Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 155, No. 37
INSIDE
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
$1.00
A triumphant return for the Mushroom Festival The 2021 event flourishes after 2020 cancellation By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
Lately, the chatter in Kennett Square has been about the Mushroom Festival. It was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVIDCPL hosts Fall Fest for 19 pandemic and resurrected community...1B this past weekend. The questions remained: Who would fill the shoes of longtime Mushroom Festival volunteer coordinator Kathi Lafferty, who retired her position last year? And how would things go with the festival’s relocation from State Street to the former Genesis parking lot on Broad Street? When all was said and done, and with the blessing of perfect weather, the answer to the second quesA message of hope...5A tion was, “Things seemed All photos by Chris Barber to work out just fine.” The 2021 Mushroom Festival was held in the former Genesis parking lot on South Broad Street, seen here from Continued on page 2A
the railroad bridge on South Union Street.
Two-thirds of Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated, but state’s COVID-19 numbers still alarming By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Kennett 3-0...1B
improves
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When held up against the now persistent battering ram known as the Delta variant, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can best be categorized in Dickensian terms. It is the best of times. It is the worst of times. The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that Pennsylvania ranks fifth among all 50 states for total COVID-19 doses administered – 67 percent of those age 18 and older are fully vaccinated – and eighth in the U.S. in the number of first doses administered. In
total, vaccine providers have administered 12,442,131 total vaccine doses to 6.06 million residents, including 55,421 additional doses authorized for people who are immunocompromised. The CDC also reported that an additional 49,277 vaccinations have been administered in the state since Sept. 10 for an average rate of 14,500 vaccinations a day. While the numbers are impressive, their impact seems futile in the wake of a tidal wave of new COVID-19 cases reported throughout the state. Between Sept. 11 and Sept. 13, the Pennsylvania Department of Health
confirmed that there were 12,406 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,350,719 – with 2,183 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 535 patients are in intensive care units. The upward trend shows no sign of subsiding. The state’s health department said that the state’s positivity rate for COVID-19 stood at 9.1 percent during the week of Sept. 3 to Sept. 9 and worse still, there were 33 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry between Sept. 10 and Sept. 12, bringing the statewide totals to 28,568 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Chris Coverly, the Oxford Borough Police Department’s first full-time detective By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Police Chief Sam Iacono is beyond happy that the Oxford Borough Police Department finally has a full-time detective among the ranks. “It’s a great asset,” Iacono said. “Detective (Chris) Coverly has been training for the position for the 20 years he has been on the force. I would be remiss in not mentioning the mentoring he received from Sgt. Thomas McFadden when he was here.” Iacono added, “Coverly was assigned to the position of detective because he was the most qualified and best trained in that position. He has worked with Chester County Detectives on numerous cases in his career.” And now that Coverly is a detective, he is quick
Courtesy photo
Detective Chris Coverly with former Oxford Police Department partner Christine Bleiler. Both have worked numerous investigations throughout Chester County. Bleiler has moved on from Oxford, and is quite accomContinued on page 4A plished throughout the county and beyond.
Image courtesy of CDC
While COVID-19 vaccination rates in Pennsylvania remain among the highest in the U.S., they have not been able to hold back the spread of the Delta variant throughout the commonwealth.
High numbers could have While 67 percent of those been easily prevented from 12 to 18 years of age have been fully vaccinated in The Chester County Health Chester County – and 72 of Department’s latest monitor- the population over 18 have ing report for the county also been fully vaccinated – reflects the rest of the state. Continued on page 2A
‘It’s the victim who is the hero’ By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer When a local student came forward in June and said that several years earlier she had been sexually assaulted by her ESL teacher when she was in the third and fourth grade, it was up to the Oxford Borough Police Department to investigate the case. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced on Aug. 25 that Luis Morales had been arrested and was being charged with multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault, institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, and related offenses. The defendant taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at the Oxford Area School District until 2016, and was suspended in June 2021 from the Phoenixville Area School District, where he had been working for the past five years. Oxford Police Department Detective Chris Coverly stated, “It’s the victim who is the hero. Her bravery coming forward will encourage other victims of child sex abuse to speak out. Her voice will save and protect other innocent children.” The victim came to this country from Mexico. Her parents enrolled her in the Oxford Area School District, where she became a student of Morales, 56, a resident of West Chester. Morales was her teacher in the third and fourth grades between 2014 and 2016, and he taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to students like the victim. Coverly talked about the difficult situation that the victim was in, and he expressed his sympathy. “Imagine coming to the country and having this happen,” Coverly said. “Often times, young children have difficulty verbalizing what has happened to them. This child was learning the language. I cannot imagine how frightened she was coming to a new country, hoping for a fresh start. My prayers are with her and her family. I can’t stress enough how brave Continued on page 4A