Maxwell hits Williams over Como donation

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Dan Williams (left) is under fire from fellow 74th District State Rep. candidate Josh Maxwell for taking a campaign contribution from disgraced former Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Richard Como. The revelation of a pair of April campaign contributions from disgraced former Coatesville Area School District (CASD) Superintendent Richard Como to...

Letter: Better laws could have preventing shootings

To The Editor, The gun control debate has been torturing the US for months now. The shootings at the Waffle House and Parkland could have been prevented by better laws and restrictions on guns. The Bump Stock should just be plain outlawed and ARs should have heavy restrictions.

Costello isn’t going anywhere — at least until November

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Welcome to a very special, bonus St. Patrick’s Day edition of Politics as Unusual — marking a week where an awful lot was, well, unusual. Democrat Conor Lamb appears to have beaten Republican Rick Saccone — the current tally separates the two by less than 700 votes — in a strongly Republican performing district (Donald Trump won there by about 20 points...

Happy New Year! Surf’s up, baby!

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Happy 2018! Who’s got their surfboards ready? Because, yeah, it is becoming increasingly likely that our friends in the Republican Party might not just be facing a wave, but rather a tsunami. But before you rush out and scream “that dirty so-and-so Trump” (as apparently so many West Wing staffers seem to do daily, per Michael Wolff’s controversial new book),...

Russians and Americans

By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times Governments and their people are not the same thing. That’s what Americans spending time abroad were saying to French friends in the 1960s, when the US was taking the disastrous step of picking up France’s colonial wars in the former Indochina. And it’s still true today. Let’s hope Europeans, including Russians, realize our government...

An, um, interesting year comes to a close

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times To say that 2017 has been an interesting year is something of an understatement. From that standpoint, it has been one of the most amazing years to be in journalism — a dynamic year with no shortage of compelling stories and subject matter. It has also been one of the most challenging — probably the most challenging year in the 34 years I have been in the business.

Moore, Trump put local Republicans at severe risk

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times As we head into the 2018 election season, we see that the two major political parties find themselves at crossroads, with one party seemingly finding its roots after years of wandering and pandering and another so lost, to as be unrecognizable from just a few years ago. For Democrats, heading into 2018 with a wind at their back — and locally, the biggest series...

The Times’ Magazine: A sit down with Carolyn Comitta

Editor’s note: this is the first of what we hope will be a regular, magazine style feature on either a subject or personality of interest to Chester County. Like a true magazine feature, it is long-form and written from the author’s perspective. We welcome your comments, suggestions for future such pieces and input. State Rep. Carolyn Comitta (D-156) By Emily Pisano, Special to The...

Ryan Costello’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Donald J. Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are trying really, really hard to make sure U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello doesn’t get re-elected in 2018 — although it may be his own history that ultimately proves his undoing. Oh, sure, the President and the Speaker of the House — as fellow Republicans — will swear until the cows come home that they back the two-term...

How is Tropical Storm Harvey like Donald Trump?

By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times Tropical Storm Harvey and Donald Trump both were foreseeable disasters that have caused a lot of damage and suffering. Republicans knew Trump would be trouble. His campaign was accompanied, but not at all impeded, by a whole litany of negative comments about him by his fellow primary candidates, former candidates and presidents, and other Republican leaders....