KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented journalists a new version of a peace plan Wednesday that suggests he is open to withdrawing troops from eastern Ukraine to create a demilitarized zone if Russia agrees to do the same as part of a settlement to end the war.
The suggestions marks Zelensky’s first inch toward any sort of compromise on the issue of territory in the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded full control of despite failing to take several major cities militarily. The issue of territory remains one of the most contentious in discussions, with Ukraine arguing that giving up its land will only embolden Russia to attack again.
The 20-point draft Zelensky publicized Wednesday is far from final and has not been agreed to by Russia, which will probably oppose several major points, including the demand for both sides to withdraw their forces from Ukraine’s east.
The document is the latest iteration of a proposal to end the war after weeks of difficult negotiations following a U.S. threat last month to cut off all support for Ukraine unless the country signed on to a 28-point version that made major concessions to Russia.
That warning triggered a diplomatic frenzy, including many meetings between a Ukrainian delegation and President Donald Trump’s negotiators, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The latest plan makes clear that Ukraine continues to oppose the idea that it would be forced to withdraw its troops from its east but would consider doing so if Russia did the same. The goal would be to create a free economic zone that is not controlled by either military, Zelensky said.
Any such agreement, however, would require a national referendum, which would be difficult to organize without a ceasefire in place. It would also require Russia agreeing to this and other points in the document, which remains unlikely.
The establishment of a free economic zone would require significant work to determine who would control the territory, including potentially foreign peacekeepers. Russia has previously opposed the idea that foreign troops be stationed in Ukraine and the two sides will likely find it difficult to agree which countries would contribute troops to such a mission.
Such an arrangement was suggested by the United States, which has repeatedly raised various suggestions that would prioritize business after the war. Zelensky previously said that if Ukrainian forces were to withdraw from any territory, it would only be logical for Russian forces to withdraw the same amount. He had also cast skepticism on how to secure such a zone, citing potential vulnerabilities to Russian infiltration.
Russia has previously stated that even if it did withdraw its military from some regions, it would expect to still control the area with police and national guard units.
Zelensky also said Wednesday that the current draft includes a peacetime Ukrainian military of 800,000 troops. The initial version would have limited the size to 600,000. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that its best security guarantee is its own armed forces.
The draft also includes references to security guarantees that would amount to similar protections as NATO’s Article 5, which sees an attack on one member as an attack on all. An earlier draft of the plan had barred Ukraine from becoming part of NATO, which was deemed unacceptable to Ukrainians, who have put joining the alliance into their constitution.
Zelensky has emphasized in recent remarks that no one can view Ukraine as an obstacle to the peace process, but any plan cannot condemn future generations of Ukrainians to war with Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to specific points in the plan Wednesday but told journalists that Russia’s main demands “are well known to our colleagues in the U.S.”
Russia intends “to formulate our further position and continue our contacts in the very near future through the existing channels that are currently working.”
Russia has shown little sign it is interested in finding a real settlement to the war. Ukraine had requested a Christmas truce, which Russia declined. Russia has continued to aggressively bomb Ukraine in recent days, targeting the energy grid and triggering more widespread blackouts across the country. Russia’s early-morning attack on Tuesday killed three people, including a 4-year-old child.
Warnings continue that more bombardment is likely as the energy system is under greater stress responding to the subzero temperatures taking hold across Ukraine.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, a police car exploded in Moscow, killing two police officers in the same spot where a general was killed by a car bomb two days earlier. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the attacks but Russia has suggested Kyiv could be behind the operations.
The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement that two traffic police officers saw a suspicious individual near a police car. As they approached to detain him, an explosive device detonated.
Two prominent Russian military bloggers pointed fingers at Ukrainian and European special services, blaming them for the attack and attempting to destabilize Russia from within.
“I believe that the Ukrainian (British, and U.S.) intelligence services are trying to open a second (subversive) front inside Russia,” state media military correspondent Alexander Sladkov wrote on his Telegram blog.
Sladkov also questions whether the CCTV surveillance system bolstered in Moscow in recent years would help identify those responsible for the attack, and noted that if the investigation results are not released this week, it will be a “demonstration of weakness.”
Another war reporter, Alexander Kots, wrote that the explosion “clearly bears the mocking signature” of special services from Ukraine and Britain.
“This is a typical British anti-crisis: sow panic among the population, destabilize it from within, create a sense of insecurity, undermine the authority of the authorities and the security services, provoke public discontent with the special military operation, and provoke rallies calling for its swift end,” Kots wrote.
They almost didn’t put up a Christmas tree this year.
R.C. Wilson Sr. knew things were going to be tight for his family this holiday, with him starting a new job and “life just being hard,” he said. It was a week before Christmas when he reached out to Justin Brown, who leads an organization that connects athletes with community initiatives and had arranged several holiday donation drives this season, asking if Brown knew of any agencies that might donate some gifts to Wilson’s six kids.
Brown reached out to the Chester County community, and he got an outpouring of support. He asked NFL tight end Kenny Yeboah, a former Temple player who later joined the New York Jets and Detroit Lions, and former Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene to be part of a surprise. He told Wilson to put up the Christmas tree.
And on their quiet Coatesville street a few days before the holiday, the community showed up at Wilson’s doorstep with bags upon bags of gifts — essentials like clothing and shoes and food, plus toys and more than $500 in gift cards.
“We always try to do what we can for [the kids] to give them the best, but they also understand life gets hard for everybody. We went from, I feel like, being up top to rock bottom,” Wilson said Tuesday. “It’s amazing to get to see in person. Seeing it in person, especially when I needed the help, was a blessing from the community and for my family.”
Nevaeh Miller-Wilson, 8, organizes presents after a Christmas surprise from former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene and New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah at her home in Coatesville, Pa. Greene and Yeboah surprised the family, which includes six children, with a full Christmas celebration, providing gifts and holiday essentials.
The gifts were stacked under the Christmas tree and through the living room. It was overwhelming, said his wife, Chelsea Miller.
Yeboah, a new resident of Downingtown, and Greene signed footballs, baseballs, and the backs of T-shirts and posed for photos with the family.
It was cool to see, said Aadan Miller-Wilson, 15.
“I’ve never met an athlete, and I play two of the sports they play, too,” he said.
Yeboah, out with an injury, offered to coach the kids while he recovered. He had wanted to give back to the community he was now part of, and was connected with Brown.
New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah interacts with members of a family of six children, from left, Nevaeh, Robert, Bryden, Jacob, David and Aadan, during a Christmas gift surprise at their home in Coatesville, Pa.
“To come here and see all these people help out and give back to the community that they’re in, it’s just an amazing feeling,” Yeboah said. “It’s really, really cool to see that everyone’s here just to help out.”
Greene credited his “better half,” Wendy, for quickly becoming involved with the surprise. When you help each other out, you help everyone out, Greene said.
“When you get a chance to make a difference, you do,” he said.
Wilson, who kept the surprise a secret from his family until the community showed up at their door, also found the support overwhelming.
“It’s a blessing,” he said.
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The Trump administration is seeking contractors to help it overhaul the United States’ immigrant detention system in a plan that includes renovating industrial warehouses to hold more than 80,000 immigrant detainees at a time, according to a draft solicitation reviewed by the Washington Post.
Rather than shuttling detainees around the country to wherever detention space is available, as happens now, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aims to speed up deportations by establishing a deliberate feeder system, the document says. Newly arrested detainees would be booked into processing sites for a few weeks before being funneled into one of seven large-scale warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people each, where they would be staged for deportation.
The large warehouses would be located close to major logistics hubs in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri. Sixteen smaller warehouses would hold up to 1,500 people each.
The draft solicitation is not final and is subject to changes. ICE plans to share it with private detention companies this week to gauge interest and refine the plan, according to an internal email reviewed by the Post. A formal request for bids could follow soon after that.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said she “cannot confirm” the Post’s reporting and declined to answer questions about the warehouse plan.
NBC and Bloomberg News previously reported on ICE’s internal discussions about using warehouses as detention centers. The full scope of the project, the locations of the facilities, and other details contained in the solicitation have not been previously disclosed or reported.
The warehouse plan would bethe next step in President Donald Trump’s campaign to detain and deport millions of immigrants,which began with a scramble to expand the nation’s immigrant detention system, the largest in the world. Armed with $45 billion Congress set aside for locking up immigrants, his administration this year revived dormant prisons, repurposed sections of military bases and partnered with Republican governors to build immigrant tent encampments in remote regions.
The administration has deported more than 579,000 people this year, border czar Tom Homan said earlier this month on the social media platform X.
The new facilities will “maximize efficiency, minimize costs, shorten processing times, limit lengths of stay, accelerate the removal process and promote the safety, dignity and respect for all in ICE custody,” the solicitation said.
“We need to get better at treating this like a business,” ICE acting director Todd M. Lyons said at a border security conference in April, according to the Arizona Mirror. The administration’s goal, he said, was to deport immigrants as efficiently as Amazon moves packages: “Like Prime, but with human beings.”
Commercial real estate experts say concentrating detainees in warehouses would create its own logistical problems. Such structures are designed for storage and shipping, not human habitation. They tend to be poorly ventilated and lack precise temperature controls — and, because they are typically located far from residential areas, they may not have access to the plumbing and sanitation systems needed to support thousands of full-time residents.
“It’s dehumanizing,” said Tania Wolf, an advocate with the National Immigration Project who is based in New Orleans — about one hour south from the site of a planned warehouse in Hammond, La. “You’re treating people, for lack of a better term, like cattle.”
ICE plans to heavily modify the structures to include intake areas, housing units with showers and restrooms, a kitchen, dining areas, a medical unit, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, a law library, and administrative offices, according to the solicitation. Some of the facilities will include special housing designed for families in custody.
The majority of the planned warehouses are in towns, counties, and states led by Republicans supportive of Trump’s immigration policies. Two of the largest warehouses are planned for towns with Democrat-led local governments: Stafford, Va., and Kansas City, Mo.
If the government leased a warehouse in Stafford, it would need to comply with the city’s zoning laws and building codes, said Pamela Yeung, one of seven supervisors on Stafford’s Democrat-led board.
“Immigration policy is federal, but its impacts are local,” Yeung said in an emailed statement. “Any facility of this scale would affect infrastructure, public safety, and social services.”
ICE held more than 68,000 people at the beginning of this month, agency data shows, the highest number on record. Nearly half, or 48 percent of these people, have no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, ICE data shows.
Some administration officials have complained about the complexity of the current detention system. A 2015 government watchdog report found that deportation flights often leave the country with empty seats because of the logistical difficulty of bringing enough people eligible for deportation to an airplane at the same time.
The government already awarded one $30 million contract for help with “due diligence services and concept design” for the new facilities, procurement records show.That award fueled a public backlash among members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, a Kansas tribe that said a business connected to the tribe had acted against their wishes in pursuing the contract.
Tribal chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick said in a Dec. 17 video that the tribe has exited the contract and plans “to ensure that our nation’s economic interests do not come into conflict with our values in the future.”
The business that won the award, KPB Services LLC, could not be reached at phone numbers listed online for the company.
The biggest newly proposed warehouse would hold up to 10,000 detainees in Stafford, an industrial area 40 miles south of Washington. A facility with capacity for up to 9,500 people is planned for Hutchins, near Dallas; and another with space for 9,000 in Hammond, east of Baton Rouge.Currently, ICE’s biggest facility is a makeshift tent encampment built this summer at the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base in Texas. It now holds around 3,000 people but was expected to have a capacity of 5,000 by year’s end.
The warehouse solicitation document names nine active detention centers as part of the project’s final phase, suggesting that at least those facilities would continue to be used. The plan does not mention whether other existing facilities would be phased out.
It does not give a timeline for beginning work on the project but says the facilities must begin accepting detainees 30 to 60 calendar days after the start of construction.
Staffing facilities of this size is likely to be a challenge, said Jason Houser, a former ICE chief of staff under President Joe Biden. Prospective workers will need medical or other specialized training and will have to pass federal security clearances, he said.
This problem is already bearing out in other new facilities. In September, the government’s own inspectors found that the Fort Bliss site employed less than two-thirds of the security personnel it had agreed to in its contract.
“We can always find more warehouses,” Houser said. The ability to operate the facilities safely, he said, is “always limited by staffing.”
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline leaked over a period of months at a Monroe Energy petroleum tank farm in Aston, Delaware County, according to company and state officials.
The leak was first identifiedin August, and it was traced in December to a one-quarter-inch hole in the bottom of a tank. It totaled about 9,000 barrels, or 378,000 gallons, at the Chelsea Pipeline Station and Tank Farm.
The facility contains 12 aboveground tanks and is operated by MIPC LLC, a subsidiary of Monroe Energy. It is about five miles north of the company’s Delaware River refinery, which is in Trainer, Delaware County.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said Tuesday it has ordered that some nearby homes with wells within 1,000 feet of the facility’s western border be provided bottled water if requested. And it ordered that the company “begin an interim cleanup plan and thorough investigation.”
MIPC said in a statement that it had notified local, state, and federal authorities. It said that on Dec. 13 crews determined that the source of the spill was traced to one tank.
It further said that an EPA-approved lab it had contracted tested residential wells, “and all results have shown no petroleum related compounds.”
MIPC said that the tanks are routinely inspected and that the company is conducting daily testing of monitoring wells along its fence line and inspecting local waterways.
“No further releases have been found,” the statement said.
“We sincerely apologize for any concern that this may be causing our neighbors,” the statement continued. “MIPC is committed to ensuring that the entire affected area is remediated and returned to its original condition.”
Adam Gattuso, a Monroe Energy spokesperson, said the leak is “considered one cumulative event, over the course of several months.”
He said that if people are within 1,000 feet of the facility’s western border and have a potable groundwater well and would like bottled water delivered to their home, the company would do so within 24 hours. He said the company will soon mail letters to those residents.
DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in a statement Tuesday that “swift action by the company is necessary to fully investigate the extent of damage and address the community’s needs.”
According to the DEP order, the first report of an issue came over the summer at the facility, where a series of aboveground tanks are part of a pipeline network.
The company notified county officials on Aug. 19 of hydrocarbons found in a storm sewer at the facility. It said no leaks were found, but there was “sheening” on the water.
MIPC did not know the source of the gasoline on the water and said it would continue investigating.
On Sept. 3, the company notified officials it “had discovered water with petroleum odors discharging from a concrete drainage pipe” leaking unleaded gasoline at a rate of five gallons per minute.
The DEP ordered MIPC to treat and discharge the contaminated water.
The agency said the company’s investigations from September through November found no signs of additional leaking.
The DEP had not heard from MIPC regarding any leaks until Dec. 5, when the company reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center “that the amount of gasoline released may be significant and was impacting soil and groundwater.”
It notified officials that the source of the leak had been found in the tank.
As a result, the DEP has ordered MIPC, in addition to supplying bottled water, to identify residents with private wells within 1,000 feet of the facility that spans Bethel, Upper Chichester, and Aston Townships.
And it ordered the companyto sample private wells for petroleum, submit a plan to detect potential vapors near homes, schedule environmental investigations, submit a remedial plan, and communicate with officials and the public.
As of yet, the DEP has not cited any violations or issued any fines.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information about water bottle availability for residents.
The vote to fire Philip Leddy, who had been principal of Lower Gwynedd Elementary, was unanimous.
Sue Kanopka, the former Lower Gwynedd principal who had been promoted to curriculum supervisor for the school system, will return as acting principal.
Dan Strauss, a board member who is Jewish, said at the special board meeting he was pleased with the board’s swift actions around Leddy.
“This incident was something that was extremely personal for me and my family, and I witnessed you acting swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for doubt that antisemitism has no place in our district,” said Strauss, a Democrat. “I’ve also personally had a chance to speak with the parent who received the voicemail, and they’ve shared with me that even though this has been a dark moment for their family, immediate and continued response from the district has been overwhelmingly supportive.”
Officials with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia have said that in the recording, Leddy was heard saying something about “Jew money” and that “they [Jews] control the banks.”
Leddy was asked if the parent he was speaking to was a lawyer and then remarked, “the odds probably are good.”
District officials said Leddy, who could not be reached for comment, acknowledged that he made the call, thought it had disconnected, and continued speaking.
No actions were taken Tuesday against the other staff member who was present when Leddy made his comments, but who allegedly did not report them. That staffer has been placed on leave as the matter is investigated.
No members of the community spoke in support of Leddy.
One resident, Jesse Klein, called his swift firing “a public shaming and execution,” contrasting what he saw as a difference in Wissahickon’s responses to Leddy’s comments and its response to some Jewish parents’ concerns over the district’s handing of student discourse about the Israel-Hamas war and the pro-Palestinian movement.
Klein and Danielle Parmenter, a Wissahickon resident and a rabbi, said those concerns have been minimized.
“That inconsistency is deeply destabilizing, and it erodes trust,” Parmenter said.
Leddy’s firing “was necessary,” Parmenter said. “Antisemitism must never be tolerated, especially from those entrusted with the care of children.”
Carmina Taylor, another Wissahickon resident, said the Black community is “in support of the way you’ve handled the situation, and how you’re trying to have a meeting of healing for the Jewish community, but understand that the Black community is also hurting for the way we’ve been treated over the years. … We hope that you’re mindful of our concerns as well.”
NEW YORK — Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with 17 other states and the District of Columbia, on Tuesday sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and its inspector general over a declaration that could complicate access to gender-affirming care for young people.
The declaration issued last Thursday called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria, or the distress when someone’s gender expression doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth. It also warned doctors that they could be excluded from federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid if they provide those types of care.
Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Ore., alleges that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and asks the court to block its enforcement. It’s the latest in a series of clashes between an administration that’s cracking down on transgender healthcare for children, arguing it can be harmful to them, and advocates who say the care is medically necessary and shouldn’t be inhibited.
“Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary healthcare because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the lawsuit, said in a statement Tuesday.
The lawsuit alleges that HHS’s declaration seeks to coerce providers to stop providing gender-affirming care and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes. It says federal law requires the public to be given notice and an opportunity to comment before substantively changing health policy — neither of which, the suit says, was done before the declaration was issued.
HHS’s declaration based its conclusions on a peer-reviewed report that the department conducted earlier this year that urged greater reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender-affirming care for youths with gender dysphoria.
The report questioned standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and raised concerns that adolescents may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.
Major medical groups and those who treat transgender young people have sharply criticized the report as inaccurate, and most major U.S. medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, continue to oppose restrictions on transgender care and services for young people.
The declaration was announced as part of a multifaceted effort to limit gender-affirming healthcare for children and teenagers — and built on other Trump administration efforts to target the rights of transgender people nationwide.
HHS on Thursday also unveiled two proposed federal rules — one to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children, and another to prohibit federal Medicaid dollars from being used for such procedures.
The proposals are not yet final or legally binding and must go through a lengthy rulemaking process and public comment before becoming permanent. But they will nonetheless likely further discourage healthcare providers from offering gender-affirming care to children.
Several major medical providers already have pulled back on gender-affirming care for young patients since Trump returned to office — even in states where the care is legal and protected by state law.
Medicaid programs in slightly less than half of states currently cover gender-affirming care. At least 27 states have adopted laws restricting or banning the care. The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding Tennessee’s ban means most other state laws are likely to remain in place.
Joining James in Tuesday’s lawsuit were Democratic attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington and the District of Columbia. Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro also joined.
Nineteen people remained hospitalized on Wednesday, one in critical condition, officials said. All residents and staff had been accounted for as of Wednesday.
Reports of a gas odor preceded the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said a lot of “unanswered questions” remained during a news conference Tuesday night. The cause of the blast remains under investigation.
// Timestamp 12/24/25 4:58pm
NTSB investigators arrive at scene of explosion
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates pipeline accidents, said it responded Wednesday morning to the scene of the explosion at the Bristol Township nursing home.
Peco crews had responded to the nursing home earlier Tuesday to reports of a gas odor just before the explosion, and firefighters reported the heavy odor of gas before a second explosion.
“The team won’t be able to fully evaluate the natural gas service line, which extends below ground from the main near the road to the interior of the building, until a safe path is cleared, which could take several days,” said agency spokesperson Peter C. Knudson.
“Once it’s safe for investigators, they will continue documenting the accident scene and conducting further examinations of the pipeline and equipment involved,” Knudson said.
The NTSB investigation will cover three primary areas: human factors, the pipeline system, and the operating environment, Knudson said.
“Witnesses to the accident or those who may have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov,” Knudson said.
Victim remembered as immigrant who wanted to work as nurse and ‘make a difference’
Rose Muema stands with family and friends of Muthoni Nduthu on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025 in Bristol Township, Pa. Muthoni Nduthu was killed in the explosion at Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Tuesday.
The night before she died in the explosion, Muthoni Ndutu cooked spiced chicken for her husband and three adult sons to share on Christmas, her friend Rose Muema said Wednesday outside Ndutu’s one-story brick home in Bristol.
Ndutu, 52, was working a nursing shift Tuesday night when she was caught in the blast. Another woman also died.
An immigrant from Mombasa, Kenya, Ndutu earned her nursing degree from Jersey College, Muema said, and had worked at the home for more than a dozen years.
“She came here to work,” Muema said. “She came here to make a difference.”
Ndutu had three sons — Clinton, 30; Joseph, 24; and K.K., 18 — and a 4-year-old granddaughter.
Her family declined to speak Wednesday but stood beside Muema as she talked.
Muema, who also immigrated from Kenya, described her friend as bubbly, hardworking, and devoted to her family and community. She called Ndutu her sister. “That’s what we do in Kenya,” she said. “We call each other sisters, not friends.”
She said the two attended nursing school together. “We had plans,” Muema said — plans now cut short.
Ndutu was a devout Catholic and a longtime member of St. Ephrem Catholic Church in Bensalem. She was part of a close-knit Kenyan community in the area, Muema said, many of whom gathered around her family Wednesday to offer support.
Muthoni Nduthu 52, was working a nursing shift at at Bristol Health and Rehab Center and died in the blast Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Another woman also died.
Natalie, 35, was almost finished with her Tuesday shift when the facility that she’d worked at for five years suddenly imploded.
The certified nursing assistant was among those pulled from the wreckage after an explosion and fire ripped through Bristol Health and Rehab Center Tuesday afternoon, said her mother, Andrea Taylor. Taylor asked that her daughter be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy.
Natalie, who has a 6-year-old daughter, remained hospitalized Wednesday with a punctured lung and bruising throughout her body, Taylor said. She can’t recall the explosion, where she was, or how she was found, her mother said, but she is expected to make a full recovery.
“She doesn’t remember anything,” Taylor said. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
Taylor said she was laying down for a nap when she received a harrowing text from her daughter’s boyfriend: “Natalie’s building blew up.”
The rest of the night was a blur, she said, as the family tried to get information and updates on the nursing assistant’s condition. She was on her way to visit her daughter Wednesday morning.
Taylor said she and her family are grateful to first responders and are counting their blessings entering the Christmas holiday that Natalie is alive.
Peco gas technician was seriously injured by explosion, union rep says
A Peco gas technician who responded to reports of a gas leak at a Bristol nursing home on Tuesday was seriously injured in the blast and then attempted to rescue other people from the damaged building, according to the union president who represents Peco workers.
Larry Anastasi, president of IBEW Local 614, said the technician arrived at Bristol Health & Rehab Center on Tuesday afternoon to address a reported gas leak. The technician was working alone in the basement of the nursing home to assess the problem when he resurfaced to get more tools from his truck.
As he was walking back toward the nursing home, the building erupted.
“If he was in the building, he’d be dead,” Anastasi said.
The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Local 614 represents more than 1,500 electric linemen, gas technicians, and office support staff at Peco.
The technician, whose name has not been made public, was being treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Burn Center. He suffered severe burns to his face and hands, as well as injuries caused by shrapnel. Anastasi said the technician was expected to be released Wednesday.
After suffering those injuries, the technician tried to help others escape from the blast area, Anastasi said.
“He was trying to go in and get more people,” his union rep said. “[First responders] had to grab him and said ’brother, you need to stop and go in the ambulance.’”
Anastasi said the near-death experience highlights the risks Peco technicians face when responding to gas leaks. They often work alone, sometimes in dangerous conditions, while dealing with leaks in enclosed spaces.
He said the situation at the nursing home also highlights why gas meters are now required to be located outside and aboveground.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Tuesday declined to answer questions about the gas meter’s location in the building’s basement. The agency, which regulates utility operators like Peco across the commonwealth, ordered utility companies in 2011 to relocate all indoor gas meters outdoors, in an effort to bring safety standards up to date.
It remains unclear why that meter relocation never occurred at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake.
“My [technicians] are putting themselves in a great deal of danger,” Anastasi said. “So we’re hoping that Peco does a very thorough investigation.”
Shapiro and Mayor Parker order flags half-staff in Bucks County and Philly
Today, I ordered Pennsylvania flags on all Commonwealth facilities, buildings, and grounds in Bucks County to be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of the Silver Lake Nursing Home explosion.
To the Bristol community, we all stand with you — and we'll continue to provide…
Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered all Pennsylvania flags on state buildings and property within Bucks County to fly at half-staff in honor of the victims of the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center.
“To the Bristol community, we all stand with you — and we’ll continue to provide the support your community needs as you begin to rebuild and recover,” Shapiro said in a post to X.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker also ordered flags to be flown half-staff in Philadelphia across city buildings in solidarity.
“This solemn gesture of remembrance and support for the victims and their families will be observed until Tuesday, December 30,” the city said in a statement on X Wednesday.
.@PhillyMayor Cherelle L. Parker has issued an immediate order to lower the flags on City buildings to half-staff as a tribute to the victims of the explosion and fire that tragically occurred at Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, December 23. pic.twitter.com/e9YH3X2nJx
Nursing assistant identified as one of two nursing home explosion victims
Muthoni Nduthu, a 52-year-old woman, is one of the two people who died in the nursing home explosion, according to the Bucks County Coroner’s Office.
Nduthu was a nursing assistant at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, the office said.
The other victim was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia and is not in the care of the Bucks office, Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Croop said Wednesday afternoon.
Family member of nursing home resident describes waiting for news
Elizabeth Lind, 67, describes hearing a loud explosion near her home on Winder Drive after a gas explosion at a nursing home in Bristol Township, Pa., left two people dead and several others injured and reported missing.
Elizabeth Lind lives on Winder Street, her backyard divided from the nursing home by a chain-link fence.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 67-year-old was watching television when a sudden boom shook her house. The blast, she said, seemed to vibrate through her body. From her window, she saw black smoke rising from the facility where her older brother, Walter Ferris, has lived for years.
More than two hours passed, she said, before she learned he was safe. A nursing home employee brought the news Tuesday night. Until then, she said, “I just pictured him inside there. I was praying he wasn’t one of the casualties.”
Ferris has Parkinson’s disease and is in his early seventies, she said.
Bucks County’s Area Agency on Aging working to assist residents
Staff members for Bucks County’s Ombudsman program, which advocates for residents in long-term care facilities and nursing homes, will be meeting individually with residents displaced by the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, county spokesperson Jim O’Malley said. O’Malley spoke on behalf of the county’s Area Agency on Aging.
It’s unclear when and what the timeline of those meetings will be, but staff members will look to assess residents’ needs, such as their missing personal belongings, O’Malley said. County staff may also be coordinating with the state on those meetings.
Rep. Fitzpatrick promises ‘thorough examination’ of building collapse
In a post to X Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick expressed thanks for the first responders “who ran into danger again and again, risking their own lives to save others.”
The Republican congressman promised that the events of the building collapse would be “thoroughly examined” and that the facts would be made public.
The one thing that is clear, he said, is that emergency responders were swift to respond and saved lives.
“So tonight, as homes and churches across our region are lit for Christmas, we ask for prayers—for those grieving, for those recovering, and for the brave men and women who stood watch when it mattered most,” Fitzpatrick said.
‘Send everybody’: Law enforcement recalls scene of explosion
Bristol Township law enforcement officials Wednesday recalled the harrowing scene first responders encountered as they arrived at Bristol Health and Rehab Center one day earlier.
A thick smell of gas hung in the air. Flames were spreading. Inside, dozens of residents and employees needed help escaping.
“Send everybody,” one of the first responding officers radioed.
“We were overwhelmed,” Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said during a news conference Wednesday.
First responders, he said, ran toward danger.
From 50 feet away, Winik said, he could still smell gas and the walls appeared close to collapsing. Yet officers and firefighters continued rushing inside to rescue those trapped.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” he said.
The facility, formerly known as Silver Lake, housed 120 people, Winik said, including some who couldn’t walk and used a wheelchair. Officers and responding firefighters carried them from the burning building.
Two women, one employee and one resident, died. Nineteen remained hospitalized on Wednesday morning. One person is in critical condition.
19 remain hospitalized, one in critical condition, 2 dead following nursing home explosion
Nineteen people remained hospitalized Wednesday morning, one in critical condition, after an explosion Tuesday afternoon at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center.
Two women — an employee and a resident of the nursing facility, formerly known as Silver Lake — were killed, Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said.
All employees and residents were accounted for as of Wednesday, Winik said.
The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, said Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito.
“Until we excavate the area and remove the walls and roofs that collapsed, we won’t have any idea what may have occurred in there,” Dippolito said during a news conference on Wednesday.
Former nursing home employee said fire alarms routinely went off, describes state of disrepair
Late Wednesday morning, cranes began to hoist debris from a crumpled tangle of drywall, windows, and a white picket fence.
Donna Straiton watched from behind a line of yellow caution tape a block away from the rubble. It’s what remained, she said, of the nursing home’s kitchen, which sat above its basement.
Straiton, 67, worked in the nursing home’s dementia unit for 20 years before retiring in February 2024. In her final years working at the home, fire alarms routinely went off, she said. She estimated the facility locked down no less than twice a month as the smell of gas wafted in the air.
Most often, she said, the alarm system indicated the fire was in the basement. But no flames were ever seen, she said.
“The fire department would come and we’d get an all clear, and then it would be back to business as usual,” she said.
At a news conference, Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said he couldn’t recall how many times his department had been called to the facility in the last several years.
“But I don’t think we’ve been here for the last several weeks,” he said.
Still, Straiton described the facility as being in a constant state of disrepair when she worked there.
When it rained heavily, she said, water would flood the basement and run into the elevator shaft. The elevators were often broken, she said.
The facility “needed a lot of maintenance it was never going to get,” she said.“It was almost like we were just waiting for something like this to happen,” she added.
Aerial footage of Bucks County nursing home explosion
CBS Philadelphia’s chopper is flying over Bucks County this morning, providing a look at the damage from overhead.
— CBS Philadelphia
// Timestamp 12/24/25 9:52am
County officials send condolences, praise first responders in statements
Bucks County Commissioners Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia said the response to Tuesday’s explosion at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center was proof that the county can unify in the face of tragedy.
“[There is] a lot of division in this country, but we show up when we need to,” said Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, about the efforts of first responders.
She said she was sending “warm thoughts” to families impacted by the incident and experiencing the “terrible shock and sadness.”
“And for the people who were injured as well as those who passed, I mean, they got up yesterday like it was any other day and had no idea what would befall them,” Ellis-Marseglia said. “And I’m holding them all close.”
The vice chair’s sentiments echo a statement released by Bucks County on Wednesday morning, expressing officials’ “sincerest condolences to the many victims and families this Christmas Eve who are feeling the devastating impacts of yesterday’s explosion.”
Commissioners’ Chair Bob Harvie was at a news conference outside the center with Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday. The county’s statement commended first responders, nursing home staff, and emergency personnel services that came into Bristol from across Bucks, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.
Peco on Wednesday morning changed its explanation of what happened leading up to Tuesday afternoon’s massive explosion at a Bucks County nursing home that killed at least two people.
On Tuesday evening, the gas and electric company had said that its crews responded to the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — “shortly after 2 p.m.” and that while they were on site, the explosion occurred. The blast was reported just before 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito.
But on Wednesday morning, the energy company backtracked, releasing a statement indicating that its crews had actually been on scene hours earlier — although it did not say precisely when they arrived.
“Peco crews responded to reports of a gas odor on Dec. 23 at the Silver Lake Nursing Home at 905 Tower Road in Bristol Township, Bucks County. A few hours later, an explosion occurred at the facility,” company spokesperson Greg Smore said in a statement.
“Peco crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents. The cause of this incident is under investigation,” he said. “It is not known at this time if Peco’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident.”
The company is now directing all questions to the National Transportation Safety Board, which it said was leading the investigation.
“Our hearts go out to the families and community affected by this tragic event,” Smore said.
Video: Fatal explosion and fire at nursing home in Bucks County
// Timestamp 12/24/25 7:20am
2 dead, 20 injured in explosion at Bucks nursing home
First responders at the scene of an explosion at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bucks County Tuesday.
Two people were killed and at least 20 were injured after a possible gas explosion rocked a Bucks County nursing home Tuesday, triggering a widespread emergency response and dramatic rescues and causing destruction that Gov. Josh Shapiro described as “quite catastrophic.”
Just before 2:20 p.m., an explosion and fire were reported at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — at 905 Tower Rd. in Bristol Township, Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said at a news conference with Shapiro and other officials Tuesday night.
Emergency responders found a major structural collapse, with parts of the first floor falling into the basement and people trapped, Dippolito said. Firefighters immediately went into rescue mode.
“They pulled many residents out of the building via windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts,” Dippolito said.
The people rescued from the building were handed off to police officers who “came from every direction, and I believe every municipality around here,” Dippolito said.
“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran with people to help,” the fire chief said.
Many people were injured, but the number was unknown early Tuesday night, Dippolito said. Two people were rescued from the collapsed area in the basement.
At one point, Dippolito said, there was a heavy odor of gas and the firefighters evacuated the building. Within 15 to 30 seconds, there was another explosion and fire, he said.
First responders work the scene of an explosion and fire at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Briston, Pa. Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens from ambulances and fire trucks pierced the blocks surrounding the facility hours after the explosion led to a mass evacuation of nursing home patients.
Kim Wilford, 60, was visiting family for the holidays roughly two blocks from the facility when she felt the house shake, as though something had fallen on the roof.
When Wilford and relatives realized the explosion came from the nursing home, where her 87-year-old mother lives, they rushed to the campus and were met with chaos.
“It was something out of a Die Hard movie,” said Deanna Rice-Bass, 59, one of Wilford’s relatives, who recognized local nurses, not affiliated with the nursing home, evacuating people.
Patients were being wheeled out of the facility, but in some cases they were simply placed on mats outside, Wilford said.
First responders were instructing the able-bodied to take those with non-life-threatening injuries to nearby Lower Bucks Hospital.
Wilford panicked as she saw the outside of her mother’s room.
“Her window was blown out,” she said. “Naturally I freaked out.”
Wilford would later find her mother among the crowd of evacuees cleared to go to Lower Bucks Hospital.
“She said she and her roommate were lifted from their beds and back down,” said Wilford, adding she had never had issues with the nursing home before.
A reunification center was established at Truman High School, officials said.
Langhorne Police Chief Kevin Burns said about 35 families came in and filled out forms with their loved ones identifying information along with details such as their room number.
Shapiro: ‘There are still a lot of unanswered questions’
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers remarks on the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, at Lower Bucks Hospital Tuesday.
During a news conference Tuesday night, Gov. Josh Shapiro said investigators were still working to determine what caused the explosion and to locate anyone who may be missing, urging the public to remain patient as crews work to identify victims.
The total number of injured residents remains unclear because victims were transported to multiple hospitals. Bucks County officials said up to five people were unaccounted for, though Shapiro cautioned that the figures are preliminary and could change as the investigation continues overnight.
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions,” Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday night. “You’ll have to bear with us as we work to confirm who was injured and who may be missing.”
Map: Location of nursing home explosion in Bristol
The explosion occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — at 905 Tower Rd. in Bristol Township.
State officials repeatedly cited Bristol nursing home over fire safety deficiencies
First responders work following an explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bucks County Tuesday.
The Bristol nursing home destroyed by an explosion and fire on Tuesday had been repeatedly cited for unsafe living conditions, including the absence of a fire safety plan and adequate extinguishers, according to state inspection records.
During an Oct. 29 site visit, Pennsylvania Department of Health inspectors flagged Silver Lake Healthcare Center — now operating as Bristol Health & Rehab Center — for failing to provide a floor map showing fire exits, fire barriers, and smoke barriers.
Officials also found the facility “failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers” on all floors. The state ordered corrections by Nov. 30.
It remained unclear Tuesday whether those fixes were made before the blast, or whether the deficiencies affected residents’ ability to escape after an explosion leveled much of the building at 2:19 p.m. this afternoon.
British Township Fire Marshall Kevin Dippolito said Tuesday that a second explosion — and subsequent fire — erupted at the nursing home while firefighters attempted to rescue people.
Other fire safety deficiencies have been documented for years. A 2024 inspection report found the nursing home hallways were not equipped to handle heavy smoke.
“The facility failed to ensure corridor doors were maintained to resist the passage of smoke, affecting two of four smoke compartments,” inspectors wrote.
State and federal officials have also repeatedly cited the facility for substandard medical care.
Ownership of the nursing home has shifted among for-profit operators in recent years. CommuniCare, an Ohio-based company, acquired Silver Lake in 2021. Earlier this month, Saber Healthcare Group took over and rebranded the facility as Bristol Health & Rehab Center.
Saber manages 140 assisted living facilities across six states. At a Tuesday night news conference, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the health department visited the facility again on Dec. 10. New owners agreed to make more fixes, though the governor did not provide details.
“There was a plan in place in order for these new facility owners to upgrade the standards,” Shapiro said. “That work will obviously continue.”
Small businesses continue to shape the county. We take a look at recent openings and closures. And with the new year just over a week away, we’ve rounded up more than a dozen ways to celebrate 2026 nearby.
This is our final Inquirer Chester County newsletter of 2025, but we’ll be back in your inboxes on Jan. 7. Thanks for reading and happy new year!
West Chester saw changes to its small businesses late this year.
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Chester County, with the county’s economic development council noting that it’s provided service to a number of “Main Street mom-and-pop businesses” in 2025, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.
Among this year’s openings: Stubborn Goat Brewing in West Grove, eateries The Local and Our Deli & Cafe, both in Phoenixville, and charcuterie board business Olive & Meadow in West Chester.
While new businesses opened, some also closed their doors.
A giant lighted mushroom will be dropped in Kennett Square on New Year’s Eve.
The countdown to 2026 is on and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another.
We’ve rounded up over a dozen celebrations throughout Chester County, including noontime events for kids, DJ parties, and the iconic mushroom drop in Kennett Square.
Fallout from a longtime Coatesville VA Medical Center chaplain’s sermon last year led to a battle over religion at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Last year, Russell “Rusty” Trubey included a reading that denounced same-sex marriage, leading some congregants to walk out and the chaplain to be temporarily pulled from his assignment. The Inquirer’s Fallon Roth delves into how the incident and its aftermath helped inspire an “Anti-Christian Bias Task Force.”
💡 Community News
With the year coming to a close, area townships are adopting their 2026 operating budgets, with some notable changes. Kennett Township’s board of supervisors approved a 2.8% increase on real estate taxes. West Whiteland Township residents face a trash and recycling base fee hike from $89 to $223, as well as a per-bag fee. The township expects the average household to spend $353 annually. Refuse fees are set to rise next year in Downingtown to $360 from $240. Residents in West Vincent Township won’t see a tax increase next year. The township’s new budget, adopted last week, notably allocates nearly three times the funds for EMS services than it did this year, and over $1 million for open space preservation. In Tredyffrin Township, the 2026 real estate millage will be 2.811 mills, 0.657 for stormwater, and 0.845 for fire and EMS, for a combined millage of 4.313. That’s up slightly from 2025, when the township mill rate was 4.162.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously voted to reverse a Commonwealth Court decision. The reversal allows the state’s Public Utility Commission to approve East Whiteland Township’s sale of its public sewer system to Aqua Pennsylvania.
Municipalities throughout the county have been awarded $2.1 million in state funding for a number of projects. Shamona Peck Park in Uwchlan Township will get a new nature playground, while Uwchlan Ambulance Corps will get funds to purchase two ambulances and four new heart monitors. Funding will also go toward Downingtown’s flood mitigation strategy, the purchase of two electric vehicles in Caln Township, and traffic signal improvements in Upper Uwchlan Township. The borough of West Chester has received a separate grant of more than $800,000 to replace an old fire truck. And parts of the Brandywine Battlefield Heritage Interpretation Area, which straddle Chester and Delaware Counties, will get three new digital kiosks and 64 interpretive wayfinding kiosks at historically significant sites.
In case you missed it last week, East Vincent Township’s board of supervisors scrapped a draft ordinance that would impose restrictions on data center developments. The decision comes after community pushback over a proposed data center at the Pennhurst State School and Hospital site, an application for which will now go through a months-long review process.
West Vincent Township will hold a Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 5 to consider an ordinance that would grow its Open Space Review Board from five members to seven members and create a trails subcommittee.
Valentin Lubinski, 26, of Malvern, was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison and $28,000 in restitution for the online sexual exploitation of minor girls and child pornography offenses.
Margaret Curran, 40, of Honey Brook, has been charged with arson and other offenses after allegedly starting a fire at Green Meadows Rehabilitation Center in Paoli, where she was a resident. (NBC10 Philadelphia)
A former West Chester University men’s basketball assistant volunteer coach placed nearly 500 bets on professional and collegiate games in 2022 amounting to over $176,000, a new NCAA report found. Khalif Wyatt has been suspended from 15% of the regular season during the first season of his employment if he’s hired by any other NCAA school. He currently works in the NBA’s G League.
There are updates on three roadwork projects in the county. Last week, PennDot completed its more than $2.6 million safety improvement project along the High Street corridor in West Chester and West Goshen Township, which includes new traffic lights at the University Avenue and Sharpless Street intersection, as well as pedestrian countdown timers, curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalks, and roadway resurfacing nearby. The department also completed repair work to the bridge on Swan Road over Officers Run in West Sadsbury Township, which had been closed since mid-October after damage from a crash. And Pennsylvania Turnpike has selected a contractor to widen the road, including between Valley Forge Road in Tredyffrin Township past Howells Road and into East Whiteland Township. Work to add one lane in each direction is expected to begin in late January or early February and will last about four years.
Was 2025 the year of the Philly crime show? The Inquirer’s Stephanie Farr makes the case that it was, thanks in part to HBO series, Task, which was created by Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby. The drama has been picked up for a second season.
Have dead strands of holiday lights? Several townships will recycle them, including Easttown (through Jan. 12),Upper Uwchlan (through Jan. 15), and West Whiteland (through Jan. 20).
As for Christmas tree recycling, East Pikeland Township residents can leave them curbside on Wednesdays in January or drop them off at the township yard waste recycling facility. Spring City residents can place trees curbside daily through Jan. 30 for pickup. West Vincent Township will recycle trees at the township building from Dec. 26 through Jan. 23.
Looking to join a “First Day” hike on Jan. 1? French Creek State Park in Elverson and White Clay Creek Preserve in Landenberg are among the state parks with guided options.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Coatesville Area School Districtopened a new STEM center at Rainbow Elementary School last week. The new center was funded through a partnership between the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and Peco.
🎤 Dan and Dan: The acoustic duo will perform tunes at The Creamery. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 27, 7-10 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 The Creamery, Kennett Square
🍷 Chocolate Truffle Pairing: This tasting pairs Swiss chocolates with local wines. ⏰ Sunday, Dec. 28, 1 p.m. 💵 $25 📍 Harvest Ridge Winery, Toughkenamon
🪄 Brandywine School Wizard Camp: Kids ages 6 to 15 can spend the day making a wand, learning to cast spells, and playing quadball. ⏰ Tuesday, Dec. 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 💵 $107 📍 West Chester Municipal Building
The home, which sits on 4.2 acres, has ample privacy.
Situated across from Radnor Hunt and on 4.2 acres, this sprawling stone and stucco Malvern estate has ample privacy. The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom gated home has a two-story foyer, a sunken living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room, an office with vaulted ceilings, a two-story family room with a stone fireplace, and an eat-in kitchen with high-end appliances. The first-floor primary suite has its own fireplace and deck access, as well as dual walk-in closets and a jetted tub. Other features include a finished walk-out basement, a screened-in porch, and a pool.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Township commissioners recently passed the 2026 budget, which includes a tax hike. Here’s what you need to know. And with the new year just over a week away, we’ve rounded up nearly a dozen ways to celebrate 2026 in and around town.
This is our final Inquirer Lower Merion newsletter of 2025, but we’ll be back in your inboxes on Jan. 8. Thanks for reading and happy new year!
Lower Merion officials recently approved a tax hike for 2026.
Lower Merion residents can expect to see their property taxes go up in 2026 after the township’s board of commissioners approved an 8% increase in the upcoming budget.
Commissioners said the increase was necessary following 13 years of stagnant tax revenue from 2011 to 2024, when there were no increases. Property taxes went up 6.5% in 2025 and commissioners acknowledged next year’s increase comes with some “sticker shock,” The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.
Still, it’s not as high as an initially proposed 9.5% hike. The township taxes will come on top of a 4% tax increase recently passed by Montgomery County officials.
Ardmore cocktail bar Izzy’s will have a special menu and champagne toast to ring in the new year.
The countdown to 2026 is on and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another.
We’ve rounded up 11 celebrations in and around Lower Merion, including noontime events for kids, specialty and buffet dinners, plus concerts for kids and adults.
Trash and recycling dates will have altered schedules due to Christmas and New Year’s Day. See how your household is impacted here. The township also released its 2026 collection schedule, which you can see here.
Narberth passed its 2026 budget last week, which includes a higher earned income tax. The EIT will jump from 0.75% this year to 1% next year and is aimed at improving the borough’s capital fund. The new budget also adjusts solid waste fees so that condos and apartments pay a flat $250 per living unit. Sewer fees are also set to rise from $5.25 to $6 per 1,000 gallons. See the full budget here.
Narberth council has also voted to make permanent the no-parking zone pilot at the intersection of Price and Essex Avenues. Signage is expected to be installed in January and February, with painting set for spring.
Bryn Mawr Hospital is among the quietest hospitals in the region at night, according to newly released federal data. Patients from October 2023 to September 2024 reported Bryn Mawr being “always quiet” overnight 61% of the time, “usually quiet” 29% of the time, and “sometimes or never quiet” 10% of the time. See how Bryn Mawr compares to other regional hospitals.
A Bala Cynwyd dad launched a program in 2024 after seeing demand for Cub Scout activities on non-Sabbath days. Philadelphia Jewish Exponent recently profiled Michael Kopinsky about his inspiration and how the program quickly gained popularity among Orthodox and Sabbath-observant Jewish families.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Winter break is officially here, with students and staff returning Jan. 5. The school district’s offices will be closed Dec. 24-26 and Jan. 1-2 during the break. Lower Merion High School’s pool will be closed those same days, as well as on Dec. 31.
Lower Merion High School skating duo Justin and Suri Lue took home third place in the regional level of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nevada last month, and sixth place nationally in the intermediate division.
Johnny’s Pizza in Bryn Mawr has some of the best takeout pizza in the Philadelphia suburbs, according to The Keystone. The outlet noted that “once you start eating it, it’s going to be hard to stop.”
🎳 Things to Do
🎤 Start Making Sense: Hear the seven-piece Talking Heads tribute band perform. ⏰ Friday, Dec. 26, 8 p.m. 💵 $33.38 📍 Ardmore Music Hall
🐑 Meet the Menagerie: Meet some of Harriton House’s farmstead animals. There will also be hot chocolate and s’mores available for purchase. ⏰ Tuesday, Dec. 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Harriton House
The home spans nearly 6,700 square feet and has a distinctive turret.
This Merion Station property, built in 1888, is reminiscent of a castle. The home has a modern interior while paying homage to its roots by way of exposed stone walls, fireplaces, millwork, and stained glass windows. Some of its features include a curved tower, a formal dining room, and an eat-in kitchen with a large island. It also has seven bedrooms spread across the second and third floors. Outside, there’s an in-ground saltwater pool, a basketball court, multiple covered sitting areas, and a deck with a built-in kitchen.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Catch one of two fireworks displays aboard Battleship New Jersey.
The countdown to 2026 is on, and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another.
We’ve rounded up a dozen celebrations nearby, including a winter wonderland-inspired party, concerts, a casino night, and fireworks over the Delaware River.
Ken Goldin holds a 1976 Phillies bat used by Mike Schmidt.
Cherry Hill native Ken Goldin returned to the small screen yesterday when the third season of his Netflix show King of Collectibles hit the streaming service.
Goldin has been collecting pop culture and sports memorabilia for years, selling over $2 billion worth of goods, something he’s now chronicling for the show. His clients include celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Drake.
Some coveted items on this six-episode season include a soccer jersey worn by Lionel Messi as a child, plus several Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson items.
Trash and recycling pickup days will be altered over the next two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s Day. See how your route is impacted here.
A number of retailers will be closed tomorrow for Christmas, including the Cherry Hill Mall. See a list of closures here.
A Cherry Hill man and correctional officer at the Federal Detention Center Philadelphia pleaded guilty last week to several charges, including aggravated sexual abuse. Michael Jefferson, 43,allegedly forced a female prisoner to engage in a sexual act last year, violating her constitutional rights. Jefferson has been suspended and is scheduled for sentencing in April, when he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Despite residents’ concerns about traffic, a new Dunkin’ has been approved at the former Fulton Bank at Route 70 and Frontage Road. The township’s Planning Board voted on South Jersey Management LLC’s variance requests last week, which include removing the existing drive-through canopy and making the western driveway along Frontage Road into an entrance only. (70 and 73)
Pilates studio BodyRok opened its second South Jersey studio in Cherry Hill on Monday. The new location, at 957 Haddonfield Rd., offers 45-minute classes that target different parts of the body.
MedEast Post-Op & Surgical Inc. in Cherry Hill recently provided prosthetic arms to three individuals from Tanzania who were targeted for body parts when they were younger. Working with The Global Medical Relief Fund out of New York, the group came to South Jersey for fittings last week. According to the United Nations, some people in Tanzania, particularly those with albinism, are targeted for the body mutilation practice. (CBS News Philadelphia)
🏫 Schools Briefing
Last week, Cherry Hill’s school board approved Scott Goldthorp as director of special projects and student services, as well as the Title IX coordinator, affirmative action officer, and 504 coordinator. Goldthorp will oversee the district’s counselors, student assistance counselors, nurses, the registration department, and its Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying process.
Reminder for families: School resumes on Jan. 5 but there are no classes on Jan. 6 for Three Kings Day. There’s a board of education organizational meeting Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. See the district’s calendar here.
🍽️ On our Plate
Cherry Hill is home to one of the best diners in the Garden State, according to a recent ranking from NJ.com. The outlet places Ponzio’s at No. 15, shouting outits popular snapper soup.
And neighboring Pennsauken is home to one of the best steakhouses in the Garden State, according to BestofNJ.com. It gave a nod to The Pub in its recent list, noting it offers “retro charm with its open charcoal hearth.”
🎳 Things to Do
🎄 Friday After Christmas Party: Keep the holiday vibes going at this dance party, where attendees are encouraged to wear themed attire. ⏰ Friday, Dec. 26, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. 💵 $24.71 📍Vera
🎶 Finish That Song: This roller skating event includes a holiday-themed, finish-the-lyric music challenge and holiday prizes. ⏰ Monday, Dec. 29, 1-9 p.m. 💵 $12, plus $6 skate rental 📍Hot Wheelz
🍿 Cozy Movie and Hot Cocoa: Kids in sixth through 12th grade can catch a screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Registration is required. ⏰ Tuesday, Dec. 30, 7-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Cherry Hill Public Library
The kitchen has pendant lights over the island, which has additional seating.
This Woodcrest Colonial has undergone a number of recent updates to give it a sleek, modern interior. The eat-in kitchen features an island, white cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and a green tile backsplash that connects to a step-down family room with a brick fireplace. The first floor also has a living room, and there’s a partially finished basement downstairs. All four bedrooms are upstairs and have wood flooring. There are open houses Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and Sunday from noon to 2:30 p.m.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
