State/County - Bristol Borough

Commissioner Chair Announces New Transparency Measures for Financial Records

Published

2 years ago

July 1, 2024

Recently, Bucks County Board of Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia announced new transparency measures with County budgets, contracts and campaign finance reports with the following statement:

“Since taking office in January 2020, this administration has sought ways to pull back the curtain on county government to make it more accessible for residents, taxpayers and voters.

From revamping and restructuring our Communications Department to be more proactive and public-facing; to livestreaming our Commissioners’ meetings using state-of-the-art equipment; to utilizing and expanding social media platforms to an ever-growing audience; to completely rebuilding our website to be more responsive, intuitive and accessible, we have strived to make government more transparent at every level.

Today, I am proud to further the mission to be more transparent in a major way. Normally, contracts, detailed budget documents and campaign finance are only accessible by request or appointment. In 2024, this information should be simple to retrieve, so that process is prohibitive and antiquated. Therefore, I have directed our senior staff to remove the red tape, so the public has easy access to the information they are entitled to as soon as possible.

To begin, we will make all County contracts moving forward accessible and searchable on buckscounty.gov. We will investigate potential grant opportunities to allow for the addition/scanning of historical contracts, making those available as well.

Further, we will make the entire county budget more detailed on buckscounty.gov so members of the public and press can find exactly the information they are looking for without having to jump through any hoops.

Finally, I have directed staff to make Campaign Finance Records available on the Board of Elections website. Once activated, candidates and committees will be able to file reports online and the public will be able to view and search those reports. Like contracts, we will determine the feasibility of including historical records.

While these directives may take some time to achieve, I am confident that our dedicated staff will work as quickly as possible to make these transparency measures a reality.”

Once the County has cleared any technical and legal hurdles, these three initiatives will be rolled out immediately.

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Human Interest - Bensalem Township

Police Seek Info on Missing Teen Believed to be in Lower Bucks Area

Published

1 hour ago

March 5, 2026

Jeff Bohen

Police from Plumstead Township Police Department with an assist from Tullytown Borough Police are asking for help from the community in attempting to locate a missing 17 year-old .

Ryan Jaatar Age 17 is 5ft 8in Brown eyes and has not been seen since January 3, 2026, police say.

Jaatar was last seen by his father at their residence in Plumstead Township.

Jaatar’s, according to investigators, is believed to be in the Levittown/Bristol/Croydon area.

Anyone with information, please contact Detective Stacie Arnosky at sarnosky@plumstead.gov or 215-766-8741, ext. 120 or Contact the Tullytown Borough Police Department at 215-945-0999. You can also submit a confidential tip at through this link.

State/County - Bensalem Township

Burlington Bristol Bridge to Close Overnight Beginning Friday for Maintenance Work

Published

5 hours ago

March 5, 2026

staff

The Burlington County Bridge Commission announced that the Burlington Bristol Bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. overnight beginning tomorrow (Friday March 6,) to Tuesday, March 10, weather permitting, for maintenance and repair work.

Human Interest - Bensalem Township

Floral Design Program Wins Again at Philadelphia Flower Show

Published

7 hours ago

March 5, 2026

staff

Dr. Patrick M. Jones (left), President & CEO of Bucks County Community College, and Carol Tyler admire the College’s floral design program’s exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show featuring “Joan of Arc at Orleans” by Stella Elkins Tyler. The sculpture, donated to the College by the Tyler family, is the centerpiece of the College’s award-winning “Rooted in Art” exhibit. The College was founded on the Tyler estate in Newtown more than 60 years ago. Credit: BCCC

In only its second year, Bucks County Community College (BCCC) picked up another medal at the prestigious horticultural expo for its ‘Rooted in Art’ tribute to Stella Elkins Tyler.

BCCC’s floral design program has once again taken home a prize in only its second year participating in the Philadelphia Flower Show. Students, alumni, and instructors earned a bronze medal for “Rooted in Art,” reflecting the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features Tyler’s sculpture “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” donated to the College by Carol Tyler, who visited the show with College President & CEO Dr. Patrick M. Jones (Feature Pic). The College was founded on the Tyler estate in Newtown more than 60 years ago. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.

Credit: BCCC

A team of 20 students, alumni, and instructors from BCCC’s floral design program helped install “Rooted in Art” at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which reflects the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features one of Tyler’s original bronze sculptures, “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” pictured in the background.

Credit: BCCC

Melanie Poff (left) and her mother Els Poff, both Certified Floral Designers from Doylestown and students in BCCC’s floral design program, helped surround “Joan of Arc at Orleans” by Stella Elkins Tyler with botanical beauty at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The sculpture is part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit, reflecting the deep connection between art, education, and nature that Stella Elkins Tyler championed throughout her life.

Credit: BCCC

Amparito Arriaga, a Certified Floral Designer from Exton and a student in BCCC’s floral design program, installs part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.