Monroe Township officials are not budging their stance on data centers as they push for the dismissal of a $300 million lawsuit from a developer challenging the municipality’s recent ban.
And a judge tossed out the Cherry Hill Board of Education’s lawsuit against a journalist for filing too many public records requests.
Monroe Township is doubling down on its data center ban.
Officials recently requested to dismiss a $300 million lawsuit from Hexa Builders — a Princeton-based real estate developer that wants to build a 1 million-square-foot data center — that challenges the municipality’s ban.
The saga continues as Hexa Builders pushes for the case to go back to state court instead of federal.
Meanwhile, Collingswood pursued its own ban through an ordinance that would amend the borough’s code.
Other South Jersey municipalities to consider and pass similar bans include Cherry Hill, Millville, and Medford.
Freelance journalist Benjamin Shore can file as many public records requests as he wants in South Jersey.
When the Cherry Hill Board of Education filed a 128-page lawsuit back in February, it claimed the “numerous, repeated, and vexatious” requests he filed under the state’s Open Public Records Act qualified as harassment.
Superior Court Judge Michael Mikulski disagreed. On July 31, the judge dismissed the case and stated the district failed to provide evidence of ill-intent.
Hackers targeted two New Jersey municipal water systems in a nationwide cyberattack. Three state officials, according to a report, said some analysts highly suspect the attack could be traced to Iran amid the ongoing war.
A teenager has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and other crimes after allegedly shooting at a family member while in a moving vehicle in Willingboro Township, according to officials.
The rehab work on Collings Avenue Bridge that would close it for three months is postponed until further notice. The bridge on the border of Gloucester City and Camden will remain fully operational until a new project date is determined, according to Camden County officials.
According to Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the best cheesesteaks are in Jersey at Donkey’s Place in Camden. She said they are better than the “million” she’s tried in Philadelphia.
🍽️Burlington County Restaurant Week: The county’s restaurant week ends on Saturday. Check out the list of participating restaurants for special discounts for the last few days. ⏰ Through Sat, Aug. 8 💵 Pay as you go📍Various locations.
🎶 Summer Street Feast: Go out tonight to this evening festival featuring live music, face painting, and treats from more than 10 food trucks. ⏰ Thursday, Aug. 6 4-8 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go📍Kings Highway, Haddonfield.
🦈 Sharks at the Park: The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University will host a series of events about the prehistoric sea, including a foam party, a quarry shark tooth contest, and a trivia night. ⏰ Friday Aug. 7-Sunday, Aug. 16, various times 💵 Various prices 📍 66 Million Mosasaur Way, Mantua.
For the second time in five years, a freeze wiped out all of Morgantown farmer Ed Weaver’s peaches this spring.
What was an unassuming late April frost for most Pennsylvanians this year created devastation for farmers across the state. High temperatures at the beginning of the month accelerated orchards’ blooming process. But an ensuing sudden drop below freezing quickly killed what had grown. The freeze hit 13 states on the East Coast, costing Pennsylvania fruit farmers almost $200 million.
Along with the peaches, the cold decimated nectarines and cherries at Weaver’s Orchard in Berks County. Now, just 15% of the apples and pears there remain, and about half of the berries are gone. Weaver estimates the freeze caused him to lose between 70% and 80% of his orchard’s revenue this year.
Weaver is not alone. A surge in extreme weather has taken a toll on fruit farmers’ crops across the state, in an industry growing increasingly sparse from rising costs.
Weaver — who has overseen his family’s nearly-100-year-old business for four decades — said many farmers are starting to question whether losses from extreme weather are a new standard and are determining the best next steps to maintain stability.
“How do we move forward? How are we going to mitigate these risks? And is this a new type of normal for us?” he said.
Attempting to reclaim some of the lost money from the frozen crops, Weaver plans to apply for a Freeze Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant — a $10 million initiative approved last month in the Pennsylvania state budget to assist farmers who have lost 30% or more of their crops.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the department is still determining how the funding will be distributed to eligible farmers, but is hopeful the money can be given by fall, when farmers typically see profits from their spring fruit crops.
“We wouldn’t forget about the harm that was done through this frost, and the lingering effects of it. So we’re here to deliver on that promise,” Redding said last month.
The funding comes after Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration called for federal assistance to further offset the impact of the freeze. Last month, the United States Department of Agriculture expanded low-interest loan options for some Pennsylvania apple growers with federal crop insurance. Additionally, 17 counties have been designated by the USDA as disaster areas, making farmers there eligible for low-credit loans.
Berks County, home to Weaver’s Orchard, lost 85% of its crops in the freeze. But the county still hasn’t received the federal disaster designation, Weaver said. State officials have said they’re pushing for more assistance.
Weaver said the state’s grant program is a great first step, but that it’ll take years for his orchard to recover.
He said much of the financial strain is born from costs like pruning and fertilizer for the decimated crops.
Weaver said his orchard is fortunate to have other sources of income, like its market and storefront, rather than relying entirely on its fruit crops. But the freeze impacted Weaver’s “pick-your-own” service, where customers can harvest their own fruit, since there are so few fruit crops available.
Typically, Weaver said that when farmers’ crops are damaged, they can buy fruit from other growers to sell, but that has been challenging this year, because the freeze was so widespread.
A flower bud with a brown center, which indicates the apple tree couldn’t produce apples due to the frost, at Highland Orchard in West Chester, on Friday, May 8, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
For Norm Schultz, farmer at Linvilla Orchards in Media, the freeze took out nearly all of his peaches and apples.
Schultz said much of his orchard’s rebuilding will rely on the fall season, and how Linvilla’s pumpkin sales fare.
But the harvest lost in the April freeze will have lingering impacts come fall, he said. Apple crops were affected, meaning that candy apple and cider sales could take a hit.
The freeze was the latest blow to Pennsylvania’s fruit farmers.
Both Weaver and Schultz said it’s becoming harder for farmers to pass down their land to their families, partly because of financial unpredictability but also because land is worth more if sold instead.
The number of farms in Pennsylvania has fallen by 18% over 10 years from 2012 to 2022, according to the most recent agriculture census data.
Schultz said he hopes the state’s newest grant for affected farmers “can keep the people who only grow fruit in the game, because so many farms and fruit growers go out of business in this area.”
Similarly, Weaver said there are costs burdens in needing to continually upgrade equipment and make capital investments to maintain facilities, which could reduce profitability and efficiency for future generations.
“If we’re going to have a good food supply of these kinds of crops in Pennsylvania, it needs to be something that the next generation wants to do,” he said. “And if it burns them financially, they’re going to make a decision of whether they want to [farm] or not.”
In the meantime, Weaver said it’s important for people to purchase storefront goods from local farms or make use of other services.
“Especially right now, it’s so important for people to get out and support the local farms and buy local.”
Natalie Javitt is an intern with the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association. She can be reached at natalie.javitt@gmail.com.
Half A While serves teas and pastries, including a matcha silk crepe. Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
Two new dessert cafes, Half A While and Mango Mango, have opened in Ardmore.
Half A While, which took over the former Kung Fu Tea space and is currently in a soft opening phase, specializes in cold-brewed teas as well as pastries and cakes with Asian influences.
It’s joined by Asian-inspired dessert chain Mango Mango, which dishes up desserts and teas that lean heavily on the tropical stone fruit.
Aldar Bistro is located at 281 Montgomery Ave. in Bala Cynwyd.Michael Klein / Staff
Longtime Bala Cynwyd staple Aldar Bistro is closing its doors, with the owners selling to the two couples behind Gran Caffè L’Aquila in Center City.
They plan to convert the Lebanese restaurant into a Southern Italian-focused concept, complete with white tablecloths. Bruzi will dish up house-made pastas and a robust beverage program.
The Jamaican Pattie Shop is now open at 107 E. County Line Rd. The Ardmore eatery is currently in a soft opening phase.
Pomelo Rooftop Terrace is opening this weekend at The Brandywine hotel in Radnor, where it will serve shareable plates, a raw bar, and botanical-focused cocktails.
💡 Community News
As the township’s parking meters age, commissioners are weighing next steps, from replacing them to phasing them out entirely, The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.
The township has been awarded nearly $400,000 from the state to modernize traffic signals and improve safety along Lancaster Avenue and Wynnewood Road.
Neighboring Upper Merion Township is looking to build a 7,500-seat sports and entertainment venue, possibly at 650 Park Ave., and is seeking state funding to support the project.
🏫 Schools Briefing
The school board’s policy committee voted to advance updated technology rules earlier this week after shutting down public comment and moving to Zoom for the vote. The new guidelines, which scale back screen time for the youngest students, will go before the full board later this month, The Inquirer’s Maddie Hanna reports.
🎳 Things to Do
🎶 Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts: Steve Forbert, an early pioneer of Americana music, headlines this week’s show. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 8, 7 p.m. 💵 $25.88, free for kids 12 and under 📍 Bryn Mawr Gazebo
🚴 Ardmore Rock n’ Ride: Watch the race and catch live music at this annual event benefiting Narberth Ambulance. ⏰ Sunday, Aug. 9, races run from 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m., live music is from noon-7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Downtown Ardmore
🎞️ The Princess Bride: Catch a screening of the 1987 cult classic. ⏰ Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:15 p.m. 💵 $17.75 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute
The home sits on a corner lot in Wynnewood.Courtesy of Brett Furman/Real Broker LLC
Situated on a corner lot near South Ardmore Park, this brick Wynnewood home packs a lot into a small space. The first floor has a living room with a fireplace, a dining room with a bay window, and a kitchen, while all three bedrooms are upstairs. One opens onto a covered second-floor deck, and there’s another covered patio out back. There’s an open house Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.
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.
John Goncher recently expanded Wild Yeast Bakehouse. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Two brands that might be familiar to local farmers’ market goers have raised their profiles this summer.
Wild Yeast Bakehouse, the sourdough startup that frequently has sell-out crowds at the Media Farmers Market, has opened a Main Line storefront, allowing it to expand its capacity.
And Market Day Canelé’s savory tart recently got a shout out from Inquirer reporter Kiki Aranita, who said it was the best thing she ate last week. She’s especially loving the mushroom, tomato, corn, ham, gruyère, and egg tart right now, at the height of tomato season.
You can score a piece when the eatery sets up shop at the Swarthmore Farmers Market.
Delaware County has fully restored operations after a June cybercriminal attack, but is continuing to investigate what may have been compromised, noting hackers were able to access data “maintained within the network.”
The executive director of DELGO Community Transit, a Delaware County subsidized transportation organization for seniors and people with disabilities, is facing felony charges of child endangerment after a DUI arrest. Nick Miccarelli, a former state representative and Ridley Park native, was previously accused of physical and sexual assault.
New data shows that 93.9% of Delaware County kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, which is below the 95% threshold scientists say is needed to prevent the spread of the contagious virus. Across grades, the county has seen a slight drop in measles vaccination rates.
The Walgreens at 51 Baltimore Pike in Glen Mills is closing its doors on Sept. 3.
Spooky season may still be a couple of months away, but Spirit Halloween has already opened at a former Joann space in the Marple Crossroads shopping center in Springfield. It’ll be joined this month by another Springfield location in the former Party City on Baltimore Pike, as well as one in the former Joann at the Concordville Town Centre in Glen Mills.
Planning to take the D1 trolley in the next few days? SEPTA will be doing work on the Lansdowne Avenue grade crossing and substituting in bus service tomorrow through Sunday.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Middletown Township’s planning commission will consider Rose Tree Media School District’s application to reverse subdivide a parcel at 134 Barren Rd. with the goal of building a K-1 Early Learning Center there. The meeting will take place Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Penn State Brandywine.
🎳 Things to Do
🎶 Rose Tree Summer Concert Festival: The upcoming lineup features performances from wind ensemble Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds tonight, the Americana-rooted Matt Santry Band tomorrow, Barbershop’s Best on Saturday, and Polynesian luau band Paradise Island on Sunday. Zydeco-inspired New Orleans Fish Fry will play on Wednesday. ⏰ Thursday, Aug. 6-Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Rose Tree Park, Media
🌻 Sunflower Festival: Pick your own sunflowers, participate in dance workshops, and listen to live music. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 8, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (rain date: Aug. 9) 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Linvilla Orchards, Media
🎵 Tribute to Fleetwood Mac: Tickets are going fast for this concert featuring covers of some of the band’s most iconic songs. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 8, 6:45 p.m. 💵 $52.92-$63.72 📍 Media Theatre
🗞️ 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.
WAPAKONETA, Ohio — Inside Neil Armstrong’s boyhood home, at the top of a creaky stairway, sits his bedroom where he launched model airplanes out of the rear window to measure how far they’d fly.
Hanging in the room now are autographed photos of astronauts who have visited the privately kept house to see where Armstrong’s first steps to the moon began.
Owned by a retired history teacher devoted to preserving its past and charming character, the home is for sale for the first time in nearly 40 years. What will become of it remains uncertain.
All over Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta, there are reminders of his history-making moonwalk. But few places played a bigger role early in his journey than 601 W Benton St. — the house where the Armstrong family settled in western Ohio when he was a young teenager.
It’s where Armstrong built planes out of balsa wood and glue in the dining room and constructed a basement wind tunnel to test his models. He’d often pedal his bike from home to take flying lessons at an airstrip.
At age 16, Armstrong made his first solo flight and got his pilot’s license. Just 20 years later, he rocketed into space for the first time. After the 1969 moon landing, he taught at the University of Cincinnati.
A parade of astronauts has visited Armstrong’s house
Today, Armstrong’s two-story boyhood home is an occasional stop for visitors to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, even though the house isn’t open for tours.
When Karen Mikesell bought the place in 1988, she had no idea who once lived there until another teacher soon told her.
As a history teacher who later became a school principal, Mikesell felt a responsibility to “keep it like the Armstrongs had it,” she said.
She’s hosted nine astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, who flew to the moon with Armstrong and Michael Collins in 1969.
Aldrin stepped inside the bedroom upstairs a few years after Armstrong died in 2012, Mikesell recalled, “and the tears just streamed down his cheeks.”
Over the years, she’s been given a moon rock and received a piece of gold foil that covered the Apollo 11 capsule — a gift from one of the Navy frogmen who helped recover the command module and its crew.
Some astronauts autographed their photos with personal messages to Mikesell — “thanks for taking such great care of Neil’s home!” wrote Mike Foreman, who flew on two space shuttle missions.
“You can read books, but you can never have those kinds of experiences that I was able to have because I lived here,” she said. “I could go on and on.”
House holds many reminders of the first man on the moon
Armstrong’s family bought the home in 1944 after his father had moved them about a dozen times with his job as a government auditor. The oldest of three children, Neil was born in a farmhouse just outside Wapakoneta, today a city of just under 10,000 people.
The house on Benton Street with its big front porch has changed little on the outside. Inside, the layout is similar too, though it has been updated.
In the backyard, a garage that Armstrong and his father built with scrap lumber still stands, though a chicken coop where he and his friends gathered for Boy Scout meetings is long gone.
Armstrong’s old bedroom is now decorated with photos and paintings of the moon landing. Hanging from the ceiling is a model of the Wright brothers’ first production airplane — the aviation pioneers were from nearby Dayton and an inspiration for Armstrong.
Mikesell never met Armstrong, who was famously private. She did talk with his parents, siblings, and children about the 1908 home and its place in Armstrong’s upbringing.
A part of American history is for sale
Mikesell, who’s 82, said she hopes someone might be willing to buy the house and donate it to the Armstrong museum, which doesn’t have the funds to acquire the property, according to Logan Rex, its spokesperson.
She is just one of a handful of people who’ve owned the home since the Armstrongs sold it in the mid-1960s. By the time she bought the house, the rooms were covered with wallpaper in a rainbow of colors, so she sought to restore its original look.
While the house, which is listed at $430,000, isn’t legally protected from alteration, Mikesell is also optimistic that the new owners will respect it — whether it remains a private residence or becomes a place for overnight stays.
“It’s time to let someone else have the opportunity to be as blessed as I’ve been,” she said, “and to take care of it and keep it as a part of history.”
Chris DiJulia spent 56 years living as if he didn’t have cerebral palsy. He’d take “walks” in his wheelchair, down the block from his Havertown home. He was a regular passenger on SEPTA long before paratransit came to the suburbs in 1994.
The avid St. Joseph’s basketball fan would often go to Hawk Hill to visit his father, Don, the longtime athletic director, or to watch men’s and women’s basketball practice.
But he’d also venture to Eagles training camp in West Chester, games at the Palestra, Villanova, Temple, all on his own, boldly traversing a city unequipped to take him anywhere.
Of course, this came with its challenges. A broken elevator or an unexpected flight of stairs could derail an entire trip. Sometimes, a bus driver would pretend not to see DiJulia waiting at his stop because they didn’t want the hassle.
But DiJulia was no fool, and certainly no pushover. He’d scribble down the license plate, call SEPTA’s customer service line, and report the vehicle.
“And probably said a thing or two about them as they drove by,” his father added.
This spirit was what made DiJulia special. His limbs were short and stiff, his speech was slow and slurred, but between the ears, he was just like anybody else, and expected to be treated as such.
He frequently signaled this through his humor. If the St. Joe’s fan was among a group of coaches trading barbs, he’d join in. DiJulia was not above yelling “brick” when a player missed a shot, or expanding that sentiment to, “you’re building a whole house!”
Charles Barkley (left) and Chris DiJulia became friends in the 1980s.provided by Saint Joseph's University
No one was exempt, not even NBA stars. Charles Barkley first met DiJulia in the late 1980s, at the start of his professional career. The Sixers practiced in the morning at St. Joe’s, and the teenager in the wheelchair was always there.
If Barkley had a poor showing, DiJulia would be quick to point it out.
“When I had hair, you never played bad and [went] to a Black barbershop,” Barkley said last week. “You never played bad and [went to] see Chris DiJulia the next morning. You know something bad is going to happen.”
DiJulia could’ve lived a smaller, less-adventurous life in Havertown, and no would have blamed him. But he chose to immerse himself in the world of Philadelphia sports, with all its eccentricities and quirks, and fit right in.
Now, that world is mourning his absence. On July 27, DiJulia died of natural causes stemming from cerebral palsy. The outpouring of support has been immense and wide-ranging.
The DiJulia family has heard from former St. Joe’s basketball players, softball players, field hockey players. Broadcasters and coaches have reached out, many of whom are no longer in the Philadelphia market.
On Thursday morning, Phil Martelli, another close friend of DiJulia’s, texted Delonte West. The former Hawks guard has long struggled with substance abuse and homelessness, but has been sober for the past 190 days.
Phil Martelli (right) was among those on Hawk Hill who drew endless inspiration from Chris DiJulia.provided by Saint Joseph's University
He asked Martelli to relay a message.
“Please send my condolences for Chris,” West said. “[He] was my brother, I carry him in spirit, he used to always have the right words and smile for me.”
A public funeral will be held on Aug. 12. The family is expecting a big crowd. Some will travel hundreds of miles, all to support a man who would do anything to support them.
Pushing through the pain
DiJulia was born in Connecticut in 1969. At first, his parents thought he was healthy; it wasn’t until the baby was baptized that a family member with a medical background noticed his head was oversized.
Doctors diagnosed him with cerebral palsy, and he underwent surgery at three weeks old (the first of over 20 surgeries throughout his lifetime).
Even as an infant, Chris radiated joy, with a big smile and bright blue eyes. Pat DiJulia knew her son had obstacles ahead, but when she’d look at his face, full of expression, she could tell he understood what she was saying.
Don was an assistant college basketball coach at Fairfield at the time. A few years later, when he was hired by George Washington, the family moved to Virginia.
Chris DiJulia (center, with longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas) developed a love of sports at a young age.provided by Saint Joseph's University
In 1973, he accepted an assistant coaching job at American. Chris was approaching pre-school age, but local options were limited.
The boy would need physical, occupational and speech therapy. The Americans with Disabilities Act was17 years from becoming law, and most schools didn’t provide those kinds of services yet.
So, the DiJulias were directed to three boarding schools on the East Coast. The one closest to them, in Virginia, was more like an institution; instead of catering to a specific population, it housed students with a number of physical and mental disabilities.
They chose to send Chris to Philadelphia instead, to the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Both parents had family in the area who could visit him. Don started looking for work there, which is how he ended up becoming the St. Joe’s athletic director in 1976.
It was at HMS that Chris found his love for Philadelphia sports. Many staff members were Phillies fans and began to watch games with him. He quickly developed a talent for critiquing the local ball club (one that would serve him for the rest of his life).
The younger DiJulia would spend his weekends at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse and the St. Joe’s athletic offices. He did not do so quietly. Women’s basketball coach Jim Foster said the 9-year-old would routinely bust into his office, so much so that he joked he was going to “need a new doorway.”
The family returned to Connecticut in 1984, when Don was named commissioner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. But they couldn’t stay away from Hawk Hill, and came back in 1988, after Don was re-hired as athletic director, a job he’d keep for the next 30 years before retiring.
The DiJulia siblings were raised by their parents, Don and Pat, to stick together.provided by Kath DiJulia Cloran
By this point, Chris was a young man, brimming with confidence. This was due in large part to his upbringing. He was one of seven children, and Pat and Don treated him no different than the others.
The family would help Chris where he needed it, but always encouraged him to be independent. If he could lift his arms and put his shirt on with some minor assistance, then he would do it.
If he could shuffle his feet from the wheelchair to the bed, as someone hoisted him up, then he would do that, too.
“He was one of the seven,” his sister, Kath Cloran, said. “And yes, he needed extra care, but he was held to the same standards as all of us.
“He never wanted to be special. He just wanted to fit in and do what all of us did, really, and just live as regular a life as he possibly could.”
Transportation was integral to this. Don and Pat would map out a route for their son before each trip, making sure he was familiar with every curb and stair.
Some of these trips were laborious. To get to his technical school in Norristown, for example, Chris would travel a half mile on Haverford Road, to a platform for a high-speed rail.
Chris DiJulia (with his mother Pat) would stop at nothing to be close to the Philly sports scene.provided by The DiJulia Family
When he arrived at Norristown Transit Center, he’d take an elevator to the street level (if the elevator was working, which was a big if) and “walk” a few more blocks to school.
Despite any setbacks, the process was empowering. And paratransit made it even easier. Before long, Chris could travel all over the city, which meant ample trips to St. Joe’s and elsewhere.
Jim Lynam, the Sixers’ former head coach and DiJulia’s uncle, said it wouldn’t be unusual for his nephew to attend Sixers practice in the morning, St. Joe’s men’s basketball practice in the afternoon, and women’s basketball practice at night.
This was how he met Barkley.
The NBA star quickly realized DiJulia was able — and willing — to spar. So, Barkley and a few of his teammates, Rick Mahorn and Manute Bol, started going back and forth with him.
“Some fans, they’re just a-holes,” Barkley said. “They’re just mean. But the way he said something and just started laughing immediately, it took all the sting away.”
He added: “I literally met this guy 1,000 times, because he was always at practice. And I think it gave him joy. It gave us joy, but I think it really gave him joy, too.”
‘People just loved him’
DiJulia became omnipresent in Philadelphia basketball circles. When he wasn’t at St. Joe’s, he’d be at home, on the phone, usually with a coach.
In the late 1980s, Foster invited him to sit on the bench during women’s basketball games (a tradition that continued after Cindy Griffin took over the program).
Chris DiJulia’s friendship with St. Joe’s women’s basketball coach Jim Foster (right) continued after Foster moved on to Vanderbilt.provided by Saint Joseph's University
The coach and his de facto assistant created a pre-game routine. After Foster gave his initial speech, he’d turn to DiJulia, who would share a few words.
“And then he would say, ‘But what it really comes down to,’ and he’d point to his heart,” St. Joe’s Hall of Famer Katie Gardler said. “And then he would point to his head.
“And you looked at all your teammates, and you’re like, ‘We’re doing this for him. Because he can’t get out there. We’re doing this for him.’”
DiJulia soon expanded his network beyond Hawk Hill, attending the NCAA and Atlantic 10 tournaments, among other events. If a coach left Philadelphia, he’d follow their careers, often traveling to go see them.
From the 1990s to the 2020s, DiJulia flew to Vanderbilt, Ohio State and Chattanooga to visit Foster, and drove to Michigan with his father to visit Martelli. Every year, he’d trek to Burlington to see Tom Brennan, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Vermont.
Brennan was among his closest friends. They first met in the 1970s, when the coach was assisting Rollie Massimino at Villanova. Brennan was hired by Yale in 1982, overlapping with DiJulia in Connecticut, which brought them even closer.
The two men discovered that they had a similar sense of humor; or as Pat put it, were “both crazy.” Games at Yale eventually led to daily phone calls, which led to trips to Vermont. In late November 2001, DiJulia visited Brennan when Cleveland State was in town, led by Massimino.
A Philadelphia jewel !! Chris DiJulia was as authentic and loyal as they come . An amazing man and a life full of inspiring others !! Love to the DiJulia family . pic.twitter.com/52X7Wglvvb
After the game, they got dinner with a few other coaches and family members. At one point, DiJulia asked Massimino a question that silenced the entire room.
“He said, ‘Rollie,’” Brennan recalled. “And back then, nobody called him Rollie. It was ‘Coach Mass.’”
The head coach turned to DiJulia, with an air of incredulity.
“Rollie?” Massimino said. “Rollie???”
The St. Joe’s fan grinned.
“That’s your name, ain’t it?”
DiJulia was a fixture at the University of Vermont. Every time he visited, he’d sit on the bench, right next to Brennan, tasked with keeping track of timeouts. This didn’t always go according to plan.
In February 1991, Vermont played at Delaware. It was a close game in the final minutes. Vermont was down three with the ball. Brennan turned to DiJulia and asked if they had any timeouts.
He said yes, but had counted incorrectly. Vermont got a technical foul. Delaware made one of two free throws, took possession of the ball, and won the game.
“The fun they’ve had with that over the years…” said Don.
Chris DiJulia and one of his best friends, Tom Brennan.Provided by the DiJulia family
Chris was also a regular on Brennan’s sports talk radio show on WCPV-FM. One time, he got the coach out of a parking ticket, because a police officer recognized DiJulia, and decided not to “mess up DeJules’ weekend.”
He was so beloved that in 2005, when Vermont was playing to reach the NCAA tournament, a booster chartered a plane to fly DiJulia to Burlington for the America East final. A gaggle of reporters met him at the airport.
After DiJulia returned home, Brennan checked in with his friend.
“I said, “Are you going to see St. Joe’s [in the NIT]?” Brennan recalled. “And he said, ‘Yeah… commercial.’ You got some balls. Commercial!
“But people just loved him. They loved him.”
DiJulia’s unflinching honesty was a big reason why. In the mid 1990s, amid a stretch of below-.500 seasons, he penned an angry letter to Phillies team president Dave Montgomery.
Chris DiJulia (with former Big 5 coach Fran Dunphy on the right and St. Joe’s women’s basketball coach Cindy Griffin on the left) was a massive Phillies fan.provided by Saint Joseph's University
Montgomery invited him to his box, with Brennan and Don DiJulia. The executive asked what he could do for the frustrated fan.
“And he said, ‘The first thing is to stop our team from sucking,’” Brennan recalled.
(Montgomery and DiJulia went on to have a very close relationship, one that improved when the Phillies ended their World Series drought in 2008.)
“He was always ready,” Brennan said. “You couldn’t throw him off his game, man.”
A spirit worth celebrating
DiJulia’s health declined over the past two years. He could no longer feed himself or travel. Sitting on the bench at St. Joe’s was not possible; neither was attending games at Citizens Bank Park.
But DiJulia adjusted, as he always did. He continued to work the phones, keeping in touch with coaches. He’d follow his favorite teams remotely, either on TV or an internet stream, rather than in person.
And through it all, he never lost his spirit. Last Easter, DiJulia’s sister, Tyl Sadoff, gifted him a T-shirt. On the front was a message he thought was hilarious: “Just call me Jesus, I keep coming back.”
Perhaps that is the lesson. Even in the darkest of moments, Chris DiJulia was able to laugh. And since his passing, loved ones have found that is the best way to honor him. To share their favorite stories, of their favorite guy, with a tinge of sadness, but a bellyful of joy.
NEW YORK — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her in charge of a public health agency beleaguered by political meddling and low morale.
Schwartz was confirmed in a 51-44 vote. The 54-year-old becomes the 22nd leader of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, and the agency’s first confirmed director in nearly a year. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schwartz’s nomination appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last month. The chairperson, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something unsupported by science and good public health practice.
But weeks later, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and with others who knew her, and said he had gained confidence in her.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials did not immediately respond to questions about when Schwartz will start the job or her salary.
The CDC has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office last year.
Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus employees, more than one-quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted as a succession of mostly temporary leaders has come and gone. The front office has been staffed by political appointees with little or no training in medicine or public health.
“Now, Dr. Schwartz needs to prove that her leadership will serve science and not the whims of politicians. CDC needs a Director who will protect public health workers, defend evidence-based guidance, and refuse any directive that would undermine public safety,” said the National Public Health Coalition, an organization of former and current CDC workers, in a statement Wednesday.
When Schwartz was nominated in April, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citing her background. They also noted that Schwartz was the choice of Trump and not Kennedy, who is a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to oversee the CDC and other federal health agencies.
Schwartz was the third Trump nominee for CDC director in the past 18 months.
The first was a former Florida congressman, David Weldon. His Senate hearing in March 2025 was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the time that he had been told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.
The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate, but ousted from the job in less than a month. Trump administration officials said she was not aligned with the president’s agenda, so they terminated her.
Since then, there have been a series of HHS officials as acting CDC directors.
“With all the turmoil of the past two years, the CDC desperately needs stability, experienced leadership, and a steadfast commitment to science,” said Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association in a statement Wednesday.
The CDC position was one of several leadership vacancies among federal health agencies, including the U.S. surgeon general and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Yet more rinse-and-repeat flood warnings were posted for Philadelphia and portions of adjacent counties Wednesday as more downpours oozed through the region.
And don’t be surprised if more pop up later in the week, as the atmosphere will remain thickened with so much skin-clinging water vapor that “it’s not going to take much” to turn on the faucets, said Michael Silva, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
One indicator of the atmospheric saturation: The weather service has posted a heat advisory for Thursday as heat indexes could rise to 100 or better — even though temperatures won’t get much past 90. That is all about the humidity in what could be the start of a more muggy wave, as opposed to a traditional heat wave.
The moisture in the air on Wednesday was such that the rain, which began around lunchtime, ended up being more ferocious than expected.
“Before work, I was about to go out twice for walks,” Silva said. “Then I looked at the radar.”
The heavy rains were wrung out along a narrow corridor cutting through the city, and they generated widespread traffic disruptions during the afternoon.
The weather service said that 1.23 inches of rain had been measured at Philadelphia International Airport, just between noon and 1 p.m. More than 2 inches fell upon parts of Bucks County.
Road flooding was widespread in Philly, Bucks County, and South Jersey.
Among the highways affected were the Schuylkill Expressway in the Point Breeze area; I-95 in Eastwick, at the Platt Bridge, and in the Croydon, Bucks County, area, where the warning was extended until 6:15 p.m.; and Route 130 in Burlington County.
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The rains were getting juice from a rich pulse of moisture from the South, said Mike Gorse, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Mount Holly office.
What’s more, these types of threats may be a “repeated thing” later in the week, he added, echoing Silva’s comment, with showers in the forecast again for Thursday night and Friday as the region is stuck in another sultry air mass.
The recent rains represent quite a reversal of fortune for the region and the entire state of New Jersey.
After 16 consecutive months of below-normal precipitation in Philly, officially close to 10 inches of rain has been measured since July 1, and recent rains have set off rashes of flood warnings, including on Sunday.
July’s total, 7.03 inches, was 2.65 inches above normal.
Still, water levels along the Schuylkill in Norristown and the Delaware River at Trenton have remained relatively low, the result of all that antecedent dryness.
However, flashier creeks, such as the Neshaminy, in Bucks County, are prone to slosh over in downpours, said Sarah Johnson, the weather service’s warning coordination meteorologist in Mount Holly.
While Chester County and all of New Jersey remain under drought warnings, the recent turn to wetness may have some staying power, she said.
According to the weather service’s Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, which relies on networks of observations in each county, rainfall in all 21 counties in New Jersey has been well above normal in the 60-day period that ended on Tuesday.
On the Pennsylvania side, rainfall was at or above normal in Philly and its neighboring counties — including Chester County, where the 9.17-inch total was 113% of normal.
The federal Climate Prediction Center’s longer-term outlooks see chances favoring above-normal precipitation from next Tuesday through Aug. 19.
Right as work was set to begin on the Collings Avenue Bridge, Camden County announced Wednesday that the $2.5 million repair project is postponed until further notice.
The steel bridge over Newton Creek at the border of Gloucester and Camden cities will remain fully operational until a new project start date is determined, the county announced Wednesday.
The county is still waiting on some New Jersey Department of Transportation permits that have yet to be issued, a county spokesperson said.
A new start date for the project will be announced at a later time.
The bridge was previously scheduled to close for about three months starting on Tuesday for the repair project. Traffic headed towards the bridge was to be diverted to I-676 via Broadway and Morgan Boulevard.
The project includes replacing the concrete deck, sidewalks, and parapet, as well as refurbishing support beams and bearings.
“These improvements to the Collings Avenue Bridge are essential to keeping our infrastructure safe and reliable,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the Department of Public Works, previously said in a statement. “We want to thank our residents for their patience during the next few months and recommend that they give themselves extra time in their commute while detours are in place.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill dissed Philadelphia cheesesteaks earlier this summer, and she just doubled down.
“The best cheesesteaks actually aren’t in Philly,” she declares in a video posted to her social media Wednesday afternoon centered ona recent visit to Donkey’s Place in Camden. “They’re right here in Jersey, and we’re about to go have one.”
In the video, Sherrillleans against the bar next to a customer drinking a beer and sporting a Phillies cap. The first-term Democrat notes with a grin that a “real-life” Philadelphian is “here in Jersey, getting a cheesesteak!”
She noted in the post that a friend of hers from California had mentioned the cheesesteak place to her — showing that the acclaimed Haddon Avenue spot, founded in 1943, is known across the country. She said she “never doubted that New Jersey has the best cheesesteaks,” but had to visit Donkey’s to “confirm” for herself.
I never doubted that New Jersey has the best cheesesteaks, but I still had to stop by Donkey's Place in Camden earlier this summer to confirm it for myself. pic.twitter.com/48JV0PavJQ
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) August 5, 2026
Anthony Bourdain felt similarly.
In 2015, Bourdain, who grew up in North Jersey, opined on an episode of his Parts Unknown show that finding the best cheesesteak in “the center of the cheesesteak universe” may require crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The restaurant proudly displays his quote on its website: “The best cheesesteak in the area might well come from New Jersey.”
During her visit to Donkey’s, Sherrill got in on the cheesesteak action with owner Rob Lucas Jr., whose father, Bob Lucas, previously owned the restaurant. The younger Lucas’ grandfather, Olympic boxer Leon “Donkey” Lucas, was the founder.
Equipped with plastic gloves and a griddle spatula for each hand, the governor assists Lucas by shaking loads of seasoning on a pile of onions.
“Take three pieces of cheese, put it right on top of that,” he directs her in the video.
Sherrill noted she loves onions, in contrast to the three orders of “no onions” ahead of her.
Donkey’s steaks are endowed with white American cheese and come with fried onions on a poppy-seed kaiser roll.
“Guys, the verdict’s in, and you probably know I’ve been going to Army-Navy in Philly for years,” Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, proudly says, sitting with her creation. “I’ve had a million cheesesteaks. There is no better cheesesteak than here at Donkey’s.”
The historic Army-Navy football game was first played in Philadelphia in 1899 and it has been hosted in the City of Brotherly Love more times than any other city. The last time it was in Philly was in 2022, and it will be hosted by New Jersey, in East Rutherford, this year before returning to Pennsylvania’s largest cityin 2027.
Sherrill visited Donkey’s in late June the same day she visited Camden’s World Cup fan fest at Wiggins Waterfront Park just days before the deadline for her first New Jersey budget. During that appearance, local officials praised the governor for showing up for South Jersey.
During a speech on the fan fest stage, Sherrill boasted that as visitors flood to the region for the World Cup, “the best cheesesteaks are not across the river, they’re right here at Donkey’s.”
