Chester County leads state in veterans’ payments in 2024

Chester County veterans received $4,070,299 in compensation-only federal benefit payouts in May 2024, the highest of any Pennsylvania county, according to the Chester County Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Berks County ranked number two with $993,000 less than Chester County. Chester County Veterans’ Affairs Director Susan Price said, “Chester County values and serves veterans by helping them...

Local Democrats move to endorse Harris after Biden withdrawl

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Vice President Kamala Harris Local Democrats moved quickly to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would not seek reelection. Biden offered a strong endorsement for his Vice President, Sunday. As of Monday Morning, Harris is the only announced candidate — Democrats will...

Inner Nature: Forces of Nature

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times The story so far: The hot, dense singularity that was the source of the Big Bang exploded about 13.8 billion years ago (bya) and the energy in the explosion spread, cooled and became lumpy. The lumps were matter (~5%), dark matter (~25%), and dark energy (~70%). To break it up into timelines after the instant of the Big Bang (A.B.B.):    Send...

Local Taekwondo athletes to compete at ATA World Championships

Senior Master Marc Jouan congratulates Stephanie McGann after she won the American Taekwondo Tournament of Champions title in X-Treme Weapons in 2023. Eight West Chester ATA athletes will be looking to bring home the gold later this month. WEST CHESTER — A large contingent of local Chester County-area martial arts athletes will be competing at the American Taekwondo Association’s Tournament of...

What To Do: Fairs, fests and outdoor music highlight this weekend’s events

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Kimberton Community Fair There are two things you can be sure of in this area every July – scorching heat waves and an assortment of festivals, outside music events, carnivals, family-oriented celebrations and summertime fairs. If you enjoy country fairs, you should check out the Annual Kimberton Community Fair (Kimberton Fairgrounds, Route 113,...

On Stage: ‘Funny Girl’ ‘The Fantasticks’ come to local stages

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Funny Girl Musicals are coming. Musicals are coming. Musicals are here. Over the past week, three different musicals have had their opening nights in theaters around the area – “Funny Girl,” “The Fantasticks,” and “Somewhere Over the Border.” Ensemble Arts Philly – the new presenting brand of the Kimmel Cultural Campus and The...

Three truths: Biden is old; Trump is old and a criminal; and Democrats stink at politics

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa This much is true: Joe Biden is really, really old. Absolutely older than I would prefer as President of the United States. He walks slow — sometimes at 60, I do, too — and stumbles over his speech at times or even loses his train of thought while speaking. He’s also been among the most effective presidents of my lifetime, which goes back to Lyndon...

50K without power after storms rip through Chester County

Chester County was hit hard by a line of severe weather, Tuesday night, knocking down trees, power lines and leaving more than 50,000 residents without power as of Wednesday morning. According to PECO, around 54,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning — by far the hardest hit area for power outages in the Delaware Valley. Crews were working to restore that power, racing against another...

The only way to end the culture of political violence: vote

We are a nation steeped in violence but Donald Trump has introduced a new form of political violence. In the wake of the assassination attempt on him, we can’t react by denying reality or letting wishful thinking get in the way of dealing with that reality. By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times VIOLENCE HAS NO place in the United States? Seriously? What world do all the political and public figures...

What To Do: Blobfest is a unique Chester County tradition

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Blobfest The word “unique” means “being the only one of its kind.” It is a very demanding qualification – a very specific qualification. The annual BlobFest in Phoenixville definitely qualifies as unique. In the entire world, there is just one BlobFest and it’s held every year right here in Chester County. “The Blob” is a low-budget...