Live in West Chester? Want to? Follow along.
Well, 2021 is finally here and so far I have to say it is not living up to the hype. In West Chester things have started with a bang – literally, as a shooting is reported at the Hookah Lounge. On the upside we have the latest on Chester County’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, restaurants are open again and Side Bar has four new winter cocktails to smooth the transition. Who’s ready for 2021?
I don’t know about you, but I am ready to leave 2020 behind. However, before we do I thought we should take a minute to remember the people, places and things we lost this year. While some were fleeting, many were West Chester fixtures, leaving their indelible mark on the Borough.
Protect the streets or pay the bills? Borough Council was faced with some tough choices this week as budgetary woes came into direct conflict with police needs. Plus, a bunch of ways to pay it forward this holiday season and Saloon 151 aims to make you merry with their new cocktails in a can. Grab your drink of choice and let’s say goodbye to 2020.
Downtown West Chester records its first restaurant closure during COVID. Schools get ready to return to in person while everything else shuts down. Plus a long list of goodbyes (and a few hellos), top West Chester athletes and a variety of hyper-local ways to give back this holiday season. Grab something hot, and let’s get started!
As the world sweats the restaurant business, West Chester is looking at five new establishments on the horizon. One is already here, another is coming soon and two to three more could be open by spring. So, loosen up those pants and get ready to try someplace new (and of course, continue to support all your old favorites.)
As Thanksgiving approaches, the Mayor’s emergency ordinance limiting gatherings is still the law of the land. Plus, it’s now final: 2021 will bring a property and a sewer rate increase, we say goodbye to the Gay Street open air market and West Chester has its first sustainable storefront. Who’s ready to catch up on another week in the Borough?
It’s Friday the 13th and the virus rages on. West Chester schools talk of a return to virtual, the Borough plans for a final vote on the property tax increase and downtown gets ready to welcome another four (!) new restaurants. Can we handle it? Who’s ready? Let’s get catch up.
A popular downtown restaurant is forced to close after a COVID positive, the Mayor’s state of emergency order stands but is modified, and we get a look at policing in the Borough. Plus, elementary students finally see their classrooms and it’s WCU homecoming. Whatever that means this year. Grab your purple and gold and avoid Walnut Street. Who’s ready? Let’s go.
Another unexpected expense hits West Chester’s fragile budget plan. Plus, a false letter distributed under the cover of night in the Mayor’s name, how West Chester University counts COVID-19 cases and could the Borough finally be getting its own grocery store? Want just the facts (ok,and maybe, a snarky comment or two)? Stay off the Facebook groups and get your news here.
To help protect restaurants during the colder months and boost confidence in dining indoors, Pennsylvania recently launched its Open & Certified campaign. As of this writing, there are 39 West Chester restaurants participating including 18 in the Borough. See who is in and what it means to be certified.
