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  • Montgomery County’s top officials are divided on ICE and potential Trump administration funding cuts, but they say they’ll ‘put politics aside’

    Montgomery County’s top officials are divided on ICE and potential Trump administration funding cuts, but they say they’ll ‘put politics aside’

    It was a portrait of amicable disagreement.

    Talking to reporters gathered at the front of an auditorium at Montgomery County Community College, the collar county’s top officials engaged in a friendly back-and-forth about something local leaders have had to pay unprecedented attention to since last year: how to handle any future federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump.

    Within the last year, counties have navigated uncertainty surrounding reductions in funding under the Trump administration. In Montgomery County, those cuts have jeopardized key resources for public health, higher education, and homeless services.

    “Naturally, our teams are following what’s coming out of [the Department of Housing and Urban Development], what’s happening with SNAP. We’re trying to anticipate,” said Jamila Winder, a Democrat and the chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

    Community needs “that arise from the cuts to SNAP and the cuts to Medicaid are significant,” said vice chair Neil Makhija, a Democrat.

    Tom DiBello, the board’s lone Republican, had a different view.

    “Well, we also have to maybe look at what those reductions are, why those reductions are occurring … and I know this is where we divide,” he said.

    Crossing the aisle has become rare in the rancorous national political environment. But at Montgomery County Community College on Wednesday, the commissioners emphasized at their annual State of the County address that they are striving for cooperation to be their norm, even as lawmakers in Harrisburg and Washington struggle to work together.

    The commissioners have navigated their own tense moments in recent months, particularly related to immigration.

    “Look, there are definitely things that we disagree on as a team, but what’s most important is that we’re able to fund the services that we provide to people in Montgomery County,” Winder told reporters.

    Montgomery County commissioners and row officers stand on stage during introductions.

    Wednesday’s address featured the commissioners reflecting on the county’s accomplishments in 2025 and outlining their goals for the year ahead to an audience of constituents and officials. Those include opening shelters for people experiencing homelessness, determining how to best integrate artificial intelligence in county services, and cutting red tape for residents trying to access local services.

    And it was also sprinkled with displays of camaraderie despite political differences, such as the commissioners touting 2026’s bipartisan budget as the first in nearly a decade or DiBello going in for a hug after turning the microphone over to Winder for her closing remarks.

    “If there’s one thing I want you to take away from today, it’s this: Under our collective leadership as commissioners, this board will continue to put politics aside to do what’s best for our communities,” Winder said at the address, of which the theme was “collaboration.”

    But their interactions have not always fit the cordial image presented Wednesday.

    During a board of commissioners meeting in July, Winder accused DiBello of lacking empathy after 14 people were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in West Norriton.

    Winder and Makhija called for ICE agents to be held accountable, while DiBello encouraged respect for law enforcement and denounced the incorporation of politics into the meeting.

    “People are being terrorized by masked ICE agents in Montgomery County, that’s what we’re saying. And if you can’t be empathetic to that, that’s disconcerting,” Winder said at the time.

    Thomas DiBello, the lone Republican commissioner, walks to the podium for remarks during the Montgomery County’s 2026 State of County event in Blue Bell. At right is Jamila H. Winder, the board’s Democratic chair.

    “No matter what, we should be respecting our law enforcement agencies until they break the law,” DiBello responded.

    On Wednesday, immigration-related disagreements lingered when Makhija told reporters about his opposition to ICE buying warehouses in Pennsylvania, including in Berks County, that may be used to detain people.

    “Again we divide, because I will support the rule of law,” DiBello said on immigration enforcement. ”I stand with law enforcement, and if people want changes, they need to go to Washington and ask and promote those changes.”

  • Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., 80, of Gladwyne, renowned pioneering knee surgeon, former head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Pennsylvania Hospital, celebrated antiquarian, professor, researcher, writer, lecturer, athlete, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, Jan. 15, of complications from cancer at his home.

    Born in Philadelphia and reared in Haddonfield, Dr. Booth was a top honors student at Haddonfield Memorial High School, Princeton University, and what is now the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was good at seeing things differently and went on to design new artificial knee joint implants and improved surgical instruments, serve as chief of orthopedics at Pennsylvania Hospital, and mentor celebrated surgical staffs at Jefferson Health, Aria Health, and Penn Medicine.

    He joined with two other prominent doctors to cofound the 3B orthopedic private practice in the late 1990s and, over 50 years until recently, performed more than 50,000 knee replacements, more than anyone, according to several sources. Last March 26, he did five knee replacements on his 80th birthday.

    In a tribute, fellow physician Alex Vaccaro, president of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, said: “He restored mobility to thousands, pairing unmatched technical mastery with a compassion that patients never forgot.”

    In a 1989 story about his career, Dr. Booth told The Inquirer: “It’s so much fun and so gratifying and so rewarding to see what it means to these people. You don’t see that in the operating room. You see that in the follow-ups. That’s the fun of being a surgeon.”

    Friends called him “a legend in his profession” and “a friend to everyone” in online tributes. He was known to check in with patients the night before every surgery, and a colleague said online: “Patients were all shocked by his compassion.”

    Dr. Booth was also praised for his organization and collaboration in the operating room. “His OR was a clinic in team work and efficiency,” a former colleague said on LinkedIn.

    He told Medical Economics magazine in 2015: “I love fixing things. I like the mechanics and the positivity of something assembled and fixed.”

    This article about Dr. Booth’s practice was published in The Inquirer in 2015.

    His procedural innovations reduced infection rates and increased success rates. They were scrutinized in case studies by Harvard University and others, and replicated by colleagues around the world. Some of the instruments he redesigned, such as the Booth retractor, bear his name.

    He was president of the Illinois-based Knee Society in the early 2000s and earned its 2026 lifetime achievement award. In an Instagram post, colleagues there called him “one of the most influential leaders in the history of knee arthroplasty.”

    Dr. Booth replaced both knees at once on a 52-year old in 2015.

    He was a professor of orthopedics at Penn’s school of medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the old Allegheny University of Health Sciences. He loved language and studied poetry on a scholarship in England after Princeton and before medical school at Penn. He told his family that his greatest professional satisfaction was using both his “manual and linguistic skills.”

    He was onetime president of the International Spine Study Group and volunteered with the nonprofit Operation Walk Denver to provide free surgical care for severe arthritis patients in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Colleagues at Operation Walk Denver noted his “remarkable spirit, profound expertise, and unwavering commitment” in a Facebook tribute.

    This story about Dr. Booth’s charitable work abroad appeared in The Inquirer in 2020.

    At home, Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, amassed an extensive collection of Shaker and Pennsylvania German folk art. They curated five notable exhibitions at the Philadelphia Antiques Show and were recognized as exceptional collectors in 2011 by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.

    He lectured widely about art and antiques, and wrote articles for Magazine Antiques and other publications. He was president of the American Folk Art Society and active at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire.

    “He was larger than life for sure,” said his daughter, Courtney.

    Robert Emrey Booth Jr. was born March 26, 1945, in Philadelphia. He was the salutatorian of his senior class and ran track and field at Haddonfield High School.

    Dr. Booth enjoyed time with his family.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Princeton in 1967, won a letter on the swimming and diving team, and played on the school’s Ivy League championship lacrosse team as a senior. He wrote his senior thesis about poet William Butler Yeats and returned to Philadelphia from England at the suggestion of his father, a prominent radiologist, to become a doctor. He graduated from Penn’s medical school in 1972.

    “I always liked the intellectual side of medicine,” he told Medical Economics. “And once I got to see the clinical side, I was pretty well hooked.”

    3B Orthopedics moves to Aria Health from Pennsylvania Hospital

    He met Kathy Plummer at a wedding, and they married in 1972 and had a daughter, Courtney, and sons Robert and Thomas. They lived in Society Hill, Haddonfield, and Gladwyne.

    Dr. Booth liked to ski and play golf. He was an avid reader and enjoyed time with his family on Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine.

    “He was quite the person, quite the partner, and quite the husband,” his wife said, “and I’m so proud of what we built together.”

    Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, married in 1972.

    In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Booth is survived by six grandchildren and other relatives.

    A private celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations in his name may be made to Operation Walk Denver, 950 E. Harvard Ave., Suite 230, Denver, Colo. 80210.

  • QVC may file for bankruptcy, according to a new report. Here’s what to know.

    QVC may file for bankruptcy, according to a new report. Here’s what to know.

    The West Chester-based QVC Group is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as its financial troubles mount, according to Bloomberg.

    The TV shopping network has been negotiating the voluntary restructuring of billions in debt during confidential conversations with creditors, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

    A final decision had not been made on whether the company would file, according to Bloomberg. As of midday Wednesday, a search for “QVC Group” in online court records did not show any bankruptcy filings.

    In September, QVC Group had $6.6 billion in debt and $1.8 billion in cash or cash equivalents, according to its latest earnings report.

    A QVC Group spokesperson did not return a request for comment from The Inquirer. On Tuesday, company representatives did not immediately respond to Bloomberg or the Philadelphia Business Journal.

    After Bloomberg’s article published, QVC Group’s stock price took a nosedive, losing about two-thirds of its value by the end of the trading day.

    How QVC got into these financial straits

    Based in West Chester for more than three decades, QVC pioneered home shopping.

    Before consumers could make purchases on laptops and smartphones, the network and its smaller counterpart HSN — which until recently was based in Florida — broadcast on live TV at all hours. Anchors sold a wide array of clothing, electronics, household goods, beauty products, and other wares.

    A QVC show is shot at the network’s West Chester studio in this 2019 file photo.

    The news of a potential bankruptcy comes after a tumultuous few years.

    In early 2025, executives closed HSN’s studio in St. Petersburg, Fla., and consolidated both networks on its West Chester campus, laying off hundreds of employees in the process.

    Around the same time, the parent company rebranded as QVC Group. Executives said they planned to focus more on livestreaming and social-media shopping to keep up with stiff competition from the likes of TikTok Shop.

    “Live social shopping is a natural evolution for us,” David L. Rawlinson II, the company’s president and CEO, said in a November 2024 statement. “Our customers are spending dramatically more time on social media, and that is increasingly where they are finding inspiration and shopping.”

    David L. Rawlinson II, CEO of QVC Group, is shown in this 2023 file photo.

    The strategy did not prove fruitful.

    By May, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs took a toll, Rawlinson said the company was taking steps to cut costs and win back customers who were feeling down on the economy. That included an agreement with TikTok that the CEO said would create “the first 24/7 live shopping experience in the U.S.”

    Then in August, a company spokesperson announced plans to hire about 250 employees by early 2026. It was not clear Wednesday whether those hires were ever made.

    Despite these changes, QVC’s revenue and operating income have continued to decline, according to earnings reports, and the company has continued shedding customers.

    As of September, about 7 million people had shopped on the networks in the past year, down from 8.1 million in fiscal year 2023.

    QVC Group is set to release its fourth quarter 2025 earnings report later this month.

    What Chapter 11 bankruptcy could mean for QVC

    A holiday segment is taped at QVC’s West Chester studio in this 2023 file photo.

    A Chapter 11 bankruptcy would not mean the end of QVC.

    Chapter 11 is different from Chapter 7, which involves the liquidation of assets. (Iron Hill Brewery closed all restaurants when it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this fall.)

    After filing for Chapter 11 protection, companies usually continue to operate, though they often decide to close locations or downsize in other ways amid the restructuring process.

    Saks Global, for instance, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, announced Tuesday that its restructuring would involve the closure of its longstanding Bala Cynwyd store, as well as nine other Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus locations.

  • Chesco makes another election error, after residents said their faith in voting security was shaken

    Chesco makes another election error, after residents said their faith in voting security was shaken

    On the heels of a massive pollbook error that left thousands of voters off the rolls in the November election and prompted an independent investigation, Chester County is facing another mistake from its voter services department.

    Earlier this month, the county’s reminder notices, sent to voters who said they would like to receive an annual mail ballot application, reversed the first and last names of voters on the applications. It was not clear how many applications were affected by the error.

    “This printing error will not affect the processing of the form,” the county’s voter services department posted on its website. “Whether voters choose to submit their application online or using the paper form, all applications will be processed accordingly.”

    It was another blunder for a department that has made administrative mistakes in its elections, with residents telling county commissioners last week the errors were eroding their trust in election safety. It also comes as voters have called for the firing of the director of the department after the office has seen high numbers of turnover.

    Counties across the state are sending reminders to voters who said they would like to receive an application to vote by mail. The county became aware of the mistake on Feb. 4, after it mailed out the applications earlier that week.

    County officials alerted the Pennsylvania Department of State that day, a spokesperson for the agency said.

    “We agree with county officials that there is no need to reissue the applications,” the spokesperson said in an email.

    A county spokesperson referred to the voter services statement.

    More than 52,000 county voters cast their ballots by mail in November.

    Residents had worried during a public meeting last week that the county would make another misstep. The meeting was the first since the county released an independent report investigating a pollbook error that omitted roughly 75,000 unaffiliated and third-party voters and forced more than 12,000 voters to cast provisional ballots in the general election.

    November’s error followed another omission in May, when the county did not include the office of the prothonotary on its primary ballot, due to a legal misinterpretation from the county’s solicitor.

    The issues come as the department’s director, Karen Barsoum, has been accused of fostering a toxic workplace, leading to unusually high turnover. The independent investigation found no evidence of that, the lawyers who penned the report said last week.

    The investigation found no evidence of malfeasance in the election blunders, but rather that lack of training, poor oversight, and staffing challenges compounded to cause the pollbook error.

    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.

  • Lower Merion and Narberth want to make Montgomery Avenue safer. Here’s how you can weigh in.

    Lower Merion and Narberth want to make Montgomery Avenue safer. Here’s how you can weigh in.

    Lower Merion and Narberth are seeking residents’ input as they embark on an effort to make Montgomery Avenue safer for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

    At a meeting Feb. 3, officials from the township and the borough laid out long-standing safety issues on Montgomery Avenue and took feedback from attendees, many of whom said they no longer feel safe walking and driving along one of the Main Line’s busiest arteries.

    The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Lower Merion and Narberth $340,540 to study a seven-mile stretch of Montgomery Avenue, from Spring Mill Road to City Avenue, through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The program awards funds to municipalities working to limit roadway deaths and serious injuries. The study will inform safety improvements at 35 intersections on that stretch of Montgomery Avenue.

    Map showing the section of Montgomery
    Avenue in Lower Merion and Narberth undergoing a comprehensive traffic safety study.

    Officials cited a long list of safety issues on Montgomery Avenue, from out-of-date pedestrian push buttons, sidewalk curb ramps, and crosswalk lighting to regular speeding and weaving by drivers. Without proper turn lanes and signals, drivers making left turns on Montgomery Avenue often slow traffic and can endanger pedestrians and other motorists, township representatives added.

    The traffic-calming effort comes at the heels of Lower Merion’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, which was published in 2025. The plan calls for eliminating all roadway fatalities and serious injuries in Lower Merion, with a goal of achieving a 50% reduction by 2030. Last summer, township commissioners approved a plan to install automated red-light enforcement cameras at four intersections, beginning with the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Remington Road.

    Unlike previous traffic studies that focused on individual intersections, this project will take a more comprehensive approach, officials said.

    Between 2020 and 2024, there were 532 reportable crashes on Montgomery Avenue between Spring Mill Road and City Avenue. A reportable crash is defined as a crash resulting in an injury or vehicle damage serious enough to require towing. Around 2.5% of such crashes involved a serious injury. Just over half involved a minor injury, and the rest, around 46%, involved property damage only. In the same time frame, there were 920 minor crashes, or incidents with no injury and no need for towing.

    In total, 3,767 crashes were reported in Lower Merion at-large between 2019 and 2023. In that time frame, Lower Merion Township accounted for 8% of crashes with a fatality or serious injury within Montgomery County.

    Red-light enforcement cameras are coming to Lower Merion. Here’s what to know about the location, fines, and more.

    Pennsylvania is the only state in the country where local police officers are prohibited from using radar for speed enforcement, said Andy Block, Lower Merion’s police superintendent, making it difficult for his department to enforce speed limits.

    At the meeting, residents told stories of their own crashes and near-misses on Montgomery Avenue.

    Kim Beam, a social worker at Bryn Mawr Hospital, used to walk to work along Montgomery Avenue every day before she was nearly hit by a car a few weeks ago.

    “I had an event which would have made me one of your fatalities,” Beam said, describing her walk to work as poorly lit, contributing to dangerous, and almost deadly, conditions for pedestrians like herself.

    Residents of Lower Merion and Narberth were encouraged to complete a survey that will inform officials as they develop a preliminary set of safety recommendations. A public meeting will be held once the recommendations are developed to gather additional feedback.

    Residents can fill out the survey online via www.lowermerion.org/Home/Components/News/News/5605/50 or print it out and drop it off at Narberth or Lower Merion’s municipal buildings. Completed forms can also be mailed to Brandon Ford, Assistant Township Manager, Lower Merion Township, 75 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, Pa. 19003.

    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.

  • Roadside bakeries are gaining popularity | Inquirer Chester County

    Roadside bakeries are gaining popularity | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    Microbakeries are popping up around the county. Here’s where you can find some. Also this week, a teahouse and community space is planning to relocate to Exton, a former Malvern business owner has been sentenced to prison for deceptive practices, plus a new jazz cafe is opening in Coatesville.

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

    Roadside bakeries are filling a void across the county

    The Devon Road Made bakery cart is stocked with bread, cookies, and other baked goods.

    A small but growing number of home bakers in Chester County are looking to fill a void in the community — and in people’s stomachs.

    Microbakeries are slowly growing countywide, with 28 licensed as of last year. They’re selling goods like breads, cookies, cinnamon buns, and pancake mixes from stands outside their homes or through online ordering.

    While some of these bakers prioritize premium ingredients, many are also putting in something you won’t find on the label. “I like to put a lot of heart and soul into it,” said one baker. “I feel if you’re going to put good energy into that, people are going to feel that.”

    The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz recently visited some of these microbakeries.

    A teahouse and community space is relocating to Exton

    Koselig Nook is planning to relocate to Exton this month.

    A Coatesville business, whose name is inspired by the Norwegian term for contentment and coziness, is relocating to Exton this month.

    The goal of moving Koselig Nook is to ensure more Chester County residents have access to the teahouse, which also functions as a third space. Visitors can reserve a time in the relaxing atmosphere — which has a no-shoes policy — for select weekday or weekend slots.

    The idea is to give people a calming place to go between work or school that’s not a bar.

    Read more about what inspired Koselig Nook.

    📍 Countywide News

    • Residents expressed anger after Enforcement and Removal Operations agents allegedly made what some described to 6abc as “violent” arrests in Phoenixville last week. Video from the confrontation shows agents dragging a person from a vehicle before being taken into custody. Shortly after the incidents, the Chester County District Attorney and the Chester County Police Chiefs Association released a joint statement saying that no police departments in the county have been deputized to carry out ICE actions, nor do they enforce immigration orders. They also noted that they will investigate any major incident to ensure no local laws were violated, adding that “Chester County law enforcement is dedicated to protecting the public, regardless of their immigration status.”
    • In case you missed it, last week the county publicly presented findings from an investigation into the error that left independent and unaffiliated voters off November’s poll books. After the report, some residents called for greater accountability and noted it fell short of addressing problems that could happen again.
    • A Democratic campaign manager was charged last week in Chester County for allegedly filing fraudulent nomination petitions in the 2024 primary race for auditor general, including the forged signatures of a Chester County judge, Coatesville city council members, and the West Goshen Township supervisor.

    💡 Community News

    • The Winter Olympics are underway, bringing curling back to the global spotlight and a familiar face along with it. Taylor Anderson-Heide, who’s competing for Team USA tomorrow night, trained at the Philadelphia Curling Club in Paoli and graduated from Marple Newtown High School. Planning to catch the action? Here’s a primer to the sport.
    • A Downingtown dog involved in four attacks since 2023, including one that seriously injured a neighbor’s 4-year-old son, was euthanized last week after the case escalated to district court. The owner has several other dogs who’ve been accused of being aggressive, leaving the boy’s parents frustrated that additional action hasn’t been taken.
    • A Coatesville couple has been found guilty of third-degree murder in the death of their 8-year-old son, who died from ingesting fentanyl, morphine, and cocaine. Mousa Hawa, 43, and Holly Back, 42, were arrested in June 2024 after an investigation found drugs and drug paraphernalia near their son’s body.
    • A Massachusetts man was arrested and charged last week after an alleged armed robbery at the Santander Bank in London Grove Township. Nicholas Casaburri, 44, is accused of taking $11,350 before fleeing in a vehicle and eventually crashing on Clay Creek Road, where he was apprehended by state police. Casaburri’s charges include robbery, fleeing and alluding, and aggravated assault.
    • The former owner of Malvern furniture store M. Kaplan Interiors was recently sentenced to six to 23 months in prison and required to pay back over $530,000 in restitution for defrauding dozens of customers. Matthew Kaplan, 37, of Rydal, previously pleaded guilty to deceptive business practices and other charges for allegedly never fulfilling paid furniture orders.
    • Heads up for drivers: PennDot has approved a new four-way stop at the South Valley Road and East and West Circular Avenues intersection in Tredyffrin Township. Work to install the stop signs and road markings is expected to take place this spring.
    • Last week, Kennett Square borough council passed a resolution declaring a phorid fly infestation and hydrogen sulfide emissions emergency, noting they are dangerous to public health and the local economy. The council addressed the phorid fly issue in 2024, resulting in a quarantine order. The borough is now urging state and federal agencies to fund mitigation research and implement additional emergency steps to address the issues that impact mushroom farming.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Reminder for families: Most schools are closed Monday for Presidents’ Day and a few districts — Great Valley, Tredyffrin/Easttown, and Unionville-Chadds Ford — won’t have classes Tuesday in observance of Lunar New Year.
    • Students at Phoenixville Area High School staged a walkout Friday to protest ICE actions. A district spokesperson told NBC10 that with the help of staff and law enforcement, the district “monitored and supervised the walkout” and that students returned to class afterward.
    • Phoenixville Area School District is hosting a kindergarten information night on Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Phoenixville Area Early Learning Center.
    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District will form a redistricting steering committee this spring as it gears up to make changes to its elementary school boundaries ahead of Bear Hill Elementary opening next summer. Applications for the committee are expected to open in April.
    • Coatesville Area School District middle school students are set to benefit from a new initiative at West Chester University that will work with seventh and eighth graders through their first year of college. The seven-year program is being supported by a $10.26 million federal grant and is aimed at boosting graduation rates, preparing students for college, and developing “essential” skills. The grant is expected to help more than 1,800 students, including in the Chester and William Penn School Districts.
    • Last week, Kennett Consolidated School District released a draft of its Comprehensive School Counseling Plan for 2026 through 2029, which would replace the guidance counseling model with a new one requiring more data-focused planning and outcome measurement. Changes include renaming guidance counselors as school counselors and hiring one elementary counselor next school year, followed by a second counselor the following year. Families can provide feedback through March 3.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • A new bagel shop is opening in Phoenixville on Saturday. Street Cart Bagels, which took over the former Boston Market at 240 Nutt Rd., specializes in malt-boiled, slow fermented bagels, which are available as singles or by the half-dozen or dozen. It also offers bagel sandwiches, melts, fish salads, and coffee. Street Cart is cashless and accepts credit and debit cards as well as mobile wallet payments.
    • A new jazz spot is officially opening next week. Andrea’s Jazz Cafe, located at 236 E. Lincoln Highway in Coatesville, is hosting its grand opening on Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m.
    • Victory Brewing Company has teamed up with Visit Philadelphia to launch a new beer celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Philly First is a crisp, 4.8% ABV ale with notes of citrus, floral, tropical fruit, and pine. The Downingtown-based brewery will offer it in its taprooms starting Sunday, including in Kennett Square and Parkesburg. It will then be available at other bars and liquor stores starting around mid-March.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🌿 Garden Glow: Explore Longwood Gardens’ conservatories and Main Fountain Garden after hours when they’ll be lit in ways that show off sometimes overlooked features. ⏰ Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, Feb. 13-March 8, 5-10 p.m. 💵 $15-$25 for members, $25-$45 for non-members 📍 Longwood Gardens

    🎙️ America’s Sweethearts: The Andrews Sisters-inspired swing band will transport listeners back in time. ⏰ Sunday, Feb. 15, 4 p.m. 💵 $46-$60 📍 Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester

    🎶 Ruben Studdard: The American Idol winner and Grammy-nominated singer is bringing “The Masterpiece Tour” to town. ⏰ Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. 💵 $42-$96 📍 Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester

    🏡 On the Market

    A three-bedroom waterfront townhome in Berwyn

    The living room has vaulted ceilings and a fireplace.

    Located in the Daylesford Lake community in Berwyn, this three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom, end-unit townhouse provides waterfront views and outdoor living space thanks to a wraparound deck. The home’s first floor features an open-concept two-story foyer, living room, and dining room; an office; and an eat-in kitchen, complete with an island, quartz countertops, and a butler’s pantry. There’s also a first-floor primary suite with deck access, a sitting or office area, a bathroom with a double vanity, and two walk-in closets. There are two additional bedrooms upstairs, and a partially finished walk-out basement downstairs. There’s an open house Friday from noon to 2 p.m.

    See more photos of the townhouse here.

    Price: $895,000 | Size: 3,658 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.

  • Pa. company pleads guilty in illegal video gambling scheme, but charges have been dropped against the owners

    Pa. company pleads guilty in illegal video gambling scheme, but charges have been dropped against the owners

    A Pennsylvania company has pleaded guilty to a crime stemming from its work installing hundreds of illegal video gambling devices across the state — but its owners appear to be off the hook.

    Schuylkill County-based Deibler Brothers Novelty Co. pleaded guilty Friday to corrupt organizations, a first-degree felony, and was ordered by a judge to forfeit $3 million to the state in cash and assets, according to the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday.

    The company is owned by brothers Arthur Deibler, 34, and Donald Deibler, 33, and their friend Joel Ney, 35, each of whom was charged in 2024 with multiple felonies, including corrupt organizations and conspiracy.

    Court records show the charges were withdrawn Tuesday. Sunday’s office said that was part of the plea agreement, which also required the company to pay the asset forfeiture up front.

    “We expect those charges to be dismissed by the attorney general,” said defense lawyer William J. Brennan, who represents the Deibler brothers along with Michael T. van der Veen.

    Prosecutors say Deibler Brothers marketed its illegal devices as legal skill games — the slot machine-style games that have proliferated across Pennsylvania — and paid kickbacks to an executive at a device vendor.

    State lawmakers have repeatedly pledged, but so far failed, to tax and regulate the games. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has argued that the games are illegal slot machines — essentially unregulated casino games — but courts have thus far disagreed.

    “For many years, the legal status of games of chance has been a ping-pong ball in the court system,” Brennan said. “From day to day, it’s hard to follow what the current state of the law is. This corporation has done everything it can to try to remain compliant in a changing legal landscape. This result allows all the parties to move on and put this matter behind them.”

    Sunday, a Republican, said in a statement Monday that the plea resolution “secures a substantial forfeiture of assets to the commonwealth.”

    “This company was warned time and time again and continued to snub its nose at state regulations by flooding Pennsylvania counties with illegal gambling machines,” he said.

    A grand jury presentment accused Deibler Brothers of supplying thousands of illegal video gambling devices — modified slot machines — to convenience stores, bars, and gas stations across more than a dozen counties.

    From April 2021 through November 2023, the company received more than $1 million a month from the distribution and operation of the machines, according to the presentment from the 50th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.

    In an effort to “disguise” its use of illegal slot machines, Deibler Brothers also paid $150,000 in illegal kickbacks to an executive at device vendor Pace-O-Matic, the presentment said.

    The executive — Ricky Goodling, a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal and Pace-O-Matic’s former director of national compliance — pleaded guilty last week to state money laundering charges. He also pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges.

    Deibler Brothers sought to commingle its illegal games with legal Pace-O-Matic machines to try to “dupe” law enforcement authorities and store owners into thinking they were the same, the presentment says.

    Pennsylvania courts have ruled that Pace-O-Matic games are legal games of skill, not chance, because they include a memory component that distinguishes them from casino-style slot machines. But most of the machines distributed by the Deibler Brothers had no such secondary element and were therefore illegal, the presentment said.

    Goodling used his authority at Pace-O-Matic to quash complaints about Deibler Brothers and another firm that paid him kickbacks, according to the grand jury.

  • Norristown police officer who struck a naked man with his patrol vehicle has been charged with assault, authorities say

    Norristown police officer who struck a naked man with his patrol vehicle has been charged with assault, authorities say

    A Norristown police sergeant who struck a naked, unarmed man with his patrol SUV last week has been charged with assault, official oppression, and related crimes, prosecutors said Tuesday.

    Sgt. Daniel DeOrzio, 52, used unnecessary force in the Feb. 4 incident, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. He was placed on administrative leave after the encounter.

    Prosecutors said officers had been dispatched to the intersection of West Airy and Stanbridge Streets after reports that the naked man was yelling and damaging cars in the intersection. DeOrzio was among several officers who responded and, according to investigators, he positioned his police SUV behind a gray pickup truck blocking the roadway.

    After ordering the truck removed, authorities said, DeOrzio accelerated and struck the man, who was standing in the intersection with his hands on his hips.

    The impact sent the man airborne before he slammed onto the pavement, prosecutors said. He was taken to Main Line Health Paoli Hospital and released two days later.

    Investigators concluded that DeOrzio, the highest-ranking officer at the scene, used unnecessary force and failed to attempt basic de-escalation tactics, including verbal commands, before resorting to violence, the district attorney said.

    “This was not a necessary use of deadly force in this response incident,” Steele said in a statement.

    The incident drew criticism at a public meeting last week, where Norristown Police Chief Mike Trail fielded questions from residents upset over the officer’s actions. Trail said he would like to form a mental health co-responder program that would pair officers with mental health experts to de-escalate future situations.

    “People experiencing mental health behavioral episodes are more likely to … be subject to use of force by responding law enforcement officers because they lack the tools and the sophisticated training necessary to de-escalate,” he said.

    DeOrzio turned himself in Tuesday morning and was arraigned. District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar set his bail at $100,000. DeOrzio could not be immediately reached for comment.

  • You can celebrate Pennsylvania’s 250th birthday at this hidden Philly landmark

    You can celebrate Pennsylvania’s 250th birthday at this hidden Philly landmark

    Days before America’s Founding Fathers declared their independence from Britain, Pennsylvania did it first.

    In June 1776, before the Declaration of Independence was signed, a group of leaders from Philadelphia and its surrounding 10 counties — Bucks, Berks, Chester, Lancaster, York, Cumberland, Bedford, Northampton, Northumberland, and Westmoreland — met in Carpenters Hall for the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference. There, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was born.

    Carpenters Hall, a hidden landmark just two blocks from Independence Hall in Philadelphia’s Old City, is the true birthplace of Pennsylvania, where the state declared its independence from Britain — jump-starting the framework of the state’s influential constitution that would serve as a model for the U.S. Constitution.

    Now, the little-known and privately owned historic site is celebrating Pennsylvania’s 250th birthday — which coincides with America’s Semiquincentennial — by holding commemorative events across the state to reflect on Pennsylvania’s history and ask residents how the state constitution should be strengthened in 2026 and beyond.

    “It’s the piece of the story we should own and celebrate and use as a platform for civic engagement,” said Michael Norris, the executive director of Carpenters Hall.

    Philly’s 250th celebration will feature the biggest parade anywhere, six days of fireworks, and Floridian Segway riders
    Executive director Michael Norris makes remarks at the reopening ceremony at Carpenters Hall on July 3, 2023.

    Last week, Norris and others from Carpenters Hall traveled from Philadelphia — the state’s first capital — to Harrisburg to announce their yearlong schedule of events celebrating Pennsylvania’s founding, including those about the state’s constitution and its past and future.

    At a news conference last week, Rep. Mary Isaacson (D., Philadelphia) noted that she occupies the seat once held by former Pennsylvania House Speaker Benjamin Franklin. She said she sees the Carpenters Hall events as “more than learning about a key moment in Pennsylvania history.”

    “It’s also about exploring the vital importance of our state constitution in our democracy today and what citizens can do to engage,” she added.

    The commemorative events include an interactive town hall series hosted in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Erie to discuss the importance of the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference in the United States’ founding. The group will also host several events at Carpenters Hall, including the installation of a blue historical marker outside the hall on June 18, in addition to a three-part virtual lecture series on Pennsylvania’s constitution.

    The events, funded by America 250 PA and the Landenberger Family Foundation, are open to the public and intended to reach Pennsylvania’s “lifelong learners” who are interested in history and civics, as well as the legal community, who will be eligible for Continuing Legal Education credits for attending the virtual lectures, Norris said.

    “To me, 250 is about reflection and engagement,” Norris said. “It’s not about parties and buildings. It’s really a moment to reflect and say, ‘What are we doing here? Do we still want this democracy, and how do we protect it and keep it going?’”

    The Carpenters’ Company — the nation’s oldest craft guild, which built and still owns Carpenters Hall — will also conduct polling about how Pennsylvania’s constitution, as well as the U.S. Constitution, should be changed to better represent citizens in a modern time, Norris said. The poll results will be made public at an in-person event in Philadelphia on Sept. 28, the 250th anniversary of when the state constitution was ratified.

    Historic flags are displayed outside at the reopening ceremony at Carpenters Hall on July 3, 2023. The building opened for the first time to the public since April 2022.

    Rhode Island was the first colony to declare independence from England in May 1776, and Delaware became the first state in December 1787. Pennsylvania followed days after, and its constitution influenced the country’s founding documents. Pennsylvania’s expansive constitution — viewed as radical at the time — focused on personal freedoms and liberties in its “Declaration of Rights,” after which the Bill of Rights was modeled.

    Carpenters Hall was the nation’s first privately owned historic landmark, and remains owned by the Carpenters’ Company today, which offers free admission for 150,000 visitors each year. Because it is privately owned, it is not overseen by the National Park Service, which has in recent weeks dismantled exhibits about slavery at the nearby President’s House Site in Independence National Park that President Donald Trump’s administration contends “inappropriately disparage” the United States.

    The Carpenters Hall events will occur as Philadelphia prepares to host millions of visitors this summer for America’s 250th celebrations, the MLB All-Star Game, and FIFA World Cup games.

  • A security fence has sparked dueling lawsuits between Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Abington neighbors

    A security fence has sparked dueling lawsuits between Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Abington neighbors

    Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Abington Township neighbors filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Pennsylvania’s first couple, in what is the latest clash over security upgrades to his personal home following an arson attack on the governor’s Harrisburg residence while Shapiro and his family slept inside.

    In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Shapiros’ neighbors in Abington Township, Jeremy and Simone Mock, accuse the governor and his wife, Lori Shapiro, of illegally occupying part of the Mocks’ yard to build an eight-foot security fence last summer in what they claim in the lawsuit is an “outrageous abuse of power.”

    In short, they asked a federal judge to order the Shapiros off their property.

    The Shapiros quickly filed a countersuit in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Monday against the Mocks, asking a judge to declare that the disputed chunk of the property has been theirs for years.

    The attempt to build the new fence is part of a larger security upgrade for Shapiro and his family, following the April firebombing of the state-owned governor’s residence in Harrisburg, when a man broke in to the mansion and set off Molotov cocktails that quickly engulfed part of the home. Cody Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty in October to attempted murder and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.

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

    The Mocks, whose property is adjacent to the Shapiros’ Montgomery County property, say the planned location of the fence is on their property unlawfully and violates their rights, according to the lawsuit.

    The couple is represented by Wally Zimolong, a Delaware County attorney who is described as “the ‘go-to’ lawyer in Pennsylvania for conservative causes and candidates” on his firm’s website. He previously represented the political campaigns of President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.), according to his website.

    “The Governor looks forward to a swift resolution and will not be bullied by anyone trying to score cheap political points, especially at the expense of his family’s safety and wellbeing,” Will Simons, a spokesperson for Shapiro, a Democrat running for reelection, said in a statement.

    According to the Mocks’ lawsuit, the Shapiros approached their neighbors in July to discuss the construction of a security fence near where their yards meet. The Shapiros were interested in purchasing a portion of the Mocks’ property for the fence, and also discussed a lease option. But the couples couldn’t agree on the price, according to the suit.

    Things took a turn in late August, when, according to the lawsuit, the Shapiros’ attorney told the Mocks they would obtain the chunk of land through “alternative actions.”

    “What followed was an outrageous abuse of power by the sitting Governor of Pennsylvania and its former Attorney General,” the complaint says. (Shapiro served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general before he was elected governor in 2022.)

    The Shapiros told the Mock family, according to the neighbors’ lawsuit, that they owned the land through adverse possession, a legal mechanism through which a person can gain ownership of a property they’ve actively used for at least 21 years. The Shapiros have lived in their Montgomery County home for 23 years.

    The governor and first lady then began planting arborvitae-type trees and other plants on the Mocks’ property, flying drones over it, threatening to remove healthy trees, and “chasing away” contractors who came to work in the Mocks’ yard, the lawsuit claims.

    The complaint also accuses Shapiro of directing state police to patrol the property. Troopers instructed the Mocks to leave the area of the yard multiple times, calling it a “disputed” area or “security zone,” the suit says.

    The Mocks purchased the house in 2017, according to property records, and their lawsuit says they have paid taxes on the property over the time period. The offer to purchase the land shows the Shapiros knew it wasn’t theirs, according to the complaint.

    “The Shapiros continue to occupy the Mock Property without permission or any legal justification whatsoever,” the lawsuit says.

    The security fencing for the Shapiros’ home was purchased but ultimately never installed, and is being repurposed at the Pennsylvania State Police training academy, Spotlight PA previously reported.

    Zimolong declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday.

    The Shapiro’s countersuit

    The Shapiros’ lawsuit doesn’t dispute many elements of the Mocks’ suit, but casts them in a different light.

    As the Shapiros tell it, a land surveyor discovered in summer 2025 that the Mocks actually owned about 2,900 square feet of land that the Shapiros had believed was a part of their property since they bought the home in 2003. That time period, 22 years, satisfies Pennsylvania’s adverse possession law.

    The Mocks didn’t consider that part of the property to be theirs, according to the complaint, until the Shapiros told them.

    But after negotiations fell apart when the Shapiros attempted to purchase the land, the Mocks sought a permit to erect their own fence and include the disputed area on their property, the suit says.

    Shapiro’s security detail denied a tree-removal contractor access to the area, according to the complaint, because the first couple believe they possessed the land.

    And the state police troopers the Mocks saw were part of Shapiro’s security detail, which after the April attack have conducted review of his Abington home.

    The governor and his wife are asking a judge to find that they are the “legal and equitable owners” of the area in dispute.

    This image provided by Commonwealth Media Services shows damage after a fire on April 13, 2025, at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside.

    Scrutiny over security

    Shapiro has faced scrutiny for using taxpayer dollars with little transparency to upgrade the security of his personal home, which is the primary residence for two of his four children, who are school-aged. State Police spent at least $1 million to upgrade security on his Abington Township property, in addition to more than $32 million in upgrades and repairs to the Harrisburg governor’s mansion.

    The GOP-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee in December took the rare step of subpoenaing Shapiro for access to records about how taxpayer dollars were spent to upgrade the Shapiro property and home, including a new security system and landscaping work previously reported by Spotlight PA. Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R., Lehigh), who chairs the committee, argued the subpoenas were necessary because the Shapiro administration did not turn over the requested documents, or turned over incomplete records.

    As the Democratic governor of the nation’s fifth most-populous state, Shapiro continues to face threats to his safety. Police arrested a Carlisle man last week for allegedly sending messages to the governor’s office, that said “I do plan on stalking and hurting your family, before adding “metaphorically speaking of course.” The man, George R. Brown Jr., later told police they were “fake threats” and he was trying to get help with an eye injury he suffered while at Cumberland County Prison, PennLive reported.