ReFirement at Any Age: Good Thoughts. Good Words. Good Deeds

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
This message is very fitting for this time of year and one that should be practiced every single day. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a fulfilling life, doesn’t it?
If we have good thoughts, they will form into good words, which can be put into motion as good deeds. Sound easy? It’s not. It takes a conscience effort. If we view it and practice it as...
D-West boys basketball team makes donation to brighten holidays for local families

Members of the Downingtown High School West basketball make wishes come true with bikes and gift cards
The holiday season was a bit more magical for area families, thanks in part to the efforts of the Downingtown West basketball team and booster organization. This year, through a total team effort, the West boys’ basketball team donated $6,000.00 to various families in the Downingtown area, including...
ReFire at any age: It’s that time of year…..

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
How would you finish that phrase?
The song finishes that phrase with, “when the world falls in love”. That doesn’t necessarily mean to fall in love romantically. I think it means falling in love with life.
I would tweak that phrase a bit by saying; it’s that time of year for spreading love, joy and cheer.
The excitement of the holiday season is all...
Sheriff’s Office, Alpha Kappa Alpha-Iota Tau Omega deliver Christmas gifts

Members of the CCSO, AKA-ITO and Chester County Youth Center gather around donations as K-9 Marley checks the gifts twice.
This December, members of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and collaborating partner Alpha Kappa Alpha-Iota Tau Omega (AKA-ITO), an African American women’s service organization, collected and delivered items for the Chester County Youth Center. The project, initiated...
Don’t retire, ReFire: Living in gratitude

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Thanksgiving is the holiday in November that just about everybody celebrates, and with that, thoughts and sentiments of gratitude start to surface because after all, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, giving thanks.
Beginning on the first of November, posts start popping up on several different social media platforms with people sharing what they are...
What To Do: Many new holiday attractions to enjoy from your car

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times
If you’re looking for holiday-themed activities where you can remain socially distanced safe and stay warm without having to be indoors, drive-through lights events provide a good option.
The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County (www.dvcccpa.org ) invites you to bundle up the kids and enjoy a night out while in the warmth of your car…no social...
Don’t Retire, Refire: Waiting to exhale

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
November is the month to celebrate Thanksgiving. I usually focus on the holiday but this year, there’s an added perspective to ruminate on.
Reaching for thanks and gratitude in the midst of this stormy year has been challenging and at times, arduous.
Weariness has come over many of us as we navigate through COVID-19, an unusual number of devastating hurricanes...
If you haven’t voted yet, you can vote safely Tuesday if you use a little caution

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
On Tuesday, many of us will vote.
Of course, here in Chester County, more than 100,000 people have returned their mail-in ballots (that number is probably low — I assume many more ballots will have shown up, maybe 40,000 more, by the time you read this — if you have a ballot, please take it to a drop off box right away).
Still, it is safe to assume...
Brandywine Valley SPCA seeks families for shelter pet holiday sleepovers

NEW CASTLE, DE.— The Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) announced today that the organization is looking for families to host shelter pets for holiday sleepovers. The sleepovers consist of a short-term foster arrangement in which a dog or cat currently available for adoption at one of the BVSPCA’s shelters stays with a family temporarily for a duration of a few days up to a week.
“This is a great...
Focus on the good for this most unusual Christmas