Neighbors argue 30 W. Highland development will negatively impact Chestnut Hill

Henry O’Reilly’s plan to demolish his company’s headquarters at 30 W. Highland Ave. and replace it with eight townhouses has prompted one Hill resident to organize opposition to the plan online, with more than 80 respondents saying they were concerned the project would negatively impact the neighborhood.

Telehealth a big help at CH Hospital during pandemic

The use of telehealth in palliative care at Chestnut Hill Hospital has exploded over the past 10 months, according to B. Brent Simmons, MD., Chief of the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at the hospital and Director of the Drexel University/Tower Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program.

Historic housing shortage impacts Northwest

By the last quarter of 2019, common wisdom held that real estate in Philadelphia was about to peak. By February 2021, home prices were up by 12% over the previous year.

Community

Library Friends’ Hilltop Books opens by appointment

Hilltop Books is a project of the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library.

Chestnut Hill Hospital to host virtual talk on gut health

What’s upsetting your digestive system? Learn healthy tips and recipes to keep your digestive system working smoothly during a virtual session with Asyia Ahmad, MD, gastroenterologist, on Thursday, March 4 at noon.

New book by Mt. Airy military man about 'Toxic Isms'

Howard A. Myrick's latest accomplishment is a newly published book he authored, “Surviving Toxic 'Isms' and Polarizing Dissent; Protecting Our Democracy."

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COVID-19 cases drop in city as vaccine efforts gain steam

Case rates of the coronavirus continue to fall in Philadelphia and vaccination rates gradually rise, as the city works out how to expand sites and get the vaccine to more people. “The doses …

At public meeting, Cliveden reconsiders Battle of Germantown reenactment

Guns have blazed on the grounds of Cliveden for the past 45 years in the reenactment of the Battle of Germantown, but this year things may be different.

Pending SCOTUS decision will affect foster care in Philadelphia

In a recent commentary for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), they wrote that “suggesting that same-sex couples are unsuitable to care for children is not just hurtful to us, but it reinforces the worst ideas that many LGBTQ young people have about themselves — that they have less worth than other people.”

New restaurant in Mt. Airy's 73-year-old Irish Center

The Commodore opened in October (with a “soft” opening).

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Business

Mt. Airy fabric business Wild Hand has thrived during pandemic

Not too many businesses can say that their sales in December, 2020, when the pandemic was spiraling out of control, were twice as high as they were in December, 2019, four months before the pandemic had even begun.

E-edition

Mar 4, 2021 issue

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Crime

Crime Report: Shot fired by man breaking into cars in Chestnut Hill

The following crime report is for crimes reported in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy for the period between Feb. 22– Feb. 28 On Monday, Feb. 22, a man tells police he witnessed someone ransack …

Food for Thought

Planning ahead for spring, 5 tips for a better foodie future

Have you ever seen the calendar in the beginning of “Living” magazine that shows Martha Stewart’s personal “to-do” list for each month? I often look at it in awe – and have a good laugh.

Flix

‘I Love You, Man’ a plotless but ultimately entertaining bromantic comedy

‘I Love You, Man” is a smart and highly entertaining bromantic comedy. I liked it, man.

Before cancer, wonderful memoir by Philly sports guy

Occasionally someone will ask me how I find out about so many fascinating musicians, authors, artists, etc., in the relatively small geographical we cover.

Calendar

Liner Notes

White Stripes hits collection a worthy re-introduction to the garage rockers

Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s likely had one or both of the following greatest hits collections: Steve Miller Band’s “Greatest Hits 1974-1978” and “Legend: …

Gardening

Gardening: Spectacular orchids are a gardener’s reward

Among the more dangerous pursuits of 19th-century explorers was orchid collecting.

Gardening: Raising exotic orchids in Philadelphia requires ingenuity

It takes a particular sort of person to keep tropical plants alive in Philadelphia.

Features

Arts and Crafts was a design remedy for mass produced home goods

One thing you can say for sure is that once the pendulum swings one way, it will surely swing back the other. So it was in the 1880s and 90s that designers and architects, hating the mass production of the Industrial Revolution, staged a revolt of their own and laid the foundations for the English Arts and Crafts movement.

Most consistent thing about design tastes is that they always change

As much as I love design, my earliest interest in interiors was not really the paint colors, wallpaper or furnishings, but more so what caused those things to become popular features within a space.

Real estate

Mt. Airy condo project preserves the property’s church community

An architect’s rendering shows what the entryway to 7111 Germantown Avenue, a new condo development, will look like once complete. By Pete Mazzaccaro Local developer Ken Weinstein has made a …

Elfant Realtor has his own Mt. Airy historical mansion

Alex Aberle and Violette Levy stand in front of their 16-room, 6,724-square-foot structure with 12-foot-high ceilings, revitalizing one of Mt. Airy’s most historic homes into an airy modern …

Local expert insists real estate will come back first

Mimi represents this property at 28 West Abington, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, brick twin that was the home of one family for over 50 years. Asking price is $349,900. By Stacia Friedman Magnolia, …

GA basketball goes 2-2 in busy final week

Last week, Germantown Academy closed out the abbreviated 2021 girls' basketball season with a four-game homestand over the course of five days. Victories over Agnes Irwin (on Wednesday) and Episcopal …

PC basketball finishes with wins over GA, Notre Dame

In closely contested basketball games, the girls of Penn Charter have cemented their reputation as a fourth-quarter team. In both of their victories over Germantown Academy this season, the Quakers …

GA basketball celebrates seniors, overcomes SCH

Prior to the extended stretch of snow last week, the girls of Germantown Academy and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy were able to gather for an Inter-Ac League contest. For host GA, it was also an …

Jenks Robotics Team thanks Disney and donors

When the Philadelphia School District and the Robotics Coalition announced plans to compete in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge this Spring, Bob Kenyon, coach of the Robotics Team at the Jenks Academy of the Arts and Sciences, knew his team would not be ready unless they upgraded their equipment.

SCH Academy marks Black History Month with virtual visit from Senator Cory Booker

Deftly bridging the virtual distance to engage his audience, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, kept over 250 members of the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy community spellbound as he spoke …

Local author virtually visits Jenks

Recently, two classes at Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences had a virtual visit from local author and illustrator Brian Biggs about his most recent collaboration with Mical Ostow, “Sullivan, Who is Always Too Loud.”

Julia Vieland, pianist and teacher

Julia Vieland, pianist and teacher, died peacefully at Cathedral Village in Roxborough on February 3, 2021. Julia devoted more than 75 of her 96 years to sharing the joy of making music through her …

Barbara Ann Ruth, interior designer and architect

Barbara Ann Ruth, a former Chestnut Hill resident, died peacefully at her home in Philadelphia, Jan. 20 at the age of 81. Barbara blazed her own trail in life. While her family was well known for …

Lifelong Northwest Philly resident and oldest man in city, Russell A. Harvey, dies at 105.

On May 29, 2019, Mayor Kenney and the city-sponsored a luncheon in the ballroom at Sugar House Casino to honor the city's centenarians. One of the honorees was Russell A. Harvey, a lifelong Northwest …

Ruth R. Russell, journalist, longtime Local editor

Ruth R. Russell, a longtime Local editor and Chestnut Hill resident, died on Jan 2. She was 87. Russell was a life-long Philadelphian. She was born in Olney to William and Doris Rummler. William …

Carole Delmore Sivin, artist, educator

Carole Sivin, a long-time Hill resident, artist and professor died on Dec. 30 at the age of 84.

Enemies of reading

Getting vaccinated (Hallelujah!) in a clean well-lighted space

Way back in the distant past, the year 2020 shall we say, around August, certainly by December, the CDC began to announce its suggested protocols for administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

Opinion

I’m a small business owner and I support a federal paid family and medical leave program

As a small business owner and a mom, I know what it’s like to need to step away from work to care for loved ones. My husband and I have owned and operated the Night Kitchen Bakery and Cafe in Chestnut Hill for more than 20 years.

Mistakes were made

One of the things I’d like to do more in this space is give readers some behind-the-scenes takes about what happens at the Local. In talking to people, I regularly come to understand that the …

Where in the World is Philadelphia?

We all want to save the planet. But what does that really mean?

Letters

Letters: We need American Rescue Plan

Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the United States, it's time for our leaders in Washington to put aside partisan bickering and do something to help.

Letters: Hill style needs to be preserved

I understand that times change, and Chestnut Hill must change with the times. Thus, for instance, empty stores must make way for occupied housing.

Letters: KUDOS to Mimi’s Café and Market

In the spirit of “keepin’ it local” and supporting business on the Hill, a big hats off to Mimi’s Café and their Valentine’s Day take out fest!

Letters: Paper delivery beats the Post Office

One thing you can count on this winter: if there are snowflakes in the air, there’ll be no mail delivery.

Together with our community champions: Looking back at 2020 for the Chestnut Hill Conservancy

Because of your support, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy has been able to sustain our stewardship of the history, architecture, and open space we treasure.

Discovering Chestnut Hill: Women’s Equality Day observed

This photograph from the Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s Archives appears to show women heading to the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession held in Washington, D.C., in protest of the lack of voting rights …

Discover Chestnut Hill: remembrances of Chestnut Hill Past… (Part 1 Of 2)

This April 1940 photograph shows Alessandra Cartelli’s mother and sister, Rose and Louise Cartelli, before boarding the ship to Philadelphia to join Pietro Cartelli. By Molly Murphy Anyone who …

In celebration of International Rock Day

This circa 1924 photograph shows a large outcrop of Wissahickon Schist being quarried in the 7500 block of Germantown Avenue, later the site of the Trolley Car Diner. Vito Benvenuto of Benezet …

Discover Chestnut Hill: Documenting our history and the pandemic

SEPTA’s “Lifeline” map of Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy is shown here, with lines in operation highlighted, as well as the locations of “life-sustaining” businesses. By Alex …