A salute to a month without a homicide in Delco

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 a month without a homicide. That’s right. Not a single homicide was recorded in Delaware County in January. And that includes the city of Chester. So far the streak is intact through the first week of February. Now that’s the way we like to ring in the new year.

LAUREL: To the declining numbers – both in Delaware County and Chester – when it comes to homicides. The numbers were down in 2018. That is due in part to increased collaboration between the district attorney’s office and the city, including going into the neighborhoods to meet with residents and cleaning up some blighted, problem areas.

LAUREL: To Charlie, Delaware County’s very own electronic –sniffing canine. Charlie, a 3-yearold Lab, is working with the county Heroin Task Force to sniff out small electronic elements where people often stash child porn, such as sim cards.

LAUREL: To Karen Barnes and Rhea Kelsall. These two grandmothers are speaking up about an aspect of the opioid scourge that is not often talked about. Both are actively raising grandchildren in the wake of kids who have become addicts. They would like to see more recognition and support for their efforts. They’re right.

DART: It’s just one more aspect of the vicious cycle

of heroin and opioid abuse that is ravaging not just Delaware County, but the entire region and the nation.

DART: How bad is the problem? This week two Upper Darby parents wound up facing charges after their 16-month-old toddler overdosed after licking the residue of heroin or fentanyl on some baggies that he found in the family home. Luckily, the tot was rushed to the hospital and revived by use of the OD-reversing drug Narcan. It marked the 484th time Narcan has been used in the township in the past three years.

LAUREL: To Delaware County Council. After a butane leak at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex, council voted to authorize the county solicitor to intervene in a complaint filed with the state Public Utility Commission against the Mariner East pipeline project. LAUREL: To ‘Ducky.’ That’s what we’re calling the brilliantly colored Mandarin duck who has apparently taken up resident at Ridley Park Lake. And also to Brian Quindlen, an avid birder

and teacher at Garnet Valley elementary school. Quindlen got pix of the rare duck, setting off quite the buzz.

DART: To the loss of the home for the Fresh Start Program in Darby Borough. They have been housed in the building at

11 N. Ninth St. for years, but the borough has sold the building to SEPTA for

$1. The borough explains they can no longer afford the upkeep on the building. Adding insult to injury, when they finally got back in the building for the first time in a month to clean out their stuff, the group discovered severe water damage that wrecked their computer lab. The program has offered after-school activities and mentoring for borough youths for years. DART: Brace yourself for a very tough weekend out in the western end of the county. SEPTA will be replacing a bridge, causing Baltimore Pike to be shut down all weekend. Detours will be in effect.

LAUREL: To the kids at Main Street Elementary School in Chester. This week they became the twotime

winner of the Heritage Bowl done in Chester Upland School District. The quiz competition focuses on Black History as part of Black History Month festivities. Making it all the more impressive is the fact that the team is comprised of just three members. Well done.

DART: To the reappearance of an old foe in the Upper Darby School District. That would be mumps. A student at Garrettford Elementary School has been diagnosed with the contagious, viral disease. It only reinforces the importance of vaccines, and the folly of those who argue against them.

LAUREL: To the new life coming to an old friend. The renovations at the former Towne House in Media are ongoing. The new owners are looking to open a new restaurant in the spring.

DART: To Philip Ahr. The former president of the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners was in federal court this week to enter a guilty plea to child porn charges. That’s one way to end a political career.

LAUREL: To those who gathered last week at Media Theatre to honor those

who served during another “Veterans Night” celebration. This year among those honored was U.S. Army veteran Tim Williams, a member of the Special Forces who has been dispatched to 36 different countries.

LAUREL: To those who gathered at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit in Morton last weekend to learn how to advocate for a fairer education funding system in Pennsylvania. It’s an old problem that has not gone away, even with implementation of the new state Fair Funding Formula. That’s because the new formula is only applied to new education revenue. That needs to change.

DART: To the never ending problem with what amounts to a deck stacked against so many students and families for no other reason than their zip code. The Fair Funding Formula needs to be adjusted to cover all education funding in Pennsylvania. And if the Legislature won’t do it, maybe the courts will. A family from William Penn, along with several others from struggling districts, will get their day in court later this year to make their case against the formula.

LAUREL: To Punxsutawney Phil. Looks like the prognosticating groundhog was on the money. No sooner than he emerged from his burrow last weekend and declared no shadow and an early spring, we rebounded from the deep freeze and even hit the 60s earlier this

week.

LAUREL: To Carter Hart. Brace yourself, Philly. This

20-year-old goalie may just be the next big thing in this city. With Hart between the pipes, the Flyers have rattled off seven straight wins and gone from being dead in the water to a real threat to make the playoffs.

DART: To another Super Bowl win for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. That makes six. This is now bordering on greedy, guys.

LAUREL: Hey, one other way to look at is the only thing that interrupted the Patriots’ dynasty was the Eagles last year.

DART: To one of the most boring Super Bowls in memory. The Patriots and Rams combined for all of one TD. Even the halftime show and ads were lousy. We make it Maroon 5, Rams

3.

LAUREL: To the Phillies and Sixers. Wow! Just Wow! Thursday will go down as one of the all-time blockbuster days when it comes to trades in Philly sports. The Sixers, who had already acquired Tobias Harris the day before, cut ties with former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz. They were upstaged by the Phillies, who signed the best catcher in baseball, J.T. Realmuto.

DART: Let’s just hope that Sixto Sanchez, the minor league phenom the Phils had to give up, does not win 20 games a year for 10 years. And though we wish him well, we don’t want Fultz to do too well. If he blossoms into an elite player, that might be a hard one to swallow.