A fitting tribute to Mr. Collingdale; huge loss for Darby Borough
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 Collingdale. To many, Frank Kelly was this small town. Kelly served as mayor for 36 years. This July 4th they commemorated the mayor’s memory by naming the pavilion in Collingdale Park in his honor. Well done.
LAUREL: What Kelly was to Collingdale, Monsignor Joe Corley very well may have been to Darby Borough. The longtime pastor at Blessed Virgin Mary Church passed away last week. “Father Joe,” as nearly everyone called him, was a beacon of strength and tranquility in a tough little town. Father Joe reached out and expanded his church’s flock, something we desperately need today.
LAUREL: To a new exhibit focusing on the life of singer and civil rights activist Marian Anderson. As it turns out, her remains are right here in Delaware County, interred at a cemetery in Collingdale.
LAUREL: To Anthony D’Allessandro of Ridley Park. Looking for the embodiment of the American Dream? You could say this tailor’s story fits it to a ‘T.’
LAUREL: To word that Philadelphia Energy Solutions is giving workers at its South Philadelphia refinery a bit of a reprieve, delaying the pink slips until mid-August. Maybe by then a new buyer will have come forward to save more than 1,000 jobs at the facility.
DART: How big a blow are we talking about? One study estimates the shuttering of the refinery could amount to a $10 billion hit to the region’s economy. And it comes on the heels of another icon noting its plans to close its doors. Hahnemann University Hospital is quickly moving to shut the facility.
LAUREL: To Mary Gay Scanlon. The freshman U.S. 5th District member of Congress first went to bat to fight for imperiled jobs at Boeing. Now she’s rolling up her sleeves seeking a solution at Philadelphia Energy Solutions. Good for her.
DART: To two separate legal frenzies that are not going away anytime soon. First, Upper Darby School District has hauled the borough of Clifton Heights into court in the ongoing dispute over the district’s plans to build a new middle school on the borough’s beloved athletic fields. Then there is the great Chester Water conflict. Now CWA is in court suing both the city of Chester and utility giant Aqua Pa. The lawyers are going to make a killing on these two stories.
LAUREL: To Jahlil Beats. The rap mogul and Chester native once again was showing off the best of the city with a festival last weekend attended by hundreds. It does the heart good to see the streets of the city teeming with activity again.
LAUREL: To the quiet dignity of Jennifer Helton, and the undying agony of the mystery of her toddler daughter Katelyn. It’s been 20 years since Katelyn was abducted and killed by her father. But her body has never been recovered. Jennifer has tried her best to put her life back together and move on, while never forgetting little Katelyn.
DART: Cha-Ching! If you live in Springfield or Radnor, prepare to dig a little deeper to pay your property taxes. Both school districts joined the ranks of those seeking tax hikes.
DART: And why is that? Well, a recent study indicated that 60 percent of school districts in the state are headed for fiscal distress. And yet our state Legislature continues to ignore a funding system that is out of whack. Maybe the courts will finally do what they have been unable to accomplish.
LAUREL: To the arrival of another sure sign of summer. They are preparing to kick off the 44th season of the Upper Darby Summer Stage Program. This is one of the best kids’ troupes in the region, and it counts no less than Tina Fey among its alums. On with the show!
DART: To Jonathan Manderach. The Radnor man campaigned for and got the go-ahead for signs on a township road warning motorists that the spot is a key area for turtle crossings. The tortoises need to cross Chamounix Road to get to Fenimore Woods Park. Just a shell of a guy!
LAUREL: To Energy Transfer Partners. Yes, we have heaped our share of scorn on the Texas-based outfit that is building the controversial Mariner East pipeline project. But they also forked over $30,000 to Aston Township to construct a new handicappedaccessible playground.
LAUREL: To a new historical designation for the Third Presbyterian Church in Chester. The former house of worship is now one step closer to being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
LAUREL: Speaking of history, a thumb’s up to the push to renovate the historic Plank House in Marcus Hook. Local legend has it that the pirate Bluebeard used the place for some romantic visits with a mysterious woman.
DART: To the Phillies. We know Philly fans are sometimes referred to as being “homers,” but this Phillies team is being bludgeoned by the long ball. Once again, they lost two of three in Atlanta, and much of the damage came courtesy of the long ball.
DART: To the Sixers. They just gave a max, multi-million dollar contract to a guy who can’t shoot. Ben Simmons does a lot of great things on the basketball court, but his reluctance to improve his jump shot weighs him down. Simmons wants to be one of the two leaders on this team, but he won’t do so until he can knock down an open jump shot, let alone a three-pointer.