If you haven’t voted yet, you can vote safely Tuesday if you use a little caution

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa On Tuesday, many of us will vote. Of course, here in Chester County, more than 100,000 people have returned their mail-in ballots (that number is probably low — I assume many more ballots will have shown up, maybe 40,000 more, by the time you read this — if you have a ballot, please take it to a drop off box right away). Still, it is safe to assume...

Brandywine Valley SPCA seeks families for shelter pet holiday sleepovers

NEW CASTLE, DE.— The Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) announced today that the organization is looking for families to host shelter pets for holiday sleepovers. The sleepovers consist of a short-term foster arrangement in which a dog or cat currently available for adoption at one of the BVSPCA’s shelters stays with a family temporarily for a duration of a few days up to a week. “This is a great...

Operation Phoenixville Elves hold annual wrapping party

Volunteers for Operation Phoenixville Elves wrap gifts Sunday at the Great American Pub. PHOENIXVILLE — A hearty group of “Elves” gathered Sunday at the Great American Pub to wrap gifts and spread a little bit of the holiday season cheer to local families in need. After starting in 2014 with just about about 12 families, Operation Phoenixville Elves is now working to help more than 250...

On Your Table: Time for Christmas cookies!

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Who can resist sugar cookies at Christmas time? The countdown to Christmas is well underway and in many kitchens so is the rush to bake holiday sweets, notably cookies.  Why do we eat cookies for Christmas? For so many families, it’s not Christmas without cookies. Our kids leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve, we spend weeks baking and...

Mixed Media: Celebrating our local holiday art traditions

By Caroline Roosevelt, Columnist, The Times Welcome back from wherever Thanksgiving took you for the last week. For me, I ventured to Charleston, South Carolina to visit family and enjoy the temperate weather, brightly colored colonial buildings, and the smell of salty sea air. It was a lovely respite, but I welcome the return to the Brandywine Valley and our beautiful holiday traditions. Perhaps you’ll...

Being smart about your smile during the holidays

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times With the rush of the holidays, it can be easy to forget to maintain good dental health — but bad choices now could lead to problems in the new year. Here’s a few fairly simple tips to keep you and your family smiling well into 2018:

Coatesville Christmas parade — bigger and better than ever — Dec. 2

Mummers and hundreds of other musicians are just a small part of the Coatesville Christmas parade, schedule for Dec. 2. COATESVILLE — Once again this year, Chester County’s largest hometown parade, down the historic Lincoln Highway, takes place on Dec. 2, 2017.  The Coatesville Christmas Parade, a holiday classic, begins at 10:00 a.m. starting at Strode Avenue and Lincoln Highway, and ends at...

On Your Table: Corn pudding for Summer gatherings

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times With July 4th coming up and all kinds of neighborhood gatherings associated with that, I have a suggestion. Whenever I go to one of our neighborhood summer gatherings, I make sure to bring my Indian corn pudding casserole. I always leave with an empty dish. You will too. It’s a crowd pleaser and in fact an easy to make dish that can be baked in...

TCHS students bring cheer to families in need

Students, faculty and staff from TCHS Pennock’s Bridge Campus raised over $13,000 to help purchase new items, goods, toys and clothing for economically disadvantaged families. DOWNINGTOWN — Students from all three Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) Technical College High School (TCHS) campuses and the Child and Career Development Center (CCDC) brought an abundance of hope to Chester County...

Gabriel’s Gift: Adopt an older dog and save

Gabriel WEST CHESTER — The Brandywine Valley SPCA has announced a special end of the year Adoption Promotion for harder to place dogs at its West Chester and New Castle locations. An anonymous donor will be subsidizing the adoption fee for any dog over 6 months old. The special will run till the end of the year.  The story behind why this promotion is called Gabriel’s Gift: a grieving dog owner...