seniors operate yardwork business
review: ‘kpop demon hunters’ is as ‘golden’ as everyone says
Page 4 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 76 No. 1
October 3, 2025
PagE 8
tryoneer pioneer: rowing into new waters
Page 11
www.spoke.news
Transit turmoil
SEPTA enacts service cuts, judge orders reversal
Ashley Du/The SPOKE
Early-morning commute: Senior Daniel Loza waits at the Paoli SEPTA station for his train to Center City. SEPTA’s service cuts and fare increases affected him and other community members who use the Paoli-Thorndale line to attend events around the area.
By Ashley Du, Tvisha Jani and Paige Vachris, Co-News Editor, Co-Copy Editor and Staff Reporter Standing by hand-painted signs urging viewers to “Save the train,” senior Daniel Loza waits at the Paoli SEPTA station to catch a train for his orchestra rehearsal in Center City, Philadelphia. In August, as SEPTA started enacting service cuts, Loza joined other community members with growing concerns over the transit agency’s plans.
“When (SEPTA) announced that they were planning to eliminate (the Paoli-Thorndale) line in January, I thought it was a bit ridiculous, because the Paoli line is one of the most heavily used ones in this entire Philadelphia area, but it would also just make getting around a lot harder,” Loza said. On Sept. 14, following a court order, SEPTA restored full service. However, that same day, it also moved forward with a 21.5% fare increase. Within the past year, SEPTA enacted a pay freeze, stopped hiring non-essential employees, refrained from traveling to conferences and began implementing plans including service cuts and fare increases to reduce its
budget gap. SEPTA Senior Press Officer John Golden said that the transit agency struggled with decreased ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic and has faced rising operational costs since then. “In November of 2024, Gov. Shapiro redirected $153 million in highway capital funds to SEPTA, which allowed us to avoid severe cuts and fare hikes and continue to operate for the rest of the fiscal year,” Golden said. “But that was kind of only a quick fix so to speak. Since at least the summer of 2024, we’ve been warning anyone who would listen of significant service cuts and fare increases due to an underfunding situation.”
By the start of its 2025 fiscal year on July 1, SEPTA faced a $213 million budget deficit. State lawmakers, amid a month-long budget impasse, were not able to agree on a funding solution before SEPTA decided to move forward with service cuts. SEPTA’s originally planned cuts included a 20% service reduction in August, followed by a 21.5% fare increase in September. The transit agency moved ahead with its plan on Aug. 24 and 25, eliminating 32 bus routes and shortening 16 more, reducing service on other routes and ending all special service, such as Sports Express. A second round of cuts would have begun in January 2026, removing an additional 25% of service and eliminating the
Paoli-Thorndale line, which services the Main Line. George Bochetto, co-founder of the Philadelphia law firm Bochetto & Letz, filed an emergency lawsuit on Aug. 27 to the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. He presented a case claiming that SEPTA created a false narrative of an inability to pay for service to riders in order to extract more funds from the state legislature. “When we examined witnesses in court, when they were on the witness stand under oath, it was plainly obvious that they had ample funds in a bank account known as the stabilization fund so that they could have maintained full service to all the riders even though they’re still going through this budgetary
process with Harrisburg,” Bochetto said. “That fund that they have has over $300 million in it, and it was expressly created so that if there was a budgetary delay, they would have the reserve funds to continue full service with all riders while they await the budget outcome.” The court conducted two days of hearings following the lawsuit and decided to impose a temporary injunction, a court order that barred SEPTA from cutting additional services to riders. After another hearing with Bochetto and his team on Sept. 4, Judge Sierra Thomas Street issued an order for SEPTA to restore all service cuts but allowed fare hikes to continue. “I hate to say it, and I know it isn’t necessarily a good reflection
on government officials and everything, but they were lying to the public about their financial status,” Bochetto said. “We really called SEPTA out and stopped what was a very painful series of cuts in services, particularly to inner city residents, minorities, low-income people — they were affected the most. They were paying the highest price because that’s where most of the cuts took place. With regard to the fare increases, the case is not over. We’re now going to show how the fare increases are totally unnecessary and illegal, and we’re going to try and get those eliminated as well.” Continued on page 3.
District responds to bomb threat Nolan Talley Webmaster
Sophia Cui/The SPOKE
Celebratory speeches: Berwyn Fire Company president Andrew Emory delivers a speech at the fire station’s opening ceremony on Sept. 27. He played a major part in directing the planning and building process of the new station.
Fire company finishes new station Sophia Cui
Co-Design Editor The Berwyn Fire Company completed construction of its new station at 23 Bridge Ave. this September. The planning process began in 2020 and construction started in 2024 as the Berwyn Fire Company, Tredyffrin Township, Easttown Township, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, Sen. Carolyn Comitta and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan combined efforts to finish it. Andrew Emory, president of the Berwyn Fire Company, feels that the new fire station is beneficial to the staff because of its improved housing and facilities. “I think the community should be very proud of the station that was built and the investment by the townships and the station,” Emory said. “As we continue to grow as a fire company, it’s going to provide our firefighters just a great place to live and work.” The reconstructed fire station is approximately 20,000 square feet and cost an estimated $10.5 million to construct. It features four apparatus bays, which are
garage areas for emergency vehicles to be stored; improved living conditions for staff; an emergency operations center; and safeguards to prevent personnel carcinogen exposure. The Berwyn Fire Company built its old fire station in 1929. The building had problems with vehicle storage, as fire fighters had difficulty maneuvering the fire engines into the apparatus bays and had to back them in diagonally. The new station has four larger apparatus bays that provide enough space for the engines and ambulances, as well as the possibility of getting more equipment and vehicles, according to Emory. In addition, the station features a larger emergency operations center to ensure more efficient communication during emergency responses. The fire station also has new protections for its firefighters against carcinogen exposure, as carcinogens from fires can contaminate their clothes. Previously, the fire station had exhaust mitigation systems in the apparatus bays to help remove exhaust
from engines and ambulances from the building. The new fire station still has an exhaust system, along with new red, yellow and green zones to further prevent carcinogen exposure. The red zone is for firefighters to wash and store their clothes. It is a physically separate room with its own ventilation system to ensure contaminated air is restricted to the red zone. The yellow zone creates a transition space for firefighters to change, while the green zone is safe for everyone. Mike Wacey, a supervisor of Easttown Township, appreciates these new carcinogen procedures for improving the station’s safety. “When a firefighter comes back from a fire, they are coated in small particles. These little particles can over time cause cancer or respiratory distress,” Wacey said. “So having (the station) split into red, yellow and green (zones) really helps to make the firehouse a safer place for everybody.” In addition, the station had outdated and compact living quarters for staff and volunteers. Previously, there was only one shower in the fire station and
shared bunks for the men and women. The new station has multiple showers and bathrooms, as well as additional bunking facilities. It also includes an enhanced training area and expanded gym in the basement. While workers reconstructed the fire station, the Berwyn Fire Company operated from its other station at 1485 Valley Forge Road. It bought two houses on 737 Berwyn Ave. behind the station for additional staff living space. The Berwyn Fire Company set up two tents in the houses’ driveways for a fire engine and two ambulances. Wacey appreciates the firefighters’ newly improved living quarters after the reconstruction. “I think the most rewarding part is seeing that these people, the firefighters and EMS people, who literally save people’s lives every day, have a reasonable place to spend their time. Right now, they’re in tents, they’re in houses that are falling apart,” Wacey said. “So I will really enjoy seeing them in an environment that is safe and gives them the ability to do the job that I know they do an excellent job at.”
On Aug. 28, the Tredyffrin Police Department responded to a bomb threat at Conestoga from an unknown individual who called a 911 Philadelphia call in the early morning. The district received the the notice at approximately 6:15 a.m., announced a two-hour delay and later extended it to three hours, to allow local law enforcement time to clear the building of a potential threat. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., township police ultimately ruled the threat a hoax. The local police are currently conducting an active investigation. “I think the first thing is just to make sure that the building itself is safe at the time,” said Dr. Richard Gusick, Tredyffrin Easttown superintendent. “We assisted (the police) with whatever they needed with respect to the camera system that we have in place. Our administrators worked with them if they
needed to use the cameras to inspect anything.” Once all custodians, cafeteria workers and staff had left the building, local police worked with K-9 units from other local municipalities to ensure the school building was safe. The district originally anticipated a two-hour delay but prepared for a longer delay based on the time it would take to clear the building of a possible threat. “Our first thought was (that the search would) take at least two hours, we’ll do a delay, knowing it might last longer because you don’t know the particulars,” said Dr. Chris Groppe, director of safety and student services. “It’s really a case-by-case basis in terms of how much of a delay.” In light of the threat, the school district administration plans to reinforce its existing safety procedures. On Sept. 3, principal Dr. Amy Meisinger emailed Conestoga parents that the school conducted a previ-
Nolan Talley/The SPOKE
Security system: A camera at Conestoga overlooks the school grounds. On Aug. 28, local law enforcement responded to a bomb threat directed at Conestoga.
ously-scheduled lockdown drill during homeroom. During the school day, teachers reviewed emergency safety protocols with students. The district’s website safety overview page states that the school administration is committed to ensuring the safety of its students and conducts regular safety audits of its buildings. Gusick believes the safety protocols that Conestoga implements are ever evolving. “The set of safety procedures that we have in place is constantly under our own scrutiny and review, and if we see opportunities to make an enhancement, then we would take the opportunity to do that,” Gusick said. “It (changing the safety procedures) is an ongoing process where we’re always looking at the safety protocols that we have in place.” In Gusick’s letter to the community following the bomb threat, he stated the district is committed to providing mental health support for students anxious about possible school emergencies. Conestoga has 10 guidance counselors and three mental health specialists who can help students navigate any anxiety they are experiencing. “It’s hard to say to someone, ‘Just don’t worry.’ I can understand where that fear or concern comes from based upon the things that we are seeing in the broader environment. I’m sympathetic to people who are feeling that way,” Gusick said. “If a student identifies themselves or somebody else identifies them as being particularly anxious, then we’ve got a lot of folks who are qualified and experienced and (available in) helping students with anxiety.”