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  • What do Haverford Township residents want out of their local economy? A new survey says multi-vendor markets and walkability.

    What do Haverford Township residents want out of their local economy? A new survey says multi-vendor markets and walkability.

    Lorianne Moore always wanted to run her own business.

    Two years ago, after decades in the corporate world, Moore began to think about opening a storefront in her home community of Havertown. She and her husband, Joe Singer, kicked around the idea of a coffee shop or gift store, something people were really “looking for,” Singer said.

    When Moore brought her small-business dreams to Jeanne Angell, executive director of Discover Haverford, Haverford Township’s economic development organization, Angell said she knew exactly what Havertown needed.

    Consumer data collected by Discover Haverford at the time had found that residents’ number one desire for the community was a local bookstore.

    Moore, a “voracious reader,” figured her “love of reading and her passion for that would align awesomely with what the town was looking for,” Singer said. Moore Books opened in September 2024 and has since become a hub for readers, writers, and shoppers in one of Havertown’s core commercial neighborhoods.

    “I don’t know if we would have landed on bookstore without Discover Haverford, but once [Moore] started talking with them, it just made sense,” said Singer, who’s now the bookstore’s manager and events coordinator.

    The data that guided the opening of Moore Books was part of Discover Haverford’s biannual consumer surveys, which poll residents on the state of the local economy and help provide a framework for recruiting businesses to town, a partnership Angell said is exemplified in Moore Books’ story. Understanding what consumers want, Angell said, gives proprietors important information as they consider opening a brick-and-mortar business, a venture that can be economically risky, especially for small-business owners.

    Discover Haverford’s newest survey, published in July, has given officials a fresh round of data regarding consumers’ vision for the community’s future. So what do Haverford Township residents want most? Recent data points toward a desire for family-friendly businesses, communal spaces, and a revitalized streetscape.

    What do Haverford residents want?

    Discover Haverford conducted its biannual consumer survey in July, gathering data from 601 respondents about what types of businesses they’d like to see and how they feel Haverford Township’s commercial experience can be improved.

    When it came to grocery and retail options, nearly 60% of respondents expressed a desire for a multi-vendor marketplace, and nearly 80% said they’d like to see an indoor farmers market.

    On restaurants, 71% were interested in a bakery, 67% in a family restaurant, 63% in a Greek restaurant, and 57% in a BYOB restaurant.

    When it comes to non-retail businesses, respondents also showed an interest in movie theaters, concert venues, and day spas.

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    Angell said she’s long heard residents ask for a multi-vendor market, a desire that falls in line with the growing appetite for “third spaces,” or communal places to socialize that aren’t work or home.

    “I think people do need that, a place to feel that community,” Angell said.

    She noted, however, that a multi-vendor market is “a very difficult thing to recruit for,” requiring a large space and considerable funding. A local movie theater is another feat Angell said is difficult to pull off due to space constraints.

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    How else should Haverford Township create a more vibrant business community?

    Numerous respondents raised concerns over traffic safety. Some said the township needs more walkable town centers, safe bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings.

    Some said parking inconveniences and costs deter them from shopping in Haverford Township, while others said older storefront facades need to be revitalized to beautify the township’s commercial strips.

    The full Community Survey Report, designed to help guide future business decisions, can be read here.

    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.

    Clarification: The story has been updated to clarify the survey’s location.
  • House of the week: A rowhouse in Graduate Hospital for $485,000

    House of the week: A rowhouse in Graduate Hospital for $485,000

    Austin Turnbull loves the idea of making necessary improvements in an older home but retaining its true character.

    He found Philadelphia to be fertile ground for such projects and fell in love with the city despite his original intent to stay only a few years. He renovated and sold a house in Fairmount and now plans to sell his home in Graduate Hospital so he can do it a third time in Rittenhouse.

    The exterior of the house at 1706 Webster St. in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. Powelton Digital Media

    “I like the concept of being a steward of history,” said Turnbull, a nurse, who does some of the work himself — “painting, demolition, light plumbing, stuff like that” — while contracting out larger jobs like electrical.

    The kitchen has granite countertops.Powelton Digital Media

    Turnbull bought the 874-square-foot Graduate Hospital house in 2022, struck by, among other things, a staircase going up the center of the two-bedroom, 1½-bathroom home. Plus it was close to his work.

    The first floor has an open layout with the living room and a kitchen with granite countertops, a laundry room, a half-bathroom and the door to a back patio and barbecue area.

    The second bedroom, which is being used as a TV and entertainment area.Powelton Digital Media

    The second floor has the bedrooms, conjoined by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with a claw-foot tub. Turnbull has used the second bedroom as a TV and entertainment area.

    The primary bedroom.Powelton Digital Media

    The house has an unfinished basement with storage space.

    It is a walkable distance from Rittenhouse Square and Schuylkill River Trail and an easy commute to University City.

    It is listed by Pamela Rosser-Thistle of BHHS Fox & Roach at the Harper Rittenhouse Square, for $485,000.

    The back patio of the house.Powelton Digital Media
  • Fishtown’s latest sandwich spot is inside a car club

    Fishtown’s latest sandwich spot is inside a car club

    The vintage and collectible cars stacked behind glass at Fishtown’s new Cannonball club may be the obvious attraction, but founder Chris Allen thinks people need another reason to stick around — and, more important, to come back.

    That’s where the focaccia sandwiches come in.

    Cannonball, the new private club for car enthusiasts near the Fillmore, has brought in Focaccia Affair — a fledgling business from Anthony Santucci and Gianluca Mazzarelli — to run its food operations. The club, housed in the sprawling former Morse Elevator Works at 1105 Frankford Ave., combines car storage with social and coworking space, a bar, and a public-facing cafe where you can gawk at classic cars through the window while sipping espresso.

    Focaccia Affair’s cafe at Cannonball serves walk-ins.Michael Klein / Staff

    The cafe, open to anyone, is where Santucci’s focaccia sandwiches take center stage. He’s offering two sandwiches, plus cookies and coffee, to start.

    Santucci, whose family operates Santucci’s Original Square Pizza, developed the bread after moving to San Diego before the pandemic. He had initially considered expanding his family’s pizza business there but began experimenting with focaccia as table bread and as a possible addition to the pizza operation.

    The experiment eventually became something else.

    Santucci and Mazzarelli, a former VIP manager at Barstool on Sansom Street, were friends whose common bonds include hockey and Italian food. After Santucci returned from a 2024 trip to Italy raving about a focaccia sandwich he had eaten, the two made one using the recipe he had been developing.

    Focaccia Affair’s Anthony Santucci (left) and Cannonball founder Christopher Allen in the mezzanine seating area.Michael Klein / Staff

    Focaccia Affair grew from there, although quietly. Santucci and Mazzarelli started testing the sandwiches over the last year through small catering orders and by dropping off food for restaurant staffs around Philadelphia.

    The business is now making its formal debut on two fronts: at Cannonball, where it’s open daily, and at Barstool Sansom Street in Washington Square West. The Barstool menu, which started Thursday, is more extensive than Cannonball’s: six focaccia sandwiches, crostini (on focaccia), burgers on brioche buns, salads, and appetizers.

    Santucci said the bread — which took months of development — is baked after a 48-hour cold fermentation. The result is focaccia with a crispy crust and fruity olive oil flavor. Its sturdy interior holds up to substantial fillings without turning the sandwich into a sloppy mess.

    Seating on the mezzanine at Cannonball, 1105 Frankford Ave.Michael Klein / Staff

    Cannonball’s cafe will generally offer two or three focaccia sandwiches at a time, rotating them seasonally. Currently, the Muse combines mortadella and stracciatella, a pairing that puts the bread’s structure to good use. (It also survives a test that many sandwiches do not: refrigeration. Gently reheated in a toaster oven the next day, I found the bread just as good.) The Situationship layers sliced turkey, goat cheese, arugula, and fig jam between focaccia, the jam’s sweetness playing against the peppery greens and tangy cheese.

    Santucci has begun developing breakfast versions; the first combines soft-scrambled eggs and bacon with house-made Calabrian chile-infused hot honey. Pastries are being developed, too, including a pumpkin cinnamon roll with brown-butter icing.

    Cannonball’s members-only bar overlooks the car storage.Michael Klein / Staff

    Focaccia Affair also oversees food for Cannonball members and their guests upstairs. Dinner starts at 4 p.m. daily with a six- to eight-item menu modeled on Italian aperitivo culture: smaller dishes designed for sharing rather than conventional entrées. Fresh pastas and additional desserts are expected to join the menu in October.

    Allen said food was essential to his plan for Cannonball, because even a spectacular collection of automobiles has limits as a daily attraction.

    “You can visit the most amazing car collection in the world, but after 15 or 20 minutes, you want to sit down, have a coffee, and eat a sandwich,” he said. “Most of all, you want a reason to come back tomorrow.”

    Focaccia Affair, 1105 Frankford Ave., instagram.com/focaccia_affair. Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. until roughly 3:30 or 4 p.m. weekends.

  • Delaware Container Port plan is full speed ahead, despite lacking research showing it’s needed

    Delaware Container Port plan is full speed ahead, despite lacking research showing it’s needed

    Contractors for Delaware and its port manager, Enstructure LLC, have started work on a $669 million container port that leaders hope will attract thousands of jobs to the state’s industrial northeast near the Pennsylvania state line.

    Delaware has agreed to pay $325 million of the container terminal cost, with Enstructure, which is financed by the Blackstone private equity group and other investors, committing $225 million. Federal grants are expected to cover the rest.

    U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) told the crowd of construction and port workers and public officials at a groundbreaking Monday that the Delaware Container Port is designed to replace high-wage union industrial jobs lost when northern Delaware’s auto, steel, and chemical works shut over the past 20 years.

    When the port is finished by late next year, “bigger ships will come to Delaware first,” Gov. Matt Meyer said, as container ships traveling the Delaware River to Pennsylvania and South Jersey terminals passed by.

    Meyer said the new Delaware terminal would feature electric cranes and other equipment, instead of diesel power at “one of the cleanest, greenest ports in the world.”

    Shippers have been “containerizing” cargo into trailers suitable for shipping by sea, rail, and truck since the 1950s, though union leaders complain that automated cargo handling reduces the need for labor. Port managers clear land, buy cranes, and pour concrete based on uncertain estimates. South Carolina earlier this year shut a four-year-old, $1 billion container port because it attracted few cargoes.

    The site of Delaware’s new port is a former DuPont Co. titanium dioxide plant at Edgemoor, north of Wilmington. During Monday’s event, earth movers smoothed property east of a mound that sealed in contaminants left over from DuPont days.

    Coons said the site had been “the biggest dioxin pile in North America” before it was sealed and praised advocacy by the International Longshoremen’s Association for the site’s “new beginning.”

    ILA activists said they faced long opposition from political leaders concerned by the cost of a new port and from competing ports who sued to derail the project.

    Litigation is ongoing, but the work is going ahead, said Delaware Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, whose father was an engineer at the DuPont plant before its 2015 shutdown. “The very complex legal situations still continues, but we will work through it,” she said in an interview.

    The new port is designed to handle 1.2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) — about 600,000 40-foot trailers. Meyer said that’s triple the capacity of the Port of Wilmington, three miles south.

    And it’s more trailers than the port of Philadelphia handled in 2025, a record year. In Philadelphia, the state port authority says it has raised $266 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to boost container capacity at the Mustin property it acquired last year and is also growing space at the Packer Avenue terminal. “Competition among neighbors working together is good for all,” said PhilaPort CEO Rich Lazer. he added that new terminal space anywhere on the river can boost the region’s market share.

    Matthew Satnick (left) and Philippe De Montigny, are co-CEOs of Enstructure, the port management company overseeing construction of Delaware’s planned port at the former DuPont Co. titanium dioxide plant at Edgemoor on the Delaware River.Joseph N. DiStefano

    State officials did not present research supporting the need for the new terminal. Patibanda-Sanchez, who chairs the state-controlled Diamond State Port Corp. board that oversees the ports, said a study by University of Delaware researchers is not finished.

    The port will support “2,500 to 3,000″ workers when fully open by 2028, according to Bill Ashe, international vice president of the International Longshoremen’s Association and president of ILA Local 1694, which he said represents 1,500 workers at the current Port of Wilmington.

    He said the port’s rail service would be able to send stacked railroad cars to industrial sites in the region, such as the 4 million-square-foot Amazon warehouse in nearby Stanton, Del.

    Holt Logistics and its affiliates, which manage facilities in South Philadelphia, Camden, and Gloucester City, is spending more than $200 million adding cranes and expanding its container storage and service areas, Leo Holt, president of the family-owned business, said in an interview last week.

    Separately, PhilaPort, the city’s port agency, and state officials are considering a new container facility in part of the Mustin property whose $90 million purchase was announced last year.

    With all these possible container ports in the works, Holt said, Delaware is waging an expensive “race to the bottom” and should cooperate with Pennsylvania and New Jersey instead of competing.

    Protesters picket at the entrance to Delaware’s planned port at Edgemoor on the Delaware River during a groundbreaking Monday attended by federal, state, and local officials. Joseph N. DiStefano

    As leaders arrived at the groundbreaking, protesters gathered at an entrance to the property holding signs urging officials to reverse the plan and backing candidates who are challenging incumbent Democrats in Tuesday’s primary.

    Karen Hartley-Nagle, a former New Castle County Council chair, said neighbors were worried about increased ship and truck traffic.

    Among the supporters who spoke after Gov. Meyer was Daniel Elkins, head of the Bellevue Community Center, which runs youth and other programs near the port. He said Enstructure had supplied food for neighborhood families after the Trump administration stopped a federal food program. He said port jobs would boost the neighborhood.

    “Thank you for bringing back opportunity,” he said.

    Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, in a yellow tie, waits for his turn to speak at the groundbreaking for his state’s long-proposed container port at Edgemoor on the Delaware River. Joseph N. DiStefano

    Enstructure, the port operator, is a 10-year-old firm that operates more than 20 port facilities, including the port at the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works in Lower Bucks County.

    Co-CEO Matthew Satnick told the crowd he and his partner had founded the firm in Winona, Minn., in 2016, and were used to being underestimated. He promised to complete the container port “on time and budget,” with “economic development to follow.”

  • 🏗️ Center City’s housing boom | Morning Newsletter

    🏗️ Center City’s housing boom | Morning Newsletter

    Good morning, Philly. It looks like another lovely day, with highs near the mid-to-upper 70s. Let’s get into today’s stories.

    A lot of people want to live in or near Center City — and developers are listening.

    And, we’ll cover why anti-data center advocates are targeting Philly for a moratorium.

    Plus, chaos at a North Philly charter school, and more news of the day.

    — Laura Benshoff (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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

    Downtown demand

    The last 18 months or so were a boon for housing construction in Philly, much of it concentrated in the heart of the city, according to a new report by the Center City District.

    Two out of every five of the homes recently built in the city were in the greater downtown section, roughly from Girard Avenue to Tasker Street, and from river to river.

    The last two years have also seen the biggest number of new units downtown come online of the last decade, often in big office-to-residential conversions.

    “This matters for the whole city, not just for the downtown,” said Prema Katari Gupta, Center City District’s president and CEO. “When Center City and the neighborhoods around it keep adding supply, it takes pressure off rents elsewhere,” by keeping wealthy residents from pushing into more affordable areas.

    Inquirer real estate reporter Michaelle Bond has the full story.

    Data center debate hits Philly

    Anti-data center activists rallied outside of Philadelphia City Hall on Monday, hoping to kick off a conversation about a local moratorium.

    These massive developments have recently come under fire as the backlash to the AI boom they power grows.

    As the debate heats up, let’s cover some basic facts about data centers in Philly:

    Eight. The number of smaller data centers constructed in Philly before the issue was widely controversial.

    Two. The number of parcels that could host a massive “hyperscale” data center in the city: the Bellwether District, and a city-owned plot of land next to the Northeast Philly Airport.

    Zero. The number of specific hyperscale data center proposals under consideration within the city’s borders.

    The Inquirer’s Anna Orso has more on what local officials are saying about the controversial developments.

    What you should know today

    Quote of the day

    QOTD 9-15-26Rinaldo Sata

    Nobel Peace Prize winner, advocate for girls education, Eagles fan.

    Malala Yousafzai attended her first Birds game on Sunday, but as The Inquirer’s Earl Hopkins writes, she’s been saying “Go Birds” for a minute.

    🧠 Trivia time

    A New Jersey mom is headed to prison for defrauding a pandemic relief fund. What lavish event did she throw that drew attention to her ill-gotten gains?

    A) A Cinderella-themed prom send-off

    B) An Eagles party featuring real Eagles players

    C) Diner en blanc

    D) A West Philly block party with Will Smith

    Think you know? Check your answer.

    What we’re …

    🏡 Checking out. This week’s house of the week is a compact rowhouse with a surprising bathroom layout in Graduate Hospital, priced at $485,000.

    🍎 Picking. A spring freeze damaged fruit trees in our region, so apple farms are getting creative this u-pick season.

    🍽️ Composting. Reading Terminal Market has saved more than a million pounds of food scraps from being tossed in a landfill.

    📖 Considering. The Inquirer Editorial Board weighs in on whether the government should regulate AI, amid fears of rogue agents.

    🧩 Unscramble the anagram

    Hint: This Chester County native costars in the Netflix comedy Tires.

    BEST REVENGE

    Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

    Cheers to Patty Penn, who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Girard College. Over the weekend, this historic institution hosted the Philly Black Wine and Spirits Fest, an event aimed at making wine more approachable and promoting Black winemakers.

    Photo of the day

    Cardinal Michael Czerny is the inaugural winner of Villanova University’s sustainability medal, which carries Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV’s name.Courtesy of Villanova University

    👋 Have a peaceful Tuesday. See you tomorrow!

    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.

  • A new fusion restaurant for Glenside | Inquirer Greater Abington

    A new fusion restaurant for Glenside | Inquirer Greater Abington

    Hi, Greater Abington. 👋

    Glenside is among the greater Philadelphia locales expecting a new restaurant soon as 60 eateries prepare to open in the area this fall. In other news, Cheltenham’s new manager sets his sights on taxes and aging infrastructure, some local elementary schoolers will soon have their recess time doubled, and a third-party gubernatorial candidate hails from Abington.

    — Laura Smythe (greaterabington@inquirer.com)

    P.S. We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or replying to this email.

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

    Glenside, Willow Grove eateries among 60 new area restaurants opening this fall

    Greater Philadelphia will welcome a host of new restaurants this fall. Among the newcomers will be Glenside’s Capperini, an upscale Italian-Mediterranean concept complete with a liquor license. The spot is anticipated to debut by November.

    Meanwhile, a trip to Marshalls in Willow Grove will place you across the street from the latest location of popular breakfast-and-lunch chain Nudy’s Cafe. It’s targeting a late-September open.

    And soon, local couple Mike and Joy Grafenstine, owners of Glenside’s Roberts Block and Abington’s Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant, will take to Doylestown to launch an upscale American concept dubbed Tusk.

    Whet your appetite with The Inquirer’s look at all 60 spots slated to bring fresh bites to the region in the coming months, including in nearby Ambler and Hatboro.

    Taxes, aging amenities among top priorities for new Cheltenham manager

    Cheltenham’s new manager is ready for a challenge.

    Jonathan Altshul, who stepped into the role last week, has a full docket of to-dos, including figuring out how to balance updating aging infrastructure with “holding the line” on tax increases for residents — who are already the most property tax-burdened in Montgomery County.

    It’s a puzzle he’s not taking lightly.

    “We’re talking about home,” Altshul told The Inquirer’s Jess Rohan, who details the tasks he plans to tackle first and why he thinks he’s the best man for the job.

    💡 Community news

    • With midterm elections less than two months away, much of the focus in the Pennsylvania governor race is on incumbent (and Abington resident) Josh Shapiro and his Republican opponent, Stacey Garrity. And yet, another name with local ties will appear on the ballot in November: Abington-based libertarian Ken Krawchuk, the only third-party candidate vying for the position, Spotlight PA reports.
    • Cheltenham police issued 32 violations to drivers during the first week back to school after school bus-mounted cameras captured them passing buses using red lights and stop signs to indicate student boarding.
    • A northbound lane will be closed in Cheltenham on Washington Lane between Ashbourne Road and Rock Lane through next Tuesday due to pipe replacement work. Additionally, paving will prompt an overnight lane closure in the township from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday on Ashbourne Road, Montgomery Avenue, and Central Avenue between Washington Lane and Route 73.
    • “Why is Crestmont, a mostly Black community, sitting right in the middle of overwhelmingly white suburbs?” That’s the question Philly-area creative DJ Atkins looks to answer in this opinion piece about the unincorporated community in Abington Township.

    🏫 Schools briefing

    • New state legislation mandates that elementary schoolers have at least 30 minutes of recess, according to WHYY. Cheltenham students in third through fifth grade will soon see current recess time doubled in order to comply, The Inquirer’s Jess Rohan confirmed, and in Abington and Jenkintown, K-5 students already have 30 minutes of recess.
    • Following charges against Cheltenham High School football coaches and students over alleged hazing incidents, child welfare expert Janet Rosenzweig wrote an opinion piece about the “heroes” of the case that has shocked the community: the victim’s mother and the person who reported the attacks to the state’s Safe2Say system.

    🍽️ On our plate

    • Glenside Local takes a look inside the recently opened Bella’s Cremeria, a dream project from local resident Amanda Sheridan, who also launched Steak It Easy in Willow Grove earlier this year alongside her husband.

    🎳 Things to do

    😂 Yammering Into The Void Tour: Laugh ‘til your belly aches at a live set from acclaimed comedian and podcaster Marc Maron, known for his many appearances on late-night comedy shows. ⏰ Friday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m. 💵 $64.39-$319.42 📍 Keswick Theatre, Glenside

    🃏 Life of the Party: See if comedian and illusionist Jonathan Burns, who previously appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” can pull one over on you. ⏰ Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m. 💵 $35-$45 📍 Smoke & Mirrors Theater, Glenside

    🏎️ Roslyn Fall Festival & Car Show: Check out head-turning vehicles at this 26th annual event hosted by Abington Township, the Roslyn Boys and Girls Club, and the Roslyn Business Association. ⏰ Saturday, Sept. 19, noon-5 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Easton Road from East Avenue to Woodland Road, Abington

    🏡 On the market

    A charming 19th-century build with a front porch

    1316 Ashbourne Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027

    This three-bedroom, three-bathroom house built in 1850 brings nearly 200 years’ worth of character to the Elkins Park East neighborhood. It features a fireplace, classic inlays, and a covered front porch, plus a family room with ample windows that bring natural light into the space. A walk-up attic adds extra storage space to the abode, which also has a deck and a fenced-in backyard. The house is under contract.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $465,000 | Size: 2,169 SF | Acreage: 0.28

    🗞️ What other Greater Abington 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.

  • Burlington County’s free shuttle bus will finally hit the road next week

    Burlington County’s free shuttle bus will finally hit the road next week

    Some Burlington County residents might see an unfamiliar blue shuttle bus on the roads next week as the region welcomes its first new public transit option in more than two decades.

    The new route will officially start service on Sept. 21, the last of six new shuttle lines that form SJ Connects, a free bus service run by the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA). The first five lines were launched on June 1 while the transportation authority worked to get formal authorization to operate in the county.

    Together, the shuttles can take riders from Cape May Court House to as far north as Palmyra with connections to other shuttles, SJTA routes, NJ Transit lines, and more sprinkled throughout.

    Though the newest route is called the Burlington County Shuttle, it technically begins over the Camden County line at the Pennsauken Transit Center before concluding 10 stops later at Twosome Drive and Church Street in Moorestown.

    Along the new route, up to 20 riders per bus can hop on or off at various locations including the Cinnaminson ShopRite, Fox Meadow Apartments in Maple Shade, or at Cooper University Healthcare’s Moorestown Mall location.

    Stretching from early morning to late evening, the shuttles will make a total of five visits to each of the stops along the route throughout the day.

    The first shuttle leaves from the Pennsauken Transit Center at 7 a.m. with the final drop-off scheduled for 8:11 p.m., according to the SJTA schedule. A full schedule for the Burlington County shuttle is available online.

    SJ Connects received $5 million in state funding from former Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration for an 18- to 24-month trial run to boost transit services in the region.

    Map of planned SJ Connects route in Burlington County.John Duchneskie

    The investment was secured in part thanks to the efforts of state Sen. Troy Singleton, a longtime Burlington County resident who called the county “the crown jewel of South Jersey.”

    “Burlington County is the largest county by land mass here in New Jersey and being able to connect what was a lot of former farmland to economic and educational opportunities is critically important,” Singleton said during a ride-along of the new route Monday.

    “We know that there’s enormous economic opportunity here in South Jersey as it connects to Philadelphia and connects to other parts of New Jersey so continuing that investment is one of my responsibilities that I take really personal,” he said.

    Many of the stops along the SJ Connects routes were chosen to help South Jersey residents travel between medical centers, educational institutions, and other areas of interest, said Stephen Dougherty, SJTA’s executive director.

    The Burlington County Shuttle will begin service on Sept. 21, 2026.Lacey Latch

    The half-dozen routes include stops at multiple Cooper and Inspira locations in addition to the region’s various community colleges and universities. The routes also have stops located at or near large employers, Dougherty said, including Logan Township’s Pureland Industrial Complex, the second largest industrial park east of the Mississippi River.

    “We know that these routes are crucial — based on the nature of what these stops are — to people’s everyday lives,” Dougherty said.

    Now that all six of the SJ Connects shuttles are ready for riders, local leaders are simply asking South Jersey residents to hop on for a ride.

    The more demand there is for this service in Burlington County, the more likely it will be for legislators to get state funding to keep the rides free and create more routes in the future, Singleton said.

    “My hope and my ask of the public is to utilize this free resource — their tax dollars coming to their benefit — in order for us to try and expand it even more,” Singleton said.

  • Drew Kendall’s job replacing Landon Dickerson on Eagles O-line would be to ‘make sure we don’t skip a beat’

    Drew Kendall’s job replacing Landon Dickerson on Eagles O-line would be to ‘make sure we don’t skip a beat’

    Drew Kendall was talking last Thursday about his rise on the depth chart from a deep reserve last season to a primary backup for 2026, and the Eagles interior offensive lineman noted that nothing would really change.

    Kendall, a fifth-round pick last year, got on the field for seven games last season. After a standout summer that had him cross-training at guard and center, Kendall said his game-day approach would be the same, though the chances of playing were much greater.

    “I was usually the second guy in, but this year is different,” he said. “I’ll be the next guy in. So I’m just excited to be there for my guys if they need me and go out there and make sure we don’t skip a beat.”

    Eagles to place guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, will miss at least four games

    It was hypothetical then, but four days later, it’s likely his job.

    The Eagles are placing left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, sources told The Inquirer on Monday, and Dickerson will miss at least the next four games with a knee injury. The veteran lineman struggled Sunday during the Eagles’ 24-22 win over Washington after a 2025 season that was marred by inconsistent play while battling through multiple injuries.

    Kendall is expected to be Dickerson’s replacement, but it remains to be seen if the Eagles opt to reconfigure their front and put Kendall at center while sliding Cam Jurgens to guard. Kendall was a center in college while Jurgens played his first season as a starter in the NFL at right guard. Willie Lampkin is also in the mix for more playing time, though Kendall likely gets the first shot.

    Philadelphia Eagles’ Drew Kendall speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team’s training facility in Philadelphia, Friday, May 2, 2025.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Kendall was one of a few bottom-of-the-depth-chart players who stood out this summer. He said last month that he worked hard during the offseason on his body and “put on weight in good ways and shed weight in bad ways.” The offseason program and training camp put that transformation and what he learned last year as a rookie to the test. “Rookie year is always the long one,” he said last week, “but I learned from a lot of the great guys here.”

    The Eagles put a lot on Kendall’s plate, putting him at both guard and center during camp and in preseason games.

    “I really embrace that,” Kendall said last month. “I’m about that as a guy and as a player. It’s never fun to take the easy way out. You want to come over some things.”

    There were adjustments to make.

    “I’d say the biggest thing was, one, there’s just a little more space,” Kendall said last week. “And then, two, it’s just getting confidence, and that comes with repetition, just doing it day after day and just building on top of things that you’re doing.”

    He credited offensive line coach Chris Kuper as well as the starting guards, Dickerson and right guard Tyler Steen, with helping him learn new techniques.

    Murphy: This better not be the new normal for the Eagles offensive line

    Dickerson, Kendall said, has been “super helpful.”

    “He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve been around, so just giving me tips and different tools that I can add to my game has been very valuable,” Kendall said.

    He also may lean on his father, Pete, who was a guard in the NFL from when he was a first-round pick with Seattle in 1996 until he retired in 2008 with Washington. Kendall made a rule of sorts to not talk so much football with his dad — who coached him for most of his life — when he went to Boston College. However, Kendall did occasionally break the pact by sending clips to Pete in search of tips.

    Pete was among more than a dozen family and friends Kendall had on hand last month when the Eagles went to New England for joint practices.

    “I think he enjoys seeing me at guard because that’s what he played mostly so I think it’s fun for him,” Kendall said. “I just know that he loves football so anytime he can come watch me play, it makes his day.”

    Kendall started last year’s meaningless Week 18 game when the Eagles rested their starters. He is in line to make his second career start when the Eagles play on the road at Tennessee on Sunday. The Eagles’ new-look offensive scheme could be a benefit to Kendall. Boston College did some wide zone running when Kendall was there, though it mostly was from the shotgun.

    “It’s a great way to run an offense in general, but I think it definitely showcases my abilities more than other offenses for sure,” Kendall said.

    Cooper DeJean’s first game in his new role with the Eagles ‘wasn’t good enough’

    General manager Howie Roseman said after cutting the roster down to 53 spots two weeks ago that “if any of you would’ve given me a truth serum” before training camp, “how our interior offensive line depth panned out” was a worry.

    “Feel like we’re in a really good spot there and it was a concern going into camp,” Roseman said.

    His words soon will be put to the test.

    Inquirer staff writer Jeff McLane contributed reporting.

  • ‘I’m in it till I croak’: South Jersey farmers fight to make it through fall with fewer apples after the spring freeze

    ‘I’m in it till I croak’: South Jersey farmers fight to make it through fall with fewer apples after the spring freeze

    For many, a quintessential South Jersey fall includes apple picking, a warm cider, and sugared doughnuts.

    But fall in the Garden State might look a little different this year after a spring freeze left farms across the region with damaged apple varieties and huge crop losses — at least $300 million worth, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in May.

    With pumpkin spice and Halloween decorations already signaling fall’s arrival, farmers and produce sellers are trying their best to get by with fewer apples, or none at all.

    At Russo’s Fruit & Vegetable Farm in Tabernacle, which typically attracts visitors for six weeks of picking, the apple crop was decimated by the freeze. The farm had to purchase apples from a farm in New York to sell this year, the most local they could get.

    Third-generation owner Joann Gsell, 59, said she won’t know the extent of their lost profit until fall is over, but the farmers are doing their best to fill in the gaps.

    Russo’s staff planted sunflower fields and popcorn plants for picking instead, both new experiments, along with their usual pumpkins. Gsell planned new events, too, spread across the picking season to draw in more customers.

    “Even if we get the same amount of customers coming out, the per-dollar sale won’t be what it was when apples were available,” Gsell said. “But we really don’t know until we’re past it.”

    Jersey’s apple harvest season typically begins in mid-July and wraps up by the end of October, according to a report by the state Department of Agriculture, but local farmers, who are still recovering from a tough summer of sparse berries and higher prices, say the season will likely be much shorter and will rely on success in their pumpkin fields.

    Still, fall must go on, farm owners say, starting with their apple festivals.

    17-month-old Rome Imbesi bites into a big apple next to his mother Kristen Imbesi, 34, of Haddonfield, after picking apples at Duffield’s Farm.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
    17-month-old Rome Imbesi bites into his apple.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    ‘Figure things out’

    Tracy Duffield, who has worked at Duffield’s Farm Market in Sewell for four decades, said the Gloucester County farm had to push back the start of apple picking by a month.

    The freeze killed Duffield’s early apple crop planted in January, and with half its crop remaining, it’s uncertain how long picking will last this fall.

    But that didn’t stop Duffield’s from hosting its annual Apple & Food Truck Festival on Saturday, featuring apple picking, pony and hayrides, and face painting. It’s the official launch of the farm’s apple season this year.

    “I compare it to COVID. You have to get creative and figure things out,” Duffield said. “It is what it is. You just make the best of it.”

    Calah Donato, 26, of Port Elizabeth, N.J., holds her son Neo, 1, while he picks an apple off an apple tree at Duffield’s Farm.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Duffield’s will still carry its beloved apple cider doughnuts this year, along with new apple-cider-doughnut-scented candles. But they did have to switch cider providers this year, buying from a Central Jersey-based farm instead of Mood’s Farm, 20 minutes away in Mullica Hill.

    Mood’s is not making fresh cider this year, said co-owner Patti Mood, but they’ll have frozen cider from past apple seasons to get them through.

    “We’ll just see how long it lasts,” Mood said. “We’re not sure what next year will look like.”

    Kristine Duffield (center), the daughter-in-law of farm owner Tracy Duffield, hosts an apple-themed story time at Duffield’s Farm in Sewell on Friday, Sept. 11.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    This fall, Mood’s doesn’t have enough quality apples to run its pick-your-own operation. At the farm’s own Apple Festival on Saturday, visitors gathered apples sourced from nearby states placed in bins in the orchard during discounted hayrides, instead of picking them off the trees.

    Other farms have canceled their apple-picking operations this year. Neither Strawberry Hill Farm in Chesterfield nor Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford have apples to pick.

    Julian, who is two-and-a-half years old, makes a craft next to his grandmother Deb Carter, 69, of Washington Township, at Duffield’s Farm Market on Friday, Sept. 11.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Off the farm

    Despite the shortage, apples are still being celebrated this year, on and off the farm. First Methodist Church of Moorestown is hosting its third apple festival on Sept. 18.

    And Medford Historical Society will host its 47th annual Apple Festival on Oct. 10, their biggest fundraiser of the year.

    Danny, 2, attempts to poke his sister Sosie, 4, with a piece of hay while being held by his great-grandmother Joan Ballah, 80, at Duffield’s Farm in Sewell on Friday, Sept. 11. The family is local to Sewell and comes to the farm often to participate in the farm’s activities and shop the farmer’s market.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Thomas Gerber, copresident of the historical society, said their usual supplier in Pennsylvania lost all their apples and couldn’t provide the 320 pounds needed for the festival, so they found a different farm in New Jersey.

    Families wait to enter the hayride to pick apples out in the orchard at Duffield’s Farm in Sewell on Friday, Sept. 11.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Amy Zorn, an eighth-generation owner of Hunter’s Farm in Cinnaminson, said their farm market has been able to buy Jersey apples from other farms, but they’ve had to pay higher rates for smaller apples compared to previous years. She hopes customers continue to support their local farms through this year’s challenges.

    “There are still Jersey fresh items out there,” she said. “You might not see as many apples, but there are fall squashes, sweet potatoes, and other things coming to Jersey. I encourage people to go out to their farmers markets.”

    Families exit Duffield’s Farm after the apple-themed activities concluded on Sept. 11.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    ‘For the long run’

    Mario Caltabiano, 31, has been farming since he was 6 years old. As the owner of MC Farms in Pilesgrove in Salem County, Caltabiano grows 14 varieties of apples, Asian pears, and several types of vegetables.

    He said he’s used to freezes that take out large sums of fruit, but apples, “the hardiest things,” usually power through.

    Caltabiano said one of his farms saw a total apple loss, and the other lost 90% of its crop. With about 20 apples clustered on each tree, and thousands of trees, Caltabiano said he’s not sure how long it’ll take the public to pick them all. Either way, Caltabiano has to continue to tend to the orchards to make sure the trees stay strong enough to produce fruit next season.

    “This year, when fruit is 90% of your business, you have the same amount of bills. You have to take care of the trees to the very end,” Caltabiano said. “How do you make up for that?”

    In recent years, MC Farms has ventured into the agritourism world, offering hayrides, barrel train rides for kids, cut-your-own flowers, and a wine garden settled in the orchards. Rising prices for fuel and fertilizer are still making work difficult, along with the destruction of most of his crops.

    But Caltabiano said he plans to make it to next fall, and the one after that.

    “I’m in it for the long run,” Caltabiano said. “I’m in it till I croak.”

  • Center City is a major driver for Philadelphia housing, with room to grow, report says

    Center City is a major driver for Philadelphia housing, with room to grow, report says

    Downtown remains a hot spot for home construction in Philadelphia.

    Two in five homes recently built in the city were constructed in greater Center City, according to Center City District’s analysis of 18 months of data from the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. The report was released Monday.

    More than 4,000 homes were built in greater Center City — defined by the business improvement district as the area from Girard Avenue to Tasker Street and from the Schuylkill to the Delaware River — between Jan. 1, 2025, and June 30. Over this period, more than 10,000 homes were completed citywide.

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    Greater Center City represents 6% of Philadelphia’s land area. But one in eight Philadelphians — more than 206,000 — lived there in 2025.

    “It’s not an accident,” said Prema Katari Gupta, Center City District’s president and CEO. She said the area’s concentration of housing reflects deliberate policy choices, the development industry’s willingness to build there, and strong demand for walkable and transit-accessible communities.

    “This matters for the whole city, not just for the downtown,” she said. “When Center City and the neighborhoods around it keep adding supply, it takes pressure off rents elsewhere.”

    The city’s housing, especially downtown, “has been a source of strength and resilience since the pandemic and beyond and has allowed our city a recovery and renewal that I think a lot of other cities would envy,” she said.

    Recent housing construction was spurred by Center City’s flexible land-use code and developers’ desire to start projects before the full 10-year tax abatement for new construction ended.

    And the area has the capacity for much more housing to be built, said Clint Randall, Center City District’s vice president of economic development.

    “Center City still has the potential to continue to be this real engine of housing production for the city at large,” he said.

    New homes built

    Last year was the second-most productive year for housing construction this decade, behind record-breaking 2024. In 2025, 3,175 homes were completed, compared with 3,811 in 2024.

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    Since the start of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration in 2024, greater Center City has added more than 7,800 homes — 26% of the mayor’s goal to build or preserve 30,000 homes during her first term.

    More than 1,300 homes currently have active construction permits in greater Center City.

    Housing construction has slowed as interest rates remain elevated, costs for labor and materials remain unpredictable due to federal policies, and developers complete projects that were part of the flood of permits issued before the end of the full 10-year tax abatement for new construction.

    Most of the housing construction in core Center City, defined as Vine Street to Pine Street, were units in office-to-residential conversions.

    The L&I data used in Center City District’s report does not distinguish between homes built as rentals and those for ownership. But downtown, most homes constructed last year and the first half of this year were in multifamily buildings, where renting is common.

    More housing supply helps moderate rent growth and keep wealthy residents from pushing into more affordable sections of the city.

    Compared with downtown Boston, for example, core Center City added a higher share of apartments over the last decade, and rents didn’t grow as much. Rents grew more slowly in greater Center City than in Philadelphia and the region.

    Future housing growth

    Randall said “the most meaningful thing Center City can do” to make housing more affordable for residents “is just be a place where as much housing gets built as possible.”

    Core Center City has a concentration of the city’s highest-density zoning districts, but many parcels don’t have as much housing as allowed or don’t have any housing, including surface parking lots.

    Center City’s core could accommodate 15,000 to 25,000 more housing units in areas where construction is already allowed, according to Center City District.

    The report says: “The density that makes certain pockets of Center City so vibrant and lively can be extended to underutilized and sometimes barren blocks, allowing more people to live in amenity-rich and walkable areas.”

    The business improvement district celebrated recent legislation that eliminated parking minimums — a major cost barrier to development — in high-density mixed-use zoning districts.

    Downtown demand

    Core Center City’s population grew by roughly 5% in 2025, according to anonymized cell phone data from Placer.ai. In the zip codes immediately to the north and south, the population grew by just over 3%. By comparison, Philadelphia’s population grew by 1.7%.

    Center City’s population density of more than 24,500 residents per square mile is more than double the citywide average density.

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    Households in greater Center City are smaller and make more money than households across Philadelphia or in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

    A Center City District survey of apartment residents last year found that 44% of respondents moved to Philadelphia’s downtown core from outside the region, and 41% moved downtown from other parts of the city.

    Strong demand has helped fill the influx of homes that have hit the market in recent years. In core Center City, 92% of homes are occupied. In the zip codes directly to the north and south, 88% of homes are occupied.