Op/Ed: It’s all in the planning

By Michelle Kichline, Chair, Chester County Commissioners   Michelle Kichline Chester County is widely known as a beautiful and happy corner of Pennsylvania. As a matter of fact, we are considered the fourth happiest county in America.  Ours is one of the best counties in which to live, work, and raise a family, and it falls upon our local government to maintain the high quality of life that...

Letter: Health coverage a necessity for all

To the Editor: In his first day of office, President Trump has already begun to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. As a citizen, a resident of southern Chester County, and a leader of a non-profit providing health care to the underserved, I must speak out on the critical role that having health insurance plays in the success of individuals, families, and communities.  I’d like to first speak...

Op/Ed: Volunteering to cuddle needy newborns

Drug-addicted babies need volunteers By Susan Rzucidlo, Special To The Times I confess, I typically read two newspapers a day as well as online papers and other news sites and listen to news radio. Occasionally, I share what I read on social media. Last week I shared a story on my Facebook page from The Philadelphia Inquirer about volunteer cuddlers, who hold and help newborns who are, in most...

Letter: The Times, citizens need to be vigilant

To The Editor, I am writing to encourage The Times of Chester County to remain an independent news organization that fact-checks statements made by all politicians (particularly the president-elect) and exposes false statements clearly while reporting on any issue. The president-elect has consistently derogated news sources that disagree with him or his positions. However, our success as a democracy...

Was BuzzFeed right to publish alleged Trump dossier?

By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times If those allegations weren’t news before January 10, they sure are now. The post that contains the download to the full 35-page version of the allegations was viewed over 5,000,000 times in its first 3 days online.  (The 2-page executive summary has not been posted.) Here is Buzzfeed’s self-justification: “BuzzFeed News is publishing the...

A shiny new year: things are about to get interesting

Congressional, legislative officials face new political minefields in 2017 By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times From Harrisburg to Washington, D.C., it is a bold, bright new year in politics. From fresh starts to fresh panics, 2017 looks to be among the most interesting ever in the history of our little republic — and possibly not in a good way, but time will tell. To kick off the year, we’ll...

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...