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The Main Line’s most networked woman tells all – and it’s not always pretty. Plus, T/E to seize land for schools; Dust-ups in Devon, Berwyn & Paoli; Blue political coup; Vaughan builders & SAVVY reader-appreciation freebies & deals!

November 15, 2019 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Life looks a lot different after you’re hit, dragged and pinned under a 20,000-pound truck. Just ask Bala Cynwyd’s Jennifer Robinson, who in 2008 nearly lost her life during a sunny stroll on Penn’s campus. In a blink, she went from a newly- wed, rock-star litigator to mangled victim, fully conscious and terrified as EMTs swarmed around her.

Fast forward to 2019 and a reborn Robinson, 46, is finally able to talk about her accident, about the devastating spiral that ensued and how she clawed her way back to daylight.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, Uncategorized Tagged With: Alterra, Barre Focus Fitness, Berwyn Square, Berwyn Stormwater, Berwyn Tree Lighting, business networking, Carlino's Market, Christmas on King, Conestoga High School, Conestoga High School expansion, Devereux, Devon Center District, Devon garage, Devon Horse Show, digital billboard, Doye & McDonnell Nursery, Eagle Village Shops, Easttown Township, elections, Eli Kahn, eminent domain, FemCity, Garrett Hill, home organizers, Jennifer Robinson, Jump Dautrich, Kahn Development, Kate Winslet, King of Prussia Town Center, Mare of Easttown, migrant children's shelter, Narberth Dickens Festival, One Ardmore, Purposeful networking, SAVVY giveaways, senior living, Solera, Swedesford Plaza, T & E Care, Tredyffrin Township Democrats, Tredyffrin Township Planning Commission, Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, Vaughan Building Company, Wayne Christmas, Wayne Grafton, Winterfest, Your Organizing Consultants

Double Issue: Why a top teacher’s not returning to T/E (with video); Shoplifting at Devon (oh, no); Double Jeopardy, O shots (!), ALDI, HipCityVeg, Shore things, HomeCooked, SAVVY Steals & more

June 12, 2019 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

School’s out for summer.

As of this week, it’s out forever … for star Stoga teacher Deb Ciamacca.

For years, the former Marine and beloved U.S. Government teacher has urged her students to get off the sidelines. “Democracy’s not a spectator sport,” she’d tell them.

After speaking out about gun safety here – and on national and international TV – she put her career where her mouth was.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aldi, Avalon, Avalon park, Axia Women's Health, beach park, Berwyn Fire Co., bio-identical hormones, birth control, botox, Brendan Roach, Capt'n Chucky's, Catalyst, CHOP, Claire Guarino, Conestoga High School, Day of Beauty, Day Spa by Zsuzsanna, Deb Ciamacca, Debra Ciamacca, Devon Horse Show, digital billboard, Dips, Emma Boettcher, Fratelli's, Gregory Bolton, gun violence, Gusto Brew Co. La Costa Lounge, gynecologist, Happy Bird, Harriton pitcher, HipCityVeg, HomeCooked, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, ignite purpose, Impact Center, IUD, Jeopardy, Josei Kelly's Public House, Kiefer Sutherland, Kunda Beverage, Lauren Hart, Louella, Main & Vine, Main Line Health, Margate, McConnell & Associates ob/gyn, Merion Mercy Academy, Microneedling, Millennium Hair & Day Spa, Misfits, Misfits Market, Nom Nom, O shot, organic produce, P shot, Paoli, Paoli Village Shoppes, Patricia McConnell, Polka Dots, Polpo, PRP, Reeds at Shelter Haven, Revel Ride, school safety, Sean Herrmann, shoplifters, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Suburban Square, Surfside Park, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Three Crazy Ladies, Tilton Square, ugly produce, vampire face lifts, vampire facial, vegan restaurant, Woodlynde School, Workhorse Brewing, Zsuzsanna Beyer

Autism ‘miracle’ in Merion; Bus stop blues & vandalism in T/E; PE pushback in LMSD; Tasty news for Tredici, La Cabra lovers; Plush digs for Bryn Mawr patients and more

January 17, 2019 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

When doctors at CHOP diagnosed Matthew Cramer with “classic” Autism Spectrum Disorder, his mother, Julie, a physician herself, had to excuse herself.

“I was retching,” the Merion Station dermatologist tells SAVVY. “I was absolutely sick to my stomach.”

“It’s not cancer,” her husband, Warren, had reassured her. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“It sort of is,” Julie countered. For a long time, she couldn’t even say the word, autism. “I used the A word instead,” she says.

Ten years later, Julie says the full word without flinching. More than that, she’s eager to share her son’s remarkable journey.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY Tagged With: Academy of Notre Dame Art Show, art shows, autism, Beth Am Israel, Biga, Bodega, Bryn Mawr Center for Psychological and Educational Services, Bryn Mawr Hospital, bus stop, Cerise, Conestoga High School, Dish and Dine, Enoteca Tredici Downingtown, Extended Experience, Gladwyne Acem, Greg Dodge, Harriton High School, Joseph Russino, Kelly Donahue, La Cabra Brewing, LaBlast, Linda Ritter, Louis Van Amstel, Lower Merion School District, Mary Dougherty, Matthew Cramer, Merion Mercy Academy, Michele Robins, Michelle Leonard, Movement Rx Studio, Murph Wysocki, Nicole Miller, Old Eagle School Road, Patient Pavilion, St. Aloysius Academy, Susie Geib, The Bercy, The Refectory, Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors, Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, UpHome, Villanova restaurant, Woodlynde School, Zagafen, Zavino Hospitality Group

FURY over Element Kitchen’s disappearing act; Felony Lane Gang hits Paoli (Women beware); Art for all; Cancer Support; Martha Stewart & much more

April 12, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Dream kitchens up in flames.

New bathrooms down the drain.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars, given in good faith, gone.

Employees summarily fired, their paychecks bounced. A lease broken, rent skipped.

The flood of fuming allegations against Element Kitchen & Bath in Paoli (and formerly Devon) beggars belief.

Did this really happen? Here?

No bargain basement remodeler, Element – until it up and vanished – operated out of a splashy showroom in the heart of Paoli at the beautifully renovated KingsHaven Design complex.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Acme, Ardmore Music Hall, Ashley Lunkenheimer, autism, Autism Awareness Luncheon, Bernice Paul, Beth Buccini, brain injury, Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia, Community Arts Norristown, Conestoga High School, Corsica, Daylesford Crossing, Element Kitchen & Bath, Episcopal Academy, Felony Lane Gang, FLITE, Friends Central School, Gabrielle Arts Foundation, Giada de Laurentiis, Harlem Wizards, In the Pocket, Jahnavi Rao, Jay Wright, King of Prussia mall, KingsHaven Design, Kinney Center, Lisa Scottoline, Liseter, Main Line Art Center, Martha Stewart, Mary Gay Scanlon, michael sheehan, Mike Sheehan, Molly Shepard, Natanya Sortland, navy yard, Nicole Schaeffer, Paoli, Paoli Library, Pearl Kim, Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, Philadelphia Antiques Show, Race to Recovery, School of Rock, social justice, T, Tommy Conwell, Tredyffrin Police, Valley Forge Flowers, Valley Forge Park, Wendy Coleman, West Chester homicide, Wheels of Wayne, Williams Sonoma

GUNS! Students walk out, Parents gather & Stoga teacher speaks out nationally; Devon’s new Lumbrada; Ardmore’s new Living Room; Pro athletes talk mental health; Village Wellness & more

March 15, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

They called B.S.

Fed up because they don’t feel safe in school, thousands of Main Line students walked off the job Wednesday.

For 17 minutes or more, classrooms became ghost towns, the halls were mostly quiet.

There would be no repercussions. Lower Merion, Radnor and T/E Schools were of one voice: students would not be penalized for commemorating Florida’s fallen 17 and demanding #NeverAgain.

As a precaution, parents were cordially not invited to attend – forbidden, in fact, from entering schools that became “closed campuses” from 10 to 11 a.m. Local police stood at the ready, their services, thankfully, not needed.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, SHOP Tagged With: #Enough, Anselmo Torres, Ardmore, Barbara Bigford, Berwyn, Bluebell Kitchens, community acupuncture, Conestoga High School, CYO basketball, Dan Maxwell, Deb Ciamacca, Deb Fein, Delaware Valley Friends School, Delice et Chocolat, Devon, DMAX Foundation, Emergency Aid of PA, entrepreneurs, Jennifer Thompson, Lance Isakov, Laura Mann, Laurie Doan, Lower Merion High School, Lumbrada, Main Line acupuncture, Main Line School Night, Mexican restaurants, Mullen Interiors, national school walkout, Peter Cardone, Radnor High School. Moms Demand Action, St. Monica's Parish, student athletes, student walkout, suicide prevention, Taste of the Main Line, teen mental health, The Living Room at 23 East, Tredyffrin Public Library, Village Wellness

Two Devon mysteries solved: What’s up with old Shiraz site & empty KMart; Plus, new hotel to Radnor, new map for PA, new charges for Ahr; ‘active shooter’ training & more

February 22, 2018 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

It’s a Main Line mystery: Twin buildings – perhaps the most opulent ever built in these parts – sitting idle for years in the heart of Devon.

Unleased.

Unsold.

Ripe for the taking but no one’s biting.

What happened to this modern-day Taj Mahal, its hushed, lifeless halls worlds away from the bustling Whole Foods across the street?

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, SHOP, Uncategorized Tagged With: active shooter response training, AFC Fitness, Ardmore Target, autograph show, Bryn + Dane's, Conestoga High School, David Shulkin, Devon, Devon Kmart, Devon Target, Eagles memorabilia, Fair Districts PA, gerrymander, Hope Chest, hotels, Ilona, Ivory Tree, Jalen Mills, James Beard Foundation Awards, Jen Posner, John DeBella, La Jonquille, Little Nest, Matt Littman, Matthew Vegari, Merle Bari, Niche Media, Paoli, Penn Medicine, Phil Ahr, Philadelphia Eagles, Purenergy Studio, Radnor Board of Commissioners, Radnor School District, Redistricting, Shared Space, Shiraz, Suburban Square, Target, Teres'a Next Door, Thorncroft, Valerie Craig, Valley Forge Casino Resort, Warren Kampf, Wayne Art Center, winter beach bash

Ex-Stoga aide admits student sexual assaults; New Bryn Mawr BYOB; Fresh ‘Canvas’ for downsizing boomers; Teegarden dogs; Our Closet; Mister Sprinkle & more

November 30, 2017 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Guilty as charged. A former teacher’s aide has admitted to the repeated sexual assault of a Conestoga sophomore – in his school office, his car and her bedroom – during the 2016-2017 school year.

After pleading not guilty at his April arraignment, Arthur Phillips changed his plea to guilty last Tuesday and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

If Phillips had been younger, Chester County Judge Patrick Carmody said he wouldn’t have accepted the plea deal. “You’re 67, Do you understand that you may never leave jail, that this might be a life sentence?” he asked the defendant.

Phillips said quietly that he understood.

The judge was clearly disgusted by Phillips’ crimes.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, SOUL, Uncategorized Tagged With: 76ers, a cappella group, Academy Ball, Arthur Phillips, Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr Mainliners, Canvas Valley Forge, Charles Hallinan, Choice BYOB, Christmas cookies, Conestoga High School, Conestoga lawsuit, Conestoga soccer, Devon Horse Show, holiday gifts, King of Prussia Town Center, loan shark, Main Line dining, Mike Shelly, Mister Sprinkle, Saxbys, Teegarden dog park, Teegarden Park, Tredyffrin dog park, Tredyffrin Winter Rec, Wentworth Gallery, Winterfest

Democrats win big in T/E & beyond; Longtime Main Line ob-gyn arrested; Stoga, Devon Yard, Ardmore Target & Aronimink updates; Dine local; Shop w/ purpose & more

November 15, 2017 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Local Democrats are still pinching themselves – perhaps nowhere more so than in Tredyffrin, where the party’s candidates went 12 for 12 last Tuesday.

A sweep.

Three Democrats ran for township supervisor seats: incumbent Murph Wysocki plus Matt Holt and Kevin O’Nell. ­

All three won.

Four Democrats ran for T/E school board: incumbent Scott Dorsey plus Kyle Boyer, Tina Whitlow and Heather Ward.

All four won. (Whitlow and Ward ousted current board president Doug Carlson and Virginia Lastner.)

So, for the first time in township history, three of seven supes and seven of nine school board directors will be Democrats.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, SHOP, Uncategorized Tagged With: Ardmore, Ardmore Target, Aronimink, Chris Hurst, Conestoga High School, Democrats, Devon Yard, Heather Ward, Joseph Russino, King of Prussia mall, King of Prussia Town Center, Kyle Boyer, Lisa borowski, Medical Marijuana, Murph Wysocki, Paoli ob--gyn associates, Paula Hian, PGA tour, Philip Ahr, St. David's Episcopal Church, Target, The Gift Shop at St. David's, Tredyffrin, Tredyffrin Township Democrats, Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board, Wyebrook Farm

Chesco DA Hogan writes extraordinary ‘letter to editor’ detailing and defending his handling of Conestoga football hazing case

June 29, 2017 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

Chester County DA Tom Hogan today took the extraordinary step of releasing a six-page letter to the public, seeking to “set the record straight” in the locker room sodomy case.

The DA has been under fire from football parents, coaches and some community members for his office’s handling of the case. To defend his actions, Hogan asked for and was given court permission to detail his office’s handling of the investigation and prosecution.

His letter, in its entirety, follows:

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL Tagged With: Chester County DA, Conestoga Football, Conestoga High School, District Attorney Tom Hogan, football hazing scandal

New sexual abuse suit vs. Conestoga – most damaging of all? Plus, Tredici debuts, two Nova bars close in Bryn Mawr; Catholic ed back in Berwyn & much more

June 27, 2017 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

The Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is absorbing yet another fusillade – this one, an utterly explosive federal lawsuit that, in effect, blames Conestoga, its culture and staff for the months-long sexual abuse of a 15-year-old female student by 67-year-old TV studio aide Arthur Phillips.

Revolting.

To bolster its case, the suit details T/E’s “recent history of sex-related scandals”:

  • School aide/coach Christine Towers’ affair with a 15-year-old male student. Arrested exactly one year to the day before Phillips, Towers is in jail for her crimes.
  • The “No Gay Thursday” locker room hazing allegations that officials attributed to lax supervision.
  • The middle school sexting/cyberbullying charges.

The suit says the three scandals show a “pattern of deliberate and reckless indifference to signs of ongoing sexual harassment and sexual abuse” in the district.

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Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, Uncategorized Tagged With: Ardmore, Ardmore restaurants, Arthur Phillips, Betsy Bartos, Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr Village, Catholic school, Conestoga High School, Devon, Devon Orthodontics, drug addiction, Erin's Pub, Haverford, Hummingbird yoga, Maloney's Pub, Recovery yoga, Regina Luminis Academy, RLA, sexual abuse scandal, St. Monica's, surrey services, teacher's aide scandal, Tredici, Tredyffrin-Easttown School District

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