Chester County Press 07-19-17 Edition

Landenberg resident creates GoFundMe account to assist family Community rallies around mother and her children

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Brian Sachs shares a home with his wife Heather and their two small children in Landenberg.

It’s a busy house of happiness, filled with positive messages written in chalk on blackboards, photographs of the family that appear everywhere, baseball gloves waiting to be used near the front door and, owing to the number of exterior toys, the realization

that the family driveway has been surrendered to the creativity of the home’s youngest occupants.

So it was without great surprise that Sachs did what he did after he read the story of Landenberg resident Hever Puac Domingo in the May 25 edition of Philly.com. The story, written by staff writer Michael Matza, chronicled the plight of Loida Marival, the wife of Hever and the mother of two daughters: Jendy, a second-grader in the Kennett

New Garden board encouraged to support redistricting reform

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Seconds after speaker David Unger wrapped up his presentation that implored the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors to say ‘No’ to gerrymandering in Chester County on July 17, the sound heard in the normally reserved board meeting was as refreshing as it was unexpected. Several people in the audience stood up and applauded. Representing Citizens Commission for Legislature & Congressional Redistricting, Unger excoriated the current Pennsylvania law, which puts state legislators in charge of redistricting and redrawing voting districts,

as a means of maximizing their influence, minimizing their accountability and keeping their jobs.

“We should be able to choose our legislators and every vote should count, but unfortunately in Pennsylvania, none of these statements is correct,” he said. “The reality is that legislators can now choose their voters and the reality is that many votes don’t make a difference.”

The issue of gerrymandering, Unger said, violates state constitutional law, which states that all districts must be geographically compact and contiguous, and that districts cannot unnecessarily divide existing geopolitical entities. Further,

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Consolidated School District who was born in Guatemala; and Esli, 20 months old, who was born in the United States.

On May 12, Loida was riding in a car driven by her husband in Lancaster County, when the Pennsylvania State Police asked Hever to pull over to the side of the road. After he offered the only identification he had – a Guatemalan registration – police detained Hever for two hours. Because he was never issued a ticket, received no fine and had no prior criminal record, it remains unclear what the nature of the traffic violation was. Hever was then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and subsequently sent to York County Prison.

Loida is currently living in an apartment in Landenberg with her daughters.

After reading the story, Sachs communicated with Matza, who connected him with immigration attorney Lindsey Sweet of the Sweet & Paciorek law firm in Avondale, who is representing the Puac family.

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A day to celebrate

Andrew Wyeth

On the official ‘Andrew Wyeth Day,’ an overflow crowd packs the Brandywine River Museum of Art the Brandywine River Museum of Art on July 12. As the epicenter of Andrew Wyeth Day in Pennsylvania, the museum hosted hundreds of visitors for a ceremony unveiling 12 stamps featuring the late artist’s paintings.

By John Chambless Staff Writer

With traffic backed up in both directions on Route 1, and cars parked on every available square foot of ground, it was clear that something special was happening at

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Oxford Borough Council seeks additional grant funding for parking garage project

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Oxford Borough Council authorized the submission of a multimodal transportation fund grant application as part of the ongoing process to secure funding for the construction of a parking garage and transportation center in the business district.

Steve Krug of Krug Architects and Pauline Garcia-Allen of Econ Partners, were on hand at the July 17 borough council meeting to talk about the grant application and to update borough council about the latest developments related to the project.

Krug and Garcia-Allen have served as consultants during the borough’s effort to

construct a parking garage during the last 18 months.

Garcia-Allen said that the borough is seeking $250,000 in funding through a Department of Community and Economic Development multimodal fund grant program. If the borough secures the funding, it will be utilized for sidewalks and other upgrades to Second and Coach streets to improve pedestrian safety in areas near the parking garage.

The borough has already secured more than $3 million in grant funding for the project, and they still have applications out for additional funding that hasn’t been decided on yet at the county and state level. Garcia-Allen said that they are providing updat-

ed information, whenever necessary, for these grant applications that are still outstanding. While the effort to secure funding continues, borough officials are at work developing a comprehensive parking ordinance that will establish regulations for parking throughout the borough. Through a series of discussions, borough officials are working toward making decisions about parking in the borough, including establishing the rates for parking in the garage.

One of the borough’s goals is to have the parking spaces in front of the businesses in town open for customers. That means that store employees and

By John Chambless Staff Writer

An innovative program that unites families who have children with special needs got a national award recently, but for the two women who started U-PRISE in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the main point was to simply help families.

District Administration Magazine honors outstanding programs from school districts around the world, and this year, U-CF was named a “District of Distinction” for the U-PRISE program. The magazine is the most widely read publication for school

district leaders nationwide. U-PRISE is a place for parents or guardians of students with special needs to share information, discuss programs, network with other parents and community resources, collaborate with administrators, ask questions, seek advice, and learn more about special education processes. The program was started this year by Dr. Leah Reider, Director of Special Education, and Shannon Brown, Supervisor of Special Education. Last week, Brown answered a few questions about U-PRISE and its early success.

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Marking the 100th anniversary of Wyeth’s birth, the day was a media blitz that packed the museum’s courtyard with journalists and camera crews, as well as fans who came to get a glimpse of artist Jamie Wyeth, Andrew’s son. With industrial-size fans blowing on the audience under a tent, Channel 6 meteorologist Cecily Tynan opened the event by saying, “My husband and I lived in Chadds Ford for a number of years, and we made some really close, special friends. We got married in Frolic Weymouth’s beautiful chapel at Big Bend,

and one of the highlights of the day was that my husband, Greg, went running that day and ran into ‘Uncle Andy.’ Andrew Wyeth was working on a landscape painting. Greg told me at the reception that what was so amazing was that ‘Uncle Andy’ had these white stripes under his nose, because he would lick the paintbrush to make a better point. He was painting some tents on Frolic’s property. He would miss every now and then, and leave some paint on his face.”

Sophie Tyler, who is the great-grand-niece of Andrew Wyeth, sang the National Anthem to open the ceremony. In the audi-

ence were Nicholas Wyeth, Andrew’s son; along with Brandywine Conservancy and Museum staff members, and Virginia Logan, the CEO of the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art. “This is a wonderful year of celebration for us,” she said. “The Brandywine has just observed its 50th anniversary. A little over 50 years ago, Andrew Wyeth led a rallying cry to protect a precious meadow at the corner of Route 1 and Creek Road. Today, Potts Meadow is the trailhead for a network of trails where you can literally walk in his footsteps. His history and ours are interwoven. He and his wife, Betsy, were key

advisers to our founders.”

The idea for Andrew Wyeth stamps has taken years to come to fruition.

Patrick Mendonca, the U.S. Postal Service Senior Director, Office of the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, recalled visiting the museum in 1980 and being fascinated with Andrew Wyeth’s works.

“The Postal Service takes tremendous pride in its stamps program, which celebrates the very best in American life, history and culture,” he said. “This is

a perfect day to celebrate the man whose masterful works have found a place in our homes and in our hearts. The Postal Service is very proud to recognize Anrdew Wyeth’s achievements with this beautiful pane of stamps. Each one has the word ‘Forever’ along the bottom. Like Wyeth himself, and his astonishing paintings, they are timeless.”

In his remarks, Jamie Wyeth recalled drawing a 1971 Christmas stamp showing the partridge in a pear tree from “The 12

Days of Christmas,” and how several revisions were required. “I had worked for a month on this rather small painting. In the middle of my work, I got a call from the Postal Service that the denomination had gone from 6 cents to 8 cents,” Wyeth said. “So I had to very carefully remove the 6 and put on the 8. Then I got a second call that said it was not ‘My true love gave to me,’ it was ‘My true love sent to me,’” he said as the audience laughed. “So the painting came back and I removed the word ‘gave’

and attached ‘sent.’ Finally, they issued 900 million of these stamps. In the next two weeks, they got thousands of letters from stamp collectors, saying, ‘It’s wrong! It’s ‘True love gave.’ Of course, they all hoped it was wrong, because if the Postal Service had to withdraw it, they would have had a very valuable stamp,” he said, laughing.

“My father was a great letter writer,” he said of Andrew, “and he would put little drawings into them. The fact that he could attach one of his paintings to the envelope would have thrilled him beyond belief. He also would have been so honored to join an amazing group of American

painters that the Postal Service has included in the ‘American Painters’ series. He now joins Winslow Homer, whose work he adored; Andy Warhol, who was a friend of mine; and then his great favorite, Edward Hopper. He also joins his own father, N.C. Wyeth, who was part of a series called ‘American Illustrators.’

“I’ve always felt my father’s paintings were little worlds unto themselves,”

Wyeth said. “Now, to see them reduced to really small worlds is very exciting. So, happy birthday, Daddy. I think that, on this day, you are giving a gift yet again to the American people with 12 little images

of your works. I cannot wait to use them.”

Grant...

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Tynan returned to announce that July 12 had been officially designated Andrew Wyeth Day in the state, and welcomed the crowd to enter the museum and see “In Retrospect,” the largest exhibition devoted to the artist that has ever been mounted at the museum. Covering two floors, the show contains more than 100 works. For more information about the exhibit and special events surrounding it, visit www. brandywine.org/museum.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

Special needs...

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Q.: In your work with families who have children with special needs, what were the concerns or complaints you heard most often?

A.: When we informally surveyed the families in U-CF who had children with special needs, they were looking for opportunities to meet one another and network. Additionally, our families were looking for education and information that would support their students with special needs in being successful, not only in school, but in life. U-PRISE was the answer to our community’s needs.

When did the idea for U-PRISE begin?

As a relatively new and young administrator, I participated in a wonderful Fellowship Program for Special Education Administrators run by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) under the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). A major component of the fellowship was to research your district to find an area of need and improve upon it. Under the IDEA, school districts are required to meet targets in certain areas. Indicator 8 focuses on the need to increase school-facilitated parent involvement in their child’s special education program.

When Dr. Leah Reider, the Director of Special Education, and I reviewed the Indicator 8 data, positive involvement of parents of students with disabilities within the district, we determined that improvements were needed. Parent involvement outside of IEP meetings was extremely

limited.

There was a great deal of research, followed by many planning sessions, which led to discussions with district superintendent Dr. John Sanville about the creation, format, and upkeep of U-PRISE.

The online page is only one facet of U-PRISE, and it serves as a 24-7 resource for families of students with special needs. Our Advisory Committee meets monthly, as does our full membership, where we have various speakers from the community, the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU), and U-CF staff present on relevant topics. The webpage is where we keep the archived videos of the speaker series and share information on resources available in the community that have been shared with us.

What support did you receive from the district early on?

We have had an incredible amount of support from UCFSD from the beginning. Dr. Sanville gave us the green light to move forward with the idea of U-PRISE. The School Board was very interested and supportive in learning about, promoting, and having us present at a

board meeting following our presentation at the PDE Conference in Hershey this past March.

The backing from our U-CF teachers and administrators who volunteered their time to present at U-PRISE meetings throughout the school year was amazing.

The Communications and Technology departments were key in initially setting up our website, recording meetings, and publicizing information relative to the group.

A favorite of parents was the support we received from the Unionville High School National Honor Society students, who volunteered each month to provide free child care to children with disabilities and their siblings during the meetings. Lastly, the U-CF parents who are members of the Advisory Committee worked hard throughout the school year, volunteering their time to plan for meetings, the Community Resources Fair we hosted in May, planning speakers for the 2017-2018 school year, and serving as parent liaisons in each of our six school buildings.

What have parents said about the program so far?

The feedback from parents this year has been

residents who live in the apartments above the stores must park in other areas either the parking garage or the smaller parking lots. Residential permit parking may be established for a limited number of homes in the areas that are adjacent to the business improvement district. The goal with residential parking is to discourage people from simply parking in the residential areas to avoid the metered parking spaces in the business district and to reserve the parking for people who live in the area.

Borough council has already approved parking rate increases for most of the metered spaces in the downtown so that the revenues generated by those spaces are sufficient to cover what it costs to maintain those spaces on an annual basis.

Borough manager Brian Hoover pointed out that borough residents have been subsidizing the costs of maintaining the parking spaces through their taxes. By increasing parking meter rates and adding permit parking, the goal is to have people who utilize the parking in the downtown area to pay for the costs of providing it.

“If anything, we want to reduce taxes to attract businesses and residents to town,” Hoover said.

In other business at the meeting, borough council approved a motion to authorize the advertising of a public notice regarding

overwhelmingly positive. The attendance at meetings grew throughout the year, and views of the recorded meetings were often in the hundreds. Parents have shared that they enjoy the ability to meet and talk with other parents who have children with special needs and are in different points of their educational careers. They also voiced appreciation for providing them with education, resources, and enhanced partnerships with the school district and the community, which was our goal.

How did you apply for the recent award -- or was it a surprise?

Dr. Reider and I receive

a joint pollution reduction plan that the borough could soon be developing with some of the neighboring municipalities. It is a requirement for the borough to have a pollution reduction plan, but municipalities can work together on these plans. While it hasn’t yet been completed, council authorized advertising the notice of the plan so that it can be made available to the public for review for 30 days before council votes to adopt it.

Borough council also approved the special event permit for the Oxford Presbyterian Church’s popular annual Apple Festival.

the District Administration publication regularly, and we read about the national annual recognition program. We thought it would be a fantastic way to promote the launch of U-PRISE, so we applied. Actually being chosen as a recipient of the Districts of Distinction Award for U-PRISE was certainly a surprise! Maybe we will inspire another school district to start their own group with similar goals.

How would you like to see U-PRISE grow?

The festival will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the Oxford Memorial Park.

Mayor Geoff Henry swore in Josh Lowery as the newest member of the Oxford Borough Police Department. Lowery is a part-time officer who will be available to cover some shifts for the police department. With the addition of Lowery, there are a total of ten full-time officers and three active part-time officers in the police department.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

For more information, visit www.ucfsd.org/u-prise.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

I would like to see U-PRISE include families of students with special needs across the county. It would be incredibly meaningful to help more families connect and share resources within our greater community to support their students in improved outcomes. This would also lend itself to U-PRISE being able to continue finding relevant and informative speakers in the upcoming years.

Kennett School Board approves fees for events and a number of routine personnel changes

Superintendent Dr. Barry Tomasetti lauds the district’s new math program, and the

the district to negotiate an agreement for the Kennett Creamery to

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

The Kennett School Board tackled a number of issues, ranging from fees for various school events to routine personnel changes to a discussion about a new math program, during a 90-minute meeting at the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center on July 10.

The school board approved the adoption of fees for a variety of school events for the 20172018 school year.

The fees to attend athletic events at the high school are $3 for students and $5 for adults. To attend the high school musical,

the fees are $6 for students and $10 for adults. At the middle school, the cost to attend the musical is $4 for students and $6 for adults. The fall play fee will be $5 for students and $8 for adults. Regular dances at the high school will have a fee of $5 for students, while the Homecoming Dance and the Winter Formal will cost $5 for tickets purchased in advance and $7 for tickets to these dances at the door. Dances at the middle school will be $4 for regular and holiday events. Residents of the district who are 65 years of age or older will be admitted without charge to all school athletic and musical events, and

at a 25 percent discount to drama events.

The school board also approved numerous personnel items, including the hiring of eight new employees, and several retirements, resignations, and requests for leave.

In his superintendent’s report, Dr. Barry Tomasetti updated the school board about the effort to introduce a new, district-wide math program. Tomasetti said that the district is providing extensive staff development and training for teachers as the new program is rolled out.

“We’re confident that it’s going to make a difference for our students,” Tomasetti said of

the new math program. “We’re excited about it.”

The school board approved first readings and second readings of a handful of policy revisions. The first readings of policies pertaining to jury duty regulations for employees, unlawful harassment for employees, drug and substance abuse for employees, and maintaining professional adult and student boundaries were approved. Second readings of policies pertaining to immunizations and communicable diseases, uncompensated leave for employees, responsibility for student welfare for employees,

and benefits for part-time employees were also approved.

The school board voted to table the policy for public participation in regular board meetings after school board member Rudy Alfonso raised a concern about the rules restricting the public from bringing signs to school board meetings. While it’s rare for a member of the public to bring such a sign to a meeting, Alfonso pointed out that when state or federal lawmakers meet, such signs are permitted. The school board opted to table the discussion about this policy so that the board’s sub-committee that handles policies can do some more work on it.

During the public comment session, Lisa Anderson, a parent of a student at New Garden Elementary and a former president of that school’s PTO, said that some parents are concerned about the

Seven Oxford students attend national FBLA conference

Seven members of the Oxford Area High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter attended the organization’s National Leadership Conference from June 29 to July 2 in Anaheim, California. The conference brought together 5,000 FBLA chapter members from across the United States to participate in a week of workshops, competitions, sightseeing and social events.

The chapter members qualified for the national conference based on their performances in businessrelated competition at the 66th annual Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference held this past April in Hershey. Qualifying for the national conference were Class of 2017 graduate Maggie Walsh, second place in the Future Business Leader event; the team of Class of 2017 graduates Rachel Hannum, Sarah Johnson and Emily Quesenberry, third place for Social Media Campaign; the team of Class of 2017 graduate Zibby Harvey and

Sarah Wilkinson, who will be entering her senior year, third place in the American Enterprise System event; and Class of 2017 graduate Gabrielle Murphy, sixth place for Job Interview. Zibby also qualified for the National Leadership Conference by placing fourth in the Client Service competition.

Gabrielle Murphy attended the national conference for the third year in row and the second straight year as a participant in the competitive events. She qualified for the 2016 National Leadership Conference in Atlanta where she competed in the Future Business Leader category.

Zibby Harvey qualified for her second straight national conference, however will be unable to attend as she will begin her first year of service at the U.S. Naval Academy. She advanced to the finals of the Job Interview competition last year in Atlanta and placed 14th nationally.

Twenty-eight Oxford students were among the approximately

4,000 FBLA chapter members from high schools across Pennsylvania who attended the Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference. The students qualified to attend and compete at the conference after placing first through fourth in competition at last fall’s Pennsylvania FBLA Region 9 Competition.

Placing in the top 10 of their event in Hershey but not qualifying for the national conference was the team of juniors Grace Tipton, Sarah Robinson and Meghan Pitney, who earned eighth place in the Community Service Project category.

Gabrielle Murphy qualified for the state competition after placing first for Job Interview at the FBLA Region 9 competition held in December at Oxford Area High School. At the regional she was required to be interviewed for 10 minutes by a representative of the Merit Corp., a fictitious company located in Washington, D.C., after submitting an application, resume

and cover letter.

At the state level, Gabrielle advanced from a first interview involving four judges to a 15-minute final interview with six judges. She said these interviews were much harder to get through than at the regional level, but her experience in last year’s Future Business Leader event, which involves an online test and a live interview, proved invaluable.

“I really loved being in that event,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to be on the spot and put your skills out there in an interview setting.”

Yet even with her past experience, Gabrielle said this year’s state-level interview featured some surprises. “There was one question about my Instagram posts, so I wondered whether the interviewers had looked at my social media presence, which is something more and more prospective employers are now doing.”

GoFundMe...

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“I saw the article and the photograph of a mother with two small children, and it really touched me,” he said. “We have two small children, as well. I thought, ‘What can we as a community do to help this family?’ I asked Lindsey what I could do to help, and she told me that the biggest need for the family was diapers for their 20-month-old.

Almost immediately, the Sachs’ family and many of their friends collected several hundred diapers, one of their neighbors brought over a large supply of pencils, markers, crayons and coloring books for the older daughter – and they dropped everything off at the law office. A few days later, Sachs created a GoFundMe account for the Puac family, connected it to his Facebook page, and set the original fundraising goal at $500.

“We blasted through that amount in a day and a half,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘Let’s make our goal $1,000.’ I posted it on several communitybased Facebook pages, like ICE-Kennett, Landenberg (You Can’t Get There from Here) and Chester County Democrats.”

The account that Sachs began is serving as a silver lining in a cloud of reality that has enveloped Chester County. The arrest of Hever is just the tip of an iceberg that has turned Chester County into a startling example of the impact that ICE deportation efforts are having on the region.

During the Feb. 27 – March 10 period alone, ICE officers arrested nearly 250 people in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.

Sweet said that Puac’s arrest has had a chilling effect on the relationship between the local Latino immigrant community and local law enforcement.

“I think the way in which Hever came into immigration custody -- by way of a state trooper calling ICE and having ICE take him into custody -- was extremely alarming to a lot of the Latino community, who felt that state and local police were protectors of all residents of the state, regardless of their immigration status, and that they could still rely

on state and local police,” she said. “There is a high level of fear because there was a feeling that if [an individual] did not commit crimes and come to the attention of ICE, it would be unlikely that [he or she] would come into contact with immigration.”

Meanwhile, the facts involved in the arrest of Hever -- one of 300 immigration cases the Sweet & Paciorek firm is handling -rest in determining whether or not the actions of the state trooper who detained Hever, and eventually contacted ICE, are legal. Sweet said that they are not.

“I don’t know what transpired in Hever’s exact situation, but if someone is pulled over by local law enforcement, [the officer] is technically not permitted to inquire into immigration status, because it’s irrelevant to them completing their job, which is to enforce local and state laws,” Sweet said. Hever was recently deported from the United States he is now back in Guatemala – and Loida is making plans to leave the U.S. and rebuild the family back in Guatemala.

Although the GoFundMe account has now raised more than $2,200, with contributions coming from 57 people its goal is now set at $5,000, in order to continue to pay for legal fees, food and services and, eventually, the transportation costs of traveling to Guatemala.

If the GoFundMe account Sachs created forms the money-raising component of support for the Puac family, then Kathleen Snyder serves as one of its key facilitators, lending connections, resources and stability.

In the past two months, Snyder has not only served as an interpreter for Loida, but as one of her primary caretakers, sharing duties with Juan Carlos Navarro, the pastor of Hispanic ministries at Faith Baptist Church in Delaware. Snyder and Loida speak to each other several times a week, and Snyder often drives and accompanies Loida on visits to the local grocery market, using funds made available through the GoFundMe account and other private donations.

“She’s become my little

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sister,” Snyder said.

Getting the Puac family together again is complicated and expensive. Obtaining the legal papers -- passports, statements, applications and birth certificates -- has become what Snyder calls “a comedy of errors,” which is likely to postpone the departure of Loida and her children until the fall. Hever’s passport has supposedly been turned over to Guatemalan authorities. Loida has applied for a passport, but it has yet to arrive from Guatemala. She also needs to obtain a notarized power of authority signed by Hever -- the absent parent -to give her permission to get passports for their children and give her the authority to take the children on the plane.

“One bureaucracy is making the other one more complicated,” Snyder said.

In an effort raise both awareness and funds, sharing news of the Puac family has been a concerted effort by groups and individuals, perhaps none more frequent and personal than the work being done by Kristie Brodowski, who has used social media to spread the message that funding is crucial.

In a recent post on ICEKennett’s Facebook page, Brodowski linked the group’s members to Sach’s GoFundMe site, along with the following sentiment about Loida and her children: “They are facing numerous challenges simply attempting to follow him [Hever] back to Guatemala. There are issues with obtaining passports for the children; there is a huge financial burden placed on this family; and the emotional toll is huge.

“Regardless of the circumstances, this family will have to rebuild their life back in Guatemala. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND. Your child has a bed here, a mattress, pots, pans, all of your possessions, and everything has to be sold or shipped to Guatemala. My mind immediately goes to the logistics of getting this family back to her husband. Do they have a car? What will they do with it? Do they have luggage? Can they ship their possessions back to Guatemala? The costs associated with this are high.

“This woman will be traveling alone with two small children to Guatemala to start her life over again. The unfairness of this situation is not lost on me.”

“The power of social media is really connecting people,” Brodowski said. “Collectively, we can do something bigger rather than what someone can do individually. I hate to say that it comes down to money, but a lot of times, issues like this can be resolved with some financial assistance. There is a large group of people who do want to help but don’t know what the family’s needs are. What I’ve been trying to do is to communicate these acute needs to other people.”

Snyder recently took Loida to a meeting at Sweet & Paciorek, when Loida spotted a freight train go by on the railroad track directly behind the office.

“Loida pointed and said, ‘You see that train? I came here on a train like that, riding on top of it, with Jendy tied to me so I wouldn’t lose her,’” Snyder said, describing a journey that took mother and daughter from the northern reaches of Guatemala to Mexico, and eventually, the U.S. “How brave is this woman?

“Loida is so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. She told me that ‘While there have been people who have done some very bad things to us, the people in this community have been nothing but good.’ She wants to meet Brian, so that she can thank him in person.”

From his kitchen in Landenberg, Sachs hears his two children in other parts of the family home.

One watches baseball highlights on television, while the other plays an interactive video game.

“I was a United States history major in college, and I always think about being on the right and wrong side of history, and I think the right side of history is finding a way to help these people,” Sachs said. “I don’t think oppressing underprivileged and hardworking people is being on the right side of history.

“Heather and I both look at this time in terms of ‘These are our years of service,’” he said. “When you’re young, you worry about yourself, and when you’re old, you’re the one who needs the help. We’re at the point of in between, and it’s where we can do something to help people.”

To make a donation to the Puac family, visit www. gofundme.com/8rgfsg.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

INVESTIGATION OF

IMAGE SHARING

On July 14, what Pennsylvania State Police Avondale are calling “sexual photographs” of a 19-year-old Lincoln University woman were disseminated online without her permission. Police are investigating.

THEFT AT YMCA

On July 10 at 5 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police Avondale investigated a theft at the YMCA at 80 W. Baltimore Pike in Penn Township. Police said that a 21-yearold Lincoln University woman was working out at the facility when someone took her keys, entered her car and stole about $60 in cash. The victim believes that her credit card number might also have been copied during the theft. The thief then returned the keys to where the woman had been working out. Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Ryan Ard at 610-268-2022.

THEFTS FROM CARS

Several incidents of cars being broken into have been reported by Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Cars were entered overnight on June 30 at 491 E. Lafayette Drive in Pocopson Township, overnight on June 22 at 125 Galloping Hill Road in New London Township, and overnight on July 14 at 128 and 130 Great Oak Drive in New

London Township. CASH AND CARDS STOLEN

Overnight on May 30, Pennsylvania State Police Said a car belonging to a 24-year-old man from Oxford was entered, and $60 in change and three credit cards were stolen. Police said the suspect is Timothy Wayne Hughes, 34, of Kennett Square.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS

Pennsylvania State Police Avondale charged Terri Lynn Fenstermaker, 53, of Oxford, with criminal trespass on June 23 at the Oxford Walmart.

ARGUMENT LEADS TO DRUG CHARGES

On May 21, an argument over who lived at 297B N. Guernsey Road in London Grove Township escalated into a drug investigation. The argument became a fight, during which the victim was slapped. The victim then told police that the accused, Robert Paul Bryer, 55, of West Grove, sold marijuana from the residence. Police searched the property and found that marijuana was also being grown at the location, and arrested Bryer.

ASSAULT CHARGE

On July 8, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale, Aaron Neil Twyman, 24, of Wilmington, Del., punched and slapped a 22-year-old woman at 115 E. Ruddy Duck Circle in East Marlborough Township, and destroyed her TV, a dining room chair and door handle. He was charged with simple assault.

D.A. commends Sheriff’s

Fugitive Apprehension Unit

Chester County District Attorney

Tom Hogan issued a commendation to the Chester County Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Sheriff’s K-9 Unit on Tuesday, July 11, for their roles in the apprehension of Barry Baker, who was accused of suckerpunching a person with cerebral palsy in May. Baker, 29, of Georgetown, Del., allegedly assaulted the victim outside a 7-11 convenience store in West Chester on May 10. He was charged with simple assault and

related offenses by the West Chester Borough Police Department. Baker was also wanted for failure to appear for a domestic relations matter and on an Adult Probation warrant. Working with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the deputies took Baker into custody on June 5.

District Attorney Hogan, who presented members of the unit with a plaque citing their “outstanding diligence and commitment,” acknowledged that their work seldom generates attention because they operate beneath the

radar. “We sure as heck don’t tell people how you do it because we don’t want the bad guys to know ... how you end up catching them and bringing them in,” Hogan said. Because of the heinous nature of the alleged offense, the case generated extensive publicity. “The whole world was watching Chester County,” said Hogan, “and you delivered.” He added that he had conferred with David B. Webb, the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who

applauded the teamwork involved in Baker’s apprehension.

Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh said she appreciated Hogan’s remarks as well as the positive relationship her office has with county prosecutors. “We’re fortunate to enjoy such a good working relationship,” she said. “That doesn’t always exist everywhere.”

“I’m extremely proud of the FAU and the multiagency cooperation they continue to demonstrate,” Welsh added.

Unbalanced

The proposed revenues and expenditures in Pennsylvania’s state budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year remain unbalanced—and so is the process that state lawmakers use to develop a spending plan each year.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced last week that, for the second year in a row, he intended to allow a budget crafted by the State Legislature to become law without his signature after he and the lawmakers failed to reach an agreement. The result will be a spending plan that is unbalanced and does not address the state’s ongoing budgetary issues.

Three years ago, Gov. Wolf and the State Legislature failed to agree on a spending plan, creating a nine-month budget impasse that hurt school districts and municipalities and threatened social service organizations that rely, at least in part, on funding from the state.

It’s easy to understand why state lawmakers have a difficult time passing a balanced and sensible budget. The state has a budget deficit that exceeds $2 billion. In order to address the budget deficit, spending would have to be cut or the revenues would have to be increased.

It’s not easy to convince Democrats to cut spending, which would likely mean less money for public schools and social services. And increasing revenues enough to balance the spending would likely mean tax increases, and Republican lawmakers are adamantly opposed to that.

Complicating matters is the state’s diversity. It’s hard to get Republicans and Democrats to agree on spending cuts or tax increases, but in Pennsylvania the differences often boil down to what is agreeable to big city lawmakers and small town lawmakers. What is good for residents in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh isn’t necessarily good for residents in the more rural areas of the state.

So what you get is an unbalanced budget and a perpetually unbalanced budgeting process.

It’s not just broad taxes that state lawmakers can’t agree on. Pennsylvania lawmakers can’t agree on a natural gas extraction tax even though every other state with energy drilling uses this tax to generate revenues to provide the needed services to citizens.

Even when Republicans controlled the governor’s office, the state senate, and the state house, it was difficult for lawmakers to come up with compromises that they all agreed on and that addressed the state’s long-term needs.

Pennsylvania’s economy simply isn’t growing fast enough to generate the revenues necessary to balance the budget without tax increases. The state ranks in the bottom half nationally on a variety of economic performance categories.

The state doesn’t have the revenues necessary right now to invest in economic development or job growth programs, to adequately invest in infrastructure improvements, or to support programs that improve the lives of residents.

The issue of property taxes, and the heavy reliance on local taxes to fund public education, has long been a top concern for Pa. residents, as has the inequality in funding for public schools. The wealthiest school districts have never had more to spend per pupil than they do now, but other school districts don’t receive a fair share of funding.

The way that state lawmakers view and go about developing the annual spending plans doesn’t work well—and the unbalanced budgets reflect this.

Chester County Press

Following latest budget debacle, it’s time to use revenue options

By State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski

For the past seven years, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have had majority control of our state government. For four of those years, they’ve had total control. During that time, their fiscal policy has been disastrous for Pennsylvania. Rather than engage in real solutions for recurring revenue, each budget has ended with halfsolutions, fuzzy math and kicking the can down the road to be dealt with at a later time.

Republicans’ refusal to entertain Pennsylvania’s fiscal reality has done irreparable damage to our finances. We’ve seen multiple credit downgrades from the three major credit-rating agencies and as of this writing, we’re facing yet another. These downgrades hurt taxpayers the most, as a lower credit rating means it costs state and local agencies more to borrow money or refinance existing debts. That cost gets passed on to you.

There are multiple options to fix Pennsylvania’s $2 billion structural deficit. All of them have existed for the past seven years, yet Republicans have refused to entertain any of them.

First and foremost, I advocate for a fair and reasonable tax on the Marcellus Shale gas-drilling industry. This alone will generate between

$200 million and $300 million per year at the current rate. This amount will double and triple once more infrastructure is complete and the gas industry is operating at full capacity.

If the General Assembly had imposed a severance (extraction) tax seven years ago, Pennsylvania would’ve brought in an estimated $2.88 billion over that time. This recurring revenue would not only bring Pennsylvania in line with every other gas-producing state in the country that imposes an extraction tax, but ensure that drillers are paying Pennsylvanians for the shared natural resources that constitutionally belong to the people.

Beyond that, options are plentiful. Closing the Delaware Loophole, which allows corporations to do business in Pennsylvania but open a holding company in Delaware to route profits through, would bring in approximately several hundred million dollars once fully implemented. By closing the loophole, we could also lower Pennsylvania’s corporate net income tax. Every working citizen pays their fair share of taxes in Pennsylvania and corporations must do the same.

Ending certain sales tax exemptions would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars yearly. For example, enforcing the sales tax on commercial storage (estimated $188

million), professional theater and dance activities (estimated $99 million) and professional sporting and entertainment activities (estimated $76 million) would bring in $363 million each year.

Reinstating the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, which was recently eliminated, could add a massive $900 million of recurring revenue. These taxes are paid by every entity that does business in Pennsylvania and is classified as a corporation for federal income tax purposes.

Currently, Pennsylvania has one of the lowest Personal Income Tax rates in the country – and that’s good. Our rate of 3.07 percent is lower than all neighboring states. Ohio’s rate is 4.99 percent, New York’s rate is 8.82 percent, Maryland’s rate is 5.75 percent and West Virginia’s rate is 6.5 percent.

Increasing the PIT by onetenth of one percent would put Pennsylvania’s rate at 3.17 percent, still one of the lowest in the country, and bring in more than $400 million per year. For the average taxpayer making $40,000 per year, their taxes would increase from $1,228 per year to $1,268, an increase of $40 or around $0.75 per week. This tax could be lawfully sunset after three years, basically meaning the increase would end and revert to its current level of

3.07 percent. During these three years, revenue from the Marcellus Shale extraction tax and the Corporate Stock and Franchise Tax would increase resulting in reverting the PIT back to its current level. Frankly, if projections hold true, the Marcellus Shale tax and the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax would generate enough money to actually begin to reduce property taxes as well.

The bottom line is we cannot continue to take money from one fund to pay off another. It’s simply not sustainable and costs the taxpayers more. It’s equivalent to paying off one credit card with another credit card. We all know that’s bad business.

Governing is not supposed to be easy and in my opinion, the state has been avoiding making tough decisions for years. The losers year after year are Pennsylvania taxpayers. I know many reasonable, responsible legislators on both sides of the aisle who recognize the numerous options available and want to fix this mess. We must come together and make the tough decisions that will put our state back on solid financial ground to help Pennsylvania attract new businesses and thrive, prosper and grow.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski represents the 121st Legislative District.

Chester County achieves further national acclaim for Women’s Reentry Assistance Program

Chester County’s Department of Probation, Parole and Pretrial Services has garnered two more national awards for the Women’s Reentry Assessment and Programming (WRAP) initiative.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) has recognized Chester County for the WRAP program as part of its 2017 achievement awards under the category of Criminal Justice and Public Safety. This award will be presented to Chester County at next week’s NACo conference in Columbus, Ohio.

tice and health care.

In addition to the NACO award, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University recently announced that Chester County’s WRAP program advanced from the “top 100” to the “top 25” finalist level from a pool of more than 500 applicants for the 2017 Innovations in American Government Awards competition. Described as “the vanguard of creative, solution-oriented government,” the Ash Center top 25 finalists represent the dedicated efforts of city, county, state and federal governments, and address policy issues such as economic development, environmental and community revitalization, public health, equal access to education, criminal jus-

The WRAP initiative was launched in January 2014 following extensive research to meet the needs of women who have been incarcerated, who were struggling for basic survival or who were lacking in skills to transition back into family life. The program began with 50 women, working with one probation officer trained in motivational interviewing and trauma-informed approaches. In two years, WRAP has expanded to the current census of 170 women using three probation officers, two full-time community case managers in partnership with Home of the Sparrow and curriculums and tools that address women’s risk factors.

“The success of the WRAP initiative can be measured in a number of

ways, most notably through the decrease in recidivism and in probation and parole violations,” said Chester County Commissioners’ Chair Michelle Kichline.

“We also measure improvement in quality of life for the WRAP participants –from living arrangements, finances and spare time to family, social life, friendships and health.”

“Not only is WRAP an effective program, it is also easily duplicated,” noted County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone. “It has been included as a model pilot program for other Pennsylvania counties to follow by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.”

Nationally, the NACo awards are given in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, compre-

hensive services that counties provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.

Commissioner Terence Farrell said, “Chester County continues to excel in developing and successfully implementing programs that overcome complex challenges. The WRAP initiative is a perfect example of a program that highlights the work of government and community at its very best, and we commend the county staff, agencies and partners who have helped the women of WRAP decrease their number of violations, spend less time in jail and create strong connections to their children, family and the community.”

School Board

Continued from Page 4A

Tomasetti responded to the concerns, pointing out that it’s a challenge for the district to make staffing decisions because the enrollment in a particular grade can fluctuate from one year to the next. The district often isn’t notified in a timely fashion when a student withdraws, so the fluctuations in a particular grade can be unpredictable. A few extra students in the fifth grade, as compared to the fourth grade,

While placing sixth in a competition where scores are separated by fractions, Gabrielle admitted that she was disappointed that this was not high enough to qualify for the national conference. “I have been in the chapter for four years and I love FBLA, so I was wondering what I could have done better at my last state conference. So when Ms. Webber told me I had been bumped up and made nationals I was incredibly excited.”

Zibby Harvey and Sarah Wilkinson returned to the state conference after excellent showings in 2016, with Zibby placing first in the state for Job Interview and Sarah part of a team that placed seventh in the Parliamentary Procedure competition.

The pair began planning for the American Enterprise Week event almost immediately after Zibby returned from the national conference in Atlanta last summer. “We received our prompts in July and began brainstorming to come up with ideas for American Education Week in November,” said Zibby.

“When we returned to school we began contacting people in the community who we hoped to bring to the school to talk about their businesses, and we began to finalize our plans.”

During American Enterprise Week, the two seniors were

could prompt the district to add a teacher to accommodate the increase. With limited resources, district officials sometimes have to make difficult decisions about how the schools are staffed. Regarding the fourth grade at New Garden Elementary, Tomasetti noted that before the one teacher position was taken away, a position had been added the year before—so in effect the staffing was returning to a previous level. The superintendent praised the district’s teaching staff for ensuring that students receive the attention that they need,

required to organize events at the high school, as well as give presentations to younger students and community members. “The goal is to educate the community and students about the American enterprise system, which most people don’t realize truly impacts their lives every day,” said Sarah.

John McLaughlin, an owner of the Sawmill Grill in downtown Oxford, was invited to give a presentation to the high school FBLA members.

The seniors also visited the Lighthouse Youth Center for an informal presentation on American Enterprise Week for younger students, and organized a community information session at the Oxford Library.

Sarah and Zibby also visited Penn’s Grove School, where they spoke about American business with three eighth grade classes.

“We distributed surveys before and after the presentation to determine the students’ initial interest in the topic and how they felt after we spoke,” said Zibby, adding she and Sarah were very grateful for the support Penn’s Grove Principal Tami Motes gave to their project.

Sarah and Zibby also created a Twitter account for their project where they could disseminate information about the events and provide daily facts on American business. After that final event, they wrote a 12-page photo-illustrated report that they submitted to the state FBLA.

“After finding out that we qualified, we put together

regardless of how many students are in a specific classroom. Tomasetti said that the district uses guidelines for class sizes and does its best to keep the number of students in each class as low as possible. He said that based on the most recent information, there are 88 students enrolled in fourth grade for the upcoming school year, so with the same four teaching positions for that grade there would be 22 students per class, on average. He thanked Anderson and the other parents who had contacted him about the issue for sharing their concerns.

a presentation for the state conference,” said Sarah.

For the state conference, Sarah and Zibby created a PowerPoint presentation that came in at the maximum allowable length of seven minutes, followed by three minutes of judges’ questions.

“We had a lot of information to get in,” said Zibby, explaining that the written report and the live presentation each counted for 100 points toward the team’s final score.

“We were very involved in this project and really knew our material,” said Zibby. “We were hands-on in every aspect of the competition and were confident we’d do well. It was also great that the other chapter members could watch our presentation, which made us feel even more confident.”

Maggie Walsh made her first trip to states after four years in FBLA, finishing second in the state in the Future Business Leader event. She said chapter advisor Kim Webber suggested she enter the event at the regional level.

“It turned out to offer the most real-life experience I could gain from any of the events,” said Maggie. “I am going into the business field, and it was a way for me to gain more knowledge and practice for what I want to do in the future.”

Maggie said the questions on the test that category participants are required to take were mostly based on the history of FBLA and the details of the organizational by-laws, and varied in difficulty.

“We’re always trying to do things to improve,” Tomasetti said. The school board approved a contract with Maria del Carmen Aja for parent liaison services for the fiscal year that started on July 1. Additionally, the district has appointed Dr. Michael Kirk as the district’s physician consultant. The Pennsylvania Department of Health Guidelines for the state’s schools requires that a district have a physician consultant to provide standing orders authorizing the administration of specific overthe-counter medications. Dr. Kirk replaces the district’s longtime

“It’s a very difficult test to study for because FBLA and business in general is such a broad topic,” said Maggie, adding that her service as student representative on the Oxford Area Board of School Directors during the past school year was beneficial to her knowledge of the test content.

While doing well on the test, Maggie said it was the interview portion of the event that she most enjoyed. “I enjoy talking with someone face to face, and being able to explain myself and get to connect with a person,” she said.

Maggie found her first interview at the state level to be the less intense of the two that were conducted in Hershey.

“The first interview was more about my life, my college plans, and how my FBLA experience will translate to the college environment,” she said. “The final was a lot more difficult because it focused more on the specific goals of FBLA and how they applied to and impacted my life.”

Maggie said she was surprised at how relaxed she was during the interviews. “I was more nervous that I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “I asked myself whether I might not have prepared enough because I felt so comfortable. I think my regional interview and my interview for school board representative helped me to feel a lot more confident. I knew there wasn’t anything I could study too much, because the questions were mostly about me

physician consultant, Dr. L. Peter Soraruf, who retired from practicing medicine.

The school board also voted to authorize district officials to negotiate an agreement with the Kennett Creamery that would allow patrons of that pop-up beer garden and gathering space to use the district-owned parking spaces near Legacy Fields. Board member Bob Norris suggested that district officials begin the negotiations, noting that the agreement would have to be free of conflicts with any other agreements that the district already has. Board

and my personal experiences. That definitely helped calm my nerves a lot.”

For the Social Media Campaign event, Sarah Johnson, Emily Quesenberry and Rachel Hannum were required to promote an original TV show or movie through social media.

“We decided that we wanted to film trailers that we could post on Twitter and Instagram to advertise a TV series, and the first thought that came to our minds was to do something based around Oxford,” said Rachel.

The team came up with a subscription channel they called fblaTV where they would air a reality series called FollowAlongTV. “The series would focus on five students from Oxford and their particular talent, hobby or job,” said Emily.

The team members filmed trailers for each episode that were 25 to 30 seconds in length. They would begin promoting an episode of the series through messages and photos on Twitter and Instagram, leading up to the trailer being posted.

“We had 100 followers on Instagram and 70 on Twitter,” said Sarah. “Some people thought we were advertising an actual TV show, which we took as a good sign. We also conducted Twitter polls to see what people were thinking about the show.”

“New ideas came along as we progressed from the base concept of the project,” said Rachel. “Our season finale,

member Michael Finnegan, who presided over the meeting, also noted that the parking areas could only be used when it doesn’t conflict with school activities. The Kennett Creamery is open each Thursday through Sunday through September. The school board will not have a meeting in August so the next meeting will take place on Monday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Kennett High School library.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

which was a surprise episode, was about Zibby and all the activities she has been a part of at school. So we asked her to do a Q&A on Twitter and it turned out really well. We also used Snap Chat to post behindthe-scenes videos about making the series.”

“At states we presented a PowerPoint on the project and a video with all of the trailers combined,” said Emily. “We didn’t have to do that but we thought it was the best way to show the judges what our show was about.”

All five graduates will be continuing their education after returning from Anaheim. In addition to Zibby Harvey’s service at the Naval Academy, Maggie will enter the Smeal School of Business at Penn State’s Main Campus; Gabrielle will study international business and political science at Olivet Nazarene University; Emily will study nursing at Liberty University; Sarah will attend Stanford University where she will study math or science and play field hockey; and Rachel was still deciding between Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh.

FBLA chapter advisor Kim Webber and the students expressed their great thanks to Herr Foods, Tipton Trucking, Country Dodge, Cameron’s Ace Hardware and Oxford Feed and Lumber for their generous support of Oxford’s participation in the National Leadership Conference.

Summer aviation camp continues to reach for the skies

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

At the exact moment several of her friends were likely plunked in front of a television, an iPad or their iPhone, 11-year-old Abby Goodwin was sitting beside a flight instructor in the early afternoon of July 13, soaring in a Cessna 150, high over her hometown of Hockessin.

It was called a discovery flight, and during it, she was given the controls of the plane.

When the plane landed back at the New Garden Flying Field, she thanked her instructor, hopped off the Cessna and, with a beaming smile, rejoined her 62 fellow campers at the ninth annual Future Aviators Summer Camp, held July 10 to 14.

“I took a trip to Pittsburgh in a plane, and I thought it was really cool, so I asked my dad if I could learn more about flying and fly a plane myself, and he told me, ‘We’ll find something,’” she said. “I think this camp is really fun and educational, and I would recommend it to any young person who wants to learn about aviation.”

As in past years, campers spent a full week learning hands-on about airplane construction, aero modeling and rocketry by building and launching their own miniature rocket; using flight simulators; attending a Fit2Fly team building trail; and visiting the Uduar-Hazy Center at the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Va.

The camp, which will be repeated this summer from Aug. 7 to 11, also received a visit from a pilot from the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, who flew into the Flying Field on a Blackhawk and gave tours of the aircraft – as well as talks from a military pilot and rocket science engineer.

Stories and opportunities like Goodwin’s are in full supply every summer at the camp, which engages youngsters from ages 7 to

15 in nearly every aspect of aviation. Some kids attend merely out of a fascination for the science of flight, while others look at the camp as a stepping stone for a future in aviation.

New Garden Flying Field general manager Jon Martin, who has developed the camp with flight instructor Court Dunn since it drew just 28 campers nine summers ago, said the clearest indicator of the camp’s success is seen not only in the high number of return campers, but the fact that the camp’s 30 counselors are all past attendees.

Madison Brown attended the Future Aviators Summer Camp for five summers, and became a junior counselor last summer. A recent graduate of Kennett High School, she is headed to Syracuse University in the fall to study communications, and intends to have aviation remain a part of her life through college and beyond. Brown is currently working on her private pilot’s license, so that she may become a certified flight instructor.

“My godmother and her husband are full-time pilots at American Airlines, and they both served in the Air Force,” Brown said.

“Growing up, that was always inspirational for me to hear, to see her talk about getting her pilot’s license at a very young age. It became something that I wanted to do, so when I realized that there was an airport near where I lived, I wanted to get involved, and as soon as possible.”

Abby Goodwin wants to become a veterinarian, but would also like to obtain her pilot’s license in the future.

“This way, if someone can’t get to me with their animal, I can get in a plane and get to them,” she said.

To learn more about the Future Aviators Summer Camp at the New Garden Flying Field, visit www. newgardenflyingfield.com, or call 610-268-2619.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

July 19

Furniture workshop

The Oxford Area Senior Center and the Pickled Pickles boutique are hosting a furniture refinishing workshop to teach the art of furniture painting at 7 p.m. on July 19 at the Oxford Area Senior Center (12 E. Locust St). The class teaches basic techniques for prepping, painting and distressing furniture. Participants should bring their own small piece of furniture for refinishing. The cost is $25 (cash only), which includes all materials needed to complete this take-home project. Make reservations by July 11. Call 610-932-5244 or email oxsrctr@zoominternet.net.

July 22

Bluegrass jam

The Oxford Arts Alliance (38 S. Third St., Oxford) hosts a bluegrass and oldtime music jam session on July 22 and Aug. 26. Bring an instrument and join in from 2 to 4 p.m. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Admission is $5. Call 610-467-0301 for more

information.

July 22, 29

Adult Summer Camp at winery

On July 15, 22 and 29, Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford) hosts an adult “summer camp” series of special evenings. There will be outdoor activities including wine and beer tastings, lawn games with team T-shirts, a pig roast dinner, fire pit s’mores and sing-alongs. Visit www. chaddsford.com.

July 22

Craft fair

On July 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ware Presbyterian Village Auxiliary will hold the first “Summer Craft Fair and More” in the Pavilion Auditorium at Vista Ridge Apartments at Ware Presbyterian Village in Oxford. Proceeds benefit the residents of the Oxford Health Care Center and Stewart Place. There will be more than 30 vendor tables, local produce, a thrift store, a model railroad display and tours of the woodworking shop. Wine will be sold by Harvest Ridge Winery.

Box lunches, desserts and lemonade will be for sale. Visitors can also tour a sample senior living apartment.

July 22 and 23

Wilkinson Homes Family Fun Days

Free food, a water slide, a farm tour, and face painting will be part of the Wilkinson Homes Family Fun Days on July 22 and 23. The events take place from noon to 3 p.m. each day. On July 23, there will also be monster truck rides from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Hills of London Grove by Wilkinson Homes. The GPS address is 35 Abby Road in Avondale (follow detour signs).

Aug. 4

First Friday in Oxford

Enjoy food, music, and activities at Oxford’s First Friday event, which has a “Rock the Block” theme. The stores in the downtown will have extended hours and special deals. Hours are 5 to 8 p.m.

Aug. 13

Record Collectors show The Keystone Record

Celebrating unity in Kennett Square

Block party at Anson B. Nixon Park July 30

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

A block party to bring people together to celebrate unity is being planned for the Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square on Sunday, July 30. According to Juan Carlos Navarro, an organizer of the event, the block party is being planned to “celebrate our cultural and social diversity in our community.”

Navarro added that the hope is that the event will

allow residents to pursue unity together and to alleviate some tensions that some groups have felt since the U.S. Presidential election last November.

“So far, we have had a good response from people and different groups,”

Navarro said. “We feel most of the population is eager to have good relationships with everybody in our beloved town.”

The free event will include food, music, and fun. The festivities begin at

2 p.m. Anyone interested in bringing food and desserts to the block party should call 302-766-4698.

Navarro heads up the steering committee organizing the event. That committee also includes Joan Holliday, Rev. Lydia Munoz, Doug Nakashima, David Park, Mark Pevar, Jerry Poe, Karen Scherer, Kathleen Snyder, and Tony Talamonti.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Collectors Music Expo will be held Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Continental Inn (2285 Lincoln Highway east, next to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster). Dealers will buy, sell and trade records and music memorabilia from all eras. Admission and parking are free. Call 610-932-7852 or visit www.recordcollectors. org.

Sept. 1

First Friday Car Show

Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., will be hosting its fourth annual car show as the First Friday event in September. This event is expected to be larger than ever, with more than 250 antique, classic, and modern cars on display. The car show runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit downtownoxfordpa.org

for details. Sept. 30 Apple Festival

The Oxford Presbyterian Church’s annual Apple Festival in Oxford Memorial Park takes place on Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be dozens of vendors, games for children, and entertainment. For more information, visit www. opcapplefestival.org.

Kennett Flash schedule

The Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square) hosts regional and national artists. Tickets are available in advance at www. kennettflash.org, or at the door. Snacks and beverages are sold, or guests can BYOB.

The schedule includes: Matthew Ryan (July 20, 8:30 p.m., $15); Will Power: Tribute to Tower of Power (July 21, 8 p.m., $20 and $25); Ben Arnold Band (July

25, 8 p.m., $12); Raymond the Amish Comic with Chris Coccia (July 28, 8 p.m., $16 and $20); Warchild: Jethro Tull tribute (July 29, 8 p.m., $23 and $26); Taller: Black Crowes tribute, and Brown Sugar: Rolling Stones tribute (Aug. 4, 8 p.m., $14 and $17); Crowded Streets: Dave Matthews Band tribute (Aug. 5, 8 p.m., $20 and $24); Open Mic with host Bill Currier (Aug. 6, 7 p.m., $4); Arlen Roth (Aug. 17, 8 p.m., $23 and $26); Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling (Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $30 and $35).

To submit items to the Calendar of Events, e-mail jchambless@chestercounty. com. There is no charge. Not every submission can be included. Items should be submitted at least two weeks before the event.

Tickets on sale for 20th Brewfest

The Kennett Brewfest has a big anniversary coming up, and you’re invited to help celebrate.

The 20th Kennett Brewfest will be held Sept. 30 in downtown Kennett Square, with a huge crowd of beer lovers descending on State Street to sample beers from more than 100

local, regional and national craft breweries. Tickets went on sale in June.

There’s live music all afternoon, as well as festival foods.

From 1:30 to 5 p.m., those over 21 can stroll from tent to tent, getting two-ounce samples of as many of the brews as they want. A connoisseur tasting will kick things off at noon for an additional fee, followed by the regular event. Tickets range from $15 for designated drivers to $50 for general admission. More information is available at www. Kennettbrewfest.com.

Camp Dreamcatcher gets grant from The Philadelphia Foundation

Camp Dreamcatcher

recently received a grant from The Philadelphia Foundation.

A $13,000 grant was received from the Jonathan R. Lax Fund, the Mignonette V. Whelen Fund, the Hermione Barret Way Fund and the Milton Apfelbaum Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.

“I was thrilled to receive the news that The Philadelphia Foundation

awarded a general operating grant to Camp Dreamcatcher, Inc.,” said Patty Hillkirk, Camp Dreamcatcher’s executive director and founder. “The foundation has been supporting our free therapeutic and educational programs for HIV/AIDS impacted youth for many years and I deeply appreciate the support they have given us.”

Founded in 1996, Camp Dreamcatcher provides free services throughout the year to children coping with HIV/ AIDS. Programs include weekend retreats, reunion events, a mentoring program, a college scholarship program, a holiday adopt-afamily program, HIV/AIDS education, training and community outreach and a one-week therapeutic camp

session.

The organization serves 130 youth and over 250 counselors, medical personnel, professionals and community members volunteer with the organization.

The Philadelphia Foundation is one of America’s oldest community foundations.

Founded in 1918, The

Philadelphia Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life in the Pennsylvania counties of Great Philadelphia (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia). A foundation and a public charity, the foundation connects philanthropic resources to societal needs. It manages assets of

approximately $370 million and more than 900 charitable funds established by its fund holders. It distributes about $25 million annually to nearly 1,000 nonprofits as grants and scholarships, and promotes greater philanthropy and stronger nonprofits in service to community needs. To learn more, visit www. philafound.org.

HARRIET S. WINCHELL

Harriet S. Winchell, 90, of Kennett Square, peacefully passed away on June 28 with her family by her side.

Harriet is survived by her husband, Anthony H. Winchell, with whom she shared 63 loving years of marriage. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Morton and the late Dorothy (Robb) Sultzer. Harriet attended high school at the George School, went on to attend Wellesley College and earned her Masters of Education at Columbia Teachers College. After receiving her education, Harriet taught public school in Baltimore in the early 1950s, which is where she met her husband, Tony. After marrying Tony, the two relocated to New York State to start their family. Harriet spent most of her time raising four children. Aside from being a loving mother and homemaker, Harriet was a historian and loved books and reading. She worked for many years at Second Story Books in Chappaqua, N.Y. Later, after all her children had graduated from high school, Harriet and Tony relocated to Raleigh, N.C., where she spent several years serving as a docent at Mordecai House and volunteering at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Harriet was also an avid quilter and a life master in bridge. In 2001, Tony and Harriet moved north to Pennsylvania to be closer to family and their beloved cabin, Hope Home, in upstate New York.

Along with her husband, Tony, Harriet is survived by her children, David of Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Tom of Canton, Mass.; and Susan of Silver Spring, Md.; her sister, Mary Holmes of Davidsonville, Md.; and her three grandsons.

A memorial service to honor and celebrate Harriet’s life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions in Harriet’s name may be made to the Betsy Kiddy International Study Endowed Fund at Albright College. This fund was established to honor the memory of Harriet’s daughter, Betsy Kiddy, who was the director of Latin American Studies at Albright until her death in 2014. The fund is used to support student study abroad in South America. Checks may be made out to Albright College, noting the Betsy Kiddy Endowment in the memo line, and sent to Albright College, Office of Development, Betsy Kiddy Endowment, P.O. Box 15234, Reading, PA 19612-5234. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.griecocares. com.

‘Summer Fun’ series

Through Aug. 23

West Grove United Methodist Church (300 N. Guernsey Rd., West Grove)

celebrates summer for the third year with the Wednesday night free series, “Summer Fun for Everyone.” The community is invited to attend from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be hot dogs, games, fellowship and a brief word from pastor Rev. Monica B. Guepet each week. All beverages will be supplied. If you’d like to bring chips, cookies or a side dish, they will be appreciated. A box of games will be available, the youth plan to have their 9-In-The-Air game up, and there is a playground for small children. For more information, call 610-869-9334 or visit www.westgroveumc. org.

July 22

Buffet breakfast

The Oxford United Methodist Church (18 Addison St., Oxford) hosts a buffet breakfast on July 22 from 7 to 10 a.m. The public is invited. The menu includes buttermilk pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, fruit, sausage and bacon, roasted potatoes, dried beef gravy and breads. Tickets at the door are $7 for adults and $3 for ages 3 to 10. Proceeds benefit the church’s general fund. Call 610932-9698 for more information.

July 23 to 27

Vacation Bible School

A summer Vacation Bible School called “Maker Fun Factory” will be hosted at Oxford United Methodist Church (18 Addison St., Oxford) from July 23 to 27 from from 6 to 8:30 p.m. each evening. Kids will participate in Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make treats, and test sciency-fun gizmos they’ll take home. This year’s offering will go toward Operation Kid-to-Kid to bring clean drinking water to kids in Peru. “Maker Fun Factory” is for ages 5 to sixth grade. Register at www.oxford1851. org or call 610-932-9698.

Summer music series

Landenberg United Methodist Church (205 Penn Green Rd., Landenberg) presents its summer music

ROBERT C. EVANS

Robert C. “Abie” Evans, 88, of Oxford, passed away on July 15 in Lancaster General Hospital.

He was the husband of Wanda McCall Evans, with whom he shared 66 wonderful years of marriage. Born in Oxford, he was the son of the late Charles D. and Mary McElwain Evans. Abie was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean War. He barbered his entire life, making lifelong friends. Abie also was employed with Chrysler and Aberdeen Proving Ground. He was a member of the Bethany Presbyterian Church, Union Fire Company and Roy W. Gibson Post No. 535 American Legion all of Oxford. His love for singing was well known. Abie was a founding member of the Good News Singers Quartet and sang with the Lanchester Chorus. He enjoyed sharing his gift of music and ministered at several churches and nursing homes. He also enjoyed golf, bowling and painting.

He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Jewel Campbell of Millersville and Crystal Bachman of Quarryville; six grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; one brother, John C. Evans of Elsmere, Del.; nieces and nephews; and Buzz Tyson, whom he considered to be a son. He was preceded in death by a sister, Dorothy Earo.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. July 19 at Bethany Presbyterian Church (2483 Baltimore Pike, Oxford), where friends may visit from 9 to 10:45 a.m. Interment with full military honors will be in Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Lighthouse Youth Center, 245 Commerce St., Oxford, PA 19363. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

MARGARET MUNSON HALL

Margaret passed away on June 7 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, surrounded by family and friends who loved her.

OSCAR R. BODDY, JR.

Oscar R. Boddy, Jr., 76, of West Chester, passed away on July 14 at Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester. He was the son of the late Oscar R. Boddy, Sr., and Marie Brock Boddy. He is survived by two sons; one daughter; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one brother.

A visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. July 20 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home (250 W. State St., Kennett Square). His funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com.

ARTHUR HARRISON

Arthur “Bugs” Harrison, 86, a lifelong residence of Kennett Square, passed away at his home on July 8.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, with whom he shared 54 loving years of marriage. Born in Kennett Square, he was the son of the late Charles and the late Marie (O’Neill) Harrison. After receiving his education, Arthur enrolled in the U.S Air Force and served during the Korean Conflict. He then went on to become a plumber, working for Jenkins & McMahon and the Borough of Kennett Square. When Arthur wasn’t working, he greatly enjoyed taking road trips all over the East Coast with his family. He was also an avid sports fan; he loved the Yankees, the Giants, and the Celtics. Arthur was an active member of the American Legion Post 00491, the VFW Post 5467, and the Italian American Citizens’ League.

program during Sunday services. Call 610-274-8384. July 16: Morgan Hollow Trio, flute, piano and vocals; July 23: Belles and Roses Handbell Choir/Lavenia Civitelli; July 30: Paul Boris, piano; Aug 6: Bob Hart; Aug 13: Steve Poorman; Aug 20: Morgan Hollow Trio; Aug. 27: Rise Up Band.

Social time for singles Singles & Others Loving Opportunities to Socialize (SOLOS) will meet at West Grove Presbyterian Church (139 W. Evergreen St., West Grove) on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall adjacent to the church. SOLOS has a mission of fostering Christian friendships and enjoyable activities for single people or married people whose spouses are not available for many social activities. The group is not intended to function as a matchmaking group. For reservations, email wgpres139@yahoo.com, or call 610-869-9458.

She is survived by many loving family members in several states, including her mother, Evelyn Nash Munson of Cochranville, and her husband, Dr. John Hall, O.D. retired, of Glenmoore. Additionally, she is survived by a loving son and daughter, Drew Hall of Wilmington, Del., and Kim Sperry of Denver, Colo. Margaret, a graduate of Downingtown High School, earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Memphis University, class of 1976. She was an avid horsewoman since childhood, and past president of several animal rescue groups. Margaret enjoyed many fine art activities, including painting, drawing and silver work. Her true passion was writing fiction, including screenplays and short stories. Margaret advanced her profession through memberships in the Brandywine Valley Writers Group, Romance Writers of America and the American Film Institute. She was a kind, caring, loving soul who will be missed by many. Everyone who responded to her passing remarked on her beautiful smile, sharp wit and giving ways. Please consider her favorite charity, World Vision, dedicated to helping children of all beliefs.

WILLIAM B. MAULDIN III

William Benjamin Mauldin III, 85, of Oxford, passed away on July 10 at Jennersville Regional Hospital in West Grove.

He was the husband of Jean F. Wilson Mauldin. Born in Oxford, he was the son of the late William Benjamin II and Elsie Maurice Mauldin. William was the owner and operator of Automotive Cooling in Oxford until he retired in 2004. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Rising Sun, Md. He enjoyed boating, automobiles and vacationing with his family.

He is survived by his wife; three daughters, Sherry Mauldin Cohen (Alan) of Margate, N.J., Darla Mauldin Troop (Grant) of Oxford, and Kristi Mauldin Hurrelbrinck (Scott) of Cochranville; and three grandchildren, Zachary William Hurrelbrinck, Luke Robert Hurrelbrinck and Karlee Jean Hurrelbrinck. He was preceded in death by a sister, June Conner.

A graveside service was held July 14 at Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 19 E. Main St., Rising Sun, MD 21911. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Along with his wife, Patricia, Arthur is survived by his children, Charlie and his wife Michelle of West Grove, Sean of Lewes, Del., and Marie of West Chester. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Matthew, Lexi, Carissa and Curtis. Arthur was predeceased by his brother, Charles L. Harrison; his sister, Liza McKenna; and his son, James “Bugsy” Harrison.

A graveside service was held privately for the family at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Arthur’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www. griecocares.com.

‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a

and a

Jeremiah 29:11

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Classic ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ being staged July 21 to 30

The classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof” comes to Chester County this weekend when the Avon Grove Community Theater stages the show at the Ware Center Theater.

The show is scheduled July 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29

at 7 p.m., and July 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. at the theater on the campus of Lincoln University (1570 Old

Baltimore Pike). Tickets are $20 ($17 for students and seniors over 65). For tickets online, visit www.actheater.

org.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is set in Imperial Russia in 1905. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon

CLARE MAY

Clare May, 84, of Oxford, passed away on July 17 at the Jennersville Regional Hospital.

She was the wife of Ralph G. May, who passed away in 1994, and with whom she shared 41 years of marriage. Born in Mountain City, Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Ferd and Maggie Warren Morefield. Clare was the gate keeper at the Avon Lake Sportsmen Club for many years. She enjoyed playing bingo, eating, and going to Delaware Park, but her most cherished role was being a mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother. Clare was a member of the Oxford Senior Center.

She is survived by four sons, R. Wayne May and his wife Cathy of Wilmington, Del., Ronnie May and his wife Teresa of West Grove, David May of Nottingham, and Ken May and his wife Leslie of Newark, Del.; two brothers, Carl Morefield of West Grove, and Russell Morefield of Laurel Bloomery, Tenn.; three sisters, Bertie Morefield and Shirley Widener, both of Laurel Bloomery, Tenn.; and Katherine Wheatley of Fruitland, Md.; ten grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Clare was predeceased by one son, Steven “Tubby” May; one daughter-in-law, Ramona May; and four sisters.

A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon July 21 at the Kennett Square Missionary Baptist Church (408 Bayard Road, Kennett Square). Her funeral service will follow at noon. Burial will be in the New London Presbyterian Church

the family’s lives. He must cope both with the strongwilled actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one’s choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of his faith – and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

The original Broadway production of the show,

which opened in 1964, had the first musical theater run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It won nine Tony Awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography.

Its much-loved songs include “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life,” “Miracle of Miracles,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”

LAWRENCE J. GIANCOLA

Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com.

BARBARANNE MARIANI

Barbaranne Mariani, 83, of Oxford, passed away on July 15 at home. She was the wife of the late Joseph John Mariani. Born in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of the late John and Jean Modestowicz Cavanaugh. Barbaranne co-hosted a local radio show, “As the Spirit Leads,” and national radio show “Night Flight” with her husband, Joseph, for 40 years. She also entertained the troop and performed for the USO. Barbaranne enjoyed traveling the world, exercising, and loved her dogs and all animals. She was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Oxford.

She is survived by two sons, Drew Mariani (Cathy) of Green Bay, Wis., and Gregory Mariani of Oxford; three daughters, Alicia Golebiowski (Krzysztof) of Winterville, N.C., Tara Matthews (Blaise) of Oxford, and Johna Mariani of Oxford; 13 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one brother, Gerald Cavanaugh of New Concord, Ohio.

A memorial mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. July 21 at Sacred Heart Church (203 Church St., Oxford), where friends and family may visit from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Interment will be in Oxford Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Lawrence J. Giancola, 88, of Kennett Square, died on July 16 at his home, surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Rosalind Everley Giancola, with whom he shared 59 years of marriage. Born in Kennett Square, he was a son of the late Richard and the late Antoinette (Bendistis) Giancola. He served our country during peacetime in the Army. He was a 1951 graduate of Penn State University. Lawrence was a real-estate broker for over 40 years, and the founder and owner of Kennett Realty Company in Kennett Square. For many years, he was a Justice of the Peace; and for 21 years, was Kennett Township’s Secretary/Treasurer/ Zoning Officer.

Survivors include, in addition to his wife, two sons, Thomas Giancola and his wife Susan of Kennett Square, and Robert Giancola, also of Kennett Square; one brother, Walter Giancola of West Chester; and four granddaughters, Catherine, Christina, Emma and Mia. He was predeceased by one brother, Richard, earlier this year.

A visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 21 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (250 W. State St., Kennett Square). His memorial mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick Catholic Church (212 Meredith St., Kennett Square). Inurnment will be in St. Patrick Cemetery. Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church, 205 Lafayette St., Kennett Square, PA 19348. TTo view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

NOTICE OF FICTITIOUS

Redistricting...

Continued from Page 1A

redistricting must be done in compliance with the Federal Voting Rights Act, which blocks district lines that deny minority voters an equal opportunity to “participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”

To illustrate his point, Unger showed the progression of the massive shape change the 7th Congressional District – which includes Chester County – has undergone in the past 60 years. During that time, the district has gone from a fairly contiguous area to one that resembles Rorschach inkblot test, one that includes portions of Delaware, Berks, Lancaster, Montgomery and Chester counties.

Unger asked that New Garden join the list of 60 Pennsylvania cities, towns, boroughs, and counties have already adopted an official resolution in support of fair redistricting practices, which include 14 municipalities in Chester County. The more resolutions that get adopted, the more momentum redistricting reform efforts will have to overturn current laws and support Senate Bill 22 and House Bill 722 (introduced by Pa. Representative Eric Roe), which both propose to create an independent citizens commission that would determine both legislative and congressional redistricting in the state.

“We support a resolution for redistricting reform, because we want all citizens in Pennsylvania to be fairly represented,” Unger said.

“We want races for federal and state law offices to be competitive and to serve the people, and we want districting to be determined by the people, not by the politicians.”

An audience member then stood up and offered her support of the initiative, which led to generous applause. After discussion, the board agreed that it will draft a resolution, and then address and likely vote on the resolution at its next meeting on Aug. 21.

In other township news, the board heard the conditional use application that would convert the Toughkenamon Town Center facility at 1120 and 1140 Newark Road into a destination spot for township residents.

Kristi Wyatt, a member of the township’s comprehensive plan committee, said that the vision for the 19,000-square-foot location, owned by Chuck Nunan since 1998, is to serve as a new location for retail stores, office space, special events, restaurants and a new Harvest Ridge Winery tasting room. The first phase of the concept would construct the wine tasting room at the eastern end of the complex, and would be followed by the rehabbing of the remaining space into retail, office and common space. Nunan said the construction would also involve the re-lining of 75 parking spots on the back of the complex.

“It’s part of the township’s plan to revitalize Toughkenamon, and this could become one of the first steps to make it happen, and make it a place that people want to come to

and spend some time there,” she said.

The board has 45 days to render a decision on the application, but is expected to rule at its next meeting on Aug. 21.

After hearing comments from Kennett Library Executive Director Megan Walters, the board approved the inclusion of a referendum on the township’s Nov. 7 ballot that will ask township residents if they would be in favor of increasing their real estate tax by 0.1 mills, beginning in 2018, with the additional funding going to the library. Translated, that’s an increase of $37 per household.

The wording on the referendum will read: “Do you favor increasing New Garden Township’s real estate tax by 0.1 mills, the revenue from such increase to be used exclusively to fund the operation of the Kennett Library? The current real property tax is 1.62 mills.”

It is the second time a referendum for the library will be included on the township’s voting ballots. In 2014, the board voted in favor of adding the referendum, but it was defeated narrowly in that year’s election. If it is approved by the voters, the referendum would dedicate about $80,000 toward the library, as well as the $15,900 the township annually contributes to the library.

The board approved the upcoming purchase of new equipment that will be placed in the Children’s playground at New Garden Township Park, at a cost not to exceed the estimate provided to the township in the

amount of $128,794.

Given that the local mushroom industry contributes more than $2 billion annually to the local economy, and in conjunction with Kennett Township’s efforts to establish the Kennett area as a world hub for indoor agriculture, Penn State professor Eric Stein gave a presentation that asked the township to link itself to the plans to establish a Center for Excellence for Controlled Environment Agriculture in Chester County. He was introduced by Michael Guttman, Kennett Township’s grants program and environmental sustainability director, who has been a key spokesperson in establishing Kennett Square as a worldwide center for the indoor agriculture effort.

More and more, Stein said, the world’s food growing resources are moving indoors, in order to better provide food for the world’s increasing population, while also conserving water. The amount of fresh water being used for outdoor agriculture accounts for nearly 70 percent of fresh water availability around the globe.

“Water is going to become the next oil over the next generations,” he said. “We also need to recognize that there are more people in urban centers that there ever were before, so growing food with less water is becoming more critical.”

Because the mushroom industry operates on the principle of indoor controlled agriculture, placing the facility in the epicenter of the mushroom center of the world makes great sense, Stein said.

“Currently, there is no center for indoor controlled agriculture,” he told the supervisors. “The fact is that there is a need for a free-standing center in the industry. Our vision for the center in this region is to make it a hub for investment, production, logistics, research and development and training.

“We see this as an opportunity for business and industry development, for applied research and bringing resources and financing into this region.”

Kennett Township has already approved and paid for a feasibility study for the center, which is now underway.

The supervisors not only agreed that a center of this kind would be a business, economic and branding boon to the area, they said

they would look for possible land parcels in the township that may become available when it’s time for the center to be built – as well as lend existing infrastructure, such as vacant mushroom houses, to further indoor agriculture efforts in the community.

In other news, township solicitor Vince Pompo announced that the conditional use hearing to determine the outcome of an application to install a 125-foot-tall high wireless cellular communications tower at 1511 Yeatmans Station Road in Landenberg by Eco-Sites, LLC, was postponed, and will be continued on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. in the township building.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Hopewell Students are well-read and have the ribbons to prove it

Courtesy photo

The Hopewell Elementary School sixth grade “Hopewell Biscuits” earned blue ribbons in the middle school level of the Chester County Reading Olympics.

Front from left are Amy Swisher, coach; Sierra DiFrancesco, Mackenzie Clark, GuadalupeJuarezZavala and Principal Dr. Nicole Addis; second row from left, Ava Corcoran, Brandee Levinsky and Jack DeGrave; top from left, Assistant Principal Jason Soule, Ryan Steinmetz, Julia Kahn, captain; Erin Chapin and Elizabeth Evans-Ralston. Emma Zaleski is not pictured.

The Hopewell Elementary School fifth grade “Book Busters” earned white ribbons in the elementary level of the Chester County Reading Olympics. Front from left are Alyssa Robinson, coach; Maddie Soule, captain; Avion Rochester, MaKenzie Hart, MaKaylah Hart and assistant coach Elizabeth Hanna; middle from left, Erin Judge, Luke Curry, Paige Engleman, Tanaya Valentin and Jackson Shover; top from left, Micahia Glasgow, ElShaddai Myers, Erik Tellez, Sophia Schaefer, principal Dr. Nicole Addis and assistant principal Jason Soule.

Avon Grove 10U All Star Softball Team earns spot in the Pennsylvania State Championships

This month, the Avon Grove Area Little League 10U All Star Softball Team was crowned the District 28 and Section 7 winners. The team earned a spot in the Pennsylvania State Championships. The tournament for the State Championship title began on July 18. The players on the Avon Grove district championship team are Gabriella Beltran, Ashley

Bujak, Elle Burns, Paige Chudnofsky, Makenzie Dunlap, Payton Hale, Madeline Kelly, Megan McKeown, Elle Morris, Adeline Overton, Sophia Santinelli, Maggie Sullivan, Michaela Sycalik, and Riley Wiercinski. The manager of the team is Dusty McKeown, and the assistant coaches are Michael Bujak and Carl Hale.

Hopewell Elementary School sent two fifth grade teams and two sixth grade teams to the Chester County Reading Olympics held in May at West Chester East High School.

In the middle school level of the event, held on May 23, the sixth grade “Hopewell Biscuits,” coached by teacher Amy Swisher, earned blue ribbons indicating the highest scoring range, and the “Hopewell Book Ninjas,” coached by reading specialist Karen Gregan, earned red ribbons.

In the elementary school level of the event, held on May 25, the fifth grade “Hopewell Hornets,” coached by learning support teacher Daniel O’Brien, earned red ribbons, and the “Hopewell Book Busters,” coached by

learning support teacher Alyssa Robinson and teacher Elizabeth Hanna, earned white ribbons. Sponsored by the Chester County Intermediate Unit, the goal of the Reading Olympics is to increase the time students spend reading independently for enjoyment while developing their reading skills. Beginning in December, students collaborate with their teammates to read 45 books selected by a committee of librarians, reading specialists, and classroom teachers in the Philadelphia area. The committee prepares 45 questions based on the selected books for the Reading Olympics participants to answer during the three rounds of competition.

Soccer sign-ups slated for Avon Grove Recreation Association

The Avon Grove Recreation Association will be sponsoring their Fall Soccer Program. Games will be played on Saturdays during September and October, with one-nighta-week practice. Teams will be divided into four divisions:

Mixed Midget Division is kindergarten and first graders in September

Mixed Elementary Division is second and third graders in September

Mixed Junior Division is fourth and fifth graders in September

Mixed Senior Division is sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in September.

League configurations may change in order to provide this program.

Players (boys and girls) are divided between teams in order to make all teams competitive. Practice begins in September.

If interested in playing, email C. Doyle at agra638@comcast.net for a registration form and more information.

AGRA is also sponsoring an All Girl Fall Soccer Program. Games will be played on Saturdays during September and October, with one-night-a-week practice. Teams will be divided into three divisions: Girls Elementary

Division is kindergarten, first, and second graders in September

Girls Junior Division is third and fourth graders in September

Girls Senior Division is fifth sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in September.

League configurations may change in order to provide this program. Girls will be divided between teams in order to make all teams competitive. Practice begins in September. If interested in playing, email C. Doyle at agra638@comcast.net for a registration form and more information.

Stillwaters Presbyterian wins Church Softball League Championship

Stillwaters Presbyterian church,located off Route 841 in West Grove, won the 2017 Southern Chester County Church Softball League Championship for the fourth year in a row on July 9. The team went 19-4 during the regular season and playoffs. The league has been in existence for more than 60 years, with 13 area church teams currently playing in the league from mid-April through midJuly each year. New church teams are always welcome. Visit www.scccsl.org.