Groundhog, NWS agree: nasty weather inbound

4-6 inches of snow seen Monday; heavy rains, flooding possible Wed. While groundhogs may be seeing an extended winter, the National Weather Service says Chester County is in for a hairy week of wintery weather. It appears that the world most famous groundhog — Punxsutawney Phil — and the National Weather Service are on the same page: there’s lot more winter headed for Chester County. Although...

Art Watch: Sara Bleemer

Photo images from the heart By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times Sara Bleemer is a local Chester County art photographer who has been taking photographic images for as long as she can remember, but as her children have grown older, she has been able to spend more time focusing on this artistic passion. For the past four years Sara has shown regularly in most of the local art shows and she has a very...

A rush to bipartisanism amidst a few intra-party battles

Is getting along to get ahead back in fashion? By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Let’s face it, bipartisanism is the new black. If you listened to a lot of political types in Chester County this past week, candidates and elected officials across the political spectrum were working to show their ability to make nice with the other side. But roiling below the surface are a handful of intra-party battles...

Red light fund gives green light to county projects

PennDOT says four Chesco safety initiatives will receive part of $8.8 million The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Wednesday, Jan. 29, that $8.8 million in Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) funding will be distributed to 24 municipalities statewide to fund 32 safety projects. In Chester County, four projects will get a green light for improvements, a PennDot news release...

Galer Estate Winery honored again

Awarded 2 Double Gold Medals and designated as best wines in Pennsylvania The gang at Galer Estate celebrates even more honors for their Chester County grown wines. EAST MARLBOROUGH — Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery was recently awarded two “Double Gold – Best in Appellation” designations from Appellation America in Napa California.  Galer Estate 2010 Cabernet Franc and 2012 Pinot Gris were...

6 county watershed projects win state grants

Nearly $1 million will help fund initiatives to protect area creeks The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will invest more than $20.65 million in watershed protection projects, the state announced on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Six watershed protection projects in Chester County will receive $980,828 of the state funding through the Growing Greener Program, State Sen. Andy Dinniman in a...

Snow way! Another storm set to dump on county

Schools, county offices close as up to a foot of snow could hit area Where have we heard this one before? Snow mixed with frigid temperatures has brought most of Chester County to a halt, closing schools, some municipal offices, county offices and other venues, as the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the county. The southern portion of the county is expected to see the greatest...

Costello-DiGiorgio battle could have wide-ranging impact

Gerlach’s decision not to seek reelection touches off primary fight By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times That shattering and creaking sound you heard this week wasn’t from the extreme cold (unless you were near my nearly half-century old bones), but what would appear to be the shattering of a fragile unity among Chester County Republicans. When Jim Gerlach announced Monday that he would not seek...

County seeking volunteers to help ID homeless

Two shifts available for Point in Time Count on Jan. 29 Volunteers in the Point in Time Count will be looking for areas where homeless individuals have set up makeshift living arrangements. The county is seeking volunteers for the annual Point in Time Count, a one-night census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in shelters or sleeping in places not meant for human habitation. This...

Gerlach announces he won’t run in 2014

Seven-term Congressman cites family needs By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach. U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6) announced Monday that he would not seek a seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The moves as a bit of a surprise — just two years after redistricting made the Sixth a more Republican-friendly district and will suddenly open the field to a number of local Republicans...