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The Inquirer’s best photos of 2024

Inquirer photographers and videographers captured tens of thousands of images in 2024. Here are some of our favorites.

By

Inquirer Staff Photographers

Published Dec 12, 2024

By the time the votes were counted, Donald Trump and rival Kamala Harris had shown up at more than 100 events in the Philly region and across the state in a year when Pennsylvania became the center of the political universe in the 2024 presidential election.

It was a year when an earthquake shook the region, and the moon darkened the daytime skies. It also was an exhausting and exhilarating 2024 for our photographers and videographers who captured so much of the campaign — and more or less everything else — in tens of thousands of images, from a deadly shooting and fire in Delco, to the horror of shots ringing out at a Ramadan service in Philly. They brought into focus the tensions evident in the pro-Palestinian encampments protesting the Gaza violence, and in Chinatown’s full-court press against the 76ers’ arena plan.

The sports year began with the retirement (and subsequent ubiquity) of Eagles legend Jason Kelce, photographed as he left the field in a final deflating defeat. It didn’t get much better for Philly’s other pro sports teams, failures perhaps best encapsulated by the image of a 76er who ended up in the stands, upside down, his red sneakers pointing to the ceiling.

Our visual staffers were there for the inauguration of Philly’s first female mayor, Cherelle L. Parker, and to chronicle a positive development: After three consecutive years of record gun violence, fatal shootings in Philly dropped precipitously.

Along the way, the people behind the cameras provided our readers with magical images — a 1-year-old in bunny costume on Easter Sunday on a South Jersey farm among 400,000 daffodils, a white-robed bishop being lowered into the Atlantic Ocean to bless the waters, skywatchers admiring the eclipse, an overweight Bull mastiff – eating a carrot.

Words have their place, but it is true that some things must be seen to be believed — like an apron-clad Donald Trump at a McDonald’s drive-through window.

Eagles center Jason Kelce walks off the field after the game. Eagles lose 32-9 to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fl. on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Sixers forward Danuel House Jr. falls into the fans during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 3 at the Wells Fargo Center.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Siddeeq Shabazz, a leading Philly Black cyclist who took up cycling during the pandemic and helped grow a local biking movement to increase diversity within the sport was shot and paralyzed last year. His 12-year-old daughter, Suri Shabbaz, his only child, is a student teacher dancer at a local studio. Every year for the last eight or so years, they have attended the father/daughter dance at the studio. This was the first year they didn't attend because of his injuries. They strike a dancing pose together on Feb. 27 at B’ella Ballerina Performing Arts Center.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

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Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts pauses in prayer before the start of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sept. 22.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto leaps past Pittsburgh Pirates baserunner Jared Triolo in the second inning during a split squad spring training game at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., on March 18.. Triolo was safe on the play.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley leaps over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Making of a Photo: Witnessing Saquon Barkley's backward jump

Philadelphia Inquirer photographer, Yong Kim, was at the Linc when Eagles’ running back, Saquon Barkley, made an eye-catching play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A video deep dive of Yong Kim’s iconic photo.Gabe Coffey

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Marchers carry a 400-foot-long rainbow flag — the largest in Philadelphia history — moving it up Walnut Street on June 2 as Pride March and Festival kicks off with a march from Washington Square with the theme “Be You.”Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Allie Katch in the ring during Effy's Big Gay Brunch presented by Game Changer Wrestling at Penn's Landing Caterers in Philadelphia on April 6. The event was one of several that took place during Wrestlemania week. The event is a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ wrestlers that seeks to promote their talent. “I’m glad they are starting to pay attention,” Taylor Gibson, better known by the ring name Effy, said to the sold-out crowd. “We have some of the best talent in the world.”Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Drag queen Martha Graham Cracker (Dito van Reigersberg) performs at B. West in Philadelphia on March 15.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

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One-year-old Olivia Clavijo of Elizabeth, N.J., tightly hugs her tulips while spending the day with her family at the 2024 Dalton Farms Festival of Tulips! in Swedesboro, N.J. on Easter Sunday. The farm has 400,000 daffodils and 150 varieties of tulips and planted one million bulbs.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Students at the Antonia Pantoja Charter School watch the eclipse in Philadelphia on April 8.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

The khachapuri Adjaruli and Lobio at Gamarjoba in Philadelphia. Food styling by Emilie FosnochtMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Dennis Sullivan, bishop of the Diocese of Camden, is helped into an Atlantic City Beach Patrol boat on Aug. 15. Bishop Sullivan blessed the water by tossing a wreath into the surf. The tradition is called Wedding of the Sea. According to organizers the tradition began in Venice around the year 1000 AD. The tradition came to Atlantic City through St. Michael’s Church, a historically Italian parish.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

The Avalon Beach Patrol team celebrates the Lifeguard Championship in Brigantine on Aug. 12.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Ron Wolffe of Iowa watches Ariell Flight, of West Chester, on the Wall of Death. Acrobatic riders performed at the Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood on Oct. 4.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

As the fog moves in, Caleesi Cohen (left), 10, and her sister Senaia-Imani Cohen, 17, move out after spending the day on the beach with their family in Wildwood on Memorial Day weekend. The girls’ father, Michael Cohen, (not in photo) said he pulled the cart across the expansive Wildwood beach when they arrived and now it was the girls’ turn. The family is from Sicklerville.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march on Market Street as they head to Independence Mall prior to the Sept. 10 presidential debate at the National Constitution Center.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

People get set up to camp out for the night to support Palestine on College Green in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania campus on April 25.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Making of a Photo: Covering the Pro-Palestinian encampment at Penn

Philadelphia Inquirer photographer, Elizabeth Robertson, describes how she spent time overnight at the encampment where Penn students protested the war in Gaza.

A video deep dive of Elizabeth Robertson’s coverage of the Pro-Palestinian encampment at Penn.Gabe Coffey

A protester with the Penn Gaza Solidarity Encampment is arrested at South 34th St. near the Penn campus on May 17.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Inside, after waiting in line outside in the heat for hours on July 31, a supporter takes a drink of water in the restroom at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, before an appearance by former President Donald Trump.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (center) arrives in City Council chambers to deliver her first budget address on March 14.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Mel Lee, of Lansdale, with the Woori Center, marches along 11th Street during a Sept. 7 rally to protest the Sixers’ plans to build a new arena near Chinatown.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

Vice President Kamala Harris greets children in the crowd of supporters after speaking at a Republicans for Harris event in Washington Crossing on Oct. 16.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

An excited Elon Musk is about to greet former President Donald Trump at his Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pa.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Jim Worthington gets a hug from Linda Mitchell as they learn Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania during an election night party in Newtown, Bucks County.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Former President Donald Trump works the drive-through window at the McDonald’s in Feasterville, Bucks County, on Oct. 20 after saying on “Fox & Friends” he will “do everything” at the Golden Arches.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Making of a Photo: Documenting an election year in Pennsylvania, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer photographer

Philadelphia Inquirer photographer, Tom Gralish, has covered presidential elections for decades over his 40-year career as a photojournalist. This year’s election was unlike any other.

A video deep dive of Tom Gralish’s coverage of the 2024 election year in Pennsylvania.Gabe Coffey

Firefighters work the scene where two police officers were injured while responding to reported standoff in East Lansdowne on Feb. 7.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

A person, who did not want to be named, struggles to pull a shopping cart past a mural on Somerset Street off Kensington Avenue on March 18. The mural is on a wall outside of Cantina La Martina.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

A man kneels in prayer near the crime scene after multiple people were shot at an Eid al-Fitr gathering at Clara Muhammad Square in Philadelphia on April 10.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Retired Army Maj. Andre McCoy, a member of American Legion Post 405 and the Philadelphia Veterans Advisory Commission, salutes the grave of Navy Cmdr. John Montgomery Dale after an abbreviated Memorial Day ceremony at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Old City. The Christ Church Preservation Trust program honored Dale (1797-1852).Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Nyshyia Thomas (right) is shown at home with her family, during an interview during which she talked about her son Da'Juan Brown, who was killed in a random shooting.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

High School student, Ivan Bailey-Green is photographed with his paintings on May 7 during art class at St. Joseph's Preparatory School. Ivan was a member of the St. Joe's Prep football team and recently committed to East Stroudsburg. He is also considered by many to be the best artist in the school, something he came to lately but fell in love with. He plans to major in nursing but also explore art in college as a minor or possibly a career.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

Rising sophomore Kylie Price, of Wilmington, stands in front of the University of the Arts Dorrance Hamilton Hall on South Broad Street in Philadelphia on June 9. Just over one week earlier, university officials announced that the school would be closing permanently.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

People riding dirt bikes and four wheelers ride down the Art Museum steps on Feb. 3.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

People watch the Italian Air Force Frecce Tricolori during a flyover at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Aug 12.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

Spectators watch as a group from Pace Roofing try to climb the greased pole during the Italian Market Festival on May 19.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Tugboats taking the Battleship New Jersey to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal pass near the flight plan for Philadelphia International Airport on March 21. After a stop in Paulsboro, the World War II-era battleship turned museum headed to the Navy Yard for repainting and repairs.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Almond Street resident Ryan Annau checks the depth of a large sinkhole on the 3100 block of Almond Street in Port Richmond on Jan. 28.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Birders gather along South 51st Street at Botanic on Jan. 23 to look at a colorful male Painted Bunting, a bird that normally breeds in southern climates.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

Ralphie, a bullmastiff who reached about 30% overweight. He's lost about 10 pounds but he has a good bit left to go. Healthy treats like carrots are now used to reward him.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia police keep an eye on a horse reported to have been running wild on I-95 on Feb. 20.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

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Staff Contributors

Introduction: Tony Wood

Art Direction: Julia Duarte

Editing: Brian Leighton

Photography: Alejandro A. Alvarez, Steven M. Falk, Charles Fox, Tom Gralish, Jessica Griffin, Monica Herndon, Heather Khalifa, Yong Kim, David Maialetti, Jose F. Moreno, Elizabeth Robertson, Tyger Williams

Videography: Gabe Coffey, Astrid Rodrigues

Photo Editing: Jasmine Goldband, Danese Kenon, Frank Wiese

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December 12, 2024
The classic Pennsylvania Lottery Christmas commercial is back. We explain the beloved ad’s history.

Picture it: The Birds game is on, you’re snacking on the couch, and suddenly, you hear it: “This holiday season, my good friend gave to me: seven Powerball tickets — .” With the start of Pennsylvania’s annual showing of its prized lottery Christmas commercial, the holiday season is truly here.

Dating to 1992, the ad, which is titled “Snowfall,” features a group of carolers singing an abridged and heavily modified version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” swapping the usual swans a-swimming and geese a-laying for an array of lottery games.

On social media, the return of the ad — which typically begins airing in early November — is celebrated. “It’s practically a holiday tradition,” one Reddit user wrote 13 years ago about the ad (from a Reddit thread in 2011 discussing its return that holiday season). A new Reddit thread posted this week also embraced the holiday ad.

“The moment they hear the carolers sing, many Pennsylvanians reflexively smile, sing along, and mentally count the weeks until they can put up the tree,” Drew Svitko, the Pennsylvania Lottery’s executive director, said in 2016 ahead of the ad’s 25th anniversary. “We are proud that our popular commercial brings back so many warm memories for viewers and has become a Keystone State holiday tradition.”

But the ad we see today is not the exact ad that was shown over three decades ago.

The original version was filmed in Pittsburgh ahead of its 1992 debut. It features an older man, Joe, leaving his place on a snowy night to dole out lottery ticket gifts throughout his neighborhood, including to coffee- and newsstand owners. Carolers sing. That version was shown from 1992 through 2011.

In 2011, the Pennsylvania Lottery reproduced the holiday commercial in high-definition video and to accommodate modern TV specs. This time, the shoot took place in Philadelphia. But the shot-for-shot remake was so carefully executed, many viewers didn’t notice the difference when it was shown in 2012 until it was pointed out.

“The lottery took great care in recreating the beloved ad,” Pennsylvania Lottery spokesperson Ewa Swope said Tuesday. “By retaining the original audio track and voice-over, along with the shot-for-shot remake, we stayed true to the look and feel of the original spot.”

Local Philly blog Crossing Broad posted a side-by-side comparison of the 1992 and 2012 ads to highlight the matching.

Of course, the 2012 ad has been tweaked slightly over the years to account for changes to the lottery’s game offerings. Swope said a visual card within the ad is also updated annually to spotlight a featured holiday scratch-off game — this year’s is the Jingle Jangle Jackpot.

“Because the original spot is so beloved, we didn’t want to upset anyone by going in a vastly different creative direction,” Connie Bloss, a marketing pro who worked on both the 1992 and 2012 “Snowfall” ads, told the Associated Press at the time of the new spot’s debut. “We meticulously examined each frame to match the outfits, props, location, and other small details. We really wanted to get it right.”

Swope said the ad’s aim has always been the same: to remind consumers that lottery products can be given as gifts. Becoming a holiday classic was just a bonus.

“We could not have imagined in 1992 that this spot would become such a holiday classic,” Swope said. “We routinely hear from players that when they see the commercial, they know the holiday season is starting. We are happy that so many players enjoy and look forward to this spot as a part of their holiday tradition.”

You can watch the latest version of “Snowfall” below:

November 21, 2024
This week in Philly history: Girard College quietly admits first Black students

By the afternoon of Sept. 11, 1968, the hostility had faded.

Neither the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nor Cecil B. Moore was making rousing speeches outside Girard College’s wrought-iron front gates.

No human barricade of police officers blocked the entrance, and no civil rights groups marched through North Philadelphia.

After a brutal fight to desegregate the private boarding school, which started with an intense seven-month demonstration and then spent years tied up in the court system, the color barrier was pierced without protest.

Four little boys, dressed in suits and ties and carrying their favorite board games, walked to the front door of marble-faced Founder’s Hall at 21st Street and College Avenue, and reported for their first day of second grade.

Mothers and grandmothers and siblings accompanied each child, and a gaggle of photographers and reporters attempting to capture the otherwise-calm moment circled each family.

“Nice place,” 11-year-old William Lenzy Dade told The Inquirer, “I didn’t expect it.”

The school was the brainchild of French merchant Stephen Girard, a childless entrepreneur who amassed an immense wealth in Philadelphia in the aftermath of the American Revolution. Upon his death in 1831, he set aside a then-fortune of $2 million to start a boarding school for “poor, white, male orphans.” The school opened in 1848, and offered a premium education at no cost to select students whose families had a single guardian.

By the 1960s, the campus’ imposing stone walls became a metaphorical obstacle to the enclosed white-columned buildings. Moore, then the Philadelphia NAACP president, led the charge and a lawsuit to force Girard to desegregate. In 1965, the animosity escalated into sometimes-violent confrontations with police. But demonstrators continued undaunted, singing and chanting and marching so those four boys could be the first Black students admitted to the private school.

Owen Gowans III was 7 when he walked through those gates in his bright, green-and-brown plaid jacket, the last of the four to arrive.

“Are you nervous?” a reporter asked.

He just shook his head.

In 2015, as part of an anniversary celebration of the school’s integration, Gowans found the words.

“I’m just humbled by what transpired,” he told The Inquirer. “I’m appreciative to the people who put up with beatings and bad words so people like me could go to school here.”

September 13, 2024
In a small wedding by a Denver lake, I found the true meaning of celebrating LGBTQ Pride

DENVER — Amarilis Marte and Mariangy Delgado Gutiérrez didn’t leave their native Venezuela and spend three months traveling about 5,000 miles to the United States because they were pursuing a “dream.” They yearned for something both more practical and more basic.

The practical? “I didn’t come here for an American dream,” Mariangy told me in an interview last week. “I came to this country for calmness, stability — to live peacefully without the fear that someone would kill you.”

It was not an abstract concern. In Venezuela, a nation mostly defined over the last decade by economic and social unrest under the autocratic regime of President Nicolás Maduro, Amarilis, 24, and Mariangy, 31, said they lived with a persistent worry that they would be harmed — not just because of the country’s overall instability, but also because they are a lesbian couple. In Venezuela, as in much of Latin America, there is a widespread intolerance of the LGBTQ community.

“There was a lot of aggression toward us both,” Mariangy said, adding that the couple had received at least one death threat.

Then, there was the basic: The two wanted to be wed. With same-sex marriages banned in their home country, and the price of even the simplest ceremony out of reach in their new home in Colorado, it seemed they had few options.

That’s when Denver’s LGBTQ community rallied around them. A Pennsylvania native organized the wedding, complete with donated photography, a wedding cake, cookies, rainbow flags, and a wedding arch in honor of Pride Month.

“We are waiting for a favor from God,” Mariangy said.

Susan Law (center) grew up in Murrysville, Pa., and organized a wedding in Denver for Venezuelan asylum-seekers Mariangy Delgado Gutiérrez (left) and Amarilis Marte.

That favor came in the form of their new neighbors in their new home, including Susan Law, the Pennsylvania woman who put together the weekend’s events.

Law, the executive director of Dork Dancing, a nonprofit that encourages people to dance as a way to improve their mental health, met Amarilis and Mariangy through her volunteer work with mutual aid and migrant communities.

In a migrant support group on Facebook, she saw a news clip about the couple and reached out to ask if they were interested in attending the Denver Pride parade with Dork Dancing.

“I wanted to set aside a certain number of spots for the unhoused and migrant LGBTQ community members,” said Law, who grew up in Murrysville, Pa., a 20-minute drive from Pittsburgh. “They told me what they had been through. They were in serious hardship and needed my help.”

When she heard the couple couldn’t afford a $30 marriage license, she vowed to throw them a wedding during Pride Month.

So last Sunday, a crowd of 70 LGBTQ people and allies gathered to celebrate the couple under the shade of a cottonwood tree at Sloan’s Lake Park, about four miles from the home of Molly Brown, the Denver philanthropist who survived the Titanic sinking.

The Rev. Quirino Cornejo officiated. The couple walked down the aisle lined with Pride flags to the sounds of “The Story” by Brandi Carlile. Many guests brought their children. Others contributed lemon crinkle cookies to the Pittsburgh-style cookie table. And unlike at many weddings, most of the attendees were meeting each other for the first time.

Before the ceremony started, I spoke with David Hosanna and Jaime Rodriguez, who met a year ago this month at a gay bar. “For anyone who has negative things to say about Pride, I would say you’re missing the big picture,” Rodriguez said. “Who is to say that someone you’ve come to love — a friend, niece, grandchild, nephew — won’t need this in the future? Wouldn’t you feel better and happier knowing that they are entering a more accepting world?”

After the wedding, the Dork Dancers danced. The founder of Dork Dancing, Ethan Levy, is at center.

At one point during the ceremony, an orange Jeep sped by, the driver shouting expletives about Pride from a lowered window. Minutes later, a minivan passed in the opposite direction, honking exuberantly and waving a rainbow umbrella out of the passenger-side window.

The brides poured black-and-white sand into a shared vessel to symbolize their union. They had wanted to be married for years since they were in Venezuela, but it wasn’t safe to do so. Under Venezuelan law, same-sex couples do not have protections or rights. And while same-sex relationships are not explicitly illegal, as they are in 67 countries, frequently, LGBTQ Venezuelans face violence.

“We feel more free here,” Mariangy said.

The couple shows off their wedding rings.

A perilous journey

Amarilis and Mariangy’s journey to Sloan’s Lake Park began five years ago when they first started dating. In 2020, fearing for their safety, the couple and their two daughters, ages 9 and 13, left their home in Valencia, Venezuela, and fled to Colombia.

They left Bogotá on July 14 for Medellín, Colombia, and spent almost four months traveling overland to the United States. They crossed the Darién Gap, a 60-mile stretch of dense jungle between Colombia and Panama, over three days without eating; the little food they found in the trash was saved for their children.

In addition to being perilous, crossing Central America is expensive. In Panama, the family was kidnapped and told to pay $280 per head to continue. When the kidnappers realized Amarilis and Mariangy didn’t have money, nor did their friends and family back home, they let them go.

The threats continued: In Mexico, on a packed train, a cartel stopped the railcar and took money from the passengers. Mariangy told me she and Amarilis had to protect the kids from assault. They jumped from the top of the train and ran barefoot over mountains until they reached a faraway town.

After three arduous months, the family of four arrived legally as asylum-seekers at the border in Texas on Oct. 28, where Amarilis was detained by migration. Mariangy and her daughters were given the option of taking a bus to New York, Washington, D.C., or Denver. She chose Denver because she heard that there would be shelters. On Dec. 1, Amarilis rejoined them.

“We are here,” Mariangy told me. “That’s the most important thing.” They survived.

Amarilis Marte and Mariangy Delgado Gutiérrez cut into their wedding cake from Eternal Flavors Bakery while their daughters look on. After the couple told Susan Law they couldn’t afford a $30 marriage license, a community of LGBTQ people and allies came together to throw them a wedding.

A call to action

When they reached Colorado, Amarilis and Mariagny wanted to marry, but they couldn’t afford the simplest items for a ceremony. The family lives in the 16th most expensive metro area in the country, where they spend $800 a month to sleep on the floor of an apartment with five people they don’t know, all men. The family sleeps in a closet.

Their dreams are so prosaic as to be beautiful. They want a house for their kids to thrive in, good work to support their family, and to have another child together. They want to get a dog, though they differ in preferences: Mariangy wants a mini schnauzer. Amarilis would prefer a German shepherd.

The wedding on the shore of Sloan’s Lake was a celebration, but also a call to action. Without Law’s help, they would likely be on the streets. The family is still food insecure. Paying rent is a struggle; Law helped them with a missing $450 a few days before the wedding. Once they get work permits, her hope is to help Amarilis and Mariangy identify a source of income beyond cleaning patios or backyards.

“Community support can’t stop after one day,” Law wrote in an Instagram story. She started a GoFundMe page for the couple to help cover their food, housing, and other expenses, and a wedding registry to cover other essentials.

Mariangy Delgado Gutiérrez and Amarilis Marte exchanged vows at Sloan’s Lake Park in Denver on June 9.

In my life, I have ridden a bicycle in Toronto behind the Dykes on Bikes and learned the hard way not to wear glitter on my eyes in the rain. I’ve marched at Pride in New Hampshire, New Zealand, and watched from the sidelines in New York City.

None of that was as meaningful as watching Mariangy and Amarilis get married. It was a privilege to witness the true power of the LGBTQ community. Celebrating Pride means uplifting the most vulnerable among us.

June 14, 2024
Philadelphia’s hottest new neighborhood? Underneath the elevated train tracks in Fishtown and Kensington

A building boom is unfolding on Front Street in Fishtown along the Market-Frankford elevated train line.

Walking north beneath this towering transit edifice, pedestrians are forced to zig-zag across the street to avoid construction sites spilling onto the sidewalks. The total number of apartments on Front Street between Girard and the York-Dauphin stations is set to almost double in the next year.

“It’s pretty surreal to see it all happening at the same time,” said Henry Siebert, cofounder of Archive Development, which plans to build at 1440 N. Front St. “The amount of construction that’s ongoing, I don’t see that anywhere else in Fishtown.”

According to the CoStar Group, a commercial real estate analytics firm, there are 441 apartment units actively under construction along this 1.1-mile stretch of the Market-Frankford Line, another 174 are proposed, and 231 have been completed since 2019. (There were 215 apartment units along the stretch prior to that year.) And that’s probably a slight undercount because it only includes projects with five units or more.

There are new apartments popping up in the storefronts of renovated older buildings along the train line, such as the building that housed Mighty Mick’s boxing gym in the Rocky movies. When construction there is complete, it will include a commercial space of 2,600 square feet along with four apartments in the revitalized historic brick building.

All this is happening as SEPTA ridership is dramatically lower than it was before the pandemic. In November, ridership on the Market-Frankford Line was only at 58% of February 2020 levels. Ridership at the stops in this part of Fishtown is even lower, according to data provided by SEPTA, with the York-Dauphin station only seeing 46% of 2019 ridership levels in 2023, the Berks station 52%, and the Girard station 48%.

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With the rise of remote work, far fewer office workers are going into Center City for a full five-day workweek. That means that some of the upper-middle-class tenants flocking to newly built apartment buildings are riding transit less than ever.

With fewer users, antisocial behavior on mass transit has become more common since the pandemic, especially on the Market-Frankford Line that runs above Kensington, which has long been the center of the city’s opioid epidemic.

And yet, the transit infrastructure is attracting a level of investment unprecedented in modern memory.

“SEPTA is experiencing a rough patch,” said Yonah Freemark, a senior researcher at the Washington-based Urban Institute, a policy think tank. “But for all the problems with drug abuse and lack of investment from the public sector, the fact that private investors want to spend huge amounts of money bringing hundreds of apartments to the neighborhood seems incredibly bullish for the future.”

Henry Siebert, cofounder of Archive Development, at the company’s apartment project on 1440 N. Front St.

A ‘critical mass’ of demand

Few neighborhoods in Philadelphia have been as transformed as Fishtown since the Great Recession.

In 2012, political scientist Charles Murray used the neighborhood as the embodiment of all that had gone wrong for a downwardly mobile, white, working-class America. The commercial corridors on Frankford Avenue and Front Street were run-down, with many shuttered storefronts. The headquarters of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club could be found, but not a wine bar.

Now, Fishtown is the neighborhood in Philadelphia outsiders are most likely to be able to name, partly due to a spate of national media attention. The Warlocks vacated in 2011, and Frankford Avenue is now a thriving commercial corridor home to many of the city’s finest restaurants (including a James Beard Award winner), cocktail bars, and a La Colombe that looks large enough to house a harrier jet. According to Census data, the Northern Liberties and Fishtown area now has the highest median income in the city.

“As Northern Liberties got all the hype [in the 2000s] prices went up and people started moving into Fishtown because it was more affordable,” said Brenda Nguyen, associate director at CoStar’s Philadelphia office. Now “the Fishtown area has enough dense housing, retail, restaurants, and neighborhood amenities that there’s a critical mass of demand.”

Throughout Fishtown’s redevelopment, many of the large vacant lots on Frankford Avenue, and elsewhere east of the Market-Frankford Line, filled in. Within a 10-minute walk of the heavy rail line there are 4,585 existing apartment rentals and 1,646 under construction. (A further 922 are proposed, although their status is unclear given the development industry’s current deep freeze.)

“When we originally started developing in the city in 2018, I told [my partner] that we would likely never develop a property along the El,” said Siebert. But “as large-scale development opportunities became more and more scarce, developers eventually turned their attention to Front [Street].”

Many developers had avoided the thoroughfare, partly because the looming edifice creates challenges with noise from passing trains and limits natural light. But the area became more appealing as other developable land vanished.

It helps that the land along this stretch of the Market-Frankford Line is zoned to allow taller and denser buildings than much of the rest of Fishtown. Archive Development addressed the challenges of building next to the train line by designing a first floor with 17-foot ceilings, ensuring the residential units on the second floor were elevated above transit. They plan to install windows with special glazing to reduce noise from passing trains.

Developers who have seen how Frankford Avenue has thrived to the east hope that they can build enough housing to create the demand for a second strong retail corridor. But they also hope to help establish attractive retail businesses that will, in turn attract more tenants. It’s the virtuous cycle that helped early developers in Fishtown such as Roland Kassis — who is also building next to the El — successfully launch businesses such as Frankford Hall and the La Colombe flagship.

“I was talking to a broker the other day and he said that what people want is an activated street front,” said Rafi Licht, a developer with Norris Square Development, the company behind the renovated Mighty Mick’s gym building.

“That’s what we’re aiming for here,” said Licht. “Putting in coffee shops, bars, restaurants, whatever is going to activate the street that makes it easier for people to imagine living upstairs.”

Rowhome Coffee at 2152 N. Front St., in a recently renovated historic building.

Norris Square Development is also working on other properties around the York-Dauphin stop. In 2022, Rowhome Coffee opened in its building at 2152 N. Front St. It drew a crowd then, and it still does.

“When Rowhome Coffee opened during the pandemic, people were queued up for the takeout window,” said Jonathan Auerbach, a partner in Norris Square Development. “I saw young women with prams lined up and realized, wow, people have been waiting for this.”

Will the redevelopment of Front Street aid mass transit?

Few of the developments along the El are subsidized, meaning rents will be relatively high in comparison with housing costs in nearby working-class and lower-income neighborhoods. (The rents in the Mighty Mick’s building will be close to $2,000 for a two-bedroom or $1,600 for a one-bedroom.) Many workers who have jobs that require in-person attendance — such as retail, hospitality, or restaurant work — are less likely to be able to afford newly constructed, transit-oriented apartments.

Even before the pandemic, most studies showed that lower-income and working-class people are far more likely to use transit, partly due to the high cost of car ownership and partly because they were more likely to live in cities with extensive transit systems.

A 2016 Pew study and a Census study of 2019 commuter behavior also revealed that higher-income Americans were more likely to use transit than their middle-income peers, perhaps because wealthier people had started moving back to the transit-rich big cities of the Northeast.

But post-pandemic, transit may be less of an important amenity than it once was.

“[These] renters might not see public transit as a primary factor when they’re choosing where they want to live,” said Nguyen of CoStar. “It’s more of an added bonus.”

Still, developers in Fishtown argue that even if white-collar workers are less likely to be going into the office five days a week, the Market-Frankford Line still offers unparalleled access to Center City and University City.

“If you’re going to the office [at all], you still need a way to get to Center City,” said Ryan Kalili, cofounder of Archive Development. “Two days or three days a week is still enough that you’re not going to Uber. “I think [ridership] hopefully will change as the northern part of Front Street [attracts more residents].”

December 28, 2023
Winter weather is on the way: Tips to prevent frozen pipes, safely heat your home

When it gets colder, it’s not only important to be mindful of your pets and your plants but also your home’s pipes and water heater.

Yes, those inanimate objects need extra care, too.

As temperatures drop across the region, the risk of your home’s pipes freezing increases. There are steps, however, that homeowners can take to help stop that from happening and help you avoid a hefty plumbing bill this winter.

Here’s a list of plumber-approved tips on how to keep a pipe from freezing, spotting a frozen one, and what to do if it bursts.

How to prevent your pipes from freezing

“It comes down to three main things: draining outside faucets, keeping pipes warm, and checking for leaks,” said Vincent Thompson, owner of Thompson Plumbing and Heating. Thompson is a master plumber of more than 50 years and for two decades taught plumbing at Dobbins Vocational School in North Philadelphia.

💧 Draining outside faucets

Over the summer, we use outside faucets and hoses to water the plants, rinse of sidewalks, or simply cool down. When the temperature dips, water can freeze and build pressure, ultimately causing a burst pipe, a situation far too common, according to Thompson.

He recommends disconnecting your hose (and storing it for the winter), shutting off the valve that feeds the faucet or spigot (usually found near the hot water heater), and letting the remaining water in the pipe drain out. You can leave the faucet or spigot slightly open, according to Thompson. Letting the faucet drip is also a good suggestion for inside fixtures.

“If it’s empty, it’ll never freeze,” Thompson said. “But if there’s water, it can expand and explode. Then you’ll come out in the spring to use your hose and the water will be shooting out of the wall.”

🌡️ Keep your pipes warm

When the freezing weather descends upon us, we bundle up to stay warm. Pipes need that treatment too. Ideally, the lowest you want to keep your thermostat set at is 50 degrees, but heating is expensive. According to Thompson, the absolute lowest you can go is 40 degrees, because your pipes will start freezing at 39 degrees.

Opening the cabinets underneath your bathroom sink can be a good way to keep pipes from getting too cold. And for the ones in extra-cold spots, using electrical heating tape or fitting them with foam and rubber sleeves is a good idea. Be sure to check for any leaks beforehand, because if water is accumulating, they won’t prevent a pipe from bursting and it will become an added step.

🚽 Check for leaks

“Every drop that goes down the drain will turn into an icicle and eventually can clog up the entire soil stack,” explained Thompson. Not addressing it can result in frozen pipes, flooding, and even water backing up through your toilet.

After 50 years of handling these cases, he advises looking at your water meter because sometimes the leak might not be obvious. Make sure no water sources are open, and look at the blue or red triangle (depending on your meter). If it’s turning that can be a sign of a leak.

If you suspect the culprit is your toilet, he recommends adding a couple of food dye drops into the tank. If the water in the bowl changes color, your suspicions are correct.

Andrew Gadaleta, contractor, works on getting the heat fixed at Visitation BVM School in Philadelphia in December 2021 so that students could return to school. Thieves broke into the school Tuesday morning, ripping copper pipes from the walls that caused flooding. The water rendered the school unusable for a week.

How to spot a frozen pipe

Your house is filled with water pipes, and while it’s not hard to figure out when you’re dealing with a frozen pipe, it can be tricky to figure out where the frozen section is. If you turn on a faucet and nothing comes out, you’re going to have to do a little detective work.

The first step should be to try all the other faucets in your house. If all the faucets in a room aren’t working, the freeze is likely in a split from the main pipe. If all the faucets on a floor aren’t working, the freeze is likely between where the first- and second-floor pipes separate. If all the faucets in your house aren’t working, then the freeze is probably near where the main pipe enters the house.

The frozen section of the pipe, if exposed, will sometimes have condensation over it. You’ll also be able to tell that it’s colder just by touching it.

How to thaw a frozen pipe

Before thawing a frozen section of pipe, you should open the faucet to relieve the water pressure and allow the water to escape once it thaws. You should also begin the thawing process close to the faucet and work your way to the blockage. If melted water and ice get caught behind the blockage, the chance that the pipe will burst increases.

One of the easiest ways to thaw a frozen pipe is with a hair dryer. You can also use hot towels or a heat lamp to warm up the pipe. Never use an open flame.

What to do if a pipe bursts

Don’t panic. The first thing you should do is shut off the main water line into your property. This will prevent your house from flooding. The main water valve is usually near your water meter. After you’ve done that, call your plumber. Locating and tagging the valve to your main water line ahead of time can help make the moment less stressful.

December 21, 2023
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November 3, 2023
MLS’s new playoff format is flawed, unpopular, and about to be exposed

If you’re a longtime Union fan, you know this year’s playoff format is going to be unlike any you’ve ever seen, and not in a good way. If you’re a new or casual follower who tunes into Saturday’s first-round opener against New England at Subaru Park (5 p.m., Apple TV, free), you might think you’ve landed on another planet.

Greetings, fellow Earthling. Let’s get right to the point.

There is no valid competitive reason for Major League Soccer’s latest postseason setup — one of far too many in the league’s 28-year history — to have a best-of-three first round and single games the rest of the way.

The real reasons for the invention are commercial, and the league has barely hidden from them. Nor have any number of players, coaches, front-office staffers, and anyone else willing to tell the truth without putting their names out there for fear of retribution.

The first reason is that the expanded postseason gives broadcaster Apple more games to sell to fans in its streaming package. That’s easy enough for anyone to understand and doesn’t require much more explanation — except for one angle we’ll get to in a bit.

Our soccer writers’ predictions for the first round of the MLS playoffs

Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue (right), who oversees Apple’s sports rights deals, with MLS commissioner Don Garber in January.

The second reason is worse. While the last four years of single-game rounds all the way produced some terrific drama, they also produced complaints from the staff members of lower-seeded teams. They felt entitled to a home game just because their players made the playoffs, no matter their regular-season records. The complainers got what they wanted.

He said, he said

Who was complaining? No one quite said it aloud, but FC Cincinnati outed itself when the format change was announced.

“We are pleased that the new format will provide if we earn a postseason berth, the near-certain opportunity to bring a playoff atmosphere home to our fans this season,” co-CEO Jeff Berding told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Contrast that with Union manager Jim Curtin, who said at the time: “It’s best to have [the] regular season mean as much as possible to teams. … The more you can incentivize having a good season and earning those home games, I think, the better.”

Or Los Angeles FC manager Steve Cherundolo, who said this week: “You sacrifice a fluid playoff system like we had last year, which everybody was very pleased with — the first time in 19 years the top seed in each conference played each other in the final. You couldn’t have planned it any better, you got a fantastic game in the end, so it makes perfect sense to go change everything.”

The Union’s first-round playoff schedule is out, and it’s weird

Union manager Jim Curtin (center) on the sideline during his team’s Leagues Cup game against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in August.

As fate would have it, the tables turned this year. The Union and LAFC fell back a bit, and Cincinnati won the Supporters’ Shield. In the prior format, Cincinnati wouldn’t be leaving home for the rest of the year. Now it must visit a New York Red Bulls team on a four-game winning streak. The first of those wins was in Cincinnati on Oct. 4, and the latest was Wednesday’s 5-2 rout of Charlotte FC in the Wild-Card round.

One might wonder from afar what Cincinnati thinks now — and what if Charlotte won on Wednesday instead? There’s a big difference between a less-than-full Red Bull Arena for a game on natural grass, which we’ll likely see Nov. 4, and a 70,000 crowd in Charlotte for a game on artificial turf, which we would have seen.

Paying a penalty

If it’s bad enough that the best-of-three format exists, the way to win a series has made it even worse. There’s no aggregate goals count like there is in European soccer’s traditional two-game series that MLS used to use. And any tied game will go straight to penalty kicks to produce a winner, instead of a first-to-five points format with a tiebreaker only at the end.

That’s an open invitation for teams to make these games as low-scoring and defensive as possible, then ride their luck in penalties. If a team forces two scoreless ties and wins both shootouts, it wins the series.

For a league that fights every day to convince soccer fans across America that it’s as entertaining as the rest of the world, that’s a recipe for big trouble. Especially when that league has to convince those fans to spend their hard-earned money on an Apple subscription after buying streaming packages of other networks to watch the UEFA Champions League, England’s Premier League, Mexico’s Liga MX, Spain’s La Liga, and more — plus a cable TV subscription to watch the big U.S. sports.

Union striker Mikael Uhre reflects on a year that’s been good, but not as good as he wanted

In Philadelphia and across the country, MLS competes with the English Premier League and other soccer leagues for fans’ money and attention.

Should New York upset Cincinnati with two ugly games, will it be worthwhile for MLS to still have a New York media market team alive in the playoffs? It’s a trick question: Apple and MLS don’t produce viewership numbers as other outlets do, including Amazon for the NFL.

If there’s one reasonable argument for expanding the playoffs, it’s that the one-game-round format played out in less than a month, too little time to build up widespread interest.

That argument is easily countered, though. First, it was to MLS’s overall benefit that it could run the entire postseason between the October and November FIFA national team windows, reducing the burden on clubs and countries alike — and reducing the risk of a November injury that knocked a key player out for the year.

Creating more problems

Second, while it’s fair to say a long offseason doesn’t help MLS players’ fitness relative to their global counterparts, playing the title game in November makes it more palatable in cold-weather cities. (Apologies to the heavyweight teams in Los Angeles, but there are a lot of such cities in MLS. LAFC might even visit one of them for this year’s final on Dec. 9.)

Now add in a new factor with the expanded Concacaf Champions Cup, which will kick off in early February with 10 MLS teams participating. A December title game means the MLS Cup winner gets barely any offseason at all. The same goes for any other CCC qualifiers that make deep playoff runs.

Andre Blake blasts MLS for having too many games, and calls for players to push for change

Nathan Harriel (left) and the Union will be back in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the new (and more accurate) name for the Concacaf Champions League, in February.

There’s one more thing to note, and it’s one that especially pains me as someone who’s been following MLS since long before the Union existed. Since the league’s earliest days, there’s been a widespread lament about how few people pay attention to its regular season. It’s been heard by diehard fans, team and league business offices, broadcasters, and all the way up to the commissioner’s office. And it’s correct.

The one-game-round format made the regular season matter more than almost anything else MLS has ever done because regular season performance was the only way teams got playoff home games. Blowing out the playoff format feels like a reversal of so much hard-won progress.

Lionel Messi’s arrival in MLS papered over a lot of problems. But he’s not playing now. Only teams that earned their way into the playoffs are. Just as it’s the ultimate time for those teams to prove themselves, it’s also time for the league and Apple to prove they’ve got a playoff-worthy product.

If it doesn’t work, all those Messi jersey sales and viral videos won’t be enough to stop the truth from prevailing.

The Union are a good team, but the vibes are bad, and so are the numbers

October 27, 2023
Nearly 50 years after panic gripped suburbia, a new book, a key witness, and a confession

Robert Jordan was playing in his backyard on Aug. 15, 1975, another summer afternoon in his idyllic Delaware County neighborhood, when the panic began to spread from house to house.

Gretchen Harrington, an 8-year-old girl from his Bible camp, was missing.

“I remember being asked, ‘Have you seen Gretchen?’ and saying, ‘No, why?’” Jordan, who was 9 years old at the time, recalled this week.

The Amber Alert system wouldn’t begin for two more decades. There were no cell phones. No Facebook, Citizen or Nextdoor apps.

But through a network of suburban moms, everyone in Jordan’s Marple Township neighborhood seemed to hear the news at nearly the same time.

“It went right down the line, housewives not even getting on the phone, just going to tell each other something had happened,” Jordan said. “We knew something was happening because our mothers were so jittery.”

They sprang into action. Jordan piled into a neighbor’s Volkswagen van with his mother and four other kids. Their search began at a nearby park.

Hundreds of residents from Marple and neighboring towns would later comb wooded areas with no results. Tracking dogs were called in. Even a psychic.

“We haven’t got a thing, not a thing,” then-Broomall Fire Chief Knute Keober told The Inquirer two days after Gretchen’s disappearance. “If she’s in the area, she’s by Jesus well-hidden.”

Police search for Gretchen Harrington in 1975. Harrington was reporting missing that August, and found dead in October.

It wasn’t until Oct. 14, 1975, that a hiker found skeletal remains along a path in Ridley Creek State Park. At first, he thought they belonged to an animal.

“I looked closely and saw what I thought was fingernails,” the man told police, according to a new book on the case. The body was positively identified as that of Gretchen Harrington. It bore signs of blunt force trauma to her skull. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Jordan, 57, now a health care marketing executive, still thinks of Gretchen and that summer each time he drives down Lawrence Road, the last place she was seen.

He remembers the Bible camp. Hot dogs and baked beans. Kickball and Wiffle ball. Then, an abduction and a murder. It haunted families for years.

“So many young people from the ‘70s still bear that pain and anxiety today,” he said. “She was a lovely girl.”

‘It was always a dead end’

Brandon Graeff was 2 years old when Gretchen Harrington’s body was found. The case had long turned cold by 1997, when he joined the Marple Township police force.

Tips had poured in early on, then slowed. Detectives pursued them all, on and off the clock.

“Everything — and I mean everything — was followed up on,” said Graeff, who became chief in 2020.

The case came up from time to time, in roll call, or when a detective would grab the folder again during a slow week.

“They’d look through it, maybe try to see something different for her,” Graeff said, “But we couldn’t. We didn’t. It was always a dead end.”

In a 1975 Inquirer photo, Zoe Harrington looks over the area on Lawrence Road in Broomall where her sister Gretchen Harrington was last seen.

Since 1975, the case has proceeded along two tracks: the abduction handled by Marple Police, and the homicide by state police, because the park in Edgmont Township is in their jurisdiction.

In early 2021, Graeff got a call from a man named Mike Mathis, who said he and another former township resident, Joanna Sullivan, were working on a book about the murder and were hoping the department would cooperate with granting them some access to the files.

With little movement in the investigation in decades, Graeff couldn’t think of a good reason to say no.

“We’re dealing with a little girl whose killer was not held to account,” he said. “My question to myself was, ‘Why not? How could it hurt?’”

Trinity Chapel, where David Zandstra was reverend.

Sullivan, 57, remembers being at Lawrence Park Swim club the day that Gretchen disappeared. The image of a hovering helicopter was seared into her memory.

“We were just at the pool on a hot summer day and the helicopter was overhead,” she said. “We were wondering what was going on. Then we heard.”

Mathis, 58, remembers his father joining the search for Gretchen. He and Sullivan would meet a few years later at Paxon Hollow Middle School. They were editors at the student newspaper, The Hollow Log.

They kept in touch through high school and beyond. At a reunion decades later, they’d talk about writing a book together about Gretchen.

“It just stayed with me and Mike and many other kids through the years,” said Sullivan, now the editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Business Journal. “I always thought I’d like to write that story.”

Joanna Sullivan and Mike Mathis, who worked together on the student newspaper at Paxon Hollow Middle School, released a book last year on the murder of Gretchen Harrington. Weeks later, a new witness came forward who enabled state police to elicit a confession from David Zandstra, a former reverend.

When COVID struck in 2020, Sullivan and Mathis suddenly had more time. They got started by creating a list of people they wanted to interview.

“At the top of the list,” she said, “was the Zandstra family.”

The book, Marple’s Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia, was published in October 2022. Sullivan and Mathis did a round of public appearances in the area, including a December book signing at the Barnes & Noble in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center — just down the street from where Gretchen was abducted.

They had no idea that, just a few weeks later, a woman would come forward with information that would break the case wide open.

“I think it was Mr. Z”

On Jan. 2, 2023, state police interviewed a woman later identified in court documents only by her initials. She said she’d frequently slept at the home of a local reverend named David Zandstra and his family because she was friends with his daughter.

Zandstra had served at Trinity Chapel Christian Reformed Church, one of two churches on Lawrence Road in Marple Township that were used for the Bible camp that Gretchen attended. The other was the Reformed Presbyterian Church, where Gretchen’s father was the pastor.

It was Zandstra who called police and reported Gretchen missing at 11:23 a.m. on Aug. 15, 1975. He said he was calling at the request of the girl’s father.

A missing person’s poster for Gretchen Harrington, 8, from a 1975 Inquirer article. The Delaware County District Attorney has announced charges against David Zandstra, currently of Marietta Ga., in Harrington’s murder.

The new witness told state investigators that during two sleepovers at the Zandstra house when she was 10 years old, she awoke to Zandstra touching her. She also showed police a childhood diary she’d kept that mentioned the sleepovers and, in September 1975, her suspicion that Zandstra might have been involved with the attempted kidnapping of a girl in her class, as well as Gretchen’s disappearance.

“It’s a secret, so I can’t tell anyone, but I think he might be the one who kidnapped Gretchen,” she wrote. “I think it was Mr. Z.”

At first, a cordial interview

Earlier this month, David Zandstra, 83 and living in Marietta, Ga., walked into an interview room at the Cobb County Police Headquarters with no reservations about speaking with police. He didn’t lawyer up. It was the department’s “soft” interview room. Couch, comfortable chairs, unlocked.

Two Pennsylvania troopers were waiting for him: Cpl. Andrew Martin, who had picked up the Harrington case about 2017, and Eugene Tray, who’d been called in recently. They’d caught a flight to Atlanta on July 17 to interview the octogenarian suspect, with the new information in hand.

Trooper Eugene Tray, who participated in the investigation and arrest of David Zandstra, and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, announcing the arrest.

If Zandstra was worried about the interview when he sat down, he didn’t show it — at least not at first.

Back in 1975, police had interviewed Zandstra twice. He also spoke to Mathis for the book, which focused on a different man as the prime suspect.

“Deep down, I’m sure he was very, very concerned,” Tray said.

The conversation was almost cordial to start. Zandstra denied ever seeing Gretchen on the day she went missing.

But then police told Zandstra about the sexual assault allegations from the girl with the diary. It was the final straw placed on top of nearly a half-century of guilt. He broke down and confessed.

“We asked and he spoke,” Tray said. “He was presented with things I don’t think he expected to be presented with. Then, I think he started to think more on it. I think he just wanted his sick, twisted version of redemption, and to come clean.”

Zandstra admitted to abducting Gretchen as she was walking to Trinity Chapel for morning exercises, according to the criminal complaint. He said Gretchen asked to go home, but he drove her to a wooded area and parked. When she refused his demand to take off her clothes, he struck her in the head with his fist, court documents state.

Zandstra said he checked her pulse and believed that she had died, so he attempted to cover up her half-naked body with sticks and left the area.

“He was two different people,” Tray said of Zandstra, before and after his confession. “He was definitely relieved and happy to get that off his chest, how sick that may be.”

Searching for other victims

Zandstra left Delaware County in 1976, and worked in Texas and California before retiring to Georgia. Cops in and around Marple Township who’d worked on the case, or helped search for Gretchen in 1975, have retired and died.

The case took a toll on many of them, knowing a child killer could have gotten away with it, said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, who was 12 years old when Gretchen disappeared.

“It’s important to understand law enforcement officers are moved by the trauma they see happen,” he said. “That’s why they’re in this business of trying to bring justice.”

A photo of a victim and her alleged killer are shown during District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer’s news conference on Monday, July 24, 2023.

Stollsteimer described Zandstra’s arrest as a “great relief” to police in Delaware County and praised Martin, in particular, for sticking with the case.

“This is just great, old-fashioned police work,” he said.

Martin was unable to attend the news conference on Monday announcing Zandstra’s arrest and was not available for an interview this week. Tray, however, said the “case would not have been solved were it not for him.”

State police collected DNA from Zandstra when he was arrested, which could prove useful if there are additional victims in other parts of the country.

As part of that effort, the Christian Reformed Church in North America says it is reaching out to Zandstra’s former congregations. He served in Flanders, N.J.; Broomall, Pa.; Plano, Texas; and San Diego and Fairfield, Calif.

After settling in Georgia, Zandstra continued to advise clients of a pregnancy resource center, according to a 2012 religious newsletter in which he wrote a small section titled “Peace to you.” A photo shows him smiling, with gray hair and a closely cropped beard.

“The prospect of peace was and is badly needed in the uncounted and constant conflicts of our world,” he wrote. “Only believers in Jesus are able to find real peace with God.”

California police are now looking into whether Zandstra might be connected to the 1991 disappearance of 4-year-old Nikki Campbell in Fairfield, and police in Delaware County are also reexamining other cases from the 1970s.

“Who knows? This guy was a monster,” Stollsteimer said. “Nothing would surprise me.”

Sullivan, the author of the book on the Harrington murder, has been fielding calls and Facebook messages this week from people in Marple who might have information about other cases of abuse.

“I don’t think it was an isolated case,” Sullivan said.

As for whether the book helped lead to the break in the case, that depends on whom you ask. Some law enforcement officials are convinced that it did. Others cautioned against such speculation. Regardless, a new chapter is planned if the book goes to another printing: Case solved.

On Friday, the Delco DA’s office got word that Zandstra would waive an extradition hearing and agree to be transported from Georgia to Pennsylvania. But his defense lawyer later sought to have the waiver recalled because he was not present with Zandstra when it was signed. Authorities are awaiting a judge’s ruling.

The Harrington family released a statement this week, thanking police for their work and community members for their support over the years. Gretchen’s father, Harold, died in November 2021 at the age of 94.

“If you met Gretchen, you were instantly her friend,” the family wrote. ”She exuded kindness to all and was sweet and gentle. Even now, when people share their memories of her, the first thing they talk about is how amazing she was and still is. At just 8 years old, she had a lifelong impact on those around her.”

July 30, 2023
Ivan Provorov refused to wear Flyers’ Pride Night jerseys because of his religion. He’s getting Christianity all wrong.

On Tuesday, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a rainbow warmup jersey during the team’s LGBTQ Pride Night game against the Anaheim Ducks. He was the only player to do so. Provorov, who hails from Yaroslavl, Russia, cited his Russian Orthodox faith as the reason for abstaining from rainbows, telling reporters after the game that he had chosen “to stay true to myself and my religion.”

As a queer woman, a former hockey player, a Christian, and an NHL fan, I am disappointed at the league and the Flyers’ response. In refusing to wear the Pride Night jersey, Provorov refused to acknowledge the humanity of LGBTQ people. And the league, in defending his stance, went right along with it.

Ivan Provorov shuns LGBTQ+ community as Flyers miss a chance to make a difference on Pride night

In a statement released Wednesday, the NHL said: “Clubs decide whom to celebrate, when and how — with league counsel and support. Players are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.”

In other words: There’s no problem with players being vocally antigay. Flyers head coach John Tortorella doubled down on the support of Provorov’s homophobia, telling reporters after the game: “This has to do with his belief and his religion. It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself. That’s where I’m at with that.”

Too few people understand that this tacit acceptance of discrimination — especially as it relates to sexuality and religion — is a matter of life or death for members of my community.

Provorov is entitled to his personal convictions. He can believe that only marriages between a man and a woman can be blessed by God, or that homosexuality is a sin. But I wish he knew this: For other populations, when they adopt the church, the suicide rate decreases. For LGBTQ people, when they adopt the church, the suicide rate increases.

Provorov should have donned that rainbow jersey and, yes, put rainbow tape on his hockey stick — not because he accepts gay marriage or because he’s eager to march in a Pride parade — but to stand up for LGBTQ people who are suffering. The defenseman had a chance to make a statement against bullying, against hatred, and against violence, without even opening his mouth. Instead, he chose not to step on the ice for warmups. That is shameful.

I would recommend that Provorov, Tortorella, NHL leadership, and anyone who disagrees with me — take a moment to read the book Heavy Burdens by sociologist Bridget Eileen Rivera. In it, she shows how generations of LGBTQ people have been condemned and alienated by churches. That legacy has caused immeasurable harm to my community. It is a heavy burden to carry.

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov sat out warmups on Tuesday night to avoid wearing the team’s Pride Night jerseys.

Next, dive into Affirming: A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality, and Staying in the Church by Sally Gary. Gary is the executive director of CenterPeace, a nonprofit organization that helps members of the LGBTQ community feel a sense of belonging in the church — and provides resources for Christian leaders and parents of LGBTQ kids to respond to the queer community as Christ would: with love and acceptance.

After that, I would recommend that Provorov sit down and spend time with his Bible.

If Provorov truly wants to follow Jesus, the best thing to do is to stand up for the vulnerable. One of the first things Jesus said in announcing his ministry was: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

That is how close the vulnerable were to Jesus’ heart. If Provorov’s Christianity does not center on helping the vulnerable — and I mean every vulnerable population — then he’s missing the mark.

And LGBTQ people are one of the most vulnerable populations here in the United States, and in Russia. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that makes it illegal to spread “propaganda” about “non-traditional sexual relations.” Closer to home, the Central Bucks school board earlier this month banned teachers from hanging Pride flags.

The NHL, John Tortorella comment on Ivan Provorov’s boycott of the Flyers’ Pride Night festivities

My heart goes out to Provorov. He’s trying to follow God with the knowledge and resources he has.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus had some of the strongest warnings for the most religious of his day. He warned his followers to be wary of those who “preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (Matthew 23:3-4)

I’m asking Provorov to move his finger. Clear these burdens. Reading the Bible with fresh eyes might open his mind.

(And at least Gritty isn’t a homophobe. Bless that creature.)

January 19, 2023