December 6, 2017 - ChaddsFordLive.com

M. Bernice Edmondson Little of Landenberg

M. Bernice Edmondson Little, 94, of Landenberg, died Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Ware Presbyterian Village in Oxford. She was the wife of the late Kirby Lane Little, who died in 1999, and with whom she shared 58 years of marriage.

Born in Mount Hope, W.Va., she was the eldest daughter of the late Charles Blaine and the late Retha (Stansberry) Edmondson.

She attended school in Lansing, N.C. Bernice worked for Yeatman Greenhouses and also the Wynette Dress Shop in Kennett Square. She and her husband were founding members of Kennett Square Missionary Baptist Church and she attended there most of her adult life. Bernice enjoyed church, family, gardening, genealogy, travel and bible study.

Survivors include a daughter, Carolyn Malbone (Martin G.) of West Grove; sons, J. Stephen Little (Franca) of Landenberg and D. Johnnie Little (Carol Ann) of Kennett Square; seven grandchildren, Gale Miller, Dallas Little, Kathy McConnell, Mario Little, Michael Little, Mark Little, and Nicholas Little and eight great-grandchildren, Danny Miller, Taylor Royer, Cassidy Royer, Sierra McConnell, Cole Little, Jordan Hoback, Primo Little and Carter Little.

She was predeceased by a son, Richard Danny; a granddaughter, Stephanie DelCampo; a brother, Galen, and sisters, Wanda and Laska.

You are invited to visit with Bernice’s family and friends from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Kennett Square Missionary Baptist Church, 408 Bayard Rd., Kennett Square PA 19348. Her funeral service will follow at 11. Interment will be in Union Hill Cemetery.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the church at the aforementioned address. Arrangements are by Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com

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Concord: Wine yes, casinos no

Local News, Local News Chadds Ford, Local News Concord

Concord Township Council voted last night to amend previously granted conditional use approval so the Wawa on Naamans Creek Road can sell wine. But the council voted to prohibit mini-casinos in the township. The votes were 5-0.

Council members also adopted a budget with a slight tax increase for fire protection.

Concord granted conditional use approval to Wawa for beer sales in the summer of 2015. There were several restrictions placed on that original approval, including limiting the amount of beer sold to a customer at 192 ounces — two six packs of 16-ounce cans — and that Wawa had to return for future conditional use approval if it wanted conditions modified.

The modifications sought for during the Dec. 5 hearing — and approved during the following regular meeting — allow Wawa to sell any amount of beer that the state might allow in the future. Council also approved the sale of wine, up to 3,000 ml per person per day.

No one opposed the requests.

Other business

• Concord also became the latest township in the greater Chadds Ford area to prohibit mini-casinos. The state Gaming Commission allows major casinos to have what’s called Category 4 casinos. Those mini-casinos are those “with not less than 300 or more than 750 slot machines and gaming tables,” according to the letter sent by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.

However, the law allows municipalities to opt out, and that’s what Concord Council chose. Pennsbury Township opted out in November, and Birmingham Township voted to opt out during this Monday’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting. Chadds Ford supervisors are expected to follow suit during their Dec. 6 meeting.

• Council passed the township’s budget for 2018. It’s a balanced plan with $4.23 million anticipated in revenue and expenses.

Total millage rates are 0.981, up from 0.944 from last year. The difference is for fire protection. Last year’s rate for fire service was 0.135 mills, for 2018 it will be 0.172. A mill is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 in assessed property value.

• Township engineer Nate Cline announced that Concord is working with PennDOT on a grant to improve Smithbridge Road from Garnet Valley High School to the intersection with Kirk/Temple Road. Part of the discussion includes the installation of a roundabout at the intersection. Nothing is finalized, however.

• Council Vice President John Gillespie said the township is working on a new rate structure for sewer customers. The new structure could begin in May if approved in January. The new rates would be based on water usage.

The township is currently getting data from Aqua Water to develop the new rate. Council President Dominic Pileggi said rates would be lower than they are currently.

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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KACS wins award as exemplary nonprofit

Along the Ford

The Barra Foundation has announced that Kennett Area Community Service is a recipient of a 2018-2019 Barra Award. KACS joins 43 nonprofit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region that will each receive $50,000 in grant funding. Barra awardees are nominated by their peers in the social sector and are then invited to submit an application to the foundation. The application questions focus on the organization’s leadership, performance and adaptability.

“We are so excited to have been chosen for this grant opportunity. Our leadership team has been focused on taking our Kennett Food Cupboard program to the next level by working on the task of poverty reduction. Not only do we have the opportunity every day to end food insecurity, but we can also use that connection to begin the journey with our families to achieve economic mobility. Support from the Barra Foundation allows to do just that, to make every relationship count.” said KACS Executive Director Melanie Weiler in a press release.

In line with the foundation’s mission to invest in innovation in the social sector, the Barra Awards provide unrestricted funding and introduce awardees to a diverse network of social sector leaders. “Without unrestricted capital, nonprofits have little margin for error or appetite for innovation. Through the Barra Awards we hope to provide organizations with some financial breathing room and their leaders with opportunities to learn from their peers—a diverse and inspiring network of entrepreneurial thinkers from across the nonprofit sector,” said Kristina Wahl, president of The Barra Foundation in the release.

Since its 2013 inception, the Barra Awards has granted more than $6 million to area nonprofits. Awardees represent a range of nonprofits from the Arts and Culture, Education, and Health and Human Services sectors in the Greater Philadelphia region.

A full list of the 2018-2019 Barra Award winners is available here.

To learn more about the Barra Awards program, click here.

About The Barra Foundation

The Barra Foundation invests in innovation to inspire change that strengthens communities in the Greater Philadelphia region. Through its Catalyst Fund and Barra Awards, the Foundation provides approximately $4 million in annual grants that are focused on supporting innovation in and across the fields of Arts & Culture, Education, Health and Human Services.

About Kennett Area Community Service

KACS is committed to serving families and all individuals in the fight against hunger and homelessness in the Kennett area and surrounding communities. KACS is a responsible steward of the community, helping members of the greater Kennett community lift themselves in a dignified manner out of the cycle of poverty. The ultimate goal is to address and eliminate critical individual and societal barriers preventing households from exiting poverty.

KACS is the only organization of its kind in the Kennett Area providing three primary programs of service: The Food Cupboard, Emergency Assistance Program and Resource Building–that meet immediate needs while preparing participants for a healthy, stable future.

The Food Cupboard, one of the largest in Chester County, provides nutritious supplemental grocery items such as meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, bread, grains and canned fruits and vegetables to food insecure families and individuals. The program offers a week’s supply of nutritious food each month to 420 families.

The Emergency Assistance Program (EMA) provides cash grants to prevent eviction, pay overdue utility bills, purchase prescriptions, pay for essential transportation, and other urgent needs. Case Management and referral services are provided to all households. Over 100 homeless or imminently homeless households have sought KACS services in 2017, including the use of laundry and bathing facilities.

The final program area, Resource Building, started in 2014 and dramatically changed how KACS supports families. KACS implemented a nationally recognized strengths-based framework (based on the book Bridges Out of Poverty) aimed at reducing local poverty and building long-term sustainability for participants. All three programs address the ultimate goal by providing case management to address immediate needs and offering an extended, multi-year program to address issues leading to poverty. To date, KACS has trained 230 community members on the Bridges framework. An additional 40 families in need have participated in the Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World program.

To learn more about KACS and programs, visit www.KACSonline.net or contact Melanie Weiler at 610- 925-3556 x112.

About Press Release

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Loretta T. Camaratta of Glen Mills

Obituaries

Loretta T. Camaratta (nee Taylor), 92, of Glen Mills, formerly of Newtown Square, died Thursday, Nov. 30.

Born in Chester, she was the daughter of the late Bayard C. and Agnes (nee Carberry) Taylor. Loretta was employed as a telephone operator supervisor for SmithKline in Philadelphia.

Loretta was predeceased by her husbands, Rudolph A. Camaratta and Ignatius John Moleski. She was the cherished aunt of Catherine Rogers, James Gray, and Kevin Gray, as well as the dear great-aunt of many great-nieces and great-nephews. Loretta was the loving sister of the late Teresa Gray.

Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral mass, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. at St. Anastasia Church, 3301 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073, 610-356-1613. Interment SS Peter & Paul Cemetery, Springfield.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Alzheimer’s Association, 399 Market Street, Suite 102, Philadelphia, PA 19106, would be appreciated.

Arrangements by: The Donohue Funeral Home, 3300 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073, 610-353-6300.

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Erwin Aldinger of Glen Mills

Obituaries

Erwin Aldinger, 76, of Glen Mills, died Friday, Dec. 1.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Lower Moreland, in high school, he met his future wife Barbara. Together they forged close friendships with Lower Moreland classmates, meeting frequently with them, even to today.

Erv graduated from Lehigh University, with a degree in business administration, where he made lifelong friends among his Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Delaware.

He was among the first generation of computer software engineers, working at DuPont for his entire career.

Following retirement, he continued to pursue his love of the stock market, trading constantly and sharing his knowledge with his daughter Betsy. He had a passion for automobiles, learning to drive at age 10, competing in autocross and rallies, and passing that interest on to his son Karl.

Erv was an extremely warm and loving person, and despite many years of disability, he kept a very positive outlook on life, trading sports cars for a power wheelchair with incredible strength of character.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara, who was also his full-time caregiver for many years, his son Karl, his son-in-law Michael, and daughter-in-law Marie-Pierre.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation 2-2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, at The Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA 19382, 610-431-9000 followed by his at funeral Service 2:30.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Food Bank of Delaware, 14 Garfield Way, Newark, DE 19713.

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Police Log Dec 6: Driving with eyes closed, weapon’s charges

Police

• Janet Holliday-Stephens was charged with excessive speed after an accident on Baltimore Pike at Independence Way in Pennsbury Township on Nov. 15, according to state police. Police said Holliday-Stephens told them she had closed her eyes as she approached the intersection and, while her eyes were closed, she struck another vehicle from behind. Police said she struck the vehicle a second time when she applied gas after the initial impact.

• State police from the Avondale barracks reported no injuries, but said one driver was cited in a two-vehicle accident on Route 1 at Hickory Hill Road in Pennsbury Township on Nov. 28. A report said Seemkhah N. Thanis, 40, of Chester, was attempting to make a left-hand turn from southbound Baltimore Pike onto Hickory Hill Road, but failed to yield the right of way to an oncoming car heading north and was struck by that other vehicle.

• Olivia Buchanan, 57, of Coatesville, was charged with careless driving following an accident in the Chester County Prison parking lot in Pocopson Township on Nov. 26, a state police report said. According to that report, Buchanan was backing out of a parking stall at the prison when she struck a parked vehicle, then fled the scene.

• Police charged Beth J. Wilcox,41, for following too closely on Nov. 27. A state policed report said Wilcox was driving on W. Street Road in Pocopson Township at 5:09 p.m. when she struck debris from a previous accident and disabled her vehicle.

• State police are saying speed was the cause of a one-vehicle accident in West Marlborough Township on Oct. 21. A report identified the driver as Maurice W. Peterson, 38, of Coatesville. According to police, Peterson was driving north on N. Chatham Road when he ran off the road while negotiating a curve. The vehicle struck a tree and a mailbox at the intersection of N. Chatham and Old Hilton Road. Peterson was cited for speed, the report said.

• On Nov. 21, Southern Chester County Regional police took three men into custody on weapons charges and one of them for DUI. Police identified the three as Robert Joseph Spencer III, the driver, Joseph Conrad Casale and Cole Trevor Ryan. According to the police report, police stopped a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer for an equipment violation, in the 700 block of Newark Road, in New Garden Township at 12:50 a.m. The driver was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI (drugs) and alerted officers that the rear passenger, Casale, was carrying a pistol. An unloaded Glock 9mm, with one 12 round magazine and one empty magazine, was recovered next to Casale. It was subsequently determined that this gun had been legally purchased, a few days before, by Casale and he was still in possession of the receipt. However, he did not have a license to carry in Pennsylvania. A subsequent search of the vehicle produced a second Glock 9mm pistol. This gun was found secreted under some items behind the front passenger seat. It was unloaded but the front passenger, Ryan, had a magazine for the gun, loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, in his front pants pocket. The serial number on the bottom of the frame was scratched, in an attempt to obliterate the number. All three were charged, arraigned, and were initially committed to the Chester County Prison, in lieu of posting bail.

• Kennett Square police are investigating an armed robbery from this past weekend. A report said a male wearing a ski mask and displaying a gun stole $800 from a business in the 600 block of South Union Street at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.

• On Dec. 1, a Kennett Square business reported the theft of $1,900 that took place in August. Borough police are investigating.

• Kennett Square police said they arrested Mario Chavez-Aguilar, 20, Kennett Square, for DUI following a traffic stop in the 400 block School House Alley on Thursday. Nov. 23 at 12:44 a.m.

• Oscar Escobar-Lucas, 19, of Toughkenamon, was arrested for DUI following a traffic stop in the 600 block West State Street on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 12:49 a.m., Kennett Square police said.

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