Op/Ed: Chester County prepared for active shooter incidents

By Thomas Hogan, Chester County District Attorney Shane Clark, President, Chester County Police Chiefs Association Bobby Kagel, Director, Chester County Department of Emergency Services In the wake of the Florida school shooting, many people have asked whether Chester County law enforcement is prepared for such an incident. On behalf of the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, Police Chiefs...

PA18 will tell a lot about this fall’s elections

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The nation’s political junkies have their eyes focused on Western Pennsylvania and it may give us a hint about November, 2018 will look like. Money, media and focus have centered on the 18th District race, up Tuesday in a special election, outside of Pittsburgh, where Democrat Conor Lamb is at least within striking distance of Republican Rick Saccone. This matters...

Op/Ed: Let’s debate mascot without the Heckler’s Veto

By Scott D. Cousins, Special to The Times On January 18, 2018, Mike McGann of The Times published an important editorial called “Unionville mascot discussion a worthy topic.”  Mr. McGann and I agree on many things, particularly issues related to First Amendment principles and the importance of the Unionville community having a respectful debate regarding the Unionville High School mascot.  I...

Letter: Don’t be fooled, Barrar doesn’t support gun control

To The Editor, In the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida, we saw the same cycle of reaction from politicians. A lot of thoughts and prayers were offered. Some possible legislation was floated. But no real action was taken. Representative Stephen Barrar of the 160th, however, did take action. He co-sponsored House Bill 1400, which would create universal background checks...

Letter: Turzai rebuts column on redistricting fight

To The Editor, Your recent editorial regarding the League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania redistricting lawsuit leaves out some important facts, which your readers should know. Please note that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the 2011 Pennsylvania congressional map by a vote of 136-61, with 100 Republicans voting “yes” and 36 Democrats voting “yes.” Passing...

New Congressional maps are a karma bomb for GOP

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Republicans across the state of Pennsylvania are howling mad and running to the courts seeking assistance. Karma is a bitch, right? It seems like they may have to compete on a fair Congressional map — not the 2011 map that was among the most Gerrymandered maps in the entire country — and they don’t like it one bit.    Send article as PDF...

Op/Ed: Addressing gender inequality in today’s workforce so we won’t need to in the future

By Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone and Terence Farrell, Chester County Commissioners  Week after week, we are met with more stories of sexual harassment; reports of women who have suffered because of the “power” of predators, but who now have voiced their horrendous experiences because of the courage of women who first shared their stories leading to the strength of the #MeToo movement.  One...

Op/Ed: Pennsylvania needs sensible gun laws

By Anton Andrew
, Candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 160th District Anton Andrew I cannot imagine the grief of those whose children and loved ones were killed at Parkland High School. I express my sincere condolences for their losses. But with this type of tragedy, repeated so many times across our country, we must ask ourselves, “What can we do as a nation to move forward?”...

Parkland slaughter should hit home in Chester County

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times If you had a pit in the stomach this morning when you sent your kids off to school, you were probably not alone. I certainly did. Yesterday’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida should hit home for folks here in Chester County. Like so many of our community high schools, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is in an affluent suburb. The school has an average SAT score...

Letter: Thoughts and prayers are not enough

To The Editor, By now you have heard the sad but all too familiar news of another mass school shooting. This is the 18th school shooting of the year and it’s only February. It seems that our politicians only response to these horrific acts of violence is to offer thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. While thoughts and prayers are well intended, it is action that is needed to...