Most people have heard the phrase “variation on a theme.” In storytelling, we can look at “Jaws” as a variation of “Moby Dick,” while that could be argued as being a variation of the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale. Then there’s Mary Shelley’s famous creation Frankenstein. That one’s considered a variation of “The Golem of Prague,” a tale from Jewish folklore dating back…
In response to Francena Chalfant’s request for a zoning variance for the Airbnb she’s been operating illegally for seven years, I offer the following thoughts. 1) According to Pennsylvania’s Municipal Planning Code, a zoning variance cannot be granted unless the resident proves a “unique hardship” that is directly tied to the physical circumstances or conditions of the property (e.g., size, shape, location, topography, etc.) and…
It’s been a year. But they all are. And like every year, there’s been good, bad, and the unknown. Also like every year, there's been changes. One major change is the new ownership of Chadds Ford Live. As most readers know by now, our founding owner and publisher, Emily Myers, moved to Colorado earlier this year so she and her husband could be near their…
The demolition of Hank’s Place on Friday, Dec. 8 was truly an historic event for the Chadds Ford Village as well as the greater Chadds Ford area. Hank’s had been a part of the community for more than 70 years, 73-75 years depending on who you talk to. A reader commented on Chadds Ford Live’s Facebook page that the Hank’s Place regulars should share their…
The word “moron” has cropped up a few times regarding a proposed bill by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. It’s called the Dairy Pride Act, and it would outlaw the use of dairy terms for nondairy products. Under the proposal, such things as coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc., could no longer be called “milk.” Instead, they’d have to be referred to as beverages,…
In Chadds Ford and Pennsbury townships, we pay significant property taxes for our schools. Commensurately, we have top-notch schools in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District where Unionville High School was just ranked 307 nationally and sixth in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report. However, UCFSD has the fifth lowest millage (tax) rate of the twelve school districts in Chester County. Millage rates in Coatesville…
My multi-year pursuit of transparency and accountability for misconduct by public school officials in the Unionville-Chadds Ford District is a microcosm of something that is playing out across the country. This isn’t a left/right issue. Partisan politics are incredibly tedious. If you don’t realize by now that both major political parties (at every level) are hopelessly corrupt, you haven’t been paying attention. The real issue…
I needed to pinch myself. I caught myself partially agreeing with two Democratic Party politicians. And I generally do not like politicians from either of the two old parties. An email came in from state Reps. Jared Solomon and Chris Rabb, both representing legislative districts in Philadelphia, calling for open primaries in Pennsylvania. Yes, open primaries are needed. As it stands now with our closed…
We are now more than a week into a community hostage crisis, where (yet again) we are being held captive to the incompetence of government officials. While some name-brand media organizations have descended on our neighborhood to report on the story, the most detailed (and interesting) information has not come from traditional print or television sources. Instead, many locals have turned to visiting “citizen journalists,”…
It’s been two years since Hurricane Ida destroyed Hank’s Place on Sept. 1, 2021. Flooding filled the entire iconic eatery with seven feet of water. That’s two years since owners Anthony and Katie Young have been caught up in a bureaucratic Catch-22, with their hands and feet bound by red tape edicts from the federal and municipal government. On the positive side, the Youngs have gotten…
Many, if not most of us were brought up with the notion that the United States is the freest country in the world. After all, why else would so many people risk their lives to flee ancestral homes in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere to voluntarily settle here and make new and better lives for themselves and their descendants? As the lyric line…