Taste of Phoenixville pivots to take-out, expands to 5 days for 2020

PHOENIXVILLE — Organizers of the 19th Annual Taste of Phoenixville event won’t let COVID-19 stop them. With a pivot to take-out, Good Samaritan Services empowers the community to take their health into their own hands while they still have an exciting and engaging event to raise money for Good Samaritan Services, a Phoenixville organization that serves the community’s homeless and at-risk individuals. “This...

Not content with taking your vote away, apparently Republicans also want you to die

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa This was going to be a column about the non-trivial issue of politicians seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters literally because they didn’t like how the election went, but COVID-19, being COVID-19, the virus pushed itself back to front and center in the headlines again Thursday. With cases spiraling — especially in the central part of the...

COVID-19 Update, Dec. 10: Gov. Wolf orders 3 week closure of indoor dining, gyms, school activities to slow virus surge

By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times @mikemcgannpa Gov. Tom Wolf announced a series of new restrictions Thursday afternoon for the three weeks starting at midnight Friday, including a band on indoor dining at restaurants, closure of gyms, music venues, museums, halting of extra-curricular activities and sports in schools and limiting indoor gatherings through Jan. 4, 2021, with the hope of stopping a...

The going is about to get tough again, but hang in there, there is an end in sight

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa With slightly more than two weeks until the election, you’re probably tired of hearing about it, tired of wondering when we’re going to beat this pandemic, tired of working from home, tired of teaching your kids and frankly, just tired of it all. I don’t blame you, it’s been an exhausting year. You can’t make plans — who knows what’s going...

Commissioners tour restaurants to offer assistance with compliance

2. Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell and Bob Rafetto, former restaurant owner and advocate for restaurants across Chester and Delaware Counties, visiting Pomodoro’s restaurant in Downingtown. WEST CHESTER — The Chester County Commissioners just completed a two-day tour of restaurants in the county, to advise on preparedness for potential restaurant enforcement calls from state officials. ...

COVID-19 Update, May 27: Local legislators ask Wolf to allow restaurants, hair salons to partially reopen under Yellow status

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa As much of Pennsylvania edges toward reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic, some local legislators are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to amend his rules for counties in Yellow status and allow a limited reopening of some restaurants and hair salons. State Rep. Joe Ciresi — along with State Rep. Dan Williams (D-73), Christina Sappey (D-158) and State Rep. Melissa...

COVID-19 Update, April 29: State moves to address scattered food shortages

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa The number of cases of COVD-19 continued its slow downward trend — some days up, some days down, but the overall number gradually going down — Tuesday, as state officials moved to address some localized food shortages by allowing food and ingredients originally intended for the food service industry to be sold by restaurants and grocery stores. The...

Wolf halts dine-in at all Chesco restaurants; two more COVID-19 cases ID’d in county

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Gov. Tom Wolf announced Sunday that all Chester County restaurants must end dine-in business immediately, as county officials revealed two more presumed positive COVID-19 cases in the county. Although all non-essential businesses in the county have been recommended to close for the time being, Wolf issued a mandatory order Sunday, which will remain in effect for at...