Josh Radnor is best known as an actor — he played the main character on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” which ran for nine seasons Radnor has also been working as a singer-songwriter His first album was a collaboration with singer Ben Lee and now he’s out with his first full-length solo record — a double album called “Eulogy.” who will be performing Saturday night at the Musical Instrument Museum SAM DINGMAN: You have a couple of songs about the way that you find yourself behaving when you're in New York City and how the concrete behaviors that you engage in in New York City you sort of recognize in yourself and sort of don't recognize as yourself RADNOR: I suppose I'm quite nostalgic is one of the things I battle in my life I did a play of his off Broadway a couple of years ago And he has this line — I think he just said it very casually in an interview He said he thinks “nostalgia is just a longing for a time you know you can can survive.” You know The present moment is so harrowing and so scary I think this album is about the part of me that couldn't behave in New York City I can certainly be in New York City and behave now in a different way That was a very particular moment in my life But it was also like — there's a Buddhist statement that says “When you get to the other side of the river You don't need the vehicle that got you across once you're across the river a lot of these songs are about dropping the canoe there’s a way in which by making a song about them it does seem like there's a bit of a desire to commemorate him or make some sort of musical monument to him but it's also like everyone gets a 21-gun salute or whatever like there's an honoring of the characters that were populating my life I always think that you can write songs from two places you can write songs as a protagonist in the middle of the confusion And you can also write songs from the perspective of the wise elder — whether it's giving advice or wisdom to your younger self or to a younger person But I play with these narrative focal points you're talking about very vulnerable experiences on this record Just to give one example on the song “You Can Sleep Alone Tonight.” DINGMAN: That's a very tender space to explore in a song And it makes me think of there's a lyric on the record that I really love where you say — this is from a different song — but you say I fear living and dying scared.” And it made me wonder if part of the goal with the writing on this record was to be sort of fearless in talking about these tender experiences RADNOR: I don't know how much forethought there was around that … When I went to NYU to the graduate acting program And we were trained to be publicly vulnerable and publicly truthful it's not like I rethought my whole personality I'm gonna really be vulnerable and tell the truth I've just found the artists I respond to are the vulnerable artists who kind of crack open their skull and pull open their rib cage and expose their heart And it makes me feel less alone in the world because I suspect that everyone's — most people's internal lives are quite tender and quite chaotic and quite confusing and scary And I've described everything I do as a campfire it's the first channel we all kind of gathered around and watched I'm gonna be telling stories and singing songs around it … And if you find this fire in this circle nourishing for you But I think that when I write something that feels honest and it's just edging up against the part of me that I don't want to share DINGMAN: This makes me think about a line that you wrote on Substack that I really loved I'm finding it more and more important to be witnessed to have my thoughts heard and my feelings acknowledged by someone other than a partner or blood relation.” I wanted to ask in in that the same part of that Substack you talk about having a weekly men's group that you talk to And to whatever extent you're comfortable and wouldn't be betraying confidences it strikes me that the kind of vulnerability that you're describing is something that is very much in the culture right now as a subject of debate in terms of what masculinity is or should be Is this something that comes up in that group Can you tell us how much those conversations inform your songwriting or the other way around “You can Sleep Alone Tonight,” there's a lot of cultural messaging around for men that getting the woman to your hotel room is what you're supposed to do and you've had the woman in your hotel room What if I learned how to be alone just in this moment And what if I let her go on with her life in a way that I wasn't disrupting it because of my own neediness or my own sense of loneliness.” And so it's almost like a revisionist love song it's Cold Outside.” It's more about … I think maybe we shouldn’t — maybe it's better that we're alone and that's the part of me that started writing songs when I was 40 rather than 20 I have a line in “Joshua: 45-46” which closes “Eulogy I,” where I say “I started writing songs when I was just north of 40 I wish that I had started sometime in the ‘90s His new double album is “Eulogy: I and II,” and he will be performing on May 3 at the Musical Instrument Museum Jewish Life Foundation creates 'The People of the Book,' a 12-episode TV series and podcast featuring interviews with Jewish writers as the broader literary world is rocked by antisemitism Josh Radnor attends the opening night of 'Gary Gulman: Grandiloquent' at Lucille Lortel Theater in New York City on Jan At this year’s AWP Conference & Bookfair the U.S.’s largest annual gathering of creative writers panel leaders were asked to read opening remarks: “The Palestinian people continue to be brutalized by the decades long American-funded genocide and colonial violence of Israel apartheid,” the statement written by the Radius of Arab American Writers and cosigned by literary gatekeepers Tin House and the Sewanee Writers Conference half of publishers “won’t take books by Jewish authors.” These are times many of us never imagined we’d live through, Rabbi Mark Blazer, president of The Jewish Life Foundation, told eJewishPhilanthropy. His foundation is producing The People of the Book, a 12-episode TV series and podcast hosted by How I Met Your Mother’s Josh Radnor spotlighting Jewish writers at a time when others boycott them It is set to premiere in late 2025 on Jewish Life Television (JLTV) producers hope the show attracts both Jews and non-Jews.  then we are erased from the mainstream culture,” journalist and producer Amy Klein told eJP She has watched peers change their characters to not be Jewish so they could sell books would have been boycotted and “Goodread bombed” today.   Blazer recognizes that it takes a celebrity to get some people to pay attention to a show about Jewish literature “It’s frustrating when you know that if I sat down and talked with Jewish authors While Blazer worries that he’s feeding into this expertification of celebrities Broadway actor and filmmaker; he attended Columbus Torah Academy and grew up attending a Conservative synagogue He’s been involved with Jewish art nonprofit Reboot since before he became a star “That’s not something you have to do,” Blazer said As part of UJA-Federation of New York’s recent initiative promoting Jewish literature People of the Book received a $50,000 grant The cost to produce People of the Book is “cheaper than any TV show that’s on any TV network,” producer Jeremy Goldscheider told eJP He’s not charging what a star of his caliber could charge.” JLTV is North America’s largest Jewish-themed television network airing shows such as Fauda and Servant of the People Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s popular 2015 political satire Even before antisemitism skyrocketed after the Oct the channel planned to air a show spotlighting Jewish books “When we first conceived of a show like this it was really not because of Jewish authors not being able to find an audience,” Blazer said “It just so happens that now this is happening at a time when Jewish authors are suffering discrimination JLTV programming is dependent on commercial sales but People of the Book is fully funded through philanthropy Relying on sponsorship from publishers would influence which books and authors the show promoted While each episode will be 22 minutes long the podcast version can run “for however long they feel like talking,” Goldscheider said Antisemitism is only one topic Radnor and guests will discuss along with Jewish identity but they are looking for “a mix of fiction and non-fiction,” Klein said dropping potential names such as Sharon Brous the senior rabbi of nondenominational congregation IKAR in Los Angeles and the writer of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World and Atlantic writer Sarah Hurwitz who is releasing As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame “It’s not a celebrity show,” Klein said “but we do want a lot of people to know about this show and watch the show and so we know that getting some celebrities in the mix will promote it.” She expects that “social media is going to be the biggest driver.” Radnor himself has 1.1 million Instagram followers and a guest like Josh Gad can bring over a million more Everyone should care about the great work Jewish authors are creating and JLTV is the platform to shine the spotlight “Every single home has JLTV… So now the question is why are we not making sure that every home has a chance to see what’s going on right now I know we have more allies out there than we think.” Copyright © 2025 · eJewishPhilanthropy · All Rights Reserved The philanthropy news you need to stay up to date Enter your email to gain access to our exclusive contentDon’t worry if you are already subscribed you won’t receive our newsletters twice bakery gets heat for telling heavily perfumed customers to use the drive-thru Radnor resident Katherine Barrett-Risk holding a copy of the book Gender Queen at a Radnor Township school board meeting on Tuesday (image via Radnor Township) Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here You can also use that form to send us reader mail Radnor High School banned the books Gender Queer after a parent reportedly complained to township officials that the books The superintendent of Radnor schools put together a committee to examine the books following the complaint and the committee voted five to one to ban the books those books are heading back to the library News quickly circulated about the book banning just after it happened and the community at large was not happy with the decision Parents and students wrote letters to school officials demanding that they reverse the book banning Radnor’s school board held its regular public meeting and it’s fair to say that attendance was a lot better than normal and other community members got up one after the other telling the board why banning the books was the wrong move Here’s one such piece of testimony from Radnor High School graduate Katherine Barrett-Risk “Books really can’t hurt anyone,” said local doctor Craig Press in remarks to the board and that’s what’s happening in our community.” Press also pointed out that you can’t “catch gay from a book.” The board voted six to zero to restore the books to the library A South Jersey bakery is getting heat after issuing a statement saying that customers who insist on wearing strong perfumes or colognes should utilize the bakery’s drive-thru window The vast majority of people who wear colognes and perfumes have no idea how to apply them And if I’m five feet from you and can smell the scent you’re wearing The new issue of Men’s Health has a big feature on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in it And there’s lots and lots of stuff about the guy’s career and what makes him tick But then there’s this little nugget ever so casually thrown in there: Jalen Hurts is now married to longtime girlfriend Bryce Burrows When the Men’s Health reporter was asking Hurts how he should identify Bryce Burrows Jalen Hurts and then-girlfriend Bry Burrows after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl (Getty Images) It turns out that the two were married earlier this spring Hurts met Burrows at the University of Alabama back in 2016 Hurts confirmed that they were dating after they were seen together after a big game in 2023 No word on how many beers Jason Kelce chugged at the reception 16: Months that that ridiculously-named steakhouse SIN—as in Steak-Italian-Nightlife—lasted in Northern Liberties. The replacement sounds much who doesn’t love the concept of American Southern meets African 11,500 acres: Size of the treacherous wildfire burning through New Jersey right now but the evacuation order has since been lifted 3: Days before a man allegedly tossed Molotov cocktails into Governor Josh Shapiro’s Harrisburg residence that the man’s mother tried to get him involuntarily committed after he stopped taking his psychiatric medications you have to buy a ticket to shop for fancy stuff I better not hear you complain about the price of eggs ever again 30 Must-Visit Pennsylvania State Historical Markers Where to Live If You Love Having a Round With Your Friends How to Live Well (for Less) in Philadelphia Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardRadnor school board votes to restore ‘Gender Queer’ and two other banned books to libraryThe board voted to return 'Gender Queer,' 'Fun Home,' and 'Blankets' to the Radnor High School library reversing a committee's decision that the books weren't age appropriate The Radnor school board voted Tuesday to restore three books that were removed in February from Radnor High School’s library after impassioned pleas from community members to reject censorship and support LGBTQ students The vote reversed decisions by an ad hoc committee appointed by the district’s superintendent that determined the books — all graphic novels with some sexual depictions — were not age appropriate “These books are memoirs about real struggles that our students have,” said Sarah Dunn Noting testimony from students who said the removal of the books — two of which feature LGBTQ themes — made them feel marginalized Dunn asked fellow board members: “Are you going to tell kids The district did not announce the challenges or the committee it convened to review the books Parents and students said they were surprised to learn in early March — some through news reporting — that the books had been pulled Radnor’s school board meetings have been dominated by public comments criticizing the bans — from accusations the district had bowed to a conservative movement against discussion of sexuality in schools to personal stories from students and alumni “It took me four years to convince my wife to move to Radnor,” and to assure her “this was a welcoming place,” Katherine Barrett-Risk ”You can understand my embarrassment when just a few months in I’m standing in front of a school board talking about banned books." Not reinstating the books would put Radnor “on the wrong side of history,” Barrett-Risk said Craig Press told the board that “you can’t catch gay from a book.” and that’s what’s happening in our community,” Press said As a pediatric neurologist who has cared for children who have shot other people or themselves he believes it can be dangerous for children to not feel included in a community Critics of the books have accused proponents of downplaying sexually explicit images “The right to read is not a right of minors to view pornography,” said Lake a woman held up poster boards with blown-up images from the books told the school board that Lake had neglected to note the statutes describe exceptions for educational or literary merit “Why would such statutes even need to identify exceptions who has included Fun Home among optional book selections in one of his courses and noted that it depicts “consenting 19-year-olds,” rather than children Dunn said the district’s counsel had “confirmed the images in these books do not constitute child pornography.” Some board members said it would be better to revise the policy first “We’re setting up a precedent where we’re saying we’re just going to change it,’” said DJ Thornton who also questioned whether the books could be immediately challenged again Dunn said the district would be required to form another ad hoc review committee but given that the school board is reviewing the library policy it would “not be unreasonable” for administrators to wait to address the challenge until a new policy was in place (Thornton ultimately voted to restore the books; Liz Duffy Among those who voted to restore the books was Andrew Babson who was the school board’s representative on the committee that voted 5-1 to remove the books Babson said he had “profoundly changed” his perspective after speaking with a friend who is transgender and had also been the victim of child abuse Babson said his friend told him that reading Blankets which describes sexual abuse by a babysitter “would have helped her not to be ashamed.” adding that he also had not understood what librarians consider in selecting books for the collection “I regret and am sorry for any unintentional harm I have caused any child in this community PHOENIX — Josh Radnor is coming to the Valley this May The actor known for playing Ted Mosby on ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and his role in the thriller television series ‘Hunters’ will be singing at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) Radnor will be joining the museum’s lineup for its 2025 Concert Series Radnor released his first solo as a musical artist a couple of years ago. He’s currently on 'The Eulogy Tour,’ which is taking him on the road to different parts of the country Report a typo Strath Haven had tried to beat Radnor and three times even if it didn’t show up in the score the next time they faced the Raptors so facing a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter Wednesday night Strath Haven authored an incredible comeback to defeat Radnor 53-44 in overtime in the second round of the PIAA Class 5A girls basketball playoffs “Our coach had the mantra of first you try then you learn and last you execute and we took that with us,” Strath Haven senior Olivia Voshell said “We really locked in on everything she wrote on the board tried to stick to the little things and really just stay focused.” Strath Haven senior Olivia Voshell scored 16 points as she and the Panthers rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter to defeat Radnor in the PIAA 5A second round Radnor led 39-30 when Anna Reger sank a free throw with 3:47 left in regulation Strath Haven closed the game on a 23-5 run with every point coming from Voshell erasing the nine-point deficit to force overtime then never trailing in the extra frame Her performance down the stretch included a banked-in and-one three-pointer early in the big run and the tying basket have the ball tipped on her way to the rim and then finish with a runner that kissed the glass before dropping it to make it 41-41 with 44 seconds left “You look up at the scoreboard and see you’re down nine points that can really get to some people but this team we’ve been down before,” Fanning said “It’s all mental at that point The four-word edict was Panthers coach Brandi Johnson’s way of keeping her team focused on the game at hand and not the previous three losses to Radnor the first one close but the latter two not so much eschewing the zone used in the first three meetings and going man-to-man but mostly chalked it up to her players collectively wanting to win Voshell said that as far as anyone in the program knew Strath Haven hadn’t made states since 1992 Johnson knew her players didn’t just want a piece and urged them to go after “the whole cake.” “This was like a championship game for us,” Johnson said “I told them ‘we didn’t get to the Central League playoffs so this is your real championship game,’ and they took it to heart.” putting the District 1 champions into a 9-2 hole in the first quarter and while the Raptors closed the first quarter on a 7-0 run then weathered what turned out to be Radnor’s big run as Reger and Nyah Yao combined on  a 16-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters Voshell scored a bucket to break up that run before Fanning split a pair at the line but when Reger answered with a steal before going 1-of-2 at the stripe on the following possession it was still Radnor up nine with less than four minutes to play basketball rewards players simply for playing hard and that seemed to be the case as Strath Haven started its run scored and got fouled for an and-one to start it which banked in and gave her a four-point play when the foul shot went down “That kind of shows what happens when you keep playing hard even when things aren’t going your way,” Voshell we started off strong but there were definitely some plays where things didn’t go our way Either shots we thought that looked good and didn’t fall or stops that we thought were right there and they got one more pass for a good take “When you stay together and keep your head I think it shows what happens and that things really will end up going your way.” The loss ended what turned into a pretty strong season for a Radnor team that didn’t know what to expect for itself the Raptors only had one senior on this year’s roster in Riley d’Entremont and a host of young players that would need to step up around Reger and Yao as the returning starters Yao led all scorers with 26 points while Reger had 13 but the rest of the team accounted for just five points a departure from the balance and secondary scoring the Raptors had gotten in the district playoffs they got every loose ball and really hustled a couple crazy shots there that went in but at the end they out-played us,” Radnor coach Rob Baxter said Radnor won its first district title since 2014 and with all but one player slated to return there’s a good foundation in place for next season “I hope they believe in that,” Baxter said “The expectations will ante up for us a little bit.” were at the heart of the Panthers’ run a couple of times urged her team to “take a breath” after a frantic moment like a turnover rushed shot or defensive breakdown and Johnson lauded the pair for pouring their energy into their young teammates all season I said we’re going to be stuck together so you’re sisters,” Johnson said “If she’s not in the right place tell her and don’t listen to the tone only had two points but her energy was just as palpable as her sister’s and the Strath Haven bench just kept getting fired up with every big play who both played prominent roles on Strath Haven’s PIAA Class 3A championship soccer team as already having that big game experience So it didn’t seem to deter Maddie Fanning on that semi-chaotic sequence that saw her tie the game late in the fourth quarter “They have it in their heads and we all have in our heads that they won the first three games,” Fanning said “You gotta just wash that out and keep moving forward Voshell started overtime off with a driving twisting layup and her team never looked back The Panthers held Radnor scoreless over the final 2:20 of regulation and the first 3:56 of the overtime having turned a nine-point deficit into a 10-point lead in that span described the postgame sensation in the locker room as “unreal.” The Panthers will have another difficult test on Saturday when they face District 2 champion Crestwood The Comets have a sizable frontline and are on a historic run of their own but Strath Haven will show up ready to compete we all knew we had something special,” Voshell said “We’d really lacked having kids that wanted to be here kids whose main sport this was and kids who aren’t just talking about other things at practice this team wants to stay focused and wants to work hard “This just shows how rewarding that can be.” Emma Seckinger and Archbishop Wood topped Villa Maria Academy to reach the PIAA quarterfinals for the 12th straight season Emma Seckinger would have been happy with any opportunity she was given the wing was on the tail end of Archbishop Wood’s playoff rotation as the Vikings won their fourth straight PIAA title getting some minutes here and there if the Vikings were up big Seckinger finds herself right in the middle of things from the tap as part of Wood’s starting lineup Seckinger and Wood kept their march toward a fifth straight PIAA title rolling Wednesday its defense setting the tone in a 58-32 second round win over Villa Maria Academy “I’ve been working hard in practice and putting in more time outside of the gym but just having my team there has helped me a lot,” Seckinger said “They’ve been really supporting me along the way and we’ve built our chemistry from that.” Seckinger came into the season plenty confident after playing a key role on the Lady Runnin’ Rebels 15U HGSL championship team this summer coupled with a strong offseason playing with Wood even led to her first Division I offer from Robert Morris Seckinger was still coming off the bench but already a top reserve for coach Mike McDonald When junior Colleen Besachio went down for the season with an injury Seckinger moved into the first five and has steadily settled in “It boosted my confidence and gave me more motivation coming back here,” Seckinger said “Knowing I could take on a bigger role McDonald has liked what he’s seen as well she can play on the wing or in the high post she can shoot the ball reliably and is at her best going downhill attacking the rim it all starts defensively for the Vikings and Seckinger is developing good habits on that side of the ball too With guard Ryan Carter usually able to cause havoc in her matchup the sophomore playing strong defense on VMA standout Sophia Tray on Wednesday Seckinger has played well as the next defender in line “Our defensive rotations have been really good too I thought we did that nicely in the second quarter,” McDonald said “Any time we did go for a gamble and missed I thought Emma Seckinger seemed to be the kid in the right spot helping so we weren’t giving up layups.” the sophomore now has 41 points in two state playoff games while Emily Knouse had 11 points and four assists three of those helpers going to first quarter three-pointers before she splashed a longball of her own at the buzzer Seckinger had seven points as the next highest scorer for Wood the Vikings using 11 players in what became a running clock in the second half “It starts with getting more reps and just being confident in that,” Seckinger said “Knowing we all can have a bigger role and contribute more we have all been building off of that knowing we’re going to have to step up when the players ahead of us are gone.” Villa Maria Academy knew it was up against a difficult task in trying to slow Wood’s quest for a fifth straight state title The Vikings defense had the Hurricanes sped up in the first half VMA making a nice pass here only for the receiver to fumble the ball or found an open look only for the shooter to rush it Hurricanes coach Kathy McCartney had nothing but praise for her two seniors who got to finish out their careers with an AACA championship the junior giving the VMA fans a reason to cheer when she beat the third quarter buzzer on a long three we challenged them at halftime and they answered they’re just a really fun group to coach,” McCartney said “Abby and Sierra did a great job leading us it wasn’t always an easy job for them with all the youth but they all did a great job.” The teams met in last year’s semifinals and while the casts are different on both sides McDonald noted the Hawks still present a tough challenge with their talented young players It’s Wood’s 12th straight year making the quarterfinal round and overall Wednesday marked the Vikings’ 22nd consecutive PIAA tournament win The streak started during the 2019-20 season that was cut short by Covid-19 continued through the team’s four consecutive state titles and into this playoff run “It’s part of our process in our program you get through this run and maybe you’re not playing the minutes you hoped for as a freshman or sophomore but you’ve been through it now,” McDonald said so the nerves are over in that way and you come in and play with more confidence.” From Big Apple moves to High Point additions BOH has gathered all the showroom news to have on your radar this coming month welding and weaving—Radnor curates experiential showrooms in vacant residential spaces spotlighting modern makers and traditional and contemporary crafting techniques “One of the biggest things about why I do these architectural residential spaces is so that we can let clients feel and understand the livability of the work and [simultaneously] how to integrate the more avant-garde sculptural elements into a space,” Clark tells Business of Home “I always want to make sure the feeling of the space is quite different so that we have a new aesthetic to enter into.” This one took a much more minimalist approach inspired by Juul-Hansen’s design “Whereas the showroom we were in prior had that softness blues and silvery metals for the Sutton Tower space compared to the last location The showroom is divided into vignettes—a foyer dining room and bedroom—with different artists’ pieces dispersed throughout there wouldn’t be this kind of communion or understanding of how to live with the work and how can the collections work together,” she says “How can each artist carry their own voice while still blending into the eclectic collection or curation Each room and vignette starts with the cornerstones—the color of the textile and the curtain Then I build off of the key element that we’re releasing.” Clark’s favorite spot in the new showroom is the foyer the key piece is Loïc Bard’s Samare dining table named after samara fruit (also known as “helicopter seeds”) The base of the table has a butterfly wing shape that mimics those fibrous “[Bard] has such a beautiful way of creating this brutalist monolithic but it still feels so delicate and considered,” she says “You walk into that room and you just feel very grounded and there’s something about it that feels familiar.” It gives the guest pause before entering the expansive open living and dining rooms with their 15-foot ceilings and large windows “I feel like you need those intimate moments before you’re brought into these gorgeous views of the city,” she adds the artisans and makers were able to take an experimental approach ‘My work isn’t seen enough or doesn’t have a voice.’ It really feels like each designer has a moment and I want to be able to spend time with them to develop the work and really bring them into the understanding of what it is for our clients,” she says you are trying to create a space that has an eclecticism I always give [the artists] each the full view of how many pieces are going into a room and how we’re building the collection so that they can understand how to integrate [their work] really caring approach to how to work with artists who are open to evolving their collections.” 430 E Designer Nathan Turner unveiled a new eponymous showroom in Los Angeles The shop boasts a selection of home decor finds from across the globe as well as textiles designed by Turner himself and a selection of furnishings Anastasia Harrison, the owner of local architecture and design studio AHD & Co., opened Heirloom, a home concept store in downtown Westfield. Through a selection of curated vignettes, the shop offers customizable furniture, lighting, antiques, rugs, art, linens and home gifts from brands including Currey & Company and Vanguard The back of the showroom houses a team workspace for collaboration and a sample library The Studio Nordic gallery has teamed up with Past Lives Studio The two female-founded firms came together in the 1,300-square-foot space to showcase an array of furniture and art pieces like Swedish pewter jugs Italian handblown and Japanese bronze vases and select items from the Los Angeles–based furniture and lighting brand Cuff Studio Los Angeles–based furniture showroom Robina Benson Design House opened a gallery in SoHo joining the brand’s Los Angeles flagship and Las Vegas outpost called “Hana-arashi,” features an array of pieces inspired by cherry blossoms created in collaboration with Japanese designer Nendo and Italian furniture brand Paola Lenti On May 2 in New York’s Flatiron district, Vancouver-based furniture company Sundays will unveil its third and largest U.S The 4,000-square-foot space showcases the brand’s furniture pieces including the popular Get Together modular sofa as well as the company’s solid wood coffee and dining tables Luxury bath and kitchen brand Waterworks has expanded its Flatiron showroom enlarged 7,800-square-foot showroom boasts a second floor and a showstopping staircase mural connecting the two levels designed by artist Christoph Niemann using Waterworks tile 50 Norman a Japanese cultural hub in Greenpoint that encompasses design Designed by Tokyo-based firm Schemata Architects homeware and furniture retailer Cibone O’te Furniture and rug designer Ben Soleimani launched a new flagship in New York the three-story townhome-like space showcases the brand’s rug’s collections as well as a custom rug studio and workspace on the second floor and a full floor of curated antique rugs on the third Home goods, kitchenware and specialty groceries shop Big Night has reopened its original Greenpoint location The brand tripled its previously 240-square-foot space to include a shoppable kitchen and dining room and a custom home bar designed by Pennsylvania-based furniture studio East Otis The space features lighting by nearby studios Astraeus Clarke and Truein and drapes by London-based Colours of Arley Greenwich, Connecticut–based home furnishings and decor brand Decorative Crafts opened a new showroom in High Point designed by Dallas-based Doug Salzman of Top Drawer Interiors This marks the first time the brand has exhibited in High Point since 2008 and precedes its upcoming Dallas showroom opening this summer Currey & Company the Atlanta-based lighting and furniture brand unveiled its newly renovated High Point showroom In addition to the refurbished mahogany floors there’s a new entrance and customer service counter and new walls and mirrors (set on columns to open up the space) California-based lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne opened its first retail store in South Carolina the Charleston location showcases the full range of the brand’s products It also features a bedroom vignette displaying its namesake designer’s signature coastal aesthetic Soho Home Studio opened a location on the ground floor of Soho House Nashville This marks the company’s fifth design studio in the country The studio offers a selection of the brand’s collection in categories like furniture Brazil-based luxury cabinetry brand Marel Design Mobili debuted its first Texas showroom in Houston joining its Florida showrooms in Miami and Orlando The 2,200-square-foot space showcases the company’s extensive line of kitchen cabinets and drawers bedroom and living room wall mounts and cabinetry Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardA person has died after being struck by an Amtrak train in RadnorThe person has not been identified and police do not suspect foul play in the incident It is the fifth fatality involving an Amtrak train in the region in the last month A person was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Radnor on Sunday morning in what is the fifth fatality involving an Amtrak train in the region in the last month Amtrak spokesperson Beth Toll said the person had been “trespassing on the tracks” west of Villanova Station when they were hit around 11:10 a.m Stephen Ryan said police had identified the person and were in the process of notifying their family Ryan said the person likely died by suicide had been traveling from New York to Harrisburg None of its 216 passengers and crew were injured which are also used by trains on SEPTA’s Paoli-Thorndale Regional Rail Line was suspended as police and emergency workers responded to the scene but had been restored by 6 p.m. One SEPTA train had been running at the time of the incident and those passengers were transferred to shuttle buses the youngest son’s death was ruled a suicide while his father and brother’s deaths were determined to be accidental Toll wrote that preventing deaths is a priority for the rail service “According to the Federal Railroad Administration trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America,” she wrote “These incidents can affect everyone involved — those who are injured or die and their families They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and grade crossings.“ The audit, released earlier this month by the inspector general of the national passenger railroad corporation found that Amtrak had stepped up efforts to combat train fatalities with safety campaigns and tracking hazards along train tracks But the inspector general noted that Amtrak should also build fencing or barriers in the property around its tracks and use technology to identify when people are on the tracks and alert police and train operators Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardRadnor school board could return banned books to the high school libraryThe board is also considering revising or eliminating its policy that allows parents to challenge books Three books — "Gender Queer," "Fun Home," and "Blankets" — were removed under that policy some board members said they were interested in striking the district’s challenge policy “I personally cannot think of a valid reason to allow any parent or guardian to dictate … what all of the other children have access to in our school libraries,” said board member Jannie Lau noting that parents already can request to not have their child access particular books Members also said the board’s curriculum committee would consider next week whether to return Gender Queer and Blankets to the Radnor High School library Here’s what to know about the library debate and what the school board plans to do next: and “to provide material on opposing sides of controversial issues.” It also specifies how materials should be “weeded” by librarians including if books are in “poor physical condition” and in limited circulation or use And it includes a “material reevaluation procedure,” describing how someone who objects to library materials can submit a form seeking their removal the district’s superintendent is then tasked with appointing a committee “composed of an administrator a classroom teacher in the subject area and a parent” to decide whether the materials should be removed District officials say that policy was followed when a parent challenged the three books in January alleging they contained “child pornography.” The books include some images with depictions of nudity and sexual acts The committee — whose members signed confidentiality agreements — voted 5-1 that the books were “not age-appropriate for our students,” according to district spokesperson Theji Brennan They were removed from the high school library Feb » READ MORE: Radnor bans three books in response to a parent’s challenge, including ‘Gender Queer’ The removals provoked outcry from community members including over the fact that two of the three books “Even though erasing queer stories may not have been the intent,” that was the message sent to students copresident of Radnor’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance Students — who walked out of school in protest last month — and parents also said they were caught off guard by the bans which some learned about not from the district The district had not announced the book challenges many students was they didn’t know what was happening until an email went out,” Janee Peterson a Radnor High School teacher and faculty representative on the policy committee She also echoed sentiments from students and other community members critical of another aspect of the district’s explanation for the removals: that the books were infrequently checked out Circulation data “does not tell the full picture,” Peterson said noting that some students read books while in the library In response to calls for the library policy’s review administrators on Tuesday asked the policy committee for guidance on how to revise it told committee members that administrators had solicited input from librarians and students along with reviewing other districts’ library policies and consulting the American Library Association include expanding the review committee by adding a student and possibly other members; adding timelines for how often a book could be challenged; and incorporating more involvement of the school board Hadley Perkins, a community member and lawyer, told the board she had examined other local policies and found that, unlike Radnor, others included statements about the importance of academic freedom and opposing censorship. In some districts, like West Chester and Lower Merion the final decision on removing a book rests with the school board And some school districts do not have book reconsideration policies at all » READ MORE: Amid nationwide challenges to sexually explicit books, West Chester school district keeps ‘Gender Queer’ told committee members that nothing in state law required schools to have a policy for library book challenges He also said that nothing required the district to keep the three books out of the library despite the recent decision to remove them vote to put them back in the library,” Kristofco said Some board members indicated they were interested in eliminating the challenge policy — though they also noted questions around possible implications The challenge form gives parents a mechanism to voice objections the channel could be a public protest — making a spectacle Superintendent Ken Batchelor said parents always have the option to talk with him or librarians if they have objections That prompted board member Susan Stern to question whether those conversations could lead to a book being removed “with no one knowing.” Lau said the board needed to trust its superintendent “I think it’s unlikely he’d go rogue,” she said said that she would consider striking the challenge process but that the full school board would need to take up the issue she asked administrators to prepare a revised challenge policy in the event the board does not opt to eliminate it She also said next week’s curriculum committee meeting would include “a consideration for the board to be placing these three books back into our library.” WEST CHESTER >> The energy was palpable her team was playing outstanding and Anna Reger felt really good about where the game was heading The Radnor junior point guard went to school Tuesday wondering how the dream she’d had about that night’s District 1 5A title game would have ended She didn’t need to worry about it in reality Reger and her Raptors teammates bringing that same kind of energy to the real thing against top seeded Gwynedd Mercy Academy the Raptors downing the Monarchs 48-33 at West Chester’s Hollinger Fieldhouse to capture their first district title since 2013-14 after our win against Villa (Maria Academy) we’ve been preparing for this game and everyone’s been thinking about it,” Reger said “It’s been on everyone’s mind Radnor sophomore Caroline Quinn scored 11 points off the bench to spark the Raptors in the District 1 5A title game As soon as Radnor walked into Hollinger Fieldhouse The Raptors converged in their allotted team room rolled through their playlist and as a group they started to feel the energy welling up who also won his first district title after coming close a few times at his prior stop Merion Mercy described his team as having “flipped a switch” a couple weeks ago Their loss in the Central League first round to Lower Merion ignited a fire the team’s returning juniors tired of early postseason exits and the younger players that had stepped into new larger roles ready to show what they could do that energy on the bench definitely helps because everyone is cheering it’s a fun thing to be in districts,” sophomore Caroline Quinn said “The energy on the night just helped a lot.” Reger scored the game’s opening basket then the Monarchs got the next four points – both baskets coming off steals – to take their first and only lead came back with an and-one then it was Quinn who netted the next four points for an 8-4 lead had a terrific game with the forward posting 11 points an assist and two steals and living in the right spaces generated by her teammates When Gwynedd Mercy made a run in the third quarter it was Quinn scoring seven straight points – highlighted by an and-one of her own off a dish from Reger – that kept the Raptors afloat they draw my player to them and they find gaps,” Quinn said the Monarchs only scored four more points the rest of the half GMA shot just 3-of-14 from the floor in the first two quarters making it difficult to set up their usually very effective full court defenses as Radnor attacked the basket over and over there were plenty of tie-up calls and they forced the Monarchs into uncharacteristic turnovers Quinn starting the frame by finding fellow sophomore Mia Gjorven for three Nyah Yao followed up with a triple then Reger went 6-of-6 from the line the rest of the way as the Raptors’ lead grew to 20-8 at halftime started listening to music from the get-go and we knew as soon as we were stretching that this what we wanted,” Yao said “This is what we’d worked the whole season for.  “We knew we’re here because we’re meant to be here and while we’re here The Radnor girls basketball team poses with the District 1 5A championship trophy The Raptors defeated top seed Gwynedd Mercy Academy 48-33 to win their first district title since 2013-14 Radnor's Nyah Yao scored nine of her game-high 12 points in the second half as the Raptors won their first district title since 2013-14 Back-to-back years with a loss at home in their first game of the district playoffs had sat the wrong way with Reger and Yao all offseason While Reger’s had success in the postseason in her other sports she knew this group had the potential to make a run “We felt like we can’t keep up this pattern of losing in the playoffs when we’re better that most of the teams we’re playing,” Reger said “Everyone took that to heart and locked in we have someone different who is a leading scorer – tonight was Caroline we had Bree (Simpson) against Villa – everyone is contributing something for us.” Gwynedd Mercy Academy made its run to start the third With the Monarchs finally able to get their press defense going by stringing some stops together senior Meg McDonnell sparked a 7-0 run that bloomed into a 9-2 spell with the forward collecting seven of those points which also crucially drew the fourth foul on McDonnell slowed the run but GMA did answer with the next four points to cut the lead to 29-21 with 3:38 left in the quarter Radnor then closed the quarter on a 7-5 advantage junior Sadie Boulden hitting a big three near the end of the quarter “The whole team really felt the need to step up and the want to win,” Yao said “That really showed in all three of our playoff games because there was a definite switch and everybody is contributing they’re giving us something and that’s exactly what we needed to win we just needed to put them together.” Yao scored nine of her game-high 12 points in the second half while Reger who netted eight of her 10 points before halftime turned facilitator with three of her four assists after halftime broke the GMA press by herself then dropped a pass off for a layup right under the basket The two juniors were starters last year when Radnor fought through playbacks to reach the state tournament less experienced team around them this year so they took the lead early but as the weeks wore on their teammates began to chip in more and more our coaches stressed that everyone can have a role,” Quinn said everyone has to put something in for us to be a true team we definitely clicked and it’s a smaller group this year so as we’ve gotten more comfortable with each other we’ve gotten better looks and become a better team.” Radnor opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run Yao netting a three from Reger and a layup from Boulden that gave the Central League side a 43-26 lead McDonnell and senior Cara Lapp each scored 10 points to lead the Monarchs made things extremely difficult for GMA junior Bailey Balkir and held the AACA MVP to just two points and two assists we noticed their standout players and focused on marking them and not letting them get their usual points,” Reger said “It forced their offense to do other things they weren’t used to Our defense is what got us that big lead in the first half and the third quarter; we didn’t play as well on defense but once got back into our defense that’s when the offense came.” The win assures Radnor of a home game for the first round of the PIAA 5A playoffs next weekend “It meant everything coming from last year,” Yao said “We were a little unsure of where we would be especially in the Central League and districts so to come out with this group and prove to everybody we could do something like this Reger didn’t know how her dream would have ended Monday night but that might have been for the best There’s little chance it would have topped the real thing the game didn’t end but we were playing well in it,” Reger said “This is definitely much better.” Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardRadnor school district will review its library policy after backlash over book bansOfficials said the removals of 'Gender Queer,' 'Fun Home,' and 'Blankets' were in line with the district’s policy Radnor school officials said they will review their library selection policy amid community backlash over the district’s decision to ban three graphic novels last month During a school board policy committee meeting Tuesday, administrators — who have said the removals of Gender Queer, Fun Home, and Blankets were in line with the district’s policy — acknowledged the complaints They said they would research other school policies and review best practices from the American Library Association before bringing information to the committee in April said board members want to give administrators time “to do that work thoroughly.” But the promise of a review did not stop community members from speaking out during meetings Tuesday against the district’s process in banning the three books — two of which are LGBTQ-themed — and objecting to a lack of transparency around the removals which stemmed from challenges filed by a parent in January whose name was redacted from records provided by the district objected to illustrations of sexual scenes in each of the books and alleged they contained “child pornography.” said the books were removed from the high school library Feb 28 after an ad hoc committee appointed by the superintendent voted 5-1 that they were “not age-appropriate.” Brennan also said committee members — who she said signed confidentiality agreements “to safeguard their anonymity” — had discussed how Gender Queer “has been in the library for six years and has never been checked out by a student except for the time it was checked out to be challenged.” Blankets had not been checked out by a student since 2022 Circulation records obtained by Radnor parents indicate physical copies of Gender Queer were checked out seven times since 2019 Blankets was checked out eight times since 2013 while Fun Home — which Brennan had not addressed — was checked out 17 times since 2019 an assistant to Superintendent Ken Batchelor on Wednesday supplied a different version of circulation data that showed only five checkouts for Blankets and one checkout for Gender Queer The reason for the different data was not immediately clear though the parent record for Gender Queer appeared to include a prior copy of the book in circulation from 2019 to 2022 some parents and students said that even if books had not been checked out often that was not a valid reason to remove them told the board that “if you’re going to go through the library and remove every book that has not been checked out in the past year there will not be a lot of books left — like maybe five books.”) Others said kids may be privately reading books in the library would sneak The Color Purple out of the library due to its depiction of a lesbian relationship Roche suggested that by removing biographical memoirs told board members that when she started to question her sexuality at age 13 she was confident she would be accepted in the Radnor school community “I’m worried about the community that is being created,” Kripke said “I’m worried about this precedent you guys are setting Kripke said books had helped her discover her identity a young-adult novel featuring a bisexual character you’re taking away their ability to discover who they are That’s not what Radnor is about,” Kripke said Others objected to the policy underlying the removal decisions, noting that it had not been updated since 2008, though book challenges have surged since then organizations or groups” to file requests to reconsider library materials and directs the superintendent to appoint a committee including “an administrator a classroom teacher in the subject area and a parent” to review the challenge It does not provide further directions on how the evaluation should proceed Joanna Bell-Mariam, a Wayne resident told the board that the public should be notified if someone challenges a book — saying that the recent removals which residents learned about after the fact “really restricted the voices of the community.” She also questioned whether the superintendent should have unilateral power to appoint the committee Others said that a student should be on the committee and that there should be an appeals process Sarah DeMaria, president of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, pointed to recommendations that review committees for high school library materials should include students Policies should also make clear that “excerpts of books do not automatically discount a book from inclusion in the collection,” according to the recommendations the decision is made based on whether the book is of literary value and suitability for the intended audience is determined by consulting reviews by professional literary critics for children’s and young adult literature.” Committee members should remain anonymous “to protect the objectivity of the deliberation,” DeMaria said though she said the committee’s report on its decision can be public She also drew a distinction between “weeding” library books due to limited use and removing books after a challenge and “not done on the basis of an individual or group’s disapproval of a book’s subject matter.” Some expressed hope Tuesday that Radnor might return the books to library shelves — a prospect that Stern said he used Fun Home in his classes as an optional choice for students analyzing the development of two characters he told the board’s curriculum committee Tuesday “would impoverish some students’ exploration of the world of ideas.” Arguing that literature “is all about analyzing the human condition,” Rosin said that depictions of sex were not necessarily pornography and had to be viewed in context we can’t come to an appropriate judgment about the pluses or minuses of any work of art,” he said Update 4/25/25 – After significant public outcry the Radnor Township School Board reversed course and voted to return all three graphic novels to school library shelves The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Radnor Township School District following their removal of three graphic novels from the Radnor High School library and Craig Thompson’s Blankets were removed after an ad-hoc committee deemed them not age-appropriate NCAC recommended changes to the district’s policy that would standardize review criteria and provide a process to appeal decisions    Update: The Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees voted to return Fun Home and… many of them contain the sorts of things you might not want a… Fort Myers High School in Florida has removed City of Thieves RADNOR — It wasn’t until her eighth grade year that Nyah Yao made a call that would change her high school years — and most likely beyond — quite considerably.  Though the Radnor middle schooler had been a swimmer growing up her father David playing it in his high school years out in California she asked her dad if she could join a fall basketball league and give hoops a shot Nyah Yao (above) is in her second year as a starter at Radnor So I came to play for school — and then going into high school I started really starting to train right after freshman year I might be able to make something of this.” the 5-foot-8 junior guard has become one of the best scorers in the Central League and a hot commodity amongst high-academic Division III coaches She kept her strong start to her season going on Tuesday night pouring in 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Raptors won their Central League opener Not bad for someone who only began taking the sport seriously in that fall of her eighth grade season Yao played sparingly as a freshman for Radnor under head coach Rob Baxter but moved into the starting lineup full-time as a sophomore where she instantly became a key part of the Raptors’ attack.  “I was always a big believer in let’s let the freshmen learn a little bit and get their feet wet and nowadays everybody just throws their freshmen in the mix,” Baxter said “I probably held her back a little bit too much but hopefully she doesn’t come up six points short of 1,000 and it’s on me because I didn’t play her as a freshman.” With three starters gone from last year’s 19-win squad which finished tied for third in the Central League with a 13-3 record there was already going to be a lot of extra responsibility on Yao’s shoulders coming into this year a Dartmouth lacrosse commit and the team’s other returning starter.  Most of Radnor’s basketball program plays another fall sport so the Raptors weren’t able to get too much action in the fall a mix of varsity and JV players on any given weekend but it wasn’t until right before the season began that the whole roster was finally able to take the court together.  it was so nice to be back together,” Yao said Going through plays is easier because you have people who know what they’re doing and it’s good to see everybody again Yao (above) is being recruited by a number of high-academic D-III programs Yao was coming off an important summer of her own Playing with her Philly Roots squad for the second summer in a row and in various camps around the area she’s caught the attention of a number of high-academic Division III programs from across the Northeast — she named locals Bryn Mawr and Haverford College Babson and other New England colleges.  Yao said she took two AP courses as a sophomore and is taking three as a junior She’s not sure yet what exactly she wants to do with her career “I just know I’m not a history kid figured that out pretty quick,” she said with a laugh “Depending on what I find interesting the next few years Yao scored 12 points in a season-opening win over Shanahan last week and then a team-high 16 in a win over West Chester East over the weekend bettering that by one point with an impressive showing against Harriton and though she ran into some stout opposition in the form of Rams’ senior forward Anna Chimento — the Ursinus commit racked up 16 points and six rebounds — Yao got a few tough buckets of her own and also earned five trips to the foul line She said she wants to continue working on her shooting and ball-handling areas where she feels she’s already made a significant improvement over the last 12 months.  “Her strength and confidence has really [improved],” Baxter said “She worked a lot in the weight room over the summer she’d ask the janitors to open the gym early in the morning before school Anna Reger (above) stuffed the stat sheet against Harriton was all over the court against Harriton with nine points chippined in eight points and four of her five rebounds on the offensive end.  It was neither team’s most efficient night from the floor but a couple third-quarter 3-pointers from Reger and Sadie Boulden helped open things up and good energy from senior Riley D’Entremont (seven rebounds “We’re at our best when we can spread the ball around a little bit and our first couple games we had three people in double figures,” Baxter said Radnor has a tough road ahead in the Central League with Conestoga and Garnet Valley expected to be the main competitors for the title Joe’s commit Rian Dotsey in the mix as well Despite several new faces in the rotation Yao doesn’t want people to forgot about Radnor “We lost a lot of starters from last year oh this team’s going to be good,” Yao said “Coming out and winning the first Central League game it almost made a statement to the rest of the league that we’re still there.” Kessy Cox entered this winter without much expectations for what the last season of his basketball career would look like Cox starred at lacrosse at Radnor and managed a breakout senior campaign on the hardwood before he graduated While doing a postgrad year at the Hill School before playing lacrosse at Villanova Cox figured he’d sneak in an extra year of hoops as well Coach Seth Eilberg and the Blues are delighted that he did The 6-foot-4 wing carved out a role for himself that’s been vital in helping Hill reach Sunday’s PAISAA championship game against Phelps School at 3 p.m but I didn’t know what my role would be," Cox said “I didn’t know if it would just be a role player because obviously coming in we have a lot of high-ranked guys who were recruited here to play basketball It’s just doing whatever I can for this team I’ve been honored with this role.” Radnor grad Kessy Cox and Hill School play in the PAISAA championship game on Sunday Cox earned six varsity letters between lacrosse soccer and basketball during his high school career standing at just 5-foot-5 when he arrived at Radnor it took him a little more time to stand out on the hardwood than the other sports He said he sprouted about four inches over the course of each year starting late in his sophomore year Buried in the rotation behind a class above him that brought home the first Radnor District 1 basketball championship since 1961 Cox finally started his senior year and earned second team All-Central League honors He helped the Raptors to the Central League title game and the PIAA playoffs in 2023-24 so I didn’t get a lot of playing time as a younger kid,” Cox said “Senior year was awesome at Radnor and then to get another year was amazing because it’s probably my last year of organized basketball ever.” Hill School lacrosse coach Dave Page alerted Eilberg about Cox’s basketball background after he chose Hill as his postgrad landing spot Eilberg saw someone that could potentially help his team when he got a chance to watch Cox play “The lacrosse coach told me about him so I had to go check him out and make sure we wanted him on the team,” Eilberg said “I watched about a quarter of him hustling around the court and I said he’s a good basketball player too racking up a ton of points over his last two high school season’s He was Delaware County’s top scorer as a junior and tallied 64 goals and 57 assists as a senior earning first team All-Central League honors he was one of the top scorers of a balanced attack With junior high-major recruit Ethan Johnston on the wing Bucknell-commit Jacob Meachem at point guard and Longwood-commit Quadri Bashiru up front Cox doesn’t need to do much in the way of scoring for Hill He only scored two points in the team’s 61-59 semifinal win over Penn Charter on Friday night making an impact that wasn’t as quantified in the box score but was apparent to anyone watching the game “Kessy’s a dog,” Meachem said “He’s the hardest working player on this team He’s gonna do the most to help you win a game.” Even though he’s not as often putting the ball through (or into) the net Cox credits his lacrosse background for allowing him to have the impact he’s had but lacrosse it’s obviously a scrappy sport so I definitely get that a little from lacrosse too,” Cox said Radnor captured a District 1 basketball title during his junior campaign to go along with one District 1 title and four PIAA lacrosse championships during his time at the school He was one of the stars for the lacrosse team but didn’t get much time to see meaningful minutes on the floor during Radnor's basketball championship run Before joining the lacrosse team this spring he hopes he can add another state title to his resume on Sunday “I’ve loved basketball all my life,” Cox said “I’ve always loved it just as much as lacrosse It’s been something I’ve played ever since I was a little kid and it’s been a great season with a great group of guys.” RADNOR >> Calling Anna Reger “relentless” might be shortchanging her The Radnor junior is a three-sport athlete a fireball of energy who radiates a competitive will to win no matter what sport she’s playing the Raptors’ smallest player is asserting a mighty big influence on a District 1 Class 5A playoff run that is heading to a championship game Reger set the tone early and scored a clutch hoop late as No sending the Raptors to their first district final since the 2013-2014 season “It motivates me more going into a game knowing I have a challenge,” Reger said “I’m one who wants to attack that challenge head-on.” Anna Reger is Radnor's shortest player but she left a giant imprint on a District 1 5A semifinal win against Villa Maria Academy scoring 11 points to go with five rebounds three steals and a block while playing outstanding defense on Villa Maria Academy’s standout junior Sophia Tray the 5-foot-3 point guard didn’t get a second off the floor during the game Radnor coach Rob Baxter knowing he could ill-afford to take her out and that she had enough fuel to do it sophomore Bree Simpson was the prime beneficiary The 6-foot forward turned in a stellar performance of her own netting a game-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds Her ability to run the floor opened a lot of things up for Radnor and fittingly it was Reger finding Simpson for a layup with a minute left to seal the win we were really motivated,” Simpson said “Our coach told us we were the faster team he said ‘Bree you need to run down the court and Anna you need to look for her,’ so we were aware of where we were going to be on the court.” Reger was a starter last year when the Raptors entered the Class 5A bracket as the No 3 seed before losing their quarterfinal opener – to Villa Maria Academy – and ultimately making it to states as the No 6 seed before losing to Archbishop Wood in the PIAA opening round With three starters departing from that team including a player Reger considers a mentor in Kate Gallagher this year’s Radnor squad wasn’t sure what it was going to look like so my role was going to be much bigger,” Reger said we were a little nervous after losing those seniors so we had to really work for it this year and everyone has stepped up and really helped us out.” While she was busy tearing up the soccer pitch in the fall Reger knew that she’d have to be a much larger presence in the winter and especially as a leader for a younger team but a one-goal loss to eventual state champion Strath Haven in the District 1 Class 3A semifinals added a little extra sting and a little more motivation as she shifted into point guard mode she handles the ball 95 percent of the time and she just never runs out of gas,” Baxter said everything is a competition to her and it doesn’t matter what we’re doing she’s the hardest worker at it.” This fall also brought some clarity on her athletic future Reger committed to play lacrosse at Dartmouth in September after getting a good feel for the school while her older sister Abigail was going through the recruiting process to play soccer for the Ivy League institution she noted that she and Tray – another exceptional lacrosse player who is committed to Loyola (MD) – actually used to be travel hoops teammates but she gave it up when lacrosse became her main focus She’s the first to point out she’s not the biggest player so lacrosse just made the most sense and it certainly helped there’s plenty of carryover between the two “My defense has come from lacrosse and basketball it’s almost exactly the same,” Reger said That’s prepared me for basketball and basketball’s prepared me the same way for lacrosse.” Reger hoops in a pair of Sabrina 1 shoes that are mostly pink save for a swath of bright orange starting on the toe box and running along the upper arch and midsole the orange blurs almost make it look like her shoes are turning molten with the amount of kinetic energy she’s generating while flying around the court Radnor had already improved on its postseason run from a year ago but if there were any doubts that the Raptors were looking for more Radnor led 9-4 while Reger either scoring or assisting every one of the nine points while poking away two steals and limiting Tray to just one basket on four shot attempts “We’ve struggled in the playoffs in the past and this year I knew we could win this game,” Reger said “It was up to me to come out strong and set the tone I felt like that was really important.” it’s been Reger and Nyah Yao leading the way for Radnor this season given that the two juniors are the returning starters from last year but Baxter knew if his team was going to make a run Baxter pulled Simpson aside for a quick chat that she was the fastest post player on the floor and to take advantage of it then made seven of her next eight including a layup off a feed from Reger to start the third quarter a clutch putback with 2:11 left after Villa Maria had cut the lead to five and of course the clincher off another Reger dish but Simpson knew she’d have a bigger role this season What the sophomore didn’t expect was that her team would be at this point we didn’t think we would be that good,” Simpson said “We lost three starters so I assumed we might be that good this year but we’d be better next year I think it surprised us all how well we were doing but we learned not to be surprised anymore and to lean into it and embrace our individual strengths we’re each good at something individually and we’ve learned to play so we can emphasize those skills.” Radnor led 19-12 at halftime behind seven from Reger and six each from Yao and Simpson Simpson doubled her total in the third quarter while the Raptors held the Hurricanes to just six points opening a 30-18 lead heading to the final frame the junior playing equally as hard as her opposite and earning every one of them the senior turning it up in the fourth quarter with five straight points that helped the Hurricanes get within 30-25 in the midst of some chaos on the Radnor side offensively took charge with a determined drive from the right corner and along the baseline The junior laughed when it was pointed out she drives the lane like she would attack the goal in lacrosse I saw that lane and I had to take it,” Reger said “I think that really turned the quarter around for us I’ll take it and just use my speed to either get to the goal or basket.” Tray answered with a tough bucket but Simpson picked up her team again with her putback on the following possession The Raptors only have one senior in Riley d’Entremont committed to Division III lacrosse powerhouse Gettysburg College who has slid into a supporting role and chipped in nine tough rebounds and two assists on Friday Yao and Reger are all captains but Simpson said that when it’s time for someone to speak up the players know it’s mostly likely going to come from Reger “She’s really motivating and she has this fire in her that nobody else does,” Simpson said “In the fourth quarter when Villa started getting more points we all got a little scared until Anna yelled at us a little bit That got us pumping again and we all realized we had to step up.” Reger is naturally a midfielder so she can best utilize her two-way skills similar to what she does in basketball but she shifted to defense last spring in the wake of an injury currently starting as a freshman midfielder at Army did for Radnor the past few years so Reger had a pretty good model to follow this season but Reger said she does get tired on the floor At that point it becomes a “mental game” where she props herself up to get through the possession then resets to go at it again “I’m not playing to my height,” Reger said I know I have to do extra to get what a lot of other players get and my speed helps as well.” Radnor will face top-seeded Gwynedd Mercy Academy in the 5A title game on Tuesday at West Chester University’s Hollinger Fieldhouse Reger will likely take another difficult defensive matchup in GMA junior Bailey Balkir while having to navigate the Monarchs’ lengthy defenders and probably without much of a break she was a huge contributor on defense as the Raptors won the Class 3A lacrosse title last spring over Conestoga before falling to the Pioneers in the state title game That’s not going to make her any less competitive trying to get another one next week but we have to go in the same way we’ve gone into every game and play how we always play,” Reger said “If we limit our turnovers and work together Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardRadnor students walk out of school to protest book bansAbout 75 students walked out of school Friday to protest the school district's recent removal of three books: 'Gender Queer,' 'Fun Home,' and 'Blankets.' Upon learning that three graphic novels had been pulled from her school library’s shelves last month after a parent alleged they contained “child pornography,” Regan Whitehead decided to read them a 16-year-old junior at Radnor High School came to a different conclusion about Gender Queer She felt the three memoirs — two of which focus on LGBTQ characters grappling with their identities — were no more inappropriate than other library books with graphic material about straight couples and their sexuality another Radnor student upset by the book bans Whitehead said they thought: “We should try to do something about this.” the students helped lead a walkout during which about 75 students briefly left school to protest the book removals and demand more transparency from the district which they say never told them directly about the decision In each of the complaints submitted in January the parent — whose name was redacted from records provided by the district — attached images from the books depicting sexual encounters and said that while “perhaps” there was something of value in the material “child pornography disqualifies the entire book.” enabling sexual groomers and acceptance of pedophilia” in response to a question on the challenge forms that asked “What do you feel might be the result of a student using this material?” The committee determined the books were “not age-appropriate for our students,” said a Radnor spokesperson She said the committee included an administrator but didn’t provide names — saying committee members had all signed confidentiality agreements The district didn’t publicly disclose the book challenges At a recent school board policy committee meeting some students said they were upset to learn about the book removals from their parents who said she was “outraged” by both the bans and the lack of notification said “there is definitely a discussion in the school There are a lot of people who think the books shouldn’t be banned,” and others who support the removals She thinks if students read the books and not just the complaints She and other students launched an Instagram account who said outside media would not be allowed on school grounds during the demonstration said administrators had given students permission to walk out between classes and students who choose to take part will not be penalized,” she said adding that instruction would “continue as usual for those students who are not participating.” who is president of Radnor High’s Women’s Empowerment Club said the population of LGBTQ students at the school is relatively small and “we want to feel accepted in the literature we read.” She said she hopes the books “will be unbanned the high school will add more library books with queer representation Asked whether restoring the books was a possibility Brennan said the school board was “committed to reviewing” its library policy “in future school board policy committee meetings.” Community members have called on the district to revise its policy some have asked the district to establish an appeals process for book decisions and to add student representation to review committees The district previously evaluated a challenge to Gender Queer — which has topped most-banned lists — three years earlier district officials say they followed the same policy I think I have finally convinced him and RTSD’s legal counsel that certain books housed in Radnor High School’s library violate Commonwealth and Federal law by containing child pornography.” Lake also wrote that Batchelor “invited me to request an ad hoc committee to review books” and “to suggest names.” District officials told The Inquirer they did not select any committee members suggested by the parent who filed the challenges Lake declined to comment Friday on the district’s response to the book challenges but said “there were 20 signatures on a complaint to the Radnor police,” and that he wasn’t alone in his objections said students will be continuing to press the school board to make changes The policy is “not well-written — it’s vague,” she said and doesn’t specify how the superintendent should select review committees: “We don’t know how that was chosen Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardRadnor bans three books in response to a parent’s challenge including ‘Gender Queer’The district said the removals followed a committee’s review Some in the community criticized a lack of transparency Radnor High School has removed three books from its library including Gender Queer and another LGBTQ-themed book after a parent alleged they contained child pornography An ad hoc committee convened by Radnor’s superintendent reviewed three books and determined by a 5-1 vote that the challenged books “are not age-appropriate for our students,” said Radnor spokesperson Theji Brennan The books — all autobiographical graphic novels — were removed Friday Brennan did not name the members of the committee The committee members “were asked to sign confidentiality agreements to safeguard their anonymity ensuring they could speak openly and candidly about the challenged books without fear of retribution or external criticism,” Brennan said adding that members “may share their participation on the committee if they so choose.” The removals have drawn backlash from some community members who say they were not aware books were being challenged and accused the district of a lack of transparency in the review process demanding an emergency review of the district’s library policy a public vote by the school board on any book removals and the establishment of an appeals process for removal decisions “What they’ve done is absolve the board of any accountability at all in the book-banning process by leaving it so vague,” Luce said adding that board members are “good people,” but “this is a case where bad policy has created a bad situation.” Luce said that Superintendent Ken Batchelor met with teachers at the high school Thursday to discuss the decisions accusing them of trying to sexualize young children the school board is controlled by Democrats has also come under fire; it focuses on Bechdel’s coming-out story and explores her relationship with her closeted gay father The book also includes sexual illustrations author Craig Thompson depicts his childhood in an evangelical Christian household including sexual abuse by a male babysitter Illustrations from the book included in the challenge form submitted to Radnor appear to allude to the abuse Brennan said the challenges were submitted by a parent the parent — whose name was redacted by the district — said there was “perhaps” something of value in the material child pornography disqualifies the entire book,” the person wrote Rachel Skrlac Lo, a professor of education at Villanova University and a Radnor parent called the removals “a really sad moment in our communities when we know LGBTQ students … are in such a precarious position.” “We’re valuing potential harm” to students whose families don’t want them to read a particular book “over real harm that is done” when stories about LGBTQ people are excluded As Moms for Liberty and other conservative groups have pushed to restrict access to the books nationally the Radnor book challenges did not feel “like an authentic engagement with ‘what does our current population need,’ but more like a political action to crumble our confidence in public education In 2022, Radnor also considered a challenge to Gender Queer. In that case, a committee of reviewers was split, and Batchelor cast the tie vote to keep it, according to the Delaware Valley Journal which said a group of parents at the time filed a police report over the book’s presence in Radnor’s library Asked how that decision differed from this year’s Brennan declined to comment on the former committee’s composition “What’s relevant is the board policy was followed exactly as it was followed three years ago,” she said In addition to finding the books age-inappropriate the committee noted that Gender Queer had been in the library for six years and had never been checked out by a student “except for the time it was checked out to be challenged.” Blankets has not been checked out by a student since 2022 She did not say whether Fun Home had been checked out The iconic Halloween episode drew a comparison between Josh Radnor's Ted Mosby and Peanuts' Linus You will be automatically redirected to the requested page after 3 seconds.Don't close this page A packed Call auditorium welcomed American actor and filmmaker Josh Radnor — best known for his role of Ted Mosby on the Emmy-award winning show “How I Met Your Mother” — for a Q&A session on Sunday evening explained that Radnor was the perfect candidate for this event “[Radnor] was chosen because of his unique perspective as an actor and director and we believe his experiences and work will resonate deeply with our community,” Weisberg wrote in a statement to The Sun The crowd erupted with applause as Radnor was brought to the stage where Radnor was asked to reflect on different eras of his life Radnor’s role of Ted on “How I Met Your Mother,” the romance sit-com from the 2000s Radnor described how being known for one role led him to be hard on himself at the time of filming Now, in preparation for a new podcast he is working on called “How We Made Your Mother,” he has decided to rewatch the show he gives his younger self more grace from a different vantage point “I think it's hard to take ‘How I Met Your Mother’ out of my life … I’m in this season of reclamation with [it].” Radnor said “I am becoming a fan of it in my own little way.” Apart from acting, Radnor has written and directed films of his own, such as“Happythankyoumoreplease,” a project he worked on simultaneously while filming “How I Met Your Mother,” after feeling the need for a greater creative outlet He shared the interesting contrast that was created between balancing projects of different emotional and narrative complexities Radnor has also ventured into songwriting, releasing various records within the past decade like his latest release “Eulogy II.” Radnor has channeled his talents into the art of storytelling in its many forms each piece representing a chapter in his evolving creative journey “It’s been a really great way to journal my life,” Radnor said “Sometimes you have an idea and you’re like That's a four minute song.’ And then you have another idea Radnor’s love of storytelling originated in his Jewish upbringing as he finds many values and lessons of Judaism applied to different aspects of his life “I think that what you do in a theatre is the same thing you do in a yeshiva — you look at the text and you dig underneath the words to find a deeper meaning,” he said noting connections between acting and Jewish educational institutions The event later transitioned into a heartfelt audience-led Q&A Many speakers shared the touching impact “How I Met Your Mother” has had on their lives ranging from finding a passion for architecture to the love for true friendships after a breakup Some attendees even travelled for the event with non-student visitors coming from Canada and Philadelphia sharing their commitment to lasting lessons and connections inspired from the show many boiled down to one similar theme — love “A term they use a lot in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ that I don't like personally is ‘the one,’ because I think it puts a lot of pressure on [love],” Radnor said “I think it’s really lovely in the last analysis that [Ted] didn't have one Audience members described Radnor’s hit show “How I Met Your Mother” as a comfort show that has provided a sense of familiarity and warmth reflected on the joy and ease it brings her “Seeing him talk about the show was really cool “I feel like that comfort [he brings in the show] As Radnor left the stage to a final round of applause he extended gratitude for the people who have found comfort inspiration and connection through his storytelling “I’m hoping to have a long career as a storyteller.” jewish celebrities "The People of the Book" is coming in late 2025 When I saw him speaking last year, actor Josh Radnor shared how much he loved the “Talmudic experience” of immersing himself in Jewish literature while preparing to star in the play “The Ally.” And so it’s especially exciting for him — and us — that Radnor, who also starred in the excellent Holocaust action series “Hunters,” will be unpacking Jewish art and writing in a new show and podcast coming to JLTV called “The People of the Book.” Radnor will interview Jewish authors and celebrities about their books and lives discussing everything from food to spirituality and passion for the Jewish experience makes him an ideal host for this unique series exploring what makes them tick,” Rabbi Mark Blazer the Executive Director of the Jewish Life Foundation who is producing the show “In a time of rising anti-Semitism and boycotting of Jewish authors and artists, The People of the Book offers an uplifting celebration of Jewish culture and storytelling,” the show’s producer (and Kveller contributor) Amy Klein added I can’t wait to hear Radnor’s deep dives into Jewish literature and Jewish life in this new show Lior Zaltzman is the deputy managing editor of Kveller By submitting I agree to the privacy policy Action has heated up quickly with several of the top ranked teams being challenged in early showdowns that affected the latest USA Lacrosse Public High School Boys' National Top 25.  9 Westfield (N.J.) scored the first goal of the game before No 1 Summit reeled off seven straight scores on their way to an 11-6 win in a showdown of top-10 teams Jack Freeman and Sam Wesson each had a hat trick and an assist apiece and Quinn Hynes put up two goals and three assists while Robbie Kievit made eight saves Tommy Goldstein scored twice and assisted twice and Logan Montrella won 10 of 17 at X in No 6 Springfield-Delco (Pa.) in another matchup of top-10 teams 5 Severna Park (Md.) is the other top-five Mid-Atlantic team holding a 66-5 edge over their opponents through four flawless games Horace Greeley (N.Y.) used a 2-0 start to jump into the Northeast Region and national rankings Marple Newtown (Pa.) enters the Mid-Atlantic Top 10 after several impressive displays Apex (N.C.) and Plant (Fla.) are new in the South East Grand Rapids (Mich.) and Carmel (Ind.) join the Midwest Top 10 Mount Si (Wash.) and Tamalpais (Calif.) ride big wins into the rankings Garden City (N.Y.) hosts Rye (N.Y.) in a top-10 region matchup Tuesday Broadneck (Md.) will play at South River (Md.) in a battle of 5-0 Mid-Atlantic teams a meeting of top-3 teams is on the horizon with Highland Park (Texas) playing at Westlake (Texas.) Friday Olentangy Liberty (Ohio) and Dublin Jerome (Ohio) will tangle in a matchup of top-10 Midwest teams Thursday (today) It’ll be a pairing of unbeatens when Cherry Creek (Colo.) visits Arapahoe (Colo.) Wednesday for a game between the West’s two best teams.  Scroll below for this week's USA Lacrosse Public High School Boys' National Top 25 and Regional Top 10 lists with each team's previous ranking denoted in parenthesis Compiled by USA Lacrosse writers with input from coaches around the country, these rankings (also found here in our hub) will be updated weekly on Thursdays Also considered (alphabetical order): Arapahoe (Colo.) USA Lacrosse is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization (EIN 52-1765246) 2025 at 9:21 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Delco Gives will run from May 8 to May 9 (The Foundation For Delaware County)RADNOR TOWNSHIP PA — Thirteen Radnor-area nonprofits have combined forces to participate in two local philanthropy opportunities: the Wheels of Wayne Car Show a community car show sponsored by the Radnor Township Parks and Recreation Department a community initiative to increase collective philanthropy through online giving in support of hundreds of local nonprofits serving Delaware County The 13 nonprofits participating in the community efforts include: About the Radnor Township Parks and Recreation Department The Foundation for Delaware County is the largest grantmaking philanthropy in Delaware County One of 900 community foundations across the U.S. the Foundation offers support and resources for nonprofits of every size helps generous people give with more impact and elected officials to address critical community problems and responds to major challenges and crises as they arise the Foundation operates the Center for Nonprofit Excellence to strengthen Delaware County's nonprofit community through training workshops and peer learning opportunities The Foundation encourages philanthropy by connecting donors to worthy causes through efficient charitable giving vehicles like donor-advised and scholarship funds To learn more, visit the Foundation at www.delcofoundation.org and follow them on Facebook www.FOR284.org Recognizing the importance of educating young minds about scouting was formed with the express purpose of acquiring a land parcel in Radnor Township for use by Radnor Troop 284 is the encouragement and promotion of Scouting as well as the preservation of open space in Radnor Township By improving the space and conserving the property we have access to a priceless outdoor classroom for our boy and girl led Scout troops to learn and grow and where they hone their survival and scouting skills discover how nature and conservation impact our local society and build a community of scouts that will transcend generations Friends of Radnor 284 and our troops are deeply committed to wilderness education Our appeal is for support in our mission to preserve and protect this vital piece of natural habitat by implementing land management practices to preserve and enhance the habitat and develop educational programs and facilities to inspire the next generation of scouts and environmental stewards www.helphopelive.org We believe that a medical crisis shouldn’t become a financial crisis™. Since 1983, Help Hope Live (helphopelive.org) has helped raise more than $188 million to cover the unmet medical needs of over 23,000 individuals and families Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit supports community-based fundraising for people with unmet medical expenses and related costs due to cell and organ transplants or catastrophic injuries and illnesses Help Hope Live has the highest possible four-star rating from Charity Navigator and we are ranked nationally in the top 1 percent of all U.S Help Hope Live has been showing clients and families how to bring together a network of relatives and neighbors in fundraising efforts to help cover the cost of uninsured medical expenses These efforts play a critical role in helping our clients recover and maintain their health and independence The nonprofit was founded in 1983 by a Philadelphia heart transplant surgeon and his wife to help patients fund lifesaving transplants our mission spans a diverse patient community in all 50 states and Puerto Rico: people living with diagnoses ranging from COVID-19 and cancer to traumatic brain injuries Funds raised through donations and community events not only sustain our nonprofit’s program and services but also enable special initiatives that impact local families from emergency needs grants to adaptive bike giveaways for children in the tristate area living with disabilities https://mainlineschoolnight.org Enhancing the quality of the community since 1938 Main Line School Night (MLSN) is a nonprofit organization that offers adults of all ages affordable educational experiences to promote personal enrichment meet insightful new people and engage in spirited discussion as part of a welcoming learning community and special events at the historic Creutzburg Center in Radnor https://petersplaceonline.org Peter’s Place has been dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment for grieving children and families peer support groups at our Radnor center and in local schools serve hundreds of children and caregivers Peter’s Place fosters a greater understanding of grief and its effects through education and research Peter’s Place never charges a fee for its peer support groups ensuring that services remain accessible to all who need them To learn more about Peter’s Place, visit www.PetersPlaceOnline.org or call 610-687-5150 Please follow us on social media @petersplace https://radnorabc.org A Better Chance’s goal is to develop leaders of tomorrow by providing students who show strong academic and leadership potential and who are from underserved communities with a home away from home while attending Radnor High School in Delaware County The Radnor ABC Program provides a collaborative atmosphere close academic support and monitoring of our scholars as well as a wide variety of extracurricular activities In an effort to challenge and engage our scholars Radnor ABC makes every attempt to design academic support to fit each individual scholar’s needs Radnor ABC is located in downtown Wayne. The house is currently home to 10 scholars and four resident directors and tutors. To learn more about donation and volunteer opportunities, visit radnorabc.org Contact information: Candyce Wilson, Executive Director cwilson@radnorabc.org Kristen Cook, Asst. Program Manager kcook@radnorabc.org www.radnorconservancy.org A registered 501c3 nonprofit for over 20 years Radnor Conservancy is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of Radnor Township we strive to foster a deeper appreciation for our local environment and create meaningful connections between our community and the natural beauty all around us www.radnoreducationalfoundation.org The Radnor Educational Foundation is celebrating its 30th year supporting more than 3,600 Radnor public students in five schools the Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to the Radnor Township School District students and teachers Grants have covered a diverse number of programs in numerous categories including: STEM (Science Grants from the Foundation are awarded three times per academic year Grant applications are received from students and parents within the Radnor Township School District Grant amounts range from hundreds to thousands of dollars with a stringent review process provided by the Foundation’s Grants Committee and additional Board members ahead of grant awards being disbursed charitable 501c(3) organization registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is funded solely through donations from individuals and corporations partner tax credits via the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program www.radnorlibrary.org www.wayneart.org Wayne Art Center is dedicated to enriching our community through the arts Wayne Art Center affords artists and the broader community an interdisciplinary venue to explore while fostering a sense of community for arts education and appreciation More than 35,000 individuals visit Wayne Art center each year to experience our exhibitions Wayne Art Center’s faculty of professional artists and exceptional teachers provides high caliber instruction in all phases of the visual Recognized as the finest in the Philadelphia region Wayne Art Center’s galleries host more than 20 diverse regional and international exhibitions each year featuring the works of emerging and established artists https://wayneseniorcenter.org www.willowsparkpreserve.org After seven years of the Willows Mansion sitting idle and talks of tearing it down getting serious a group of Radnor residents with a vision and passion for preservation founded the Willows Park Preserve in 2017 the Willows Park Preserve signed a 25-year lease with the Township to restore maintain and operate the Willows Mansion for community use The Willows Park Preserve’s mission is to revitalize the Willows Mansion as an integral part of the Willows Park and open it to the community as a welcoming and inclusive place for relaxation The Willows Park Preserve values: Community To learn more about the Willows Park Preserve, please visit our website at: www.willowsparkpreserve.org or email us at: info@willowsparkpreserve.org https://womensresourcecenter.net Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — The Radnor Township School District Board of Education Tuesday night approved the reinstatement of three graphic novels that were removed from the Radnor High School library after a parent filed complaints over their explicit content At a more than four-hour long meeting that also included budget discussions the board addressed the issue of "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechdel These publications were challenged by parent Michael Lake who filed a Citizen's Request for Re-evaluation of Material's form After Lake said the graphic novels contained "child pornography," an anonymous ad hoc committee voted 5-1 to remove the materials from the high school library deeming them not age-appropriate for students Radnor Township School District Board President Sarah Dunn said the district's solicitor said the materials legally do not constitute child pornography The news led to a large contingent of the Radnor Township School District community to decry the decision to remove the publications which led the board to consider reinstating them at Tuesday's meeting When the two-hour discussion over the materials was over to reinstate the graphic novels to the library applauded when the vote tally was announced The abstentions largely stemmed from what happens with policy 144.1 which led to the materials being removed from the library upon the reinstatement of materials removed under that policy "So if we vote today to put books back on the shelf "But then do we undermine what comes next?" asked if the board should use their power to reinstate the graphic novels before addressing the policy that led to them being removed "It's just 'what comes first?' And that's what I've been struggling with," she said "When we get a decision that we don't like and we overturn it what's to prevent another board from doing that in the future?" "A new board could undo all of this next year," board member Jannie Lau said "A lot of people have said the policy is flawed," board member DJ Thornton said Board member Andrew Babson admitted he knew little about the policy and since the issue of these materials was raised he became aware of its flaws "Those are the two main factors in my mind to push for a quick resolution to this," he said of the policy flaws and the community's response to the removal "I think we're going to look at the policy," board member Lydia Solomon said than putting the books back in the library." That comment garnered applause from those in attendance we are subject to any book challenges," board member Susan Stern said committed to working in an "efficient and appropriate manner" to address the issue of policy 144.1 "We all know she can be quite a taskmaster," Dunn said of Stern "I don't think there is going to be any delay in getting this through policy I think the delay will be genuinely because we're all having these types of conversations But I think it's important we're having these conversations." Dunn suggested briefly if a parent does not want their child to check out certain materials from the library that both the parent and student sign a form disallowing them from taking those materials out "Any high school student should be allowed to know what they're not allowed to do under their parents' rules," she said It's unclear when the issue of policy 144.1 will be addressed but Stern promised expedience and care in doing so 3 in custody after crashing stolen vehicle in RadnorRADNOR Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Three people are in police custody after crashing a car that was reported stolen The crash happened Saturday afternoon near the intersection of Brookside Avenue and Orchard Way in Radnor Authorities say the driver crashed the car into a tree but was later taken into custody without incident The actor adds that it wasn't his "job to hijack the script and say I think [this] should really happen.'" 2025 at 10:19 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Which,Lie,Forbidden,Books,Bound (Shutterstock)RADNOR TOWNSHIP PA — An ad hoc committee in the Radnor Township School District voted 5-1 to ban three graphic novels that were in the Radnor High School library the banned publications are "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe They were removed from the school's library Feb The bans came after a parent in the district submitted a challenge to these graphic novels The district said the parent filed a Citizen's Request for Re-evaluation of Material's form The submitting parent levied nearly the same complaints against all three graphic novels alleging they could cause "childhood trauma enabling sexual groomers and acceptance of pedophilia." "is there anything of value in this material," to which the parent responded with However child pornography disqualifies the entire book" for all three graphic novels In "Fun Home," the parent called out underage girls performing oral sex sexual abuse of a child by an adult and child pornography in "Blankets," and child pornography and prohibited sex acts in "Gender Queer." District policy does not include an appeals process for banned materials "There is no age or grade level which is legally allowed to possess child pornography," the parent wrote on the complaints They recommended on all three complaints that the district dispose of the graphic novels and "mandate training of child abuse laws for Radnor librarians." Moon’s Marc Haupt battles Radnor’s Quincy Hippler and Aidan Haas for possession during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Finnian Dengel and Jon Mark Balbach accept the runner-up trophy with head coach Tyler Blake after the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Radnor’s Aidan Haas (27) scores the lone goal in the third minute of the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Moon on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Zechariah Balbach battles Radnor’s Quincy Hippler for a header during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Luiz Silva controls the ball during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Wyatt Johnson works against Radnor’s Jagger Holt during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon goalkeeper Will Guarino makes a save during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Stephen Carvajal controls the ball during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon head Tyler Blake hugs Luiz Silva next to Stephen Carvajal while presenting the runner-up medals after the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Finnian Dengel and Jon Mark Balbach accept the runner-up trophy after the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Radnor on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. Moon’s Finnian Dengel leaves the field as Radnor players celebrate, after time expired in the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Cumberland Valley High School. That happened to Moon on Friday morning in the PIAA Class 3A boys soccer championship game 2 seconds into the contest and defeated the Tigers Falling behind any team that quickly is hardly ideal but against the Raptors it was particularly troubling had allowed only 10 goals all season and just one in the PIAA tournament The deciding tally was put into the net by Kieran Haas who guided the ball on the first of six corners by Radnor The Tigers (25-1) had limited opportunities after that with three shots on goal and three corners may be more impressive than what it appears to be — in the semifinals Radnor (21-3) allowed no shots and no corners “They were a little more athletic than other teams but not anything we didn’t expect,” Moon coach Tyler Blake said “We came out a little flat in the first few minutes.” The only shot on goal in the first half for Moon was Wyatt Johnson’s low ball that Raptor goalie J.D But that was 28 minutes into the game as the Tigers were just beginning to find their stride “We weren’t able to pick it up with numbers in transition trying to get behind them,” Blake said I thought we’d get one in the second half Though Moon did limit Radnor’s scoring chances in the second half the Tigers still took a while after the break to generate any opportunities of their own Their first threat around the Radnor net was with 11 minutes left in the game when a free kick was cleared out of the box but retained nearby by Zechariah Balbach The final minutes featured two chances for Moon to force overtime Balbach dribbled into the box but was sandwiched by two defenders His shot attempt hit a defender’s ankle and never reached the net Johnson put a shot on the center of the net but Ball was already standing there to stop it where you’re on the brink and you think you can win stay with you for a while,” Blake said The Tigers had been in tight games like this for two weeks winning each of their other three PIAA games by one goal after claiming their second WPIAL title in three years Their only other finals appearance was in 1985 His best stop was probably the one he made with 1:30 left in the first half punching a lofting shot by Matthew Santerian above the crossbar If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase The bans came after a parent, who SAVVY Main Line identified as Michael Lake in the district submitted a challenge to these graphic novels An anonymous ad hoc committee voted 5-1 to ban the materials The move had led to pushback by not just the district community but also from a large contingent of the Main Line community The school board will consider reinstating these graphic novels at a meeting Tuesday Radnor High School class of 1986 told Patch Longman is referring to a group of alumni who call themselves "The Finkelites:" Radnor grads who have a shared history of spending time in former district counselor Fran Finkel's office when they were in school Longman and the Finkelites started to gather signatures for a joint letter that urges the district to walk back the banning of the three graphic novels The parent who recommended the books be reviewed for removal said the district should dispose of the graphic novels and "mandate training of child abuse laws for Radnor librarians" after claiming they all depicted child pornography Longman takes issue with the use of "child pornography" when discussing the materials In "Fun Home," the complainant parent called out underage girls performing oral sex "It has a specific definition" she said of child pornography She said while the graphic novels are explicit Longman and her fellow Finkelites are arguing that libraries are "They are places where you can go for knowledge and find it independently," she said Whether it's kids looking up dirty words in an unabridged dictionary or someone looking up information they may be scared to ask [a library is] a way of finding what you're looking for She said she wished the librarians in the district were more involved in the decision-making process regarding the graphic novels' removal "The school board should have left more of this up to the librarians or it should have been discussed more before saying "It was pushed through too rapidly without discussion and without talking to the people who make these decisions Librarians are not there to just hush ppl and talk about the card catalog I trust the people who went to school for this are devoted to educating students in general and decided these books have some value at this time and in this age." Longman said most high schoolers are not unfamiliar with the nude human body as many are beginning to have their first sexual experiences in high school "They're explicit," she said of the graphic novels Many kids are having sexual experiences of their own." Longman does acknowledge the points of contention within these materials but says overall the graphic novels have value for certain people She is confident the district will again allow the three graphic novels into the Radnor High School Library after Tuesday's meeting Tuesday in the Radnor Township Municipal Building Below is the full letter to the Radnor Township School District Board of Education from The Finkelites: TO: Radnor Township School BoardFROM: The Finkelites and friends (former Radnor students)RE: The impropriety of book banningDATE: April 22 are all beneficiaries of a superior Radnor education mostly during the years of big shoulder pads and bigger hair in the 80’s During our tenure here we received education in a multitude of ways We were encouraged to embrace our ever evolving maturity by negotiating an open campus we had classes in two buildings and were expected to transfer quickly and efficiently between buildings as necessary and could choose which cafeteria to dine in Our teachers didn’t avoid “adult topics” and we were expected to identify sexual imagery in the poetry of Shakespeare and Donne understand the horrors of the Vietnam War and handle potentially dangerous substances and equipment in Physics and Chemistry classes students organized weekend to week-long camping trips around the state and to Assateague Island during which we were expected to pack organize and set up the campsite and then to prepare we took on the name “The Finkelites” in homage to our ever-encouraging and infinitely patient host It’s really no wonder that we all met in the Library Libraries are places where we could be ourselves challenge each other and find a deep fountain of creativity of course) struggled in some way during high school I believe that most high schoolers both then and now struggle with something during their adolescent and teen years Which is one of the reasons we are so concerned about the three graphic novels that were recently banned by the School Board: Gender Queer by Maia Kababe Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel a young protagonist struggles in a way relatable to most teens the main character doesn’t fit in with societal expectations and strives for years to find and accept who they are a girl confronts her sexuality in a family where her dad hides his own sexuality an awkward teen falls in love for the first time and discovers the highs and lows that can come with first love The overarching themes of these books are all enhanced by the fact that they are graphic novels and the artwork emphasizes the emotions of the characters there are portrayals of naked bodies in each of these books but to call them “pornographic” is inaccurate and unfair There are many books in the Radnor High School Library system that portray situations equally or more sexual in nature All three of these coming of age stories reflect situations that are currently being lived by Radnor students and their families Even those few students who cannot directly relate to the dilemmas faced by the characters in these books will benefit from learning about the experiences of others family misunderstanding and misinformation and the government’s efforts to reduce young people’s access to general social support for their sense of belonging can and has all added to an increase in the likelihood of behavioral health issues including depression and ultimately suicidal ideation and actions The argument that these books could cause "childhood trauma enabling sexual groomers and acceptance of pedophilia," as alleged by the original parent complainant is ridiculous teens who read these books and understand that they are not alone and are experiencing normal feelings and emotions would be LESS likely to fall prey to the feared harms The Finkelites were fortunate to find each other in the Library so we had each other to support us as we navigated the tumultuous waters of our teen years Some are not so lucky and their support network comes in the form of friends found in the pages of fiction We believe that today’s students deserve the right to access library materials that require maturity The School District has done a great disservice to all students by removing these three books from the Library catalog and should rectify that error immediately s former students and library users ourselves we believe any honest review of contested materials could only result in a determination that it is in the best interests of the students of Radnor High School that thoughtful and highly awarded literature like these three graphic novels always be available to the high school students in their library The presence of such literature undoubtedly will help some students successfully navigate the complicated period of young adulthood and will not be remotely detrimental to any student that actually elects to pick any of them up and read them that the administration realizes the error of this ban and reverses it immediately MA Elementary Ed (RHS class of ‘82)Corene Lemaitre (RHS class of ‘84)Chris Davis (Radnor 1980-82)James “Toby” Tanis (RHS class of ‘85)Elizabeth Davis Rice MA Counseling Psychology (RHS class of ‘85)Annamarie Hessman (Rosemont Elem Radnor Middle ‘83)Gordon Howell (RHS class of ‘84)David Berkof (RHS class of ‘84)Richard Clelland PhD (RHS class of ‘86)Jennifer Farquhar (RHS class of ‘88)Eric Meany (RHS class of ‘86)Juliette Hartel (RHS Class of ‘82)Richard Kargher (RHS Class of ‘83)Elizabeth Herman (RHS Class of ‘83)Lisa Lassek (RHS Class of ‘87)Dayton Joline (RHS Class of ‘83)and others Sundance Film Festival isn't coming to Cincinnati but actor/singer Josh Radnor thinks it could have fared well in his home state of Ohio Festival organizers announced last week that the event will move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027 Cincinnati was one of three cities in the running to host Sundance "Having been to Sundance a number of times in Park City, I suspect that they wanted to retain some of the mountain town ... to at least keep it as like a cousin of the thing," Radnor, a Columbus native, said while talking to The Enquirer about his upcoming May 9 concert at Cincinnati's Woodward Theater "But I do feel like people from Ohio − there's great audiences in Ohio whenever I've performed there when I've shown my movies there," he continued "So I think it would've done really well in terms of audience enthusiasm I think the city would've greeted it with open arms." In light of last week's announcement, Film Cincinnati President Kristen Schlotman said the city has proven it is "ready to embrace what's new." "We are excited to lead what’s next in the film industry,” she wrote in a statement At a press conference, Mayor Aftab Pureval said Cincinnati has the "ingredients to be the next ‘it’ city." and it’s my job to continue to convey that to the rest of the world," he said It will take place in Park City for one more year since its contract with the city expires in 2026.