Around Lower Paxton with B²

Meeting reminders … Stray Winds Area Neighbors, a community watchdog group better known as SWAN, will hold its monthly meeting tonight at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1100 Colonial Road, 7 pm. The public is encouraged to attend. … Lower Paxton officials will meet Tuesday, April 28, with Linglestown residents who live in the area of Elmer and Elaine avenues to discuss plans to replace sewer lines that go into homes. The meeting will be held at St. Thomas United Church of Christ, 7 pm. I've talked with a few residents who are disturbed by the township and state environmental officials agreeing to take a shotgun approach to address clear water getting into the sewage system.

New local blog ... A big Gazette welcome goes out to the Linglestown Women's Club for joining the blogsphere. The club now is listed on the sidebar to the right under "Local Links." They created the blog by accident while trying to submit information to the Gazette about their meeting this Tuesday, April 28, at Linglestown Life.

Big event coming ... Linglestown Fire Company is hosting the 91st Dauphin County Volunteer Firemen's Association Convention, and the event includes a fantastic parade in the village on Saturday, June 13. Local groups are encouraged to be part of the parade by walking as a group or building a float to display. Also, churches and other public service groups can sell food at the after-parade festivities at Koons Park. Contact Mike Rodkey via e-mail for more details.

Road trippin' ... I met former Linglestown resident and recent Temple University journalism graduate Brian James Kirk via Twitter a few months ago, and Saturday I traded some words with him at a media conference held in Philadelphia. He's doing freelance work and has partnered with two other Temple grads to start a Web site called Technically Philly that follows the Philly high-tech scene. (Video highlights of media event by James Roxbury of Harrisburg-based Roxbury News; Brian is pictured standing to the left of the presenter.)

I did a presentation on my Backyard News project at the Philly BarCamp.

Random stuff ... Gazette reader John Robinson is still looking for host families for a group of French exchange students that will be visiting the Linglestown area this summer. ... Check back for two new Linglestown TV videos that are being edited and will be published this week. ... Gazette congrats go out to CD High senior Justin Shirk for snagging gold in the javelin competition Friday at the prestigious Penn Relays track meet in Philly. ... I'm working on bringing a benefit concert to Linglestown in late June that would benefit a local food pantry or two. ... My neighbor who landed in Dauphin County prison as a direct result of mental illness is still behind bars. CLICK HERE for more details about what you can do to prevent this type of thing from happening.