner of the worldhopes that can never be fulfilled, for they are irreconcilable. The elderly traditionalist who pines for the old Latin Mass and the devout young woman who wishes she could be a priest both have hopes. The ambitious monsignor in the Vatican Curia and the evangelizing deacon in a remote Filipino village both have hopes. No Pope can make them all happy at once.

(MORE: Behind the Pope Francis Cover)

But what makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all. People weary of the endless parsing of sexual ethics, the buck-passing infighting over lines of authority when all the while (to borrow from Milton), the hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed. In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the churchthe church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh worldabove the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors. John Paul II and Benedict XVI were professors of theology. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher.

And behind his self-effacing facade, he is a very canny operator. He makes masterly use of 21stcentury tools to perform his 1st century office. He is photographed washing the feet of female convicts, posing for selfies with young visitors to the Vatican, embracing a man with a deformed face. He is quoted saying of women who consider abortion because of poverty or rape, Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations? Of gay people: If a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. To divorced and remarried Catholics who are, by rule, forbidden from taking Communion, he says that this crucial rite is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.

Through these conscious and skillful evocations of moments in the ministry of Jesus, as recounted in the Gospels, this new Pope may have found a way out of the 20th century culture wars, which have left the church moribund in much of Western Europe and on the defensive from Dublin to Los Angeles. But the paradox of the papacy is that each new mans success is burdened by the astonishing successes of Popes past. The weight of history, of doctrines and dogmas woven intricately century by century, genius by genius, is both the source and the limitation of papal power. It radiates from every statue, crypt and hand-painted vellum text in Romeand in churches, libraries, hospitals, universities and museums around the globe. A Pope sets his own course only if he can conform it to paths already chosen.

More:
Pope Francis: TIME's Person of the Year

He took the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century

To read about TIMEs choice in Spanish and Portuguese, click below. EL ELEGIDO: El Papa Francisco es la Persona del Ao 2013 de TIME A Escolha: O Papa Francisco a Personalidade do Ano eleita pela Time em 2013

On the edge of Buenos Aires is a nothing little street calledPasaje C, a shot of dried mud leading into a slum from what passes for a main road, the garbage-strewn Mariano Acosta. There is a church, the Immaculate Virgin, toward the end of the pasajeSpanish for passagewhere, on one occasion, the local priest and a number of frightened residents took refuge deep in the sanctuary when rival drug gangs opened fire. Beyond the church, Pasaje C branches into the rest of the parish: more rutted mud and cracked concrete form PasajesA to K. Brick chips from the hasty construction of squatter housing coagulate along what ought to be sidewalks. The word asesinomurdereris scrawled in spray-paint on the sooty wall of a burned-out house, which was torched just days before in retaliation for yet another shooting. Packs of dogs sprawl beneath wrecked cars. Children wander heedless of traffic, because nothing can gather speed on these jagged roads. But even Pasaje C can lead to Rome.

As Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires, a metropolis of some 13.5million souls, Jorge Mario Bergoglio made room in his schedule every year for a pastoral visit to this place of squalor and sorrow. He would walk to the subway station nearest to the Metropolitan Cathedral, whose pillars and dome fit easily into the center of Argentine power. Traveling alone, he would transfer onto a graffiti-blasted tram to Mariano Acosta, reaching where the subways do not go. He finished the journey on foot, moving heavily in his bulky black orthopedic shoes along Pasaje C. On other days, there were other journeys to barrios throughout the cityso many in need of so much, but none too poor or too filthy for a visit from this itinerant prince of the church. Reza por m, he asked almost everyone he met. Pray for me.

When, on March 13, Bergoglio inherited the throne of St.Peterkeeper of the keys to the kingdom of heavenhe made the same request of the world. Pray for me. His letter of retirement, a requirement of all bishops 75 and older, was already on file in a Vatican office, awaiting approval. Friends in Argentina had perceived him to be slowing down, like a spent force. In an instant, he was a new man, calling himself Francis after the humble saint from Assisi. As Pope, he was suddenly the sovereign of Vatican City and head of an institution so sprawlingwith about enough followers to populate Chinaso steeped in order, so snarled by bureaucracy, so vast in its charity, so weighted by its scandals, so polarizing to those who study its teachings, so mysterious to those who dont, that the gap between him and the daily miseries of the worlds poor might finally have seemed unbridgeable. Until the 266th Supreme Pontiff walked off in those clunky shoes to pay his hotel bill.

The papacy is mysterious and magical: it turns a septuagenarian into a superstar while revealing almost nothing about the man himself. And it raises hopes in every corner of the worldhopes that can never be fulfilled, for they are irreconcilable. The elderly traditionalist who pines for the old Latin Mass and the devout young woman who wishes she could be a priest both have hopes. The ambitious monsignor in the Vatican Curia and the evangelizing deacon in a remote Filipino village both have hopes. No Pope can make them all happy at once.

(MORE: Behind the Pope Francis Cover)

But what makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all. People weary of the endless parsing of sexual ethics, the buck-passing infighting over lines of authority when all the while (to borrow from Milton), the hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed. In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the churchthe church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh worldabove the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors. John Paul II and Benedict XVI were professors of theology. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher.

And behind his self-effacing facade, he is a very canny operator. He makes masterly use of 21stcentury tools to perform his 1st century office. He is photographed washing the feet of female convicts, posing for selfies with young visitors to the Vatican, embracing a man with a deformed face. He is quoted saying of women who consider abortion because of poverty or rape, Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations? Of gay people: If a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. To divorced and remarried Catholics who are, by rule, forbidden from taking Communion, he says that this crucial rite is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.

Through these conscious and skillful evocations of moments in the ministry of Jesus, as recounted in the Gospels, this new Pope may have found a way out of the 20th century culture wars, which have left the church moribund in much of Western Europe and on the defensive from Dublin to Los Angeles. But the paradox of the papacy is that each new mans success is burdened by the astonishing successes of Popes past. The weight of history, of doctrines and dogmas woven intricately century by century, genius by genius, is both the source and the limitation of papal power. It radiates from every statue, crypt and hand-painted vellum text in Romeand in churches, libraries, hospitals, universities and museums around the globe. A Pope sets his own course only if he can conform it to paths already chosen.

See the original post:
Pope Francis, The People's Pope

Originally published December 12, 2013 at 12:02 PM | Page modified December 12, 2013 at 12:21 PM

BETHLEHEM, West Bank As visitors descend upon Bethlehem this holiday season, they will notice a different look for the Church of the Nativity. Wrapped in scaffolding, the basilica located at the site traditionally regarded as Jesus birthplace is undergoing a much-needed face-lift after 600 years.

Experts say that water is leaking from the rooftop and threatens to cause serious damage to mosaics and other priceless items.

Project manager Afif Tweme said the first stage of the project began in September and addresses the most pressing issues: the rooftop and windows.

The water also has a bad effect on the plastering surfaces, on the mosaics, on the floors, on the frescoes. It could damage any, any historical elements inside the church, said Tweme, who works for the Community Development Group, a Palestinian engineering consulting firm.

The companies carrying out the works are obliged to minimize any disruptions to visitors and make sure that pilgrims can pass freely inside the church and safely, he added.

The church is one of Christianitys most visited and sacred shrines. Standing above the grotto where, according to tradition, Jesus was born, the church attracted more than 2 million visitors last year. But the building, with remnants up to 1,500 years old, has been neglected for decades.

Both the World Monuments Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit group dedicated to protecting historic sites, and the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO have placed the church on their lists of endangered sites. And a high-tech survey by a consortium of Italian experts in 2011 called for urgent repairs.

The city of Bethlehem is situated in a part of the West Bank where the Palestinians have self-rule. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority has taken the lead and is financing a great portion of the works, said Ziad al-Bandak, an adviser on Christian affairs to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He said the government has provided $1 million, while an additional $800,000 is coming from the private sector. The rest is coming from European countries such as France, Hungary, Russia and Greece, contributing to the roughly $3 million in total needed for the first phase, al-Bandak said.

Here is the original post:
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem undergoes face-lift