ETHICS: The "Rolling Stone" story is a black eye for journalism

This isn't Unionville-related, but would you indulge me and let me express my disgust, as a reporter, with the whole disgraceful "Rolling Stone" magazine debacle?
My question is this: Why has no one has been fired?
I started my career at a 16,000-circulation small-town daily. It had its faults, sure: when the editor's service club put on a play, we reporters (most unwillingly) were assigned to write stories about the auditions, the rehearsals, the opening night and then a follow-up about how much money was raised.
But you know what? For all its goofy stories and corny mascot (a newspaper with a tricorn hat and a bell), the paper had ethics. One reporter, trying to be funny, inserted into the Births column of the Saturday paper that the sports editor had had octuplets. On Monday morning we started getting phone calls; I remember taking one from an excited elderly lady who felt the story deserved to be on page 1. The reporter was fired immediately for risking the paper's credibility. He was out of the newsroom by noon.
"Rolling Stone" did far worse damage to people's reputations, to UVA, to journalism, to the credibility of sexual assault victims. Where are the consequences?

CLOSING: Rubinstein's is closing the Kennett branch

The Kennett Square branch of Rubinstein's office-supply store is closing, much to the dismay of many locals who rely heavily on the store's photocopying services and excellent selection of art supplies. I know at least one local who even e-mailed Marc Rubinstein, asking him to reconsider the decision. Also coming in for praise were the store's helpful staff members.
Rubinstein's, now on West Cypress Street, was formerly located "in town" in the little West State Street shopping center where El Ranchero Mexican restaurant is. (Going back even farther, remember when the Papier card shop and Molly's ice-cream parlor were in that shopping center?)
The West Chester Rubinstein's will remain open.

REELING: David Power plays Irish music in Coatesville

On Wednesday night my best concert-going pal and I headed north to the Coatesville Cultural Society to see David Power, who plays the tin whistle and the uillean pipes (pronounced "illin"). The show, part of the Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series, was great, and it was amazing to watch David play the complicated instrument: he had to pump the bellows with his elbows, play the keys on the drones with the edge of his left hand, and use the extraordinarily long fingers on both hands to play the rapid notes on the vertical flute-like part, called the chanter. It's no wonder he plays with his eyes closed.
The story of David's chanter, known  as the "Eighteen Moloney," was fascinating: it was made in 1835 and has been passed down through a series of famed Irish musicians.
I had never been to the Coatesville Cultural Society, which is at 143 East Lincoln Highway. The theater space where David played is essentially a black cavernous box that has that marvelous heady smell of theaters worldwide, a combination of paint and lumber.
In the audience were Mal Whyte, who gave David the Eighteen Moloney back in 2003; Frank Dalton and Emily Fine of Embreeville, who for the past ten years have been producing the Irish music series; and local high-school student Keegan Loesel, half of the Irish music duo the Ladeens, whom we saw performing at West Grove Meeting in January (Keegan also plays the uilleann pipes).

THEATER: "Sunrise, Sunset" and Wilbur

A couple of youth theater events are coming up.
Church of the Advent's Children and Youth Music program is presenting "Fiddler on the Roof Jr." from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the church at 401 North Union Street in Kennett Square. Admission is free and playgoers are asked to bring canned goods for the food bank.
And the Unionville High School Drama Guild is presenting "Charlotte's Web" at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, and 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 25. Director is Betsy Ballard. Tickets are available at the door ($7 for adults, $5 for students).

 

SMALL WORLD: One UHS grad may be heading to the Midwest

Regular readers of this column know that my older sister teaches English at a prestigious Minnesota college (a career that surprised none of us, given that she would give me required reading lists throughout our childhood). She told me that a family visiting the campus over spring break asked her for directions to the cafeteria. She offered to take them there, and while chatting learned that the prospective freshman was from the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. Excellent!

SPRINGDELL: A yellow card for these rugger fans

Parking problems at The Whip are back in the news. It seems a large group of rugby fans recently gathered at the Springdell tavern to watch the Six Nations tournament on TV and parked willy-nilly on private property throughout the village.
The West Marlborough supervisors said at their April meeting that they will be exploring with the township solicitor options for better regulating overflow parking at the tavern, including possibly towing or "booting" illegally parked cars.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: The saga of Sisyphus, the road grader

The fate of Sisyphus, West Marlborough Township's venerable road grader, was discussed at the township's April 7 meeting.

Supervisor Bill Wylie said the early 1970s Caterpillar grader needs $10,000 to $20,000 worth of work and wondered whether the township should look into trading it in or selling it (it could fetch $20,000 or $25,000) and buying a second-hand one from another municipality.
Township road crew member Hugh Lofting Jr. said he uses the grader to remove snow and to repair gravel roads damaged by heavy rainstorms.
"It had a rough year this year," he said. "I haven't given up on it, but it might be that the end is near."
He said making repairs is complicated by the fact that spare parts and expertise for such an old piece of equipment are difficult to track down.
Mr. Wylie quipped that perhaps the Smithsonian Institution might be willing to purchase the grader for a display of vintage machinery.
I found out that Rob Mastrippolito of Embreeville was the one who named the grader: "I always felt like when I graded it was some sort of cruel punishment, like a modern-day Sisyphus," Rob said, referring to the never-ending task of pushing stone uphill only to have water wash it back down.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Monthly reports and a police promotion

Three monthly reports were presented at the April 7 meeting of the West Marlborough supervisors:
1. Zoning officer Al Giannantonio said he received a zoning application to install a generator at a property in the 500 block of Upland Road. The application is under review. No subdivision or land-development requests were submitted.
2. Building inspector Eddie Caudill said he approved a building permit to add to the communications tower next to Vince Dugan's horse-training facility on Street Road. An application to construct a deck at a house in the 500 block of Street Road in under review.
3. Police officer Bob Clarke worked 40 hours in March and handled one criminal investigation and 18 incidents (including issuing 10 speeding tickets and two parking tickets). The Pennsylvania State Police handled 21 incidents in the township, including a burglary and a drunken-driving arrest. The supervisors also congratulated "Clarkie" on his promotion to Chief of Police in East Marlborough Township.

GOOD AND BAD: Heard around the dinner table

At our Easter dinner much praise was heard about last week's repaving of the Route 52 bridge over the Brandywine Creek. Less praise was heard about PennDOT's progress in filling in giant potholes like the one on Route 82 near Apple Grove Road that resembles an archaeological dig. And no praise at all was heard for the opening-day lineup of the Phillies. I didn't realize sports fans could be so Machiavellian: When seeing the lineup on the evening news, one fan said he was glad the Phils were not starting a particular pitcher. His logic went thusly: if he played, he might suffer an injury, and that would seriously reduce his value in any upcoming trade.

OVERHEAD: Talk about drones is this Saturday

Last week I wrote about an upcoming event but included the wrong date, so here is the correct information. The talk about the use of drones both in warfare and for humanitarian purposes at London Grove Friends Meeting at 7 p.m. next Saturday, April 18. Speakers will be Jessie Mooberry, vice director of Uplift Aeronautics, and Elizabeth Beavers, who is with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Q&A time and refreshments will follow the presentations. Free admission and all are welcome.