Kennett Square’s Ruiz-Rhoades wins Soldier of the Year in the PA National Guard’s 2025 Best Warrior Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith , Joint Force Headquarters – Pennsylvania National Guard
Spc. Robert F. Ruiz-Rhoades
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP – Twenty-three service members competed in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s state-level best warrior competition here April 3–6, 2025.
Sgt. Daniel Miller, a supply specialist with the 166th Regiment – Regional Training Institute won...
W. Chester Short Festival announces 2025 lineup
The West Chester International Short Film Festival announced the lineup for the 2025 Festival. Beginning Friday, April 25th and running through Sunday, April 27th, the Festival will feature a total of 67 short films which will be presented in show blocks, pop-up events, panels, and more.
This year’s lineup features a diverse selection of short films from various genres, countries, and cultures, giving...
Obituary: James Richard Nelson
James Richard Nelson
James Richard Nelson was a beautiful man who designed and built beautiful things. He was born in Chester, PA on March 1, 1938 and passed away on January 17, 2025 in Naples, FL. Jim passed with his wife, Lorraine (Gaudino) of 61 years by his side and was surrounded by his family in the days before.
Jim proudly graduated from Cornell University in 1961 with a degree in Architecture....
CCIU’s Ruzenski given IT award
Bryan Ruzenski (left) accepted the Operational Excellence Award at the Zscaler Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C.
The Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) announced that Bryan Ruzenski, director of external technology services, was recently presented with the 2025 Operational Excellence Award at the Zscaler Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 25, 2025.
The Zscaler Public Sector...
Inner Nature: Animal electricity
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
All living organisms are electric, since it is electricity – the movement of electrons – that powers life with energy. Then that energy, obtained from light or food, can be used to move molecules around the body or join atoms to make new molecules. That, in summary, is the process of metabolism. Rather than examining metabolic processes in this article, I will...
What To Do: The Easter Bunny is everywhere!
By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Highland Orchards
This is the penultimate weekend of the 2025 Easter season and that means there is a slew of holiday events around the area. Additionally, the Easter Bunny is as omnipresent as Santa Claus in the final days leading up to Christmas.
Highland Orchards (1000 Marshallton-Thorndale Road, West Chester, www.highlandorchards.net) is presenting...
On Stage: Steve Forbert to celebrate new album at The Flash
By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Steve Forbert
Steve Forbert, a singer-songwriter whose career spans decades, is no stranger to Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org).
He played there before the pandemic and after the pandemic. Forbert even had a Flash date during the pandemic as part of the Flash’s “Rooftop Series,” a...
Brandywine Virtual Academy recognizes Hernandez for dual graduation milestone
Clariza Hernandez, PVA graduate
Brandywine Virtual Academy (BVA), in partnership with Philadelphia Virtual Academy (PVA), is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Clariza Hernandez. She will be the second student in PVA’s history to graduate high school while simultaneously earning her associate’s degree from Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). Clariza’s dedication exemplifies...
Trump tariff plan is nothing short of insane
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgann.bsky.social
I may not have been the best college student, but I managed to attend enough classes to learn about the negative economic impact of tariffs in the 1890s and 1930s — the tariffs and the resulting freeze to world trade tanked the economy in both eras causing a depression.
Despite President Donald Trump claiming the the 1890s were a “golden...
Trump cuts leave Chester County Food Bank, KACS short of food supplies
Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) is deeply concerned to announce that the USDA has canceled a vital $250,000 food order to Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a critical source of support for our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families. This decision comes at a time when demand for food assistance is higher than ever.
KACS,...
