Concern Rises Over Break-Ins In Philly’s Suburbs

Debbie Campolo’s husband came home one day in February to find the front door of their house in Radnor smashed open. The target was clear – her jewelry box sat empty on the bedroom dresser.

“They took everything I had, even the stuff my kids made me,” said Campolo, a physical therapist who lives near Overbrook Golf Club.

Then she talked to three or four neighbors and workout pals who said the same thing had happened to them. And she found out that a few weeks before her break-in, a house three doors down had been hit the same way.

“They come in, pull a pillowcase off of a pillow, and then they dump the contents of a jewelry box right in it,” Campolo said.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131007_Concern_rises_over_suburban_break-ins.html#hrufsVizGfw2Jb0b.99

Radnor Panel Rejects Villanova Expansion

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Delaware County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Radnor Township Planning Commission has rejected Villanova University‘s request for a zoning change that would allow a major expansion of the Lancaster Avenue campus with new dormitories, a parking garage, a performing arts center, and stores.

The $200 million plan has upset residents, who say it would transform a quiet neighborhood into a noisy extension of the 10,600-student Wildcat campus.

The university was seeking a conditional use to allow denser development than allowed, Planning Commission Chairwoman Julia Hurle said.

The commission was concerned was that the zoning change would not be restricted to the university, she said.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/suburban_pa/20130509_Radnor_panel_rejects_Villanova_expansion.html#ocW7DQUa1jGWuMYC.99

Valley Forge National Historical Park Proceeds With Deer Culling

English: A white-tailed deer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It has set off a heated debate, a federal lawsuit, and enough documents to fill a couple of phone books.

But for the third consecutive year, Valley Forge National Historical Park is proceeding with a deer-culling program designed to thin the herd and encourage new plant growth in the park.

And officials at the famed Revolutionary War site say it is working.

The deer population has long been a bane of Valley Forge, they say.  Before the culling began, the park counted 291 deer per square mile.  A “sustainable” population would be closer to 35 per square mile, said Deirdre Gibson, the park’s chief of resources.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20121217_Valley_Forge_National_Historical_Park_proceeds_with_deer_culling.html