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Policy Committee Discusses Challenges of New Home Owners in Pennsylvania 

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Policy Committee Discusses Challenges of New Home Owners in Pennsylvania 


PHOENIXVILLE − May 10, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today in Phoenixville to co-host a public hearing examining challenges faced by owners of newly built homes in Pennsylvania and the lack of protections for these residents in state and local laws. 

“As a new homeowner living in a newly constructed neighborhood, being a first-time home buyer and owner has been challenging and a major eye opener.  I’ve learned that this struggle extends far beyond my neighborhood, with others living in SD44 and across the state who are experiencing similar or even worse situations,” Muth said. “So many Pennsylvanians put their life savings into what they think is a dream home – but they end up living a very expensive and very stressful nightmare. Today’s hearing highlighted many consumer issues, and how lack of enforcement and accountability harm residents all across this state – as well as the weaknesses in state laws which allow builders and developers to financially deceive buyers. All levels of government need to step up and make the necessary changes to laws and regulations to ensure consistent oversight and enforcement.  Further, it’s clear that skilled labor and skilled workers is imperative in ensuring quality homes are built.”

The hearing, held at the Phoenixville Borough Building in Chester County, featured two panels of testimony. The first panel included two impacted residents who have each dealt with several construction and water issues in their newly constructed homes. The second panel focused on code enforcement and inspection issues in the construction industry.

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“As a realtor, I understand the devastating impact it can have on a family when a new home construction or a remodel project isn’t completed as anticipated or promised,” Fontana said. “This hearing provided me with some valuable input regarding what is working and what needs some adjustments in terms of licensure, Pennsylvania’s laws and the role the different state agencies play.” 

According to testimony provided by Marc Faulkner, a trained electrician and owner of a certified inspection company, there is no requirement for a contractor to be licensed in their selected trade and requirement by the state for the licensing of plumbers, framers, HVAC, or even electricians.  

“Housing stability affects all aspects of our lives—our families, our work, our health, and our communities. Many people look to homeownership as the best way to achieve this essential stability only to find out that the new home they’ve used all their resources to purchase is putting them in danger,” Saval added. “As we begin to engage seriously with the real and pressing supply problem in Pennsylvania’s residential housing sector, we also need to protect residents from dangerous practices that add stress to our lives and erode community cohesion.”

The Committee is also continuing to seek resident input and is asking Pennsylvania residents living in any county, in newly constructed homes to fill out a brief survey about their experiences as an owner of a newly constructed home in Pennsylvania. The survey responses will remain anonymous and will only be used to help inform Committee members of the challenges being faced by so many Pennsylvanians who were sold on the promise of a newly constructed home only to deal with issues of poor workmanship and unreliable contractors after moving in.  The survey results will also ensure that any proposed policies address all the challenges in new home construction statewide. The survey can be accessed at bit.ly/SenDemPolicyHomeSurvey.

Participants in the hearing included two former Philadelphia residents, Megan Murray and Peggy Jackson who have had significant issues in their own newly constructed homes; John Abel, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Marc Faulkner, Faulkner Inspection Services; and Warren Obenski, Honey Brook Township Manager.

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Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware) and Senator Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) also participated in the hearing virtually.

The Policy Committee did invite several builders to testify at the hearing but all declined participation.

For more information on this policy hearing and to access all submitted testimony and a full recording of today’s hearing, visit www.SenatorMuth.com/policy.  

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Testimony

Panel 1: Homeowners

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Panel 2: Code Enforcement 

Additional





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Pennsylvania

Police: Burglary at home of Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley

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Police: Burglary at home of Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley


Bulletin: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 495 IN
EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN DELAWARE THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL DELAWARE

KENT

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IN NORTHERN DELAWARE

NEW CASTLE

IN SOUTHERN DELAWARE

SUSSEX

IN MARYLAND THIS WATCH INCLUDES 4 COUNTIES

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IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND

CAROLINE KENT QUEEN ANNE’S
TALBOT

IN NEW JERSEY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 16 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL NEW JERSEY

MERCER MONMOUTH

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IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY

HUNTERDON MIDDLESEX MORRIS
SOMERSET SUSSEX WARREN

IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

ATLANTIC BURLINGTON CAMDEN
CAPE MAY CUMBERLAND GLOUCESTER
OCEAN SALEM

IN PENNSYLVANIA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 10 COUNTIES

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IN EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

BERKS LEHIGH NORTHAMPTON

IN NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA

CARBON MONROE

IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA

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BUCKS CHESTER DELAWARE
MONTGOMERY PHILADELPHIA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ALLENTOWN, ATLANTIC CITY, BETHLEHEM,
BLAIRSTOWN, CAMDEN, CENTREVILLE, CHERRY HILL, CHESTERTOWN,
DENTON, DEPTFORD, DOVER, DOYLESTOWN, EAST BRUNSWICK, EASTON,
EASTON, EDISON, FLEMINGTON, FREEHOLD, GEORGETOWN, GLASSBORO,
HAMMONTON, JIM THORPE, MEDIA, MILLVILLE, MOORESTOWN, MORRISTOWN,
MOUNT HOLLY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NEWTON, NORRISTOWN,
NORTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP, OCEAN CITY, PENNSVILLE, PERTH AMBOY,
PHILADELPHIA, READING, SAYREVILLE, SOMERSET, STROUDSBURG,
TOMS RIVER, TRENTON, WEST CHESTER, AND WILMINGTON.

Info:

Type: Tornado Watch

start_time_local: 2026-07-18T13:55:00-04:00

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end_time_local: 2026-07-18T21:00:00-04:00

county_name: Lehigh County

state: PA

headline: Tornado Watch from SAT 1:55 PM EDT until SAT 9:00 PM EDT

county_fips:

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category: Met

url:

urgency: Future

severity: Extreme

certainty: Possible

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geographicname: Lehigh County

state_name: Pennsylvania



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Ambler chapel at historic Pa. seminary wins international architecture award

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Ambler chapel at historic Pa. seminary wins international architecture award


From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

A chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary’s new Ambler campus in Montgomery County has earned an international architecture award for blending centuries of Catholic tradition with contemporary design.

Immaculate Conception Chapel, designed by Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP, incorporates historic elements salvaged from the seminary’s former Lower Merion campus, including carved pews, statues and stained-glass windows. The adapted features preserve the legacy of the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in Pennsylvania and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The chapel was one of 12 winners selected from 75 submissions worldwide in the 2026 Faith & Form International Awards for Religious Architecture & Art, presented by Philadelphia-based Partners for Sacred Places.

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“It’s one of these projects that totally balances the contemporary needs of the client with this commitment to … liturgical tradition, institutional memory and preservation,” said

Kevin Block, the nonprofit’s director of special initiatives.

“So that combination … balancing the old and the new, was, in the jury’s opinion, really award worthy.”

Chapel design holds ‘universal appeal’

John Cluver, senior partner and director of historic preservation at Voith & Mactavish, said he worked closely with the seminary to understand the physical and spiritual needs of the people who would be in the building every day.

Incorporating historic elements at the old seminary was key for the institution, Cluver said.

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Philadelphia-based Partners for Sacred Places recognized Immaculate Conception Chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, with one of its 2026 international awards for excellence and innovation in architecture, design and art for religious places. (Photo credit: Jeffrey Totaro; Courtesy of Partners for Sacred Places)

“They were very interested in having this new chapel relate back to these other chapels and to continue this sense of tradition and this historic continuity with their previous campus,” he said. “So the basic form, configuration, individual elements all were based on elements from these two chapels that we could integrate into a single one.”

Cluver said the award from Partners for Sacred Places is recognition of achieving a “universal appeal” beyond the religious context.

“There’s something that resonated with people who had no connection whatsoever with this community, but they still felt that it really spoke to them as well, so it was very rewarding in that regard,” he said.



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Ticket from Pennsylvania Lottery’s Triple Six Fix scandal going up for auction

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Ticket from Pennsylvania Lottery’s Triple Six Fix scandal going up for auction


Almost 50 years ago, a Pennsylvania Lottery scandal rocked the commonwealth and captured the attention of the world. Now it’s going up for auction.

Television viewers on Thursday, April 24, 1980, thought they were watching another random lottery drawing when the numbers 666 were drawn. But weeks later, Nick Perry, a local Pittsburgh news reporter and host of the drawing, was charged and convicted of rigging the game. Investigators learned he made some balls heavier than others by adding extra paint to them, tipping the outcome.

That drawing, and the 666 lottery tickets, would go down in infamy. And now, a 46-year-old artifact at the center of the scandal is up for sale. 

John Zenewicz likes to go to estate sales and has a side hustle selling finds on eBay. He said he was at an estate sale in Saxonburg when he saw a 666 ticket sitting on a dresser. 

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“I remember the style of ticket because my dad would buy them when I was a boy,” said John Zenewicz. “And I was like, ‘why would someone encase an old lottery ticket?’ and the only thing that could pop to my mind was that story that I remember. I was 10 years old.”

Zenewicz suspects the homeowners had no idea what they were selling. 

“What I presume, it’s one of the tickets that was probably confiscated as evidence in Nick Perry, what the locals call the Triple Six Fix,” he said.  

After a little more research, Zenewicz said he realized one of the previous owners of the home worked in law enforcement at the time of the scandal. He suspects he may have been part of the team prosecuting Nick Perry. Perry served two years in jail, was fined $3,000 and was ordered to pay $35,000. 

Perry died in 2003, but at least one of the tickets at the center of it all remains. And now, Zenewicz says he is selling his 666 ticket on eBay, giving someone else a chance to own a piece of history.

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