Tag Archives: Pottstown core neighborhood
Two Arrested In Death Of Pottstown Man
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Pottstown Borough Police Chief F. Richard Drumheller announce the arrest of Richard Collins and Mariah Walton for first degree murder, conspiracy, and related offenses. These arrests are the result of a joint investigation into a homicide, which occurred in the area of Washington and Beech Streets, Pottstown Borough.
On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 11:27 AM, the Pottstown Borough Police Department responded to Washington and Beech Streets for an unresponsive person. The victim, Artie Bradley, age 38, of Pottstown was pronounced dead at the scene. On Saturday, March 21, 2015, an autopsy was performed on the body of Artie Bradley at the Montgomery County Morgue. The autopsy revealed that Bradley died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death was ruled homicide.
The Pottstown Borough Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau conducted a lengthy investigation, incorporating witness accounts, video surveillance, and various other technological tools they were able to piece together the murder of Artie Bradley. The investigation uncovered an existing relationship between Bradley, Collins and Walton. In the months leading up to Bradley’s murder, Collins and Bradley had a falling out over money.
The soured relationship between Collins, Walton, and Bradley culminated on March 20, 2015 when Collins and Walton were called to assist in an altercation against Bradley’s paramour. This altercation provided Collins and Walton the opportunity to facilitate a confrontation between Collins and Bradley, resulting in Collins fatally shooting the victim, Bradley.
The defendants will be arraigned at Magisterial District Judge Scott Palladino’s Court, which is located at 1 Security Plaza, Suite 101 in Pottstown at 12:30 today.
The cases will be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Samantha Cauffman.
Joint Investigation Being Conducted On Pottstown Homicide
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Pottstown Borough Police Chief F. Richard Drumheller announce the joint investigation into a homicide, which occurred outside of residences near Washington and Beech Streets, Pottstown Borough.
On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 11:27 AM, the Pottstown Borough Police Department responded to Washington and Beech Streets for an unresponsive person. The victim, Artie Bradley, age 38 of Pottstown was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Saturday, March 21, 2015 an autopsy was performed on the body of Artie Bradley at the Montgomery County Morgue. The autopsy revealed that Bradley died as a result of multiple gunshots. The manner of death was ruled homicide.
The Pottstown Borough Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau are investigating this homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pottstown Police Department at 610 970-6570 or Montgomery County Detective Bureau 610 278-3368
FREE Pottstown Housing Counseling Classes Offered By Genesis
Harmony and Unity in Pottstown…
We here at Roy’s Rants wholeheartedly support the Fecera’s project as the needed catalyst for revitalization in Pottstown Borough. One large project that is successfully completed will demonstrate to other developers and investors that the climate has changed. A large, empty building does nothing except breed blight and crime. A restored, well lighted and full building will transform a neighborhood. Council needs to approve this project for the betterment of Pottstown. Failure to do so will contribute to the downward spiral of this once great community.
All Hell Breaks Loose In Pottstown Over The Weekend….Again
Pottstown Borough Hall
Apparently, the inmates are running the asylum in good old Pottstown. Several shootings, one fatal stabbing and a gas leak happened over the weekend. Sounds like your tax dollars are hard at work. Apparently, council is adding $6 million to the budget bringing it to $44 million. Frankly, that should include a dozen more police officers and somebody should be reaching out to county and state officials for help. This mess needs cleaned up once and for all. It’s the same crap, in the same part(s) of town, over and over again. We all know it’s drug related, gang related or a turf war etc… Hey, Ma, “Pass the Section 8 housing please. I want a heapin’ helpin’ so I can smother it in drugs.” Happy Thanksgiving, Pottstown style. Who needs mashed potatoes and gravy ;). We sure know who the turkey is!
If you check out the Mercury, you can read all about it: http://www.pottsmerc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/pottstown.mercury.
I can tell you people are scared. They are afraid to take out their trash at night, drive through town at night etc… The comments on Facebook by residents are upsetting to read. You can feel the anger, fear, frustration and almost panic in their comments. Some think it’s hopeless.
So I say to you, pack the council chambers for meetings and express your outrage to the people who hold the purse strings and can actually do something about it. Pressure them to clean up Pottstown. They will cave in and do something if enough people complain. But if the same 20 people show up at meetings every month they pass all this off as a few malcontents and naysayers causing problems. They are more interested in speed traps and tourism than public safety.
There is a bigger problem here than the leadership is willing to admit. The “keep a lid on the powder keg” strategy has been an #epicfail and proactive policing needs to happen. Stop putting lipstick on a pig and start throwing money at a huge public safety issue! People are dying, isn’t that enough motivation?????
National Night Out In Pottstown
Stop The Violence March In Pottstown – June 27th
Washington/Chestnut St. Park Garden Party In Pottstown
Hi All,
Hope this note finds each of you in good health and spirits! Spring is officially here, I’d I like to invite you to the 5th Annual Garden Party held at the Washington/Chestnut Sts. Park this Sunday, May 18.
It will be a morning of beautifying the park with annuals and mulch donated by Colonial Gardens and light refreshments courtesy of Genesis Housing Corp. Details are below and don’t forget your gardening tools! SHOVELS, RAKES and GLOVES!
WHAT: 5TH ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY
WHERE: WASHINGTON/CHESTNUT STS. PARK
DATE: Sunday MAY 18,2014
TIME: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Hope to See you there!
Anna, Citizens for Pottstown CPR
MOSAIC Community Land Trust Home Garden Contest
Woman Shot In Pottstown; Police Investigating
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Editor’s note: With the warm weather comes increased crime in this neighborhood. I think it’s time for a plan instead of a band-aid.
POTTSTOWN — A young woman was shot Sunday afternoon, causing Buttonwood Alley between Washington and Warren streets to be closed for several hours due to the police investigation.
Pottstown Police and Goodwill Ambulance responded at around 5:15 p.m. to the home fronting the 500 block of East High Street.
It’s unclear who or where the alleged shooter is.
Patrol officers were unable to comment on the case and deferred questions to Pottstown Police detectives. They did not return calls as of press time.
Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140413/woman-shot-in-pottstown-police-investigating
Plotting And Planning And Digging..Oh My! MOSAIC Community Gardens Prepared For Planting Season
On Saturday, April 5, the MOSAIC CLT spent a day in community preparing our gardens for the coming growing season! Neighbors and friends swept, dug, and spread compost and smiles at our two gardens at 423 and 615 Chestnut Street. We’ll have another Garden Day on April 12 from Noon to 3 PM, and again on Wednesday, April 23 from 2 – 3 PM.
Come grow with the MOSAIC Community Land Trust!
Saturday, April 12 – Volunteer Day at the Gardens (423 and 615 Chestnut Street) from 12 – 3PM
Please plan on meeting at the 423 Chestnut Street location prior to start
Wednesday, April 23 – Volunteer Day at the Gardens (423 and 615 Chestnut Street) from 2 – 3PM
Please plan on meeting at the 423 Chestnut Street location prior to start.
COMING SOON: MOSAIC’s 2nd Beautification Contest-Prizes Awarded! Keep checking our website for more details!
Upcoming Events
Would You Love to Teach a Workshop or Attend a Table Event? Let us know! Review the dates below and send an email to wash5000@msn.com to learn more about workshop and table event activities!
Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Year of the Young Child 9AM – 11AM happening at the YMCA located at 724 N. Adams Street, Pottstown
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 – Organic Gardening Workshop from 6 – 7PM at the Pottstown Library located at 500 E High Street, Pottstown
Citizens Action Committee For Pottstown To Give Presentation To Borough Council And Codes, February 20th
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Citizens Action Committee will be giving a presentation to Pottstown Borough Council and the codes and infrastructure departments about a wonderful program that has been implemented in sections of Utah and has proven success in reducing crime and blight in communities, holding landlords accountable, and spurring community revitalization and positive growth. The program is called The Good Landlord Program, some basic details of it are linked below. Please make every effort to attend this meeting and show your support of bettering YOUR town! Ears are opening at council and we need to make out presence and interest known!
The presentation will be delivered THIS THURSDAY, February 20th at the Codes/Infrastructure meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Borough Hall. Take an interest and be part of the solution!
BLIGHT & REDEVELOPMENT STUDY FOR THE BOROUGH OF POTTSTOWN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA
Editor’s note: Here is some interesting reading for current Pottstown Borough residents, potential residents and business investors.
http://www.genesishousing.org/_pdfs/pottstown_blight_study_2013_website.pdf
22-Year-Old Dead After Overnight Shooting In Pottstown
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
UPDATED 9:47 a.m.) POTTSTOWN, PA — After an overnight shooting in the borough, one person is dead and one person is in the hospital.
Police responded to the 5th floor of the King Street Commons apartment building at 262 King St. around 12:36 a.m. Friday.
According to the Montgomery County District Attorney, the 22-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The body of the victim was carried out of the building by officials from the Montgomery County Coroner’s office at 9:15 Friday morning.
Projects Sought For Pottstown Neighborhood Cleanup
POTTSTOWN — As planning for the Pottstown CARES cleanup event moves ahead, those hoping to help spruce up Pottstown’s core neighborhood and generate some activism there are soliciting residents for projects they might undertake.
The CARES project, standing for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability, has the three entities working on a community cleanup day scheduled for Oct. 25.
“We are trying to build a list of “doable” spruce- up projects, and the best way for us to do this is to generate a list of residents and their specific concerns/requests,” according to Cathy Skitko, communications director at The Hill School which is partnering with Pottstown borough and school district on the project.
Requests can be emailed to PottstownCARES@pottstown.org, or you can follow the link on the borough’s web page to make requests or register concerns.
Mosaic Community Garden Announces Beautification Contest Winners
How it all began: In the summer of 2012, Dick Heylmun, the owner of Pine Tree Hill Farm, contacted Mosaic Community Land Trust, after learning about their work in the Community garden on Chestnut Street.
Mr Heylmun, an avid gardener himself, conceived of the idea to offer prize money to people living in the Beech to High Street, Adams to Charlotte Street area for creating beautiful street-side gardens and plantings. He knows how pretty a block can be when the residents take pride in their homes and gardens and he revels in the joy and sense of pride that gardens bring to the gardener and all who pass by.
Mosaic partnered with the Pottstown Garden club to develop, advertise and judge the contest. Flyers were distributed to all the homes in the area while the Mercury helped promote the contest in an article about both the garden contest.
With only nine entries for this competition, the first of its kind in the core neighborhood, we hope to inspire confidence in others to enter next year. The gardeners chose one of three categories and most of the entries were in the “front garden and planters combined” category.
Two members from the Pottstown Garden Club, Nancy Toothacher and Karin Albera, accompanied board member, Gretchen Lea, (who is also a Penn State Master Gardner), and Laura Washington, the MOSAIC garden manager, as they set out one very hot afternoon to walk the blocks and judge the gardens. It was hard, yet fun and rewarding.
The contestants showed a sense of pride and enthusiasm about their creations, and had a variety of reasons why they chose one plant or another and why they chose to place them where they did.
Some plants have personal meaning, like beautiful memories and experiences of the gardens and gardeners we have known and loved -they are place makers in our lives. Gardens are often creative expressions of their creators. Knowing this, while judging makes the job difficult, but all the more fun.
Asking a gardener about their gardens is like possessing the key to a box, open it up and you’ll find out something about what’s inside.
The judges passed several pretty and interesting gardens along the way and wished that those gardens had been entered in the contest too. When asked why they didn’t enter, a few folks proclaimed… “Mine is not quite good enough”. Some gardeners can be too hard on themselves. Working with nature is not easy. Nature cannot be controlled. That makes gardening all the more challenging and rewarding. I beg all who dig in the soil to keep up the confidence to keep planting. Every garden is a unique expression of the gardener.
I have entered my garden in shows and contests, even though they weren’t perfect, because others get joy in seeing them. It is rewarding to watch people blossom when they see what you have accomplished. It too is a great way to connect with one another. For me, gardening is a great reason to be outside and to work with Mother Nature as I try to express myself.
The Winners Are:
For Planters and window boxes:
Athena Singer 1st prize 352 Walnut Street $150
Anna Johnson 2nd prize 515 Chestnut Street $ 75
The Garden awards and prize money were presented Sunday July 14th at 5 o’clock at the MOSAIC Community Garden, followed by a get together with refreshments, conversation and friendship.
We hope you will take the time to walk through the neighborhood and check out the winner’s gardens as well as all the other gardens that capture the imagination.
Garden by garden the Mosaic Community Land Trust’s designated areas will blossom, as the first garden has done, with people sharing stories, recipes, making new friends, learning about their gardens, trading plants and ideas while enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Thank you Dick Helymun for your great idea and generosity!
Mosaic would like to make the Beautification Contest an annual tradition. If you would like to make a donation or take part we’d love to hear from you.
mosaicclt@gmail.com for more info
Green Thumbs Up and Thanks to Everyone Involved!
Gretchen Lea
Summit Coordinates Major Cleanup Effort For Pottstown
Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
POTTSTOWN — Three prominent forces in the borough have banded together to plan a cleanup effort to stimulate growth and vitality in parts of Pottstown.
Pottstown School District employees and school board members, The Hill School administration and staff, and borough employees were present at a Tuesday meeting at the Richard J. Ricketts Center to begin planning for the Pottstown CARES initiative.
The CARES project, standing for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability, has the three entities working on a community cleanup day scheduled for Oct. 25.
The planning meeting was spearheaded by Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley, Hill School Headmaster Zach Lehman and Hill Communications Director Cathy Skitko. The meeting was called so the groups could work with locals to identify the primary concerns and problems to tackle in the assigned cleanup area, and to identify solutions for those problems.
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
Core Community Clean-Up Planning Meeting Set For Tuesday In Pottstown
Residents and business owners of the Borough of Pottstown have the opportunity to share suggestions and requests for targeted neighborhood property repairs and general “clean-up” needs during a community conversation to be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25 in the Ricketts Center, 640 Beech St., Pottstown.
Read more: http://evan-brandt.blogspot.com/2013/06/core-community-clean-up-planning.html
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