Home Care In Avondale, PA

An accused child molester who fled in a "violent" Missouri jail break was captured in Pennsylvania on Thursday, not far from where escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante was recently nabbed after weeks on the lam, officials said.

Mario Che-Tiul, 34, had been on the run since June 1 before he was caught by the U.S. Marshals Service in Avondale, close to Maryland and Delaware borders, about 1:30 p.m. ET, federal authorities said.

He was wanted "for a violent Barry County, MO. escape and was the last of 6 inmates captured," according to the marshal's statement.

Che-Tiul is facing charges of child molestation, incest and assault back in Missouri.

The suspect was also being held Friday on an immigration and customs detainer at the Chester County Prison, the same facility where Cavalcante broke free from, Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd told NBC News.

It wasn't immediately clear how he made it from southwest Missouri to the edge of Philadelphia, nearly 1,200 miles away.

Prisoners overpowered a guard and fled June 1, before five were quickly captured and one turned himself in a short time later, leaving Che-Tiul as the only missing inmate for these past 3½ months, officials said.

Despite all this time on the loose, Sheriff Boyd said he was always confident that marshals would capture him.

"I knew he'd eventually show up and get caught," Boyd said. "The marshals, they're really good at their job, and they were going to track him down. But sometimes, it takes a little longer. I had total faith that he'd be captured."

Che-Tiul is the second high-profile escapee captured in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in a little more than a week, following the Sept. 13 arrest of Cavalcante in South Coventry Township.

Cavalcante broke free Aug. 31 from the Chester County Prison by scaling walls and avoiding detection by a watchtower guard, who has since been fired.

David K. Li

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

US Department of Labor obtains court judgment ordering Pennsylvania restaurant, owner to pay 68 employees $193K in back wages, damages

AVONDALE, PA – A federal court has approved a consent judgment ordering a Southeast Pennsylvania restaurant to pay a total of $193,817 to 68 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the employer denied all of the wages owed them by law.

The action by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania follows the determination by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that Taqueria Moroleon Inc., operating as Taqueria Moroleon in Avondale, and owner Isidro Rodriquez failed to pay some tipped employees a cash wage, did not compensate some employees for training and meeting time, and paid employees straight time for all hours worked.

Investigators also found the employer failed to maintain complete time and payroll records and did not record some cash payments for wages. The division assessed a $47,235 civil money penalty for their Fair Labor Standards Act violations.

“Regrettably, for many restaurant industry workers, these types of minimum wage and overtime violations are not unusual,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director James Cain in Philadelphia. “This enforcement action will help ensure these workers – people who depend on every dollar to make ends meet – receive all of their hard-earned wages and hold their employer accountable for violating the law.”

In addition to recovering $96,908 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for the workers, the consent judgment permanently forbids the restaurant and its owner from future violations of the federal minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements.

View the consent judgment.

“By securing this consent judgment, the U.S. Department of Labor has recovered wages owed to restaurant workers employed by Taqueria Moroleon Inc. and owner Isidro Rodriquez,” explained Deputy Regional Solicitor Samantha N. Thomas in Philadelphia. “Our actions also demonstrate the department’s commitment to holding employers accountable when their pay practices violate the law and ensuring that employers who disregard the law do not undercut their competition.”

In fiscal year 2021, the division recovered nearly $35 million in back wages for more than 29,000 U.S. workers in the food service industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there were 1.4 million job openings in the accommodations and food service industries in September 2022, forcing employers to compete to fill their open positions.

“Today’s workers are able to choose employers who will value them, pay their full wages and respect their workplace rights,” Cain added. “Employers who comply with labor laws and appreciate the dignity of work will have great appeal to workers new to the workforce or looking for new job opportunities.”

The FLSA requires that most employees in the U.S. be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at not less than time and one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

For more information about workers’ rights and other employee rights enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions regardless of where they are from, and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, now available for Android and iOS devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.

By Richard L. GawStaff Writer

As the blazing summer heat pounded down on the freshly paved parking lot of the new Target Shooting Solutions in Avondale last Friday, the beads of sweat that showed on co-owner's Remo Toto's face glistened like the tell-tale sign of the many layers of approval and hard work it took for Toto and his son and co-owner Alex to get to this point, three days before the store's official opening.Built on the site of the former Boomer's entertainment complex, Target Shooting Solutions, which opened this week, is a 26,000 square foot facility that has little in common with the typical bunker-like, military green encampment style of target shooting businesses. The lobby is bright and airy, with high ceilings, a fireplace and comfortable chairs. Off to the right, a 7,200 square-feet retail store offers a wide variety of firearms for sale, as well as accessories and protective equipment. To the left of the entrance, there is a 20-lane shooting range – divided into two separate banks of ten lanes each – that are entirely encased in concrete. Of the many safety checks installed at the the range, perhaps the most important will be a bullet-proof armor plate metal at each range, that works with a trap to snuff out a bullet's acceleration after it is fired. Regulated ventilation systems will properly keep fresh air pumping into the ranges, and all of the lead and brass used in bullets will be recycled. “Starting a brand new business is relatively rare in the firearms business,” said A. Paul Reed, the chief operating officer and general manager of the Avondale facility. “The advantage that we have is that everything is state-of-the-art, from our air handling system, and from our safety procedures to our phone and computer system.”The demographics for opening the store considered the largest of its kind in the Tri-State area, were perfect, Reed said.“We wanted to answer the question, 'Does it make sense to put a gun store here?'” Reed said. “The number of factors we looked at – numbers of cars on the road, to numbers of National Rifle Association (NRA) members in the region, to the number of competitors – everything said that the answer was 'Yes.' In about an hour to an hour-and-a-half time from the facility, we have access to about three million people, who are potential customers, as a result of our location.”The timing of the target shooting facility's opening this week coincides not only with the very beginning of the peak season for gun sales, but the often headstrong dialogue about firearms that has been heard in America for the past several years. Heightened by the magnification of mass shootings that have played out on television screens, as well as print and social media, the movement to further restrict firearm usage through legislation has reached a fever pitch. On one side anti-gun activists believe that the law, adopted in 1791, is an outdated relic written in the age of muskets, and a law that has lost its muster during a time when semi-automatic assault modern sporting rifles are now being sold by the millions. On the other, organizations like the NRA have leveraged their considerable influence to fight back, claiming that tougher laws will bind the hands of responsible gun owners. The battle for control has long been a talking point of recent political campaigns, on the local, state state and national level. Most recently, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that if she were elected, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would seek to repeal the Second Amendment, which has generally been interpreted as the law that grants the right of gun ownership to individuals for purposes that include self-defense. For Reed, it's a conversation that is rightly needed, but one that is sometimes clouded by perception.“There is a lot of misunderstanding about the firearms industry, especially in light of current events,” Reed said. “There is no question that many people have an understanding that all guns are bad. It's definitely not true, because guns have been in our culture for a few hundred years. The truth is that large numbers of people – in fact, the vast the majority – pursue the legal, lawful, ethical and safe pursuit of this hobby. “Like any other powerful technology, it can be used for good and for bad,” he added. “The key is that we are promoting and doing everything in our power to promote the ethical and safe use of firearms as a sporting hobby. We're strong believers in the Second Amendment, but the reality is that we're not a bunch of gun nuts who are only concerned about the government coming in during the middle of the night and taking away our guns.”The partial solution to perceptions and bias can be found in education, Reed said. Perhaps the most important component of the facility's design are three classrooms that will be used not only for training and safety seminars, but potentially for community-based events that invite residents who do not own firearms.Over the past year and a half, Remo and Alex Toto were regular visitors to London Grove Township meetings, where they went through the usual hoops of obtaining the proper licenses and zoning ordinances needed to open a business in the township. Along the way, they met with opposition from a few local residents who claimed that an indoor shooting range was not only unlawful, but unsafe. Those who oppose the business are not likely to leave any time soon, and Reed understands that in order to succeed, Target Shooting Solutions will have to attend to the needs of its customers and members, while also keeping an ear open to those who will continue to oppose the idea of an indoor firing range in their area.“We understand that there are people who have concerns about firearms,” he said. “So far, the support has been overwhelmingly supportive. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking that if one or two people like you, then the entire world must like you. We're cognizant that this is not true. We've had people who have addressed some concerns, and we have addressed them.“We understand that for those who did not grow up around firearms, they may not understand why people want to pursue the safe and ethical use of firearms. In reality, 99 percent of gun owners are interested in pursuing the safe and responsible use of firearms. No responsible forearms owner wants to see the events that have happened in the past couple of years. It's absolutely heinous, and we all want the right laws in place to deal with that.” Target Shooting Solutions is located at 1056 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, Pa. 19311. To learn more about Target Shooting Solutions, visit www.targetshootingsolutions.com, or call 610-910-0105.To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].

BY MADDY VITALE

When other businesses were thinking about downsizing or closing shop during the COVID-19 pandemic, Danielle Leonhardt did something else with her healthy foods and smoothies company, Juice Pod.

She expanded her business — big time.

She opened new Juice Pods and partnered with other business savvy people who opened a franchise “pod.”

Danielle opened her first Juice Pod in 2016 in Avalon. Then her business grew with the opening of the very successful Sea Isle City location on the Promenade.

And now the number tops 12 Juice Pods and counting. While most are in the Pennsylvania area, the latest opened in North Wildwood on the Boardwalk.

“It was just that with the pandemic, everyone was focusing on their health,” Danielle said in an interview from her Sea Isle location. “We offer foods that are delicious and good for you.”

Greens, vitamins, fruits, cold pressed juices and all of the freshest ingredients to create chilled superfood smoothies, along with the favorite acai bowls, are just some of the items offered on the menu.

All of the choices, including milks from coconut to almond milk, give options galore to customers.

There are also a bunch of healthy salads, wraps, soups, Paninis, waffles and toast to choose from.

All of the foods are created with locally sourced and organic food options to give optimal nutrition.

“It’s a way of life for me,” Danielle said of her healthy diet. “It makes me feel better and I want my customers to feel good, too.”

After the entrepreneur opened her Sea Isle location in 2018, with some help from her husband, Jon Leonhardt, she partnered with her sister, Christine Wyatt, in 2019 to open Juice Pods in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and Springfield, Pa.

Then the pandemic hit.

And Danielle, well, she kept doing what she was doing all along, growing successful businesses to offer customers good and healthy food.

Leonhardt opened other Juice Pods in Swedesboro, N.J, and in Pennsylvania in Newtown Square and through partnerships with other businesspeople to open stores in Ambler, Lionville and Downingtown, Jon Leonhardt explained Thursday. Other locations are in Ridley and Malvern, also in Pennsylvania.

“We entered into partnerships and we have an ownership in them,” Jon noted of some of the latest expansions, adding that Danielle helps the new Juice Pod business owners with menus, setting up of the store and other things to help make their Juice Pod successful.

The Leonhardts, who have homes in Avalon and Newtown Square, Pa., have three children, Taylor, 25, Ava 22, and Mia, 20. They juggle a lot to make sure they are running Juice Pods that offer healthy food options for their customers.

“As we speak, Danielle is driving up home and signing a deal in Lansdale, Pa.,” Jon said in an interview.

He added that it is a lot of work, but worth it.

“I am 100 percent supportive of Danielle in this endeavor and her expansion. I’m just doing what I can to help her along the way,” Jon said. “I’ve been an entrepreneur myself for 30-plus years and that is what helped us get to this point.”

But running Juice Pod takes more than just the freshest and healthiest foods on the menu.

The people who work there matter a lot.

Danielle and Sea Isle Juice Pod manager, Abby Burdsall, chatted as customers lined up for their smoothies and acai bowls on a busy recent weekday.

“It’s like this every morning in the summer,” Danielle said. “People do their exercises and get ready for the beach and stop in. A lot of people ride their bikes up.”

Danielle said in all of the Juice Pod shops, there are staples and new selections offered regularly.

“We always change and try new and different items, but we keep the staples,” she noted.

And for all of the Juice Pods, customers can do online orders, so that when they are ready to pick up their smoothies, bowls or salads, they will be waiting.

“The food tastes good and you don’t feel bad about the food you eat,” Burdsall said.

Burdsall, who goes to college in Florida, said that even when she comes home for vacation and is off work, she stops in for a smoothie.

“Every bite is delicious,” she said.

Julia Bulgarelli, 20, of Avondale, Pa., and her 17-year-old sister, Bella, stopped in at Juice Pod for a treat while on vacation in Sea Isle.

Julia ordered the “Green Glo” smoothie, which is made with kale, spinach, mint, banana, mango, celery, apple and coconut water.

“I’m a smoothie person. It looked so tasty out of all of my options,” she said.

Bella opted for the “Nutter Butter” acai bowl, which is topped with granola, blueberries, bananas, peanut butter and Nutella.

“It’s delicious,” Bella said. “We have been coming to Juice Pod for the last couple of summers that we have vacationed in Sea Isle. It’s a real treat.”

For information about Juice Pods and the different locations, visit https://www.thejuicepod.com/

When Wilmington's St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church decided to sell 137 acres of land it owns in Avondale, Pennsylvania, it approached only one buyer: New Garden Township.

The Chester County township, home to about 11,900 residents, wants to buy the St. Anthony's in the Hills property off Limestone Road, just outside of Hockessin.

It plans to demolish some of the buildings on the site, and use the land, previously a retreat and recreational facility founded by the late St. Anthony's pastor the Rev. Roberto Balducelli, as a preserve or public park.

But at a New Garden Township Board of Supervisors meeting Monday, township officials would not disclose the amount it's willing to pay for the property the church has owned since 1961.

Attorney Vincent M. Pompo said the township has a letter of intent agreement with the church for the property, but not a sales agreement.

"At this point and time, we're in negotiations," said Chairman Randy T. Geouque, adding "we have an idea of the maximum we want to spend."

The clock is ticking. The township has had exclusive rights to buy the property for a 90-day time period. Negotiations began Feb. 20. Geouque said St. Anthony's in the Hills has had a property appraisal, but he would not say the value determined.

Board supervisors said if an agreement is met, they would disclose the potential purchase price at an upcoming public meeting.

The money to pay St. Anthony's would come from an open space fund that now has about $1.97 million. The township also could receive grants from Chester County and the Department of Natural Resources toward the purchase.

New Garden Township Board of Supervisors in December 2015 unanimously approved paying the church more than $1.3 million for 137 acres and enter into a conservation easement agreement.

Conservation easements protect land for future generations, but still allow owners to retain many private property rights and use the land. The landowner, however, forfeits the right to subdivide or develop the property.

But that agreement changed about six to eight months ago, said Township Manager Tony Scheivert.

He said the township was notified by St. Anthony's church that it was no longer interested in maintaining the property and wanted to sell it outright. The property hasn't been operating as a camp for several years.

Scheivert told The News Journal the purchase price could be more than $1.3 million.

"This is one of their [St. Anthony's] top properties. It's listed as a high priority," said Board of Supervisor member Richard Ayotte.

Some area residents attending the public meeting Monday at the Landenberg, Pennsylvania, town hall supported the decision.

"It's a gem," said Ann Falls. "It's a lovely spot and I hope it stays that way."

Others questioned why the township was buying the land.

"New Garden Township should not be bailing out the Catholic church," said Bob Perotti.

Geouque said the owner of the property "has no relevancy with this transaction."

He said the township wanted to retain the open space.

"It's an opportunity to get our hands on a nice piece of property," Geouque said.

Broad Run, a tributary of White Clay Creek, is on the property. The land also has a building that apparently dates back to before the Revolutionary War.

The finances of St. Anthony's parish, whose roots in Wilmington go back 94 years, have been called into question since the March 16 firing of Cindy Mann, the head of Padua Academy.

The Wilmington all-girls high school is owned by the church. Mann, principal since 2009, reported directly to the Rev. Nicholas R. Waseline, the parish's pastor since 2012.

St. Anthony's would not give a reason for Waseline's sudden dismissal of the popular principal whom parents and students credit with helping to build the school's reputation as a top-notch high school. Protests in support of Mann were held outside of St. Anthony's Church and Padua Academy Sunday and Monday.

Students stage sit-in, parents march to support ousted Padua leader Mann

The church disclosed it collected a "Stewardship Contribution" from Padua that started at $40,000 a year, and the cost has steadily increased. For 2017-2018, the school was expected to pay $90,000. By 2021-2022, the fee would be $240,000.

According to the parish, a decision was made in 2013 to sell the St. Anthony's in the Hills property that was purchased nearly six decades ago for $52,000.

The site was one of the Italian-born Balducelli's legacies. The beloved priest, who also is credited with making St. Anthony's Italian Festival into one of Wimington's annual summer events, wanted the land to be a retreat for city children and families.

He and volunteers built an Olympic-size swimming pool on the site along with basketball courts, playgrounds and a man-made lake.

Balducelli, a well-known "recycler," often used material salvaged from construction sites at St. Anthony's in the Hills. Lamp posts had once been submarine telescopes. An old bakery truck was used as a tool shed.

Since even before Balducelli death at age 99 in 2013, St. Anthony's in the Hills has been dormant.

Geouque said some buildings on the site would have to be demolished.

"There's a lot of cleaning up that's going to have to occur." He did not know if the swimming pool would remain or what would happen to some residents who now live on the property.

Geouque said those factors were being taken under consideration, but discussions and negotiations with St. Anthony's are still in preliminary stages.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or [email protected] and on Twitter @pattytalorico