The Spirit Newspaper

West/Southwest Edition Breaking Barriers PA House gets first Black female minority leader... By AshleyCaldwell [email protected] A local elected official has shattered a glass ceiling in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by becoming its first African-American female minority leader of the Democratic Caucus. Rep. Joanna McClinton will officially make history in January when she is sworn-in to take her seat. McClinton, who serves the 191st District covering Darby and Yeadon boroughs in Delaware County and Southwest Philadelphia, said that while barriers are being broken, she views her ascension as a way for other women to aspire for high leadership position in government. It should be the pathway for women to go even higher than where I am, McClinton said in a phone interview. It is my goal, in this role over the next two years, to ensure that it is such a visible leadership role. PA has never had a woman governor or a United States senator. Those are both statewide races, so I truly hope that women in our chamber are not only able to see themselves in me, but also are able to see themselves able to go where ................................................. To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you.

West/Southwest Edition SNAP benefits to arrive earlier this month Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller said DHS is altering payment schedules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for December to allow all benefits to be issued without risk of delay in case of a federal government shutdown. ... SNAP is a federally funded program and the federal government is currently funded through Dec. 11. SNAP benefits are typically issued during the first 10 business days of the month. Emergency allotments, authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and currently going to about 60 percent of SNAP households, come in the second 10 business ................................................... To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you. See more

West/Southwest Edition PUC revises diversity policy statement The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently voted 4-0 to adopt a revised public statement on diversity at utilities.... The revised policy statement provides guidelines identifying the information major jurisdictional utility companies such as PECO and Aqua PA -- should report to describe their efforts to employ and contract with members of diverse groups. It also encourages utility companies to use a common form to file annual diversity reports with the commission. The revised statement now reflects the commonwealth’s diverse citizenship including minorities, women, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ ............................................... To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you. See more

Delco Edition A Win for Literacy Upper Chichester Library to get new building ... Open public space on the corner of Kingsman Road and Chichester Ave. will become the new home for a state-of-the-art multi-purpose community library. The Upper Chichester Board of Commissioners voted to reserve the land at its Nov. 12 meeting, paving the way for construction of the Upper Chichester Library and Resource Center. A playground adjacent to the proposed library will remain intact. The one-story stone facade structure will cost over $3.5 million and be 100 percent self-funded through public and private donations, gifts, grants and related sources. In addition to expanded space for library collections, audio-visuals and periodicals, the center also will contain three glass-enclosed quiet rooms for study, tutoring and virtual learning; a large, 150-seat community room that can be divided in half for library programming and community events such as lectures, films and plays; a smaller meeting room available for rent by the business community and local organizations for private meetings; an interior glass-enclosed garden in the building’s center to create an attractively-aesthetic ambience; and a coffee shop where patrons can sip ....................................................To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you.

Delco Edition New Chester development creates housing opportunities for residents By AshleyCaldwell... [email protected] Chester residents can expect a greater opportunity for homeownership in the future, according to the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County (RADC) and the Chester Economic Development Corporation (CEDC). Recently, four residents became first-time homeowners at the newly developed Arbor Estates. Arbor Estates, west of Edgemont Ave. near Crozer-Chester Hospital and Widener University, is the first of what RADC and CEDC hope to be many new developments in the city’s future. We had been looking at adding new sites to (Chester) to encourage our first-time homebuyer program, said RADC Executive Director Lisa Gaffney in a phone interview. We also worked with the Chester Community Improvement Project (CCIP) to become the developer and it was kind of a whole neighborhood focus in which we were looking at the entire Nova Vista community in terms of putting in the housing and providing new housing opportunities so that people will stay in Chester or move from being a renter to being a ............................... To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you.

Delco Edition Delco schools get over $400,000 in grants The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) Office for Safe Schools has awarded Delaware County schools $462,164.55, according to its website, in four types of targeted safety grants: equipment grants of up to $25,000; program grants of up to $20,000; School Police Officer (SPO) grants of up to $40,000; and School Resource Officer (SRO) grants of up to $60,000. ... Each of the grants aims to assist schools in: reducing unnecessary student disciplinary actions and promoting an environment of greater productivity, safety, and learning; and enhancing anti-violence efforts between schools and parents, local governments, law en$24forcement and community organizations. PDE’s program is separate from the School Safety and Security Grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency ................................................ To read more of this story pick-up The SPIRIT at Wawa or a retail location near you. See more