Good to Know: January 2025

Sober Curious

You might already know about Dry January, when participants stop drinking for the month. Not ready for total sobriety? Dip your toes in with Damp January. To cut back, the New York Times suggests reducing the number of days you drink per week, keeping a drink diary, or alternating between alcoholic drinks and mocktails or soda. Experts say limiting alcohol can lower your blood pressure, improve sleep and lead to weight loss. All good. NYTimes.com.

Avian Haven

Willistown Conservation Trust recently received a $1 million grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to help establish a new public nature preserve. Kestrel Hill Preserve includes 90 acres of undeveloped land on the historic Kirkwood Farm property, purchased by M. Night Shyamalan in 2023. Named after the American kestrel, the preserve will be a vital refuge for wildlife, including nesting and migratory birds. Learn more and contribute at WCTrust.org.

The Award Goes To …

Congratulations to Wendy Britton Young, West Chester native and a recipient of the 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka the Oscars people), the competition recognizes talented new screenwriters. Selected from over 5,500 submissions spanning 80 countries, Young’s screenplay, “The Superb Lyrebird & Other Creatures,” features a neurodivergent teen who enrolls in public school for the first time to compete for an art scholarship. Oscars.org/Nicholl.

There’s an App for That

Know someone who’s deaf or hard of hearing? Keep them in the loop with eyeHear, a free app for iPhone and iPad. Simply hold your finger anywhere on the screen for a real-time transcription of your conversation. There’s no complicated setup, and transcripts are kept locally on your device, not on the cloud, so you can rest assured your conversations stay private. Download it on the App Store. EyeHear.app.

On the Silver Screen

At long last, “Delco: The Movie” is coming to the big screen. See the world premiere at the Media Theatre on January 18 and 19. This coming-of-age dramedy stars local actors Steve Harding, Jeff Pfeiffer and Jenna Kuerzi, with a supporting cast including Brian O’Halloran (“Clerks”), Brian Dunkleman (“American Idol”), Brian Anthony Wilson (“The Wire”), Leah Cevoli (“Robot Chicken”) and J.J. Cohen (“Back to the Future”). DelcoTheMovie.com.