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Historic nomination may delay church demolition
Coach Tom Shirley addresses Jefferson University players in the huddle during a timeout.

Longtime Jefferson coach Tom Shirley inducted into Pa. Sports Hall of Fame

Tom Shirley doesn’t spend much time contemplating the gray areas of life.
People flocked inside for one last visit to the Academy of Natural Sciences on Saturday, Sept. 19. The museum is set to close to the public on Sept. 27.

Academy of Natural Sciences closure rocks community

Like many Philadelphians, Wissahickon resident Michelle Ritondo first visited the Academy of Natural Sciences on a school field trip.

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Features

‘Deep spiritual joy’ of Brooker comes to Woodmere

“Listen With Your Eyes,” 2009. Mixed media and oil on canvas.
“Listen with Your Eyes: A Moe Brooker Retrospective” opened in Chestnut Hill over the weekend at Woodmere’s Smith Hall.
Pulling the curtain down on a top Manayunk restaurant
I can still remember going to Jake’s restaurant in Manayunk when it opened on Oct. 19, 1987, because that same day the stock market crashed, losing about 500 points.
Give a cat a home
Meet Chet, a very cool and handsome young male with charisma and charm. Perhaps it all stems from his Russian Blue lineage.
Educators use online charity to help fund classrooms
Philadelphia public and charter schools have historically been underfunded, leaving teachers with fewer avenues every year to acquire the necessary resources for their students.
When should my child see a dermatologist?
With the start of every new school year, sports season or social activity, your child will experience a healthy dose of change: a new classroom, a new teacher, new friends and possibly even a new school.
Mt. Airy’s ‘sacred jazz’ buff to sing Motown at Woodmere
Mt. Airy resident Warren Cooper, who will perform at Woodmere on Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m., may not be an ordained minster, but he has always used his musical talents in the service of a higher purpose.
Four-hand piano performance at G-town Victorian mansion
If you like hearing a pianist playing with two hands, you just might like pianists Duo Fuerza twice as much.

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Local Calendar
Obituaries
Mt. Airy pioneering dentist, star runner, dies at 95
Dr. William Johnson, Jr., 95, of Philadelphia, a standout runner and retired dentist who practiced for many years in Mt. Airy, died at home Aug. 26 of congestive heart failure.
Deborah “Debbie” Feldman
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Deborah “Debbie“ Feldman who passed away at home on the morning of September 11. She was most recently from Barnegat and Manahawkin …
Henry Brinton Coxe, III
Henry Brinton Coxe, III, 96, of Ambler, was born in Pennsylvania Hospital on August 29, 1930, to Henry Brinton Coxe, Jr. and Helen Piper Coxe. Harry was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, …

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Community News
Hill award-winning artist’s dreams come true
Chestnut Hill artist Claudia Rilling always wanted to be an artist, even as a child growing up in Bucks County, but she had no idea how to make that happen.
Hill award winner teaching how to write a film script
Ever dream about writing a movie script? If so, you just may want to take courses on the subject offered in October by Mt. Airy Learning Tree (MALT).
Penn Charter powers past Mount St. Joseph in tennis tilt
As they looked to head into the PIAA District 1 tennis tournament, Mount St. Joseph Academy tennis players prepared by facing some tough competition on Sept. 23.
Crime

Crime Report

The following is for crimes reported from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27.

Crime Report

The following is for crimes reported from Sept. 13 to Sept. 20.

Crime Report

The following is for crimes reported from Sept. 6 to Sept. 13.

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Sports

Penn Charter tops Central in non-league encounter

GA knocks off SCH in Inter-Ac League opener

GA junior Zoe Brownstein reaches to return a low shot in the first singles match.

On the tennis courts at Germantown Academy, the host Patriots and the visiting Blue Devils of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy made their 2026 Inter-Ac League debut last week.

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Schools
Salt & Light Academy in line for national prize
Salt & Light Academy for Boys, a Mt. Airy-based hybrid “microschool” at the New Covenant campus, has been named one of 26 education organizations nationwide selected as a 2026 Yass Prize contender.
McCloskey inaugurated as CH College president
Chestnut Hill College on Friday formally inaugurated its eighth president, Brian McCloskey, a full-circle moment for the Philadelphia native.

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Chestnut Hill
Night of Lights returns with exhibits, music, activities
The Chestnut Hill Conservancy has announced a full schedule of activities for its ninth annual Night of Lights streetscape exhibition, running from Friday, Oct. 2, to Monday, Oct. 5.
Estate planning workshop set at CH United Church
What’s going to happen to your estate — your house, your bank accounts, your investments — when you’re no longer here? Do you want it to go to your spouse or your children or other relatives?

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Business
New Maguire gallery is ‘love letter to artists’
Tara Maguire had never seriously created art until 2017, when she went to an art class at Woodmere with her mother, philanthropist and artist Frances (Frannie) Maguire.
Huge Japanese menu, exceptional quality at Ooka
Ooka, which means “cherry blossom” in Japanese, was founded by brothers Ben and Lenny Huang to be an authentic sushi and hibachi restaurant.
Truelove Seeds preserves culture through agriculture
On 1.7 acres of land in Roxborough, next to The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Owen Taylor spends his days growing and harvesting seeds from more than 230 types of plants.
Fall restaurant week is returning to Manayunk
Foodies will take over Main Street from Sept. 14-20 at more than 20 locations, with special menus and prices as Manayunk Restaurant Week returns with old favorites as well as some newly opened hot spots.
Roxborough hardware store owners receive national award
Along with his brother, Joe, who runs the second Stanley’s True Value Hardware location in Oreland, Mark Jaconski says he’s committed to providing a positive experience for his customers.

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Comforts of Home
Picking a paint color may depend on your personality
Why can the subject of paint color be so exasperating?

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Senior Life
End-of-life doula is ‘fulfilling, gut-wrenching, beautiful, sacred’
In 2020, Belle Sandella’s 47-year-old cousin was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. He was given three months to live.

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Health & Wellness
Breast cancer under 50 is rising, and more deadly
An estimated 321,910 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

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Opinion & letters
Editorials

AI in the newsroom: It’s here, but needs guardrails

Artificial intelligence “is one more tool to come along in my career, a career shaped by evolutionary technology at every step along the way.”
The reality is this: Artificial intelligence is already well out of the box. While there should be clear guardrails — our elected officials are perilously perched behind the eightball on this — AI is here to stay.

Note to readers

Where were you on 9/11? This year is the 25th anniversary of that horrendous day in 2001, and the Local is looking for your remembrances, to be published in our Sept. 10 issue.

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Letters to the editor
    • We’re so lucky!

      Chestnut Hill College recently hosted two memorable days of events celebrating the inauguration of Dr. Brian McCloskey as the college’s eighth …

    • Fond memories of Peter Yeomans

      I first met Peter Yeomans in 2003 when he led us to Bududa, Uganda, for a work camp to start a vocation school for children orphaned by AIDS.

    • Common sense for Academy of Natural Sciences

      The quandary that has burst unexpectedly out into public view is the next significant, bold step up and forward for our very important natural …

    • A morning that started with play

      On the sunny, clear morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was sitting with my 2-year-old in the sandbox at the Water Tower when my friend Audrey joined …

    • A loss on an emotional day

      On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, my neighbor burst into my kitchen and shouted, “Turn on the television!” I did, and we watched in shock as …

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