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  • 🏓 Ping-pong prowess in Phoenixville | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    The USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open is coming to Phoenixville this weekend. Local players say the sport is about winning glory, but also forming community. Also this week, the county announced a new voter services director, the man accused of randomly shooting a CHOP nurse in Tredyffrin Township appeared in court, and the Spring-Ford school district is moving to fire a teacher supported by community members.

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    ‘I’m finally trying to live my childhood dream’

    About 40 to 50 table tennis players will compete for rankings, cash prizes, and trophies in Phoenixville on June 27 as part of the USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open.Photo courtesy of Nick Flor

    Dozens of Philly-area ping-pong enthusiasts will take to the Phoenixville Recreation Center on Saturday for the USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open.

    Local players will square off for cash prizes, trophies, and rankings, gathering official points that could even help to one day elevate their USA Table Tennis standing high enough to qualify for the Olympics. Categories include women’s singles, juniors, and over 40.

    But aside from the fame and glory, many Chester County ping-pongers are building community and living out their childhood dreams via the sport. Deepak Gupta, the owner of Exton Table Tennis, said he has built friendships as he plays against other local fathers.

    “Once I started playing table tennis with some of the other dads, we started getting to know each other more as individuals and more as friends,” the 52-year-old said, “and then taking that spirit and … expanding it to a community.”

    The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz has the details, including on which popular table tennis movie has elevated the sport the most.

    Chester County hires new voter services director

    People fill out mail-in ballots for the 2024 general election at a Voters Services satellite office at the Chester County Government Services Center, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in West Chester, Pa.Matt Slocum / AP

    West Chester resident Michele DiCaprio will soon take over as Chester County’s new director of voter services, inheriting an office recently marred by controversy, including staff turnover, hostile work environment allegations, and election administration-related issues.

    DiCaprio’s experience as a former foreign service officer sets her up for success in the role, the county said in a news release.

    She replaces Karen Barsoum, who announced her resignation in March and ended her tenure on June 12. DiCaprio will begin the role on July 20.

    Reporter Fallon Roth has more on DiCaprio and what’s on her plate when it comes to repairing residents’ trust in the county’s voting security practices.

    📍 Countywide News

    💡 Community News

    • Steve Jahn, the Berwyn man accused of fatally shooting Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia nurse Megan Nieberle, 53, in Tredyffrin Township in March, appeared for the first time in court Monday. The apparently random act shocked the Chester County community and incited conversation about mental illness and firearms. Jahn, 44, has been charged with first- and third-degree murder, among other crimes.
    • The Chester County District Attorney’s Office is investigating after an officer with the North Coventry Township Police Department was involved in a shooting Monday. Few details were available about the incident as of Tuesday, including whether anyone was injured.
    • Coatesville couple Mousa Hawa and Holly Back were sentenced to decades in prison last week for the murder of their 8-year-old son. Prosecutors said Hunter died of an overdose in 2023 after ingesting drugs in their home, The Inquirer’s Vinny Vella reports.
    • Wawa has filed for a liquor license for its forthcoming location at 799 Valley Forge Rd. in Schuylkill Township.
    • The Borough of West Chester is seeking feedback about a potential shared shuttle bus program with West Chester University. Take the survey here.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Spring-Ford Area School District is moving to fire an eighth-grade Spanish teacher, Jasmine Ewing, for reasons it has not made public. The school board vote to approve a statement of charges came amid an outpouring of community support shared during a public meeting Monday, The Inquirer’s Maddie Hanna reports.
    • Phoenixville Area School District’s board approved Kathryn “Kate” Pacitto as its next assistant superintendent at its most recent meeting. Pacitto currently serves as executive director of curriculum and pupil services for the district. She’s been signed to a five-year contract and will assume the new role July 1.
    • Registration is open for West Chester Area School District’s school safety summit, which will take place Aug. 6 at Rustin High School.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎙️ Sound of Summer Free Concert Series: Delaware rock band Too Tall Slim and the Guilty Pleasures headlines this week’s show. There will also be food trucks. ⏰ Wednesday, June 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Anson B. Nixon Park, Kennett Square

    🎹 Tredyffrin Township Summer Concert Series: Philadelphia-area band The Sin Brothers headline this week’s show. ⏰ Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Wilson Farm Park, Wayne

    🍿 Movie Night: West Bradford will screen Wicked: For Good outdoors. There will also be $1 ice creams. ⏰ Thursday, June 25, 8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Broad Run Park, Downingtown

    🍺 Rhythm & Brews: There will be live music, food trucks, and yard games at this recurring New Garden event. ⏰ Tuesday, June 30, 6-8 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 New Garden Park, Landenberg

    🎶 Eagleview Summer Concert Series: Hear local cover band LeCompt, along with special guest and fellow local Lia Menaker. ⏰ Tuesday, June 30, 7-9 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Eagleview Town Center, Exton

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

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    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.

  • A police-involved shooting in North Coventry Township is under investigation

    A police-involved shooting in North Coventry Township is under investigation

    The Chester County District Attorney’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred on Monday evening in North Coventry Township.

    The office said it was assisting the North Coventry Township Police Department with investigating this case.

    Authorities did not provide any details on the circumstances of the shooting, how many officers or others were involved, or whether anyone was injured.

    “This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement on social media. The prosecutor’s office could not be reached for additional details on the investigation.

    Local news was on the scene at Lindberg and Kline Avenue in South Pottstown to find police activity on the street Monday night.

  • ‘Snuffed her life out’: Man accused of randomly shooting CHOP nurse in Tredyffrin Township appears in court

    ‘Snuffed her life out’: Man accused of randomly shooting CHOP nurse in Tredyffrin Township appears in court

    Hours before Steve Jahn shot Megan Nieberle to death on a March evening this year, prosecutors said, he drove around Tredyffrin Township for hours with a gun in his hand.

    In dashcam videos played in a Chester County courtroom Monday, Jahn is seen gripping a semiautomatic handgun in his Chevy Silverado truck, muttering to himself and glancing back and forth erratically as cars pass by.

    Those utterances, prosecutors said, offer a view into the mindset of a man about to commit murder.

    “Get out of the [expletive] way,” Jahn says an one point, one hand on the wheel, another on his firearm. “You don’t belong here.”

    “Ya’ll [expletive] are dead,” the 44-year-old says in another clip.

    Though it would be hours before Jahn, who police said was homeless, encountered Nieberle, a 53-year-old mother of three and a nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, prosecutors used the videos from Jahn’s dashcam to bolster their contention that he had been prepared to harm someone that Saturday.

    Jahn, a Berwyn native, was arrested a day after the March 7 shooting and charged with first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment.

    The hearing marked the first time Jahn appeared in a case that shocked the Chester County community and kick-started a conversation about mental illness and firearms.

    Some residents questioned why police did not act more forcefully to ensure that Jahn, who had been in a mental health crisis that day, was checked into a nearby psychiatric unit.

    Jahn, wearing a red prison jumpsuit and sporting a beard, showed little emotion during the hearing, as Nieberle’s loved ones looked on, some in tears.

    Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Wright said prosecutors had linked Jahn to the crime scene using GPS data from his vehicle, gunshot residue recovered from his hands and clothing, and remarks he made while in police custody.

    Though the footage of Jahn was illuminating, Wright said, the shooting itself was not captured on the dashcam because Jahn had removed the device shortly before the shooting.

    Wright called Tredyffrin police officers and county detectives to the stand to testify about the scene they had encountered near the intersection of Old State Road and Contention Lane, where Nieberle was found in the driver’s seat of her silver Acura SUV around 10:47 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the head.

    She was bleeding heavily, the officers said, and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died the next morning.

    Chester County Det. Matthew Shumway of Chester County said data recovered from Jahn’s truck allowed investigators to identify him driving down the dimly lit residential street that night.

    Approaching Nieberle’s vehicle, Jahn slowed his truck to 6 mph, Shumway testified. He fired once through her driver’s side window, the detective said, a shot captured on a neighbor’s doorbell camera.

    Played in court, the short video showed Jahn’s headlights cut through the darkness and illuminate an approaching vehicle. Within seconds, a loud bang rang out.

    Jahn’s attorney, Brian McCarthy, did not contest many of prosecutors’ assertions about how events unfolded that night, but he argued that first-degree murder was not appropriate because Jahn had not shown premeditation and intent to kill, conditions required to meet the threshold for that crime.

    “What we did see does not establish murder in the first degree,” McCarthy said of the dashcam footage. The person in that video, he said, was a “troubled man looking back and forth, not a cold-blooded killer.”

    Wright, the prosecutor, countered that Jahn’s actions were premeditated. She said Jahn had rolled down his window, aimed his weapon, and would have “had to have known” that there was someone inside an oncoming vehicle.

    Of Nieberle, Wright said, Jahn “snuffed her life out and left her there to die.”

    District Judge Patricia A. Zaffarano ruled that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial on all charges.

    Jahn will be formally arraigned on July 2. He remains in custody in the Chester County Correctional Facility after being denied bail in March.

  • The USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open is coming to Phoenixville this month, with rankings and cash prizes — and community — up for grabs

    The USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open is coming to Phoenixville this month, with rankings and cash prizes — and community — up for grabs

    For Deepak Gupta, playing Ping-Pong is something of living out a childhood dream for him.

    Later this month, he’ll be taking that dream to the next level, as he makes his tournament debut at the USA Table Tennis Pennsylvania Open in Phoenixville.

    “I’ve never met two people who play the same … they have a unique style of playing, and every player has strengths and weaknesses, the way they spin the ball, the way they serve,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing against more people whom I’ve never met, so that’ll be challenging.”

    Gupta, 52, will be among the 40 to 50 players from the region competing; the tournament has six events and will be held at the Phoenixville Recreation Center.

    Players will compete in women’s singles, juniors, over 40, the open, or skill-capped events. On the line: cash prizes, trophies, and national ratings points.

    It’s the fourth time the Phoenixville Table Tennis Club, established in 2009, is holding a USA Table Tennis tournament, and its second Pennsylvania Open.

    “We do have a lot of lower-level players participating in those events, and one, it gives them the opportunity to win trophy and money, but two, it gives them the opportunity to continue to compete … and get better in their games,” said Nick Flor, organizer and one of the founders of the Phoenixville club. “Say you come across your archnemesis that you play at the club in the tournament. … It’s going to give you that drive to learn to beat them, to learn to get better.”

    Gupta will be playing in the “under 1200″ event, for beginner to intermediate players whose rating is below 1200. A rating represents their skill level and determines where a player is seeded in an event. Low-level players would be rated around 900 or 1000, while high-level players approach 3000, Flor said. As players win matches and tournaments, up goes their rating. The tournament will have several events split by rating level.

    Players will also be competing for ranking points as part of the USA Table Tennis’ system. Depending on how many tournaments players win, they earn points. Top-point earners are considered for the Olympics, or the sport’s World Cup.

    Aside from rankings, players are drawn to the community the sport has given them.

    Serving up community

    Gupta loved the game passionately as a child, but it faded into the background after high school. Some 30 years later, he started playing against a couple of friends in the basement. He found out about the Phoenixville club, which meets twice a week at the recreation center, hosts a smattering of smaller tournaments and competitions, and provides support for new players. But it wasn’t enough; he ended up opening his own club in Exton, called Exton Table Tennis.

    The club is run by friends, for friends, he said. Before he started playing table tennis a few years ago, he had few of them. He met other parents in school groups, but those social interactions were limited to talking about their kids.

    “Once I started playing table tennis with some of the other dads, we started getting to know each other more as individuals and more as friends,” he said, “and then taking that spirit and … expanding it to a community.”

    Flor, 53, caught the bug in high school, when he’d play with his friends in the senior lounge. They started playing before and after school. They were “terrible,” Flor recalls. But they kept playing, deciding to enter a tournament. They got crushed and had the experience he’s seen in many players: the shock and awe at the level of gameplay, of technique, and skill it takes. The group began going to a club in Pottstown, getting tutelage from an older gentleman, and eventually opened their own club, he said.

    He’s seen the sport change over time, fluctuating in popularity. They see surges around the Olympics, and during the colder months. Marty Supreme drummed up excitement among players but didn’t seem to inspire a new generation. (Forrest Gump has probably done more for the sport, he noted.)

    A game for all

    Flor’s love of Ping-Pong has seeped into his marriage, as he slowly turned his wife, Janel Flor, into a convert. Now the two are evenly matched.

    It’s been a journey for Janel, whose first experience was in the place that makes or breaks anyone’s love of sport: gym class. It put her off table tennis for years. She was supportive of her husband but felt it was “kind of a dumb sport.” But, ever persistent, he coaxed her into a lesson. About a month later, she felt it sink in and sent the ball exactly where she wanted it to go. She was hooked.

    She was not very competitive until she was able to beat Nick. “Once I could do that,” she said, “I was like, you know what, I actually really like this game.”

    It’s been her goal to get more women into the game and to have fun doing it.

    “My goal is always to help build confidence and help get them playing, so that they’re not overthinking everything,” she said.

    Janel, 50, will compete in the women’s event in the upcoming tournament, against roughly six others. She has gotten over some of the initial fears of tournament play but said she still gets butterflies when she steps up to the table.

    Despite those butterflies, it’s often an encouraging, but still competitive, game, she said.

    For Gupta, it’s a game where people of all ages, genders, and abilities can thrive. The clubs welcome kids, whom they have watched level up over time.

    “Table tennis is one game where it evens everything out. It doesn’t matter,” he said. “If you have skills, you can become really good, that’s one thing that I really love about this game. … I think now I’m finally trying to live my childhood dream, and I hope other kids can enjoy the same passion that I had as a child.”

    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.

  • Delaware County detected measles in wastewater samples, health officials say

    Delaware County detected measles in wastewater samples, health officials say

    Measles was detected in wastewater samples taken in Delaware County on two days last week, local health officials said Wednesday.

    This means someone infected with measles used a bathroom connected to the county’s public water supply, although no one in the county has been officially diagnosed with measles, said Lora Siegmann Werner, director of the county’s health department.

    Detecting the highly contagious disease in wastewater can serve as a reminder for parents to vaccinate their children, and for health providers to be on the lookout for people experiencing measles symptoms.

    “We’re not trying to scare people, but we thought it was a good opportunity to raise awareness,” she said.

    Health officials around the country regularly monitor wastewater for various diseases, including measles and COVID-19.

    The treatment plant where measles was detected in samples on June 9 and June 11, DELCORA Western Regional Treatment Plant in Chester, serves about 500,000 people in Delaware and Chester Counties.

    Health officials were able to determine the positive samples came from Delaware County, Siegmann Werner said. But it was impossible to tell whether that person was passing through the county or lives there.

    It was also unclear whether the infected person was connected to a measles outbreak in four counties west of Philadelphia, including Lancaster County, just over the border from Chester County.

    As of Wednesday, state health officials had identified 55 cases in that outbreak, with 32 in Lancaster County. Physicians there have said they fear more cases are circulating in the community among people who avoiding seeking medical care or notifying the state health department.

    “We’ve been tracking the outbreaks that occur, knowing it’s likely a matter of time before we have our own cases,” Siegmann Werner said.

    The county is engaging in planning exercises and reaching out to healthcare providers to prepare for potential cases in the area.

    More than 200 Philly-area schools are vulnerable to measles outbreak

    Measles spreads through the air, lingering in a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left it. About nine in 10 unvaccinated people who come into contact with the virus will contract it themselves.

    Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine are 97% effective against the disease.

    The virus’ early symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, red and puffy eyes, and a rash. In serious cases, measles can lead to pneumonia, brain infections, and death.

    There is no evidence it is spread through contact with untreated wastewater, Delaware County health officials said.

    Without a confirmed measles case in Delaware County, Siegmann Werner said, the detection of measles in its wastewater will not trigger an investigation into its origin.

    “It’s really limited to saying there was someone who was ill” who either passed through the county or lives there, she said. “Please be vigilant and get vaccinated.”

  • A Chesco couple cared more for drugs than their young son, judge says before sending them to prison for decades

    A Chesco couple cared more for drugs than their young son, judge says before sending them to prison for decades

    Hunter Hawa would have turned 11 in April, his aunt, Jennifer Back, told a Chester County judge Wednesday.

    But the boy known for his smile and laugh died three years ago on the filthy carpet in his parents’ Coatesville apartment. Prosecutors say he had fentanyl and cocaine in his system, powerful narcotics that his parents used and sold that ended his life before it had been given a chance to begin.

    Mousa Hawa and Holly Back failed in their ultimate duty as parents to protect Hunter, according to Judge Analisa Sondergaard, who sentenced them both to decades in prison for their son’s murder.

    “This was the culmination of many bad days and bad choices,” a visibly angry Sondergaard said. “You chose drugs over Hunter every single day. You put your wants and desires before your son every single day.

    “You loved drugs more than your son.”

    The couple was convicted of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child after a trial in February.

    Back was sentenced Wednesday to 20 to 40 years in prison, while Hawa was sentenced to 22½ to 45 years. Their sentences included a mandatory minimum of 15 years for third-degree murder of a victim under 13.

    District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said Wednesday that Sondergaard’s sentences were “justice for a child that deserved so much more.”

    “This was a case about parents who continually disregarded every basic parental responsibility and allowed their child to ingest fentanyl and cocaine,” he said. “Because they chose to put themselves above their child, we prosecuted them to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Their attorneys said both had been in the throes of drug addiction since their teenage years, and suffered from previously undiagnosed mental health conditions. Hunter’s death, they said, was a horrible accident.

    In a tearful statement, Back said the images of her son, lying dead in her living room, are forever burned into her mind.

    “I never meant to fail him,” the 42-year-old woman said. “I did not murder my son. The last thing I wanted to do was harm him.”

    First Assistant District Attorney Erin O’Brien, who prosecuted the case, rebuked Back’s statement, saying the couple showed extreme indifference to their son and his health.

    The two had kept their son in squalor in a home where drugs were “ubiquitous” — Hunter, she said, was surrounded by narcotics and the materials Hawa used to package them. Their attempts to prevent him from touching the toxic substances, she said, were half-hearted at best.

    “Hunter didn’t get to make plans for his future; he didn’t even make it to the third grade,” she said. “I could attempt to go through everything he missed out in life, but that list is endless. His life mattered.”

    Hawa had called police to his home on July 26, 2023, just before 2:30 a.m., after Back awakened him in a panic, prosecutors said. She had found Hunter “folded like a sandwich,” pinned between the recliner he had fallen asleep on hours earlier and the wall behind it.

    When Coatesville Police Officer Jennifer Schreiber arrived at the home, Hawa was performing CPR on his son, who had ashen skin and blue lips. He showed no signs of life, Schreiber said.

    Clear signs of drug abuse were found feet from the boy’s body: small glassine bags filled with heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as a scale and a syringe.

    Doses of Narcan sat unopened on a coffee table, and, O’Brien noted, might have saved the boy if used.

    An autopsy later concluded that Hunter died of an overdose of fentanyl, morphine, and cocaine. Exactly how the boy ingested the drugs remains unclear. But samples of his hair showed that he had previously been exposed to those narcotics, according to O’Brien.

    Hawa and Back initially lied about their drug use when interviewed by police, but confessed to being regular users weeks later when confronted with their son’s autopsy report, investigators said.

    Hawa, 43, told detectives he did not believe his son had overdosed, saying the amount of the drugs found in his blood was too small to be fatal. He said he and Back had repeatedly warned the child not to touch the drugs in their home, telling him that it was their “medicine” and that he could get sick from it.

    The fentanyl that killed Hunter was stamped with the same distinctive logo, “Bad Bunny,” as the kind that killed Tyler Stout in Phoenixville in March 2023.

    Prosecutors also deemed Hawa responsible for Stout’s death, charging him with drug delivery resulting in death and related crimes. His trial in that case is pending.

  • Chester County hires new voter services director after a series of controversies at the department

    Chester County hires new voter services director after a series of controversies at the department

    Chester County has tapped a new director of voter services after the department’s previous leader resigned following election errors and a series of complaints from former employees.

    Michele DiCaprio, a consultant for a telecommunications company and a former foreign service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, will begin her tenure on July 20, the county announced Wednesday.

    “I am honored to join Chester County,” said DiCaprio, a West Chester resident, in a county news release. “I look forward to working with the Voter Services team to ensure secure, accurate, and efficient elections for every voter in Chester County. Elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I am committed to serving voters with integrity and transparency.”

    DiCaprio will be inheriting an office that has recently been enmeshed in controversy, including high staff turnover, allegations of a hostile work environment, and a series of election administration-related problems — most notably leaving approximately 75,000 independent and unaffiliated voters off the poll books during the November 2025 local election.

    Everyone who wanted to vote was able to do so, the county said, with 12,000 voters casting provisional ballots. But the episode bruised residents’ trust in the county’s voting security, exemplified at a public meeting in February.

    An independent law firm investigation ultimately found that human error and poor oversight led to the incident, but it did not call for the resignation of personnel, including Karen Barsoum, then the voter services director.

    Barsoum announced her resignation in March and her last day was June 12.

    Chester County Administrator Erik Walschburger and Deputy Administrator Megan Moser said in the news release that DiCaprio’s experience as a foreign service officer makes her a strong fit for the role.

    DiCaprio spent five years with USAID in Mozambique leading the Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance team working on elections, counterterrorism, and other issues, according to her LinkedIn page.

    “As a foreign service officer, Michele has spent her career leading complex international operations in fast-paced environments while ensuring federal compliance,” Walschburger said.

    “Through her years of work on election operations and counterterrorism program evaluation, she has established a strong track record of developing high-performing teams, strengthening organizational effectiveness, and managing critical public-facing services,” he said.

  • Inside a West Chester startup’s downfall | Inquirer Chester County

    Inside a West Chester startup’s downfall | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    How did a West Chester tech startup go from a $137 million valuation to being sold for pennies on the dollar? We investigate. Also this week, the county celebrates its centenarians, popular beer garden The Creamery is adding a wedding venue, plus the latest on efforts to prevent an East Whiteland data center.

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

    The rise and fall of West Chester-based tech startup LifeBrand

    Colaiezzi of Lifebrand
    T.J. Colaiezzi was the CEO of West Chester-based startup LifeBrand.Inquirer illustration; AP Images; Getty Images

    The founder of West Chester-based startup LifeBrand is facing accusations of fraud, including misspending funds on splashy Philadelphia sports stadium advertising deals and pocketing millions to pay for an extravagant lifestyle (see: a $4.8 million Shore home.)

    Investors are taking T.J. Colaiezzi, the company’s CEO and a former gym manager with no tech background, to court, claiming he squandered their investments. LifeBrand — which helped users find and delete potentially embarrassing social media posts, as well as companies vet potential candidates — was once valued at $137 million, but sold in 2024 for pennies on the dollar.

    One investor called it a “Ponzi-like” scheme, but Colaiezzi says the venture was a genuine effort, albeit full of mistakes — none of which he said amounted to fraud.

    In this Inquirer investigation, reporter Max Marin delves into Colaiezzi’s actions that led to the downfall of a once-promising startup.

    How these local centenarians paved the way for the generations that followed

    Raised in South Coatesville, Henry Jacks, 104, was a Boy Scout leader, the first Black mail carrier in Coatesville, a city councilmember, and a judge of elections.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

    Last week, Chester County celebrated a group of residents with a unique and shared distinction: reaching or exceeding the age of 100.

    During their lifetimes, they’ve witnessed numerous changes locally and globally, from increased traffic in the county to the rise of television.

    The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz shares some of their stories.

    📍 Countywide News

    💡 Community News

    • In case you missed it, at least six people were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week in Phoenixville, according to immigration advocates.
    • A Chester County judge has quashed two appeals seeking to halt construction of a 1.5 million-square-foot data center proposed in East Whiteland Township. Here’s what to know about the latest effort to stop the project.
    • Main Line Health is expanding its Paoli Hospital campus by adding a 108-bed pavilion. The $220 million to $240 million project will increase its capacity by over 40% and is slated to open in 2029.
    • A former East Whiteland Township police sergeant and a former member of Octorara Area School District’s school board enrolled in an advanced rehabilitative disposition program last month after being charged with illegally recording a closed executive school board session. Upon completing the program for first-time offenders, Anthony Falgiatore Sr.’s charges will be dismissed and his record expunged. The Inquirer’s Vinny Vella has the details.
    • Beloved Kennett Square beer garden The Creamery is expanding next year by adding a dedicated wedding venue. The new adjacent space will accommodate up to 300 guests. It will have an area for a cocktail reception and suites for the wedding party to get ready.
    • On-air hosts at West Chester-based QVC are moving to unionize as the home shopping giant reorganizes amid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The hosts are seeking recognition of their union, with plans to join SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 media professionals nationwide.
    • West Goshen Township is hosting two conditional use hearings regarding West Chester University’s master plan. The first meeting will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the township building, with another slated for June 30.
    • The first phase of construction is underway on the Randolph Woods Nature Preserve in Malvern. The project includes an ADA-accessible loop trail and a pedestrian bridge, boardwalk, and viewing platform. Work is expected to continue through the fall.
    • West Vincent Township is celebrating the opening of Fellowship Trail tonight with a community event that includes pretzels, ice creams, and a ribbon cutting. The trail links to Upper Uwchlan Township by way of a 1.3-mile pedestrian- and bike-friendly path.
    • A women’s-only fitness studio opened its newest location this week in West Chester. Located at 109 N. High St., Train & Nourish offers personal training and classes.
    • The Spring City community pool opens daily for the season on Saturday. Its new hours are noon to 7 p.m. Admission is $10 a day for non-members.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Earlier this month the Coatesville Area School District reached a four-year agreement with the teachers’ association, which the school board approved at last week’s meeting. The new contract goes into effect July 1 and includes a new schedule for wage increases, with 3.5% bumps for the first three years, and 2.5% for the final year. The board also approved the 2026-27 budget, which includes a 3.5% property tax increase.
    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District’s board approved its 2026-27 budget last week with a 4.99% property tax increase, which includes the allowed 3.5% increase plus an additional 1.49% through a referendum exception for special education expenses. That translates to a roughly $388 annual increase for the average assessed home.
    • Two Chester County girls’ lacrosse teams took home championships over the weekend. Twin Valley High School’s girls’ lacrosse team clinched the PIAA 2A championship on Saturday, defeating Wyomissing Area Junior-Senior High School 11-5. And B. Reed Henderson High School in the West Chester Area School District claimed the PIAA 3A title, beating Conestoga High School 11-6.
    • Phoenixville Area School District’s school board passed its 2026-27 budget earlier this month, which calls for a 3.5% property tax increase.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Last week, The Inquirer dropped our list of the 76 most iconic dishes in the region and there are some local ties among them. Ranking at No. 61 is Santucci’s upside-down pizza, which you can grab at the Paoli outpost. And potato chips from Nottingham-based Herr’s took the No. 46 spot for being so ubiquitous they’re found on virtually every deli shelf in the region. Lastly, Crabfries from Chickie’s & Pete’s rank No. 20. You can get the tasty crinkle cut fries dusted with crab seasoning at the location in Malvern.
    • Good news for bagel lovers: Delaware-rooted shop The Original Hot Bagels opened its newest outpost at 100 Landenberg Rd. on Saturday, taking over The Landenberg Store’s former space. The Original Hot Bagels is known for its bagels and bagel sandwiches including breakfast versions, a bagel burger, a bagel cheesesteak, and pizza bagels.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎙️ Sound of Summer Free Concert Series: Blues and funk mashup band Antar Goodwin and the Faithful Sinners headlines this week’s show. There will also be food trucks. ⏰ Wednesday, June 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Anson B. Nixon Park, Kennett Square

    🍄 250 in Kennett: The borough will celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial by bedecking the beloved giant mushroom used for the New Year’s Eve drop in red, white, and blue. ⏰ Thursday, June 18, 5:30-9 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 West State Street, Kennett Square

    🎤 East Pikeland Summer Concert Series: Be Kind Rewind, a ‘90s cover band, headlines this year’s first concert. ⏰ Thursday, June 18, 6:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Miller Ampitheater at Kimberton Park, Phoenixville

    🎈 Chester County Balloon Festival: See hot air balloons take to the skies or take a ride yourself at this three-day festival. ⏰ Friday, June 19-Sunday, June 21, times vary 💵 $12.51-$28.52, free for kids under 6 📍 Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show, Glenmoore

    🏳️‍🌈 PrideFest: This Pride festival will have live entertainment, over 170 vendors to browse, and kid-friendly activities. ⏰ Saturday, June 20, noon-5 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Bridge Street, Phoenixville

    🗓️ Coatesville Juneteenth: The Coatesville area NAACP branch is hosting a day of celebration for the holiday, including a family basketball tournament, a parade, and a community fair. ⏰ Sunday, June 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Around Paul Palmer Park, Coatesville

    🏡 On the Market

    A four-bedroom Kennett Square home that overlooks the woods

    The home sits in a cul-de-sac and backs up to a wooded area.Diamond State Photography | Courtesy of Jerry Strusowski/BHHS Fox & Roach

    This four-bedroom home in the Hadley’s Mill community of East Marlborough Township has undergone a number of updates throughout the years. It features a two-story great room with ample windows and a fireplace, an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and high-end appliances, and an office. It also has a first-floor primary-suite with two closets and a spacious bathroom. An upstairs bedroom opens onto a bonus room, while the finished basement could accommodate another suite thanks to a full bathroom there. Out back, there’s a new deck that looks onto the woods.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $1.15M | Size: 5,218 SF | Acreage: 0.58

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

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    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.

  • Main Line Health’s Paoli Hospital will get a new, 108-bed patient tower in a major expansion

    Main Line Health’s Paoli Hospital will get a new, 108-bed patient tower in a major expansion

    Main Line Health is adding a 108-bed patient pavilion to its Paoli Hospital campus as part of a push to expand its capacity in Chester and Montgomery Counties, the nonprofit health system announced Tuesday.

    The building, expected to cost between $220 million and $240 million, is scheduled to open in early 2029. The project will expand Paoli’s capacity by more than 40%.

    Patient rooms will occupy three of five floors. They will be convertible from standard hospital rooms into rooms for intensive care. One floor will be used for diagnostics, such as radiology and perinatal testing. The roof will have a landing pad for helicopters.

    Beyond Paoli, Main Line is adding to its outpatient capacity in Downingtown, where a large facility that has township approval will include surgical care. The health system also has shared an early-stage proposal for outpatient offices in the Collegeville area, while it considers building there what would be its fifth hospital in Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

    “While many communities face declining access to care, Main Line Health is moving forward with optimism, investing in this region’s future and reaffirming our commitment to exceptional care where people live and work,” Main Line CEO Ed Jimenez said in the announcement.

    Paoli hospital currently has 261 licensed beds and employs nearly 1,400 people, according to Main Line. The hospital had 53,000 emergency department visits in the year that ended June 30, 2025. Main Line Health completed its last major expansion of Paoli Hospital in 2009, doubling the facility’s size.

    Like other Philadelphia-area health systems, Main Line has experienced tough times financially since the pandemic, which led to broadly higher costs in healthcare. In the nine months that ended March 31, Main Line had a $214,000 operating profit on $2.1 billion in revenue.

    More Main Line projects

    Separately, about 12 miles west of Paoli Hospital, in Downingtown, Main Line plans to open a large outpatient facility next summer. Main Line Health Downingtown, at the intersection of Lloyd and Manor Avenues, will cost $150 million and include a surgery center and substantial imaging capabilities.

    In central Montgomery County, as well, Main Line recently made a presentation to the Upper Providence Township Board of Supervisors about a major development in an area where the health system has seen substantial growth.

    The long term could see Main Line build a 108-bed hospital, but more immediately it needs to add outpatient office space in the Collegeville area, Main Line said.

  • Roundup of third-quarter financial results for Philly-area nonprofit health systems

    Half of the nonprofit health systems in Southeastern Pennsylvania had operating losses in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, the systems’ latest reports to municipal bond investors showed.

    All had strong revenue growth, with the exceptions of Redeemer Health and Tower Health, the two smallest systems by revenue. The gains at Jefferson Health and Penn Medicine benefited from acquisitions in fiscal 2025.

    The reports are not perfectly comparable because of variations in accounting practices.

    For example, Jefferson, Main Line Health, and ChristianaCare changed their depreciation rates, which reduced their expenses relative to competitors. Jefferson includes investment income in its revenue, boosting its results.

    Here’s a summary in order of revenue, from the region’s largest to smallest systems:

    Jefferson Health had a $252.6 million operating loss, which it attributed to severe winter weather, restructuring costs related to layoffs, and shortfalls in insurance reimbursement. Total revenue was just shy of $13 billion, up from $11.6 billion last year, which included only eight months of results from Lehigh Valley Health Network.

    The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s operating income in the nine months ended March 31 rose to $238 million, up sharply from $163 million in the same period a year ago. Total revenue for the nine months increased nearly 15% to $10.1 billion from $8.8 billion last year. This year’s results include Doylestown Health, which Penn acquired in April 2025.

    Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia had a $271 million operating profit in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, up from $195.8 million the year before. Total revenue rose 9% to $4.1 billion from $3.7 billion, thanks to strong gains in payments for hospital patients and unspecified other operating revenue.

    ChristianaCare reported $76.4 million in operating income, up from $57.4 million the year before. Its revenue climbed to $2.64 billion from $2.5 billion. This year’s results include a new micro-hospital that opened last summer in Chester County and five former Crozer Health outpatient facilities in Delaware County.

    Temple University Health System had an operating loss of $9.9 million, recovering largely from a $50.5 million loss in the first half of fiscal 2026. In the same period a year ago, Temple had a $10.9 million operating loss. The health system’s revenue was $2.6 billion, up from $2.3 billion last year.

    Main Line Health reported a small operating profit of $214,000, following a winter quarter setback. The four-hospital nonprofit system recorded an $8.5 million loss in the three months that ended March 31. Severe winter weather reduced patient visits, and the health system increased its reserves for medical malpractice expenses.

    Tower Health swung to a small operating loss of $3.6 million. During the same period a year ago, Tower had a $4.2 million operating profit. Revenue increased 1.6% to $1.6 billion.

    Steep losses continued at Redeemer Health, which reported a $29 million operating loss, compared to a $33 million loss last year. Redeemer’s total revenue rose by less than 1%, to $332 million. Redeemer owns Holy Redeemer Hospital, a 239-bed facility in Abington Township, Montgomery County, not far from Jefferson Abington Hospital.