Heron's Nest

This blog has moved

2010-03-24T14:12:00.001-04:00

This blog is now located at http://delcoheronsnest.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://delcoheronsnest.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

The Daily Numbers - March 24

2010-03-24T08:55:00.001-04:00

The Daily Numbers: 1 person stabbed to death in an Upper Chichester home last night. She is believed to be the 25-year-old mother of 2 young kids.
2 violent incidents in Upper Chichester this week. Earlier an 83-year-old man was tied up and brutally beaten by an intruder in his home.
120 years in jail for John Worman, convicted in a horrendous child porn ring based in Colwyn.
17 to 35 more years tacked onto his jail time by a judge in Delco yesterday for Worman’s state offenses.
3 year deal for teachers in the Rose Tree Media School District.
2.5 to 3 percent pay raises for each of the 3 years for teachers.
449,000 dollars in savings that will be reached by a switch in benefit plans for the teachers.
2,000 dollar reward posted for info on the whereabouts of a man charged in fatal shooting in Cheers bar in Upper Darby last week.
200 children that must be registered at St. Joseph’s School by March 31 in order to save the Catholic school.
450 children who have died of hypothermia in the last 12 years after being left in steaming hot vehicles. A day care operator in Bucks County was acquitted of all charges in an incident this week.
18 more teens who entered admissions of guilt in connection with “flash mob” incidents in Philadelphia.
2 homeowners behind on their mortgage who apparently took their own lives recently in South Philadelphia.
3 more suspects who turned themselves in as part of a burglary ring operating out of the Wilmington area that was allegedly made up of students from the Wilmington Job Corps.
32-12 percent lead for Sen. Arlen Specter over Rep. Joe Sestak in latest Franklin & Marshall Poll of Pennsylvania.
52 percent of those polled remain undecided in the Dem Senate race.
33-29 percent lead for GOP favorite Pat Toomey over Specter, & 27-19 lead over Sestak.
13 attorneys general, including Tom Corbett in Pa., who filed suit to block federal health care reform law from being put into effect.
29 billion dollar Pa. budget plan passed early by the House. It faces a steep challenge in the Senate.
26 shots stopped by Ottawa goalie in shutout of Flyers last night.
654 yards rushing last year for Mike Bell with the Super Bowl champion Saints. He’s now a member of the Eagles after the Saints did not match the Birds’ offer.
2 home runs yesterday for Ryan Howard as the Phils beat the Rays in a Grapefruit League contest.
90-36 win for UConn women as they buried Temple in NCAA women’s tourney game.
74 straight wins for the women Huskies.
*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Is that a thaw I’m sensing from Andy Reid and the Eagles brass when it comes to the possibility of entertaining offers for Donovan McNabb? Go for it, guys.
*
I Don’t Get It: Two days and two straight violent incidents out in Upper Chichester. I don’t get it.
*
Today’s Upper: Let’s hear it for Penn Wood, as they play tonight in the state semifinal as they attempt to win back-to-back state hoops titles.
*
Quote Box: “This monster is pure evil.”
- Mother of victim at yesterday’s sentencing for child predator John Worman.

More grim news from Upper Chi

2010-03-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's been a tough week out in Upper Chichester.

First, an 83-year-old man was found tied up and badly beaten in his home on Apple Street. He's in the hospital while police look for the man who broke into his home.

Last night a 25-year-old mother of two was not as lucky.

An intruder entered her home and fatally stabbed the woman, according to police.

She was the mother of two young children, ages 2 and 6. They were not home at the time of the attack.

Police have not made any arrests in either incident, which occurred a few blocks from each other.

Residents no doubt are getting a bit antsy at two incidents happening so close together in what is usually a very quiet residential community.

Here's helping cops quickly corral the people responsible for these two heinous attacks.

Help spread some 'Sunshine'

2010-03-24T07:43:00.001-04:00

I get the opportunity almost every day to deliver some pretty grim news. Today is no exception, as a glance at the home page of our Web site will attest.

That is why I am always looking for ways to deliver a more upbeat message.

And today I have exactly that opportunity, thanks to the folks at the Delaware County Community Foundation.

Yesterday afternoon I had a visit here in the office from several Foundation execs, Peg Hendricks, Joe Lastowka Jr. and Helen Davis Picher.

There were here to thank the newspaper for our help in promoting their Delco Sunshine Fund, and also to remind the public that they still need some help.

The Sunshine Fund offers direct grants to people in need. It is a very special program, and certainly in these times the need has never been greater.

The Foundation has stepped up to a challenge offered to them by Doris Buffett, sister of Midwestern billionaire Warren Buffett. The challenge is pretty simple. If the Foundation can raise $50,000 for the Sunshine Fund, Buffett would match it with another $50,000.

That's the good news. But the March 31 deadline is looming, and the Foundation is still $10,000 short of their goal. As it is, even if they don't make their mark, that $40,000 will still go to the Sunshine Fund and people in need. But just think of how much could be done with an additional $60,000.

Buffett decided to use Delco as a test market. It's the only place in the country that got this matching funds offer. She wanted to use a community foundation as a way of testing just how much a community would rally around its neediest citizens.

That's the general idea behind the Delco Sunshine Fund. If they hit the mark, they get another $50,000 in matching funds to the fund, which is used to give grants to citizens who have exhausted all other means of support.

Since its inception two years ago, the DCCF Sunshine Fund has given a total of $140,000 in grants to residents who have hit a streak of bad luck. The one-time financial assistance has enabled 45 families to achieve a long-term solution to their struggle.

Here's how you can help. Send tax-deductible contributions DCCF, 150 Radnor Chester Road, Suite E 140, Radnor, PA 19087. Please make checks payable to DCCF Sunshine Fund.

You also can make donations through the foundation's Web site at www.delcocf.org. The donation should be clearly marked "Sunshine."

The foundation has just 7 more days to hit their goal by March 31.

Let's show Doris Buffett - and the nation - that Delco takes a back seat to no one when it comes to spreading sunshine, and helping our fellow citizens.

Those UConn women

2010-03-24T07:26:00.001-04:00

Be careful what you wish for.

The Temple women got into the NCAA tourney. For their efforts they got a date with Goliath – No. 1 UConn.

It was not pretty. This time Goliath was all that – and more.

The powerful Huskies, who had not lost a game in their last 72 outings, and haven’t won any of those by less than 10 points, unloaded on the Owls.

This one was over in a heartbeat.

UConn was up early and cruised into halftime with a 55-12 lead. They shot nearly 78 percent in the first half. The final was 90-36.

This says nothing about the Temple women. Congratulations to them for a great year.

It says everything about just how good this UConn women’s team is.

And I again offer this question. Could they win a game in the NCAA men’s tournament?

I’m still not sure, but I’d love to see them try.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

The Daily Numbers - March 23

2010-03-23T08:49:00.001-04:00

The Daily Numbers: 2 people injured, 1 shot, 1 stabbed in another incident at an Upper Darby bar.
2 incidents at Upper Darby taverns that have top cop Michael Chitwood vowing a crackdown on what he calls ‘nuisance bars.’
3:30 a.m., time of the most recent incident. The bar was packed, even though last call is supposed to be 1:45 a.m.
83, age of man tied up and beaten during a vicious home invasion in Upper Chichester.
1,259 signatures gather on her nominating petitions by 7th District Democrat hopeful Teresa Touey. Those signatures are being challenged by front-runner Rep. Bryan Lentz.
45,000 images of child porn found on computer of man who worked for a Nether Providence oil company. He faces charges.
3 percent pay raises due firefighters in Chester after they won a ruling in Commonwealth Court.
1 percent earned income tax under fire in Yeadon. Council is defending the move, which was accompanied by a cut in property taxes.
14 counts of corruption that brought convictions against former state Rep. Mike Veon. He was charged with 59 counts, but acquitted on the others.
8 hours of deliberations that ended in acquittal on all charges for the owner of a Bucks County day care center who left a toddler in her hot SUV, leading to his death.
10 teens found guilty of riot and other charges tied to a “flash mob”
incident in the city. Another group is due in court later today.
1 person killed in an overnight fire in a house in the Olney section of Philadelphia.
61 foot whale that washed up on the beach on Fenwick Island State Park in Delaware.
272 pills that were found in the backpack of 6-year-old riding in a car with a 60-year-old man in Delaware. Police say he hid the pills in the child’s pack.
25 home burglaries that have residents on alert in the Lower Merion section of the Main Line. Hundreds turned up for a community meeting held with police Monday night.
2 children hurt when a deer slammed into their school bus in Delaware.
500 million dollars in capital projects in the works at Peco Energy Co.
13.8 million dollars combined in federal and state funding for 32 airports in Pennsylvania.
8,200 bags of heroin found on man arrested in Wilmington.
11, age of kid charged in what is being referred to as a “Catch and Wreck” attack in Philly.
3 to 4 weeks, how long the Flyers will have to do without top scorer Jeff Carter, who broke a bone in his foot.
50 wins for Jameer Nelson and the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately it came at the hands of the Sixers, who dropped their 47th game of the season.
7 runs, 6 earned, surrendered by Phils starter Cole Hamels to the Yankees yesterday. The Phils rallied to win, 9-7.
1 year offer signed by Eagles linebacker Akeem Jordan.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.How long ‘til Phillies season starts in earnest. I can’t take too many more days of the Sixers and Flyers. Wasn’t Villanova supposed to get us over this hump?
*
I Don’t Get It: Flash mobs. Some fun, eh? I don’t get it.
*
Today’s Upper: Upper Darby top cop Mike Chitwood is serious about taking on nuisance bars in the township. Two recent incidents underscore his argument. Good for him.
*
Quote Box: “It’s another pit, another cesspool on our radar screen to shut down.”
- Michael Chitwood, after another incident at a township bar.

2 similar cases, 2 different results

2010-03-23T07:57:00.001-04:00

When I heard the verdict yesterday in the case of the Bucks County day-care owner who had inadvertently left a young child in the car, it was like a flashback.

Rimma Shvartsman was acquitted of all the charges filed against her for leaving the 2-year-old boy in the sweltering car. She had been charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

“We feel relief at the jury’s verdict, but other than that, our sorrow and remorse is relentless,” said Michael Mustokoff, Shvartsman’s attorney.

I think Edward Kanterman knows exactly how she feels.

Kanterman is the Delaware County grandfather who basically did precisely the same thing Shvartsman was charged with, with the same tragic results.

He had put his 14-month-old grandson – his first and only grandson – in a child seat is his car to drive him to his day care center, located in the same shopping center where he worked.

But when he arrived, Kanterman instead rushed into work, forgetting the child in the back seat. That June day the temperature soared into the high 90s. When Kanterman returned to his car at lunch, he was horrified to find the boy still inside.

Kanterman did not go to trial. He entered a “no contest” plea to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He indicated he did not want his daughter to have to go through the ordeal of a trial. She said she forgave her father.

How his case differs from Shvartsman, aside from the fact that in the Kanterman case it was his grandson, while in the Bucks County case it was a neighbor’s child, I do not know.

Different cases, almost exactly the same kind of horrific details, and very different outcomes.

With one common theme. Unbearable sadness.

A flash in the pan

2010-03-23T07:51:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia has a huge problem.

They are called “flash mobs.”

It is the latest spin-off from the social media we are awash in.

Teens post a message on their Twitter or Facebook accounts about a gathering, urging their friends and “cyber” friends to meet at a certain place.

Lots of them do just that. This weekend several thousand kids showed up on South Street after just such an invitation. There were no serious incidents.

That wasn’t the case in a couple of earlier cases. People were mugged; stores were ransacked.

Yesterday 10 teens were in court on riot charges stemming from one of the earlier incidents. They were all convicted. Another group will be in court today.

The city is mulling a curfew for young people. I’m not sure that is going to solve their problem.

I am sure of this: The city is battling serious fiscal issues, and exactly what they do not need right now is a real fear of anyone going downtown because of these “flash mob” hooligans.

They need to get a handle on his issue.

And fast.

Or they could find their economy – and that of any number of restaurants, nightspots, movies, museums and other destination points – going up in a flash as well.

Uneasy Ed

2010-03-23T07:31:00.001-04:00

The Sixers lost again last night.

You’re on the edge of your seat, I know.

It’s the 47th time this season they’ve come up on the short end of the ledger. They’ve won just 24 times.

The 109-93 loss officially put them out of the playoffs and into the lottery.

More importantly, there are some serious storm clouds forming over the Sixers’ front office.

Mr. Ed is not happy.

That would be Ed Snider, the Comcast boss who happens to also be the chairman of both the Sixers and Flyers.

He’s not having a great winter. And his spring isn’t looking much better.

Check out Anthony SanFilippo’s column here on his interview with Snider.

Ed Snider is not happy with the seasons being put together by either the Sixers or Flyers. That will not come as comforting news to Sixers coach Eddie Jordan or G.M. Ed Stefanski.

As for the Flyers, they get one bad medical bulletin after another. They had already lost one starting goaltender, Ray Emery, for the season.
Then they lost their backup, Michael Leighton, to a high-ankle sprain.
Yesterday came word that the “ouch” suffered by top scorer Jeff Carter blocking a shot Sunday night was actually a broken bone in his foot.
He’ll be out the rest of the regular season, three to four weeks. The way they Flyers have been playing, that might be their “entire” season.
There is no guarantee that they don’t freefall their way right out of the playoffs.

In the meantime, Ed Snider simmers.

Look out below, especially if you happen to be on his payroll.

The Daily Numbers - March 22

2010-03-22T08:53:00.001-04:00

The Daily Numbers: 219-212 vote last night by which the House passed health care reform.
0 votes in favor from Republicans.
2 Democrats in Pa., 1 in New Jersey who voted against the plan.
540 acres consumed by fire in Barnegat, in South Jersey.
1 person missing after a boat capsized in the Delaware River near New Hope. A 58-year-old man was not found; his 24-year-old son was rescued.
2 people killed in crash on Roosevelt Boulevard.
2 incidents of vandalism that targeted a church in Gloucester County, N.J.
40, age of woman from Delaware County who was victim of road rage incident in Philly in which police say she was shot because she would not let another driver cut in front of her.
2 people injured in a shooting and stabbing inside Traxx Sports Bar and Grille in Upper Darby.
2.83 a gallon, what we’re paying on average for gas in the Philly region. Yep, must be spring.
4.3 percent increase in number of people in prison in Pa. last year.
1,000 kids who converged on South Street in Philly Saturday night in the latest incident of a “flash mob,” organized via social media online.
30 million dollar Powerball pot Wednesday night after nobody hit all the right numbers on Saturday.
50 years in the entertainment biz for Jerry Blavat, the “Geator with the Heater.”
34.5 million dollars in ticket sales for “Alice in Wonderland,” maling it No. 1 at the box office for the 3rd straight week.
0 Philly teams left in the men’s NCAA tourney, after both Villanova and Temple were bounced.
44 saves for Atlanta Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec as the Flyers lost both ends of weekend home and home series.
6 seed, where Flyers now stand with 11 games left in regular season.
5 sharp innings from Jamie Moyer in his first outing against first-line players. He had pitched 3 ‘B’ games. He’s battling with Kyle Kendrick for the 5th starter’s job.
.125 batting average this spring for Raul Ibanez, who is 4-for34.
18 women who claim they had affairs with golfer Tiger Woods. He gave 2 interviews on Sunday.
*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Turns out Fran Dunphy knew what he was talking about in not wanting to play Cornell. The Big Red not only dispatched Temple, but are now on their way to the Sweet 16.
*
I Don’t Get It: Some knucklehead commandeered the PA system at a Walmart store in South Jersey and ordered all black people to leave the store.
Very funny, right? A teen has been charged in the case. I don’t get it.
*
Today’s Upper: Kudos to Major League Soccer and its players for coming to their senses and settling their contract dispute. That means the Union – the pride of Chester and the region – will kick off the season Thursday night in Seattle.
*
Quote Box: “I tried to stop and I couldn’t stop[. And it was just, it was horrific.”
- Tiger Woods, talking about his serial adultery.

Reform can start anytime now

2010-03-22T08:04:00.001-04:00

The nation is one signature away from a health care reform plan.

That signature would belong to Barack Obama.

The legislation passed the U.S. House last night, 219-212. Not one Republican representative voted in favor of the plan.

Both of Delaware County’s reps, Joe Sestak and Bob Brady, also both Democrats, voted in favor. Two Democratic Pennsylvania congressmen voted against the president and the plan, along with one in New Jersey.

The president could sign the measure as early as today.

This debate is not over. Even before the roar from the first vote had seemingly settled, a second vote was being taken to make changes in the plan. It passed and now goes to the Senate.

The plan voted on last night had already been approved by the Senate.

After following this heated debate over the past year, I wonder not about the pros or cons of the bill, whether it will provide life-saving care for the uninsured or simply bankrupt the country.

Instead I wonder how anything ever gets done in Washington. The whole process is almost beyond the imagination of most people who go out and work for a living every day.

This place needs hope and change all right. And I don’t think health care should be the end of it.

Tiger's tale

2010-03-22T07:44:00.001-04:00

Tiger Woods is talking.

Finally.

There are no big surprises from the interviews the golf great granted to The Golf Channel and ESPN Sunday.

He was a bad boy. And he got caught.

I think it was a good idea that Woods talked before he shows up in Augusta two weeks from now for the Masters.

It is not by accident that Tiger will end his exile in the wake of numerous claims of sexual romps with any number of women not his wife on the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club.

You almost have to inherit tickets to get into the Masters. It is not like Woods will be playing the Quad Cities Open.

He very likely will get kid glove treatment, by the Masters organizers, his fellow players and – most importantly – the fans.

What I want to see is what happens when Tiger takes his redemption show out to another tour stop, one not nearly so tightly controlled.

How will he react to heckling. This is a guy known to blow up routinely on the course when things are not going his way. It could be explosive.

To be honest with you, Woods doesn’t have to tell me anything. He’s a dog. He cheated on his wife. He’s not the first. I’m not going to condone it. Basically, that’s between him and his wife.

I don’t consider myself morally superior to anyone. I have more than enough foibles to go around.

But I would be lying that I am not extremely interested to see how Woods fares on the course, not off it.

I would not be surprised in the least to see him in a familiar spot, near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon.

Maybe the greatest revelation of l’affaire Tiger is that, in at least one area, he is not all that different than the rest of us. He proved all too human, something he never seems to be on the course.

Tiger likely is looking to get these interviews out of the way before he arrives at Augusta, so he can concentrate on his golf. That is always the one place where he has been anything but human. Superhuman is more like it.

And I can’t wait to see him back.

More madness

2010-03-22T07:24:00.001-04:00

Everybody who had Cornell in their Sweet 16, raise their hand.

Thought so.

That is the beauty of the NCAA basketball tournament.

A team like Northern Iowa can topple Goliath, otherwise known as the No.
1 seed in the tourney, big, bad Kansas.

It can also provide heartbreak, as was being felt on the Maryland campus yesterday after they took a 1-point lead in the waning seconds against Michigan State, only to see the Spartans rush the length of the flood and nail a three pointer for the win.

Of course, locally, there was no such emotional rollercoaster.

There was only depressing news. Temple lasted just one game, with Fran Dunphy’s charges falling to the Big Red of Cornell. The Ivy Leaguers weren’t quite finished inflicting heartache on local folks. They then sent Wisconsin, coached by Chester native Bo Ryan, home.

Out on the Main Line, the news was only a little bit better. After playing poorly but still managing to eke out a win vs. Robert Morris in their opener, the Wildcats could muster no such magic on Saturday against St. Mary’s.

That does not mean the tournament will not go on, and will not provide more thrills and chills. That is what makes it so special. We just won’t have a local team to cheer.

Naturally, this is the one year I did not actually turn in my bracket.
My choice? Syracuse, which is looking better all the time. Should the Orange win, that blood-curdling scream you hear will be coming from me, not their backers, and lamenting what could have been.

But the truth is I’ll be cheering for Cornell. Not because they took out Temple. But because they’re about the last team anyone would expect to be where they are.

The Ivy League has not been represented in the Sweet 16 since Penn did it decades ago.

Now that’s what I call madness.

The Daily Numbers - March 19

2010-03-19T08:58:00.001-04:00

The Daily Numbers: 8 gunshots that rang out inside Cheers bar in Upper Darby, leaving 1 person dead.
180 times police have responded to the bar since January 2009, according to U.D. top cop Michael Chitwood.
4 Interboro High School students who have died in the past two months.
1 person killed by an off-duty Philadelphia police officer who witnessed a robbery on City Line Avenue early Friday. He traded shots with the suspect, who was hit and killed.
300 dollar pair of sunglasses that police allege was pilfered by the principal of a Catholic high school in South Jersey.
32, age of teacher from Bordentown Regional School in South Jersey who faces 4 counts of sexual assault involving relations with a student.
1,500 nurses and other workers who could go on strike against Temple University Hospital today.
34 people charged with gun violations by the attorney general’s gun violence task force.
9 people who suffered minor injuries in collision of bus and minivan in Philly yesterday.
16,000 more jobs lost across Pennsylvania in February. That brings the total jobs lost since the recession started in December 2007 to 260,000
1 in 22 jobs lost during that time across the state.
500 residents in Lower Merion who oppose class-action lawsuit over alleged spying on students via their district-issued laptop computers.
2 Villanova starters benched by Coach Jay Wright for the start of the ‘Cats first NCAA tourney game against Robert Morris.
2 seed Wildcats had to go to OT to be the stubborn 15 seed.
2 for 15 shooting from the field for senior Scottie Reynolds, one of the stars who were benched.
20 points for Reynolds, including shooting 15 of 16 from the free throw line, and 7 of 8 foul shots down the stretch.
2.83 goals against average for Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, who is now on the shelf for the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain.
16 pitches, including 11 fastballs, by Brad Lidge in his first appearance in a game in spring training.
2 more veterans Eagles released by the team yesterday. Wide receiver Kevin Curtis and DE Darren Howard both were given their walking papers.
28,750 season tickets, where the Phillies plan to cap their ticket sales.
*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Jay Wright is taking some heat for his decision to bench two key starters for the Wildcats first-round NCAA game. Not there. It was the Wright call.
*
I Don’t Get It: I wish I knew what was going on with young people today, especially some of those in Interboro. I do know this, ignoring this issue won’t make it go away.
*
Today’s Upper: Make sure you get outside this weekend. Spring arrives Saturday. Actually it got here early this week. Today’s high will be in the 70s, ditto for tomorrow. After that winter, we deserve it.
*
Quote Box: “This place is a shoot ‘em up joint for drugs and weapons.”
- Upper Darby top cop Mike Chitwood, on problem bar that was scene of a fatal shooting.

Why? Again

2010-03-19T08:18:00.001-04:00

I find myself this morning once again consumed by the same question I’ve been mystified by for several weeks.

Why?

I am guessing I have company this morning, especially in the Interboro community.

That’s because it has happened again. Another young life lost. An official ruling has not been made, but every indication is that this young man decided to take his own life.

His death comes just three weeks after two female Interboro High School took their own lives by stepping in front of a high-speed Acela train on the tracks in Norwood.

I don’t know why this is happening. I wish I did.

Apparently some people do. And they made it clear as soon as we posted the story on our Web site Thursday afternoon.

Minutes after I put the story up, a comment appeared making it clear who was at fault. We were, the media. Specifically this newspaper.

The reader made it clear they believe our coverage of the girls’
suicides was inflammatory, sensational and simply glorifed the incident and the aftermath.

I don’t happen to agree.

As luck would have it, literally as I was writing this piece, I received a phone call from a woman who wanted to talk about exactly this situation.

She knows of what she speaks. Her son committed suicide five years ago.
She discovered his body.

We had an emotional conversation. She said her daughter and niece working on a program to help kids struggling with depression, which is what claimed her son.

She does not believe the newspaper aggravated the situation, or sparked any kind of copy-cat actions.

I hope and pray she is right.

But I also know this. Something is terribly wrong with too many of our kids today. I don’t think that’s limited to Interboro, although that certainly is where the focus is right now. They are not the first school district in this county to deal with this problem. Unfortunatelyk, they almost certainly will not be the last. The problem is not going to go away by ignoring it.

This newspaper is not planning to ignore it either. I am hoping to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I guess I will start by telling kids of another word that has been on my mind a lot these past few weeks.

Forever.

My wife, who is a teacher’s aide, tells me she sees kids every day who think only of right now. They don’t process things in terms of tomorrow, or next week. They don’t realize things will get better, that life will go on and improve. They know only that they are hurting right now. Too often with tragic results.

If you have an idea on what the newspaper can do to help fight this problem, post a comment on this blog. Send me an e-mail at editor@delcotimes.com, or call me at 610-622-8818.

I don’t want to keep asking myself why.

Instead I’d like to say this is why, and this is what we need to do about it.

The Wright Stuff

2010-03-19T07:07:00.001-04:00

Jay Wright and Scottie Reynolds referred to it as a “teachable moment.”

You can say that again.

I can admit I have always liked Wright, the head man at Villanova basketball. I like him even more now. And I still would have liked him even if his surprising disciplinary move yesterday had blown up in his face.

It almost did. The Wildcats almost made an ignominious exit to the No.
15 seed William Morris.

Let’s review. Wildcats Nation no doubt was perplexed when Villanova took the floor for their first-round game. Scottie Reynolds, the senior and all-time scorer in Villanova history, was not there. Neither was junior Corey Fisher.

No one is saying what exactly happened. Conjecture seems to be centering on them being unable to answer a question from the scouting report on Robert Morris, indicating they did not read it.

It’s one thing to bench players in the regular season. It’s another altogether to do it in the NCAA Tournament, and for Reynolds, in what could be his last game as a Wildcat.

Reynolds struggled mightily after entering the game, shooting a miserable 2-for-15 from the field. But he was gold at the line and came up big at the end as Villanova rallied from six down late to send the game to overtime, where they held on to advance.

A lot of people think Wright was wrong, not to do what he did, but when he chose to do it.

Not me. I think it’s all the more reason to believe he’s got the Wright stuff.

Good call, coach.

Gloves come off in the 7th

2010-03-18T07:01:00.002-04:00

The gloves are coming off in the 7th District race.

There is another challenge to Pat Meehan’s petition, and this one seeks to have him removed from the ballot.

The interesting thing is where the challenge is coming from – a group of Republicans. At least that’s what they claim. They are being referred to as “interested obsvers.”

Yeah, very interested. And very interesting.

In the meantime, Meehan claims this is all taking away from the meat and potatoes of the campaign.

Look for this one to wind up in court.

The madness begins

2010-03-18T06:54:00.002-04:00

The madness starts in earnest today.

Villanova is in Providence to face Robert Morris in their first-round NCAA contest.

Don’t forget that if you’re stuck in an office, you can CLICK HERE for Terry Toohey’s live blog and updates during the game.

The boss won’t mind. Hey, if you want you can blame us.

Better yet, if you have wireless, take your laptop outside in this gorgeous sunshine and catch a few updates.

We’ll be doing much the same thing tomorrow with Bob Grotz in Jacksonville for the Temple game.

It’s Spring Fever and March Madness – an intoxicating brew.

A couple of new lows

2010-03-18T06:49:00.001-04:00

Two disappointing things happened in Philadelphia sports yesterday.

First, the Sixers won a game.

No, that’s not a typo. The Sixers beat the even more hapless New Jersey Nets, 108-97.

You see, the Nets are getting dangerously close to eclipsing the all-time mark for futility. For those who don’t know, that record belongs to none other than our very own Sixers. They went 9-73 in the
1972-73 campaign. No team has sunk to such depths since.

Until now. The Nets currently stand at 7-61. They need to win two more games to tie the mark, three to let it remain ours forever.

A lot of people are rooting for the Nets to keep losing, thus lifting this mantle of “losers” from around our necks. Not me. I’ll take records anywhere we can get them. It is a claim to fame – or maybe better yet infamy – and I say the more the merrier.

Speaking of infamy, we won’t have Shawn Andrews to kick around anymore.

The hulking former All-Pro offensive lineman beset with physical and mental issues over the past couple of season, now has a lot more time to devote to his music and work on Twitter. Andrews will have to “get his Michael Phelps on” somewhere else from now on.

He was released yesterday by the Eagles.

What a waste.

But it’s not like there won’t be any Andrews in these parts. His brother Stacy is sticking around, to the tune of several more million dollars.

Shawn Andrews responded to his release the way he usually does, by taking to Twitter and filing several posts.

How tweet it ain’t.

No green beer for me

2010-03-17T06:21:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone more Irish – and more proud of it – than me.

But I’ve never been one to go crazy on March 17. I prefer to celebrate it the way my mother – whose maiden name was McIntyre – and father, as well as their ancestors, did.

In much of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is more of a religious holiday than a cause for reveling.

Maybe it’s because it always falls in Lent. Every year I manage to astound myself by giving up beer for these 40 days. And every year I wonder what exactly I was thinking when I do this.

So, no, I will not be imbibing any greed suds tonight. Not that I would anyhow.

I do don a very special tartan tie from Ireland that I wear exactly once each year.

This weekend I likely will sit down and watch “The Quiet Man” for the millionth time.

And I will try to finish off Tom Coyne’s golf novel, “A Course Called Ireland.”

Sounds like a party to me.

Go for it, Tiger

2010-03-17T06:13:00.001-04:00

The Super Bowl on steroids.

That is how one analyst described what the TV audience and hype will be like for this year’s Masters Tournament.

For those non-golfers out there, the Masters is the first “major” of the year. And it is the only one that is played on the same course every year. That would be the hallowed ground of the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

It happens to be my favorite tournament of the year. It is on my “Bucket List,” just once before I kick it I’d like to see the place in person.

But this year it will have an added element surrounding the hallowed grounds.

Tiger is back.

The greatest golfer on the planet made it official yesterday. He will return from his exile after his life imploded in a series of tawdry sex scandal allegations in April at the Masters.

I could not be happier.

Look, I’m a golf nut. And I happen to like Tiger.

I’m not his father. Nor his mother. Nor his wife. I don’t particularly care what he does off the course.

It’s what he does on the course that I find so mesmerizing. He plays a game with which I am not familiar. Very simply, when Tiger is involved, the PGA Tour is elevated above its usual spot as a “niche sport.” When Tiger is involved, golf becomes an event. When he’s on the leaderboard Sunday afternoon, you can’t take your eyes off the TV.

The Masters is usually one of the top tournaments of the year when it comes to ratings. This year, with the return of Tiger, they will be off the charts.

When he strides to the tee, it will truly be “must-see TV.”

I have no idea how he will play. I kind of wish he had decided to play a tune-up, such as Arnold Palmer’s tournament at Bay Hill.

But if anyone can pull this off, it is Tiger Woods. He has proved again and again that he is not of this world – on the course – even if he is all too much of this world off of it.

I would not be surprised to see him in contention on Sunday afternoon.

And I would be lying if I didn’t admit I’ll be rooting for him.

The Daily Numbers - March 16

2010-03-16T08:19:00.001-04:00

The Daily Numbers: 500 jobs up for grabs at Harrah’s Casino with the arrival of table games. Hundreds showed up yesterday for a job fair.
2 more job fairs set at the Chester casino, on March 26 from 4-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 30.
30, age of man from Glenolden who is charged in the brutal assault of a woman in the bathroom of a Manhattan nightclub.
100,000 dollars in damages to the Lone Star restaurant on Route 202 yesterday afternoon.
1 suspect busted and a 2nd being sought in the brutal beating of a man with a large wrench in an Upper Darby street holdup.
115,600 dollars being spent in Tinicum to improve traffic signals in the township.
13.7 million dollar salary for the boss at Boeing Jim McNerney, and that’s down 7.2 percent from the year before.
6 point lead for Republican Pat Toomey over Arlen Specter in latest poll from Susquehanna University.
100,000 dollars to be paid by a Main Line dentist to Avalon, N.J., after he admitted dumping medical waste that washed up on the beach.
60 animals seized by SPCA agents on raid in Northeast Philly last night.
90,000 dollars in jewelry ripped off during a weekend heist at a store in the Franklin Mills Mall.
14, age of teen charged with heroin possession in Delaware.
2.5 years in jail for man who admitted taking nude video of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews through peep hole in her hotel room.
1 minor injury reported in fire that broke out in Wachovia Bank building in Center City Philadelphia last night.
10 red traffic lights that a bus driver is believed to have blown through before he collided with another car in Mongtomery County, killing a passenger in the car.
0 jail time to be done by the former head of the Pa. Turnpike Commission on corruption charges in a deal cut with prosecutors.
5 straight losses now for the Sixers, who fell to the Knicks last night, 94-84.
11 point halftime lead for the Sixers, who coughed it up in the second half.
*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Who will go farther in the NCAA tourney, Temple or Villanova. My heart says Temple; me head says ‘Nova.
*
I Don’t Get It: A woman in New Jersey who weighs 550 pounds is being paid to gain weight so she can break a record for the heaviest woman to ever give birth. I don’t get it.
*
Today’s Upper: Who says there’s no jobs out there. Harrah’s is hiring 500 people as they prepare for the arrival of table games this summer.
*
Quote Box: “I think it’s a great opportunity, brings a lot of jobs to the area.”
- Chris Stillwell of Drexel Hill, at job fair at Harrah’s Chester yesterday.

Calling all community journalists

2010-03-16T07:55:00.002-04:00

I have been a little overwhelmed at the response to my call for bloggers and community journalists.

I guess I should not have been so taken aback. After all, I answer the phones here every day. I know our readers our passionate, as well as opinionated. And they’re not shy about telling you exactly what is on their mind.

It should not surprise me that they would love an opportunity to express those views on our Web site.

I received about 70 responses to my call for bloggers. Many of them are now being featured on our Web site. One lady does her own version of a Letterman Top 10 list; we have two guys writing a beer blog; we have picked up Laura Nachman’s popular blog on local radio and TV activities.

Some, like Nachman, have established blogs. Others, like Mary Ann Fiebert, is new at this, at least with us.

What I’d really like to focus on now is, rather than a themed topic like fitness, or cooking, is real community news.

We now feature blogs that are focusing on Media and Chester. I want more.

If you think you have what it takes to cover your town, if you have a nose for news and would like to supplement our coverage, let me know.

Send an e-mail with some details, and maybe a sample of your writing. If you like, give me a call and we’ll talk about this brave new world of community journalism.

There was a time, not that long ago, when we were literally the only voice out there. I like to think we are still an authoritative voice on what is happening here in Delaware County. But we are far from alone.

I invite you to join the process. I want you to go to the window and scream, “I’m sick and tired and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

Actually, you can just send me an e-mail to editor@delcotimes.com.

Delivering the news

2010-03-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

Not everyone was on board with my thoughts yesterday, in my print column, about the new news ecology and how we increasingly are delivering the news.

The gentleman left me a fairly detailed voice-mail overnight sounding a warning about our rush to push this information to the public as fast as possible.

In my column I had relayed how we used our Web site and social media to get out the news about the train tragedy in Norwood recently, delivering the story to readers long before we ever printed a single word in print.

He told me that he had actually turned off his computer several months ago and firmly believes that our headlong rush into the cyberworld is going to lead to nothing but ruin.

I have to admit there are times when I might agree with him. Such as when I view an item that I have just posted online and realize I have made a huge typo in the headline. Some recent commenters on the Web site have taken great joy in pointing out just such foibles.

The man told me of his passion for picking up the newspaper each morning, and then slowly, carefully consuming its contents. It’s a passion I share, if one that I very rarely get an occasion to enjoy, with the possible exception of a lazy Sunday morning.

Everything I do now I do quickly, especially when it comes to delivering the news. Do I have concerns about mistakes, now built into the news-gathering – and delivering – process? You bet I do. My favorite thing about the Internet remains the fact that a mistake is only a few keystrokes away from disappearing.

The bottom line is there is no turning back the clock. Delivering news online as well as via social media is now part of our journalistic mission.

Doing it accurately will remain a priority as well. Even if we stumble from time to time.

The Dynamic Duo

2010-03-16T07:20:00.000-04:00

The madness continues.

No, not March Madness. If you’re interested in seeing just how much productivity goes down the drain this week as your office mates huddle over their brackets, click here.

I’m talking about Rielle Hunter. Who’s she? If you don’t know her, you might know her boyfriend. His name is John Edwards. Actually she says she called him “Johnny.” He wanted to be president. A lot of people thought that was a good idea. He was actually the Democratic nominee for vice president, running with John Kerry in 2004.

These days Edwards is known more for his dalliance with Hunter, with whom he fathered a child, which he denied until he was literally caught with his pants down by the National Enquirer. This while his wife, Elizabeth, was battling cancer.

Nice.

Hunter is in the news this week. She gave an interview to Esquire magazine about her relationship with the would-be president.

It includes the obligatory photo spread, including a shot of her in just what appears to be a man’s shirt – and not much else – while surrounded by kids’ toys.

Cute.

I skimmed the interview. She appears every bit as kooky as I first thought.

And I am left only with this, wondering why exactly it is that we shower such publicity on people.

Rielle Hunter and John Edwards deserve each other.