Election of Johnson as Speaker shows exactly who the GOP is and why you can’t vote for them

By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times OCT. 25, 2023. A date that will live in infamy. Seriously. Why? It was the date on which Rep. Michael Johnson, a Louisiana far-right little-known congressman, was elected unanimously by his U.S. House Republican colleagues to be Speaker of the House. I am going to put it right up there will with the issuance of the Declaration of Independence, the adoption of the...

On Stage Extra: Sue Foley rocks the Loft at City Winery

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Sue Foley There will be no tricks but plenty of treats when Sue Foley, a Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader based in Austin, Texas, performs a show at The Loft at City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, https://citywinery.com/philadelphia) on October 31. It’s Halloween night but the only scary thing will be how well Foley...

Verizon Internet, TV and phone down in portions of Chester County

Verizon FIOS is suffering a major outage near West Chester — definitely in the Pocopson area — affecting hundreds, if not more, homes and businesses, leaving them without Internet, TV service and in many cases landline phone service. The appears to be some major fiber optical cable break — but company officials declined to comment both on the nature of the outage and when service will...

Unionville Art Gala returns for 47th year, Nov. 17-18

Jersey Calf by Shawn Faust Unionville High School Art Gala celebrates its 47th year. The annual art show and sale, to be held November 17 and 18 at Unionville High School, showcases local working artists, Unionville High School (UHS) Alumni, and current UHS student artists. In addition to beautiful artwork, there is live music to entertain and delicious desserts to enjoy. Funds raised will benefit...

What To Boo: Halloween events for the timid and not-so-timid

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Halloween events and activities should be scary. They should be scream-inducing. They should be off-limits for the timid. Fortunately, this area has a multitude of Halloween events – many of which rank high on the fright level. The intriguing new production Paranormal Cirque (https://paranormalcirque.com), which is intended for a mature audience,...

What To Do: Fall foliage tours hit their peak

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times West Chester Railroad There are people who love Halloween – people who love the concept of trick-or-treat — people who love pumpkins, eat pumpkin muffins with pumpkin-spiced lattes and would probably gargle with pumpkin-flavored mouthwash if it existed. Then there are people on the other side of the fence (or the other side of the pumpkin patch)....

On Stage: Paxton, McCutcheon celebrate ‘Together’ at Sellersville

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon When Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon perform together on October 26 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com), they bring together years of professional music experience – Paxton (61 years) and McCutcheon (53 years). They are touring in support of its new album, “Together,”...

Commissioners recognize Operation Green Light

Chester County Commissioners proclaim support for Operation Green Light from November 6-12, recognizing the important contribution of veterans, and raising awareness of the resources available to assist veterans and their families. Pictured left to right are: Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline; Jim Oram, Chair of the Chester County Veterans’ Advisory Council; County Commissioner Marian...

Republicans are a cancer on the body politic and we need chemotherapy, stat

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa It hit me like a ton of bricks, Tuesday: Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party announced he would block immigration or entry of anyone who “don’t like our religion.” “Our religion.” What the everlasting Hell? This is America, we don’t have a “Our religion.” We have dozens of religions and many people who aren’t religious....

On Stage Extra: Matt Andersen at City Winery for rare Tuesday night show

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Matt Andersen Mondays and Tuesdays are tough days for live music shows. Some venues such as Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester, Jamey’s House of Music in Lansdowne and Kennett Flash rarely have shows during the early part of the week. Fans frequently spend Mondays recuperating from the weekend and Tuesdays getting ready for the rest...