The Zika virus and Chester County
Getting rid of standing water is more effective than spraying
By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times
News has come around lately that “Pennsylvania Is Now One Of The Top States With Zika Virus ” (Phoenixville Patch, 8/23/16). Currently PA ranks 5th in the number of diagnosed Zika cases. Of course, no one knows how many undiagnosed cases there are anywhere.
Quick quiz: how is Zika spread?...
Letter: Politics column is nothing more than wishful thinking
To The Editor,
I recently read Mike McGann’s column regarding the 2016 election. Let me say first that I have generally been impressed with your political analysis, which (while having a Democrat tilt) was generally unbiased and on the mark. Any pretense of that type of balanced analysis, however, seems to have been lost in the divisiveness of this year’s election.
Case in point is your recent...
Letter: Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day
To The Editor:
Drug overdose is a leading cause of accidental deaths in Pennsylvania. The rate of overdose deaths in the state has increased by 14% in recent years and is significantly higher than the national average. Government alone cannot fix what is wrong in society, but it does have an important role to play. The government can coordinate and connect systems so that there is less redundancy,...
Yup, it’s ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ time
Could the unthinkable happen in Unionville on Election Day?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
It’s not even Labor Day yet and Election 2016 is already deeply into weeds of crazy, with apparent Russian Intelligence hackers seeking to impact two local congressional races, the local Corporate Republican Liberation Front is up to its old tricks and once unthinkable scenarios are now entirely plausible...
School start time changes shouldn’t be rushed
Right now, it appears Unionville-Chadds Ford may be only district pushing for change
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
There has been increasing talk about changing the start time for middle and high schools in Chester County — driven largely out of Unionville — part of a larger dialogue going on nationally.
While its clear that the science supports such a move — teens seem to have built-in...
Letter: Library board lacks skills to build new library
To The Editor,
Here we go again. After over two decades of announcing the need for a new library facility, the current library board and earlier library boards have failed to provide a new facility. Instead the current board is forming another new committee to conduct additional study. THE PUBLIC DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER STUDY. THE PUBLIC NEEDS A NEW, MODERN LIBRARY! LOCATED IN THE BOROUGH!!
...
Op/Ed: The Constitution and why it matters
By Dan Truitt, State Representative, 156th District)
State Rep. Dan Truitt (R-156).
The longer I have been in Harrisburg, the more often I’ve found myself voting against pieces of legislation because I believe they violate the state or federal constitutions. Hanging directly above the computer screen in my West Chester office is a copy of the oath that I first took in January 2011: “I do solemnly...
Tribute to a great man: Mayor Kennedy
Meanwhile, Trump claims PA election will be ‘rigged’
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
In a week that we should be celebrating the legacy of a Chester County legend — James C. Kennedy, the long-time Mayor of South Coatesville who passed away Thursday at the age of 99 — we are forced to deal with the specter of a presidential candidate who claims the commonwealth’s elections are likely...
School boards should take a look at ending private retreats
Even the perception that decisions are made behind closed doors is bad
By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times
Like most boards of education in Chester County, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District board has held regular “retreats” — informal sessions where information is discussed and at times, the future direction of the district is discussed.
A district resident, Mark Stookey, has questioned...
Letter: Chester County needs new leadership
To The Editor,
When we move forward together, we move forward farther. It is often the case that elected officials like to talk about how great they are more than they like to talk about how great the people they serve are. That is fundamentally un-productive because it means that they’re focused on their own accomplishments instead of the community’s accomplishments. A “we” attitude is always...
