COUNTY OF DELAWARE GOVERNMENT CENTER BUILDING 201 W. FRONT STREET MEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL ____________ 610-891-4931 Thomas J. McGarrigle FAX NUMBER 610-891-8055 Department of Public Relations Chairman E-MAIL: delcopr@co.delaware.pa.us Trish Cofiell Communications Officer Mario J. Civera, Jr. Vice Chairman [...]
Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reminding parents and caregivers of the upcoming final deadline for students to comply with new school immunization requirements. When the school year began, families were given eight months to bring students up-to-date with their vaccinations. On April 27, the department announced a two-week grace period. [...]
Chester considering new parking and entertainment tax By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com A new parking and entertainment tax was proposed by Chester City Council last week that would levy more than a 30 percent tax for businesses in the city. The two separate draft ordinances include a 20 percent tax on parking revenue and a $100 annual [...]
The United Way of Southeast Delaware County (UWSEDC) announced on Monday that, effective July 1st, it will join a group of seven United Ways throughout the region, merging to form United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. It will be one organization committed to improving lives and creating lasting community-level change, according to [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com L ast week in Philadelphia, a plan was announced to drastically restructure the city’s education system in an effort to combat the district’s ballooning debt and inability to cope with continuous cuts in government funding. Starting next year, the Philadelphia School District (PSD) expects to close 40 schools across the city and [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com A panel discussion held Saturday at Chester Eastside Ministries resulted in several concrete suggestions for addressing the crisis facing the Chester Upland School District (CUSD). Hosted by the Education Collaborative of Chester, panelists included Pennsylvania State Teachers Association Uniserv Representative Paul Gottlieb; Michael Churchill, of the Public Interest Law Center; Chester Mayor [...]
Next Tuesday (April 24th) is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania and county election officials want to educate residents about the new Voter ID law, which actually takes effect in November. So to get people ready, voters will be asked to show photo [...]
By RyanK.Smith rsmith@chesterspirit.com I f you pick up a newspaper or turn on local news, what you hear about the City of Chester may lead you to believe that it’s this area’s equivalent of the HBO series, The Wire. You hear about violence, drugs and crime, but that’s only one side of the coin. The [...]
Who’s doing what about the refineries? Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9) introduced a bill to strengthen Pennsylvania’s Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program (SB 1237). It was….. Bob Brady remains a favorite legislator. U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (PA-1) was recently named a Defender of Children by the First Focus Campaign for Children (FFCC), a Washington, [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com A s the country tuned in to watch the pros face off in the 2012 Master’s Golf Tournament, Chester’s practically brand new youth golf facility is getting almost no attention and no use in Eyre Park next to Chester High School. The driving range was [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com R etired four-star General Stanley McCrystal recently spoke at Widener University about his experiences as commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan. McCrystal spoke on campus as part of the university’s Philadelphia Speakers Series, which previously featured the [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com T he Chester Police Department has concluded its investigation into the fight last month between Chester Upland School Board President Wanda Mann and Chester High School teacher Leslye Jordan and Mann has been charged with harassment, a summary offense. The exchange reportedly [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com A t an annual public review meeting between federal court Judge Norma L. Shapiro and Chester Housing Authority (CHA) officials and tenant representatives, CHA’s judicial administrator, Robert C. Rosenberg, and CHA Executive Director Steve Fischer, said they had a concrete plan to complete the decades-long effort to open a large-scale private supermarket [...]
Champions crowned in basketball, spelling, diving and a visit to the White house SPIRITstaff report newsdesk@chesterspirit.com A national TV host’s trademark phrase is, “It’s a great day for America.” For Chester and area young people, it’s been a great many days. On Monday, five young students representing [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com T he Delaware County Chapter of the National Congress of Black Women (NCBW) held its annual brunch on Saturday, preceded by a short memorial service in Memorial Park in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. bust to honor the NCBW’s co-founder and late president, Dr. C. Delores Tucker, who [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com I n light of a highly-publicized physical altercation between Chester Upland School District (CUSD) Board President Wanda Mann and Chester High School (CHS) teacher Leslye Jordan, several residents attending last Thursday’s board meeting, called for Mann’s immediate resignation. Her board colleagues, in a 5-4 vote split along party lines, voted to keep [...]
By RyanSmith Special to the Spirit M edia coverage of violence and failing schools gives Chester a view by outsiders as a place devoid of hope, class and positivity. However, there was no support for this perception last Sunday at New Life Christian Fellowship (formerly Unity Baptist Church) on West 6th St. as Rev. Al [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com I n an effort to provide good dental care to Chester residents and the surrounding area, Keystone Mercy Health Plan (KMHP) will soon launch a special mobile dental office project called Chester Smiles, which is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of April. A public announcement is expected soon [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com Y ou are wanted by the police. In an effort to reduce crime and violence by strengthening relationships between officers and the communities they serve, the Chester Police Department has been undergoing training and now wants community members to engage in upcoming workshops with officers involved in the program. The [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com M ain Street Elementary School special education teacher Anita Brown spent years collecting historical artifacts and memorabilia related to African-American history and, every February, in honor of Black History Month, she, with the help of her students, creates a make shift museum for all to enjoy. From dolls, African art, [...]
By RobertF.O’Neill W illiam H. Ridley, of Media, was a polite man whose dignified air and waxed mustache befitted a member of the Delaware County Bar Association before the turn of the 20th century. If his early career as the county’s first African-American lawyer involved a confrontation and exchange of gunfire with Chester ruffians, then [...]
By SamBenesby sbenesby@chesterspirit.com The Delaware County Historical Society’s (DCHS) Chester Museum and Library has again become a victim of theft and vandalism when scrappers last week destroyed the facility’s air conditioning units for the third time since 2005. The latest criminal attack marked the sixth time since 2002, when it opened its downtown facility at [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com F riday the 13th lived up to its fabled reputation as an unlucky day for at least 16 Chester City employees who received their walking papers from the city’s new Democratic administration. Multiple sources [...]
By KevinKaneshiki Special to the Spirit Single Mothers Are Really Trying (SMART) recently held its first women’s support group/open house at the Booker T. Washington Community Center on Central Ave. in Chester. SMART provides services for women recently released from prison; women who are spousal abuse victims, or going through similar hardships. “I have an [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com This week, Gov. Tom Corbett and state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9) met in Harrisburg with members of the Delaware County delegation of state lawmakers to discuss the plight of the Chester Upland school District (CUSD). “A bipartisan group of legislators from the Senate and the House had a productive meeting [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com Chester-Upland School District (CUSD) board member Cephus Richardson was joined by his three Democratic colleagues at last week’s board meeting in calling for the $5,000-a-month contract with district spokesman Joel Avery to be rescinded. Richardson said the abrupt adjournment of the Dec. 15th meeting at which the contract was approved by a [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com T he 83rd birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was celebrated on Monday, the official federal holiday, in many ways and locations throughout the City of Chester, including Widener University, New Beginnings Academy, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, and the Chester YWCA. Primarily organized by the Martin Luther King Commemorative Committee, the [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com A torrent of activity has surrounded the crisis of money and management at the Chester Upland School District (CUSD) over the past few days. State officials announced late Tuesday that a federal judge ordered the state to pay the district $3.2 million. The money is supposed to help the district meet its [...]
In Public Safety… Even though a state of emergency was not imposed in Chester as it was in 2010, violence and crime continued to pose a serious problem. The city experienced 23 murders; one less than in 2010. Although all heartbreaking for the affected families, the death of two teenagers attending a crowded birthday party [...]
By LeslieKrowchenko Special to the Spirit W hen Jesus sent his disciples “to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick,” (Luke 9:2), he didn’t just mean those with blue chip health care. In an effort to reach the uninsured and underinsured, the School of Nursing at Widener University, in partnership with CityTeam Ministries, [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com M eet Jahlil Beats, a recording artist and record producer at Roc Nation, the entertainment company whose most known investor is Sean Carter, better known as Jay-Z. Beats, whose real name is Orlando Tucker, had one simple wish this Christmas: to give back to his hometown of Chester. “I just wanted to [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com T he Chester Community Charter School (CCCS) last week filed a lawsuit against the Chester Upland School District (CUSD) and its board of directors, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Dept. of Education (PDE) seeking a judgment to force the immediate payment of $3.862 million in funds the school contends it [...]
By LorettaRodgers and KevinKaneshiki SPIRIT staff T uesday was quite busy for the new leaders of Chester government. It started with a public breakfast, the official swearing-in ceremonies, the quick reorganization of Council and an early afternoon luncheon. In front of a standing room only crowd, with his wife, children, and grandson by his side, [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com T he last general meeting of 2011 for the Chester Business Association (CBA) held two weeks ago at City Hall was, according to CBA President Linda Braceland, not just the last meeting of the year but also, “The end of an era.” Braceland was talking about Mayor Wendell N. Butler, Jr.’s [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com T he Pennsylvania Dept. of Education (PDE) last week denied Chester-Upland School District’s (CUSD) request for an $18.7 million advance in state subsidies that were scheduled to be paid the district in June 2012 and teachers have adopted a wait-and-see position moving forward. In a letter sent before Christmas to CUSD President [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com N o regular meeting of the Chester-Upland School Board has taken place for months without questions being raised about Joel Avery, the district’s outside contracted official spokesperson. Avery, who has been in the position for more than a year, was re-appointed at a recent board meeting for another annual term at a [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com The wonders of modern technology were displayed last week as students in grades four, five and six at the Widener University Partnership Charter School (WUPCS) participated in a special Sharing the Environment Skype program with a school in Trinidad. WUPCS students were excited as their counterparts from the Atwell/St. Mary’s School in [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com Chester City and Brookhaven Borough can be added to the list of municipalities that gave letters of intent to the Delaware County Animal Control Board, indicating their participation in the county’s proposed animal control/shelter plan. Signed by Chester Councilman John Linder, director of public safety, the letter promises the city will formally [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com The four new Democratic members of the nine-member Chester-Upland School Board blasted their Republican colleagues after the abrupt adjournment of last week’s school board meeting. That was the second time the meeting was adjourned before its planned conclusion since the new members were seated at the beginning of the month. The adjournment [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com T he Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) has opened its Holiday Delights Train and Toy Exhibit at the Society’s museum, 400 Avenue of the States, Chester. The exhibit opened just before Thanksgiving and continues through the holiday season through Sunday, Jan. 8th. On display is a cornucopia of different toys representing past [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com A s the “old” saying goes, “You’re only as young as you feel.” Such was the case last week for those who gathered at the Mayor’s Senior Council 10th annual luncheon at the Ramada Inn, on Rt. 291, Essington. The luncheon drew over 250 people; among them was Eula Danner, who celebrates [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com I n memory and tribute to Muhammed Fareed, a man universally beloved in his community, the A-Plus Sunoco gas station at 9th and Kerlin sts. was closed Saturday, hours after he was gunned down in a robbery and less than 24 hours after people gathered there to stage a candlelight vigil. Over [...]
Chester championship tradition continues! A celebratory victory parade will be held Saturday (Dec. 10th) for the Chester Panthers football team that clinched the 2011 Delco Youth Football League’s Junior Division Championship last week. The parade starts at 1 P.M. from Memorial Park to Chester City Hall. Congratulations to players Brandon Harper, Kahaliir Barrett, Donte’ Brown, Khaleef [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com F ollowing the swearing-in of new Chester-Upland School Board members, Democrats Charlie L. Warren, II; Anthony Johnson, Bette McClairen and Cephus Richardson, the school board proceeded with its annual reorganization meeting. In what can only be described as highly contentious, Republican Wanda Mann, in a party-line vote of 5-4, was re-elected president [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com T he holiday shopping season has begun and unseasonably warm sunlit skies seem like the perfect backdrop for shoppers to go anywhere. There is merchandise in malls and they are crowded. There is merchandise in Chester but empty streets and closed storefronts show no signs of the healthy foot traffic during the [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com F ormer CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Joseph Wilson, Monday afternoon, captivated a standing room only audience at Widener University. The pair gained notoriety after Plame’s name was made public through a leak to the media and the couple accused the administration of President [...]
By BriannaLopez Special to the Spirit C hester talent was on display recently at the fifth annual Talent Show hosted by Widener University radio personality Walter “Master Blaster” Jordan a/k/a Walter Jay and the station, WDNR 89.5 FM, at Widener’s Alumni Auditorium. Presenting awards and showcasing acts ranging in age and genre, Chester proved to [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com T he “We Are the 99%” sign Ieasa Nichols was wearing when she addressed Chester City Council last week might have given the impression that she was part of the “occupy” movement – but that was [...]
By KevinKaneshiki kkaneshiki@chesterspirit.com A t the Delaware County Thanksgiving food drive on Friday, Family and Community Services Executive Director Alan Edelstein said the need for food “is just as important as breathing.” Such was the underlying thinking among food drive volunteers who unloaded vehicles of canned goods and other items at the Mount Zion [...]
By LorettaRodgers lrodgers@chesterspirit.com L ast week’s Chester-Upland School Board meeting started in business-like fashion, but three-fourths of the way through the final public comment section, pandemonium broke out and the meeting was abruptly adjourned. For the second time in as many weeks, several residents publicly called for the immediate resignations of board President Wanda Mann [...]
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