Tom Hogan, District Attorney who Gets Results

With property and personal crimes well below the nation’s average, Chester County enjoys the lowest crime statistics of any county in southeastern Pennsylvania. VISTA Today got the chance to talk with one of the people responsible for this, Chester County District Attorney, Tom Hogan.

In the interview he shows many of the characteristics that make him so successful. He is a man who sees criminals as bullies and he says “fighting bullies is a recurring theme that runs throughout my life, that I’m pretty comfortable with“.

In addition to his great work in Chester County, he has also worked with the Department of Justice prosecuting high level national cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking and political corruption.

Graduating with honors from Dartmouth, Hogan followed his lifelong dream to become a prosecutor by enrolling into the University of Virginia’s law school. After graduation, Hogan took a job at Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia, one of the ten largest law firms in the world, where he stayed for seven years before becoming an Assistant District Attorney in the Chester County’s District Attorney’s Office. Despite the major pay cut, that turned out to be a job he fell in love with.

Read the full interview here.

House Votes Overwhelmingly to Loosen State Background Checks

In a 180-9 vote, on June 17, Pennsylvania House members passed legislation which will exempt more people from the additional state legal requirements for background checks on people who work with children.

Child sex abuse case against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and scandals involving church clergy influenced the Legislature to implement more vigorous checks last year. However, the mandatory checks have raised concerns due the cost and effort required to obtain them.

Proposed changes to the law include an exemption for employees of higher education institutions whose job brings them into contact with current and prospective college students age 16 and over. Cathleen Palm, founder of the Center for Children’s Justice, said that exempting children aged 16 and 17 from this protection takes two steps backward in legislation rather than trying to take one step forward.

 Stewart Huston Charitable Trust Announces Grants Awards to Chester County

The Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, a private foundation which has distributed more than $25.1 million since its inception in 1989, has announced the decision of its spring grants. Of the $479,725 awarded to Chester County organizations, one of the largest recipients is the Graystone Society’s National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum (NSIM), which was awarded $175,000 by the foundation.

James D. Ziegler, executive director of NISHM said that “this generous support will make a difference in our ability to advance the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum in the development of our national industrial heritage.” An additional grant of $80,000 was given to Life Transforming Ministries in Coatesville, which is known for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

This will enable them continue with their valuable work helping various groups with their income tax preparation.

New Contract Assures the Opening of Route 23 Bridge by November

Thanks to the new deal reached on June 16 between PennDOT and contractor J.D. Eckman Inc., the Route 23 Bridge will be open for traffic no later than November 26, 2015.

The 48-year-old bridge which spans the Pickering Creek closed April 20. This is causing motorists to make an extensive detour that has created bumper-to-bumper traffic daily for months, as they wait for the reopening of the bridge.

The repairs of the bridge include removing the deteriorated steel I-beams and replacing them with concrete beams, building a new deck, and repairing the support abutments.

While the contractor had April 2016 as the final date for finishing the reconstruction, PennDOT has announced that in order to avoid a winter break they made the new deal to move the final date to November 26, with a daily $3,000 added incentive for every day the company manages to finish before that.