Op/Ed: State Courts seek to control county row office operations

Judiciary hungry to seize fees that help keep local taxes down By Terri Clark, Chester County Register of Wills Terri Clark With Pennsylvania locked in a five-month budget impasse, the state’s Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is creating something that already exists at public expense.  As our schools and non-profits suffer without state funding, AOPC is developing a computer...

What To Do: Dinosaurs to roar into 2016

Plus: New Year’s Eve rocks in Kennett and around the region By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The Delaware Museum of Natural History presents its Dino Days Festival this coming week. At the end of each year, the Delaware Museum of Natural History (4840 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-9111, www.delmnh.org) presents a special event geared for families for the week between Christmas...

Counting down the New Year in Kennett Square

Expanded activities highlight the 3rd annual Mushroom Drop and Midnight in the Square   KENNETT SQUARE — At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, in the heart of Kennett Square, a 500 pound stainless steel mushroom glittering with thousands of lights will be lowered with a countdown to the new year. It is the finale of Midnight in the Square, Kennett Square’s family-style New Year’s...

Merry @#$% Christmas: Senate sends Wolf last-minute budget

Gov. won’t say whether he’ll veto budget without pension reform, liquor fixes By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The State Senate sent Gov. Tom Wolf a most unwelcome gift — a $30.2 billion budget bill similar to one he vetoed earlier this year, after a compromise that would have included pension reform and changes to how liquor is sold collapsed, amid a bizarre series of events in the...

Art Watch: What gifts inspired you as a child?

Don’t discount how holiday presents may shape the future of someone you love By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times When we search for that perfect gift for our children, do you ever wonder what gift they will remember the most? Whether it is the gift of an experience or something purchased, a gift can be the catalyst to discovering a life’s passion. I asked some local successful artists what...

On Stage: Disney On Ice marks holiday season

Also: ‘Joseph’ hits Philly stage: live music comes back strong Sat. By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Nemo, Dory and the gang are all part of Disney On Ice, at the Wells Fargo Center. The tradition of a spectacular Disney on Ice skating show visiting Philadelphia during the Christmas holiday stretches back for decades. It began when the Spectrum was the major arena at the southern...

Despite Chesco Reps revolt, budget talks stall

GOP House members leave for holiday, no clear path ahead By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times T’was the day before the day before Christmas, When all through the (State) House, Various angry politicians were heard to espouse: “Ghost voting,” “vote to reconsider” “insurgent” and “Twitter fight” As legislators sought to finally get a state budget right… Local State Reps (clockwise...

YMCA’s ‘Believe and Achieve’ helps 20 local kids

Children from the YMCA of Greater Brandywine’s afterschool program had an opportunity to meet with Jahlil Okafor and Isaiah Canaan from the Philadelphia 76ers, after they each received a $200 shopping spree at Dick’s Sporting Goods in King of Prussia as part of the store’s Shop With a Pro event. KING OF PRUSSIA – This week the holidays were brighter for 20 local children from the YMCA...

Wolf: I’ll veto ‘stop-gap’ budget

Local ex-State Rep. says folks should look at changes in state government after deadlock By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Gov. Tom Wolf, seen here in a visit to Chester County earlier this year, said he would veto the so-called “stop-gap” budget the State House was considering Tuesday. Although local state legislators had hoped that Gov. Tom Wolf would accept parts of an 11-month so-called...

Chesco legislators split on pension, budget deal

Sources say stop-gap budget likely to be sent to Gov. Wolf Tuesday By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times “Frustration.” “Confusion.” Those two words, which repeatedly came up when speaking with local legislators about the ongoing state budget standoff, seem to best describe where things stand in the current six-month state budget standoff. The standoff looked to come to an end this past weekend,...