Jill Caroline DiProspero, 40, died Dec. 12, at the
Jennersville Regional Hospital in Jennersville. Jill’s passing was both sudden
and unexpected.
She is survived by her husband Luigi DiProspero and two
sons, John P. Rosenberger and Dominic DiProspero, her mother Anne E.
Rosenberger of Townsend, Del., father John K. Rosenberger and his wife Sandra
C. Rosenberger of Lincoln University. She is also survived by her older
sister Wendy A. Searfass of Bakersfield, Calif.
Jill was born in Madison, Wisc. March 10, 1971 but spent
most of her childhood and adult years in Southeastern Chester County. She
graduated from Avon Grove High School and worked for many years as a certified
nursing assistant at many local retirement homes and as a homemaker. Jill
was exceptionally proud of both her sons and expressed to them whenever the
occasion arose the importance of obtaining an education and living a purposeful
life with integrity and enthusiasm. She will be greatly missed by her
sons, other family members and close friends.
Family and friends will be received from 1 – 3 p.m. Sunday,
Dece. 18, at the Kuzo and Grieco Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett
Square.
In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions
be made to “The Dominic L. DiProspero Scholarship Fund” C/O Dr. John K.
Rosenberger, 140 Shepherd Lane, Lincoln University, PA 19352.
• A Wilmington woman was cited
for running a red light following an accident at Route 1 and State Farm Drive
in Concord Township. Police said Sharon L. Kelban, 51, was driving north in the
center lane of Route 1 when she ran through a steady red light and struck two
cars that were turning onto Route 1 north from State Farm lane. No injuries
were reported from the Dec. 6 incident.
• State police arrested a
Prospect Park man for DUI following a traffic stop on Brinton Lake Road at
Spring Valley Road. Police said James Comly showed signs of impairment when he
was pulled over for violations of the state vehicle code.
• State police responded to a
three-car accident on Route 1 near Brinton Lake Road shortly after 10 p.m. on Dec.
10. A report said James A. Bennet, 47, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., failed to stop in
time to avoid hitting a car in the middle lane. That vehicle was forced into
another car. There were no injuries reported by police, but Bennet’s vehicle
had to be towed.
• Police said James Alexander
Bennett of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was accused of DUI while driving on Route 1 at
Brinton Lake Road on Dec. 12.
• No injuries were reported
resulting from a one-car accident in Pennsbury Township. State police from
Troop J, Avondale, said, the 16-year-old driver was driving too fast for
conditions, failed to negotiate a curve on Parkersville Road and struck a
utility pole. There was a 16-year-old passenger in the car at the time. The
driver was cited, the report said.
• Police are investigating a
case of criminal mischief on Beaver Valley Road in Concord Township. According
to a police report, someone stole a golf cart and drove it to the Beaver Valley
Road address and broke through a plastic fence, then left the cart at the
location.
• One person was reported
injured following a one-vehicle accident on Smithbridge Road just north of
Ridge Road shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 13. According to a police report,
Wayne R. Colantuono, 21, of Claymont, lost control of his F250. The truck hit a
fence, then rolled over and struck a tree. A 20-year-old passenger in the truck
was taken to Riddle Memorial Hospital with unspecified injuries.
• According to a press release, PSP Media station will be
conducting a Sobriety Check Point within Delaware County between Friday, Dec.
16 and Sunday, Dec. 18.
Also during this time, the Pennsylvania State Police will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction
Effort), which is an international organization consisting only of state police
and highway patrol agencies.Troopers will be targeting aggressive
driving, as well as impaired driving. Motorists are also reminded to use seatbelts,
slow down and don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
Pennsbury Township supervisors
passed a budget for 2012. While the spending plan is balanced and there are no
tax increases, not everyone is happy.
Resident Bob Orenshaw reacted
negatively over the amount of money the township pays toward employee health
insurance. He said it was ridiculous that the township should be paying $62,000
for health insurance for five employees.
The figure was announced when
Township Manager Kathy Howley said there was an adjustment to the budget
because the spouse of one employee was coming off the township-paid policy. The
change brought the 2012 premium down from $71,500.
Orenshaw said the rate sounded
high, but Howley said the policy is the standard policy from the Pennsylvania
State Association of Township Supervisors and is the same one most townships
use for their employees.
Another resident, Kendal
Reynolds, a member of the Parks Committee, wanted to see an adjustment with
more money earmarked for events at the park.
Supervisors’ Chairman Wendell
Fenton said it would be better for the committee to come to the supervisors
with an idea for an event that can be funded, rather than for the supervisors to
put up a bunch of money and have people look for ways to spend it.
“This isn’t the federal
government,” Fenton said.
Other business
• Howley announced the meeting
schedule for 2012. The Board of Supervisors will continue to meet on the third
Wednesday of the month except for the first three months of the year. The board
will reorganize in January on Jan. 3. In February it will meet on Feb. 29 and
the March meeting will be on March 28.
The board meetings will be at
the township building at 7 p.m.
• Donna Murray of the Bayard
Taylor Library made her annual report to the board. She asked Pennsbury
supervisors for $37,000 as its fair share for the library for 2012.
Murray said 29 percent of
Pennsbury residents have library cards and township residents make up 12
percent of the library’s membership.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Yes, Virginia, there will be a tax hike in the Unionville
Chadds Ford School District next year, but it’s too soon to tell how much they
will go up.
The school board’s Dec. 12 work session featured a detailed
discussion of the preliminary proposed 2012 – 2013 school district budget with
Superintendent John Sanville and Robert Cochran, director of business and
operations, making a joint presentation.
“The preliminary proposed budget is best described as a
maintenance budget,” Sanville said. “The last two school year budgets pared
many jobs and trimmed expenses.
The 2012 – 2013 budget will allow the district to digest the previous
reductions, while not adding any new programs or further deleting education
related programs.”
Sanville said he ‘s looking forward to fielding questions on
the budget and will hold a Community Conference on Feb. 29, 2012 at 7 p.m. to
invite public comment and discussion.
Currently there are too many unknowns to develop accurate
projections on the budget. Uncertainties include Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed
2012 -2013 state budget contribution to public education, which will not be
announced until Feb. 7. The state
legislature will then deliberate the actual state budget in which actual commonwealth
public education funding will be set for the 2012 – 2013 academic year.
Health care costs remain uncertain as of early December,
according to Cochran.
“Dr. Sanville and I will be meeting with our health care
advisors early next year when a few more months of district health care costs
are known. There are new health plans and the district cost experience may
either positively or negatively impact the final 2012 – 2013 budget.”
Cochran also said that on Dec. 9, the Pennsylvania Department
of Education announced the district’s contribution percentage to the Public
School Employee Retirement System as 12.36 percent of payroll. The budget presentation documents as
submitted to the school board directors are found on the internet at http://www.ucfsd.org/boff/budget/index.html
The eight School Board directors present at the December 12
work session voted unanimously to approve the $71.6 million proposed
preliminary 2012 – 2013 budget which will allow the District to meet the
timeline criteria to either apply for exception to the PDE for increased PSERS
contribution costs and to allow time to determine if there will be financial
need for a voter referendum on the April 24, primary election day ballot. None
of the board directors present endorsed significantly higher school taxes,
which would require voter referendum support. School Board Director Jeff Leiser
was not present.
The next school board meeting will be held Monday Jan. 23, at
7:30 p.m. an the C.F. Patton Middle School auditorium.
Other
business
Unionville High School 2011 inductees This year, Five UHS
alumni were honored in a Wall of Honor ceremony at Unionville High School on,
Dec. 6, during a luncheon and student assembly. They are:
Cleopatra Andreadis, Class of 2002 – Emmy winning producer of
ABC’s Good Morning America; Becky Baily, Class of 2006 – local dairy farmer;
Allen K. Forssmark, Class of 1971 – community volunteer, Boy Scouts of America
Leader; Karl J. Kuerner, Class of 1974 – artist, teacher, philanthropist; and
Paula (Francisco) Ott, Class of 1968 – judge, Pennsylvania Superior Court
After 41 years of auditing large NYSE global corporations, former IRS Agent Jim Phreaner was looking for a project in retirement with fewer regulations and more people. He joined the staff at Chadds Ford Live more than a year ago.
James Edward “Jim” Phreaner, 64, died suddenly in his Birmingham Township home on Dec.17, 2012. Jim was a devoted husband, son, father, friend, and neighbor.
Klavier and Edward are two young, adult, neutered male Chinese
crested dogs that are available for adoption at CCSPCA. They were brought to
the shelter because their owner’s landlord would not allow her to keep them in
the house. Now they are looking for a new, lifelong home where they will be
welcomed with open arms. These boys are very friendly and spunky, and their
“rockstar” hair-dos attest to their unique and fun personalities! Klavier and Edward are very bonded, so
they will need to be adopted as a pair.
For a limited time, adopters can save over 50% on adoption fees (even
more with some cats.) – this incredible value more than pays for itself. The adoption fee includes a
complimentary examination by one of over 75 area veterinarians, vaccinations and
dewormer, spaying or neutering before adoption, AVID identification microchip,
Chester County SPCA ID tag, a starter package of Science Diet Cat or Dog Food
and unconditional love. Your new
best friend is waiting for you now!
If you are able to provide Klavier and Edward, or any of our other
animals here at the shelter a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212
Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113. Klavier and Edward’s registration
numbers are 96806462 and 96806463.
To meet some of our other adoptable animals, visit the shelter or log
onto www.ccspca.org.
For Devon Tucker-Kirk, one type
of treatment doesn’t fit all.
Tucker-Kirk runs Devon
Esthetique, a therapeutic body works, beauty and wellness studio in Olde Ridge
Village. The studio offers cosmetic treatments, spray tanning, facials and
massage.
She’s been in business for four
years, but moved into Chadds Ford Township this past spring. Tucker-Kirk said
she’s been the busiest since moving to Olde Ridge.
She said she’s grateful to be
doing well in the current economic climate because her services are usually the
first to be cut when households have to cut back on discretionary spending.
“When that gets depleted, the
services that we provide are typically what’s eliminated first.”
Tucker-Kirk is adamant that her
studio is different than some of the franchises and salons and day spas that
offer similar services.
“We’re only similar in that we
offer the same types of services. What makes us different [from others] is that
we are clinical. We’re a clinical skin care, therapeutic body works beauty and
wellness studio. What we do is we look at you as a whole, from the inside out,
and help address the concerns that you have, whether it be for your skin or for
your body.”
For skin conditions such as
acne or rosacea or other pigmentation problems or damage, day spas offer a list
of facials the customer would choose from, she said. The problem with that,
according to Tucker-Kirk, is that what the customer wants may not be the most
appropriate treatment.
“In my opinion, how do you know
which one is going to be the best for you? You don’t know what those products
are and you don’t know what those ingredients are and what kind of impact
they’re going to have on your skin. If you look at my menu of services, there
aren’t any. All we do is talk about skin and how we customize it for each
person that comes in. So, it’s different every time you come in.”
She said she talks with her
customers about their issues and then puts together a skin care treatment
specifically for that person, one that meets both the issue and the budget.
“I’ll do is formulate a plan so
they get the most bang for their buck” without spending $200 or $300.
The studio also offers massage,
which is another thing that usually gets stripped from a household budget in a
poor economy. Tucker-Kirk said that’s a shame since bad economic times
increases the stress level making massages more important.
What she did was come up with a
flat rate $59 one-hour Swedish
massage, a price she said most clients find reasonable.
Getting more than one massage
in the same calendar month will bring a reduction in price. Prices can also
increase if a person wants to upgrade to deep-tissue, hot stone or incorporate
aromatherapy. The increase is $10 per upgrade.
Also does spray tanning, with
pigment made from sugar beets and the tan in airbrushed on.
“What’s nice about that is that
it’s even all over…and there’s no risk at all of it turning orange.”
Devon Esthetique is open seven
days per week, with Monday hours by special request only. For a list of times
or to get more information or make an appointment, call 610-388-4000 after 10
a.m.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
If the federal government were
a business, it would be belly up. But, only in Washington, DC can ineptitude
and irresponsibility be rewarded and used to gain sympathy for the inept.
At the risk of sounding like
the proverbial broken record, the country is in debt, horribly so. The current
debt is now more than $15 trillion, $5 trillion more than three years ago and
still growing. Our entire national economy is just about $17 trillion. A
potential monetary breakdown is not farfetched and not very far away unless
things change.
Yet, Washington — Congress
and the president — can’t pass a budget. When it comes to finances, all they’ve
done is pass and sign continuing resolutions, not real budget.
There have been 14 CRs since
President Obama took office in January of 2009. There was no budget when the
Democrats had control of both houses of Congress during the first two years of
the Obama presidency, and none either after the Republicans took control of the
House.
The Senate has not vote on or
sent to the House any budget since George Bush was in office. The House did
send one to the Senate this year, but the upper chamber rejected the plan.
Continuing Resolutions fund the
government for short periods of time and the last one came just a month ago, at
Thanksgiving. No business or household could stay afloat with that level of
management. Or should we say, mismanagement?
Granted, the government isn’t a
business and can’t be run like one. But, neither is a fixed-income household a
business, yet people living in such a condition still have to live within a
budget. Apparently, the Republicans and Democrats in Congress don’t believe
they have to do the same. Apparently, since they believe they can right any law
they want even if in violation of the Constitution, they can violate the laws
of economics, too. It’s more arrogance than ignorance.
This arrogance has led to a
dysfunctional Congress, both houses. Most members believe they can avoid
reading the bills write and avoid the Bill of Rights. Congress began abdicating
its fiscal responsibilities in 1913 when the Federal Reserve was created and
has become more dysfunctional since.
Our increasing debt is as much
of a threat to our liberties as is the growing police state where the president
can order the assassination of a US citizen without charges being brought.
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to
ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!” Such a cheery song to brighten our way
through the holidays—despite the fact that many (not all!) of us despise snow
and most (some do!) of us don’t have the discretionary funds for horse and
sleigh. Be that as it may, the song conjures visions of a Currier and Ives
Christmas—a trek to grandma’s house for hot cocoa and home-baked cookies.
That image intertwined with Hallmark moments can create overwhelming
expectations of what the winter holidays “ought” to be versus what they
realistically are.
Yes, this is the time of year when friends and families come together
to share meals and give gifts. But it is also a time when whatever difficulties
in families have lain dormant, arise from their slumber (to the sound perhaps
of those bells jingling).
Young adult children whose parents divorced long ago still try to
figure out every holiday how they will divide their time among parents and
stepparents. The wounds of the past never go away.
Family cutoffs don’t automatically get mended just because “It’s
Christmas!” Scrooge may have listened to his ghosts of Christmas past and
learned to make amends with those that he hurt, but some of us never take
Charles Dickens’ message to heart, and so the family fabric that was torn apart
in a quarrel 20 years ago might be even more tattered today.
Even without family cutoffs or divorce, there is still the inevitable
pain of loss of friends and family members. Somehow, the holiday season makes
grief all the more poignant. We celebrate with the living and we remember our
loved ones who have died all the more.
We may try to run away from the hardest parts of the holidays. We may
try to deny the bitter sweetness of it all by focusing on the decorations and
the bright lights, and buying, buying, buying. But none of that can cover over
our deepest longing for loving connection.
Some of us have been fortunate enough to have (or have had) loving
family. Others of us are reminded instead of childhoods in which love was never
freely given. Whatever our circumstances, we do ourselves a disservice when we
deny our difficult emotions that arise with the holidays. We can actually
embrace with joy the beauty of the season when we allow the unbidden feelings
in. We may not be stepping out of a Currier and Ives painting or into a
Hallmark moment, but we will feel much more at peace in ourselves.
* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in
counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
She welcomes comments at MindMatters@DrGajdos.com or (610)388-2888. Past
columns are posted to http://www.drgajdos.com.
