AG Shapiro announces run for Governor

Pennsylvania Attorney General announces his bid for Governor at an event in Pittsburgh, Wednesday. To the surprise virtually no one — The Times has been reporting this for months — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is running for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2022. While there are nearly dozen Republican candidates for governor, Shapiro is currently the only Democrat seeking...

Chesco’s McSwain announces run for governor

Bill McSwain WEST CHESTER — Bill McSwain announced his candidacy Monday for Governor of Pennsylvania at an event in his hometown of West Chester. Surrounded by supporters and joined by his wife Stephanie and their children, McSwain pointed to his experience as US Attorney and his time in the US Marine Corps to describe himself as a tough-on-crime candidate who will do whatever necessary to ensure...

Op/Ed: Gerrymandering cheats voters

By Mike Hays, Special to The Times Mike Hays One of the most abhorrent and undemocratic things about gerrymandering is how it stifles competition. As a new teacher in Pennsylvania, I have been thinking about how I might explain gerrymandering to my 8th grade class. Full disclosure: I am not an innocent bystander, having run for the PA House 26th District in 2012 as an underfunded, yet determined, 32-year-old...

Letter: RGGI- It’s not too late

To The Editor, Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face.  We‘re already seeing the effects here in Pennsylvania, like stronger storms and more flooding.  I personally have seen severe flooding in the Upper East Branch Brandywine Creek last year, when fifty refrigerator-size Styrofoam blocks floated down the creek from a go-kart track, and again last month when the blocks had to be...

State lifts masking mandate

Vector color chalk drawn illustration of medical mask on black chalkboard background. Although Pennsylvania did not make the 70% full vaccination rate (just under 75% have had at least one shot), the commonwealth lifted most mask mandates, effective Monday — although there many locations where Chester Countians will still be asked to wear a mask to battle COVID. “We are continuing to make progress...

Wolf to lift most COVID restrictions May 31; mask mandate to continue until 70% get 1st vaccine

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa The battle against COVID-19 has been a long — and difficult  — one, but it appears rising vaccination rates and dropping infection and death rates will allow the commonwealth to end most of its pandemic-related restrictions at the end of this month, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday, while also setting a vaccination goal to end the state’s mask...

A tale of two countries tells us the vaccine works; get your shot if you haven’t yet

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa It’s May and flowers (and pollen, achoo) are blooming everywhere in Chester County. You know what else is blooming: optimism that the worst of the COVID-19 is over in our area and we are working our way past this pandemic. If you want a shot, you pretty much can walk up in a number of locations and get one. About 65% of the adult population of the county...

Wolf, DOH rightly under fire for botched, unfair vaccine rollout

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Depending on who you talk to, Pennsylvania’s vaccine program is either going swimmingly, or it is a bungled mess, with lower than the national average per capita of vaccine in arms, while the state Department of Health (DOH) is intentionally shortchanging the collar counties — the same counties that did the best job in containing the COVID-19 virus...

Wolf moves to reduce COVID restrictions as of April 4

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa April showers may well bring May flowers, but April 4 will bring — potentially — a half full Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies just a couple of days into the Major League Baseball season — as well as the reopening of bars across the commonwealth, under new orders released by Gov. Tom Wolf, Monday. Wolf, citing both declining COVID-19 rates and...

Bartos announces bid for U.S. Senate

Jeff Bartos Jeff Bartos, small business owner and co-founder of the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund, today announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. In a statement and announcement video, both included below, Bartos pledges to be a fighter for all Pennsylvanians and do what it takes to help keep our nation moving forward. “During the Trump Administration, millions of Pennsylvanians who had felt...