A hearing for the man accused of firing a weapon in the early morning hours of Sept. 10 has been continued until Oct. 25. Richard Salvador Falcone, of Chadds Ford on Webb Road, was charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, making terroristic threats, and recklessly endangering another person. The hearing had been scheduled for Sept. 20.
State police were called to the 400 block of Webb Road at about 2:40 a.m. that Saturday. Police saw him outside, but he went back inside the house. Falcone then reemerged with a firearm in hand, according to the report. Police had already set up a perimeter, restricted vehicular movement on Webb, and notified residents to shelter in place.
The Special Emergency Response Team from the state police with bulletproof vehicles was called in, and negotiations ensued using cellphones and a bullhorn. Police said Falcone finally gave himself up after an almost five-hour standoff, and he was taken into custody with no further incident.
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.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced today that according to department data, fatalities, injuries, and crashes decreased overall after intersections at 33 locations were replaced with 36 roundabouts.
“We continue to see that Pennsylvania’s roundabouts save lives and reduce crash severity,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “While they aren’t the right option in every intersection, we’re pleased that they help to make our roadways safer.”
PennDOT recently reviewed data for 36 roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop- or signal-controlled. These roundabouts were selected based on having at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabouts were built. This accounts for a total of 387 before years and 220 after years of data.
Department data from 2002 through 2021 – based on police-submitted crash reports and weighted based on the number of before and after years, but not for increases in traffic volume – shows the following:
Suspected serious injuries were reduced by 76 percent;
Suspected minor injuries were reduced by 22 percent;
Possible/unknown severity injuries were reduced by 70 percent; and
Total number of crashes decreased by 9 percent.
Unfortunately, there was one fatality in one of the roundabouts; however, there were a combined three fatalities prior to the installation of roundabouts at the 33 locations.
In addition to the 36 roundabouts meeting the selection criteria, 38 other roundabouts have been built on state routes, with 16 more under construction and 15 in the final design.
The roundabouts included in the review from Southern Chester County were Route 82 (Doe Run Road) and Unionville Road, which opened in 2005; and Route 52 (Lenape Road), S. Wawaset Road and Lenape.
A roundabout in Delaware County at Route 320 (Chester Road), Rutgers Avenue and Fieldhouse Lane, which opened in 2014, was also included.
Roundabouts are frequently installed to address intersections with safety issues but may also be installed to improve traffic flow as well as other reasons such as traffic calming and to facilitate pedestrian mobility.
Although roundabouts are safer and typically more efficient than traditional signalized intersections, they may not always be the best option due to topography or other reasons, such as property impacts, capacity issues and proximity to other intersections.
Roundabouts are recognized by the Pennsylvania State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) as an innovation that has become standard practice within the transportation community.
To educate Pennsylvanians on how to navigate a roundabout, the department created a video on how to use both single and multi-lane roundabouts, whether in a vehicle, on a bicycle, or foot. The video can be accessed by visiting the roundabout page on PennDOT’s website or by visiting the department’s YouTube channel.
The following animals are ready to be adopted from the Brandywine Valley SPCA in West Chester.
Cyber
Cyber
Cyber — formerly known as Xavier — is a friendly, sweet, gentle, loving 5-year-old mixed breed. He’s playful, good in the car (likes the windows down), housetrained, crate trained, and knows basic commands sit/paw/down. He loves walks and does his best with a harness. He enjoys swimming in our kiddie pools and loves to be brushed. Cyber is very food motivated and will need some help from his new family to slim down a little. He is a great dog and would love to meet your family before adoption. Don’t miss out on this beautiful boy. We know his people are out there. You can name your fee for Cyber fka Xavier through Sunday, Sept. 25.
Stormy
Stormy
Stormy — formerly known as Gwen — is a 5-year–old female domestic longhair mix. She is a beautiful, independent lady. She wears her heart on her sleeve and will let you know when she wants love and when she prefers to be left alone. One of her best features is her beautiful long-haired coat, but it will require regular maintenance to keep it in pristine condition. She is working hard adjusting to life in a shelter cage and shows her better side in our meet-and-greet room. You can currently find her front and center in our lobby enclosure. She can be encouraged to play with cat toys and would appreciate regular playtime to channel her energy. She would do best with an adopter who can read her body language to recognize signs of overstimulation. Stormy would do best with older children and an adopter who can give her time to settle in and adjust. You can name your fee for Stormy through Sunday, Sept. 25.
For more information, go to www.bvspca.org/or phone 484-302-0865.
