Authorities were searching for a woman who disappeared in the Delaware River after rescuing a girl Monday afternoon, according to Delran Township police and Burlington County officials.
Delran police responded just after 3:50 p.m. to Burlington County’s Amico Island Park for two possible drowning victims, officials said.
Officials gave the following account:
Police were told that the woman entered the river to rescue a struggling juvenile girl.
The woman pushed the girl toward the shore, where bystanders pulled her safely from the water.
During the rescue, the woman went under the water and did not resurface.
Officials said the search included personnel from the Delran Police Department, the Delran Fire Department, the Delran Emergency Squad, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Camden County Dive Team, officials said.
A Delaware County school board member was killed during the weekend in a vehicle crash in South Jersey, officials said Monday.
Phillip Eastman, 68, was a longtime Springfield resident who recently retired from a 44-year career with Peco and Exelon, the Springfield School District said in a statement.
“Phil tragically lost his life in a car accident this past weekend,” the district said.
For nearly three decades, Eastman coached youth and high school ice hockey, including 17 years as the varsity head coach at Springfield High School, the district said.
“While his teams enjoyed success on the ice, he considered mentoring student athletes and helping them develop teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, and other lifelong skills to be the most rewarding aspect of his coaching career,” the district said.
“Phil and his wife, Maureen, raised their son and daughter in Springfield, where both attended Springfield schools and participated in high school athletics,” the district said.
“His family’s enduring connection to Springfield schools was a primary motivation for his desire to serve on the School Board,” the district said.
On Saturday around 8:30 a.m., Eastman was driving a Chevrolet SUV north on Route 55 in Vineland when his vehicle was struck by someone driving a Tesla heading in the opposite direction, said Trooper Caitlin Brennan of the New Jersey State Police.
The Tesla was traveling south when it crossed over a grass median, hit a tree, and then entered the northbound side of Route 55, Brennan said.
The driver of the Tesla and a passenger in Eastman’s SUV suffered injuries and were taken to an area hospital, Brennan said.
The crash remains under investigation, she said.
It was at least the second fatal accident on Route 55 this summer.
In July, two women were killed and another injured in a one-vehicle crash in Deptford Township.
Burlington County is in the early phases of designing a new $30 million extension of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail that would cross Route 130 and Rancocas Creek.
The preliminary plan is to build a boardwalk-style path along the southbound Route 130 embankment and underneath the highway that will connect to a new bridge across Rancocas Creek, officials announced Monday.
Likely years away from completion, the project would extend the trail system from Pennington Park in Delanco to separate connections in Willingboro Lakes Park in Willingboro and Rainbow Meadow Park in Delran.
The first segment of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail, a four-mile stretch between Amico Island Park in Delran and Pennington Park, opened in 2022.
The new trail will put the county one step closer to achieving its goal of building a path along the 30-mile stretch of Rancocas Creek from the Delaware River to its source in Pemberton Township.
In a statement, Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel said the extension will “provide an important route for vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists to travel across the Rancocas Creek and Route 130, providing a long-sought safe connection for both sides of the highway.”
While the project is still in its preliminary phase, the community can weigh in on it during a virtual public information session on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The project is expected to cost around $30 million and will be paid for mostly by federal funding, according to the county.
The Delaware Valley Planning Commission has already approved more than half a million dollars for planning and design on the trail extension.
With the project still in the Local Concept Development phase, it is too early to nail down a detailed timeline, county spokesperson David Levinsky said in an email.
“The county anticipates finishing that portion of the planning and design later this fall,” he said, before it pursues funding for preliminary and final engineering for the project.
“Construction would come after those steps,” Levinsky said, which is still “several years” away.
He expects a timeline could come once the design phase is completed.
According to New Jersey Department of Transportation data, there were 111 crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists along Route 130 between 2019 and 2026, including 11 fatalities.
“The deaths and injuries on Route 130 over the years are proof positive that more needs to be done to improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists,” State Sen. Troy Singleton (D., Burlington) said in a statement.
Singleton cosponsored legislation in 2018 to reduce the speed limit on Route 130 and make other safety improvements along the highway within Burlington City. The law is named after Antwan Timbers Jr., a 17-year-old Burlington City High School student who was killed in 2016 after being hit by a car along a stretch of the roadway.
“Infrastructure enhancements, like the one Burlington County is planning, will absolutely save lives and improve mobility through the Route 130 corridor,” Singleton said.
Ron Avery, 85, of Philadelphia, retired eclectic reporter and columnist for the Daily News, Philadelphia historian, volunteer city tour guide, author, high school history teacher, veteran, and canoe enthusiast, died Sunday, Aug. 2, of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at his home in East Falls.
Reared in Fairmount, Mr. Avery graduated from Thomas Edison High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Pennsylvania State University. He was assigned to the ship newspaper in the Navy after college, found a creative niche in journalism, and went on to work for more than 30 years at the Associated Press, the Bucks County Courier Times, the Courier-Post in South Jersey, and the Daily News.
He wrote for the Daily News as a correspondent in 1981, joined the staff in 1982, and, until his retirement in 2000, wrote thousands of stories about crime, casinos, war orphans, historic houses, the MOVE bombing, local notables, and other subjects. His columns, “Poor Ronald’s Almanac” and “One of Us,” hammered away at local issues and featured everyday people doing exceptional things.
“He covered every nook and cranny of the city,” said his son Serge. “That burning curiosity sustained him till his last days.”
He wrote three books about Philadelphia, including A Concise History of Philadelphia in 1999. He produced a series of video guides he called the Urban Explorer for local TV in 2004 and posted blogs about the city from 2017 to 2019 on a website called Philadelphia Cracks Me Up.
“Like all cities,” he said in a 1995 Daily News column, “Philadelphia is honeycombed with hidden spaces and forgotten places.” In a 1997 review of his book, City of Brotherly Mayhem: Philadelphia Crimes and Criminals, The Inquirer’s Thomas Brady said: “The book … is decidedly a fun read.”
Alex Strang, his director on the Urban Explorer videos, called Mr. Avery an “unforgettable legend” and “a walking encyclopedia of the city’s history and eccentricities” in a Facebook tribute. Other former colleagues said he was “a clever journalist” and “a true Philadelphian.”
Longtime Daily News colleague Robin Palley said on Facebook: “He had an amazing knack of finding quirky people with fascinating skills or habits and making them come to life on our pages.”
Mr. Avery (left) mans a Salvation Army donation kettle in 1999.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
Before the Daily News, Mr. Avery wrote news and feature stories for the Courier-Post in the 1970s, and the Courier Times and the AP in the 1960s. He moved to Israel for six months in 1972 but returned to work for the Courier-Post in 1973.
He also wrote freelance pieces for the Hidden City Daily, PhillyHistory.org, UShistory.org, and op-eds later for The Inquirer and Daily News. He served in the Navy from 1964 to 1966, joined the Philadelphia Canoe Club later, and led water trips in the New Jersey Pine Barrens and elsewhere.
Knowledgeable, energetic, and naturally affable, he was a tireless promoter and volunteer guide in Philadelphia. He led walking tours throughout the city for students, civic groups, and other organizations, and his explanatory video tours featured cobblestone alleys, urban gardens, museums, statues, and other features of city life.
He was a stickler for details and historical accuracy, and he helped spur City Council to pass an ordinance in 2008 to educate and certify paid Center City tour guides. “They score high as Philadelphia ambassadors of good will,” he said in a 1995 column about uneducated guides, “but as historians they often flunk out.”
Mr. Avery wrote a column for the Courier-Post in 1974.Newspapers.com
Ronald Avery was born June 10, 1941, in Strawberry Mansion. He joined the Boy Scouts, earned his bachelor’s degree at Penn State in 1963, and taught history at Bensalem High School for a year.
He was a boxer in college and, mesmerized by the sport, later worked as a referee for amateur matches.
He met Suzet Habif in Israel in 1967, and they married in 1968. They had sons Serge and Ben, and lived for years in a rowhouse in Oxford Circle.
Mr. Avery cared for his wife during her long illness in the 1980s and ’90s. She died in 1993.
Mr. Avery liked to hang out with Benjamin Franklin and other historic figures. Alex Strang
He lived later in Pennsport and East Falls, was diagnosed with ALS in 2015, and proudly outlived its average life expectancy of 18 months by nearly a decade. “He defied that diagnosis and did not let it define him,” his son Serge said. “He always said he had a lot to live for.”
Mr. Avery was an avid reader and street photographer. He liked poetry, wrote limericks on birthday cards, and posted hundreds of his photos on flickr.com. One of his photos won a contest and was displayed at the airport.
He enjoyed jazz and jokes, led the prayers at family gatherings, and gave Yiddish quizzes to his two grandsons. He shared favorite recipes with Daily News colleagues and whipped up memorable homemade soups, especially white bean.
“I’ll greatly miss his endless anecdotes about all things Philadelphia,” said his daughter-in-law, Rebecca Houlding, “the stories about the local criminals, and his love of his family and friends.”
Mr. Avery wrote about his life in Northeast Philadelphia for the Daily News in 1997.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
His son Serge said: “He loved chasing the stories from the back alleys and driveways, highlighting the working people of our town.”
In addition to his sons, daughter-in-law, and grandsons, Mr. Avery is survived by other relatives. A sister died earlier.
New Jersey officials have deleted 5,100 registered voters from state voter rolls and directed another 1,650 to county election officials for review, one month after Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed that thousands of noncitizens may have registered to vote after interactions with the Motor Vehicle Commission.
Sherrill announced the moves Wednesday, saying only about 340 of 6,600 erroneously registered to vote in 2023 and 2024 actually voted. She has blamed the problem on a software error by Idemia, the vendor that has managed driver’s license printing in New Jersey since 2010, and blasted former Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration for transparency and accountability failures. Idemia has denied responsibility for the problem, and Murphy has said he was unaware of it.
Sherrill on Wednesday said state officials have worked around the clock to fix the issue and review state records “to preserve the integrity of our voter rolls, and ensure that our elections remain free and fair.”
“I said we would conduct a thorough, complete, and fair investigation, and that is exactly what we are doing. Because that is what accountable government looks like,” she said in a statement. “My commitment to the people of New Jersey is to confront this issue with the urgency it deserves, so we have strong and fair elections.”
Republicans, including those in the Trump administration, have criticized Sherrill for the voter registration debacle, saying it proves their claims that noncitizens have committed widespread voter fraud. On Wednesday Sherrill said the GOP’s “only interest has been in trying to use this issue for political gain.”
Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean), one of the Republicans who have sharply criticized the Sherrill administration and Democrats on this issue, believes the number of noncitizens who have cast ballots could be far larger than state officials have admitted. Kanita told the New Jersey Monitor Wednesday that the governor has been less than fully transparent here by not specifying where and in what elections noncitizens have voted.
“Governor Sherrill has over and over again minimized the harsh reality created by her own party members: Hundreds of noncitizens have voted in several elections in New Jersey,” he said, adding, “We need total and full cooperation of the Sherrill Administration right now. Anything less is a betrayal of the office of governor.”
State officials took New Jersey’s voter registration system offline briefly so state election officials could copy and preserve it and then update it to remove or modify the status of people impacted, she said.
That review drove the state to delete 5,100 of the improperly registered voters from voter rolls because officials could find no other proof of their eligibility to vote. State officials also changed the status of about 1,450 others to “rejected” pending further review, because they found separate voter registrations or other transactions in the system suggesting eligibility. County election officials have been tasked with verifying their eligibility and further amending their status after that review.
Sherrill, who has previously said fewer than 400 of the wrongly registered people had actually cast ballots, put that number at 340 on Wednesday. An additional 220 voted but had previously been registered to vote or otherwise had made attestations in state systems suggesting they are eligible, Sherrill said. County officials also are reviewing that second batch of people, too, to verify eligibility.
Sherrill said her administration has directed county officials to complete their reviews before voting begins in the upcoming general election. The state’s investigation remains ongoing, she added.
When Gregory Williams stepped into Ravitz ShopRite in Cherry Hill, he was on a mission, carefully selecting fresh fruit to add to his shopping cart.
After stocking up on strawberries, peaches, nectarines, and a pineapple, Williams moved quickly to the meat section to peruse his options.
“I’m on the healthy side,” said Williams, 29, of Camden.
Williams got a ride recently to the ShopRite courtesy of a new program that offers free door-to-door transportation to the supermarket to Camden residents.
Camden resident Gregory “Baby Face” Williams arrives to take a van to the ShopRite in Cherry Hill Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Pastor Amir Khan (left) is on a mission to help residents eat healthier, as Camden is a food desert and doesn’t have any grocery stores. With a grant from FEED NJ, Khan is picking up residents and transporting them free of a charge to the suburban store.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
It’s funded by a grant from Food Equity and Economic Development in New Jersey, or FEED NJ, which seeks to provide residents in food deserts like Camden and Salem with better access to fresh, affordable, and healthy food options not always available in their local community.
Camden, a nine-square-mile city of about 71,000, has not had a full-service supermarket since 2013, when the Pathmark store on Mount Ephraim Avenue closed. The city tops the state’s list of 50 food desert communities.
Those with cars or access to public transportation travel to nearby suburban communities or shop at pricey neighborhood corner stores or bodegas with fewer healthy options.
After efforts to bring a supermarket to Camden fell short, Pastor Amir Khan launched the free shuttle service with a $487,000 FEED NJ grant awarded earlier this year from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). He purchased three vans to transport Camden residents to the supermarket along with equipment for a pantry.
“I knew that this was what was best for people of Camden,” Khan said. “God blesses us to be a blessing to others.”
Van driver Lonnie Watkins helps Camden resident Agripina Vega unload her cart after shopping at the ShopRite in Cherry Hill Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Camden is a food desert and doesn’t have any grocery stores. Pastor Amir Khan is on a mission to help residents eat healthier. With a grant from FEED NJ, Khan is picking up residents and transporting them free of a charge to the suburban store.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
The grant was made through a $30 million state pilot program that awards funds for projects to improve food access and food security in the New Jersey communities most in need, said Tara Colton, chief economic security officer at NJEDA.
Nearly $9 million was awarded to projects such as urban farming and fresh markets in Camden, Colton said, and statewide, 72 organizations received grants.
“Food security is crucial to the state’s economic success,” Colton said. “We need to ensure that everyone has their basic needs met.”
Agripina Vega, 75, was happy to get transported from the Riverview Towers, a building for senior citizens in Camden. Normally, she has to wait until her daughter-in-law can pick her up.
“I love it,” Vega said, standing in front of ShopRite waiting for a ride home after purchasing meat, fruit, and dog food.
Khan operates the shuttle through his New Beginnings Behavioral Health, a faith-based nonprofit that helps unhoused people, people recovering from addiction, and returning citizens transition back into society.
In addition to the shuttle service, the center provides a community food bank and pantry. It also has several shelters, provides job training and placement, and offers mental health and drug counseling.
Khan believes his mission is “changing and transforming lives.” He encourages clients to follow a motto on a sign in the lobby that reads: “Accept what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.”
Jay Rutherford, the program’s supervisor, hopes others will learn from his life. He was released from prison in 2023 after serving 31 years for felony murder.
“I was in a bad situation,” said Rutherford, 52. He was 19 when he went to prison.
Khan said his work at New Beginnings was inspired by his father, a doctor in Camden who often provided free treatment to patients unable to pay. His goal is to help residents choose healthier lifestyles.
The shuttle service to ShopRite is available to Camden residents only, said Lorene Watkins, a director at Khan’s organization. It operates Mondays through Fridays, and occasionally on Saturdays to meet demand, she said. About 25 people are transported weekly, she said.
Camden resident Ryan Crews (right) shops at the ShopRite in Cherry Hill Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
“It’s terrible that there’s no supermarket here,” Watkins said. “These are people, too, and they should have a supermarket.”
Colton said there are “promising efforts” to eventually locate a supermarket in Camden, perhaps with a smaller footprint. Meanwhile, the state is funding food access programs to help meet the need, she said.
The state is not “giving up the goal of a full-service supermarket,” Colton said.
Watkins said a mobile market stocked with groceries will be added to the New Beginnings fleet in a few months. It will make stops around Camden and residents can purchase items from the van, she said.
Since it began a few weeks ago, the shuttle service has added stops at Walmart and Aldi stores in Cherry Hill to the routes, Khan said.
“We want to be a convenience,” he said. “Anything we can do to get people to eat healthier.”
The family-owned ShopRite supported the shuttle grant, said Jason Ravitz, vice president of operations for the Ravitz Family Markets. It has also donated food gift cards, Watkins said.
“Hopefully, people’s dollars can go further,” Ravitz said. “We were always taught you have to be there for the community.”
Camden residents Gregory “Baby Face” Williams (left) and Ryan Crews (right) shop at the ShopRite in Cherry Hill Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
First-time shopper Benjamin Moore, 33, picked up fresh fish, chicken, and dairy products. He typically shops at a corner store.
“There’s a lot more stuff here, more of a variety,” he said.
Kathy Mason, 65, made a shopping list before traveling to the store and pulled it out to make sure she didn’t forget anything. She navigated the massive store picking up items.
“I don’t have that much money at all,” Mason said. “For the whole month, it’s really tight.”
Camden resident Kathy Mason displays her shopping list at the ShopRite in Cherry Hill Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Camden is a food desert and doesn’t have any grocery stores. Pastor Amir Khan is on a mission to help residents eat healthier. With a grant from FEED NJ, Khan is picking up residents and transporting them free of a charge to the suburban store.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Like many of the other riders, Mason receives Social Security or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food assistance benefits. They try to make healthy choices and stretch their dollars.
“Sometimes, if there is something I really want, I can’t get it,” said Williams, who receives $277 a month in food assistance. “You have to pay your bills.”
To schedule a pickup with New Beginnings Behavioral Health’s shuttle, call 856-588-0807.
Autonomous drones may soon be delivering Amazon packages across South Jersey.
Amazon representatives have told local officials and emergency responders that the e-commerce giant plans to start drone-delivery service out of its West Deptford facility this fall, according to West Deptford Mayor James Mehaffey and Mantua Township Police Chief William Murphy.
The news comes days after Amazon announced a massive expansion of its Prime Air program, which already delivers packages via drone from launch sites in 11 U.S. cities, none of which are in the Northeast.
By the end of the year, Amazon wants to expand its drone coverage area to nearly 500 cities and towns nationwide, the company said, allowing tens of millions of customers to get products flown to their doorsteps in 30 minutes to an hour.
“We are always exploring new ways to get customers a wider selection at faster speeds,” Amazon spokesperson Smitha Rao said in a statement, in response to The Inquirer’s questions about the South Jersey meeting, which occurred last week.
“We are currently working with local officials and exploring opportunities to expand our fast, reliable drone delivery service to reach customers in areas across the country.”
According to local officials briefed on the Amazon plans, the company’s drones would fly out of the warehouse at 240 Mantua Grove Rd., a 650,000-square-foot facility that sits next to I-295 and is among the company’s largest in the region.
The Amazon Fulfillment Center in West Deptford, seen in 2019, is among the region’s largest.TIM TAI / Staff Photographer
The company’s drones can typically deliver to addresses within 175 square miles of each launch site.
In a Facebook post from the Mantua Township Police Department account, Murphy shared a screenshot of the local drone-delivery radius that he said Amazon shared during the Zoom meeting. The photo indicated that drones from the West Deptford site would be able to reach places within about a 15-mile radius — from Bellmawr to Mullica Hill in New Jersey, as well as parts of Ridley Park, Darby, Glenolden, and South Philadelphia across the Delaware River.
Amazon told local officials that the drones would operate from 15 minutes before sunrise to 15 minutes after sunset, according to Murphy, and be authorized to fly at altitudes below 400 feet, in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
The company plans to start drone delivery from West Deptford as early as October, according to Murphy and Mehaffey.
Amazon’s drones can deliver groceries, cosmetics, medications, even iPhones — anything that weighs 5 pounds or less and fits in a large shoebox. Amazon says those characteristics apply to more than 60% of its most popular products.
Boxed orders are sorted at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in West Deptford in 2019.TIM TAI / Staff Photographer
Customers can browse drone-deliverable items the same way they search for any other Amazon products, according to the company, and select the best spot for a drone to leave the package.
Amazon Prime members can get complimentary drone delivery on orders of $50 or more, or pay an extra $2.99 on orders under $50. Nonmembers can pay $4.99 for drone delivery.
The drones are not monitored by humans in real time, according to Amazon. Instead, the devices use an autonomous system of cameras and sensors to navigate, avoid obstacles, and deliver the package safely.
Some South Jersey residents said they have questions about those cameras, as well as the impact Amazon drones may have on their quality of life, safety, and environment. As of Sunday, more than 100 people had signed a petition asking for public hearings and written disclosures about Prime Air and its data practices before the drones start flying in the area.
Amazon said in its expansion announcement that the drones’ cameras do not “track individuals or record movement.” The drones are electric, emit no exhaust, and make little noise, according to the company. The drones are quieter during drop-off than “an idling delivery truck,” Amazon said, and sound similar to a “window fan on low” while in flight. The company said people indoors cannot typically hear the drones outside.
In areas where the drones are already flying, company spokesperson Rao said, “the response from customers using Prime Air has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Mantua Township Mayor Bob Zimmerman told residents in a Facebook post that the Amazon drones were “forthcoming.”
“Please understand that whether you are for, or against deliveries of this kind by drones, we have no say over the matter,” wrote Zimmerman, who did not return a request for additional comment.
Amazon has not said whether it plans to fly drones from other warehouses in the Philadelphia area, and has not posted Prime Air job openings at other local sites.
The company has dozens of facilities across the region, with larger warehouses in Carneys Point and Logan Townships in South Jersey, and near Wilmington. Officials in those areas did not return requests for comment.
Amazon’s Logan Township warehouse is pictured in 2021.STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer
Jason Bobst, township manager of West Norriton Township in Montgomery County, said the company has not been in touch about flying drones from its facility there.
“We have not been approached by Amazon regarding drone delivery operations from its West Norriton facility, nor have we received any indication that Amazon is currently considering that location for drone delivery service,” Bobst said in an email.
Bobst said township officials did have a preliminary conversation about Walmart looking to expand its drone delivery service in the area, but nothing formal has been presented.
In recent weeks, food-delivery apps Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash also have unveiled similar plans, but have not started flying to Philly-area customers.
This week Philly teachers were prepping for the start of a new school year and I went to Fanny Jackson Coppin School in South Philadelphia to photograph them hanging posters, arranging desks, taking new books out of boxes, and opening packages of supplies,
I walked from classroom to classroom, saying hi and introducing myself. Most were happy to have me come in and show the newspaper’s readers how they spend hours making their room feel welcoming and comfortable.
I was definitely feeling at ease by the time I got to the first grade classroom of teacher Lauren Cucinotta.
Because I wrote just last week about the senses triggering memories I was expecting all morning that what’s known as the “Proust phenomenon” would kick in. But it wasn’t the waxy smell of the crayons.
No, as a visual person it was the sight of a cup full of freshly sharpened pencils.
There is nothing more basic, more ordinary than a pencil — well except maybe for paper. But then we get into a chicken or the egg thing, and I don’t want to go there, so I’m sticking with pencil.
All those little points of graphite evoke a feeling of possibility. More than being ready to make the first marks of a new school year, I see them representing a clean slate (page) or even a new way to look at an annual recurring photo assignment.
You can’t see them in the photos, but for a moment even the erasers at the other end of the pencils evoke memories of my own first days of school and remind me that yesterday’s mistakes do not have to follow me into today, that there is always something new to see and photograph.
That’s enough navel gazing for one column, so let’s talk about this week’s installment of my colleague Elizabeth Wellington’s series highlighting a Philly “first” for the ongoing celebration of America’s 250th birthday. This week celebrated the first selfie still in existence, which was taken in Philadelphia in 1839.
They were first called self-portraits, and before smartphones, they involved putting cameras on tripods or tabletops and using timers or long cable shutter releases. Photographers — especially after small 35mm cameras came along — did use a wide-angle lens with the “extend your arm” technique, and the first I can remember seeing was when our wedding photographer took one of himself with me and my bride.
That’s a cherished selfie, but my all-time favorite selfie is one with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker when I spent time with him in Iowa during his short-lived 2020 presidential campaign. And since then, often on his home turf, in New Jersey. You can see me in the background — right behind the helpful photography tip a supporter’s cell phone offered (he cleared the message before taking the photo).
Which brings me to a few other photos to share from this week:
Flags and a bright blue sky are reflected in the windows of a Center City Philadelphia hotel on Monday.Tom Gralish / Staff PhotographerOne of two shell sculptures placed on either side of the entrance on the 19th Street entrance to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University on Monday. Created by unidentified artists and installed in 2010, a Philly public art website describes the small shell sculptural details as a “complement [to] the museum’s historic focus on malacology (the study of mollusks and their shells).”Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
And a story I wrote this week on viral French singer-songwriter and animal advocate Loris Assadian, known as Plumes, who sang for tortoises at the Philly Zoo.
Assadian serenades Abrazzo, a Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise estimated to be around 97 to 100 years old.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
Makini, the last African lion at the Philadelphia Zoo, has died, zoo officials announced Friday.
Makini, who was about 17.5 years old, suffered from advanced arthritis, and he recently began showing signs of weakness in his hind end and was struggling to navigate, zoo officials said.
“The team made the difficult and compassionate decision to humanely euthanize him,” the zoo said in a statement.
“At 17.5 years old, he was considered geriatric and surpassed the life expectancy for this species. The life expectancy of lions in the wild is 10-14 years,” the zoo said.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo website said that a lioness in the wild can live up to 16 years, but males rarely live past the age of 12. In zoos, the website said, lions may live into their teens or early 20s.
Makini arrived in Philadelphia in December 2011 from the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma where he was born. His name means “dignity” in Swahili.
“Makini was a force to be reckoned with and he made sure you knew that. He was all sorts of tough and manly, yet was goofy and would have you laughing several moments later. His presence is something that is surely going to be missed. I will cherish all the time we spent together,” said an animal care specialist identified by the zoo as Shannon K.
“He served as an incredible ambassador for his species for the hundreds of thousands of guests who had the chance to know him,” the zoo said.
The zoo said it was having conversations with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums “on the future of lions at the Philadelphia Zoo. We will keep you informed as the process progresses.”
Makini and Tajiri at the Philadelphia Zoo in an undated photo. Tajiri, Makini’s partner, died late last year.Philadelphia Zoo
Another round of rain showers is expected Saturday, with potential flooding into Saturday night, but it shouldn’t be as intense as last weekend.
Multiple rounds of rain are possible Saturday, with most of the region expected to see up to an inch of precipitation, according to AccuWeather. A chance of thunderstorms will creep onto the horizon starting after 4 p.m.
While the rain is expected to continue into the night with a chance of flooding on streams and ponds, there likely won’t be devastating flash floods, said AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz.
“Certainly, just given the amount of rain that we’ve seen as of late, it doesn’t take a lot of rain to create flooding issues, so there could be some low-end flooding concerns tomorrow,” Benz said.
Most areas across the region received over an inch of rain on Thursday, with some places getting more than three inches.
“While a strong to severe thunderstorm can’t be ruled out completely, the threat for damaging winds/tornadoes/hail is much lower compared to what we saw Thursday,” weather service meteorologists said in a forecast discussion.
Despite the above-normal precipitation over the summer months, the region had experienced 16 consecutive months of below-average precipitation totals leading up to June. Most of the Philadelphia region is classified abnormally dry, with parts of the suburbs in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Sunday’s rain ended the first seven-day period without measurable rain in Philly in two months.
In addition to Thursday’s rain, a tornado touched down in Dover, Del., toppling trees that closed streets and causing widespread power outages. Power has been restored, but crews were still clearing debris from affected areas in Dover.
Sunday brings another chance of showers on and off throughout the day, especially in the afternoon. Benz advised residents to get their errands done in the morning on Saturday and Sunday to avoid showers.
The forecast is similar for folks headed down the Shore, as Saturday brings an increased chance of rain showers in the afternoon and evening. Sunday should be drier in the morning, but beachgoers could see a chance for afternoon rain showers or thunderstorms, Benz said.
Fair weather is expected to return early next week.
