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  • A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    Welcome to the first full week of 2026. We’re kicking off the new year with the story of a Malvern teen who’s helping kids find joy in art. Also this week, four new county officials have been sworn in, West Bradford Township’s property taxes are being slashed, plus the search is on for a new tenant at the former Iron Hill in West Chester.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at chestercounty@inquirer.com.

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    A 15-year-old’s nonprofit looks to spread the joy of art

    Faridah Ismaila launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to connect younger students with free monthly art classes.

    A Great Valley High School sophomore will soon be bringing her passion for art to young students in the district.

    Inspired by the phrase “Do what makes you happy,” Faridah Ismaila recently launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to provide free monthly art classes for kindergarteners through sixth graders, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.

    The program is slated to kick off this month with a winter wonderland-themed class. Ismaila is working with district educators to offer the workshops where students can learn new skills and express themselves.

    Read more about what inspired A Paint-full of Promise.

    📍 Countywide News

    💡 Community News

    • Erica Deuso was sworn in Monday as mayor of Downingtown, making her the first openly transgender mayor in the state.
    • A person on a trail on Warwick Furnace Road in Warwick Township was recently injured by a coyote, prompting the Chester County Health Department to look for the animal. It’s unknown if the coyote is rabid.
    • Residents of West Bradford Township will see a decrease in their property taxes this year, bucking a trend in the region. The 50% reduction is due in part to a mix of savings during the pandemic and more revenue from long-term leases.
    • The community is mourning the death of photographer, filmmaker, and Kennett Square resident Robert Caputo, who died Dec. 18 at a voluntary assisted dying center in Switzerland. Throughout his career, Mr. Caputo traveled the world, producing stories, films, and photographs for National Geographic magazine, Time, PBS, and TNT. The 76-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year.
    • A Malvern office building at 52 Swedesford Rd. is poised for demolition to make way for a mixed-use development with 250 apartments and retail space, including a market and cafe. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
    • The 33,000-square-foot Acme-anchored shopping center at 785 Starr St. in Phoenixville recently sold for nearly $7.4 million. The sale didn’t include Acme’s space.
    • The state’s Department of Environmental Protection is expected to evaluate surface and well water at the Bishop Tube HSCA Site in East Whiteland Township this month for contaminants such as PFAS, volatile organic compounds, and inorganics, as well as fluoride.
    • The Paoli Memorial Association in Malvern has been awarded a $325,000 grant, which will help fund construction of the Paoli-Malvern Heritage Center. The center, which will be adjacent to the Paoli Battlefield, will preserve an 1817 obelisk and offer interpretive exhibits.
    • Several Chester County communities have received funding from the state’s Green Light-Go Program aimed at improving traffic safety and mobility. Upper Uwchlan Township has been awarded over $920,000 to upgrade detection and controller equipment at Route 100 and Graphite Mine Road. West Whiteland Township is getting nearly $390,000 to upgrade multiple intersections along Route 100 and Commerce Drive. And East Whiteland Township will get almost $192,000 to modernize Lancaster Avenue and Conestoga Road.
    • Heads up for drivers: Asplundh will be pruning trees along Goshen Road between Pottstown Pike and Hillside Drive in West Chester throughout the first quarter of 2026.
    • Paoli Hospital is among Forbes Top Hospitals for 2026 and is the sole Chester County institution on the list.
    • Two new gyms are now open: CrossFit Reckoning opened this week at 199 Reeceville Rd. in Coatesville and Planet Fitness has opened at 270 Swedesford Rd. in Berwyn.
    • On Monday, Coatesville-based Presence Bank became part of Norwood Financial Corp.’s Wayne Bank after being acquired for $54.9 million. Presence has two Chester County branches, in Coatesville and Oxford.
    • Kennett Area Senior Center, the nonprofit helping older adults, took on a new name at the start of the year. It’s now known as The Gathering Place at Kennett.
    • Looking to dispose of your Christmas tree? Upper Uwchlan will collect trees curbside on Jan. 15; Spring City residents can place trees curbside daily through Jan. 30 for pickup; East Pikeland residents can place trees curbside on Wednesdays in January or drop them off at the township yard waste recycling facility; West Vincent residents can drop them off at the township building through Jan. 23; and Phoenixville residents can place them curbside with trash through Feb. 28. Trees can also be dropped off at the compost site at 18 S. 2nd Ave.
    • It’s the last chance for residents in Easttown (through Jan. 12) and Upper Uwchlan (through Jan. 15) to recycle old holiday lights.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is hosting its elementary new student registration window for next school year from Jan. 20-26. Learn more here.
    • West Chester Area School District has an opening on its school board following Alex Christy’s resignation ahead of his term’s expiration next December. Applications to fill the vacancy are open until noon on Jan. 21.
    • Coatesville offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller was named to Sporting News’ 2025 High School Football All-America Team. The junior is rated the top interior offensive line in his class.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • The search is on for someone to take over the former Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester. Over the holidays, building owner John Barry acquired the liquor license and all assets inside the space, which he said will help him “to get a better tenant in there.”
    • In case you missed it, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reflected on the most notable restaurant openings of 2025. They include Bao Nine in Malvern, The Borough in Downingtown, Jolene’s in West Chester, L’Olivo Trattoria in Exton, The Local in Phoenixville, and Stubborn Goat Brewing in West Grove. See the full list here. The Borough also made Klein’s roundup of the best new pizza restaurants to open in the region last year.
    • As for the best things Inquirer food writers ate last year, the Caramelia at Longwood Gardens’ 1906 restaurant was up there. Paying homage to Kennett Square’s mushroom industry, the red-topped mushroom-shaped dessert features chocolate mousse with espresso and caramel flavors.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎨 An Ancestral Journey: Moore College of Art grad Roe Murray’s works will be on display for the next few weeks. She will also participate in an artist talk on Jan. 28. ⏰ Thursday, Jan. 8-Thursday, Jan. 29, times vary 💵 Free 📍 Chester County Art Association West Chester Galleries

    🎶 A Grand Night For Singing: This rendition will celebrate the wide-ranging works of Rodgers & Hammerstein with singing, dancing, and a live orchestra. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times 💵 $31.60-$36.70 📍 SALT Performing Arts, Chester Springs

    🧁 Pinkalicious the Musical: The musical adaptation of the book follows a pink-loving heroine who inadvertently turns herself into her favorite color by eating too many cupcakes. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times 💵 $21-$30 📍 Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester

    🏡 On the Market

    An airy four-bedroom Kennett Square carriage home

    The carriage home has a two-car garage and a screened-in porch that leads to a deck.

    Located in the Villages at Northridge, this Kennett Square carriage home is just a few years old. The great room, which has a fireplace, opens to the kitchen, where there’s two-toned cabinetry, an island with a farmhouse sink, a pantry, and a dining area with a built-in beverage station complete with a bar refrigerator and ice maker. The great room also has access to the screened-in porch, which leads to the deck. There are three bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a double sink vanity. The finished lower level walk-out has another bedroom, a full bathroom, and a living room.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $975,000 | Size: 3,544 SF | Acreage: 0.06

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    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.

  • Deer hunter shot with arrow by another hunter in Montgomery County, police say

    Deer hunter shot with arrow by another hunter in Montgomery County, police say

    A 48-year-old man who was deer hunting Tuesday afternoon was shot with an arrow by another hunter in Montgomery County, police said.

    Just before 3:50 p.m., emergency responders were called to the 7700 block of Green Valley Road in the Wyncote section of Cheltenham Township for a report of an injured hunter, police said.

    The injured man was transported to an area trauma center and was expected to survive, police said.

    The hunter who shot the arrow remained at the location, summoned emergency services, and was cooperating with the investigation, police said.

    The Pennsylvania Game Commission assumed primary responsibility for investigating the incident, police said.

    No other information about the hunters was released by police.

  • Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pa. Democratic lawmakers criticize Trump’s Jan. 6 rioter pardons on anniversary of Capitol attack

    Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pa. Democratic lawmakers criticize Trump’s Jan. 6 rioter pardons on anniversary of Capitol attack

    Five years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Gov. Josh Shapiro and other Pennsylvania Democrats on Tuesday marked the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by sharply criticizing President Donald Trump.

    Trump, who was impeached for inciting the riot in the final days of his first administration, pardoned nearly every Jan. 6 defendant and commuted sentences for a handful of violent offenders as one of his first actions upon returning to office last year.

    “Law enforcement officers literally gave their lives to protect our country and our democracy — yet one of the first things Donald Trump did when he took office was pardon people who were convicted of assaulting police officers,” Shapiro said in a post on X Tuesday morning.

    “The President may not respect our law enforcement officers’ courage and commitment to service — but here in Pennsylvania, we remember the sacrifices they make and will always have their backs.”

    President Donald Trump has pardoned nearly every Jan. 6 defendant, paving the way for some to be released from prison

    Shapiro played a key role as state attorney general in defending the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania in the weeks leading up to the attack, which took place the same day that Congress was certifying former President Joe Biden’s victory.

    His comments Tuesday came as he’s preparing to announce his reelection bid for governor. As Shapiro has built a national profile as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, he has repeatedly criticized Trump and presented himself as an alternative vision of leadership.

    The president has continued to falsely claim he won Pennsylvania in 2020, including at his rally in Mount Pocono last month, even after he won the White House again in 2024.

    Trump has downplayed the events of Jan. 6, and on Tuesday the White House unveiled a webpage dedicated to the events, falsely describing the riot as a peaceful protest and blaming Capitol Police for the violence that unfolded.

    How Donald Trump won Pennsylvania and the presidency
    Pennsylvania Senate Democrats hold an event in the state Capitol Tuesday to commemorate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    Shapiro was one of several Democrats who marked the anniversary of the attack for the first time since Trump returned to office.

    State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia, introduced a resolution alongside other House Democrats to designate Jan. 6 as the “Democracy Observance Day for Education, Remembrance, and Vigilance.”

    And Pennsylvania Senate Democrats held an event in the state Capitol Tuesday.

    State Sen. Art Haywood, who represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, described the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as an “attempted coup” orchestrated by Trump.

    He recounted the events in minute-by-minute detail drawing from what has been reported about the day, from Trump’s direction to rally-goers to go to the Capitol to former Vice President Mike Pence’s evacuation from the Senate chambers and rioters’ success breaking into offices.

    State Sen. Jay Costa, of Pittsburgh, said Tuesday’s anniversary event was aimed at drawing attention to the “lawlessness” of the day. Trump’s decision to pardon those involved, he said, was a “slap in the face” to law enforcement.

    Scores of Pennsylvanians were charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 attack, some of whom were convicted of committing acts of violence at the Capitol. In addition to the sweeping pardons eliminating the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people, the president also commuted the sentences of 14 people — including Philadelphia native Zach Rehl, the leader of the local far-right Proud Boys chapter who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

    Costa contended that other incidents of political violence in the years that have followed could be traced back to Jan. 6.

    “We cannot pick and choose, as our president has done, when we think about what we’re going to do and say about our law enforcement officers,” he said. “We need to stand with them all the time.”

  • A third person has died following the fire at a Bucks County nursing home

    A third person has died following the fire at a Bucks County nursing home

    A third person has died following the fire at a Bucks County nursing home that claimed the lives of two other people and injured 20 others days before Christmas.

    Bristol Township identified resident Patricia Mero, 66, as the latest death following the fire that destroyed parts of the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township on Dec. 23. Mero died Monday morning, according to the Bucks County Coroner’s Office. The cause of death was listed as a chest trauma; the manner of death an accident.

    Nurse Muthoni Nduthu and a woman whom Bristol Township Police identified as Ann Reddy, another resident, were also killed in the fire.

    First responders work the scene of an explosion and fire on Dec. 23, 2025, at Bristol Health & Rehab Center.

    An explosion occurred at the nursing home in the early afternoon on Dec. 23, flattening a section of the building that collapsed the first floor and sent people and debris tumbling into the basement. Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said that at one point, a heavy odor of gas forced firefighters out of the building, only for another explosion to go off 30 seconds later.

    Investigators work the scene at Bristol Health & Rehab Center on Dec. 24, 2025 in Bristol Township.

    Many residents and visitors of the 174-bed nursing home reported the smell of gas in the days leading up to the disaster. Additionally, Peco had visited the nursing home hours before the explosion.

    The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the cause of the fire, while the owners of the nursing home, Saber Healthcare Group, Peco, and others are being sued for their alleged negligence in the fiery explosion.

    On Monday, the NTSB said it had completed on-scene work in Bristol and would release a preliminary report on its findings by early February.

    The investigation into the fire will likely take months, with experts telling The Inquirer that federal investigators would focus on Peco and the nursing home operator’s actions leading up to the explosion.

  • The trolley tunnel is still closed as SEPTA tests repairs. When will it reopen?

    The trolley tunnel is still closed as SEPTA tests repairs. When will it reopen?

    Philadelphia’s trolley tunnel has been closed for two months, but SEPTA now is saying that it has completed most necessary repairs and could reopen the connection between Center City and West Philadelphia soon.

    Crews currently are running trolleys through the tunnel to test fixes for damaged overhead wires and other equipment and to decide when it is safe for normal service to resume.

    “We’re pretty close,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said Tuesday.

    About 60,000 riders traveled daily through the tunnel between 13th Street and its West Philadelphia portal at 40th Street before SEPTA closed it in early November.

    Since then, people have had to use slower shuttle bus service or the Market-Frankford El as alternatives.

    At issue is a U-shaped brass part called a slider that carries carbon, which acts as a lubricant on the copper wires above the tracks that carry the electricity that powers the trolleys.

    Earlier in the fall, SEPTA replaced its usual 3-inch sliders with 4-inch models in an effort to reduce maintenance costs, but the carbon in the longer units wore out sooner than thought, causing metal-on-metal contact that damaged the overhead wires.

    The slider switch was meant to prolong their lifespan, but failed to work. Inside the tunnel, where there are more curves on the tracks and more equipment holding the wire to the ceiling, the new sliders and carbon burned through faster than earlier tests indicated.

    There were two major incidents when trolleys were stranded in the tunnels. On Oct. 14, 150 passengers were evacuated from one vehicle and 300 were evacuated from a stalled trolley on Oct. 21.

    The Federal Transit Administration on Oct. 31 ordered SEPTA to inspect the overhead catenary system along all its trolley routes.

    The directive came in response to four failures of the catenary system in September and October, including the tunnel evacuations.

    SEPTA has had to replace about 5,000 feet of damaged wire and make other repairs. It also switched back to 3-inch sliders.

    On Nov. 7, SEPTA shut down the tunnel to deal with the issue, which had cropped up again, then reopened it on the morning of Nov. 13, thinking it was solved. But it discovered further damage to the catenary system and the tunnel was closed at the end of the day.

    Other potential reopening dates were announced but postponed.

    This story has been updated to correct the amount of wire replaced in the tunnel.

  • Margaret Dupree, longtime funeral director and teacher’s aide, has died at 104

    Margaret Dupree, longtime funeral director and teacher’s aide, has died at 104

    Margaret Dupree, 104, of Philadelphia, cofounder, director, and president of Dupree Funeral Home Inc. at 28th and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia, former teacher’s aide for the School District of Philadelphia, beautician, and mentor, died Monday, Dec. 15, of age-associated decline at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

    Mrs. Dupree and her husband, Troy, established the Dupree Funeral Home in 1955, and she became sole owner and president when he died in 1987. Her son Kenneth joined her as supervisor, and together, for nearly 40 years, they conducted thousands of funerals and oversaw a building expansion in 2000 and renovation in 2003.

    Most often, Mrs. Dupree supervised the books and answered the office telephone. Her son handles the funeral arrangements. “She was very meticulous and organized,” her son said. “She continued our legacy and served with integrity.”

    In the 1960s and ‘70s, Mrs. Dupree told The Inquirer in 1999, funerals were held at night because most people worked during the day. So she and her husband had day jobs, too. She was a reading and math aide at William Dick and Richard R. Wright Elementary Schools. He worked for the telephone company.

    Mrs. Dupree earned a beautician’s license after graduating from Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1941.

    She earned a beautician’s license after graduating from Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1941 and worked at her mother’s beauty shop at 13th Street and Susquehanna Avenue for a while. She became licensed as a funeral director in 1949 and met her husband when they were interns at a funeral home in South Philadelphia.

    “Her lifelong commitment to funeral service stands as a rare and remarkable testament to dedication, professionalism, and service to families during their most sacred moments,” her family said in a tribute.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    Mrs. Dupree was among the oldest licensed funeral directors in the country, her family said, and she told The Inquirer she went into the business because morticians and barbers were so respected when she was a child. “They were the people who were looked up to,” she said.

    She used her makeup and beauty expertise to augment the cosmetic work on bodies in the mortuaries and said in 1995: “In the early stages, I liked doing reconstructive work. I relished doing the ‘invisible stitch.’”

    This photo of Mrs. Dupree (right) and her son Kenneth appeared in The Inquirer in 1999.

    Her family called her career “a powerful symbol of her lifelong devotion to the calling of funeral service” and praised her “mentoring others, serving families with dignity, and remaining deeply connected to the profession she loved.”

    She was a charter member of Child’s Memorial Baptist Church, known now as Keeping It Real Christian Fellowship, and supported affordable housing initiatives in North Philadelphia. “I like for women to have a place to raise their children,” she told The Inquirer in 1998 regarding a proposed housing renewal project. “If you give people a place to work and take care of their children, then the whole neighborhood will be improved.”

    When parents die, even the mundane memories comfort their children. Here are their tales, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    Friends and former colleagues called her “funny and sweet” and a “history maker” in online tributes. One friend said she was “a woman of grace, and her radiant smile always was contagious.” Another said: “She has had a positive impact on so many Philadelphians.”

    Margaret Alma McKenney was born July 8, 1921, in Belvedere, S.C. She relocated with her family to North Philadelphia when she was 5 and grew up at 13th and Diamond Streets.

    Mrs. Dupree doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

    During World War II, she worked for the Army Signal Corps and at the Frankford Arsenal. Afterward, she earned her funeral director’s license at the old Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia.

    She married Troy Dupree in 1951, and they had daughters Melanie and Carrie, and sons Troy Jr. and Kenneth. For years, she reared the children, worked at the funeral home, and helped out at her mother’s shop.

    Surviving spouses always remember how they met their mate. Here are the meet-cute stories told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    Later, she doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a friend said online: “I am a better grandma having watched from one of the best to ever do it.”

    Mrs. Dupree enjoyed knitting sweaters for her children, solving cryptograms in the newspaper, and traveling with family and friends to Bermuda, Africa, and elsewhere. She always, even at restaurants, her son Kenneth said, ate her dessert first.

    Mrs. Dupree (right) sits at her office desk while her son Kenneth talks on the phone in a photo that was published in The Inquirer in 1999.

    “She had a multifaceted personality,” her son Kenneth said. “She was a comedian, an organizer, and a fan of the underdog.”

    Her family said: “Margaret lived a life rooted in service, compassion, and purpose. Funeral service and education were never just her profession. It was her calling.”

    In addition to her children, Mrs. Dupree is survived by six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and other relatives. Two sisters and five brothers died earlier.

    Services were held on Dec. 28 and 29.

    Donations in her name may be made to Project Home, Development Dept., 1515 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130.

  • Sheetz president and CEO dies, but the convenience store rivalry is eternal

    Sheetz president and CEO dies, but the convenience store rivalry is eternal

    The namesake behind Wawa’s biggest rival, Sheetz, has died.

    Stephen G. Sheetz, the man responsible for taking a family-owned convenience store in Altoona, Pa., and transforming it into a multibillion-dollar empire, was 77. The company announced his death in a statement Monday, citing respiratory complications after having been hospitalized with pneumonia.

    And while Wawa fans may be suspicious of how the chain’s fried food, or coffee, or even gasoline stacks up against their supreme leader’s, there’s no denying Sheetz’s legacy and vision.

    Sheetz served as the chain’s CEO and president from 1984 to 1995, overseeing its expansion. After that, he was chairman of the board for another 18 years.

    The former president was just 12 when he began working at the original Sheetz Kwik Shopper, founded by his brother, Bob Sheetz. He graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1965 and from Pennsylvania State University four years later.

    Penn State named Steve and his wife, Nancy Sheetz, as its 2010 philanthropists of the year, following their donation of $2.5 million to the school’s Altoona campus. It was the campus’ largest donation in its 70-year history. The couple tacked on another half a million that year, funding the establishment of an entrepreneurial center and a Sheetz Fellows program.

    “I try to provide a positive influence,” Steve Sheetz said at the time in a university statement. “I really hope that students in the program will be better prepared for the world they’re about to enter, whether it’s business or another profession.”

    As supervisor and director of operations at the chain, he oversaw the expansion of Sheetz convenience stores, with the intention of opening a new location every year, according to the company’s website. Over the next 14 years, Sheetz would grow to 100 locations.

    “Above all, Uncle Steve was the center of our family,” Sheetz president and CEO Travis Sheetz said in a statement. “We are so deeply grateful for his leadership, vision, and steadfast commitment to our employees, customers, and communities.”

    Today, with over 800 locations across six states and about 25,000 employees, the business remains largely family-run.

    Offering a hodgepodge of fast food, including burgers, hot dogs, and mozzarella sticks, the chain has its super fans, just like Philly’s own Wawa phanatics.

    They call themselves “Sheetz Freakz.” And they start them young.

    Take Dylan LaMotte of Lynchburg, Va.

    In 2020, then-8-year-old Dylan went viral for his mom’s video of him wearing a shirt that said “Youngest Sheetz Freak” and pitching ideas for the chain’s menu.

    Steve Sheetz himself flew to Lynchburg to surprise Dylan and gift him $5,000 toward his daily order of fries and a slushie. In other instances over the years, the company has rewarded other superfans with hefty donations to their charities of choice.

    Perhaps worse than the Eagles-Steelers contention, the Wawa vs. Sheetz clash is considered among “the most heated food rivalry in the country.” There’s even a documentary in the works. In its simplest terms, it’s a question of taste, regional devotion, and loyalty.

    In 2020, The Inquirer tapped Pennsylvanians Sen. John Fetterman (who was lieutenant governor at the time) and U.S. Rep. Brendan F. Boyle to weigh in on the debate.

    Boyle, who is team Wawa, helped cut the ribbon on Wawa’s first D.C. location. He joked that it was the “Philly Embassy in Washington.”

    “Sure enough, as I approached the D.C. Wawa right after the game, the crowd of people wearing Eagles jerseys was out the door. The Philly diaspora had had the same thought I did. We flocked to our ‘embassy’ to celebrate,” he said.

    Fetterman, who is pro-Sheetz, said, “Whether I’m Jeeping it home from Harrisburg, or on the road asking yinz and youse about legalizing cannabis, the warm red glow of a Sheetz awning beckons with red beet eggs, a hunk of cheese, and the rich cavalcade of the entire family of Duke’s smoked shorty sausages.” He added, “It is a given that Sheetz is far superior.”

    At the end of the day, the rivalry isn’t going anywhere. But you can still respect the man behind the mystique.

    “Steve’s guidance shaped nearly every aspect of our family business,” said Joe Sheetz, chairman of the Sheetz board of directors. “He was a mentor for every leader who has followed him, and his vision, wisdom, and entrepreneurial spirit will be missed deeply by everyone at Sheetz.”

    Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico also released a statement, saying “Steve had a genuine, tangible love for the City of Altoona, as shown by his contributions, actions and initiatives. We send our sincere sympathy to Steve’s family during this difficult time, as well as immense gratitude for his lasting contributions to our City and its residents, that will be his legacy for years to come.”

    In addition to his wife, Nancy, Steve Sheetz is survived by two daughters, Megan Sheetz and Nicole Sheetz Frith; seven grandchildren; and six of his seven siblings, including his brother Bob Sheetz.

  • Lenny Dykstra formally charged with drug possession

    Lenny Dykstra formally charged with drug possession

    Former Phillies star Lenny Dykstra has been charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop just after midnight on New Year’s Day in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

    Matthew Blit, lawyer for Dykstra, said in a statement that the 62-year-old Scranton resident was not arrested or taken into custody at the scene, and was accused of being under the influence.

    Blit said that “the actual driver,” whom he would not name, was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence.

    “Lenny Dykstra was merely a passenger in a vehicle that did not belong to him,” Blit said.

    Blit said the charges against Dykstra “will be swiftly absolved.”

    Thomas Mincer, another lawyer for Dykstra, said in a statement that “we firmly assert that the alleged narcotics in the vehicle did not belong to Lenny.” Dkystra “was not knowingly in possession of or under the influence of any narcotics,” the lawyer said.

    Just after midnight on Jan. 1, Dykstra was a passenger in a 2015 silver GMC Sierra truck in the area of Route 507 and Robinson Road in Greene Township, Pike County, when the vehicle was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police for a motor vehicle code violation, the state police said in a report.

    “During this investigation, the passenger was found to be in possession of narcotics and narcotic related equipment/paraphernalia,” the state police report said. “Charges to be filed.”

    The state police report identified Dykstra as the “arrestee,” but the court record showing the charges says Dykstra was issued a summons.

    Dykstra has a preliminary hearing in Pike County scheduled for Feb. 3.

    Dykstra played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball in center field, spending the first four with the Mets — including as part of the team that won the 1986 World Series — before being traded to the Phillies during the 1989 season. He retired with the Phillies in 1996.

    Nicknamed the “Dude” and “Nails,” Dykstra was a celebrated member of the 1993 Phillies team that made it to the World Series, but lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.

    After his baseball career, Dykstra ran afoul of the law multiple times. He spent time in prison after pleading guilty in federal court for bankruptcy fraud and pleading no contest to grand theft auto in California.

  • Lawsuit alleges negligence in deadly Bristol nursing home explosion

    Lawsuit alleges negligence in deadly Bristol nursing home explosion

    A newly filed lawsuit alleges that the deadly explosion at a Bucks County nursing home just before Christmas was the result of negligence on the part of the facility’s operator and its natural gas supplier.

    Filed by Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky on behalf of four survivors of the explosion, the lawsuit claims that Saber Healthcare Group, Peco, and others failed to appropriately respond to and treat a gas leak at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, and neglected to evacuate the building.

    The resulting explosion, which devastated the facility the afternoon of Dec. 23, killed two people and injured about 20 others.

    “Our pre-suit investigation left no doubt that the defendants were responsible for this foreseeable and preventable tragedy just before Christmas,” said lead attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi.

    In addition to Peco and Saber Healthcare Group, the lawsuit names Exelon, Saber Healthcare Holdings, and the nursing home as defendants.

    The plaintiffs were among those on site at the time of the blast, the lawsuit says. They include former nursing home resident Barbara Stall, a paraplegic whose motorized wheelchair was allegedly destroyed during the incident, as well as facility aides Stacy Ballard and Davidetta Blay, and telecom contractor James Broderick. Blay and Broderick’s spouses are also included as plaintiffs.

    “Each continues to receive medical treatment for the physical and emotional injuries,” the law firm said in a statement. The lawsuit, the firm added, is believed to be the first filed to allege negligence.

    The blast rocked the Bristol facility just after 2 p.m., coming after Peco crews responded to reports of a gas odor earlier in the day, according to Inquirer reports. Some residents, The Inquirer later reported, had been smelling gas in the 174-bed facility in the days leading up to the explosion, but none were told to evacuate.

    The complaint, filed Monday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleges that despite the gas odor, the defendants did not take steps to evacuate, which it calls a “reckless and outrageous” decision.

    The odor, the complaint alleges, began permeating the building at least a half-hour before the explosion, and the defendants treated the situation with “carelessness, negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, and outrageous conduct,” the complaint said.

    Peco and Exelon, the lawsuit claims, never tested a gas pipeline that fed the nursing home for leaks and failed to properly diagnose and fix the leak once on site. Exelon, the parent corporation of Peco, declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

    Zachary Shamberg, Saber’s chief of government affairs, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

    The age and condition of the gas line running to the nursing home remain unclear, but Peco has said that it has about 742 miles of substandard gas lines across the state that need to be replaced — accounting for roughly 5% of its gas service, but 82% of leaks, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

    The company’s plans, The Inquirer previously reported, call for all those lines to be replaced by 2035.

    As a result of the explosion, the complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were forced to “suffer catastrophic personal injuries, had to survive harrowing rescue attempts, and watch their friends and colleagues lose their lives and similarly suffered traumatic injuries.”

    The cause of the explosion is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it expects to release a preliminary report on the explosion roughly three weeks from now. Previously, the board said investigators would test the natural gas service line that runs from the street to the basement of the facility, would interview witnesses, and would gather records.

    In the wake of the blast, Saber has relocated roughly 120 residents to local hospitals and other assisted-living facilities. The company said it was evaluating its evacuation procedures.

    Muthoni Nduthu, a 52-year-old nurse at the facility and mother to three sons, was killed in the blast. The second person killed was a resident at the nursing home, but they have not yet been publicly identified.

    “This explosion, and the loss of life and horrific injuries that accompanied it, were the tragic results of Defendants’ failure to timely respond to the gas leak, appropriately treat the leak, and evacuate the building in response to the leak,” the complaint alleges.

    The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages to be determined by a jury.

  • ‘It is a promise’: Newly elected Chester County officials and judges take their oaths of office

    ‘It is a promise’: Newly elected Chester County officials and judges take their oaths of office

    A new slate of Chester County elected officials are taking office after they were officially sworn in at a ceremony over the weekend surrounded by friends and family.

    Four officials in the county’s row offices — clerk of courts, controller, coroner, prothonotary — and three magisterial district justices took their oath of office Saturday at the Chester County Justice Center.

    “I’ve found, in this line of work, when you’re finding people to run for office, it’s quite difficult to get the good people to do it,” county commissioner Josh Maxwell told the incoming officials. “It sometimes attracts maybe the wrong people. I’m so excited to be here today because we have a lot of good people who rose their hands — maybe a higher bar than we typically have in the county.”

    Sophia Garcia-Jackson (facing camera) hugs the Honorable Alita Rovito after being sworn in as the coroner during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    Taking office was an entirely Democratic slate of officials, upholding the political shift in the county that began in 2019, when Maxwell and Commissioner Marian Moskowitz were the first Democrats in history elected to their seats. Democrats saw wins again in 2023, with Maxwell and Moskowitz winning re-election.

    The row offices oversee essential government services residents regularly interface with — from maintaining criminal and civil court records, to monitoring the county’s financial contracts, to investigating the circumstances of sudden deaths — and operate under four-year terms. Magisterial district judges handle traffic cases, and minor criminal and civil cases, for six-year terms.

    The slate of row officials includes:

    • Clerk of Courts: Caroline Bradley
    • Controller: Nick Cherubino
    • Coroner: Sophia Garcia-Jackson
    • Prothonotary: Alex Christy

    And the county’s new magisterial judges are:

    • Anthony diFrancesca
    • Joe Heffern
    • James C. Kovaleski
    James C. Kovalski’s family helps him don the judges robe after he was sworn in as a magisterial district judge during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    “Those of you taking the oaths … are amongst the people who will help Chester County continue to be a place where so many want to live, work, and raise their family,” Moskowitz told the officials.

    During the ceremony, the judges donned their robes and the row officers took their oaths with their partners, parents, and children nearby. Dozens of supporters lined the benches in the courtroom, and elected officials received a standing ovation when all the oaths had been administered. (Those supporters got a nod, too, with Maxwell noting that public service comes with long hours, personal sacrifice, and difficult decisions. “No one serves alone,” he said.)

    The oaths of office were administered by Commonwealth Court Judge Stella Tsai, Court of Common Pleas Judge Alita Rovito, and Magisterial District Judge Nancy Gill.

    Caroline Bradley (right) has just been sworn in as clerk of courts by the Honorable Stella Tsai (left) during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    “The oath you have taken is more than a formality, it is a promise to the people of Chester County, a promise to uphold the law, to treat every resident with fairness and dignity, and to carry out your duties with independence, integrity and care,” Maxwell said. “Those values matter deeply, especially at the local level, where government has its most direct impact on all our lives.”

    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.