Perkasie Borough Council objects to luxury apartment plans – Bucks Round-Up – October 9, 2025
Perkasie Borough Council objects to luxury apartment plans
Perkasie Borough Council voted unanimously this week against luxury apartments potentially going up on Constitution Avenue near Perkasie Square. The resolution instructs Borough Solicitor Colby Grim to relay Council’s opposition at a zoning hearing board meeting on October 27 when the board may or may not approve zoning adjustments that would permit the apartments’ construction in an otherwise commercial area. The development would contain 75 residential units. Council Finance Chair Scott Bomboy (R) said he and other councilpersons opposed the plans insofar as they would place residential property in a space envisioned for commercial and government uses.
High court upholds death sentence in 1987 Bucks County murder
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of convicted killer Richard Roland Laird, upholding his first-degree murder conviction and death sentence for the 1987 slaying of 26-year-old artist Anthony Milano in Bristol Township. Laird and accomplice Frank Chester were originally convicted in 1989 in what became the first U.S. case where a death sentence was tied to an anti-gay hate crime. After retrials, Chester accepted life in prison, while Laird was again sentenced to death in 2007. District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said the Supreme Court’s denial “confirms the validity of the conviction and sentence,” marking closure in a case that has spanned nearly four decades.
Arrest made in home invasion; D.A. to hold press conference
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn is expected to detail charges this afternoon in an Upper Southampton home invasion that led to the arrest of a Philadelphia man. Police say 33-year-old Nafis Lamont Donte Fisher broke into a residence on Miller Drive around 2:47 a.m. Tuesday before fleeing when confronted by the homeowners. Investigators recovered a knife and extension cord allegedly brought by the suspect, as well as stolen AirPods tracked to Philadelphia using the victim’s phone. Officers there located a Kia Forte matching the suspect’s vehicle and took Fisher into custody without incident. The car has been impounded pending a search warrant. Residents with information are urged to contact Detective Jim Schirmer at the Upper Southampton Police Department.
Teacher sentenced after pleading guilty in student restraint case
A former Pennridge School District special education teacher has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from the improper restraint of a nonverbal autistic student at West Rockhill Elementary. Forty-one-year-old Jessica Bergey of East Greenville was sentenced to up to four years of probation and agreed to permanently surrender her teaching certification. Bergey was initially charged in June with felony child endangerment and simple assault, charges that carried a potential twelve-year prison term. The April 15 incident prompted her suspension within days, according to a district letter sent to parents. Some parents expressed disappointment with what they view as a lenient sentence. Bergey’s attorney Matt Sedacca told Judge Stephen Corr that she is in the process of formally surrendering her license, a step that can take several months.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
