On November 5th in Delaware County, three seats on county council, six judgeships, and the District Attorney’s office are on the countywide ballot. The Court of Common Pleas has the authority to hear all varieties of cases within Delaware County. Judicial terms run for ten years. We asked both Democratic and Republican candidates what they see their roles as, and what makes them equipped to do the job.
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Who says people don’t get excited about newspapers anymore? Some Swarthmore residents are paying particular attention to papers delivered to their doorsteps recently without their say-so. On several blocks in the borough, subscribers to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Delaware County Daily Times reported finding copies of News Corp papers — the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post — bagged in orange sleeves with printed inserts assailing the Democratic Party as a socialist and racist institution. Some are not happy to have the extra reading material.
On Monday, October 28, Pendle Hill will host Irish poet and peacemaker Pádraig Ó Tuama as he explores poems that deepen the language of the heart in troubled times, in a free evening talk, open to the public.
Balena Canto will be presenting a Drag Queen Story Time on Sunday, November 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The stories will be tailored to young children, but everyone is invited, and welcome to come in costume if they’d like!
The Swarthmorean asked five questions of the major party candidates for District Attorney in the November 5 general election. Here are the responses from the Republican incumbent Katayoun Copeland.
Circle the afternoon of Sunday, November 17, on your Fall festival calendar. That’s the date when The Swarthmorean presents its first barbecue cook-off in the alley next to waR3house3, 100 Park Avenue, Suite WH3. Between 3 and 8 p.m., there will be beef, pork, and who knows what other forms of meaty goodness on the grills of ten local amateur BBQ masters as they compete for Swarthmore’s highest grilling honor. If you want to be one of them, act quickly! The cost to enter is $50.
The Delaware County Youth Orchestra and the Young Musicians Orchestra have announced the Fall concerts of their 2019-2020 season.
All over the state, young musicians who study with members of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers’ Association have auditioned this month for the honor of being presented in a Showcase Recital at Penn State University. All of the students of Swarthmore piano teacher Donna Kay Jones who were in the area on October 13 entered the audition, and all were selected to play at Penn State University on November 23, 2019.
In its two October meetings, Swarthmore Borough Council approved several measures which should make the borough less attractive to speeders, and safer for all residents. Council members voted to approve the conditional offer of employment to Folcroft resident George Dunn as a patrol officer, gave the go-ahead to purchase two solar-powered radar speed signs, and adopted standards for hardscaping in the borough zoning code.
The Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools invites all local runners and walkers to enter its 2019 Panther Pajama Run on Saturday, November 9. This year‘s event raises funds for the Foundation’s newest initiative: Reading for Education, Acceptance, and Diversity — READ — which aims to upgrade and increase diversity in WSSD schools’ library collections.
When Stereo League plays this Saturday night at Swarthmore’s waR3house3, it will be a homecoming gig for songwriter and front man Alex Savoth, who grew up on Riverview Road in the borough, and for fellow Strath Haven alumni, guitarist Dan King and drummer Gusten Rudolph.
Why do mass shootings occur ever-more frequently in America and elsewhere, and what can be done to prevent them? In his book, Rampage Nation: Securing America from Mass Shootings, Dr. Louis Klarevas examines these pressing questions through careful research, and proposes immediate and long-term approaches to tackling this crisis. On Thursday, October 24, beginning at 1 p.m., Dr. Klarevas leads a thoughtful discussion of his insightful and timely work.
Swarthmore United Methodist Church is presenting a special musical event for the congregation and the entire community on Sunday, October 27, beginning at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary at 129 Park Avenue. Flutist Frances Tate, from the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, is a Swarthmore resident and an active teacher and performer in the Philadelphia area. She will play selections by Mozart, Copland, and Böhm.
The Nether-Swarthmore TimeBank has added a new twist — in fact, a lot of them — to its next potluck event. Group members will meet October 25 not only to share their usual fellowship and food, but also their knot-tying skills, as they spend time together making no-sew fleece blankets to be donated to Main Line Health’s Hospice program. We’re calling the event “Sweets and Fleece,” since the potluck portion of the evening consists of desserts, rather than a full meal.
The Players Club of Swarthmore continues its mainstage season with a new production of Agatha Christie’s whodunit The Hollow, opening tonight (Friday, October 18), and running through November 2 at its playhouse at 614 Fairview Road in Swarthmore.
“Turning Towards Justice: Prison Reform and Personal Action” will be the topic of a panel discussion at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, at Wallingford Presbyterian Church, 110 Brookhaven Road. The presentation will focus on keeping youths out of prison, helping those in prison prepare for re-entry into society, and changing the overall system to lessen the number of incarcerated individuals.
Since the last report, the highlight of my outings has been an American toad observed on the trail at the Saul Wildlife Preserve in Rose Valley. On the migratory bird front: several black-throated blue warblers, a palm warbler, a red-eyed vireo seen at the Saul Wildlife Preserve and, on the trail between the Rose Valley Swim Club, a ruby-crowed kinglet. I also observed sharp-shinned hawks in my front yard and in the Crum Woods Meadow.
Everyone is invited to enjoy a free concert of bluegrass and Appalachian mountain music this Sunday, October 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. It will be held at the Swarthmore Borough Hall Amphitheater and will feature Noggin Hill, an authentic bluegrass, mountain, and country music band, incorporating musical elements of folk-jazz and the American songbook. The concert is a big “thank you” to the Swarthmore community for the assistance given to the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) this year, and the work done in Chavies, Kentucky, making homes there warmer, safer, and drier.
Early in Monday night’s Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Lisa Palmer lauded the members of Strath Haven High School’s golf team for its remarkable season. The undefeated team was champion of the Central League and also of PIAA District 1, a double feat which had never before been accomplished.
The Swarthmorean asked five questions of the major party candidates for District Attorney in the November 5 general election. This week: Democrat Jack Stollsteimer. Responses from the Republican incumbent Katayoun Copeland have been promised; we hope to run them next week.
