February 3, 2016 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Local students hoping to spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s

Four local students are among a prestigious group of 55 who earned congratulations from the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) for advancing to the Chester County Spelling Bee, which will be held on Monday, Feb. 8.

The Chester County Spelling Bee, which is coordinated by the CCIU, is open to all students enrolled in a Chester County public, private, parochial or home school in any grade up to and including grade eight, and who has not reached their 15^th birthday on or before Aug. 31, 2015, a CCIU press release said.

According to Ashley Boyd, CCIU special events coordinator, each participating school is able to send one student to the Chester County bee who meets the age and grade requirements.

“Each of the participants is the winner from his or her school’s local spelling bee, and each school is permitted to determine its own qualifying structure for its entrant, provided it follows the eligibility requirements,” added Boyd.

The local participants include Vibha Janakiraman from Chadds Ford Elementary School, Riley Griffith from Pocopson Elementary, Saanvi Garg from Charles F. Patton Middle School, and Ella Masciulli from Kennett Middle School, according to the release.

The event, which begins at 9 a.m., will be streamed live on CCiTV and is a qualifying bee for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It will be held at the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s Educational Service Center (Entrance B), located at 455 Boot Road in Downingtown.

The last student standing on stage on Feb. 8 will have earned a trip for two to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and Bee Week. The champion will also receive: the Samuel Louis Sugarman award certificate for a 2015 U.S. Mint Proof Set; Webster’s Third New International Dictionary; and a one year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

In 2015, Great Valley Middle School student Aakash Narayan emerged as the champion. Laura Liu from Valley Forge Middle School placed second, and Akhila Yalvigi of Avon Grove Charter School placed third.

The 2016 Chester County Spelling Bee will be streamed live over the Internet via CCiTV at ccitv.cciu.org. In the event of inclement weather, the snow date is set for Friday, Feb. 19, at the same time and location.

For more information on the Chester County Spelling Bee, visit www.cciu.org/SpellingBee or contact Ashley Boyd at 484-237-5053.

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Concord, Wawa now agree on beer

Local News, Local News Birmingham, Local News Chadds Ford, Local News Concord, Local News Pennsbury

When Concord Township supervisors agreed to a liquor license transfer and beer sales for Wawa, Wawa appealed the decision because of certain restrictions.

The original approval came in August of 2015, and the appeal came one month later. Attorney John Jaros said at the time that Wawa was appealing several conditions of the approval. One item concerned the hours of beer sales and the other concerned a limit of one beer consumed on-site per customer per day.

Supervisors, in a 4-0 vote (with one member absent), agreed on Feb. 2 to amend the conditions. Now Wawa may proceed with required changes to the store on Route 202 at Naaman’s Creek Road to comply with state laws to sell beer.

Jaros said in September that Wawa had no direct problem with the limit of one beer per customer per day, and that Wawa itself had suggested the limit. However, the company wanted that to be a self-imposed restriction, not as a mandated condition of approval.

Concord has now modified the condition. The onsite consumption of beer is still limited to one per customer per day, but the restriction is no longer part of the approval for the liquor license transfer. In making the change, according to township solicitor Hugh Donaghue, if Wawa would later choose to sell the liquor license, the future buyer would not be subject to that limit.

The original approval also said no beer could be sold after 10 p.m. Beer may now be sold until 11 p.m.

A third condition imposed was one that would require a Wawa employee to physically check the rear of the store for people lurking or hanging about the property. Wawa felt that this could put employees in danger. Supervisors agreed to change the requirement to allow for security cameras to check the premises.

Another condition required Wawa to pay $15,000 for traffic improvements. Wawa originally objected, but has now agreed to making the donation.

With the amended approval and Wawa’s acceptance of those changes, the company may go ahead and modify the store to create a 400-square-foot café area — required by state law — where six-packs of beer will be sold and customers can sit and drink their single beer. However, it’s not known when that work will start.

Other business

• Supervisors approved acceptance of a Greenways and Open Space Plan that, according to engineer Nate Cline, would allow the township to do a feasibility study for a network of trails throughout the township.

Part of the consideration is for the trail system to be part of an east coast system extending from Maine to Florida. In addition, portions of the old Octoraro rail system would be used for the trail system.

Several residents said they’re opposed to the rails-to-trails move because some of those rail lines run adjacent to or through their properties.

Cline repeated that the only thing the current approval does is allow for the feasibility study to see whether or not residents want the trail system

• There could be a change to Concord’s voting precincts. Supervisors authorized the creation of a petition that would add one more voting precinct in Maris Grove and rename all the precincts. At present, precincts are named according to compass points — North, Northeast, etc. The change would give the precincts numeric designations such as precinct 1, precinct 2 and so on. The petition goes to the Court of Common Pleas.

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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PECO: Work to reduce outages paid off in 2015

Home and Leisure

On average, less than three-quarters of PECO’s more than 1.6 million electric customers experienced an outage in 2015, the second lowest number in company history. And when service was interrupted, crews were able to safely restore service in, on average, 84 minutes – 7 minutes faster than ever before, according to a PECO press release.

“We are extremely proud of our 2015 performance,” Craig Adams, PECO president and CEO, said in the release. “Our customers depend on us to deliver the power they need to live their lives and run their homes and businesses. We do not take this responsibility lightly. Each year we look for new technology and ways to get better and better. We will continue to invest in our systems and maintain our rigorous maintenance programs to continue to improve our service.”

PECO customers continue to benefit from the company’s work to increase reliability. Each year, PECO invests millions of dollars to prevent outages through equipment inspections and tree trimming. In addition, the company continues to install advanced equipment such as stronger, tree-resistant aerial cable, and devices to automatically restore service to customers more quickly, the release said.

The company also continues to share best practices with its Exelon sister utilities, BGE in Baltimore and ComEd in Chicago, which also posted record reliability performances in 2015, according to the release.

About Press Release

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Chester County SPCA changing its identity

Home and Leisure

The Chester County SPCA announced that from now on it will be known as the Brandywine Valley SPCA.

The Board of Directors determined unanimously that the organization’s name needed to change to reflect its expanding geographic reach. The CCSPCA has been providing animal welfare services for Chester and Delaware Counties, but since the first of January, is now handling animal services for the entire state of Delaware.

The organization is working to bring its no-kill philosophy to even more regions, along with the practices that have made it possible for it to become Pennsylvania’s first open-admission no-kill shelter.

A shelter is considered “no-kill” if it saves at least 90 percent of the animals that enter the shelter. In 2013, the Chester County SPCA euthanized 37 percent of the animals that came into the shelter. In 2015 that number dropped to 6 percent.

“That’s a huge difference,” said Adam Lamb, Executive Director, “Ultimately, our goal is to take what we have learned in Chester County and spread it throughout the state of Delaware and further into Pennsylvania to create more no-kill communities.”

On Feb. 20 at 11 a.m., the Brandywine Valley SPCA will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new shelter location at 600 South Street in New Castle, near Battery Park, followed by an open house with tours of the shelter. This facility will serve as their primary shelter in Delaware and will offer adoptions, statewide lost and found pets, and in the near future, veterinary services for owned pets such as spay/neuter, vaccinations, and a community cat Trap/Neuter/Return program.

The Brandywine Valley SPCA is named for the valley created by the Brandywine Creek, which starts in western Chester County, Pa. runs through Delaware County, Pa., then enters the state of Delaware in Wilmington where it joins the Christina River.

For more information about the Brandywine Valley SPCA, please visit www.bvspca.org

About Press Release

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Public invited to savor all that jazz at UHS

Arts & Entertainment

The Unionville High School Jazz Band is trumpeting a multi-school Cavalcade of Bands event on Feb. 19.

The sounds of booming brass, toe-tapping percussion and sultry solos will fill Unionville High School’s auditorium when 10 outstanding high school jazz bands gather to perform a variety of styles from soul to swing to samba on Friday, Feb. 19.

The Unionville High Jazz Band will perform in exhibition at the — The Unionville High Jazz Band is gearing up to perform in exhibition on Friday, Feb. 19.

This year’s Cavalcade of Bands competition will include more than 200 students in jazz bands from Chichester, Garnet Valley, Harriton, Kingsway Regional, Pennwood, Souderton, Warwick and West Chester East high schools and the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. The evening will also include an exhibition performance by the Unionville High School Jazz Band and the C.F. Patton Middle School Jazz Band.

An awards ceremony will cap off the musical evening. The bands will be judged on the following elements: tone/blend/balance, interpretation, rhythm, precision, dynamics, intonation, and improvisation. There are also awards for the three best soloists, and section awards for saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm.

The Cavalcade of Bands Jazz Program emphasizes “education through music involvement” and focuses on improvement from week to week. The season ends with Jazz Championships held at several southeastern Pennsylvania schools the weekend of April 15.

The Feb. 19 program will run from 6 to 10 p.m at Unionville High, 750 Unionville Rd., Kennett Square, Pa., 19348. Tickets are $8 for adults; $6 for students and seniors, and free for ages 5 and under. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

For more information about the Cavalcade of Bands Jazz Program, visit www.cavalcadeofbands.com.

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Police Log Feb. 3: Thefts, DUIs, forgeries

Police

• State police said Efrain Agular-Espinoza, 25, of Claymont, faces DUI and charges following a traffic stop in Chadds Ford Township on Jan. 30. A report said the accused was stopped for traffic violations at the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 shortly before 1 a.m. In addition to being found DUI, the report said Agular-Espinoza was also found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

• Police are looking for the owner of a silver ring that was found in the Target parking lot in Concord Township on Jan. 27. To claim the ring, contact Pennsylvania State Police from Troop K, Media barracks, at 484-840-1000.

• No injuries were reported, but a driver was cited for driving too fast following a rear-ender accident on Route 1 near Route 322 shortly before 4 p.m. on Jan. 29. Police said Thomas V. Spano Jr., 27, of Chadds Ford, was traveling south in the left lane on Route 1 when traffic in front of him stopped because of congestion. He could not stop in time, the report said, and struck one vehicle, which in turn struck another.

• A police report said Jesse Taylor Barry, was found to be DUI following a traffic accident at the intersection of Smithbridge and Kirk Roads on Jan. 26 at 3:46 p.m. No details of the accident were provided, but Barry was arrested and charged, police said.

• An unidentified driver was charged with following too closely in connection with a traffic accident on Route 1 about 500 feet south of Applied Card Way on Jan. 29. The accused struck another vehicle from behind as they were heading south in the left-hand lane at 7:10 p.m.

• Police are investigating a case of forgery involving a fraudulent Pennsylvania driver’s license. Police said the suspect is a black female, 20, who ordered the license and had it sent to the victim’s residence. The victim is a 40-year-old white woman. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 484-840-1000.

• An 18-year-old from Aston, Samantha Salvitti, was stopped for traffic violations at Route 1 and Powell Road shortly before 3 a.m. on Jan. 31 and was found to be DUI, a police report said.

• At 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, Kennett Township Police were dispatched to a burglary report in the 1000 block on Kaolin Road in Kennett Square. The victim told police that the burglary occurred between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon and that money and jewelry were taken. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kennett Township Police at 610-388-2874.

• Kennett Township Police responded to the 1000 block of East Baltimore Pike for the report of a single-vehicle crash at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24. Upon arrival, officers observed the vehicle crashed into a snow bank. The driver, Clayton Campbell, 22, of Kennett Square exhibited signs of intoxication, admitted having consumed alcohol, and failed field sobriety tests; he was arrested for DUI, police said.

• On Tuesday Jan. 26, at 3:15 p.m., Kennett Township Police responded to a three-car accident in the 400 block of North Union Street in Kennett Square. Minor injuries were reported, and Steven Ford, 47, of North East, Md., the driver of a 2003 Jeep involved in the crash, was cited for not having the Jeep registered or insured, said police.

• Kennett Township Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Ironstone Lane in Kennett Square for a burglary at 10:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Officers observed the rear master bedroom door had been smashed open. The victims reported that the burglary occurred between 9 and 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The victim reported jewelry and money stolen from the residence, police said. Anyone with information should contact Kennett Township Police at 610-388-2874.

• During the past six weeks, Kennett Square Police reported seven DUI arrests. On Friday, Dec. 18, at 11:03 p.m., police arrested Michelle Reyes, 42, of Kennett Square, following a traffic stop in the 100 block of South Walnut Street; at 6:50 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, Armando Vega-Parral, 35, of Cochranville, was arrested following a traffic accident in the 100 block of East South Street.

• Jason Hatfield, 35, of Elkton, Md., was arrested for DUI following a traffic stop in the 600 block West State Street on Monday, Dec. 21, at 3:34 p.m., and Noah Andrew Harrison Thomas, 18, of Wilmington, was arrested after an accident on Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the 500 block of South Union Street. A traffic stop in the 700 block of West State Street led to the arrest of Saul Martinez-Arizmendi, 34, of Wilmington, on Monday, Jan. 15, at 8:01 p.m.; Martinez-Arizmendi was found to have a bench warrant and was released to constables for transport to Chester County Prison, police said.

• On Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 10:17 p.m., Kennett Square Police arrested Laura Quintero-Lango, 30, of Kennett Square, for suspected drunk driving following an accident at South Walnut Street and Ways Lane. Finally, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 12:06 a.m., Kennett Square Police arrested Jorge Peralta-Gonzalez, 34, of Kennett Square, for DUI following an accident in the 700 block of Wayne Avenue; Peralta-Gonzalez, who was video-arraigned by the on-call magisterial district judge, was transported to Chester County Prison after failing to post 10 percent of $2,500 bail.

• Kennett Square Police are investigating a theft report from a resident of the 400 block of South Broad Street. Police said that on Tuesday, Dec. 29, between 12:45 and 12:55 p.m., a Dewalt drill, battery and charger valued at $200 were stolen from a garage left open for 10 minutes while the victim went inside the residence.

• On Saturday, Jan. 20, a resident of the 500 block of Hazel Avenue reported to Kennett Square Police that they had been notified the day before that a Home Depot credit card had been opened, using the resident’s name and Social Security number, and items totaling more than $1,100 were charged to the card. The investigation is continuing, police said.

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