The State Board of Medicine recently revoked the medical license of Bryn Mawr psychiatrist Amy Mazza MacIntyre.Julia Duarte / Staff Illustration,
Bryn Mawr psychiatrist Amy Mazza MacIntyre, whose practice is on Lancaster Avenue, has had her medical license revoked after a state investigation found she had sex with a young patient for years while prescribing him powerful psychiatric drugs.
The former patient, who attended Lower Merion High School and is now 39 years old, breached a nondisclosure clause in a previous settlement by discussing the case with authorities “for the good of the public interest.”
“This is not acceptable and she needs to be held accountable,” he told The Inquirer’s Wendy Ruderman.
John Goncher recently opened a brick-and-mortar space for Wild Yeast Bakehouse, which he initially launched in his Rosemont home. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Last year when John Goncher’s Rosemont living room had become overrun by sourdough loaves, he knew it was time to reassess his burgeoning bread business: “I said to my wife, ‘It either has to contract or it has to really grow.’”
Goncher opted for the latter and recently debuted a brick-and-mortar for Wild Yeast Bakehouse in Wayne.
His new storefront in the Eagle Village Shops was designed by the same team who renovated his family’s home and maintains a living room vibe, while dramatically upping capacity.
Nearby Merion Golf Club’s East course is the second-best private golf course in Pennsylvania, according to a recent ranking from Golfweek. Several nearby courses, including Aronimink, also made the list.
🍽️ On our Plate
After a yearlong renovation, 333 Belrose is back up and running in neighboring Radnor. The Inquirer’s Michael Klein recently paid a visit to the Main Line staple to take a peek at its fresh “country house” aesthetic and approachable fare.
Mark your calendars: Pomelo Rooftop Terrace, the rooftop bar at the recently opened Brandywine hotel in Radnor, is debuting Aug. 8.
Nanu’s Hot Chicken in Ardmore is temporarily closed after a car crash resulted in damage to the storefront.
🎳 Things to Do
🎭 Hamilton: Catch a film screening of the original Broadway hit, complete with a singalong ahead of time. Registration is required. ⏰ Thursday, July 30, 5-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Ludington Library
🎶 Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts: Hear Americana duo Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams perform. ⏰ Friday, July 31, 7 p.m. 💵 $25.88, free for kids 12 and under 📍 Bryn Mawr Gazebo
🥖 Hands on Challah Bake: Learn the basics of making this braided bread or get a refresher on it. ⏰ Thursday, Aug. 6, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 💵 $10 📍 Kaiserman JCC
The home has three bedrooms and three bathrooms.Realtour Pilot | Courtesy of Matt Tallent/Keller Williams Main Line
Situated near South Ardmore Park, this three-bedroom Wynnewood home has been updated over the years, including with a three-story addition. Among the highlights is a bright and airy primary suite with vaulted ceilings, multiple skylights, and lots of windows. The space also has a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a tub. There are three upcoming open houses: tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 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.
The former Granite Run Mall has undergone a massive transformation in the past decade to turn it into a mixed-use town center. Google Earth
A regular at Granite Run Mall growing up, Delaware County native Mike Fenn is a little saddened about the state of former malls throughout the region. After all, many hardly resemble what they did in their heyday.
That’s the case for Middletown Township’s former mainstay, which closed in 2015 amid declining store occupancy. But it soon got new life when developer BET Investments began a more than $100 million effort to transform the hulking space into a mixed-use town center now known as the Promenade at Granite Run.
Today it consists of luxury apartments, stores, restaurants, and a medical facility, with retail nearly fully leased and apartments not far behind, BET president Michael Markman said.
More mosquitoes capable of spreading West Nile virus were recently detected in surrounding communities, including Ridley and Springfield Townships. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection conducted controlled spraying last week and reminded residents to reduce standing water on their properties.
Heads up for drivers: Roadwork will close the southbound I-476 ramp to Baltimore Pike from Saturday at 9 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m. In Middletown Township, Darlington Road will be closed between Old Forge and Valley Roads from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. Expect paving today and tomorrow on select roads in Swarthmore. And in Aston Township, Pennell Road will be closed between Old Pennell Road and Glendale Boulevard Monday through next Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tomorrow is the last day to provide feedback on PennDot’s draft planning and environmental linkages study for its Routes 352 and 1 roadway improvements project.
Nonprofit Well Rooted has launched a new housing initiative geared toward young adults aging out of foster care. Ardmore-based Well Rooted Housing has partnered with Media home goods store Chosen Tweed to open two furnished apartments in the borough, which will be used by two individuals for the next year. The organization is also providing supportive services like mentorship, financial literacy, and trauma-informed mental health resources.
🏫 Schools Briefing
The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District had a 30% participation rate for student athletics during the 2024-25 school year, putting it among the highest in the region.
🍽️ On our Plate
In addition to the tote, consumers could score a Wawa-themed charm and a T-shirt. Wawa
Delco-based Wawa recently teamed up with Lands’ End to create a limited-edition mini tote just big enough for lunch. Known as the Shorti Tote (naturally), the bag cost $39.95 and sold out online when it debuted last week.
🎳 Things to Do
🎶 Rose Tree Summer Concert Festival: Echoes of Laurel Canyon, which performs a wide range of American throwback covers, kicks things off tonight. Tomorrow, cover band FuseBox performs, followed by Prince tribute Controversy on Saturday, and the Merion Concert Band on Sunday. Reggae Thunder will perform Jamaican-style music on Wednesday. ⏰ Thursday, July 30-Wednesday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Rose Tree Park, Media
🔥 Summer Fireside: There will be food trucks, fire pits, and marshmallows at this evening event. ⏰ Friday, July 31, 5-8 p.m. 💵 Admission is free for members and $10-$18 for non-members📍 Tyler Arboretum, Media
🍿 Movie Night: Catch an outdoor screening of 1984 classic The Karate Kid. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 1, around 8 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Media Borough Hall lawn
🗞️ 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.
The University of Valley Forge, a small private Christian institution in Chester County, on Wednesday announced that it would suspend operations at the end of its summer 2026 semester.
The Charlestown Township-based college — which enrolls 589 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics — has been facing the possible loss of its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Middle States last month issued its most serious warning — “show cause” — to the small Christian college that prepares students for leadership in the church and the world. It cited concerns about finances, planning, and governance.
Colleges need accreditation to keep their students eligible for financial aid.
The University of Valley Forge recently said on its website that it planned to charge $41,020 in tuition, fees, and room and board for next academic school year, which was scheduled to start Aug. 30.
“After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Valley Forge has made the difficult and painful decision to suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester,” the board said in a statement.
“This decision follows extensive efforts to address the University’s financial challenges, pursue strategic partnerships, and identify sustainable paths forward. These challenges have been well documented over several decades and were reflected in the recent action of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which placed the University on Show Cause status,” the board said.
“After careful assessment of the University’s financial realities, the Board concluded that it could not continue academic operations responsibly beyond the Summer 2026 semester,” the board said.
“To our students, we are deeply sorry. We understand that this announcement disrupts your lives, your plans, and your sense of stability, and we are grieving for you and with you,” the board said.
“Please know that until the very last moment, we had significant reason to believe there was a sustainable path forward. However, that path did not materialize in time,” the board said.
Four Cheltenham High School football coaches and six players have been charged in connection with two assaults in the school’s locker room that injured a 15-year-old player and led to the cancellation of two football seasons, Montgomery County prosecutors said Wednesday.
In two violent assaults, District Attorney Kevin Steele said, multiple football players attacked a sophomore on the team, stomped on his chest and groin while wearing cleats, and used a broomstick to poke at his buttocks.
“The assaults on this victim were not typical goofing around by teammates, or horseplay, as some of the coaches in this case called it,” Steele said at a news conference Wednesday. “They were crimes.”
After the attacks, which took place last August and September, Steele said, coaches tried to cover them up.
Head coach Terence Tolbert, 55; associate head coach Darian McFadden, 42; assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, 45; and volunteer coach Ralph Burnley, 60, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy. The coaches are no longer with the district.
Two football players, Isaiah Simpson, and Josiah Peeler, both 18, have been charged as adults — Simpson with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and related crimes for his role in the September assault, and Peeler with false swearing for being untruthful to police. The two were 18, Steele said, when the crimes they are charged with took place.
The four other players have been charged as juveniles, and were not identified by prosecutors or named in court records. Two of them face charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and related crimes, because authorities say they took part in the attacks. The other two players are charged with false swearing.
Tolbert, McFadden, Johnson, and Peeler were released on $5,000 unsecured bail. The two other adults had not been arraigned as of Wednesday afternoon. Only two of the defendants, Johnson and Peeler, had attorneys listed in court records.
Johnson’s attorney, Richard J. Fuschino, said his client “has been humiliated by what occurred and absolutely had nothing to do with it.”
“I do believe there is a cover-up, and I absolutely do not believe Benjamin Johnson had anything to do with it,” he said. “In fact, quite the opposite: He went out of the way to cooperate with every investigator.”
Peeler’s attorney, Jessica Mann, did not respond to a request for comment. Attempts to reach the other defendants were not successful Wednesday.
Cheltenham Superintendent Brian Scriven said Wednesday that the district appreciated prosecutors’ work on the case and the filing of criminal charges. “While no legal outcome can erase the harm that was experienced,” he said, “we appreciate that after nearly a year, charges have been announced and those responsible are being held accountable through the criminal justice system.”
Prosecutors say coaches wanted incident ‘kept quiet’
Steele said the charges followed a grand jury investigation in which witnesses described two violent assaults.
The coaches are criminally liable for the assaults, Steele said, because, while they were not present, they learned of the September incident and encouraged the victim not to tell his parents.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele at a press conference Wednesday.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Privately, the coaches sent incriminating text messages to one another, Steele said, expressing concern that the incident “has to be handled and kept quiet.”
McFadden, the former assistant coach, wrote “if this gets out we are [expletive]. They will cancel the whole season,” according to the grand jury presentment.
The assaults occurred Aug. 15, after a preseason practice, and Sept. 3, Steele said. He said video footage of the August incident showed several students restraining the victim, while another student poked at his legs and buttocks with a broomstick.
Players are laughing and yelling in the video, and “at least one player is chanting, ‘broomstick him,’” Steele said.
A football player who witnessed the assault, but is not charged in the case, told the grand jury that the use of a broomstick was an apparent reference to a TikTok video featuring a Meek Mill song with the lyrics “broomstick all in his butt, tell him take that,” according to the grand jury presentment.
Steele said there was no evidence that it constituted sexual assault.
Players didn’t take the incidents seriously
Several football players who testified before the grand jury characterized the behavior as “horseplay” and said they did not take it that seriously. Others said the victim had a difficult relationship with his teammates and was viewed by them as “someone who did not follow the rules during practices.”
The Sept. 3 assault, witnesses said, happened after the teen took a pair of shoulder pads from another player’s locker after misplacing his own, an infraction for which the entire team had to do extra conditioning as punishment.
Steele said that investigators did not have a video of the Sept. 3 assault but that multiple players, including Simpson and two of the juvenile defendants, kicked and stomped the victim.
The teen reported told investigators that his teammates were “trying to poke him in the butt with the broomstick,” and that they made contact with his buttocks, Steele said. He said the assault broke up when school buses arrived, and teammates left to board them.
Burnley, one of the coaches, drove the victim home after the attack, and the teen broke down in tears, telling the assistant coach he had been jumped by teammates, the district attorney said.
Burnley then texted coaches in a group chat and called Tolbert, Steele said. McFadden and Tolbert called the teen and “told him not to tell his mother about the incident because they would handle it,” Steele said.
He said the coaches were deliberate and calculating in their decision not to report the assault.
‘Serious concerns about the response’
The incident came to light four days later, when the teen’s mother said he told her he had been jumped by teammates and had pain in his genitals. She said she took her son to an urgent care center and texted the high school’s assistant principal, who called her later that day.
A front view of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
The teen did not tell his mom that his teammates used a broomstick in the attack. He was embarrassed and reluctant to share that detail, the mother said in an interview with The Inquirer in which she spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the identity of her son.
She said her son told her that his teammates had tried “to mess with his manhood.”
She learned about the broomstick later in September, when Cheltenham Township police called to tell her that someone had called Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say hotline to anonymously report that students had used a broomstick during the attack, according to the teen’s lawyers, Alan Yatvin and Gabrielle Turley.
Sometime in October, the district obtained a video that had been circulating in the community and depicted an assault of the student with a broomstick, the lawyers said.
Investigators initially believed that footage was from the Sept. 3 assault. It was discovered during grand jury testimony in January that the assault was from August, prosecutors said. The teen, who said he was not shown the video until this spring, also identified it as being from August, revealing for the first time that he had been assaulted more than once, according to the lawyers.
“Our client and his family are grateful to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement investigators, and the grand jury for their careful and thorough work in bringing these deeply troubling events to light and pursuing charges,” Yatvin said in a statement Wednesday. He added that the grand jury investigation “also raises serious concerns about the response by some within the Cheltenham High School community.”
The district faulted inadequate supervision in the locker room, “a failure to prioritize student safety” by coaches and volunteers, and “a toxic and negative culture” within the football program.
District officials have said a Title IX investigation, required by law when sexual assault or harassment is alleged, is ongoing.
Scriven, the superintendent, said in a statement Wednesday that “every report brought to the district’s attention was addressed based on the information available at the time.” He noted that law enforcement and the grand jury had the power to issue search warrants and compel testimony, which “brought information to light.”
In April, the district approved separation agreements with Tolbert and McFadden. Officials say none of the coaches from last season is still affiliated with the district.
The victim, who switched to virtual school after being harassed by peers after the attacks, has continued to struggle, according to his mother. She said he avoids going outside because he fears being taunted about what happened.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Steele criticized the school district and said it had failed the victim.
In its report, the grand jurors noted that they — not the school district’s Title IX investigator — discovered that two separate assaults had taken place.
“I believe the Cheltenham School District has taken the position that they don’t want police in their schools or school resource officers, and so it’s on them to address these issues,” Steele said. “So the grand jury took care of what the school did not.”
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele arrives at a press conference Wednesday to announce multiple charges in connection with two assaults in a Cheltenham High School locker room.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
In addition to recommending criminal charges against the players and coaches involved in the case, the grand jury filed a separate report calling for a change in state law that would require teachers and coaches to report incidents of hazing as a form of child abuse.
“While the school district claims to ‘protect and prioritize safety and well being,’ their actions in this case say otherwise,” the grand jury report said. “The administration carried out three school-led investigations that were so flawed they failed to even identify that two separate instances of hazing occurred in the locker room.”
News researcher Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.
Akira Suwa, 84, of Laurel Springs, Camden County, award-winning longtime photojournalist at The Inquirer, mentor, and lifelong green-thumb gardener, died Tuesday, July 14, of complications from dementia at his home.
Born in what is now South Korea and reared in Japan, Mr. Suwa came to the United States for good in 1967 as a landscape designer and amateur photographer. When a landscaping job at a Florida garden center dried up, he polished his photography skills and, from 1969 to his retirement in 2014, worked as an award-winning staff photographer at the Tampa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, the Palm Beach Post, and The Inquirer.
He joined The Inquirer in 1977 and, for 37 years, provided readers with thousands of illustrative, dramatic, stylish, and emotion-evoking photos from assignments around Philadelphia, South Jersey, and the world. He took poignant photos after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and during Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Japan.
He sent back tragic and heroic images of conflict and despair from Libya and Brazil. He photographed drug traffickers in Colombia and was detained by authorities in China.
Before the Inquirer, Mr. Suwa took photographs for the Palm Beach Post, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Tampa Tribune.Courtesy of the family
Before the Inquirer, Mr. Suwa took photographs on all kinds of assignments for the Palm Beach Post, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Tampa Tribune. His father was an avid amateur photographer back in Japan, and Mr. Suwa honed his own emerging photo skills at nights and on weekends in Florida before joining the Tribune in 1969.
He won several awards from the National Press Photographers Association and was named the 1973 Florida Newspaper Photographer of the Year by the University of Florida. He mentored young photographers and students, and one former student said: “He taught me so much about making the best photos possible.”
Mr. Suwa photographed his wife, Deborah, often.Courtesy of the family
Away from the lens, Mr. Suwa enjoyed tending his backyard garden in South Jersey, watching the birds flit about the feeders, and chasing the squirrels away. His mother was a serious gardener in Japan, and he studied agriculture in California as an exchange student while earning a degree at Tokyo Agricultural University in 1966.
In 1964, he took a year off from college to work as a busser in the Japan pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York. “I fell in love with America, especially New York City,” Mr. Suwa wrote in an autobiography he shared with his family. “I was young and motivated to do something different from my peers back in Japan.”
Akira Suwa was born Dec. 22, 1941, in what was then Taegu, Korea. He and his family fled Korea for Japan as refugees after World War II, and he grew up mainly in Osaka.
He never formally studied photography, but his innate camera skills got him a job with a photo studio in Florida in the late 1960s.
Mr. Suwa photographed these Mummers in 1978. Akira Suwa / Staff Photographer
He met Deborah Carter through a mutual friend at the studio, and he took her to see the musical Hello, Dolly! on their first date. She was smitten, she said, and they married in 1969, and had daughters Jasmine and Keiko.
They settled in Laurel Springs when he joined The Inquirer and traveled to Japan several times to visit family and friends. “We enjoyed the best of both cultures,” his wife said.
Mr. Suwa listened to jazz and built his own home computers. He liked to play pranks on the girls, his daughter Keiko said, but was simultaneously warm, serious, and practical. “If there was a job to do,” she said, “he would get it done.”
His daughter Jasmine said: “He was forthright, sincere, and full of integrity.”
Mr. Suwa and his family traveled to visit family in Florida and Japan. Courtesy of the family
He doted on his wife and their grandchildren, and his family praised “his sharp eye, his mischievous sense of humor, and his devotion to his family.” His wife said: “He had my back and was as honest as the day is long.”
Abdoulaye Cherif was asleep when his phone rang that morning, and he answered only because the display showed the call was coming from a prison.
He was shocked to hear the voice of his father, who was supposed to be at work, driving for Uber.
Mamadou Fadel Cherif told his son he had been arrested by ICE as he left the family home in West Oak Lane. He said he needed his son to break the news to his mother, because she would be devastated to hear it over the phone.
Cherif, 21, called his mom at work and told her she needed to come home.
Now, two weeks after that July 13 morning, “we’re all scrambling,” Cherif said in an interview. “A piece of us is missing.”
Fadel Cherif, 56, never expected to be arrested by ICE. He lives legally in the United States, having been granted Withholding of Removal almost 20 years ago.
That status allows him to stay and work, and bars the government from deporting him to his homeland, the West Africa nation of Guinea, where the U.S. government agrees he could be harmed or killed over politics.
His status, however, does not shield him from being sent to a third country, if ICE can find a nation willing to accept him.
Those kinds of third-country deportations are difficult for the agency to achieve. But recent ICE guidance tells agents that when immigrants with Withholding of Removal or Convention Against Torture protections report for check-ins, officers should consider the viability of their removal and if they should be detained in the meantime.
Advocacy groups and immigration lawyers say the Trump administration is increasingly arresting and detaining migrants who have been granted withholding, keeping them in custody while it pursues removal to a third country. Last year, an Iranian immigrant who had fled the regime spent nearly six months in detention before a federal judge ordered his release.
Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who did not initially respond to queries, said Tuesday that they were working on a response to questions about the case.
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Philadelphia immigration attorney Ricky Palladino, who represents Fadel Cherif, said there is no reason for ICE to detain him. He has no criminal record. He has legal authorization to work, a Social Security number, and a driver’s license.
Palladino filed a petition in federal court that seeks Fadel Cherif’s immediate release, arguing that he has been denied due process under the law.
In nearly 20 years, the filing says, no government official has suggested that Fadel Cherif’s deportation was “even remotely likely.” And it says that ICE can return someone with his status to custody only if, on account of changed circumstances, the agency finds “a significant likelihood that the alien may be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
Immigration attorney Ricky Palladino with Palladino, Isbell & Casazza, LLC, at his office on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia in 2022.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Palladino said in an interview that Fadel Cherif is the main support for his wife, who has legal permanent residency, also known as a green card, and for their four American-born sons, including Abdoulaye, a Marines reservist.
In Guinea, a nation of 12 million people that is roughly twice the size of Pennsylvania, Fadel Cherif was jailed by the government after protesting the results of his country’s 1998 presidential election, which was marred by irregularities. He later fled in fear of being rearrested, using a document that showed a different Guinean identity to enter the United States in New York in November 2003.
For years he has worked in dining services at La Salle College High School, the private Catholic boys school in Montgomery County, and also drives for Uber.
Matt Beck, director of dining services for CulinArt at the school, was upset to learn of the arrest, describing Fadel Cherif as an extremely hard worker.
“He’s a good guy,” Beck said. “The students here love him. And so does the staff.”
Fadel Cherif’s detention comes as ICE is arresting record numbers of immigrants. In one five-day span this month, the agency detained more than 10,000 people across the country, the New York Times reported.
The rate of ICE arrests topped 1,300 a day in June ― and grew again to a record 1,474 a day during the first 11 days of July, Syracuse University professor and immigration-data analyst Austin Kocher reported last week.
“ICE has been touting record high arrest numbers this summer ― and they are not wrong,” Kocher wrote in an analysis.
The ICE directive issued shortly after President Donald Trump took office meant that people with Withholding of Removal could be detained, noted the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., even if they had no criminal record and had been reporting to ICE for years without incident.
“Given the increased pressure that ICE has been under to meet quotas for arrests, detentions, and deportations,” the network wrote, “it is not surprising that the agency is focused on those who already have removal orders as being easy targets.”
Fadel Cherif was denied asylum when he could not prove that he had filed within a year of entering the United States.
To receive Withholding of Removal, applicants must prove that they were persecuted in the past or that their lives would be threatened in the future, that the government harmed or will harm them ― or failed to control others who might do so. And they must show that moving to a different part of their country would not provide safety.
Withholding offers fewer benefits than asylum, which includes a path to citizenship and allows people to seek to have their spouses and children join them in the United States.
When Withholding of Removal is granted, the immigration judge also enters a deportation order, then tells the government it cannot deport the person to their homeland. In that way the removal is “withheld.”
People with that status cannot leave the United States without triggering deportation, have no path to citizenship, and cannot petition to bring family members to this country.
While the U.S. government may try, deporting people with withholding to a third country is difficult to accomplish. Nations that willingly accept their own citizens can be disinclined to accept other foreign nationals.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that during its first year back in office, the Trump administration carried out about 15,000 removals to third countries, a fraction of the total 396,000 deportations.
Deportations of those who have Withholding of Removal are even more rare, according to the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington. The center says it is pointless to detain those people while attempting to deport them. If ICE were to release a foreign national and later identify an appropriate third nation, it could simply detain them again.
Abdoulaye Cherif near his West Oak Lane home on July 23. His father, Mamadou Fadel Cherif, was arrested by ICE and has been detained for weeks.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Fadel Cherif remains in custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the ICE facility in central Pennsylvania.
“My brothers, they need their dad in their life,” said his eldest son, Ahmad, 22, noting that the youngest brothers are 13 and 15. “It’s very important for my dad to be here.”
Abdoulaye Cherif said his father told him that on that morning, he demanded that the ICE agents show him an arrest warrant signed by a judge. Instead, he said, the officers presented an agency-issued detainer.
Today, he said, the family is surviving financially on savings. Emotionally, they struggle without their father.
“He’s like the glue,” Abdoulaye Cherif said. “He directs us, he leads us, he’s the dad. He’s been worried about the situation at home, making sure we get all the bills paid on time.”
Inquirer staff writer Abraham Gutman contributed to this article.
A developer is looking to build a data center on a Superfund site. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Like the plumes of dust rising from the site of what soon could become a data center in East Whiteland Township, concern rose in Malvern Hunt resident Kelly Donia as construction vehicles moved about it last month.
While the township has issued a stop-work order to assess the safety of the former Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. property, now a Superfund site, neighbors continue to express concern over the potential environmental impacts.
A 37-year-old Chester County man pleaded guilty last week to human trafficking and involuntary servitude after forcing two teenagers to work on a Kennett Square mushroom farm without pay. The Inquirer’s Vinny Vella has the details.
Expect detours and delays on certain roads as projects continue or get underway. Notable closures this week include parts of Route 1 (presumably for Task filming), a monthslong project in East Bradford Township, and stream bank stabilization in Malvern.
Oxford’s borough council is hosting a special meeting tonight at 7 p.m. to continue discussions about the future of its police department, with a possible vote on the table. The meeting will also be live streamed.
Franklin Township’s board of supervisors is holding a meeting Monday at 7 p.m. to discuss the future planned merger of the Avondale and West Grove Fire Companies, including their combined budget and interim governance agreement. Virtual attendees can also join via Zoom.
The Coatesville VA Medical Center will undergo a number of updates after receiving funds from Veterans Health Administration, including renovations to two buildings and a new roof on another.
East Goshen Township is launching a five-month composting pilot program in August for 50 households.
Penn Township is hosting a ribbon cutting today from 10 a.m. to noon for its new fitness court at Penn Township Park.
Phoenixville women’s boutique Refinery has expanded to a second location at 117 E. King St. in Malvern.
Ducklings Early Learning Center is expanding to Elverson, with its new location set to debut Monday. There’s a sneak peek event today from 4 to 7 p.m. Located at 4987 N. Twin Valley Rd., Ducklings Early Learning Center offers daycare and preschool programming.
🏫 Schools Briefing
West Chester Area School District had a 28% participation rate for student athletics during the 2024-25 school year, putting it among the highest in the region. Along with the Phoenixville Area School District, it spent over $1,100 per high school student on athletics, The Inquirer’s Maddie Hanna reports.
Coatesville Area School District has named Jennifer Becker assistant principal of Rainbow Elementary School.
Octorara Area School District has named Angela Regrut principal of Octorara Primary Learning Center.
The West Chester school district has appointed a supervisor of strategic initiatives and district partnerships. Katie Walker will begin in the newly created role in August.
🍽️ On our Plate
Goodness Bowls, which serves smoothies, bowls, juices, salads, and wraps, opened its newest location last week at 5 Paoli Plaza in Paoli.
A new ramen and Hawaiian barbecue spot opened recently in West Chester. Located at 124 E. Market St., Momoyama also serves fried noodles and rice, steamed buns, and dumplings.
Origami Asian Fusion recently opened in Exton. The BYOB serves sushi and Chinese dishes.
🎳 Things to Do
🎙️ Sound of Summer Free Concert Series: Wide-ranging cover band The Late Ambitions, which plays everything from the ‘50s to today, will perform. ⏰ Wednesday, July 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Anson B. Nixon Park, Kennett Square
🛍️ Phoenixville Vintage Fest: Browse vintage goods and listen to live music at this two-day event. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Main and Bridge Streets parking lot, Phoenixville
🎆 Uwchlan Township Community Day: This celebration includes live music, food trucks, and kids activities followed by fireworks. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 1, 4-9 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Lionville Park, Exton
🎀 Legally Blonde The Musical: See a musical adaptation of the iconic Reese Witherspoon movie. ⏰ Thursday, July 30-Saturday, Aug. 1, times vary 💵 $20-$28 📍 Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester
🇺🇸 Drone Show: Catch a patriotic drone show over West Chester. ⏰ Sunday, Aug. 2, 9 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Downtown West Chester
An aerial view of the home, which has a pool, spa, and detached garage.David Ocenas | Courtesy of Michael and Maribeth McConnell/Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors
Thanks to a classic design, this stone estate looks historic but has all the trappings of a modern home. Some of its features include a kitchen with high-end appliances and an oversized island, a butler’s pantry, and a family room with vaulted ceilings. The home has six bedrooms, including a primary suite with a fireplace and two walk-in closets. There’s also plenty of outdoor living space thanks to a three-season room, a large deck with a fireplace, and a pool and spa. There’s an open house tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m.
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With the atmosphere behaving like a shaken bottle of champagne, potent storms crossed the Philly region Tuesday night, prompting tornado and flood warnings.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of Chester and Delaware Counties and northern Delaware. The warning area included Chester city and Wilmington, where a funnel cloud reportedly was sighted, the weather service said.
It was not yet known if any twisters had touched down.
The federal Storm Prediction Center, which issued the general twister advisory, also had the entire region under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.
The weather service also had posted numerous flash-flood and severe-storm warnings. The agency posted a report of “multiple” homes flooded in West Brandywine Township, Chester County,
Rainfall this summer has been maddeningly capricious, but this time it appeared that the entire region is going to win some share of the rain lottery proceeds, wanted or not.
“I think this is the type of setup where everyone is going to get rain,” said Marc Chernard, senior branch forecasters with the federal Weather Prediction Center, in College Park, Md. The center had Philadelphia and its neighboring counties targeted for “excessive rainfall” potential.
For flood potential, what would matter would be the rainfall rates, and it’s possible the skies could wring out localized amounts of 3 inches an hour, said Chernard.
Storms could be quite potent, said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist at the Mount Holly office. The weather service warned that a “few tornadoes” are possible.
“Some of the stuff in Delmarva, South Jersey, maybe even Philadelphia, may be spinning.” said O’Hara. “Welcome to July weather in Philadelphia.”
People caught in the heavy rain storm as they cross the street in Philadelphia Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in University City.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
The likeliest time for strong storms in the Philly region
An early batch of strong storms is likely to miss Philly and most of the afternoon may be rain-free, but a second round late in the day into the evening won’t, O’Hara said, with a round of soaking downpours likely.
“That will be just torrents,” he said. He expected the heaviest of the rains to appear around 6 or 7 p.m.
Said Chernard, “It could be a lot of rain that comes around quickly.”
The system triggering the rain is something of a hybrid, born of a pattern more common to the cooler weather of fall and spring when temperature contrasts in the atmosphere are sharper, O’Hara said.
“We have a situation where we have summertime heat and humidity, but almost out-of-season dynamics,” he said.
Whatever the cause, the storms could have “significant impacts,” said Chernard.
Chernard said he expected the worst of the rains to move out of the region later Tuesday night; however, the shut-off time remains uncertain.
And neither the Delaware nor Schuylkill Rivers are in imminent danger of sloshing over.
However, rain rates of 2 or 3 inches of hour are enough to generate flash flooding along streams. During a localized downpour on Monday, Pennypack Creeks in the Northeast rose to minor flood stage.
Heavy rains flooded downtown streets and swamped cars in Hammonton, Atlantic County.
How much for Philly?
With July thunderstorms it isn’t simply a question of how much for Philly, but how much for South Philly, Center City, Germantown, or Fox Chase.
Even though everyone might get rain, the heaviest rains will be concentrated, said Chernard.
What is almost certain is that some places are going to get a soaking.
American Airlines said Tuesday night that flights were temporarily halted because of a “technology issue” but have begun to resume.
“A technology issue briefly impacted connectivity for some of our systems on Tuesday evening,” the airline posted on social media.
“Systems are coming back online now and flights are departing again. We put a temporary ground stop in place while our teams worked to resolve the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline said.
American Airlines is the busiest carrier at Philadelphia International Airport.
A technology issue briefly impacted connectivity for some of our systems on Tuesday evening. Systems are coming back online now and flights are departing again. We put a temporary ground stop in place while our teams worked to resolve the issue. We apologize to our customers for…
Keith A. Morrison, 84, of Meadowbrook, Montgomery County, celebrated artist, professor of painting emeritus and former dean at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, curator, critic, consultant, writer, and lecturer, died Monday, June 1, of cancer at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Born in Jamaica, Dean Morrison left the Caribbean island for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago when he was 17 and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts and art education. He went on to teach college art classes in Nashville, Chicago, and College Park, Md., and, in addition to Temple, serve as dean at San Francisco State University, the University of Maryland, and the old San Francisco Art Institute.
He was the first Black academic dean of art in a predominantly white American school in 1993 at the San Francisco Art Institute and joined Temple as dean of its art school in 2005. He became a professor of painting at Temple in 2008 and retired in 2018 as professor emeritus.
As head of the Temple art school for three years, Dean Morrison hired staff, expanded degree programs, and coordinated popular activities with the school’s affiliated art programs in Europe and Japan. In an online tribute, former colleagues at Temple called him a “dedicated advocate for artists and arts organizations.”
Earlier, he was associate dean of architecture and art at the University of Illinois, art department chair at DePaul University in Chicago, and associate professor of art at Fisk University in Nashville. He lectured around the world and was a visiting scholar at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in China and the University of Michigan.
“He was very serious, very thinking,” said his wife, Susan C. Alunan. “People said he was present and insightful, even life-changing.”
As an artist, Dean Morrison was inspired by his Afro-Caribbean heritage, his childhood memories of lush Jamaican landscapes, and his multicultural experiences in Europe, Cuba, Mexico, and elsewhere. He worked in watercolors, oils, acrylic, and prints, and created memorable abstract, figurative, and surreal images.
Many of his paintings feature landscapes, people, plants, and animals, often including Scout, his African gray parrot. His images, he told colleagues, were “more intuitive than intellectualized.”
Dean Morrison worked most often at his home studio in Meadowbrook. His parrot, Scout (left), sometimes appeared in his work. Susan C. Alunan
Dean Morrison’s work appears on the covers of books and magazines, and in hundreds of solo and group shows around the world. It resides in collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, and other galleries.
Colleagues at the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland said in a tribute: “Morrison’s vivid, imaginative paintings — filled with brilliant color, history, mythology, and fantasy — speak to African diasporic experience as well as Morrison’s unique sense of humor and narrative composition.”
As a writer, he pioneered Pan-African art criticism and was, in his own words, a Black critic “interested in art from a Black person’s perspective.” He was a visiting editor at the New Art Examiner in Chicago, and his reviews, interviews, and general observations appeared in the Washington Post, museum catalogs, and other publications.
As a curator, Dean Morrison supervised exhibitions in the United States, Jamaica, and Cuba. He represented the United States and Jamaica at international art exhibitions, and was active with Brandywine Workshop and the Washington Project for the Arts.
This is Dean Morrison’s “In the Rivers of Babylon.”Keith A. MorrisonThis is Dean Morrison’s “Scenes From Childhood.”Keith A. Morrison
Keith Anthony Morrison was born May 20, 1942, in Linstead, Jamaica. He ran track in high school and took drawing classes at the Jamaica School of Arts and Crafts.
He learned about the School of the Art Institute of Chicago after high school and worked as a disc jockey and sound effects man for a Jamaican radio station to earn money to travel to the United States. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago in 1963 and his master’s degree at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1965.
He had a son, Ron, a daughter, Melinda, and, after a divorce, married Alunan in 2003 and welcomed her children into his family. His daughter and former wife died earlier.
Dean Morrison studied Aristotle and earned a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant. He enjoyed classical music and jazz, and he and his wife traveled the world together.
Dean Morrison “had a great imagination and sense of humor,” his wife said.Susan C. Alunan
He played tennis and ran, and lived in Chicago, Washington, and San Francisco before settling in Meadowbrook. “He had a great imagination and sense of humor,” his wife said. “He was a fun guy.”
In addition to his wife and son, Dean Morrison is survived by a brother and other relatives.
A celebration of his life is to be held later. Brandywine Workshop and Archives has scheduled a showing of his work from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6.
