Wolf was right; early reopening is killing people & the economy elsewhere

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa A few weeks back, I wrote a column suggesting that the people of Chester County be careful, listen to health experts, wear a mask, wash their hands frequently and continue social distancing as we worked through the process to reopen our county and state, carefully, and slowly. And while it is clear most of the residents in the county agreed — we continue...

Just because we made it to Green, doesn’t mean the fight against COVID-19 is over

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa If everything goes as planned, Chester County will move to Green Status next Friday, the final phase of social and business limitations intended to halt the spread of COVID-19. I think we can both be excited and proud of this fact. For the most part, people in this county listened to local and state officials, played it carefully, stayed home as much...

Continuing the conversation about race

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Like it or not, we need to keep talking about race. While the killing of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the rising level of anger over racism has been growing for years. Since Donald Trump’s election, those who hate on the basis of skin color seem to feel like they have been given a green light to openly express their racism....

We need to have a real talk about race — and the police

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa It was a quiet night in Chester County, last night. Thankfully. But all around America, angry protests — and yes looting, burning and violence — broke out for another night over the police killing of George Floyd, captured on video that literally made it around the world. One of the officers involved was ultimately arrested and charged with third...

Letter: PASD employee deflects budget questions with attacks

To The Editor, Last night during the budget meeting a statement was made by Phoenixville Area School District employee Richard Fazio. Mr. Fazio, in a fashion I can only describe as utterly devoid of professional ethics replied to my questions by personally attacking me. Such an unwarranted attack would never have been permitted while I was on the board. It is yet another clear sign that alleged misinformation...

As Chester County moves toward Yellow, let’s all be smart about COVID-19

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa So, on June 5, Chester County moves to Yellow status. Obviously, it is good news. It means some of our businesses will reopen and some of our people will go back to work. In some ways, life will go back to something approaching normal. It appears the county will go to Green status by the end of next month — meaning even more things will open, including...

Letter: Study the candidates and you’ll find Ruggieri is the best for 13th District

To the Editor, 2020 is an election year and I feel safe in writing that it will be unlike any other because of the Covid 19 epidemic. I also feel pretty certain that the election may not be, at this moment, in the forefront of your mind. As you probably know Pennsylvania moved the date of the primary from April 28th to June 2nd. Another reason why this election will be so unique is that Pennsylvania’s...

‘Open’ advocates want to kill your small business

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa This week, three Republican state legislators called on Gov. Tom Wolf to begin to reopen Chester County. To say it was an exercise in political hackery — and moronic — is likely an understatement. And yes, it is being orchestrated by President Donald Trump, whose mishandling of the pandemic cost thousands of lives, millions of jobs and will result...

Op/Ed: Supporting those who care for our loved ones: COVID-19 and the DSP crisis

By Melissa Shusterman, State Representative, 157th District State Rep. Melissa Shusterman Earning low wages and working 12-plus hour days while trying to provide for families and pay bills have always been concerns of direct support professionals. Like most Pennsylvanians working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, DSPs’ stresses are only growing. DSPs provide around-the-clock care for people living...

Op/Ed: Business owner and Commissioner: Weighing up both in planning Chester County’s renewal

By Marian Moskowitz, Chair, Chester County Board of Commissioners Marian Moskowitz Before I became a Chester County Commissioner, I was a small business owner.  My businesses ranged from retail to trucking, truck service to cosmetics, the import and export of mobile kiosks, to developing real estate.  I am very passionate about economic development, about the important contributions that small businesses...