Like every other year, people were making the news for all the right and wrong reasons in 2025. We picked two to name MoreThanTheCurve.com’s Newsmakers of the Year!

For the right reasons.

A group of animal advocates representing former and current employees and volunteers at the Montgomery County SPCA (focusing on the Conshohocken facility in Whitemarsh Township) convinced The Philadelphia Inquirer to investigate the organization, funding, and its facilities. The group followed up with a protest, and the Inquirer published additional follow-up articles. The attention led to the eventual retirement of its longtime leader and changes on its board.

For the wrong reasons.

In October, 18-year-old Conshohocken resident (Plymouth Township) Shane Thomas was arrested on a host of charges involving his actions at a car meetup in Philadelphia. He was part of a large group of people rounded up after the event from all over the region.

Thomas had worn a banana suit to the meetup and was pictured across media the following days as police tried to identify the person in the banana suit. To top it off, the video of his arrest went viral as he told FOX29’s Steve Keely to “go fuck yourself” as the police took him out of his home in cuffs.

Photo: Banana suit photo from the Philadelphia Police Department