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  • Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles

    Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles

    The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ordered Wednesday in an emphatic ruling.

    U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction sought by California officials, but also put the decision on hold until Monday, presumably to give the administration a chance to appeal.

    In an extraordinary move, President Donald Trump called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops in June without Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval to further the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The number had dropped to several hundred by late October, but California remained steadfast in its opposition to Trump’s command of the troops.

    White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson suggested in a statement that the administration would appeal Breyer’s ruling, saying it looked forward to “ultimate victory on the issue.”

    “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to deploy National Guard troops to support federal officers and assets following violent riots that local leaders like Newscum refused to stop,” she said, using a pejorative moniker Trump has used to refer to the Democratic governor.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the ruling was a victory for democracy and the rule of law, and he accused the administration of playing “political games” with the troops.

    “But the President is not king,” he said in a statement. “And he cannot federalize the National Guard whenever, wherever, and for however long he wants, without justification.”

    Breyer rejected the administration’s arguments that he could not review extensions of a Guard deployment and that it still needed Guard troops in Los Angeles to protect federal personnel and property, saying the first claim was “shocking” and the second one bordered on “misrepresentation.”

    “The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances,” added Breyer, a nominee of President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. “Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.”

    The 100 or so California troops that remain in Los Angeles are guarding federal buildings or staying at a nearby base and are not on the streets with immigration enforcement officers, according to U.S. Northern Command.

    California argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first deployed the troops following clashes between federal immigration officers and people protesting his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. During one demonstration, protesters threw rocks at Border Patrol vehicles. One man later pleaded guilty to throwing a Molotov cocktail.

    The Republican administration has extended the deployment until February while also trying to use California Guard members in Portland, Ore. as part of its effort to send the military into Democratic-run cities over the objections of mayors and governors. It also sent some California National Guard troops to Illinois.

    In his ruling, Breyer accused the Trump administration of “effectively creating a national police force made up of state troops.”

    The idea that risks from demonstrations in the Los Angeles area could not be managed today without the National Guard defied “common sense,” the judge wrote.

    “After all, local law enforcement like the LAPD, the LASD, and the California Highway Patrol (“CHP”) have not only been willing to manage the protests, but have capably done so since June,” he wrote.

    The June call-up was the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor and marked a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to carry out its mass deportation policy. The troops were stationed outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where protesters gathered and later sent on the streets to protect immigration officers as they made arrests.

    California sued, arguing that the president was using Guard members as his personal police force in violation of a law limiting the use of the military in domestic affairs. The administration said courts could not second-guess the president’s decision that violence during the protests made it impossible for him to execute U.S. laws with regular forces and reflected a rebellion, or danger of rebellion.

    Breyer said in Wednesday’s decision the suggestion there was danger of rebellion was even more “farfetched” when the administration extended the deployment than it was in June.

    Breyer initally issued a temporary restraining order that required the administration to return control of the Guard members to California, but an appeals court panel put that decision on hold.

    After a trial, Breyer ruled in September that the deployment violated the law.

    Other judges have blocked the administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago.

  • Justice Department can unseal records from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, judge says

    Justice Department can unseal records from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, judge says

    NEW YORK — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department’s requests to unseal material from investigations into the late financier’s sexual abuse.

    U.S. District Judge Richard Berman reversed his earlier decision to keep the material under wraps, citing a new law that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. The judge previously cautioned that the 70 or so pages of grand jury materials slated for release are hardly revelatory and “merely a hearsay snippet” of Epstein’s conduct.

    On Tuesday, another Manhattan federal judge ordered the release of records from Maxwell’s 2021 sex trafficking case. Last week, a judge in Florida approved the unsealing of transcripts from an abandoned Epstein federal grand jury investigation in the 2000s.

    The Justice Department asked the judges to lift secrecy orders after the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, created a narrow exception to rules that normally keep grand jury proceedings confidential. The law requires that the Justice Department disclose Epstein-related material to the public by Dec. 19.

    The court records cleared for release are just a sliver of the government’s trove — a collection of potentially tens of thousands of pages of documents including FBI notes and reports; transcripts of witness interviews, photographs, videos and other evidence; Epstein’s autopsy report; flight logs and travel records.

    While lawyers for Epstein’s estate told Berman in a letter last week that the estate took no position on the Justice Department’s unsealing request, some Epstein victims backed it.

    “Release to the public of Epstein-related materials is good, so long as the victims are protected in the process,” said Brad Edwards, a lawyer for some victims. “With that said, the grand jury receives only the most basic information, so, relatively speaking, these particular materials are insignificant.”

    Questions about the government’s Epstein files have dominated the first year of Trump’s second term, with pressure on the Republican intensifying after he reneged on a campaign promise to release the files. His administration released some material, most of it already public, disappointing critics and some allies.

    Berman was matter of fact in his ruling Wednesday, writing that the transparency law “unequivocally intends to make public Epstein grand jury materials and discovery materials” that had previously been covered by secrecy orders. The law “supersedes the otherwise secret grand jury materials,” he wrote.

    The judge, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, implored the Justice Department to carefully follow the law’s privacy provisions to ensure that victims’ names and identifying information are redacted, or blacked out. Victim safety and privacy “are paramount,” he wrote.

    In court filings, the Justice Department informed Berman that the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury was an FBI agent who, the judge noted, “had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.”

    The agent testified over two days, on June 18, 2019, and July 2, 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow and four pages of call logs. The July 2 session ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein.

    Epstein, a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, killed himself in jail a month after his 2019 arrest. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 by a federal jury of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of Epstein’s underage victims and participating in some of the abuse. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

    Maxwell’s lawyer told a judge last week that unsealing records from her case “would create undue prejudice” and could spoil her plans to file a habeas petition, a legal filing seeking to overturn her conviction. The Supreme Court in October declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal.

    Maxwell’s grand jury records include testimony from the same FBI agent and a New York Police Department detective.

    Judge Paul A. Engelmayer sought to temper expectations as he approved their release on Tuesday, writing that the materials “do not identify any person other than Epstein and Maxwell as having had sexual contact with a minor.”

    “They do not discuss or identify any client of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s,” wrote Engelmayer, an appointee of President Barack Obama, a Democrat. “They do not reveal any heretofore unknown means or methods of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s crimes.”

  • Only N.J. residents can end their lives through the state’s aid-in-dying law, appeals court rules

    Only N.J. residents can end their lives through the state’s aid-in-dying law, appeals court rules

    New Jersey is among the 10 states that allow physicians to assist terminally ill patients in ending their own lives, under certain conditions. But those patients must be New Jersey residents, a federal appeals court ruled.

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said last week that New Jersey’s limit of the aid-in-dying law to state residents is constitutional, keeping on the books a significant hurdle for people from neighboring states — including Pennsylvania and Delaware — where the practice is not permitted.

    “In our federal system, states are free to experiment with policies as grave as letting doctors assist suicide. Other states are free to keep it a crime,” U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in the opinion. “This novel option does not appear to be a fundamental privilege, let alone a fundamental right, that states must accord visitors.”

    Philly woman with terminal cancer is suing N.J. to change its medical aid-in-dying law’s residency requirement

    Jess Pezley, a staff attorney at the legal arm of Compassion and Choices, a nonprofit advocacy organization that brought the lawsuit challenging the residency requirement, said aid in dying “remains a critically important option for all terminally ill people who wish to receive healthcare in the state of New Jersey.”

    The “ruling means that terminally ill patients who do not live in an authorized jurisdiction will continue to have to travel” to states like Oregon and Vermont that permit the practice for nonresidents, Pezley said in a statement.

    Aid in dying is a controversial concept. While some argue the law creates a pathway for empowerment over end of life, others worry that it can lead to coercion and expansion beyond the terminally ill in a country that has a dark history in how it treats people with disabilities.

    The residency requirement is meant to protect physicians from liability in states where assisting in suicide is a criminal offense, proponents of the restriction argue, and to prevent medical tourism in states with the option.

    The law does not specify how long a person must live in New Jersey but sets other qualifying requirements: A patient must have a New Jersey driver’s license, be registered to vote in the state, have filed income taxes as a New Jersey resident in the last year, or have another official government record that confirms residency.

    New Jersey enacted a medical aid-in-dying law in 2019. Last year, 122 people ended their lives through the program in the Garden State, according to New Jersey’s chief medical examiner. Nearly 70% of the patients had cancer and their average age was 72.

    The law allows adults who are residents of New Jersey and are expected to die within six months to obtain a prescription for a lethal drug cocktail. They must be able to make their own decisions and administer the medication by themselves.

    The ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit filed in August 2023 by a Camden County physician, Paul Bryman, who assists terminally ill patients in ending their lives on their own terms. He challenged the residency requirement, saying the law prohibits him from treating all patients equally because of where they live.

    Bryman’s suit originally included another New Jersey physician, Deborah Pasik, and two cancer patients, Judith Govatos of Delaware and Andy Sealy of South Philadelphia. Pasik has since retired, and Govatos, 81, and Sealy, 44, died before the court made its ruling.

    Andy Sealy, metastatic breast cancer awareness advocate and medical aid-in-dying activist, has died at 44

    The lawsuit argued the prohibition “discriminates” against patients like Govatos and Sealy by not allowing them to receive “specific medical care after crossing State lines into New Jersey, even though they would otherwise qualify for this care.”

    New Jersey officials asked a federal district judge to dismiss the case, arguing that no court has recognized aid in dying as a constitutional right. The state further said that the residency requirement was among the “safeguards” in a policy that has “extraordinarily high stakes.”

    The judge tossed out the lawsuit in 2024.

    “And the residence requirement makes sense: While medical aid in dying is permitted in New Jersey, it is indistinguishable from the criminal act of assisted suicide in neighboring states,” District Judge Renee Marie Bumb wrote in her opinion. “By limiting the pool of eligible patients to State residents, the requirement is rationally related to the legitimate objective of protecting from out-of-state liability providers and advocates who assist terminally ill patients in seeking medical aid in dying.”

    Compassion and Choices appealed the ruling to the Third Circuit, where the plea met a similar fate.

    “The Constitution leaves moral questions like these to the states,” Bibas wrote. “New Jersey has answered them carefully.”

  • Two windows were smashed at Philly’s federal courthouse, the U.S. Marshals said

    Two windows were smashed at Philly’s federal courthouse, the U.S. Marshals said

    Federal authorities are searching for someone who shattered two windows at Philadelphia’s federal courthouse this week.

    The vandalism occurred late Monday night when someone used a cobblestone brick to smash two glass windows at the front entrance of the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse on the 600 block of Market Street, said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark.

    Clark said it was not clear if the attack was targeted. Authorities were also looking into whether there was any link to another report of windows being smashed around the same time that night a few blocks away in Old City, he said.

    Investigators were reviewing surveillance video in hopes of identifying a suspect, Clark said, and the brick that was used was left at the scene.

    The courthouse is where most of the region’s federal civil and criminal cases are heard. It also houses the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

  • A Philly judge’s ruling in a charter case has called into question Joyce Wilkerson’s seat on the school board

    A Philly judge’s ruling in a charter case has called into question Joyce Wilkerson’s seat on the school board

    A judge said this week that arguments questioning the legality of Joyce Wilkerson’s seat on the Philadelphia school board had merit, and directed the board to halt nonrenewal proceedings for two charter schools.

    Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher R. Hall granted a preliminary injunction to People for People Charter School and KIPP North Philadelphia Academy on Monday, saying that a lawsuit against the school board can continue because lawyers had presented sufficient evidence.

    The charters claim that board member Wilkerson — who is perceived to be anti-charter schools — tainted the votes against them this year and should not be on the board.

    City Council declined to approve Wilkerson last year as a school board member, but Mayor Cherelle L. Parker asked her to serve until she named a replacement.

    More than a year later, no replacement for Wilkerson has been named, and she continues to serve. She was, in fact, recently named the country’s top urban educator by the Council for Great City Schools.

    People for People’s initial lawsuit complaint, filed in September, said that Wilkerson is an “illegally and unlawfully seated member of the BOE” and that her participation in the nonrenewal deliberations tainted and ultimately invalidated them.

    The city and the board have said that the city’s Home Rule Charter allows Wilkerson to continue to serve — without Council approval — until a replacement is named.

    Reginald Streater, the school board president, said the ruling overshadows the underlying issues.

    “The board’s decision to begin the process of nonrenewal was on the merits of each board member’s independent assessment of the schools’ outcomes,” Streater said in a statement. Board members’ concerns were aired publicly over months.

    Any delay slows the board’s ability to give the schools full hearings, with testimony and the ability to present evidence, he said.

    “Our schools, families, and children deserve resolution,” Streater said. “We remain committed to transparency and to continuing this work in the best interest of the community.”

    What’s the court case?

    People for People filed a lawsuit in Common Pleas Court asking the court to oust Wilkerson. KIPP North Philadelphia later joined the case; both were nonrenewed in August over sustained poor academics.

    (Nonrenewal does not equal closure, though it is the first step on that path. It triggers an extensive nonrenewal hearing, after which an officer makes a recommendation; then the board votes again on whether to non-renew the school.)

    Lawyers for the charters argued that Wilkerson essentially poisoned the votes, and the judge wrote in his order that there was enough evidence to move forward with the injunction.

    “This leaves the question whether Ms. Wilkerson’s participation in the pertinent BOE meetings without color of right tainted its vote [on the charter nonrenewals]. Plaintiffs have shown it likely did,” Hall wrote.

    Hall’s order means that nonrenewal hearings cannot proceed, but the board had not yet scheduled them.

    What was Wilkerson’s role on the People for People and KIPP votes?

    Wilkerson, Hall noted in his order, “was the first to press” to issue a nonrenewal notice to the schools at a June board meeting, and in August called for a vote on the nonrenewal notice.

    The KIPP North Philadelphia nonrenewal vote passed unanimously; board member Whitney Jones was the only vote against the People for People non-renewal.

    But Wilkerson, a former school board president and School Reform Commission chair, was not the only board member with concerns about the two charter schools.

    Board member Cheryl Harper said People for People is “failing our children. How long do we allow them to keep failing our children? I have an issue with these schools not being able to succeed for our children.”

    Board vice president Sarah-Ashley Andrews cited issues with KIPP North Philadelphia’s “failure to deliver for our students,” specifically calling out its academics and suspension rates.

    Streater, the board president, called KIPP’s performance “unacceptable.”

    What’s next?

    The court case will now proceed, and is likely to drag on for months.

    But Hall’s legal ruling on Wilkerson’s school board seat could mean open season for other parties that are unhappy with decisions the board has made and are willing to challenge those rulings legally.

    As to whether Wilkerson will remain on the board, Parker has staunchly stood by her in the past.

    When the People for People suit was first filed, a member of her administration said she stood by Wilkerson as “an official member of the Philadelphia Board of Education” who “has the full support of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.”

    What was the reaction?

    Mark Seiberling, a lawyer for People for People, said the ruling was an important one.

    “We are pleased with Judge Hall’s thoughtful and well-reasoned decision following a lengthy hearing at which multiple witnesses from the School District of Philadelphia were called to testify,” Seiberling said in a statement. “We look forward to Ms. Wilkerson’s replacement being nominated and confirmed in accordance with Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter.”

    City officials had no immediate comment.

  • Sophie Kinsella, the author of the ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ novels, has died at 55

    Sophie Kinsella, the author of the ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ novels, has died at 55

    LONDON — Sophie Kinsella, the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic and a series of millions-selling sequels died Monday, her family said. She was 55 and had been diagnosed with brain cancer.

    The family said in a statement on Ms. Kinsella’s Instagram account: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy). She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.

    “We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life.”

    Ms. Kinsella, who also published under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, announced in April 2024 that she had been diagnosed in late 2022 with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

    “I did not share this before because I wanted to make sure that my children were able to hear and process the news in privacy and adapt to our ’new normal,’” she said at the time.

    Starting in 2000 with The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic,(titled Confessions of a Shopaholic in the United States), about a financial journalist who writes about money matters but fails miserably at managing her own, Ms. Kinsella published 10 “Shopaholic” novels, along with other fiction. Her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into dozens of languages.

    The first two “Shopaholic” books were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher.

    From journalism to fiction

    Ms. Kinsella did not grow up intending to be a writer. One of three girls born to teachers in London, she played piano and violin as a child and also composed music.

    She told author-publisher Zibby Owens on her podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, that the idea of writing never crossed her mind. “It wasn’t my childhood ambition. I wasn’t the child walking around saying, ‘I’m going to write a novel one day.’”

    Ms. Kinsella enrolled at Oxford University to study music but switched to the politics, philosophy and economics program after one year.

    While at college, she met musician Henry Wickham and fell in love. The couple had four sons and a daughter.

    After graduating, Ms. Kinsella began working as a financial journalist and spent her commute reading. The idea to write fiction herself began to take shape on the train, and she worked on her first novel during her lunch hours.

    She published her first novel, The Tennis Party, in 1995, as Madeleine Wickham. Soon after, she left her journalism job to focus on writing. Six other books, including The Gatecrasher and Sleeping Arrangements, followed.

    ‘Shopaholic’ success

    An otherwise normal shopping excursion sparked the idea for writing her first “Shopaholic” novel

    “I remember looking around me and thinking… “We all shop… We talk about it. We do it. We rejoice in it. We make bad decisions. Why hasn’t anybody written about this?” Ms. Kinsella said in 2019 on The Sunday Salon with Alice-Azania Jarvis podcast.

    Ms. Kinsella created a story about Becky Bloomwood, a 20-something financial journalist in debt from a shopping habit she can’t (or won’t) kick. The novel contained hilarious back-and-forth correspondence with bill collectors and banks, where she would make excuses for late payments. Ms. Kinsella said those letters were one of the most fun bits to write.

    There was also a love story with a handsome businessman whom Becky met while on assignment. She went on to marry and have a mini-shopaholic daughter in future books.

    The humorous tone of Confessions of a Shopaholic was a change from her earlier books, so she decided to submit it to her publishers under a pen name. Her middle name was Sophie and Ms. Kinsella was her mother’s maiden name.

    The publishers said yes, and “Shopaholic” was published in 2000 under her pseudonym. The novel, blending humor with a cautionary tale about getting in over your head with debt, was an immediate success.

    Ms. Kinsella said Becky was a modern everywoman whose behavior was “what you wouldn’t do yourself, but maybe you would if you were in absolute extreme circumstances. And that’s what she finds herself in all the time.”

    Bloomwood’s further adventures followed in books including Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, and Shopaholic & Sister.

    Along with Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding and others, Ms. Kinsella’s work was often branded “chick lit” by the media. She told the AP in 2004 she didn’t mind the label, interpreting it as signaling a book that is “fun, entertaining and might just have a happy ending.”

    “Just because you are interested in frivolous things doesn’t mean that you can’t be bright and have great ideas and the rest of it,” she said.

    The first two “Shopaholic” books were adapted into the 2009 film “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

    Her novel Can You Keep a Secret? was adapted into a 2019 film starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin. Her last novel was The Burnout, released in 2023.

    Illness and hope

    In November 2022, after experiencing symptoms including memory loss, headaches and balance troubles, Ms. Kinsella was diagnosed with glioblastoma, for which there is no cure. She kept the news private until April 2024. In an interview with TV personality Robin Roberts aired a few months later, Ms. Kinsella said she was focused on living in the moment.

    “I’ve already lasted more than the average. That’s how we get through. We hope,” she said.

    After her diagnosis, she wrote a novella, What Does It Feel Like, about a woman with five children who has brain cancer.

    “I thought people might be curious to know what it’s like to go through this,” Ms. Kinsella told Roberts. “I hope it’s full of optimism and love most of all.”

    Araminta Whitley and Marina de Pass, Ms. Kinsella’s agents at The Soho Agency, said the writer “had a rare gift for creating emotionally resonant protagonists and stories that spoke to, and entertained, readers wherever they were in the world and whatever challenges they faced.”

    Bill Scott-Kerr, her publisher at Transworld, said Ms. Kinsella leaves behind “a unique voice, an unquenchable spirit, a goodness of intent and a body of work that will continue to inspire us to reach higher and be better, just like so many of her characters.”

  • A Democrat won Miami mayor’s race for the first time in nearly 30 years

    A Democrat won Miami mayor’s race for the first time in nearly 30 years

    MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor’s race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump to end her party’s nearly three-decade losing streak and give Democrats a boost in one of the last electoral battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.

    Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump’s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained. She campaigned as a proud Democrat despite the race being officially nonpartisan and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her.

    “We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,” Higgins told The Associated Press after her victory speech. “The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.”

    With nearly all votes counted Tuesday, Higgins led the Republican by about 19 percentage points.

    The local race is not predictive of what may happen at the polls next year. But it drew attention from the two major national political parties and their leaders. The victory provides Democrats with some momentum heading into a high-stakes midterm election when the GOP is looking to keep its grip in Florida, including in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County. The area has shifted increasingly rightward politically in recent years, and the city may become the home of Trump’s presidential library.

    “Tonight’s result is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs,” said Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.

    Some nationally recognized Democrats supported Higgins, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel traveled to Miami on Sunday and Monday to rally voters for the Democrat who served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner for seven years.

    Higgins, who speaks Spanish, represented a district that leans conservative and includes the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana. When she first entered politics in 2018, she chose to present herself to voters as “La Gringa,” a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans, because many people did not known how to pronounce her name.

    “It just helps people understand who I am, and you know what? I am a ‘gringa,’ so, what am I going to do, deny it?” she told the AP.

    Republicans’ anxiety grows

    Republicans in Florida have found strong support from voters with heritage from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, because they likened some members of the Democratic party’s progressive wing with politicians from the governments they fled. Trump and other GOP members have tapped into those sentiments over the past eight years.

    However, some local Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated since November’s elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia, where both winning gubernatorial candidates performed strongly with nonwhite voters.

    The results from those races were perceived as a reflection of concerns over rising prices and the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

    U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district is being targeted by Democrats and includes the city of Miami, called the elections elsewhere a “wake-up call.” She said Hispanics also want a secure border and a healthy economy but some relief for “those who have been here for years and do not have a criminal record.”

    “The Hispanic vote is not guaranteed,” Salazar said in a video posted on X last month. “Hispanics married President Trump, but they are only dating the GOP.”

    David Jolly, who is running to represent Democrats in the Florida governor’s race next year, said the mayoral election was good news for Democrats in what used to be a battleground state.

    “Change is here. It’s sweeping the nation, and it’s sweeping Florida,” Jolly said.

    Miami mayor-elect gains national platform

    The mayoral position in Miami is more ceremonial, but Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time job.

    The city is part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped last year, a dramatic improvement from his 30 percentage point loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

    As Florida’s second-largest city, Miami is considered the gateway to Latin America and attracts millions of tourists. Its global prominence gives Higgins a significant stage as mayor.

    Her pitch to voters included finding city-owned land that could be turned into affordable housing and cutting unnecessary spending.

  • A top-ranking fire department official was demoted amid a sexual harassment probe. The city refuses to discuss the case.

    A top-ranking fire department official was demoted amid a sexual harassment probe. The city refuses to discuss the case.

    A former top-ranking deputy with the Philadelphia Fire Department has been demoted amid two ongoing investigations into sexual harassment and overtime abuse, The Inquirer has learned.

    Former Deputy Commissioner for Operations Anthony Hudgins — who had been the second-highest ranking official in the 2,800-member department — was recently downgraded to deputy fire chief and reassigned to the Incident Safety Office, according to spokespeople with the city and fire department. The demotion cut his annual salary by nearly 25%, from $202,550 to $155,106, payroll records show.

    Hudgins was the subject of an array of sexual harassment allegations, which led the city to hire an outside law firm to investigate the claims and interview department personnel. In a May interview with The Inquirer, Hudgins called the probe baseless and claimed he was targeted with false allegations after uncovering rampant overtime fraud. He acknowledged that as fewer than 10 employees had lodged complaints against him. The city inked a $35,000 contract with the law firm Campbell Durrant to investigate the allegations.

    Hudgins, a 31-year department veteran, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After publication, Hudgins’ attorney, Amanda N. Martinez, sent a statement saying that Hudgins “remains committed to assisting the City with any legitimate investigation into the overtime fraud that he brought to light.”

    She added that Hudgins is “reviewing the details surrounding the City’s actions and all defamatory statements made against him by individuals” and will “pursue all available legal remedies under the law necessary to protect Mr. Hudgins’ reputation and employment rights.”

    The fire department has for decades faced allegations of pervasive sexual misconduct, and yet the Hudgins probe is significant in that it targeted a top-ranking department official. Although they acknowledged that Hudgins had been demoted, spokespeople for the city and fire department declined to confirm whether any of the allegations against him had been substantiated, citing the city’s policy to not discuss personnel issues.

    Harassment and overtime fraud probes collide at top levels of Philly Fire Department

    Fire department leadership did not elaborate on the results of the investigation. A request for comment from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker resulted in a prepared statement from City Solicitor Renee Garcia, who said the city “takes any allegations of sexual harassment or fraud, including overtime fraud, very seriously.”

    “We investigate any such allegations thoroughly and, if misconduct is found, we will take appropriate action to implement any warranted discipline expeditiously,” Garcia said.

    The city has also declined to reveal whether any fire department employees have faced discipline as a result of the related investigation into alleged overtime abuse. Inspector General Alexander DeSantis — who as far back as January launched a probe into the overtime fraud claims — said his office’s investigation is “still ongoing and may be for some time.” He described the probe as “active” but declined to elaborate.

    City officials have declined to release public records that would shed light on some of the fire department’s top overtime earners — and are taking The Inquirer to court in an effort to keep those records hidden.

    In an affidavit submitted to the Office of Open Records, the agency that enforces state open-records laws, DeSantis argued that releasing the records to The Inquirer would jeopardize his office’s investigation and that it could not release the files “without identifying or implying who may be directly involved in this investigation.” Records related to noncriminal investigations are exempt from release under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law.

    The Office of Open Records ruled in May that The Inquirer is entitled to receive the records, which cannot be withheld simply because the OIG opened an investigation.

    The city again declined to release the overtime sheets and instead appealed the OOR ruling to the Court of Common Pleas. In a 21-page brief filed in that case, attorneys for the city urged the court to vacate the OOR’s ruling on the grounds that releasing the records would raise questions about “the efficacy of investigations, witness confidentiality, and harm to reputation.”

    The OIG probe has yet to publicly reveal any findings. DeSantis offered no timeline for its conclusion, and the results may not be made public even after the investigation ends.

    The OIG’s stated mission is to “keep City government free from fraud, corruption, and misconduct,” but the office rarely releases specifics related to the outcome of its fraud investigations. Instead, it publishes an annual report summarizing the office’s work from the previous year.

    The OIG has yet to release that report for 2024.

    Staff writers Samantha Melamed and Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.

    Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized the total number of employees that Hudgins said may have filed complaints against him.

  • Christmas at Longwood Gardens is an ‘economic engine’ | Inquirer Chester County

    Christmas at Longwood Gardens is an ‘economic engine’ | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    A Longwood Christmas is more than an annual staple for many — it’s an economic boon for businesses in and around Kennett Square. Also this week, the county has certified the November election results, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made another gift to Lincoln University, plus a new restaurant has opened at the former Lotus Inn.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at chestercounty@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    A Longwood Christmas makes for a bright economic season in Kennett Square

    State Street in Kennett Square sees lots of additional visitors during the holiday season.

    Kennett Square is buzzing thanks to a holiday swell of visitors in town for the annual Longwood Gardens holiday display.

    To capitalize on the “economic engine” that is “A Longwood Christmas,” merchants kicked off the holiday season a little early this year, including with a festive parade a week ahead of its usual schedule. That decision was a boon for businesses, which reported “record-breaking” sales during Thanksgiving week, something they plan to replicate next year.

    The Longwood effect isn’t just great for the gardens or area shops — it also means increased hotel bookings and full restaurant dining rooms.

    The Inquirer’s Tony Wood delves into Longwood’s year-round impact on neighboring businesses.

    📍 Countywide News

    • The county’s Board of Elections certified November’s general election results on Friday as it continues to investigate why third-party voters weren’t included in poll books. (WHYY)
    • The Chester County Economic Development Council launched a new program last week aimed at helping startups and entrepreneurs throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. The investment group, i2n Angels, will fund promising early-stage companies with between $50,00 and $500,000, as well as provide coaching and advice.
    • The Chester County Department of Community Development was recently recognized by community solutions organization Built for Zero for its efforts in reducing homelessness. County CEO David Byerman said there was a 33% decrease in first-time homelessness in 2024 compared to 2022 and that the number of people entering emergency shelters was slashed by nearly half over the past five years.
    • SEPTA missed Friday’s federally imposed deadline to finish repairs to the heat-detection system on its Regional Rail cars. The agency said the lapse was due to a shortage of the thermal wire required to make the repairs. Installation of the backordered wire for 30 of SEPTA’s remaining trains is expected to be completed next week.

    💡 Community News

    • Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made another donation to Lincoln University, this time for $25 million. The no-strings-attached gift to the historically Black college will support scholarships and other initiatives.
    • Last week, PennDot outlined its updated plans for the busy intersection at Old Baltimore Pike and Newark Road in New Garden Township, a project that is expected to cost upward of $11 million and has already been pushed from its original timeline. In 2022, the agency projected work would get underway in 2025, but plans now call for the three-phase project to begin in 2028 and is expected to take several years to complete. (Daily Local)
    • South Coatesville Borough has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to hire a full-time municipal manager. There’s no timeline yet for when the hiring process will begin.
    • After 45 years, Brandywine Conservancy announced last week that 2026 will be its last year as the sole operator and beneficiary of the Radnor Hunt Races. The popular Malvern steeplechase event is looking for a new operator going forward. The 2026 races will take place May 16.
    • Still in search of a fresh-cut Christmas tree? Wiggins Farm, which has locations in Cochranville and West Chester, is one of a number of area farms offering delivery this year. The service runs about $50 near West Chester and jumps to $75 for deliveries more than 30 minutes away.
    • Residents in West Bradford Township are expressing concern over skyrocketing sewer bills after being switched to a metered rate for running water rather than the previous flat rate. The change doesn’t differentiate between interior and exterior water use, causing some residents to say they’re now being charged for a service that isn’t being provided. (CBS News Philadelphia)
    • NBC10 recently profiled The Barn at Spring Brook Farm in West Chester, a nonprofit that connects children and teens with disabilities to nature- and animal-based programming. The organization launched in 2005 and served 477 children last year alone. See the segment here.
    • Gadaleto’s Seafood Market in West Chester will continue providing family meals for free to those in need throughout the holiday season. (6abc)
    • Santa is making a stop in Spring City and East Vincent Township this weekend. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Rudolph will hop aboard one of Liberty Fire Company’s trucks and travel around town.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • New student registration for kindergarten through 12th grade is now open for the 2026-27 school year at Downingtown Area School District.
    • Last Friday, several school districts throughout the county held reorganization meetings, swearing in new members as well as voting on leadership. In Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, Sue Tiede was elected president and Kenneth Hong as vice president. In the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the board reelected Victoria Baratta and Erin Talbert as president and vice president, respectively. And Avon Grove School District’s board reelected Dorothy Linn as president, and elected Ruchira Singh as vice president.
    • Some local high school football players have signed on to play college ball. Last week, Malvern Prep edge rusher Jackson Ford committed to playing with Penn State next year. Fellow Prep teammates Max Mohring, a linebacker, will head to Northwestern University, and running back Ezekiel Bates will play for Minnesota. Kennett Square kicker Shay Barker is headed to Syracuse University and West Chester East offensive tackle Tyler Duell is off to Rutgers.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • The former Lotus Inn in Berwyn has gotten new life. Karthic Venkatachalam and Gopal Dhandpani of Nalal Indian Cuisine in Downingtown and Adyar Cafe in Exton opened Vibe Haus Indian Plates & Taps there last week. The restaurant, at 402 Swedesford Rd., features Indian-meets-American pub food, with plans to add a brewery in the coming months.
    • Our Deli Café expanded to its second location on Monday, opening at 498 Nutt Rd. in Phoenixville. The Paoli-based eatery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including staples like burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and milkshakes.
    • After nearly two years in business, Bookstore Bakery in West Chester has announced it will close at the end of the year. Located at 145 W. Gay St., the shop was known for its selection of both books and baked goods, including customized cakes.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎁 There are more holiday markets and events taking place this weekend, including the Downingtown Good Neighbor Christmas Parade on Saturday. That same day, Christkindlmarkt takes over part of Gay Street in West Chester, and on Sunday, shoppers can browse vendors at the Berwyn Holiday Market at Bronze Plaza. On Saturday and Sunday, the Kennett Square Holiday Village Market returns for its second weekend at The Creamery, while in Phoenixville, Fitzwater Station’s Christmas Village continues. On Sunday evening, Congregation B’nai Jacob in Phoenixville will host its Hanukkah Celebration with a menorah lighting, jelly donuts, and games of dreidel.

    Here’s what else is happening around Chester County:

    🎭 Anastasia: It’s the final weekend to catch SALT Performing Arts’ stage performance of the lost Romanov. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13 and Sunday, Dec. 14, times vary 💵 $31.60-$36.70 📍 SALT Performing Arts, Chester Springs

    🏡 Home Alone: Catch a screening of the beloved holiday classic, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:15, 4:30 and 7 p.m. 💵 $10-$15 📍 The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville

    🐦‍🔥 Phoenixville Firebird Festival: Now in its 22nd year, the festival inspired by ancient mythology and the symbols of resurrection and renewal returns to Phoenixville, where a 20-foot phoenix will be burned. There will also be a Festival Village. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Reservoir Park, Phoenixville

    🏡 On the Market

    A fully updated five-bedroom West Chester home

    Part of the family room’s ceiling reaches two stories, while another part has a stone fireplace.

    Located just outside the borough, this West Goshen Township home recently underwent a full update, with over $560,000 in improvements. The sprawling home features an office, dining and living rooms, and an open-concept kitchen on the first floor. A sunny family room, part of which spans two stories, features a stone fireplace. There are four bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with two vanities, a soaking tub, and dressing area with a wardrobe and separate walk-in closets. Other features include a finished walk-out basement and a new deck overlooking the pool.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $1.65M | Size: 6,579 SF | Acreage: 1.81

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The story behind the library’s elephant statue | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    The story behind the library’s elephant statue | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hello, Cherry Hill! 👋

    Ever wonder what the story is behind the abstract, 8-foot-tall elephant-like statue outside the library? We set out to discover its origins. Also this week, a Cherry Hill man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting at a 7-Eleven, a former Fulton Bank could become a Dunkin’, plus, an Indian restaurant that serves naan tacos is moving to Cherry Hill.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    What’s the meaning behind the library’s elephant-esque statue?

    David Ascalon’s sculpture, called “Totem,” is located near the entrance to the Cherry Hill Public Library.

    The Cherry Hill Public Library brims with more than just books. It also houses an impressive collection of art, both within and outside its walls. One such work, an 8-foot-tall bronze statue, has long caught the eye of township resident David Jastrow.

    His daughters even came up with a nickname for it: The “mixed-up elephant.”

    Wondering about its meaning, Jastrow reached out to Curious Cherry Hill, where Inquirer reporters set out to answer reader questions from around town.

    This week, The Inquirer’s Henry Savage found out how the abstract piece came to reside near the library’s entrance and how its creator wants it to be interpreted.

    Here’s what he uncovered.

    Have a question about town you want answered? Submit it to Curious Cherry Hill here.

    💡 Community News

    • Gerald S. Yashinsky, a 51-year-old Cherry Hill man, died after being hit by a car Monday night when crossing Haddonfield Road near Yale Avenue. The driver is cooperating with investigators.
    • A Cherry Hill man is one of two people charged with fatally shooting two men outside a Bordentown 7-Eleven last month. Giovanni Varanese, 21, of Cherry Hill, was charged last week alongside Justford Doe, 23, with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and other offenses.
    • The cost of collecting and disposing trash for Cherry Hill will jump $1.4 million in January. Mayor Dave Fleisher said the township has accounted for the increase — about $12.4 million over the next five years — in its proposed municipal budget for 2026. Residents can share their thoughts on the budget at council’s next scheduled meeting on Dec. 22. (South Jersey Media)
    • The former Fulton Bank at 1460 Route 70 East could become a Dunkin’. On Monday, the township’s Planning Board will consider variance requests from South Jersey Management, LLC to convert the former 2,300-square-foot bank into a 2,100-square-foot coffee shop. Changes call for removing the existing drive-through and making the western driveway along Frontage Road into an entrance only.
    • The AMC Cherry Hill 24 will be one of 500 movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada screening the finale of Stranger Things on New Year’s Eve as it makes its global debut. Fans can reserve seats now for screenings of the feature-length finale.
    • A Powerball ticket purchased at the Wegmans on Route 70 for last Saturday’s jackpot matched four of the five white balls called, meaning whoever purchased the ticket won $50,000. (Patch)
    • The Plaza at Cherry Hill has undergone several changes recently, including the opening of swimming lesson chain Big Blue Swim School and thrift store Savers, as well as the relocation of Pure Hockey. The shifts come as part of the shopping center undergoes a makeover. (42 Freeway)
    • Homelessness in Camden County has grown by 20% since 2020, and in response, the county is building 60 efficiency apartments for people experiencing homelessness.
    • New Jersey officials have declared a drought warning for many parts of the state, including Camden County, which has experienced about four inches below average precipitation over the past 90 days and is down six inches for the past year.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Kindergarten and first grade registration is now open for the 2026-27 school year. Families must submit all documentation by March 27.
    • Cherry Hill East and West’s girls basketball teams both have a number of Big North Conference stat leaders returning to their rosters this year. Kirsten Gibson of West had the second-most points per game in the conference last year, according to NJ.com data. Her teammates Jizel Dowling and Lilly Legato will also return. East’s Dylan Kratchman, who averaged 11 points per game, will sport the Cougar colors again, along with Maya Morgan, Michelle Le, Jessie Atlas, and Lily Shubach.
    • Reminder for families: There are early dismissals for preschool, elementary, and middle schools today and tomorrow as parent/teacher conferences continue. There’s a districtwide early dismissal Friday. See the district’s full calendar here.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Indian restaurant Bombay Express is opening at its new location at 219 Haddonfield-Berlin Rd. tomorrow. The eatery, known for its traditional and vegan halal dishes, as well as its naan tacos, closed its Marlton storefront in late October. Its new spot will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Italian restaurant Caffe Aldo Lamberti is hosting Christmas carolers during dinner service this Sunday and again next weekend. Students from East will perform this Sunday and next Friday, while students from West will sing tunes next Saturday and Sunday. Caroling will take place from about 6 to 9 p.m. each night.
    • Cherry Hill is home to three of the 99 greatest restaurants in New Jersey, according to NJ.com. The outlet ranked Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, which is known for its soup dumplings, the top restaurant in town, coming in at No. 42. It’s followed by Sichuan joint Han Dynasty at No. 81, and Korean barbecue eatery Dolsot House at No. 94.

    🎳 Things to Do

    ⛸️ Skate and Decorate: Hit the ice at the Winterfest Ice Skating Rink and decorate holiday cookies. ⏰ Sunday, Dec. 14, noon-4 p.m. 💵 Cookie decorating is free, skating admission is $6-$9 📍 Cooper River Park

    🥐 VinChelle’s Holiday Extravaganza!: Drag brunch gets a festive twist. ⏰ Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:30-5 p.m. 💵 $19.03 📍 Vera

    🕎 Menorah Motorcade: Now in its 16th year, cars adorned with menorahs will parade from Chabad in Cherry Hill to Barclay Farm Shopping Center, where the giant menorah will be lit. ⏰ Sunday, Dec. 14, parade starts at 4 p.m., giant menorah lighting is at 5 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Chabad of Camden and Burlington Counties

    🏡 On the Market

    A corner-lot duplex with passive income

    The kitchen on the first floor has been recently updated.

    Located on a corner lot, the first-floor unit of this duplex was recently renovated, including new flooring, lighting, and paint. It features two bedrooms, a kitchen with black and white cabinetry, a living room, an updated full bathroom, and a bonus room. It also has exclusive access to the basement and the front porch. The second floor is currently occupied by long-term tenants, providing passive income for a new owner.

    See more photos of the duplex here.

    Price: $360,000 | Size: 1,310 SF | Acreage: 0.17

    Is your home a Haven? The Inquirer is seeking homeowners and renters for a weekly feature on how people make their houses, apartments, and condos into homes they love. Email details and a few photos to properties@inquirer.com.

    🗞️ What other Cherry Hill residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.