An artist’s rendering depicts the Ferncrest campus. (Image from https://fernecrest.messiahlifeways.org/ used with permission of Messiah LIfeways)
Mechanicsburg, PA-based Messiah Lifeways has received $1 million through the commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s 2024 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
RACP grant funding is meant to be used for the design, acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects.
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The retirement community has allocated half of the funding to prepare the site and construct the organization’s Fernecrest campus in New Cumberland, PA, for which ground was broken earlier this month. The other $500,000 will support HVAC upgrades at the Messiah Village campus in Mechanicsburg.
Messiah LIfeways said that the monies allocated to the Fernecrest property will allow it to focus on amenities such as a nature trail, a fitness center, dining venues “and various other perks designed for residents to enjoy the scenic landscape.”
Messiah Lifeways CEO and President Karl Brummer said in a press release that the grant money was an honor, “having the value of our efforts to meet the growing and evolving needs of older adults recognized and supported in such a tangible and transformational way.”
“These dollars will help us move our mission forward, broadening our regional reach and meeting a growing need for places where people can not just reside as they age, but also where they can gain a meaningful community with whom they can learn, explore and thrive, he added.
One person was killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a horse and buggy in Lancaster County on Wednesday afternoon, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Strasburg Road in Salisbury Township, state police said.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.
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Strasburg Road, or Rt. 741, near Hoover Road, is closed in both directions, PennDOT says.
PSP said the Lancaster Patrol Unit, Troop J Forensic Services Unit and Troop J Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialists Unit are on scene investigating the crash.
Pennsylvania police are searching for at least two masked suspects believed to have looted a Lululemon store overnight.
At least two masked men broke into a Lululemon in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, around 2 a.m. Tuesday, police told NBC 10 Philadelphia. Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia, is home to about 14,000 people.
The suspected thieves used a sledgehammer to break the glass on the store’s front door, according to police.
Once they gained access, the masked individuals grabbed handfuls of merchandise, security footage shows. The men went in and out of the store several times, grabbing handfuls of items that included coats, vests and shirts from the men’s section, police told local outlet WPVI.
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Surveillance footage shows at least two masked men breaking into a Pennsylvania Lululemon, police say (ABC 6/Lower Merion Police Department)
“This is taking it to another level,” Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told WPVI.
The suspects then loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul truck. Their truck was last seen at the intersection of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Woodbine Avenue, just a few miles from the store, police said.
The entire incident lasted about five minutes, which Block said is longer than usual for this type of burglary.
“Usually, it is because in a smash-and-grab situation they want to get in and get out before they’re identified or anybody’s notified on it,” Block told CBS Philadelphia.
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Block told WPVI the store is a popular target for robbers, given that many of its items cost more than $100. Now, he expects the alleged thieves have sold or exchanged the items.
“They’re using it on the market, maybe they’re exchanging it for drugs, or they’re selling it on the black market. It’s a highly sought-after item,” he told WPVI.
Thieves took off with handfuls of merchandise from a Pennsylvania Lululemon, according to police (AFP via Getty Images)
Even though police say Lululemon is a popular target, Lt. Michael Keenan of the Lower Merion Police Department still called the incident “out of character.”
“This is an out of character, out of type incident where we don’t normally see people smashing windows in the middle of the night. But, certainly this is something that is distinct,” Keenan told NBC 10 Philadelphia.
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The store still opened Tuesday, with a banner covering the smashed glass on the door, according to Fox 29. Gina Picciano, a general manager at a restaurant across the street, said it was a frightening incident.
“I walked out here with my bartender and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Picciano told Fox 29.
The same store was previously robbed in May 2024. Thieves stole more than $10,000 worth of merchandise during that incident, NBC 10 Philadelphia reports.
The Independent has contacted the Lower Merion Police Department and Lululemon for comment.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro set another campaign finance record for Pennsylvania with $30 million on hand as he seeks a second term this fall, his campaign said Tuesday. Pennsylvania has emerged as the nation’s premier presidential battleground state, and Shapiro’s strong showing in the 2022 governor’s race elevated his profile within the Democratic Party, where he’s viewed as a potential 2028 White House contender. In the general election, Shapiro, 52, is expected to face Stacy Garrity, the twice-elected state treasurer who has been endorsed by the state Republican Party.
