Cheltenham’s commissioners will consider terminating a controversial public pool contract at a special meeting Tuesday, the township announced Friday morning.
The commissioner board had approved the $4.5 million contract earlier this year as a ground lease to Melrose Pool LLC, a new business entity affiliated with a developer who’s building houses, shops, and a medical center at the former Melrose Country Club.
The ground lease was signed in July by the cofounder of BG Capital, which is developing the country club property, on behalf of Melrose Pool LLC. But no LLC under that name appears to have been registered with Pennsylvania until September, according to state records.
Resident Sam Thacker sued in July, arguing the ground lease is really a construction contract that should’ve been subject to bidding rules.
The special meeting announcement came as the township faces a Commonwealth Court appeal process that Thacker’s lawyer, Christopher McCabe, has estimated could take a year.
“The Special Meeting of the Board was called due to concerns that the delays already being caused by the litigation could ultimately prevent successful completion of the pool project under the agreed upon terms,” Cheltenham’s spokesperson Lauren Walter wrote in an email Friday.
It was not immediately clear whether the township would be on the hook for any money the developer has already spent toward constructing the Melrose pools.
The Melrose project would put three public pools next to the new development to replace Conklin Pool, which would close. The township says it would cost more than $4.5 million to sustainably replace Conklin.
“I’m encouraged that they are listening to their constituents in bringing the issue before the public,” Thacker texted Friday. “Terminating the lease and moving forward with a transparent bidding process would bring a welcome end to the costly legal proceedings.”
The meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m., online and at the township administration building.
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The Eagles are searching for ways to get back into the win column on Sunday when they take on the Los Angeles Rams, but there will be big things happening outside of Lincoln Financial Field as well.
New guidelines for oversized vehicles from the Sports Complex Parking Venture are being implemented starting Sunday, changing the way Philly fans have tailgated for years.
On Friday, after more than a week of fan pushback on the changes, the organization held a joint news conference with Comcast Spectacor and the newly formed Philadelphia Association of Tailgaters detailing the changes — including a few concessions granted after a meeting with the tailgaters.
“We’re trying to take everything we can to make the environment better for the Eagles and tailgaters,” Eagles chief operating officer Frank Gumienny said on Friday. “Our goal is to get everybody — 70,000 people — down here safe, park, have a great time, keep the culture, and fill up the Linc for kickoff on Sunday.”
Here’s what to know about modifications coming to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex parking areas for Eagles home games.
What are the new guidelines?
One of the biggest changes are regulations on oversized vehicles that typically accompany large tailgates. The new rules place them in a designated location in Lot D (inside the Xfinity Mobile Arena parking lots), the upper section of Lot N (facing 7th & Pattison Avenues), and lot P (inside the Citizens Bank Park parking lots). Lot P being added to the list of oversized lots was one of the concessions granted to tailgaters by the Eagles and Comcast Spectacor.
Oversized vehicle pass holders assigned to Lots E or H are allowed to park in those areas and assigned the standard four spots given to oversized vehicles.
Additionally, there will be “hand parking,” or being assigned parking locations by attendants so spots cannot be selected by tailgaters or saved by guests, meaning tailgaters with an allegiance to a certain lots or spots will have to change their plans under the new guidelines.
Carmen Conti, president of the Philadelphia Association of Tailgaters, was one of the leading voices of opposition to the Eagles initial proposal.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
One of the big updates to the original changes involves drop-offs by companion cars — additional vehicles that carry people and supplies. Drop-offs are now allowed, and companion cars can remain parked in the oversized lots for one hour after the lots open before moving to a different area. The allowance of drop-offs was announced during Friday’s news conference. The previous guidelines from the Sports Complex Parking Venture banned them.
“We got leeway letting companion vehicles come in for an hour to help set up,” South Jersey native and tailgater Carmen “Big Carm” Conti said. “That’s a big, big help, especially with larger tailgates. … Instead of leaving the companion vehicles, some of them can park here in a single spots which is a big help because they don’t have to fight the traffic out to get into another lot.”
Other new rules require guests to remain within their respective parking area, with their vehicles, equipment, and activities also remaining in those areas.
What is the pricing for oversized vehicles?
Guests without a prepaid parking pass will pay the oversized vehicle parking rate of $200 for the standard four spots in the designated oversized lots.
Both tailgaters with and without a prepaid pass have the option to buy an additional two spots for $100 for a maximum of six spots per vehicle.
Donny Hoffman of South Philadelphia sits on top of a party bus during an Eagles home game. Buses of this size will have designated areas now, and have a standard parking rate of $200.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Why are these changes being made?
The guidelines were described as “an effort to provide a smoother, more convenient parking experience for guests,” in an email from the Sports Complex Parking Venture, which will help “ease traffic flow, keep lanes clear, and preserve parking availability for all guests.”
The changes, the email said, were based on feedback and collaboration with the City of Philadelphia and community stakeholders. Following pushback from tailgating groups, the final decision, announced Friday, also took their feedback into account.
“The whole crux of the matter is making sure that we have room for everybody that’s coming down to the games,” Comcast Spectacor chief operating officer Phil Laws said. “Whether they’re coming to [the game] for sure or they’re just coming to tailgate, we have room down here.”
Fans speculated online that the construction of a new arena in South Philadelphia prompted the changes. The arena, co-owned by Comcast Spectacor and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is set to open in 2030 at the former site of the Spectrum, next to where Xfinity Mobile Arena sits. However, Laws told The Inquirer “that wasn’t a factor” in the timing of these changes.
“The Eagles and [Sports Complex Parking Venture] have been working on this for about a year, honestly, we’ve been talking about how we can make this work better,” Laws said. “I think as we got through the summer, we saw FIFA and some of the things that worked well [during the World Cup]. As we got into Week 1, we saw some of the things that really weren’t working well for the Eagles game.
Added Laws: “In terms of the [new] arena, we’ll have more the arena plan as we get into the fall. But listen, we built two stadiums here and we had the Vet standing at one point. There’s a lot of parking down here in the, in the complex. We just need to manage it and work together to make sure that we have the best venues in the world for our fans in Philadelphia.”
I am a sexual assault nurse examiner in Philadelphia. For the past 10 years, I have also studied how people heal after sexual harm, and I answer anonymous questions from survivors on Our Wave, a free online healing platform for people who have experienced violence. In both places, the question I hear most often is “Does this count?”
Cornell University’s Jane Doe spent three weeks asking herself that question.
Title IX records obtained by the New York Times show the sophomore, who says she was assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house in October 2024, texting with some of the men she would later accuse.
The Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where a Cornell student reported being gang-raped in 2024. A special prosecutor has recently been appointed by New York state to investigate the allegation.HEATHER AINSWORTH
According to the Times, two days after the party, she reassured one of them that none of the sexual stuff was illegal. Two days after that, she wrote that her reputation was destroyed and that all she could do was sleep and cry. She later told investigators that things shifted when she read an anonymous post online. She said it was the first time she had heard anyone say “that I wasn’t a whore and that I was assaulted.”
The legal process will decide what happened that night. As a nurse, I recognize the weeks that followed.
Healing after sexual harm rarely starts with the word rape. My research has followed the healing journeys of survivors across the globe, including hundreds here in Philadelphia. Survivors have taught us that there are multiple pathways people may move through as they heal. Two of the earliest are normalizing, when violence feels like just what happens, and minimizing, when a survivor knows something was wrong but insists it wasn’t that bad.
On campus, survivors often normalize and minimize because of what hookup culture has taught students to accept, so pressure, coercion, and sex with someone too drunk to consent can feel like just part of a night out.
People move back and forth between these pathways for months or years, and each one helps them get through the day. But our systems tend to treat whatever a survivor says during them as the whole story.
Cornell University students and American Civil Liberties Union student chapter members Jane Wang (left) and Sophia Riley Sim speak about sexual violence on campus during a student assembly meeting at the university on Oct. 1.Matt Rourke
I first saw this as a student working at the University of Michigan’s sexual assault center. Women who came in late at night almost never started with the word rape. They usually started with “I’m probably being dramatic but …”
Jane Doe’s texts read like the normalizing and minimizing I have seen again and again in my research. Many survivors tell us they didn’t realize they had been sexually assaulted until after they had time to process. What helped survivors move forward was connection, and sometimes one supportive person was enough. For Jane Doe, it was a stranger online who finally called it assault. The way we respond to survivors really does matter.
At Our Wave, where I direct research and survivor support, survivors share their stories so others can see themselves in them and make sense of their own experiences.
The questions survivors send us show how often doubt comes first. When my team searched the nearly 1,000 questions submitted to our Q&A for the language of doubt, phrases like “does this count,” “am I being dramatic,” “it was my fault,” and “I froze,” we found it in about one in four.
Survivors are everywhere, but we do not always recognize their experience as survival, and survivors do not always recognize it in themselves. Perhaps that is why so many people have been posting “I am Jane Doe” this week. They see themselves in her story.
We ask survivors to make one big decision — whether to report — at the moment many are least able to make it. A survivor who is still minimizing what happened is not going to file a police report. She might read another survivor’s story at 2 a.m., ask an anonymous question, or come in for medical care and an exam, which she can have without going to the police.
Survivors need a menu of options that meets them where they are in their healing journey. Some need anonymous support first, like a hotline or an online Q&A. Some need medical care and evidence collection now, with the decision about reporting saved for later.
Some need a confidential campus advocate who won’t automatically open an investigation. Those who are ready need formal Title IX and criminal processes. And some want restorative options, in which the person who caused harm must take responsibility and face consequences outside the criminal legal system, such as losing campus housing or leadership roles.
More options can also mean more accountability. In the Cornell case, with no criminal charges, the university’s process was the only accountability available. One woman in my research said she wished her school had “more teeth.” In my experience, survivors who know they have options are more likely to come back when they are ready.
Philadelphia can lead on this.
We have dozens of colleges and universities, including Temple, Penn, Drexel, and La Salle, and our city’s rape crisis center, WOAR, already offers a restorative justice program, although recent funding cuts have threatened its sustainability. As faculty adviser to Students Activists Against Sexual Assault at Temple, I know students here are ready for this conversation. Our campuses should build the full menu, and every student should hear that they don’t have to be sure it counts before they ask for help.
Healing isn’t linear, and in my experience, naming isn’t, either. Jane Doe needed three weeks to find the word. That is common. To survivors who are still asking whether it counts, your story matters, and healing is possible.
Together, we can create a more supportive healing world for survivors, one where people are still listening, and options are still open when they get there.
Laura Sinko is an associate professor of nursing at Temple University’s College of Public Health, faculty adviser to Temple’s Students Activists Against Sexual Assault, a sexual assault nurse examiner in Philadelphia, and the director of research and survivor support at Our Wave.
One person and a dog were exposed to rabies in Glassboro after coming into contact with an infected bat on Tuesday — one of three animals in Gloucester County to test positive for the disease this week, according to public health officials.
The Gloucester County Health Department announced that in addition to the bat near Joseph L. Bowe Boulevard, raccoons found near Florence Avenue in Pitman and Quest Court in Mantua both tested positive for rabies on Thursday.
The agency is advising residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations and to avoid contact with wildlife and stray animals.
Anyone bitten or scratched by a wild animal should wash the area with soap and water, seek medical attention, and contact local animal control or health officials.
National expectations for the Eagles have slightly dimmed after their poor offensive showing in a 27-7 loss to 38-year-old third-string quarterback Case Keenum and the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
The Eagles have a chance to rebound from the Week 3 defeat against the currently underperforming Los Angeles Rams (1 p.m., Fox). They’ll likely have to do so without injured star wide receiver DeVonta Smith, while the Rams should have their star receiver Puka Nacua back.
Three of the Inquirer’s beat writers have picked the Rams to win. Here’s what analysts across the nation are saying about the Eagles ahead of this weekend’s matchup:
Execution of plan? Lacking
The Athletic began a new series this week — team utility tiers. Instead of ranking teams based simply on performance, they’re instead ranked on how each NFL club is executing its intended plan developed in the offseason.
In the first edition, the Eagles were put in Tier 3, which was titled “Messy; long-term view intact.” Joining them in this group were the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and New York Giants.
Video: unCovering the Birds: Unpacking Nick Sirianni’s rough night in Chicago
“There are huge problems in every third quarter so far and issues with situational management, offensive play calling, and a defense that seems oddly vulnerable at times,” Jourdan Rodrigue wrote.
Rodrigue’s positives for the Eagles included quarterback Jalen Hurts’ play to date, the emergence of Smith as a true No. 1 wide receiver, and the improved run game against the Bears (Saquon Barkley averaged 7.5 yards per carry on outside runs).
Sean McVay (left) and Nick Sirianni have a lot of familiarity with one another, but Sirianni owns the series. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Belief in Sirianni
NFL.com revealed its weekly author picks Thursday, and the five-person panel was divided on who will prevail in Eagles/Rams. The site’s editor Gennaro Filice has the Eagles winning by two points.
“Philly’s had trouble getting a consistent ground attack going under new OC Sean Mannion, but Barkley did enjoy success against Chicago this past Monday night before the game got out of hand, potentially signaling a schematic breakthrough,” Filice wrote. “In a matchup between two established powers that have yet to play up to their talent level this season, I’m far from bullish on the Eagles. But I anticipate [Nick] Sirianni will rally the troops once again versus [Sean] McVay, with the Birds feeling disrespected as home underdogs.”
McVay is 1-6 against the Eagles, including an 0-4 record in Siranni’s tenure, which is another reason why Filice is picking the Eagles to win as the home underdog.
Video: What should the Eagles do about their backup QB situation?
Backup QB movement?
Andy Dalton’s goal-line interception against the Bears was certainly less than ideal. It also brought up an interesting conversation regarding who the Eagles’ backup quarterback should be.
Conversation has also heated up on the subject of general manager Howie Roseman moving a quarterback. Philadelphia is one of three teams currently carrying four quarterbacks, with Tanner McKee and Cole Payton rounding out the group.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided some intel this week on whether more backup quarterbacks, including one of the Eagles’, could be traded.
“Three teams — the Eagles, Browns and Steelers — are carrying four quarterbacks and probably would welcome a deal at the right price. And more injuries at the position will cause more trade talk,” Fowler wrote.
The NFL has had six starters suffer injuries that have sidelined or will sideline them for multiple weeks, and with that comes a need for experienced quarterbacks. Dalton is one of the more veteran options out there, while McKee is younger and has flashed in his limited opportunities with the Eagles.
NEW YORK — The woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including campus police and the county prosecutor, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
Hochul said at a news conference that she decided to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the case after learning “troubling details” about how authorities have handled the woman’s claims thus far, including that the district attorney closed the case without having anyone interview the accuser or anyone else involved in the alleged attack.
“In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?” Hochul said. “This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”
She also assailed the Cornell University Police Department for not fully conveying the woman’s story to prosecutors.
“After this young woman came forward, she spoke to the police. She sat for hours and told them exactly what happened to her. And according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped,” the Democratic governor said. ”Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors.”
James is brought in
Hochul said Thursday that she appointed James to oversee the case because she had lost faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle it.
James didn’t say how long her investigation might take, but she said it would take some time and wouldn’t be rushed, as every New Yorker “deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly, that they will be seen and heard.”
“We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions,” James said. “I know that you want answers. I do too. A comprehensive investigation of this nature takes time, but my office is committed to seeing it through.”
The investigation initially was closed without charges in 2024.
Last month, the woman filed a lawsuit and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation. He has since been bombarded by criticism that he abandoned the original investigation too quickly.
Van Houten has defended his decision not to prosecute, maintaining that a sworn statement by the woman prepared by police didn’t include the woman’s allegations that she was drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent and forced into sex.
He didn’t respond Thursday or Friday to messages seeking comment.
The attorney general will determine whether there is enough evidence to press charges, Hochul said.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” she said in a statement Thursday.
The case’s impact extends beyond Cornell
The case has roiled the Ivy League school and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November of 2024 that she was sexually assaulted, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.
The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sexual acts by a group of men while she was partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.
Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client didn’t touch the woman. Attempts to reach the other men or their representatives for comment have been unsuccessful.
Officials say New York’s sexual assault laws need updating
Hochul also threw her support behind proposals to change an element of New York law that has long made it more difficult to prosecute people who have engaged in sex with someone who voluntarily became intoxicated to the point where their ability to consent was compromised.
Under the law, rape charges generally need to involve force or a clear refusal of sex, unless the victim is physically helpless due to being unconscious, or mentally incapacitated due to being drugged without their consent. New York is one of 19 states with such laws.
“If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape, period,” the governor said.
New York governors have turned to attorneys general to oversee important cases in the past.
In 2018, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed then-Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as a special prosecutor to investigate Eric Schneiderman, who resigned as New York attorney general after women accused him of violent slapping, choking and other abuse.
In 2021, James oversaw a non-criminal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading to his resignation. Cuomo initially tried to choose who would lead the investigation into the allegations. He then allowed James to choose two independent attorneys to lead it instead.
James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the power under state law to investigate every death involving law enforcement in the state. But, typically, she can’t initiate criminal investigations without a referral from a local district attorney, the governor or a state agency, or an appointment like the one Hochul made Thursday.
Democratic State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Friday called for Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine to resign from the Pennsylvania House after he reportedly useda homophobic slur against Kenyatta, who is gay, earlier this week.
“Pennsylvania is better and bigger than this,” Kenyatta, who represents Philadelphia, said in a video message posted to X Friday.
He added that he’s calling for Bernstine, who represents portions of Butler and Lawrence Counties in Western Pennsylvania, to step down “not because I’m angry at him or because he hurt my feelings. It’s because his behavior falls so far beneath what it must mean to be a member of the House of Representatives.”
“And when you use language that demonizes people, that belittles people, it’s never about one person. It’s indicative of what you will do to anybody, and what he’d say about any Pennsylvanian,” Kenyatta said.
Along with the alleged slur, Bernstine also allegedly said in a Harrisburg bar earlier in the week that Kenyatta had lost weight, which Bernstine reportedlyattributed to AIDS, according to PennLive.
Kenyatta was not present when the alleged remarks were made.
In his post, Kenyatta said he was “deeply grateful” to leaders of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council “who stood up in real time.”
Michael Ford, the organization’s secretary/treasurer, overheard Bernstine’s alleged remarks and told PennLive, according to the news organization. Ford didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Addressing the incident in a statement Thursday, Bernstine said, “The allegations attributed to me are false. This is a political attack.”
After news broke, various legislative groups spoke out against Bernstine, including the Democratic National Committee, for which Kenyatta serves as vice chair.
“Hateful, homophobic, and racist attacks like this have absolutely no place in our politics, our communities, or our country,” DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Several Democratic lawmakers called for Berstine’s resignation. House Democratic leadership said it was “exploring potential next steps” and called on GOP leadership to hold Berstine accountable.
The Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus called the reported conduct by Bernstine, one of its members, “troubling,” and said it “does not comport with the values and professionalism Pennsylvanians expect of their state lawmakers.”
Bernstine has been the subject of controversy in the past.
In 2020, House Republican leaders called for Bernstine’s resignation after videos of him encouraging his young son to smoke and curse surfaced. Soon after, Bernstine was reelected, and the demands quieted.
Three years earlier, in the midst of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in which motorists were blocked, Bernstine posted on X, “If anyone EVER tries to stop my car on a highway with negative intentions… I will not stop under any conditions.”
On Friday, in concluding his remarks on X, Kenyatta suggested it’s time to move on.
“Let’s all in united voice demand better, demand more, and then let’s get back to work on the serious stuff,” he said.
A man ran from Pat’s King of Steaks after throwing a cheesesteak through its service window around dinnertime Wednesday. But the camera he carried left an online trail behind him.
Philadelphia police said Friday that the man, who turned himself in Thursday, was charged with harassment, a summary offense. Police declined to identify him, and it is not clear what prompted him to surrender.
The video he apparently made of the encounter had surfaced on YouTube and Instagram, where Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri said his information-technology team traced it to accounts filled with pranks, music, and Philadelphia street content.
Surveillance video from Pat’s King of Steaks shows a man throwing his cheesesteak at manager Tom Camardo on Sept. 30, 2026.Courtesy of Pat's King of Steaks
“He wanted to be famous,” Olivieri said. “He got exactly what he asked for. Now, he needs to be accountable for his actions and his words.”
The YouTube account, under the name h4ll0w33n, presented the episode as a food review titled “I Threw This Cheesesteak in His Face Geno’s Steaks,” misidentifying the stand with the name of another landmark eatery across the intersection of Ninth Street, Wharton Street, and Passyunk Avenue.
A screenshot of the video’s thumbnail showed what appeared to be an AI-generated image of a cheesesteak flying into a man’s face, with “THIS CHEESESTEAK SUCKED!” in large type and “YAM TV” beneath it.
By Friday morning, the video was unavailable. YouTube said the account associated with it had been terminated.
An Instagram account using the name @h4ll0w33n___ remained online with about 10,500 followers. The video also appeared on a newly created Instagram account called YAM TV, which described itself as “The Reality Food Critic Show” covering Philadelphia and beyond. Neither account disclosed the man’s name. No one from the accounts replied to The Inquirer’s messages requesting comment.
Olivieri said his IT team searched online using a photograph of the man and found the accounts after he posted his recording.
“How brazen are you to assault somebody and then post it?” Olivieri said. “Thank God for stupidity.”
Olivieri had offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to the man’s arrest and conviction. On Friday, he said he had allocated the money to someone who contacted him with information.
The episode began shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, after the customer ordered a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and onions.
Surveillance video shows him sitting at a table outside Pat’s, pulling apart the sandwich with his hands without eating it. He later returned to the window, exchanged words with general manager Tom Francano, threw the cheesesteak at him, and ran.
Francano can be seen throwing pieces of the sandwich back toward the fleeing man. He was not injured, police said.
By Friday, Francano was willing to revisit the moment under friendlier circumstances.
Justin Camardo, co-owner of Dough Head Pizza across the intersection, posted an Instagram video with the caption: “We heard Pat’s was throwing food around, so naturally we had to see what all the hype was about.”
The video shows Camardo walking across the street with a slice of pizza and handing it to Francano, who promptly smashes it into Camardo’s face.
Detectives initially investigated Wednesday’s episode as an assault. Olivieri said Friday that he was disappointed that the man had been charged only with summary harassment and questioned whether it would provide the deterrent he sought.
“What are they going to give him, community service?” he said. “Maybe he should come over here and sweep the pavement.”
Pat’s has dealt with thrown drinks, food, coins, and other objects during its 96-year history, Olivieri said. What made Wednesday’s incident different, he said, was the camera — evidence, in his view, that the confrontation had been staged for an audience.
Olivieri said he pursued the case because he feared that allowing the episode to pass without consequences could invite copycats at Pat’s and other restaurants. Businesses already contend with the positive and negative effects of influencers, he said; deliberately provoking employees for online attention crossed another line.
“I not only did this for me,” Olivieri said. “I think it’s for everyone else who has had an issue with a pizza influencer, a hoagie influencer, or whatever.”
A nearly 4-acre Delaware County estate, complete with a multi-sport court, pool, par-three golf hole, and dedicated entertainment space, is on the market for $4 million.
Located at 1120 Clover Lane, the Glen Mills property features the primary residence, an “entertainment lodge,” a pool with a poolhouse, and additional living space over a detached garage.
The home has been expanded and blends different architectural styles.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
The main home was built around 1979 and was later expanded by previous owners, who added a second kitchen and a second story with three bedrooms. The roughly 4,500-square-foot home — a blend of Craftsman- and Tudor-style architecture — has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms, multiple living areas with fireplaces, and a bar in the walkout basement that leads to a poolside patio.
The three upstairs bedrooms include a primary suite with a walk-in closet and access to a sunroom that overlooks the grounds.
With two kitchens and multiple living spaces, the home could be reconfigured to include a separate suite.
“It is an opportunity to customize to the buyer’s wants,” listing agent Robert Capps of Coldwell Banker Realty said.
The property also has multiple sports amenities, including a lighted, multi-sport court for tennis, pickleball, and basketball, as well as an in-ground pool. A poolhouse has a full bathroom, a kitchenette, and a sauna. Nearby is an area for grilling, Capps said.
Elsewhere is a par-three golf hole, with a tee box near the house.
The living space above the detached garage, which has a full bathroom and kitchenette, is currently configured as an office.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
There’s a four-car detached garage with living space above it. The open-concept area is currently configured as an office, and also has a living area with a fireplace, a kitchenette, a full bathroom, and its own deck.
Rounding out the property’s structures is adedicated “entertainment lodge” complete with two bars, a “restaurant-quality” kitchen, a brick patio, and a second floor loft with a projector.
“I think anyone that likes to entertain would love this space,” said Capps of the lodge, which is slightly separated from the main home.
A separate entertainment lodge has two bars, a kitchen, and a projector, as well as a bedroom and full bathroom.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
The space has exposed stone walls, brick floors, large chandeliers, and a row of skylights.
In addition to space for entertaining, the lodge has a bedroom and full bathroom, providing additional accommodations.
“You’d be hard pressed to replicate this property starting from scratch just because of the size of the lot and all the other amenities,” Capps said, adding “there’s nothing like it for sale or that sold like this recently.”
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
A fatal scuba dive at a lake near Bethlehem, Northampton County, has shaken the Philly region’s tight-knit diving community, leaving divers questioning how an underwater training excursion ended in tragedy.
Stephen O. Adjei, a 31-year-old U.S. Army captain died Saturday while training with U.S. Military Academy West Point — a premier school for those seeking a career in the Army. His death is under investigation, West Point said.
“Our hearts are with the Adjei family during this difficult time. Capt. Adjei’s dedication to our cadets, commitment to his teammates, and service to others left a lasting impact on our community. He will be greatly missed,” said West Point Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Joe Katz.
Originally from Ghana, Adjei had lived in Worcester, Mass., and had worked with the military academy, located in New York state, since 2024, West Point said.
U.S. Army Captain Stephen O. Adjei died while scuba diving at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of U.S. Military Academy West Point
West Point divers made up one of several groups Saturday at Lake Hydra, a limestone quarry near Bethlehem that draws scuba enthusiasts from all over the mid-Atlantic. About 140 people were at the 55-acre lake Saturday, owner Ken Kraft said. According to him, there hasn’t been a diving death since 2022.
Like many sports, diving involves risks, Kraft said.
“That is why we are only open for training and not to the general public, this ensures that a professional is with the diver in training at all times,” he said.
In addition to being a training destination, people enjoy the quarry, previously called Dutch Springs, for its opportunities for underwater exploration, said Dave Barnes, who runs Scubadelphia Diveseekers in Philly. Airplanes, a helicopter, and a school bus are among the attractions on the lake bottom, along with large fish and wildlife.
Barnes said his group was nearby on the north cove of the lake when he learned about a missing diver.
“It’s terrible. I sent my divers in to help search,” Barnes said.
Two of his students — a paramedic and a physician from Philly — helped render aid to Adjei after he was brought ashore, Barnes said.
Divers conduct training at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of Dave Barnes
Kevin Pang, who co-owns South Jersey Scuba in Marlton, N.J., also had divers in the water. Pang said the incident has shocked the community — especially since Adjei was young and presumably fit.
“Scuba diving overall is a really safe sport,” Pang said. “These events are rare. That’s what makes it shocking when it does happen.”
Still, there were some challenges on the lake that day, Pang said. The lake is 100 feet deep at its lowest points. Divers routinely go down to around 60 feet, and overcast weather meant that it was hard to see at those depths. Inexperienced divers can make that situation worse by kicking up mud on the lake bottom, Pang said.
When Adjei went missing, a string of rescue protocols would have gone into effect, he said. Divers typically have a “dive buddy” responsible for maintaining eyes on their partner underwater. If one goes missing, the other diver searches for them for a minute, then surfaces. Usually, Pang said, the missing diver is quickly found at the surface.
It is not yet known whether Adjei’s death resulted from an error or a medical condition. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said his office is working to determine how Adjei died.
