2022: Top 5 Stories In Limerick-Royersford-Spring City

LIMERICK-ROYERSFORD-SPRING CITY —The year 2022 was not like any other year.
As the pandemic was winding down, the nation was working to get back on track.

Divisive politics ramped up as mask mandates and travel restrictions subsided.

Patch continued to provide you with the local news, ranging from police, politics, education, and courts, to transportation, new businesses and more.

Here are the 2022 five most top stories in the Limerick-Spring City- Royersford area.

• 1) Reaction to Roe v. Wade Being Overturned: The story provided a reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision to return the decision of when and whether a woman can get an abortion back to the states. The reactions were provided by Democratic lawmakers, including Gov. Tom Wolf and Governor-elect Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and the locals including U.S. Rep Chrissy Houlahan, state Reps. Mary Scanlon, Melissa Shusterman, Dan Williams, Christina Sappey. Republican lawmakers did not respond. The story also contained views of Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
• 2) Spring City Man Charged With Murder In His Girlfriend’s Strangulation. Leroy Brahm, 31, of Spring City, was charged Feb. 16 in the strangulation death of his girlfriend, Annabel Meenan. Police said they obtained a video of Dec. 4, 2021 in which the defendant punched the victim at least 85 times. During a preliminary hearing March 24, the prosecution team showed videos of Brahm beating the victim in the couple’s mobile home in East Vincent Township. The case is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in January.
• 3) Thousands Attend PA Trooper Branden T. Sisca’s Funeral Trooper Branden Sisca and Trooper Martin Mack III were fatally injured on March 21 when they stopped to help Allentown resident Reyes Rivera, 28, who was walking along Interstate I-95 near Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Jayana Webb, 21, of Eagleville, Montgomery County, attempted to pass the vehicle at a high speed and hit and killed all three, police said. Webb is facing third-degree murder and related charges. She is awaiting trial, which has been scheduled in March. The trooper's best friend, Trooper Ross Greenwood, shared heartfelt memories of what true friendship is all about. The two grew up together like brothers in the small borough of Trappe. “We were both only children,” Greenwood said. “We played street hockey. We had dreams of being firefighters. I looked up to Branden as a big brother.”
• 4) Driver Survives After Vehicle Sinks In Icy Limerick Pond A driver who had to be rescued Jan. 30 after his vehicle sunk into an icy pond miraculously survived the ordeal despite the sub-freezing temperatures. The Limerick Fire Department said that crews were dispatched 11:30 a.m. for a report of a vehicle that had broken through the ice in a local pond. Water and ice rescue personnel, along with Limerick Township police officers, had to use an inflatable boat to assist in removing the driver from the vehicle, according to the fire department.
• 5) Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority Gets A Quick Start: The Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority formed to pave the way for restoring train service from Philadelphia to Reading with stops in Phoenixville, Pottstown and Norristown, and possibly other locations. The train would then connect to New York and Washington, D.C. The authority consists of three officials from Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties. The authority has been meeting monthly and is working on obtaining federal funding. Representatives of the borough of Royersford participated in a public hearings on the formation of the authority.