Some local school board candidates are not what they seem

Editor’s Note: Rich Heiland is a veteran, award-winning news reporter, editor and columnist. We were alerted to Rich’s column on local education and felt it deserved wider distribution beyond his personal Website. With his permission, we present this column — with hopes that Rich’s work will appear here semi-regularly. By Rich Heiland, Special to the Times I was told this was...

On Stage Spotlight: Matt Pond finds a new start with The Natural Lines

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Area music fans may not be familiar with the name of the band that is headlining a show on May 9 at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, www.johnnybrendas.com) – The Natural Lines. However, most area music fans know the leader of The Natural Lines very well – Matt Pond. Matt Pond is a musician from New York who formed his...

County Department of Drug & Alcohol Services announces events for National Prevention Week

Chester County’s Department of Drug & Alcohol Services announces plans to support “National Prevention Week”, May 7 through 13. Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “National Prevention Week” is dedicated to increasing public awareness of substance use prevention and mental health through partnerships and collaborations which promote quality...

What To Do: May means it’s time to be off to the races

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times This weekend has a trifecta of events which are traditionally party time events – Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby and Winterthur Point-to-Point. There will be a bustle of activity this weekend on Kennett Pike just a few miles south of Kennett Square at Winterthur (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-4600,www.winterthur.org) with the staging of...

On Stage: STYX celebrates 50 years with show at Xcite Center

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times STYX STYX is not unfamiliar with gold. The band has reached golden status or better on nine of its albums. Now, STYX is touring to celebrate its golden anniversary. The tour, which is also a support tour for its most recent album, “Crash of the Crown,” visits the area on May 5 for a show at the Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem,...

Becoming the Best U: Your questions about Mothers’ Day

By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times Question: Mother’s Day is coming up and I need advice. My daughter, who lives nearby, just had her second child and I have no idea how to help her celebrate this wonderful holiday. My daughter isn’t one for chocolate or flowers. Any ideas? Sue – Philadelphia Answer: I agree with you, Sue, Mother’s Day is a wonderful holiday and its origin is based in Philadelphia!...

KACS seeks to bring affordable housing to so. Chester County

Kennett Area Community Services (KACS) focuses on basic human needs: food security, housing stability, and a path forward through educational workshops for adults in Southern Chester County. While the KACS Emergency Assistance Program has been extremely important to our community, we cannot only rely on short-term fixes to the systemic problem of housing instability. KACS is poised to become a developer...

County launches broadband survey

To further justify and strengthen the need for funding to expand broadband services in areas throughout the county, Chester County Government has created a short, but crucial, survey aimed at identifying locations where internet service is either non-existent or extremely limited.  The survey can be found at www.chesco.org/broadbandsurvey. “Although it may be difficult to believe, there are pockets...

On Stage Plus: Jesus Christ Superstar comes to Kimmel

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Jack Hopewell as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar Hershey High School is a four-year high school in Dauphin County – a public school that is consistently ranked as one of the top public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. The school also has the distinction of being the alma mater of two highly regarded young talents in the world of sports and entertainment...

The May primary election matters, but not everyone gets to vote — which needs to change

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa In a few weeks, Pennsylvanians will go to the polls in what can be the most overlooked election we have: the off-year municipal primary, May 16. You may have your mail in ballot — as I do — don’t lose it or disregard it. Even with much easier mail-in voting, too many people will pass on their chance to vote. Additionally, as these are primary elections...