Pennsylvania

Familiar Faces, New Challengers Emerge on Pennsylvania HS Swim Scene After December Invites

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

Familiar Faces, New Challengers Emerge on Pennsylvania HS Swim Scene After December Invites

With the high school swimming season heating up in Pennsylvania, let’s check in with the new state leaders from last month’s invitationals.

Hatboro Horsham junior Annie Jia is looking to reclaim her state record in the 100-yard butterfly this season. The two-time defending state champion set the standard in 2022 with a 52.04 before Leah Shackley went 51.93 at last year’s 2A meet.

This season, Jia sits atop the state rankings with a 54.91 from last month’s Cumberland Valley Eagles Invitational, and she ripped a huge lifetime best of 51.09 at last month’s Winter Junior Championships – East. The Cal commit is also ranked 2nd among Pennsylvania high schoolers in both the 50 free (23.33) and 100 free (50.94) this season.

Ranked 2nd behind Jia in the 100 fly is East Stroudsburg’s Ксения Лунюшина, an 18-year-old native of Moscow, Russia, who has dropped nearly two seconds in the event this season down to 56.09 during a Jan. 3 dual meet vs. Nazareth. Her new lifetime best would have placed 6th at States last year.

The girls’ 500 free is shaping up to be an exciting showdown at 3A States in March. Upper Dublin junior Arina Vorobyeva blasted a personal-best 4:56.21 at last month’s Girls Cardinal Classic, taking almost a second off her previous-best 4:57.01 from Winter Juniors earlier in December. She also clocked lifetime bests in the 50 free (24.42) and 200 free (1:50.27) during high school competitions last month. Last year, Vorobyeva placed 5th in the 500 free (4:57.49) and 6th in the 200 free (1:50.39) at 3A States.

Vorobyeva should be challenged for the distance free crown by Wissahickon junior Nora Weber. A newcomer to the Pennsylvania swimming scene from Oklahoma, the 16-year-old Auburn commit posted an impressive 500 free victory in 5:05.08 last week vs. Upper Dublin. Last month, Weber lowered her lifetime best to 4:54.47 at a meet in Texas. It took a time of 4:49.63 to win this event last year at 3A States (Madeline Faikish).

Mt. Lebanon junior Sylvia Roy is in a great position to defend her state title in the 200 backstroke. The Virginia commit has been almost two seconds faster than anyone else in Pennsylvania this season at 54.51. Roy has been as fast as 53.28 at 3A States last year, where she also earned a runner-up finish in the 50 free (22.93). Her season-best 50 free time of 23.47 is tied for third in the state this season with Molly Workman behind Jia (23.33) and Arden Keitel (23.32).

Defending state champion Jess Burns has also shown no signs of slowing down in the girls’ 100 breaststroke. The Duquesne commit lowered her personal best to 1:03.19 at the Cumberland Valley Eagles Invitational on Dec. 27 — faster than her 5th-place effort from last year’s 3A State Championships (1:03.84).

On the boys’ side, Notre Dame commit Shane Eckler is the favorite to defend his 50 free title with a season-best 20.27 leading off Ridley’s 200 free relay at last month’s Delco Invitational. But the path to repeating as 3A state champion in the 100 free appears tougher as Indiana commit Brandon Fleck fired off a state-leading 44.84 last month. Eckler ranks 3rd in the 100 free this season behind Fleck and Noah Powers (45.87) as well as 2nd in the 100 fly (48.76) behind Springfield senior Jacob Johnson (48.16).

At Winter Juniors last month, Johnson brought his best 100 fly time down to 46.36. Before this season, his best time was 47.51 from last March. He won last year’s state title in 47.58.

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Pennsylvania

The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.

Published

9 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) — We are heading to Rivertown Taps in historic Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to make a classic fan favorite, Caesar salad.

And when they say “taps,” they mean it.

There are dozens of drinks, beer and beyond, on tap at Phoenixville’s first self-serve drink tap wall.

“Phoenixville has always been a very beer-centric town, and we’re beer-centric people, so we wanted to have a really curated selection,” says Chef Owner Lewis Leiterman. “We have 36 drinks on tap.”

Just grab a charge card, choose your glassware and choose your own adventure.

“You pay for whatever you pour by the ounce,” says Leiterman. “You can pour as much or as little as you like.”

The building dates back to the 1800s, and Leiterman made sure to preserve pieces of that history, while bringing something super fresh to the strip.

“We make pastas from scratch,” he says. “We extrude all of our own pastas in house. We do all of our fresh-filled pastas all by hand. We make all our own breads. Everything that’s in here is from scratch.”

The mission includes a commitment to locally sourced food.

Today, we’re making a house favorite: the Caesar salad – with a twist.

“I hate chasing croutons around a salad, like, the fork never kind of sticks into it,” says Leiterman. “We still wanted that crunch factor, like the classic crouton, but different. What we did was we took some of our old bread and we kind of toasted it up and made a coarse panko texture.”

It’s becomes a universal crouton that makes its way throughout the salad.

“We like to feature seasonal vegetables in our Caesar salad, just for a little bit more flavor and nutrition,” says Leiterman.

He grills up some nice asparagus, and then adds some protein.

“I love a soft boiled egg on a salad to add more sustenance to a salad and a little bit of heartiness to it,” he says.

The build starts with a mix of greens, like red romaine and red watercress.

The dressing gets a gourmet kick.

“We do a black garlic and truffle Caesar,” he says. “We don’t like to overdress it. My pet peeve is those thick Caesar dressings.”

Add the asparagus to gently warm the salad, shave on some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, add the soft boiled egg and finally, the breadcrumbs.

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Pennsylvania

Pa. sees growth in over-65 residents, but overall population stagnates

Published

19 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Pa. sees growth in over-65 residents, but overall population stagnates

Pennsylvania’s over-65 population is growing faster than any other age group in the commonwealth, now making up more than one-fifth of the state’s residents, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.

The federal agency estimates about 2.8 million Keystone State residents are 65 or older, an increase of about 13% since the last nationwide census was published in 2020.

Overall, the state’s population has remained stagnant at about 13 million since the last census. And many age groups — including children and younger adults — have actually declined in number over the past five years, according to the estimates released June 25.

The median age for a Pennsylvanian is now 41.4, compared to 41 in 2020.

How does Pa. compare to the rest of the U.S.?

Pennsylvania’s increase in older adults matches national trends, as the number of people 65 and older grew by about 9 million across the U.S. since 2020, the estimates suggest. As in the Keystone State, the population of people younger than 18 has fallen over the past several years, as did the number of people in midlife.

Overall, the nation’s population has climbed by an estimated 3.1%, or about 10.3 million people, since 2020.

However, Southern states showed more rapid growth that spanned all age categories, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The South stands out because it is seeing population gains in age groups that in other regions saw little change or are declining, reflecting its strong positive migration patterns this decade,” Lauren Bowers, a Census Bureau official, said in a statement.

What does the aging trend mean for Pa.?

Policymakers are working to prepare for Pennsylvania’s continued graying and the needs that will come along with these demographic shifts. By 2030, one in three commonwealth residents are projected to be over age 60, according to state officials.

But advocates stress the need for more resources to support Keystone State residents as they age, pointing to caregiver shortages and barriers to healthcare access in rural areas.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration in 2024 released a 10-year plan for getting the state ready, laying out strategies for supporting people who want to age at home, expanding transportation options and increasing the number of caregivers.

Bethany Rodgers is a USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania investigative journalist focusing on health and education.

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