County Survey: Homelessness rose 8% in 2023

The Chester County Department of Community Development (DCD) released its 2023 Point-In-Time (PIT) count this week, which shows that 436 people were experiencing homelessness in Chester County on January 25, 2023. This number represents an eight percent increase in homelessness from 2022 when the PIT count was 402. The PIT count is a manual census of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness...

New Kennett Library to hold grand opening, Aug. 27

The new Kennett Library The Kennett Library & Resource Center will celebrate its Grand Opening on August 27. All are welcome to attend. The celebration will begin at 1 pm with a ceremonial book pass down State Street, followed by a land acknowledgment by the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, brief remarks by local dignitaries, and a ribbon cutting. Community members are encouraged to participate in...

WCU’s Florentino to retire in summer, 2024

Christopher M. Fiorentino West Chester University President Christopher M. Fiorentino, Ph.D., who leads the largest university within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, announced to the West Chester University community today that he will retire in the summer of 2024. Having led the institution as its 15th president for more than six years and having served the University now for a...

Upper Oxford, County team to preserve 101 acres of farmland

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline recently approved the preservation of the 101-acre Kavanagh Farm, located in Upper Oxford Township. The County’s Department of Parks + Preservation partnered with Upper Oxford Township to acquire the easement rights from the estate of Paul A. Kavanagh Jr. at a cost of more than $523,800. “The preservation...

County government rises to 4th place in national digital ranking

The Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) have awarded Chester County Government with fourth place for best digital technology practices in the nation in the 500,000 to 999,999 population category. The County has consistently ranked as a top ten contender in the CDG and NACo Digital Counties Survey for its dedication to guaranteeing that its citizens and...

FEMA awards $621K to Coatesvillefor flood mitigation

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the City of Coatesville a $621,360 Flood Mitigation Assistance grant to design and engineer long-term resilience solutions to reduce the potential for flooding in the City. Flood management and mitigation quickly rose to the top of the City’s priority list in 2021 when the City experienced several unprecedented rainfall events, including...

Houlahan opposes giving cluster munitions to Ukraine

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-6) WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday morning, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-6), co-chair of the bipartisan Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)/Demining Caucus, announced her opposition to reports that the Biden Administration will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine: “From the outset of Russia’s unjust war, I have been one of the most vocal and supportive Members of Congress...

Coatesville reaches deal to buy 2 firetrucks

The City of Coatesville announced a $2.9 million agreement to procure two fire trucks over the next two years to coincide with the development of the City’s new fire station, its location and construction to be determined at a later date. The new trucks will be built by industry leader Seagrave, which was founded in 1881 and is the oldest continuous manufacturer of fire apparatus in the United States....

Penn Medicine signs letter of intent to acquire the former Brandywine Hospital campus

Brandywine Hospital. File photo. Penn Medicine — which operates Chester County Hospital — confirmed Tuesday night it had signed a letter of intent to acquire the former Brandywine Hospital campus from Tower Health, although it is unclear what Penn’s plans are for the Coatesville-area hospital campus, which has been closed since January, 2022. The closure of both Brandywine and Jennersville...

On Stage: “Lettie’ derailed by COVID finds new life at People’s Light

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Abigail Adams The play “Lettie” had its premiere in Chicago in 2017. The show received rave reviews and appeared destined to have a long and successful run on Broadway. Then, COVID-19 changed all that – a pandemic that closed everything down. When the original production ran at the Victory Playhouse in Chicago, Broadway World described the show...