With so much going on around town. Catch up on what you may have missed.
It’s Friday, January 18, winter is here, and may be back on Saturday, – plus, an Eagle spotted in West Chester, Levante’s looking for your help and West Chester got a new flag? Here’s what people are talking about this week.
The letter that went viral. Yesterday students at Starkweather Elementary were surprised by an in person (they thought they were going to FaceTime) visit from Philadelphia Eagle Alshon Jefferies. See the reaction caught by Jamie Apody.
MUST WATCH: Alshon Jeffery @TheWorldof_AJ surprises the 2nd graders from West Chester who wrote him letters of encouragement after the @Eagles loss to the Saints. Such a special moment – we told them we were trying to FaceTime him 😂#FlyEaglesFly#Eagles@6abc pic.twitter.com/WYgpPKb6VZ
— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) January 17, 2019
The visit materialized after the students’ letters and words of encouragement to the wide receiver went viral, in particular a letter from second grader, Abigail, that was tweeted out by her father.
From Abigail’s letter of encouragement:
“It’s okay to loose [sic] a game you don’t always have to win a game. We couldn’t have won the Super Bowl without you last year. I think you are an awesome player no matter what. It takes a lot of practice and courage to catch a ball.”
Who’s sick this week. Cases of flu in the area are on the rise, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer with numbers jumping drastically over the last two weeks. As of last week there were 165 confirmed cases in Chester County. Rethinking, the flu shot — which, by the way doctors, are calling a “good match” this year? There’s still time. Chester County is holding a walk-in immunization clinic on Tuesday. Flu shots will be available at no cost to Chester County residents however, if you do have insurance, the Health Department is asking you bring your insurance card.
Winter. After a rather mild start to the month, last week brought consistent cold temperatures and our first look at snow in a while. We are supposed to be bracing for two winter storms this weekend. The first of which hit this morning, look like it dropped an inch and half of snow and closed all area schools. The second, which the Daily Local is reporting to be the “bigger threat” is supposed to begin with flurries on Saturday afternoon before switching to rain on Sunday.
West Chester’s new flag. Didn’t know we were getting a flag? Me neither and just to be clear, we don’t yet have one, but we might. According to The Daily Local, Borough Council selected a flag to represent West Chester at their Wednesday meeting. The design by Julie Allen, features a six-gold ribbons in a flat basket-weave pattern on a blue background. The gold bands represent the six original streets of West Chester. The design was one of three presented to Council and was part of a “Best Flag Forward Contest” held by the West Chester Public Arts Commission and the Fence Authority. In all 63 designs were submitted. However, Council was disappointed with community participation in the project and are hoping for more public comment when they take an official vote. TBD when that might be.
And in more revealing Borough news, the official Borough colors are Pantone Gold 123C and Pantone Blue 7455C. I wonder if we also have an official town bird or tree?
Technology in the classroom. West Chester Area School District held its first of three parent education sessions sharing insight on how the district is preparing students for a future where “65% of the jobs have yet to be invented.” The next meeting is January 31 at Peirce Middle school. In the meantime, get a sneak peak in “Our Kindergarteners Are Coding.”
Speaking of Kindergarten, the District is holding its annual “Kindergarten 101” meeting January 29 at Stetson Middle School. If your child will be five on September 1, 2019, he or she eligible to register.
Speaking of technology, the West Chester Public Library has a new calendar system. It’s supposed to let you create a personalized calendar or sync events with your Google or iCal. Never be late for story time again.
The Women’s March. For those that attended the original, the memories are still powerful. For those that wish you had, here’s your chance. The third annual Women’s March is scheduled for Saturday in Washington, DC. There will be a bus leaving from Chester County. Break out the pink, there are still limited tickets available.
Speaking of the sexes, West Chester University is asking that men do their part, especially as it comes to standing up against sexual assault. The University recently received a $16,000 grant to “empower men on campus to be “active bystanders” and to help change the sexual violence culture,” the Patch reports. Sadly, one in five women will be sexually assaulted in college, according to statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
The warnings. Counterfeit $100 bills circulating the area. There are reports high-quality counterfeit bills have been identified in Media. West Chester police are reportedly, asking merchants to keep an eye out for bills with identical serial numbers.
The police are also investigating the theft of $500 worth of merchandise from downtown boutique 5 Senses on Christmas Eve. The suspect was caught on security camera. If you have any information, notify the West Chester Police Department.
Burglaries were also reported on 134 Lacey St. and 226 E. Nields St. The perpetrator at Lacey St. has been apprehended, the perpetrator at Neilds has not. If you have any information about the Neilds Street break in, please notify the police.
Levante needs our help. They have a can. Now they want to know what to put in it and what to call it. My favorite? “Popping the Question” with a mimosa sour from Twitter follower @tortuga_floyd. Tweet at Levante with the #BeerDesign101 to add your voice. Now for…
The freakin’ weekend. Church Street Gallery is hosting a cocktail reception tonight in honor of the opening of its Charles Jay collection. However, the gallery has reported nearly all the works have already been sold. The reception will still go on, so you can swing by and enviously see what you have missed.
That’s it. Thank you for another fun week West Chester. The Roundup will be back next Friday. In the meantime, you can find last week’s round up here and some great local feature writing here. And if you are the kind of person that has to be the first to know – sign up to get our latest posts – and then message me with what I’m missing. See you next week!