After 40 years, somehow, I’m still doing this
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
On Sept. 13, 1983, I walked into the newsroom of Suburban Trends in Butler, N.J. — a twice-weekly newspaper — for my first shift as a sports assistant.
Forty years later, how different things are now seems difficult to absorb.
I was a college sophomore at William Paterson College and had been pestering the editors of The Trends for work since I...
Are we letting a few jerks spoil everything?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
Unless you’ve drunk so much Kool-Aid that you’ve wet your pants, you know Donald J. Trump is a jerk. Based on polling, a few of you might even see that a plus, but most of us do not.
He’s mean-spirited, cruel, self-obsessed and not particularly bright.
And aside from the fact that this person was President and leads one of our two political parties,...
Can an imprisoned Trump still be president?
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
CAN DONALD TRUMP be convicted, sentence to prison, actually go to jail and still serve as president of the United States. Well, yes, he can.
The U.S. Constitution, the ultimate arbiter, is silent on the criminality of a president.
A lot of people are assuming that if Trump is tried and convicted prior to the November 2024 general elections on all the charges he...
Free speech has limits…even for Trump
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
GIVEN THAT EVERYONE a keyboard has weighed in on some aspect of the most recent Trump indictment, why not an old guy in West Chester? Not that I know as much as the national pundits and not that a whole lot of folks sit waiting for my latest posting. But, after a life in journalism, sitting down and letting thoughts flow is kind of how I kill time.
There is, though,...
Letter: IRS pilot program could be conflict of interest
To the Editor:
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that it will move forward with a pilot program in 2024 that would allow it to file tax returns for individual taxpayers. This means that, in addition to collecting and auditing taxes, the IRS could also soon be in the business of preparing taxes, too.
This presents a conflict of interests. Tax preparation requires a certain degree of discretion....
Letter: Our legislators need to get back to work:
To The Editor:
On behalf of our membership, the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry (CCCBI) is calling for the General Assembly and Governor Shapiro to avoid a prolonged state budget impasse, which is now entering its fourth week.
Before an impact is felt by the residents and employers of the Commonwealth, legislative leaders and the Governor should meet jointly and collaboratively instead...
Shame of the commonwealth: PA tied for no. 3 in US for hate groups
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
PENNSYLVANIA is tied for third among states…..and not in a good way.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has released its “The Year in Hate & Extremism Report” for 2022. The report tallies up the number of hate and/or extremist groups in the country by state.
Topping the list with 103 is California. Next comes Florida with 89. No surprise there. The state...
The Earth is burning and Republicans are doing nothing to put out the fire
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
IT IS HOT here in West Chester, the place we now call home. It’s not hot by the standards of our old home in East Texas where heat indexes for the past week or two, and projected into the future, are somewhere around 110. No relief in sight.
It’s not hot like it is in Vegas, or West Texas or any number of places. Our daughter checked in from Prague, where...
One country you’d never suspect did something brave about guns
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
SERBIA? YES, SERBIA.
It just did what the United States lacks the moral fiber, heart, soul and compassion to do.
It said “enough” to gun violence and it only took two mass shootings.
On May 3, a seventh-grade student shot down eight children and a security guard. A ninth victim died two weeks later. The next day a man shot and killed eight and wounded 14 others...
A few thoughts for a holiday weekend
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
While a majority of African Americans feel things are somewhat better for black folks today than in year’s past a majority also feels that could change. According to A Washington Post-Ipsos poll released this past week feel racism is having a rebirth and things could get worse. This comes as a majority feel things are better than when what’s his name was in...
