Letter: To save public education, Senate must reject DeVos
To The Editor,
When describing public education in America our President-Elect Donald Trump compared our schools to third world countries. To fix the education system at a national level, he has chosen Betsy DeVos as education secretary.
The former leader of the Michigan Republican Party, DeVos’ only contribution to education policy has been advocating for school vouchers and charter schools....
Op/Ed: Municipal funding decisions for fire/EMS putting public at risk
A.J. McCarthy (Times’ file photo).
By A.J. McCarthy, Chief, Longwood Fire Company
The decision by Oxford Borough Council to decrease funding for Union Fire Company and its EMS service is endangering its constituents’ safety. Also, the reported comments by Borough Manager Brian Hoover are infuriating and misleading the citizens of Oxford.
Fire companies and EMS units in Chester County struggle...
Merry Christmas to all
From our families to yours: a very merry Christmas.
We hope that all can take a moment and embrace the concepts of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men — something in terribly short supply right now.
The Electoral College: dead or alive?
By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times
Our Founders did not really trust people to decide the country’s destiny. That’s why they set up a Senate selected by the legislators in each state, not by popular vote (such as that was at the time). And that’s why they set up an Electoral College to cushion the weight of population in choosing a president.
The US House is based on the...
Comitta looks to be in good shape on 156th recount
Will there be a local price for GOP overreach?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
So much for putting the feet up and enjoying the holiday season before wading back into this column in 2017 — so consider it a pre-holiday gift (or curse) — as news makes a surprise return needed.
While the last provisional ballots have to be counted, it appears that Carolyn Comitta has pulled off a narrow win...
Silence breeds intolerance in our schools
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
— John F. Kennedy, 1961, who erroneously attributed it to Edmund Burke.
By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times
As I sat and listened a Board of Education meeting for two hours of discussion about the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s largely exceptional standardized testing scores, a week ago, which followed...
The big GOP loss no one is talking about
Could 2016 become a textbook example of win the battle, lose the war?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Across America, Democrats wail in anguish while Republicans rejoice in total control of the federal government.
Confident of the outcome of the election, Democrats were quite sure that Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump and they would regain control of the U.S. Senate.
It didn’t quite...
Op/Ed.: Color 5K sheds light on opioid abuse crisis
By Michelle Kichline, Chester County Commissioner
Michelle Kichline
On an early November Saturday morning, the Borough of West Chester was filled with county residents of all ages, who were there for a single purpose: To shine a light – or in this case, splash some brightly colored powder – on the opioid and heroin addiction epidemic that is affecting us all.
The facts are terrifying. According...
Without an engaged media, no one is watching out for you
Lies, ‘Fake news’ can’t become the new normal
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Friday night, I had honor of gathering to mourn the virtual death of a small town newspaper — The Suburban Trends — after its purchase by Gannett and subsequent layoff of the vast majority of its staff.
We met in a small place in Bloomingdale, N.J., hometown to current GOP power player Mike DuHaime...
Know your voting rights on Election Day
Don’t let anyone keep you from exercising your franchise
By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times
Democracy depends on public confidence in the results of elections. In 2000, even though the VP Al Gore accepted the US Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 order to discontinue the recount of Florida votes, many of his followers ever after referred to George W. Bush as the president elected by five...
