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Category: Pennsylvania News

  • Willow Grove Park Mall is in the process of being sold

    Willow Grove Park Mall is in the process of being sold

    Willow Grove Park Mall is on track to be sold soon.

    A representative for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), which owns the Montgomery County mall, said in a statement Thursday that “a lender-directed sale process is underway and expected to be completed in the near term.”

    The Philadelphia Business Journal first reported the news, saying that a partnership of New York firms — Namdar Realty Group, Mason Asset Management, and CH Capital Group — were set to buy PREIT’s 725,000-square-foot section of the 1.2 million-square-foot mall, as well as its debt on the property, for an undisclosed price.

    The sale would include most of the mall, including Macy’s, Cheesecake Factory, and Nordstrom Rack, but not parcels that house Primark and Bloomingdale’s, according to the Journal, citing marketing materials that have since been removed from real estate firm JLL’s website. JLL did not return a request for comment.

    The Willow Grove Park Mall is shown in 2019.TIM TAI / Staff Photographer

    The potential new buyers, all based in New York, did not return calls or emails from The Inquirer.

    Willow Grove Park Mall would not be their first acquisition in the region.

    In 2015, Namdar, a company known to scoop up distressed malls, and Mason Asset Management bought the struggling Voorhees Town Center from PREIT for $13.4 million. Since then, retailers have continued to flee the Camden County mall, which has been closed since a 2024 fire. A North Jersey developer has plans to buy and revive the property, pending a state tax credit.

    Namdar also owns the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, which New Jerseyans have called one of the state’s deadest malls.

    Philly-area malls aren’t dead yet. But they are changing.

    The situation in Montgomery County, however, is different.

    Willow Grove Park Mall has appeared healthy in recent years, despite the financial struggles of its owner, PREIT. As of 2023, the center was about 96% occupied, and PREIT executives were calling the complex “one of our leading suburban Philadelphia assets.”

    The Willow Grove Park Mall opened in 1982 at a time when the Philadelphia suburbs were flush with shopping malls. The complex got off to a bumpy start, failing to meet its first-year sales expectations and leading some mall developers to say, as an Inquirer headline read at the time: “No more malls.”

    Banners hung over the elevator court in the Willow Grove Park Mall in this 1984 photo.Michael Plunkett / Staff Photographer

    PREIT has had a stake in Willow Grove Park Mall since 2000, when it and the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System signed on to buy the center for $140 million.

    PREIT has filed for bankruptcy twice since the pandemic, emerging most recently in April 2024 with $800 million less in debt and a goal to redevelop some of its underperforming properties.

    PREIT’s local mall holdings run from the gamut from the bustling Cherry Hill Mall to Willow Grove Park to Moorestown Mall, which has been undergoing a mixed-use makeover.

    The company also owns the Plymouth Meeting Mall, one of many properties that longtime real estate investor Dean Adler has plans to redevelop.

    PREIT sold the troubled Exton Square Mall to Abrams Realty & Development for $34 million in 2025. The new owners have been mired in a legal dispute with local officials over the redevelopment of the mall, which closed its doors in June.

  • Could a Bucks County Amazon data center be affected by Gov. Shapiro’s order?

    Could a Bucks County Amazon data center be affected by Gov. Shapiro’s order?

    Amazon has proposed installing hundreds of backup natural gas generators for the hyperscale data center it is building in Falls Township, Bucks County, just off the Delaware River.

    The generators require permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which has green-lighted five other environmental permits for the project.

    But on Tuesday, Shapiro issued sweeping new guardrails on data centers, including removing Amazon from the state’s fast-track permitting process.

    The move was a stark shift from Shapiro’s position on data centers in June 2025, when he championed the Amazon deal as part of a $20 billion Pennsylvania data center investment. Since then, public pushback to data centers has reached a fever pitch.

    Tuesday’s announcement raises questions about the DEP’s decision on the Falls Township project, one of the few hyperscale data center developments nearing completion in the region to meet the power-hungry computing needs of artificial intelligence.

    Robyn Briggs, a DEP spokesperson, said that as of Thursday, the agency’s air quality team was still reviewing the latest permit application for the generators. The process includes a 30-day public comment period that ended Monday. The DEP has not said when it expects to make a decision.

    Briggs said that the DEP received 1,236 comments about the permit and that each would be given “equal weight and consideration.”

    It was widely expected that many residents had written to oppose the approval, given the large amount of social media posts on the topic. Nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition calling for a moratorium on data centers in the township.

    What the DEP is deciding

    Amazon Data Services Inc. is developing a 250-acre campus within the Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township on a site formerly occupied by U.S. Steel.

    Amazon plans 2 million square feet of data center space across 10 buildings for cloud computing and AI.

    It already has both local and state approvals for the first of two expected phases of the project’s build-out. The DEP requires permits to ensure companies meet state and federal standards when sending pollution into the air or water.

    To date, Amazon has been approved for five environmental air and water discharge permits. That includes approval last year for 72 diesel-fired emergency engines.

    Amazon has also applied to install 280 natural gas-fired “critical backup generator engines” at 4,287 horsepower each.

    It also wants to install three more diesel backup generators.

    The generators and pollution

    The company says the generators would provide backup power in the event of a main utility power supply interruption and would not be used to meet peak demand.

    The generators would have pollution controls to lower nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, including formaldehyde and ammonia, according to the company. Emissions would be restricted to below allowable maximum levels.

    The DEP is reviewing public comments before making a decision on Amazon’s permit.

    If the permit for the backup generators is approved, Amazon would still need additional permitting for a planned second phase of the project.

    Shapiro’s new guardrails

    Shapiro signed an executive order on Tuesday dramatically restricting data center development in Pennsylvania. He had been an early champion of data center development, including a $20 billion commitment from Amazon to build the Falls Township data center, as well as one in Luzerne County.

    Now he is taking a hard-line stance against the industry as proposed projects draw bipartisan backlash. Although his order does not include a moratorium on data center development, it requires local approval for projects to receive state permits, which may block development.

    The order removes all data center developments, including those by Amazon, from the fast-track permitting program, and no data centers will be considered for the program moving forward.

    The DEP said the governor’s new permit review process would compel all data center projects going forward to enter into consent orders, which are legally binding agreements for environmental requirements, such as wastewater conservation standards.

    In a major shift, Gov. Josh Shapiro restricts data center development in Pennsylvania

    A big welcome for the data center — at first

    When Amazon announced plans to build the data center in 2025, Falls Township officials welcomed the project as a boost to the 1,800-acre Keystone Trade Center being redeveloped by NorthPoint Development on the old steel mill grounds. NorthPoint is working with Amazon.

    Shapiro also hailed the data center as a job creator and tax revenue generator. He said his team had worked with Amazon on the deal and would help to garner local support, develop infrastructure, and ensure “our permitting processes move quickly and efficiently.”

    Data center opposition

    Opposition to data centers has gained critical mass over the last year, with local groups fighting against each proposal. Critics fear air and noise pollution and the amount of electricity and water the centers would need. The data centers are also the target of a chorus against rising electricity prices, much of which can be attributed to utility companies’ and regional grid operator PJM’s struggle to keep up with the demand for power.

    Falls Township has been no different, but its data center is the closest to completion.

    After a particularly contentious community meeting in July, the Falls Township Board of Supervisors approved a resolution declaring a portion of a zoning ordinance used for data centers “substantively invalid.” The board said staff would review sections of the ordinance for possible amendment.

    “We heard the people,” Falls Supervisor John Palmer said in a statement.

    However, the amendment would have no impact on Amazon’s data center, which the township approved in March 2025 before the public announcement with the governor.

    Staff writers Jake Blumgart and Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.

  • Philly is under flood, storm, and tornado watches Thursday, and more rain is likely this weekend

    Philly is under flood, storm, and tornado watches Thursday, and more rain is likely this weekend

    Both astronomy and meteorology suggest that it won’t be long before these things decline in frequency, but in the meantime another flash-flood watch is in effect for the Philly region.

    A tornado watch also was posted for Philadelphia and the neighboring Pennsylvania counties.

    The National Weather Service watch spans from noon Thursday until 2 a.m. Friday, for the potential for rain rates of 2-to-4 inches an hour in areas along I-95 and South Jersey.

    And the federal Storm Prediction Center has posted a severe-thunderstorm watch, in effect until 10 p.m., for storms that could kick up gusts approaching 60 mph.

    “There could be multiple rounds of heavy rain over urbanized areas,” said Joe Wegman, a meteorologist with the government’s Weather Prediction Center. In advance of the anticipated main events, a blob of light rain moved through the region late Thursday morning.

    Also, the federal Storm Prediction Center sees an outside chance of severe-level storms, those with gusts near 60 mph, and a 5% chance of tornadoes in and around Philly.

    And those who have not had the good fortune of spending the last two months in heat-free and smokeless environments probably can skip the next paragraph.

    The timing, ferocity, rain totals, and targets all remain uncertain.

    What is the best estimate on the storm timing in Philly?

    The higher-resolution models were suggesting that the likeliest time for storms to arrive in the Philly region would be between 2 and 3 p.m. Thursday, Wegman said.

    The worst of it may hold off until 4 or 5 p.m., said Matt Benz, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

    The storms likely would back off between 6 and 7 p.m., but that timing could disrupt a peak commuting period.

    “Why would we conveniently time these things?” Wegman quipped.

    “There’s plenty of moisture coming up, and a front approaching from the west,” he said. “If the front stalls, the storms might linger longer than people want them to.”

    Plus, renegade storms could race out ahead of the front, setting off precipitation earlier, he added, and that appeared to be case Thursday.

    The weather service in Mount Holly said the “greatest risk” for severe storms would be between noon and 10 p.m.

    But timing remains one of the most vexing challenges for severe-weather forecasting, says Bill Bunting, deputy director of the storm center, in Norman, Okla.

    “I have seen remarkable progress,” said Bunting, who has been at it for 40 years, “but we’re nowhere near perfection. In the end, the science has its limitations.”

    The forecast for the weekend and the rest of August

    The storm experts have had plenty of practice around here this summer. So far, Philadelphia officially has recorded 21 thunderstorms since June 1, several more than normal.

    It has also been a banner summer for smartphone alerts and assorted scare grams.

    About 11 inches of rain has been measured at Philadelphia International Airport, roughly four inches above normal, since July 1.

    That said, yes, both Chester County and the entire state of New Jersey remain under state-declared drought warnings, with residents asked to conserve water.

    And drier times may be coming, or at least a reduced incidence of those late-day thunderstorms, said Brian Hurley, senior branch forecaster with the Weather Prediction Center.

    The days are getting shorter, and the sun is losing some of the gas it uses to fuel convective storms, he said.

    But all pumpkin spice aside, summer is not quite over, and shower chances are in the forecast into Sunday night.

  • Banned by the school board | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Banned by the school board | Inquirer Lower Merion

    Hi, Lower Merion! 👋

    The school board recently told two parents they aren’t allowed to attend in-person meetings for the next year, raising questions about the legality of the decision. Also this week, a new taco joint is coming to Ardmore, we look back at basketball brand AND1’s locally rooted trash-talking legacy, plus everything you need to know about SEPTA’s bus route changes.

    Have a question about town? Submit it to Curious Lower Merion and one of our reporters might track down the answer.

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

    Did the school board violate these parents’ constitutional rights in banning them from meetings?

    The Lower Merion Board of School Directors recently banned two parents from attending meetings in-person for the next year.Joe Lamberti

    Two parents were recently banned from attending Lower Merion school board meetings in person for the next year, with the district saying one exhibited “bullying” and “disruptive” behavior.

    The parents, Rebecca Foscolo and David Smyth, are among those pushing for less screen time for their kids, a topic that Foscolo admits led to some “extra spicy” behavior at a recent meeting.

    But being banned from in-person attendance — both can submit written comments and watch live streams — could be violating their constitutional rights, according to the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

    The Inquirer’s Maddie Hanna delves into the details.

    ✏️ Plus: After holding a remote-only meeting Monday, the school board passed a new technology policy, which puts limits on district-issued devices for the youngest students.

    💡 Community News

    • In case you missed it, Bryn Mawr psychiatrist Amy Mazza MacIntyre has been allowed to continue practicing while she appeals the revocation of her medical license. It was stripped after an investigation found she had a yearslong sexual relationship with a young patient while prescribing him highly addictive psychotropic drugs.
    • West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes were recently found in the township. Officials suggest residents take precautions, including by reducing standing water on their properties and wearing protective clothing or repellent when outdoors.
    • SEPTA is rolling out the first phase of its bus network overhaul Sunday, impacting 30 routes, including along the Lancaster Avenue corridor. Here’s what to expect. See how your route is impacted with The Inquirer’s interactive map.
    • Wynnewood resident Albert James Mamary, attending physician and professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at Temple University, died last month at the age of 59 after battling a rare cancer. Throughout his career, Mamary treated thousands of patients and mentored hundreds of students and doctors.
    • Basketball brand AND1 may be synonymous with New York, but it’s rooted in the Main Line. The Inquirer’s Alex Coffey revisits the cheeky company’s early days, which included an inaugural location in Ardmore and later Rosemont.
    • Neighboring Upper Merion Township rejected a proposed 5-million-square-foot AI data center campus last week, the nearest of which would have been not far over the township line at 411 Swedeland Rd. in King of Prussia. Developer Brian O’Neill can still appeal the board’s denial.
    • Two ramps on I-476 will be closed Friday at 10 p.m. and reopen Saturday at 9 a.m. They are the the northbound I-476 ramp to westbound I-76 and the westbound I-76 ramp to southbound I-476.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎸 Classic Albums Live: Hear covers of the Rolling Stones, the Black Crowes, and Aerosmith. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m. 💵 $29.50-$71.42 📍 Ardmore Music Hall

    📚 Philadelphia Book Crawl: Several local bookshops — Mavey Books in Ardmore, Children’s Book World in Haverford, Narberth Bookshop, and Chapter Two Books in Wynnewood — are participating in the region-wide event. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 22, times vary 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Locations vary

    🍬 End of Summer Camp: Kids can make edible crafts and play candy-themed games during each day session of this weeklong camp. ⏰ Monday, Aug. 24-Friday, Aug. 28, 10 a.m.-noon 💵 $42.40 per session 📍 The Candy Lab

    🎵 Music in the Park: The final concert of the season features a performance by folk duo The Mingo Creek Balladeers. ⏰ Wednesday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Narberth Park gazebo

    🏡 On the Market

    A fully renovated four-bedroom Ardmore home

    The home has been completely updated.Courtesy of Brian Griffin and Erica Deuschle/Keller Williams Main Line

    Spanning four bedrooms and four bathrooms, this Ardmore home has been completely updated, inside and out. Among its features are a first-floor office, a kitchen with a butler’s pantry, and a nearby mudroom. It also has a finished basement with a full bathroom that could serve multiple uses. Upstairs, the primary suite has a walk-in closet, while outside there’s a deck leading to the backyard. There’s an open house today from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $1.295M | Size: 2,777 SF | Acreage: 0.14

    📈 Lower Merion market report

    • Median listing price: $657,500 (down $52,500 from June) 📉
    • Median sold price: $1.2M (up $200,000 from June) 📈
    • Median days on the market: 50 (up 12 days from June) 📈

    This Lower Merion market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for July from realtor.com.

    🗞️ What other Lower Merion 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.

  • Wawa 🤝 Phanatic | Inquirer Greater Media

    Wawa 🤝 Phanatic | Inquirer Greater Media

    Hi, Greater Media! 👋

    A new Phanatic-themed smoothie is the latest element of a Wawa-Phillies partnership. Here’s what it (unexpectedly) tastes like. Also this week, Wallingford residents helped lay to rest fellow veterans, a Strath Haven alum and former standout lacrosse player returned to Delco, plus, a wine tasting room marks its one-year anniversary in Media.

    Have a question about town? Submit it to Curious Greater Media and one of our reporters might track down the answer.

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

    Wawa stakes more home turf claim with a new Phillies-inspired smoothie

    The new Phanatic-inspired smoothie is made with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream, salted caramel syrup, and sea salt pretzel pieces.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    It’s a big week for Wawa and Wawa fans as the locally rooted convenience chain rolls out a new element of its partnership with the Philadelphia Phillies — a sweet treat that “tastes like the tears of our rivals,” Inquirer columnist Stephanie Farr says.

    On Monday, the beloved store introduced the limited-edition Phanatic Caramel Curveball Cream Smoothie, a vanilla ice cream-based drink that’s “sweet, salty, and delicious,” according to Farr.

    As part of the rollout, mascot Wally Goose will throw the first pitch at tomorrow’s Phillies game.

    The new sip, in a limited-edition cup featuring the Phanatic’s eyes and the tip of his snout, comes just a couple of months after Wawa became the team’s official hoagie sponsor and has begun upping its presence at Citizens Bank Park.

    Here’s what to know about the new smoothie and the brands’ growing partnership.

    🎥 See Farr’s video from the unveiling earlier this week.

    💡 Community News

    • Fifteen local individuals with no known next of kin were laid to rest Friday after Delaware County officials helped identify them as military veterans. Among the volunteers were Wallingford residents and veterans LuAnn Jahnke and retired Army Col. Jeffery Jahnke.
    • The Philadelphia Union’s Subaru Park hosted the Women’s Lacrosse League inaugural championship last weekend and there were plenty of athletes and coaches with local ties, including Strath Haven High School alum and Philly Lacrosse’s 2009 Girls’ Player of the Year Emily Parros (formerly Emily Garrity). She may now be coaching the Maryland Charms, but she’s still a “Delco girl.”
    • The Delaware County District Attorney’s office is working to extradite Michelle Zajko, a member of extremist group the Zizians, from Maryland to prosecute her in the deaths of her parents, according to the Daily Times. In June, the DA charged Zajko with the 2022 execution-style deaths of her parents in their Chester Heights home after a yearslong investigation.
    • Swarthmore has launched its fall tree sale and borough residents can purchase one to be planted along their public curbs.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Rose Tree Media School District has been awarded over $2.5 million from the state to realign Rose Tree Road as part of its proposed K-1 Early Learning Center. The road alignment alone is expected to cost north of $3.3 million, according to the district.
    • Penncrest High School recently made updates to its track, which, along with the stadium, will be closed through Tuesday. The track will again close next Saturday and Sunday.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    John Robert Cellars produces red, white, sweet, and semi-sweet wines. Courtesy of John Robert Cellars

    🎳 Things to Do

    ❄️ The Winter’s Tale: See the William Shakespeare comedy performed live. ⏰ Select days from Friday, Aug. 21-Sunday, Aug. 30, times vary 💵 $13.50-$18.50 📍 Players Club of Swarthmore

    📚 Philadelphia Book Crawl: Two local bookstores — Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore and Bookish Notions in Media — are participating in the region-wide event. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 22, times vary 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Locations vary

    🎶 Tribute to Queen and The Beatles: Hear covers of some of both bands’ most iconic songs. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 22, 8:45 p.m. 💵 $43.20-$84.24 📍 Media Theatre

    🗓️ Swarthmore Showcase: The annual event welcomes newcomers, including Swarthmore College students and their families, to the borough, which will turn into an open-air market. ⏰ Tuesday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Swarthmore town center

    📈 Greater Media market report

    Media

    • Median listing price: $699,900 (down $7,600 from June) 📉
    • Median sold price: $620,000 (down $25,000 from June) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 27 (same as June)

    Swarthmore

    • Median listing price: $375,000 (down $160,000 from June) 📉
    • Median sold price: $365,000 (down $75,000 from June) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 42 (up 15 days from June) 📈

    Wallingford

    • Median listing price: $525,000 (down $57,500 from June) 📉
    • Median sold price: $366,500 (down $26,000 from June) 📉
    • Median days on the market: 25 (down two days from June) 📉

    This Greater Media market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for July from realtor.com.

    🗞️ 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.

  • Pa. State Police helicopter in midair crash with small plane west of Harrisburg

    Pa. State Police helicopter in midair crash with small plane west of Harrisburg

    A Pennsylvania State Police helicopter was involved in a midair collision with a small plane Wednesday night at an airport west of Harrisburg, officials said.

    One person from the crashed plane is dead, Lt. Col. George Bivens, acting state police commissioner, said at a late-night news conference at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

    Two members of the state police who were aboard the helicopter, Cpl. Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, were listed in stable condition at the hospital, said Ashley Ludwig, trauma medical director at Penn State Hershey.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was “pleased and relieved” that the state police members survived and were not seriously hurt.

    ‘Tonight could have been much worse,” Shapiro said.

    The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident with the National Transportation Safety Board, reported that a state police Bell 407 helicopter collided in midair with a Cessna 150 airplane at the Carlisle Airport, about 20 miles west of Harrisburg.

    Bivens said that around 6:30 p.m., the state police were conducting a training exercise at the airport and were hovering the helicopter a few feet off the ground in a grassy when they were struck from behind by a Cessna that unexpectedly veered from a runway.

    The plane crashed and was torn apart into pieces, Bivens said.

    CBS21 posted photos on social media showing the crash scene and the helicopter lying on its side.

    Earlier Tuesday night, Shapiro posted on social media that he had been briefed on the crash “and I am heading there now,” he said.

    “Lori and I are praying hard and we ask all of our fellow Pennsylvanians to join us,” Shapiro said.

  • Fugitive from Maine attempting to board flight to Germany arrested at Philadelphia International Airport

    Fugitive from Maine attempting to board flight to Germany arrested at Philadelphia International Airport

    A 41-year-old man allegedly fleeing sex-assault charges in Maine was arrested Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Germany, authorities said.

    Matthew Thomas Cooley, of Solon, Maine, was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the departure gate where he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt on a one-way ticket, the federal law enforcement agency said Wednesday.

    Cooley was transferred to the Tinicum Township Police Department to initiate extradition proceedings.

    Court records show no attorney listed for Cooley, who was being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.

    In April, detectives from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in Maine went to Cooley’s home to arrest him in the sexual-assault case and Cooley allegedly pepper sprayed the detectives, CentralMaine.com reported.

    Detectives began investigating Cooley after a 31-year-old woman alleged that Cooley sexually assaulted her twice last year, the news outlet reported. The woman also gave investigators videos and photos of multiple firearms and hundreds of boxes of ammunition kept in Cooley’s home.

    Cooley was charged in Maine with two counts of gross sexual assault, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of domestic violence stalking. Cooley also was charged with two counts of assault on an officer, and one count of refusing to submit to arrest.

    Elliott N. Ortiz, area port director in Philadelphia for Customs and Border protection, said in a statement: “Customs and Border Protection officers will always leverage our border security authority to help victims of sexual assault seek justice by capture dangerous fugitives attempting to flee the United States.”

    Ortiz added: “Capturing dangerous fugitives is one way in which CBP works with our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe.”

  • The former Penn State student charged with running a cocaine-trafficking ring turned himself in

    The former Penn State student charged with running a cocaine-trafficking ring turned himself in

    The former Pennsylvania State University student accused of running a cocaine trafficking ring out of fraternity houses surrendered to law enforcement Tuesday morning, the state attorney general’s office announced.

    Agostino Abbatiello, 24, is charged with orchestrating cocaine sales at Penn State over 2023 and 2024, while he was a student there. He eventually became known as the main cocaine dealer on campus, according to a criminal complaint.

    Abbatiello and another defendant in the case, Thomas Robinson, 23, allegedly were the two key suppliers for the ring and made regular trips to Philadelphia and New York to purchase large quantities of cocaine.

    14 people have been charged in a Penn State fraternity cocaine-trafficking ring

    They arranged for the drugs to be brought to two off-campus fraternity houses, Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi, where it was packaged for distribution to other Penn State students, according to the complaint. For some fraternity members, preparing the cocaine for sale became part of their indoctrination to the fraternity, Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement on Monday.

    Police began investigating in September 2024, and used informants to purchase cocaine, allegedly from Robinson. After Robinson was arrested in December 2024, he told police he had purchased large quantities of cocaine from Abbatiello, including as much as $22,000 for one kilogram at a time, according to the complaint.

    Old Main on Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania.
    Old Main on Penn State’s University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania.Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PA

    Abbatiello, of Long Island, N.Y., is charged with felony counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, conspiracy, and related offenses. District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker denied bail at Abbatiello’s arraignment on Tuesday.

    Abbatiello’s attorney, Philip M. Masorti, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

    Penn State has placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension while it investigates, the university said in a statement Monday. Sigma Chi is not a registered student organization and receives no support from Penn State, it said.

    A total of 14 people have been charged in the case. Abbatiello, Robinson, and three others were charged with felonies related to the alleged cocaine operation and have been arraigned. Eight others were charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

    All are current or former Penn State students, except for Paul Robinson, Thomas’ father. Paul Robinson is charged with tampering and concealing evidence related to law enforcement’s investigation. No lawyers for the Robinsons were listed in court records.

  • Voters in a Chesco township will be asked whether to expand their board in November amid data center backlash 

    Voters in a Chesco township will be asked whether to expand their board in November amid data center backlash 

    East Whiteland voters will decide this November whether they should add more elected officials to represent them, after residents’ staunch opposition to a controversial 1.5 million square-foot data center project propelled them to petition for a larger board of supervisors.

    In a quick but forceful flurry, residents collected at least 500 signatures to get a question on the Nov. 3 general election ballot asking voters if they want two more elected officials. If the ballot issue is approved, it would bring the number from three to five members on the board of supervisors.

    The impetus for the question was the township’s handling of a proposed data center project, expected to be constructed at the former 79-acre Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. property, a Superfund site on the line between East and West Whiteland Townships.

    The project loomed large as township resident Jessica Larkin collected signatures for the referendum. She had to be “careful to clarify” that the question was not just on the data center, she said.

    “It’s connected, though, because this board and the overall township management is all connected to how these projects get pushed through and approved, and I think that the conversations, while it did start with the data center, did kind of just bring us to general approach in the future of the township,” she said.

    Board members are elected at-large and serve six year terms. They appoint township staff and members of the boards and commissions within the township, plus hear conditional use applications, levy taxes, and more.

    In a letter to fellow residents, Larkin wrote that “a township the size of East Whiteland would benefit from having five supervisors.”

    “A larger board has the potential to provide a broader range of perspectives, more balanced representation, and additional voices to help guide decisions affecting our growing community,” the letter continued.

    The township and supervisors board chairman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ballot question and its impetus.

    The data center project, which secured early approvals from township leadership in 2018 and 2024, stoked renewed ire from residents when its developers, Green Fig LLC and Sentinel Data Centers, requested to expand the project earlier this year. (The proposal has ultimately changed shape several times.)

    The community turned out in large numbers to oppose the data center’s expansion — and mere existence. They made lawn signs and posters, spoke for hours during public comment, protested outside meetings, and showed up in such large numbers that they even shut meetings down. Alongside other residents opposing projects in their communities, they traveled to Harrisburg to call on Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers to institute a moratorium on data center construction.

    Earlier this week, amid increasing opposition among Pennsylvanians to the projects, Shapiro signed a sweeping executive order that requires local approval for projects to receive state permits, which could block many developments from moving forward.

    Larkin, 44, a resident of the township for more than a decade, lives about a mile away from the site of the planned data center. She started attending meetings on the proposal, she said, and it was “just eye-opening to see how the process worked, and to learn how these projects get approved.”

    “Ultimately, after attending several meetings and watching residents passionately oppose the project, it felt like we could use a little bit more representation,” she said.

    Along with a team of other residents, Larkin, in less than two weeks, collected enough signatures to meet the county’s early August deadline to put the referendum on the ballot.

    For local elected officials, data center projects have proved to be thorny. They hesitate to vote the projects down immediately. In the absence of state leadership earlier this year, a smattering of municipalities have, in recent months, charged township staff to pen ordinances to get ahead of any proposed projects so they have some level of control over where they go.

    In East Whiteland, construction of the data center remains fraught, with concerns of construction unfolding on a contaminated parcel prompting a temporary work stoppage and a pending request to make changes to the plans.

    Even if it has grown beyond just the data center, Larkin hopes residents see the need for more elected officials.

    “There’s close to 15,000 residents, and there’s so many talented people that spoke up at these meetings,” Larkin said. “And I just would love to see more representation and more involvement at this level and with this consideration in terms of developing our 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.

  • Montco will move its 9/11 memorial to Norristown ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attack

    Montco will move its 9/11 memorial to Norristown ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attack

    Montgomery County will move its 9/11 memorial to Elmwood Park in Norristown on Sept. 1 in advance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack.

    The goal is to make the memorial more accessible for county residents and visitors than it is at its current location at the county’s emergency operations center in Eagleville, Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.

    The monument, which was commissioned by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2003, was created by sculptor Sassana Norton, who used an I-beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center in the 18-foot monument honoring victims and first responders. It was erected at the Montgomery County Courthouse in September 2005 and then moved to the Eagleville campus in 2021 due to courthouse construction.

    Members of the public are invited to watch the procession of the memorial starting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 1. The monument will travel from Eagleville through Lower Providence and West Norriton Townships to Elmwood Park in Norristown. The procession will be accompanied by a Norristown Police Department motorcycle escort as well as other first responders and representatives from across the county.

    A rededication ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11 at Elmwood Park.

    “Norristown is proud to host the County’s 9/11 Memorial in Elmwood Park,” Rashaad Bates, president of Norristown Municipal Council, said in a statement. “We are honored to provide a permanent home where residents can gather to remember, reflect, and pay tribute to those whose lives were forever changed on September 11.”