You may have read about the recent not-guilty verdict in the WCU sexual assault case in Chester County. We are writing as this coverage, like most coverage of sexual assault cases, may have the unintended consequence of triggering victims/survivors of sexual violence. For those victims/survivors who have either faced the same outcome or decided not to pursue a criminal case against their assailant, we would…
Some years after the Sept. 11, 1777, battle of Brandywine, written details of the fighting along the Brandywine River weren’t necessary as every reader knew the facts of the valiant American stand against the British army upon the fields of Birmingham Hill and Sandy Hallow. Sadly, few Americans today know the heroics that Gen. George Washington’s army performed against the forces of British Gens. William…
This coming Monday is a significant day in history. Not because it’s Labor Day, but because Sept. 5 is Jury Rights Day. What few people realize is that jurors have the right to find a defendant not guilty even if the accused is guilty of the charges. And some of our constitutional guarantees — freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and press — are rooted in…
In the not-too-distant future, the world may realize that President Joe Biden is a hypocrite. He spent a good part of his career as a United States senator drafting and voting for laws that put people in cages for even possessing cannabis. Now he’s outraged over Russia’s arresting Brittney Griner for bringing hash oil containing THC into that country. Griner is a member of the…
At its meeting on Aug. 15, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board tabled proposed amendments to Policy 203. According to its president, the board did so out of a concern for fairness and a desire to get things right. That is a remarkable distortion of the truth. Policy 203 has an interesting history. It was adopted in 2017 and gave the school board the authority to…
As both a Chadds Ford resident and a business owner in Washington State, I rely on Chadds Ford Live as my most important source of local news. No matter where I am, your online format keeps me "in the know" on the local arts scene and its international ramifications, historic preservation and conservation, tourist attractions and events, school activities, business, and local governance. Conversely, the…
I've had a thought that's been on my mind from when I was chair of our first Chadds Ford Open Space Committee a while ago. During the Dad Vail, Stokesbury, and other regattas on the Schuykill River, Kelly Drive is completely closed all day long, usually from 5 am to 6 pm, to all traffic so spectators and crews can access the river bank; Media,…
People are going nuts on social and mainstream media alike regarding the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Everybody’s talking about abortion, but not many say anything other than letting out an emotional scream or cheer. That’s understandable since there’s nothing objective about how the argument is phrased and its emotional volatility. “Pro-choice v. pro-life,” as it’s put, is misleading since most people on…
Does it trouble you that the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board and administration are helping children keep secrets from their parents? Multiple staff emails have said that middle school students are encouraged to explore their gender identity and sexuality. However, not only have parents not been notified but there is documentation showing efforts have been made specifically to hide it from parents. Alarmed parents have shared…
On Monday, Feb. 28, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board voted 7-1 to change the district’s Health and Safety Plan to make, among other things, masks optional. The only vote against it came from the board President, Jeff Hellrung. Why did Mr. Hellrung vote against the new Health and Safety Plan? Reaching out to Mr. Hellrung to understand his concerns has not produced a perspective from…
PTSD — post-traumatic stress disorder — is an equal opportunity tormenter. Even what might be termed a mild case still torments. Everyone is neurotic, but that’s because our parents were neurotic. But each generation continues the process. It’s part of the human condition. Then you add on some extra trauma. My add-on PTSD is called survivor’s guilt. I spent 16 months in Southeast Asia, but…