Students learn about arthropods at Holmesburg's Insectarium.

With more than 5,000 square feet of exhibits showcasing thousands of different species of insects both alive and mounted, it’s ironic the Insectarium started as an exterminator business.

Ida Steer, one of the tour guides agrees and says, “We kill them down here and we keep them alive up there.” continue reading »

People with physical, developmental and emotional disabilities turn to Pegasus Riding Academy for a balanced lifestyle.

This is the first in a two-part series that examines the Pegasus Riding Academy and the individuals who make it work.

It’s been awhile since 27-year-old Kristy Spressark was here.

She remembers the various skills she obtained when she started as a child. Although, the realization has set in that once seemingly easy tasks now require more effort than she recalls.

Spressark has a cavernoma, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels mainly found in the brain and spinal chord that causes her to have weakness in her limbs and balance problems. Spressark, who walks with a cane, participates in a unique form of therapy to help her condition: horse riding. continue reading »

The Rising Sun Avenue corridor has gone through a drastic change in the eyes of the people who have lived there all their lives.  A community that once was solely described as a close-knit, working class residency is now suffering from a spate of robberies, violence and an overabundance of trash and unkempt houses.

Kathy Wersinger of Councilwoman Marian Tasco’s office is a 55-year-resident of the area and believes the problem to be renters.

“People that rent houses for a profit and don’t worry about the condition of them as long as they are receiving their monthly check,” contribute to the decline in quality of life, she said. continue reading »