Last week’s news and features, all in one spot (Aug. 8 through Aug. 14):

Monday

Lower Merion Township police reported that more copper downspouts were being stripped from homes in Merion and Wynnewood, and that catalytic converters were being ripped from vehicles parked at SEPTA train stations.

Later in the week, Patch editors spoke to area police departments and SEPTA officials about the trend of catalytic converters being brazenly stolen, often with battery-operated Sawzalls (Lower Merion Police have reported 11 catalytic converter thefts since April). “The large, low-hanging emissions converter is rich in precious metals and has served as a target for thieves at Montgomery, Delaware and Chester County train stations, according to SEPTA, thus causing the transit authority to increase patrols with local police.” SUVs, which sit higher up from the ground, make for easier targets, a SEPTA spokesman said.

Lower Merion Police also reported Monday that a recent attempted robbery at the Urban Outfitters in Ardmore’s Suburban Square turned into a midday vehicular pursuit when shoplifters sped away—only to be foiled by a alert officer who deployed “Stop Sticks.”

***

Patch’s monthly home sales report for July came out, with closings ranging from a $65,000 condo in Wynnewood to a $3.3 million crib in Ardmore. Sales for other closings in nearby Patch neighborhoods are included.  (A reminder: On Aug. 1, we published information from a Prudential Fox & Roach report detailing Main Line towns with the best and worst numbers on median home sale prices and number of homes sold over the first six months of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010.)

***

Lower Merion Township enjoyed a dash of movie magic Monday afternoon, as the cast and crew of upcoming indie “Backwards,” written by and starring Haverford native Sarah Megan Thomas and featuring “Dawson’s Creek” heartthrob James Van Der Beek, shot scenes around the Haverford Train Station for much of the day.

Writer Tom Sunnergren followed his story up with an interview with Thomas and her director, fellow Haverford College alum and former Bryn Mawr Film Institute manager Ben Hickernell, published Wednesday (“For Haverford Native, Moving Forward After 'Backwards'”).

Tuesday

After an investigation and conviction that was aided by an assist from the Lower Merion Police Department, the man who robbed the McDonald's in Wayne at gunpoint in October 2008 was sentenced Tuesday. Devon Brinkley, 24, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 1,285 months in prison—107 years.

***

For “frugal fashionistas” enduring lean economic times, writer Brooke Hoffman profiled two Ardmore consignment boutiques that offer the latest labels and fashions for a fraction of their original cost.

Wednesday

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance to refinance its 2001 General Obligation Bonds at its meeting on Wednesday. The county will refinance its bonds through Merrill Lynch at 1.997 percent interest rate.

Heavy rains on Tuesday in Lower Merion forced the Montgomery County Health Department to postpone spraying mosquito-cide in Penn Valley until Wednesday evening.

***

About two dozen young area Catholics met at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood late Wednesday afternoon, part of some 200 from the Philadelphia Archdiocese headed for Europe to take part in a 12-day pilgrimage that will conclude at "World Youth Day" with Pope Benedict XVI in Madrid this week. (Video)

In yet more school rankings, Haverford College got high marks from both Forbes and the Princeton Review. Forbes ranked Haverford College No. 7 in its “America’s Top 100 Colleges” list, and the Princeton Review named Haverford among the top schools in the nation for having some of the most nose-to-the-grindstone students.

Thursday

An early morning Penn Wynne fire caused about $85,000 in damage to a Penn Wynne home, but nobody was hurt. Penn Wynne and Narberth fire companies and the Lower Merion Fire Department responded to the accidental blaze on the 1400 block of Graywall Lane, which started in a dishwasher.

Friday

Part of Linwood Avenue was closed Friday for paving between Argyle and Drexel roads.

Saturday-Sunday

For this past week’s Home Comparison, we looked at houses for sale that have fenced-in yards, in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, Penn Valley, Havertown, Devon, Wayne, Roxborough, Newtown Square, Media and Broomall.

Regular Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood Patch features:

Patch On Demand (video):

Monday:  “Ardmore's Tired Hands ‘Brew Café:’ The Tour (Part I)”

Tuesday: “Ardmore's Tired Hands ‘Brew Café:’ The Philosophy (Part II)”

If Walls Could Talk: “Merion Station Home Used To Be Wedgwood Museum;” “The six-bedroom stone mansion on N. Bowman was once a showcase for the country's largest collection of Wedgwood china.”

Writer Brooke Hoffman followed up with a second part to the Wedgwood story on Saturday: “Buten’s Wedgwood Collection Finds New Home;” “A Wedgwood collection amassed and displayed by a Merion Station family moved to New York.”

Restaurant Review: Grape Leaves Grille, 40 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore.

Cheap Trips: Eagles Training Camp, Minigolf, Flowers and Movies; Four local attractions you can visit on one tank of gas.

Time Capsules (video): “Personality Goes a Long Way”

’Net Worth: “Longtime Wynnewood Medical Pros Take on New Challenges”