Ray the Nubian goat has come a long way since a parasite threatened to take his life, leaving him with three legs but not dampening his spirit. Now he’s in need of a wheelchair.
As a jolly middle-aged goat, 7-year-old Ray loved taking long strolls around Awbury Arboretum, supporting people in bereavement with hoofshakes and kisses, and taking children with cerebral palsy on rides.
The wagon was his biggest job, and he took it seriously, said Karen Krivit, the director of Philly Goat Project, an East Germantown nonprofit that provides community wellness through nature connection. So much so that he hid his pain.
“Goats tend to hide their injuries,” Krivit said. “Ray was determined to keep from showing any pain and just trying to pull his head high and be with everybody else.”
Philly Goat Project’s annual Christmas Tree-Cycle feeds old trees to goats.
Ray had been battling a parasite infection common among outdoor animals, Krivit said. But, as often happens for hisbreed, he was resistant to the medication. As his veterinarian team continued trying for a cure, a slight limp alerted the Philly Goat Project staff that his condition had worsened.
The parasite affected his bone density, causing one of his femurs to break in three places. A big problem for any goat due to their rough-and-tumble nature.
The place Ray had called home since he was 3 months old rallied around him, raising money for a titanium plate to secure the bone in place. But his anatomy once again worked against him.
With Ray standing at a little over 3 feet tall, his natural lanky composition would have made it hard for the plate and the screws to hold onto the bone. The titanium plate could have collapsed his bone in another area, causing additional damage, Krivit said.
“We were able to eliminate the parasite, but not in time enough to save his leg,” she added. “The safest long-term plan was amputation.”
For tall animals in particular, it’s hard to thrive on three legs, Krivit explained. The biggest challenges since the amputation in May have been teaching him how to move around by himself and reintegrating him into his herd of 13 goats.
“Humans tend to be mean to each other if you look different or act differently; it’s the same with goats,” Krivit said. “But humans can use their voices and talk about it; goats can only be mean and exclude another goat. Not being rejected is vital to his survival.”
Ray was placed in a nearby separate stall. His brother Teddy never stopped looking out for him.
Ten thousand dollars and months of rehabilitation later, Ray has a severe limp, but can now stand up and lie down by himself. The herd has accepted him back, but he seems to feel left behind when they go on long walks, often bellowing as the other goats head out without him.
“Because he is moving his body in three legs instead of four, he is at risk for hurting himself further if he goes on a long walk, making it harder for him to stay connected to the herd,” Krivit said.
So Ray needs a wheelchair.
For goats, that involves a metal harness with a wheel on each side of the goat, mimicking a leg. But they are expensive.
The Goat Project needs $2,000 for a custom-made wheelchair for Ray, physical therapy, and proper fitting.
For Krivit, leaving her beloved otherwise-healthy goat without a wheelchair is not an option. She is hoping to raise enough money at the group’s annual GOAToberFest to get him a chair.
The Oct. 18 event will take place at the Conservatory at Laurel Hill West Cemetery, and tickets run for $75, with free snacks, drinks, and goodie bags.
Until then, she hopes folks can see in Ray a symbol of resilience.
“A wheelchair is the missing link for him to safely go on walks that will support his body and his spirit to not be left behind,” Krivit said. “If Ray can be resilient and he can survive this, I hope that gives people hope in their times of adversity.”
Krivit hopes their upcoming annual GOAToberFest can help get Ray a wheelchair.
Lower Merion Township’s effort to limit where guns are sold violates state law, Commonwealth Court ruled Thursday.
In a case that holds major implications for the power of local governments across Pennsylvania, the court threw out the township’s zoning ordinance that sought to block holders of federal firearms licenses from operating in walkable downtown areas and residential neighborhoods.
The question at the heart of the case was whether the ordinance regulated land-use decisions, the bread and butter of local government, or the sale of firearms, which only the state can do.
A majority opinion, signed by five judges, said the township’s ordinance violated state law that prohibits local governments from regulating guns because its requirements went beyond geographic limits.
“The Township’s ordinance here is clearly intended to regulate the sale of firearms, rather than to regulate zoning,” wrote Judge Matthew Wolf in the opinion. “It is a gun regulation, not a zoning regulation.”
In a statement, Todd Sinai, the Democratic president of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners, said the township was considering its legal and legislative options.
“We, of course, are disappointed in the Commonwealth Court’s decision today. It is a fundamental and important right of municipalities to be able to zone the location of uses to best serve their residents and property owners,” Sinai said.
Frustrated with the lack of gun-control measures out of Harrisburg, advocates and officials have sought to use local ordinances to limit gun sales and where guns can be carried, and to ban certain firearms. Philadelphia has fought for years for the ability to enact gun laws. But ordinances passed by Philly and other cities, including Pittsburgh, have largely been struck down by courts.
One strategy that has had limited success is the use of zoning ordinances to limit the locations of firearms-related activities, such as shooting ranges or gun stores. The Lower Merion case was seen by some as a test on how far zoning can go to bypass state preemption.
“The Commonwealth Court has reaffirmed once again that local forms of government cannot regulate firearms and ammunition in any manner,” said Joshua Prince, an attorney with Civil Rights Defense Firm who filed the lawsuit.
Lower Merion can appeal the decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which would have to agree to hear the case, but the ruling delivered a blow to gun-control advocates who had hoped Lower Merion’s ordinance could be replicated elsewhere in the state.
“The decision to treat firearm operations as different within zoning than any other business is unusual and concerning,” said Adam Garber, the executive director of CeaseFire PA.
The ruling, he said, creates a road map for how municipalities can zone firearm stores but also puts the impetus on the state to address gun regulations, something lawmakers in Harrisburg have refused to do.
The township approved the zoning rules for firearms dealers in 2023 after the opening of Shot Tec, a gun training facility and seller in Bala Cynwyd, sparked community outrage. The zoning rules established a set of criteria for sellers to operate under and said they could open only in strip malls and industrial-use areas.
The township argued that, while local governments are not allowed to regulate firearms, they have broad power over zoning and land use.
Grant Schmidt, the owner of the Bala Cynwyd shop, sued after the zoning ordinance impeded his ability to open a second location in his home.
He responded to the news of the ruling Thursday with a gif of Ric Flair cheering. His business, which offers training and education on firearms in addition to buying, selling, and storing them, has had four locations in five years. He said he hoped he could now focus on expanding his business rather than fighting local policies.
“Now I’m looking to just grow and be normal and invest in my staff more,” Schmidt said.
The litigation focuses on the requirements Schmidt had to adhere to for his most recent Rock Hill Road location, which is within one of the four districts that were zoned for businesses that require a federal gun license. The ordinance went beyond restricting place and imposed 12 additional requirements, such as installing smash-resistant windows, an alarm system, and internal video surveillance.
Montgomery County Court found that all but three requirements were preempted by state law. Following Schmidt’s appeal, Commonwealth Court struck down the remaining requirements and the place restrictions.
Lower Merion argued that other businesses, such as medical marijuana dispensaries, animal hospitals, and funeral homes, are subject to compatible conditions to operate. These types of requirements are “traditional local land use control not specific to firearms,” the township argued, according to the majority opinion.
To make its case, Lower Merion cited a previous, non-precedential decision by Commonwealth Court that allowed Philadelphia to limit gun shops to specific zoning districts.
The difference between the cases, Wolf wrote, is that Philadelphia limited the location of the gun shops but said nothing about how they need to operate. Lower Merion went a step further to restrict how gun shop owners “conduct their business.”
Two judges, Renee Cohen Jubelirer and Lori Dumas, disagreed with the majority’s analysis, saying the decision “strips the Township of its traditional power over land use and zoning.”
“Contrary to the Majority’s conclusion, none of the provisions of the ordinance at issue here regulate the ownership, transportation, or transfer of firearms, ammunition, or ammunition components,” Jubelirer wrote in the dissent.
Correction: An original version of this story incorrectly identified the gif sent by Schmidt. It featured Ric Flair.
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Think you know your news? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome back to our weekly News Quiz — a quick way to see if your reading habits are sinking in and to put your local news knowledge to the test.
Question 1 of 10
Which neighborhood is joining the Open Streets movement this month?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Open Streets is coming to Queen Village on the next two Saturdays as the neighbors association seeks the business boost and relaxing car-free vibe of the widely popular original version on West Walnut Street.
Question 2 of 10
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a new name and acronym. What is it?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
After 87 years, it’s not the Philadelphia Museum of Art anymore. As of Wednesday, the city’s largest visual arts institution has a new, slimmed-down name: Philadelphia Art Museum. The museum is now sometimes referring to itself under an even shorter sub-brand: PhAM.
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Which Pennsylvania convenience store performed best in a national customer satisfaction survey?
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Wawa and Sheetz tied for the No. 2 slot of a national customer satisfaction survey, fueling the long-standing local rivalry. Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip took the No. 1 slot.
Question 4 of 10
A movie about a movie is filming in parts of Philly and New Jersey. What will it be about?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
I Play Rocky is a dramatic, behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the Oscar-winning Rocky. New York-based Grant Wilfley Casting is looking to hire real life boxers as extras.
Question 5 of 10
“Real Housewives” star Yolanda Hadid, is selling the Bucks County farmhouse she owned, where her three children — models Gigi and Bella Hadid, and musician Anwar Hadid — would visit and stay. Which feature does the home NOT include?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
A lavender field, an outdoor labyrinth for meditating, and a dressage area are just some of the features of Yolanda Hadid’s farmhouse, recently listed for $10.88 million. But there’s no movie theater feature in sight.
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Question 6 of 10
Former Phillies star and current TBS analyst Jimmy Rollins won a MasterCraft X24 speedboat after sinking a hole in one during the 12th hole at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe in July. Ultimately, he decided to sell it. Who bought it?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
While Rollins initially said he planned to keep the boat, valued around $325,000, he ultimately decided to sell it to Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. Apparently, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder is a big wakeboarding fan and was helping McCready find a boat. MasterCraft knew Rollins was selling the boat he won, so one thing led to another, and now McCready has the speedboat he was looking for.
Question 7 of 10
A then 12-year-old Harrison Bader made a small cameo in this indie band’s music video:
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Bader is one of a group of children featured in Vampire Weekend’s music video for the song “Oxford Comma.” That’s because Bader is cousins with the band’s bassist, Chris Baio. The two grew up together in Bronxville, N.Y.
Question 8 of 10
Prime Video has a new documentary on a Philly sports favorite. Who does it star?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Prime Video’s Saquon documentary premiered on Thursday, the same day the Eagles faced the New York Giants on Amazon’s streaming service. It’s no coincidence.
Question 9 of 10
24,000 bottles of this celebrity’s tequila brand were stolen on their way to Pennsylvania:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
About $1 million worth of Guy Fieri’s Santo Tequila went missing en route to a warehouse in Montgomery County. But now, it appears an international crime group was to blame for the booze never even making it to Pennsylvania.
Question 10 of 10
Unsurprisingly, Jason Kelce loves a lot of songs off Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl. But, he said, “Opalite” and this other track are his No. 1 picks:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The eldest Kelce said his other favorite track is “Eldest Daughter” because he’s “a sucker for a ballad.” He added, “I just think the expression in that song and the sentiment behind it is beautiful.”
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New York’s Brevet Capital Management revealed its vision for 1341 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. to the Pennsport Civic Association on Wednesday night, showing a soaring tower on Delaware River with 620 units and promising a dramatic revision of public space in the area.
In addition to the tower and small retail building just to its west, the developer’s representatives outlined possible future phases that could include two additional towers.
“The retail building is constructed as a placeholder,” Meredith Trego, a zoning lawyer with Ballard Spahr, said at the Pennsport Civic Association meeting. “But the idea is in a future phase that a one-story building would go away, and a new tower could go in its place.”
The towering project, with its limited parking, is legally possible due to the unique zoning incentives available along the central Delaware riverfront.
In exchange for building as high as they want, the developers must meet a variety of requirements including paying into the city’s housing trust fund, providing public space, and upgrading, maintaining, and extending a rundown stretch of the Delaware River Trail down to Reed Street.
The first tower would be more than 380 feet tall, and renderings show possible future towers that would be even taller. To be allowed to build that high for future buildings, the developer would have to meet the city’s exacting requirements again, including by paying more into the housing trust fund (and they could not encroach on trail space).
Conditions on the pedestrian- and bike-friendly river trail have deteriorated below Washington Avenue. The infrastructure has not been maintained to the level it is farther north.
An encampment of homeless people has settled along this portion of the trail, although its residents have been moved around several times in sweeps orchestrated by the city, Delaware River Waterfront Corp., and property owners.
Another sweep is planned for Tuesday, the developer’s representatives said at the Pennsport meeting, and additional signage and fencing are planned to limit access to the property.
But currently the encampment is largely along the public access bike and pedestrian trail itself, not private property.
“Everyone knows that’s only going to last so long until we get density back there, people [will probably be] living back there,” said Matt McClure, a zoning lawyer representing Brevet. “That’s why we need an active use.”
A rendering of the proposed tower discussed at the Pennsport Civic Association meeting Wednesday night.
Brevet’s team said they would provide additional public space with the initial tower, including on disused piers that jut into the river. Currently they do not plan to build structures on the piers but turn them into publicly accessible green space.
Residents also asked that the developer address traffic conditions on Columbus Boulevard, which is a high-speed roadway that is unsafe for pedestrians.
“Big projects generate focus on improvements,” McClure said. “Hopefully it generates dialogue on making things better” on the boulevard.
The biggest applause of the night came when an attendee urged the developer to add more parking than the 187 spaces currently proposed within the tower. Another 100 spaces are available in an existing surface lot, although that is also the site for a possible third future residential tower.
The developer’s representatives tempered hopes for a greater share of parking in future development, while not ruling it out.
“So for future phases, if there’s a need for additional parking, we could incorporate that,” Trego said. Based on what they’re seeing in developments throughout the city, she added, garages are not as full as expected.
A rendering of the highly theoretical future two towers the developer has discussed as a possibility for the site.
Plans for the first tower have mostly smaller units — 50% one-bedroom units and 35% studios — but the developer said that could change.
“As we study this further, if there is desire for larger units, we can always make room for that,” said Milton Lau, a project architect with the firm Perkins Eastman.
Brevet expects to begin building in summer 2026, with an 18- to 24-month construction timeline for the first tower.
This is Brevet’s first real estate project in Philadelphia, although the company has built other developments in Florida, Texas, and California.
A New York developer is planning a 620-apartment development at 1341 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. in South Philadelphia.
The 36-story project from Manhattan-based Brevet Capital Management makes use of multiple zoning bonuses to allow a taller, denser project than would otherwise be legal.
In exchange for those development benefits, the developer will pay into Philadelphia’s Housing Trust Fund and upgrade and maintainthe Delaware River Trail belowWashington Avenue, where its conditions currently get much rougher.
The zoning was changed before the pandemic to allow developers to build taller in exchange for extending the trail, but Brevet would be the first to do so.
“To me the most exciting aspect of this project is that they will be paying for and constructing the waterfront trail along their property,” said Matt Ruben, chair of the Central Delaware Advocacy Group, which has long pushed for responsible development on the riverfront.
“That’s one of the most important and consequential public benefits a developer can provide” in this area, said Ruben, who has not seen renderings of the buildings.
Jack O’Brien, who posts in JackPhillyRE’s Substack, first reported the latest project for this parcel in advance of a Wednesday night meeting with the developers before the Pennsport Civic Association. The permit with Brevet executives listed as owners was pulled on July 3 of this year.
“We are pleased to see the first major investment in Pennsport’s historically underutilized waterfront,” said Patrick Fitzmaurice, president of the Pennsport Civic Association. “We look forward to neighbors safely enjoying the waterfront with the proposed retail and recreational plans.
The project is designed by the international architecture firm Perkins Eastman, with its Philadelphia office listed, and is called Wharton Piers in plans filed with the city. The developer is represented by Matt McClure and Meredith Trego of the law firm Ballard Spahr.
Although no parking is required, the developer is providing 187 parking spaces on floors two to four of the housing tower. Over 10,000 square feet of commercial and office space will be on the ground floor, with amenity space on level five.
A small, neighboring one-story building will include 20,650 square feet of retail space.
A screenshot from plans filed with the city shows how the housing tower proposed on the right dwarfs the small retail building proposed on the left.
Previous proposals for the property
The property at 1341 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. has had multiple development proposals over the years. Most recently, in 2023, New York-based Silverstein Properties proposed 612 apartments and 500 parking spaces across two towers.
Before the pandemic, it was the site of a 2,000-unit project that would have spanned 10 buildings. That plan, from Maryland-based developer Jeffery Kozero called Liberty on the River, drew widespread skepticism and went nowhere.
Kozero’s company at that time, K4 Associates LLC, is still listed as the permit holder. His proposal was met by backlash from the Central Delaware Advocacy Group and other neighborhood organizations.
K4 “tried to warp the entire overlay to allow the construction of 10 huge towers that many of us knew would never get built,” Ruben said.
Following the backlash, City Council changed the zoning overlay covering the waterfront in part by allowing developers to build taller in exchange for growing and maintaining the bike path, part of a larger plan.
“It’s ironic that this [new proposal] is the first project that will make use of the new density bonus system,” said Ruben, given that the old K4 project on the same site is the reason the zoning incentive exists at all.
Until recently, the vast vacant lot at 1341 S. Christopher Columbus had been used asan encampment by people who are homeless. Last December, The Inquirer reported that the property was being swept, with the tents and residents removed, at the behest of the property owners.
Today, an established encampment instead lines much of the bike and pedestrian trail below Washington Avenue.
This story has been corrected to make clear that the river bike trail does extend below Washington Avenue and that the developer promises to upgrade and maintain that part of the path.
Gloria Del Piano, 72, of Philadelphia, celebrated designer of silk clothing, fashion accessories, and jewelry, former Italian TV producer and public relations director, energy therapist, Italian translator, voice-over actor, and community volunteer, died Wednesday, Oct. 1, of complications from cancer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Energetic, artistic, and indomitable, Ms. Del Piano was 31 when she arrived in Philadelphia from Rome in 1984. She had little money and knew little English. But she discovered her skill for silk painting in a do-it-yourself class, and the colorful hand-painted silk scarves, evening wraps, handkerchiefs, handbags, and original jewelry she went on to create turned Gloria Del Piano Accessories LLC into a fashion powerhouse.
In just a few years, she opened a store on Bainbridge Street and contracted with Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nan Duskin, Nordstrom, and hundreds of other fashion outlets to carry her designs in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis, and elsewhere around the country. Locally, her signature scarves and earrings were featured at gallery exhibits, charity benefits, private homes, and fashion shows at Penn’s Landing, Fairmount Park, the Wayne Art Center, and elsewhere.
Many of Ms. Del Piano’s designs were colorful.
Her line of accessories won awards for excellence and creativity at the Philadelphia Dresses the World fashion expos in 1986 and ’87, and she was inducted into the Philadelphia Get to Know Us Fashion Hall of Fame in 1988. The Inquirer, Daily News, Los Angeles Times, and other outlets publicized her exhibits, and a fashion writer for Newsday called her scarves, with flower and bird patterns, “exquisite” in a 1986 story.
Some of her scarves were priced between $220 and $300 in 1986, and a black cape listed in 1988 at $495. In 1993, a gold lace-trimmed handkerchief was $45. A fellow artist exhibited with Ms. Del Piano at a Philadelphia festival and said in a fashion blog: “We watched her tie a scarf so many ways so fast it was like a magic act.”
Earlier, from 1976 to 1984, Ms. Del Piano worked as a program producer and public relations director at GBR-TV in Rome during the station’s glory years. She also did Italian voice-overs, interpretations, and translations for clients of all kinds.
Ms. Del Piano (right) smiles at a model wearing her designs at an event at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park.
She served on the board of the nonprofit Enabling Minds, volunteered in Philadelphia as aCourt Appointed Special Advocate for Children, and raised funds for other organizations she championed. In a Facebook tribute, a friend said she was “bigger than life itself” with “a flare of the Italian opera star and the warmth of the Mother Earth itself.”
Her partner, Wainwright Ballard, said: “She was generous and empathetic. She took care of everyone, including those abandoned or forgotten by others.”
Gloria Del Piano was born Jan. 20, 1953, in Rome. She was artistic as a girl and always interested in spiritual growth and personal transformation. She studied sociology and business administration after high school in Italy, was certified by the Florida-based Barbara Brennan School of Healing in 2000, and led seminars in healing therapy for years.
Ms. Del Piano and her partner, Wainwright Ballard, met in Chestnut Hill.
She married Roberto Borea in 1985, and they divorced in 1992. She met Ballard at the Mermaid Inn in Chestnut Hill, and they spent the last eight years dancing, traveling, and enjoying life together.
Ms. Del Piano doted on her family and friends in the United States and Italy, and returned often to Rome for reunions. She lived in Mount Airy and then a 20-room house in Germantown, and visitors marveled at her eclectic collection of art and antiques.
She enjoyed music, gardening, thrift shopping, and chatting with friends. Friends called her “a philosopher,” “a noble soul,” and “a magician in the kitchen.” She delighted in cooking and entertaining, Ballard said, and always sent guests home with armloads of leftovers.
Ms. Del Piano receives an award from then-Mayor Wilson Goode at a fashion expo in Philadelphia.
Her “fabulous parties” were “fun and adventurous,” a friend said. Ms. Del Piano said on Facebook: “You never know how wonderful what you have is when you have it. It is when you miss it that we realize how lucky we were.”
A friend said her “optimism, tenacity, enthusiasm, kindness, beauty, and elegance will always be with us.” Another friend said: “My life has been made richer having known Gloria Del Piano.”
In addition to Ballard, Ms. Del Piano is survived by a brother, two sisters, and other relatives. Her former husband died earlier.
A funeral mass is to be held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 109 E. Price St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144.
Donations in her name may be made to Unite for Her, 22 E. King St., Malvern, Pa. 19355.
Many of Ms. Del Piano’s designs featured flowers and birds.
For years, students at Temple University’s College of Public Health trekked to classes and met professors across two campuses and 10 buildings in North Philadelphia.
That changed this school year when the college finally moved into its own building, the first dedicated to public health since its founding in 1966.
Paley Hall is an expansion and renovation of the former Samuel L. Paley Library, which sat at the heart of Temple’s main campus on North Broad Street.
Jennifer Ibrahim, the college’s dean, spoke with The Inquirer about the new building and amenities designed for public health studies, including a “simulation” space with a replica park, restaurant, emergency room, and even a rowhouse where students can act out interactions with patients. The interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Why did Temple pick the former Paley library for the new College of Public Health building?
About eight years ago, we started the conversations about renovating Paley to become the new home of the School of Public Health. It’s at the center of campus, and public health has so many collaborations with medicine, with dentistry, with public policy, with law, that it felt really special and appropriate, given how collaborative and interdisciplinary we are.
Once Paley Hall was gutted, the beauty of the building was that it was created to hold books — to bear the weight of books. That allowed us to add two more floors and extend an east wing and a west wing, significantly increasing the square footage, and that made the building large enough for our different academic units to move into.
How does consolidating academic departments into one space help students and faculty?
We have so many different disciplines — public health, social work, nursing, speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, recreational therapy. And we have been in as many as 11 buildings over the history of the college on the main campus, but also on the health science campus [farther north on Broad Street]. It’s not that far, but it does create challenges for collaboration.
Jennifer Ibrahim, dean of Temple University’s College of Public Health, spoke with The Inquirer about the college’s new headquarters on Temple’s main campus.
That ability to bump into one another in the same physical space — just having those impromptu conversations brings a warmer human element to the interactions that we have.
What are some of the amenities in the new building?
There’s a couple of interesting spaces in the building. We have four classrooms in the building, and then we have the Aramark Community Teaching Kitchen, which is a kitchen space with capacity for 24 students to be learning.
The simulation center is at the heart of it. This was a collaboration from faculty across all of our disciplines.
When individuals have an acute injury, or a chronic condition, what we aim to do is get them back into the community and back into their social support system.
So about 40% of our simulation center is a community. There’s an ambulance bay, there’s a park, there’s a restaurant, there’s a corner grocery store, there’s a replica rowhouse, there’s a street, there’s a sidewalk — all of that allows students to practice safely before they go out and work with our community partners, to learn and to receive feedback.
The other half of our simulation center is more traditional. We have an inpatient and an outpatient area where students will be interacting with simulated patients as well as mannequins to help them learn [bedside manner].
We’re really excited for our disciplines to come together and get creative about ways that we can better prepare students for what it’s going to be like when they enter the workforce. We also feel that we have an obligation to our local and regional workforce, that we are putting out the best-prepared students to hit the ground running.
What does Temple’s investment in a project like Paley Hall say about its commitment to public health as a profession?
We know that there is an evidence base for what works and what doesn’t work.
We have an obligation to educate the public.
We have an obligation to conduct research to advance the evidence of what we know does and does not work.
We have an obligation to develop policy with our elected officials to figure out what can we do to protect the population in any way that we can.
I think Temple’s investment in this space is a statement about the importance of public health and health professionals more broadly.
Now is the time that we have to double down on our investments in public health, and Temple has done just that.
With a government shutdown looming, Jimmy Kimmel coming back, and former FBI Director James Comey being indicted, it would be easy to miss that the Trump administration has promised billions in taxpayer money to bail out one of the president’s buddies after he got in trouble down south.
Argentine President Javier Milei, who you may remember gave Elon Musk a “bureaucracy chain saw” onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, has put the power tools down and brought out the collection plate.
“As President [Donald] Trump has stated, we stand ready to do what is needed to support Argentina and the Argentine people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on X Wednesday. “The Treasury is currently in negotiations with Argentine officials for a $20 billion swap line with the Central Bank.”
That influx of cash is, of course, timed to the forthcoming midterm elections, as Milei is challenged over his poor handling of the economy and other political woes. Elected in 2023, the brash self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist has cut a Trumpian path, governing by decree and force of personality. But corruption allegations surrounding his sister, growing wage stagnation, and rising unemployment have him on the ropes.
Now, helping a neighbor facing hard times is not a bad thing. I was in Mexico when President Bill Clinton took it upon himself to approve a $20 billion loan in 1995 to help stabilize the peso after that country’s economic collapse. But helping the nation next door was also in America’s best interest.
Elon Musk holds up a chain saw he received from Argentina’s President Javier Milei (right) as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md.
The U.S. had just entered into a trade agreement, and there were American jobs dependent on exports. Clinton also pragmatically argued that a broke Mexico would likely lead to more illegal immigration and destabilize the southern border.
The gamble worked. Mexico ended up paying back the loan, along with half a billion dollars in interest, ahead of schedule. The country also continued down the road to true democracy, with an opposition party winning the presidency in 2000 for the first time in more than 70 years. But Argentina is not Mexico.
The country is hardly a top export destination for American goods (imports from China almost double what U.S. producers sell there), and Milei has already burned through $15 billion in International Monetary Fund money. Not to mention Argentina owes another $45 billion from an IMF loan taken out in 2018.
Those are a lot of hopes and dreams riding on the right-wing Milei. As U.S. Rep. French Hill, the GOP chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, wrote after a trip to Argentina recently, if Milei’s policies are successful, they could “reverse 150 years of macro financial disappointment to creditors.” I believe in long shots, but I’m not taking that bet.
Oh, wait. As a taxpayer, I guess I am.
Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury secretary, (left) and Argentine President Javier Milei during the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York on Wednesday.
What’s maddening about this situation is that it’s part of the cronyism that defines Trump’s second term. The president has made no secret, as usual, of what his motivations are, calling Milei “a very good friend, fighter, and winner” on Truth Social, and telling Argentines their president has his complete and total endorsement and “will never let you down!”
We can argue on the merits of propping up Argentina’s economy, but this is no way to run foreign policy in Latin America.
Not while the U.S. cozies up to the “world’s coolest dictator” (and America’s jailer) Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. Nor when we’re imposing 50% tariffs on Brazil — a country with an economy more than three times the size of Argentina’s — for convicting former president (and Trump pal) Jair Bolsonaro over a coup attempt after his electoral defeat in 2022.
Nor when Trump continues to order the extrajudicial killings of Venezuelans — at least 17 people — the White House claims were drug running in the Caribbean.
The little Republican pushback over the administration’s efforts to rescue Milei’s political career has come from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who objects to Argentina’s undercutting of U.S. farmers trying to sell to China. “Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???” Grassley posted to X on Thursday.
Not exactly a clarion call to action, but it’s a start. Maybe if we put soybeans on those Venezuelan boats the U.S. keeps blowing up, we’ll get some needed outrage from the right.
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity stepped in on Wednesday to offer counties and early education programs $500 million in low-interest loans to hold them over until a final state budget deal is complete, sidestepping the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro as they near the start of a third month at an impasse.
Garrity, a Republican who last month announced her bid to challenge Shapiro in next year’s gubernatorial election, announced the unprecedented move to allow the state Treasury to offer the loans to county human service departmentsfor the many social services they provide, as well as for early education Head Start programs, at a 4.5% interest rate.
Counties, schools, and social service providers have pleaded for months with the legislature to finalize a budget so they can begin receiving their expected state payments, which have been on hold since the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1. Some counties have had to secure private loans to hold them over until state payments begin, while others — including those around the Philadelphia region — have relied on their reserves. Other counties have frozen hiring and spending as they await a resolution to the budget stalemate.
The move would allow counties to access millions of dollars for early education programs serving 35,000 children across the state, as well as for county social services — all of which have been operating for months without their state appropriation, with no end to the budget impasse in sight.
Garrity’s decision to act unilaterally without the action of the General Assembly allows her to capitalize politically on the ongoing budget crisis over Shapiro, challenging his image as a moderate Democratic governor of a politically “purple” state willing to work across the aisle in a divided legislature. That brand, which he has built nationally as he is rumored to have interest in running for president in 2028, has been tested as he has so far been unable to secure a budget deal or a recurring funding stream for the state’s beleaguered mass transit agencies, including SEPTA.
Shapiro, for his part, has described his role in budget negotiations as being a go-between for Senate Republicans and House Democrats, who control their respective chambers, and has said that the two caucuses remain “diametrically opposed” on some issues.
A spokesperson for Shapiro said in a statement Wednesday that the real solution to the budget impasse is for Senate Republicans, whose leaders endorsed Garrity last week, to return to work in Harrisburg to finalize a budget deal with House Democrats. A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) echoed the sentiment, arguing that Senate Republicans “refuse to negotiate on a realistic budget agreement.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro visits SEPTA headquarters Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 to discuss funding for the transit agency and to pressure Senate Republicans as planned service cuts are pending because of a budget shortfall. To his right, from left, are state Democratic legislators Sen. Anthony H. Williams; Sen. Nikil Saval; Rep. Ed Neilson; and Rep. Jordan Harris.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana), the Senate’s top negotiator, who has met for months in closed-door budget talks with Bradford and Shapiro, said in a statement that it was Democrats who caused the prolonged impasse while demanding they include mass transit funding in the state budget. After mounting pressure as SEPTA enacted major service cuts, Shapiro ultimately sought to fund the agency on his own, and the issue will need to be revisited in two years.
Garrity, who kicked off her “Help Is on the Way” introductory campaign tour around the state earlier this week, said Wednesday her decision to intervene in the state budget stalemate was not political, despite her burgeoning run against Shapiro. Rather, she said that she had been thinking about a way to do so for months, including ahead of her announcement of her run for governor, and that most Pennsylvanians don’t even realize the state budget is late. She argued that if she wanted to be political, she would not intervene and would “keep the pressure” on Shapiro over the late state budget.
“I’m standing up here as Pennsylvania’s state treasurer, not as a candidate for governor,” Garrity said from a podium in the Harrisburg building that houses the state Treasury. “I think I have a responsibility to serve Pennsylvanians, that if I have something that I can do to provide some relief, then I should do it.”
However, that didn’t stop Garrity from inviting Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello — the lone Republican on the board where Shapiro once served — to the podium at the news conference to deliver some direct criticisms of Shapiro and to praise Garrity’s intervention as a “lifeline” for counties, alongside two other GOP county commissioners from south-central Pennsylvania. While Montgomery County remains one of the wealthiest counties in the state, the late budget has required Pennsylvania’s third-most-populous county to spend down its reserves, money that it usually relies upon to continue earning interest as part of its annual revenue, DiBello said.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy L. Garrity gives her acceptance speech after receiving the PA GOP’s endorsement for her campaign for governor during the Republican Party of Pennsylvania’s 2025 Fall Meeting at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center in State College on Sept. 20.
“It starts at the top. The governor is responsible,” DiBello said. “He’s got to pull it together. It’s his signature at the end of the day.”
In response to Garrity’s announcement Wednesday, Montgomery County Commissioners Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder, both Democrats, said in a statement that the county needs a final state budget instead of a short-term loan program, urging Senate Republicans to “do their job.”
“A short-term loan at 4.5% interest is the state profiting from a problem of their own making, at the expense of the taxpayers,” the two commissioners added.
DiBello said he did not believe his invitation to Wednesday’s event had political motivations, adding: “I didn’t even think of that.” He also noted that he has come to Harrisburg to advocate on behalf of counties multiple times before.
Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland), who has been one of Shapiro’s biggest critics since his first budget in 2023 and was quick to support Garrity’s candidacy, prodded at Shapiro’s pledge to “get stuff done” while praising Garrity’s leadership.
“Today, Treasurer Stacy Garrity made a bold move that shows what ‘get stuff done’ actually looks like,” Ward said in a statement. “Treasurer Garrity’s leadership is on display as her solution-driven option is exactly what we need, but has been glaringly missing from the present administration.”
Garrity said at the news conference Wednesday that she offered the loan program specifically to Head Start programs and county governments’ human service departments because both had asked her to help them get through the budget impasse. The state budget was due by July 1, and Pennsylvania is the only state besides Michigan that has not yet passed its budget. She said she is willing to offer similar loans to schools or other state-subsidized or funded programs as requested.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly can forgive the interest accrued by counties taking out loans during the budget impasse, Garrity said, adding that shewould support legislation that does so.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Out of everything in the world, Ashley Huston loves sugar the best. It’s no surprise she is a baker. Huston opened Dreamworld Bakes, the Fishtown bakery, in December 2024 after years of running a bakery business out of her West Philly apartment.
Her perfect day, she said, would be a day when her bakery stays busy all day.
“I’m constantly working,” said Huston, who baked Patti LaBelle’s 80th birthday cake. Working and manifesting opening a boutique hotel in West Philly someday — “more like a bed-and-breakfast with a bakery under it.”
Her days involve coming into Fishtown every day, dreaming up her monthly menus, running Dreamworld, and going home to feed and pet her cats — Ketchup and Leeloo.
She wakes up around 4 a.m. and goes to sleep as early as 7 p.m. on some hard days. Usually, she is in bed by 9 p.m. and asleep by 10 p.m.
She tried to imagine what a perfect day in Philly would look like. Outside the bakery.
Ashley Huston, owner of Dreamworld Bakes, 2400 Coral St, Philadelphia, Thursday, August 21, 2025.
7 a.m.
On my perfect Philly day, I sleep in. I wake up and have coffee in my yard in West Philly. I drink a lot of my own coffee, our Dream World blend, but I also use a Trade Coffee subscription. Sometimes I go to ReAnimator Coffee, [on Pine Street] down the street from my house, and pick up an iced vanilla latte. And then I’ll sit in my yard, lay in my hammock. I try to “touch grass” whenever I can. Got to love those big West Philly backyards.
A family on a bike ride along Kelly Drive near the Schuylkill on March, 12, 2021.
9 a.m.
I have a vintage Peugeot Bike. A morning ride down to the Schuylkill trail before it gets too hot is always enjoyable. If I have time, I’ll do the whole loop. I’m pretty active, so I like to get some kind of movement in on a regular basis. Monarch Yoga in Kensington is a great studio with a very welcoming environment and community. My good friend, Michelle, is my favorite instructor. We went to the same hot yoga studio years ago, and now we’re both small business owners. If not yoga, I’d go to the gym, which is theWest Philadelphia YMCA.
Friends Veronica Teek (from left), Lucky Nwankwo, and Mikita Hill-Cashaw eat their slices, as they join other .cake lovers gathering in Clark Park for a cake picnic Sunday, May 18, 2025. They made a lemon olive cake to exchange, at the popular grassroots trend celebrating cake in all of its forms.
10 a.m.
I will have some breakfast. If I could, I would go down to South Philly every day and eat at Artisan Boulanger Patissiercafe. I really love their breakfast sandwich and almond croissants. More than mine, probably. They also have really good banh mis. I might even drop into a farmers market. My favorite is the one in Clark Park every Saturday morning. I’d get a pastry and some flowers and snag a squat in the park for an hour or so, and just watch people. We have such good characters in Philly. Our people sometimes get a bad rap, but we got the flavor.
Upon entering Riverwards Produce Market in Old City, shoppers are greeted by fresh flowers and kombucha.
Noon
I’d walk around downtown. Riverwards Produce is a great place for seasonal produce, especially in smaller quantities. Before I opened Dreamworld [brick and mortar], I had a hard time trying to find produce like sour cherries or pink chicories in an amount that could fit into my fridge. I also love Reading Terminal Market. It’s full of tourists but it’s fun. I pick up meat, cheese, and get one of those hot dog pretzels from Miller’s Twist. It’s also right next to Chinatown, which is one of my favorite places in the city. I could walk around there forever if I had the time.
Pho order number 1, Slices of eye-round steak, well-done flank, fat bisket, soft tendon and beef tripe with added meatballs. Pho 75, 1122 Washington Ave, Wing Phat Plaza, Philadelphia, Friday, September 5, 2025.
1 p.m.
Some of my favorite places to eat are in Chinatown, like Penang for their char-kway-teow or beef redang. I also love Sang Kee Peking Duck House with a passion. The roast pork noodle soup with dumplings makes me feel like I’m walking around Hong Kong and don’t even get me started on the duck.
If I’m still in West Philly, I’ll walk down to Hummus Grill in University City. Don’t sleep on it, it’s the best falafel in the city.
In South Philly, my lunch would be a Ba Le Bakery banh mi or pho at Pho 75.
The sun illuminates the Philadelphia Museum of Art as it sets in Philadelphia, Pa. on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
3 p.m.
I think all I do is eat, because my whole day in Philly revolves around food! I love vintage shopping too. Moore Vintage in Queen Village is a great place for one-of-a-kind finds. I love the Philadelphia Museum of Art, seeing any contemporary exhibits they may have on. I try to go a few times a year. I love when they bring new artists. I probably go there more than any other museum in the city.
7 p.m.
I’ll often bike down to the Ritzin Old City; sometimes with people, but also by myself. Or I’ll meet up with friends at a bar, get a margarita.
I love an outdoor situation, so I love LMNO. Mezcal paloma is my go-to anywhere. So if there’s a paloma on the menu, I’ll have it.
The outside dining area with the view of the Market–Frankford Line at LMNO in Fishtown on Friday, December 10, 2021.
I love to host and entertain and to care for people. And I love showing off my home [recently featured by Apartment Therapy]. When I have the time, the perfect day to me ends with an evening at my place.
Maybe in the yard with the lights on and the grill going. Or in my den having a game night with my besties and a signature cocktail.
The halibut at Little Water in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.
If I’m going out, I like Little Waterwhere I went for dinner the other day. The seafood was phenomenal. They had a really nice, clarified paloma on their menu. It had a little lavender in there, so that was right up my alley. I also love Kalaya. I’m a sucker for crab fried rice, and their massaman is great.
I love Taqueria La Prima in South Philly. And I also love going to Le Virtu in Passyunk if I’m on a date. That’s such a romantic place.
Noah Marmar also know as “DJ On Mars,” prepares to play a vinyl record at the 48 Record Bar, a vinyl centric cocktail bar in Old City on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
8 p.m.
I’m a woman in my mid-30s, so I try to frequent places that have live jazz. I liked going to Say No More’s outdoor space. I miss them. I love 48 Record Bar. It’s always a good time, bomb drinks, and great music always. If people visit me from out of town, that’s a fun place to take them to.
Ashley Huston, owner of Dreamworld Bakes, 2400 Coral St, Philadelphia, Thursday, August 21, 2025.
10 p.m.
North Third in Northern Liberties is my food stop if I’m out late. I think they have the best wings in the city, especially their Thai chili wings. I’ve been going there since college, which is a hundred years ago.
For a late night drink, I’m a sucker for a tiki drink. So if there’s a tiki pop-up anywhere, I will go to that.
Ashley Huston in her West Philly kitchen on June 18, 2025.
11 p.m.
In my perfect bed. The trick is to get a hard to firm mattress, and top it with a memory foam and a down topper. You have to do both. That’s the perfect sleeping situation.
My perfect day, actually, begins and ends with getting a good night’s sleep. With Ketchup and Leeloo, who drive me insane. The perfect way to end my perfect day in Philly, in my bed in West Philly.
