April 15 Rock The Block‏ In Pottstown Event

On Friday April 15, 2016, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County is hosting Rock the Block Pottstown…an effort to help fix up properties along the 300 and 400 blocks of Beech, Walnut and Chestnut Streets.

Habitat for Humanity is offering 20 tables to area organizations to highlight their initiatives, hand out brochures and connect with area residents.  Tables will be set up from approximately 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and Rock the Block: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20160224/video-groundwork-laid-for-pottstowns-rock-the-block-project

Kids Day A FREE Community Event Hosted By Olivet Boys & Girls Club

The Olivet Boys & Girls Club is hosting a free event at their Pottstown Unit, the Richard J. Ricketts Center, located at 658 Beach Street in Pottstown, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. The purpose is to strengthen relationships between the Club, partners and the Pottstown community, in addition to celebrating and supporting our kids. The best way to do that is to invite the community into the Club. The event will include food, games and entertainment. Pottstown School District staff, students and parents, along with community members and community partners, will be invited.

Youth Produced And Directed Film To Premiere On August 14, 2015

Helping to Inspire Positive and Healthy Opportunities for Progress Inc. (HIP HOP Inc.) is pleased to announce the premiere of Pottstown: The Kidumentary. The premiere will be held at the Olivet Boys and Girls Club – The Ricketts Center, 640 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 on August 14th, 2015 at 6:00pm.

Pottstown: The Kidumentary is a youth led, youth directed and youth produced film about the Borough of Pottstown and the people that make it great. The kidumentary was produced over the summer by youth participating in the summer learning program of HIP HOP Inc. in partnership with the Olivet Boys and Girls Club – The Ricketts Center. The primary goal of the summer learning program and the development of the kidumentary were to develop key 21st Century Life Skills in written and verbal communication, listening skills, video production and editing, team work and academic based research.

“We are proud of the work of the youth of HIP HOP Inc.”, stated Shay Peterson, Vice President of HIP HOP Inc., who went on to say, “The development of Pottstown: The Kidumentary was not only a fun hands on experience for the youth involved, it helped youth to develop core skills that will increase the likelihood of post-secondary success, while exposing youth to careers in production, technology, research and communication.”

For ticket information please visit: www.hiphopinc.org.

For more information please contact:

HIP HOP Inc.

Ralph E. Godbolt, President and CEO

rgodbolt@hiphopinc.org

Fight, Shots Fired Lead To Arrest In Pottstown

Editor’s note:  This crap is WAY out of hand and there are two more months of hot weather left. Turn this guy in if you know who he is!  Somebody could have easily been killed.  As for the male in custody…beating up a young girl!  Your mother must be so proud.

POTTSTOWN — Police have charged two men in related incidents, including shots fired at a vehicle.

According to police, a fight planned between two juvenile girls happened near the Ricketts Center at 672 Beech St. at 3:25 p.m. on Tuesday.

When the large group was chased from Beech Street, police said they moved to the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and North Warren Street.

The crowd of 40 to 50 people watching the fight included adults and children, police said.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130627/NEWS01/130629323/fight-shots-fired-lead-to-arrest-in-pottstown#full_story

Car Severely Damaged In Pottstown Drive-By Shooting

Editor’s note:  I think the headline says it all.  Pottstown leadership needs to take the bull by the horns and get tough on crime.  The incident happened while there was a group of community leaders gathered at the Ricketts Center trying to form a plan to clean up the core neighborhood.  How ironic.  

Here are some comments from Facebook on the subject:

WE WERE AT THE RICKETTS CENTER when the shooting happened, for that CARES Pottstown meeting – the Let’s Clean Up Ward 1 meeting????  Yeah…let’s do.  Is the boro going to hand out bullet proof vests to all the good people cleaning up?  It’s the least they could do.

All other efforts to make things better in this ward pale and seem superficial by the fact that there appears to be no real effort to clean up the root cause of the problems.

The mentality is-cite the property owner for a crack in the sidewalk.  All else doesn’t matter.

I’m beyond irritated by this.  We heard what we thought was illegal fireworks (again) last night. Didn’t look out the window until we went out last night.  Opened the door to find the intersection of Beech and Washington roped off and multiple police cars and officers out and about.  They were talking to people on my block.  We didn’t see anything but were told that it stemmed from an earlier incident that began at the Ricketts Center in the afternoon.

Here’s the paragraph in the Mercury regarding the shooting:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130626/NEWS01/130629487/car-severely-damaged-in-pottstown-drive-by-shooting

Art Draws Pennsylvania’s First Lady To Reading

High heels dug into the soft ground under the afternoon sun as Pennsylvania first lady Susan Corbett treaded with caution in a grassy lot off Beech Street in Reading.

On a building across from Opportunity House’s Second Street Learning Center, a multi-story mural, featuring painted plants and mosaic-tiled butterflies, gleamed in the sunlight.

“It’s absolutely stunning,” Gov. Tom Corbett’s wife said of the community mural, one of dozens installed in and around Reading in recent years.

Fresh from a morning press conference at a charter school for the arts in Bethlehem, Susan Corbett stopped in Reading to tour the learning center and view examples of the city’s community art.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=465178