February 20, 2013 - ChaddsFordLive.com

ChesCo sheriff opposes infringement on 2nd Amendment

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association Web site lists 10 state sheriff’s associations and 300 individual county sheriffs as opposing President Barack Obama’s current push for more gun control.

Among those sheriffs are eight from Pennsylvania. One of them is Chester County’s Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh. Delaware County Sheriff Joseph F McGinn is not on the list.

According to the site, “Sheriffs have risen up all over our great nation to stand up against the unconstitutional gun control measures being taken.”

While a county sheriff in Pennsylvania has little influence on federal legislation and does not enforce such, Welsh, said she would stand with law abiding citizens to make sure their constitutionally guaranteed rights are protected.

In a prepared statement, Welsh said: “In accordance with the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, I believe that law abiding citizens have the right to own, possess, keep and bear arms. I will not support any efforts to infringe upon the constitutional liberties of responsible citizens in Chester County. I continue to stand with my citizens to assure that their rights under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights will not be infringed.”

In a telephone interview, Welsh, a Pennsbury Township resident, said she has not seen any proposed legislation and declined to address hypothetical situations. She did say, however, that she would consider proposals such as limiting the capacity of magazines as “incremental incursions” into those Second Amendment guarantees.

(Limiting magazines to 15 rounds is one of the measures gun control advocates have brought up since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. in December.)

While Welsh doesn’t know how future legislation might read, her concern is the erosion of rights of law abiding citizens because of the actions of people who are mentally ill or otherwise irresponsible.

“You can’t legislate insanity,” she said.

Welsh said she has no problems with requiring background checks for people applying for licenses to carry firearms. Her office has denied such permits for some who have criminal backgrounds, have proven themselves to be irresponsible and for those who lie on their weapons applications. Her office has also taken away licenses.

“I’ve revoked [Licenses to Carry] if something has been brought to my attention, if a citizen has been charged with anything that makes me feel he’d be an irresponsible gun owner,” she said.

Welsh, who has nine grandchildren, understands the serious nature of tragedy and how it makes people feel.

“We all still weep for what happened at Sandy Hook,” she said. “But no matter what we do, we won’t keep magazines or semiautomatic weapons out of the hands of criminals.”

She added that she’s also concerned that future legislation could limit the firepower of local law enforcement.

“Are you limiting law enforcement? Are you limiting our ability to respond?”

New gun laws aren’t needed, she said. What is needed is for existing laws to be enforced. Her concern with possible new gun laws is that there will be those “incremental incursions” that nibble away at the rights of lawful citizens to the point where the only people who can get the weapons people are complaining about are the bad guys.

Whatever federal legislation might happen is out of the hands and the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania sheriffs. Sheriffs here are limited because they are not front line law enforcement officials. Municipal and state police handle that function. It’s different in other states, she said, where county sheriffs are the primary law enforcement officers and are, in effect, “the law of the land.”

The four-term sheriff said she has sworn an oath to protect the constitutions of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and that, “the primary responsibility of law enforcement is to protect the citizens and preserve individual rights and freedoms.”

About Rich Schwartzman

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.

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UHS dedicates renovated school building

School & Education

Murphy-&-Bushelow-copy — UHS dedicates renovated school building

Perhaps Unionville High School Principal Paula Massanari put it best: “It was a joy to see everything we worked for come through.”

She was talking about the almost four-year long renovation project that came in on time and under budget. Her comments came during a reception at the school, one punctuated with live music, cookies and punch.

The project that brought about revamped classrooms with improved safety features for science labs, a new gym and auditorium and other improvements, had been going on almost for as long as Massanari has been principal.

It was also controversial from the beginning. Twice voters said no to increased taxes requested through referendums. Money wasn’t allocated until the school board found ways to generate the funds without a vote.

Construction caused disruptions, but now that the project is complete, the general consensus is that it was a needed job and one that was well done.

Massanari became principal in January of 2009 and the project started four months later.

“Every year, one of our building goals was that we would maintain a flexible attitude amidst everything that was going on around us,” she said. “And our focus would always be on the needs of the kids in front of us and that we would work hard to show them that we were exercising patience and flexibility and that was our expectation of them.”

She said the kids were “fantastic” about handling changes and distractions caused by the construction.

Massanari said she was prepared for the trials of having construction going on because she had put up with the same thing at her previous job in Great Valley. Still, she’s glad it’s all over.

“There was a time in the second year of the project when I did say, ‘Wow, I’ll be happy when this thing is over. The second year was really when all the interior renovations in existing space was going on and there would be times when a clock would be flying off the wall if they were jack hammering on the other side. We always had alternative spaces lined up so if there was too much of a distraction going on with noise or smells, we had a place where we could move kids so they could continue having a good learning environment,” she said.

During a brief address, Massanari told the assembled crowd that schools need to keep students safe as well as meet educational needs. “The renovation allows us to do both.”

Sharon Parker was the school superintendent when the project started. She attended the dedication and said it was all about students and the future.

“I am thrilled. There was a lot of work put into [the project], a lot of shared discourse and frisky moments, but we built this school not just for our children today, but also for the unborn. I’m envisioning today’s students coming back with their children and grandchildren,” Parker said.

She added that the community is stronger for the hard work. With all the angst and aggravation, the project was worth it.

Based on bids, the high school renovation was projected to cost $55.7 million. The final cost was $53.9 million.

During the years of the failed referendums, project opponents said they understood that some changes were needed for the sake of safety, but that a full-scale renovation would be too costly since C.F. Patton Middle School would also need work.

Current Superintendent John Sanville said a middle school renovation is still being looked at — as well as ongoing projects for all six school buildings — but there will be no details until Rick Hostetler, the director of buildings and grounds, makes a report this spring.

Several school directors indicated they felt another renovation project would be just as controversial and contentious.

Top photo: School directors Frank Murphy and Eileen Bushelow cut a ribbon on a plaque naming all the school directors since 2008 who were involved in the high school renovation project.

About Rich Schwartzman

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U-CF board votes on stormwater, summer hours, prelim budget

Local News

As anticipated, members of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board voted to put out for bid a plan that would correct a stormwater runoff problem involving Hillendale Elementary School and to change summer operating hours.

While both votes were unanimous, some reservations were expressed during the Feb. 19 board meeting held at Unionville High School.

Director Jeff Leiser said he hoped there would be exceptions to closing school district buildings at 6 p.m. on Thursdays until 8a.m. Monday if there were community events that would be served by having those buildings open. He asked for and received a “head nod” for those exceptions.

Superintendent John Sanville said there had already been discussions on the matter.

The change in hours would be for a six-week period from June 24 to Aug. 2. The idea is seen as a way to save money and is part of the district’s green energy initiative. Fulltime employees would work four 10-hour days during that period.

The board also wants to address a stormwater runoff problem at Hillendale that is damaging some private properties and causing silt to build up in Craigs Mill Run. At issue is the stormwater management system at the school, a system that was approved by Pennsbury Township officials when the current school property was a museum. That approval came before more modern stormwater management requirements.

Pocopson Township resident Bruce Yelton told the board that district taxpayers should not be paying for something that is Pennsbury Township’s responsibility.

Reading from a prepared statement Yelton said, “Our tax dollars are for the education of our students. It is not appropriate to provide funds to correct mistakes made by Pennsbury Township.”

He did, however, say that it would be appropriate for the district to provide volunteer labor and site access to correct the problem.

Director Holly Manzone said the vote was not a commitment to fund the project. It was simply to put the project out to bid to see what it would cost. She said the district needed to know that before it could apply for grants.

Fellow Director Vic Dupuis said the money would be spent on school grounds only and that funding the project was a matter of being a good neighbor.

Other business

• The board approved a preliminary budget for the next academic year. The spending plan, as it reads now, calls for $72.7 million in spending and revenue. The board also voted to apply for an additional $806,209 in exceptions to the Act 1 limits.

District Business Manager Bob Cochran said the application for the exceptions gives the board leeway, but does not mean it will vote to increase revenue by that amount. School districts don’t yet know how much money they’ll be getting from the state since the state budget is usually finalized after school budgets.

The preliminary budget will be discussed during the next few months before the board comes up with the final budget that will be voted on in June.

• There will be a Community Conversation concerning school safety on Monday, March 4, 7-9 p.m., in the high school cafeteria. Those planning to take part are asked to RSVP at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SYDMRYR

About Rich Schwartzman

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Police log Feb. 21

Police

• The Concord Pharmacy was robbed on Feb. 19 and state police are looking for four black men in connection with the crime. A report said the men entered the store about 7 p.m. demanding money and drugs. One of the four displayed a silver revolver. All four fled in a silver four-door sedan with Delaware tags. Anyone with information on this is asked to call police at 484-840-1000. Reference incident K02-1903367.

• Police have accused a 49-year-old from Elkton, Md. with August robberies at Dan Doubet Jewelers in Chadds Ford Township. Police said Norman Barnes robbed the store on Aug. 24 and again on Aug. 26. Also on Aug. 24, police said, Barnes attempted burglaries at Five Guys, Sardella Eye Associates and Primo Hoagies. Charges filed on Feb. 15 include burglary, attempted burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief. Barnes is currently in custody in Cecil County.

• State police are looking for a Staten Island, N.Y., man in connection with an assault at the Best Western Hotel on Route 1 in Concord Township. According to a report, Leon Jude Dasilva, 50, assaulted a 49-year-old woman, also from Staten Island, with a large metal lamp in a hotel room shortly after 1 a.m. on Feb. 17. Police said the suspect fled in a Red Toyota Highlander. The victim was taken to Riddle Hospital for evaluation.

• A Wilmington man, who is currently incarcerated in Delaware, has now been charged with a July 2011 burglary in Concord Township. Joseph John Iacono, 27, and a co-defendant had already been charged with two burglaries in Middletown Township that same date, July 20. A police report said Iacono was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and related charges.

• Pennsylvania State Police from Troop J, Avondale barracks, are investigating a fatal car crash on Old Kennett Road near Burnt Mill Road. The one-car crash happened at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 17. Police said the 2005 BMW was traveling westbound when the driver failed to negotiate a left hand curve. The car left the road and hit a tree. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was taken to A.I. DuPont Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

• Police accused a 29-year-old man from Avondale with DUI following a one-car accident on Scarlet Road near Hillendale Road just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 14. A report said Miguel Alejandro Gonzalez was discovered to be DUI after his car left the road and hit an embankment.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Around Town Feb. 21

Along the Ford

• Bistro on the Brandywine is no more. The restaurant across the parking lot from Brandywine Prime closed its doors last weekend. Manager Michael Majewski was not available for comment, but he said in a Feb. 20 e-mail that while the Bistro had a “successful five-year run, there was not a clear path forward.” Bistro gift cards can be redeemed at Brandywine Prime, which will now be open for lunch from noon to 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday. In another e-mail, Majewski told a customer that the building had been sold.

• The Wilmington Christian Day School presents the musical drama “Jane Eyre” on Feb. 28 and March 1 and 2. It’s based on the Charlotte Bronte novel. Performances are in the school auditorium, 825 Loveville Road in Hockessin. Tickets are $12 and are available at the door.

• Unionville High School presents “Guys and Dolls”, Feb. 28 through March 2 at the school. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door. For advance tickets, go to Showtix4U.com. For questions, e-mail uhstickets@gmail.com or phone 610-806-2079.

• Artists Bill Basciani and John Hannafin will have a two-man exhibit at the Chadds Ford Gallery beginning 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1. The show will feature recent works and runs through March 24.

• Tyler Arboretum is offering visitors a chance to learn about and build their own Wave Hill Chairs. The Wave Hill Chair is based on a 1918 design by

acclaimed Dutch architect Gerritt Rietveld and is now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Join Dan Benarcik on Saturday, March 2, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm at Tyler Arboretum and take advantage of this special opportunity to build your own Wave Hill Chair under Dan’s expert guidance. No carpentry skills are needed. Participants must bring a cordless drill; all other materials are provided. Pre-registration is required. The fee is $115 for Tyler members, $125 for non-members. Please contact Joanne Landau, Registrar, at 610-566-9134 x215 or jlandau@tylerarboretum.org to register. Visit www.tylerarboretum.org for more information.

• Darlington Arts Center in Concord Township is presents a public exhibition of pastel paintings from the Delaware Valley by award-winning local artist Jeanne Bruneau. The free opening reception is Sunday, March 3 from 2-4 p.m. and will provide an opportunity for guests to meet the artist, view her new work and discuss her inspiration while enjoying complimentary wine and light refreshments. The show will be open to the public through April 5. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.darlingtonarts.org or call 610-358-3632.

• Local writer and historian Gene Pisasale will have a book signing for his new historical novel “The Forgotten Star” at the Kennett Square Resale Book Shoppe on Saturday, March 2. He will also present a PowerPoint lecture on the War of 1812 at the Bayard Taylor Library in Kennett Square on Saturday, March 23. The lecture complements the book.

• General Nutrition Centers is holding its grand opening event of its newest store at the Longwood Village Shoppes on Route 1 in Kennett Square on March 1 and 2. The event includes an official ribbon cutting with the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce on Friday, March 1, at 4 p.m., followed by a wine and cheese networking event for all SCCCC members and local businesses with door prizes and special sales. Dr. Chad Laurence, Corrective Chiropractic of Hockessin, will be offering free spinal evaluations and nutrition consultations.

• The Kennett Symphony of Chester County, under the direction of Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green, will present Jack and the Beanstalk…and other Orchestra Favorites at its annual Children’s Concerts at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, at the International Cultural Center on the campus of Lincoln University and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 10, at Emilie K. Asplundh Hall, Phillips Memorial Building, on the campus of West Chester University. All tickets are reserved seating, $5 for children and adults. For complete information visit www.kennettsymphony.org or call the Kennett Symphony at 610 444 6363.

• Radley Run Country Club will hold its fourth annual art show benefitting Safe Harbor of Chester County on Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9. Hours are 6-10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The works of 50 artists — painters to photographers, ceramic, wood, glass and metal — are for sale with 30 percent of the cost going directly to Safe Harbor. On Friday there will be a party with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, live music and a cash bar.

• WSFS has relocated its Kennet Square office from the Marlborough Square Shopping Center to nearby 100 Old Forge Lane across from the Wawa on Route 1.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Adopt-a-Pet: LuLu and TeTe

Along the Ford

Lulu-&-Tete — Adopt-a-Pet: LuLu and TeTe

LuLu, a cockapoo, and TeTe, a Pomeranian, are a pair of cuties that were surrendered to CCSPCA and are now looking for a new home. While LuLu is an outgoing girl who enjoys the company of all people and other animals, TeTe is more on the shy side, and takes solace in the company of his canine buddy; therefore, these dogs must be adopted together. LuLu and TeTe will need a patient and experienced owner who is willing to work on housetraining, as in their previous home they lived outdoors. With a little TLC, LuLu and TeTe will make wonderful companions for anyone willing to give them a chance. If you are able to provide LuLu and TeTe 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. LuLu and TeTe’s registration numbers are 96812860 and 96812859. To meet some of our other adoptable animals, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org. Not quite ready to adopt? Consider becoming a CCSPCA foster parent! Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Photo of the Weeke Bare trees, blue skies

Photo of the Week

Bare-trees-under-blue-sky — Photo of the Weeke Bare trees, blue skies

Bare trees under blue skies cast long shadows on clear and cold afternoon.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Mind Matters: Be direct and celebrate the ‘No’

Health

No matter how old we are, life and its concerns continue. I consult at a local retirement community where I meet with the residents individually.

An issue that arose recently for one grandly elegant 89-year-old woman has probably been her lifelong theme. And that is, how to be direct in asserting her desires, wishes, wants, even needs. Recently, she had been visiting her daughter and had wanted to go to church. I ask, “Did you ask, directly stating what you wanted?” “No.” she replied.

This woman is not alone in her avoidance of being direct in communicating with others. Most of us do this occasionally, but some of us do it per forma, almost as a given.

Early on in our childhoods perhaps we learned that we were not allowed to make requests or even to have a feeling. We may have been told, “You’re not angry,” even after we said we were. As we age, the shutdown not only of what we want to ask for but also of how we feel remains. When we shut down feelings, not only our mental health, but our physical health gets affected. Shutdown of healthy expression of feelings is one big superhighway to stress. And stress is bio-physical. There is stress also when we don’t make our requests directly known. We may develop an attitude that others must mind read us, and when they don’t, we may get angry. But because we don’t express anger outright with a healthy, “I am angry about…,” we let the anger devolve into bitterness and resentment.

So if making a direct request is so important for our mental and physical health, why do we avoid it? Perhaps we are afraid to hear “No” just as much as we are afraid to say “No.” With either “no” is the fear of rejection and ultimately abandonment. If we play nice-nice and don’t ask, maybe we’ll get what we want and not be rejected.

How misguided we are. The mother of family therapy, Virginia Satir, used to talk about the congruent person. This is the person who could honestly acknowledge his/her feelings and express them healthily, with no harm to self or other. This is the person who could be direct in communication with another and make a request without fear of abandonment. This is the person who could also celebrate the “No” response as a sign that he/she made the request, and that directness is to be celebrated rather than avoided.

Of course, direct communication is best when it follows certain guidelines. In a Buddhist retreat, we were reminded that, for speech to be “right,” it must be true, necessary, said kindly, and at the proper time.

What does all this mean? I consider it to mean that we speak our own truth in a way that is respectful of the other and at a time when we are calm enough to be speaking without reactivity or malice. In other words, not in the heat of the moment, but in a “debriefing” time after the reflexive lizard brain has gone to rest, allowing the frontal cortex to speak with “heart in mind.” That’s congruence, whether we are 9 or 89.

* 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 www.drgajdos.com.

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.

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Random-Lee: The checks in the mail

Along the Ford

It was early on a Monday morning and we were having coffee in the kitchen. Without warning the front door opened and someone stepped inside and began to yell, “Hello, hello. Who’s here?” It took me a minute to respond and by that time he was in the kitchen.

“Can I help you,” I said.

He wanted to know if he was at house number 200 on our street.

“No,” I said. “Sorry, it’s not. We’re 201, not 200.”

Well then, where was house number 200, he wanted to know. But when I told him there was no 200, that we were the first house on the two hundred block and the previous block was the one hundred block, he questioned me again, challenged me, told me I was wrong and there must be a 200 because that was the address of the charity group he was looking for and that was where he had sent his money.

“Isn’t that where I am,” he asked again. “Aren’t you Charity XYZ?”

“No, I don’t know that charity. I’ve never heard of it and I know there’s no number 200 on this street. Besides this is a residential area and there are no offices here, so you have the wrong address.”

Now my visitor was angry, beet red in the face angry, and I was getting a little worried. Tried moving him toward the door but he was shouting something about $1,000, having given this group $1,000 and he was here to pick up something. A receipt? A thank you? I can’t recall, but I gathered that he was out $1,000 and not too happy about it. Eventually he left and I found myself thinking, “How could he possibly have fallen for some bogus charity fundraising scheme without knowing the group he was sending his money to?”

In past I’ve had several credit cards stolen (but always got a refund from Master Card or American Express) and my husband once got caught by a “free airline ticket” time-share come-on. My elderly dad got sucked into a “free cruise” to the Bahamas that ended up being pretty expensive after all the hidden costs and “upgrade” expenses, and I knew about a lot of computer and on-line deceptions and frauds, but come on, sending your money to someone blindly?

I enjoyed that feeling of superiority for about two weeks before a major criminal fraud hit my own home. We had found a summer beach house on the Internet. We called the realtor with the listing. They gave us all the information and said we had to pay the advance deposit directly to the homeowner. Gave us his e-mail and phone number. We sent an e-mail to the homeowner and asked how we should pay. Got a return e-mail saying the money should be wired to a particular bank account number. We called back to confirm and he acknowledged he had sent us an e-mail with the wiring instructions. So, next day we went to the bank and sent $2,400. Task complete. House rented.

Except the homeowner didn’t get the money. Someone in London did. Someone who intercepted his e-mail and replied to us with their directions and bank account number. So the homeowner didn’t get paid and we are out $2,400. And will have to pay him again if we want to rent the house. The bank says it’s not their problem because we gave them the wiring info and they did exactly what we asked them to do. The realtors said it’s not their problem because they gave us all the right info about the house and the homeowner. The homeowner now knows we’re not the first — others have been scammed through the same e-mail interception — so his account is now shut down and he has referred it to the Provincetown Police. The police say they are looking into it and can’t promise anything.

And we feel like idiots.

I brought it up at my book club the other night and of course the remarks from casual observers sounded ominously like my own: Come on, how could you send money to someone without confirming the account number? Basically, “Are you an idiot?”

Maybe, and that’s scary. Even more scary is that now I know this kind of fraud really happens and it’s not just talk and it doesn’t just happen to stupid or careless people. It’s going to take me a while to trust Internet transactions again. Maybe I’ll just resort to that old tried and true method, the checks in the mail.

Has anyone else had such incidents?

* Lee Miller welcomes responses. Please email them to leemiller229@gmail.com

About Lee Miller

Lee Miller began her writing career with four books about Pennsylvania/east coast wines and the creation of Wine East magazine. She then went on to found the Chaddsford Winery with her husband Eric, where she turned her pen to promotion, advertising, public relations and marketing of their successful business venture for 30 years. Last year Lee co-wrote the new wine book, “The Vintner’s Apprentice” with Eric, and retired from the Chaddsford Winery to pursue other interests. She is currently working on a book about her life in the wine industry and exploring the retirement life. Her goal in writing a column for Chadds Ford Live is to generate dialogue and elicit reader response.

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