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  • Montco immigration advocates urge all towns to limit collaboration with ICE as the agency creates ‘a crisis in our neighborhoods’

    Montco immigration advocates urge all towns to limit collaboration with ICE as the agency creates ‘a crisis in our neighborhoods’

    Montgomery County immigration advocates renewed calls for more municipalities to approve policies that would limit police and local government cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up enforcement.

    Advocates have been calling for welcoming policies across the county for months but advocates estimated that as of Wednesday, only six of Montgomery County’s 62 municipalities had enacted policies. Even those, they argued, were lackluster.

    Montco Community Watch, a grassroots group of activists who track and document ICE enforcement, said Thursday during a news conference at a West Norriton church that the need for more local governments to set their own is dire.

    “ICE has created a crisis in our neighborhoods, and we cannot afford silence, mixed signals, or leadership that only reacts once harm has already happened,” said Stephanie Vincent, a leader of Montco Community Watch.

    Ambler, Springfield, West Norriton, Abington, Norristown, and Cheltenham had approved policies, advocates said, though they are mostly internal policies that advocates say don’t do enough to protect immigrants.

    Stephanie Vincent, the leader of Montco Community Watch, speaks at a news conference about ICE activity in Montgomery County at Ascension Church in West Norriton Thursday.

    The sense of urgency was palpable Thursday as ICE dramatically expands its presence and visibility, both in the Philadelphia region and across the United States.

    Montco Community Watch has documented at least 97 detentions and 30 suspected ICE detentions in Montgomery County, and “there are likely more detentions that we have not heard about,” Vincent said.

    The group was joined Thursday by representatives for Indivisible Greater Jenkintown, a progressive advocacy group, and the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition at Ascension Church. Advocates said that strong welcoming policies, sometimes referred to as sanctuary policies, would outline that police will not honor ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant, that local government resources will not be spent on ICE, and that communities will feel safe to access resources without fear of federal agents.

    The policies that advocates are striving for are often referred to as sanctuary policies, and Trump has threatened to strip federal resources from local governments that do not cooperate with ICE.

    Advocates had been working since the summer to encourage municipalities across Montgomery County to approve policies limiting cooperation with ICE. The county, particularly the Norristown area, had become a hot spot for ICE enforcement in the early months of the Trump administration.

    In July, video of a raid at a West Norriton grocery store appeared to show local police assisting the federal agency; the township said federal authorities had sought assistance to retain order while they served a warrant for tax evasion.

    Super Gigante International Food Market, 1930 W. Main St., in West Norriton on July 16.

    Advocates pushed county leaders to enact a welcoming resolution, but officials consistently reiterated that they lacked any control over local police forces.

    Despite months of requests, Montgomery County has not passed a formal ordinance or resolution declaring itself a welcoming county. The county’s Democratic commissioners have cited limits to their power, concern about creating a false sense of security, and a preference for internal policy changes.

    Earlier this year, county officials approved a policy limiting communication between county employees and ICE and said they would not honor prison detainer requests without warrants.

    Advocates said Thursday that they strongly prefer limitations on local collaboration with ICE to be enshrined in ordinances rather than enacted through internal policies or statements, which can lack transparency and accountability and are not always enforceable.

    “None of [the six municipalities’ policies] are complete and the most visible problem on all of them is a lack of any accountability,” said Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, of Indivisible Greater Jenkintown.

    Julio Rodriguez, from the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, added that a lack of clear boundaries between local policies and federal agents creates more confusion and worry in the community.

    “It reinforces that fact the people just don’t know what’s happening,” Rodriguez said.

    Staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article.

  • SEPTA will be 7,000 feet of wire short of meeting Silverliner IV repair deadline

    SEPTA will be 7,000 feet of wire short of meeting Silverliner IV repair deadline

    Time and parts ran out on SEPTA.

    The transit agency says it will miss Friday’s federal deadline to finish outfitting all 223 Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars with a new heat-detection system. The reason: It needs to wait for 7,000 additional feet of thermal wire.

    About 30 of the 50-year-old cars have not yet had the safety feature installed, officials said. The wire required to finish the job is on back order.

    “I don’t think the suppliers expected one agency to raid their entire stockpile,” spokesperson Andrew Busch said.

    SEPTA needed about 39,000 feet of the thermal wire to outfit the entire fleet of Silverliner IV cars, he said. “It was an unusual demand on the supply chain,” Busch said. SEPTA has worked with two manufacturers and four distributors.

    The missing link is expected to arrive next week, and the installations should be finished the following week, Busch said.

    SEPTA worked with two manufacturers and distributors to get the large rolls of wire.

    The thermal wire is made of spring steel, separated by a polymer that melts at high temperature, allowing the steel conductor to touch and connect the electric circuit. That allows it to provide earlier warning of a potential problem so cars can be pulled from service.

    Delays, cancellations, station skips, and overcrowded trains running with fewer than the normal number of cars have been regular challenges for riders during the work, which started in October.

    Meanwhile, SEPTA is leasing 10 passenger coaches from Maryland’s commuter rail system, MARC, which Amtrak is scheduled to deliver late Friday night at 30th Street Station. They will be towed to SEPTA’s nearby Powelton yard.

  • Donald Trump will visit Northeast Pa. on Tuesday to promote his economic agenda ahead of 2026 midterms

    Donald Trump will visit Northeast Pa. on Tuesday to promote his economic agenda ahead of 2026 midterms

    President Donald Trump will visit Northeast Pennsylvania on Tuesday to promote his economic agenda, including efforts to lower inflation, the White House confirmed to The Inquirer on Thursday.

    The trip will kick off what is expected to be a national tour of Trump touting his economic policies ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Democrats and Republicans will battle for control of Congress.

    The specific location for Trump’s visit has not yet been made public, but Northeast Pennsylvania will be a major battleground in next year’s midterms.

    Democrats believe that they can oust freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, of Lackawanna County, threatening the GOP’s slim House majority. Democrats are also specifically targeting the districts of U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Bucks County; Ryan Mackenzie, of Lehigh County; and Scott Perry, of York County.

    Democrats are already planning for 2026 and think they can flip these four Pa. congressional seats

    Trump endorsed Bresnahan and most of Pennsylvania’s GOP delegation on his social media platform, Truth Social, last month. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is mounting a campaign to unseat Bresnahan, who won by roughly a percentage point last election.

    Affordability — which Trump called a “fake narrative” used by Democrats — has been a top issue for voters, including during November’s blue wave when Democrats won local contests throughout Pennsylvania, in addition to the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.

    The president has repeatedly claimed that prices have fallen since he took office in January, but a CNN fact-checking report from November said prices and inflation have increased. Many experts have pointed to Trump’s tariff policies as contributing to increased prices.

    Tuesday’s visit appears to be the president’s first to the Keystone State since attending an energy summit in Pittsburgh in July. In November 2024, Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris and won the presidency with the help of battleground Pennsylvania, garnering more votes than any statewide Republican candidate in history.

    The president had a particularly strong performance in Northeast Pennsylvania. last year, making some of his top gains compared with his 2020 performance in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties.

  • David E. Loder, longtime attorney, multifaceted board member, and education advocate, has died at 71

    David E. Loder, longtime attorney, multifaceted board member, and education advocate, has died at 71

    David E. Loder, 71, of Flourtown, longtime attorney at Duane Morris LLP, multifaceted trustee and board member, education advocate, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, Oct. 23, of complications from lymphoma and scleroderma at his home.

    A graduate of Germantown Friends School and what is now the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School, Mr. Loder spent 43 years, from 1982 to his retirement in 2024, as an associate, partner, and chair of the health law group at the Duane Morris law firm. He became partner in 1989 and helped the health law practice gain national recognition for its success.

    Mr. Loder and his team represented the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, and other medical providers in all kinds of consequential litigation. In 2006, he helped local hospitals win a multimillion-dollar settlement with an insurance company. In 2010, he supervised a case that successfully revived a state abatement program that alleviated medical malpractice costs for physicians and hospitals.

    In a tribute, former colleagues at the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation praised “his ability to see both the legal complexities and the human dimensions of every situation.”

    Mr. Loder stands with Blanka Zizka , the Wilma Theater’s artistic director, at an event in 2018.

    He was adept in vendor contract law, board governance, policy development, and human relations issues. He took special interest in doctor-patient relations and told the Daily News in 2016: “While it is critical that the healthcare provider convey necessary and accurate information to patients concerning their health condition, it is also important to remain sensitive to the patient’s interest and willingness to hear such information.”

    Matthew A. Taylor, chair and chief executive officer at Duane Morris, said in a tribute: “He was one of the nation’s most respected healthcare lawyers.”

    Mr. Loder also represented the Philadelphia Zoo, homeowners fighting increased property assessments, participants in gestational-carrier programs, and other clients. “He was a shrewd judge of character,” said his son Kyle. “He was thoughtful and strategic. He became a confidant and adviser to many of his clients.”

    John Soroko, chair emeritus at Duane Morris, said in a tribute: “Dave had a unique ability to turn friends into clients. But, even more importantly, to turn clients into friends.”

    This photo of Mr. Loder (right) representing the Philadelphia Zoo appeared in The Inquirer in 1989.

    Away from the law firm, Mr. Loder was chair of the board for the Wilma Theater and served on boards at Germantown Friends, the old University of the Sciences, the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, and other groups. He was a trustee at the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, and represented the Lindback regularly at its annual distinguished educators awards ceremony.

    “There’s a firm belief in the importance of excellence in education in the public schools,” he told The Inquirer at the 2016 Lindback ceremony. In 2017, he said: “All of us need to recognize that the Philadelphia public schools are serving an incredibly important function.” In 2018, he said: “People need to know that there are some exceptional educators in Philadelphia public schools.”

    He mentored many other lawyers and volunteered to help students in need. In online tributes, friends noted his “kind advice,” “voice of reason and compassion,” and “sense of humor, keen intellect, love of sports, and limitless knowledge on so many topics.”

    In 1998, he was featured in an Inquirer story about the challenges parents face when dealing with young children stuck inside during the cold winter months. He said: “I find that if you can get the kids down by 6 p.m. and have a glass of wine in front of the fireplace, it gets you through.”

    Mr. Loder enjoyed sports and the outdoors.

    His family said in a tribute: “He took life seriously but never too seriously, and his warmth, humor, guidance, and generosity will be remembered.”

    David Edwin Loder was born April 22, 1954, in Yalesville, Conn. His father, noted theologian Theodore Loder, moved the family to West Mount Airy when Mr. Loder was a boy, and he graduated from Germantown Friends in 1972.

    He starred in football, basketball, and baseball in high school, and went on to play basketball and earn a bachelor’s degree in political science at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1977. He worked briefly after college as a high school history teacher, served an independent study fellowship in Poland, earned his law degree at Penn in 1981, and studied international law at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

    He married Nadya Shmavonian, and they had sons Marek and Kyle, and a daughter, Julya, and lived in Philadelphia and Flourtown. After a divorce, he married Jennifer Ventresca and welcomed her children into the family.

    Mr. Loder liked hiking in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and relaxing at his getaway home on Long Beach Island.

    Mr. Loder enjoyed tennis, squash, and golf at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. He liked hiking in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and relaxing at his getaway home on Long Beach Island, N.J.

    He doted on his family and Labrador, and played cards every month for years with an eclectic group of old friends.

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

    “David embodied the values of faith, service, and integrity,” his family said. His son Kyle said: “He was magnetic, gracious, thoughtful, and curious. He was easy to talk to.”

    In addition to his wife, children, and former wife, Mr. Loder is survived by a granddaughter, a sister, two brothers, and other relatives.

    Mr. Loder “was magnetic, gracious, thoughtful and curious,” his son Kyle said.

    A memorial service and celebration of his life were held earlier.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Penn Medicine Scleroderma Center, Attn: Amanda Hills, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.

  • Pennsylvania’s $80 billion school pension fund gets a new director

    Pennsylvania’s $80 billion school pension fund gets a new director

    Uri Monson, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s longtime confidant and Pennsylvania’s budget secretary, is the new executive director of the $80 billion-asset Pennsylvania school pension and investment system, known as PSERS.

    The move puts Monson, a former top finance officer for the School District of Philadelphia and for Montgomery County government while Shapiro was its top elected official, atop the agency responsible for paying retirement checks to half a million current and retired school employees.

    Monson has shown “exceptional financial leadership and integrity,” Shapiro said in a statement, citing Monson’s bond refinancing work that shaved state interest costs and helped boost its credit ratings so they are no longer among the lowest of the 50 states.

    He is making the move to PSERS following a 135-day state budget impasse that resolved last month with a $50.1 billion budget deal between Shapiro and the divided legislature.

    Zachary Reber, a deputy secretary in Monson’s office with 30 years of state government experience, will become the state’s new budget secretary. Shapiro credited Reber as a top negotiator for the 2025-26 budget, helping clinch the deal with legislators.

    At PSERS, Monson will lead a staff of 350. The board picked Monson “because of his extensive public-sector financial experience,” board chair Richard Vague said in a statement that also said Monson’s hiring followed “a nationwide search.”

    The new executive director “understands both the financial demands of a pension system and the responsibility” to school staff and retirees, said vice chair Sue Lemmo, a retired teacher.

    Monson pledged to work with the board, staff, and other stakeholders — who include taxpayers and pension system members — to ensure “retirement security.”

    He holds both a master’s degree in public policy and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a second bachelor’s from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

    PSERS is one of the most expensive state programs, consuming $5.5 billion directly from public revenues last year, including both state and local property tax funds, plus $1.2 billion routed through school workers’ paychecks.

    The system also collects profits from its wide-ranging investments, totaling $5.7 billion last year.

    The switch will likely mean a significant pay raise for Monson, who earned $211,000 a year as budget czar, the most of any Pennsylvania cabinet officer and more than the lieutenant governor.

    While working as the top budget officer in the state since 2023, Monson oversaw Shapiro’s annual state budget proposals, which guide spending for the next five years.

    Republican lawmakers criticized Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal for counting on new revenue streams, such as marijuana taxes, that had yet to be approved by the General Assembly.

    Pennsylvania faces a tough fiscal outlook, as the state will spend more than it brings in this year, led by ballooning Medicaid expenses and pension costs.

    Monson’s predecessor at PSERS, Terrill Savidge Sanchez, was paid $317,000 in fiscal 2024. A longtime PSERS employee who also headed the smaller Pennsylvania state workers’ pension system (SERS), Sanchez announced her retirement earlier this year. Chief investment officer Ben Cotton stepped in as interim director after she left.

    Sanchez was tapped for the top PSERS job in 2022 after the departure of Glen Grell, a former state representative and lawyer who tripled his legislative paycheck by joining PSERS in 2015.

    Grell and other top staffers retired during a federal investigation into the system’s exaggerated earnings and secretive land deals, which was followed by changes in pension investment, financial reporting, audit, and travel practices.

    Monson worked closely with Shapiro, then a county commissioner, in Montgomery County’s 2013 decision to fire dozens of Wall Street money-management firms and turn its pension funds over to locally based Vanguard Group and SEI Investment Corp., cutting fees and reporting better returns over the next 10 years.

    As governor, Shapiro has not attempted such a purge, either at PSERS, where he controls three of 15 trustee seats, or at the SERS state employee pension system, where the governor appoints six of the 11 trustees.

    PSERS trustees on their own have scrapped hedge funds and cut back on private-equity funds in recent years, citing high fees and poor returns compared to the rising U.S. stock market.

    PSERS, like the state workers’ pension system, was among the first state pension systems to invest heavily in private assets in the late 1990s and 2000s.

    PSERS’s private investments underperformed U.S. stocks during the 2010s bull market. Those investment returns, plus rising retirements and pension underfunding in the early 2000s, required higher taxpayer payments in recent years to keep the fund from growing less solvent.

    Pennsylvanians now pay 34 cents into the PSERS plan for every $1 in school staff wages.

    Some owners of private money managers who solicit top leaders of PSERS and other state pension funds for investments are major political donors at the national level, though an SEC rule has barred them from collecting state and local pension fees after donating to state or local candidates.

    U.S. Sen. David McCormick (R., Pa.) was chief executive of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates when it was PSERS’s largest money manager. It oversaw about one-tenth of the state’s investments and collected more than $750 million in Pennsylvania investment fees over the 20 years before PSERS trustees voted to drop hedge funds in 2021.

    Staff writer Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.

  • In search of a crafty holiday gift? Here’s where to look in Lower Merion.

    In search of a crafty holiday gift? Here’s where to look in Lower Merion.

    The jingle bells are ringing, the Hanukkah party guest list is filling up, and you still don’t have a present for the coolest, artsiest person on your shopping list.

    Looking for a kooky snow globe? Bespoke Eagles memorabilia? An art print unlike any other? Don’t worry! If you’re living on (or traveling to) the Main Line, here’s where you should be shopping for crafty presents.

    Sweet Mabel Gallery

    Narberth’s Sweet Mabel Gallery is an iconic local business, run by husband-and-wife duo David Stehman and Tracy Tumolo. Sweet Mabel got its start in 2005 when Tumolo took over her grandfather’s former barbershop in Narberth. She and Stehman, who were graphic designers, decided to turn the barbershop into a local gallery and store stocked with colorful American and Canadian folk art.

    To celebrate the shop’s 20th anniversary, Sweet Mabel is displaying and selling works from local artists, all under $100. An anniversary ceremony will be held on Dec. 5 from 6-9 p.m. at the storefront on Haverford Avenue. Plus, if you find the perfect gift, Sweet Mabel will wrap it for free.

    Ardmore Holiday Market

    Art Star, a Philadelphia gallery and boutique, is bringing a collection of bespoke craft vendors to Ardmore for two weekends this month. The Ardmore Holiday Market, organized in partnership with the Ardmore Initiative, will take place Dec. 6 and 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Schauffele Plaza.

    Ardmore Holiday Market attendees can look out for Philly-area artists like Lauren Delk Ceramics, Mahika Market, Fwens, and Leann the Illustrator. Peruse the booths, listen to live music, and, if you have time, stop by Suburban Square for a free photo with Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    Past Present Future

    Looking for a funky snow globe? A one-of-a-kind charm necklace? Day of the Dead inspired earrings? Ardmore’s Past Present Future is a portal into the world of eclectic antiques and crafts, from embroidered cat-themed pillows to hand-painted ceramic dishes. Sherry Tillman started Past Present Future in Philadelphia in 1976, drawing on her “long-held ties to the local arts and crafts community” to procure unique goods.

    Past Present Future is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. (or later — “If we are still standing, we are still open,” the shop’s Facebook page reads).

    Something Different by Eric

    Eric Wells‘ store, Something Different by Eric, isn’t just a gift shop, it’s a hub for people with disabilities on the Main Line.

    Wells and his mom, Bernadette Wheeler, started the Bryn Mawr store in 2015. The nonprofit shop is staffed entirely by volunteers, including Haverford College students and special education advocates. Wheeler has said Something Different by Eric is part of a larger effort to “educate the community” and help people “see disabled individuals in action.”

    In addition to selling unique housewares, Philly- and Main Line-themed trinkets, sports memorabilia, baby gifts, and greeting cards, Something Different by Eric is stocked with books about mental and physical disabilities.

    The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

    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.

  • A Montco man, jailed for killing his wife over their cat’s vet bills, was denied lifesaving care, suit says

    A Montco man, jailed for killing his wife over their cat’s vet bills, was denied lifesaving care, suit says

    The family of a Lower Pottsgrove Township man who was accused of beating his wife to death over the mounting cost of their cat’s veterinary care is suing Montgomery County and two medical companies, saying they denied him crucial healthcare while in the county jail, leading to his untimely death.

    Barton Seltmann, 84, died in April 2024 from urosepsis from “an undiagnosed and untreated urinary tract infection,” according to the wrongful-death lawsuit, which was filed last week in federal court in Philadelphia.

    A neck fracture that Seltmann sustained after falling in his jail cell also contributed to his death, the filing said.

    The suit names the county, as well as PrimeCare Medical and Creative Health Services, two companies contracted to provide medical care to inmates at the jail.

    Neither company responded to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners said the county does not comment on pending litigation.

    Seltmann was charged with murder and related crimes in November 2023 after, prosecutors said, he killed his wife, Margaret, during a dispute over the cost of their cat’s medical bills.

    In interviews after the incident, Seltmann, an Army veteran and former West Pottsgrove Township police officer, seemed to believe his wife was still alive, according to court filings. He did not grasp the reality of the incident and showed early signs of dementia.

    A month before his death, a Montgomery County judge dismissed the case against Seltmann, ruling that he was not fit to stand trial because his mental-health faculties and physical condition had deteriorated so significantly.

    But Patrick Duffy, the lawyer representing Seltmann’s children, wrote in the lawsuit that Seltmann’s marked decline in health came only while he was incarcerated.

    “Despite the obvious signs and symptoms indicating worsening progression of his condition, Mr. Seltmann was denied adequate medical care and intervention which allowed his condition … to develop into a state where it was irreversible and no further care could prevent his death,” Duffy said.

    The lawsuit asserts that jail staff did not allow Seltmann’s children to visit him due to the seriousness of the charges he faced at the time, which prevented his deteriorating health from being addressed sooner.

    Staff at the prison, including medical providers from PrimeCare and Creative Health Services, made a “calculated decision” to delay providing Seltmann with more intensive treatment in hopes he would soon be transferred to Norristown State Hospital, the suit contends.

    During intake at the jail, Seltmann appeared healthy, but by the end of his six weeks there, the lawsuit said, he was struggling to communicate, with “rambling and incoherent speech” and issues focusing.

    Seltmann developed a fungal rash on his groin and injuries to his feet and legs that later made it difficult for him to walk, causing him to fall and injure his head.

    In the suit, Duffy alleges that these issues were visible to, and known by, staff at the jail, but they refused to make a referral for him for outside care until his body temperature dropped to 86.5 degrees and he was retaining urine.

    When Seltmann was taken to Einstein Montgomery Hospital on Jan. 11, 2024, doctors found he had an acute neck fracture from his previous falls at the jail.

    He was later transferred to Jefferson Einstein Hospital in Olney, where he died months later.

  • Take a peek at this Bryn Mawr home’s makeover | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Take a peek at this Bryn Mawr home’s makeover | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Hi, Lower Merion! 👋

    A couple recently overhauled their “1980-esque” Bryn Mawr home to better suit their tastes. We take a look inside. Also this week, a Gladwyne native channels his passion for robots into his art, we look back on how a Bala Cynwyd woman unintentionally ended up in an exclusive Flyers club, plus popular Chinatown eatery EMei is gearing up for its expansion into Ardmore.

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

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    A ‘grandma’s house’ in Bryn Mawr gets a makeover with a laid-back vibe

    Steve Peikin and Amy Spicer spent four months remodeling their Bryn Mawr home to suit both their tastes. They moved in this spring, once worked was completed.

    After a couple purchased a “1980-esque” Bryn Mawr home over two years ago that he loved but she thought felt dated, they landed on a compromise: remodeling it to suit both their tastes.

    That meant out with the yellow exterior and in with a brownish gray one, and swapping a more formal interior for a “natural, laid-back feel.”

    The result, which took four months to create, is a cozy, updated English Country style home with custom bookshelves, extended ceiling beams, and a new look for the fireplace mantel.

    Outside is equally cozy, thanks to a pool, hot tub, and fire pit.

    Take a peek inside at the other changes they made.

    💡 Community News

    • Montgomery County’s former chief information officer has made several accusations against his former employer. In a lawsuit, Anthony Olivieri says he was fired earlier this year because he requested accommodations for his mental health, but also went on to say that officials had engaged in instances of “fraud, waste, [and] wrongdoing” since 2017, including by the county’s CFO.
    • The community is mourning the loss of two former residents, each that led distinguished careers in the medical field. Last month, world-renowned scientist and Lower Merion native Mark Hallett died of glioblastoma. A Harriton High alum, Hallett was a pioneering expert in movement, brain physiology, and human motor control. And writer, pioneering medical journal editor, award-winning historian, and Bryn Mawr resident Kathleen A. Case died in mid-November from heart failure. She spent 24 years as a top editor for the Annals of Internal Medicine and as vice president for publishing at the American College of Physicians.
    • In 1989, a Bala Cynwyd woman and Flyers fan earned her way into a club she never sought out. During a playoff game at the Spectrum, Nancy Fineberg was hit in the chin with an errant puck, but she refused to leave until after the game. Soon after, she received a package welcoming her to the “Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck.” The Inquirer’s Matt Breen recently revisited the club’s roots, which date back to the 1970s and were an effort by the team to turn a negative into a positive.
    • Artist and Gladwyne native Jake Weinstein’s first solo exhibit is on display at Works on Paper Gallery in Center City. “Clankers,” which runs through the end of the month, showcases Weinstein’s longtime interest in robots, designed on paper and in sculpture. Weinstein’s passion for robots was driven in part by his and his father’s love of sci-fi, and his dad’s pioneering work in robotic surgery.
    • Philadelphia Jewish Exponent recently interviewed Rabbi Matthew Abelson, a Lower Merion resident who joined Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr at the start of the school year as a Jewish studies teacher. The New York transplant, who is a member of Sha’arei Orah Congregation in Bala Cynwyd, shared what inspired him to get into the field.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Today is the end of the first trimester for all elementary schools. There are winter chorus and orchestra concerts tonight and throughout next week, and tomorrow night is the talent show at Penn Wynne Elementary. See the district’s full calendar here.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    🎳 Things to Do

    🦌 Rankin/Bass Holiday Specials: Catch screenings of favorite animated holiday classics The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, and ’Twas the Night Before Christmas during a matinee showing. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m. 💵 $6.75-$7.75 📍Bryn Mawr Film Institute

    🎄 Ardmore Holiday Market: Over 20 vendors will be selling handcrafted goods at this inaugural event. ⏰ Saturdays, Dec. 6, and 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍Schauffele Plaza

    🇬🇧 Narberth Dickens Festival: Wander around Narberth as it’s transformed into an 1840s, Charles Dickens-themed London, complete with characters from A Christmas Carol. Period vendors, carolers, crafts, food, drinks, and a scavenger hunt round out the event. ⏰ Sunday, Dec. 7, noon-4 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Downtown Narberth

    🏡 On the Market

    A completely updated four-bedroom Bala Cynwyd home

    The home, built in 1945, was recently updated.

    This 1945 Bala Cynwyd home has been fully renovated, giving it a modern interior while retaining the charm of its mid-20th century roots. The first floor now has an open-concept layout with a family room, an eat-in kitchen with two-toned cabinetry topped with Edison quartz, and a dining room with a butler’s pantry. There are three bedrooms upstairs, with a fourth in the finished basement. The home also has a new Belgard paver patio. There are open houses today from 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $1.095M | Size: 2,495 SF | Acreage: 0.23

    🗞️ What other Lower Merion 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.

  • What to know about this year’s Festival of Lights | Inquirer Greater Media

    What to know about this year’s Festival of Lights | Inquirer Greater Media

    Hi, Greater Media! 👋

    The Festival of Lights in Media kicks off tonight and is expected to draw over 100,000 people during its month-long run. Also this week, Swarthmore College is proposing updates to its athletic fields, Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is hosting meetings about its finances, plus a festive pop-up bar has returned for the season.

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    100,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s Festival of Lights

    This year’s Festival of Lights kicks off at Rose Tree County Park on Dec. 4.

    The Festival of Lights returns to Rose Tree County Park tonight, when some 300,000 lights adorning over 125 trees will be lit for the first time this season.

    The beloved annual tradition is marking its 50th anniversary this year and will include longtime favorite displays, plus live performances, food, drinks, and vendors on select Delco’s Fare & Flair nights.

    New this year: a “Delco Bell” celebrating the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

    Here’s everything you need to know before heading to this year’s festival.

    What to know about Swarthmore College’s plans to redevelop its athletic fields

    A rendering shows the proposed Cunningham Park athletic complex at Swarthmore College.

    Swarthmore College is looking to redevelop its athletic complex as its existing infrastructure ages, with plans to update its facilities off College Avenue and North Chester Road, known as Cunningham Fields. They are currently home to four grass fields, six tennis courts, locker rooms, and restrooms.

    Under its proposal, the school would install new tennis courts, spectator seating, and a pavilion with restrooms and team meeting areas, as well as updated grass and turf fields.

    The college has made significant changes to its initial plans after hearing community members’ concerns. Approval from the county and borough could still take months or longer.

    Read more about Swarthmore’s current plans here.

    💡 Community News

    • Heads up for drivers: Swarthmore Avenue is closed for the next eight weeks at the railroad tracks, but pedestrians are still able to access the area. And throughout December, PennDot is working to improve portions of I-476 in both directions between its interchanges with I-76 and and I-95. Overnight roadwork and closures will take place Sundays through Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
    • The Foundation for Delaware County has rebranded its support programs like those that provide at-home prenatal visits, housing assistance, legal aid, doulas, mental health resources for new mothers, and a fathers’ support group, under a new name: Family Village. The nonprofit hopes the update will raise greater awareness for its services, particularly in the wake of Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s closure earlier this year.
    • On Monday, Blackbird Health opened a clinic at 1023 E. Baltimore Pike in Media. Blackbird Health specializes in mental healthcare services for children, teenagers, and young adults.
    • Swarthmore Public Library has hired Cyreena Bowman as its new teen librarian. (The Swarthmorean)

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is hosting two community meetings about its finances after the district said it was facing the possibility of a $2.6 million budget deficit come the 2027-28 school year. The meetings will both take place Monday, with one at 9:30 a.m. and another at 6 p.m., at Strath Haven Middle School.
    • WSSD this week also voted on new school board of directors leadership. Vice President Michelle Williams will become president, Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith will become vice president, Robert Miller will be treasurer, and Nannette Whitsett will serve as assistant board secretary.
    • Nether Providence Elementary has picture retakes tomorrow. There are also fine and applied arts nights tonight and Tuesday. See WSSD’s full calendar here.
    • Rose Tree Media School District has a number of winter concerts tonight and next week. See RTMSD’s full calendar here.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Now in its seventh year, roving holiday pop-up bar Jingle on State has returned, this time to Tap 24 in Media. It’s open Tuesdays through Sundays starting at noon, with happy hour taking place Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. Jingle on State is serving up festive sips like a Red-Nosed Mule made with vodka, ginger beer, lime, and cranberry juice, and Santa’s Pick-Me-Up, made with vanilla vodka, espresso, peppermint simple syrup, peppermint rum, and Kahlua.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎄 Home for the Holidays: The all-day celebration includes a Reindeer Dash one-mile walk and run, a Winter Village, a Kwanzaa celebration, trolley rides, and caroling, capped by a fire truck parade with Santa that ends with the town’s tree lighting. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. 💵 Prices vary 📍 Swarthmore town center

    🛍️ Holiday Artisans Market: Shop from local artisans selling things like candles, ceramics, wine, soap, and art in Tyler Arboretum’s historic barn. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 💵 $10-$18 admission required for non-members, free for members 📍 Tyler Arboretum, Media

    🧚 Peter Pan Jr.: The Media Theatre will put its spin on the Disney classic. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 6-Sunday, Dec. 21, select days and times 💵 $21-$27 📍 The Media Theatre

    🏡 On the Market

    A charming stone colonial in Wallingford

    The stone colonial spans over 2,700 square feet.

    Built in 1956, this four-bedroom stone colonial has undergone a number of recent updates. Those include a new kitchen with stainless steel appliances and soapstone and walnut countertops, a new roof and HVAC system, and a new concrete patio out back. Other features include a first-floor bedroom, a dining room with a fireplace, and a finished basement.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $775,000 | Size: 2,718 SF | Acreage: 0.51

    🗞️ What other Greater Media residents are reading this week:

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    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.

  • Gov. Josh Shapiro says Kamala Harris’ descriptions of him were ‘blatant lies’ intended to sell books

    Gov. Josh Shapiro says Kamala Harris’ descriptions of him were ‘blatant lies’ intended to sell books

    Gov. Josh Shapiro lashed out over former Vice President Kamala Harris’ portrayal of his interview to become her 2024 running mate, calling Harris’ retellings “complete and utter bulls—” intended to sell books and “cover her a—,” according to the Atlantic.

    Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s first-term Democratic governor now seen as a likely presidential contender in 2028, departed from his usual composed demeanor and rehearsed comments in a lengthy Atlantic profile, published Wednesday, when journalist Tim Alberta asked the governor about Harris’ depiction of him in her new book.

    In her book, titled 107 Days, Harris described Shapiro as “poised, polished, and personable” when he traveled to Washington to interview with Harris for a shot at becoming the Democratic vice presidential candidate during her historic campaign against Donald Trump.

    ‘Overly ambitious’: New book about the 2024 election details why Kamala Harris passed over Gov. Josh Shapiro for VP

    However, Harris said, she suspected Shapiro would be unhappy as second-in-command. He “peppered” her with questions, she wrote, and said he asked questions about the vice president’s residence, “from the number of bedrooms to how he might arrange to get Pennsylvania artists’ work on loan from the Smithsonian.” The account aligns with reporting from The Inquirer when Harris ultimately picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Shapiro, in part, because Shapiro was too ambitious to serve in a supporting role if chosen as her running mate.

    But Shapiro, the Atlantic reported, was taken aback by the portrayal.

    “She wrote that in her book? That’s complete and utter bull—,” Shapiro reportedly told the Atlantic when asked about Harris’ account that he had been imagining the potential art for the vice presidential residence. He added: “I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”

    The governor’s sharp-tongued frustration depicted in the Atlantic marked a rare departure for the image-conscious Shapiro, whose oratory skills have been compared to those of former President Barack Obama, and who has been known to give smiling, folksy interviews laced with oft-repeated and carefully told anecdotes.

    The wide-ranging, nearly 8,000-word profile in the Atlantic also detailed Shapiro’s loss of “some respect” for Harris during the 2024 election, including for her failure to take action regarding former President Joe Biden’s visible decline.

    Inside Harris’ decision to pass over Josh Shapiro as her VP pick
    Governor Josh Shapiro speaks with press along with Vice President Kamala Harris during their short visit to Little Thai Market at Reading Terminal Market after she spoke at the APIA Vote Presidential Town Hall at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024.

    When Shapiro was asked by the Atlantic whether he felt betrayed by Harris’ comments in her book about him, given that the two have known each other for 20 years, he said: “I mean, she’s trying to sell books and cover her a—.”

    He quickly reframed his response: “I shouldn’t say ‘cover her a—,’ I think that’s not appropriate,” he added. “She’s trying to sell books, period.”

    The Atlantic piece, titled “What Josh Shapiro Knows About Trump Voters,” presented Shapiro as a popular Democratic governor in a critical swing state that went for Trump in 2024, and as a master political operator who has carefully built a public image as a moderate willing to work across the aisle or appoint Republicans to top cabinet positions. That image was tested this year during a protracted state budget impasse that lasted 135 days, as Shapiro was unable to strike a deal between the Democratic state House and GOP-controlled state Senate for nearly five months past the state budget deadline.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro says national Democrats folded in the federal shutdown, while he stayed ‘at the table’ for Pa.’s late budget deal

    The Atlantic piece also outlined common criticisms of Shapiro throughout his two decades in Pennsylvania politics, including those from within the Democratic Party: He is too ambitious with his sights set on the presidency, and his pragmatic approach often leaves him frustrating all sides, as evidenced in his 2023 deal-then-veto with state Senate Republicans over school vouchers. It highlighted some of the top issues Shapiro will face if he chooses to run for president in 2028, including a need to take clearer stances on policy issues — a complaint often cited by Republicans and his critics. If he rises to the presidential field, Shapiro will also have to face his past handling of a sexual harassment complaint against a former top aide that Shapiro claimed he knew very little about despite the aide’s long-held reputation.

    Top aide to Gov. Josh Shapiro faced sexual harassment complaint months before his abrupt resignation, documents show
    Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stage ahead of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz at a rally in Philadelphia’s Liacouras Center on August 6, 2024.

    “The worst-kept secret in Pennsylvania politics is that the governor is disliked — in certain cases, loathed — by some of his fellow Democrats,” the Atlantic reported. Further, Alberta noted that when an unnamed Pennsylvania lawmaker received a call from a member of Harris’ vetting operation, the member said they had never seen “so many Democrats turning on one of their own.”

    Shapiro has been featured in several other prominent national media outlets in recent weeks, including in the New Yorker, which ran a profile about his experience with political violence. He has become vocal on that issue in the months since a Harrisburg man who told police he wanted to kill Shapiro broke into the governor’s residence in April and set several fires while Shapiro and his family slept upstairs. As one of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in the nation, Shapiro has frequently said that leaders must “bring down the temperature” in their rhetoric, and has tried to refocus his own messaging on the good that state governments can do to make people’s lives easier, such as permitting reforms and infrastructure improvements.

    The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The impact lingers.

    “The fact that people view institutions as incapable or unwilling to solve their problems is leading to hyper-frustration, which then creates anger,” Shapiro told the Atlantic. “And that anger forces people oftentimes into dark corners of the internet, where they find others who want to take advantage of their anger and try and convert that anger into acts of violence.”