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  • Battleship New Jersey is getting a 3-story visitor center, double the parking, and more with $24 million upgrades

    Battleship New Jersey is getting a 3-story visitor center, double the parking, and more with $24 million upgrades

    Battleship New Jersey will soon undergo another facelift through a $24.25 million redevelopment project tackling work on and off the ship.

    The project, which could take about two years to complete, includes an expanded visitor center, double the parking, and a new event space.

    Marshall Spevak, Battleship New Jersey’s CEO, said it is the biggest capital investment in the ship since it opened its doors 25 years ago.

    Big J, nearly 2½ football fields long, returned to the Camden waterfront in June 2024 after the World War II-era vessel was dry-docked in Philadelphia for 78 days while it received multimillion-dollar routine maintenance, repairs, and a paint job for the first time in three decades.

    Back on the water, the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial announced plans Wednesday for infrastructure improvements to the ship, along with landside renovations, that are scheduled to start during the second or third quarter of 2027.

    The visitor center at 62 Battleship Place has not changed much since the USS New Jersey went public in 2001, Spevak said.

    Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen finishes his talk on the Battleship New Jersey during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 to announce the museum’s multimillion-dollar renovation. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    At the time, the center was deemed temporary. At less than 4,000 square feet, Spevak said, the structure was comparable to a Butler building — a cost-effective, ready-made storage warehouse — and to a shipping container.

    But after 25 years, the nonprofit is looking to build something permanent.

    “Right now, we do what we can,” Spevak said. “But this entire project is building a campus that’s worthy of the ship.”

    The new $9.5 million visitor center, at the same address, will be about 8,700 square feet, more than double its current size. The facility, three stories with a roof deck, will include a new store, a small cafe with a commercial kitchen, exhibit and collection spaces, and offices for staff.

    The plan will also add a level to the current parking lot at Wiggins Marina, which will double visitors’ parking options to 240 spaces.

    Battleship New Jersey’s new visitor center, set to start construction in 2027, will sit along the Camden waterfront in South Jersey. This rendering by PS&S shows the northeast aerial view of the upcoming center.PS&S

    That $5 million parking project will allow all visitors to park in one place, Spevak said, and hopefully resolve confusion drivers currently face when their GPS devices lead them to various spots along the waterfront.

    Battleship New Jersey will also undergo $6 million in upgrades on board, including a new private event space on the main deck, painting and repairs to the ship’s superstructure, new exterior lighting, accessibility improvements, a better generator system, more than $1 million in bathroom renovations, pier repairs, elevator shaft fixes, and more.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also set to dredge Big J’s berth, or remove sediment and silt from where the ship currently sits. Spevak said that likely will not take place until the second half of 2027, when the ship will close for a couple of weeks while it temporarily relocates during the dredging process.

    PS&S, an architectural and engineering firm based in Cherry Hill, is leading the project, Spevak said, with help from engineering firm Pennoni. A general contractor has not been assigned to the project yet, though Spevak said that decision could come later this year.

    Battleship New Jersey’s new visitor center, set to start construction in 2027, will sit along the Camden waterfront in South Jersey. This rendering by PS&S shows the west elevation of the upcoming center.PS&S

    The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will support the project with $19.9 million in tax credits awarded through its Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion program, according to Camden County officials. The program incentivizes capital projects at arts and culture spots statewide.

    Because Battleship New Jersey is a public charity and does not pay taxes, the nonprofit has a buyer lined up to purchase the tax credits, Spevak said, which will allow the organization to pay down its debt service on the project.

    Spevak said the nonprofit could not have pursued the renovations, which he hopes will help revitalize the Camden waterfront, without the state program.

    “This project is what will keep us growing on the waterfront,” Spevak said.

    After the tax credits, the outstanding project costs come from “a mix of Battleship funds, revenue, and investments along with a grant from the Camden County Open Space & Historic Preservation Fund,” Spevak said in an email.

    Camden County will help out, too.

    Spevak said the county will support the structure by giving the nonprofit a long-term lease for the parking garage, provide some cash equity, and guarantee the bond required for the project, which allows Battleship New Jersey to borrow using the county’s bond rating and get better interest rates.

  • Montco Intermediate Unit to tighten travel policy after probe into leaders’ trips to Africa and Asia

    Montco Intermediate Unit to tighten travel policy after probe into leaders’ trips to Africa and Asia

    The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit’s board of directors plans to tighten its professional development and travel policies after learning in March that its leaders had used their agency credit cards to purchase overseas trips — including a 14-day African safari — without the board’s knowledge.

    Mark Klein, an attorney and former schools superintendent who conducted a two-month investigation into the trips, told board members at a virtual meeting Tuesday night that, going forward, the board should require Montco IU leaders to receive board approval for travel.

    The current policy, which Klein said includes no such requirement, is “in conflict with many of the school districts that are in the area.” He noted that it is not an unusual policy for an intermediate unit.

    The outside investigation began after The Inquirer reported in March that the Montco IU’s executive director, Regina Speaker, and its assistant executive director, Sandra Edling, had used their procurement cards to book about $40,000 worth of international travel since 2023.

    Speaker has defended the 2023 trip she and Edling took to Kenya and Tanzania, which culminated a yearlong academy for education leaders run by the School Superintendents Association, known as AASA.

    The itinerary included a trip to a tribal school, as well as 11 nights in “handpicked hotels,” six sightseeing tours, and eight wildlife drives in search of zebras, monkeys, lions, baboons, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, wildebeests, and “the exceedingly rare black rhino.”

    “Everything was through the lens of leadership,” Speaker previously told The Inquirer. “It was about that process of survival of the fittest, and how are you a leader, and what do you prioritize.”

    At Tuesday night’s meeting, however, Speaker apologized for the lack of “adequate transparency” around her travel.

    “For anyone who felt disappointed, concerned or uncertain because of my decision, I sincerely apologize,” Speaker said. “I never take your confidence or trust for granted. I remain committed to serving with integrity, humility, and transparency.”

    Records obtained by The Inquirer last year through a Right-to-Know request showed that Speaker in May 2023 made about $9,000 in purchases related to the Africa trip without providing receipts. The only mention of Africa in the records appeared months later when she purchased a Tanzanian eVisa for $139.

    The Montco IU’s then-board president did not sign off on the expenses until after Speaker had returned from Nairobi.

    Klein did not directly address those issues in his presentation Tuesday. He recommended that the intermediate unit conduct an audit of how procurement cards are used.

    Speaker, whose base salary was $298,000 last year, also traveled to South Korea and Singapore for 11 days in April 2025 as part of a $13,000 leadership academy.

    The profile of Dr Regina C. Speaker on Montgomery County Intermediate Unit’s website.Courtesy of MCIU

    Gary Ledebur, a Montco IU board member who also sits on the board of the Upper Merion Area School District, said that while Speaker, according to Klein’s findings, did not violate any policies, “I think Dr. Speaker took advantage of this lack of policy.”

    “In my opinion, she exhibited an error in judgment,” Ledebur said. “I wish she had chosen not to go on these trips.”

    The intermediate unit, which provides support services to more than 200 area schools, is one of 29 state-mandated agencies in Pennsylvania. It has a $198 million budget and receives a mix of local, state, and federal funding.

    The full 21-person board, which is composed of members from each school district board in the county, will meet later this month. It is expected to accept Klein’s recommendations.

    “We have found some gaps in our policies, and now that we know that, we’re going to do better,” Margaret Wright, president of the intermediate unit’s board, said Tuesday night.

    Expense reports show that in March 2025, Edling, whose base salary last year was $215,000, used her procurement card to make about $7,000 in purchases related to what is described on the purchasing log only as a “conference.” The documents did not name a location or offer specifics.

    The Inquirer reported that the expenses were for a planned 10-day trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in October 2025 sponsored by AASA, the same superintendents group that organized the African safari.

    “Ascend into the Alps for an evening of true Swiss hospitality,” reads the itinerary. “As you feast on beautiful views from your hosts’ mountain chalet, enjoy traditional food, entertainment and fun Swiss games and activities.”

    Two school visits were also planned, according to a brochure, in addition to quick-tempo Viennese waltz lessons, an underground train ride into Austria’s ancient Hallein Salt Mine, and a “journey to crazy King Ludwig’s fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein.”

    Edling ended up not going on that trip. Speaker said the IU subsequently froze all travel amid Pennsylvania’s budget impasse that had held up much of the intermediate unit’s funding. (The cancellation also came after The Inquirer had requested the records. Speaker said the IU was able to get a refund for that trip.)

    After The Inquirer’s story was published, about 50 people showed up for the Montco IU’s next board meeting, which are usually sparsely attended. At least 225 more joined by Zoom. Intermediate unit employees expressed outrage.

    “The trips felt deceptive and intentionally secretive, and I struggle to understand how they related to our mission,” Liz Forcellini, an occupational therapist at the IU, told the board, adding that some staffers were paying for supplies with their own money.

    Public finance experts said the trips raised larger questions about whether taxpayers should pay the full cost of professional-development outings that include substantial leisure time. Some school administrators who went on the Africa safari paid for it out of pocket, including the head of a New Jersey education service agency who said she also took vacation days.

    “Most of us would consider it a dream trip,” Andrew MacLeod, a personal care assistant at the IU, told the board at the March 25 meeting.

    The saga took a bizarre turn the following evening when Kimberly Wheeler, then a member of the Montco IU board, falsely stated at a public meeting of the Souderton Area School District’s board of directors that The Inquirer reporter who wrote the story “right now is under investigation with the Philadelphia police for misleading information, and reporting on inaccurate information.”

    Sgt. Eric Gripp, a Philadelphia police spokesperson, said in June that the department does not conduct criminal investigations of journalists for their reporting.

    Wheeler later walked back her remarks about a police investigation and said she had been “going by the word of Dr. Speaker.”

    Asked for comment at the time, Speaker sent a 2023 news release issued by Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s office complaining about a story that had exposed financial problems in her office that year. It made no mention of a police investigation.

    Staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.

  • Food insecurity in N.J. nearly doubled over four years, new report says

    Food insecurity in N.J. nearly doubled over four years, new report says

    Food insecurity nearly doubled in New Jersey since 2020, with some 1.2 million people struggling to regularly afford food here, according to a nonprofit analysis of federal data.

    Statewide, 13% of Garden State residents could not always count on three meals a day in 2024, the latest federal figures available, up from 7.4% in 2020, according to a new analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture figures released by the nonprofit advocacy group Feeding America. That included nearly 330,000 children, the analysis found.

    Hunterdon County had the least food insecurity in 2024, with just 7.2% of its residents struggling to put food on the table, while Hudson had the highest rate, with 19.1%, Feeding America found.

    Feeding America has surveyed food insecurity since 2011 and produces the annual “Map the Meal Gap” study to help illustrate the scope of the problem. Nationwide, nearly 48 million people — 14.4% of Americans — meet the federal definition of food insecure, meaning the household did not earn enough to always afford food.

    The latest report notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has since canceled its collection of food-security data.

    “Feeding America is collaborating with the nationwide network and partners to explore alternative data sources to ensure local updates can continue in 2027 and beyond,” the organization said.

    In New Jersey, close to 900,000 people benefit from federally funded food stamps, which provide cash payments based on their income level to help them afford groceries. These payments, which average $194 a month, have been shown to reduce stress and boost the local economy, prompting some $33 million in direct spending between 2023 and 2025, according to a report commissioned by the state Department of Human Services, which oversees the food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

    “SNAP remains a critical lifeline that helps ensure families can meet their basic needs and maintain food security,” Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha said when the office released that data in June.

    New Jersey’s food stamp program costs $1.9 billion annually, most of it traditionally covered by federal funding. Feeding America said it would have cost another $920 million to eliminate food security in New Jersey in 2024.

    Changes enacted by the Trump administration recently shifted some of the cost of the food stamp program to state governments. Other changes, including new rules requiring certain recipients to prove they are working, in school, or caring for a loved one at least 20 hours a week, could reduce benefits for some people and force at least 47,000 people from the food stamp program entirely, experts warn.

    In 2022, the state launched the New Jersey Office of Food Insecurity, as part of the Department of Agriculture, to help more families access nutrition. New Jersey had the fifth-lowest prevalence of food insecurity nationwide in 2024, according to the office.

  • Bryson Stott’s ‘Field of Dreams’ cleats — featuring Harry Kalas, Roy Halladay, and more Phillies legends — were born in Downingtown

    Bryson Stott’s ‘Field of Dreams’ cleats — featuring Harry Kalas, Roy Halladay, and more Phillies legends — were born in Downingtown

    Bryson Stott has worn plenty of unusual cleats over the years, from his many Phillies-themed kicks to last year’s Elmo-inspired Sesame Street footwear to honor his daughter, Braxtyn.

    That’s thanks to a partnership with Ryan Stevens and his company, NXT LVL Customs, which dates to 2023. And the latest cleats Stevens and NXT LVL Customs have unveiled for Stott honor an iconic baseball movie.

    On Thursday, Stott will wear a custom pair of cleats for the Phillies’ Field of Dreams game (7:30 p.m., Netflix) against the Minnesota Twins in Dyersville, Iowa, where the 1989 Field of Dreams movie was filmed. The design features late Phillies legends Harry Kalas, Tug McGraw, Roy Halladay, Darren Daulton, Robin Roberts, and Richie Ashburn emerging from a cornfield, just like the old MLB stars did in the movie.

    Mickey Harrington was the Phillies’ Moonlight Graham. He never got his Field of Dreams.

    “Basically, you have these old-time legends come out of the cornfield, and I was like, ‘OK, well, how can we kind of spin that to make it like the Phillies legends from the past that have passed away?’” said Stevens, who lives in Downingtown.

    “When I was looking up some of the shots from [Field of Dreams], I found this really cool shot. It was during the daytime, and you had the legends coming out of the cornfield. And something that stuck out of me right away was the catcher in the movie [John Kinsella]. The way he was positioned, it kind of looked like Darren Daulton. … Then I started thinking about some of the other legends. So I was like, ‘Well, how can I incorporate someone from every era or every era as far as I could go?’”

    From left: Tug McGraw, Roy Halladay, Darren Daulton, Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, and Harry Kalas featured on Bryson Stott’s “Field of Dreams” cleats designed by Nxt Lvl Customs and Stadium Locker.Courtesy of Ryan Stevens

    Stevens knew he “didn’t want to do a silhouette or didn’t want to do a cartoon version of it,” and after he got the stamp of approval from Stott to pursue his idea, he enlisted the help of Stephen Hatala, the owner of Stadium Locker, a sports art studio, to bring the design to life. The pair had worked together on four other cleat projects.

    These father and son Philly sports diehards paint the cleats that their favorite players wear

    Hatala, who lives about an hour from Stevens in Bucks County, creates realistic portraits and has only transferred portraits onto cleats four or five times, he estimates. The process began with measuring the cleats to account for uneven surfaces and a pencil-drawn sketch on white paper.

    “I only had five days to paint them. We were in definitely a time crunch, and I actually finished putting the last stroke on the cleats as [Stevens] was pulling up in the driveway to pick them up,” said Hatala, who grew up a Phillies fan. “I met Bryson once before. Didn’t do cleats for him. But this time he actually got to acknowledge my artwork, which is very important to me. I like getting recognition for things that I do, and especially the Field of Dreams [cleats]. It’s a once-in-a-year chance.”

    Stevens and Hatala delivered the cleats to Stott last week. What did he think of the design?

    “I didn’t really tell him anything about it,” Stevens said. “This time, he was pretty taken aback. … We’ve been teasing it to him for a while, saying it was our best pair we’ve done, but, yeah, it was it was a really cool reaction.”

    Added Hatala: “It just brought a little pleasure to myself. I’m like, ‘Oh wow, he’s really enjoying these cleats.’ I’d rather be in person seeing the reaction than seeing it on a screen.”

    Orion Kerkering’s “Field of Dreams” cleats designed by Nxt Lvl Customs.Courtesy of Ryan Stevens

    Stott won’t be the only Phillies player, past or present, with custom cleats from NXT LVL Customs on Thursday night. Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering, outfielder Edmundo Sosa, and utility man Kody Clemens, who’s now with Minnesota, also will wear Stevens’ custom cleats.

    Stevens says Clemens “wanted like the dark from the movie poster background, with the stadium lights peering down on the corner,” while Kerkering’s Adidas cleat has a “gradient dark background with the blues and the purples and the pinks, and we made the Adidas logos look like corn.”

    Kody Clemens’ cleats for the Field of Dreams game on Thursday night.Courtesy of Ryan Stevens

    Stevens is excited for his cleats to be on Thursday night’s national broadcast, while Hatala will attend the game in person.

    “I think MLB does an incredible job with the movie, the field, the whole entire aura that comes with the Field of Dreams,” Hatala said. “The cornfield itself is a really cool graphic visual in the background, and also there’s nobody in the outfield. … I have never been there, but I’m expecting [MLB] to make it feel like a big-time high school game.”

  • This taxpayer-funded warehouse is key to Philly port’s expansion. But who gets to work there?

    This taxpayer-funded warehouse is key to Philly port’s expansion. But who gets to work there?

    Cleo Winfield has worked at a warehouse located inside the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia for 22 years, stacking bananas and other cargo that are unloaded from ships docked on the Delaware River.

    Now his job is at risk.

    The warehouse, currently operated by an affiliate of Holt Logistics Corp. and staffed by members of a longshoremen’s union, is expected to be razed to make space on the terminal to stack more shipping containers.

    As part of a port development plan, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PhilaPort) — the Pennsylvania state agency that owns the city’s seaport facilities and leases them to private tenants — has built a new taxpayer-funded, Holt-operated warehouse a mile from the Packer Avenue terminal.

    Gloucester City-based Holt says it has a deal to staff the new facility with workers represented by Teamsters Local 929. Holt has longshore work available for the members of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1291, the company says, but it has been unable to reach an agreement with the union. A contract extension expired in June.

    The ILA counters that such an arrangement would strip Winfield and 30 other warehouse workers of their seniority — sacrificing wages and benefits they’ve accrued over the years.

    He and the other ILA members who attended Monday’s union meeting in Port Richmond voted unanimously to authorize a potential strike “if and when necessary,” a development that would require approval from their parent organization.

    International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1291 members attend a union meeting.Joe Lamberti / For The Inquirer

    “Been there so long. That’s really all I know, man,” said Winfield, 57. “Raised my family with that job, put my son through college, man. I’m still paying the student loan on that. … I just want to be able to take care of my family.”

    Holt said in a statement that the workers are all “productive and hardworking ILA members.”

    “To be clear, there is more than enough terminal and stevedoring work for these men at Packer, and we remain interested in bringing them on if the ILA agrees,” the company said.

    Regardless of the outcome, the episode has laid bare growing pains at the Port of Philadelphia, which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars of public and private investment over the past decade — as well as disputes over competition and labor. That includes $85 million in state funds that were allocated to the new 165,500-square-foot warehouse, according to PhilaPort. Holt invested $81 million in the building.

    Boise Butler, president of ILA Local 1291, said he wants Holt to be a healthy employer. “But don’t screw them,” he said, motioning to his members. “Don’t screw us. OK? Because it’s not necessary.”

    Port development

    Philly’s port is relatively small compared to the biggest U.S. container ports, but it’s seen steady growth in recent years and is a major gateway for refrigerated cargo, especially fresh fruit.

    Container volumes have more than doubled since 2016, from about 400,000 units that year to almost 900,000 in 2025.

    During that time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the three-decade-long deepening of the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet, which allowed the port to accommodate bigger ships.

    Leo Holt, president of Holt Logistics Corp., at the the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia in April 2025.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    And Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration invested more than $500 million in Philadelphia’s port expansion. That included more than $120 million for a distribution center near Packer Avenue featuring two warehouses totaling 365,000 square feet.

    The distribution center “is an important step to improve port facilities and bring more traffic to the port,” Wolf said when construction began on the first warehouse in 2021. Leo Holt, president of family-owned Holt Logistics, said at the time that warehouse space “puts Philadelphia more fully into the last-mile business.”

    The PhilaPort Distribution Center in South Philadelphia.Courtesy Holt Logistics Corp.

    Teamsters and longshoremen at odds

    The warehouses were built at the site of the old Food Distribution Center, a wholesale market that opened in the late 1950s and employed Teamsters for decades.

    To Rocky Bryan Jr., that history is important. “We’ve been on that location there since the ’50s,” said Bryan, president of Teamsters Local 929, which represents about 3,000 members in three states.

    Rocky Bryan Jr., president of the Teamsters Local 929, pictured in 2022.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    The first so-called dry warehouse opened three years ago, and there’s no conflict over that facility. About 15 Teamsters work there, Bryan said. The disagreement revolves around the second, refrigerated warehouse, with both the Teamsters and the longshoremen’s union making claims to the territory.

    “To us, it’s all one warehouse. It’s our jurisdiction,” Bryan said, adding that a collective bargaining agreement is already in place. “It’s traditional Teamster work, which is truck driving and warehousing.”

    As it happens, the ILA warehouse workers used to belong to the Teamsters but voted to join the longshoremen’s union in 2009, according to the ILA’s Butler.

    Butler points to another piece of history. When the Food Distribution Center closed and a new Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market opened on Essington Avenue near the airport in 2011, the same Teamsters who worked at the old facility continued to work at the new one, he says.

    ILA Local 1291 President Boise Butler speaks to his members in Philadelphia.Joe Lamberti / For The Inquirer

    The same principle should apply today, Butler says: Some of his members have been working at the Packer Avenue refrigerated warehouse since the late 1990s, and they should be able to “follow their work.”

    Butler added, “I knew the Holts was gonna try to turn this into a union against union. I’m not fighting with Rocky.”

    Butler — who serves alongside Bryan on PhilaPort’s board — has sought to elevate the dispute to political leaders, writing in an April memo to PhilaPort management and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s staff that Holt has “refused to commit to hiring” the ILA members.

    “In effect, that will mean that taxpayer money was used to subsidize Holt Logistics’ desire to expand its refrigerated warehouse cargo operation, all while ending the careers of 31 warehouse workers in the process,” Butler wrote.

    Representatives for PhilaPort and Shapiro’s office declined to comment.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro meets with officials of the Teamsters Local 929 as he visits the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia in April 2025. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Holt maintains that traditional longshore work is available to the workers. Butler said it’s “not impossible to do that” but added that they would lose their seniority.

    That’s because the warehouse workers belong to a separate bargaining unit from the 500 longshoremen in Local 1291 who work the docks at Packer Avenue and other Delaware River ports.

    In the final year of the union’s recently expired contract, warehouse workers with at least three years on the job were paid a minimum wage of $30.59 an hour, plus a $4.25 hourly annuity contribution for retirement. It also included provisions for health insurance, overtime pay, and vacation.

    “A lot of us put over 20 years here, and a lot of us is at the age where we don’t want to start over,” said Lonnie Boyd, 50, an assistant shop steward who’s worked at the Packer Avenue warehouse since 1998. “We can’t afford to start over.”

  • A drone is haunting our neighborhood. I’m not amused.

    A drone is haunting our neighborhood. I’m not amused.

    I didn’t have Peeping Tom drones on my bingo card for 2026.

    But then, on July 14, the West Brandywine Police Department let residents of Wallace Township in Chester County know, via Facebook, that for a month or so, they’d been investigating (and had witnessed) a drone flying over homes along several roads in my neighborhood at night, between 8 and 11 p.m.

    “It has been reported that this drone may be photographing properties, including inside the homes,” stated the police department’s Facebook page. “Those residents that live in that area are being urged to be mindful of this aircraft, and to be diligent, especially if you have skylights on the roof. These drones can be equipped with high resolution cameras and have extreme zoom capabilities.”

    Huh. Creepy.

    Since we don’t have young children whose images, captured without our consent, might find their way onto the more sinister reaches of the web, and since our house isn’t full of luxury goods to be cased, I didn’t worry much.

    Maybe if the drone operator chanced to peep through our windows, he’d take pity seeing the proliferation of dust bunnies and proactively book us a deep-cleaning service appointment?

    But the West Brandywine Police Department’s Aug. 10 update upped the ante: “We have seen the comments that [the drone] may be looking for a ‘pet’ or some other legitimate reason. This is NOT the case.”

    Screen capture of the West Brandywine Police Department’s Facebook post on Aug. 10 updating residents of Wallace Township on the continued drone sightings.Screen capture

    It is particularly disconcerting because Pennsylvania regulations stipulate that for nighttime flying the drones “need to remain within line-of-sight of the remote pilot on the ground.” Even if you aren’t unnerved at the idea of someone deploying a little electromechanical spy to look into your windows at night (when the lights inside make people and things clearly visible in a way they wouldn’t be during the day), the idea that the person doing so is on your property — or close enough to keep the drone in sight — should be.

    I can easily imagine folks who already feel vulnerable — the elderly, women living alone, or people who have experienced domestic partner abuse or who have filed for protection orders — being terrified by that prospect.

    The thing is — despite the West Brandywine Police Department’s gratifyingly proactive approach to residents’ privacy concerns — it is the Federal Aviation Administration that’s in charge. The state reports that some 11,000 people have an FAA remote pilot rating, and if this peeping drone is flown by a registered pilot, there may be little anyone can do.

    Pennsylvania Act No. 78 of 2018 prohibits local regulation of unmanned aircraft. It also codifies uses to be considered unlawful, stipulating, for example, that conducting “surveillance of another person in a private place” is a summary offense and subject to a fine up to $300. But the legislation tees up the drone operator’s defense argument for them with this exception: “the person did not knowingly or intentionally conduct surveillance of another person in a private place.”

    Responses to West Brandywine PD’s Facebook posts about this have been predictably mixed in this libertarian-leaning corner of the county. Outrage and worry about surveillance and invasion of privacy, of course, but also lots of drone-flying enthusiasts who chafe at any talk of curtailing their ability to pilot their unmanned craft wherever and whenever — property owners be damned.

    Also, since there are a lot of hunters in this neck of the woods, there are a good number of comments about shooting the drone down if it is sighted. I hasten to add that — as tempting as it might be to shoot the flying snoop right between its blinking red lights — drones are considered aircraft, and it is a federal felony to damage or disable them — punishable with a fine of $250,000 and up to 20 years imprisonment.

    If you think none of this should matter to you because, hey, you don’t live in Wallace Township and no drone has been haunting your nights, think again. Aerial surveillance by drones is widespread, and largely unregulated. According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center, there are “no clear rules protecting individual privacy against drone surveillance. Despite the fact that drone surveillance implicates significant First Amendment and Fourth Amendment interests and common law privacy rights, the law around conducting aerial surveillance very much remains in a gray area.”

    Regardless of what happens at the federal level, I hope that what has been unfolding in Wallace Township prompts Pennsylvania legislators to reconsider Act 78’s limits on local regulation of unmanned aircraft in order to better protect residents from unwarranted and nuisance drone surveillance.

    Meantime, the West Brandywine Police Department wants residents to contact them if they see the drone on their property.

    “Each home that this drone enters, are additional counts of offenses and if the pilot is identified sanctions will be levied, including criminal charges, confiscation of drone and revocation of their license, (if licensed),” the police department wrote in its latest Facebook post. “The use of a drone to invade someone’s personal privacy, (especially home space), will not be tolerated and the maximum, allowable penalties will be pursued.”

    And maybe, just maybe, the fines accrued cumulatively will be enough to make drone operators think twice before unleashing their propeller-driven ghouls to hang around our windows in the middle of the night.

  • Sixers will open NBA Cup play against Knicks, face Hawks on MLK Day as NBA schedule release continues

    Sixers will open NBA Cup play against Knicks, face Hawks on MLK Day as NBA schedule release continues

    The new-look 76ers continue to be featured in premier games during the NBA’s 2026-27 schedule release.

    They will play at the Atlanta Hawks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 18, televised by NBC and Peacock at 2:30 p.m.) and a road game against the Dallas Mavericks on Presidents Day (Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m.), per the NBA. Those nationally televised matchups follow the Sixers’ Christmas Day game at the Los Angeles Lakers in LeBron James’ return to his former NBA home.

    Sixers open season Oct. 20 at Knicks, face Cavaliers in Philly home debut for LeBron James, Jaylen Brown

    The NBA also announced Wednesday that the Sixers will host the New York Knicks on the first night of NBA Cup group play on Oct. 30 (Amazon Prime Video). It will be the Sixers’ second matchup against the defending champions in the season’s first two weeks, following an opening night visit to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20.

    The Sixers’ other NBA Cup group play games will be Nov. 6 at the Cleveland Cavaliers (Prime), Nov. 25 vs. the Miami Heat (ESPN), and Nov. 27 at the Indiana Pacers.

    The NBA announced Tuesday that the Sixers also will play their home opener Oct. 22 against the Cavaliers, another former James team. The remaining schedule will be released Thursday afternoon, per the NBA.

    The Sixers are coming off a transformative offseason in which they added the legendary James and All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown to a core already featuring All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, and rising star guard VJ Edgecombe. They are considered title contenders in a deep Eastern Conference.

    Sixers’ 2026-27 announced games

    Oct. 20 at New York Knicks

    Oct. 22 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

    Oct. 30 vs. New York Knicks

    Nov. 6 at Cleveland Cavaliers

    Nov. 25 vs. Miami Heat

    Nov. 27 at Indiana Pacers

    Dec. 25 at Los Angeles Lakers

    Jan. 18 at Atlanta Hawks

    Feb. 15 at Dallas Mavericks

  • ‘One week at a time’: Ross Tucker talks CBS promotion as Tony Romo drama could impact an Eagles game

    ‘One week at a time’: Ross Tucker talks CBS promotion as Tony Romo drama could impact an Eagles game

    Tony Romo’s arrest and subsequent absence forced CBS into a game of NFL musical chairs, and one of the beneficiaries is a familiar Philly voice.

    Ross Tucker, the Eagles preseason announcer on NBC10 since 2019, is jumping to the No. 2 booth at CBS alongside veteran play-by-play voice Ian Eagle.

    It’s a big promotion for Tucker, a Wyomissing native and former NFL offensive lineman, though for now it’s just Week 1. He’ll replace former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt, who will fill in for Romo alongside Jim Nantz in CBS’ No. 1 booth.

    “I’m getting hundreds of text messages from people congratulating me. It’s kind of crazy,” Tucker said.

    When Romo comes back is anyone’s guess. CBS placed him on indefinite leave following his arrest in Wisconsin on July 23 for suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. He’s scheduled to appear in court Monday, Sept. 21, at the end of Week 2.

    “I don’t think they have a timeline on anything,” Tucker said. “It sounds like we’re taking it one week at a time.”

    One reason CBS bumped Tucker up is that he and Eagle already have a great rapport in the booth. The two have called at least 20 games together on Westwood One, including the Eagles’ playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers last season.

    “There’s a real comfort level and familiarity there,” Tucker said. “And he has the quickest wit of almost anybody I’ve ever been around.”

    In just one example, during Westwood One’s radio broadcast of a 2024 Thursday Night Football game between the Eagles and Washington Commanders, Ross reacted to a play made by Birds defender Zack Baun with the call, “Baun. Zack Baun.”

    “Ian, with no hesitation, said, ‘Shaken and stirred!’” Tucker said. “I wasn’t expecting him to have a follow-up … but he’s just so good.”

    In addition to his role with CBS, Tucker will call all three Eagles preseason games — two on NBC10 with Scott Graham and one on CBS alongside Andrew Catalon. He’ll also call his fair share of Thursday Night Football games on Westwood One, which has given him something of an upper hand leading into Sunday’s games on TV.

    “Sometimes on the field talking to players and coaches, I’ll ask them about the game I have Sunday and their opinion on it, and I’ll get good insight there,” Tucker said. “So there’s a lot of value in doing both.”

    The only downside for now is he will no longer call games alongside Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy, whose friendship with Tucker goes back to calling his college football games at Princeton.

    Instead, McCarthy will pair up former running back Robert Turbin, who has been a college football analyst for CBS Sports Network since 2022.

    Former NFL defender and South Jersey native Logan Ryan will replace Charles Davis alongside Catalon. Davis is shifting over to college football, where he’ll join a stable of analysts that includes former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.

    The other new face for CBS is former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week. Kuechly was also recently hired by Netflix as the streamer’s top NFL analyst, where he’ll call games alongside Noah Eagle.

    Romo could miss an Eagles game … if he’s gone that long

    Tony Romo, seen here before a 2022 game, is on indefinite leave at CBS. Michael Ainsworth

    Romo wasn’t in New York on Tuesday for CBS’ media day event, a result of his indefinite suspension from the network following his arrest in Wisconsin last month.

    The former Cowboys quarterback, entering his 10th season with CBS, was arrested and charged with suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. He was also cited for having an open container in the vehicle and refusing to take an intoxication test. Bodycam footage of his arrest has been widely shared on social media.

    David Berson, president of CBS Sports, told reporters it’s an “evolving situation” and there’s “no timetable or final decision” on when — or if — Romo could be back in the booth.

    “Fortunately, we have a very deep bench, and I’m really proud of the way everyone’s stepping up and responding,” Berson said.

    The Eagles have two games scheduled to air on CBS. Romo had been slated to call the Birds’ Week 11 matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 22, but that’s uncertain until his legal situation is resolved.

    Sports media pundits have speculated that this could be a convenient way for CBS to move on from Romo and his reportedly $18-million-a-year contract, which runs through the 2029 season. But police have yet to release the results of his delayed blood alcohol test, and CBS could find itself ensnared in a nasty legal battle if it attempts to force Romo out using a morality clause in his contract.

    “There is no extant reality in which CBS fires its No. 1 NFL analyst for ‘unsafe passing on the right’ or ‘crossing the gore area,’” Sportico’s Anthony Crupi wrote.

    Other top announcers and sports media personalities have been able to come back from drunken driving incidents.

    In 2009, Charles Barkley was suspended by TNT for six weeks after being arrested on New Year’s Eve for driving under the influence. Barkley ultimately pleaded guilty and served three days in jail.

    Jalen Rose was suspended but later returned to ESPN after his DUI arrest in 2011, despite waiting three weeks to tell the network. Al Michaels was arrested for DUI in 2013, but NBC took no disciplinary action and he didn’t miss any Sunday Night Football games since his legal issues were resolved before the start of the season.

    Quick hits

    Former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. is headed to CBS. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
    • Former Eagles defender and Super Bowl champ Darius Slay is headed to CBS as a studio analyst on The NFL Today+, the network’s streaming Sunday pregame show. He’ll be joined by fellow former NFLers Russell Wilson, Antonio Pierce, and Kyle Long. CBS Sports betting analyst Mackenzie Brooks, a Philly native and Central Bucks West alumna, will also contribute to the show.
    • 94.1 WIP won’t have an Eagles sideline reporter during Birds radio broadcasts for the first time since 2010. The move comes after the station laid off its previous Eagles sideline reporter, Devan Kaney, as part of companywide cutbacks in March.
    • Former Sunday Night Football sideline reporter Michele Tafoya easily won the U.S. Senate Republican primary in Minnesota on Tuesday night. She’ll face Democrat Peggy Flanagan in November’s midterm elections.
  • An eclipse and planet show are due Wednesday, but meteors may be the stars in Philly’s skies

    An eclipse and planet show are due Wednesday, but meteors may be the stars in Philly’s skies

    A partial eclipse will occur Wednesday, along with a planetary alignment that doesn’t happen all that often.

    For star power, however, the annual Perseids meteor shower, which will be peaking late Wednesday night and early Thursday, may outshine them both as the moon gets out of the way to prepare for its big night at the end of the month.

    The Perseids should put on quite a decent show this year for those who have access to reasonably dark skies and do not mind staying up a little late.

    These things can produce 50 to 100 meteors an hour under ultra-dark sky conditions, but you won’t see that many above light-polluted Philly.

    Above the darkness-challenged Philadelphia Museum of Art, you might be able to catch 10 an hour, said Bill Cook, NASA’s meteoroid guru at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

    The potential spoiler in all this would be the state of the skies, which are expected to be sunny Wednesday. But just how cloud-free they will be at night is not clear just yet, said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

    The weather service is calling for mostly clear skies late Wednesday night, but some clouds may roll in after midnight, and it says the forecast contains “a frustrating level of uncertainty.”

    About the eclipse

    The eclipse has been generating media attention, and it is going to be a spectacular show — if you happen to be in Greenland or Iceland or northern Spain, places that will experience the haunting magic of totality, which will occur around 1:45 p.m. Philly time.

    Locally?

    “Philly just isn’t in the right place for any good eclipse viewing this time around,” said Teddy Kareta, assistant professor of astrophysics and planetary science at Villanova University.

    Only about 8% of the sun will be blocked out at Philly’s latitude, said Dwight Dulsky, with the Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association.

    Said Kareta, “That’s a small enough change that … I don’t think I’d even notice.”

    Dulsky said the Bucks-Mont group “will be doing some safe solar viewing” of the eclipse in the marina parking lot of Nockamixon State Park, in Upper Bucks County.

    If you’re jonesing for a totality experience, NASA will be showing the whole thing live on YouTube.

    The parade of planets

    Early risers (or late stay-uppers) on Wednesday can admire a planet parade in the western sky, or at least some of its participants.

    Four planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn — will be lined up and visible to the unaided eye, said Kareta, though Jupiter and Mercury may be elusive, since they will be close to the horizon.

    The line may be slightly less orderly on the 13th, but may not look much different from the perspective of the average earthling, Kareta added.

    If you miss the planet show, Kareta advises that these things may be special but are not exactly rare. A similar alignment occurred “about a year ago,” he said.

    “As an astronomer,” he said, “I find these planetary alignments more fun and beautiful than I find them super interesting.”

    The Perseids are about to peak

    Several hours after the moon gets in the sun’s way Wednesday, it will be fortuitously out of the way for the annual Perseid meteor showers.

    As many as 50 to 100 meteors per hour may appear at their absolute peak, which this year would be in the early morning hours of Thursday.

    You would not find that absolutely dark sky anywhere around the city, but NASA’s Cook estimates that about 20 an hour might be visible over, say, Malvern. Similar numbers may appear in the open spaces of Valley Forge National Historical Park.

    Elsewhere in the great Philadelphia city-state, French Creek State Park, bordering Chester and Berks Counties, is a favorite among local sky watchers, and the prime viewing area is open all night.

    At least a few watch parties are planned, including one by the Bucks-Mont group from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Nockamixon park, Dulsky said.

    Also, the McKaig Nature Center in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, will be taking a busload of meteor-gazers to a clearing overlooking the McKaig Woods.

    The Perseids are so named because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but they show up all over the sky. They are the most popular among the 30 or so showers visible in the night sky annually.

    The Geminids, in December, outnumber the Perseids, but people prefer warmth with their meteor-watching. Plus, NASA reports that the Perseids are by far number one for those spectacular fireballs.

    The meteors are the result of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, one of the larger meteor-producing comets, having a diameter of about 15 miles.

    The earth encounters Swift-Tuttle detritus every year around this time, and those cosmic pebbles become bright streaks as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at 130,000 mph. If they’re big enough, they explode into fireballs.

    Cook says that while the moonless skies offer the ideal background, this will not be an especially prolific year for the Perseids. He said the 2028 harvest will be more abundant, when the earth passes through “a denser stream” of the comet’s sheddings.

    That once-in-a-blue-moon event

    The moon will be returning later in the month, on Aug. 31, as the second full moon of August, thus a “blue moon.” Like those planetary alignments, it is something to expect once in a blue moon.

  • She turned a tiny cottage in North Wildwood into a retreat for the whole family

    She turned a tiny cottage in North Wildwood into a retreat for the whole family

    Dolly Kelly was leaving the beach with her nephew Sean Kelly on a sunny day in 2020, when she passed the Angelsea Cottage, her favorite house in North Wildwood.

    When she spied the For Sale sign on the front lawn, she got excited.

    “I just loved that porch,” Dolly recalled. “We actually walked up the steps, sat down, and took a picture.”

    The next day, Dolly walked through the house and made an offer, but she was outbid. She was devastated.

    A framed drawing of the original cottage is on display in the home. Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    But two months later, she got a call that the deal had fallen through — the house could be hers. She made a successful offer that day and moved in three months later.

    While Dolly loved the 675-square-foot cottage built in 1913, it had only two bedrooms and one bathroom. With a large, close-knit family, she wanted a gathering place with lots of space to entertain. She was sad to knock down the original house but given its age and condition, adding on wasn’t a viable option.

    “I have 13 nieces and nephews and 13 great-nieces and -nephews who come over all the time,” Dolly said.

    She spent a year-and-a-half building a 2,400-square-foot home with an open concept and a porch similar to the original one she adored. She was helped by Shore Pro Builders in Wildwood. And her nephew, owner of DUNE by Sean Kelly, handled most of the home’s design with “modern coastal living” in mind.

    Dolly Kelly stands outside her rebuilt home.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    The new house has an open concept, with the living room flowing into the kitchen.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    “The finished home blends the timeless architecture of Nantucket and the Hamptons with a distinctly North Wildwood personality,” Sean said. It “honors the history and character of the original Anglesea Cottage while creating something entirely new.”

    Dolly’s must-haves included a covered carport, large covered porch, open-concept living area, and three bedrooms. She calls her design style elevated and intentional.

    To honor the history of the original house and the town itself, their goal was building a home in a traditional style with a lot of character. The home’s interior is mostly white with blue accents — for summer. She changes the pillows and accessories for each season.

    The living room blends style with comfort. The furniture is white, which might seem like a risky move in a house where lots of kids are encouraged to play. But Dolly isn’t concerned because the performance fabric is easy to clean.

    The backyard has comfortable seating and a heated pool.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    The kitchen is the hub, where everyone congregates as Dolly cooks. It’s not unusual for a dance party to break out. The island is quartz; the appliances are all GE Café, and the pot-filler is a prized possession. The backsplash is made from three types of stone.

    Dolly eats most of her meals in the breakfast nook, bathed in natural light. One door from the original house was salvaged and repurposed as the pantry door.

    Her office is tucked behind large glass doors with black windowpanes, custom designed by North Wildwood-based Window Hub. She appreciates being able to see out, while also having privacy.

    The main bedroom.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    A print in Kelly’s office is one of her favorite items in the house. The space has custom doors.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    Kelly enjoys cooking for the family in her kitchen and dines in the breakfast nook daily.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    The primary bathroom includes a spa-like bathing area.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    The primary bedroom features a water room — a large enclosed shower with a soaking tub, offering the feel of a luxurious spa.

    To maximize sleeping space, one bedroom contains queen-sized bunk beds with a queen-sized trundle. The home can comfortably sleep 12, but when there are more guests, the kids find other creative spaces to spend the night.

    Dolly loves shopping, finding beautiful accessories to match the decor. The spherical crystal floor lamp she found at Restoration Hardware blends traditional crystal with contemporary metal geometry.

    The chandelier that hangs in the stairwell — a globe pendant featuring a hand-hammered mercury glass shade — came from Visual Comfort & Co. in High Point, N.C.

    A bedroom for the younger members of her family has queen-sized bunk beds and a trundle.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    A door from the original home leads into a pantry.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    Kelly’s shoe collection is displayed in her custom closet.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
    A chandelier featuring a hand-hammered mercury glass shade hangs in the stairwell.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    The home has become the family retreat Dolly envisioned. This past Memorial Day weekend, 19 family members descended to hang out with their beloved aunt.

    “I couldn’t be the aunt I am today if I didn’t have them all around,” she said.

    The group spends time at the beach but also in the built-in heated swimming pool in the backyard. She keeps it open from April through October.

    The porch.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer

    The front porch features comfortable furniture including a two-person swing and is one of Dolly’s favorite spots to entertain or chat with neighbors.

    “This is the gathering place whether it’s just a casual Sunday-Funday sitting by the pool barbecuing, or if it’s a big bash,” she said.

    Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.