It came in second in the site’s Pennsylvania rankings after the Nemacolin in Farmington, about 70 minutes outside Pittsburgh. The wooded 2,200-acre golf resort ranked No. 28 on U.S. News’ national list.
Weddings at The Reeds at Shelter Haven, ranked New Jersey’s seventh best hotel by U.S. News, can take place on the hotel’s bayside lawn.
Hotels were ranked based on their past awards and recognitions, including star ratings, as well as guest reviews, according to the U.S. News website.
“U.S. News predominantly ranks luxury lodgings, as these are the type of accommodations travelers seek when researching the best hotels and resorts in a given destination,” company analysts write, noting that luxury options typically receive 4- and 5-star ratings from multiple expert sources.
The Philly-area hotels on the 2026 lists were no exception.
The Four Seasons Philadelphia recently unveiled an ultraluxe floor that includes a 4,000-square-foot penthouse suite costing around $25,000 a night. Other rooms at the hotel start at more than $1,200 a night.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is racking up contributions from out-of-state billionaires as well as thousands of individual donors across the country.
His likely Republican challenger, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, meanwhile, is capturing small-donor donations from Pennsylvanians.
That’s according to an analysis of the latest campaign finance filings in the Pennsylvania governor’s contest, as a clearer picture of the race emerges nine months out from Election Day. Shapiro entered 2026 with $30 million on hand — money raised over several years as he has built a national profile — while Garrity raised $1.5 million in her first five months on the campaign trail as she tries to unseat the popular Democratic incumbent. Last year, Shapiro brought in $23.3 million.
Here are three takeaways from the first campaign finance filings in the race, tracking fundraising heading into 2026.
Almost all of Stacy Garrity’s contributors are from Pennsylvania, while 62% of Shapiro’s are in state
Nearly all of Garrity’s individual 1,155 contributors — more than 97% — live in Pennsylvania, and on average gave $889 each.
Shapiro — who has amassed a national following and is a rumored 2028 Democratic presidential contender — had a much further reach and attracted many more donors from around the country. He received contributions from 4,981 individual donors, 62% of whom are from Pennsylvania. The average individual donor to Shapiro contributed $3,461, a number buoyed by multiple six- and seven-figure contributions.
Shapiro received most of his remaining individual donations from California (7.1%), New York (6.3%), New Jersey (2.5%), Florida (2.5%), and Massachusetts (2.4%), according to an Inquirer analysis.
(The analysis includes only donors who contributed more than $50 in 2025. Campaigns are required to list only individual donors who contribute above that threshold.)
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Shapiro’s broad donor base is a result of his status as a popular incumbent governor who is liked among people of both political parties, saidRobin Kolodny, a Temple University political science professor who focuses on campaign finance.
“These amounts that you’re seeing is a very strong signal that ‘This is our guy,’” Kolodny said. “That underscores he is a popular incumbent.”
Kolodny also noted that Shapiro’s state-level fundraising cannot be transferred to a federal political action committee should he decide to run in 2028.But his war chest shows his ability to raise money nationally and his popularity as the leader of the state, she added.
Governor Josh Shapiro during a reelection announcement event at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center in Philadelphia on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
Only a small percentage of the population contributes to political campaigns, Kolodny said. And sometimes, it’s the smallest contributions that pay off the most, she said. Small-dollar donations suggest grassroots support that can translate into a person assisting the campaign in additional ways to get out the vote, she said.
Both Shapiro and Garrity have received a significant number of small-dollar donations that illustrate some level of excitement in the race — though Shapiro’s more than 3,000 in-state donors outnumber Garrity’s total by nearly 3-1.
“Think of fundraising as not just a money grab, but also as a campaign strategy,” Kolodny said.
Since announcing his reelection campaign in January, Shapiro has run targeted social media ads and sent fundraising texts, asking for supporters to “chip in” $1 or $5. The strategy worked, bringing in $400,000 in the first two days after his announcement, with an average contribution of $41, according to Shapiro’s campaign. This funding is not reflected in his 2025 campaign finance report.
Most of Shapiro’s money came from out-of-state donors, including billionaire Mike Bloomberg and a George Soros PAC
While Shapiro garnered thousands of individual contributions from Pennsylvania in all 67 counties, according to his campaign, the latest filings show it was the big-money checks from out-of-state billionaires that ran up his total.
Approximately 64% of the $23.3 million Shapiro raised last year came from out-of-state donors.
And more than half — 57% — of Shapiro’s total raised came from six- or seven-figure contributions by powerful PACs or billionaire donors.
By contrast, only 31% of Garrity’s total fundraising came from six-figure contributions.
The biggest single contribution in the governor’s race came from billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who gave Shapiro $2.5 million last year.
Shapiro also received $1 million from a political action committee led by billionaire Democratic supporter George Soros; and $500,000 from Kathryn and James Murdoch, from the powerful family of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Kolodny noted that big contributions from people like Bloomberg are a drop in the bucket of his total political or philanthropic spending.
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“This is not something extraordinary,” Kolodny said. “He’s got nothing but money.”
In Pennsylvania, Shapiro received notably high contributions from Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton, who gave $125,000, and Nemacolin Resort owner MaggieHardy, who gave $250,000, among others. He also received a number of five-figure contributions from private equity officials, venture capitalists, and industry executives in life sciences, construction, and more.
Garrity’ssingle biggest donation was $250,000 from University City Housing Co., a real estate firm providing housing near Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her largest contributions from individuals included $50,000 from her finance chair, Bob Asher of Asher Chocolates, and another $50,000 from Alfred Barbour, a retired executive from Concast Metal Products.
Garrity has served as Pennsylvania’s state treasurer since 2020 and has led the low-profile statewide office with little controversy. She did not join the race for governor until August and raised only a fraction of the funds Shapiro did in that same time. Meanwhile, Shapiro spent 2025 at the political forefront as a moderate Democrat trying to challenge President Donald Trump in a state that helped elect him. Shapiro also benefited from his national name recognition after he was considered for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024.
Shapiro has so far outraised Garrity 30-1, and top Pennsylvania Republicans have said they want to see Garrity fundraising more aggressively nationally.
Kolodny said Garrity’s low fundraising is a reflection of the state of the race: Republicans put up a weak candidate in 2022 against Shapiro during his first run for governor, and now many powerful donors want to keep the relationship they have formed with Shapiro over the last three years.
“That will reflect as a lack of enthusiasm for her,” Kolodny said. “Now she could turn that around, but from what I see, I don’t see her that much, only recently. She had the last six months; she could have done a lot more.”
Controversy over donations tied to associates of Jeffrey Epstein
Shapiro’s top contributions from individual donors also included a $500,000 check from Reid Hoffman, the Silicon Valley-based billionaire cofounder of LinkedIn. His name showed up thousands of times in the trove of documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice related to the investigation into financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Garrity has highlighted the donations Shapiro received from Hoffman, and has publicly called on Shapiro to return the tech billionaire’s campaign contributions from last year and prior years, totaling more than $2 million since 2021.
Hoffman has claimed he had only a fundraising relationship with Epstein, but publiclyadmitted he had visited his island. He has not been charged with wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for Shapiro said Garrity should “stop playing politics with the Epstein files.”
“Donald Trump is mentioned in the files over 5,000 times. Is she going to ask him to rescind his endorsement?” asked Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s spokesperson.
Garrity has previously downplayed Trump’s appearance in the Epstein files, and argued that Democrats would have released them much sooner if there was clear evidence of Trump partaking in any inappropriate behavior.
GOP candidate for Pennsylania Governor, Stacy Garrity and Jason Richey hold up their arms in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday, February 7, 2026. The PA State Republican Committee endorsed the two in their quest for the governor’s mansion. (For the Inquirer/Kalim A. Bhatti)
If Shapiro were to return the funds from Hoffman, it would be bad for Garrity, Kolodny said, because she has made very few other political attacks against him.
Officials are seeking feedback on potential safety improvements to a seven-mile stretch of Montgomery Avenue in Lower Merion and Narberth.
Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth are seeking residents’ feedback on how they can make Montgomery Avenue safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
At a recent community meeting, officials laid out safety issues like out-of-date pedestrian push buttons, sidewalk curb ramps, crosswalk lighting, as well as drivers speeding and weaving along the corridor.
The push to increase safety along a seven-mile stretch of Montgomery Avenue is part of a broader goal to slash traffic fatalities.
Suburban Square’s real estate partner is looking to bring in several new tenants to the former Di Bruno Bros. space.
Suburban Square was left with a hole after Di Bruno Bros. closed its location at the Ardmore Farmers Market last week. The beloved Italian specialty grocer occupied more than half of the stalls at the market, which is now in search of new tenants.
But don’t expect another big operator to take over. Instead, it will be reconfigured for multiple food purveyors, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reports, possibly including chefs and restaurant groups in Philadelphia.
“The idea is to break the space up into smaller units, create more cuisine diversity, and ideally replace the Italian specialty concept,” a real estate broker working with Suburban Square’s owner said.
Last week, Narberth’s borough council voted unanimously to bar its police from cooperating with ICE, becoming the latest Philadelphia-area municipality to take that stance. The resolution “lets the public clearly know where we stand on the issues,” Mayor Dana Edwards said.
In case you missed it, Saks Fifth Avenue is closing its longtime City Avenue location after the luxury retailer’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. A closing date hasn’t been announced yet.
The Lower Merion Police Department is reminding residents to lock their cars and remove any valuables from them. The push comes after the department reported 22 stolen vehicles, and 53 thefts and attempted thefts of items from motor vehicles in the fourth quarter of last year. At a committee meeting last week, Superintendent of Police Andrew Block said these are largely preventable, noting that LMPD has added patrols to areas where thefts have been taking place.
The community is mourning the death of Ann Harnwell Ashmead, a renowned classical archaeology researcher, writer, and museum curator, who died last month at the age of 96. A 1947 graduate of Lower Merion High School, Ashmead went on to earn bachelor’s, master’s, and a doctoral degree from Bryn Mawr College. She worked in the field and wrote extensively about international research documenting ancient ceramics.
A home on the 900 block of Delmont Drive was severely damaged in a fire that broke out late Tuesday night. No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation. (6abc)
Three local students from Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Merion Station are part of the first cohort of a new Israeli immersion program, Nelech. The students, all from Bala Cynwyd, are spending the semester studying general academics and Torah in Israel, as well as going on field trips. (Philadelphia Jewish Exponent)
Mila’s Pup Tienda, a new pet boutique at 18 E. Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore, is hosting a soft opening on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Reminder for families: There’s no school today through Monday, though staff will report today for professional development. The school board will host a meeting Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. See the district’s full calendar here.
Registration is now open for new students enrolling in kindergarten or first grade next school year.
There’s just over a week left to submit an application for the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund, which closes Feb. 20. To be eligible, recipients must graduate from a Lower Merion School District high school, have attended one of the district’s high schools for at least two years, been a student in the district for at least four years, and be a full-time student at an accredited post-secondary education institution.
Lower Merion High School senior Dylan Steinberg recently received All State Honors from the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. The four-year varsity athlete scored over 70 goals and contributed to 53 assists during her high school career. She plans to continue playing soccer at Cornell University next year.
Friends’ Central School senior Ruba Abdelgalil has been named a 2026 Coca-Cola Scholar. She was selected from a pool of 107,000 applicants. The scholarship is awarded annually to seniors who have demonstrated leadership, service, and a “commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities.” Abdelgalil plans to attend The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.
🍽️ On our Plate
Two restaurants, Lassan Indian Traditional and Malooga, are set to open locations in Narberth this month. Looking ahead, PopUp Bagels is planning a March debut in Ardmore.
🎳 Things to Do
📱Screenagers: This documentary explores the impacts of social media and screen time on teenagers. There will also be a panel discussion led by Delco Unplugged, part of an organization advocating for delaying smartphones for kids. ⏰ Thursday, Feb. 12, 7-9 p.m. 💵 $10 📍 Kaiserman JCC
🎥 Roman Holiday: Catch a screening of the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn, for which she won an Academy Award. ⏰ Thursday, Feb. 12, 7:15 p.m. 💵 $17.75 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute
🍫 Yummy Valentine’s Day Treats: Kids ages 5 and up can create several edible Valentine’s Day-themed crafts. ⏰ Friday, Feb. 13, 10-11 a.m. 💵 $21.20 📍 The Candy Lab
🎶 The Legwarmers: The ‘80s tribute band will briefly transport attendees back in time. ⏰ Friday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m. 💵 $29.50-$67.28 📍 Ardmore Music Hall
❤️ Funky Brunch: Valentine’s Edition: Shop, dine, and listen to tunes from six-piece blues band Three Fourteen at this Valentine’s Day-themed event. ⏰ Sunday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Ardmore Music Hall
The exterior of the four-bedroom home has a two-tone color scheme.
This four-bedroom contemporary Penn Valley home features a two-story foyer, a living room, a family room with a wood-burning fireplace, a formal dining room, and an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and an island. Its primary suite has a walk-in closet, a bathroom with a jetted tub, and a dedicated office that leads to a private balcony. Other features include a finished basement with a half bathroom, as well as a fenced yard. There are open houses next Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon, next Friday from noon to 1 p.m., and next Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 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.
When Yuan Yuan Lu’s boyfriend sexually assaulted her in his Pennsport home last week, her cousin said, she broke up with him and went to the police.
The 28-year-old Bucks County woman thought she was doing the right thing by reporting the crime, her cousin Natalie Truong said.
“She told me how safe she felt, how much better she felt opening up and telling the cops her story,” said Truong, who spent time with Lu the evening she reported the assault.
That was the last time Truong saw Lu alive.
On Sunday, less than 12 hours after Lu called police to say that her ex-boyfriend, Yujun Ren, had attacked her, police said, Ren, 32, stalked her. He followed her to her home in Levittown, police said, approached her as she sat in her car outside her house, and shot her in the head, killing her.
Lu’s death shook her loved ones and led to calls on social media for increased awareness of intimate partner violence.
Truong said Lu leaves behind dreams unfulfilled. Lu grew up in a small village in south China, and moved to the United States with her father in 2009 to seek a more prosperous life.
In Philadelphia, she attended Constitution High School, perfected her English, and always kept her friends abreast of her latest entrepreneurial pursuits, Truong said.
Lu went into the food business with friends, cooking homemade Asian cuisine and selling it in carts on local college campuses, and later worked in a bubble tea shop and at a nursing home.
Yuan Yuan Lu loved to eat at Philadelphia’s restaurants, according to her cousin, Natalie Truong.
She loved her pets — a corgi named Dundun and a cat named Milk Cap, after a creamy bubble tea topping. Lu and Truong frequented Philadelphia restaurants, most recently dining together at Kalaya in Fishtown, and took day trips to places like New Jersey’s Swaminarayan Akshardham, the second-largest Hindu temple in the world.
Despite the cousins’ close relationship, Truong said, Lu did not share a lot of details about her personal life, perhaps not wanting to trouble others with her concerns.
Truong said Lu did not talk a lot about her relationship with Ren, whom she had met at her nursing home job and had dated for about a year. Truong’s perception of the relationship changed the night her cousin opened up about Ren’s behavior, she said.
“She was struggling alone for a while,” Truong said, adding that initially, Lu “liked him, so we all trusted her judgment.”
On Sunday, the day after Lu reported the assault, Ren turned himself in to police in Middletown Township, and officers discovered Lu’s bodyin her white Hyundai shortly after noon, authorities said. He was charged with murder, stalking, and a firearms crime.
Ren told police that Lu had said “hurtful things” to him that day and that, in an attempt to scare her, he had brandished the firearm, which he said accidentally discharged. He was licensed to own the weapon, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
Ren’s aunt later turned in her nephew’s 9mm handgun — a weapon Lu had told police he “carried everywhere,” leading her to fear for her safety, the affidavit said.
Truong said she wished law enforcement had had more time to investigate the sexual assault before Lu was killed. Her death was tragic, her cousin said, a life ended all too soon.
Lu’s father had recently left Philadelphia to join his wife and son in China. Truong has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help the family with funeral expenses and to pay for travel to Philadelphia to attend the service.
As the family mourns Lu’s death, Truong said, they are hopeful that law enforcement officials will hold her killer accountable.
“We just want her to get the justice that she deserves, because she’s a really kind person,” Truong said. “She never thought this would happen to her — because you would never think someone you love can hurt you like that.”
Yuan Yuan Lu poses with her corgi, Dundun, and her cat, Milk Cap.
Philadelphia drivers are about to get a new incentive to obey the flashing caution lights and 15 mph speed limit near schools.
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Parking Authority plans to turn on automated speed-enforcement cameras in five school zones, targeted because they have had a relatively high rate of crashes. All are on major roadways.
Violators will get warnings until April 20, when the cameras start enforcing the law. Driving 11 miles faster than the school-zone speed limit will carry a $100 fine.
“The goal is to protect students,” said Rich Lazer, executive director of the PPA. “Speed cameras work. They reduce dangerous behavior.”
The high-priority school zones were selected based on an analysis of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crash data by the Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.
From 2019 through 2023, the five locations recorded 10 crashes in which a person was killed or seriously injured, and 25 pedestrian crashes, as well as several speed-related vehicle-on-vehicle crashes, the PPA said. (Victims included people of all ages; it was not clear how many were students.)
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“We have tried many traffic-calming methods to stop people from driving dangerously fast in school zones, but many drivers still speed,” said Michael A. Carroll, a deputy managing director for the city who is in charge of OTIS.
“Speeding is the No. 1 cause of fatal crashes,” he said. The cameras will protect students walking to and from school, as well as crossing guards, “who often put their lives at risk,” Carroll said.
Automated speed enforcement remains controversial, despite studies that show it is effective, particularly on major urban roadways like the Boulevard.
The Pennsylvania legislature, historically skeptical of automated enforcement, in 2024 gave Philadelphia permission to use school-zone cameras through Dec. 31, 2029, on a trial basis.
There was some hesitation last March when City Council considered an ordinance to authorize the cameras. Three members held up the measure in committee, expressing concerns about a “money grab by the city.” The members also said they did not have enough information about the bill.
After they met with Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, the chief sponsor, the legislation was enacted.
“Everybody thinks it’s a money grab, but it’s really not,” Lazer said. “Resources are stretched; police are dealing with a lot of things. … If we can use technology, and it works, why not? Don’t speed, and you won’t get a violation.”
Unlike the speed cameras on the Boulevard and those along 13 miles of Broad Street since November, the school-zone units deployed by the PPA are squat and at street level.
Some people say they look like mailboxes or small refrigerators.
They are meant to be portable, PPA officials said, so that cameras can be moved to other schools with problems, as long as they are operating in only five school zones at any one time.
That limit is fixed by state law. Cameras can operate only when school zones are active, meaning weekdays when students are arriving in the morning or departing in the afternoon.
Swarthmore Public Library has done away with late fees. Here’s why. Also this week, nonprofit organizationElwyn broke ground on its new $45 million school, a new golf simulator with a restaurant and bar is coming to Springfield, plus a Nether Providence Township woman believed to be missing was safely located.
Bookworms no longer have to worry about late fees at Swarthmore Public Library.
Swarthmore Public Library is no longer charging overdue fees. Members of the library’s staff hope the action makes it clear that it truly is a free space, noting that overdue fees were counterproductive to that mission.
Overdue fines make up about 1% of the library’s budget, and the library’s staff said they hope to close the $5,000 gap through fundraising.
To ensure loaned items are returned, the library will assess a “lost” fee if something’s not returned within three weeks. Like the overdue fines, it’ll be erased once that item is returned.
Swarthmore’s planning commission is meeting Wednesday to again review Swarthmore College’s Cunningham Fields proposal, which has been met with some community pushback. The school is looking to redevelop its aging athletic complex, including the facilities off College Avenue and North Chester Road, into new tennis courts, spectator seating, updated grass and turf fields, and a pavilion with restrooms and team meeting areas. If the commission issues an opinion following the meeting, council could then approve or deny the plan. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. (Daily Times)
A Nether Providence Township woman thought to be missing for more than two weeks was located on Tuesday afternoon and is safe, police said. Earlier this week, Nether Providence police received a report that 73-year-old Margaret Coyne was missing and hadn’t been seen since Jan. 22, prompting them to ask the public for help finding her. Coyne was staying with a friend nearby due to “cold weather conditions” at her home.
Elwyn, the nonprofit serving individuals with intellectual disabilities, broke ground on its new school on Friday. The $45 million project is expected to be completed by August 2027 and welcome students shortly after. It will have two tracks, one for those expected to continue in a residential program there, and another for those who are more independent. The Middletown Township-headquartered organization is currently undertaking a 10-year, $100 million master plan to its campus.
X-Golf, an indoor golf simulator with a bar and restaurant, is planning to open a location at 751 W. Sproul Road in the Springfield Shopping Center, taking over the space currently occupied by Mattress Firm. On Tuesday, Springfield Township’s board of commissioners approved the operators to have a small kitchen in the space, which required conditional use approval. X-Golf will have a small lounge area with TVs, an eight- to 10-seat bar, and eight golf simulators, where it will also have leagues and clinics. The kitchen will serve bar food like chicken fingers, flatbreads, pizzas, and nachos, with a goal of partnering with area restaurants, such as Johnny Paisano’s. There are currently two other X-Golf locations in the region, one in Chester Springs and one at the Village at Painters’ Crossing Shopping Center. X-Golf Springfield hasn’t set an opening date yet.
Delaware County has a new interim chief of social services and community programs. The county council last week approved the appointment of Chris Welsh to the role. Welsh previously served as the county’s public defender. Taylor Dunn was appointed to take Welsh’s place as interim public defender.
Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday and is beginning to wind down operations at its 175 remaining stores, which includes a location in The Shoppes at Brinton Lake in Glen Mills. It may not be the end of the road for the outdoor apparel retailer, though, which is seeking a buyer.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Rose Tree Media School District has early dismissals tomorrow for the elementary schools, and no school on Monday. There’s a student blood drive at Penncrest High School today and the three-day run of its musical, ThePhantom of the Opera, kicks off tomorrow night. Next Thursday, Springton Lake Middle School is hosting a workshop at 6:30 p.m. on screen dependence and how to create a healthy balance. See the district’s full calendar here.
Wallingford-Swarthmore School District has no classes on Monday and Tuesday. The high school is hosting the Chris King Memorial Basketball Marathon tomorrow. See the district’s full calendar here.
🍽️ On our Plate
A new restaurant is planning to open at the Springfield Mall. Blue Sunday is taking over the Carrabba’s Italian Grill space, which spans approximately 6,700 square feet. Blue Sunday serves Asian-American cuisine, including rice, noodle, and seafood entrees, as well as Asian fusion dishes like General Tso’s Chicken. The restaurant is also seeking a liquor license. Blue Sunday plans to renovate the space this summer and open in September.
🥾 School Day Off Mini-Adventure Camp: Kids in kindergarten through third grade can explore Tyler Arboretum through hiking, games, and crafts at one of two mini camps on Friday and Monday. ⏰ Friday, Feb. 13, and Monday, Feb. 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 $83.70-$93 for standard admission, with reduced and sliding scale options available 📍Tyler Arboretum, Media
❤️ Valentines For All Family Fun: Families will learn about the so-called mother of the American valentine, create poetry and origami, and enjoy snacks. Registration is required. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 14, 1-2 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Helen Kate Furness Free Library, Wallingford
🍫 Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting: Sample chocolates you can find at shops around Media, and guess the cocoa content of a few others. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 14, 1-2:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Media-Upper Providence Free Library
💃 Delco Dance Night: Valentine’s Edition: Adults can dance the night away at this BYOB event. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 14, 7-10 p.m. 💵 $20.50 📍Park Avenue Community Center, Swarthmore
The four-bedroom home was built in 1938 and has a screened-in porch.
Built in 1938, this updated Swarthmore home exudes historic charm thanks to its stone exterior and columns at its entryway. The four-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom home features a family room with a wood-burning fireplace, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. It also has a screened-in porch, a walk-up attic, and a walk-out basement, plus a detached two-car garage, and several systems have been updated in the last year, including the boiler and central air.
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.
The company behind P.J. Whelihan’s is officially moving into a shuttered Iron Hill Brewery.
The Haddon Township-based PJW Restaurant Group has signed a lease for Iron Hill’s former location at the Village at Newtown, according to Brian Finnegan, the CEO of Brixmor Property Group, which owns the Bucks County shopping center.
PJW marketing director Kristen Foord confirmed the lease signing, saying in an email that the company was “not in a position to share additional specifics” at this time.
Like more than a dozen other former Iron Hills throughout the region, the nearly 8,000-square-foot space in Newtown has sat empty since the Exton-based brewpub chain closed all locations and filed for liquidation bankruptcy last fall.
As part of the revamp, the developer added new buildings, allowing it to bring in shops and restaurants like Iron Hill, Harvest Seasonal Grill, and Turning Point. The 30-acre complex is anchored by the high-end grocer McCaffrey’s Food Markets.
In Newtown, “we’ve got Free People and Lululemon and Ulta that we added to the shopping center,” Finnegan said Wednesday in an interview. “We’ve got a lot of strong service tenants. We also have Capital Grill and Harvest, so some great food and beverage options.”
And soon, he said, that list will also include P.J. Whelihan’s.
PJW’s most well-known restaurant is P.J. Whelihan’s, which started in the Poconos in 1983 and has expanded to include 25 P.J. locations, the majority of which are in the Philly region.
PJW also owns the Pour House in Exton, North Wales, and Westmont, Haddon Township; the ChopHouse in Gibbsboro; the ChopHouse Grille in Exton; Central Taco & Tequila in Westmont; and Treno, also in Westmont.
Some landlords are actively looking for tenants, with West Chester’s John Barry saying he hopes to have a lease signed by the end of this month.
“We have a number of groups interested in the space and a few [letters of intent] have been submitted,” Barry said in an email last month.
In other places, such as Voorhees, township officials and community members remain in the dark about whether another tenant will move in soon, and landlords can’t be reached.
A few of the closed breweries may be revived under new owners, though details are slim.
Are you planning a vacation to Spain, Italy, France, Greece, or another country along the Mediterranean?
If so, you should know about a parasite that puts travelers at risk of a rare disease, called “visceral leishmaniasis,” that can be deadly when untreated. The parasite — leishmania — is transmitted by a bite from an infected sandfly. It can lie dormant in the body for years, then latercause severe illness, including persistent high fever.
A 34-year-old South Jersey resident, Louis-Hunter Kean, died from it in late 2023 after doctors at two South Jersey medical systems and later at Penn Medicine missed the diagnosis. His symptoms developed about a year after he vacationed in Tuscany, where parasitic disease experts now believe he was infected.
“Leishmania in the U.S. is underappreciated,” said Joshua A. Lieberman, assistant director of the molecular microbiology clinical laboratory at University of Washington in Seattle. “We want to get the word out that there’s a lot more of it than we think.”
Parasitic disease experts say most American doctors don’t know enough about leishmania. Here’s what you should know about leishmania:
Visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the most deadly species. At risk are travelers to Southern Europe, Brazil, East Africa, India, and military personnel who were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Its primary symptom is fever, along with an enlarged liver and spleen, weight loss, and a low blood cell count. Each year, an estimated 50,000 to 90,000 new cases are reported globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The majority of healthy people who get infected never experience symptoms or sickness. However, the parasite can cause severe illness in small children, senior citizens, and people who are malnourished or immunocompromised. It can activate decades after exposure.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common and less dangerous form of the disease. This species is present in the countries that also have visceral leishmaniasis, as well as in Israel, Mexico, Central and South America — and in a few U.S. states, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona. More than 80 cases have been reported in the U.S. since 2017, though experts believe that’s an undercount, according to a recent study published in the digital journal JMIR Dermatology.
People with active cases first see small, red bumps on the skin that can develop into skin ulcers, which may ooze or scab. These symptoms typically appear within weeks or months after exposure, but ulcers can surface years later. Worldwide, an estimated 600,000 to 1 million cases occur each year, according to the WHO.
“If you’re traipsing through the rain forest in Central America, you’re at huge risk,” said leishmania expert David L. Sacks, an immunologist and senior investigator with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “We see patients all the time at the NIH hospital who have the cutaneous form from traveling.”
Mucosal leishmaniasis is most commonly found in parts of the Amazon basin, specifically Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil. Symptoms usually start as a skin sore, which can advance to the nose, mouth, or throat and cause severe facial disfigurement. It can be life-threatening.
Can leishmaniasis be treated?
All three typesare treatable with antiparasitic and antifungal medications.
Some forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis will heal on their own.
More than 90% of patients with visceral leishmaniasis will die without treatment. An estimated 20,000 to 50,000 people die from it each year, according to research published in the academic journal Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines.
How prevalent is leishmaniasis in the U.S.?
An exact number of cases is unknown. The federal government does not require doctors to report the disease to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas is the only state that requires medical providers to report cases to the state health department.
How can you protect yourself against leishmaniasis?
There are no vaccines or drugs for prevention, but people can take steps to protect themselves when visiting areas where the parasite is circulating.
Sandflies are most active from dusk until dawn, so consider staying indoors during that time. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and socks that cover ankles. Apply insect repellent, preferably with DEET, to clothing and exposed skin. Sandflies can slip through window and door screens, so it’s best to stay in accommodations with air-conditioning or sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets.
People who are immunocompromised may want toavoid travel to regions with leishmania.
Also, if you experience symptoms, especially a high fever that won’t go away, provide your doctor with a thorough travel history, going back decades.
Erin Mooney, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, slipped out of a sweltering sauna last weekend wearing only a bathing suit and strode barefoot straight into the coldest day of the winter.
“I never thought that I would find myself in a bathing suit laying down in the snow on a 15-degree day, and I found myself doing that at the Schuylkill Center,” Mooney said.
It marked the opening weekend of a new experience that the Schuylkill Center, on Hagy’s Mill Road in Philadelphia, is offering along with a local sauna company, Fiorst — one that already has had solid booking off social media views, despite having just opened Saturday.
Visitors will have the chance to relax ina glass-walled, wood-fired sauna overlooking a snowy field and woods in Northwest Philly, paired witha cold plunge.
Mooney said the idea to host a mobile sauna on the preserve’s grounds grew from a desire to keep the center lively through winter and draw in new visitors. She was inspired by a sauna exhibit by the American Swedish Historical Museum in FDR Park and began looking for a way to bring that Nordic tradition of “hot and cold” to her own facility.
She spotted Fiorst, a mobile sauna venture run by Jose Ugas, on social media, reached out, and the two forged a near-instant partnership. They spoke on Jan. 30, a Friday; by the next Friday, a custom sauna unit from Toronto rolled onto the grounds.
By last Saturday, the fire was lit, and guests arrived.
“It was, you know, kind of kismet, in a way, we were able to have this shared vision,” Mooney said. “And with him doing this servicing of the saunas on site, it makes it so much easier for us.”
The interior of the Nordic-style sauna at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
How does the sauna work?
Nordic-style wood saunas are notable for their minimalist design and high heat, which participants couple with either a plunge into a cold shower, tub, or lake or a step outdoors.
Fiorst’s installation overlooks the center’s main wooded area, framing the winter landscape through a glass wall as guests sweat it out inside the sauna’s170- to 190-degree temperatures. Each 90-minute session allows participants to cycle at their own pace through intense heat and biting cold, a contrast Mooney found invigorating.
The sauna is modeled on a concept popular across Nordic countries, including Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden.
Mooney said the project has already pulled in new visitors from neighborhoods like Fishtown or outside Philadelphia who might not typically visit for hiking or birdwatching.
She believes the sauna fills a niche for “clean, wholesome, healthy fun” that is alcohol-free.
However, unlike the typical Nordic experience of being nude during the sauna, the Schuylkill Center experience is strictly “bathing-suit friendly,” a choice tailored to American comfort levels.
The collaboration operates on a revenue split, with a charitable twist. During February, the center’s share of the proceeds goes to its Winterfest for Wildlife campaign to support the on-site wildlife clinic.
For now, the sauna remains a seasonal experiment, but it will stay in place as long as demand — and winter weather — holds up.
“I think it will stay seasonal,” Mooney said. “We live in a sauna already in the summer in Philadelphia.”
The sauna is open on weekends at the Schuylkill Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is booked through the Fiorst website. The cost for a 90-minute session is $75. You can add a friend for $25. Private sessions of up to 16 cost $600. For now, bookings can be made only one week in advance.
The Schuylkill Center is expecting Valentine’s Day weekend to book quickly.
Jose Ugas (left), founder of Fiorst, and Erin Mooney, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, at the sauna.
‘A moment of clarity’
Ugas, a bioengineer at Johnson & Johnson who lives in Whitemarsh Township, felt compelled to bring a Nordic-style sauna experience to the region after a triphe took to Sweden following the loss of his mother to brain cancer in 2023. There, friends introduced him to a traditional Scandinavian ritual: enduring searing dry heat inside a wooden sauna, followed by a plunge into icy water or a cold shower.
What began as a distraction soon crystallized into a moment of clarity, Ugas said.
“Just that time together and kind of going between the hot and the cold just was like a mental reset for me,” Ugas said.
Ugas, who will graduate with an MBA from Villanova University this spring, wanted to replicate the nature-immersive element that had grounded him overseas.
Hefound a Toronto company that builds portable glass-fronted wooden saunas andordered a custom unit equipped with a wood-fired stove, hot stones, steam, aromatherapy, and a cold-plunge tub. Ugas launched Fiorst in 2024, describing it as “nomadic” at first.
The venture first hosted sessions overlooking Valley Forge and at Fitzwater Station in Phoenixville. Ugas then established a more permanent site, which he calls Riverside, on River Road in Conshohocken where he still books sessions.
Ugas calls the partnership with the Schuylkill Center a natural fit given its location amid nature, merging his wellness goals with the venue’s environmental focus.
“At the core of our mission and their mission is to get people out in nature,” Ugas said.
So far, he has relied on social media to market the sauna, which has drawn hundreds of visitors to its locations.
The Nordic-style sauna at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia.
‘Social sauna’
Serena Franchini, a nurse and founder of Healing Fawn Inner Child Work & Somatic Therapy, has taken sauna sessions at Ugas’ other locations. She sees it as a tool to help with nervous system regulation while offering an immersion in nature.
“I loved the idea that it was outside,” Franchini said.
She likes the relaxed atmosphere compared with some traditional saunas that often enforce strict time limits on heating and cooling cycles. Instead, she cycles between the sauna and cold-plunge tub at her own pace.
Franchini highlighted the mental wellness aspect of Ugas’ “social sauna” sessions, noting Friday night events as “skip the bar” alternatives that allow strangers to gather for a healthy, communal experience.
“It’s a great way for community to connect with people that are interested in the same things that you are,” Franchini said.
On Wednesday, an Inquirer investigation detailed how a local anti-violence group had to terminate a housing program, displace tenants, and stave off financial collapse, despite receiving millions of dollars in city, state and federal funds over several years.
City bureaucrats had raised questions about the stability of NOMO, which is short for New Options, More Opportunities Foundation, for years. But elected officials publicly promoted the group and funds kept flowing, which initially provided youth afterschool programs before taking on significant expenses to launch an affordable housing initiative.
The nonprofit became one of the city’s signature efforts to support anti-violence work. But records show earlier concerns about NOMO turned into reality as a financial crisis hit the organization in late 2024.
NOMO subsequently faced an IRS lien and five lawsuits over the last two years concerning hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent.
Although the group’s director says the nonprofit is now financially stable, it ended the housing program, laid off staff and curtailed its afterschool programming. And NOMO’s problems raise further questions about the city’s management of its anti-violence grants, meant to stabilize and grow similar grassroots groups.
Grant administrators noticed red flags early on — but kept funding the group
After NOMO received its first $1 million city grant in 2021, grant managers almost immediately flagged issues at the organization, records obtained by The Inquirer under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law revealed.
One administrator warned the city about “significant weaknesses” with its financial controls, including the absence of audited financial statements and balance sheets. The administrator warned of a lack of oversight for spending decisions.
Yet the city kept pushing funding through.
Four years later, city officials still did not know who serves on NOMO’s board. Nevertheless, since 2020 the group has been awarded $2.4 million in city grants, another $2.9 million in grants funded by federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) money, and another $1.1 million in state public-safety grants.
NOMO’s Rickey Duncan surprises a woman with a new apartment in a 2022 file photo.
Tenants were displaced after NOMO’s housing program failed
NOMO was initially a small nonprofit focused on anti-violence programming. But when it sought a city Community Expansion Grant, its application included one sentence proposing a housing program — which soon became the group’s largest budget item.
Its annual lease obligations totaled $750,000, which included renting an entire newly constructed apartment complex near Drexel University’s campus at a cost of more than a half-million dollars annually. Records do not show any sign that city officials questioned the wisdom of the housing program or examined how it supported the organization’s core anti-violence mission.
NOMO launched the housing effort with an apartment giveaway, in which tenants were surprised with new homes and treated to shopping sprees. It earned positive media attention, and NOMO’s executive director said the program supported 23 young women, many of them single mothers.
Just a few years later, a landlord filed to evict NOMO from the building over $418,000 in back rent.
The city sought to direct $700,000 in federal rapid rehousing funds to NOMO to save the program, but the money came with restrictions that NOMO was unable to meet. NOMO gave up the apartments, and its tenants relocated to the homes of relatives or were placed into transitional housing services.
NOMO made other questionable spending decisions
NOMO executive director Rickey Duncan tripled his own salary shortly after receiving the city grant and signed leases for new locations with large ballrooms. Duncan has said he envisioned that NOMO’s three youth centers in North, West, and South Philadelphia would become revenue generators for the nonprofit, serving as venues for baby showers, weddings, Eagles watch parties and other events.
Meanwhile, city grant administrators raised concerns as spending on NOMO’s core programming declined. Last year, as the group faced legal action over unpaid rent, Duncan sought reimbursement for a pair of Sixers season tickets. The city denied this request.
Students bounce a basketball in the ballroom at NOMO’s South Broad location in a file photograph.
NOMO laid off staff and curtailed operations last year
During the peak of NOMO’s financial crisis last spring, the city froze its funding after discovering a four-month-old federal tax lien. At the same time, the TANF funds ended. NOMO had to cut most of its staff and end its housing program.
Duncan says the group’s finances have stabilized since renegotiating its leases and cutting costs, and the lien was the result of an accounting error.
But the organization now serves about 140 children a year across its three youth centers — roughly the same as when it was operating in just one location and before the city spent millions of taxpayer dollars to expand NOMO’s reach.
Former Philadelphia Police Captain Nashid Akil, who ran a boxing program, Guns Down Gloves Up, in a 2022 Inquirer file photograph. Following an Inquirer investigation, Akil was fired and nine police were criminal charged with theft of city grant funds.
Problems dog Philly’s anti-violence grant program
NOMO’s main city funding source, the Community Expansion Grants, has had other high profile problems.
A 2023 Inquirer report found some of the groups that had been selected for funding were poorly equipped to manage the sudden cash infusions. A city controller report the following year corroborated many of these findings.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker referred questions about NOMO to the city’s Office of Public Safety, which praised the group’s efforts.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson also praised NOMO in a statement responding to The Inquirer’s findings. He added that he expects the Office of Public Safety to “review these matters thoroughly, fairly, and professionally.”
“It is crucial that any concerns are taken seriously and examined through the proper channels, with facts guiding the outcome,” Johnson’s statement said.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Inquirer’s journalism is supported in part by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and readers like you. News and Editorial content is created independently of The Inquirer’s 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.
