Chester County Press 11-17-2021 Edition

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Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas

Volume 155, No. 46

INSIDE

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

An update on three recent crimes in Oxford By Betsy Brewer Brantner time officer Shakira Greer Contributing Writer handled both crimes in the same night. There have been several The stabbing incident serious crimes in Oxford of occurred on Saturday, Oct. late, but Police Chief Sam 30 at around 8 p.m. The Iacono emphasized that in Oxford Police Department two of the incidents, the arrested a juvenile, Giovanni suspects and victims had Furniss, who has since been a history with each other, charged as an adult, in conand there was no threat to nection with the stabbing of other borough residents. two juvenile victims. Oxford Police Department “The suspect has been detective Chris Coverly charged with two counts of continues to investigate all attempted murder. He knew three incidents. the victims. All of them are Iacono explained that part- juveniles; however, the sus-

Kennett Square Life

pect is being charged as an adult,” Iacono explained. Iacono also added that additional persons might be charged for other incidents related to the stabbing. “There is more to the story,” Iacono said. Both stabbing victims have been released from the hospital. Furniss is being held on $1 million bail. At his preliminary hearing, held on Nov. 9 at the Oxford District Court, the hearing was continued to January 4, 2022.

Bridge problems cause headaches in London Grove Unionville takes Academy Park...1B

$1.00

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On Oct. 30, at about 6 p.m., the Oxford Police Department arrested 35-yearold John R. Logan of Oxford for an alleged domestic assault that occurred along the 100 block of N. Third Street at 4:35 p.m. Police observed injuries to the victim. The female victim reported that she was choked around the neck, head butted, and spat on. Logan was charged with one count of strangulation and two additional charges. Logan’s preliminary hear-

New Garden supervisor calls for colleague’s resignation By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

PA Hunt Cup’s running...1B

87th

Photo by Chris Barber

INDEX Opinion.......................5A Obituaries.............2B-3B

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Bridge closings in London Grove are a common sight.

By Chris Barber Contributing Writer The bridges of London Grove Township are not exactly fodder for a romantic Hollywood movie or an aesthetic photo exhibit. Their increasing closures, however, have become a nuisance for

drivers throughout the municipality. Most of these bridge detours greatly increase the time it takes to get to a destination, and travelers have reportedly complained. There are also more traffic hazards leading to accidents. With each municipal meeting, notifications on the number of bridge closings

or bridges with weight limitations continue to mount. At least three bridges are of major concern. One is Woodview Road, which veers west off Route 41 just north of the Route 1 bypass, which has been damaged and closed for an estimated three years. Continued on page 2A

ing was held on Nov. 9 at at Oxford District Court. At the time, only the simple assault and disorderly conduct charges were held over to the Court of Common Pleas. All other charges were dismissed. Iacono also released information on the two recent burglaries, at Mobile Station, 281 S. Third Street and the Gulf Station, 203 S. Third Street, on Oct. 25. Suspects have been arrested and the case is moving forward.

In a bizarre introduction to the Nov. 15 New Garden Board of Supervisors meeting, vice chairman Mike Loftus and supervisor David Unger volleyed back and forth in an argument that reached its height when Loftus called for Unger to resign from the board for a recent posting that Loftus claimed was inaccurate. In his opening comments, Loftus made reference to a campaign entry that was posted on Oct. 30 on the Facebook page of Troy Wildrick and Ted Gallivan, who campaigned successfully for supervisor posts when they defeated Loftus and his campaign running mate Dinamarie Vanover on Nov. 2: New Garden Residents! Did you know your board of supervisors never voted to oppose the takeover of CWA by Aqua? Almost

every other municipality in Chester County showed courage and leadership and voted to oppose this unwanted takeover of our water by Aqua. See the list of elected officials and organizations that had the courage to stand up to Aqua here. After listing the link, the posting ended with: This November 2nd you can elect leaders who will fight the takeover of CWA by voting for Troy Wildrick & Ted Gallivan for New Garden Township supervisor. On the page, Unger, who spearheaded the WildrickGallivan campaign, is listed as being “responsible” for the page. “I would like it noted that we did oppose it at the September meeting, and I am curious as to why you would post that at that late date in October,” Loftus asked Unger. While he did not address Continued on page 4A

Penn Township officials discuss the fate of Medic-94 By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer The pending closure of Jennersville Hospital continues to cause concerns for the Penn Township supervisors. During the meeting on Nov. 3, one of the major items for the township was the fate of Medic-94, which is currently based at the hospital.

The township has offered to provide space for Medic-94 at the township building until they can find a permanent location, but the ideal option for the unit would be to remain at their current location at the hospital building for as long as possible. “We’re going to help Medic-94 the best we can,” board president

Victor Mantegna said. The hospital is scheduled to close no later than Dec. 31, with the loss of 293 jobs. According to Township Director of Operations Karen Versuk, the hospital will continue to provide security and outdoor maintenance on the property. She also reported being told there would be an administrative

person at the building for three or six months after the closure. “Since they’re doing all of those things, why not let Medic-94 stay there for at least six months that would give us some time,” Versuk said. Versuk expressed concerns that not everyone in the community will know about the closing and peo-

ple could arrive at the site expecting to find emergency room services. “Frankly not everybody is on Facebook or reads the newspaper. The potential for people to pull up in there after that emergency room doesn’t exist is quite possible,” she said. The board voted to authorize the submission of an Continued on page 2A

Kennett Library hires new director Christopher Manna, who has spent the last five years overseeing three building projects for an Oklahoma library, looks forward to managing the new Kennett Library and Resource Center into the future By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The Kennett Library Board of Trustees recently announced that they have hired Christopher Manna as the new director of the Kennett Library. “Chris was chosen after a national search for the director position, and we feel he is a perfect fit for the Kennett Library,” said Jeff Yetter, president of the Board. “He comes with years of experience in a variety of library set-

tings and has been a part of several library building projects. “We are very excited about Chris’s joining the Kennett Library team and getting him involved with our community. He will be an asset to the current library and, most especially, to the new Kennett Library & Resource Center as its director.” Manna, who replaces former director Megan Walters and will begin his new job on Nov. 22, began his career in 1999 in the libraries at the

University of Maryland and John Hopkins University. In 2013, he worked as a national Library Solution Consultant, helping libraries develop new methods for increasing services. In 2016, he joined the Pioneer Library System in Oklahoma, where he worked as its Information Services Manager before becoming the manager of the Moore, Oklahoma 35,000-square-foot library. Chris has been a part of three library building projects during his time in

Oklahoma, including a $30 million, 50,000 square foot library, which will break ground in 2022. Manna’s arrival at Kennett Library dovetails with the start of the library’s largest project to date: the new Kennett Library & Resource Center, a two-floor, 33,245 squarefoot facility on State Street in Kennett Square that is in the very beginning stages Courtesy photo of construction. Christopher Manna Slated for completion in was recently named as December of 2022, the new the new director of the Continued on page 4A

Kennett Library.


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