David Mekeel

1 week ago | readingeagle.com | David Mekeel

A cleanup effort at a former chemical plant on South Ninth Street that was decimated by a pair of fires in late 2023  has been completed. Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that the final phase of hazardous waste removal at the former Lincoln Chemical Co. building has successfully come to an end. The building at South Ninth and Laurel streets suffered significant damage during a pair of fires in November 2023.

1 week ago | readingeagle.com | David Mekeel

Aimet Blanco stood staring at the items in front of her: a small plastic cup filled with kale salad in her right hand and a reusable shopping bag dangling from her wrist. First she picked out some lemons, and then, with a smile, selected four small tomatoes on sale for $2. Blanco was pleased with her purchase, admitting that sometimes its hard to find similar items at similar prices in shops across Reading.

2 weeks ago | readingeagle.com | David Mekeel

Viktoriia Vozharenko’s days as a student at Cocalico High School weren’t easy. Fleeing religious persecution, she moved from Odessa, Ukraine, to northern Lancaster County with her parents in 2018 at the age of 15. She found herself in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar culture. And she found herself struggling to communicate — at least with words. “When I was in high school I didn’t know any English,” the now 22-year-old explained.

2 weeks ago | readingeagle.com | David Mekeel

The Salvation Army Reading Corps honored community service during its annual Civic Luncheon. The event, which had a theme of “Homeruns for Good,” was held Wednesday at Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium. It celebrated community partnerships and raised critical support for housing initiatives across Berks County. During the luncheon, Salvation Army officials presented two awards: the Spirit of Reading Award and the Others Award.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | David Mekeel

Polling locations across Berks County were mostly quiet on Tuesday, as voter turnout for the primary election was low. For those who pay attention to voting trends, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Tuesday’s election was a municipal primary, meaning most of the races voters saw on their ballots were local.