This duo conquered the Pacific
A look at the week that was, the issues and people who made headlines, and a few darts and laurels for those who deserve them.
LAUREL: To Vicki Otmani, of Media, and her friend Megan Biging. The dynamic duo rowed from Monterey, Calif., to Hawaii, as part of the Great Pacific Race. And they did it in record time – 57 days, 13 hours and 30 minutes.
DART: To the pollution that they encountered at nearly every turn in their journey. It’s beyond sad to hear them talk about how they had to row through plastic constantly. It’s a harsh reminder of our throwaway society. Luckily, they now plan to make awareness of the ocean environment their mantra as they visit schools and other groups. Bravo.
LAUREL: To Esther Cohen-Eskin. When the Havertown woman discovered a hate symbol on her trash can, she turned a negative into a postive - and a piece of art. Then her neighbors rallied around her by doing the same. Great idea. We could use a mot more of it.
DART: To the fact that we are still dealing with people peddling this kind of hate. No wonder our political atmosphere is so charged. They are just playing to the crowd.
LAUREL: To the idea of buying a bottle of wine in the supermarket. Slowly but surely Pennsylvania is being dragged out of the dark ages when it comes to sales of alcohol.
DART: The state is still in the booze business, something that would be better handled by private enterprise.
DART: Yes, you can buy a bottle of wine along with your groceries. But you’re going to pay for it. Prices are higher than they are in the state stores, and of course higher than those available just over the line in Delaware.
LAUREL: To the economic possibilities that are clearly evident in making the former Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook at energy hub, the end point for a huge rush of chemicals such as ethane and butane, byproducts from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale regions and the natural gas business.
DART: It’s getting all those products here that’s a problem, especially if the proposed pipelines that will carry those chemicals are coming through your neighborhood. Residents showed up in force this week at Middletown Council to let their elected officials know they were not in favor of the plan. An online petition opposing Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 plan has gathered hundreds of signatures. The township delayed voting on the plan.
LAUREL: To state Reps. Nick Miccarelli, R-162, of Ridley Park, and Kevin Boyle, D-Phila., for their plan to seek a freeze on tuition at state universities, including West Chester and Cheyney. That’s music to many students – and their parents – ears as kids head back to campus.
DART: Of course, it would be more realistic if they also were planning to boost state aid to the universities. That’s not in the works.
LAUREL: To being at the epicenter of the battle for Pennsylvania. Respected pollster G. Terry Madonna believes the five-county Philadelphia region is going to be the key to taking Pennsylvania. Which means we’ll be up to our armpits in political advertising.
DART: It likely also means we will be seeing a lot of Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton. Why do we still feel so underwhelmed at these choices?
DART: To Andrew Acito. With a long record of offenses in Delaware County, the Glenolden man now is charged in a fatal hit-run after he allegedly ran over a wheelchair-bound woman. Police say Acito kept going, hit a second person, then was involved in an accident before he was arrested.
DART: Maybe the saddest part of this story is the saga is his victim. Elaine Heyl was an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq. Friends says she battled post-traumatic stress disorder and never got the help she so badly needed.
DART: There’s another potential new development – and of course another possible controversy – in Marple Township. The Delaware County Historical Society has sold its buildings and holdings on Greenbank Farm to local developer Steve Sudhop. He already owns an adjacent 44 acres, where he is planning a continuing care retirement community. A grassroots organization has now popped up to keep tabs on the situation, much as Save Marple Greenspace has been riding herd on the effort to preserve the Don Guanella tract off Sproul Road.
LAUREL: To the Aston Public Library. They are now offering Chromebook laptops residents can take home to surf the web. And it’s free as part of the library’s services.
LAUREL: To a fond farewell to the AstonBeechwood Fire Co., which had served Aston Township for more than 70 years. The township recently merged several fire companies into a single township fire department based at the Dutton’s Mill Road site of the former Green Ridge Fire Co. These kinds of mergers are never easy and very often produce bruised feelings and open hostility. It looks like Aston was able to avoid that.
DART: To the growing need for consolidation among these volunteer first responder groups. The bottom line is that today’s two-income, busy households don’t leave a lot of time for community service. Volunteer fire companies are feeling the pinch. Replacing them with paid professionals would be a huge hit for most municipal budgets.
LAUREL: To Chester City Council, which signed off on an economic recovery plan, and somehow managed to avoid the layoffs – in police, fire fighters and other city services – that were recommended in a consultant’s report that painted a dire picture of the city’s finances. Not only that, but Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland is vowing to build a new, consolidated home for the fire company, as well as a new hotel in the downtown area of the city.
DART: Call us pessimists. The EConsult study showed a city teetering on the brink of economic collapse. But the plan adopted by the city does not seem to make the kind of hard decision and cuts suggested by the experts. We’ll see where this all goes, but for now we continue to have our doubts.
DART: To Mother Nature. Please tell us summer is not over. That cold snap came as a relief to weeks of hot, humid weather, but it also reminded us that Autumn is not far off. Next thing you know you’ll be telling us that kids will be headed back to school soon. Oh, never mind.
LAUREL: Temperatures rebounded into the 90s, just in time for the weekend. Rejoice in one of the last weekends of the summer.
LAUREL: To the return of high school football. Several schools, including Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast and Upper Darby High, engaged in neighborhood rivalries.
DART: Yes, kids, if they’re playing football, you’ll be headed back to school in a few days.
LAUREL: To Carlos Ruiz. The longtime catcher and key cog in the Phillies’ 2008 World Series champions was traded this week to the Dodgers. That leaves Ryan Howard as the sole member of the champion team on the roster. All the best, Chooch!