Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The West Chester University student was shooting at an electrical box, not a security guard, his attorney argues.
The West Chester University student who police originally believed was firing a BB gun at a security officer in a bizarre November incident pleaded guilty to a lesser crime in Common Pleas Court on Monday, The Mercury is reporting. The WCU senior was sentenced to a year of probation and 100 hours of community service in exchange for his guilty plea. According to West Chester Borough Police, on Nov. 4, at approximately 2 a.m., a West Chester police officer was flagged down by a member of the private security team that patrols the southeastern end of West Chester; the university neighborhood near the intersection of Walnut and Magnolia. The security officer told police that he was being fired upon by an unknown subject with a BB gun. Despite…
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Dr. Troy Czukoski was charged with child pornography possession this month.
The Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors president made a statement regarding the recent charges filed against Dr. Troy Czukoski at Thursday's legislative meeting. Last week, federal charges of possession of child pornography were filed against the former Springton Lake Middle School principal. Previous to his stint at the Media middle school, Czukoski taught for eight years at Fugett Middle School in and served as assistant principal at West Chester East High School. He is also a West Chester University graduate. At a special meeting on March 12, the board accepted Czukoski's resignation effective March 5. He had been hired July 1, 2012. School Board President John Hanna made a statement on behalf of the board regarding recent rumors…
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Though the holiday is Wednesday, next week West Chester University is hosting a forum on the issue of happiness.
According to a release from the mayor’s office, West Chester Mayor Carolyn Comitta and West Chester University President Greg Weisenstein have proclaimed that the borough will recognize "International Day of Happiness" on Wednesday. To celebrate the holiday, which was coined by the United Nations, West Chester University will hold a forum on March 27 to discuss ways borough residents can advance the cause of happiness. The forum will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Phillips Autograph Library. The event organizers have already taken a sound first step in advancing good cheer: the forum is free to attend. What do you think of International Happiness Day? Will you be happier because of borough is recognizing this day?
Monday, March 18, 2013
A recent West Chester parking survey revealed some surprising opinions.
A recent study commissioned by the borough of West Chester indicated that while most residents and visitors are happy with the parking situation downtown, business owners have concerns. According to The Reporter, a total of 493 residents, non-residents, business owners, and employees responded to the survey, which was carried out by West Chester University professor Jeff Osgood. The findings, shared with the borough’s parking committee on March 11, shed light on popular opinion on a variety of parking issues. Among them: Read the full story here.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A look at what some of PA's highest paid public sector workers earned in 2012.
A recent analysis of the salaries of Pennsylvania's public sector workers revealed that a West Chester University swim coach had suprisingly lucrative year. How lucrative? According to PennLive, James Rudisill brought home $260,768 in 2012. Quite a salary, but it's a bit misleading. According to the publication, the coach earned an additional $192,847 from an arbitration award stemming from "a 2008 grievance related to summer swimming camp pay" and brought home some extra bucks teaching swimming lessons on the side. His base salary was a more modest $67,921. Still Rudsill's big year was enough to make him the third-highest earner in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, PennLive is reporting. Check out the full story, …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
It's the fifth joint exhibit for Libbie and Alan Soffer.
In the fall of 1961, at a fraternity mixer at the Temple University School of Dentistry, Libbie Sommers of Wilmington and Alan Soffer of Northeast Philadelphia bonded over a book, Catcher in the Rye. “We both realized we were not too big on small talk,” Libbie says. They married the following year. These days, their lives revolve around art. “We talk it, we think it, we live it,” Alan says, taking a break from preparations for their upcoming show at West Chester University to speak with me in their home in Wallingford. “If you go to New York with us, you’re not going to be shopping!” Libbie adds, laughing. The Soffers’ duo art show—the fifth since their first show at the National Museum of American Jewish History in 1985—opens March 11 …
Friday, March 8, 2013
In February 2009, a WCU freshman said she was raped by three men in her dorm room.
The conviction of three men who were accused of raping a West Chester University freshman in 2009 has been reinstated, The Pottstown Mercury is reporting. According to the paper, in February of 2009 Jamel Clay, Jason Claybrook, and Rashid Lewis, all 23 years old, were charged with raping a West Chester University freshman in Sanderson Hall after the girl invited them to spend the night in her dorm. The men were convicted of the crime, but, according to the report, in June of 2011, the Pennsylvania Superior Court revisited the case and ruled that the jury was wrong, owing to a reasoning that the woman had somehow consented to the sexual contact. The men were acquitted of the rape charge and released from prison. But, according to the paper…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Commonwealth Hall, on South New Street, will open in the fall of 2014.
West Chester University, grows larger still. The college began construction Tuesday on a new $57.4 million dormitory on the north side of campus, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The eight-story South New Street building will open in the fall of 2014 and will house 660 students, as well as a health, counseling, and EMS center. Aesthetically, Commonwealth Hall will look like the three other dorms on that side of campus. Read the full story here.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Council wants to make sure All's Quiet on the West Chester Front.
The borough council approved a measure on Wednesday night that should cut down on noise pollution near West Chester University, the Delaware County Daily Times is reporting. “Quiet zones” will be established in several neighborhoods near the college between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. A network of 240 signs the borough purchased at a cost of $4,230 will remind students to keep it down during these hours. Violators will be fined $250. Before the vote, West Chester mayor Carolyn Comitta told KYW that the fine should discourage “rowdiness” and give nearby residents some needed peace and quiet. “It may be a deterrent because the fine is $250, but people need to be reminded,” the mayor said.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
According to police, a WCU student, with the aid of his father, attempted to force his wife on a flight to Macedonia.
Strange new details emerged in the case of a West Chester University student charged with raping and kidnapping his Macedonian wife, The Reporter is reporting. Lirim “Lenny” Rufati, 24, faces charges of rape, kidnapping, sexual assault and other offenses relating to an alleged abduction, and his wife’s subsequent claims that he had been regularly sexually abusing her. According to the victim’s testimony, delivered in district court on Feb. 19 with the help of an interpreter, she and Rufati had an arranged marriage in Macedonia in April 2011, then moved to the area, where Rufati enrolled at West Chester University. After years of what she characterized as physical and sexual abuse, the woman said the couple had a heated dispute on Jan. 2 …
linda wyly
8:49 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Happy to see he got his, finally! My daughter was falsely accused of an incident and was sent to the Juvenile detention center for three days with shackles and handcuffs when she was 12!! more ›