Busy Saturday in Eddystone with VFW, Ladies’ Aux.
EDDYSTONE » VFW Post 7949, 1015 Saville Ave., hosts karaoke from 8-midnight tonight, Saturday, April 14. DJ Ray runs the event, along with playing requests besides the karaoke music.
The post continues to hold its Hamburger Tuesday sale each week from noon-3 p.m. Cost for a half-pound hamburger is $3. French fries and onion rings are available for sale.
Designer Bag Bingo in Eddystone
EDDYSTONE » Eddystone Ladies Auxiliary hosts a Designer Bag Bingo at 7 tonight, Saturday, April 14, at Joe Hughes Hall, 1112 E. Seventh St. Tickets are $35 at the door. Doors open at 6. The first game is at 7. The event is BYOB/food. Raffles and 50/50 tickets are available for sale. Guests must be 18 to attend, no exceptions. For information, call 610872-5674.
Rabies clinic in Havertown
HAVERFORD » Haverford Township sponsors a rabies inoculation clinic for township residents’ pet dogs and cats, three months of age or older from 10 a.m.-noon today, Saturday, April 14, at Oakmont Fire Company Oakmont Fire Company, 23 W. Benedict Ave., Havertown. Cost is $5.
Please note that cats are to be in cat carriers and dogs are to be on leads no longer than six feet in length.
House passes Quinn student bill
HARRISBURG » By unanimous vote, the House passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Chris Quinn (R-Delaware) this week that would help college students track their student loan debt and make more informed decisions about borrowing. was 190-0.
“Outstanding student loan debt in this country has reached an unprecedented $1.3 trillion,” said Quinn. “House Bill 2124 would require colleges and universities, which receive federal student loan information for their students, to send letters to those students each year, updating them on their current student loan debt level and obligation.”
Under Quinn’s bill, the letters would be mailed or emailed in advance of a student’s acceptance of additional funding and would include estimates of the student’s total debt at graduation and projected monthly payments.
“These letters would provide the information necessary to enable students and their parents to make informed decisions about college borrowing,” said Quinn. “Instead of being shocked by their student loan debt at graduation, my bill would permit students to get the most out of their higher education experience while encouraging them to make reasonable and responsible financial decisions that could limit their liability and reduce their financial burden.”
Quinn’s legislation, which would be administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Education beginning in September 2019, would also include information on loans by institutions of higher education. Similar legislation in other states has substantially reduced student borrowing and helped students and their families to make enlightened financial choices.
House Bill 2124 is now on its way to the Senate for consideration.
Go deep into Chester’s past
The vote CHESTER » Chester Made explores historical myth and reality when residents share stories about Chester’s “secret” underground passages and their connection to the city’s history at a “Archaeology and Identity: Connecting People and Things” lecture from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 20, at the MJ Freed Theater, 515 Avenue of the States.
Rebecca Yamin, a historical archaeologist who specializes in urban archaeology, has explored underground passageways in Chester and collected residents’ stories about them. Yamin joins Chester Made historians and residents for a reception and lecture on Chester’s “Underground History: Myth and Reality” where they work together at confirming or debunking these stories once and for all.
Residents can also take part in a follow-up workshop where they will be invited to share an object that means something to them from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 20. Yamin and the Chester Made team will guide residents in connecting their objects to the past and viewing them together with others to create a profile of the community not clouded in myth.
For information, email Chester Made Project Manager Ulysses Slaughter at chestermade@pahumanities.org
Visit upcoming LWV events
The League of Women Voters of Central Delaware County announces upcoming events in April and May.
The chapter’s International Study group holds a presentation on the African continent at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, April 19, in the parlor room of Media Borough Hall. Guests may bring a brown bag lunch.
The main focus covers themes such as solar energy, China in Africa and American interests and concerns in Africa. Given the time constraint, it will only be an introduction to the fascinating diversity, problems, and potential of Africa.
The LWV-CDC hosts a panel of four municipal police chiefs at a Hot Topics luncheon at noon Friday, May 11, at the Springhaven Country Club, 600 S. Providence Road, Wallingfford.
Chester City Chief Jim Nolan, Upper Darby Chief Michael Chitwood, Nether Providence Chief David Splain and Swarthmore Chief Brian Craig are on hand to talk about the special challenges of policing both in small quiet boroughs and big diverse townships.
There is time for questions for the chiefs after their presentations. The buffet luncheon is $20. For reservations, email hthorne@verizon.net or call Hank Thorne at 610-566-5474. Guests an mail a check to LWVCDC at PO Box 131, Wallingford, PA 19086 or pay at the door.
The Delaware County League of Women Voters hosts candidates’ forums for the Democratic Party candidates before the May 15 primary election.
The forum is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, at Cabrini University, 610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor. Follow the signs to the Widener Lecture Hall. The league is expecting at least six of the 14 candidates who filed nominating petitions to participate.
As always attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions for candidates.
Overdose memorial walk April 28
EDDYSTONE » The fourth annual Overdose Awareness Day and Memorial Walk is set for noon-4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, rain or shine, at Lighthouse Hall, 1401 E. Ninth St. The event is to remember those lives lost to the disease of addiction and to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic the United States is currently facing.
All money raised at the event will go towards bringing awareness to the community, providing education and advocacy to community members and providing financial assistance in the form of scholarships to individuals starting their recovery journey.
The family friendly event will also feature face painting, food and moon bounces.
Additional parking is available at the Boeing Helicopter Co., 1 Stewart Ave. between Chester Pike and the Industrial Highway (Rt. 291). Shuttle busses run throughout the day. Parking attendants are hand to assist.
Student legislation from McGarrigle
HARRISBURG » Senator Tom McGarrigle (R-26) has introduced legislation providing students with alternatives to Keystone Exams to fulfill high school graduation requirements. Senate Bill 1095 would offer students who do not score proficient on Keystone exams alterative pathways to demonstrate their readiness to graduate from high school.
“The purpose of graduation requirements should be to ensure students can show proficiency in the knowledge and skills relevant to their individual career pathways, and a regimen of standardized tests is not enough to demonstrate this,” said McGarrigle. “Offering these options will ensure students are prepared to graduate, while reducing the amount of valuable instruction time lost to testing.”
The Keystone Exam graduation requirement has been delayed until the 2019-20 school year. The alternate graduation options McGarrigle’s legislation proposes would take effect when the Keystone exam delay expires.
Under Senate Bill 1095, students would have to meet one of the following requirements to graduate:
• Meet or exceed a composite score across Keystone exams in algebra I, biology, and literature, and demonstrate at least “basic” performance on each of the three exams
• Meet or exceed local grade requirements in subjects tested by the Keystone exams and complete a subject-specific advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or armed services vocational aptitude test, gain acceptance in a registered apprenticeship program, or attain a career readiness certificate
• Meet or exceed local grade requirements in subjects tested by the Keystone exams and present at least three pieces of evidence from the student’s career portfolio, which is required for federal accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Senate Bill 1095 is the culmination of recommendations from the Department of Education and collaboration with leaders in the education community, including teachers and administrators.
“Testing alone cannot accurately measure student proficiency and threatens to leave too many children behind,” McGarrigle said. “I am grateful to all of the stakeholders that helped craft this legislation. It will go a long way in measuring actual proficiency and producing graduates prepared for college and career.”