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  • How the 3 Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices on the ballot have ruled in major cases

    How the 3 Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices on the ballot have ruled in major cases

    Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices are on the ballot this November, when voters will decide whether to extend each of their tenures for another 10-year term.

    There are currently five justices who were elected as Democrats and two who were elected as Republicans on the bench.

    This year’s retention race has drawn heightened attention, as Republicans have launched a campaign to sink the retention bids of Justices Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue, and David Wecht — all elected as Democrats in 2015 — in hopes of flipping the court’s balance.

    Once on the bench, judges are expected to shed their partisan label, which is why Pennsylvania extends judicial terms through retention elections instead of head-to-head races.

    Why Pa. voters are asked to choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for some judges on Election Day

    Still, advocacy groups on both sides of the aisle are trying to make the case that control of the judicial seats is critical, if not existential, to their causes.

    The Inquirer reviewed the cases that have come before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court over the last decade, and how Dougherty, Donohue, and Wecht voted.

    Here are some of the most significant cases of their tenure.

    Abortion

    Pennsylvania’s highest court stopped just short of recognizing a constitutional right to abortion access in January 2024.

    The ruling came in a case challenging a state law limiting Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases involving rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.

    The 219-page majority opinion included language that strongly endorsed access to abortion as a right derived from the Pennsylvania Constitution, but the judges could not agree on whether they were ready to make the call in this case.

    Pa. Supreme Court sets up a showdown over whether abortion is a right protected by the state constitution

    The majority sent questions about a specific funding limit and broader constitutional protection for abortion access back to a lower court — setting up another round of legal battles that will likely, again, make it before the state Supreme Court.

    How the three justices ruled: Donohue wrote and Wecht joined the majority opinion. The two justices said they believed Pennsylvania’s 1971 Equal Rights Amendment clearly established a right to abortion access. Dougherty wrote a separate opinion saying this case did not call on the court to opine on the right to an abortion. “At least, not yet,” he wrote.

    Voting rights and elections

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled on a litany of challenges to Pennsylvania’s election rules, many of them focused on the state’s mail voting law.

    In 2018, the justices threw out the state’s GOP-drawn congressional maps as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

    In 2020, the court issued a major ruling ahead of the presidential election allowing for ballot drop boxes and allowing local election offices to accept ballots for up to three days after the election as long as those ballots were postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

    How the three justices ruled: Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht each joined the majority opinion in the redistricting case. On the 2020 election ruling, Dougherty and Wecht joined the majority opinion. Donohue joined the majority opinion but dissented from the decision to extend the ballot deadline.

    A Delaware County secured drop box for the return of mail ballots in 2022 in Newtown Square.

    Education

    A Delaware County school district had the right to challenge Pennsylvania’s school-funding system, the Supreme Court ruled in 2017.

    The decision affirmed the role of courts in ensuring that state funding leads to equitable education and sent the case back to Commonwealth Court to proceed with litigation.

    In 2023, Commonwealth Court ruled, as part of the same case, that the state’s funding system for school districts led to disparities that prohibit quality education for all students, rendering it unconstitutional.

    How the three justices ruled: Wecht wrote the majority opinion, which Dougherty and Donohue joined.

    Environment

    Pennsylvania, which partly sits on the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, found itself in the midst of the fracking boom of the early 2000s.

    The state sold leases to oil and gas companies to drill wells. The practice raised questions, and legal challenges, as to how the state should use the revenues in the context of the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Environmental Rights Amendment.

    The court ruled in 2017 that it is unconstitutional for the state to use revenue from the royalties of oil and gas leases on public land to pay for anything but conservation and maintenance of the environment.

    How the three justices ruled: Donohue wrote the majority opinion, which Dougherty and Wecht joined.

    Justices David Wecht, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty sit onstage during a fireside chat at Central High School in September. The conversation was moderated by Cherri Gregg, co-host of Studio 2 on WHYY, and presented by the Committee of Seventy, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.

    Criminal justice

    Pennsylvania has had the nation’s largest population of juvenile lifers: people sentenced as minors to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    In 2017, the Supreme Court made it harder to sentence a juvenile to life. The majority opinion says there is a “presumption” against life without parole for juveniles who are found guilty of murder, and prosecutors must show that the offender is “unable to be rehabilitated” when seeking the sentence.

    How the three justices ruled: Donohue wrote the majority opinion, which Dougherty and Wecht joined.

    Second Amendment

    In 2024, for the first time, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an opinion that interpreted the wording in the U.S. Constitution that gives Pennsylvanians the right to bear arms.

    In Stroud Township, a zoning ordinance that prohibited the discharge of a firearm within the township’s borders limited the possible locations for shooting ranges. The ordinance barred a resident from having a personal outdoor shooting range on his property, and he sued the township for violating his Second Amendment rights.

    The court ruled that the ordinance was constitutional.

    How the three justices ruled: Dougherty wrote the majority opinion, which Wecht joined. Donohue wrote her own opinion, reaching the same conclusion as the majority but disagreeing with the analysis.

    Larry Krasner

    Did Republican lawmakers make a procedural error in their 2022 effort to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner? The Supreme Court in 2024 said they did, effectively ending a campaign in Harrisburg to oust the progressive prosecutor.

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner talks about Republican-led efforts to investigate his record addressing crime and gun violence at the Pennsylvania Capitol in 2022.

    The decision said that the articles of impeachment approved by the state House in late 2022 were “null and void” because they were sent to the Pennsylvania Senate on the last day of that year’s legislative session, and the upper chamber did not complete its work on the matter before the next session began. The attempt to carry the process from one two-year session to the next was unlawful, the court said.

    The majority also agreed with a lower court that none of the articles of impeachment met the required legal standard of “misbehavior in office.”

    How the three justices ruled: Donohue and Wecht joined the majority opinion. Dougherty did not participate in the deliberations.

    Bill Cosby

    Disgraced actor and comedian Bill Cosby walked out of prison a free man in 2021 after the state Supreme Court reversed his sexual assault conviction.

    The court did not weigh in on the facts of the case or whether Cosby was guilty. Instead, it focused on a former Montgomery County prosecutor’s decade-old promise that Cosby would never be charged with drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand if he gave incriminating testimony in a civil case filed by his accuser. The justices found that the testimony was improperly used years later against Cosby at his criminal trial, calling it a “unconstitutional coercive bait-and-switch.”

    How the three justices ruled: Wecht wrote the majority opinion, which Donohue joined. Dougherty wrote a separate opinion, saying he would allow for Cosby to be retried, but would order his testimony from the civil case to be suppressed.

  • A leaked, secret survey reveals what Philly attorneys think about judges up for election

    A leaked, secret survey reveals what Philly attorneys think about judges up for election

    It’s a local tradition as predictable as slow-rolling through a South Philly stop sign or cursing Schuylkill Expressway traffic: Each election season, the Philadelphia Bar Association publishes its carefully considered opinion of the sitting judges up for reelection — then, the voters ignore it and send every incumbent back to the bench.

    That’s because, since 1969, judicial retention elections have been yes-or-no votes for each judge rather than head-to-head competition. In that time, only one Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge has ever been denied another term — and he was already facing removal for misconduct in a high-profile case. He “had to work damn hard to lose that election,” retired Common Pleas judge Benjamin Lerner said.

    In September, the bar’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention issued its advice for the Nov. 4 election, recommending 13 out of the 18 judges seeking reelection to Philadelphia’s Common Pleas and Municipal Courts. Other than noting that three of the five “not recommended” judges had not participated in the review process, the bar — as is typically the case — released no further information about its decisions.

    But this year, The Inquirer obtained the confidential survey responses the association collected from hundreds of lawyers. The attorneys — who practice in Philadelphia’s criminal, civil, and family courts — provided the bar with detailed feedback under the cover of anonymity about the sitting judges. They also answered yes-or-no questions about their confidence in each judge’s integrity, legal ability, temperament, diligence, attentiveness, and general qualification for the job.

    The Inquirer followed up on the issues raised in the survey by interviewing lawyers and judges, watching weeks of court hearings, and reviewing a decade of Superior Court decisions.

    The survey results and The Inquirer’s examination offer voters a rare window into how members of Philadelphia’s legal community view the performance of the judges up for retention next month. It has been at least 40 years since such inside information was made available to the public.

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    The survey responses show that, overall, lawyers have confidence in the integrity of the bench, a profound turnaround from an era of chronic judicial corruption scandals that continued well into this century.

    The judges earning the bar association’s recommendation include several on Common Pleas Court with near-unanimous support: Family Court Judges Walter Olszewski, Ourania Papademetriou, and Christopher Mallios; and Judge Ann Butchart, who handles civil cases.

    Olszewski is a “wonderful, caring, intelligent jurist,” one lawyer wrote. “A true public servant.”

    The majority of the judges received the bar’s recommendation despite feedback that was mixed, though generally positive.

    The most polarizing was Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman, who has faced blistering appeals from the district attorney’s office accusing her of a pro-defendant bias. Two-thirds of lawyers surveyed said Brandeis-Roman is qualified, and some referred to her as a “fair and compassionate” jurist. But others called her biased and “ill-informed on the law.”

    Brandeis-Roman declined to comment.

    The judges who received the harshest criticism — and whom the bar ultimately declined to recommend — were faulted for their demeanor, disciplinary histories, or disregard for legal procedures.

    “She was cruel and condescending to my client,” a lawyer wrote of Common Pleas Court Judge Lyris F. Younge, who faced parent protests in 2018 and was later sanctioned by the state Court of Judicial Discipline.

    “Incapable, even after all of the years of being on the bench, of making an appropriate decision expeditiously,” another said of Common Pleas Court Judge Frank Palumbo.

    Younge and Palumbo did not respond to requests for comment.

    Marc Zucker, who chairs the bar’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, said the anonymous survey has no bearing on the final recommendations. Instead, he described it as a jumping-off point for an extensive process in which more than 100 volunteer investigators interview candidates, other judges, and lawyers. They also scrutinize judges’ written opinions, social media posts, and financial disclosures.

    “We don’t take any criticism at face value,” Zucker said. “We try and look behind it, and hear multiple voices addressing each of those matters.”

    That information is kept private, he said, to encourage candor.

    The bar’s work does seem to have an influence on voters in competitive primaries. In May, only candidates it recommended won primaries for Common Pleas Court judge.

    Retention elections can be confusing for voters and are low-profile by design because sitting judges are limited in how they can campaign, said Lauren Cristella, executive director of the good-government group Committee of Seventy and a Judicial Commission member.

    But the stakes are high. Local judges “make decisions that have a huge impact on our communities,” Cristella said. “Everyone knows someone who’s had a custody hearing, or had to appear in traffic court. People have all kinds of reasons to be before a judge.”

    Here is what voters should know about some of the more notable judges up for retention on Nov. 4:

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    When Palumbo first ran for judge in 1999, he was best known as the son of a famous Philly power broker and nightclub owner. The bar association declined to recommend him, but Palumbo drew the top ballot position and cruised to victory. Since then, he has been reelected twice without the bar’s support.

    This year, survey participants complained that Palumbo is erratic and indecisive. One lawyer wrote that getting through a daily list of cases “is an immense struggle for him.” Another claimed he “purposefully blows up negotiated pleas in his room so he does not have to take them.”

    The Superior Court has overturned about one-quarter of cases it decided on appeal from Palumbo’s courtroom over the last decade, well above the statewide average of 13%.

    Most days, Palumbo is assigned a modest docket that consists of probation violations.

    A reporter sat in Palumbo’s courtroom on five occasions in August and September. By the time he arrived around 10:30 a.m., most matters had already been resolved by agreement.

    One day, the prosecutor and the public defender informed Palumbo that, in his absence, they had agreed on the outcome of every single case: In minutes, Palumbo’s work on the bench was done.

    But when the lawyers in the matters before him did not reach a complete agreement, as was the case on Aug. 27, Palumbo launched into circuitous legal questioning that stymied what might have been a routine proceeding.

    On that day, Palumbo took the bench at 10:40 a.m. and asked, “Is everything worked out?”

    The lawyers told him there was just one outstanding matter: A man on probation had agreed to plead guilty in a gun case, and they wanted Palumbo to order a presentence investigation and schedule a sentencing for a future date. Instead, Palumbo questioned why the case was in his courtroom, offered to transfer it to another judge, and then aborted the proceeding, saying he could not accept the plea without the man’s probation file in hand.

    After the prosecutor complained, Palumbo offered, twice more, to transfer the case elsewhere. “I can just move it to the trial room,” he said.

    Generally speaking, lawyers on both sides find it difficult to navigate judges who unilaterally delay or derail proceedings, said Dana Bazelon, a former Philadelphia defense lawyer and policy director for the district attorney’s office, who is now a fellow at the Quattrone Center of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

    “There are judges who really struggle to make decisions who are currently sitting — and that is as basic a tenet of the job as there is,” she said. “You can’t really do the job if you can’t make decisions.”

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    After a jury returned a guilty verdict against Stephen Jones in a child sexual assault case this May, the victim’s family felt a moment’s relief. Then Brandeis-Roman handed down her sentence.

    Rather than the lengthy prison term the prosecutor sought, the judge released the ailing, 80-year-old defendant on short-term house arrest and probation.

    The victim’s family was furious.

    The outcome was not unusual for Brandeis-Roman. Philadelphia’s district attorney’s office has appealed more than two dozen of her rulings, arguing that her sentences are too lenient and that her decisions have a pro-defendant bias. It’s a notable trend given that the office, under D.A. Larry Krasner, is considered one of the most progressive in the country.

    The Superior Court has so far decided 17 of those cases appealed by prosecutors. Sixteen of them were overturned, including a guilty jury verdict Brandeis-Roman had tossed out despite what the Superior Court called “uncontradicted and overwhelming” video evidence tying the defendant to a shooting.

    Krasner’s office is appealing another Brandeis-Roman decision to vacate a jury’s guilty verdict in a sexual assault trial.

    At what was supposed to be the sentencing hearing for that case, the judge instead threw out the verdict, saying that the evidence did not support the jury’s finding and that the defendant might not have known the victim was incapacitated. The prosecutor’s appeal argued that Brandeis-Roman usurped the role of the jury, took a “thoroughly slanted view,” and disregarded testimony that the woman had been so drunk that her friends had to clean up her vomit and put her to bed.

    Marian Braccia, a Temple University law professor and former Philadelphia prosecutor, said it is rare to see a judge overrule a jury in that manner and requires a finding that no reasonable jury could have reached that verdict.

    For that to happen repeatedly, she said, “really undermines the reliability of the whole system.”

    The lawyers responding to the bar’s survey who praised Brandeis-Roman cited her diligence, compassion, and unyielding commitment to justice.

    “Constantly bullied by the [district attorney’s office] and yet still has the self-respect and respect for fairness to be kind and stand up to them. Holds everyone to the same standard,” one lawyer wrote.

    Setting aside the prosecution’s appeals, the appellate court has affirmed more than 90% of her rulings.

    Prosecutors, meanwhile, continue to file motions urging Brandeis-Roman to reconsider what they say are light sentences.

    In one September case, she sentenced Eladio Vega — a 33-year-old man convicted of beating a pregnant woman, causing her to miscarry and breaking her jaw — to a brief jail term, followed by probation and drug treatment.

    The prosecutor had requested five to 10 years in prison for Vega, given previous convictions for domestic incidents that included breaking his mother’s wrist. But Brandeis-Roman, noting that Vega had survived child abuse and mental illness, said state prison “would absolutely be adding to the trauma.”

    She acknowledged that her decision went against state guidelines: “On paper,” she said, giving him a lighter sentence “doesn’t make sense.”

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    In 2018, parents took to the streets calling for action against Younge.

    Then a relatively new Family Court judge hearing child-welfare cases, Younge had come to the bench with deep expertise in child welfare, having worked as a lawyer for the City of Philadelphia and an executive in the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

    But, among other complaints, the protesting parents said Younge had shut them out of proceedings. One mother who became ill during a hearing stepped out of the room, and Younge would not allow her to return, terminating her parental rights in her absence.

    The Superior Court reversed a spate of the judge’s decisions, finding Younge abused her discretion in throwing a grandmother in jail and handcuffing a mother while her kids were removed.

    One appellate decision cited “example after example of overreaching, failing to be fair and impartial, evidence of a fixed presumptive idea of what took place, and a failure to provide due process to the two parents involved. … The punishment effectuated by [Younge] was, at best, neglectful and, at worst, designed to affect the bond between Parents and [child] so that termination would be the natural outcome of the proceedings.”

    The Court of Judicial Discipline in 2021 suspended Younge for six months, placing her on judicial probation and banning her from Family Court for the duration of her term.

    Instead of child-welfare matters, Younge is now hearing civil cases. Over her tenure, the Superior Court has overturned about 27% of the cases appealed from her courtroom, double the statewide average.

    Younge did not participate in the bar’s process or respond to requests for comment from The Inquirer.

    In the survey, most lawyers brought up concerns with her record in Family Court. Those who had been in her civil courtroom gave mixed feedback.

    “Those patterns and practices are still present in her civil courtrooms,” one lawyer wrote. “No party, on either side, gets a fair trial.”

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    Presiding mostly over post-conviction reviews in criminal court, DiClaudio inherited a docket that included cases pending for a decade or longer, and he said he prided himself on his hard work and efficiency in clearing that backlog. He has noted that his record includes overturning roughly 50 homicide convictions.

    Lawyers surveyed about DiClaudio were divided, with many criticizing his courtroom demeanor even as they said he “knows the law and gets to the right conclusions.” The Superior Court has overturned his rulings in only about 7% of cases.

    But DiClaudio’s decade on the bench has been marked by controversy, including three cases the Judicial Conduct Board brought against him.

    In the first case, from 2019, the board said DiClaudio ignored court orders related to a lawsuit over unpaid membership dues he owed to a sports club. DiClaudio was given a two-week suspension and placed on judicial probation until 2026.

    This year, the board argued that DiClaudio had improperly used his office to promote his wife’s cheesesteak shop and “traded on and abused the prestige of his office for the personal and economic benefit of himself and others.”

    While a final decision on that case was pending, fellow Common Pleas Court Judge Zachary Shaffer alleged that DiClaudio tried to influence his sentencing decision in a gun case by showing Shaffer a piece of paper with the name of a defendant and saying, “I’ve heard you might do the right thing anyway.”

    Court supervisors placed DiClaudio on administrative leave, and the Judicial Conduct Board pushed for his suspension without pay on the grounds that his continued employment as a judge would “erode public confidence in the judiciary.”

    DiClaudio stipulated to various missteps in the 2019 case related to the club debt, but he has denied any wrongdoing in the two pending cases. DiClaudio denied trying to influence Shaffer, and his lawyer insisted that he had not sought to sway the judge but had happened to mention the defendant in passing when Shaffer stopped by his chambers to buy a T-shirt from the cheesesteak shop.

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    Grey, a Family Court judge overseeing child-welfare cases, has drawn harsh criticism from the lawyers participating in the bar’s survey and from Superior Court judges reviewing his decisions.

    A former criminal-defense lawyer, Grey was recommended by the bar when he first ran for judge in 2015.

    Some survey respondents praised him for his commitment to families. But lawyers also raised concerns about his temperament, saying he yells at litigants and interrupts testimony.

    “Judge Grey’s judicial performance is highly dependent on his mood, which varies widely from day to day,” one lawyer wrote. “He is also frequently aggressively impatient with attorneys, social workers and adult parties. Great with kids.”

    An Inquirer review of Superior Court decisions found Grey had the highest reversal rate of any judge in Family Court’s juvenile division. In several opinions, appellate judges said Grey returned children home to dangerous situations — in one case going so far as to say they were “appalled” by Grey’s decision.

    In an interview, Grey acknowledged some errors but said in most cases, his decisions were properly grounded in the available evidence and the law.

    As for occasionally yelling, he said it’s warranted.

    “I’ve yelled at attorneys for not knowing what’s going on or being prepared,” he said.

    Grey said that allowing himself to become emotionally involved is crucial to building connections, and that it is incumbent on him to get involved in asking questions and guiding testimony so that he has all the information he needs to decide cases.

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    Frazier-Lyde is the only Municipal Court candidate up for retention whom the bar declined to recommend.

    It’s unlikely to affect her chances at the polls. In the last election cycle, she won by the largest margin of any Municipal Court judge.

    The former champion boxer — and daughter of a Philly legend, Smokin’ Joe Frazier — is often responsible for reviewing defendants’ bail terms and handling preliminary hearings, including in domestic violence cases.

    Frazier-Lyde, in an interview, said she is proud of her work on the bench and in the community, and she said she felt blindsided by the bar’s failure to recommend her. She noted the association’s magazine praised her in a feature in its spring 2025 issue as “kind, empathetic and outwardly focused.”

    “I have public interest and public welfare at the forefront of how I look at everything,” Frazier-Lyde said, adding that she had heard no complaints from the legal community or her supervisors, who in recent months have asked her to handle a double caseload.

    But lawyers who responded to the survey said Frazier-Lyde often ignores procedural rules, such as when she questions witnesses after both sides have rested.

    She disagreed with that assessment. “I follow the law. I know the law,” she said.

    Survey respondents also questioned her handling of domestic violence cases, reporting that she had ordered victims and their alleged abusers into couples counseling. Frazier-Lyde said she does not order anyone into counseling but does seek expert evaluations to determine whether counseling is warranted.

    She also frequently imposes mutual stay-away orders on both defendants and complainants — even extending that to unspecified “friends, family, and associates” on both sides, advising that any violation could result in criminal charges.

    Frazier-Lyde said it’s her job to do all she can to keep everyone safe before trial, and such orders help achieve that.

    Bazelon, the Penn Law fellow, said it can become impossible to prosecute domestic violence cases if judges see their role as mediating an interpersonal conflict rather than assessing the evidence in an alleged crime.

    “Many people see domestic violence as not real crime,” she said. “But when judges bring that to the bench, it means they’re not taking victims seriously enough, and it has the potential to put people in danger.

    —Staff writers Dylan Purcell and Chris A. Williams contributed to this article.

    Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the terms of Eladio Vega’s sentence.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENT
    The Inquirer’s journalism is supported in part by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and readers like you. News and Editorial content is created independently of The Inquirer’s donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The 76 scouts’ favorite spots that didn’t make the list

    The 76 scouts’ favorite spots that didn’t make the list

    Seventy-six sounds like a lot of restaurants — until you consider just how many gems there are in the Philly area. We whittled our selections down to the main list, but there were still some scouts’ favorites that didn’t make the cut.

    Amá

    The emergence of chef Frankie Ramirez and his thrilling vision of modern Mexican food at Amá is one of the best food storylines of 2025. His seasonal tlayuda topped with a summer sunburst of squash blossoms over epazote pesto and Oaxaca cheese is one of the most beautiful things I’ve eaten all year. The milpa salad is a poetic tribute to the cornfields of his youth and may be the dish that finally gets Philadelphians to love eating bugs. Ramirez’s large-format sharing centerpieces — lamb neck birria, an entire octopus flashed over the wood-fired grill — are showstoppers that offer a glimpse of contemporary Mexican cooking this city has yet to see. The sunny corner room with white walls and a view of the kitchen’s fiery hearth channels the minimalist-chic vibe of its new building amid the construction boom along Front Street in Kensington-Fishtown, but the large space has also posed persistent challenges for service that need more polish on a number of fronts before Amá can reach its true potential. — Craig LaBan

    Amá, 101 W. Oxford St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 215-933-0707, amaphl.com

    The seasonal tlayuda at Amá.

    Artisan Boulanger Patissier

    It’s been three years since Andre Chin — who co-owned Artisan Boulanger Patissier in South Philly alongside his wife, Amanda Eap — died following a long battle with prostate cancer. But his presence is still felt everywhere: from the baker and pastry artist’s delectable croissants to the framed portrait of him that hangs over the register area, to the handwritten cards and drawings addressed to Eap and taped to the glass. With the help of their two sons, the couple’s James Beard-nominated Cambodian-French cafe continues to stand strong as a community pillar with a devoted fan base churning in for signature cronuts, Vietnamese iced coffee, and over-stuffed banh mis served on perfectly fluffy baguettes. Try the almond sticks, which still draw a line on weekend mornings at this 23-year-old cash-only spot. — Emily Bloch

    Artisan Boulanger Patissier, 1218 Mifflin St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 215-271-4688, instagram.com/artisianbakeryphilly

    Artisan Boulanger Patissier, 1218 Mifflin St.

    Chon Tong

    Located on Vine Street — practically on the expressway — Chon Tong is an unlikely place to find some of Philadelphia’s best Thai food. And yet, their hoi tod, a golden-edged mussel pancake; tum tod (imagine the best, puckeringly sweet-and-sour papaya salad but fried); and jay tod, speckled with juicy-sweet corn kernels and crunchy tofu crackling with crevices, are only three tiny precursors to the spectacular dishes emerging from a kitchen that specializes in Central Thai recipes. Ignore that Chon Tong advertises itself as a Thai dessert kitchen. You’re here for the beefy boat noodles, the moo ping — unctuous, barbecued pork sausages pressed into patties and strung onto skewers — spicy chicken wings, and curries that skew sweet (not a bad thing). — Kiki Aranita

    Chon Tong, 1439 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 215-394-0121, chontongthai.com

    Hoi Tod is a mussel pancake served over gently stir-fried bean sprouts at Chon Tong.

    D’jakarta Cafe

    Although the Indonesian food scene in Philly — like in its native Indonesia — represents a huge amount of regional variation, most restaurants offer certain dishes recognized as national staples. This is where D’jakarta Cafe, near 16th and Ritner Streets, truly excels. While it specializes in the flavors of Jakarta and West Borneo, nearly every iconic Indonesian dish is available and executed to near perfection. An order of both their nasi rendang and nasi kuning yields an embarrassment of riches: beef rendang, wonderfully crisp fried chicken, ikan bilis (fried anchovies), and turmeric-stained rice. Not to mention their assortment of noodle soto (soups) and a char-grilled pompano (ikan bakar) dressed with sambal that will convince you there’s no better way to eat fish. For dessert, don’t miss the jus alpukat, an avocado-chocolate smoothie that’s a common drink in tropical Indonesia. But instead of the typical drizzle of chocolate syrup, D’jakarta’s rendition resembles a milkshake, topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a Pirouline wafer masquerading as a straw. — Jasen Lo

    D’jakarta Cafe, 1540 W. Ritner St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 215-463-8888, djakartacafephilly.com

    Small egg noodle, big egg noodle (right) and bowls of meatball soup at D’Jakarta, 1540 W. Ritner St.

    El Primo

    This 17-year-old Norristown institution started off as a Mexican specialty grocery store, eventually expanding into prepared food. Last year, it moved to a bigger location next to the town’s DMV. In addition to the grocery store stocked with Mexican chiles, herbs, and a section of vaquero boots, the new locale includes a bakery and carniceria. But there’s also a vibrant dining room covered in murals and featuring bespoke wood seating — a departure from the picnic tables El Primo used in the past. Diners are greeted with a bowl of chips covered in creamy, spicy refried beans; mosey over to the salsa bar for any additional accoutrements. Latin music on the speakers and friendly staff make for a festive dining experience. El Primo’s menu is vast, but standouts include the mole poblano, with its hints of sweetness and spice, as well as the flavor-packed tacos árabes and perfectly cooked lengua tacos. — Ximena Conde

    El Primo, 1700 Markley St., Norristown, Pa. 19401, 610-279-2610, elprimoproduce.com

    Gouldsburger’s

    Yes, Gouldsburger’s original location, in Haddonfield, is the centerpiece of an aspiring franchise empire that has already crossed the Delaware River, opening locations in the territory of already-established steak shops. But have you tasted the sandwich? Have you bitten into that soft, everything bagel-seasoned roll, born in a Moorestown bakery? Usually the goal is to bake a roll that is crusty on the outside and soft inside, but in breaking the rules, Gouldsburger’s separates itself in the best possible way. In the embrace of that roll, tender and carefully griddled ribbons of rib-eye steak marry beautifully with an even spread of yellow Cooper Sharp, composing a symphony of a sandwich that’s well-balanced and not overstuffed. Another standout is the buffalo chicken cheesesteak — but be prepared for a healthy dose of spice sprinkled on the diced chunks of chicken breast. They’ll have you breaking a sweat even on a brisk November afternoon. It’s further proof that Gouldsburger’s can compete with the slew of top-notch offerings across the river. — Tommy Rowan

    Gouldsburger’s, six locations (two in Philadelphia, four in South Jersey), gouldsburgers.com

    Griddle & Rice at 22nd and Jackson Streets.

    Griddle & Rice

    You could easily mistake Griddle & Rice for a diner offering all-American breakfast — the retro checkered-tile interior almost invites that association, and it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate. The charming brunch spot near Girard Estates serves excellent French toast and eggs Benedict. But once you spot the sink in the corner and the Indonesian aunties happily eating nasi uduk (breakfast rice platter) and satay skewers with their right hands, you’ll realize that Griddle & Rice is also a warung — the Indonesian term for a casual, usually family-run food stall. Sure, you could treat your groggy morning with their omelet breakfast, but ask for a dollop of one of their many sambals to give your eggs a kick, and you’ll be just as nourished by a bowl of bubur ayam — shredded chicken congee garnished with fried shallots, peanuts, scallions. As one of the only Indonesian places in Philly with an espresso machine, Griddle & Rice also serves a unique assortment of Indonesian beverages, such as the nostalgia-inducing milo dinosaur (malted chocolate powder excessively heaped atop iced malted chocolate), coffee with gula aren (palm sugar), and a frothy tek tarik (hand-pulled milk tea). — Jasen Lo

    Griddle & Rice, 2151 S. 22nd St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 267-360-2900, instagram.com/griddlerice

    Congee at Griddle & Rice in South Philadelphia.

    Izzy’s 33

    It doesn’t get more South Philly than a hole-in-the-wall Mexican brunch restaurant that also dishes out brie pancakes and an Old Bay-spiced crab frittata under a big green Eagles banner. The menu is an homage to chef Israel Romero’s upbringing and combines the food he grew up eating as a child in Puebla with the over-the-top American breakfasts he grew to love after immigrating to Philadelphia at age 18. It’s easy to get distracted by the menu’s long selection of sweet breakfasts, including numerous French toast iterations that take inspiration from, among other things, coffee cake and churros. But it’s worthwhile to opt for some savory plates, like the bandeja Mexicana — a little-bit-of-everything platter complete with a twice-cooked tamale and carne asada — or the chilaquiles divorciados, which pairs red and green chilaquiles with a hefty serving of steak and eggs. — Beatrice Forman

    Izzy’s 33, 1703 S. Ninth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 610-714-3908, izzys-33.com

    Chocolate-chip pancakes at Izzy’s 33.

    Jersey Kebab

    Jersey Kebab became a local rallying point earlier in 2025 when Emine Emanet, the powerhouse matriarch of the restaurant, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for two weeks. The community came together to support this beloved South Jersey institution, where colorful variations of Turkish delights line the display case up front. In the seating area, plates of iskender, adana kebabs, and baklava are served at comfy tables. Turkish decor and music invite customers to linger. Love for the community comes through with every thoughtful dish they serve, bringing diners from Philadelphia and other cities out to Haddon Township. — Hira Qureshi

    Jersey Kebab, 150 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township, N.J. 08108, 856-240-1390, instagram.com/jerseykebab

    The Jersey Kebab restaurant in Westmont.

    Royal Tavern

    Few curmudgeonly chefs have as much apparent fun as Nic Macri, who likes to shake up the menu at this Bella Vista institution every three months or so with a special event that packs the house — be it a weekend devoted to an international array of pies, from pithiviers to key lime, or a month-long house-made hot dog bonanza. But this gastropub deserves to be on The 76 not for its rousing one-offs but for its day-in, day-out excellence. Royal’s reputation has long been synonymous with its drippy, smoked Gouda-topped burger, but the more intriguing sandwiches — a double-take-worthy vegan gyro, a mesmerizing smoked beef round slicked with maple dijonnaise, a handheld mushroom cutlet with hoagie relish I couldn’t stop eating — have been the real draws since the restaurant reopened in 2023. Round that out with a stellar lineup of snacks (legitimately great beet-pickled eggs, crab puffs showered in grated cheese, house-made ham and focaccia with pickle butter), vegetable-centric sides and fan-favorite desserts, and general manager Eden Beschen’s carefully curated beverage program, and you’ve got one of the most complete neighborhood bars in the city. And the kitchen stays open till 1 a.m. like clockwork, to boot. — Jenn Ladd

    Royal Tavern, 937 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 215-389-6694, royaltavern.com

    A Chicago-style hot dog that chef Nic Macri offered at Royal Tavern during a “Dog Days of Summer” promotion.

    Sansom Kabob House

    To find excellent Afghan food in Philadelphia, venture to the corner of 13th and South Streets, where platters of raisin-filled qablee palaw and spiced chablee kabobs served with Afghan rice, salad, and bread are the best dishes on the menu. Well-rendered Afghan specialties have emanated from the kitchen at Sansom Kabob House, named after its original address on Sansom Street, since its opening in 2002. We have our favorites, but there’s no incorrect order here — unless you skip dessert. The furni pudding and sheeryaki ice cream will make the savory hits a happy afterthought. — Hira Qureshi

    Sansom Kebob House, 1300 South St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 215-751-9110, sansomkabobhouseonsouth.com

    The ashak dumplings at Sansom Kabob House.

    South

    One crunch into the honey-drizzled fried chicken at South and you’ll understand its staying power. Nearly a decade into its run on North Broad Street, Robert and Benjamin Bynum’s upscale soul foodery — dresses and suits, please — stands apart from the sea of styrofoam takeouts. Of course, that’s due in part to the in-house jazz venue and the brass solos that ooze like chase scenes through the bungalow-style dining room. But South’s menu deserves a separate ovation. Come for the classic skillet of cornbread topped with a decadent pearl of butter, and the rosemary turkey wings, cooked low and slow to perfection. Then venture deeper into the diaspora riffs on the menu, like the brioche crab toasts with salmon roe. Open four nights a week, don’t be surprised if it’s hard to get a prime-time reservation. And make sure you dress to the nines. — Max Marin

    South, 600 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, 215-600-2049, southjazzkitchen.com

    Benjamin Bynum Jr. (left) and his brother, Robert Bynum, at South restaurant, 600 N. Broad St.

    Tierra Colombiana

    Jorge Mosquera has operated the Hunting Park institution Tierra Colombiana as a neighborhood catch-all since 1989. The restaurant serves a little bit of everything — from Puerto Rican street food and Argentinian churrasco to Colombian breakfast and filet mignon — creating an experience that’s not unlike dining at the Cheesecake Factory, where combing through a massive menu to find exactly what you’re craving is part of the journey. Politicians use Tierra Colombiana’s first floor to court voters and celebrate life milestones, while the upstairs nightclub hosts a popular singles night every Friday. Come for an oversized margarita and the whole red snapper, stay to salsa-dance the night away. — Beatrice Forman

    Tierra Colombiana, 4535 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19140, 215-324-6086, tierracolombianarestaurant.com

    The Picada especial at Tierra Colombiana.

    West River Food Truck

    This truck near 33rd and Market Streets in West Philly started out in 2022 as a smoothie spot aimed at thirsty Penn students, but patrons soon discovered proprietors Boronne and Sue Gao were also serving excellent breakfast. Jianbing guozi, a savory crepe, has the regional ubiquity of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich in some Chinese cities — but it is nearly unheard of in the Philadelphia region. So, last year, the mother and son duo rebranded altogether. West River’s rendition fills a delectable egg-and-mung bean crepe with crunchy sheets of wonton and a savory filling of your choice; favorites include braised pork brushed with chili oil or a Chinese-style hot dog that scratches a nostalgic itch for students from Tianjin, the city where both the dish and Sue Gao originated. Whatever your choice, the combination of crepe, wonton, and filling adds up to sizzling comfort food that transcends national boundaries. To top it all off, West River also offers a dim sum menu featuring dan dan noodles, bao, and chili oil dumplings. — Ryan W. Briggs

    West River Food Truck, 3300 Market St., no phone

  • New study finds access to youth sports is unequal in Philadelphia. The city looks to change that.

    New study finds access to youth sports is unequal in Philadelphia. The city looks to change that.

    Before the first pitch is thrown, Tyrone Young arrives early to the baseball field at Hunting Park to pick up trash in both dugouts where teenagers gather to play in North Philadelphia’s Heritage Baseball League.

    The trash is what he can control. What he can’t fix are the deep holes on the base paths that make it nearly impossible to play when it rains. He believes race has something to do with the condition of his field.

    “Certain fields you might go in the Northeast … their fields are immaculate, but why do ours not look like that?” said Young, who founded the league in 2008.

    A new city-funded study of nearly all public sports facilities in Philadelphia confirmed his suspicions: Neighborhoods with more white residents have more fields, amenities that are in better shape, and more youth sports programs than other areas. The survey, conducted across more than 1,400 fields, courts, and baseball diamonds in 2023, also found lower crime rates in the blocks surrounding sports facilities and youth programs, echoing the belief of many coaches that sports help kids stay out of trouble.

    The study also found that areas with higher rates of homeownership have more sports facilities. Areas with a higher proportion of white residents are more likely to have youth sports programs, while areas with a higher proportion of foreign-born residents are less likely to have them.

    There are holes throughout the baseball field at Hunting Park. The holes trap water, making it difficult for the players to use it.

    “I wouldn’t even want to imagine if they weren’t playing baseball what they would be doing,” Young said of his players. “So [we’re] giving them an avenue to do some stuff.”

    The Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative (PYSC), a nonprofit consortium of youth sports providers, chose Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center to conduct the study with funding from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. The city and PYSC had a shared interest in gathering data on fields that had experienced “a lifetime of underinvestment,” said Beth Devine, PYSC’s executive director.

    “As an advocate in this space, we not only have to identify the issues but we have to call them out,” Devine said. “If we want to say that we’re a youth sports city and we’re investing in youth sports, we can’t only do that, we have to look at the spaces where the kids are playing.”

    North Philly’s youth baseball fields are in sorry shape. They can’t wait long for MLB’s help.

    The study’s results reflect Philadelphia’s de facto racial segregation and a pattern of disinvestment in communities of color. But they also show the city’s sports facilities are in poor shape overall, with 60% rated “somewhat below” or “far below” average quality, attributed in large part to heavy traffic, litter, and poor maintenance.

    The city’s Rebuild initiative to renovate parks, libraries, and recreation centers has made a dent in the catalog of fields in need. But in Hunting Park, where Young’s Heritage League plays, the ball field built 13 years ago with help from former Phillie Ryan Howard is an example of what can happen when facilities don’t receive sustained care over time.

    “The investment has to be a long-term, thoughtful, and deep investment,” said Mike Barsotti, the director of youth sports at Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. “Every neighborhood needs to have these great advantages, so how do we think about doing that, not in six months, but over a 20-year plan?”

    An effort to fix the fields

    For decades, Philadelphia leaders have been contending with how to fix the city’s park infrastructure — labeled “Acres of Neglect” by the Daily News in 2001 — amid a growing body of research tying quality green space to crime prevention.

    Rebuild, launched under former Mayor Jim Kenney and continued by Cherelle L. Parker’s administration, has showed signs of success: Thirty-nine sites have received improvements and another 21 are under construction or in planning phases, according to an October report from the city, and sports facilities at completed sites were rated at 18% higher quality than other sites in the Temple study.

    There’s also evidence that the money went to areas with the most need, according to a Pew report released last year.

    However, Rebuild has been beset by delays and was largely funded by one-time cash infusions of bonds, grants, and city capital funds. Maintaining those sites and others over time with sustained investment should be a priority, Devine said.

    “If you renovate a building with no solid long-term investment in the maintenance of what you’ve just done, you’re going to be talking about Rebuild again in 20 years,” Devine said.

    Philadelphia ranked 14th among U.S. cities in total city spending on parks in 2024, according to the Trust for Public Land. The $83.5 million budgeted for Parks and Recreation this fiscal year comprised about 1.2% of the city’s $6.8 billion budget.

    Philly has a real need in finding its youth more safe spots to play baseball

    The stakes of continued investment in youth sports are tied to the city’s crime prevention efforts, as the Temple study found 21% less violent crime in the immediate area surrounding sports facilities compared to sites without them. The study found similar trends for sites with more permitted youth sports programs.

    “We talk about Rebuild and the importance of built physical infrastructure, but there’s a huge personal, social component to this, which I think is the programming itself, and is using these places as essentially a hub to build social capital and positive social relations among community members,” said Gareth Jones, the study’s principal investigator.

    A member of the North Heritage Baseball League wears a shirt detailing the league that the Phillies help run at Hunting Park. The Phillies help run leagues across the city.

    The Parker administration in 2024 poured $3 million into youth sports, including $450,000 for PYSC’s Philly Youth Sports Fund, with an explicit focus on youth development and violence prevention, Philly Voice reported.

    Shanika Bowen, whose son Elijah plays for Young’s Heritage Baseball League, said when children are doing something positive — like playing baseball — “we have to back them on that.”

    “Many people are complaining about the kids being on the street and not having anything to do,” Bowen said. “That money needs to be put into different programs to have these kids doing something other than being out on the corners or running rambunctiously, not doing anything.

    “If they don’t have the field, where are they going to go?”

    Emelie Beckman contributed reporting to this story.

    Playing Fields, Not Killing Fields is an Inquirer collaboration with Temple’s Claire Smith Center for Sports Media and the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, to produce a series examining the current state of Philadelphia’s youth recreation infrastructure and programs. The project will explore the challenges and solutions to sports serving as a viable response to gun violence and an engine to revitalize city neighborhoods.

  • Penn believes that behind its young women’s basketball roster, ‘anything can happen’

    Penn believes that behind its young women’s basketball roster, ‘anything can happen’

    Penn believes it has all the right pieces to be a competitive women’s basketball program in the Ivy League.

    Now the Quakers just have to put it all together.

    After a season in which Penn lost in the first round of the conference tournament for the third straight year, the Quakers find themselves only a month away from opening tip at the Palestra with plenty of questions still left to answer.

    Having to reinvent the offense to make up for the loss of first-team All-Ivy forward Stina Almqvist — who led the team in total minutes, points, and rebounds — coach Mike McLaughlin recognizes that the starting rotation needs a lot of ironing out .

    Penn will miss the production of Stina Almqvist, who led the team in total minutes, points, and rebounds.

    “I think we need a little more in the post. … We need to see who’s going to be three, four, and five in that rotation,” McLaughlin said. “ … That is the area that I need to see more of because that’s been inconsistent so far.”

    Penn men’s hoops unveil throwback jerseys that pay homage the program’s winning ‘era’

    Big shoes to fill

    Katie Collins, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is the only other front court player to log significant minutes for Penn — and is preparing to adapt to playing next to a more traditional center in Tina Njike.

    “Little different from last year with Katie and Stina,” McLaughlin said. “They could both play inside and out. Katie is going to need to adapt a bit because Tina’s ball skills away from the basket are not where Stina’s were.”

    With McLaughlin believing Njike to be capable of playing only 20 minutes a game because of her physical style of play, the team will have to find valuable minutes from players eager to make an impact.

    Katie Collins (center), last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will be relied on even more in her sophomore season.

    Kate Lipatova, a 6-foot-3 stretch forward from Moscow, rounds out the frontcourt group alongside fellow international freshman Ari Paraskevopoulou (Greece).

    “[Lipatova] hasn’t played, unfortunately, she got hurt 10 minutes into practice, and will be out at least a couple more weeks, which is going to impede her growth,” McLaughlin said. “She had a nice preseason. … This is definitely a setback.”

    Figuring out the rotation

    Point guard Mataya Gayle is set to take center stage for the first time with the Quakers. After being a strong No. 2 to Almqvist in 2024 and former first-team All-Ivy forward Jordan Obi in 2023, Gayle will be Penn’s go-to player when it comes to scoring.

    “This kid is ready,” McLaughlin said. “She’s going to have a huge year. She’s going to score it, she’s going to assist it, you’re going to see her rebound the ball better, you’re going to see her in big spots being significantly further along.

    “I think for someone with her stature after the first two years, she’s taken massive growth, [and] I just love where the kid is mentally — I just think she’s doing it the right way.”

    Which players get to fill out the rotation, besides Gayle and Collins, is still up in the air. Stalwart guards Saniah Caldwell and Abby Sharpe, who played significant minutes last year, are battling injuries already — leaving the door open to establish a larger rotation of guards.

    “If we can add 10 players that can actually get out there and play at our level every day, I think this team has a chance” of competing for a championship, McLaughlin said.

    Penn men’s basketball gives a first glimpse of its new era in a preseason scrimmage

    Confidence through it all

    Roster overturn and injuries will always lead to uncertainty. Gayle, though, is confident that this is the roster that will bring Ivy glory back to the Palestra.

    “This is the most excited I’ve been about a season — I see us taking this to the next level,” Gayle said. “We’ve had a lot of team conversations, internal work, and I think we are all on the same page this year, which is obviously winning an Ivy League championship.”

    Penn guard Mataya Gayle (right) enters as one of the team’s leaders on offense.

    With the season growing closer by the day, McLaughlin feels as though this squad has the ability to rise to the occasion by the end of the season.

    “If a couple of these kids take a bigger step before we get to league play, anything can happen from there,” McLaughlin said. “ … We have a ways to go to get to where we were last year, but our ceiling couldn’t be higher.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Penn athletics right here!
  • Ellen Yin opens the Bread Room, a cafe and pastry hub around the corner from High Street

    Ellen Yin opens the Bread Room, a cafe and pastry hub around the corner from High Street

    When James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin moved High Street from Old City into the corner of Ninth and Chestnut Streets four years ago, she and her crew set up a small production bakery and takeout space alongside the restaurant.

    Almost from the start, Yin said, the 300-square-foot bakery has been “bursting at the seams.”

    Everything fromage Danish is a savory option at the Bread Room.

    The solution: Take over a storefront around the corner on Chestnut Street — also part of the Franklin Residences — to open the Bread Room. It’s a cafe, workshop, and pastry hub in a light-filled, industrial-meets-farmhouse space with 14-foot ceilings and expansive windows, designed by longtime collaborator Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design. The grand opening was Oct. 20.

    The Bread Room, joining a rush of new bakeries and cafes in the region, is led by head chef Christina McKeough and head baker Kyle Wood, who are producing dozens of handmade viennoiseries and baked goods daily.

    Baked goods at the Bread Room.
    Blueberry basil Pop-Tart at the Bread Room.

    The pastry lineup includes grown-up Pop-Tarts in flavors such as strawberry, bergamot, and kumquat cream cheese; crullers topped with tahini, honeycomb, or candied fennel; and morning buns scented with cardamom and brown butter.

    On the savory side are baked egg cheese Danishes, pastrami Reuben rye croissants, and sandwiches like a muffuletta on sesame focaccia, cold roast sirloin with horseradish cream, and watercress on a rustic roll. Each day will also bring a house-milled local grain miche, sold by the pound, and High Street’s whole-grain sourdough loaves.

    Seating at the Bread Room.

    The Bread Room’s space, which briefly was a location of Bryn & Dane’s about five years ago, “was a glorified retail space being used as storage,” Yin said.

    By day, the Bread Room will operate as a bakery and cafe with vintage benches and a communal table once owned by Albert Barnes, the Philadelphia art collector and scientist. In the evening, it will become what Yin calls a community-driven workshop and event space, hosting small group classes (subjects include sourdough 101, lamination, and pizza making) and private gatherings for up to 30 people.

    Turkey sandwich on a seeded pullman at the Bread Room.

    “We’ve had huge demand for classes — bread, pizza, lamination — and this will allow us to expand those for adults and children,“ Yin said. ”People are really looking for an experience, and this creates that opportunity.”

    The Bread Room, 834 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107. Starting Oct. 20, hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends.

  • Kennett’s Shay Barker is following in his older brother’s footsteps, one kick at a time

    Kennett’s Shay Barker is following in his older brother’s footsteps, one kick at a time

    Shay Barker wouldn’t describe his relationship with his older brother Ryan as instant best friends. They fought as children and were competitive with each other, but Shay secretly wanted to do whatever his big brother was doing.

    “I was kind of like a crybaby as a kid, and he was the one who just found that super annoying,” said Shay, three years younger than Ryan. “We would get in a lot of fights and stuff. But I’m a lot more mature now. I don’t really get upset about things. I think that’s probably the biggest reason why we’re so close now: We connect on a different level than we used to.”

    Part of their connection also stems from the bond that the two Chester County natives share in the same sport.

    Ryan is the starting kicker at Penn State. The redshirt sophomore, once a preferred walk-on, is now on scholarship. Shay, a senior at Kennett High School, will also head to a high-major program to kick and punt next fall. He earned a scholarship offer to Syracuse and made his pledge in June.

    Ryan is considered one of the best to come through Kennett’s program. He holds the school record for longest field goal (45 yards) and was the first in program history to play Division I football. With the Nittany Lions this season, Ryan’s longest field goal is 49 yards, and he ranks eighth on Penn State’s all-time list in extra-point percentage (98.6%), while carrying the top percentage (86.7%) in field goals made in program history.

    Shay felt he had high expectations to live up to. He has been compared to Ryan before. But Shay brushed those comments to the side because the only way to silence those remarks is on the gridiron.

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    The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is ranked among the top 10 high school kickers in the country, according to 247Sports. He has kicked field goals as far as 63 yards in practice, and his in-game career-long is 44 yards. So far, Shay has made 8 of 10 field goal attempts for a 7-2 Kennett team.

    “Kicking has brought us closer than I ever thought we would be,” Ryan Barker said. “It’s such an individualized thing that we’re both trying to work just as hard as each other to get better at whatever we need to improve on, and to be able to have each other there for the mental and physical aspect, it’s just awesome. I love helping him. I love coaching him, and I can see that he’s listening.”

    Soccer turned football

    The Barkers grew up in a soccer family.

    Their mother, Sally, used to visit her parents’ native England during the holidays. In the early days of their relationship, her future husband came along. The two decided to go to a championship match a tier below the Premier League, and “my jaw hit the floor,” Chris Barker said.

    From the atmosphere to the game itself, Barker was hooked and became a supporter of Manchester United. The Barkers even named Ryan after Ryan Giggs, one of the most decorated footballers of all time, who spent the majority of his career with United.

    And it didn’t take long for Ryan Barker to pick up the sport.

    Shay, Sally, Ryan, and Chris Barker together on the field at Penn State.

    “We have video of Ryan barely walking but kicking a soccer ball,” his father said. “Ryan went on to achieve a lot of success in soccer. We thought that was going to be the pathway. We thought that soccer would be their ticket to maybe a scholarship in college. But little did we know that there’s an influx of Europeans now in the American collegiate soccer system, and it became pretty clear early on that it was going to be a lot more competitive for our boys to earn a scholarship, let alone play at a high level.”

    Both brothers started soccer around age 3. They played for the Delaware Rush Football Club in Hockessin and the Southern Chester County Soccer Association in Kennett Square. However, before Ryan entered high school, he sat on the idea of kicking in football.

    Running back Khyan Billups overcame adversity to become St. Joe’s Prep’s driving force on offense

    One day in the summer, he asked his father to drop him off at Kennett’s football field. He brought a football and tried to kick a field goal. After each attempt, he would jog over to the ball to do it again. A custodian at the school saw Ryan and went to find coach Lance Frazier to tell him, “‘There’s a freshman on the field kicking 50-yard field goals,’” Frazier recalled.

    “I’m like, ‘Get out of here, that’s not possible,’” said Frazier, in his eighth season as Kennett’s head coach. “I go up there and I see this tall, slender kid. I can hear him before I can see him, because he’s kicking the [stuff] out of the ball. … I knew he was going to have to make a really big decision here in the future: Is he a soccer player or is he a football player?”

    Through three years, Ryan played on Kennett’s soccer team and kicked for the football team. In his senior year, he decided to put his full commitment into kicking. He had some interest from smaller soccer programs to play collegiately, but he wanted to go Division I.

    Football could give him that opportunity.

    “That was probably one of the most difficult decisions that I ever had to make for myself,” Ryan said. “Just in terms of soccer being my first love and playing it for 17 years. … When I realized I could potentially play Division I football, that was kind of the main factor in my decision.”

    Kennett’s Shay Barker kicked his longest field goal of 41 yards last season.

    Shay’s journey was a bit different. He started to fall out of love with soccer in the eighth grade. Due in part to a growth spurt, Shay had patellar tendinitis in his knees, which made it painful to run. He decided to try kicking as a freshman while learning alongside his brother, then a senior.

    “He had seen how fun it was for his brother to play on Friday nights and to be part of the football team at school,” their mother said. “I think he was really excited to join [Ryan] and kind of be his understudy.”

    Kicking came naturally to Shay, but he was uncertain what he wanted from the sport. Then, something changed.

    Carving his own path

    During his junior year, Shay competed in a few camps and showcases through Kohl’s Kicking, a program for athletes who play specialized positions of kicker, punter, and long snapper to gain exposure to college coaches. He had a rough showing during the January showcase, which led him to question whether this was what he wanted to do.

    “Growing up, Shay always wanted to go to hang out with his friends,” his mother said. “He wanted to play this sport, this club. Last winter, he said, ‘I think I’m going to try to play basketball my senior year.’ [Chris and I] would look at each other like, ‘What is he talking about?’ He just could not say no. … The biggest question mark was maybe not whether he could do it, but whether he would choose to do it because of the sacrifice.”

    Shay and Ryan Barker shown together while they played at Kennett High School.

    That performance fueled his desire to get better.

    Shay began seeing a personal trainer to get stronger and sought out advice from Ryan, who reminds his younger brother that “the only kick that matters is the next one.”

    In June, Shay attended a camp at Syracuse, where he won the field goal competition and backed up to about 58 yards. He also was a finalist in the kickoff competition.

    A few days later, Syracuse came calling to offer Shay a full ride.

    “They saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself,” Shay said. “I was kind of an underdog a lot of my career. I just got in the right mental space and did what I needed to do. … I’m honored to have this opportunity, especially coming from a small school like Kennett, where not many kids get these kinds of opportunities. I just want to make the most of it.”

    And even when Ryan and Shay aren’t together, they are still competing.

    Last year, when Penn State faced Southern California on Oct. 12, Ryan hit the game-winning field goal in overtime to secure a 33-30 win for the Nittany Lions. Later that evening, Shay hit a career-long 41-yard field goal against Unionville.

    Ryan and his younger brother Shay during a Penn State football game.

    “That was probably one of the proudest and special moments for us as parents,” their father said. “Both our boys, at their various levels, did something quite remarkable on the same day.”

    Shay has hopes of surpassing Ryan’s program record. Last weekend, he broke his career-long with a 44-yard field goal against Avon Grove. He told his big brother about those aspirations and has his support.

    “Ever since I went to college, Shay is finally able to find his identity and what he brings to the table in terms of football,” Ryan said. “It’s great seeing him succeed. He, without a doubt, has the capability to beat that record, so I hope that he gets that opportunity.”

    Frazier believes Ryan and Shay could be the next brother duo to kick in the NFL.

    The two already have Sept. 4, 2027, circled on their calendars, when the Nittany Lions host the Orange at Beaver Stadium. This journey isn’t what Shay would have expected, he said, but kicking has given him the chance to play college sports, while forming a lifelong bond with his brother.

    “It’s definitely something I don’t take for granted,” he added. “I wouldn’t be here without Ryan.”

  • The West Philly Tool Library is moving, and asking for help

    The West Philly Tool Library is moving, and asking for help

    The West Philly Tool Library, where members can borrow from several thousand different tools and attend classes learning how to use them, is moving from its home of the past 15 years.

    Its landlord on South 47th Street near Woodland Avenue has chosen not to renew its lease, and the library will have to move by the end of November.

    Executive director Jason R. Sanders said that the tool library has been receiving below-market-rate rent since moving in and that the organization was not upset with its landlord for raising the rent beyond what the tool library could afford.

    “We’re very grateful and want to dispel that,” Sanders said.

    The tool library’s leadership is scouting options for a new home. Wherever the library goes, it will likely need to perform repairs and retrofitting before it can open again. Sanders said that work plus moving costs would likely exceed $50,000.

    Tools cabinets inside the West Philly Tool Library last week.

    The library has called for donations through an online fundraiser with the goal of reaching $20,000, and is already roughly three-quarters of the way there. (The link is available at westphillytools.org.)

    Asking for money is something Sanders and the library have always sought to avoid. They run a purposefully tight operation, with $20 annual memberships, volunteer staff, and minimal grant funding.

    Sanders said the organization started in 2007 as a few friends who shared tools with their neighbors to make DIY home repairs. They never imagined to have the reach the library does now, with over 1,300 active members and even more coming through its classes.

    The library offers nearly every kind of household tool imaginable, from mundane screwdrivers and pliers to jackhammers and power washers. Its classes teach attendees about plumbing and electrical work, as well as sewing and date-night woodworking projects. It aims to help people live more safely and healthily in their homes, Sanders said.

    “We want to live within our means and support the community with the support we receive. So it’s kind of an unprecedented thing for us to ask for that, and I think people understand that we’re asking in a time of need,” Sanders said.

    Alan Hahn works on a charcuterie board during a woodworking class at the West Philly Tool Library on Friday, Oct. 10.

    Sanders said that particularly over the last few years, the library has become a sort of “community hub” that means more to West Philly than just a place you can grab a hammer.

    “It blows me away,” Sanders said about the support the library has received.

    Beginning later this week, the library will host volunteer days for those willing to help prepare for their move. The library is also accepting donated construction materials for renovations like drywall and wiring.

    The tool library is hosting a fundraiser event on Oct. 25, with pumpkin carving, food and drink, and a raffle from local businesses and artists.

  • Plan to turn Pennhurst site into massive data center outrages neighbors

    Plan to turn Pennhurst site into massive data center outrages neighbors

    Megan Heiken recently bought a home near the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital, once a center for people with developmental disabilities that now operates as a popular haunted Halloween attraction.

    A new plan to convert Pennhurst into a massive data center has outraged and mobilized local residents, as well as people in neighboring communities in an area known for rolling hills, farms, and an overall rural character.

    Heiken launched an online petition urging her Chester County neighbors and East Vincent Township officials to “work together toward a solution that preserves the Pennhurst property, honors its history, and protects the environment and quality of life for all who live, work and visit here.”

    The petition had 1,825 signatures as of Friday.

    “I made this move to be out in an area with more space, more nature,” Heiken said. “The fact that the owner just wants to plow it over and swap in a data center is kind of alarming.”

    Her sentiments are widely shared. The board of supervisors and planning commission in East Vincent have hosted public meetings on the issue that stretched for hours as residents from Spring City to Pottstown voiced objections.

    Data centers require a large-scale way of cooling computing equipment and are often dependent on water to do that. The amount of water they use can be about the same as an average large office building, although a few require substantially more, according to a recent report from Virginia, which has become a data center hub.

    Steve Hacker, of East Vincent, told the board that his well had already gone dry, as has his neighbor’s, even before a data center has been built. He’s concerned about where the data center would get its water.

    The pushback comes as both President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro champion data center development. Trump aims to fast-track data centers and exempt them from some environmental regulations. Shapiro promotes a 10-year plan that includes cutting regulatory “red tape.”

    A Main Line developer is planning an AI data center outside Conshohocken. Within days, neighbors have rallied against it.

    State legislators and local governments are scrambling to rewrite local laws as most have no local zoning to accommodate data centers or regulate them.

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    1.3 million square feet

    Pennhurst‘s owner has not yet filed a formal application to develop the site, but an engineering firm has submitted a sketch of a preliminary plan to East Vincent Township to develop 125 acres for use as a data center.

    The land is owned by Pennhurst Holdings LLC, whose principal is Derek Strine.

    Strine deferred comment to a spokesperson, Kevin Feeley.

    “Pennhurst AI is aware of the concerns expressed by the residents of East Vincent Township, and we are committed to working through the Township to address them,” Feeley wrote in an email. “What we propose is a facility that would be among the first of its kind in the United States: a state-of-the-art data center project that would address environmental concerns while also providing significant economic investment, jobs, and tax rateables as well as other benefits that would directly address the needs of the community.”

    Feeley said Pennhurst AI plans to continue “working cooperatively with the Township.”

    The sketch calls for five, two-story data center buildings, a sixth building, an electrical substation, and a solar field. Together, the buildings to house data operations would total more than 1.3 million square feet.

    The plan states that a data center is an allowable use within the Pennhurst property because the land is zoned for industrial, mixed-use development. Township officials have agreed a data center would be allowed under that zoning.

    The grounds are bordered by Pennhurst Road to the west. The Schuylkill lies down a steep gorge to the east and north. The property is near the border of Spring City, which is just to the south.

    A view of the entrance to the Halloween attraction at the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital grounds in East Vincent Township, Chester County.

    What’s Pennhurst?

    Pennhurst State School and Hospital, known today as Pennhurst Asylum for its Halloween attraction, has had a long and troubled history. It opened in 1908 to house individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It became severely overcrowded by the time it closed in 1987.

    A 1968 documentary Suffer the Little Children highlighted abusive and neglectful practices, and resulted in legal actions and a landmark disability rights ruling in 1978 that declared conditions as “cruel and unusual punishment.”

    The last patient left Pennhurst in 1987, and the facility sat abandoned until it was purchased in 2008 and converted into a Halloween attraction despite protests from various advocacy groups.

    Pennhurst Asylum haunted house draws criticism every Halloween. A group of disabled actors running the show says there is more to the story.

    The Halloween attraction has continued and operators say it shows sensitivity toward those once housed at Pennhurst. Separately, visitors can take historical tours of the exteriors of 16 buildings and learn about people who lived and worked there. The site also has a small Pennhurst history museum.

    A view of the vacant buildings on the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital grounds in East Vincent Township, Chester County.

    Contentious meetings

    In recent months, East Vincent officials have raced to draft an ordinance that would govern data centers by limiting building heights, mandating buffers, requiring lighting, noting the amount of trees that can be cut down, and other restrictions.

    At two contentious meetings in September, residents and the board of supervisors argued about the draft ordinance’s specifics. Residents said the ordinance did not incorporate some community-suggested safeguards aimed at preserving the township’s rural character.

    Residents asked how much water the data center would consume, how much power it would need, and how much noise it would generate.

    Pennhurst’s zoning was changed in 2012 from allowing only residential development to permitting industrial and mixed-use buildings. Township Solicitor Joe Clement told residents that it is difficult for the municipality to argue that a data center would not fit within that zone.

    “If there’s a use that is covered by the zoning ordinance, we can’t stop that use,” board vice chair Mark Brancato explained at a Sept. 18 meeting.

    Officials said the draft ordinance was not specifically aimed at the Pennhurst site but was meant to broadly govern any data centers proposed in the township.

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    “What we’re trying to do is to come up with a set of reasonable guidelines, guardrails, and conditions in the new zoning ordinance that will … provide as much protection as we possibly can for the residents,” Brancato said. ”We are committed to protecting and preserving the rural character of the township.”

    Township meetings, some of which have lasted hours, have been marked by raised voices and emotional appeals.

    “Our whole community is kind of anxious about the thought of this new data center,” Gabrielle Gehron, of Spring City, said during one meeting. “I’m confused about whether we are or not doing something to prevent that from happening.”

    Pa. State Rep. Paul Friel, and State Sen. Katie Muth, both Democrats from East Vincent, have spoken at meetings. Muth noted that Strine received a $10 million grant and loan package from the state in 2017 to prepare the site for “a large distribution facility” and other industrial structures, new office development, and the renovation of six existing buildings for additional commercial use, amid ample open space, according to a funding request provided by the governor’s office.

    Muth fears Strine is paving a path to clear the data center for development and sell the property — after benefiting from tax dollars.

    “These are not good things to live next to,” Muth said of data centers.

    The board tabled the draft ordinance on Sept. 22 after receiving legal advice that they still had time to incorporate more residents’ concerns.

    Beyond Pennhurst

    Other municipalities in Pennsylvania face a similar issue: Most don’t have existing zoning for data centers. However, state law mandates that municipalities must provide zoning for all uses of land — just as state and federal officials are ramping up plans to embrace the centers.

    Plymouth Township is dealing with pressure as Brian J. O’Neill, a Main Line developer, wants to turn the Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill into a 2 million-square-foot data center that would span 10 existing buildings. The Plymouth Township Planning Commission voted against the project given resident backlash. The plan goes to the zoning board later this month.

    And Covington and Clifton Townships in Lackawanna County in the Poconos are also dealing with zoning issues and widespread opposition regarding a plan to build a data center on 1,000 acres.

  • As clashes with ICE heat up, Trump’s cold war against immigration rages on

    As clashes with ICE heat up, Trump’s cold war against immigration rages on

    Clashes between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and members of targeted communities continue to intensify as the Trump administration gleefully condones a dangerous mix of heavy-handed enforcement tactics and zero accountability.

    Recent examples of intimidation, harassment, and excessive use of force by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have been piling up, ranging from a praying minister being shot in the head with a pepper ball to a woman allegedly taunted to “do something” before an officer opened fire.

    Americans who care about the rule of law — whether they support mass deportations or not — must speak out against the inhumane theater of cruelty put on by Donald Trump’s secret police.

    Yet, beyond the daily outrage of immigrants being disappeared off the street, or citizens detained without reason by jeering masked thugs, there is another insidious level to the administration’s anti-immigrant efforts.

    From the moment Trump came into office, he has shut down or obstructed the country’s legal immigration pathways. No shots have been fired in this cold war, but the long-term economic damage will leave most Americans worse off.

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    Starting in January, the administration froze the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, leaving more than 100,000 highly vetted immigrants who had already been approved for resettlement stuck in limbo.

    According to reports, the program will restart in 2026, but the cap will be lowered from the 125,000 set under President Joe Biden to 7,500. Not only that, but many of those limited slots will be reserved for white South Africans.

    You have to give it to white supremacists in the administration; they are not subtle.

    The refugee freeze may not be the largest cut to legal immigration, but it is the most significant, said David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute.

    “All these people who would have been here with a path to permanent residence and citizenship — it’s just gone,” he told me. “Over the next four years, it’s basically the equivalent of half a million people who are going to be lost as a result of that decision.”

    Refugees are fleeing from persecution, have gone through extensive background checks, and likely waited for years for a chance to come to the U.S. — all of which is meaningless to an administration for whom a foreigner is just an “illegal” who hasn’t overstayed their visa yet.

    Federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection walk north on North Clark Street in the River North neighborhood of Chicago in September.

    And, if and when Trump leaves office, the system itself will be damaged, atrophied after years of disuse and partner agencies that have moved on.

    The administration has also ended all humanitarian parole initiatives launched during the Biden years, which allowed some immigrants who had a sponsor in the U.S. and who passed a background check to come to America for a period of two years to live and work lawfully.

    International students, long a wellspring for high-skilled workers in the U.S. and a major revenue driver for colleges and universities, have also been targeted by the administration. As the new academic year began in August, the number of international students declined by almost 20% from 2024. Difficulties getting visas, fears of getting caught up in the wider immigration crackdown, or ending up in jail for saying the wrong thing played a part in the drop, according to reports.

    These are no idle concerns. The best and brightest around the world can quickly find validation for their worries in what happened to Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained after leading pro-Palestinian protests, or Tufts doctoral candidate Rumeysa Öztürk, who spent six weeks in custody over an op-ed she wrote for her student newspaper.

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    There are also travel bans targeting 19 countries and a proposal to charge a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas for skilled workers. Meanwhile, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency tasked with overseeing legal immigration, including legal permanent residence and citizenship applications — is being weaponized against the people it’s meant to serve.

    The agency will now have armed special agents engaged in immigration enforcement, even as its backlog hits an all-time high and fee-paying applicants face worsening delays for USCIS services.

    It’s going to be some time before the full economic effects of mass deportation, plus legal immigration being throttled so aggressively, manifest themselves, but the math is clear. The consequences of Trump’s legal immigration crackdown will not play out in the streets, but around people’s kitchen tables.

    “It’s going to mean less economic growth for the United States,” the Cato Institute’s Bier said. “You’re reducing business creation and entrepreneurship and innovation, which drives improvements in economic growth over the long term.”

    With less economic growth, it means lower living standards for the U.S. population, Bier added. “It’s a bleak picture.”

    Much as the reality of who’s being targeted for deportation puts the lie to the administration’s claims that they are focusing on “criminal” immigrants and “the worst of the worst.” So the gutting of legal immigration removes all doubt over what this is really about, or for whom it’s really for.

    As I said, these folks are not subtle.