Swarthmore’s Planning Commission may recommend adding solar energy systems to the borough’s zoning code, both to encourage and to regulate their use.
Back issues: Combination Consternation
Appalled over apps? Zonked by Zoom? Perplexed by passwords? Worry not. Frustration in response to accessing newfangled technologies is right in line with Swarthmore tradition.
Chester Charter Scholars Academy Presents: Step Into Our Studio
Step Into Our Studio is a series of virtual creative workshops – on the visual arts, music, and poetry — led by teachers at Chester Charter Scholars Academy, and featuring academy students demonstrating their own work. On Thursday, February 4, from 5 to 6 p.m., the “Introduction to Digital Music Composition” workshop will be available for streaming.
Public Gardens and Private Life: New Book on how Gardens Improve Cities
Swarthmore resident Sharon Lee discusses her life and her new book, “Public Gardens and Livable Cities,” which focuses on the essential role public gardens can play in improving urban life.
Winter Poems From the Fourth Grade
Jill Brook’s fourth-grade Online Academy class has been studying and writing poetry for the winter season. They began by reading dozens of selections included in “100 Poems from Japanese” (collected and translated by Kenneth Rexroth). Next, says Brook, “We observed what feeling and/or image was created” by the poems’ brief lines. Lastly, the students wrote their own poems.
Discussion of Permanent Parklets, Division Over Meeting Minutes
Parklets in Swarthmore’s business district came under scrutiny at the borough council’s January 11 legislative session as residents raised concerns about traffic safety and business signage. And a correction to the minutes of the previous council meeting minutes devolved into a heated argument.
Throw Your Hat Into the Ring?
A rundown of the local government seats on the ballot in 2021.
New Housing Options for Swarthmore Seniors?
Linton Stables, former president of the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association, discusses two new senior housing options that may be coming to Swarthmore: co-housing, and more desirable downtown apartments.
Hard-Hit Plush Mills to Get Vaccine Jan. 27
Following a rise in COVID-19 cases at Plush Mills Senior Living in Wallingford, the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be given later this month.
Poco Loco to Close
Poco Loco, a women’s clothing and jewelry store that has been a Swarthmore mainstay for over 30 years, will be closing soon.
Unscientific Survey: After the Vaccine
We asked whether you would get a COVID-19 vaccination when available. Hearteningly, 92% of respondents followed the science and responded that they would; an additional 3% said they weren’t sure, in some cases because they needed more information regarding their specific medical condition.
TimeBank Made Easier
A new initiative from the Nether-Swarthmore TimeBank aims to make it easier to connect neighbors so they can help each other. Members can now call coordinator Stephanie McDonough and let her know what they need, or what they have to offer.
Panel Okays First Family/Caregiver Suite
The Swarthmore Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved a special exception for Kit Raven to build a “family/caregiver suite” at her house on Dartmouth Avenue. Raven’s is the first application for a family/caregiver suite to come before the board since the borough amended its zoning code to permit them in 2018.
New President for Senior Association
Nancy Daniel is the new president of the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association. She takes over from Linton Stables, who served for three years. Stables will continue as a board member.
Distinguished Trees of Swarthmore
Swarthmore Tree Committee member Andrew Bunting invites the community to nominate candidates for Distinguished Tree designation.
More In-Person Time at the High School; Next School Year May Begin Before Labor Day
The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board voted unanimously to revise the hybrid schedule at Strath Haven High School to include four half-days of in-person school each week during the third marking period. High school principal Greg Hilden said that the change would be, in part, a stepping stone to returning all students to school buildings, something he hopes will happen before the end of the year. Board members also discussed options for the 2021-22 calendar.
What Bubble?
In this editorial, editor Rachel Pastan asks herself what the role of a small-town newspaper editor is when it comes to writing about the January 6 assault on the Capitol in Washington D.C., and reflects on connections between our community and the greater world.
Freedom and Isolation: How Community Members Are Managing During the Pandemic
Many of us are doing our best to embrace the freedoms created by this moment in history, while also struggling with its isolation. No matter our circumstances, the pandemic has forced us all to adjust. In this essay, associate editor Satya Nelms shares her own experiences and reports on those of a family with school-aged children, a college student, and a resident of a senior living community.
Kearney Highlights Threads Linking Harrisburg, Washington
“The election has been disputed from day one,” says State Senator Tim Kearney (D-26). He’s not talking about the presidential election, but rather about an attempt by Pennsylvania State Senate Republicans not to seat Democrat Jim Brewster, who won the race to represent Pennsylvania’s 45th district by 69 votes.
School After COVID
Since they first closed schools last March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have made changes and adjustments to schooling to keep students safe and healthy. How many of these adjustments are here to stay?