Dogged by barking of political candidates?

 Chester County SPCA slashes fees to urge friendlier alternative  “Baby” is one of more than 40 dogs available from the Chester County SPCA during the Patriotic Pooches Election Day event. Has campaign sniping become a pet peeve? Perhaps a non-partisan pooch would provide a welcome respite from the divisive barking of the political candidates. From now through Tuesday, the Chester County...

PECO: Most have power restored

7,000 homes left without power still, but PECO says progress continues; Chesco officials ask for damage reports Hurricane Sandy is now gone from the area, and life is rapidly coming back to normal for most area residents — and while the storm impacted many, the images from New York City and New Jersey are a quick reminder that the county and its residents missed the worst of the storm. PECO reports...

Sandy: 30,000 in Chesco without power

Schools, government offices reopen; life slowly returning to normal Updated: 3:30 p.m. PECO repair crews at work, Tuesday in Pocopson, working to restore power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Slowly, Chester County is returning to normal in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. While the county got off fairly easily compared with parts of New Jersey and New York City, cleanup crews continue to work to remove...

New Garden double slaying spurs anti-gang law

D.A. credits teamwork for quick passage of legislation Graffiti often signals the presence of rival gangs who want to mark their territory, according to police. By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times At a December bonfire gathering in New Garden Township, gang rivalry turned deadly as knife-wielding assailants killed two partygoers. The homicides resulted in the enactment of anti-gang...

New focus on job creation in the US-1 corridor

Groups seek to work with local municipalities to spur commercial, light industrial development By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The darkened area along US-1 will be the focus of an effort to facilitate commercial and light industrial development. Supporters argue such development will create local jobs and lower property taxes. KENNETT — In an effort to spur local commercial and industrial growth,...

EMS paging switched to new $3.5 million system

Commissioners say changeover will improve efficiency and meet federal mandate By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times The new pagers are similar in appearance to the old ones, but the reduced bandwidth of the system should improve efficiency, county officials said. A new $3.5 million emergency-services paging system became operational Tuesday morning – an advance that improves communications...

Civil War exhibit to highlight local conflict

In Chester County, residents’ divided loyalties fueled tensions  A new exhibit at the Chester County Historical Society will provide insight into the Civil War era. During the Civil War, Chester County found itself in the crosshairs of controversy with residents divided in their support for the Union or President Lincoln – conflict that spilled over into contentious public meetings and...

Letter: input need for county human services plan

To The Editor, Recently, Chester County was accepted into the Commonwealth’s Pilot Program for certain critical human services.  This pilot program provides a block grant to Chester County, rather than individual allocations, for the following human services categories:  Mental Health Services, Intellectual Disability Services, Homeless Assistance, Child Welfare, Drug and Alcohol Services,...

Will HB 1077 impact statehouse races?

Will abortion politics motivate voters to vote for Democrats? By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times I hate the subject of abortion. With a deep, dark abiding passion. But it’s possible I may have underestimated its impact on the 2012 elections when it comes to local state house races. I spent the better part of my Saturday morning last week on the courthouse steps in West Chester listening to a rally...

‘Meet the Candidates’ night to be held Oct. 10

West Chester event is being organized by area agricultural groups Have a question for a candidate? The Chester Delaware County Farm Bureau and the Pomona Grange plan to provide an opportunity for answers by hosting a “Meet the Candidates” night on Oct. 10. Invitations have been extended to all area incumbent legislators who are currently up for re-election and the candidates who are...