Op/Ed: Parents should be concerned about moves to oust school board members
By Charlotte Valyo, Chair Chester County Democratic Committee
Charlotte Valyo
Every parent in Chester County should be concerned by the latest effort from the far right to take control of local elected offices outside the process of fair and open elections.
The latest example is the petition filed in Judge William P. Mahon’s Court of Common Pleas by 10 residents bent on ousting West Chester School...
Letter: We need wildlife corridors to protect local species
To the Editor:
Living on a farm means watching life bloom, especially in spring. Spring in the Commonwealth is when our natural heritage comes back to life. But this is also an important moment to recognize that our wildlife is much more fragile than it used to be because we are losing habitat at a staggering rate. To make matters worse, we keep chopping up the nature we do have for roads and suburbs....
Move to remove WCASD board members is an attack on democracy
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
Court of Common Pleas Judge William P. Mahon vacated his order Friday removing five members of the West Chester Area School District Board of Education — but the case and the possibility that duly-elected public officials could be removed from office remains a possibility.
So for now, Sue Tiernan, Joyce Chester, Kate Shaw, Karen Herrmann and Daryl Durnel...
Letter: Coatesville VA will continue to serve local vets
To The Editor,
I would like to assure your readers, especially Veterans in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties that the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is here to serve you. You may be aware of the recommendation by the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission to replace Coatesville VAMC with a multi-specialty community-based outpatient clinic and move the medical center’s...
Op/Ed: The new PA State redistricting is the fairest it’s ever been
By Matt Han, Special to The Times
Even in today’s polarized and tense political climate, almost all Americans regardless of political party/orientation agree that fair maps and the elimination of gerrymandering are vital in creating a fair and democratic country. While most issues require opposing viewpoints and often cannot be resolved, the issue of fair representation is one that is not impossible...
McSwain brings shame on Chester County when he attacks kids
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
It’s still a little rare that you see a politician be such a hateful jerk — and rarer for that politician to be from Chester County.
But here we have West Chester’s Bill McSwain — a gubernatorial candidate — bringing shame to the other 550,000 residents of our county by trashing middle school kids in a Tweet that went viral, until he deleted...
We’re overdue for a time out for the tyrant toddlers
By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times @mikemcgannpa
When my kids — twins — were toddlers, it was kind of challenging, as is the case with most two year olds. They were easily convinced of things that were not true and acted out. Thankfully, this was a brief period that they grew out of quickly, especially as we were pretty firm when they did act out and it never got them what they wanted.
I remember...
Op/Ed: Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal is an investment in Pennsylvania’s future
By Melissa Shusterman, State Representative, 157th District
State Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-157)
Governor Tom Wolf’s final budget proposal comes as our commonwealth continues to deal with a global pandemic that has profoundly affected us all, impacting our health, the health of our loved ones, job prospects, care and education of our children and our access to goods and services in the economy....
Sorry about that, folks
A Note from Mike, the editor:
If you’ve been trying to get to your favorite Times site and haven’t been able — well, we got hacked (part II of the hack we suffered last fall — we missed a couple of barn doors to close, it seems when we fixed things up).
While we’re making progress, you may see some glitches here and there for a bit — we ask for your patience. I’ve...
Parents don’t have — and shouldn’t have — the only voice in public education
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
I hate to break it to you, but parents don’t — and shouldn’t — get the last word when it comes to public education.
Should parents have some say? Sure, and they do (arguably an outsized voice already), but they are far from the only constituency school districts and school boards have to balance to truly represent the greater community.
The needs...
