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Death Penalty Sought in Kevin Allen Homicide

The Chester County DA has announced he will seek the death penalty against Shakeem Carter, who is accused of the brutal murder of a Norristown teen.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced Thursday that the state will seek the death penalty against Shakeem Carter, the Norristown man accused of the brutal murder of 17-year-old Kevin Allen on Feb. 12. "The decision to pursue the death penalty is reserved for the most serious crimes and is only reached after careful deliberations," Hogan stated in a release. "After consultation with the police and the victim's family, this decision is based upon the circumstances surrounding the murder of this young man." Hogan listed three aggravating factors that contributed to his decision to pursue the death penalty: Carter is accused of killing Allen at the Hanover Garden Apartments in North Coventry, Pa. on the evening Feb. 12 in the …

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Chesco DA: 'When We Opened Up That Door... That Was a Doorway to Hell'

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced the arrest of 20-year-old Shakeem Carter, of Norristown, for the Feb. 12 murder of Kevin Allen.

[Editorial note: This story contains graphic descriptions of a murder that may be disturbing to some readers.] Describing the gruesome scene investigators discovered on entering apartment 127 of the Hanover Garden Apartments in North Coventry, Pa. on the evening Feb. 12, Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said they had opened "a doorway to hell." Twenty-year-old Shakeem Carter, also of Norristown, has been arrested and charged with the grisly murder that authorities say was in connection with a robbery. Carter had allegedly stolen $350 given to Allen by his father to buy clothes. Seventeen-year-old Kevin Allen's body was discovered in the blood-soaked apartment after police responded to a 9-1-1 call from a neighbor who heard a "…

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Funky Lil Kitchen Chef Launching Phila. Area Food Truck

Pottstown's Funky Lil' Kitchen will be closing, but the chef will be launching a food truck in the Philadelphia and Philadelphia suburbs in late spring or early summer.

Pottstown's Funky Lil' Kitchen Chef Michael Falcone has decided to put the restaurant up for sale after nearly 10 years in the community. Falcone told Patch that he felt he had gone as far as he could with the Pottstown restaurant.  The Pottstown icon, has served seasonal, local, and organic meals to diners from Pottstown, Montgomery and Chester Counties, and Philadelphia. Falcone said that he's always wanted to have a restaurant in Philadelphia, and that he couldn't do that without a brick and mortar commitment to the city. However, Falcone will not stop cooking and feeding the area. Instead of the brick and mortar restaurant, Falcone's unique local, organic and seasonal cooking will be found on a food truck in Philadelphia and …

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Photographer's Eye

Sly Fox Brewery Tour [Photos]

Patch drops by to check out what goes on behind the scenes at Sly Fox Brewery.

The Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown offers free tours of their 30,000-square-foot facility every weekend after 2 p.m., so we decided to send our photographer to see what goes on behind the scenes. Check out our gallery of the tour, and if you haven't already, be sure to check out the tour in person!

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Joe The Nerd Ferraro

11:06 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013

mmmmmmmmm beer!   more ›

Get Real

What Pre-Foreclosure Means

Lisa Loper of the Scott Loper Team explains a frequently misunderstood term in the real estate market.

We frequently have buyers asking us about pre-foreclosure homes that they found on the internet.  There are many sites that will give consumers this type of information.  Most of these homes are not listed for sale, but some buyers want to know if they can still see the property with the possibility of buying it. Pre-foreclosure simply means that a homeowner has fallen behind on their mortgage payments.  And while a foreclosure may eventually happen, at the current time, the home is still rightfully owned by the mortgagor (i.e. homeowner).  It does NOT mean that the home is available for sale.  In fact, that home may never be available for sale. In most cases, a homeowner does NOT want to sell OR lose their home to a foreclosure.  The …

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Montco Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Pregnant Girlfriend

Richard B. Gibson, 41, of Pottstown, will serve to nine-to-23 months in prison for punching his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach because dinner wasn't ready.

Military Officials Investigating Death of Local Sailor in Afghanistan

Commander Job W. Price, 42, was serving with SEAL Team 4 in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan, when his body was discovered after he failed to show for a meeting.

Montco Man Caught in $3.5 Million Meth Operation

Pottstown man is among 27 suspects charged in “Operation Blowout,” which uncovered a crystal methamphetamine ring stretching from Mexico to Pennsylvania.

A four-year undercover investigation has resulted in the indictment of a Montgomery County man, as well as 26 other people, suspected of links to a crystal methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched from Mexico and Texas and took root in Montgomery, Bucks, Berks, Lehigh and Tioga counties. Officials believe that the large network is responsible for the distribution of more than $3.5 million worth of crystal meth in southeastern and northern Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. Robert H. Snyder, 53, of Pottstown, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, 20 counts of delivery of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, unlawful use of a communications facility, …

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Times Herald's Parent Company Could Reduce Frequency of Daily Editions for Some Papers

Journal Register Company's CEO said the company would consider reducing print frequency of newspapers in certain markets.

The parent company of The Times Herald and several other daily and weekly newspapers in Montgomery County could reduce the frequency of some of its publications, the company's CEO said recently.  According to Poynter.org, Journal Register Company, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, could eliminate one or two daily print editions at some of its 20 daily newspapers. CEO John Paton said he would consider the change for the newspapers which show strong advertising growth for online editions, but which also lack resources to produce seven quality daily papers each week. In his blog, Paton has praised the New Orleans Times-Picayune plan to print only three days a week, but said for JRC the reduction might mean only eliminating one …

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