West Chester Weekly News Roundup: Jan. 31, 2025

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It’s Friday, Jan. 31, 2025: West Chester’s not inspecting its rental properties leaving thousands on the table and tenants at risk. Plus, whatcha laughing at? No need to go to Philly, West Chester’s comedy scene is hopping. How it got started and where you can find your next show, and Monkey Fish Toys makes a big announcement, Porchfest 2025, and a faux ICE raid leaves West Chester University students and staff shaken. 

Who’s ready? Let’s catch up.

Feature focus: Now that classes are back in session, don’t forget Hello, West Chester has a student subscription. One year of access to all the news, events and more is free to all students thanks to the West Chester University’s Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center! To get your subscription all you need to do is sign up using your WCU email. Spread the word!

Tell Me If You’ve Heard This One: A Look at West Chester’s Burgeoning Comedy Scene

Sometime last year, I started seeing promos for a stand-up comedy show at Turks Head Cafe. 

The Warnings.

There is no ICE in West Chester (especially after today’s 50-degree temps.)  This week, a vehicle with what appeared to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) insignia on its side was sighted on the West Chester University campus causing anxiety and confusion among staff and students.  However, upon further investigation by the WCU Department of Public Safety, it is believed that the vehicle was not official. Rather it appeared to have an “ICE Volunteer Corps” sticker on the side. While ICE does not have a volunteer corps, these stickers are available for purchase online. 

“Sadly, we believe that a private individual came to our campus for the purpose of creating anxiety and uncertainty,” WCU Provost Dr. Jeffery Osgood said in a statement to the Campus Community. 

Just leave the dog out of it. West Goshen Township Police are seeking community assistance to identify a dark-haired gentleman and his light-haired pooch wanted in connection with a retail theft that occurred at around 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 17. 

Are those bills real? West Goshen police are also looking for a 20-year-old Hispanic male who used a counterfeit $100 bill to purchase a pretzel from the Philly Pretzel Factory in November. If you have information about either individual, notify West Goshen police at 610-696-7400.

Suspect in 2022 West Goshen armed robbery pleads guilty. Sticking with West Goshen for one more, Zahkee Austin, 24 of Philadelphia entered guilty pleas this week for a series of illegal activities including two counts of attempted murder and two counts of robbery. The charges stem from a Dec. 7, 2022, one-man crime spree.

Spam calls circulating. This time scanners are pretending to be county deputies and threatening arrest for supposed bench warrants. Scammers are using real deputy names and numbers that appear to be coming from the Sheriff’s office. Just remember real officers will never demand payment over the phone. Before providing any personal or payment information, hang up and call the Sheriff’s Office directly at 610-344-6850.  

Don’t eat those Wegmans chicken nuggets. You’ve been warned.

The Accolades.

Making waves. As swim season begins its end, I think it’s time to celebrate some impressive efforts by all three West Chester area high school teams. Going into the final week of the regular season, Henderson girls are ranked second in the Ches-Mont League, just three points behind current leader Downingtown West. Rustin girls, currently 5-1 overall and 4-0 in their division, are third and East, fourth. On the boys’ side, Henderson sits comfortably in first place with a 75-point lead over second place Downingtown East. West Chester East is in third and Rustin is just four points behind them in fifth.  

Some standout performances: 

Henderson. The Warriors senior Paige Fisher steers the girls’ team. Paige is currently the 18th-ranked swimmer in the state. Last year, she placed in the top 12 in the state in both the 200 Free and 100 Breaststroke. This year she is looking to better both. She is joined by freshman Ella Mogck who’s already starting to make a name for herself.

Senior Eddie Stolz, the state’s 17th-ranked swimmer, leads the boys’ team. Eddie finished 5th in the state last year in the 50 Free and this summer set a YMCA record in the 50 Fly. He’s surrounded by plenty of talent. Fellow seniors Caelan Ladd (51st) and Finn Lukens (64th) and junior Sean Dillon (41st) are all state-ranked swimmers.

East. The Vikings’ top swimmers are junior Emily Schwarz (ranked 51st), junior Grace Herlihy (52nd), and sophomore Ben Gotro (29th). Sophomore Emma Antczak (97th) is also state-ranked.

Rustin. The Golden Knight Claire Roussakis leads the girls. The sophomore is currently ranked 6th in the state and 160th nationally. She finished fifth in the state in the 100 backstroke as a freshman. She’s by no means alone. Teammate and fellow sophomore Aoife Speer-Gibson is ranked 39th in the state and was a five-time finalist at the University of Maryland’s SPY Winterfest Championships earlier this month. Top point scorers on the boys’ side include distance specialist Phil Grece (50th) and senior captain George Harkins.

Henderson and East face each other on Tuesday in their final dual match of the season. Rustin closes things out tonight against Sun Valley. 

Other things we are cheering on this week:

Doing our part to ensure an Eagle’s win. We can do it again if needed. Right, Birl Girl? 

Too much cuteness. While the Eagles are preparing for the Chiefs, Erika, Mindy, and Sadie will be getting ready to face off against Team Fluff in Puppy Bowl XX. All three adorable Brandywine SPCA rescues are members of Team Ruff and will play in this year’s live call-to-adoption event. The Puppy Bowl takes place on Feb. 9. at 2 p.m. Watch it on Animal Planet, Discovery, or Max.  

That iconic Jake’s Bar t-shirt. Speaking of representing, comedian Shane Gillis has been making the podcast rounds sporting his favorite West Chester t-shirt. The star of Netflix’s Tires, which recently finished filming season two in West Chester, was first spotted donning the navy t-shirt earlier this month on the Joe Rogan podcast and he was back in it this week while chatting with podcaster Kill Tony. 

Go Rams! West Chester University men’s basketball team (16-4, 12-2 PSAC) wrapped up the first half of what has so far been an impressive season with an uncharacteristic 36-point loss to a mediocre Millersville team - at home. Here’s hoping they can get back on track tomorrow at Lock Haven. However, while we’ll keep rooting for big things this winter, all eyes are turning to spring sports with both the WCU Baseball and Women’s Lacrosse teams ranked nationally in preseason polls.  

2028 LA Olympics. Not to get ahead of ourselves but a shout-out to West Chester’s Reese D’Ariano on being named to the 2025 U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team. She will be joined by Twin Valley’s Kelee Lapage, who is not a West Chester native in her own right, but her mom is a WCASD gym teacher.  

Top-notch healthcare. Shout out to Chester County Hospital for being named one of the top 50 hospitals in America by Healthgrades, a hospital data aggregate. The hospitals were selected based on overall clinical performance. 

Know someone who should be recognized? Let me know: [email protected].

Hello.

The Monkey Fish reprieve.

Goodbye.

Is the Borough leaving cash on the table and at the same time apartments uninspected?

Pay it Forward.

What better way to give back and connect with the community than to lend your porch or your talents to the fourth annual Porchfest? And seriously, what sounds better right now than a warm evening outside listening to neighbors rock out porches, streets closed, beer - I mean, sparkling water, in hand?

Ok, now that I’ve got your attention here are the details - 

• Porchfest will take place on May 17 from 1 to 7 p.m. 

• Homes from Price to Miner, Church to Bradford Ave. are encouraged to participate

• Performers of all types and musical backgrounds are welcome

• 11 blocks will be closed to traffic again this year

• 10 food trucks have been booked and more are expected

Musicians, hosts, volunteers, and supporters are all needed to help ensure this popular event continues.    

“The fee from the Borough will probably be close to $15,000 (as it was last year). It may be a little less with the change in ‘special event’ fees, but not a huge amount, so PLEASE DONATE,” says Porchfest organizer Molly Hanford.

Porch and musician sign-ups open tomorrow. Donations are welcome at any time. More info on all of the above is available at the West Chester Porchfest website. 

Speaking of musical activities, band auditions are also open for this year’s Turks Head Music Festival. West Chester’s all-day concert in Everhart Park will take place on June 8 this year. If you’re interested in performing, send us your electronic press kit to [email protected] by Feb. 28.

Other ways to give back this week: 

Buy up the warm and cozy. Sure the mercury may finally be rebounding to average but that doesn’t mean there’s still not a nip in the air. To help their residents and friends keep warm this winter, Safe Harbor is hosting a “Warm Winter Wishes” bedding drive. They are currently accepting new twin comforters, sheets, and pillows. Just visit their Amazon Wish List and search for “sheets,” “pillow,” or “comforter.” It looks like they are 13 sheet sets short of their goal. At $13 a set, I think we can make that happen. Let’s go!   

Cook up some (supervised) meals for St. Agnes. While St. Agnes works to figure out how to feed the neighborhood hungry and still abide by Chester County Health Department rules, they can use all the help they can get. Here are a few simple ways to help, if you can.  

Sign up for a West Chester board or commissions. Want to see things done differently? Get yourself a direct line to change. West Chester is looking for new members of the Planning Commission and the Civil Service Commission. (Both positions require Borough residency.) You can learn more about the positions here. And if you are really committed to giving back, Westtown needs a Recreation Program Coordinator, and West Chester is hiring a new police officer. As recently retired WEGO police chief Brenda Bernot told me, she never met a cop who felt he or she “wasted his life.”

The Freakin’ Weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We are cheering some basketball teams on to what we hope is victory and celebrating the Girl Scout Cookie Selling Season with a Cookie Party. (After this week, I’m hoping this shindig comes with a cookie-themed cocktail.) If you ordered, I get my boxes today.

If you are around town, look for reservations at Jolene’s, the reviews have been nearly spotless. Also, Slow Hand is hoping to entice you out of Dry January and into alcohol’s warm embrace with their new “On an Open Fire” cocktail featuring a flaming orange. Chester County Art Association is celebrating the Chinese New Year tomorrow with a pop-up art display and live demonstrations. Then on Sunday, Pine and Quill is hosting a Galentine’s Day Wreath Workshop. And to help you get ready for the big day, Tish and Pactrade Embroidery are hosting an embroidery tailgate party on Thursday. Bring your own item or purchase one there and get your favorite Birds-themed message stitched on. 

And not to jinx anything but West Goshen is already planning for the victory parade. You can reserve your seat on their possible bus trip to Philadelphia on Feb. 8. $50 will get you to the Eagles Victory Parade and back. Send questions and jinx condemnations to Ken Lehr at [email protected]. 

And finally, special thanks to this week’s Community Sponsor Mitten Systems! Mitten Systems is an operations consulting firm focused on helping small businesses and nonprofits find more efficient ways to work. What small business couldn’t use that? Check out their website to learn how they can help your business do more with less!

View a list of all our amazing Community Sponsors here.

Business leaders: Want exclusive access to this amazing community? Of course, you do. There are only three spots an issue so each one gets a lot of attention, and from what I hear, responses. A few spots for February remain. Send me an email if you are interested.

Mark Your Calendars:

• Jan. 31 - The Music of Chicago, Uptown, 226 N. High St, 7:30 p.m. Experience the electrifying energy of Chicago’s legendary hits in a spectacular, family-friendly celebration. Tickets: $45

• Feb. 1 - West Chester Grower's Market, corner of Church & Chestnut Sts, 10 a.m. to Noon

• Feb. 1 - 26th Annual Miss WCU, Asplundh Concert Hall, 7 p.m. Join in celebrating an incredible group of student leaders at WCU compete for the title of Miss WCU 2025.

• Feb. 4 - Virtual Lecture: Emma's Postcard Album, Chester County History Center, 7 - 8 p.m. Join author Faith Mitchell as she tells the story of her grandmother, Emma Crawford and her life from 1906-1910 as a Black woman in southern Chester County. This is a pay-as-you-wish event. Registration is required.

• Feb. 7 - Learn Chi Walking, West Chester Senior Center, 12:30 p.m. Join Carol Bilek, certified Chi Walking instructor for free Chi Walking demonstrations, open to public. Questions? Email Carol

• Feb. 7 - Rachel Harris, One Woman Over the Line, 226 N. High St, 7:30 p.m. This full length, multi-media dance production shares the story of Chester County runaway slave Rachel Harris and her search for freedom and dignity. Tickets: $35/adult; $28/Student/Senior

• Feb. 8 - Jingo, 226 N. High St, 7:30 p.m. Enjoy the music of Santana. Tickets: $40

• Feb. 9 - 10th Annual Kegs 'n' Eggs, Levante Brewing, 10 a.m. Join for beer and brunch Natalie's Fine Foods and Philly Hots. Plus, DJ, yard games and Sequon Barkley giveaway. Bring five non-pershible food items and get a free pour of your choice.

• Feb. 9 - Rachel Harris, One Woman Over the Line, 226 N. High St, 2:30 p.m. Multi-media dance production tells the story of Chester County runaway slave Rachel Harris and her search for freedom and dignity. Tickets: $35/adult; $28/Student/Senior

• Feb. 10 - Film for $5: When Harry Met Sally, Uptown, 226 N. High St, 7 p.m. Complimentary popcorn included.

• Feb. 11 - Teens & Tweens Paper Quilling, West Chester Public Library, 3:30- 5 p.m. Learn the art of paper quilling and make a heart for someone you love.

Reader tip: If you have trouble with these emails going to spam or promotions, reply to this email. Nothing particular, even a random letter will do, but that should keep them coming to the inbox.

That’s it. Stay safe, stay happy, and thanks to everyone who helped make this week’s issue possible. I’ll see you next week!

Hello, West Chester Community Sponsors