International conference puts GIS guru on map

Emergency services employee wins first-place data award Dave Sekkes, the emergency planning coordinator for the Chester County Department of Emergency Services (DES), won a first-place data integration award last month. The emergency planning coordinator for the Chester County Department of Emergency Services (DES), Dave Sekkes, was honored at the ESRI International User Conference last month with...

Robots in southern Chester County? Yes.

Dansko using robots to make distribution center more efficient With its giant new distribution center in West Grove, Dansko was going to need more than just more workers to keep track of products going in and out. A Kiva® robot follows bar codes on the floor to locate the specific product needed to fill an order. WEST GROVE — Driving along Jennersville Road (Rt. 796) in southern Chester County,...

Old Fiddlers’ Picnic marks 85th year, Saturday

This year’s event will be held at Hibernia County Park The Fiddlers’ Picnic will feature the Old Fiddlers’ House Band. On Saturday, August 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, Hibernia County Park will come alive as hundreds of musicians and music lovers gather to celebrate traditional music at the 85th annual Chester County Old Fiddlers’ Picnic. The rain date is Sunday, August...

Celebrate National Farmers’ Market week

A 2013 guide provides information on local farmers’ markets in Chester County The Local Farm Products Guide can be found on the Chester County Website. This week, August 4 through 10, is National Farmers’ Market Week, and the Chester Delaware County Farm Bureau encourages residents to take advantage of all the fresh vegetables and fruit that abound at local farmers’ markets and farm...

Jury commissioners taking fight to high court

Commonwealth Court denied bid to block law that has eliminated position By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times As expected, a three-judge Commonwealth Court panel denied the Pennsylvania State Association of Jury Commissioners’ bid to declare a law eliminating the office of jury commissioner unconstitutional, paving the way for an appeal to the state Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the jury...

Same-sex marriage is happening. So?

The less time we spend on this, the more we might realize what sort of mess we’re in By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Same sex couples, it would seem, can drive a short distance from Chester County and obtain a marriage license. At the same time, our state Attorney General is refusing to defend the state’s defense of marriage act — a law that defines marriage as being between a man and a...

New program connects people with homeless shelters

ConnectPoints lists contact numbers for those seeking shelters in Chester County ConnectPoints works with county funded agencies to help people find housing services to fit their needs. WEST CHESTER – ConnectPoints, Chester County’s new Homeless Coordinated Assessment System will be operational on Monday, July 1. ConnectPoints will list contact information for emergency shelter or housing services...

Commissioners ax jury commissioners’ post – again

Two Republicans continue opposition to job; lone Democrat disagrees   By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times Democratic Jury Commissioner Martha Smith listens as Commissioners’ Chairman Ryan Costello explains why he plans to vote to eliminate the elected position Smith has held for more than 13 years. The roller-coaster ride for Chester County’s two jury commissioners continued...

Breezes net windfall for Toughkenamon couple

They won Balloon Festival’s debut Landowner Appreciation Raffle Lucky landowners Joe (counterclockwise from top right) and Billie Teti display their winnings with their daughter Michelle and their grandchildren: Jamison, 10; Mollie, 3; and Colin, 7. On June 15, while participating in a mass launch during the annual Chester County Balloon Festival, the prevailing breezes prompted a hot-air balloon...

‘History on Tap’ comes to Dilworthtown Inn

Program to preview  art exhibit at Chester County Historical Society By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times Artist Adrian Martinez (right) gets into position at Martin’s Tavern in Marshallton so his wife, Leah Martinez, can photograph the scene for use in one of the paintings that will comprise the 2015 exhibit, “History in the Making: A Contemporary Artist’s View of Chester...