Inquirer.com – Zurich DR

Tag: Radnor

  • 8 new restaurants to know about | Inquirer Radnor

    8 new restaurants to know about | Inquirer Radnor

    Hello, Radnor!

    Over half a dozen new eateries are opening nearby in the coming months, part of a larger restaurant boom in the region. Here are the spots to know. Also this week, Villanova University’s mascot has scored an NIL deal, the county’s former emergency services director stands trial, plus we peek inside a nearby estate with a four-bedroom house, a waterfall, and a meditation garden.

    In other news: The township is sharing its vision for the next decade and A Taste of Britain is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

    — Lisa Dukart (radnor@inquirer.com)

    P.S. We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at radnor@inquirer.com.

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

    8 new restaurants to put on your radar

    A rendering of Old Friend, opening in the Apartments at Wayne Station.Stokes Architecture & Design

    Dozens of new restaurants are opening throughout the region this fall and winter, including a handful in and around Radnor.

    Fearless Restaurants will grow its footprint in Wayne, adding 300-seat Southern Italian eatery Martini & Roz, which is taking over the former Bertucci’s space on Lancaster Avenue. And first-time restaurateurs Larry Kagan and Chas McFeely will open Old Friend, a contemporary American grill, in the Apartments at Wayne Station.

    Elsewhere nearby, the former La Jonquille and Shiraz spaces in Devon are expected to get new life, with Korean barbecue spot Salt opening on the ground floor in December, followed by sushi joint Yugo upstairs next year.

    Bryn Mawr will add Italian eatery Alessandro’s Enoteca, while Bala Cynwyd will get a new Southern Italian eatery in the former Aldar Bistro space. And in Ardmore, Taco Heart is expected to open this October, and Vintner’s Table just made its debut (more on that below).

    See all 60 new restaurants on tap in the region.

    💡 Community news

    • Villanova University’s mascot Will D. Cat has inked a name, image, and likeness deal with Friskies that will see the cat food brand donate meals to area pet shelters every time the Wildcats score during this football season.
    • Tim Boyce, the county’s former director of emergency services, stood trial this week for assaulting his executive assistant in 2024. Boyce was fired following the incident.
    • The township released its downtown master plan this week ahead of an Oct. 12 public hearing. “A Vision for Wayne,” which looks ahead to 2036, includes projects like a parklet on North Wayne Avenue, improved sidewalks and streetscapes, traffic calming measures on Lancaster Avenue, and connecting Wayne to the Radnor Trail. The township is also looking to support transit-accessible housing and the reopening of the Wayne Theater.
    • A Wayne man has been accused of working with a Mexican drug cartel to transport large amounts of cocaine from Mexico to the region. Edward Basley, 47, along with Gregory Jones of Philadelphia, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
    • Township police are warning residents about a scam where callers are impersonating Radnor officers.
    • Today, the township launched its “Pumpkin Patch Adventure” along the Radnor Trail, where participants can find 10 hidden pumpkins. The adventure runs through the end of the month, and two participants who send in photos to the Parks and Recreation department will win prizes.

    🗺️ Other nearby news

    • A “magical” 15-acre Malvern property with walking paths, a waterfall, a meditation garden, and a 6,050-square-foot fieldstone house is on the market for just under $7 million. Take a peek inside.
    • Delaware County resident and county employee Anthony “Tony” Oriente made it to the bonus round on an episode of Wheel of Fortune last week, ultimately winning over $25,000, as well as a trip to Vancouver Island. Oriente, who lives in Media, has previously appeared on The Price is Right and Deal or No Deal. Catch the episode here.

    🏫 Schools briefing

    • Nine local students have been named 2027 National Merit semifinalists. They are Radnor High School students Diana Dong, Nadia Doughery, Noah D. Engstrom, John Henofer, Natalie Merriam, Anthony Ramesh, Natalie Tyburski, and Alice Zeng, and Grayson School student Jacob Lee.

    🍽️ On our plate

    • Beloved Wayne tea room A Taste of Britain is marking its 35th anniversary this month with a $35, three-course prix fixe menu benefiting the Wayne Senior Center.
    • Village Cafe has soft opened at 1422 Manoa Rd. The new Wynnewood spot serves a selection of coffees and pastries.
    • Vintner’s Table opened its Ardmore outpost on Monday. Located at 24 Cricket Ave., the Italian-inspired wine bar has a salumeria and lifestyle boutique.
    • Bryn Mawr’s The Bakery House opened its second location over the weekend at 35 W. Lancaster Ave. in Paoli. It sells treats such as custom cakes, pastries, and pies, as well as the viral dot cakes.

    🎳 Things to do

    🎶 Weird Phishes: Catch a tribute to bands Radiohead and Phish. ⏰ Thursday, Oct. 1, 9:30 p.m. 💵 $20.75 📍 118 North

    🎨 Delco Arts Week: The annual countywide event pays homage to the region’s varied art scene. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 3-Sunday, Oct. 11, times vary 💵 Prices vary 📍 Throughout Delaware County

    🎃 Fall Harvest and Great Pumpkin Patch: Pick a pumpkin, take a tractor ride, and enjoy live entertainment at the annual event. ⏰ Sunday, Oct. 4, noon-3 p.m. (rain date: Oct. 11) 💵 Pay as you go 📍 The Willows Park

    🍷 Wine and Wander: Explore Stoneleigh after hours while sampling four types of wines. ⏰ Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 💵 $65-$75 📍 Stoneleigh

    🏡 On the market

    A six-bedroom Villanova home with a pool and spa

    Built in 2008, this stone Villanova home was designed for entertaining. It features a chef’s kitchen, complete with a butler’s pantry, that opens onto family and living rooms, each with their own fireplaces. The finished lower level has an additional family room with a bar, while outside, there’s a flagstone terrace with a built-in grill and seating that leads to a pool and spa. The home has six bedrooms, including a primary suite with its own fireplace, as well as two office spaces.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $4.65M | Size: 8,075 SF | Acreage: 1.36

    Each week we feature an interesting local listing in or around the township. Have one we should consider? Email us at radnor@inquirer.com.

    🗞️ What other Radnor 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.

  • Will Radnor actually get a new courthouse? | Inquirer Radnor

    Will Radnor actually get a new courthouse? | Inquirer Radnor

    Hello, Radnor!

    Welcome to the first edition of The Inquirer’s weekly newsletter bringing you the most pertinent news from in and around Radnor Township. Each week, you can expect a mix of the biggest community stories, school district and municipal government updates, restaurant and retail comings and goings, as well as local events you won’t want to miss.

    Here’s what’s going on this week: Officials’ quest to bring the magisterial district courthouse within township borders is proving a tall task. We explain why. Also noteworthy, a local surgery center is the busiest of its kind in the region, a beloved eatery is celebrating its 10th anniversary, plus, where to go leaf peeping this fall.

    As we get started, tell us what you think of our newsletter by emailing us here or taking our survey. And feel free to drop us a line any time, whether it’s with tips, coverage ideas, or just to say hello.

    See you back here next week!

    — Lisa Dukart (radnor@inquirer.com)

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

    Why relocating the magisterial district courthouse remains elusive

    Radnor Township Municipal Building.Jasmine Goldband / Staff

    Radnor officials are still on the hunt for a place to relocate the township’s magisterial district courthouse, which has been housed in Newtown Square for the past few years.

    It’s a tricky needle to thread given county constraints and residents’ preferences, something officials addressed at an information session this week.

    While some residents question the need for relocating the court, calling it a “pet project,” Commissioner Jack Larkin noted that having it within township boundaries is important ahead of the commonwealth’s decennial court district realignment process.

    The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner looks at where things stand, the significance of having a local court, and the challenges the township faces in trying to find a new location.

    💡 Community news

    🗺️ Other nearby news

    🏫 Schools briefing

    • Radnor High School is among the best public schools in the state, landing at No. 7 in Pennsylvania in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Nationwide, the school ranks No. 341.

    🍽️ On our plate

    🎳 Things to do

    🇫🇷 Regional French Cuisine and Wine: Chef Karen Bentz will take participants through several regional dishes, including a salad, chicken dish, and dessert. ⏰ Thursday, Sept. 24, 6-8:30 p.m. 💵 $85 for members, $100 for non-members 📍 Wayne Art Center

    📷 Garden Photography Workshop: Chanticleer horticulturist Lisa Roper will guide attendees through a workshop on the garden’s grounds, then work with them to select and edit a few photos. ⏰ Saturday, Sept. 26, 4:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 $95 📍 Chanticleer

    🌻 Eco-Printing with Wildflowers Workshop: Summer may officially be over, but that doesn’t mean its remnants can’t still make beautiful art. ⏰ Sunday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 💵 $85-$95 📍 Stoneleigh

    🎶 Joseph Parsons and Friends: The rock, folk, and soul singer-songwriter will take the stage. ⏰ Sunday, Sept. 27, 3 p.m. 💵 $27.32 📍 118 North

    🏡 On the market

    A century-old Villanova home with a guest cottage

    Dating back to 1900, this updated stone Villanova estate blends past and present. The home features an eat-in kitchen with an island, a living room with a fireplace, and a family room. It has four bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with a sitting area. Downstairs, there’s a finished basement with another fireplace. Its grounds include a pond and gardens, in addition to a guest cottage with a kitchenette.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $1.5M | Size: 3,245 SF | Acreage: 3.39

    Each week we feature an interesting listing in or around the township. Have one we should consider? Email us at radnor@inquirer.com.

    📈 Radnor market report

    • Median listing price: $912,000 (down $37,000 from July) 📉
    • Median sold price: $1.2M (same as July)
    • Days on the market: 31 (down 11 days from July) 📉

    This Radnor market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for August from realtor.com.

    🗞️ What other Radnor 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.

  • Radnor officials say price and location constraints have left few options for relocating local magisterial court

    Radnor officials say price and location constraints have left few options for relocating local magisterial court

    After abandoning a proposal to turn a shuttered veterinarian’s office into a magisterial district court, Radnor officials said Tuesday no other sites are currently on the table as they attempt to relocate the courthouse within the township’s bounds.

    Radnor commissioners in July advanced a proposal to purchase the former office at 405 W. Wayne Ave. and convert the building into a local courthouse.

    Radnor’s magisterial district court — which typically handles preliminary criminal hearings, traffic and local ordinance violations, and small civil suits — has been located in Newtown Square for three years as Radnor has been unable to find a home for it in the township.

    At a series of public meetings in recent weeks, residents pushed back against the West Wayne Avenue proposal, raising concerns that the courthouse would bring traffic and parking issues to the area and put individuals accused of crimes in proximity to the children who live and play in the neighborhood.

    The township dropped the plan to purchase the veterinarian’s office earlier this month, citing resident concerns and a “thorough review of the site and vital feedback.”

    Radnor drops plans to turn an old veterinary hospital into a local district court

    With that site off the table, Commissioner Jack Larkin told residents during a Tuesday information session that the township is continuing to look, but has found no other suitable options for a local courthouse, leaving questions regarding whether the court will be able to find a home in Radnor at all.

    Locating a new space for the court has been made difficult by a series of parameters from Delaware County and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Larkin said, including ADA accessibility, size, and parking. Delaware County, which is responsible for footing the bill for the building, has told Radnor it can pay between $20 and $30 per square foot for the space, a rate that is hard to come by in the township, Larkin said.

    On top of the guidelines from the state and county, Larkin said, residents have made clear they do not want a court near a residential neighborhood, a needle that is difficult to thread in Radnor, he said, where many commercial districts abut residential areas.

    At Tuesday’s meeting, a group of around 20 residents rebuked commissioners for what they described as poor planning and a lack of communication around the West Wayne Avenue acquisition proposal. Some said a lack of social media and email notification about the process made community members feel the commissioners were “sneaky.” One attendee said the court relocation effort is a “pet project” that residents have not asked for. Others rejected Larkin’s justification for why the court needs to move into Radnor at all.

    Larkin, an attorney, has argued repeatedly that it is important for Radnor residents to elect their own local judge rather than be split between other districts, and that bringing the courthouse home will signal to Pennsylvania that Radnor cares about retaining its own judge come the state’s decennial court district realignment process.

    “I just generally think that it’s good to have your judge in the community that he’s judging. That’s the way the system is supposed to work. The [magisterial district judge] is supposed to be in the magisterial district where he lives, where he works,” Larkin said.

    Until three years ago, Radnor’s district court cases were split between Marple and Newtown Townships.

    In response to questions about whether Radnor’s district courthouse being located outside the township’s bounds would affect the judicial realignment process, Stacey Witalec, director of communications for the Pennsylvania Judicial System, said “there are several courts within Delaware County which are co-located” and pointed to the court reestablishment procedures outlined in Pennsylvania statute.

    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.

  • Charles P. Baker III, celebrated cofounder of Baker Industries for the ‘least employable,’ has died at 101

    Charles P. Baker III, celebrated cofounder of Baker Industries for the ‘least employable,’ has died at 101

    Charles P. Baker III, 101, formerly of Radnor, celebrated cofounder of Baker Industries, longtime workplace for the “least employable,” former owner of the C.P. Baker & Co. chemical firm, Army veteran, national squash champion, mentor, and volunteer, died Wednesday, Sept. 16, of congestive heart failure at HarborChase assisted living community in Wilmington.

    Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Baker grew up in the old Colonial Hotel at 11th and Spruce Streets in Washington Square West. He and his wife, Louise, founded Baker Industries in 1980, and the workforce development nonprofit has hired, trained, and mentored more than 12,500 workers with physical and intellectual disabilities, substance use disorders, recent periods of incarceration, and housing insecurity who could not find jobs elsewhere.

    Their own son, Justin, lives with epilepsy and, when he could not find suitable employment years ago, Mr. Baker and his wife started their own two-person mail order packaging firm in their Strafford garage. Their son was their first hire.

    “We decided, if we’re going to start something like this, let’s go for the people who need it the most,” Mr. Baker told The Inquirer in 1998, “the ones who are least employable.”

    Mr. Baker and his wife, Louise, stand inside their Baker Industries building in Malvern in 2003. Michael Bryant / Staff Photographer

    For nearly five decades, Baker Industries has contracted light industrial and office work from hundreds of businesses, and operated facilities in Philadelphia, Malvern, and elsewhere. Employees are paid an hourly wage, offered additional training, and encouraged to attend workshops, social events, and support group meetings.

    The company motto is “providing a steppingstone to regular employment,” and many workers have moved on to higher-paying jobs elsewhere. “We have a philosophy of work as rehabilitation,” Mr. Baker told the Daily News in 1988. “The goal is to show these people they can do a whale of a lot more than they think they can do.”

    Baker Industries provides jobs to workers who are often overlooked by other companies

    Mr. Baker served as the unpaid president at Baker Industries until 2002 and then on the board of directors. In the 1950s, he assumed control of his family’s small chemical company, C.P. Baker & Co., and he expanded it before selling it in 1980.

    “Charlie and Weezie Baker believed there is healing in work,” colleagues at Baker Industries said in a Facebook tribute on his 101st birthday in June. “Not just jobs. Work. Showing up. Being part of something. Contributing alongside others.”

    Mr. Baker played many roles at Baker Industries.Baker Industries

    Turk Thacher, vice board chair at Baker Industries, said: “Charlie was beloved. He was kind to everybody.”

    Mr. Baker, his wife, and their company were featured often on TV shows, and in The Inquirer, the Daily News, and other publications. They won many awards for their community service and innovative business model.

    “I was grateful to have their guidance,” Nic Watson, president of Baker Industries, said, “and we will follow their example for years to come.”

    In 1991, the company was named an inspirational Point of Light by President George H.W. Bush. In 2004, Mr. Baker and his wife earned the legacy award for “community generosity” from the Chester County Community Foundation.

    “They went above and beyond their own self-interest,” a foundation official told The Inquirer then.

    This photo and article about Mr. Baker were published in The Inquirer in 1998.Newspapers.com

    Away from work, Mr. Baker was an avid squash player, skier, and sailor. He won the U.S. national hardball singles squash championship six times in the 80-and-older division from 2006 to 2016, skied into his 70s, sailed into his 80s, and played squash and tennis at the Merion Cricket Club until recently.

    He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1946 and served more than seven years in the Army. He was stationed in Europe and rose to captain. His family called him a “relentlessly joyful spirit” in a tribute and said: “The world was a better place for his presence.”

    Charles Pitman Baker III was born June 24, 1925, in Philadelphia. His father, Charles Jr., was manager at the old Colonial Hotel, and Mr. Baker told stories of dropping water balloons on passing pedestrians from windows when he was very young and spending summers at the beach and on boats with the Ocean City Yacht Club.

    He was a star squash player at the Haverford School and known by classmates as “the Arm,” his 1943 senior yearbook said, “because of the vicious way he wields a racket.” His mother died when he was 11.

    This photo and article about Mr. Baker (left) appeared in the Daily News in 1990.Newspapers.,com

    He met Louise Wilhelm while water-skiing in Ocean City, and they married in 1955, and had sons Charles IV and Justin and a daughter, Sandra. His wife died in 2025.

    Mr. Baker and his wife attended Wayne Presbyterian Church, and he was known for his bow ties and wide smiles. He was funny, his daughter said, and liked to sing show tunes anytime anywhere, and write corny poems on birthday cards.

    “He was a wonderful dad who loved his family,” his daughter said. His family said in a tribute: “His legacy of service, humor, and kindness will live on for many generations to come.”

    Why did best-selling author Carol Saline email The Inquirer’s obit writer?

    His wife told The Inquirer in 2004: “Charlie has a kind heart.”

    Mr. Baker (front left) celebrated his 100st birthday in June 2025 with his family.Courtesy of the family

    In addition to his children, Mr. Baker is survived by four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and other relatives. Two sisters died earlier.

    Visitation with the family is to be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, Pa. 19087. A celebration of his life is to follow. Bow ties are optional but encouraged, the family said.

    Donations in his name may be made to Baker Industries, 184 Pennsylvania Ave., Malvern, Pa. 19355.

    His wife told The Inquirer in 2004: “Charlie has a kind heart.”Baker Industries
  • The busiest ambulatory surgery centers in the Philadelphia region

    The busiest ambulatory surgery centers in the Philadelphia region

    The two busiest surgery centers in the Philadelphia region last year were operated by Penn Medicine in Radnor and Jefferson Health in Center City.

    Such facilities have grown increasingly popular as a cost-saving option for procedures that do not require intensive hospital resources or overnight stays.

    While they offer convenience, the facilities operated by Penn and Jefferson both count as hospital departments for billing purposes, which means they cost more than surgery centers operated by independent physicians or other companies.

    Penn Medicine Radnor Surgery Center operates within a large outpatient facility near the intersection of I-476 and Route 30. It logged 12,464 surgical visits in 2025, up from 8,961 the year before, according to data published last month by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

    Penn attributed the growth to the addition of new gastroenterologists in Radnor to perform colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, and other procedures. Colonoscopies, in particular, account for a large portion of the overall volume in surgery centers outside hospitals.

    Jefferson Surgery Center was close behind, with 12,261 surgical visits, up from 2,639 in 2024. It sits within the Honickman Center, which opened in 2024 at 1101 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia. Jefferson has gradually expanded the array of surgical services offered there.

    “Growth has been driven by both increasing patient demand and the strategic transition of services from other Jefferson locations, allowing us to provide care in a state-of-the-art outpatient environment,” Jefferson said in an email.

    Other fast-growing surgery centers include two independently operated facilities focused on orthopedics, Premier at Exton Surgery Center in Exton and Restore Orthopaedic Surgical Institute in Chadds Ford.

    (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();

    Surgery center ownership matters

    Even though the Penn and Jefferson outpatient facilities are not in hospitals, their ownership by large hospital systems enables providers to get paid as if they were located inside the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

    Hospital outpatient department billing rates are sometimes twice as much as the rates paid to independent surgery centers.

    For example, surgery to remove torn cartilage from a knee can cost $7,190 when performed on an outpatient basis in a hospital, nearly three times the $2,477 cost in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to Philadelphia-area commercial insurance averages from Turquoise Health.

    Health insurers Independence Blue Cross and Highmark have implemented policies this year seeking to save money for employers and patients by moving care out of hospitals and into ambulatory surgery centers or ASCs. Both insurers say they will only pay for certain procedures if they are done in an ASC.

    But it’s not enough to move surgeries to a setting outside a hospital, given the hospital-like billing status of certain surgery centers.

    “The cost savings from an ASC depend on the facility’s ownership, licensing, and billing model,” Richard Snyder, IBX’s chief operating officer, said in a email to The Inquirer.

    IBX would like to see more ASCs in its Southeastern Pennsylvania market and is “prepared to help catalyze growth through continued value-based arrangements, strategic partnerships, and investments,” Snyder said.

    Litigation over ASCs and other policies

    In a July lawsuit against IBX, Jefferson claimed that the insurer’s ASC policy amounted to a change to the financial terms of their contract that needed to be negotiated.

    The lawsuit said that ASC mandate will cost the health system $35.4 million, but doesn’t specify over what time period.

    IBX filed a motion last week to dismiss the lawsuit, which was moved to U.S. District Court in Philadelphia from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

    The insurer says that the lawsuit was premature because Jefferson filed it before completing a contractual process designed to resolve such policy conflicts.

  • 2 men charged with rape of student at Eastern University in Delaware County

    2 men charged with rape of student at Eastern University in Delaware County

    Two men have been charged in the sexual assault of a student at Eastern University inside a dorm room earlier this year, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced Thursday.

    Dontae Williams, who turns 20 on Friday, and Chase Thompson, 19, surrendered to Radnor Township police on Thursday to face charges of rape of unconscious person and related offenses. Bail was set at $150,000 unsecured for both men.

    The assaults allegedly occurred in the Kea Hall residence of Naeem Turner, a friend of the victim, Rouse said. Turner was issued a summons to appear in court on three counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly recording video of the victim.

    Robert C. Keller, a lawyer representing Williams, said his client “has been cooperating since the beginning.”

    Keller said he will review the criminal case against Williams and pursue an appropriate defense.

    No lawyers could be identified Thursday evening for the other two men.

    Eastern University, a private Christian institution located in St. Davids, said in an emailed statement Thursday evening:

    “Student safety remains our highest priority. Sexual assault is not tolerated at Eastern University. The university took this incident very seriously, acting swiftly and fully cooperating with the Radnor Police Department throughout their investigation.”

    Eastern University continued: “We are grieved by this situation and the impact it has had on those involved. As a Christian university, we are committed to the safety and well-being of our students.”

    The university said Naeem Turner was no longer enrolled at Eastern.

    On Feb. 1, Radnor Township police responded to Eastern University for a report of a rape, Rouse said. The officers met with the student, who said that after a night out drinking, she reached out to Turner, her friend.

    Turner said he had cousins visiting his dorm room, but she could come over, the police criminal complaint said.

    The student, who already was intoxicated, arrived at Turner’s residence and was given tequila to drink, the complaint said. The student then said she fell asleep.

    She was then allegedly sexually assaulted by Williams and Thompson, the complaint said.

    Investigators collected DNA evidence that matched both men, the complaint said.

    Turner had recorded video of himself engaged in sexual activity with the student, and twice the victim is seen pushing the phone camera away and indicating that she did not want to be recorded, the complaint said.

    Turner, who was not charged with rape or any other assaults, said he had consensual sex with the victim, the complaint said.

    The student said she did not remember having consensual sex with Turner and that she did not consent to being recorded, the complaint said.

    Turner later allegedly sent two video clips to a contact on his phone, the complaint said.

    “This incident is an appalling violation of a person’s safety, dignity, and trust,” Rouse said in statement.

    “No one should ever have to fear being sexually assaulted by someone they know, and especially not by someone they consider a friend. It can be frightening to come forward after an experience like this, and we commend the victim for having the courage to report what happened,” Rouse said.

    “Sexual violence is never acceptable, and my heart goes out to a young woman that will live with this trauma for the rest of her life. No one should have to fear that someone they trust will violate their safety or boundaries. There will be accountability,” Rouse said.

  • Reed E. Pyeritz, pioneering medical geneticist and Penn professor emeritus, has died at 78

    Reed E. Pyeritz, pioneering medical geneticist and Penn professor emeritus, has died at 78

    Reed E. Pyeritz, 78, of Radnor, pioneering medical geneticist, cofounder of the Marfan Foundation and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, professor emeritus of medicine and genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, author, mentor, veteran, and nationally ranked masters triathlete, died Monday, Aug. 10, of interstitial lung disease at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

    Dr. Pyeritz was a trailblazing expert on the diagnosis and treatment of Marfan syndrome and other inherited cardiovascular disorders. His 44 years of research and clinical work, from 1978 to 2022, advanced the understanding and management of the diseases, and extended the life expectancy of Marfan patients by 30 years.

    “So many of us in the community owe Reed so much,” Bert Medina, board chair of the Marfan Foundation, said in a tribute. “His legacy lives on in all of us, thanks to his dedication.”

    In an online tribute, a relative of former patients said: “Without this amazing doctor, I wouldn’t have my sister or dad. He changed the world for Marfan patients and their families.”

    Dr. Pyeritz joined the faculty at Penn in 2001 and spent more than 20 years treating patients, teaching students, doing landmark studies on the value and social implications of genetic testing, and championing patient-centered care. He was codirector of Penn’s research center on hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, onetime chair of the faculty senate, and a fellow at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and other medical associations.

    His “vision and scholarship fundamentally transformed the care of patients,” Nimesh D. Desai, director of the Penn Aorta Center, said on X.

    Before Penn, Dr. Pyeritz spent nine years in Pittsburgh with what is now the Allegheny Health Network and 17 years at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In 1991, his team at Hopkins discovered that mutations in the FBN1 gene cause Marfan syndrome and followed up with new regimens to treat it.

    He cofounded the Marfan Foundation in 1981 and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics in 1991. “It became clear that folks with Marfan syndrome could benefit by an organization that allowed them to communicate [and] to stimulate other physicians to become involved,” he said in a 2018 video interview.

    This story and photos about Dr. Pyeritz appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1994.Newspapers.com

    Colleagues, friends, and former patients called him “a phenomenal physician,” “a guiding light,” and “an extraordinarily reassuring presence” in online tributes. In 2018, he said: “The most gratifying thing is the fact that folks [with Marfan syndrome] are living their normal life expectancy.”

    Dianna Milewicz, chair of the John Ritter Foundation advisory board, noted his “excellence in clinical care, teaching, and research” on Facebook. Michael L. Weamer, president and CEO of the Marfan Foundation, called him “a true hero” and said his “impact on our community is immeasurable.”

    Dr. Pyeritz edited medical reference books and wrote The Marfan Syndrome and Uncertain Precision: Managing Health Care with Personalized Technologies. More than 700 of his research studies, reviews, and book chapters were published.

    He served 13 years in the Army Reserve Medical Corps and earned lifetime achievement awards from the Marfan Foundation, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and other groups.

    Dr. Pyeritz and his wife, Jane Tumpson, married in 1972.Courtesy of the family

    On weekends, he did marathons and triathlons, and was part of a world record 100-man, 100-mile relay. His family said in a tribute: “He measured a successful life less by titles or awards than by what one gives, what one learns, whom one loves, and what one leaves behind in others.”

    Reed Edwin Pyeritz was born Nov. 2, 1947, in Pittsburgh. He was fascinated by science and space as a boy, and he built rockets in his backyard and performed scientific experiments in his bedroom.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Delaware in 1968, a master’s degree and doctorate in biological chemistry at Harvard University in 1972, and his medical degree at Harvard in 1975.

    He met Jane Tumpson in first grade, and they graduated together from Mount Lebanon High School near Pittsburgh in 1965. They reconnected on the tennis court a few years later, married in 1972, and had daughters Allyson and Abigail.

    Dr. Pyeritz, left in the top photo and right in the bottom photo, enjoyed time with his family.Courtesy of the family

    Dr. Pyeritz and his wife honeymooned on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and traveled the world together for years. In April, the whole family went to Spain.

    He liked to wear bow ties, build stone walls, watch the news, and spend time outside with his dogs. He followed the Pittsburgh pro sports teams closely and enjoyed Manhattans and chocolate milkshakes.

    “I will miss it all,” he told colleagues at Cure HHT when he retired a few years ago. “But I am certainly looking forward to spending time with my two granddaughters, Tallulah and Penelope.”

    His daughters said: “Ever an adventurer, he instilled in us the importance of making the most of every day, watching the sunrise or sunset, and cherishing the time you have.”

    His wife said: “He loved without exception and reservation.”

    In addition to his wife, daughters, and granddaughters, Dr. Pyeritz is survived by son-in-law Keith Hopkins and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

    A celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Marfan Foundation, 22 Manhasset Ave., Port Washington, N.Y. 11050.

    Dr. Pyeritz “loved without exception and reservation,” his wife said.Courtesy of the family
  • Main Line to get a buzzy new restaurant led by a Fork and Vernick alum

    Main Line to get a buzzy new restaurant led by a Fork and Vernick alum

    One of the year’s more closely watched Main Line restaurant projects now has a name, a chef, and a clearer identity.

    Old Friend, a contemporary American grill built around live-fire cooking, is targeting a late-fall opening in downtown Wayne with former Fork executive chef Sam Henzy leading the kitchen.

    The 86-seat restaurant — 78 in the dining room and eight at the bar — will be at 166 E. Lancaster Ave., in a newly constructed ground-floor retail space at Lancaster and Louella Avenues that is part of the Apartments at Wayne Station. It is amid Wayne’s restaurant row, across from Maison Lotus and Rosalie, and just a few blocks from At the Table, White Dog Cafe, and the North Wayne Avenue dining strip.

    Rendering of Old Friend, 166 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne.Stokes Architecture & Design
    Architectural rendering of the facade of Old Friend, 166 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne.Stokes Architecture & Design

    Old Friend is the creation of Larry Kagan and Chas McFeely, who met in 1984 at Welsh Valley Middle School and later attended Harriton High. McFeely, an advertising copywriter who lives in Alameda, Calif., has family ties to the Main Line and returns frequently.

    Kagan, who works in financial services and is a partner in the Campus sports complex in Downingtown, offered the first public outline of the project at a March Radnor Township Board of Commissioners hearing for its liquor-license transfer, describing an unnamed grill restaurant “that’s going to have the soul of a steakhouse.”

    Kagan told The Inquirer this week that the name “old friend” describes his relationship with McFeely: “It’s someone between friend and family — someone you can pick up at any time, you can be yourself.” The name, he said, also reflects the sort of relationship they hope to develop with customers.

    Kagan acknowledges that neither he nor McFeely is a restaurateur. They brought in Stove & Co. chef-owner Joe Monnich as a consultant to develop the concept and assemble the operating team. Monnich will remain in a leadership role while continuing at Stove & Co., whose holdings include Stove & Tap and Joey Chops.

    Sam Henzy in 2025, when he joined Fork as executive chef.Courtesy of Fork

    The connection to Henzy came through Monnich. The two met at Morimoto when Henzy was about 20 and, as he puts it, “green as grass.”

    “Joe was the first chef who pushed me really hard, but he did that great older-brother thing of pushing somebody while being there to answer questions,” Henzy said. “He really took me under his wing.”

    They remained friends as Henzy built his career. He did not know the name of the Wayne restaurant until he recently visited the space with Monnich and the owners.

    “When they told me it was going to be called Old Friend, it just made me smile,” Henzy said, “because that’s how I think of Joe.”

    Henzy, who grew up in Delaware, is best known locally for his two years as executive chef at Fork in Old City. His resumé also includes Middle Child Clubhouse, Vernick Food & Drink, Noma in Copenhagen, and Quince and Angler in San Francisco.

    Henzy’s experience with live-fire cooking began during a six-month internship at Noma. He remembers touring the cutting-edge restaurant and encountering a Josper charcoal grill set up in a makeshift shack out back.

    “In that moment, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m taking that station,’” Henzy said.

    He eventually did, spending the final three months of his internship on the Josper. Later, he sought out Vernick Food & Drink in part for its wood-burning oven. His most intensive live-fire experience came at Angler, where he was executive sous chef and the cooking line had no conventional stoves.

    “It’s just fires,” Henzy said. “It’s fires everywhere you look.”

    Old Friend will bring him back to that style of cooking. Its open kitchen will center on a charcoal-fired Josper combination grill and oven, which Kagan calls the restaurant’s “engine.”

    Designed by Stokes Architecture & Design, the restaurant will feature reclaimed mushroom wood, an oak bar, and an open, firebrick-lined hearth that will put the Josper in view of the dining room.

    Kagan calls Old Friend a contemporary American grill. The developing à la carte menu will move from small and medium plates to larger-format proteins intended for sharing. The wine list will be compact and closely matched to the food.

    Fish — including some dry-aged fish — as well as poultry and other proteins will be cooked on the Josper. Henzy gained experience dry-aging fish at Angler and wants to explore the technique further at Old Friend.

    “I think dry-aging fish is both an underused and a misunderstood technique,” he said.

    Old Friend also represents a move away from what became Henzy’s signature at Fork. Pasta may appear on the menu, but it will not be a focus. At Fork, he said, its popularity “took on a life of its own,” sometimes overshadowing the rest of the menu.

    “I’m really big on never resting on my laurels and taking on new challenges,” Henzy said.

    After years away froma live fire-fueled kitchen, Henzy said, “I’ve really been itching to get back into the flames.”

  • House of the week: A four-bedroom century-old stone house in Bryn Mawr for $699,000

    House of the week: A four-bedroom century-old stone house in Bryn Mawr for $699,000

    Elizabeth Monroe was living in New Jersey with her son in 2006 when she saw a listing in Bryn Mawr, and thought it might be time to go back to the town where she’d grown up.

    “I hadn’t even gone inside it,” she said. “but I loved the Tudor look and the stone.

    “It’s a soulful kind of house. A friend once called it my ‘sanctuary,’” she recalled.

    One of the bedrooms in the Bryn Mawr home features large windows to let in the light. Brendan Farrell

    The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house spans 1,762 square feet.

    Monroe, an ordained Presbyterian minister who mostly worked as a hospice chaplain, said she had considerable renovations done, mostly on the first and second floors.

    The house, has a gated front porch, original hardwood floors, and deep-set windows.

    The kitchen has updated appliances. Brendan Farrell

    The kitchen has white cabinetry, black granite countertops, and updated appliances.

    The living room has a working gas fireplace.

    Each of the two second-floor bedrooms has its own sitting room, which could be used as a home office, reading room, art studio, or playroom.

    A working gas fireplace is a highlight of the living room.Brendan Farrell

    The third floor has two additional bedrooms and a hall bathroom.

    There is high velocity central air and 200-amp electrical service.

    There is a private brick patio, a fenced outdoor space, and a detached one-car garage. It is walkable to the Bryn Mawr Regional Rail station.

    The dining room can fit a table for six.Brendan Farrell

    And “it’s walkable to the Wawa,” Monroe joked. And since the parking lot there is often congested, “I thought that this might be a selling point.”

    The house is in the Radnor School District.

    It is listed by Colleen Whitlock and Brianna Golden of Keller Williams Main Line for $699,000.

  • An old veterinarian’s office may become Radnor’s new district court

    An old veterinarian’s office may become Radnor’s new district court

    A shuttered veterinarian’s office in Wayne may become the new site of a local courthouse.

    Radnor Township has set its sights on purchasing 405 W. Wayne Ave., the former home of St. George Hunt Memorial Veterinary Hospital, for $1.45 million and converting the building into its magisterial district court.

    The building would be owned by the township and leased back to Delaware County, which pays for and operates the county’s 30 district courts. District courts are the first level in Pennsylvania’s state court system and typically handle traffic cases, minor criminal cases, and civil cases involving amounts up to $12,000.

    Radnor’s district court cases were previously split between Marple and Newtown Townships, meaning Radnor residents looking to challenge a speeding ticket or sue a faulty contractor would have to do their legal business in another town. Three years ago, a realignment of the court once again gave Radnor its own court, but a struggle to find a home has forced Radnor’s court proceedings to take place in Newtown Square.

    Radnor’s district judge is Sloan Walker.

    Officials said bringing Radnor’s district court home would make hearings more convenient for residents and law enforcement officers, would save the police department on gas and overtime expenditures, and would, the next time court realignment occurs, send a message to the state that Radnor should retain its own court.

    “Eventually there’s going to be pressure, some other district is going to want a judge, and when the Supreme Court looks at Radnor and we haven’t had a magistrate in Radnor for 15 years, they’re going to say, ‘Well, they don’t really want one,’” Township Commissioner Jack Larkin told attendees at a July meeting, warning of the consequences of continuing to hold Radnor’s legal proceedings in Newtown Square.

    Why is Radnor’s district court judge still sitting in Newtown Square? The cash-strapped county has been unable to afford the high cost of renting a space in Radnor, Larkin said.

    Officials said they looked far and wide for commercial space in the township that would fit the court’s needs. Though “there are other places that are probably better locations” in the township, Larkin said, the Wayne Avenue site is already zoned for commercial use, has ample parking, is within the county’s price range, and is, most importantly, available.

    Under the proposal, officials say, the county would pay the township back for the cost of purchasing the building and retrofitting it as a courthouse over the course of 10 years.

    Township Commissioner Moira Mulroney said Radnor has “exhausted every option” during its three-year search.

    At a meeting this week, residents pleaded with the commissioners to find another location for the court, citing concerns over traffic, parking, and the safety of having court proceedings happening in a neighborhood full of children.

    “Respectfully, this is a square peg going in a round hole,” resident Jason Bologna said. “This is a court that is being put into a residential neighborhood, and that is not appropriate for our neighborhood.”

    Diane Edbril, another resident, said the commissioners’ proposal is “an idiotic solution” and “ridiculous.”

    “I am absolutely terrified by the idea of shackles and handcuffs in my backyard. I don’t think that that should be in anybody’s backyard,” resident Marciana Bradley said.

    Larkin told residents that it is “incredibly early in the process” and that there will be a “lot of opportunities for feedback.”

    In order to move the court into the old vet building, the township board of commissioners would need to approve and finalize the sale, and the county would need to agree to a lease price.

    Radnor Township is planning to hold a public meeting in September, where residents will be able to ask questions and learn more about the district court.

    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.