Some Montco residents are living a lie | Inquirer Greater Abington
Plus, charges in connection to two assaults on a Cheltenham High football player.
Hi, Greater Abington. 👋
It’s nice to see you again. This week, we’re taking a look at the specifics of Bradley Cooper’s Montgomery County origin story. In other news, we look closer at the fallout of two assaults in Cheltenham High’s locker room, Abingtonians can request traffic-deterring devices on some roads, and felony rape and sexual assault charges have been dropped against a Jenkintown physician after his accuser didn’t show up to court.
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— Laura Smythe (greaterabington@inquirer.com)
Inquirer Greater Abington
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Apparently Bradley Cooper has a thing for confusing home addresses. Montgomery County’s hometown hero is often said to be from Jenkintown, when in reality, he hails from Abington Township — the unincorporated community of Rydal, to be exact.
The Oscar-nominated actor also supposedly owns a New Hope estate, though he actually lives in Solebury Township.
Could you also be among the many Abingtonians living a lie? Many mistakenly believe they live in Jenkintown, and sometimes the appearance of a tax bill from Abington is the catalyst that tips them off.
The Inquirer’s Jess Rohan digs into the complicated geographical maze of the area, untangling a web that involves a playbill from the 1980s, Jenkintown’s National Geographic-famous Color Day, and more U.S. postal service lore than you thought your Tuesday needed.
Four football coaches and six players have been charged in relation to two violent 2025 attacks in the school’s locker room that injured a 15-year-old student and prompted the cancellation of two football seasons. Prosecutors said coaches tried to cover up the assaults, in which multiple cleat-wearing teenagers stomped on the victim’s chest and groin, and used a broomstick to poke at his buttocks.
The Montgomery County grand jury that recommended the charges also faulted the Cheltenham School District for a “level of incompetence” that “put every young man on the football team at risk.”
Inquirer reporter Maddie Hanna has the latest on the locker room assaults that have rattled the Cheltenham community in recent weeks after coming into public view in vivid detail nearly one year after they took place.
💡 Community news
Abington property owners can now request and weigh in on proposed traffic-deterring devices, including speed humps and roundabouts, on certain streets.
Felony rape and sexual assault charges were dropped against Jenkintown physician John Smyth Michel, 56, after his accuser failed to appear to his criminal trial. Michel is the founder of the currently closed Excel Medical Center, which is made up of 12 locations in the Philadelphia region.
The Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center in Elkins Park is dedicating its archives to the late Donald Wittenberg, the site’s longtime curator who died in March. Wittenberg spent decades chronicling how the Holocaust impacted folks in the Philadelphia region and educating people on how to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
Neysa Adams, a former Elkins Park resident who established the Neysa Adams’ Library Fund at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, died recently at 104. Known as a civic and community leader, scientist, and teacher, Adams was once recognized by former Gov. Ed Rendell as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania for her “outstanding service and contributions to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Drivers in Cheltenham Township can expect a daily lane closure through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Church Road between Township Line Road and Route 73 due to utility adjustments. Milling will also close a lane at the same spot overnight through Friday, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
🍽️ On our plate
Glenside/Jenkintown Restaurant Week kicks off Sunday and continues through Aug. 16. Participating eateries include The Highland, Lilly’s Authentic Indian Cuisine, and Moma Mediterranean Kitchen.
Don’t panic: Prime ice cream season still has some legs. The Inquirer’s got the scoop (pun intended) on Greater Philadelphia ice cream spots we melt for, including ones in Elkins Park and Jenkintown (the latter is Carminati Creamery, formerly of Glenside).
🎳 Things to do
🐦 Curtis Arboretum Bird Walks: Spend some time with nature on this mixed-terrain outing. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 7, 8-10 a.m. 💵 Free 📍 Curtis Arboretum, Wyncote
🧶 Stitch and Chat: Make some progress on your current craft project or start a new one, and maybe make a friend along the way. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 7, 1-3 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Roslyn Branch Library, Abington
🥁 Stranger Things Rock: Check out the classic rock band’s return to The Drake Tavern. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 7, 7-10 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 The Drake Tavern, Jenkintown
🎥 Flick ‘N’ Float: Bring your own float or raft to watch a movie while cooling off in the pool, or post up on the lawn. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m. 💵 $5 for members, $10 for non-members 📍 Conklin Pool, Elkins Park
🏡 On the market
This sprawling estate from 1904 spans more than two acres in Rydal (anyone seen Bradley Cooper lately?). Live-in carpenters carefully crafted the details in the residence, which was constructed from locally quarried stone, according to the listing.
Inside features private au pair quarters and multiple princess suites, while the back leads to gardens, an in-ground pool, a hot tub, and large terraces.
See more photos of the property here.
Price: $1.695M | Size: 7,546 SF | Acreage: 2.02
🗞️ What other Greater Abington residents are reading this week:
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