Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 43
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
$1.50
As election looms, Trump and Harris canvas Commonwealth for swing state votes By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer With each passing day, and each nervous flip through a smart phone for news about polling and trends and campaign speeches, there is clear and mounting evidence that the race to secure Pennsylvania’s vital 19 electoral college votes will be crucial to becoming the next President of the United States. Heeding that alarm,
Presidential candidates – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump – have been canvassing Pennsylvania over the last few weeks as the race continues to tighten, both in the Commonwealth and nationally. According to the FiveThirtyEight polling average on Oct. 28, the race for president in Pennsylvania is “even” with Trump up 48 percent to Harris’ 47.6 percent. The most recent New York Times
poll also categorized the race for the Commonwealth as a dead heat, with each candidate receiving 48 percent of the poll results. On the national scale – and with one week before the Nov. 5 election – Harris’s lead over Trump has narrowed to a very slim margin, while in other battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada – Trump and Harris are polling very tightly. What has turned the race’s
eyes to Pennsylvania in this election is due to it having more electoral votes than any other battleground state, and the fact that the Commonwealth is a bellwether, having voted for 10 of the last 12 White House winners. According to the election forecasting model used by the pollster Nate Silver, Pennsylvania will be far more likely to decide the election than any other battleground state, and that Continued on Page 2A
INSIDE In 13th Legislative
District race, Luna seeks to unseat State Rep. Lawrence Avon Grove Library readies for its 150th birthday...1B
By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer Residents of the 13th Legislative District have a choice at the polls this Nov. 5 between incumbent Republican State Representative John Lawrence and Democrat challenger Cristian Luna. Here’s a look at the two candidates:
Candidate backgrounds Lawrence was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 2011. A Avon Grove pays tribute to lifelong resident of southbeloved teacher...5B ern Chester County, he is the son of a small business owner and grandson of
a dairy farmer, giving him an awareness of the challenges faced by family-run businesses. Lawrence worked in the private sector as an account officer for J.P. Morgan Chase. He is a graduate of Penn State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. He is currently pursuing a juris doctor degree through the Syracuse University JDinteractive Program. Luna is a West Grove native and Avon Grove High School graduate. A first-generation Mexican American, Cristian’s grandmother left Mexico after his
Courtesy photo
Kamala Harris
Courtesy photo
Donald Trump
FROM OUR LENS Canvassing with the Governor
Photo by Tom Weishaar
Elizabeth Moro, a candidate for the 160th Legislative District, received a welcome visit from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at her campaign stop last weekend in Glen Mills. In addition to Shapiro, Moro also welcomed New York Attorney General Letitia James, actor Adam Brody, activist David Hogg and Fred Guttenberg, the father of a student who was killed by a shooter at Parkland High School in Florida in 2018.
Continued on Page 3A
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Comitta and Milne vie for 19th Senate District seat By Monica Fragale Contributing Writer Whoever wins the 19th Senate District seat will head to Harrisburg already experienced with Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. Running for the seat are incumbent Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D) and former Pennsylvania Rep. Dr. Duane Milne, Ph.D (R). The 19th includes 30 municipalities across Chester County and is one of the 50 districts in the Pennsylvania Senate.
legislator. It’s not unusual to spend your first few years (acclimating).” But the benefit of that experience means being able “to immediately make an impact for Chester County, in the kind of way that constituents can best be served.” Whether Comitta or Milne is elected, many of their platforms overlap, such as in the areas of public safety, education and the economy, while Comitta is also focusing on climate
change and Milne is looking to minimizing the role of government in people's lives. “Supporting emergency services, ambulatory, fire, and law enforcement organizations is a fundamental responsibility,” according to Comitta’s website (comittaforsenate.com). “A great quality of life depends on a strong, capable, and fair system of public safety.” Comitta said in an email interview that strengthening emergency services is one
of the projects she wants to see through. “I plan to continue our work to ensure Chester County communities remain safe, healthy, and adorable places for people and families to thrive and prosper,” she said. Milne listed public safety as one of his five focal points, writing in a vision paper that “vibrant areas are characterized by citizens feeling safe while going about daily life, with courts Continued on Page 2A
Longwood Gardens prepares to open Longwood Reimagined on Nov. 22 Preview tour unveils beauty, functionality of $250 million project By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Comitta is at the end of her first term in the Senate. She previously represented the 158th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2016-2020. Milne served from 2012-2018 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as the 167th District representative. “I think you have to know the way to get policies done,” Milne said in a telephone interview. “There is a steep learning curve when someone first becomes a
On the eve of the official opening of its long-awaited Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience on Nov. 22, Longwood Gardens held a press preview tour for local media on Oct. 22 that gave an overview of the 17-acre, $250 million project – including its 32,000-square-foot glasshouse at the new
West Conservatory – that has been 14 years in the making. The renovations also include the relocation for the 1906 restaurant and bar, a new bonsai courtyard, a renovated water lily court, a new administrative building, and a relocation of the Cascade Garden and new walkways. Opening remarks before touring the renovations included principals from
architecture firm WEISS/ MANFREDI and landscape architecture firm Reed Continued on Page 2A Photo by Gabbie Burton
Longwood Gardens held a press preview tour for local media on Oct. 22 that gave an overview of the 17-acre, $250 million Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, that includes a 32,000-square-foot glasshouse at the new West Conservatory.