Great. Now I feel REALLY safe in the community. Why bother arresting these people? These are some pretty significant charges that were pled guilty to.

What have we all really learned from this mess?

I don't understand this judge's thinking either.

And community service in a educational setting? Do we want these people near our youngsters?

Wait - wasn't Garrett Collins just arrested for violating his pre-trial probation conditions - http://reading.patch.com/articles/police-log-probation-warrant-issued-for-archstone-suspect . WTF. Not his first or second offense either if you do a quick Google search. Could I be mistaken, or is does his father work for the town of Reading? Feeling very safe now...

One of the other ones was also arrested for violating probation: http://reading.patch.com/articles/police-log-three-arrested-two-for-drug-posession so may be they won't make it the five years.

So: assault, conspiracy, guns, theft, drugs: NO PROBLEM!

You will see them again soon. They have been in trouble for violating their conditions before trial, and mandatory drug tests will be a problem for these guys.

Yet another instance proving why judges should be elected, not appointed...

Do you want to know why punks commit violent crimes? Because they can. This is a complete joke! Nice justice system we have, plead guilty and get a slap on the wrist. Probation?? Even better, community service! That will teach em. Give me a break.

I'm sure this won't be the last time we see these names again, but then again maybe "they'll get theirs", you can only get away with so much before it catches up to you, and you cross the wrong people.

To the honorable journalist Mr. Andrew Jeromski - as far as I know, there is no basis for your statement that Quinlan Junta died from overdose of drugs and alcohol. This is still under investigation and NO report is out yet!
If you want to be a journalist, stick to the facts - otherwise change your profession. Quinlan, unfortunately, is not around to defend himself. Please stop defaming.

'apparent drug overdose' is the cause generally assumed to be true by the community, however Gina, you are correct, no report has been made public to clarify the cause of death. Perhaps better phrasing would have been 'passed away following a medical emergency on ______ date' or 'passed away at _______ hospital on _______. An official cause of death is still unknown.'
In defense of Andrew Jeromski, the majority of the events that led up to this sentencing were covered by Patch's former editor, Matt Casey. It might be worth mentioning to Andrew that despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding Quinlan's death and surrounding the drug-related crime that has plagued Reading over the past year, a lot of the parties have lived their entire lives in Reading, and consequently have many friends and family that take what is said in the press very seriously.

-Dan

What a pile of absolute BS. Another wonderful example of our justice system. Does anyone for a second think if this was four blacks or hispanics from Chelsea or Everett they would avoid jail time? Nice to be a white male from suburbia I see.

Also, don't let your kids near these punks. They can't teach our kids anything. Best lesson that could have been sent is legitimate JAIL TIME. This just shows that you can get away with anything if you have the money for a lawyer. What a joke.

@Gina, @Dan ... Please note the article has been altered to reflect that the cause of Quinlan Junta's death has not been disclosed. Had I been more diligent in reading the backstory regarding this matter, I would have realized that.
I would like to offer a sincere apology to the Junta family and all the citizens of Reading for this egregious oversight. Mea culpa.
@Gina ... while I do take some offense to your comments, I understand your point. In the future, please email me directly with your concerns. That is better forum for these types of issues than the public comment boards. Thank you.

Let's hope that Reading Youth Hockey and our AD make sure that these punks aren't fulfilling their community service with youth or high school teams. Let them stay clean for 5 years first. Somehow i have a feeling Donnie B is right and they'll be in the news again for all the wrong reasons.

What is even more sad is that these "people" blamed their friend who is not around to defend himself (as reported by Fox). Wow. I though it was reported that they had cell phone records from Stratton who orchestrated it all. How ccan he then point the finger elsewhere?

Yes, something is fishy here.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/men-avoid-jail-by-blaming-dead-man-20120120

@ Donna, "Maybe he'd be totally truthful about the circumstances of his accidental death ..." I've heard of people turning their life around but they are usually alive when they do that. Howie Carr is in town today. He always loves a good "turning his life around story"

@ Dulcea,

http://stoneham.patch.com/articles/reading-commons-home-invasion-about-more-than-just-money-2

During their investigation, police acquired records of text messages sent and received by Garrett Collins, Quinlan Junta and Jason Molle, of Stoneham, on the day of the crime.

Based on those messages, police concluded that Junta (son of “Hockey Dad” Thomas Junta) and Matthew Stratton planned the crime, then later brought in Collins.

Stratton and Collins served as scouts for the home invasion by visiting the victim and sending text messages to Junta “as to where to find money, pills and Collins’ gold chain,” a police report states.

Based on the records, police also concluded that Collins and Stratton held open a security door at the apartment complex, which allowed Molle and Junta to enter the building.

The messages also suggest a rivalry between the victim and his alleged assailants. In a text sent on the morning of the crime, Stratton told Junta “HES BEEN SELLIN TO A LOT OF UR CUSTOMERS… WE SHOULD UNTIL HIS NEXT 100 PACK COMES IN CUZ WE MIGHT ONLY GET 30 OR 50 (sic).”

@Donna, "Maybe he'd be totally truthful about the circumstances of his accidental death in order to help other young people make decisions that don't put them in harms way." On a serious note, while Quinlan can't speak out, his and the other families impacted by the drug related tragedies could. Have any of them spoken at any of the schools? At an RCASA meeting? At a church group?.....

I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience the pain and loss the Junta family is feeling now. Quinlan did make many mistakes, but it is wrong to make damning assumptions posthumously. He DID NOT pass away from a drug overdose. Furthermore, anyone making any demands on a grieving family (public speaking), is completely off base. How about we as a community, support Michelle and Kendall? Perhaps a first step in solving some of the problems this town is facing, is for all of us to start acting as a community by helping and supporting each other, rather than taking to these boards to defame the deceased.

Hopefully the mandatory drug screenings may help them. The majority of the time people with these kind of drug issues will try to find a way to minipulate the drug screening and cover up their continued drug use during probation. Hopefully they will not make the same mistakes.

The Burke trial will connect the dots, including why these guys didn't get any jail time. Stay tuned.

@ Steve,
1+1=3 is a mistake.
Selling drugs is a choice.

@Donna, click on the name. The deleted message is still on the home page side bar on the right. It's the same Dave.

This was referenced in the Reading Advocate but it still does not make any sense to me. So it's OK to pistol-whip and rob drug dealers?? And it's OK to to it because you are addicted to drugs?? And if you are 20 years old or if you have parents?? This is how I'm reading this.

@Charles I'm very curious about the Burke trial then!

In explaining his decision, Judge Inge noted his opinion that the crime was “precipitated in large part to an addiction to drugs and that the victim was a supplier.” He also noted the defendants’ ages, the fact they have been receiving treatment for their reported addictions and strong parental involvement as other reasons factoring into his decision.
“The court decided not to impose a committed sentence at this time,” Judge Inge said. “What they’ve done can’t be undone, but they still can end up being positive contributors to society.”

Once the case goes to the District Attorney's Office the case is out of the hands of any police department. Every criminal case is different like a poker hand. There are strengths and weaknesses based on the facts. The District Attorney's Office played their hand and got convictions on very serious charges. Perhaps if the case went to trial the DA may not have gotten a conviction on some of the heavier charges. Even if they did, the same penalties could still have been imposed. The individuals involved were held accountable to society for their actions. They will forever and a day be branded with the reputation of being convicted felons. From the press releases it appears they each have a significant suspended sentence hanging over their heads. I don't think these individuals got away with anything. What a tragedy!

@Steve, "And I again ask all of you to please consider Quin's family..."
Maybe Quin should have considered Quin's family.

The only lesson these punks got is to not text before committing a crime. A little jail time would have been good.

Collins hearing Feb 8 postponed till Feb 29, 2:00 pm. remains in jail

"Right Turn" in Arlington, MA, offers a "Family Healing Strategies" workshop which is very helpful to those trying to assist a loved one who is struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction. Over time, the Prefrontal Cortex of the brain becomes damaged. Moralizing and/or blaming is not helpful.

The fact that young males are breaking into houses, fighting over who is selling drugs to who, is indicitive of a much deeper routed problem in your community! There simply is no fear of consequences!

How is there supposed to be a fear of consequences when individuals are committing a premeditated, violent acts with deadly weapons and being able to get punished with probation and community service by our judicial system. Law enforcement in Reading can only do so much without having the backing of the people implementing the punishments.

@Doug Atoms, claiming that you are sorry for a family's loss does not cover up the fact that you claimed that their son was a thug and "sealed his own fate" by selling drugs. These are personal attacks on the family and the deceased and are not "facts". The facts are that Joe Ronan was murdered and Quinlan Junta passed away suddenly. You can only speculate that their participation in the "drug game" was associated with their death but only time will tell the true reason why each of these young men were taken from this world too soon. To claim their decisions "caught up to them" and is the reason they are dead is insensitive, unfounded and blatantly rude. As you sit on your pedestal and cast judgment on others on their parenting or their personal problems, perhaps you should examine your life and the poor decisions you've made throughout the years. We all make mistakes and bad decisions in life and to throw dirt on the deceased and to claim they brought their deaths on themselves is not only tasteless but also indicative of your character.

Doug, first, you are attacking us personally for using terms like clueless, I have heard the same thing from others, Have you explained to the police what you know about Joe . Did you ever call to let our family know what was going on. You are not sorry for the loss of anybody.who are you?

Paul, it seems impossible that any of us could feel what you must be feeling. I myself can't comprehend it. There's also an amount of fear in the community that our kids might some day be involved with drugs or hurt by someone that is connected to drugs. When emotions are so strong, either way, there cannot be reconciliation, especially here on this site. You should do yorself a favor and not even read these comments. Nothing said here is really that important and I don't believe very many people take any of it too seriously. You're right, it is a personal attack on you and it shoud not be allowed. Lesser "attacks" have been deleted.

Why is Oxycontin and Heroin the rage now with these kids! Where is it all coming from?

Dan...Am I naive to think that heroin and oxycontin are not in the high school?

I see no reason why there wouldn't be heroin and oxy available to high schoolers. If not oxycontin, you can still easily get prescriptions for other oxy/pain killers, i.e., when having dental work (wisdom teeth), most people get a prescription for an oxy. I know personally that I have narcotics in the form of prescription oxy pills that I obtained legally but never used, and very easily could have sold to my peers.

My son graduated 3 years ago from RMHS. There were oxys at the school then and there probably still are. I went to RMHS and graduated in the 80's. There was a girl sitting next to me in homeroom that used to sell drugs from her seat, even with the teacher in the classroom. The smell of pot perpetually permeated the halls of the school. I remember kids doing drugs in the cafeteria called whip its. Someone spiked the punch at my junior prom with mescaline. The back parking lot smoking area was notorious for drugs. While RMHS has gotten better about the drug situation since I was there, I have seen a turn back to the worse. As each of my 3 kids went through the drugs seem to have gotten more prevalent.

Is this drug culture the norm now among the main stream students?

When I was at RMHS they had a program for kids called focus. Most if not all of those kids were on drugs and troubled. They had their own area of the building with their own classrooms. They worked slowly to mainstream again as they worked out their problems. I am not positive but I don't think that RMHS offers that program anymore. I was a main stream student and the drugs were part of every day school life. My kids, two of them in all honors and AP courses, and one in regular curriculum all saw the drug culture every day as well. So yes, unfortunately, it is the norm. That's why it's important to know your kids friends and who they hang out with. Listen when they talk about other kids. Most parents don't realize that their little angels are out drinking and doing drugs for example, even at the pasta nights hosted by the parents for the athletes.

I have two boys that play hockey and I am afraid that if I send them to the high school they will be indocrinated into the drug culture perhaps thru hazing. I will probably send them to Austin Prep. Is Austin Prep as bad as the high school in terms of the drug problem? I haven't heard anything negative about Austin Prep. I thought the drugs were in the high school because they can not be as selective in their recruiting of students.

define norm... is it normal for 'mainstream' kids to know someone that does drugs or know of someone doing drugs? absolutely. is it normal behavior to take pain killers for recreational use? no. However, there are a lot of different substances available. There are kids that smoke pot and drink alcohol, others who take pain-killers or other narcotics that are illicit, and there are those that abuse other forms of prescription medicince (adderol comes to mind). And, of course, some kids do one and not the other, or a combination of different drugs.

If anything, it is important to note that, if you have children in the high school or entering the high school, they are going to encounter drugs in some way or another by the time they graduate.

Interesting posts, HM. I find it hard to believe that at least some of the teachers or the principal has not noticed the pot odor and/or seen drug deals taking place. It sounds like they are turning a blind eye to the problem. It also would be interesting to learn why the focus program was discontinued if, in fact, it was.

I appreciate your feedback. I still have a couple years to make my decision.

@Doug Atoms ... Three posts have been deleted for being just plain old insensitive and inappropriate. I think the Ronan family has been through enough without you adding to it. Please keep comments like that off Reading Patch. I can't police the comment boards 24/7, so I'll ask for a bit more common sense than that. Thanks.

Just a thought...if posts deemed "insensitive" are going to be censored, why have a discussion board at all?

for constructive community discussion.

So bad mouthing as you call it someone who has deceased is worse than bad mouthing people who are living? stating a fact that Joe Ronan was dealing drugs out of his house was covered in the patch. Does that mean you are bad mouthing the dead? Why is it ok for people to "bad mouth" the kids who were involved that are still living? Better yet, I can still read comments regarding Quinlan Junta, and the last time I checked he is deceased! If the Patch is going to have these boards- can't have it both ways! But do what ya gotta do bud!

Thanks for the reply Andrew. I'm from the school where free speech reigns (however inflammatory it may be) but I appreciate and respect the standards set here. I will say that to me, the old adage that comes to mind is, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Thank you Brandon. It's been a bad week for the 1st Amendment. First religion and now free speech is being attacked. Is Obama in charge of the Patch now?

Please note that in no way was I trying to cast aspersions on the Patch, I was just pointing out a personal belief

Let's not forget the other victims of these drug dealers (at one time nice kids themselves) selling this poison.

From the Reading Patch:
From 2003-2005, there were 110 opioid-related hospitalizations that involved Reading residents. There were 9 opiate-related deaths locally in that 2 year period and Reading was 1 of 10 communities in the northeast region of MA with the highest crude rate of opioid-related deaths.

The Reading Fire Department responded to 123 overdoses calls from 2005-2010 and administered Narcan in 59 of the 123 cases. The classification of a call as "overdose/poisoning" could be used for a person who intentionally or accidentally overdosed on anything from prescription medication to illicit overdoses. It is also used for acute alcohol intoxication.

Opiate overdoses represented about 38% of the 123 RFD calls.

The Reading Police Department responded to 79 overdose calls from 2005-2010. 70 of the 79 calls were for adult overdoses and 9 for juveniles. Information on deaths is unknown since many of these ended up being transported and are reflected in Fire numbers.

@Laura ... I don't know how we attacked religion? ... and as these are comment boards, the first amendment does not extend. The first amendment applies only to the government. "Congress shall make no law," etc ... Here, the Terms of Use are the law of the land.

Please do not think for one moment that sending kids to private schools protects them from the issues they would otherwise face at RMHS. That is so naive. Truth be told, many kids - by no means all - who are sent to privates are troubled or need more structure just to get through the HS years.

People, WAKE up its 2012 the drugs are everywhere, don't think by sending your child to another school is going to protect them from being exposed to them, I cannot believe by reading some of these comments how naive some people are or is it just that you don't want to face reality?? lets get our heads out of the sand and wake up. It's all about us as parents educating our children as best we can about the dangers of drugs and achohol. I'ts everywhere not just in the cities anymore , it's in our community, if you look hard enough for something you will find it.

Necessarily we are all fond of murders, scandals, swindles, robberies, explosions, collisions, and all such things, when we know the people, and when they are neighbors and friends, but when they are strangers we do not get any great pleasure out of them, as a rule. Now the trouble with an American paper is that it has no discrimination; it rakes the whole earth for blood and garbage, and the result is that you are daily overfed and suffer a surfeit. By habit you stow this much every day, but you come by and by to take no vital interest in it -- indeed, you almost get tired of it. As a rule, forty-nine-fiftieths of it concerns strangers only -- people away off yonder, a thousand miles, two miles, ten thousand miles from where you are. Why, when you come to think of it, who cares what becomes of those people? I would not give the assassination of one personal friend for a whole massacre of those others. And to my mind, one relative or neighbor mixed up in a scandal is more interesting than a whole Sodom and Gomorrah of outlanders gone rotten. Give me the home product every time.
- "Italian Without a Master"

I don't think anyone said going to a private school will keep kids away from drugs. The person asked if the drug problem at a particular school was as bad as Reading High. I agree that there are drugs at every school. Private schools do have the ability to easily kick students out and they do. This is not easily done in a public school setting. I believe there is a student at the high school who has a chaperone with him at all times, I'm sure at the taxpayers expense, because of crimes he has been accused of.

The tragedies that occurred over the past year, are the result of personal decisions, actions and associations of those involved. People are suffering because of their own family members and friends and not due to the words, however insensitive, printed on these pages. Censoring doesn't change the facts of how and what happened.
As a public service warning, do not visit the Herald forums on the Juntas or Joe Ronan, if you think the opinions expressed on the Patch are objectionable.

Paul,
I have tried to distance myself from all this, but can not stand pat anymore. I am writing one comment and one comment only. There are a lot of dirty hands involved in these kids turning out the way they did. The main blame is on the kids themselves, they decided they wanted to live this" lifestyle" and in the end it all caught up to them. I have not talked to my brother Garrett for 3 years now due to his decisions and drug use. It was clear to me 3 years ago while having a conversation with him that my words were falling on deaf ears, so I distanced myself to worry about my own family. EVERY PARENT needs to be accountable for the way their kids turned out. I am learning this now as I have a 1 year old son, but it is the parents job to make sure they put their kids on the right path. My parents failed at this just like the rest of the parents failed in some way. These kids including my brother did not make
"mistakes" they made decisions knowing very well what could happen. Just like my brother, Joe made the decision to get involved with drugs. Two ways the drug game ends for most people, and that is in jail or dead. It looks like my brother will be rotting away behind bars for a long time, and he has only himself to blame for that. Not his friends but HIMSELF. I am not here to throw salt on your wounds, but the fact is if Joe was not involved with dealing drugs, he would be on his way to be a marine. You say these so called "RATS" lied to save themselves?

Which I am sure has some truth to it, but when you have kids on drugs or dealing drugs, we are not talking about choir boys. Now this is my opinion and my opinion only, but if Jackie Burke was told your son robbed him, and if your son was not involved in drugs at all, Burke would have dismissed the so called lie. The fact is the "lie" was so believable that Burke felt like he needed to murder him. And believe me Burke should rot in hell. for murdering your son. Just like my brother Garrett deserves everything he gets for robbing that kid in the commons. As I said before, and I am sure you do not agree with me, but every parent has failed in this case, including mine. Did I use the name Doug Atoms, of course I did, out of fear that you would come after my family, just like you came down the Burbank Rink looking for my other brother after he posted something on facebook. Expose me, go right ahead, but we all can be exposed including yourself. But atleast I can look in the mirror and honestly say my brother is a drug user and to this point an overall bad kid, but dont sit here and try to claim that Joe was this special kid who did nothing wrong. Just like the patch and the rest of the papers reported your son and Burke were exchanging text messages about buying pills right out your front door. The police found your sons killer and he will be brought to justice, now just worry about your family and let all the other disfunctional families live in peace.

As a father now my job is to make sure my son stays off the drugs and lives a positive life, and if he strays from that, I will consider myself a failure as a parent! But, like I said these are my opinions and my opinions only. So long patch!

Sean ,you are correct, these young people have made there own decisions,Beth and I have been married 31 years and brought up two wonderful dhildren, Were they angels, no, were they great kids, yes! You and Brian attcked us as parents, enablers, clueless,hazy from too much alcohol.Ihave never attacked any parents for their kids wrongful doing ,We are not and never be failers as parents, love and guidance is parenting, had i known , or someone l;ike yourself had come forward i certainly would have intervened.here is the point you miss, someone lied to Burke about the robbery at his dwelling, Joe was murdered because of that lie and for no other reason. please put yourself in our position. I will never give up till the robbers are ID'ED OR liars are outed
regards,
Paul

Sean,

You do not know my parents, so please do not judge them or post inaccurate accusations. They were the best parents a child good possibly ask for…they did not once enable my brother. My parents are loving, hardworking, educated people who did the best they could in raising both my brother and I and they did a pretty damn good job.

Joe, made a decision to join the marines, and was leaving for boot camp on 9/12. I’d say he was moving towards the right path with much encouragement from my entire family. However, some people lied to save their own and they along with Jack Burke will pay in the end. The lie is the reason and root cause for Joe’s murder. And we will all fight for the justice Joe deserves.

You are wrong when you say my father went down to Burbank after your brother, Brian, disrespectfully wrote that terrible poem. He did not go down there; my family and father have more class than that.

Like yourself, Joe cut off ties with Garrett years ago b/c of Garrett’s lifestyle. I’m not going to list out the things I know Garrett has done, but I know for a fact that he has negatively impacted many people from our town. How he has gotten away with it? – I have lots of theories but I’m not going to share them here.

We did not once say Joe was an angel. Joe did have a good heart, was a genuine person and the outreach we have received and the stories we’ve been told are a testament to how loved he was.

“Throw salt on wounds” – I think you and your brother have already done that with your previous comments as well as your cold hearted comment that my brother was lying 6 feet under.

May your family and friends never have to experience what our family and friends have gone through.

-Jackie

I am a Reading resident in my early 30s who graduated from RMHS in the mid to late 90s. I got good grades, was involved in athletics and held an after school and summer job. My parents were raised in the town, and I too have decided to raise my family there as well. I’ve watched all of these tragic events occur in the last several years, not just with the last year and a half but also the horrible tragedies of some of my high school classmates dying too young. Unfortunately, because the most recent events have involved a kid with an infamous last name, I believe that a lot of what has happened has been much more public then if it was someone named John Smith.

I want to start off by saying that I was deeply saddened by the death of Joe Ronan. I did not know him, but I heard he was a very respectful and nice young man, and as a parent and a long time Reading resident, I am terribly sorry for what his family has to go through. I did know Quinlan Junta and Garrett Collins, and I am also deeply saddened by Quinlan’s death and Garrett’s troubles.

After reading all of the comments, and getting upset about them for a long time, I’ve finally decided to respond. When I was in high school, there were drugs around, although I don’t know if the problems are worse today than they were 15 or so years ago. However, it’s absolutely not appropriate for people to blame either the Reading Athletic Director or the hockey program, as I’ve read time and time again. There were kids that overdosed that I went to high school with, and none of them played hockey, but most of them played other sports at various times. Based on my past experiences, and my current observations, the Athletic Director and the hockey coaches care deeply about the kids, and want nothing more than to have as many kids in the programs as possible to try to mitigate these issues and provide the kids with activities to fill their time. I believe the same can be said for the entire RMHS athletic program and community.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to the Ronan family, but I also believe that parents need to look themselves in the mirror and have an honest conversation with themselves. I was around many kids whose parents turned a blind eye to what their kids were doing. Luckily for those kids, they were able to turn their lives around and did not have the troubles that these other individuals are having.

I also believe that everyone needs to take a few minutes and remember that all of these individuals have family and friends that are devastated by the events that have occurred. People need to have more respect and allow the families to either grieve in peace without having to read negative comments about their children/brothers/nephews/etc or to give the families space to try to help the children turn their lives around. The fact is that all of these kids were great kids at heart, and unfortunately a disease has overtaken their lives. Sadly, two lives are already gone, but hopefully the others can be saved.

This community is cursed! I will not raise my family here!

The Curse of the Reading Four!

FYI to those who may not know, Sean Collins is currently an assistant varsity coach and JV coach for the RMHS boys hockey team. He has had three posts (using the name Doug Atoms before identifying himself) removed by the Patch editor for inappropriate language. He also seems bent on attacking the Ronan family in a public forum at a time when they are most vulnerable.
This indicates to me that he lacks a certain level of maturity, empathy, and professionalism required of any teacher or coach. I really wonder if Mr Collins is the right person for the job of mentoring and serving as a role model to 14-18 year old boys regardless of his hockey pedigree. It would seem to me that in light of the recent issues that have enveloped the hockey program it might be time to look for a more mature and reputable individual to coach and guide these boys at a crucial time in their development into men.

For those of you thinking of moving out of Reading, Lynnfield Patch has a chart rating violent crimes in Essex County towns. I'd be interested in seeing something similar for our Middlesex County area.

Oops...I see it on North Reading Patch.

@Andrew. I had hoped that the focus of these posts would be on education about drug addiction, rather than on the families who are involved.
"right-turn.org". is a great website for those who wish to concentrate on "recovery", rather than "blame". I encourage people to visit the site.

Andrew, you are mincing words here. "Inappropriate" or "unfair" or "unwarranted" does not really matter - my point still holds. It was inappropriate material for this board and you deleted it for that reason.

Could someone please clarify something for me? Is Archstone/Reading Commons the place on West St. across from South St? Then, what is the complex called that is up in the NW part of Reading that you can see from Rt. 93? I thought that was the place that was always having problems.

Those apartments are actually located in Woburn, but you have to travel through Reading or Wilmington in order to access them. They are called Inwood West.

Thank you Donna, Dan and Peter. I will have to take a drive up there for a look-see even though all these complexes that have sprung up in Reading are unpleasant to see.

Let me tell you all this right now, coming from a kid who recently had the honor in being a reading high captain, Sean Collins not only is a very respectable person, but could be the best thing that happened to the reading high program. I was one of the captains his first year as a coach, and he helped Mark Doherty tremendously. We did not have the best team in the world, but he helped us be 10 times better. he helped us grow as a team, and as men. there is no doubt in my mind that he is 100% capable of being the head coach one day because of his inteligence of the game AND HOW MUCH HE ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THE KIDS. I had the honor in knowing sean for a very long time and he is nothing but a positive influence on every kid no matter what is said on this site. I am not even going to start on the 5 kids that have been so horribly spoken about because they deserve much better than are being represented. they made a mistake and should be given the chance to overcome it rather than rot in jail as some of you would say. may joey and quins souls rest in peace we miss and love you