A board shows Hugh Taussig-Lux's crimes and ages of his victims.
A 20-year-old man from Media was sentenced to up to 27 years in prison for multiple sexual assault charges involving a dozen children, some as young as 12 years old. Authorities believe, however, there are more victims.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan announced the sentencing of Hugh Taussig-Lux during a press conference at the County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon. Taussig-Lux pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to a series of charges including rape of a child, corruption of minors, indecent assault of victims less than 13 years of age and sexual assault.
Following reports of drug use among youngsters, an investigation conducted by Officer Nicci Young of the Media Borough Police uncovered a series of assaults that occurred during an 18-month period, with a dozen victims ranging in ages 12 to 15 years old. Both girls and boys were victimized.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan, center, addresses reporters during the press conference.
The assaults took place in Taussig-Lux’s apartment on Baker Street in Media. Whelan said Taussig-Lux would entice his victims with a promise of video games and a variety of drugs including alcohol, marijuana and LSD. In one case, Whalen said, Taussig-Lux forced himself on a victim after giving her a date-rape drug.
According to Whelan, Taussig-Lux would frequent parks and playgrounds where youngsters would congregate. He also went to schoolyards during the summer and other times when there was no school and no adults around. He focused on students in the Rose-Tree Media School District living in Media, Upper Providence, Middletown and surrounding neighborhoods.
He would lure them to his home for a party, then hone in on one child he thought he could abuse. Whelan referred to Taussig-Lux as an “opportunist.” The criminal activity started in the summer of 2014 and continued into the spring of 2016 when he was arrested.
The purpose of the press conference was not so much about announcing the sentence, as about getting the word out that there are likely other victims who need to come forward.
Whalen, and Media Police Chief Martin Wusinich said the 12 known victims might not be the only ones. Each said any youngster who had contact with Taussig-Lux should come forward.
“We want to get victims the help they need,” Wusinich said. “You have to keep close tabs on young children. Know who they’re with, when and where.”
Parents and caregivers who learn their kids have had contact with Taussig-Lux are urged to phone Officer Young at 610-565-6656.
Judge Kevin F. Kelly sentenced Taussig-Lux to 13 1⁄2 to 27 years in state prison, plus eight years probation and a lifetime of Megan’s Law registration.
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.
Jessica M. Prigg, 28, of West Grove, died Friday, March 3, at her residence.
Born in Newark, she was the daughter of the late James T. Prigg Jr. and the late Cheryl Erickson Prigg.
Jessica enjoyed shopping, dining out, going to the beach, her dogs Odie and Odessa, and being with her family and friends.
She is survived by two brothers, Jason Prigg, her twin brother, of West Grove, and Kenny Walker of Newark; one sister Lauren Walker of Claymont; her maternal grandmother, Mary Lou Erickson of Claymont, her paternal grandmother, Betty Warren of West Grove, and her paternal grandfather, James Prigg Sr. of West Grove.
Mary Teale Battin, 88, of Kennett Square, died Feb. 27 at the Crosslands Retirement community.
Mary Teale Battin
Born April 24, 1928, in Des Moines, Iowa, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Marcella (Stearns) Teale. She and her mother moved to Buffalo, N.Y. in 1941 where she resided until 1950.
In Buffalo, Mary attended the Buffalo Seminary and graduated with a scholarship to Swarthmore College. At Swarthmore, she received a bachelor’s of arts degree in history and graduated in 1950.
While at Swarthmore, she met her future husband, Joseph Battin who was a civil engineering student. Upon graduation in 1950, they married and Joe embarked on an engineering and construction career with the Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco.
With Bechtel, they lived in many places and traveled to many more. In 1978 they were resident in Teheran, Iran when the Shah fell to Khomeini’s forces. Eventually, they moved to San Francisco and remained there for 22 years before moving to the Crossland Community in 2003.
Mary was an only child. She is survived by her husband Joe, her children, Sheila Monahan and Stephen Battin (wife Elizabeth) and one grandson: Justin Seides.
She became an accomplished hiker, was a world class cook and participated in community affairs at Crosslands. First and foremost, she was a wonderful wife, mother and friend, and will be much missed.
A Memorial Service will be held for Mary at the Crosslands Community on April 2, at 2 p.m.
Omega by Paul Santoleri, Main Line Art CenterOmega by Paul Santoleri, Main Line Art Center
Three great shows are opening this Friday, March 10th, and it might be a difficult choice for art lovers!
The 8th Annual Radley Run Art Show start this Friday night at the beautiful Radley Run Country Club in West Chester. Church Street Gallery in West Chester opens a new solo show with phenomenal landscape painter Stefanie Lieberman. In Haverford, the Main Line Art Center has a gala event art opening for three artists in “Draw the Line.” Each of these art events are free to the public, and offer an array of complimentary treats, music, food, wine and of course great art and a chance to chat with the artists. So much to do this weekend that it will be hard to pick which event to go to!
Before starting with the wonderful weekend art events, the Amanda C. Burden lecture series at The Brandywine River Museum of Art , “Her America: Three Women Artists from The Phillips Collection”, starts up with an in depth lecture on Georgia O’Keefe, from 11 a.m. 12 noon on Wednesday March 8. The series continues March 15, with a lecture on artist Doris Lee, and on March 22 with a talk about Grandma Moses. Amanda is a well-respected art historian and associate curator at The Brandywine River Museum of Art.
The lecture series should be lively and informative and a great experience for everyone. It would be great if this series could also be in the evening so that more young people could attend. Young people need to know that art history isn’t boring at all. It is lively and engaging and opens your creative senses up to a whole new way of looking at the world. Visitors may purchase individual or whole series. Admission is $10 for members, $15 non-members for each lecture or $25 members and $35 non-members for whole series.
“Draw the Line” is the blockbuster art opening at the Main Line Art Center this Friday from 5:30-8:30 at their location at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford . The three “Draw The Line” artists are Paul Santoleri, Joanna Platt and Kelley Donohue. Paul Santoleri has created an extraordinary paper drawing installation that covers the walls, floor and ceiling. Clay sculptures by Donohue and unique light installations by Platt complete a “Wow!” show that is unlike anything ever seen in our area.
Amie Potsic, Executive Director and Chief Curator, wrote “I feel so fortunate to be showing such talented artists in Draw the Line. Each artist’s work uniquely involves the drawn line, but does so in surprising ways by using ceramics, conduit, ink, tape, and paint…. Our galleries will be transformed by their installations, sculptures, and videos so that audiences are transported with visions of the past and future.”
The event at Main LineArtCenter begins with an artists’ talk and walk through the gallery show at 5:30 p.m. and the gala event begins formally at 6:30. “It’s exciting to provide opportunities to engage directly with the award winning artists in person as they share the complex and compassionate experiences that inform their work” says Potsic. While you are gasping at the wonderful exhibition, meeting the artists and the curator, be sure to also check out the Main Line Art Center’s huge list of classes and workshops, and become a member. This is an amazing show, and the center is a terrific creative space for students and artist’s alike.
The annual Radley Run Art Show event, also starts Friday March 10 and continues through Saturday the 11th. Artist Karl Kuerner is the featured artist for the show this year, exhibiting along with 50 local artists at the “clubhouse” located at 1100 Country Club Road in West Chester. The show is a curated array of artists that range from abstract to traditional, steel sculpture to clay. It has something for everyone, and the art sales benefit two respected charitable organizations: Community Volunteers in Medicine, and the Chester County Arts Association.
The warm, cozy environment of the clubhouse, with a great bar, delicious appetizers and a friendly atmosphere, make this a particularly enjoyable art event. Friday March 10 from 6-10 p.m. is packed with people and has a party atmosphere, and Saturday is more kid-friendly, showing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Book a brunch or lunch at the club’s bar for a hearty, relaxing treat with the family.
Spring Marsh by Stefanie Lieberman, Church Street Gallery
Church Street Gallery never fails to point their gallery spotlight at a terrific artist, and this March, they celebrate the paintings of Stefanie Lieberman, A PAFA educated landscape artist , who is, to quote a famous local artist, “really really good.” Stefanie’s images are often huge cloud-filled or ocean filled vistas that take up a majority of the canvas, leaving only a slim area to ground the viewer. She is not afraid to freefall into “Nature’s Majesty”, and she does so without sentimentality, and without over-doing it. She paints those moments when we pull over the car to marvel at the sky or the shoreline or we take endless iphone snapshots that can never capture how beautiful the landscape is at that “wow” spot of time; and she paints that moment perfectly. She is a brave painter to take on such subject matter, and I can’t wait to meet her in person and see more of her work up close! The artist’s reception for “Natural Pleasures” with Stefanie Lieberman is this Friday, March 10th from 5 to 9 p.m , and the show continues through April 1st at Church Street Gallery in West Chester.
Ivystone Studio art reception party
Saturday March 11, from 4 to 10 p.m. is another open-to-the public fun Spring Art Show at Ivystone Studio in Downingtown. With new art and a new executive director, Ivystone is finding its contemporary art niche and celebrating with a 6 hour party/reception. What a great way to spend a Saturday night! 30 artists and counting, music, food, and more- check out Ivystone Studio this Saturday, or all during the week, located at 138 Moore Road in Downingtown. Check their website for their open hours, and definitely check out their latest art party on Saturday.
For theater lovers, make sure to go online and purchase your tickets to the first ever Residential Theater Company performance at the newly renovated Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester (the old armory building across the street from the Chester County Historical Society). This has been a very long time in the making, and it must be a terrific thrill for everyone who has worked so hard to bring theater alive in West Chester. Their inaugural show is Spamalot, an extremely funny Monty Python musical which opens March 31, and you should get your tickets now.
Monday March 13th is a music filled gala benefit kick-off event “An Evening of Kings, Queens and Stars” from 6 to 10 p.m., to benefit the RTC. There is music, performances, food, wine, beer, silent auction and more, all for $45 each, and you should go to the RTC website to get tickets. Sounds like a fantastic date night!
Mark your calendars!
Wednesday March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 2noon, Amanda C. Burden lecture on Georgia O’Keefe at BrandywineRiverMuseum of Art ($15)
Friday March 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. “Draw the Line” blockbuster show and gala artist opening, Main Line Art Center in Haverford (free)
Friday March 10 from 5 to 9 p.m. Church Street Gallery opening Stefanie Lieberman, West Chester (free)
Friday March 10 from 6 to 10 p.m. -Saturday March 11 10am-3pm : The Radley Run Art Show, Radley Run Country Club, West Chester (free)
Saturday March 1 1from 4 to 10 p.m. Ivystone Studio Sprint Art Show opening reception, Downingtown
Monday March 13 from 6 to 10 p.m. Residential Theater Company “An Evening of Kings, Queens and Stars” gala event and fundraiser ($45)
Lele Galer is an artist who has chaired numerous art shows, taught art history and studio art, public art and has chaired, written and taught the Art in Action Art Appreciation series for the UCFD schools for the past 12 years. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wrote for the Associated Press in Rome. She has been dedicated to Art History and art education for most of her adult life. Lele and her husband Brad own Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square.
In a brief 30-minute meeting Monday, Birmingham Township supervisors voted to have the Brandywine Conservancy design plans for the former Cacchio property on Birmingham Road. The board also agreed to have the township engineer recommend a structural engineer to examine the barn on the site to determine whether it’s safe before the township decides what to do with the property.
The board also reaffirmed a previous decision that the conservancy should develop a plan for the Fence Works property on Creek Road and Route 926.
Birmingham now owns both properties. Supervisors’ Chairman John Conklin said the Fence Works site could become a park, but that decision has not yet been made. Michael Langer, of the Recreation, Parks and Open Space Committee, said that property is part of the conservancy’s greenway project.
Additionally, the board granted certificates of appropriateness to four property owners that had made applications to HARB for changes to their homes. One of the properties on Birmingham Road also needs zoning approval for solar panels.
Supervisors also heard from state Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156, of West Chester. Comitta was elected to the state house in November after beating former state Rep. Dan Truitt. Comitta, the former mayor of West Chester, introduced herself to the board as the new state representative for Birmingham.
“I’m here to serve and am looking forward to serving together to make Birmingham even better than it has always been,” she said.
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.
