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  • Federal legislation would increase pathogen testing for infant formula following botulism cases

    Federal legislation would increase pathogen testing for infant formula following botulism cases

    A 2-month-old Bucks County infant was struggling to swallow and could hardly hold his head up.

    He was diagnosed last month with infant botulism, a rare, potentially deadly infection that affects the nervous system and can lead to paralysis.

    The family and their lawyer believe the baby, now recovering at home, ingested the bacteria that causes the infection from an infant formula subsequently recalled by its manufacturer, Nara Organics, over contamination concerns.

    Federal legislation proposed this spring could protect babies by requiring formula manufacturers to test for more pathogens. The bill, HR 7867, is awaiting hearings in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

    “I want responsible manufacturers, responsible industry partners, who say we know there is a risk of this and we’re going to be ahead of the game,” said U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Montgomery County Democrat and cosponsor of the bill.

    When asked for comment on the proposed legislation, Nara Organics pointed to safety protocols posted on its website saying the company exceeds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s current requirements.

    The New York-based company said it voluntarily recalled all of its infant formula on June 13 “in an abundance of caution,” after the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported three cases of infant botulism in babies who had consumed Nara formula.

    As of July 6, a fourth case had been confirmed, and FDA testing identified the botulism-causing bacterium C botulinum in some of the company’s formula, according to an update posted on the company’s website.

    Nara Organics did not comment directly on the proposed regulations. When asked for its position on the legislation, the Infant Nutrition Council of America, which represents manufacturers, said its members “share the goal of ensuring families have access to safe, high-quality infant formula.”

    “Infant formula is among the most highly regulated foods in the United States, and INCA supports science-based, risk-based improvements that strengthen infant formula safety,” the organization said in a statement.

    The push to bolster regulations comes several years after federal regulators and lawmakers started looking more closely at infant formula safety in 2022, when a massive recall for a non-botulism bacterial contamination left shelves bare for months.

    But two recent infant botulism outbreaks linked to formula show the inadequacy of the steps that companies are already taking, said Bill Marler, a Seattle-based food safety lawyer who is representing Erica and Micky Goldfin, the Yardley couple whose son developed botulism after being fed Nara Organics formula.

    “We need to do more to protect these kids,” Marler said.

    A dangerous infection

    Infant botulism occurs when babies ingest C botulinum in foods or dust and dirt particles. The bacteria’s spores colonize in the large intestine and release a toxin that affects the nervous system.

    Symptoms include changes in facial expressions, such as smiling less, slow feeding, constipation, and low energy. Untreated, the toxin can spread and cause paralysis, making it hard for babies to breathe and eat.

    Infants are at greatest risk of illness because their digestive systems are still developing and less able to fight off infection.

    Nationally, 181 cases of infant botulism were reported in 2021, the most recent year for which CDC data are available.

    The Goldfins’ baby, identified by the initials W.G. in court records, spent two nights in the intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was treated with BabyBIG, the botulism antitoxin that is manufactured by the California Department of Public Health. The medication’s antibodies bind to the toxin and neutralize it, improving symptoms within 48 hours.

    On June 6, he returned home, where he is feeding well again, and regaining movement in his arms and legs. He is receiving weekly physical therapy for developmental delays in his gross and fine motor skills, according to the lawsuit.

    Testing challenges

    Federal regulators began looking more closely at infant formula in 2022, after Abbott Nutrition issued a massive recall over concerns of non-botulism bacterial infections.

    Abbott temporarily shut down one of the largest formula manufacturing plants in the country while it investigated the cause of the contamination, leaving families scrambling to find the formulas they relied on for their infants and medically fragile children.

    Pinpointing the exact source of contaminants can be challenging.

    The bacteria that causes botulism, for instance, could have been present in the Nara Organics’ powdered milk formula, in dust that settled on the packages during transportation, in the water used to mix it, or on the hands of those preparing the food, said Molly Potter, a senior clinical dietitian with Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware.

    According to its website, Nara Organics tests its formulas throughout the manufacturing process, first testing raw ingredients, then during production, and again with the final product.

    The tests the company uses include so-called sulfite-reducing clostridia (SRC) enumeration, which a leading international food-safety group recommends for identifying spores of the bacteria that causes infant botulism.

    But research published in June in the medical journal Frontiers in Microbiology found that SRC enumeration testing suggests that test wasn’t sufficient to consistently detect the bacteria.

    Researchers from IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group, a Washington-based firm that specializes in laboratory testing and analysis for the food industry, worked with ByHeart to analyze its infant formulas that had been linked to at least 28 cases of infant botulism this year and last.

    A bottle of milk prepared from infant formula.

    Improving safety

    Dean said she hopes the proposed legislation will open up more conversation about how best to improve infant formula safety.

    The bill tasks the FDA with developing a list of pathogens that formula companies should test for, and working with manufacturers to begin any tests they aren’t already doing.

    The FDA would also set a schedule for how often manufacturers need to test for the new list of pathogens.

    Under the legislation, companies would be required to report contamination results within a day, and retain records of positive test results.

    Dean is among more than two dozen lawmakers to sign on as cosponsors. Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, who represents South Jersey’s 2nd District, is one of two Republican cosponsors.

    Potter, the Nemours dietitian, said she hopes increased testing will help families feel more at ease.

    In the meantime, parents can reduce the risk to their children by only purchasing formula from reputable stores, checking expiration dates, and storing powdered formula canisters properly. Caregivers should make sure to mix formula in clean equipment, and wash their hands before preparing and feeding it to a baby.

  • Historical Jericho Farm estate in Bucks County is on the market for $18.8 million

    Historical Jericho Farm estate in Bucks County is on the market for $18.8 million

    The 147-acre Jericho Farm estate in Upper Makefield is listed for sale for $18.8 million. The primary residence on the property was built in 1765 but underwent a complete renovation when purchased by former Du Pont de Nemours CEO and current executive chairman Edward Breen in 2012.

    Located at 465 Pineville Rd., this secluded estate features its original stone exterior and exposed wooden beams.

    There are a total of 11 structures on the property.

    Subsequent additions to the estate have resulted in a total of 11 structures, including three dwelling units: a 7,800-square-foot main house; a three-bedroom, two-bath cottage; and a complete one-bedroom apartment as a guest house.

    There’s also a pool house, multiple outdoor patios, a two-level office with a gym, a greenhouse, an eight-stall horse barn, and a chicken coop.

    The greenhouse, which is attached to a lounge area.

    “This is the most exclusive property,” said listing agent Jack Lacey of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, who listed the property alongside Perry Epstein. “I don’t even have enough adjectives to describe it.”

    Breen and his wife, Lynn, purchased the estate for $4.2 million in 2012. Before moving in, they embarked on a four-year renovation with architect Paul Kiss of OSK Designs and master builder Tim Sager of Ferman Lex Custom Homes.

    Every structure on the estate was updated “bottom to top,” said Lacey.

    The estate’s lot is about 30% manicured grounds and 70% woodlands, with walking trails throughout the forest leading to the top of Jericho Mountain.

    The 147-acre estate has forested trails leading to the top of Jericho Mountain.

    “You could hike on your property every day and be in the best shape of your life if you wanted to,” said Epstein.

    The main house has three levels, boasting four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and two half-baths. A glass-enclosed conservatory with its components imported from England is a highlight of the main floor, along with an office, sunroom, living room, and kitchen with an 18-foot island and custom cabinetry.

    The two-level living room in the main house.

    The two other dwelling units — named the cottage and the guest house — are outfitted with bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen utilities, allowing for multigenerational living. “If this were a family compound,” Epstein said, “everybody would have their own space.”

    Epstein said Upper Makefield is the most sought-after township in Bucks County. It has the seventh-highest median income of all Pennsylvania municipalities, according to 2024 American Community Survey data. The estate is about a 15-minute drive to Newtown, 12 minutes to New Hope, and 20 minutes to cross over the Delaware River to New Jersey.

    “It’s not like you’re out in the sticks here,” Epstein said. “But you do have the ultimate privacy for your location.”

    The pool and pool house.
  • Philly chefs are leading a brunch renaissance

    Philly chefs are leading a brunch renaissance

    The golden age of brunch has arrived in Philadelphia, borne on the menus of chefs who are reinventing the genre.

    All over the city, from Manong in Fairmount to dancerobot and Little Water in Rittenhouse and Rice & Sambal in South Philly, chefs who had long focused on dinner are turning their attention to brunch-specific menus, some available just one day a week. The results are dazzling.

    Customers enjoying drinks and food at the bar at Manong.

    To many in the restaurant industry, the very word brunch conjures up feelings of dread. “Brunch menus are an open invitation to the cost-conscious chef, a dumping ground for the odd bits left over from Friday and Saturday nights or for the scraps generated in the normal course of business,” Anthony Bourdain wrote in his seminal memoir, Kitchen Confidential. And the stigma against the not-quite-breakfast, not-quite-lunch meal, often accompanied by endless mimosas, has endured. Until now.

    For Chance Anies of Manong, brunch is an opportunity.

    Wingko, cassava, and coconut pancakes on Rice & Sambal’s new brunch menu.

    “I love that we’re making Spam,” said Anies. “It’s ironically the first food I got made fun of for eating at school because my dad would make me Spam and rice for lunch as a kid. I had kids calling me ‘Spam.’”

    Anies is also making his own version of the processed meat, a highly labor-intensive activity compared to popping open a can. “We grind pork shoulder and smoked ham, and some other ingredients, then set the farce in a terrine mold to steam. After pressing overnight, we slice them into little Spam squares,” he said.

    Manong’s house-made Spam is served on pandesal, a soft, buttery Filipino bread, in the breakfast sandwich at brunch, served seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Pandesal was the thing that got me into cooking, so having an outlet for the recipe I’ve been developing for over 10 years has been a cool full-circle moment,” said Anies.

    Diana Widjojo’s Rice & Sambal on East Passyunk in South Philly has been open for two years, but only recently started serving Sunday brunch. Widjojo had toyed with starting brunch service last year, “but I didn’t market it very well.” She officially restarted brunch two weeks ago because “I thought it would be fun.”

    Rice & Sambal’s brunch-specific snacks, savory items, and sweet dishes are extensive and only served on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (a la carte, no reservations taken). They range from crispy tofu to lumpia (vegetable and bamboo-stuffed spring rolls) to a Sumatran rendang that is cooked far longer than her typical Javanese rendang, so that it’s “spicier and more fragrant — I cook the curry until the coconut milk turns into oil.”

    And then there are dishes like her Indonesian omelet ($17) and Wingko ($12). The omelet is stuffed with fragrant shallots and served with spicy sambal ketchup. The Wingko pancakes are made of cassava and shredded coconut and colored a deep purple with ube. No maple syrup here, but rather a little pitcher of coconut milk and a squeeze bottle of sweet palm sugar syrup are provided for you to decorate your pancakes.

    There are also fun drinks like Happy Soda, served in a wine glass and consisting of coconut-pandan syrup, seltzer, and condensed milk, Indonesian coffee, and numerous tea drinks, including a deeply nourishing Beras Kencur ($7), made of ginger, turmeric, and rice. There’s excitement, creativity, and joy embedded in all these beverages — it’s a menu that dovetails with a rise in Indonesian cafes in Philadelphia.

    In Rittenhouse, other previously dinner-focused fine-dining chefs are celebrating brunch. Little Water’s Sunday brunch (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) is spectacular. On the menu, there’s a dish of fried oysters on beef tartare, blanketed in golden hollandaise and tucked in with pickled surprises, sometimes a gherkin, sometimes another pickled vegetable, that you discover through little bites. You can also add caviar to fancy seafood, like Sweet Amalia oysters slicked with Alabama white sauce.

    La Jefa’s brunch is equally marvelous, served Wednesday through Sunday (10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.). It features Guadalajaran twists on American brunch standards, like chilaquiles tucked into omelets or lengua given the pastrami treatment and layered into a sandwich. You get to wash it down with a beverage menu spiked with corn, tepache, and other fascinating ferments.

    Also in Rittenhouse, dancerobot’s weekend brunch (Saturdays and Sundays 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), has quietly become an incubator for incredible creativity, led by chef Justin Bacharach and sous chef Christina Betz, but featuring dishes from many other chefs and cooks on staff.

    The sourdough pancake at dancerobot should be shared with everyone at the table.

    Bucks County native Bacharach grew up with classic diner omelets, pancakes, French toast, and bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches, but these brunch stalwarts are completely scrambled up at dancerobot, where bacon, egg, and cheese are fashioned into crispy, crusted onigiri, and omelets are omurice, splayed open table-side into a blanket of egg curds and pancakes are meant to be shared with the whole table.

    “It’s an homage to fluffy Japanese pancakes,” Bacharach said. But his have more depth and oomph. They also have delightfully crispy edges. His sourdough pancakes, by the way, are made with the starter Amanda Shulman, the Michelin-star earning chef who also recently opened a restaurant serving brunch, gave him five years ago.

    The Caesar salad inari at dancerobot is a riff on the “girl dinner” trend.

    Pastry chef Sophie Wieber contributed cinnamon buns served with amazake-cream cheese frosting. Sous chef Drew Kornrumpff conceived a brilliant interpretation of “girl dinner” by stuffing pockets of aburaage, or fried tofu skin, with Caesar salad and topping them with ikura. Everything is original, delicious, and a little wacky.

    Bacon, egg, and cheese onigiri at dancerobot.

    “Brunch is a breath of fresh air,” Bacharach said. “The people are happier, the sun is out.”

    Dancerobot is also leaning into the creativity brunch can offer by teaming up with chef friends in Philly and beyond, hosting brunch club events with Chicago’s Kasama and soon, Middle Child Clubhouse.

    This new era of brunch is whimsical and riveting, a far cry from the dreaded services Bourdain once complained about.

    But all these chefs reinventing brunch have one more thing in common: they don’t have time to go out for brunch themselves. “Usually I am too tired to go to brunch,” Widjojo said. “I can’t remember the last time I did, but if I could, I would.”

  • Burlington County man caught in child trafficking sting drove an hour to have sex with underage girl, DA says

    Burlington County man caught in child trafficking sting drove an hour to have sex with underage girl, DA says

    Christopher Reynolds thought he was talking to a woman looking to exchange money for sex with her 13-year-old daughter, Bucks County prosecutors said Thursday.

    Reynolds was adamant about certain graphic details while negotiating the price for the encounter, and even offered a higher rate so the woman could buy her daughter an emergency contraceptive pill, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

    But in reality, Reynolds was speaking to an undercover detective who investigates human trafficking. And Reynolds, 35, was arrested late Wednesday after driving nearly an hour from New Jersey to a motel in Bensalem.

    Reynolds, of Browns Mills, Burlington County, has been charged with criminal attempt to engage or perform a commercial sex act with a minor, criminal attempt to commit trafficking in individuals, and related crimes. He was held in lieu of $500,000 bail, and there was no indication that he had hired an attorney.

    District Attorney Joe Khan said Reynolds’ arrest “sends an unmistakable message to those who look to prey on children in our communities.”

    “This is the exact kind of proactive, aggressive enforcement the public can expect from our office’s revamped anti-trafficking operation,” he said. “We are going to use every tool and technology at our disposal, and we will continue to hunt down those who attempt to exploit vulnerable individuals.”

    Investigators say the undercover detective first started communicating with Reynolds on Tuesday, after he responded to an ad on a website offering “taboo” with an underage girl, the affidavit said.

    After negotiating the price and duration of the encounter, Reynolds agreed to meet the girl’s mother at a motel on Lincoln Highway. He nearly called off the appointment when detectives declined to send nude images of the girl, but relented when they sent a digitally de-aged photo of a female detective.

    Investigators arrested Reynolds as soon as he entered the motel, the affidavit said. He was carrying $300 and a bottle of Mountain Dew, items the undercover detective told him to bring to the meeting while posing as the girl’s mother.

    Reynolds is scheduled to appear before a district judge for his preliminary hearing on July 16.

  • Philadelphia shipwrights hand-built a replica of the boat Washington used to cross the Delaware. Yes, you can climb on it.

    Philadelphia shipwrights hand-built a replica of the boat Washington used to cross the Delaware. Yes, you can climb on it.

    The floor of David Dormond’s workshop is scattered with wooden planks, shaving piles, and machines that scream “DO NOT TOUCH!” In the middle of it all sits a 40-foot-long, 3500-pound wooden boat that looks like it could hold an army.

    That’s because it’s meant to. Well, sort of.

    It’s a Durham boat, named because the design was used to transport iron from Durham Ironworks in Bucks County to Philadelphia. It is better known as being the model of boat George Washington used to cross the Delaware with his Patriot troops on Christmas in 1776.

    At the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, David Dormond is replicating the boat Washington used to cross the Delaware River, June 18, 2026.

    “The moment Washington decided to use these boats to cross the Delaware and storm Trenton changed the tide of the [Revolutionary] War,” said Dormond, who is the director of the Seaport Boat Shop at the Independence Seaport Museum (ISM). “It was one of the pivotal points for the U.S. in gaining our freedom.”

    Dormond and his team have built a full-scale replica of the Durham boat to be displayed in Washington Crossing Historic Park. Authenticity was at the forefront of its construction, with Dormond committed to making the boat as historically accurate as possible.

    The wood for the replica was sourced locally, including cedar from Medford, N.J., and white oak for the framing from Reading.

    David Dormond and his team have spent more than a year constructing the boat in the Seaport Boat Shop at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

    “The reason we do that is to keep things just the same as they would’ve been in the 1700s,” Dormond said. “When they were building these boats, they weren’t bringing lumber in from across the country, they were using what they had available to them, so we follow in that tradition.”

    Nearly every part of the boat was handmade by Dormond and his team, down to the bolts holding the wood together. They steam-bent the frames and used 18th-century-style spokeshaves and batten strips to help shape the boat like they would have in Washington’s day.

    But this boat, now on display in Washington Crossing Historic Park, isn’t just for viewing. Visitors will be able to board the ship and see how grand it was in height and length, but also how cramped the 8-feet-wide interior was for the 2,400 soldiers that crossed the Delaware.

    Most of the boat was handmade, with emphasis on using 18th-century materials to make it as period-accurate as possible.

    The park currently has four Durham boats that sit on the water and are used for historical reenactments. This new boat will be parked on land along the waterline, and will be the first that visitors can walk onto and interact with directly.

    “We were talking about some of the things that people are interested in learning about when they come to the park, but that they can’t necessarily experience. [And] people often asked about the Durham boats,” said Jennifer Martin, director of Friends of Washington Crossing, who collaborated on the boat project with ISM.

    Martin said civilian support played a vital role in the Revolutionary War, and part of that was boat-building.

    “This was trade work. This is something that was passed on and learned,” she said. “I think that there’s an art to handcrafting things and getting people to understand that life was very different in the 18th century.”

    At the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, David Dormond is replicating the boat Washington used to cross the Delaware River, June 18, 2026.

    Planning for the build started two years ago, with full-time construction beginning in spring 2025. The plans were made by a designer in Maine in the 1960s; Dormond and his team modified them to be truer to what they know of boat-building processes of the 1700s.

    Dormond has built boats at ISM for almost 13 years, and this one is “one of the bigger vessels that we’ve done,” he said. The shop cycles between larger construction projects and simpler boat restorations, commissioned by both institutions, like Washington Crossing, and private customers.

    “It’s a part of our history, so it’s neat to bring back and share that with the public and create something that will be a landmark for visitors at the park for years to come.”

    The Durham boat project is part of a larger revitalization of the riverside at Washington Crossing Historic Park for America’s 250th. This includes a new ADA-accessible trail complete with signs with original artwork that depicts the history being taught.

    At the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, David Dormond is replicating the boat Washington used to cross the Delaware River, June 18, 2026.

    The park has also invested greatly in a Williamsburg-style experience for the roughly 10,000 field trip students that visit every year. Activities such as hands-on butter churning, gardening, blacksmithing, woodwork, quill handwriting, and soldiers drills give visitors a glimpse into 18th-century living.

    “When people come to the park, a lot of our programs are free,” Martin said. “We wanted to be really intentional with creating more of these living history, immersive learning opportunities that people could experience every day that they come to the park.”

    Though the shop’s team has some finishing touches to make, the boat is currently on display at Washington Crossing Park, ready for visitors amid the nation’s 250th anniversary.

    It will be officially completed and installed by the end of July. It will be posted in the park indefinitely, with Dormond and his team assisting with any maintenance needs to keep it preserved for many years, and visitors, to come.

    The Durham boat is on display at Washington Crossing Historic Park, 1112 River Rd., Washington Crossing, Pa. washingtoncrossingpark.org

  • The ‘flying saucer’ building at LOVE Park will host a beer garden and then a restaurant

    The ‘flying saucer’ building at LOVE Park will host a beer garden and then a restaurant

    More than six decades after it landed in LOVE Park, Philadelphia’s long-shuttered “flying saucer” building is preparing for its next mission. The first step begins Saturday — not inside the circular glass pavilion itself, but with a new outdoor beer garden surrounding it.

    Broad Street Beer Garden at LOVE Park is the opening phase of a food-and-drink operation led by Broad Street Brewing, the Bucks County brewery selected by the Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation as its operator after years of fits and starts.

    Saturday’s debut, on the final FIFA World Cup game in Philadelphia and amid the hoopla surrounding America250 festivities, will feature a beer garden with a limited food menu. Two Philadelphia companies, Rival Bros. Coffee and High Street Hospitality Group, will be involved as well. High Street, which operates Fork, a.kitchen, and the Bread Room, will assume a larger culinary role when the restored pavilion itself reopens in early 2027 as a year-round cafe, restaurant, and coffee bar. Its name has not yet been announced.

    Broad Street Brewing’s partners (from left) Ed Webber, Tim Lohse, and Brandon Wellington with brewer Andrew Balmer.

    For the Parks & Recreation Department, the concession is about more than filling the building at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard. Revenue from the operation will be reinvested in LOVE Park and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, helping fund programming, maintenance, and improvements.

    “This has been a long time coming,” said Katie Burns Kays, the department’s director of business and event development. “Our goal wasn’t just to find somebody to fill the space. We wanted a strong partner who would bring the kind of energy and story we want to be telling at LOVE Park, for both residents and visitors.”

    Kays said officials hope the arrangement becomes “a sustainable funding model for our public spaces.”

    Broad Street Brewing, which opened three years ago in Bristol, emerged from a field of applicants that included Four Corners Management, operator of Parks on Tap; Triple Bottom Brewing Co.; Tica’s Taco; Bower Penn, which operates Bower Cafe locations; and Little Susie’s Coffee & Pie, according to city documents.

    The center in November 2001, just before the Independence Visitor Center opened at Sixth and Market Street.

    Kays said the city used what it calls a “best value” procurement process, weighing community engagement, operational experience, partnerships, and programming alongside revenue. Financial terms were not disclosed. The department’s standard concessions run for one year with up to four renewals, and Parks & Recreation plans to seek City Council approval this fall for a longer-term agreement to support the investment, Kays said.

    “It’s exciting to feature three local businesses rather than a national chain,” Kays said. “We really want visitors to experience Philadelphia through Philadelphia businesses.”

    For Broad Street co-owner Brandon Wellington, the project is also something of a homecoming. When Wellington lived at Broad and Race Streets, he first began brewing beer before setting the hobby aside for more than a decade. During the pandemic, he and longtime friends Ed Webber and Tim Lohse left their previous careers to launch Broad Street. Although the brewery established its production facility and taproom there, Wellington said the long-term goal was always to return to Philadelphia. He reached out to High Street partner Ellen Yin — whom he knew through his commercial kitchen-ventilation business — about partnering.

    The opening phase will occupy the terrace surrounding the pavilion and about a third of the adjacent lawn, with about 250 seats divided among cafe tables, picnic tables, and Adirondack chairs. Wellington said the goal was to create a gathering place for commuters, office workers, tourists, and park visitors while bringing regular live music and community programming to LOVE Park. The initial beverage program will feature at least eight Broad Street beers on draft.

    Broad Street Brewing expects to operate the outdoor beer garden through late October, serving beer alongside grab-and-go items such as smash burgers and maintaining a presence during Christmas Village as the permanent indoor build-out continues.

    Once the historic pavilion can be outfitted with a commercial kitchen, the partners expect to open a year-round operation with about 100 indoor seats. High Street will oversee the food program, while Rival Bros. anchors the cafe. Wellington said they also envision rotating guest chefs and an automated tap wall pouring Broad Street beers alongside selections from breweries across Philadelphia. The indoor operation is expected to debut around March 2027.

    “I just don’t want people to think this is simply a beer garden,” Wellington said. “While it’s being quarterbacked by a brewery, this will be Center City’s ultimate open-air hub — an oasis where local commuters, corporate professionals, and tourists can relax and connect.”

    On Aug. 4, 1957, The Inquirer reported the plan for what become the flying saucer-like building. In those days, Ben Franklin Parkway extended through what is now JFK Plaza to City Hall.

    Long before it became known as Philadelphia’s “flying saucer,” the pavilion was conceived in the late 1950s as the Philadelphia Hospitality Center at what was then the corner of 16th Street and Pennsylvania Boulevard. News accounts placed the price tag at $150,000, exclusive of the land provided by the city.

    Designed by Roy F. Larson of Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson, the circular building opened in 1960 as a visitor information center for an era when families increasingly arrived by automobile. Its broad cantilevered roof and nearly continuous glass walls embodied the optimism of the Space Age and Philadelphia’s postwar redevelopment under city planner Edmund Bacon.

    The pavilion predates both Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture and the boulevard that now borders it. When it opened, the roadway, which bisected the plaza, was called Pennsylvania Boulevard. Following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, it was renamed John F. Kennedy Boulevard, giving the plaza the name by which it is now universally known.

    Renamed the Fairmount Park Welcome Center shortly after opening, the building later served as park offices, a cafe, a concession stand, and exhibition space. After the Independence Visitor Center opened at Sixth and Market Streets in 2001, however, it gradually lost its original purpose and sat vacant for years.

    Its future appeared uncertain during LOVE Park’s 2016-18 reconstruction. Although some questioned whether the aging structure should be demolished, preservation advocates successfully argued that it was among Philadelphia’s finest surviving examples of midcentury modern civic architecture. The city instead invested about $5.6 million to restore the pavilion, replacing its roof, mechanical systems, and custom-curved glass while preserving its distinctive appearance. It was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2025.

    The rehabilitation did not immediately produce a tenant. In 2019, restaurateurs Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran planned a restaurant called Loveluck before withdrawing during the pandemic, and a subsequent request for proposals drew no bids.

    Last year, the city broadened its search, seeking a cafe, taproom, or other community-oriented food-and-beverage concept instead of a traditional restaurant. More than 50 prospective operators responded.

    Kays said the city deliberately slowed the process to avoid repeating earlier missteps.

    “The city has tried this before, and the business was not set up for success,” she said. “We wanted to be much more intentional this time.”

  • Two more Philly-area oral and maxillofacial surgery practices have joined a New Jersey group

    Two more Philly-area oral and maxillofacial surgery practices have joined a New Jersey group

    MAX Surgical Specialty Management, a private-equity backed company consolidating oral and maxillofacial surgery groups in the Northeastern U.S., has acquired two more practices in the Philadelphia area.

    The latest deal, announced Friday, gives the Hackensack, N.J., firm 12 surgeons at 12 locations in Pennsylvania. Surgeon Jason M. Auerbach founded MAX in 2022 with private-equity backing and entered Pennsylvania two years later.

    The two newly acquired practices have six offices in Bucks and Chester Counties.

    Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons P.C. has three surgeons, and offices in Doylestown, Quakertown, Warminster, and Chalfont. Oral Associates of the Main Line has two surgeons and offices in Exton and Paoli.

    MAX did not disclose financial terms of the transactions.

    In addition to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, MAX has practices in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. The company — a management services organization — is majority-owned by its physicians, Auerbach said.

    Oral and maxillofacial surgeons work at the crossroads of dentistry and medicine. Most have dental degrees, but some also have medical degrees. They remove wisdom teeth, install dental implants, repair facial traumas, and treat jaw injuries, among other services.

    North Jersey origins

    Auerbach founded Riverside Oral Surgery in Bergen County in 2007 and grew it to 12 locations before founding MAX with private equity partners. Part of his motivation was to create a home for independent physicians, Auerbach said in a May interview.

    The Philadelphia region still has a high concentration of independents, with strong patient demand. “It’s hard nowadays to be an independent oral-maxillofacial surgeon, in terms of the complexities in running a healthcare business,” Auerbach said.

    Robert Mogyoros, whose Greater Philadelphia Oral Surgery is in Elkins Park, said he valued his independence above all, but decided to look for a group to join after the business side had gotten too challenging.

    Physician groups get better prices from vendors, better deals with insurers, and have an upper hand in physician and employee recruitment, said Mogyoros, who became part of MAX last July.

    “What attracted me to MAX was that it’s doctor-driven and doctor-run,” he said in a May interview.

    Rothman and Kim Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, with offices in Northeast Philadelphia and Cinnaminson, was MAX’s first acquisition in Southeastern Pennsylvania. That deal also happened last year when MAX announced that it had borrowed $77 million to support growth.

    When doctors sell their practices to MAX, they typically invest about 30% of the value into MAX, Auerbach said. MAX’s outside investors are MedEquity Capital near Boston, RF Investment Partners in New York, and Kian Capital in Charlotte, N.C.

    Editor’s note: This article was update to correct the year when MAX made its first Pennsylvania acquisition.

  • A Ukrainian family was welcomed to Philly when Russia attacked. Now they’re leaving as pressures rise on immigrants.

    A Ukrainian family was welcomed to Philly when Russia attacked. Now they’re leaving as pressures rise on immigrants.

    Four years ago Veronika Pavliutina and her three young children landed in Philadelphia after fleeing Ukraine, escaping the war as Russia shelled their home city of Odesa.

    Their big shock: the outpouring of care and kindness that greeted them here.

    A Mount Airy couple, strangers, invited the family to live in their home ― just move in and take the third-floor bedroom while figuring out next steps. Neighbors delivered meals and clothes and Target gift cards, and others organized events and outings.

    Pavliutina, 48, said she’ll never forget it.

    But now, she said, it’s time to leave.

    Federal pressure on Ukrainian war immigrants has created doubt about the family’s ability to stay in the United States and raised fears about what could happen if they do.

    The government designation that allows Pavliutina and her children to live here, temporary protected status, expires for Ukraine in October. There’s been no sign the Trump administration plans to renew it, fostering uncertainty among thousands who have worked to rebuild their lives in this country.

    TPS, as it’s known, is a humanitarian immigration status that can be granted to nationals of countries embroiled in war, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. It allows people to legally live and work here and protects them from deportation.

    The Trump administration wants to end TPS for some countries ― and the Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that the administration could lawfully strip protections from more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, leaving them vulnerable to removal.

    Pavliutina has felt the changed government attitude toward immigrants, the ICE arrests and detentions, the common resentment and casual hate.

    “More and more I can see, it’s becoming not safe,” she said in an interview at the family’s home in Perkasie, Bucks County. “I may not be their target for now, but we don’t know.”

    Veronika Pavliutina speaks about leaving the U.S. for Italy during an interview at the family’s home in Perkasie.

    She and her two younger children, Nina, 15, and Yegor, 12 ― Polina, 19, is studying in South Korea ― intend to move to Italy in mid-July. Pavliutina doesn’t know anyone there, but for a family that is again starting over it’s a logical choice.

    In Italy, Ukrainians escaping the war can receive a Permesso di Soggiorno per Protezione Temporanea, a fast-track residency permit that provides work authorization and access to healthcare.

    “It makes me very sad to know they’re leaving,” said Richard McIlhenny, who with his wife, Marissa Vergnetti, welcomed the then-newly arrived family to live in their Mount Airy home. “I’m excited for their new adventure, but sad that it’s not here.”

    Russia struck the southern city of Odesa on the first day of the war, Feb. 24, 2022, blowing up warehouses and air-defense systems and killing at least two dozen.

    Pavliutina told her children they needed to leave, and fast. They fled by car and eventually reached friends in Serbia.

    Meanwhile, 4,700 miles away in Philadelphia, McIlhenny, a real estate agent, and his wife, a preschool teacher, watched the war unfold on TV and decided to become actively involved in helping refugees.

    McIlhenny contacted a childhood friend who was working in Ukraine, asking if perhaps there was a family in need. The friend knew of someone, a single mother with three children.

    The Russian invasion drove a mass exodus, with an estimated 6.9 million Ukrainians leaving the country by the end of 2025, according to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. An additional 3.7 million were displaced internally, forced from their homes to other parts of the country.

    Richard McIlhenny and Marissa Vergnetti (rear) outside their Mount Airy home May 2, 2022, where they are hosting Veronika Pavliutina (right) and her son, Yegor, then 8, and her two daughters. At the time, Pavliutina and her children had just arrived, escaping the Russian shelling in Ukraine.

    The United States opened its arms. And the Philadelphia region, home to one of the nation’s largest Ukrainian communities, helped lead that effort. Churches, civic groups, and families organized to help new arrivals navigate housing, employment, and schools.

    Now tens of thousands of Ukrainian war immigrants face uncertainty.

    “The protections Ukrainians rely on in the United States are quietly but dangerously eroding,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said in a statement earlier this year. “We’ve even seen Ukrainians swept up by immigration enforcement.”

    The Trump administration placed an indefinite pause on applications for the main Biden-era humanitarian program, “Uniting for Ukraine.”

    That effort admitted more than 200,000, but now expired work permits have left many struggling to maintain jobs and housing. Losing legal status can result in deportation, and some have left on their own.

    Meanwhile, as of March 2025, more than 100,000 Ukrainians were in the U.S. under TPS, which has faced backlogs and delays. The designation for Ukraine is due to end on Oct. 19, the prospect of renewal clouded as Trump touts his close relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Since 2022 TPS for Ukraine has been extended twice, each instance a nerve-fraying rise and fall of worry and relief that makes it hard to plan for the future.

    The war in Ukraine continues unabated. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire in a gas station following a Russian air attack in Sumy on Thursday.

    Last year, Pavliutina, who has worked as a chef, began thinking it might be time to, as she put it, self-deport.

    The children adjusted to the U.S., she said, learning English, making friends, and earning good grades in school. They also hear other kids talking up Trump, whose pledge to deport millions of immigrants was central to his election campaign.

    Son Yegor said he’s ready to move, “because I’m tired of America a bit.” Nina did not wish to be interviewed.

    Their mother follows the news.

    “It’s a little bit concerning, to be honest with you, because you don’t know when exactly it will be triggered to some kind of violence,” Pavliutina said. “For me it’s easier to think about a new country than to stay here with unknown status, with an unknown future.”

    She’ll miss their house in Perkasie, she said. In fact, it was a new American friend who provided the private loan for her to buy it, an example, she said, of the extraordinary kindness that’s been shown to her family.

    When she hears “Make America Great,” Pavliutina said, she thinks of the countless big and small acts of caring offered by everyday people, the Americans who help others simply because it’s their nature and think it’s a good thing to do. That’s what makes America great, she said.

    “I would definitely keep it in my heart, everything and everyone who was contributing to our life here,” Pavliutina said. “I love the country. I love the people. I just don’t feel safe to stay. And I don’t see the legal way to do so.”

  • An explosion leveled a home in Bucks County, drawing a multi-agency response

    An explosion leveled a home in Bucks County, drawing a multi-agency response

    Local police and fire responded to a house explosion in Sellersville, Bucks County, on Monday that left the property in ruins and white debris scattered in a broad blast radius.

    Hilltown Police Department, which serves Sellersville, said the reports of the explosion on Highview Road came in sometime around 9 a.m.

    Hilltown Police Chief Christopher Engelhart told Fox29 that a contractor was on site at the time of the explosion and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. His injuries and condition, however, were not immediately clear, though Engelhart said the worker was expected to survive.

    The blast resulted in a flood of support from neighboring fire and police departments.

    Silverdale Volunteer Fire Company, Sellersville Fire Department, Hilltown Police, Hilltown Township Volunteer Fire Company, Souderton Fire Company, and Telford Fire Company were among the crews on site.

    The source of the blast is under investigation.

    Properties on Highview Road are spaced out with lots of green space between, and aerial footage from local television stations shows the debris was largely contained within the home’s property line.

    The three-bedroom “contemporary designer farmhouse” sits on a three-acre lot, according to a previous real estate listing. The home garnered media coverage from publications such as Elle Decor and Philadelphia magazine in 2022 after interior designer Ghislaine Viñas listed the renovated property for sale.

  • How the Philly suburbs are celebrating the 250th, from a Revolutionary War trail map to a critter from a Montco zoo

    How the Philly suburbs are celebrating the 250th, from a Revolutionary War trail map to a critter from a Montco zoo

    From George Washington crossing the Delaware and the Continental Army lodging at Valley Forge to the so-called real Penn’s Landing and the Battle of Brandywine, the Philadelphia suburbs played a crucial role in the early development of the United States.

    And though Philadelphia — the birthplace of American democracy — has taken center stage for this year’s Semiquincenntenial celebrations, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties have spent years preparing for 2026 and have curated an extensive list of activities for residents and visitors alike who are looking to honor the United States’ 250th birthday outside the city.

    Here is what the Philly suburbs have in store for the 250th:

    Reenactors fire off a Galloper gun during a reenactment of George Washington’s river crossing, Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, Pa., Thursday, December 25, 2025.

    Bucks County’s history-packed celebrations

    For Bucks County — established by William Penn in 1682 — 2026 is set to be chock-full of celebratory events tied to the founding of the U.S.

    Bucks’ commission in charge of planning 250th celebrations has partnered with numerous nonprofits to promote their events on a shared calendar on a dedicated county America 250 website.

    Forthcoming activities include art exhibitions, a Doylestown bash featuring big-band music and the reading of the Declaration of Independence, tours of a Revolution-era exhibit at the Mercer Museum, and fireworks at Washington Crossing Historic Park on July Fourth. Not to mention the annual reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Day.

    The group also worked with the Bucks County Planning Commission and the Bucks County Herald to release a Revolutionary War trail map that takes participants throughout the county to visit historical sites.

    Bucks gave $7,500 to the 250th commission in July 2024 in support of the celebrations, a county spokesperson said. Other financial support has come from sponsors, including several companies that have dished out at least $10,000 apiece.

    Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, who chairs the county’s 250th commission, said these events underscore the pride that communities have in their rich history.

    “It’s also a chance for us to think back, I think, and remind ourselves about the foundation of this country, and the values that united us, because especially now we’re seeing a lot of attempts, unfortunately, within our country to divide us,” said Harvie, a Democrat who is running for U.S. Congress.

    It is difficult to predict how this year’s 250th celebrations will affect the county’s tourism numbers, but Bucks typically hosts about 8 million visitors a year, Harvie said.

    “We’ve been pitching ourselves sort of — no pun intended — for people who are coming here for the World Cup,” Harvie said. “We’re right between Philadelphia and New York, where you happen to have a place that’s sort of a central hub.”

    The Valley Creek Trail at Valley Forge National Historical Park in Valley Forge, Pa., on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

    A ‘birthday bash’ and celebrating Valley Forge

    Montgomery County’s 250th commission has curated months of events to commemorate the Semiquincentennial, but a free “birthday bash” on Monday at the county courthouse will kick off the height of the July Fourth celebrations.

    Attendees can graze food trucks, take pictures, and meet an animal from the Elmwood Park Zoo.

    Other programs this year include fireworks and live readings of the Declaration of Independence over July Fourth weekend, exhibits to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Valley Forge becoming a national park, and a gathering (with food and drink, of course) at a Skippack farmstead to honor Washington and his troops’ encampment in the town in 1777.

    The 250th events have been planned by the county and local municipalities, said Jamila Winder, chair of the county commissioners, as an “opportunity to create meaningful, inclusive celebrations” and cultivate “civic pride.”

    Montgomery County typically gets about 8 million visitors a year and are projecting an additional 1 million to the region for the 250th, said Winder, a Democrat.

    To help fund this year’s festivities, the county started a grant program through which municipalities can apply to receive up to $500 to support their 250th events between now and Dec. 1.

    The county has allotted a $35,000 budget for 250th celebrations, including the grant program, which 22 of 62 municipalities are a part of, a spokesperson said.

    “It’s an opportunity for visitors to see how Montgomery County played a unique role in America’s founding, including our deep ties to Valley Forge in the Revolutionary area,” Winder said. “You know, people always think about Philadelphia, right? Philadelphia is a big piece of this story, but Montgomery County plays a huge role in that.”

    The Delaware County Courthouse in Media is reflected in a solar panel atop one of the borough’s on-street parking kiosks along Front Street.

    Delco is ‘pretty lit’ about its 250th celebrations

    “If you thought Delaware County residents were proud of being Delco before America 250 — you’re just, like, next-leveling it now.”

    That’s what Delaware County Council member Elaine Paul Schaefer said about Delco’s excitement leading up to the 250th, making sure to set the record straight that William Penn’s storied first steps in the New World hundreds of years ago were actually in Chester, not at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia.

    The county — through its America250PADelco commission — is promoting over 100 county, town, or nonprofit events through November, from art exhibits, concerts, and fireworks to “dining under the stars” in Media, a late-summer drone show, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the county courthouse steps.

    “Delco is pretty lit about this,” said Schaefer, a Democrat.

    The county’s 250th commission has disbursed more than $650,000 in grants for various initiatives. That grant money comes from a mix of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and from different county agencies.

    Delco also has numerous sponsors, according to the county’s 250th website.

    Schaefer said she hopes the events encourage residents to harness a connection to their communities, particularly through the county’s 250th volunteer program.

    “You can do something small, do something big. … It’s a really great way to get people involved and connected, and I think that kind of volunteerism and increasing connection to the community will carry on after this big celebration,” Schaefer said.

    About 800 Battle of Brandywine reenactors in Chester County.

    For Chester County, the party will last through next year

    Chester County joins Bucks and Philadelphia as one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania, created in 1682.

    And the events planned for this year (and next year, as it honors various Revolutionary War-era battles, including the Battle of Brandywine) are key to celebrating the county’s role in the founding of the United States.

    Residents and visitors have a wide array of activities to choose from outlined on the commission’s website, including driving tours of historical sites and Declaration of Independence readings. On the evening of July Fourth, the Chester County Concert Band will be playing patriotic music as a precursor to the fireworks show.

    As opposed to hosting tons of large-scale events, Chesco is more focused on local events that can foster community building, said David Blackburn, heritage preservation coordinator at the Chester County Planning Commission. The commission is working with the county’s 250th commission to carry out plans.

    “We’re really oriented to supporting the communities of the county to share their stories,” Blackburn said.

    The county has invested over $170,000 in educational materials and programming related to the 250th, in addition to a more than $330,000 grant from the state, a spokesperson said.

    But once the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the celebrations won’t end for Chester County, said Matthew J. Edmond, executive director of the planning commission.

    In 1777, many significant Revolutionary War battles took place in the collar counties, and Chester is planning to pour a lot of resources into commemorating those historical events next year.

    “We are actively talking with our commission board about ways to celebrate, ways to fundraise for it, and ways that we can make maybe 2027 to be even better than celebrations in 2026,” Edmond said.