Attorney General announces settlement over WC apartment rentals

Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer today announced a legal settlement with two rental companies alleged to have illegally imposed fees on West Chester University students leasing luxury apartments.  The settlement was reached with West Chester Commons, L.P., College Arms, L.P., and Walters Pennsylvania 1, Inc., the general partner of the other two companies. The settlement is the result of an investigation...

Gabriel’s Gift: Adopt an older dog and save

Gabriel WEST CHESTER — The Brandywine Valley SPCA has announced a special end of the year Adoption Promotion for harder to place dogs at its West Chester and New Castle locations. An anonymous donor will be subsidizing the adoption fee for any dog over 6 months old. The special will run till the end of the year.  The story behind why this promotion is called Gabriel’s Gift: a grieving dog...

Walters named as new Kennett Library Director

Megan Walters KENNETT SQUARE — The Board of Trustees of the Kennett Library announced Monday that it had selected the replacement for long-time director Donna Murray, who resigned earlier this year. Last Tuesday, at its regularly scheduled board meeting, the Kennett Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously to hire Megan Walters as the Library Director.  Walters comes to Kennett from the Denver...

On Your Table: Easy finger foods for the holidays

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times While cheese balls conjure up images of mom and dad’s cocktail parties, they are now much in the rage and so easy to serve or take as gifts to holiday parties. As the height of the holidays approach, many of us will either host or go to festive gatherings which are all about lots of food and drink. And with the mad dash of shopping, decorating...

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...

What I really want for Christmas this year

A time to open our heart to those in need By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, the Times How many times have you been asked the question “what do you want for Christmas?” On the surface, it seems innocuous enough, right? But, as I was watching the news regarding the horrifying situation in Aleppo, I realized that our “wants” pale in comparison to others around the world. Children, orphaned...

On Stage (Extra): Make the holidays come alive with local productions

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times  The Nutcracker by The Pennsylvania Ballet For many families, going to a theater to watch a live on-stage production of a holiday show is an annual tradition – especially shows such as “A Christmas Carol,” “Best Christmas Ever” and various plays based on the Nativity scene. Without a doubt, the most popular holiday productions are ballet performances...

What To Do: Events fun and solemn to celebrate the holidays

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The March to Valley Forge. The holiday spirit is in the air and Christmas events are everywhere. Over the next week or so, you can head in any direction and find a holiday event to attend — and maybe even a few events that are not holiday-related. On December 19 from 6-8 p.m., Valley Forge National Historical Park (Route 23, Valley Forge, 610-783-1099,...

Art Watch: Options to give artfully

‘Tis the season to give the gift of artworks By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times December is the month of gift-giving, celebration and family, and throughout our area, galleries and arts associations are presenting reasonably priced artworks that are perfect for gift-giving and also perfect for a fun shopping experience. Art is always the best gift, whether it is an original painting, a photograph,...

On Stage: Pink Martini is tough to define

Final rush of shows coming this weekend before holidays By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Pink Martini With the arrival of the homestretch for the 2016 concert season, many acts are on the road – trying to get in a few more shows before the holiday season arrives in full swing. There is a full slate on interesting area shows for December 15 including a multi-genre “little orchestra,”...