February 20, 2015

Information leading to the arrest of whoever spray-painted a racial slur at the entrance to Lincoln University will earn a $1,000 reward, which is being offered by Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan and the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, security officials at Lincoln, located in southern Chester County, discovered that someone had spray-painted the slur on a sign at the university’s entrance, a press release from the District Attorney’s office said.

“This vandalism is not only shocking, it is offensive,” Chamber President Guy Ciarrocchi said in the release.  “It is even worse when the targets are students. These students are here to grow and contribute to society. They deserve much better.  We stand not only with the District Attorney’s Office, but with the vast majority of Chester County residents and business owners who want Lincoln’s students to feel welcome.”

Hogan added that neither racism nor the ignorance it requires would be tolerated in Chester County.  “Whether the university is Villanova, Penn State, or Lincoln, such behavior is unacceptable in a civilized society,” he said.  “It is a crying shame that a university named after Abraham Lincoln has been subjected to this type of disrespect.”

Horace Bond, the eighth president of the university, said Lincoln was the first institution anywhere in the world “to provide a higher education in the arts and sciences for male youth of African descent.”  Poet Langston Hughes and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall are among the university’s graduates.

Anyone with information is requested to call Chester County Detective Edward Nolan at 610-344-6866.

 

 

After a couple hours of shuttle diplomacy in district court, the parties involved in a theft case against the former executive director of the Tick Tock Early Learning Center appeared headed for a resolution.

The preliminary hearing for Jackie H. Maas, 60, of East Marlborough Township, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, was delayed by a series of conferences and paperwork exchanges that occurred among the small groups for each side present in the courtroom.

At the end of the discussions, Magisterial District Judge Matthew Seavey signed off on an agreement that also contained the signatures of Maas; her attorney, Leonard J. Rivera; and Assistant District Attorney John Rafferty.

In a prepared statement, Peter E. Kratsa, who represented the learning center, said that Tick Tock remains committed to its children and that maintaining the “integrity of the donation process” was a vital part of that mission.

“Tick Tock is pleased that, subject to the agreement reached between Ms. Maas and the commonwealth, that an amicable resolution was reached in this matter,” the statement said. “We wish Ms. Maas nothing but the best.”

Rivera said “just a few wrinkles” remained before all of the charges would be dismissed. “Both sides understood that an amicable resolution was in everyone’s best interests, especially in light of the facts,” he said.

He declined to elaborate on the “wrinkles,” but the agreement stated that the parties would reconvene before the judge on March 6. If Maas has paid $500 restitution during that two-week time frame, the charges would be dismissed.

The criminal case dates back to the end of January when New Garden Township Police completed a month-long investigation, alleging that Maas had taken property valued at $3,500 from her former employer. She was charged with multiple theft offenses.

According to court records, the root of the dispute began in early August when Maas resigned from her position. In an exchange of letters, representatives from Tick Tock requested the return of science kits worth more than $3,100 that belonged to the center, and Maas acknowledged having them.

Records showed that a second conflict arose when Maas accepted a $500 donation from an Aug. 9 fundraiser, held the day after her resignation was accepted. Maas said that she took the money because no other Tick Tock representative attended the event and that she would not return it until she got compensation for monies owed to her, court records said.

In November, Tick Tock hired Kratsa to help recover its property, and on Dec. 18, New Garden Township Police were contacted. On Jan. 15, police executed a search warrant at Maas’s residence, seizing 190 science kits from her basement, court records said.

Maas was charged with felony theft and surrendered to police the next day. At the time, Rivera called the case “a big misunderstanding,” expressing confidence that it would be resolved amicably.

The Tick Tock Early Learning Center celebrated its 50^th anniversary in May. The center, Tick Tock, located in the 1600 block of Baltimore Pike in New Garden Township, has been providing affordable childcare and early childhood education for low-income families in southern Chester County since 1964 when a group of Quaker women started it.

 

Whether it’s the President detailing the State of the Union, or the governor opining on the State of the State, such annual addresses seldom generate the kind of excitement one could find Thursday night in Kennett Square at the Market at Liberty Place.

David B. Myers, president of Historic Kennett Square, began the “State of the Downtown” presentation by highlighting some of the accomplishments of 2014. They included $1.2 million in economic development, seven new businesses, and a host of new partnerships and marketing promotions.

He said one of them involves Visit Philly, a regional tourism agency that chose Kennett Square to launch “Towns of the Philadelphia Countryside,” a new marketing campaign. “Even Philadelphia recognizes the benefits that Kennett brings to the community,” Myers said.

During the holiday season, the borough partnered with Longwood Gardens, which offered a shuttle every Saturday from Nov. 29 to Dec. 27 so that guests who pre-registered could shop and dine in the borough before or after visiting the gardens.

Marnie Conley, Longwood’s marketing director and a board member of Historic Kennett Square, said the initiative was so successful that Longwood can’t wait to repeat it. “Our guests loved it,” she said, adding that after the second Saturday, word spread and it sold out.

Myer’s litany of borough accomplishments set the stage for Commissioners’ Chairman Terence Farrell, the event’s keynote speaker. Farrell noted that Kennett’s successes mirror those of the county, which can boast that it’s “the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated” in the state.

Identifying a common strategy, Farrell said, “We both plan. We do a lot of planning.” He explained that it takes foresight to create the infrastructure that will attract developers.

He said the county has provided nearly $3.8 million in grants to Kennett Square, which is hoping for another $956,000 to improve the streetscape near Magnolia Place, a $45 million mixed use development at the western edge of town. Farrell said that although the grant applications are competitive, Kennett has an edge. “We do like to allocate money where money is well spent,” he said.

Farrell pointed to another of Kennett’s assets: its people. “Without the passion in your hearts, not just the vision, none of this would have ever happened,” he said.

Myers said he expects 2015 to produce more achievements. He said the upcoming 2015 Kennett Winterfest is already sold out, and the Victory Brewing Company, which will occupy the ground floor of the Magnolia Place apartment building, is scheduled to open within weeks. And the Kennett Brewing Company is coming to South Broad Street.

“I thank you for making Kennett a great place to live, work, and play,” Myers said, expressing gratitude to the staff and residents who contribute to the borough’s positive vibe.

Mary Hutchins, executive director of Historic Kennett Square, said she shared Myers’ optimism. She said the fact that businesses are eager to come to Kennett Square not only keeps the vacancy rate low – “one of the lowest in the state” – but also fuels enthusiasm.