Parents don’t have — and shouldn’t have — the only voice in public education

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa I hate to break it to you, but parents don’t — and shouldn’t — get the last word when it comes to public education. Should parents have some say? Sure, and they do (arguably an outsized voice already), but they are far from the only constituency school districts and school boards have to balance to truly represent the greater community. The needs...

Letter: Hope is still here in Coatesville

To the Editor,  Hope continues to march on in the Coatesville community, thanks to the generosity of those who have given to The Salvation Army during the 2021 holiday season. The Salvation Army in Coatesville, with the help of our partners, volunteers and donors, raised more than $31,000 over the holidays. Funds will fuel the various services and programs we provide year-round to our local community...

GOP continues to whine when they can’t rig the vote

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa If you can’t win fairly, then rig the game. This is pretty much the new motto of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Whiny over new legislative redistricting maps that only give them a slight advantage, the GOP in the legislature is trying to use a constitutional amendment to make sure they can fix the game again.  They’re trying, again, to do the...

Letter: Fighting for the soul of our nation

To The Editor, Our democracy is at risk. A year after that act of domestic terrorism on the U.S. Capitol, our country continues to be a battlefield over the legitimacy of our elections and the right to vote. Believing the lies spread by the former president, elected Republicans and the right-wing media, thousands lay violent siege to our seat of American government, determined to stop the certification...

Make a resolution to improve your media literacy

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa New year, same old….well, a lot of stuff. We’ve been getting our butts kicked by a virus for going on two years, half the country thinks the other half are corrupt liars and we’re wandering our way toward a time when we won’t even agree whether the sky is blue and if grass is green. Granted, a lot of stuff is not quickly or easily fixable. But...

Op/Ed: The time for gun safety reform is now

By Tim Kearney, State Sen., 26th District Tim Kearney This area is riling. Our country is in crisis. The culprit. Gun Violence. Far too many lives have been lost, communities shattered, and families forever changed because of gun violence. This is not just an inner-city problem or urban issue. Our country is being assaulted on two fronts—the COVID-19 pandemic AND the epidemic of gun violence. We...

Angry that your hospital is closing? Blame health insurers

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa There is widespread anger and frustration over this week’s announcement that Tower Health would close Jennersville and Brandywine hospitals — without doubt, that anger is completely deserved. While Tower Health deserves a healthy amount of the blame — the company’s mismanagement and clear dishonesty with local elected officials trying to save...

This is the week that was…weird, but not in a fun way

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Well, it’s been a week. Between the sheer joy of dealing with hackers who briefly locked me out of these sites (thankfully, I was able to quickly recover things and build a digital moat around the server — which hopefully will defend it better) the emergence of a new COVID variant and Dr. Memet Oz declaring his candidacy for U.S. Senate, it’s been...

Despite everything, there is still much to be thankful for

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa In these wildly challenging times, it is easy to forget all that we still have to be thankful for this holiday. I know we’re all tired of the pandemic — it has been a long nearly two years, frustrating and for too many fraught with so much beyond our control. We’re either angered or detached from the current climate of political division. And yes,...

Not both sides: one party needs to up its game, the other is likely terminally broken

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa I’m sure by now you are tired of breathless media takes on what the 2021 elections mean and will mean for 2022. The truth is, though, that both parties in Chester County have issues — granted, one much, much more drastic than the other — and a lot of atmospheric issues (the economy, COVID) will probably drive results more than anything. While the...