Chester

  The two West Chester University graduates were in a Warsaw hotel lobby late one afternoon in May 2012 when they were told of an antiques shop in an old neighborhood. "It was a shop that carried a mixture of Judaica and Nazi paraphernalia," Hilary Bentman said last week. An odd mix. But in the early evening, she and Hadassah DeJack went there. The Christian shopkeeper, whose grandparents had hidden Jews during World War II, asked if they would like to see a section of a Torah rescued from the Nazi occupation.

A local nonprofit group is set to buy the Pennsylvania National Guard armory in West Chester and convert it into a theater for film and live performances, officials announced Friday. Pending legislative approval, Uptown! Entertainment Alliance would purchase the 10,900-square-foot armory for $760,000 from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, officials said. The nonprofit, which is dedicated to establishing a permanent theater in West Chester, would receive a low-interest loan to buy the property at 226 N. High St. The group would launch a fundraising campaign to pay for the renovations needed to transform the nearly century-old building into an arts center.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson scored nine points off the bench for the East all-stars Wednesday night as they fell to the West, 110-99, in the McDonald's All-American Game at the United Center in Chicago. The senior forward bound for Arizona was the first Clipper to be selected for the annual game. He added two rebounds and two assists and shot 4 for 10 from the field. Aaron Gordon, his future teammate at Arizona, earned MVP honors as he poured in 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the West.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson still went out a winner. Despite closing his high school basketball career with a loss in the PIAA finals, Jefferson on Wednesday was named the Associated Press' Class AAAA player of the year in a vote of Pennsylvania sportswriters. Chester's passionate, 6-foot-7 catalyst won top player honors for the second straight season after averaging a double-double (15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds) for the Clippers. Jefferson, a University of Arizona recruit, also averaged 4.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 2.4 blocked shots for Larry Yarbray's high-powered Clippers, who fell one victory shy of winning their third straight PIAA title.

In something of a leadership shake-up, Chester Mayor John Linder has replaced three of his highest-level police officers with three formerly lower-ranking lawmen. In addition, the mayor announced Tuesday that he has created a police narcotics task force and beefed up the highway patrol. Linder, who also is the city's public safety director, said the personnel moves were part of the changes and ongoing assessment he vowed when he took office last year. "I saw some areas I wanted to change, and the only way to change things was to move [personnel]

Free tax preparation services will be offered next Monday at the Chester district office of state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, (R., Delaware.) Providing the service will be PathWays PA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, an nonprofit, anti-poverty organizations. Appointments are required and can be made by call Pileggi's district office at 610-447-5845 or visiting the office at 415 Avenue of the States in Chester. The service will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For other tax preparation availability contact PathWays PA at http://pathwaysvita.com/ -- Rita Giordano  

Lower Merion turned the tables on Chester when it counted the most, romping to a 63-47 victory in the PIAA Class AAAA state final at Hershey's Giant Center. In claiming their first state crown since 2006 and seventh overall, the Aces reversed three consecutive losses to the Clippers. Three weeks earlier, they had lost to Chester, 60-46, in the District 1 final at Villanova. For its terrific stretch run, including down-to-the-wire wins over District 3's Harrisburg and District 7's New Castle, Lower Merion is The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania boys' basketball team of the year.