Kobe Bryant will be remembered for many moments in his basketball career. The NBA titles heâs won, the records heâs set, all visible, tangible memories that are a click away.
In Philly, however, his lore extends beyond what he did in the pros. It starts with his impact on the boysâ varsity basketball program as the shooting guard for Lower Merion High School in the late 1990s.
Before Bryant, the Aces struggled to compete with area teams. Now, nearly 30 years after he graduated and took his talents to the NBA, the program, which is still guided by head coach Gregg Downer, is still regarded as one of the top public school programs in the area.
Another impact of Bryantâs time is the rivalry that developed between Lower Merion and Chester, the other area hoops powerhouse, that remains a fixture on the calendar to this day. While it might not bring the same fire as games in previous years, itâs a game in which both schools test themselves on several different facets â some you could suggest might even transcend basketball.
Itâs the latest from Inquirer writer Alex Coffey, who dived deep into this area high school hoops rivalry and the hardworking teen turned NBA great whose star power made this game a must-see event.
Weâre in for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-40s today. Enjoy.
In a recent interview with The Inquirer, Flyers president Keith Jones made it clear that expectations have changed and that the organization wants to make the playoffs.
Over the past few seasons, the Flyers have made it no secret that the team was rebuilding and taking a long-term approach to roster construction.
But with the Flyers in a playoff spot entering Wednesdayâs games, have things changed? Jackie Spiegel recently caught up with Flyers president Keith Jones to talk about the teamâs direction, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, and how the team could approach Marchâs trade deadline.
While it remains to be seen whether the Flyers will look to add at the deadline, the team got some reinforcement with the return of top-four defenseman Jamie Drysdale on Wednesday. Drysdaleâs return after a three-game absence, combined with the teamâs three-game losing streak, convinced Rick Tocchet to scramble his three defensive pairs in Buffalo.
The Flyers losing streak reached four after dropping a road game at the Sabres, 5-2. The team also lost starting goalie Dan Vladar to an undisclosed injury after the first period.
What weâre…
⟠Realizing: That for the first time, Ranger SuĂĄrez is no longer a Phillies pitcher and heâs got a $150 million contract from the Red Sox to prove it.
đ Watching: The reaction from this young Eagles fan who found out that former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired on Tuesday.
✠Introducing: We sat down with the Unionâs newest striker, Ezekiel Alladoh. Hereâs what he had to say.
J.T. Realmuto is âone of the best catchers in the game,â said Cristopher SĂĄnchez. âWeâre basically nothing without him.â
As the free agency dominoes continue to fall this winter, the one representing catcher J.T. Realmutoâs future has remained upright.
While fan attention has mostly turned to the Philliesâ interest in free agent infielder Bo Bichette, with whom team officials met on Monday, there is still a glaring hole in the teamâs lineup at the catching position.
Five years ago, when Realmuto signed his last contract with the Phillies, they didnât come to an agreement until Jan. 26. But if both sides donât ultimately reach a deal this time, what happens at catcher?
Dominick Barlow appreciates the rest that comes with the Sixers’ recent two-game sets.
When the 76ers lost to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, they didnât have to wait long to get revenge. Less than two nights later, they were back in Scotiabank Arena. On the second try they secured a 115-102 win. The Sixers returned home to Xfinity Mobile Arena to yet another two-game set against â this time at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
âIt kind of gives you a small preview of what the playoffs look like, having to beat a team and go out and do it again the next night or whenever you play,â Sixers power forward Dominick Barlow said following Wednesdayâs shootaround.
Barlow left Wednesdayâs 133-107 loss against Cleveland with a back contusion after awkwardly falling early in the third quarter. Though Joel Embiid is showing glimpses of his dominant self, turnovers continue to be an issue for the Sixersâ star center.
Portal impact: We weigh Temple footballâs most impactful departures and arrivals from the transfer portal over the last few years.
Facing a legend: Villanovaâs Denise Dillon recalls what itâs like to face Geno Auriemma as her Wildcats take on UConn on Thursday.
ICYMI: Villanova leans on Devin Askewâs bench scoring to secure a win over Providence.
Sixers center Joel Embiid tied Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most consecutive games with 30 or more points on this date.
On this date
Jan. 15: How about a pair of Philly moments with California ties? First, on this date in 1965, the San Francisco Warriors traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Sixers in a three-player deal, along with cash. Fast forward to 2024, and youâll see Joel Embiid hit his 16 consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, tying Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Tackle Lane Johnson played in only 10 games this season and the Eagles sorely missed the future Hall of Famer.
âGiven that Jalen Hurts will turn 28 in August and has absorbed his share of punishment over his five years as the Eaglesâ starter, itâs fair to wonder whether that dynamism with his legs is gone forever.â â Itâs one, among many questions Sielski ponders in his latest column.
What youâre saying about the Eagles
We asked: Who should the Eagles hire as their next offensive coordinator?
[Kevin] Patullo was really subpar at his job, but even more so was his boss, head coach [Nick] Sirianni. Nick has an outstanding record as Eagles coach, but I have a feeling it might have been his players who carried him to a Super Bowl win rather than the opposite. Would be great to get Kellen Moore back, but even though he had a bad season I donât think the Saints are ready to give up on him. Other than him, I would go as the team did with Vic and bring in Frank Reich who has that same depth of experience and who of course is very familiar with the Eagles organization. â Everett S.
Pretty much anyone can make these calls: run, run, pass. â Cathy J.
Not really knowing the availability of who would be available, the best thing to do would be to run an ad. Coaching opportunity of a lifetime. OC Wanted. Experienced professional football OFFENSIVE Coordinator. Must understand the rhythm of the game. Creativity a must. Trick plays a necessity. Must be able to teach strict discipline. You will earn a top-five salary plus the opportunity to earn a $2 million bonus ending with the teamâs last game played whether it be 17, 18, 19 or 20 games. This means postseason games count. … Opportunity to work in front of the best fans in football. â Ronald R.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Jackie Speigel, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Lochlahn March, Ariel Simpson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Conor Smith, Mike Sielski, Susan Snyder, Katie Lewis, Colin Schofield, and Dylan Johnson.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thatâs Thursday. Make it a good one. Bella is back in your inbox to get you set for the weekend tomorrow. â Kerith
The group helping to revitalize Kennett Squareâs Birch Street has two new projects in the works, including a restaurant and cocktail lounge. Also this week, a vacant office building in Exton has been converted to a new use, a Coatesville native is appearing on the new season of a reality TV show alongside Donna Kelce, plus why The Inquirerâs Craig LaBan says this West Chester restaurant is one to watch.
A rendering depicts the proposed exterior of Opus, a new restaurant and cocktail lounge slated to open in the summer.
A new restaurant and cocktail lounge is coming to Kennett Square this summer. Opus will take over the two-story space at 201 Birch St., which is adjoined to 14-room boutique hotel Artelo. The restaurant space was most recently occupied by Hankâs Place while the Chadds Ford institution rebuilt its longtime home, which was flooded by Hurricane Ida in 2021.
The 6,000-square-foot building will have a two-story terrace with outdoor dining and serve New American cuisine.
Opus is the latest development from Square Roots Collective, which has been helping to revitalize Birch Street for the past decade, including through projects like The Creamery, the former dairy turned family-friendly beer garden.Another of its nearby projects, The Francis, is set to open this year. The boutique hotel at 205 S. Union St., also in Kennett Square, will have eight rooms in a reimagined 18th-century home.
Scores of demonstrators protesting the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer gathered across the region over the weekend, including a rally in West Chester on Sunday that drew about 1,000 attendees. (Daily Local News)
County officials are reviewing findings from an investigation into an error that excluded independent voters from poll books during the November election. Officials said they will develop a plan following their review so that similar errors donât happen again. The county will present findings and its response at the Board of Elections meeting on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
PennDot is hosting two public meetings in the next week regarding plans for what itâs dubbed the U.S. 30 Eastern Project Area, which includes alternative routes for the Route 30 mainline and the Reeceville Road, Route 340, and Route 322 interchanges, as well as revised alternatives for the Norwood Road and Route 113 interchanges. The construction is part of a larger project to upgrade 14.5 miles of the Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and accommodate future development. The first meeting will be held virtually tomorrow at 6 p.m. Thereâs a second in-person meeting on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School in West Brandywine Township.
Four police officers were injured last week when responding to a call on the 400 block of Main Street in Atglen Borough. The officers detained Jon Marcos Muniz, who allegedly fired a handgun into two occupied apartments and barricaded his front door. No other injuries were reported. Muniz is facing a number of felony and misdemeanor charges.
M. Patricia Muller was selected as chair of Kennett Townshipâs Board of Supervisors last week, making her the first woman in the townshipâs history to hold the role.
Heads up for drivers: Newark Road in West Marlborough Township will be closed Monday through Friday next week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tree removal. Norwood Road in EastCaln Township will be operating as a single lane with flaggers next Monday through Friday for sewer line work. Peco will be doing electrical work along Happy Creek Lane and Copeland School Road in West Bradford Township as part of a $450,000 infrastructure project to improve reliability and reduce outages, including from storms. Work is scheduled to take place January through April and will impact both roads and some residential yards.
A vacant office building at 319 N. Pottstown Pike in Exton has been transformed into âhotel-apartmentsâ with 24 studio and eight one-bedroom units. The group behind it plans to market The Flats On 100 to consultants and visitors of nearby employers, such as Vanguard and QVC, and sees it as a potential model for the regionâs empty office buildings.
Also in Exton, retailer Nordstrom Rack plans to open a 30,000-square-foot shop at Main Street at Exton this fall.
Could popular HBO series Mare of Easttown return for a second season? Kate Winslet seems to be ready for the Delaware County-set show, created by Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby, to return, and recently indicated filming could start as early as 2027. While the award-winning actor is on board, nothing official has been announced yet.
Coatesville native and figure skating icon Johnny Weir made his debut on the fourth season of Peacock reality TV show The Traitors last week. Weir is joined on this season of challenge-meets-eliminations-style show â hosted by Alan Cumming at his castle in Scotland â by Donna Kelce, Tara Lipinski, and a slew of reality TV personalities. The first three episodes dropped last week. Catch up on what happened here. (Warning: Spoilers!)
The GameStop at 1115 West Chester Pike in West Chester shuttered last week as part of a mass closure by the gaming retailer.
đ« Schools Briefing
Reminder for families: There are no classes Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Avon Grove School District is considering adopting a new textbook, myPerspectives, from Savvas Learning Company for sixth through eighth grade English Language Arts students next school year. The public can review the textbook, which was put to the schoolâs education committee for consideration earlier this month, and provide feedback during a 30-day period through early February. The proposed change comes as part of the districtâs regular curriculum review cycle, said Jason Kotch, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District has released its 2026-27 preliminary budget proposal, which includes a $14.9 million operational deficit. The districtâs board and administration say they plan to close the gap through âa combination of increases in the property tax rate, expenditure reductions, or the use of existing reserves.â It will host budget workshops on March 9 and April 13, with plans to adopt the budget in June. The board will not vote on a tax rate before June 8. See the preliminary budget here. The district is also hosting a special school board meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Conestoga High School to discuss the school board director vacancy. And from Jan. 20 to 26, there will be an open registration period for all new kindergarten and first grade students planning to start school in September.
Octorara Area School District is hosting a âkindergarten readinessâ event tomorrow from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Octorara Primary Learning Center in Atglen for families with children eligible for kindergarten next school year.
West Chester Area School Districtstudent registration for the 2026-27 school year is open.
The Boardroom Restaurant & Bottle Shop in Phoenixville recently underwent an update and reopened Monday after a more than weeklong closure.
đł Things to Do
đ Steel Magnolias: Tickets are going fast for this adaptation of the popular 1989 film taking center stage for its monthlong run at Peopleâs Light. â° Wednesday, Jan. 14-Sunday, Feb. 15, days and times vary đ” Prices vary đ Peopleâs Light, Malvern
đ Taste of Phoenixville: Now in its 24th year, the annual fundraiser will bring together over 20 food and drink vendors. There will also be live music and a silent auction. â° Thursday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m. đ” $150 đ Franklin Commons, Phoenixville
đż Winter Wonder: While Christmas may get most of the attention, Longwood Gardensâ conservatories will be filled with colorful plants throughout the remainder of winter. The gardens are open daily except Tuesdays. â° Friday, Jan. 16-Sunday, March 22 đ” $17-$32 for non-members, free to members đ Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square
đ Broadway at the Colonial Theatre: Several Broadway stars, including area native Amanda Jane Cooper, who played Glinda in the North American tour of Wicked, will perform. â° Sunday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. đ” $30-$65 đ The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville
Situated in a wooded stretch of East Goshen, this Colonial, along with several others in its cul-de-sac, has a unique access point: Locksley Covered Bridge, which was erected in the 1960s. The four-bedroom, two-and-half-bath home features a family room, living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen, which has granite countertops and a wood-burning fireplace. Thereâs a screened-in porch off the dining room, with skylights and brick flooring, which leads to the backyard, where thereâs a patio and play set.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs 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 Inquirerâs high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Pssst. Wanna buy a hot table? Reservation scalpers are popping up in Phillyâs online world, commandeering seats at popular restaurants. When one tried selling dinner bookings at Mawn, management fought back. Beatrice Forman will tell you the story.
Philly ramen power couple Jesse Pryor and Lindsay Mariko Steigerwald of the now-shuttered Neighborhood Ramen decamped to Tokyo last year, and theyâve launched tours. On a recent trip to Japan, Craig LaBan went slurping with them.
Itâs Dry January, and Hira Qureshi offers the ultimate guide to sober-curious drinking in Philadelphia â plus word of a Dry January bar crawl this weekend.
Amari and other bitters are being made in-house at more local bars than ever. Kiki Aranita explains whoâs making them and whatâs behind the trend.
The PLCB has a rare-whiskey lottery running this week.
Craig LaBan has been following chef George Sabatino for years, and finds that his new spot in Kensington â Fleurâs â bristles with date-night energy.
âIf ever a sandwich deserved a place in the Louvre, this was it,â writes Stephanie Farr about this croque madame â one of three dishes that caught our palates.
đ Egg tarts â those wiggly, lightly gelatinous conveyors of joy â are all over. Kiki Aranita will direct you to her favorite Portuguese pasteis de nata, flaky Chinese egg tarts, and cookie-style shortcrust egg tarts.
Scoops
El Toro, chef Edward Strojanâs taco spot at Reunion Hall in Haddon Township, will add location numero dos at 1437 E. Passyunk Ave., the former Essen Bakery. Heâs aiming at early February.
River Twiceâs Randy and Amanda Rucker are planning an expansion next door into the shuttered former Manatawny Still Works tasting room on Passyunk just off Tasker. Theyâre mum on concept and timeline.
The Juice Pod has leased the former Joe coffee space at 1845 Walnut St. for a spring opening.
Restaurant report
Crust Vegan Bakery â known for its picture-perfect pop-tarts â has merged its retail store and commercial kitchen into a new storefront in East Falls. âI wanted to create a place where people think, âOh, I can get everything I need there,ââ owner Meagan Benz told Beatrice Forman.
Falafel Time in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood has had an if-you-know-you-know menu since it opened in 2019. One dish â a crispy wrap stuffed with chicken shawarma, thin pickle slices, and garlic sauce â is now making the shop TikTok-famous. Hira lets you in on this now-open secret.
Kennett Square is getting an artsy restaurant and cocktail bar next to a boutique hotel. Brooke Schultz has the details on Birch Street, intended as an anchor for the block.
Bartâs Bagels, which launched in West Philadelphia and expanded to South Philadelphia, is headed to Bala Cynwyd next.
Briefly noted
Maxâs Steaks, the North Philly eatery with an attached bar that got screen time a decade ago in the Creed movies, has been sold.
McGillinâs Olde Ale House, Philadelphiaâs oldest tavern (1860!), is hosting a reunion for couples who met at the bar, had their first date at the bar, or got engaged there. Itâs Feb. 3, starting at 5:30 p.m. The $30-per-couple ticket includes a talk about the barâs book Cheers to McGillinâs: Phillyâs Oldest Tavern, drink tickets, appetizer buffet, discounted beers, and more. Details are here.
âPop quiz
A national restaurant chain has opened a âclassicâ location in Pennsylvania, decorated with nostalgic touches. Name it.
Gazzosâ Ardmore location has not been open for over a month. I tried reaching out to the Pottstown location about whether it is permanently closed, but received no response. There is no sign or message. Are you able to learn anything? â James D.
Gazzos co-owner Joe Lewis told me that the Ardmore sandwich shop, which opened last July at 2528 Haverford Rd., will return late this month (target is Jan. 28) after upgrades that will expand the menu.
đź Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
The number of Philly police living outside the city has doubled in less than a decade, despite efforts from Mayor Parker and her predecessors to tighten residency requirements.
Changing policies: Most municipal employees must live within city limits. For cops, that requirement has been eased in recent years amid complaints from the Philadelphia Police Department that it made recruitment too difficult. Now, officers can live outside the city after serving on the force for at least five years, though they must also have lived in it for at least one year prior to their hiring.
By the numbers: About one-third of the departmentâs 6,363 full-time staffers live elsewhere. Nearly half of all captains, lieutenants, and inspectors live outside the city, too. (Even Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel maintains a second home in Montgomery County.) The most popular destination for expats is Lower Bucks.
Unclear impact: Parker maintains that Philadelphians are better served when their police hail from the place theyâre patrolling. But public safety experts say that might not bear out in the data.
Some parts of South Jersey are clearly South Jersey. Cherry Hill is minutes and one $6 toll from Philly. Youâll find way more Eagles fans than Giants fans in Atlantic County.
đ But elsewhere, itâs not so obvious. Ocean County, for instance? Vibes-wise, depends on which side weâre talking. Trenton seems to straddle the state, but can one end claim it?
đ Adding to the confusion is Central Jersey, a concept so nebulous that Gov. Phil Murphyâs office had to put forth an official definition in 2023.
đ According to the state, itâs Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties â yet somehow, not Monmouth County, which is about as geographically central as it gets.
In other Jersey news: State lawmakers approved a bill that would make it easier for development projects in Camden to qualify for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits. A new minor-league hockey team in Trenton will be named the Ironhawks. And following the death of its own âMilltown Mel,â the Jersey town wanted to import out-of-state woodchucks for Groundhog Day celebrations â but Gov. Murphy vetoed it.
What you should know today
A 16-year-old was found shot to death inside the bathroom of a Chipotle near Temple Universityâs campus on Monday in what investigators say may have been an unintentional shooting.
Union Trinity AME Church, one of Philadelphiaâs historic Black religious institutions, was vandalized with racist graffiti over the weekend.
Few candidates have stepped up so far to be the running mate of State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Pennsylvania Republican Partyâsendorsed candidate for governor since September.
Temple University Health System and Jefferson Health are the latest area health systems to sue pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical companies over high insulin pricing.
A disabilitywatchdog group has closed its investigation into child abuse in the autistic support program at a Central Bucks elementary school.
Thousands of University of Pennsylvania graduate student workers could strike next month if they do not reach a contract deal with the university by then.
Ena Widjojo, the owner and longtime celebrated chef at Indonesian restaurant Hardena in South Philadelphia, has died at 73. And Temple assistant menâs basketball coach Bill Courtney died suddenly at the age of 55, the school announced Tuesday.
A $150 million streetscape project will break ground this week to bring South Broad Street more trees, public art, traffic calming, and redesigned medians and sidewalks.
The viral, 93-year-old Avril Davidge wants to keep in touch with her new Mummer friends after making the transatlantic flight to see them perform. But her Instagram account was mysteriously taken down. Sheâs part of a growing number of people allegedly being banned by faulty artificial intelligence systems.
đ§ Trivia time
Another Wawa is closing in Philadelphia â the latest in a string of closures in recent years â after its new digital-order-only system fell flat. Where is it?
Cheers to Adam Lees, who solved Tuesdayâs anagram: Maxâs Steaks. The North Philadelphia sandwich shop is being sold after three decades. Far from tourist hubs, it was recently featured in the Creed movies.
Photo of the day
Adrian Forowycz walks along the Falls Bridge on a winter day.
Paola has you covered for the next few days. Until we meet again in your inbox, be well.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Itâs a longstanding question: Where does South Jersey start? Is the dividing line the same as where Eagles fans stop and Giants fans begin? Is it based on your area code? Is there someother sign that youâve crossed from the North to the South?
The Inquirer is posing that very question to readers, along with one other hotly debated item: Is there such a thing as Central Jersey?
A high-end gym is taking over the former Buy Buy Baby space in the Ellisburg Shopping Center. Club Studio Fitness is expected to open a 30,240-square-foot gym in spring 2027. Club Studio Fitness, the boutique-style gym from parent company LA Fitness, is known for its premium amenities like cryotherapy and red-light therapy, a juice bar, stretch stations, and locker rooms, in addition to its fitness and wellness offerings. Memberships at Club Studio Fitnessâ only other New Jersey location, in Edgewater, range from $189 to $249 per month.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the township is hosting two service events in the coming week. On Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., volunteers will help with trail maintenance throughout Croft Farm. And on Monday, kids 11 to 17 can participate in a youth leadership workshop with the police department. Advanced registration is required.
Two Cherry Hill residents are among the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Medal recipients, awarded by Camden County. Artist Giselle Brown and Col. Ted Gallagher, director of veterans affairs for Camden County, will be recognized alongside nine other recipients next Wednesday. Brown is a 17-year-old whose work has been recognized at the local, state, and national level, and Gallagher is a decorated 28-year military veteran who went on to work at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services before joining the county.
Broadway show Suffs is currently in town and has two South Jersey connections, one far less obvious than the other. The touring musical, which is at the Academy of Music through Sunday, was created by playwright, composer, and actor Shaina Taub, whose mother is a Cherry Hill native. It follows the suffrage movement and centers on South Jersey Quaker activist Alice Paul, who was born in Mount Laurel. The Inquirerâs Rosa Cartagena dives into what inspired the Tony Award-winning production.
Washington, D.C.-based Cozen OâConnor Public Strategies has named a new principal to its Cherry Hill office. Braxton Plummer will help grow the government relations firmâs practice throughout New Jersey and the region.
Park Royal Orthodontics recently opened at 921 Haddonfield Rd. at Towne Place at Garden State Park. The practice offers orthodontic care for all ages.
A clarification: We notedin last weekâs newsletter thatAppliances Outlet will be moving into the space occupied by Whole Hog Cafe and Wine Legend. Appliances Outlet will only take over part of the space, and neither of the current businesses are slated to close.
đ« Schools Briefing
There are no classes Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
There will be a preschool information session next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Westâs new auditorium.
Chickâs Deli got a shout-out from BestofNJ.com as one of the best sandwich shops in New Jersey. The website noted specialty sandwiches like the chicken cheesesteak with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone âreally shine.â It also suggested trying the mushroom cheesesteak.
đł Things to Do
â Napkin Wars: Battle of the Zodiac!: Represent your zodiac sign during this fun ânapkin warâ party, where three DJs will spin tunes. â° Saturday, Jan. 17, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. đ” $19.03 đ Vera
đ§ Valentineâs Day Cupcake Decorating: Registration opens tomorrow for this event geared toward kids in sixth through 12th grade. â° Sunday, Feb. 8, 2-3:30 p.m. đ” Free đ Cherry Hill Public Library
The kitchen island has cabinetry which contrasts with the slate-gray cabinets throughout the rest of the space.
Located in the Olde Springs neighborhood, this four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom home blends classic and modern design elements. Its first floor features include a dining room, a multipurpose room with a tiled fireplace, a laundry and mudroom, and an open-concept kitchen and living room. The kitchen has a large island with white cabinetry that contrasts with the slate-gray cabinets throughout the rest of the space and matches the subway tile backsplash. It opens into a two-story living room. The bedrooms are upstairs, including a primary suite with a double vanity and soaking tub.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs 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 Inquirerâs high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
The news was expected to come at some point after the Eagles were knocked out of the playoffs by San Francisco on Sunday.
Two days later, the team announced that Kevin Patullo had been removed as offensive coordinator after one season. But itâs possible that Patullo could remain on the staff in another role.
Patullo has been with the team since coach Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021. He went from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator a year ago after Kellen Moore left to become the coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Now, the Eaglesâ next offensive coordinator will be the seventh play-caller Jalen Hurts has had in the NFL in what will be his seventh season in the league. So who might the Birds target as the next offensive coordinator?
Well, thereâs no shortage of strong candidates to help fix a star-studded offense, and maybe theyâll look to hire an outside voice, considering that Sirianniâs last two internal promotions â Patullo and Brian Johnson â were finished after one season.
Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell started 10 games in his rookie season.
Jihaad Campbell was touted as a versatile defensive weapon who offered the Eagles the ability to line him up in multiple spots. But he saw more opportunity inside during Nakobe Deanâs injury rehabilitation, which led the rookie to start next to Zack Baun for the first seven games of the season.
The Camden County native, a first-round pick out of Alabama, played in all 17 games while starting 10 of them. He excelled in pass coverage and was solid against the run. With his first season in the books, Campbell will likely be utilized and trusted more next season because Dean is a pending free agent whose return to the Eagles seems unlikely.
What weâre âŠ
đ€ Wondering: What folks are saying about the Eagles parting ways with Patullo as the play-caller.
đ Reading: The viral 11-year-old Eagles fan Sam Salvo wanted Patullo flipping burgers. He says âit worked.â
đ Learning: Pro hockey is returning to Trenton after a 13-year hiatus and the new minor league team officially got a name.
JesĂșs Luzardo made 32 starts and worked 183â innings in his first season with the Phillies, both career highs.
JesĂșs Luzardo hasnât spoken with the Phillies yet about a contract extension.
But itâs a conversation he would like to have.
âItâs not something that Iâm closed off to,â said Luzardo, appearing as a guest this week on Phillies Extra, The Inquirerâs baseball podcast. âI just got married and hopefully eventually have a family, and just being stable in a certain place, knowing that youâre comfortable within an organization ⊠itâs something I would be really interested in.â
Sixers guard Kyle Lowry receives an ovation in what could be his last game in Toronto, where the Raptors legend won an NBA title.
Tyrese Maxey told Lowry at the start of Mondayâs matchup against Toronto that his Sixers teammates would âdo whatever weâve got to do to get you in tonight.â
Maxey kept his word and allowed Lowry to check in late, as the 39-year-old soaked in potentially one last ovation from an adoring crowd that watched the North Philly native become a six-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion. It was a joyous curtain call and âprobably one of the greatest basketball moments of my personal career.â
Flyers right wing Nikita Grebenkin was one player who looked to provide energy on Monday.
After two straight sobering losses to perennial powerhouse Tampa Bay, the Flyers need to refocus if they want to stay in playoff contention in the hotly contested Eastern Conference. Here are three lessons that they learned and need to carry with them as they move through a gauntlet before Februaryâs Olympic break.
Rick Tocchet believes the Flyers need to simplify. The first-year coach believes his team, which is considered the fourth-youngest team in the NHL, is trying to make the perfect play too often instead of making the right reads. So he says, âWeâre going to have to really dummy it down a little bit.â
Sports snapshot
Since the transfer portal opened, 22 former Iowa State players, including quarterback Rocco Becht, have followed Matt Campbell to Penn State.
Big swings: Penn State and Temple have leaned on the transfer portal to shape their football rosters for next season.
Mourning a coach: Temple assistant menâs basketball coach Bill Courtney, 55, died suddenly, the school announced Tuesday.
Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel (left) shown with Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after their matchup in 2023.
Kevin Patullo isnât the first person to experience the downside of this cityâs manic emotional instability when it comes to professional sports. But my point here isnât to shame anybody. Actually, my point is to lobby the Eagles to spend whatever it takes to hire Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator. The Eagles need to bring in a fresh set of eyes and a proven track record of inventive run-scheming. They need to reinvent this offense, and McDaniel is the perfect mind to do it, writes columnist David Murphy.
đ§ Trivia time answer
Who has the most wins in the playoffs as coach of the Eagles?
C) Andy Reid with 10 wins â Mike R. was first with the correct answer.
What youâre saying about A.J. Brown
We asked: What do you think about the prospects of the Eagles trading A.J. Brown? Among your responses:
Possibility is high they try to trade him even if all they can get is a bag of footballs in return. If they canât trade him they should just cut him. A malcontent is nothing but a cancer on the team and his on the field efforts are highly questionable right now. Can anyone say âRicky Watters?â â Bob A.
I wish our fans would stand by the team win or lose. Thatâs what most parents of young athletes do. Pretend itâs your kid out there playing for the Eagles. What would you say when they lose? We are not going to win the Super Bowl every year. But every year we, as fans, get to show our love and support for them. â Cindy F.
Itâs time for A. J. to take his show elsewhere. Once upon a time we had another star who also thought he was bigger than the game itself. When he short armed a pass in 1995 his response was âfor who for what.â Ricky found out that afternoon what Philadelphia fans were all about. Never happened again and he had 3 super years with the Birds. Thereâs only 4 reasons we lost that game to the 49ersâ and none of them fall on coaching. The 3 catchable balls A. J. dropped and the extra point Elliott blew. He makes that kick and weâre 3 down. We kick a 20 yard field goal with 5 seconds to play. Games tied and who knows what could happen in OT. Now if AJ catches any one of the three drops and weâre in the Red Zone and no oneâs better in the Red Zone than us. The kicker has to go and the dead cap $ will unfortunately keep AJ around for another season. Heâll be a free agent after next season so maybe heâll be playing lights out for a free-agent contract and leaves his EGO at the door. â Ronald R.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown canât pull in a pass in the playoff loss to the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
The Eagles have multiple problems. 1. Sirianni. He is going to be fired this time next year. To be honest, Nick is not smart. 2. AJ Brown. If he was correct criticizing the play calling, then keep him. 3. Patullo should never have been handed the OC position for a SB team. Nick, again, showing his lack of maturity in hiring an unqualified friend. 4. I read once a coach say, âEvery season we change our entire offensive scheme.â Nick hasnât changed anything in years. This is an abomination of dereliction of responsibility as the head coach. The question is either Nick is lazy, or he is incompetent. 5. Hurts. He is a below average QB if he will not run the ball. Hurts cannot read the field quickly. He simply doesnât process the coverage. He refuses to throw to where the receiver will be. He waits until the receiver is already there and then passes. â Jack D.
Going to be a long off season, but donât worry about anything, just put your trust in Howie. Not sure who is ready to deal for Brown, but I think it is time for the Eagles to part with him. An outstanding receiver who needs to play in a Vince Lombardi culture where he knows what the boundaries are. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers can handle him, but would they want him? â Everett S.
It is always easy to trade someone, the key question is who will replace him and will it be an upgrade. â Gary P.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, Gustav Elvin, Lochlahn March, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Devin Jackson, David Murphy, and Greg Finberg.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday. Kerith will be back in your inbox with tomorrowâs newsletter. â Bella
The Eagles are who we thought they were. A team that consistently disappointed its fans despite winning the NFC East in defense of its Super Bowl crown put in a disappointing one-and-done playoff performance under a clueless offensive coordinator, with a banged-up O-line and some stars (cough, cough…A.J. Brown) perhaps past their peak. But this is what Philly fandom is all about: one battle after another.
Dirty, toxic oil from Venezuela is the last thing that America needs
John Beard drives near a liquid natural gas facility in Port Arthur, Texas. In addition to LNG facilities, Port Arthur is surrounded by oil refineries and petrochemical plants. Beard says Black and brown communities like Port Arthur are having to bear much of the risk posed by the facilities.
You could say that crude oil is in John Beard Jr.âs blood. His dad worked for more than 44 years at a giant Gulf Oil refinery in the heady 20th-century days of the South Texas energy boom, and Beard then followed his fatherâs footsteps by working 38 years at a rival Exxon facility in Beaumont, before heading home to sleep in the shadow of Port Arthurâs own dense row of dozens of refineries.
But today, Beard â a longtime civic activist and political leader in Port Arthurâs large Black community â is fighting to keep oil out of his neighborsâ blood, literally.
âIt was nothing to wake up the next morning and find a yellow stain against the side of your house with something had been released in the air,â Beard told me last week on the phone as he talked about growing up surrounded by tall refinery stacks. âYou may have smelled it, or you may have slept through it and all and come to find out that it stained your house or whatever.â
âYou know how you say when the refinery has a sneeze, we get pneumonia?â he asked. âBut no, we donât get pneumonia. We get cancer.â The most-feared disease has touched pretty much every family that Beard knows in the economically struggling town.
This was all before last weekâs lightning bolt of news: that the U.S. military had bombed Venezuela and seized its indicted strongman leader NicolĂĄs Maduro. It was quickly followed by Donald Trump announcing a scheme to bring some 30-to-50-million barrels of oil to the United States â meaning the backyards of Beard and his neighbors.
Indeed, experts have tagged Valeroâs big refinery in Port Arthur that towers over Beardâs home â heavily invested in specialized equipment to process the sour, heavy crude that comes from Venezuela â as most likely to benefit from Trumpâs proposed gambit.
Environmentalists say any new refinery jobs and U.S. corporate profits will be swamped by increased pollution of both the toxic chemicals that have already sickened Port Arthur, and greenhouse gases that threaten us all through climate change.
When America woke up 10 days ago to news that Trump had ordered the dead-of-night assault on Venezuela and seized Maduro, there was one word that echoed among Democratic lawmakers asked for a comment. âIs anyone going to just stop for a second and be honest?â U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts told CNN. âThis is insane. What the hell are we doing?â
Those problems have been amplified in the days since Moulton and others branded the operation as âinsane.â It is indeed insane when Trump declares to the world that the United States is âin chargeâ of Venezuela and a few days later his State Department says the country is unsafe for Americans because of violent roving gangs. For that matter, itâs also meshugana to upend the global order that has reigned since the end of World War II, when the U.S. led efforts to ban wars of aggression.
But weâre not talking nearly enough about whatâs maybe most whacked-out about Trumpâs splendid little war in Latin America â that by making his operation all about taking the oil, he seeks to endanger the entire planet by accelerating climate change. One expert told the Associated Press that increasing production of Venezuelaâs thick, dirty crude by a target of 1 million barrels a day would also add roughly 360 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year from the production process â a significant spike in the gases that are warming our planet.
That Trump made it clear that his goal in making war against Venezuela was all about grabbing its oil on the one-year anniversary of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires â perhaps the most dramatic of the floods, amped-up hurricanes, and other weather catastrophes exacerbated by a hotter planet â was especially disgusting.
Michael E. Mann, director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania, told me that while Trumpâs initial target for Venezuelan oil seems modest, experts believe the South American nation could harbor a whopping 300 billion barrels under ground. He has written that Trump aims to make America a âpetrostate,â allied with other bad actors such as Russia and Saudi Arabia in working to undermine any global consensus around fighting climate change.
Less than a week after the Venezuela strike, the New York Times reported that Trumpâs U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is dropping its longtime requirement to weigh the cost on human lives â early deaths, or chronic diseases like asthma â in regulating key air pollutants, including those from oil refineries. As a matter of policy, the U.S. government now values the dollars that Valero or Exxon can make from burning dirty oil over the very existence of Beard and his Texas community. Thatâs not surprising from the crew thatâs dismantled an entire generation of EPA programs that once targeted the environmental racism that dumps pollutants on disadvantaged Black and brown communities like Port Arthur.
Indeed, the 100 fatalities caused by the Trump regimeâs militarism against Venezuela â although a human-rights outrage â will likely pale over time against the canopy of death and destruction that historians will blame on the presidentâs obsession with doubling down on fossil fuels while other nations focus on green energy such as wind or solar.
A preview of the worldâs coming attractions is arguably taking place right now on the blood-soaked streets of Tehran, where experts believe months of severe drought that sometimes left poorer neighborhoods in the Iranian capital with little or no running water has been a key trigger for the collapse of social order.
While foreign policy experts arenât wrong to worry about U.S. expansionism triggering World War III, Trumpâs backward-looking energy policies could cause a similar or worse toll through civil war and mass migration. While top energy officials â including the Exxon Mobil CEO who called Venezuela âuninvestableâ â say Trumpâs Venezuela dreams are economically unrealistic, the time lost for America to reduce its greenhouse gas pollution is a clear and present danger for civilization.
History is almost sure to judge that âinsaneâ was far too generous a word to describe it.
Yo, do this!
Iâve written about this before but I canât say enough about the essentialness of Andrew Hickeyâs long-running podcast, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, which currently is up to around 1969 on its long, strange trip. His latest episode â about Jimmy Cliff, âMany Rivers to Cross,â and the invention of reggae â proved unexpectedly prescient when Cliff died at age 81 just before its release. Now, the passing of the Grateful Deadâs Bob Weir has me dredging up his recent episode about the Dead, âDark Star,â and the rise of an almost spiritual cultural phenomenon.
In the world of media, the mid-2020s will be remembered as the moment that intrepid independent journalists stepped up and did the work that traditional newsrooms are suddenly too cowed or too compromised to perform. Since ICE and the Border Patrol amped up their immigration raids last summer, Iâve become a big fan of Amanda Moore (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social on Bluesky), who has birddogged Greg Bovino and his goon squad from the Big Easy to the frigid streets of Minneapolis. Check out her coverage of the far right for Mother Jones.
Ask me anything
Question: Please explain how the âanti-eliteâ [MAGA] base can continue to support all the elite personnel in charge of Americaâs economy in this regime? Just ONE recent example: [Pennsylvania Sen. Dave] McCormickâs wifeâs Facebook promotion in charge of….âsovereign relations concerning AI…â. â @tim215.bsky.social via Bluesky
Answer: Tim, I think the ascension of Dina Powell McCormick â the former Trump 45 aide who is also married to Pennsylvaniaâs Republican junior senator â to the job of president of Facebookâs parent company Meta has profoundly troubling implications. This is neither to say that Mark Zuckerbergâs new hire lacks qualifications, nor that Senate spouses should be barred from the private sector. But the move surely reflects Silicon Valleyâs determination to curry favor with the personalist Trump regime by any means necessary. What bothers me even more, as a Pa. voter, is that I see the issues surrounding Meta â especially the currently unchecked rise of artificial intelligence, or AI â as requiring clear-eyed leadership. How can anyone now expect Sen. McCormick to be an honest broker?
What youâre saying about…
Last weekâs question about the attack on Venezuela drew a robust response, as I expected, and â also as I expected â almost unanimous opposition to Trumpâs policy for the troubled country. Most of you saw the military operation as illegal and unconstitutional, and share my befuddlement (see above) on the presidentâs assertion that taking Venezuelaâs oil was the prime reason, except for Jon Elliott, who wrote: âI absolutely endorse Trumpâs Pirates of the Caribbean excursion with one proviso â he performs Maduro redux in North Korea.” More typical was Tom Lees: âI was born in June 1945, two months before the dropping of the atomic bombs. The world order that has prevented WWIII seems to be in the process of being dismantled by people who should be imprisoned (Donald Trump) or institutionalized (Stephen Miller).â
đź This weekâs question: Given the uproar over the killing of Renee Good, is âAbolish ICEâ now the mainstream position, and do you support it? If so, how should the U.S. enforce its immigration laws? Please email me your answer and put the exact phrase âAbolish ICEâ in the subject line.
Backstory on the end of Newsomâs WH dreams
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during his State of the State address Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.
One of the most anticipated stories of 2026 isnât supposed to happen until the waning weeks of the year, when the votes from the midterm election have been counted and top Democrats beginning lining up for their shot at following Donald Trump as the 48th president. But the most consequential early moment in that Dem primary race may have already happened. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced a career-defining choice between the growing populism of his partyâs anxious voters, or the Silicon Valley moguls whoâve been there for him in the past.
Newsom chose the billionaires.
At issue is a citizen initiative to place a wealth tax on Californiaâs richest of the rich â those with a net worth of more than $1 billion â to pay a one-time levy equal to 5% of their assets, with most of the revenue targeted toward keeping troubled hospitals open and other healthcare costs. Backed by a powerful labor union, the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the ballot measure reflects growing global rage over economic inequality and the current zeitgeist among Democrats likely to vote in the 2028 primaries. Not surprisingly, the push has angered Silicon Valleyâs increasingly right-wing tech titans and investors like Peter Thiel or Google co-founder Larry Page whoâve threatened to move to red states like Florida or Texas.
Newsom, who is term-limited and leaves the governorâs mansion at yearâs end, has long walked a tightrope between boosting his White House ambitions by relentlessly needling Donald Trump on social media while â with considerably less fanfare â catering to the high-tech poobahs whoâve funded his campaigns and who, Newsom insists, would damage the Golden State economy by leaving. On Monday, the governor told the New York Times that he firmly opposes the proposed wealth tax and will use his bully pulpit to fight the measure if it reaches the ballot.
âHey idiots: Youâre rich,â the independent journalist Hamilton Nolan wrote in a riposte to Thiel and Co. posted hours before Newsomâs decision. âEnjoy your lives. Pay your taxes and count your blessings. Is this the perfect life that you dreamed of for yourself â performatively kissing the ass of a dictator, giving up your home to flee the taxman, earning the enmity of your fellow man, all in service of money you will never spend?”
Nolanâs piece may have targeted the 0.1%, but it also seemed to carry a message that Newsom and any other Democratic presidential hopefuls need to hear. Running as a performative kind of center-left Trump with viral social media posts will get you attention but not the White House. The core of rank-and-file Democrats â especially the 7 million who took to the streets last summer for the No Kings protest â wants radical changes theyâre not seeing in Newsomâs California. These include limits on artificial intelligence, a major overhaul of the Supreme Court, and â especially â an end to the gross unfairness of economic inequality. Hopefully Newsomâs pals in Silicon Valley can find him new work, because 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. already looks above his future pay grade.
What I wrote on this date in 2019
One of the many similarities between today and the United States seven years ago is that Democrats and other progressives were already deeply divided over how best to respond to Donald Trump and threats against democracy. On this date in 2019, I put forth my own idea that Iâm not sure Iâd endorse in hindsight: that Bernie Sanders was the most inspiring figure in U.S. politics, yet should stand down from the 2020 election. I wrote about âa sense that white dudes from the baby-boomer-and-older generation have been running things for far too long, and that America needs some new blood.â Instead, we got the two oldest presidents in American history. Read the rest: âBernie Sanders is the leader America needs now. Just NOT by running for president in 2020.â
Recommended Inquirer reading
Late last year, I predicted that Trumpâs plummeting popularity would cause him to double down on autocracy. For once, I was right. In my Sunday column, I wrote about the shocking ICE Minneapolis murder of 37-year-old poet and mom Renee Nicole Good and the broader war for the truth that was defined by the Trump regimeâs instant smears against the victim. Over the weekend, I looked at how 2026âs shocking start from Caracas to the Twin Cities was punctuated by Trumpâs jarring comments to the New York Times â that nothing can stop him but âmy own mindâ and âmy own morality.â I stressed that he can and will be stopped â by our morality.
The nation remains on edge nearly one week after the ICE agent gunned down Good in the streets of Minneapolis, and already the resistance movement to ICE has seen some twists and turns. None has been more dramatic in Philadelphia than the unexpected return of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, an iconic social movement that thrived in the late 1960s and early â70s before a government crackdown. When several armed members of the Black Power group demonstrated against ICE near City Hall on Thursday, The Inquirerâs Brett Sholtis jumped on the story and followed up with an in-depth profile of the small group, whose Philly leader, Paul Birdsong, said Goodâs killing âwouldnât have happened if we were there.â Sholtis is part of the paperâs jacked-up weekend news coverage that is supported by your subscription dollars. Local journalism is a bulwark against tyranny. Become a part of it by subscribing to The Inquirer today.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
A new Montgomery County office helped the suburb identify $14 million in savings over the past year. County commissioners are proud the team has âoutlived DOGEâ while prioritizing efficiency and avoiding layoffs.
In its first year, Montgomery Countyâs Office of Innovation, Strategy, and Performance has helped the county find $14 million in savings and reduce the deficit by half, officials say.
The 11-person officeâs goals may sound familiar.
âItâs kind of like DOGE,â said Montco Commissioner Vice Chair Neil Makhija, referring to Elon Muskâs Department of Government Efficiency, which upended federal agencies and haphazardly slashed jobs in the name of cost cutting during its peak last year. âWe didnât just take the richest person in the county and tell them to cut, you know, benefits for poor people, which is what the federal DOGE was.â
The Montco version is also here to stay, with a focus on finding repeatable savings. Next up: assessing where artificial intelligence could fit into county services.
The Eaglesâ hunt for a second consecutive Super Bowl ended Sunday with a 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home. So, after a frustrating season, now what?
đŠ What fans are saying: Everyone is being very calm, kind, and understanding. Just kidding! Fans immediately after the game and on Monday were shaking their heads in disbelief, analyzing failed plays, and calling for mass firings.
đŠ What comes next: This offseason brings plenty of questions about roster shake-ups, the teamâs salary cap, draft picks, and the efficacy of the Tush Push. Plus, we rounded up key dates to know, from free agency to opening kickoff of the 2026 season. Because thereâs always next year, right?
What you should know today
A South Philadelphia motherâs youngest son was killed in a mass shooting. Two years later, her eldest was charged with committing one. Itâs a symmetry almost too painful for her to reconcile.
A man was killed and a woman was injured Sunday after two shooters fired into a tow truck parked in Northeast Philly, police said.
Dina Powell McCormick, a former official in President Donald Trumpâs administration and the wife of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.), has been hired as Metaâs new president.
Health officials are warning of a potential measles exposure at Philadelphia International Airport, 30th Street Station, and an Amtrak train on Wednesday.
New Jersey officials have filed suit against the large scrap metal recycler EMR over a string of hazardous and âespecially dangerousâ fires at its facilities, especially in Camden.
A family leader of the Santucciâs Original Square Pizza empire was sentenced to one day in jail for tax evasion. Co-owners underpaid $1.4 million.
A consortium to train future shipyard workers says it will get $8 million from a new federal program to prepare workers for Korean-owned Hanwha Philly Shipyard.
Quote of the day
Bella Vistaâs acclaimed Mawn is among the hard-to-get-into eateries where customers have tried to auction off reservations. Frustrated restaurant owners are doing what they can to stop the practice, but it may be tough to ban the sellers from making future bookings.
đ§ Trivia time
A rare âclassicâ location â red plastic cups and all â of which popular chain can you find in Northeastern Pennsylvania? (Hint: Itâs the only one in the state.)
Protesters dressed as handmaids join with Mi Casa Woodbury and Cooper River Indivisible at a âroadside rallyâ in downtown Woodbury, N.J., on Sunday in support of immigrants and to protest the Trump administration. The red costumes became a worldwide political protest symbol during President Donald Trumpâs first term, inspired by outfits from Margaret Atwoodâs 1985 dystopian novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Wishing you an easy Tuesday. Iâll be back to bring you more news tomorrow morning.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
I think I wrote the same thing the day after the Dodgers bounced the Phillies from the playoffs: Thereâs a lot to unpack here.
Coincidentally, Monday was the day for the Eagles to pack up their things and clean out their lockers at the NovaCare Complex after their Super Bowl dream was snuffed out by the 49ers.
There are questions galore for a talented team that somehow produced a boring offense that could not get the job done. Among them: What happens to Kevin Patullo? And A.J. Brown ⊠and free-agent Dallas Goedert, for that matter? Which free agents will return? How are the Eagles stocked for the draft? And is the Tush Push on the way out? Staff writers Jeff Neiburg and Olivia Reiner answer those questions and much more. If you read one Eagles story today, make it this one.
Sixers guard Kyle Lowry (right) has served as a mentor for Jared McCain and his young teammates.
Kyle Lowry returned to Toronto for what could be his final visit to Scotiabank Arena as a Sixers player, the arena where the North Philly native and Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova star became a Raptors franchise legend and NBA champion.
Lowryâs return to town prompted the 20-year veteran to reminisce on his career, which includes the 2019 Game 7 win over the Sixers. He started his career as a journeyman but found a home in Toronto, where he plans to retire as a Raptor when his playing days are done.
The Sixers had Paul George and Joel Embiid in the lineup on Monday against Toronto and their additions proved vital in a blowout win against the Raptors. The trio of George, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey helped the Sixers score 80 first-half points.
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim reacts after the Tampa Bay Lightning scored their seventh goal in a 7-2 win on Saturday.
Two nights after being on the receiving end of one of their worst defeats of the year â a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning â the Flyers had revenge on their minds.
Bouncing back has been a trademark of the Flyers this season under first-year coach Rick Tocchet, as the Orange and Black entered Monday 9-1-2 in games following a regulation loss.
But were the resilient Flyers able to respond once again? They did not and lost their second straight to Tampa and third overall in a 5-1 defeat.
Justin Crawford, who hit .334 with triple-A Lehigh Valley, figures to be an everyday outfielder for the Phillies this season.
While Justin Crawford has the inside track on being the Philliesâ opening-day center fielder, many observers are nervous about the team turning over the keys to a 22-year-old rookie.
It felt timely, then, to invite Crawfordâs triple-A hitting coach as a guest on Phillies Extra, The Inquirerâs baseball podcast. Adam Lind discussed Crawfordâs approach at the plate, which has yielded a .322 batting average in the minor leagues but also a high ground ball rate that leaves critics wondering about his ability to hit major league pitching. He also discussed two other touted hitting prospects, and being teammates with a 24-year-old Bryce Harper.
Sports snapshot
Eagles fans react during the playoff loss to the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.
Nick Sirianni stressed winning the turnover battle in a way that seemed to prevent a talented Eagles offense from spreading its wings.
From Nick Sirianni to Kevin Patullo to Jalen Hurts, the Eagles spent too much of this season acting as if being daring was taboo for them. Sirianni preached the importance of minimizing turnovers, citing the Eaglesâ marvelous record during his tenure as head coach when they protected the football better than their opponents. But it turned out that a Super Bowl champion cannot defend its title on caution alone.
The 49ers, a team that played like it had nothing to lose, committed two turnovers. The Eagles didnât commit any. And the final score was the final score. More from Mike Sielski.
We asked: Who should shoulder the blame for the Eaglesâ playoff exit? Among your responses:
The head coach is ultimately responsible. I saw no determination in his team, from missed extra points to missed catches, errant throws, failed running plays repeated for no gains. Too many penalties. ⊠They gave the game away, Niners had more heart and determination. â Jim E.
This was a total team effort. The play calling was horrendous. Jalen Hurts leaves the pocket too soon, missing open receivers. AJ Brown clearly does not want to be here. Saquon Barkley was inconsistent. The defense gave up too many âexplosive plays.â â Bob C.
The blame for the Eagles loss is clearly where it has been all season â Hurts and Brown. They have both regressed all through the year. The final game was a microcosm of those performances. â Tom E.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo talking with Jalen Hurts during the playoff loss.
The blame for this team goes to Nick. He hired his buddy to the OC position. He watched the offense sputter week after week and although he said heâd help KP after the 9th week of the season, nothing changed. With all of the offensive weapons on this team, the coaches never figured out how to use them properly in order to be successful. â Mitch B.
This season is all on Sirianni. In 2023 he proved that he was incapable of hiring coordinators when he brought in Sean Desai and promoted Brian Johnson. The Eagles won last year because Howie got him Kellen Moore and Fangio. Letâs face it, somehow he wins but it is not because he a competent judge of assistant coaching talent. â Mike D.
Sirianni is the Captain and when the ship hits an iceberg the Captain goes down with the ship. Patulloâs play calling was pathetic and he should be fired, but Sirianni has to shoulder the responsibility. Vicâs defense gave it their all, but failed when it counted the most. Put big offensive lineman #1 on Howieâs draft list and hire a new play caller and look forward to next season. â Everett S.
Kevin Patullo, for the season and the last play. He never put the offense in a position to win. There was no Philly Special, not even a reverse and go like the one that gave the 49ers a TD. Sirianni for not dumping him when his shortcomings became clear. â Joel G.
Who should be fired from the Eagles? First and foremost, Kevin Patullo. The offense has been ineffective and offensive all year. 2. A.J. (no effort) Brown. How many drops did this multi-million dollar receiver make on Sunday? 3. Tight end Grant (let me miss this block) Calcaterra. The worst blocking tight-end in the league. 4. Kicker Jake (did I actually make one?) Elliott. 5. Cornerback Kelee (oops) Ringo. Got lit up every time he was on the field. â Dave I.
Eagles receiver A.J. Brown cannot pull in a catch as 49ers cornerback Renardo Green moves in.
Obviously, the Offensive Coordinator. He sent Barkley running into the line too many times this season. And Hurts seldom looked at Barkley to dump a pass to him. â John B.
The entire organization is at fault. They allow Hurts to do what he wants to do on offense. Whatâs with that? Oh, Iâm not comfortable running that type offense. Get rid of his butt. I actually slept well after they lost. Itâs what I expected. â Tom G.
Nick had the burden of recognizing whether the talents and strengths of an assistant would make him the right choice for this team at the next level. For all the good Nick has done, his own weakness at accurately gauging assistant readiness has cost him again. Nick appears to be willing to seek wisdom from others outstanding in their fields. He needs to seek some of that feedback from others before he fills the next opening in his front line staff. â Len K.
It must be Patullo. Replace him with a known OC with a track record. There will be good candidates as many teams are cleaning house now. But donât delay; the best are already going to new teams. â John W.
Iâm reminded of a famous quote often attributed to President Harry Truman âThe Buck Stops Here.â Head Coach Nick Sirianni needs to take the blame. â Dave S.
The more I think about it, the more I think that Siriani needs to bear much more blame than he has been getting. Heâs made some really bad coaching decisions in the area of clock management that have cost the Eagles some games. He has handled some player relationships badly. His hiring of coordinators and coaches has left a lot to be desired. â Doug R.
For starters the OC needs to be on the first bus, train or plane out of here. Followed by our super embarrassment wide receiver. 10x worse than T.O. ever was. A.J. needs to go. ⊠Seems our QB1 was throwing into triple coverage most of the game. For whatever reason why is a good question. ⊠At least they were well rested. Howâd that one work out for ya, Nick? â Ronald R.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Ariel Simpson, Scott Lauber, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Sielski, Henry Savage, and Colin Schofield.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thank you for reading and thanks to our many commenters. Bella will bring you Sports Daily on Wednesday. â Jim
For students whose families canât afford regular visits to a dentist, the Dental Clinic at North Philadelphiaâs William D. Kelley School is a lifeline.
đŠ· The clinic, operated by Temple Universityâs Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry and now in its third year, pairs dentistry students with any Philly children who need care. The service is free regardless of where they attend school and whether they have insurance. Some parents can get treated, too.
đŠ· The underlying concept is simple: Removing barriers to dental care means healthier kids who do better in school. âIf your tooth hurts, if youâre not feeling well, youâre not going to learn,â Eileen Barfuss, the Temple professor who leads the clinic, told The Inquirer.
đŠ· School district officials also point to it as a model of what might happen in other district buildings with available space as the school system considers its facilities planning process this year.
As President Donald Trumpâs administration presses for more arrests and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Phillyâs public defender is expanding its services for immigrant clients.
The nonprofit Defender Associationâs Immigration Law Practice will focus partly on those in detention despite having no criminal charges or who have committed minor offenses.
Agency leaders also expect to handle more cases that challenge White House efforts around mandatory detention, a policy that has seen pushback from federal judges in Philadelphia.
In other immigration news: A 46-year-old Cambodian immigrant held at the Federal Detention Center in Center City died in a hospital on Friday after being treated for drug withdrawal, according to ICE officials. And in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, anti-ICE protests spread across Phillyâs suburbs on Sunday.
Robert Listenbee, the first assistant to District Attorney Larry Krasner, is retiring after eight years in the job. He has some advice for his boss.
After two months of closure, the trolley tunnel connecting Center City and West Philadelphia was scheduled to reopen Monday at 5 a.m., SEPTA said Friday.
The giant old stone house is full with three best friends, one spouse, two kids, and a dog. The adults now share a bank account, backyard, and Google calendar â and they consider it a âparadise that weâve made ourselves.â
Plus: After a breakup, a homeowner left Graduate Hospital for a giant backyard in Port Richmond. Learn what he did with it in the latest installment of our How I Bought This House series.
đ§ Trivia time
A Philadelphia woman attracted attention in the city and Chester County for posting fliers asking for help after a breakup. What did the fliers say?
A) âDate My Ex: Why He Deserves Betterâ
B) âMissing: The Love of My Lifeâ
C) âHelp! My Ex Stole the Catâ
D) âSeeking: Experienced Witch to Curse My Exâ
Cheers to Rick Brasch, the only reader who solved Sundayâs anagram: Adam Cesare. The acclaimed local author described his perfect Philly day, including visits to The Book Trader and PhilaMOCA.
Photo of the day
Deepika Iyer holds her niece Ira Samudra aloft in a Rockyesque pose, while her parents photograph their 8-month-old daughter, in front of the famous movie prop at the top of the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Iyer lives in Philadelphia and is hosting a visit by her mother Vijayalakshmi Ramachandran (partially hidden); brother Gautham Ramachandran; and her sister-in-law Janani Gautham, who all live in Bangalore, India.
đŹ Your âonly in Phillyâ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if youâre not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again â or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This âonly in Phillyâ story comes from reader Nancy Brown, who describes a tentative first taste of a local classic:
In 1998, my husband and I were transferred from Michigan to Philly and were super excited to be moving east. We stayed in a Center City hotel for a week while house hunting. On our first morning in the hotel restaurant, we ordered breakfast, and asked the waitress about something on the menu called âscrapple.â We Midwesterners had no idea what that was; had never even heard the word.
Our waitress, in her uniquely Philly accent, insisted we would love it. She described scrapple and then added that she didnât really know everything thatâs in it, which made us feel not so sure we actually would love it. But we ordered it anyway, eager to acclimate to our new hometown.
We were apprehensive after our first bite, but kept eating, and with a little more salt and pepper and maybe some ketchup, determined it wasnât so bad. Weâve decided restaurant scrapple, especially diner scrapple, is often the best, and for that you need to be in Philly.
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Back at it tomorrow.
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