West Chester Weekly News Roundup: Feb. 13, 2026

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It’s Friday, Feb. 13, 2026:  Should your license also come with a voter registration card? Some West Chester students are fighting to change the legal voting age for school board elections. So far, they have convinced nearly a dozen state representatives that they are on to something. Plus, West Chester University is midway through a series of planned demolitions along Rosedale Ave. We look at what they plan to do with the space and if the College Arms Welcome Center will even be necessary. The Colonial Village Meat Market is under new ownership, West Chester’s proposed ICE ordinance moves forward, but not everyone is a fan, and it was a record-breaking year for West Chester firefighters and EMTs. Unfortunately, these are not the good kind of records.

Fight for the Right to Vote

COVID-19 and the impact of subsequent responses to quell the spread directly impacted the nation’s youth in many ways—lower test scores, developmental delays, and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Sitting on the sidelines while others made life-changing choices on your behalf may have had its own consequences. 

The Warnings.

ICE Ordinance advances in the Borough. On Tuesday, an ordinance that would require a public meeting and Borough Council approval before the West Chester Police Department could sign a 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was added to next week’s Borough Council Work Session agenda. A 287(g) agreement authorizes a local law enforcement agency to perform some immigration duties on behalf of and under the direction of ICE. Prior to the vote to advance discussion of the legislation, Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste and West Chester Police Chief Joshua Lee spoke about current practices. 

“I thank you all for creating this ordinance and being proactive about it. I think this entire county has been proactive about where their position is in standing with ICE,” said Mayor DeBaptiste, who then shared that the Department also took the preemptive step of making current practice official policy. 

“I am not sure why anyone would think the West Chester Police Department would do that,” she said in reference to working with ICE. “But it’s important we put what we practice into policy.”

For his part, Chief Lee shared that on Tuesday morning, he issued special order 26-1 to all officers. 

He then read the order for committee members. It is as follows: 

“This special order reiterates the fact that the West Chester Police Department (WCPD):

• Does not enforce Federal immigration law.

• Members of the WCPD do not inquire as to the immigration status of people with whom we come into contact.

• Members of the WCPD will not detain anyone based on their immigration status.

• Members of the WCPD will continue to represent all members of the community, investigate crime, and assist victims without regard to one's immigration status.” 

Members of Council and most people in attendance seemed to feel you could not have enough protections against ICE interference. “The statement is good. An ordinance is better,” one speaker said. 

Those against the move seemed to be in one of two camps, feeling either that this ordinance will do little to stop ICE activity, and if anything, it could draw additional attention to the area, or that it’s an overstep into an area clearly under mayoral jurisdiction.

“Our home rule charter very clearly and very specifically puts the Mayor in charge of the police department,” former Mayor Dianne Herrin said in her opposition to the ordinance. 

The ordinance will be taken up for a vote by Council next week. You can see the discussion from Tuesday here. It starts around the 29th minute.

West Chester is not the only municipality making their position known. Last week, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the Chester County Police Chiefs’ Association issued a joint statement reiterating that Chester County law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders and that no police departments have signed a Section 287(g) agreement with ICE.

We’re setting all the wrong records. This week, at the West Chester Borough Public Safety Meeting, both the West Chester Fire Department and Good Fellowship Ambulance reported record-breaking years. “It was a record-setting year for Good Fellowship with 8,994 calls. Of that, 2,268 were here in the Borough,” Good Fellowship Director of Operation Justin Robbins shared with Committee Members. 

Assistant West Chester Fire Chief Justin McClure told a similar story. “Call volume continues to increase,” he said. In 2025, the West Chester Fire Department responded to 1,775 calls, resulting in 769 hours of service. 

House fire in West Goshen. West Chester firefighters were called to the 700 block of Owen Rd. just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. When emergency crews arrived, they were greeted by smoke billowing from the home. Fortunately, crews were able to successfully locate the source of the fire and extinguish the remaining flames. No injuries were reported. 

January was not so dry in the Borough. While major crimes like rape, robbery, burglary, and felonious assault remain low, nuisance crimes, especially public drunkeness, continue to eat up police time and resources. 22 people were arrested for public intoxication in December, and 18 in January.

Proceed with caution. A sign that activates warning lights to allow for safe street crossing has been knocked down just outside Henderson High School. Both the school district and West Goshen Township have been notified. In the meantime, you’ll just have to resort to looking both ways and navigating snow-bordered sidewalks with care. 

The Sunshine Report.

There is no Sunshine Report this week. Margie is off enjoying some much needed (Florida) sunshine of her own!

Hello.

Goodbye.

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The Accolades.

Hoopin’ it up. After first sending home crosstown rivals Rustin, West Chester East Girls Basketball team faced Downingtown East on Saturday afternoon for a chance to advance to the finals of the Ches-Mont League Championship. Down five points at the half and nine early in the third, things did not look good for the Vikings, but with time ticking down in the quarter, Madison Rodriguez hit a three that cut the lead to six heading into the fourth.

Then freshman Kayla Holman stepped up, chipping in 6 points in the fourth, including completing a four-point play (a 3 plus a foul shot) to push the game into overtime. Kayla ended the game with 25 points and East took the victory.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite so well in Tuesday’s championship game. East was held to just six field goals as Downingtown West dominated from one end of the court to the other. However, there’s no time to dwell on that now. East is back in action tonight at home. 

The Vikings enter the divisional playoffs with the 5 seed and will face Pottsgrove. They will likely be without starter junior Kayla Cocharan, who injured her foot in the Chest-Mont semi-final. They are joined in the bracket by Rustin, who secured the 9 seed. The Golden Knights will face 8 seed Radnor on the road. On the boys' side, Henderson enters the district tournament as the 23-seed. They will face #14 Chester in Chester. 

All games are at 7 p.m. tonight. 

The Rustin boys, East boys, and Henderson girls did not make the playoffs. 

Other things we are celebrating this week: 

Future Winter Olympians. While their grown counterparts were prepping to shoot down Milano–Cortina tracks at speeds over 150 km/hr, 33 U.S. luge junior athletes braved bitter Lake Placid temperatures to compete in the Empire State Winter Games. The races, held at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, are open to competitors up to 17 years of age and draw athletes from around the world. 

Among the racers was West Chester’s own Sara Stefanides. Sara, a freshman at the University Scholars Program at PALCS (PA Leadership Charter School), was the highest-scoring U.S. athlete in the women’s Youth A race. Luge, an event where racers shoot down an ice track on their backs on a small sled called a luge, is the fastest event at the Olympics and one of only two timed to the thousandth of a second. Sara took home the bronze medal, just .023 seconds off the second-place pace. 

Unofficial West Chester champions. Shoutout this week to the West Chester East wrestling team for, as Daily Local News sports reporter Nate Heckenberger put it, finally accomplishing something 20 years in the making. West Chester East beat Rustin for the first time since the school opened in 2006. They also beat Henderson this season, making them the unofficial West Chester champions. You can read about the match here. 

It’s cookie time! While we are not selling Girl Scout Cookies this year—I’m almost sad about it—many are. Get your fix from your elementary-aged neighbors or at the various booths outside the ACME, Giant, Fine Wines and Good Spirits, Brothers, and countless other places around town. And if cookie in cookie form is not good enough for you, Wendy’s is bringing back its Thin Mint Frosty for a limited time, and West Chester Seafood Kitchen is offering similarly indulgent cookie-themed concoctions, only this time with liqueur. Their “Adventureful” looks much better than the ones in the box ever did. 

Most clicked. Apparently, I did not give you enough reasons to click last week. I hope to do better this week. I did notice there were a lot more upgrade clicks than were actually completed. If you want to upgrade and you are on a mobile device, you need to scroll down to see the annual rate of $24. If there are other user errors holding you up, send me an email, and I’ll upgrade you for free in exchange for your knowledge.

Pay it Forward.

That next big idea. West Chester University is back with its Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center’s Business Idea Challenge. Held annually for more than a decade, the business competition asks budding entrepreneurs to pitch their innovations to a panel of experts for a share of the prize money. Entrants begin with a digital application, where they outline their business idea, target market, and projected results. Ideas are then reviewed by business advisors and potential investors based on viability, need, and originality. The top ideas will be invited to participate in a Fast Pitch video submission, with the top two pitches advancing to the final in-person pitch competition on April 15.

According to Cottrell Center Executive Director Patricia Diggin, the competition not only helps foster idea generation, but it also “provides an opportunity for early-stage businesses to test out the market and fine-tune their messaging.”

Companies can register under one of four tracks: high school (open to Chester County high school students); WCU undergraduate; WCU graduate students, alumni, faculty, and staff; or startup (open to any startup in the Philadelphia region) 

Think you’re onto the next big thing? Learn more about the competition here. Just note you’ll need to register with the site before you can begin the application.

Other ways to give back:

Lend your porch or your musical talents to a good cause.  West Chester Porchfest is returning for its 5th year on May 16, and once again it will be pairing local and regional talent with Borough porches. If you live in the southwest quadrant of the Borough and are willing to host a band on your porch, you can sign up here. The call for bands will open on Mar. 1. Also on Mar. 1, Porchfest is hosting a performer preview and fundraiser at Station 142. There will be live music from 2 to 6 p.m. All proceeds go to support Porchfest. 

Help stock a free little pantry. Last week, as I was driving home and for the first time I saw someone taking a few items. It’s been a long winter. Know of who in your neighborhood? Why not take a quick look and make sure it is stocked?

Round up at the grocery store. From now through March 31, you can support WCASD students by rounding up your purchase at the Giant checkout. Giant is matching donations up to $100,000, all of which will come back to the district to benefit our local kids. 

The Freakin’ Weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? After failing to do it ourselves, we were graciously gifted a Valentine’s Day reservation. I am looking forward to some mood lighting, quiet dinner music and a meal I had no part in preparing. 

Not so lucky or just prefer not to fight the Valentine’s crowds? Why not get your love a bouquet of Rose’s Little Donuts, funny Mad Libs, or a heart-shaped pizza from West Chester Pizza Cafe? If you are ready to leave the house and want nothing at all to do with Valentine’s Day, the West Chester Walking Club will be back in action on Saturday morning. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at Jack’s Corner. The Silent Book Club is holding its monthly meeting on Tuesday night at BierHaul Townhouse. And I have a new club for you, the Brandywine Valley Writers Group also meet on Tuesday. They’ll be upstairs at Ryan’s Pub discussing the pros and cons of freelance writing.

Special thank you to Athletes Untapped! Athletes Untapped helps kids meet their athletic goals, build confidence, and grow their love of the game through easy-to-schedule personal coaching sessions. Visit Athletes Untapped to learn more about their kids-first philosophy! 

View a list of all our amazing Community Sponsors here.

Business leaders: Want exclusive access to this amazing community? Of course, you do. There are only three spots an issue so each one gets a lot of attention, and from what I hear, responses. Placements are filled first come- first served. Send me an email if you are interested.

Mark Your Calendars:

Feb. 14 - Galentines, La Chic Boutique, 12 - 4 p.m. New limited edition hoodie, free gift with purchase, Themed cocktails!

Feb. 16 - School Off Day Camp: Olympics, First Presbyterian Church, 9 - 3:30 p.m. Open to students kindergarten through 5th. Cost: $20/camper

Feb 17 - Silent Book Club meetup, BierHaul Townhouse, 5 - 7 p.m.  Bring your current read, settle into a calm shared space, and connect with fellow book lovers. Quiet reading hour starts at 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 17 - Science on Tap - Physics, Barnaby’s Restaurant, 6 p.m. Each session will feature a different WCU expert sharing interesting ideas and new research. The program invites audience participation, and of course, food and drink will be available for purchase. Cheers to science!

Feb. 17 - The Pros & Cons of Freelance Writing, Ryan’s Pub, 7 p.m. Brandywine Valley Writers Group is hosting writer and editor Erica Moody at their monthly meet-up. The club meets the third Tuesday of the month at Ryan’s Pub for those interested in joining.

Feb. 18 - 3rd Wednesday Book Discussion, West Chester Public Library, 1 - 2 p.m. February book selection: Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson. This is a free event. Registration is required.

Feb. 18 - Ruban Studdard, Uptown Theater, 7:30 p.m. Come out to see the Grammy Award-nominated winner of American Idol season 2. Standard tickets: $56/members; $66/non-members

Feb. 20 - American Revolution Watch Party, The Lincoln Building, 28 West Market Street, 12:00–1:15 p.m. The event will feature a 45-minute screening of the general overview of the 6-part Ken Burns docu-series, The American Revolution, followed by light refreshments and an engaging group discussion.

Feb. 21 - West Chester Growers Market, corner of Church and Chestnut, 10 a.m. - noon.

Feb. 21 - Father-Daughter Princess Party, West Chester Municipal Building, 401 E. Gay St., 10:30 - noon. Join us for a magical morning full of treats, coffee, fun crafts, and Disney music. Costumes encouraged. Registration required.

Feb. 22 - Little Tykes Hot Cocoa Hike, Oakbourne Park, 11 a.m. Each registered child will make hot cocoa to drink along the trail. Designed for kids 3 -8. Registration required. $16/child

Feb. 22 - Mar. 1 - West Chester Restaurant Week, various. Enjoy multi-course meals for $40–$60 per person, depending on the location.

That’s it. Stay safe, stay happy, and thanks to everyone who helped make this week’s issue possible. I’ll see you next week!

This newsletter has been edited by Victoria Rose, Flickering Words: Copy editing. Substantive editing. Proofreading. Content writing. Technical editing. Contact her at [email protected] or @VictoriaRoseEdits to learn more.

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