1+ week, 3+ day ago (12+ words) Remembering Michael P. Rellahan as the chronicler of life in Chester County...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (362+ words) Operation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. Themission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes. Now in its 35th year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by readers of the Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter, and Daily Local News. Nearly $85,000 in donations last year provided gift cards to 366 children and grocery gift cards to 189 families, plus cash donations to food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties. This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 21 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 199 families with 403 children for gifts and food....

2+ day, 7+ hour ago (251+ words) This Small Business Saturday, I encourage everyone to take a break from online clicks and big-box stores and turn their attention to the small, local businesses that keep our communities vibrant. This year, I want to highlight two aspects of Small Business Saturday that are near and dear to my heart " pop-up retail and youth entrepreneurship. Across our region, more and more entrepreneurs " especially young people " are testing their ideas through temporary retail spaces, pop-up shops, and local vendor markets. These short-term opportunities allow aspiring business owners to reach customers, build a following, and gain real-world experience without the high cost or long-term commitment of a traditional storefront. For school aged students, pop-up retail offers a powerful learning experience " turning creativity and classroom lessons into hands-on business practice. Whether they're selling handmade crafts, baked goods, tech gadgets, or clothing designs,…...

4+ day, 5+ hour ago (1069+ words) Chris Lerch is passionate about supporting small businesses. And while he claims Small Business Saturday " an annual event observed the day after Black Friday " is his favorite day of the year, his efforts to do so extend throughout the year. "Small businesses are the heart of a community, but they can't survive without our support," he said. "I work to generate that support for local businesses because I believe they make our communities better." In 2020, Lerch founded Hello 422, an organization that promotes small businesses located along the Route 422 corridor from Birdsboro to Phoenixville. The goal was to drive traffic to local shops and restaurants that were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same year, he kicked off Shop Small to Win Big, a campaign that has become an annual tradition celebrated on the three days after Thanksgiving. "We get a…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (421+ words) If you're like most well-intentioned gardeners, you might give a lot of thought to planting the "right" plants to nourish pollinators and other wildlife, with nectar, pollen, seeds and fruit. But have you given much thought to those animals' habitat? In addition to sustenance, beneficial insects and critters need a safe home in which to rest, hide, breed and pupate. One area crucial to their lifecycles is around the base of trees. "We talk about the importance of (native) trees in creating the caterpillars that drive the food web," Doug Tallamy, entomologist and bestselling author of "Nature's Best Hope" and "Bringing Nature Home," told me the last time we spoke. "But those caterpillars drop from the tree and they pupate in the ground. And how we landscape under those trees determines whether or not those caterpillars will survive," he said....

1+ week, 5+ day ago (303+ words) Edie Burkey, President of the nonprofit says the key message is: "Our Co-Op Grocer all begins with the local farmer, and today more than ever they are suffering from financial insecurity and becoming more insecure as they face challenges in the market." AgConnect has identified over 1,700 small farmers in Chester County. KCG will reach out to farms within a 4560-mile radius and hope to contract with 80 farmers for the start of operations. Over time, many more local producers will be added. "Their invitation will include Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Sussex, New Castle. Kent, Cecil, and Lancaster Counties and southeast New Jersey. There are plans to have locally sourced baked goods, dairy, meat, beverages, prepared foods, jams, jellies, canned goods, and other artisan products. The interior design will have a "Hip, Cool Farmstand" feel. KCG's site is convenient to downtown Kennett…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (87+ words) Pennsylvania Supreme Court election 2025 results, judicial retention votes to keep Judge David Wecht, Judge Christine Donohue, Judge Kevin Dougherty; PA Superior Court Judge Alice Dubow; and Commonwealth Court Judge Michael Wojcik in office. Polling places in Pennsylvania open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. is allowed to vote. Results will begin posting shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. Refresh this page to track the latest vote totals, and see the full final count....

2+ week, 5+ day ago (306+ words) In the recent elections, it seems our community of Kennett Square and the country is looking for fresh faces and youthful energy to become our upcoming leaders. Kennett Square clearly made that point unequivocally voting Juan L.Tafolla, the youngest elected official in Kennett history as a Kennett Borough Council member. Juan is a native of Kennett Square and lives with his parents, two brothers and a sister, who currently attend Kennett schools. Juan made his mark as a Kennett high school student initiating the idea of becoming a Junior Borough Council member. Under the tutorage of previous Mayor Leon Spencer, he took on the challenge. Even though Juan was not a voting member at that time, he participated in all the Council meetings for about two years. He expressed his creative ideas at that time and strongly supported affordable housing…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (1344+ words) I was just outside of San Jose when my iPhone began buzzing inside the cup holder of my rental car, notifications lighting up the screen like a slot machine jackpot. My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower. "Mom." My 10-year-old son Everest in the backseat barely looked up from his Nintendo Switch. "You're doing the grabby thing again." He was right. For all my lectures about his screen time, I had my own digital addiction. I often found myself longing for a time before the constant hum of connectivity, when being offline didn't feel like falling behind. That's when I made an impulsive decision. Once we hit San Francisco, we'd time-travel the only way modern families could " by going analog. No screens, no feeds, no Switch. Just one day in the past, lived fully in the…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (958+ words) WEST CHESTER " Just after sunset on Friday, people gathered in the heart of the Chester County Justice Center to honor Michael Rellahan, Daily Local News reporter, who died October 25. Loved ones unveiled a legacy plaque, placed at the center of a wooden bench where Rellahan often sat. It reads:Remembering Michael P. Rellahan. Our Newspaperman. Daily Local News reporter from 1982 to 2025." Led by Chester County Judge Patrick Carmody with the support of county government, people shared remarks honoring Rellahan's life's work reporting happenings in the courtroom and the county. Judge Carmody shared he wrote a carefully worded" letter to the commissioners acknowledging that while Mike Rellahan at some point angered everyone on the board, here's what this bench means to the people of the Chester County Justice Center. Mike would come down from the courtroom and sit on this bench, and…...