Copper

Q. I read somewhere that the copper-bottom Revere Ware pots that have rainbow-looking spots on the inside of the bottom of the pots have copper coming through and it is unhealthy to use them. Any truth to this? My pots are almost 40 years old and in excellent shape except for these marks. - D.J. Jones Sarasota, Fla. Q. I have a set of three covered stainless steel bowls. Is it safe to use these for all types of food to be kept in the refrigerator, such as puddings, vegetables and pickled beets?

The thieves had only one thing on their minds when they broke into a Philadelphia library branch early Monday morning: They left it high and dry, stripped of all its copper piping. Forty personal computers and other valuables were left untouched. Officials estimate that repairing the damage at the Lillian Marrero branch in North Philadelphia will run about $80,000. "They took out every ounce of copper piping they could get their hands on," said Siobhan Reardon, the president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

While temperatures are finally dropping, an unusual crime wave in the western suburbs is heating up. Thieves are stealing air conditioners - more precisely, the copper tubing that makes up their internal components. Since late August, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of large commercial and residential units have been taken or damaged as criminals attempt to pilfer the metal and sell it for scrap. With copper prices hovering around $3 a pound, a typical haul might net the thief $400 worth of metal but leave a $4,000 unit worthless, police said.

I never had a dog growing up. I like animals; I'm just not one of those people with a passion for them. Like my sister. Her family includes four cats, four kids, two lizards, several fish and a German shepherd. Now that's passion. But when my children pleaded for a puppy, I gave in. I told them we could start "looking for a puppy. " I forgot about the Internet. Within an hour, they had found a puppy online - a corgi. "Look how cute he is, Mom. " Corgis have short legs and barrel-chested bodies.

The thieves had only one thing on their minds when they broke into a Philadelphia library branch early Monday: They left it high and dry, stripped of its copper piping. Forty personal computers and other valuables were left untouched. Officials estimate that repairing the damage at the Lillian Marrero branch in North Philadelphia will run about $80,000. "They took out every ounce of copper piping they could get their hands on," said Siobhan Reardon, president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

A man who allegedly broke into an Atlantic City Electric facility in Pleasantville fell down an elevator shaft and had to be rescued overnight. He and three other men with him were captured and arrested by police, according to Bridget Shelton, a spokeswoman for Atlantic City Electric. Initial police reports for a rescue and trauma call for help came in about 1 a.m. to Egg Harbor Police. Crews discovered the man, who said he believed both his ankles were broken. However, medical reports were not available as of early this morning.

Dear Polly: I have a tin-lined copper pot. I clean the copper regularly with lemon juice and salt to keep it beautifully shiny, but the tin interior is darkening. How can I clean that up as well? - Betty It's best to let the tin darken naturally. Don't attempt to polish it. Polishing the tin would gradually remove thin layers of the metal and, once the tin layer is worn away, the pot will have to be retinned before you can use it again. As I'm sure you know, it is unsafe to cook in unlined copper since undesirable amounts of copper can leach into some foods.

I've got a leaky copper pipe joint and I'm faced with fixing it. I know how to solder but have never worked on pipes before. Got any tips? Turn the water supply off first. You won't want any water in the joint when you try to solder it. Nor do you want a flood! Open any nearby valves to allow excess pressure created by the heat to dispel. Use your propane torch to heat the joint and melt the old solder. Hold the fitting with a wrench for removal so you don't burn your hand.

Question: The previous owners of our house spray-painted the copper flashing over the bow window at the front. Any ideas on what the best method is to get the paint off - something that won't ruin the shine of the copper flashing? I've gotten sick of looking at the brownish spray-paint marks. They did a horrible job to boot. Answer: Why anyone would spray-paint copper flashing is beyond me, since copper is so expensive and gives any house a high-end look. I'm assuming the copper began weathering to a nice patina, and they decided they didn't like green, so they painted it brown.

In the middle of the 19th century, copper mining near what was then the village of Shannonville promised to become a leading local industry, on a par with the anthracite coal mines upstate. After a decade, however, the copper mines no longer produced a profit, and they were abandoned. Nature moved in, and over the intervening 130 years covered the scars of the mining enterprise. Today they are all but hidden, and mostly forgotten. Yet on the grounds of Mill Grove, site of the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, one can still find the unmarked graves of the miners who toiled there in the days before the Civil War. A 40-foot-high brick chimney and several small openings in the earth offer further evidence.

Philadelphia Police are seeking help identifying a man captured on surveillance video stripping copper valued at $50,000 from an apartment building under renovation in East Germantown. Police said the thief spent about six hours in the building at 5701 Kemble Ave. early last Saturday, cutting and removing copper pipes. He is described as a black male, 20- to 30-years-old, with an athletic build, and goatee with mustache. He was wearing a green shirt, a brace on his left wrist, blue jeans, a necklace with a cross and dark colored shoes.

Kahleah Copper has been at a couple of high schools over the last four years, but she has always had a home on the Pennsylvania sports writers' all-state girls' basketball team. Copper, the 6-foot-2, Rutgers-bound guard-forward, has been on the all-state team every year of her varsity career, first making it in Class A as a freshman and sophomore at Girard College, then making the Class AAA first team after her junior year at Prep Charter. This year, Copper not only made the first team again, but she also was selected the player of the year in her classification in a vote of statewide media after taking her team to the PIAA semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Boys' Latin's Maurice Watson Jr. and Prep Charter's Kahleah Copper on Wednesday were named winners of the fifth annual Phoenix Awards. The Phoenix Club of Philadelphia was created in 2008 by Michael Horsey, a local certified public accountant, to recognize the most outstanding boys' and girls' senior basketball players in the Public League. Watson, a 5-foot-10 point guard who signed with Boston University, averaged 21.8 points this season. He scored 2,356 career points. Copper, a 6-1 point guard, is regarded as the nation's 17th-best female college prospect in the Class of 2012, according to ESPN. The Rutgers signee participated in Wednesday's McDonald's All American girls' game in Chicago and scored two points and pulled down four rebounds in 14 minutes.

CHICAGO - Amile Jefferson and Kahleah Copper took turns on Wednesday night playing in the house that Michael Jordan built. The Philadelphia-area stars appeared in respective boys' and girls' McDonald's All-American basketball games before more than 17,000 fans at the United Center. Jefferson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Friends' Central, played about six minutes, had a pair of steals and hit a late jumper in the first half for an East team battling an 11-player West squad in a late game.

Boys' Latin's Maurice Watson Jr. and Prep Charter's Kahleah Copper on Wednesday were named winners of the fifth annual Phoenix Awards. The Phoenix Club of Philadelphia was created in 2008 by Michael Horsey, a local certified public accountant, to recognize the most outstanding boys' and girls' senior basketball players in the Public League. Watson, a 5-foot-10 point guard who signed with Boston University, averaged 21.8 points this season. He scored 2,356 career points. Copper, a 6-1 point guard, is regarded as the nation's 17th-best female college prospect in the Class of 2012, according to ESPN. The Rutgers signee participated in Wednesday's McDonald's All American girls' game in Chicago and scored two points and pulled down four rebounds in 14 minutes.

Prep Charter coach Paul Rieser can still picture her: the tall, gangly star of the New York Gauchos, springing for rebound after rebound on the Rutgers University hardwood. On that July 2010 day, he had come to watch his senior point guard, Bria Young, compete in the Summer Exposure Championships, a national event that showcased AAU players to college coaches. But as the games wore on, he found himself captivated by one girl whom Young soon pointed out. "Coach," Young told Rieser, "that's my friend Kahleah Copper.

Before the second half of Saturday's state quarterfinal, Prep Charter point guard Ciani Cryor told coach Paul Rieser what any point guard would tell her coach. "Coach, I'm trying to share the ball," Cryor said as the two walked down the Norristown High School stairs leading from the locker room to the court. "To [heck] with that," Rieser responded. Rieser knew exactly where the ball needed to go: into the hands of all-American guard Kahleah Copper. The Huskies fed her the ball just enough, as the 6-foot-2 senior scored 17 of her 29 points after the break in a tense, 53-50 victory over Villa Maria in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

Before the second half of Saturday's state quarterfinal, Prep Charter point guard Ciani Cryor told coach Paul Rieser what any point guard would tell her coach. "Coach, I'm trying to share the ball," Cryor said as the two walked down the Norristown High School stairs leading from the locker room to the court. "To [heck] with that," Rieser responded. Rieser knew exactly where the ball needed to go: into the hands of All-American guard Kahleah Copper. The Huskies fed her the ball just enough, as the 6-foot-2 senior scored 17 of her 29 points after the break in a tense, 53-50 victory over Villa Maria in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

COPPER thefts are costing SEPTA $500,000 every year, officials said. Last week, copper thieves stole five-foot sections of copper wire from the tracks of the Broad Street Line, risking electrocution, according to Andrew Gillespie, the agency's chief engineer for power. He said copper thieves are costing the authority $500,000 annually. Gillespie notes that hard economic times and the high price of copper has prompted the increasing number of thefts. - Doylestown Intelligencer

THERE SEEMS TO BE a shift of power going on in Public League girls' basketball. Central dominated the league in the first decade of the 2000s with a run of league championships between 2002-07, plus the '09 and '10 titles. But entering the current decade, Prep Charter, which entered the league only 4 years ago, has emerged as the league power. The Lady Huskies have appeared in the past four Public League championships games and have won the past two. Their most recent was a 70-34 trouncing of Central on Saturday at Community College of Philadelphia.