All tagged 2020/05
An interesting fact not mentioned in the recent article “Plantings at the Epicenter of Quarantines Past” (May 1) is that Swarthmore Avenue was previously known as the Lazaretto Road because it ran down to the Lazaretto, the quarantine station on the Delaware River.
The Pennsylvania State House recently passed HB1822, which aims to cut conservation funding until Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 disaster declaration expires. This bill will slash funds for programs like the Growing Greener Program and the Keystone Fund that preserve and maintain our priceless open spaces. Without these funds, these state programs will struggle to maintain the parks, playgrounds, and farmlands near and dear to us.
Unfortunately, new state legislation seeks to threaten the parks that we hold dear. HB1822, which passed through the Pennsylvania State House in April, would freeze critical conservation funding that maintains the commonwealth’s public lands.
Donald Trump’s win in 2016 and his tenure as our president turned the political world upside down. Now the COVID-19 crisis has made things worse still. Wouldn’t it be amazing if President Trump, who cannot stop talking and lying, was defeated by an opponent who talked very little but always told the truth?
For the past bunch of weeks, I have been doing shifts at the Co-op, assembling people’s emailed orders. It’s been fun. There’s a great sense of camaraderie between volunteers and the amazing Co-op staff, and it’s been good to feel useful. I’ve also learned a lot about the amazing variety the Co-op offers in its small space — things I never knew were there! For those of you who use the service, though, there are a few things you could do that would make all of our lives better.
Walking around Swarthmore, I notice lawn signs cropping up which read: “Together We Will See It Through.” I’m sure the intention is to lift the spirits and convey hope. However, that is not my reaction.
The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office is helping Chester High School and STEM Academy build community support for their Senior Gift Basket Project. The baskets are a token of appreciation for everything they had to accomplish in order to graduate from high school and overcome immediate circumstances.
We want you to know how much we miss you. For now, please hold onto your donations (housewares, clothing, linens, treasures, etc.). We will be gratefully accepting them again as soon as we are able.
While the experts spoke of mitigating, social distancing, and flattening the curve, the Co-op was ahead of the curve among all the places I shop.
As man’s best friend, I have lived all over town: on Yale Avenue, Lafayette Avenue, and for the last three years on Haverford Avenue. You might think moving among three residences in the same zip code would be a challenge for a family pet, but it didn’t feel that way to me. The town was my constant.
I ask the three groups who are opposing the Co-op’s sale of beer and wine to withdraw your opposition. Patrick Flanigan, the Pastuszek family, and Rodney and Deborah Swaney: You are holding the Co-op hostage, forcing it to divert resources that the business cannot afford to waste fighting you in court.
It’s not easy being a restaurateur these days of pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home mandates. But one Swarthmore restaurant has been using the occasion to send meals to those in need in Chester. Occasionally Yours is making regular deliveries to the food pantry at Chester Eastside, Inc.
Your April 3 print issue has only just reached North Carolina, and I much enjoyed Elizabeth Miller’s essay, “News Notes, Social Media, and the Anxiety of Oversharing.”
