Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Tag: Inquirer Local

  • Meet this Media biochemist-turned-artist | Inquirer Greater Media

    Meet this Media biochemist-turned-artist | Inquirer Greater Media

    Hi, Greater Media! 👋

    Welcome to the first full week of 2026. To kick off the new year, get to know a Media artist who blends folk art from her native India with scenes from the area. Also this week, the new mayors of Media and Swarthmore have been sworn in, along with county officials, including the new district attorney.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at greatermedia@inquirer.com.

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

    How a Media artist blends Indian folk art with local imagery

    Rinal Parikh poses in her Media studio with a few of her paintings.

    It’s not every day that you come across a biochemist who is also an artist, but that’s the case for Rinal Parikh.

    Born in India, Parikh has lived in the U.S. for 20 years, and from her home in Media blends several traditional styles of Indian art, drawing on observations from her own backyard.

    The 43-year-old delved into art after her son was born with health complications, stepping away from the lab to focus on him. She soon found inspiration and an artistic community, including at the Creative Living Room in Swarthmore, The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.

    Today, her work, which spans the traditional Indian folk forms Warli, Madhubani, and Kalamkari, adorns her family’s home and has been exhibited throughout the region.

    Read more about what inspires Parikh’s works here.

    💡 Community News

    • This week marked a new era for a number of municipal and countywide roles, as recently elected officials took office. On Monday evening, Joi Washington was sworn in as the new mayor of Media, making her the first woman and first person of color to hold the office. And in Swarthmore, Conlen Booth was sworn in as mayor, succeeding Marty Spiegel. Booth is Swarthmore fire chief and previously worked for Crozer-Keystone Health System and its successor, Crozer Health. (The Swarthmorean)
    • Delaware County has a new district attorney. Tanner Rouse was sworn in Monday, taking over for Jack Stollsteimer. The Inquirer’s Vinny Vella spoke with Rouse about his goals, including continuing to reduce violent crime and the possibility of reciprocity agreements with his counterparts in other collar counties.
    • Also at the county level, Siddiq Kamara has been sworn in as sheriff. Just 30 years old, Kamara is the youngest sheriff in the U.S., according to the county, and the first Liberian-American to hold the office in Delco. (NBC10)
    • Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a sexual assault that was reported last month on the Chester Creek Trail in Middletown Township. A 24-year-old woman from Chester was allegedly raped shortly after midnight on Dec. 5. No additional details have been released. See the report on Page 8 here.
    • Have a Christmas tree to dispose of? Middletown Township is collecting them through Jan. 16. Trees should be placed curbside by 8 a.m. Swarthmore Borough will conduct a final round of curbside pickups next week. See your schedule here. Media will collect trees wherever you put your trash out throughout the month. And Nether Providence township is collecting trees curbside through Jan. 30.

    đŸ« Schools Briefing

    • Rose Tree Media has a school board work session tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Springton Lake Middle School. See the district’s full calendar here.
    • In Wallingford-Swarthmore, there’s a Strath Haven High School Home and School Association meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. and parent-teacher organization meetings for Wallingford and Nether Providence Elementary Schools on Tuesday evening. See the district’s full calendar here.

    đŸœïž On our Plate

    • In case you missed it, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reflected on the most notable restaurant openings of 2025. Among them is Maris, LoĂŻc Barnieu’s Mediterranean eatery on West State Street in Media that opened late last year. See the full list here.
    • Santucci’s Original Square Pizza, which has a location in Media, is among the best takeout pizza spots in the Philadelphia suburbs, according to The Keystone, which noted the plain pie is served with cheese on the bottom and a generous coating of garlicky sauce on top.

    🎳 Things to Do

    ❄ Snowy Songs, Stories & Sparkly Art: In this month’s Second Saturday Family Fun Series, kids ages 18 months to 5 years old can explore music, art, and stories with their caregivers. Registration is recommended. ⏰ Saturday, Jan. 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m. đŸ’” Free 📍Park Avenue Community Center, Swarthmore

    đŸŒ± Winter Gardening: Seed Starting for Pollinators: It’s never too early to start preparing for spring. Learn how and what seeds you can start sowing now. ⏰ Sunday, Jan. 11, 1-2:30 p.m. đŸ’” $21.25 for members, $25 for non-members 📍Tyler Arboretum, Media

    đŸ–Œïž January 2026 Artists Reception: Explore the latest artwork on display at the Community Arts Center, including pieces from Carolyn Kline-Coyle and Jennifer Domal. ⏰ Monday, Jan. 12, 2-4 p.m. đŸ’” Free 📍Community Arts Center, Wallingford

    🏡 On the Market

    A charming five-bedroom Colonial in Rose Valley

    The Rose Valley home spans over 3,600 square feet.

    Built in 1937, this five-bedroom Colonial in Rose Valley exudes charm thanks to a covered front porch, dormers, and exposed stone along the front façade. Some of its features include a living room that has an ornate fireplace with handmade inlays; a dining room with a large brick fireplace; an updated kitchen; and a family room with another fireplace. The primary suite has its own bathroom as well as built-in wardrobes.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $975,000 | Size: 3,641 SF | Acreage: 0.58

    đŸ—žïž What other Greater Media residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Ardmore Lululemon burglarized for second time in two years

    Ardmore Lululemon burglarized for second time in two years

    Two burglars broke into Lululemon at Ardmore’s Suburban Square shopping center early Tuesday morning, according to the Lower Merion Police Department.

    In surveillance footage shared by 6abc, two masked suspects are seen using a sledgehammer to smash one of the storefront’s glass doors. The men grabbed an unknown amount of merchandise from the men’s section, including coats, Lower Merion Police Sgt. Ian Thornton said. One man ran out of the store before coming back in to grab more merchandise.

    Authorities told reporters the men loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul, which was last seen on Bryn Mawr and Woodbine Avenues.

    An investigation is underway.

    Lululemon is a high-end athletic-wear retailer with eight stores in the Philadelphia region. The company did not respond to written questions about the Tuesday morning burglary.

    Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told 6abc that Lululemon merchandise is a “highly sought-after item.”

    The Suburban Square store was targeted in May 2024 during a string of robberies at Lululemon locations in Ardmore and Center City.

    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.

  • For $9.9 million, you can own this Lower Merion mansion and a bonus house next door

    For $9.9 million, you can own this Lower Merion mansion and a bonus house next door

    On Creighton Road in Lower Merion, it’s not unusual for residents to buy the house next door.

    The owners of the 3.85-acre property at 648 Creighton Rd. did just that when they purchased the home but wanted a pool. They decided to put one on the neighboring property.

    Now, the properties are being sold as a package deal.

    The century-old main house with seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms is available for $7.9 million. And the one-bedroom, one-bathroom carriage house next door that was rebuilt in 2015 is on the market for $2 million.

    Creighton Road “has become the estate street,” said listing agent Lavinia Smerconish with Compass Real Estate.

    The property is 3.85 acres and includes a sprawling yard.

    The owners are open to selling their properties separately, but they won’t sell the carriage house before the main one in case a buyer wants both.

    The fieldstone main house is 11,418 square feet. It used to have a series of small rooms for staff and a giant entrance that looked like a banquet hall that no one knew what to do with, Smerconish said. A previous owner reimagined the home with larger rooms, more natural light, and more functional space.

    The home has a commercial kitchen with a large island with seating.

    The front door opens to an entrance tower with a chandelier and winding staircase. Living and dining rooms branch off from the foyer with the family room straight ahead.

    The home has a commercial kitchen with an island with seating. The property includes an exercise room, solarium, four fireplaces, suite above the attached garage for guests or a nanny, sprawling yard lined with trees and hedges, terraces, and detached garage. The sitting room off the primary bedroom could be kept as is or turned into a huge closet, Smerconish said.

    “It’s just an extraordinary house,” she said.

    The finished basement alone spans 1,538 square feet. According to an annual report by the National Association of Realtors, the median size of homes purchased by first-time buyers in the United States is 1,600 square feet.

    The finished basement spans 1,538 square feet and includes a wine cellar.

    The basement includes a sports bar with TVs, wine cellar for up to 3,000 bottles, movie room, gym, and bathroom.

    The property “is both impressive and cozy at the same time,” Smerconish said.

    The carriage house on the market for $2 million on Creighton Road in Lower Merion is being sold as a package along with the $7.9 million house next door.

    The carriage house next door spans just over 1,000 square feet on an almost one-acre lot. It has a bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, eat-in kitchen, and living room. A flagstone patio leads to the heated saltwater pool.

    The properties are walking distance from the Appleford estate, which is an event venue, bird sanctuary, and arboretum with gardens and walking paths. They are minutes from Villanova University and Stoneleigh, a public garden of the nonprofit Natural Lands.

    And they’re also minutes from the Schuylkill Expressway and I-476.

    The carriage house includes a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

    The properties were listed for sale on Dec. 5. Now that the holidays are over, Smerconish said, she will start accepting appointments to tour them. She said photos of the main house especially don’t do it justice.

    “You get more with a physical tour and experiencing it,” she said.

    Flagstone surrounds the carriage house’s heated saltwater pool.
  • Lower Merion swore in five new commissioners this week. Here’s who they are.

    Lower Merion swore in five new commissioners this week. Here’s who they are.

    Lower Merion swore in five new commissioners on Monday, kicking off the board’s 126th year of governing the Montgomery County township.

    Between rounds of applause and family photos, commissioners outlined the major challenges, and opportunities, the body will face in 2026. Board members highlighted recent accomplishments — creating a process for establishing board priorities, restricting gas-powered leaf blowers and plastic bags, advancing capital projects, hiring a police superintendent, supporting the development of affordable housing, and reversing the post-pandemic decline in police staffing levels.

    Yet they also underscored that much awaits the new board, including negotiating two collective bargaining agreements, overseeing Main Line Health’s redevelopment of the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property, and addressing a difficult fiscal reality (the board last month authorized an 8% property tax increase, citing the “mistake” of having kept tax rates stagnant for over a decade).

    “We’re solving problems, we’re moving forward, and we’re even having a little fun,” said commissioner V. Scott Zelov, who was sworn in for his sixth term.

    Zelov on Monday night became the eighth commissioner in Lower Merion history to serve for at least 20 years, board President Todd Sinai said.

    Lower Merion commissioners approve 8% tax hike, citing ‘looming cliff’ after 13 years of no increase

    Sinai, who was first elected to the board in 2017, was unanimously reelected board president. Incumbent commissioner Sean Whalen called Sinai a “stalwart leader of this board,” praising Sinai’s leadership through economic ups and downs.

    Jeremiah Woodring, also an incumbent commissioner, was unanimously elected vice president. Sinai described Woodring as “thoughtful and inquisitive,” “balanced,” and “diplomatic.”

    Jana Lunger was sworn in as Lower Merion tax collector.

    Here’s a who’s who of the five newly elected Lower Merion commissioners, all of whom replaced outgoing commissioners who chose not to run again in 2025.

    Michael Daly, an attorney and the former president of the Gladwyne Civic Association, was sworn in to represent Ward 2, which includes Gladwyne and Penn Valley. Daly has lived in Lower Merion for around 15 years with his wife and three children, all of whom are products of the Lower Merion School District. In his law practice, he focuses on defending class action lawsuits and complex litigation. In a candidate interview earlier this fall, Daly said he’s focused on quality of life issues, including walkability, public parks, and safe streets. He replaced outgoing commissioner Joshua Grimes.

    Charles Gregory, a longtime township employee, will represent Ward 4, which encompasses Ardmore and Haverford. Gregory, who was born and raised in Ardmore, worked for Lower Merion Township for 23 years until 2024. He’s the former president of the Lower Merion Workers Association and a Boy Scout troop leader. During a candidate forum, Gregory said he believed he could “make a difference from a blue collar aspect.” Gregory replaced outgoing commissioner Anthony Stevenson.

    Christine McGuire is a forensic psychologist and business owner who will serve Rosemont and Villanova in Ward 6. McGuire lived in Gladwyne for nine years before moving to Villanova around three years ago. In a candidate forum, McGuire said she has been active in the Gladwyne Civic Association and in the parent group that studied Lower Merion’s school start time change. As the owner of a psychology practice, she said she understands “what a budget is and that you have to work within the budget and not look at it like a blank check.” She replaced outgoing commissioner Andrew Gavrin.

    Craig Timberlake, an Ardmore resident who was instrumental in the 2025 redevelopment at Schauffele Plaza, will represent Ward 8’s South Wynnewood and East Ardmore. Timberlake moved to Ardmore around 15 years ago from Maine. He says he was drawn to Ardmore’s high-quality schools, walkable neighborhoods, and transit options. He believes the township should incentivize “smaller,” “incremental,” and locally funded development and decrease speed limits to protect pedestrians. Timberlake is a project manager at OnCourse, an education technology platform. He replaced Shawn Kraemer, the board’s outgoing vice president.

    Shelby Sparrow, the former president of the Penn Wynne Civic Association and a longtime community organizer, will represent Penn Wynne and Wynnewood in Ward 14. Sparrow’s priorities include ensuring the community is engaged in Main Line Health’s redevelopment of the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property; addressing pedestrian safety; and encouraging sustainability and park stewardship. She was previously the director of development for St. Peter’s Independent School in Center City. She replaced outgoing commissioner Rick Churchill.

    Sinai and Zelov, who were reelected in November, were sworn in, and sitting commissioners Woodring, Whalen, Daniel Bernheim, Louis Rossman, Ray Courtney, Maggie Harper Epstein, and Gilda Kramer were welcomed back.

    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.

  • A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    Welcome to the first full week of 2026. We’re kicking off the new year with the story of a Malvern teen who’s helping kids find joy in art. Also this week, four new county officials have been sworn in, West Bradford Township’s property taxes are being slashed, plus the search is on for a new tenant at the former Iron Hill in West Chester.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at chestercounty@inquirer.com.

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

    A 15-year-old’s nonprofit looks to spread the joy of art

    Faridah Ismaila launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to connect younger students with free monthly art classes.

    A Great Valley High School sophomore will soon be bringing her passion for art to young students in the district.

    Inspired by the phrase “Do what makes you happy,” Faridah Ismaila recently launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to provide free monthly art classes for kindergarteners through sixth graders, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.

    The program is slated to kick off this month with a winter wonderland-themed class. Ismaila is working with district educators to offer the workshops where students can learn new skills and express themselves.

    Read more about what inspired A Paint-full of Promise.

    📍 Countywide News

    💡 Community News

    • Erica Deuso was sworn in Monday as mayor of Downingtown, making her the first openly transgender mayor in the state.
    • A person on a trail on Warwick Furnace Road in Warwick Township was recently injured by a coyote, prompting the Chester County Health Department to look for the animal. It’s unknown if the coyote is rabid.
    • Residents of West Bradford Township will see a decrease in their property taxes this year, bucking a trend in the region. The 50% reduction is due in part to a mix of savings during the pandemic and more revenue from long-term leases.
    • The community is mourning the death of photographer, filmmaker, and Kennett Square resident Robert Caputo, who died Dec. 18 at a voluntary assisted dying center in Switzerland. Throughout his career, Mr. Caputo traveled the world, producing stories, films, and photographs for National Geographic magazine, Time, PBS, and TNT. The 76-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year.
    • A Malvern office building at 52 Swedesford Rd. is poised for demolition to make way for a mixed-use development with 250 apartments and retail space, including a market and cafe. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
    • The 33,000-square-foot Acme-anchored shopping center at 785 Starr St. in Phoenixville recently sold for nearly $7.4 million. The sale didn’t include Acme’s space.
    • The state’s Department of Environmental Protection is expected to evaluate surface and well water at the Bishop Tube HSCA Site in East Whiteland Township this month for contaminants such as PFAS, volatile organic compounds, and inorganics, as well as fluoride.
    • The Paoli Memorial Association in Malvern has been awarded a $325,000 grant, which will help fund construction of the Paoli-Malvern Heritage Center. The center, which will be adjacent to the Paoli Battlefield, will preserve an 1817 obelisk and offer interpretive exhibits.
    • Several Chester County communities have received funding from the state’s Green Light-Go Program aimed at improving traffic safety and mobility. Upper Uwchlan Township has been awarded over $920,000 to upgrade detection and controller equipment at Route 100 and Graphite Mine Road. West Whiteland Township is getting nearly $390,000 to upgrade multiple intersections along Route 100 and Commerce Drive. And East Whiteland Township will get almost $192,000 to modernize Lancaster Avenue and Conestoga Road.
    • Heads up for drivers: Asplundh will be pruning trees along Goshen Road between Pottstown Pike and Hillside Drive in West Chester throughout the first quarter of 2026.
    • Paoli Hospital is among Forbes Top Hospitals for 2026 and is the sole Chester County institution on the list.
    • Two new gyms are now open: CrossFit Reckoning opened this week at 199 Reeceville Rd. in Coatesville and Planet Fitness has opened at 270 Swedesford Rd. in Berwyn.
    • On Monday, Coatesville-based Presence Bank became part of Norwood Financial Corp.’s Wayne Bank after being acquired for $54.9 million. Presence has two Chester County branches, in Coatesville and Oxford.
    • Kennett Area Senior Center, the nonprofit helping older adults, took on a new name at the start of the year. It’s now known as The Gathering Place at Kennett.
    • Looking to dispose of your Christmas tree? Upper Uwchlan will collect trees curbside on Jan. 15; Spring City residents can place trees curbside daily through Jan. 30 for pickup; East Pikeland residents can place trees curbside on Wednesdays in January or drop them off at the township yard waste recycling facility; West Vincent residents can drop them off at the township building through Jan. 23; and Phoenixville residents can place them curbside with trash through Feb. 28. Trees can also be dropped off at the compost site at 18 S. 2nd Ave.
    • It’s the last chance for residents in Easttown (through Jan. 12) and Upper Uwchlan (through Jan. 15) to recycle old holiday lights.

    đŸ« Schools Briefing

    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is hosting its elementary new student registration window for next school year from Jan. 20-26. Learn more here.
    • West Chester Area School District has an opening on its school board following Alex Christy’s resignation ahead of his term’s expiration next December. Applications to fill the vacancy are open until noon on Jan. 21.
    • Coatesville offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller was named to Sporting News’ 2025 High School Football All-America Team. The junior is rated the top interior offensive line in his class.

    đŸœïž On our Plate

    • The search is on for someone to take over the former Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester. Over the holidays, building owner John Barry acquired the liquor license and all assets inside the space, which he said will help him “to get a better tenant in there.”
    • In case you missed it, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reflected on the most notable restaurant openings of 2025. They include Bao Nine in Malvern, The Borough in Downingtown, Jolene’s in West Chester, L’Olivo Trattoria in Exton, The Local in Phoenixville, and Stubborn Goat Brewing in West Grove. See the full list here. The Borough also made Klein’s roundup of the best new pizza restaurants to open in the region last year.
    • As for the best things Inquirer food writers ate last year, the Caramelia at Longwood Gardens’ 1906 restaurant was up there. Paying homage to Kennett Square’s mushroom industry, the red-topped mushroom-shaped dessert features chocolate mousse with espresso and caramel flavors.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎹 An Ancestral Journey: Moore College of Art grad Roe Murray’s works will be on display for the next few weeks. She will also participate in an artist talk on Jan. 28. ⏰ Thursday, Jan. 8-Thursday, Jan. 29, times vary đŸ’” Free 📍 Chester County Art Association West Chester Galleries

    đŸŽ¶ A Grand Night For Singing: This rendition will celebrate the wide-ranging works of Rodgers & Hammerstein with singing, dancing, and a live orchestra. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times đŸ’” $31.60-$36.70 📍 SALT Performing Arts, Chester Springs

    🧁 Pinkalicious the Musical: The musical adaptation of the book follows a pink-loving heroine who inadvertently turns herself into her favorite color by eating too many cupcakes. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times đŸ’” $21-$30 📍 Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester

    🏡 On the Market

    An airy four-bedroom Kennett Square carriage home

    The carriage home has a two-car garage and a screened-in porch that leads to a deck.

    Located in the Villages at Northridge, this Kennett Square carriage home is just a few years old. The great room, which has a fireplace, opens to the kitchen, where there’s two-toned cabinetry, an island with a farmhouse sink, a pantry, and a dining area with a built-in beverage station complete with a bar refrigerator and ice maker. The great room also has access to the screened-in porch, which leads to the deck. There are three bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a double sink vanity. The finished lower level walk-out has another bedroom, a full bathroom, and a living room.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $975,000 | Size: 3,544 SF | Acreage: 0.06

    đŸ—žïž What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The story behind a colonial-era Woodcrest cemetery | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    The story behind a colonial-era Woodcrest cemetery | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hello, Cherry Hill! 👋

    Did you know one of South Jersey’s first colonial families is laid to rest in Woodcrest? Learn more about the cemetery tucked into a residential part of town. Also this week, a new Inquirer analysis shows how Cherry Hill voters shifted toward Democrats in the last election, plus work is still underway to update H Mart.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think about the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at cherryhill@inquirer.com.

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

    The story behind a colonial-era gravesite in Woodcrest

    The Matlack Family Cemetery is located at 535 Balsam Rd.

    The residential street of Balsam Road in Woodcrest is an unlikely spot for a gravesite, but tucked among the houses and sassafras trees, there’s a small cemetery that dates back nearly 300 years.

    The site is the final resting place for the Matlacks, one of South Jersey’s first colonial families, as well as an unknown number of servants and enslaved people.

    A township resident, curious about how the gravesite came to be, posed his question to Curious Cherry Hill. The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner set out to learn more about the family and its patriarch, who moved to New Jersey in 1677 from England as an indentured servant and ultimately began one of the largest colonial-era families in the region.

    Here’s what she uncovered.

    Have a question about town you want answered? Submit it to Curious Cherry Hill here.

    💡 Community News

    • There was a 3.9% shift among Cherry Hill voters to Democrats in 2024-25, with about 68% voting for Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in November’s election. The Inquirer recently analyzed Sherrill’s path to victory, finding that the largest shift within Cherry Hill took place in District 10, encompassing Brookfield, where there was a 10.3% shift, followed by District 8 (9.4%), which includes Kenilworth, and District 2 (8.2%), which spans Cooper Park Village, Kingsway Village, and Waterford Park. See a map of how districts shifted.
    • Cherry Hill Township Council held its reorganization meeting on Monday night, where William Carter was reelected council president and Michele Golkow was elected vice president.
    • The new season of King of Collectibles began streaming late last month on Netflix, where Cherry Hill native Ken Goldin takes viewers inside his South Jersey auction house. One of the highlights of Season 3 is a jersey used by soccer legend Lionel Messi when he was a child. In a video by The Inquirer, Goldin gives viewers a glimpse. He also shows off some of the Philly sports gems in his possession.
    • The Eagles are heading into the NFC Wild Card playoffs as the No. 3 seed, taking on the 49ers at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. As the team gears up for the postseason, the Road to Victory Bus Tour is stopping in town Thursday, where you can shop for gear and enter for a chance to score playoff game tickets. It’ll be at the P.J. Whelihan’s on Marlton Pike from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
    • Work is still underway to overhaul the H Mart on Route 70. The popular chain Asian grocery store closed in July for renovations, including an expansion of the second floor and the addition of an open-concept food court. The Cherry Hill location, which was expected to reopen in October, remains closed as work on the entire complex continues. (42 Freeway)
    • Some retail shakeups are happening around town. The New Balance at Tuscany Marketplace closed its doors indefinitely on Dec. 27. At the mall, plus-size women’s apparel brand Torrid is closing on Jan. 19, athleisure brand Lululemon Athletica is relocating to a larger space, and jeweler Pandora is expanding next door. And on Route 70, Appliances Outlet will be taking over the space occupied by Whole Hog Cafe and part of Wine Legend. (A View From Evesham)
    • Fox29’s Bob Kelly recently dropped by D&Q Skate, Snow, and Surf shop in Cherry Hill to chat about trending gear for those heading to the slopes. Catch the segment here starting around the 5-minute mark.

    đŸ« Schools Briefing

    • There’s a board of education meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
    • Teachers in Cherry Hill Public Schools made a median salary of $102,148 last school year, according to an NJ.com analysis. It is one of 30 districts statewide with a median salary greater than $100,000. The district’s median salary last year marked a 4.1% increase over the previous year and was nearly $20,000 higher than the statewide median.

    đŸœïž On our Plate

    🎳 Things to Do

    😂 All Laughs, No Hate: Latin comedy and culture take center stage during this comedy night. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m. đŸ’” $36.09 📍Vera

    đŸŒ± Winter Sowing: This workshop will teach you how to get a jump on your spring gardening. ⏰ Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m.-noon đŸ’” $15 📍Camden County Environmental Center

    💡 Panoply: Test your knowledge of pop culture, sports, music, history, and more in this out-of-the-box game night. The event is 21 and older. ⏰ Saturday, Jan. 10, 7-9:45 p.m. đŸ’” $36 📍Katz JCC

    đŸ· January Wine Down Wednesday: Sip five, two-ounce pours and enjoy appetizers at this event. ⏰ Wednesday, Jan. 14, reservations available from 6 to 8 p.m. đŸ’” $25 📍Randall’s Restaurant

    🏡 On the Market

    An updated five-bedroom Woodcrest ranch

    The home has an open-concept living and dining room.

    This Woodcrest ranch was recently remodeled to give its interior and exterior a modern makeover. It features an open-concept dining and living room, a sunroom, and an eat-in kitchen with quartz countertops and a gray-and-white herringbone backsplash. It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and its own bathroom. There’s also a finished basement.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $759,900 | Size: 2,592 SF | Acreage: 0.29

    đŸ—žïž What other Cherry Hill residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The story behind a colonial-era grave site hidden in residential Cherry Hill

    The story behind a colonial-era grave site hidden in residential Cherry Hill

    Giancarlo Brugnolo moved to Cherry Hill’s Woodcrest neighborhood in 2014, but it wasn’t until last year that he heard about the centuries-old cemetery just a stone’s throw away from his house. When friends first mentioned it, he assumed they were joking.

    “I was like, ‘What are you talking about? What graveyard?’” he remembers saying. “We live in a residential neighborhood, there’s no way there’s a graveyard.”

    Yet tucked away under sassafras trees and in the shade of neighboring houses, members of one of South Jersey’s first colonial families are laid to rest.

    The Matlack Family Cemetery is located on the 500 block of Cherry Hill’s Balsam Road. At the small grave site lie the remains of William and Mary Matlack, some of their descendants, and an unspecified number of servants and enslaved people. William Matlack is believed to have died in 1738, at around age 90, and Mary Matlack in 1728, at around age 62.

    Wanting to know more about the cemetery, Brugnolo took his question to Curious Cherry Hill, The Inquirer’s forum for answering local questions. Who was the Matlack family, and how did their grave site end up in a residential neighborhood?

    » ASK US: Have something you’re wondering about in Cherry Hill? Submit your Curious Cherry Hill question here.

    William Matlack, a carpenter, came to New Jersey in 1677 from Cropwell Bishop in Nottinghamshire, England. He traveled to the Americas on a ship named the Kent as an indentured servant to Thomas Ollive and Daniel Wills. Wills was appointed as the commissioner of West Jersey and sent to make deals with the Lenni-Lenape people who had long lived on the land. Many of the Kent’s travelers, including Matlack, were Quakers. The ship traversed the Atlantic Ocean from England, ultimately heading up the Delaware River to present-day Burlington County. Matlack is said to have been the first European settler to put his foot on the shore of what is now the city of Burlington (however some historians believe Swedes settled there a half-century earlier).

    At the time Matlack and Wills arrived in South Jersey, the spot was “a bleak haven” from their English homes, covered in dense forest and impenetrable at night, according to a 1970 article in the Courier-Post. Yet South Jersey stood out as a “long-sought destination thousands of miles from the brutality of bigots” in England who persecuted them for their Quaker practices.

    Matlack owed Wills four years of servitude and, in 1681, was granted 100 acres of land in return. While working for Wills, Matlack helped build two of the first houses and the first corn mill in the area.

    The headstone in the Matlack Family Cemetery on the 500 block of Balsam Road in Cherry Hill.

    Matlack would become the patriarch to one of the largest families in colonial South Jersey. In the early 1680s he married Mary Hancock, who had recently come to New Jersey from England with her brother, Timothy. At the time of their marriage, William Matlack was 34 and Mary Matlack was 16. The Matlacks lived between two branches of Pennsauken Creek in present-day Maple Shade. William Matlack would come to own around 1,500 acres of land across South Jersey. The couple had six sons, three daughters, and an estimated 40 grandchildren.

    Though Quakers became one of the first religious movements to reject slavery, many Quakers in early America, including the Matlacks, enslaved people. Research turned up little information about the enslaved people buried at the Matlack grave site. Birth and death records for enslaved people were often poorly kept in the age of chattel slavery, making it difficult to conduct genealogical research and historical inquiries into the lives of people held in slavery.

    We do know, however, that slavery was pervasive in Philadelphia’s suburbs during and after the colonial era. Despite abolitionist activism, much of which was driven by Quakers in the Philadelphia region, thousands of people remained enslaved in New Jersey through the turn of the nineteenth century. New Jersey was the last Northern state to officially abolish slavery in 1866, when Gov. Marcus Ward signed a state constitutional amendment outlawing the institution. The amendment followed the 1865 ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which New Jersey had initially rejected.

    The Matlack Family Cemetery is a small graveyard in a residential neighborhood.

    One well-known descendant of the Matlacks was Timothy Matlack, a politician and delegate to the Second Continental Congress who inscribed the Declaration of Independence. In Facebook groups and blog posts, dozens of residents of the Mid-Atlantic region say they are descendants of the first New Jersey Matlacks — likely claims given the expansive Matlack family tree, but difficult to prove.

    William and Mary Matlack were not originally buried at the Balsam Road site, according to archival materials from the Rancocas Valley Chapter of the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. They were initially buried on their son Richard’s farm near Springdale and Evesham Roads and were moved to the Balsam Road grave site in the late 1800s.

    The grave was discovered by a Girl Scout troop on a camping trip in what was then an apple orchard, according to a Courier-Post article from 1990. The housing development surrounding the grave site went up in 1972, but the graveyard was left in tact due to its historical value. Today, it’s owned and maintained by the township.

    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.

  • Coatesville’s 106-year-old Presence Bank acquired in $55M deal

    Coatesville’s 106-year-old Presence Bank acquired in $55M deal

    A Pennsylvania-based bank has acquired the parent company of Coatesville’s Presence Bank, giving the two combined assets of about $3 billion.

    The $54.9 million deal was first announced in July and received regulatory and board approvals in December. It closed Monday.

    PB Bankshares, the holding company for Presence Bank, has been merged into Norwood Financial Corp., the holding company for Wayne Bank.

    “We are pleased to welcome PB Bankshares’ shareholders, customers and employees to our Norwood family,” Jim Donnelly, president and CEO of Norwood, said in Monday’s announcement. “We expect this combination will allow us to offer expanded products and services to the communities in our combined market areas.”

    Norwood’s Wayne Bank, based in Honesdale, had $2.4 billion in assets at the acquisition. Wayne Bank was founded in 1871, and Norwood Financial Corp, the holding company, was created in 1996. It has grown to 15 offices in Northeastern Pennsylvania and 12 in the Southern Tier of New York.

    PB Bankshares had $467 million in assets from its Presence Bank when the deal closed.

    Presence Bank first opened in 1919 in Coatesville, Chester County, as Coatesville Federal Savings & Loan Association, and in 2021 was renamed Presence Bank.

    Over the years, the bank added branches in Oxford, Chester County, and in New Holland and Georgetown, both in Lancaster County. Presence Bank also has an administrative office in Lancaster and a loan office in Harrisburg.

    Norwood has said the strategic combination allows the company to expand its footprint “into higher growth markets in Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania” while “enhancing Presence Bank’s capacity to provide exceptional service and solutions to its existing customers.”

    Janak M. Amin, president, CEO, and director of PB Bankshares, is now executive vice president and chief operating officer for Norwood and Wayne Bank.

    “We will be able to provide more products and services to our customers given Wayne Bank’s strength in retail banking,” Amin said.

    He added that Wayne Bank’s larger capital base will allow Presence Bank to “take better care of commercial customers with growing needs and the increased lending limit will allow us to retain and attract more customers.”

  • Media-based painter Rinal Parikh is redefining Indian folk art with contemporary themes and local imagery

    Media-based painter Rinal Parikh is redefining Indian folk art with contemporary themes and local imagery

    As a blanket of snow and sleet melted into the grass and an early winter fog hung over the Delaware Valley last month, Rinal Parikh’s art studio was a tranquil portal to the outside world.

    In her studio, lofty windows look out onto a sprawling backyard. The walls are adorned with Parikh’s paintings, both completed and in progress, and its shelves are stacked with art supplies and mementos.

    “What inspires me is my surroundings, and I’m blessed with an amazing backyard,” Parikh said, looking out the window. “That is my main inspiration.”

    Parikh is a Media-based painter and biochemist by trade whose art blends traditional Indian folk styles with contemporary themes. Her art, rich in texture, color, and meaning, uses a collection of materials, from sand and fabric to glass, beads, and stucco. She paints with acrylic and watercolors, and creates detailed drawings with thin brushes. Her work fuse her upbringing in India with her current life in Media, an amalgamation of past and present, of here and there.

    Rinal Parikh, 43, Media-based artist, talking about her art work in her home in Media, Pa., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

    Parikh, 43, took a circuitous route to becoming an artist. She moved to Philly in 2005 from Gujarat, India, to follow her husband, Bhavin, who had immigrated a few years earlier (the day of our interview was the 20th anniversary, to the date, of her arrival in the U.S.). She enrolled in a masters in molecular biology program at Drexel University, a step toward her Ph.D., and got a job in a lab at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

    A few years after her move, Parikh’s first son was born with health complications. With no family close by, Parikh quit her job to focus on taking care of her son. He’s now a healthy teenager, she notes.

    Seeing that Parikh was missing out on work, her husband made a suggestion: Why not paint something for their new house? That first painting, “Krishna-leela,” now hangs in the Parikhs’ living room, an eye-catching depiction of the Hindu deity Krishna.

    Rinal Parikh’s painting “Krishna-leela” is displayed at home in her formal living room in Media, Pa., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

    When her son was 9 months old, Parikh stopped by an art fair at the Creative Living Room, a community arts center in Swarthmore. She struck up a conversation with some of the women there. A few days later, they called with a question: Would she like to do a solo show?

    “I didn’t even know what that means,” she said.

    Nonetheless, she agreed. She worked tirelessly for three months to make 20 pieces. She didn’t know where to buy art supplies, so she imported them from India (someone would later point her toward the now-closed Pearl Art & Craft Supplies on South Street). In fall 2009, she displayed her paintings for the first time as a professional artist — and sold her first painting, too. The rest, she said, is history.

    Parikh melds together three types of Indian folk art — Warli, Madhubani, and Kalamkari. Warli is a tribal art that depicts day-to-day life in a mural-like format. Madhubani uses geometric patterns and typically reflects celebrations of life. Kalamkari, Parikh said, is “very refined,” a style of art that uses a fine brush to create delicate and detailed line drawings. All three art forms have traditionally been practiced by women.

    Parikh feels like she speaks “a global language.”

    Though her paintings take inspiration from the traditional Indian folk style, the scenes depicted are not just of India. They’re often of the Philly area, and of the flora and fauna in her backyard.

    “I still practice Indian folk art, but the subject matters are very ‘now,’” Parikh said. “The language is still very traditional, but the conceptualization, the visualization, is much more contemporary.”

    A painting called “Home” painted by Rinal Parikh, 43, displayed in the family room of her home in Media, Pa., on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

    In her family room hangs “Home,” a 2021 Warli painting of a tree. The background is complex in both texture and color, with blues, browns, and purples peeking out. Hanging from the tree are monkeys, which Parikh said captures the energy of having two boys, now 17 and 12, in the house. (They’re very good kids, she clarifies.)

    “I observe my surroundings, I experiment with styles, I do a lot of repetitive patterns, and I tell my story,” she said.

    Since jumpstarting her art career, Parikh has become involved in the region’s growing art community. She’s the marketing chair for the Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show and is involved with the Community Arts Center of Wallingford.

    She said she understands the anxieties of young artists and wants to support the organizations that nurture their careers.

    “I was supported by the community, and I want to do the same thing.”

    Parikh’s art can be found on her website and her Instagram page.

    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.

  • ‘It is a promise’: Newly elected Chester County officials and judges take their oaths of office

    ‘It is a promise’: Newly elected Chester County officials and judges take their oaths of office

    A new slate of Chester County elected officials are taking office after they were officially sworn in at a ceremony over the weekend surrounded by friends and family.

    Four officials in the county’s row offices — clerk of courts, controller, coroner, prothonotary — and three magisterial district justices took their oath of office Saturday at the Chester County Justice Center.

    “I’ve found, in this line of work, when you’re finding people to run for office, it’s quite difficult to get the good people to do it,” county commissioner Josh Maxwell told the incoming officials. “It sometimes attracts maybe the wrong people. I’m so excited to be here today because we have a lot of good people who rose their hands — maybe a higher bar than we typically have in the county.”

    Sophia Garcia-Jackson (facing camera) hugs the Honorable Alita Rovito after being sworn in as the coroner during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    Taking office was an entirely Democratic slate of officials, upholding the political shift in the county that began in 2019, when Maxwell and Commissioner Marian Moskowitz were the first Democrats in history elected to their seats. Democrats saw wins again in 2023, with Maxwell and Moskowitz winning re-election.

    The row offices oversee essential government services residents regularly interface with — from maintaining criminal and civil court records, to monitoring the county’s financial contracts, to investigating the circumstances of sudden deaths — and operate under four-year terms. Magisterial district judges handle traffic cases, and minor criminal and civil cases, for six-year terms.

    The slate of row officials includes:

    • Clerk of Courts: Caroline Bradley
    • Controller: Nick Cherubino
    • Coroner: Sophia Garcia-Jackson
    • Prothonotary: Alex Christy

    And the county’s new magisterial judges are:

    • Anthony diFrancesca
    • Joe Heffern
    • James C. Kovaleski
    James C. Kovalski’s family helps him don the judges robe after he was sworn in as a magisterial district judge during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    “Those of you taking the oaths 
 are amongst the people who will help Chester County continue to be a place where so many want to live, work, and raise their family,” Moskowitz told the officials.

    During the ceremony, the judges donned their robes and the row officers took their oaths with their partners, parents, and children nearby. Dozens of supporters lined the benches in the courtroom, and elected officials received a standing ovation when all the oaths had been administered. (Those supporters got a nod, too, with Maxwell noting that public service comes with long hours, personal sacrifice, and difficult decisions. “No one serves alone,” he said.)

    The oaths of office were administered by Commonwealth Court Judge Stella Tsai, Court of Common Pleas Judge Alita Rovito, and Magisterial District Judge Nancy Gill.

    Caroline Bradley (right) has just been sworn in as clerk of courts by the Honorable Stella Tsai (left) during the ceremonial administration of oaths, for elected officials and magisterial district judges, at the Chester County Justice Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

    “The oath you have taken is more than a formality, it is a promise to the people of Chester County, a promise to uphold the law, to treat every resident with fairness and dignity, and to carry out your duties with independence, integrity and care,” Maxwell said. “Those values matter deeply, especially at the local level, where government has its most direct impact on all our lives.”

    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.