Radnor Township Police have issued a crime alert in response to a residential burglary on May 23 in Wayne.

That evening, police responded to a reported burglary at a home in the 600 block of Brookside Avenue that was discovered shortly before 8 p.m.

After an exciting year that's included its 75-year history celebration and its sixth annual "One Night Stand" exhibit for emerging artists, the Main Line Art Center will conclude its 2011-2012 with an exhibition of art created by the founding members of its new Professional Artist Membership program. 

The Haverford-based Art Center's Professional Artists' Exhibition runs May 23 to June 13, but art goers will have the opportunity to meet the exhibition's artists and purchase their work during the public reception this Friday, June 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Professional Artist Membership program was developed out of the Art Center's desire to support the careers of professional artists by providing exhibition and advanced career development opportunities, as well as visibility. 

Narberth residents in a volunteer mood or eager to see adorable pets can look forward to two upcoming events in the borough.

First up on Saturday, May 26, is the Narberth Civic Association's launch of "Cleen Sweep." From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., local scouts and residents of all ages will pick up their gloves and dustpans for a collaborative cleaning of downtown Narberth. 

Together, participants of the event will clean up trash, separate misguided recyclables, get rid of weeds and partake in anything else to help beautify the borough's downtown area.

The summer season evokes excitement over beach weather and summer breaks, but for the residents of Wayne in Radnor Township, summer leaves a cringe over two words: storm water.

The storm on the night of May 15 created two-and-a-half to three inches of rain in a matter of an hour, resulting in more than 20 emergency phone calls, about five Poplar Avenue residents’ cars getting swept away, flodded basements, approximately five tons of storm debris, clogged pipes and the inability of the North Wayne Field basin to retain water.

This was the fourth time in the last two years that the township experienced watershed related damage and flooding.

With summer storm season on the horizon and widespread damage to the areas of Wayne, especially North Wayne, the township’s Board of Commissioners took action with a 4-2 at the Monday, May 21 meeting to approve a $200,000 emergency fund for quick responses to storm water issues that cannot wait.

The township followed this meeting up with a Tuesday, May 22 residents meeting at the Radnor Township Public Works garage, where more than 30 residents attended to further discuss the matter. Township Manager Bob Zienkowski, Commissioner Jim Higgins and Public Works Director Steve Norcini were among the handful of township officials who attended and facilitated the meeting.

The halls of Lower Merion High School boomed with dozens of community members, alumni, staff, faculty and students yesterday, May 21, all eager to honor three-star General Julius W. Becton, Jr., class of 1944 alum, as well as witness the new sculpture in the school's courtyard as part of this year's Alumni Dedication Ceremony. 

Event attendees filled the more than 50 seats and crowded around the maroon tent for the outdoor ceremony as Principal Sean Hughes approached the podium, prepared to offer kind remarks regarding Becton and the Lower Merion/Harriton Alumni Association.

"The Lower Merion/Harriton Alumni Assocation has been instrumental in not only celebrating our past, but also our extraordinary future," the Lower Merion principal said. "Our legacy, we strive to not just uphold, but improve upon...[Becton] took these words to heart."

To celebrate Becton's illustrious military and academic career, Hughes announced there would be a perpetual service award in the three-star general's honor, for his commitment to the school's motto, "enter to learn, go forth to serve."

The award will go to seniors who exemplify this, and their names will be added to a plaque on the walls outside of the main office.

After the announcement, Gail Mosler Singer from the Alumni Association Board of Directors introduced the sculpture gift, a bulldog made of stainless steel and aluminum objects welded together to make the school football team's mascot. 

As the settlement agreement came up for a vote, Lower Merion Board President Liz Rogan said she believed O’Neill Properties group had every right to develop on its property along the Schuylkill River, but in her observation of this process, the conflicting conditional use requirements and the group’s density presented an issue for her.

“We have an obligation as elected officials to make decisions in the best interest of the township,” Rogan said before the legal affairs vote. “No one wants additional litigation.”

The vote at the May 16 Board of Commissioners meeting was in regards to a more than two years of debate and discussion over the project by O’Neill, acting as Righter’s Ferry Associates, and the riverfront neighboring landlord opposition Penn Real Estate Group, acting as Bridgehead/Footbridge LLP, which resulted in failed attempts at a two- or three-party agreement.

This eventually landed the township and the two entities in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, where the developers appealed the township’s conditional use decision. Righters Ferry Associates is also seeking approval of the settlement agreement.

The appeals stem from a 2009 decision by the township’s conditional use approval for the apartment project under its M (Manufacturing) District ordinance, written to provide the township a sort of trade-off for the density of this kind of residential development.

In addition to the project’s settlement agreement, the board also voted on the preliminary plan at the May 16 meeting.

All of Radnor Middle School is taking a stand against bullying, joining schools nationwide in the Million T-Shirt March Thursday.

The march, coordinated by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OLWEUS) is part of an effort to raise money for national anti-bullying programs, as well as an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most people wearing the same T-shirt on the same day. 

Radnor staff and students will receive and wear the march's T-shirts, as well as participate in numerous activities related to raising awareness to to the effects of bullying.

Lodge 28 President of the Fraternal Order of Police Gavin Goschinski caused a stir at the Monday, May 14 Narberth Borough Council meeting when he expressed concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting over the way Narberth Borough officlals have been handling the hiring of police officers.

The Main Line Times reported May 15 that Goschinski, also a sergeant at the Lower Merion Police Department, was compelled to speak during public comment as a result of six potential candidates were asked to withdraw their applications after being told something found during their background checks in Lower Merion could prevent them from being hired. 

The Main Line paper reported that Goschinski said candidates were then allegedly told by the borough to withdraw their withdrawals in order for the borough to get an outside party to conduct new investigations. 

"What's most concerning is that no one from Narberth engaged in basic due diligence to go to [head of Lower Merion detectives] Lt. Frank Higgins and say, 'Why in the world did these guys withdraw?' Didn't anyone here have that curiosity?" Goschinski asked, according to Main Line Times. 

Officially created less than 48 hours ago, the Right Plan for Radnor is a collective of local community members who oppose Villanova’s plan to expand along Lancaster Avenue in present form.

Calling Villanova’s plan “too big, too much and too risky,” Radnor resident Kevin Geary said one of the Right Plan for Radnor’s goals will be to protect families from an expansion that could negatively affect their property values and public welfare.

“This is the biggest construction project in Radnor’s history,” Geary said. “Villanova is an important community partner, but they’re proposing something that’s not within township law. This is beyond a ‘not in my backyard’ mentality.”

So far, the Right Plan for Radnor has 50 members, a Facebook page and the intention of going door-to-door this weekend in search of support.

“We’re all very well-educated, and we’re all professionals,” Right Plan for Radnor member Joe Vandergeest said. “We want to develop some transparency and open dialogue.”

Villanova will ask the Board of Commissioners for an ordinance amendment in order to build its proposed development, which includes a five-story parking garage, an approximately 1,160-bed residence hall, additional retail space and a performing arts center, though the latter won’t be built unless the university can raise a sufficient amount of funds. The height and setback of the buildings do not adhere to the township’s zoning code.

“I think you might be able to get the residents of Radnor Township to really understand what happens during the process [of development],” Vandergeest added. “Your local government can affect your present and future.”