Chester

A Delaware County man was shot and killed on a sidewalk in Chester early Saturday morning near the intersection of 7th and Lloyd Streets. Gregory George, 37, of Chester, died of multiple gunshot wounds around 12:36 a.m. The Delaware Co. Medical Examiner said ruled the death was ruled a homicide. George, who was pronounced at the scene, was president of a single-family housing construction business, according to records.      

Walking the line at West Chester University Saturday was an exercise in victory, relief and gratitude for many graduates. Their pride was tempered by gratitude for the love and support from family, friends and significant others during the many years of hard work and learning.

When it comes to defense, the Chester boys' basketball team plays by coach Larry Yarbray's one rule: Do not give up more than 10 points in a quarter. In Friday night's PIAA District 1 Class AAAA quarterfinal against No. 9 seed Norristown, the defending-champion and top-seeded Clippers gave up 10 points in the first half . The No. 4 team in the nation, according to ESPN, bulldozed the Eagles, 81-31, to advance to Tuesday night's semifinals. Riding a 51-game winning streak, Chester (25-0)

An 18-year-old man was shot to death Monday evening in Chester, police said. The victim was shot multiple times shortly before 7 p.m. in the 900 block of McDowell Avenue, police said. The man, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. No arrests were reported. Anyone with information can call Chester Police Detective Randy Bothwell at (610) 447-8430 or Criminal Investigation Division Detective Robert Fuss at (610) 891-4700.    -Robert Moran

Scarlette and Chester can come home. Scarlette, an 11-year-old chestnut Shetland pony, and her dark gray son Chester, 6, will be moving a few miles from their boarding stable in Corner Ketch to their own two-stall barn in Guthriesville, thanks to the East Brandywine Zoning Hearing Board. On Wednesday, the board granted Jeff and Jacqueline D. Shaw permission to build a new home for Scarlette and Chester 4 feet closer to the side lot lines than normally allowed under township zoning.

The Chester basketball team usually lives or dies with its transition game. But last night against Penn Wood in the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinal at the Palestra, the Clippers relied on their half-court offense to pull out an 89-88 win. The victory advanced Chester (29-2) to the Class AAAA state final against Brashear, an 88-52 winner over Ambridge in the other semifinal last night. The final is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at HersheyPark Arena. Chester and Penn Wood (27-5)

The Palestra is sacred basketball ground, an arena revered throughout the country as one of basketball's meccas and where many hoops destinies have been achieved. Not for Chester, one of the area's most revered high school basketball programs - and a team chasing destiny this season as possibly the greatest in school history. The Clippers will face Pennsbury tonight at 7:30 in the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinals. A victory for Chester (31-1) would mean a second straight trip to the state championship at State College on Saturday against the Norristown-Moon winner.

Justice in Chester has a frantic rhythm never envisioned in the law books James Dolan studied back at Villanova University. That's what Dolan, the 40-year-old assistant public defender assigned to Chester's district courts, likes about his job. Justice delayed, the adage goes, is justice denied. Delays are few in Chester's courts, which Dolan likens to television's People's Court. Dolan's boss, Nicholas G. Theodore, head of the Delaware County Public Defender's Office, describes Chester court operations as "seat-of-the-pants justice.

About 45 percent of those in Chester who signed petitions circulated recently by Project V.O.T.E., a Chester group trying to change the form of city government in Chester, were not registered to vote. As a result, the petitions have been declared invalid by the Delaware County Registration Commission. Project V.O.T.E. turned in 1,415 signatures on Aug. 9. The signatures were on petitions asking the county Board of Elections for a question on the November ballot to change the form of city council elections from at-large races to district races.

Kobe Bryant might play his last game in a Lower Merion uniform tonight. Or he might have another game left: the Class AAAA state championship on Saturday. Chester might earn a shot at its second state title in three years tonight. Or the Clippers might suffer their second straight loss to Bryant and the District 1 champion Aces. Lower Merion and Chester will tangle at 7:30 p.m. at the Palestra in the PIAA state semifinals, a game that already has been sold out. The winner will face the Erie Cathedral Prep-Erie McDowell semifinal survivor in the state finals Saturday in Hershey, Pa. Bryant, the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history, scored 34 points in the Aces' 60-53 victory over Chester in the District 1 final March 1. He has earned plenty of individual honors, but he badly wants a state title.

A 10-year-old boy was killed and another injured when two vehicles involved in an accident swerved onto a sidewalk Monday afternoon in Chester, police said. About 4 p.m., a red Ford F-350 and a dark burgundy Chevrolet Monte Carlo collided in the intersection of Ninth Street and Highland Avenue. Both vehicles veered onto the Highland Avenue sidewalk behind a corner pizza shop, said Kent Drake, owner of Just Pizza. The truck rolled over the 10-year-old, who leaped to his feet and tried to run before collapsing nearby, said Drake, who was outside and witnessed the mayhem.

Polce are investigating the shooting death of 21-year-old man in Chester Tuesday night. Gunfire erupted about 9:20 p.m. in the 2100 block of Madison Street, police said. Officers found the victim with gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he later died. Identification is pending notification of family, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call Chester Police at 610-447-8431.   Contact Mari A. Schaefer at 610-313-8111, mschaefer@phillynews.com or @MariSchaefer on Twitter.

The Chester Upland School District is in "disarray," with "ineffective" governance and financial oversight preventing it from meeting its mission of educating students, according to a state audit. "Those students may never recover from the loss of an effective education, and in the long run, the district's failure could ultimately prevent them from realizing their true potential," Auditor General Eugene DePasquale's report said. The review covered the period from May 4, 2010, through Feb. 26, 2013, during which the 4,505-student district was identified as among the lowest-achieving in the state.

A WEST CHESTER man learned over the weekend that buying guns for those who can't legally buy their own is illegal and can get you locked up. Kurt Kramer, 24, was charged with making a false written statement in conjunction with the purchase of a firearm, conspiracy, tampering with public records, unsworn falsification and possession of marijuana after members of the District Attorney's Office and the Attorney General's Gun Violence Task Force busted...

Robert E. Carlson, 91, a longtime West Chester resident and history professor who led Chester County's 1982 tricentennial celebration, died Thursday, May 16, of respiratory failure at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media. Born in Johnstown, he earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh in 1943. That year, he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. He was honorably discharged with rank of lieutenant junior grade in June 1946. He served as a watch and gunnery officer aboard the destroyer USS Hambleton.

The Chester Upland School District has released a preliminary 2013-14 budget with a $22.5 million shortfall that might require a 2.7 percent tax increase and layoffs. The $123.9 million spending plan approved Thursday night by state-appointed receiver Joseph Watkins represented a $22 million increase from this year's. School officials cautioned that the budget was in the early stages and that the district could get more state funding. Final adoption is scheduled for June 27. The deficit is due mainly to charter-school payments, according to George Crawford, the district's chief financial officer.

SOME PEOPLE collect stamps, dolls or autographs. Others collect cars, coins or tea cups. And there's a guy in Australia who holds the world record for the biggest and longest-held collection of belly-button lint. Paul Duffy collects mementos of murder. And then he sells them, to whoever pays. In a macabre industry whose merchants can be counted on two hands, Duffy put the Philly area on the "murderabilia" map last month when he began selling killers' artwork, letters and even hair, blood and fingernail clippings from his Coatesville, Chester County, home.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.   To report problems: Philadelphia 215-686-3462 or phillyelection.com. Bucks 215-348-6154 or buckscounty.org. Chester 610-344-6410 or chesco.org. Delaware 610-891-4673 or co.delaware.pa.us/depts/election.html. Montgomery 610-278-3275 or montcopa.org.

In West Chester and college towns across the state, there's never a short supply of alcohol - or patrons bellying up to the bar. But that's not the case when it comes to funds for local law enforcement and public works - and West Chester's borough council is hoping to persuade the state legislature to allow it to institute a drink tax of up to 10 percent to help cover those costs. The move comes as Mayor Nutter has proposed increasing the tax on alcoholic drinks in city bars from 10 percent to 15 percent to aid city schools.

A Philadelphia School District administrator who is trained as a turnaround specialist has been hired as superintendent of the Chester Upland School District, state-appointed receiver Joseph Watkins announced Thursday. Gregory G. Shannon, 49, Chester Upland's new superintendent, has worked in Philadelphia for 26 years as an elementary school principal, assistant superintendent, and deputy chief of the Office of Student Discipline, Hearings, and Expulsions. Shannon said he had committed to serving five years in Chester Upland, a big issue for a district that has had four acting superintendents since 2010 and was placed in state receivership last fall.