On Stage (Extra): Joe Purdy rocks The Keswick tonight

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times  Joe Purdy is a singer-songwriter/folk musician who has been making top-shelf music since the turn of the century. Purdy’s music is powerful. His lyrics are poignant and his recorded output is prolific. Purdy released his first album “Joe Purdy” in 2001 and has recorded 14 albums over the last 16 years. His most recent full-length was “Who Will...

Setting aside fashion for one week

(Editor’s Note: today’s column is a reprise of one we ran five years ago today. It is no less relevant — but does add a bit of new detail on something you can do to help the families of the victims). By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times I can’t write a fashion article today. Instead, I’d like to honor my cousin, Michael Horrocks, who perished in the horrific attacks on September...

It’s not just Coatesville: funding crisis coming to your school, too

As poorer districts struggle, they are everyone’s future without state action By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times If you’ve been in and around Coatesville recently, you may have seen picketing teachers — as was the case at the district’s three middle schools Thursday night. The contract between the district and the Coatesville Area Teachers Association expired in late August and there...

What To Do: Its Kennett Mushroom Fest time!

Also: Chadds Ford Days, Secret Garden and much, much more By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times If you love mushrooms — or just a good time — then you need to be in Kennett Square this weekend. Across America, certain towns are irrevocably linked to produce grown in their area — towns such as Gilroy (California) with garlic; St. John’s (Michigan) with mint; Vidalia (Georgia) with...

DEP expands drought watch to Chester County

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has extended a formal Drought Warning to Chester and Delaware counties, meaning now 38 of the state’s 67 counties are under the watch. The watch means that officials are asking for 5% reduction of non-essential water use by residents and businesses. Accordingly, local water companies, including Pennsylvania American Water is asking their...

All About Connecting: My dear readers…

Use the power of love and a passion to live fearlessly By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times When I started my company All About Connecting four years ago, my purpose was to coach about the whole human experience being shared. Life, and all its dramatic and monotonous moments; from deep despair of losing a loved one, to experiencing new passionate love, All About Connecting has been able to inspire...

A little patience from patients appreciated

New state laws on prescription painkillers may slow your visit By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times In order to combat the significant problem of prescription drug abuse, Pennsylvania has put into place a prescription drug monitoring program. This program will allow prescribers and dispensers to review the medications prescribed for an individual patient. This system mandates...

Art Watch: All about Brett Walker

Abstract artist has two shows opening in area this week By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times The buzz this week is all about local abstract figurative painter Brett Anderson Walker who has two explosive gallery shows opening this week in West Chester. Opening at The Chester County Art Association in their main Allinson Gallery, Brett has a large selection of his figurative paintings as well as sculptural...

Letter from the editor: A comment on comments

A few changes to our commenting system debut By Mike McGann, You may have noticed a few changes here at The Times over the past few months, from a new mobile and tablet-friendly design to this weekend’s evolution to a new commenting system — faced on the Facebook platform. Like many other publishers, large and small, we’ve wrestled with the balance between both having a true back and forth...

Op/Ed: Government to blame for EpiPen price hikes?

By Joe Pitts, Member, U.S House of Representatives, (R-16)  U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts (R-16) As the summer sun rises high in the sky, many of us are finishing out the season by enjoying the last remnants of our vegetables and flower blooms. Bees are ever present, seeking out nectar from their favorite flowers, and along with that comes inevitable bee stings. For some, a single sting can cause their...