Assignment #3 – News Portfolio

Sarah Marshall
Oakdale Apartments Fire
MECHANICSBURG, Pa – A fire started this evening in Oakdale Apartments complex, leaving
2 residents and 1 firefighter hospitalized.
Several 911 calls were made by residents that morning alerting dispatchers to the fire.
Mechanicsburg Boro Fire Company was the first to arrive to the scene at 5:28 p.m.
A two-block radius had been blocked off to keep bystanders away from the danger, as another
fire company was called to the scene. Monroe Township Fire Company came with the aid of two
additional firetrucks.
By 5:58 p.m., the fire was still out of control and Upper Allen Fire Company arrived on the
scene 20 minutes later with 4 firetrucks and 12 firefighters. Later Rose Allen Fire Company was
called to the scene to aid in containing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
By 6:33 p.m., the fire had been ruled under control. The fire was successfully contained to the
one apartment building and did not spread to nearby residential buildings.
11 out of 23 residents had been home at the time of the fire with the addition of 3 guests who had
been visiting their grandmother. 12 people were escorted to safety during the crisis.
Two unidentified residents – a 47-year-old woman and a 67-year-old woman – who were found
by search and rescue were flown to Hershey Medical Center by a Penn State Lifeline helicopter.
One firefighter sustained minor burns on their arm and were transported to West Shore Hospital
for treatment.
Exact damage costs have not been revealed at this time, but a loose estimate suggests that the
damages exceed $150,000. The building has been considered a total loss. Residents without a
place to stay during this difficult time are actively receiving temporary housing and other
assistance by Cumberland County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
According to officials, the fire appears to have started in the kitchen area of a 3rd floor apartment
in the complex. The building’s fire alarms did not set off to alert residents of the fire.
The incident was officially closed at 1:15 a.m.
The owner of Oakdale Apartments has not been identified at this time and the cause of the fire is
still under investigation by State Police Fire Marshal.
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Sarah Marshall
M&T New Workforce Development Center
YORK, Pa – M&T’s recently closed bank branch in York is being donated to the Spanish
American Civic Association to become a workforce development center. According to M&T
Bank, the plan for the development center is that it will help local unemployed and
underemployed residents find work in “high-demand” fields.
The new center, that is expected to open in 2023, will be providing individuals with the
fundamentals of adult education, training for job skills, and career counseling opportunities.
SACA partnered with local non-profit vocational training center, York Community Resource
Center, to assist them in acquiring the workforce development programs that are to be offered at
the new development center.
M&T’s regional president for Southeast Pennsylvania, Tom Koppmann, explained, “In SACA,
we found the perfect partner to provide residents of York with the resources and skills they need
to improve their lives and provide for their families. We can’t wait to see how Tec Centro York
helps to transform the communities it serves.”
According to M&T’s article, Tec Centro York, which is SACA’s second replication of Tec
Centro Berks in Reading, Pa., will find many placements for students after they graduate
training. Some of these prospective jobs include, “medical assistant, bank teller,
commercial/industrial electrician, plumber, facility maintenace,”.
M&T has informed its customers that the same operations that were once held at Tec Centro
York are currently held at a nearby open branch on 21 E. Market St. M&T ATM services are to
remain available outside of Tec Centro York on 800 E. Market St.
Director of Public Information, Scott Graham, informed the general public that the branch had
been closed due to an annual survey that revealed that the York building received the least
amount of foot traffic. This was deemed as ample cause to determine a better purpose for the
building to fulfill.
Graham stated that there were 35 employees who had previously worked for the closed branch.
27 of those were relocated to other branches, 4 sought and claimed early retirement, and 4 were
given the option by the bank to relocate but turned down the opportunity.
Officials of SACA, The York Community Resource Center, and M&T Bank alike all are hopeful
and in favor of the Tec Centro York building’s future as it will be used to benefit the local
community workforce.
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Sarah Marshall
American Hero Dog
LOS ANGELES – Chi Chi, a 4-year-old quadruple amputee Golden Retriever from Phoenix,
Arizona, won the title of “American Hero Dog” at the 2022 American Humane Hero Dog
Awards on the 20th of September. Chi Chi succeeded over 265 other canine contestants at the 8th
annual Hero Dog Awards.
The Hero Dogs Awards will receive its own premier broadcast starring Chi Chi on Hallmark
Channel, Crown Media Family Networks’ flagship 24-hour cable television network, October
24th at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
With a following of roughly 101,000 people on Instagram, Chi Chi has claimed fame over the
course of her 8-month recovery.
According to Madeline Stroch, who adopted Chi Chi after volunteering to take her in through the
International Adoption Program of American Humane society, Chi Chi has persevered through
much. After being left for dead in a garbage bag in South Korea, with bound legs that displayed
signs of severe necrosis, the only way to save her had been to amputate portions of all four of her
legs. The Golden Retriever has endured many trials such as, a difficult backstory, intense
surgery, and cancer.
Despite it all, Chi Chi learned to trust people again. Stroch offered details of the Golden
Retriever’s recovery and impact on others, “She quickly adapted to her first set of custom
prosthetics and now loves spending her days as a certified therapy dog sharing her joy and
cheerful demeanor with people of all ages... She positively impacts thousands of people all over
the world via her online therapy work through her social media account.”
Chi Chi won the “Therapy Dog” category, which was sponsored this year by Chicken Soup for
the Soul Pet Food. Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food has been in business for over 15 years,
supplying their consumers with wholesome and balanced food for the beloved pets they wish to
nourish.
Assisting Director of Marketing and Development for American Humane, Mark Stubis, provided
the details of the prize Chi Chi and her owner are to receive being a one-year supply of soup
offered by Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food, a $150 Hallmark gift card provided by Hallmark,
and a $5000 cash reward from Hallmark channel.
The runner-up of the Hero Dog Awards was a Siberian Husky named Frenchie; it was elected to
be in the awards due to its heroic act of saving a 3-year-old from a well. Frenchie will be one of
6 other dogs starring next to Chi Chi in Hallmark’s “American Humane Hero Dog Awards”
premier.
The Hero Dog Awards is sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, Inc. and Zoetis Petcare
and provided by American Humane. American Humane is very thankful to have been given the
opportunity to showcase Chi Chi’s moving story as a national humane organization.
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