81-unit apartment moves forward with ZBA approval

The city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted unanimously on Oct. 29 to grant a special exception for the removal of heritage trees for TierView Development’s 81-unit apartment development in Mt. Airy.

Ribbon-cutting announces arrival of Petite Matines

Petite Matines celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 31 in Chestnut Hill.

Postcard of the week

“Yesterday was a beautiful day for a walk at the Morris Arboretum. The Japanese call the brilliant colors ‘Aki no nishiki’ or autumn brocade.”

Features

Give a dog a home

Meet Leen! Brought to ACCT Philly animal rescue in October, police found her tied to a fence and abandoned. She is currently available for adoption at Doggie Style Pets in Chestnut Hill.

City Council approves 10-cent paper bag fee

Philadelphia City Council has passed legislation that would require all retailers to charge customers 10 cents each for a paper bag. The bill, which passed by a vote of 10-5 on Oct. 30, now heads to …

For Veterans Day: ‘Eleventh day, month, hour’

I stopped to read a familiar poem displayed in large type on a poster in a shop window on Germantown Avenue.

Great food for 63 years and a 98-year-old pizza maker

I would not be surprised if Giulia Iaquinto qualified for the Guinness Book of World Records.

New Cope House exhibit highlights the art of collecting

The progression from an art appreciator to an art collector might seem unattainable to some. However, William Skeet Jiggetts is here to report that’s not the case.

A Northwest health care center that does it all

Across the street from SEPTA’s Germantown regional rail station, a few blocks from East Chelten Avenue’s bustling retail corridor, sits an unassuming, 1950s-era commercial building.

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Community Feature

Wyndmoor author and analyst brings Carl Jung’s teaching to life

Author Lisa Marchiano remembers a cold winter day when she was a new mother, pushing her infant and toddler children in their stroller through Mt. Airy and their stroller getting stuck in tree roots popping up through the sidewalk.

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Rabbi Arthur Waskow, 92, beloved social activist, author

Longtime Mt. Airy resident Rabbi Arthur Waskow, who died Oct. 20 at the age of 92, may be the most memorable person I have ever met.

Barbara Winkelman, 64, author, Citizen Canine columnist

Chestnut Hill resident Barbara Gaines Winkelman, an author of 15 children’s books and writing teacher for 10 years who wrote the Citizen Canine column for the Local in 2021, died Aug. 7 at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center of a traumatic brain injury suffered in a freak accident.

Antoinette Marie DuBiel, 89, Hill business owner, music lover

Fifteen years ago when my wife and I had season tickets to the Academy of Music, we looked forward to seeing and chatting with Antoinette Marie DuBiel, an assistant head usher who was as much a part of the experience as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s violins and oboes.

Rev. C. Richard Cox, 91, civil rights activist, organizer

The Rev. C. Richard Cox, 91, who lived for a half-century in Mt. Airy and Wyndmoor, and spent his life fighting for civil rights, racial equity and victims of injustice, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease at Foulkeways in Gwynedd on July 25.

Helen Elizabeth Haynes, artist, arts executive, 74

Helen Elizabeth Haynes, 74, an acclaimed painter and textile artist, former college art teacher, chief cultural officer during the administration of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and cultural affairs director at Montgomery County Community College, died of cardiac arrest March 26 at Jefferson Einstein Hospital.

Crime Report

The following is for crimes reported from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2.

Crime Report

The following is for crimes reported from Oct. 19 to Oct. 26.

The villages of Northwest Philadelphia: Yesterday and today

From the array of shops in Chestnut Hill, through Mt. Airy’s tree-lined streets, to historic sites in Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia is known for its unique character.

Comforts of home

Discovering nature’s pantry: Go forth and forage this summer

Our region, with its abundant parks, woodlands and reliable rainfall, makes foraging for food a breeze. It isn’t a free-for-all, though.

Comforts of home

Cracking the code: The fight for backyard chickens in Philadelphia

A quiet revolution is clucking its way into neighborhoods, challenging city ordinances and highlighting the surprising benefits of urban chicken keeping.

Aging in place: Prepare your home ahead of time

Don’t be caught off guard. It's important to consider the steps to success.

Tour offers rare look inside Louis Kahn-designed Esherick House

Art and architecture lovers now have a rare opportunity to explore the Margaret Esherick House, a midcentury modern gem designed by famed architect Louis Kahn.

SCH girls finish second in soccer in the Inter-Ac League

It appeared beforehand that defending league champion Springside Chestnut Hill Academy would not find traditional rival Episcopal Academy as daunting an opponent as in the recent past.

Mount field hockey finishes second in District One tournament

Mount St. Joseph Academy scored seven goals in each of its first three games in the PIAA District 1 field hockey playoffs.

With both teams forced to make line-up changes, SCH tennis edges GA, 4-3

The tennis teams from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Germantown Academy were both missing players from their regular lineups when they met at SCH last Thursday.

CHC’s successful women’s soccer squad features four SCH graduates

The women’s soccer team at Chestnut Hill College has been on a roll, and the Griffins rose to a record of 6-1 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with their 3-0 victory over Holy Family University on Oct. 21.

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SCH announces National Merit Scholars

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) recently announced six seniors — Alec Gupte, Aaron Jia, Eloise Levin, Judah Meyer, Lewa White, and Lauren Wilson — were recognized for their high scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Called to the community: Norwood-Fontbonne installs new president

When Bridget Bonner, the newly installed president of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy (NFA), first visited the school’s campus in Chestnut Hill, she kept receiving signs — or, as Bonner calls them, “God winks.”

Our Mother of Consolation School reopens after fire

There’s a passage from the Book of Revelation that applies to Our Mother of Consolation School’s (OMC) recent tribulations: “Behold, I make all things new.”

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Letters to the editor

- World-class Maguire
  
  Just wanted to say that Bill Valerio and his team at Woodmere Art Museum have done a spectacular job with Maguire Hall.
- Leave the leaves
  
  If you want to protect birds and other animals, you have to protect their source of food, namely, bugs.
- Say no to electric scooters
  
  If the Legislature does not ban electric scooters from Pennsylvania’s roads many children will be maimed and killed.
- Say yes to trash bill
  
  Councilmember Jamie Gauthier has introduced the Stop Trashing Our Air Act. This bill will end the incineration of Philly’s trash in Chester.
- A thank you for No Kings
  
  As a member of the community served by the Chestnut Hill Local, it was heartwarming to witness 700-plus local citizens participate in the …
- Remembering Tommy
  
  Charlie and I were filled with great sadness upon learning of the passing of Tommy the Cat on July 13, 2025.
- Good things are happening in Springfield
  
  It’s easy to feel discouraged about government today but Springfield Township actually stands out for good Democratic leadership.
- Advocating for our library
  
  The Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library celebrate a long wished for and advocated development: the return of Saturday hours at our local branch …

Susan Smith’s journey of change spans interests

If there’s one thing Susan Smith has learned over the course of her career, it’s to not be afraid of change.

Chestnut Hill Hospital offering new cardiology services

Since forming a consortium to buy Chestnut Hill Hospital in early 2023, Temple University Health System has been expanding its footprint in the area.

New political thriller by Hill’s organized-crime novelist

One does not normally expect to see the words “mob” or “organized crime” in the same sentence as “Chestnut Hill,” but Alfred O’Neill is an anomaly.

Hillers developing mini-forest at Casey’s Ice Pond Park

Volunteers are planting the start of what they hope will be Chestnut Hill’s first mini-forest.

The best film noir you’ve never seen comes to Woodmere

Good is your enlightened home. Evil is your dark jungle. Only one door separates them; if you cross it, two hands will imprison you in anguish and pain. Never open that door!