The “Bloc of Four’s” only platform was returning the land that Coatesville acquired back to the Sahas. After the City of Coatesville won all 32 lawsuits revolving around that issue, the land issue could be settled. It was settled shortly before the “Bloc” took office and the settlement finalized shortly after they took office in 2006.
The “Bloc” accomplished that part of their platform. But I believe that there was a hidden platform; a behind the scenes effort to bring back the extremely profitable drug business that was lost during the time Paul Janssen was the city manager of Coatesville.
Jim
Joe Carroll’s press release can be found here:
http://dsf.chesco.org/da/lib/da/pdf/chester_county_district_attorneys_new_years_press_release.pdf
D.A. Carroll urges citizens to overhaul Coatesville
By Kathleen Brady Shea and Bonnie L. Cook
Inquirer Staff Writers
The Chester County District Attorney sent a New Year's message yesterday to the citizens of Coatesville: Overhaul your government.
Joseph W. Carroll issued a four-page statement that outlined his "resolutions" for the county's crime capital, warning that the city has reached a "crisis point" and urging the replacement of the police chief and at least two City Council members.
"If Coatesville continues on its current path for another year or two, recovery during my lifetime will be improbable, if not impossible," Carroll wrote, promising for the next year to "put unprecedented emphasis on the City of Coatesville."
Ed Simpson, a City Council member who was reelected in 2008 to represent the city's first ward in the western section, said he had "no clue" that Carroll's release was coming but welcomed it.
Simpson said he has "absolutely" been frustrated by the council's failure to move decisively on the escalating crime rate in Coatesville.
"The city of Coatesville will never prosper until the streets are safe," he said.
Council president Karen Jorgenson could not be reached for comment.
More at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/36920424.html
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Change is coming to Coatesville
From the Daily Local News
http://www.dailylocal.com
‘Legree, 55, died of natural causes on Dec. 21. He was a Coatesville power player who served as a constable and often took a behind-the-scenes role in city government. He had a heavy hand in getting four city council members elected in 2005. These council members later made big changes to city administration and hired a police chief that Legree is thought to have hand-picked.”
"I would be on the phone with Richard Legree three times a day," said Coatesville City Councilwoman Patsy Ray. "Whenever I needed advice or whenever something needed to be done in the city, he was there."
“He will not be buried until early next week because there is a chance that his son, Richard Legree Jr., will be temporarily released from federal custody to pay his final respects. He is awaiting sentencing for drug offenses.”
________________________________________
The very first thing that Paul Janssen did was to make the streets of Coatesville safe for ordinary people and off limits to drug dealers. In my view the streets of Coatesville have now been returned to the drug dealers.
I suppose that a lot of people thought that the 2005 City Coatesville Council Elections were about a farm in Valley Township. In my opinion it was over a loss of behind the scenes control of the city and regaining that control.
In my opinion we have had an extraordinary growth in over all crime in Coatesville and especially drug related crime since the new city council took office. Lesser known is what I view as allegedly letting scofflaw slumlords off the hook in Coatesville and allegedly discouraging certain developers interested in the city while encouraging selected developers.
It is a shame that Legree Sr. can’t testify. I think that many people in Chester County are greatly relieved that he cannot testify.
Jim
See the articles in today’s Daily Local below:
________________________________________
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
Mourners recall Legree Sr. as larger-than-life presence
A polarizing figure in local politics, he was considered a guiding hand behind the scenes
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:16 AM EST
By DAN KRISTI COATESVILLE — Friends and family remembered Richard Legree Sr. as a larger-than-life character who was fiercely loyal to those he liked.
And while some people either loved or hated Legree, he was just as polar in his judgment of others, they said.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Execution-style slayings shock city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:48 AM EST
Authorities continue to investigate the murder of a woman and her boyfriend who were gunned down this summer execution style inside a Coatesville home.
Carnell Parker, 24, and his girlfriend, Shontae Peterson, 21, of Valley, were shot July 6 in Parker's dining room in the 200 block of Charles Street. No one has been arrested.
The double homicide happened in the midst of several armed home invasions that occurred this year in the city and surrounding area.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004329696.txt
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Troubling crime plagues city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:54 AM EST
Coatesville saw a rash of crime spread through the city in 2008, including numerous shootings, troubling arsons, a spate of armed robberies and several crimes directed against Hispanic residents.
In 2008, 15 people were shot here and two people were killed by firearms. All are still under investigation. Authorities have said the shootings are all drug related.
The city is also investigating a robbery ring that has targeted businesses and people on the street. This year, Coatesville police have received 40 reports of armed robberies. Last year, the city handled 25 cases, up from 19 incidents in 2006 and seven incidents in 2005, according to Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reports.
Additionally, the city has experienced over a dozen arsons, one of which took the life of a Holocaust work camp survivor. This month, police made three arrests related to the arsons that were set, for the most part, in the west end of the city.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt
Jim Pitcherella
“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Barack Hussein Obama
http://www.dailylocal.com
‘Legree, 55, died of natural causes on Dec. 21. He was a Coatesville power player who served as a constable and often took a behind-the-scenes role in city government. He had a heavy hand in getting four city council members elected in 2005. These council members later made big changes to city administration and hired a police chief that Legree is thought to have hand-picked.”
"I would be on the phone with Richard Legree three times a day," said Coatesville City Councilwoman Patsy Ray. "Whenever I needed advice or whenever something needed to be done in the city, he was there."
“He will not be buried until early next week because there is a chance that his son, Richard Legree Jr., will be temporarily released from federal custody to pay his final respects. He is awaiting sentencing for drug offenses.”
Legree’s son is not just awaiting sentencing, his testimony is needed. I think that he is in virtual solitary confinement in the SDU mostly for his own protection. It would take extraordinary security for Legree Jr. to “pay his finial respects”. – Jim Pitcherella
________________________________________
The very first thing that Paul Janssen did was to make the streets of Coatesville safe for ordinary people and off limits to drug dealers. In my view the streets of Coatesville have now been returned to the drug dealers.
I suppose that a lot of people thought that the 2005 City Coatesville Council Elections were about a farm in Valley Township. In my opinion it was over a loss of behind the scenes control of the city and regaining that control.
In my opinion we have had an extraordinary growth in over all crime in Coatesville and especially drug related crime since the new city council took office. Lesser known is what I view as allegedly letting scofflaw slumlords off the hook in Coatesville and allegedly discouraging certain developers interested in the city while encouraging selected developers.
It is a shame that Legree Sr. can’t testify. I think that many people in Chester County are greatly relieved that he cannot testify.
Jim
See the articles in today’s Daily Local below:
________________________________________
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
Mourners recall Legree Sr. as larger-than-life presence
A polarizing figure in local politics, he was considered a guiding hand behind the scenes
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:16 AM EST
By DAN KRISTI COATESVILLE — Friends and family remembered Richard Legree Sr. as a larger-than-life character who was fiercely loyal to those he liked.
And while some people either loved or hated Legree, he was just as polar in his judgment of others, they said.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Execution-style slayings shock city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:48 AM EST
Authorities continue to investigate the murder of a woman and her boyfriend who were gunned down this summer execution style inside a Coatesville home.
Carnell Parker, 24, and his girlfriend, Shontae Peterson, 21, of Valley, were shot July 6 in Parker's dining room in the 200 block of Charles Street. No one has been arrested.
The double homicide happened in the midst of several armed home invasions that occurred this year in the city and surrounding area.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004329696.txt
The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Troubling crime plagues city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:54 AM EST
Coatesville saw a rash of crime spread through the city in 2008, including numerous shootings, troubling arsons, a spate of armed robberies and several crimes directed against Hispanic residents.
In 2008, 15 people were shot here and two people were killed by firearms. All are still under investigation. Authorities have said the shootings are all drug related.
The city is also investigating a robbery ring that has targeted businesses and people on the street. This year, Coatesville police have received 40 reports of armed robberies. Last year, the city handled 25 cases, up from 19 incidents in 2006 and seven incidents in 2005, according to Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reports.
Additionally, the city has experienced over a dozen arsons, one of which took the life of a Holocaust work camp survivor. This month, police made three arrests related to the arsons that were set, for the most part, in the west end of the city.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt
Jim Pitcherella
“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Barack Hussein Obama
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Do you wonder what you can do with a DSLR Nikon D90 and a DSLR Cannon EOS 5D mkII in video?
Watch Guardian photographer Dan Chung’s videos produced on both cameras.
Although the lenses used were sometimes very costly the Nikon D90 costs about $800.00 and the Cannon 5D mkII about $2700.00. The point is that they both produce video that at least on a small screen looks like it was done on a Hollywood type camera.
Nikon D90 in Tibet from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
There are several videos shot with each camera. There is one combination time lapse sequence video shot on a Nikon D700 and video shot on HV 20 with two photojournalists.
Beijing job fair Nikon D700 video from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
For all the videos go to:
http://vimeo.com/1810729
Printed news with ink on paper may be near the end of its cycle.
The “Guardian” is what I would call an up to date newspaper.
Journalists have just begun to experiment with new tools and technologies.
Sony is experimenting with high definition cell phone video.
I think that we are at a new dawn of journalism. We may be “reading” something like a newspaper but more like a high definition video screen on a flexible screen that we can fold up and carry - watch and listen.
The main obstacle is not talent, or digital capture technology. It is the delivery; the lack of universally available high output broadband and wireless broadband coupled with the present need to almost be a computer nerd to be able to see it. The current crop of internet providers is falling over the obstacles that they put in each others way to gain a monopoly and in the process bringing the whole industry down.
Wireless broadband can only be marginally successful with a limited audience. Hopefully the Obama Administration can build up our wireless broadband and bring it to everyone.
Jim Pitcherella
“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Barack Hussein Obama
Although the lenses used were sometimes very costly the Nikon D90 costs about $800.00 and the Cannon 5D mkII about $2700.00. The point is that they both produce video that at least on a small screen looks like it was done on a Hollywood type camera.
Nikon D90 in Tibet from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
There are several videos shot with each camera. There is one combination time lapse sequence video shot on a Nikon D700 and video shot on HV 20 with two photojournalists.
Beijing job fair Nikon D700 video from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
For all the videos go to:
http://vimeo.com/1810729
Printed news with ink on paper may be near the end of its cycle.
The “Guardian” is what I would call an up to date newspaper.
Journalists have just begun to experiment with new tools and technologies.
Sony is experimenting with high definition cell phone video.
I think that we are at a new dawn of journalism. We may be “reading” something like a newspaper but more like a high definition video screen on a flexible screen that we can fold up and carry - watch and listen.
The main obstacle is not talent, or digital capture technology. It is the delivery; the lack of universally available high output broadband and wireless broadband coupled with the present need to almost be a computer nerd to be able to see it. The current crop of internet providers is falling over the obstacles that they put in each others way to gain a monopoly and in the process bringing the whole industry down.
Wireless broadband can only be marginally successful with a limited audience. Hopefully the Obama Administration can build up our wireless broadband and bring it to everyone.
Jim Pitcherella
“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Barack Hussein Obama
Saturday, December 20, 2008
What happened to the checks for polling place election officers in Chester County?
They usually arrive in mail boxes about a month after Election Day.
This time the election officers added because of unprecedented turnout allegedly created a mini-budget crisis. There was allegedly not enough cash in the budget for the extra checks.
The “perfect storm of events” was apparently straightened out at last week’s County Commissioner’s meeting.
This time the election officers added because of unprecedented turnout allegedly created a mini-budget crisis. There was allegedly not enough cash in the budget for the extra checks.
The “perfect storm of events” was apparently straightened out at last week’s County Commissioner’s meeting.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Will Georgie two shoes hide out in a bail out financed mega yacht?
Don’t expect any restrictions on the bonuses of the mega thieves leaving their bankrupt companies.
Do you wonder why the mega-yacht industry is ramping up production and the training of new crews? Is the $350 Billion give away going to pay for 90 foot plus yachts cruising the Mediterranean? Maybe W plans to hide out on one of those mega-yachts safe from the shoe hurling public.
Washington Post
Executive Pay Limits May Prove Toothless
Loophole in Bailout Provision Leaves Enforcement in Doubt
By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 15, 2008; A01
Congress wanted to guarantee that the $700 billion financial bailout would limit the eye-popping pay of Wall Street executives, so lawmakers included a mechanism for reviewing executive compensation and penalizing firms that break the rules.
But at the last minute, the Bush administration insisted on a one-sentence change to the provision, congressional aides said. The change stipulated that the penalty would apply only to firms that received bailout funds by selling troubled assets to the government in an auction, which was the way the Treasury Department had said it planned to use the money.
Now, however, the small change looks more like a giant loophole, according to lawmakers and legal experts. In a reversal, the Bush administration has not used auctions for any of the $335 billion committed so far from the rescue package, nor does it plan to use them in the future. Lawmakers and legal experts say the change has effectively repealed the only enforcement mechanism in the law dealing with lavish pay for top executives.
"The flimsy executive-compensation restrictions in the original bill are now all but gone," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), ranking Republican on of the Senate Finance Committee.
More at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121402670.html?hpid=topnews
Do you wonder why the mega-yacht industry is ramping up production and the training of new crews? Is the $350 Billion give away going to pay for 90 foot plus yachts cruising the Mediterranean? Maybe W plans to hide out on one of those mega-yachts safe from the shoe hurling public.
Washington Post
Executive Pay Limits May Prove Toothless
Loophole in Bailout Provision Leaves Enforcement in Doubt
By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 15, 2008; A01
Congress wanted to guarantee that the $700 billion financial bailout would limit the eye-popping pay of Wall Street executives, so lawmakers included a mechanism for reviewing executive compensation and penalizing firms that break the rules.
But at the last minute, the Bush administration insisted on a one-sentence change to the provision, congressional aides said. The change stipulated that the penalty would apply only to firms that received bailout funds by selling troubled assets to the government in an auction, which was the way the Treasury Department had said it planned to use the money.
Now, however, the small change looks more like a giant loophole, according to lawmakers and legal experts. In a reversal, the Bush administration has not used auctions for any of the $335 billion committed so far from the rescue package, nor does it plan to use them in the future. Lawmakers and legal experts say the change has effectively repealed the only enforcement mechanism in the law dealing with lavish pay for top executives.
"The flimsy executive-compensation restrictions in the original bill are now all but gone," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), ranking Republican on of the Senate Finance Committee.
More at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121402670.html?hpid=topnews
Sunday, December 14, 2008
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