Chester City

Chester police say they are investigating an incident this morning in which two men were shot and wounded. Police arrived at the scene in the 1300 block of West Ninth Street at 10:40 and found an unidentified 22-year-old with a gunshot wound of the foot, and a 23-year-old with a hand wound. Both were reported in stable condition at Crozer Chester Medical Center. Witnesses said they saw two men in hoods fleeing the area. Police have not yet established a motive for the shootings and are asking anyone with information to call 610-447-7908.

  Two people, including the city controller, were shot Friday afternoon at a gas station in Chester, police said. The double shooting occurred around 3 p.m. at the A Plus gas station at Ninth and Kerlin Streets - the same gas station whose owner was killed during an attempted robbery in December. Edith Blackwell, Chester's city controller, was struck in the back and a man around age 30 was hit in the leg, said Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr. Both were in stable condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

The proposed ordinance to cut the pay of Chester City's mayor and council is on life support after failing to attract enough votes at its first reading to move forward. The council vote Wednesday night split 2-2 along party lines. Republican Mayor Wendell Butler was absent and unable to cast the tie-breaker. Democrats, who believe they are poised to take control of council in 2012, saw the move to cut salaries as political. Republicans said it was to address escalating labor and benefits costs in tough economic times.

Joseph F. Battle, who rose through the political ranks to become mayor of Chester City, sheriff of Delaware County and president judge of Delaware County Court, never forgot his roots, his brother told the hundreds of people who gathered for his funeral yesterday. His Irish heritage and his fierce loyalty to his hometown of Chester defined him, said Dr. William M. Battle, who offered a eulogy at St. Katharine Drexel Church. Friends, relatives and colleagues gathered for the Funeral Mass for the judge, who died Saturday at age 63 of heart disease.

It was the Day of Infamy, a day that altered the destiny of the United States and the world, and in John T. Meli's memory, it also was a day that doomed a neighborhood tradition in Chester City - the street football game. That's because after Dec. 7, 1941, some once-sleepy streets filled up with traffic. When Japanese bombers attacked the remote military installation known as Pearl Harbor, the entire Philadelphia region was drafted into the war effort. The attack set off what one expert called the most intense period of industrial expansion in world history.

Chester City will hold a gun exchange on Saturday, the Mayor's Office announced. In exchange for weapons during the "Goods for Guns" program, participants will receive $100 ShopRite supermarket gift cards that can be used at the Eddystone store. Those who turn over assault weapons will receive additional credit. There is a two-gun limit for the gift cards. Weapons will be collected between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at either of Chester's firehouses: at 320 E. 14th St. and 1501 W. Third St. Last year, nearly 300 guns were exchanged in a similar program, the Mayor's Office said.

A former Chester High School basketball star was one of two suspected drug lords nabbed yesterday by Chester police for allegedly running a cocaine ring. Darryl Green, 22, of Woodlyn, Delaware County, who helped lead his team to its first Class AAA state championship in 1983, was caught in a trap sprung by a Chester narcotics detective who posed as a corrupt cop, authorities said. Also arrested in a sting carried out by federal, state, Delaware County and Chester City law-enforcement agencies were 10 other alleged drug dealers.

Randy Legette hears it all the time from peers at rival schools. "Man, you got some great players," they say to the athletic director at Chester High School, a perennial national basketball power. "How wide is your recruitment base?" Legette's answer is always good for a double take: We don't recruit. The Clippers are all homegrown. Chester City no longer makes ships, tanks, or automobiles, but it remains a remarkable basketball factory - a phenomenon that Chester High has both mined and nurtured over more than a half-century.

More than two weeks ago, juvenile probation officers from Delaware County were supposed to set up shop in Chester High School and prepare for the coming school year as part of a state-funded pilot project. But school officials have yet to give them offices. "The space they had thought they would offer us, they need for their own staff," said Paul E. Gesregan, director of juvenile court services for the county. And because most of the school's staff is on summer break, the probation officers have not been able to review student records, one of their first duties.

A proposed ordinance to cut the pay of Chester City's mayor and council is on life-support after failing to garner enough votes at its first reading to move forward. The vote by council members Wednesday night split 2-2 down party lines. Mayor Wendell Butler, a Republican, was absent and thus not able to cast the tie-breaker. Democrats, who believe they will hold a council majority after the fall election, saw the move to cut salaries as political. Republicans said it was to address escalating labor and benefits costs in tough economic times.

Thomas J. McBride, 88, a cardiologist who was president of the Board of Health in Chester City from 1969 to 2006, died of lung problems Thursday, April 26, at his home in Wallingford, Delaware County. Born in Chester, Dr. McBride graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory School, attended Villanova University, and, after studying in the Army V12 program, graduated from what is now Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in 1948. His wife, Olga, said in an interview that after he served as a Army physician during the Korean War, Dr. McBride opened a private practice in internal medicine and cardiology.

Chester police say they are investigating an incident this morning in which two men were shot and wounded. Police arrived at the scene in the 1300 block of West Ninth Street at 10:40 and found an unidentified 22-year-old with a gunshot wound of the foot, and a 23-year-old with a hand wound. Both were reported in stable condition at Crozer Chester Medical Center. Witnesses said they saw two men in hoods fleeing the area. Police have not yet established a motive for the shootings and are asking anyone with information to call 610-447-7908.

  Two people, including the city controller, were shot Friday afternoon at a gas station in Chester, police said. The double shooting occurred around 3 p.m. at the A Plus gas station at Ninth and Kerlin Streets - the same gas station whose owner was killed during an attempted robbery in December. Edith Blackwell, Chester's city controller, was struck in the back and a man around age 30 was hit in the leg, said Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr. Both were in stable condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Randy Legette hears it all the time from peers at rival schools. "Man, you got some great players," they say to the athletic director at Chester High School, a perennial national basketball power. "How wide is your recruitment base?" Legette's answer is always good for a double take: We don't recruit. The Clippers are all homegrown. Chester City no longer makes ships, tanks, or automobiles, but it remains a remarkable basketball factory - a phenomenon that Chester High has both mined and nurtured over more than a half-century.

Chester police are investigating criminal mischief that left four windows in City Hall shattered and 12 others damaged Sunday night. The most likely projectile is a BB gun, said Capt. Anita Amaro. No other damage was reported. - Mari A. Schaefer

A 56-year-old gas station owner was shot and killed this morning in Chester City, police said. The victim, Mohammed Fareed, provided police with a description of the gunman before succumbing to his wounds at Crozer Chester Medical Center, authorities said. Police said they were called to the Sunoco station and A Plus store at 9th and Kerlin Streets about 4 a.m. in response to a call of shooting. There, they found longtime owner Fareed with bullet wounds to the torso near the gas pumps, police said.

Chester City will hold a gun exchange on Saturday, the Mayor's Office announced. In exchange for weapons during the "Goods for Guns" program, participants will receive $100 ShopRite supermarket gift cards that can be used at the Eddystone store. Those who turn over assault weapons will receive additional credit. There is a two-gun limit for the gift cards. Weapons will be collected between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at either of Chester's firehouses: at 320 E. 14th St. and 1501 W. Third St. Last year, nearly 300 guns were exchanged in a similar program, the Mayor's Office said.

The proposed ordinance to cut the pay of Chester City's mayor and council is on life support after failing to attract enough votes at its first reading to move forward. The council vote Wednesday night split 2-2 along party lines. Republican Mayor Wendell Butler was absent and unable to cast the tie-breaker. Democrats, who believe they are poised to take control of council in 2012, saw the move to cut salaries as political. Republicans said it was to address escalating labor and benefits costs in tough economic times.

A proposed ordinance to cut the pay of Chester City's mayor and council is on life-support after failing to garner enough votes at its first reading to move forward. The vote by council members Wednesday night split 2-2 down party lines. Mayor Wendell Butler, a Republican, was absent and thus not able to cast the tie-breaker. Democrats, who believe they will hold a council majority after the fall election, saw the move to cut salaries as political. Republicans said it was to address escalating labor and benefits costs in tough economic times.