So Downingtown Auction House? I know it’s got to be whom I am thinking of and they are wonderful and this is not them. They have been around, and do lots of American and portraits. This painting was shipped from Beverly Hills, CA I am told by a woman who used auctioneers in the past. That makes me wonder if she is an ex-Chester County native? An ex-pat so to speak? That is what I hypothesize, right or wrong.
Things that strike me as odd include: do we know the subject of the portrait or the painter? NBC 10 Reporter Deanna Durante’s report indicated other authorities perhaps getting involved who deal in art theft? And possibly being listed on a website called Art Loss Registry.
I do not pretend to know much about 18th century portrait painters, but as far as auctioning something, often people will send stuff to auction where they think they have a market. So I wonder if that is in part why a Downingtown, PA auction house was chosen? Could this painting have regional historical interest? This is of course why my inner Nancy Drew wishes authorities would release more information on the painting. Perhaps if we knew more about the painting, we could know more about why it was stolen, unless it was just a crime of opportunity perhaps originating in California and now whomever is stuck with a hot potato? What are authorities in California saying, for example?
So West Whiteland PD says it shipped from Beverly Hills, CA? If you Google there are 3 active Beverly Hills FedEx locations, or so I discovered. Maybe I am wrong, I don’t know. I am not exactly an expert on Beverly Hills.
So, it was prepared by a business in California and shipped FedEx ground? You would need someone to expertly crate it and ship it, right? I know FedEx can do that, I have done that through the FedEx in Malvern. But one thing about the FedEx in Malvern. A couple of times I have missed a delivery and had to go there to pick it up. I have had to show ID and so forth, so I am still confused as to WHY the person at FedEx in Exton released the painting?
I will note, that I do NOT believe UPS will let you change where something is delivered to once it is shipped, but someone will have to verify that. No clue about USPS because I do not see them as an avenue of shipping for art, do you? Again, maybe I am wrong.
Deanna Durante’s report mentions the painting may have been re-frames and may have “L Parks” on the back of it. It was packed and shipped at a FedEx in Beverly Hills. Christie’s Auctions actually has an article about how the BACK of a painting can tell as much of a story as the subject and painter of a painting.
I am kind of fascinated that I can’t find any media in the Los Angeles area talking about this yet. Maybe it will end up just stealing for stealing, but maybe it is because of whomever painted the painting or whom the subject was?
Doesn’t it seem this is a total FedEx thing? After all, has FedEx piped up about this at all? So FedEx is this an “inside job” that started in Los Angeles or Beverly Hills?
Police say this painting was taken Friday, January 27, 2023 at 7:15 A.M. Since the public has only recently heard of this can we say the poor lady who owned it exhausted all avenues with FedEx? Yes, I know, I am becoming repetitive. I am just fascinated by this, as are lots of people.
If you see the painting, please call police. Or wouldn’t it be nice if the thief just RETURNED the painting?
A few weeks ago I saw these Crimewatch PA blurbs from West Whiteland Township. White Collar crimes, something you do not see often. The names were Verna, Karen and Verna, Joseph.
Originally these popped around Valentine’s Day. I threw up a post based on what I saw. That was that.
I figured the media would find this curious and follow-up. Crickets. And white collar crimes seem to be a media thing these days, including on the Main Line. And because it’s white collar you would think consumer affairs TV reporters might be interested? Nope. Crickets.
Today I wondered “what ever happened?” so I went back to the court dockets. New dockets. New entries. A formal arraignment on March 23, 2023 at 9:15 AM in front of Judge Analisa Sondergaard unless it gets moved. And when I looked again at the Crimewatch entries were updated to include photos, so now the names have faces.
So I am guessing this guy is a chiropractor in Florida now? (It came up in a Google search. You can look up the FL license, it’s public, also listed on PA state site so I guess that is it, huh?) Business must have been in West Whiteland since that is the PD that did it? And now there is the Chester County DA listed on the new dockets?
Don’t know the man. Don’t know the wife. But that is some interesting stack of charges on him and if you read the dockets, the charges say 2009 which means this has been going on a while??? How do you do that? Greed? Malice? Stupidity? Whatever the case may be, this one has the earmarking of a doozy of a tale, doesn’t it?
Sure is interesting. Sure feel sorry for whomever they did dirty. Maybe now the media will pick it up now that there are photos on the Crimewatch listings and a late March court date?
Kevin Riordan of The Philadelphia Inquirer has this brand new article out. About development in Swarthmore. Swarthmore one of the last places with beautiful trees and not overtaken by ugly development…until now. And the players include the guy who went from zoning and planning dude in West Goshen Township to Swarthmore Borough Manager (William Webb) and the former Borough Mayor of Swarthmore and developer/builder, Bill Cumby.
I will start with not a big fan of West Goshen and West Goshen employee refugees because West Goshen just always has issues. And then there is this once a politician always a politician former mayor of Swarthmore and how can he really want to build something so out of character and out of scale in a small main street oriented community that is also home to lovely homes with terrific gardens and street trees, Swarthmore College, and Scott Arboretum? Political/personal gain? I mean you don’t want to think that, but this plan? It’s like all the bad plans for Ardmore, PA mated with Eastside Flats in Malvern Borough and The Elm in Narberth, and had an alien love child.
This proposed plan? One word: HIDEOUS.
No Swarthmore is not in Chester County. It’s in Delaware County. And Swarthmore and Media are two of my favorite Main Street small town feel towns. So yes, I am expressing my dismay. Honest, heart-felt dismay.
A local developer’s proposed condominium complex in Swarthmore would offer ready access to a SEPTA Regional Rail station as well as to shops, restaurants, and cultural amenities in the heart of the Delaware County borough.
Called 110 Park, the $30 million, five-story building would increase the town center’s population and provide Swarthmore empty-nesters an opportunity to downsize in their community. The proposal also includes 1,250 square feet of retail space and preservation of the facade and front section of the Celia Building, a Park Avenue landmark….a significant number of Swarthmore residents, including architects, preservationists, and businesspeople, say 110 Park would dwarf its low-rise surroundings, cast a literal and figurative shadow over the town center, and erode the borough’s distinctive character.
They also oppose the pending demolition of two vintage buildings and see the proposed 40-space parking garage at the complex as a potential threat to pedestrian and vehicular traffic safety….Ever since the developer, 110 Park LLC, submitted the first iteration of the proposal for review in 2021, public concerns have focused on the impact of replacing a small-town expanse of Park Avenue streetscape that includes green space with a residential building more appropriate for a city block…..The council is expected to vote on the measure on March 13.
Melanie Rodbart, one of the founders of a nonprofit called Save Our Swarthmore….is not opposed to town center development, including on Park Avenue.
“There’s a way to develop that site without razing everything on it,” said Rodbart, a structural engineer and owner of a company that specializes in historic preservation….
Incorporated in 1893 and best known as the home of Swarthmore College, the borough is an inner-ring commuter suburb of Philadelphia. It has about 6,500 residents in its 1.4 square miles and features comfortable homes on tree-lined streets named after universities.
The Cumby family has been a part of Swarthmore for generations, and Bill Cumby, a former borough mayor who owns W.S. Cumby, a Delaware County construction firm, is a partner in developing 110 Park….Prices would range from $600,000 for some one-bedrooms to $1 million and above for three-bedroom units….The controversy has alerted Swarthmore residents to what some describe as shortcomings in the borough’s development regulations. Although none of the buildings to be demolished or altered as part of the 110 Park project are on registries of historic places, the 100 block of Park Avenue is eligible to be declared a historic district but has not been proposed as such.
So Bill, Will, Willy, whatever you go by Webb are you actually LISTENING to your Swarthmore residents, the people whose taxes pay your salary? Because if you were listening you would know what the temperature is on this project.
Now Swarthmore has a big old page on their website devoted to this hideous project: CLICK HERE.
Some company called Bernardon has design plan things on their website: CLICK HERE.
Developer and former mayor guy has a website for his proposed project: CLICK HERE. He is heavy on the hype to get monster Lego land approved in my humble opinion.
Residents have banded together. Their group is SOS or Save Our Swarthmore. They seemed to have one of my favorite land use lawyers and former Lower Merion Commissioners assisting them. Phillip Rosenzweig, Esq. (Now for those of you reading, yes indeed this is indeed one of the land use lawyers I talk about as being AMAZING. He is also the guy that wrote that piece of fabulousness that ended eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore, PA when he first became a commissioner. And no, he is not a commissioner now, which is a shame for Lower Merion.) Here’s something off the SOS site he penned regarding this hot mess of a proposal for Swarthmore:
Swarthmorians fight for your town. Human scale matters. Fitting the existing landscape matters. You have an old school main street oriented town. It should be a historic district. Learn from the mistakes of other towns. Preserve what you have. I find it completely appalling that someone who once was an elected official and lives in Swarthmore thinks this is right for the character of your town. I am allowed to have that opinion. I feel for you guys. I applaud your efforts.
Every damn day. Every damn day there is some piece of news out of the Temple University area about crime. Violent and petty crime. Last night a Temple University Police officer was murdered. By an 18 year old out of an expensive area in Buckingham, Bucks County and yes I looked up where the kid lives. Given his photos on Instagram about his love of his Ducati motorcycle someone’s parents may have more money than sense.
The shooter as per media reports is 18 year old Miles Pfeffer of Quarry Road in Bucks County. He lives with some family on “Boxley Farm” in Buckingham. Quite the piece of real estate.
So since media reports say Miles Pfeffer just turned 18 so is he a senior in high school and what would a kid from a place like that be doing in North Philadelphia car jacking someone at gunpoint?
And what is his family all about that they didn’t realize what their kid was up to? Didn’t they look at his social media? Everyone else has been looking at his Instagram for example. Trying to be a gangsta, and then you wonder were the parents parenting at all?
And let’s talk Temple University. If you know anyone who works there or if you were one of the thousands of parents in the region with kids there you know every day there’s something on the news and it’s never positive in relation to Temple University and North Philadelphia. It’s 24/7/365 crime. The university president Dr. Jason Wingard and his public safety blondie Jennifer Griffin seem to schmooze and massage press releases, etc., but what are they actually doing ? I won’t bother with wondering the same with the City of Philadelphia because it’s just Crimeadelphia Filthadelphia 24/7/365.
Just a few short years ago, Miles Pfeffer posed for photos on Instagram with largemouth bass and other fish he’d caught. He was 15, but looked young enough to be in middle school.
Then it was dirt bikes, then a Ducati, and by last November, he was sitting atop a basketball hoop, fanning out $20 bills. Another Instagram photo later that month showed a male with a concealed face, displaying money in a similar fashion — but with what appeared to be a Ruger semiautomatic pistol tucked into his waistband. “Work smart not hard make stupid decisions face stupid consequences,” Pfeffer wrote.
The Temple University Police Officer who was shot was 31 years old. A family man. A son of parents in law enforcement according to other things I have read. He is from a legacy of protect and serve. Officer Christopher Fitzgerald. Say his name. He was shot in the head so there is no doubt as to the intent of the shooter is there? People love to talk about the bad people in law enforcement all over this country and then you look at what happens to the people who are good law-enforcement, and are they spoken of enough?
And now the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that this kid tried to rob the officer of his gun while on the ground, shot. The sheer inhumanity blows my mind.
Temple University has reportedly underreported crime. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on that in November, 2022. So did other media outlets:
When professor Jeffrey Doshna read Temple University’s latest crime report, he was immediately struck by a seeming omission.
The murder of Samuel Collington last November, less than two blocks from a campus building, wasn’t reflected in the statistics. In fact, the university reported zero murders either on or off its main North Philadelphia campus for 2021, just as it has for every past year on record.
By federal law, Temple didn’t leave anything out. Universities are required to report only crimes that occur directly on campus, on public property adjacent to campus, or at off-campus affiliated university buildings. The result is that killings that took place last year in what many consider Temple’s neighborhood — on the 1700 block of North 16th Street, the 1700 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, or the 2200 block of North Park Avenue, where Collington died — are unaccounted for in Temple’s annual crime report.
~ Philadelphia Inquirer 11/20/22
Temple University is a terrific school but they can’t keep their students, staff, or police force safe, can they? That has to change. It is incumbent upon the board of trustees of Temple University to act. This is the current board of trustees:
2022-2023
Barry C. Arkles, Ph.D., ’70 College of Science & Technology, 76′ College of Science & Technology, Ph.D. Retired
Leonard Barrack, Esq.,’65 Fox School of Business, ’68 Beasley School of Law Barrack, Rodos & Bacine
Michael E. Breeze, ’96 Fox School of Business & Management New Direction Capital
Patrick M. Browne, Esq.,(G)* , ’93 Beasley School of Law Pennsylvania State Senator
Stephen G. Charles, ’80 School of Media & Communication Retired
Joseph F. Coradino, ’74 College of Liberal Arts PREIT Services, LLC
Paul G. Curcillo, II, M.D.,’84 College of Science & Technology Fox Chase Cancer Center
Nelson A. Diaz, Esq.,’72 Beasley School of Law, ’90 Honorary Degree Dilworth Paxson LLP
Patrick J. Eiding (G)* President of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO
Judith A. Felgoise, ’87 College of Education The Abramson Family Foundation
Deborah M. Fretz (H)*,’77 Fox School of Business & Management Retired
Lewis F. Gould, Jr., Esq., (S)*, ’62 School of Pharmacy Duane Morris, LLP
Lon R. Greenberg Retired
Tamron Hall, ’92 School of Media & Communication Broadcast Journalist, Television Talk Show Host
Sandra Harmon-Weiss, M.D.,’71 College of Liberal Arts, ’74 Lewis Katz School of Medicine Retired
Kellyn Hodges., D.M.D. (G)*, ’92 Kornberg School of Dentistry, ’94 Kornberg School of Dentistry (Masters) Kellyn Hodges Orthodontics
Marina Kats, Esq.,’85 Fox School of Business & Management, ’88 Beasley School of Law, ’95 Beasley School of Law (Masters) Kats, Jamison & Associates
Drew A. Katz Interstate Outdoor Advertising
Patrick V. Larkin, Esq., (S)*, ’74 Fox School of Business, ’82 Beasley School of Law AJG Risk Management Services
Marguerite Lenfest Retired
Solomon C. Luo, M.D. Progressive Vision & Surgical Institute
Joseph W. Marshall, III, Esq., (S)*, ’75 College of Liberal Arts, ’79 Beasley School of Law Stevens & Lee/Griffin Holdings Group
Anthony J. McIntyre, ’80 Fox School of Business AJG Risk Management Services
Christopher W. McNichol (H)* Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.
J. William Mills, III Retired
Mitchell L. Morgan, Esq., Chair,’76 Fox School of Business, ’80 Beasley School of Law Morgan Properties
Leon O. Moulder, Jr., ’80 School of Pharmacy Retired
Bret S. Perkins (H)*.,’91 Fox School of Business Comcast Corporation
Michael H. Reed, Esq.,’69 College of Liberal Arts Troutman Pepper, LLP
Phillip C. Richards, ’62 Fox School of Business, ’16 Honorary Degree North Star Resource Group
Charles E. Ryan, (H)* Liberty Energy Trust, Liberty Infrastructure Trust
Jane Scaccetti, ’77 Fox School of Business Drucker & Scaccetti
John F. Street, Esq., (G)* Former Mayor of Philadelphia
Christine M. Tartaglione, (S)* Pennsylvania State Senator
Honorary Life Trustees
Alan M. Cohen
Peter D. DePaul
Lacy H. Hunt
Sidney Kimmel
Theodore A. McKee
Patrick J. O’Connor
Daniel H. Polett
Ex-Officio Trustees
The Honorable Josh Shapiro, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Honorable James F. Kenney, Mayor, City of Philadelphia
The Honorable Eric Hagarty, Acting Secretary of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education
President, Temple Student Government (Gianni Quattrocchi, 2022-2023)
Note: *Commonwealth Trustees indicated by appointing agency: (G) – Governor, (S) – Senate President Pro Tempore, (H) – Speaker of the House of Representatives
In the wake of this horrific tragedy and event, there are many conversations which need to be had. But the first one is keeping kids at Temple, employees at Temple including the police force, and the people around Temple University safe. That means that Temple and the City of Philadelphia need to get off their asses.
My final comment is if you care about the students at Temple being safe, make sure you follow Keep Us Safe @ Temple U . These kids are being quite brave to do this. I am sure Temple University officials wished they did not exist. They tell the truth as opposed to those in charge. Linktree here for Keep Us Safe .
Happy Valentine’s Day! Instead of just talking about Valentine’s Day I thought I would talk about things that I love, which include vintage Valentine’s cards.
I also love old pewter porringer bowls. Nobody seems to want them anymore, and I use them all over the house. The bigger ones make great coasters as long as their bottoms are flat inside. I use them to put hair ties in and loose change. They even act as coasters for wine bottles, I use one for the bottle of Madeira I keep for cooking. They are also a great dish for candles. If you like this idea, you can pick them up for a minimum amount of money at garage sales and flea markets and church sales.
Other things I love (and use)? Old gardening books and cookbooks.
I also love the story of my friend Lynn’s engagement years ago as written by John Grogan for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The funny thing was, I read this article before I even knew who she was, and then we met over time in Ardmore and became friends.
I also love old German tea strainers….
And then there are things I love like old crocks which I use for all sorts of things. As planter cache pots in the garden, toilet paper holder in the powder room, to hold my spoons and things in the kitchen.
I also love to clip things occasionally from my magazines. Recipes, ideas, things I like. In recipes:
In the not physically clipped but sharing- other things I like (and some I use): Transferware, egg cups, old trunks, hat stands, books. I also clip ideas like dressing your porch like another room, or hanging trays or plates like art:
Sorry folks, it has been a busy day. Received official word from East Whiteland regarding the data center of it all. After that I will share the article that prompted this:
In response to recent articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily Local News, where the Township was asked to provide comments and a status update regarding recent data center proposals, below is a statement from East Whiteland Township:
To date, no land development application has been received by the Township and there have been no revisions to the previously approved Zoning Hearing Board application to permit the data center usage at the properties located along the south side of Swedesford Road near the border with West Whiteland Township.
Also, it is important to note to our residents and businesses that the Board of Supervisors of East Whiteland Township has no interest in entertaining a proposal for a hydrogen power plant within our Township. We are aware of the zoning activities in our neighboring Township and will continue to monitor the situation.
Scott Lambert, Chair of East Whiteland Township Supervisors
A Chester County developer is planning to build a data center approaching the size of the retail space at King of Prussia Mall that could consume more power in one location than any other Peco customer.
Charles Lyddane said he hopes to begin construction this year on the two million-square-foot facility on 65 acres of a remediated Superfund sitehe owns in East Whiteland Township.
“This will be a major economic engine for Chester County and for Pennsylvania,” said Lyddane, whose company Green Fig Land LLC is partnering with Fifteen Forty Seven Critical Systems Realty of Matawan, N.J., to develop the East Whiteland site…..East Whiteland approved zoning variances that Lyddane requested for the project in 2021, and he plans to submit a land development plan to the township this spring. If the plan is approved, construction would begin within six to 12 months and be finished by the end of 2024.
Lyddane said strong demand for new data center capacity is expected to continue despite current economic uncertainties.
Nevertheless, he has “put on hold” a proposal to build a 100,000-square-foot data center along with a power-generating facility on 25 acres he owns in West Whiteland Township that are contiguous with his East Whiteland property.
“Our only plan at this time is to build two data center buildings … in East Whiteland Township,” Lyddane said Tuesday….But Loudoun County, Va., home of what’s widely regarded as the greatest concentration of data centers on the planet, last year approved guidelines to limit their growth. Andthe East and West Whiteland proposals have sparked concerns among environmentalists and some residents in northeastern Chester County, where rolling hills, winding roads, and quaint stone buildings belie the sometimes toxic legacy of mining, steelmaking, and other heavy industries that once dotted the landscape……Sometimes called server farms or carrier hotels, data centers are nothing new. But what’s proposed for East Whiteland would be significantly bigger than most….The proposed East Whiteland data center location once was home to a limestone mining and later, lithium ore-processing business called the Foote Mineral Co., which closed in 1991. A Superfund cleanup project there was substantially completed in 2010, although monitoring of several locations on the property is continuing…..In West Whiteland, nearly 250 people have joined a “Protect Exton Park from Power Plant/Data Center Hub” page on Facebook since it was established earlier in this month. The popular recreation area is close to where Lyddane has explored building a second data center and a power plant.
A 700-acre expanse of woodlands, ponds, and open space, Exton Park was established 30 years ago after local residents fought fiercely to prevent construction of a large housing development, said Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, the administrator of the Facebook page.
“The zoning amendment Charlie requested is very open-ended and would open the door to [development of] hyper-scaled data centers in West Whiteland,” said Marcille-Kerslake….As for the future of the West Whitelandproperty, which includes a storm-water management area that would serve the East Whiteland data center, the developer said: “We don’t have a plan yet. We’re not sure if we’re going to do anything there.”
EAST WHITELAND — A 2-million-square-foot data center, at a cost of approximately $6 billion, is planned for the 100-acre former Foote Mineral site. Seventy-five acres sit in East Whiteland and 25 acres are located in West Whiteland Township.
Fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty partnered with Green Fig Land to obtain East Whiteland zoning variance changes that would allow for two separate million-square-foot, two-story structures and microwave towers, near the intersection of Valley Creek Boulevard and Swedesford Road.
Charlie Lyddane, who works with partner Greg Walters, of Green Fig Land, said on Monday that he wants eventually to also build on the adjacent 25-acre property in West Whiteland Township.
The site abuts the heavily used Chester Valley Trail and Exton Park for what Lyddane said would be an “ancillary” use.
Data centers house equipment such as servers, and air conditioning and cooling equipment for storage of large amounts of data. Data centers run the systems that cell phones are connected to and it’s part of the internet. A data center is the building that houses all of that equipment.
Residents rallied to fight some of the uses after West Whiteland had set a January 25 date for a hearing on zoning changes in the existing office/lab district. Those changes would allow for the data center and a power generating facility to help run the data center. PECO has already agreed to supply a large amount of power. Lyddane said it was enough to fully run the East Whiteland facility as planned.
Lyddane pulled the request for a township hearing which was to appear on the agenda of the Jan. 25 meeting.
“There is no plan for a power plant,” Lyddane said, although a zoning ordinance change for such was requested. “There are a number of options for things to do there.
“We want to see what happens with the data centers. Nothing is definite. We don’t have a plan. We are looking at options.
“The only plan at this time is to build two data centers and that’s it. We are nearly through the approval process in East Whiteland.”
Lyddane also said that more than half of the 25-acre West Whiteland tract is being left as open space because it includes existing wetlands.
Any zoning changes would allow for additional data center construction on more than 100 nearby acres in the township that Lyddane said he doesn’t own and is not for sale. Lyddane said it would be possible to operate a green power plant at that location.
West Whiteland resident Ginny Kerslake is strongly opposed to the project that might include a power plant, as was requested and written with the new zoning variance language.
“Power plants, whether gas or hydrogen from methane, emit the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, and methane,” she said.” In addition to this, there are methane emissions all along the route from fracking to the power plants, and impacts to public health and safety, water resources and the environment. No matter how you try to greenwash it, gray or blue hydrogen is not sustainable energy. It’s a false climate solution being pushed by the fossil fuel industry.”
Data centers in New York, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, Wisconsin and two in Illinois are operated by 1547 Critical Systems….. A $50 million cleanup of the Foote Mineral site is completed, according to Lyddane, who said he spent $2 million on sewer improvements and $500,000 for the cleanup of the township sewer treatment plant.
The proposed West Whiteland zoning changes also call for a 60-foot height limit rather than the current limit of 35 feet.
“We are looking for flexibility,” Lyddane said.
The developer said that each of the two floors might measure 20 feet high, with equipment on the roof. He said that the facility would create 50 permanent “very good paying jobs” onsite and about 3,000 jobs during the construction period.
West Whiteland Supervisor Brian Dunn talked about the zoning changes that might lead to a data center and power plant in the township.
“I’m always skeptical about amending zoning ordinances,” Dunn said. “I’ve found through my experience that whenever a zoning ordinance is amended it’s not always what was proposed.
“A lot of times it opens up a can of worms for something worse.”
West Whiteland Supervisor Rajesh Kumbhardare said he wants to see the facts while noting that the site sits far from residences.
“I don’t see any issue with the zoning changes,” he said. “There is no power plant on the books.
.Kerslake argued that the zoning changes suggested for the canceled Jan. 25 meeting clearly stated such.
“Let’s consult the experts,” Kumbhardare said. “Let’s not put the cart before the horse.”
West Whiteland Supervisor Theresa Santalucia preferred to not comment when reached by phone.
Libby Madarasz is running for the seat occupied by Santalucia on the West Whiteland board of supervisors.
“I’ve spent hours this past long weekend speaking with residents in their neighborhoods and out enjoying Exton Park and the Chester Valley Trail,” she said. “There was a resounding objection to these (proposed) changes in the zoning ordinances which would have such an impact to these treasured spaces.
“The prospect of a fracked gas/hydrogen power plant was especially offensive. I truly hope our township supervisors listen to the people and honor their duty to put the desires of the residents first.”
Kerslake: “The developer’s withdrawal of his zoning ordinance amendment is a victory for all those speaking up against this bad plan and a testament to the power of community. The requested change, oddly submitted without plans and impact assessments, was a trojan horse that would have opened the door for a fracked gas power plant in close proximity to neighborhoods and our treasured Exton Park and Chester Valley Trail.
So to West Whiteland Supervisor Raj Kumbhardare, is a bit of a puzzle here. Supervisor Raj should have more to say more than his evasiveness in The Daily Local News about carts and horse, right? Supervisor Raj as a day job is in database administration so is there anything in this for him? Not being mean but does he care about all of his constituency equally? After all this issue is bigger than computer and database type professionals being excited that the data center is coming, right? And then there is the wondering if he really understands the zoning and how zoning doesn’t exist in a little bubble or vacuum and these changes could potentially have far-reaching changes for the township he is supposed to serve equally to his best efforts so??? I am not saying he’s not a good guy I am asking reasonable questions. I am also wondering how is feeling about carts and horse right now?
And my favorite angry lame duck supervisor is mums the word on this? Why? Rather odd considering….she’s always so pithy, yes?
Anyway, East Whiteland is not being shy about how they seem to be feeling, do they?
Also do not forget this hopeful piece from September, 2022:
With the passage of new tax incentives for data centers in Pennsylvania, developers have announced plans for a hyperscale campus outside Philadelphia that could create 2 million square feet of data center space.
The project is a big bet that Pennsylvania can become a destination for cloud campuses for huge Internet companies. The incentives are also being welcomed by existing data center providers, primarily enterprise colocation and interconnection specialists.
Last year, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a package of data center incentives that includes a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase of computer equipment….
Last month data center operator fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547) said it will partner with real estate developer Green Fig Land Company (GFLC), to acquire 100 acres of land in Chester County, Pa. to build a data center campus with 150 megawatts of capacity. The site plans call for a pair of two-story data centers, each sized at 1 million square feet of space.
“We at Green Fig have spent three years working with the legislature to enact a bill to eliminate the sales tax on data center equipment in Pennsylvania,” said Charles Lyddane, Managing Partner of GFLC. “With access to Tier 1 carriers like Arelion, Lumen, and Windstream, Pennsylvania is the ideal location for an additional data center cluster sitting between markets like NJ/NY and Ashburn.”…If the project succeeds, the Chester County site could be expanded with to support an additional 149 megawatts of power, and up to 5 million SF of space. Green Fig said it is also working on a dedicated, sustainable power generating facility on site.
Tonight class we re-learned a valuable lesson or two:
(1) Sometimes the peasants revolt.
(2) Carts and horses are funny things.
(3) Sometimes municipalities want the public to have actual clarity.
I think the article below is a really cool story. People who know me, know that I don’t drink so much. And it’s not because I’m an alcoholic, I just don’t drink that much, and I’m also allergic to different kinds of alcohol like red wine, for example.
I have plenty of friends in the “program” whom I support, and applaud because I know it’s hard, brutally hard work at times to maintain sobriety, and I really respect them for it.
As a matter of fact, it was some of my friends in the program helped me look at breast cancer very differently when I was first diagnosed. They told me to look at it as my own 12 step program, and to simply take things one day at a time.
There are some people I know of who aren’t particularly sober at this point in their lives. Sadly, some of these people just haven’t been able to keep it together. I’m not here to judge them, but there are a couple in particular that I really hope get their acts together because every time they go down the rabbit hole of a bad slip or a binge you wonder if they are going to crawl back out alive.
The sad thing about gaining sobriety and maintaining as per what my friends in the program have told me, is that there’s just a lot of work you have to do by yourself, and they’re are just a lot of people who don’t want to do the work.
I have seen too many people over the course of many many years completely tank their existences because of drugs and alcohol.
As a person who doesn’t have to be in any kind of an alcohol or drug related program, I am actually all for supporting a SOBER New Year’s Eve.
As a matter of fact, when all these developers are looking for their new business models, or they want to fill out their new shopping centers, apartment, buildings, or whatever, why don’t they consider an establishment like this out here? How many breweries and pubs do we need? How about a place where you can go and get a good Mocktail?
The weather outside was frightful, but the warmth of the Main Street bar was so delightful, that one after the other, merry revelers came out of the cold Manayunk night last week to share some season’s cheer at The Volstead.
From the cozy, edgy-chic space arose the sounds of laughter, the chatter of holiday plans, and, of course, plenty of happy imbibing: a seasonal Partridge in a Pear Tree, swanky Manhattans, and, being Philly, the requisite down-and-dirty Citywide Special.
All the festivity you’d expect at a holiday gathering. Except for one thing.
None of those drinks had alcohol. Not a drop.
The Volstead is Philadelphia’s only zero-proof bar. Since it opened last March, its patrons have cheered on the Phillies and the Eagles while hoisting sober brews. They’ve dined from its modern vegan menu, toasted birthdays, and struck up acquaintances.
This Saturday, The Volstead will host a Zero Proof New Year’s Eve Party, ringing in 2023 with nonalcoholic sparkling wine and the kind of high spirits that onlycome from within. The restaurant will be open for dinner and bar snacks, there will be NA drink specials, and no reservations are required. Closing time is 12:30 a.m.
For decades we have heard about the “boy in the box”. Today we learned his name: Joseph Augustus Zarelli. If I have it straight from watching the press conference, he lived in West Philadelphia.
Apparently both parents are now deceased. They are not talking about the family. I would guess this is very hard information for relatives of the families of his birth mother and birth father to deal with.
I am not going to speculate. This was a little boy who died and was dumped in a box. I am guessing it will all come out now eventually.
I did record some of the press conference. It was fascinating and sad all at the same time. Think of all of the police and others who have worked on this case for decades. Just wow. Sounds like someone’s DNA from some site like Ancestry may have helped crack this open?
The media is all over this, and I recorded parts of the news conference off of NBC10. We may never know about whatever hell little Joseph experienced or why he was put in a box. I still just can’t believe no one ever missed him?
So now we can say his name. He isn’t just “the boy in the box.” Now that he has a name, is there anyone alive any longer who actually knew of his existence? I am guessing any family tied to his DNA are probably shocked as well? The 1950s was a different world, after all. I hope any surviving family are able to help, and I hope they aren’t traumatized by this news.
I would say “stay tuned” at this point because I am sure now that we know his name, we will eventually hear more.
I hate to sound nostalgic (AKA old!), but I fondly remember when the USPS managed to deliver mail REGULARLY. We — and our neighbors — have had no mail delivered since Tuesday, and that batch included only some of the mail that had been scheduled to land on Monday, when our carrier was also a no-show.
Because you can receive a daily email from USPS that shows images of what is scheduled to arrive in your box each day, it has been rather unsettling to see how many items qualify as missing. Well, the mystery has been solved.
This morning, my husband decided to pay a visit to the actual post office, after efforts to contact a human by phone went nowhere. A worker explained that the postal manager for the West Chester region issued an edict recently to deal with the agency’s short staffing: surreptitiously skipping delivery days. She said the office needs 80 carriers to handle the load: It has 40. As a result, she said we should expect to see a delivery every 2 or 3 days.
I guess the idea of notifying customers about the worker shortage wasn’t part of the plan. Would it really have been too difficult to put a notice in people’s boxes on their lucky delivery day? Perhaps some publicity about this problem would help solve it. Sigh. End of rant, but curious about whether this is happening in other areas.
~ Chester County Resident # 1
Now this is the second such tale in less than a week.
I have you on my mailing list but my mailman hasn’t been seen for five days. I was told that he had health problems but there were no replacements. Also, PO closed in town. So I will try for Christmas card instead.
~ Chester County Resident # 2
My second friend lives in the Borough of West Chester. She works from home and is self employed and well…mail is kind of essential.
So Louis De Joy you plastic arsehole, where’s the mail? Santa might want to deliver the Christmas cards himself I guess?
It’s time for Washington to deal with this. We need our mail. This is happening all over. It’s bullshit.
So I still subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s our regional paper and I’ve had so many friends who have worked for them and still have a couple who work for them, so I like to support their writing. I still support their writing even though I get the countless solicitation emails from the Inquirer/Lenfest Institute. And the subscription even if it’s just online, isn’t inexpensive these days. I only do online subscription because all of the newspapers have gotten so small in print that it feels like the ad circular for the grocery store.
But the Inquirer has these ads. They are pervasive and I guess click bait. I don’t know why they can’t adjust the coding so it’s not the first thing we see? I am not a prude but I am sick of my morning paper with a side of boobs. An ad before this was something geared towards men with erectile dysfunction. That was August. These ads appear every day in my email announcing my daily newspaper.
And I totally get that newspapers need ad revenue but I also digitally subscribe to the New York Times and Washington Post. Neither one of them give me ads like this.
So I find this kind of offensive, and again I’m not a prude. But this is the kind of ad revenue they generate? I think that’s a little bit in poor taste.
And that is my one complaint about the digital edition of the Inquirer: all of the ads and so many of them are less than if I’m being nice. If I’m not being nice I don’t need ads about erectile dysfunction and tits in my face when I’m reading the paper in the morning. I also think a lot of these ads objectify women and I am not a super women’s libber and never have been.
Every time I see one of these ads I wonder what is it I am paying for? I want to read the articles but I’m paying a fair amount for a digital subscription now and I can’t imagine how much more expensive ad free would be and I don’t know that they can offer ad free because they need advertising sales.
My final bit of wondering, is would they care if someone like me was no longer a subscriber? I can answer that question and the answer is probably not. But I can’t be the only one that wishes this isn’t what smacked you in the face with your morning digital newspaper and throughout whatever it is you read on their website in general. Of course it’s also quite possible that I’m just old-fashioned and this is the sad future of journalism.
