One of the cityâs beloved holiday traditions returns to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this Thursday. Below, we recall the year Philadelphia almost lost its Thanksgiving Day parade.
Thousands of Philadelphians will gather in Center City this Thursday morning for the 106th annual march down the Parkway â officially, the 2025 6abc Dunkinâ Thanksgiving Day Parade.
đŚ But one terrible year nearly four decades ago, the legendary holiday event almost died. The city struggled to find a lead sponsor after the liquidation of Gimbel Brothers Department Store, which had funded the parade since its inception.
đŚ Philadelphia was soon wrapped up in a drawn-out corporate sponsorship saga that prompted angry newspaper columns, pleading editorials, and cheeky poetry published in the Daily News.
đŚ In the end, the 1986 Thanksgiving parade was bigger and better than it had ever been, thanks to the heroics of a different kind of local media â a TV station.
In other November traditions: The trophy is falling apart and attendance is down â but Northeast and Central refuse to stop playing their historic Thanksgiving game.
Whatâs now a vacant lot at the end of the countryâs oldest residential street will soon become Dolly Ottey Park.
Ottey was an Elfrethâs Alley resident and restaurateur who championed preservation of the narrow cobblestone passage starting in the 1930s. Her advocacy continued through the â60s, when construction of I-95 threatened demolition of at least half the street.
After years of effort from Old City organizations, the pocket park in Otteyâs honor will come to life in 2026 â just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed just blocks away.
SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered buses with cleaner diesel-electric hybrid buses.
The Pennsylvania attorney general issued a six-figure fine to the former CEO behind an $82 million real estate scheme that impacted Phillyâs poorest neighborhoods.
The Philadelphia School District is among three being investigated by a Republican-led congressional committee over allegations of antisemitism.
Days after Philly principals took to City Council and the school board to blast their lack of a contract, their union and the district have a tentative deal.
William Way LGBT Community Center will permanently close its historic Center City building in December. Services will continue elsewhere.
HBO crime drama Task received a nearly $50 million tax credit to film in Pennsylvania, the largest amount the state has granted to a single production.
Quote of the day
A growing number of college professors are banning laptops from the classroom, including some who noticed students were spending class time surfing the web or online gambling. They say it encourages participation and better learning. Students donât seem to mind.
đ§ Trivia time
The holiday pop-up bars have arrived in Philadelphia. Which is not the themed name of one of them?
Cheers to Rob Jefferson, who solved Tuesdayâs anagram: Cherry Hill. Five elementary schools in the South Jersey suburb will be overcrowded by 2028. The district is considering how to redistribute students.
Matt Barber (center) and Frederick Stahl (right) demonstrate how to use the Kärcher push sweepers on South Iseminger Street.
𧚠One last neighborly thing: These South Philly dads bought personal street sweepers â a German device thatâs âlike a little Zamboniâ â for their block. Theyâve led to not only a cleaner street, but a stronger sense of community, too.
Wishing you a cozy, communal week. Paola will be back with you on Sunday.
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Santa Claus will again make his way through town alongside the fire department starting next month.
The holiday season is officially upon us and with it, a slew of festive events. Whether youâre looking to snag a picture with Santa Claus, go ice skating on an outdoor rink, see a menorah parade, or tour a historic house decked-out for the season, thereâs no shortage of events in Cherry Hill.
Weâve rounded up more than a dozen holiday festivities this season, including shopping pop-ups, ornament workshops, and seasonal concerts.
Activate’s “Mega Grid” game is similar to the popular childhood game, “The Floor is Lava,” but instead of cushions, players follow LED lights.
Activate, a new immersive gaming spot, opened on Friday at 1509 Route 38, taking over a former Rite Aid. The 14,000-square-foot chain lets users bring to life old-school games like hide-and-seek and âThe Floor is Lava,â and more modern ones, like a Mission Impossible-esque laser gauntlet, all in giant LED-filled spaces. In total, there are 13 stalls with different games that last one to three minutes each.
Reminder: Trash and recycling pickups will operate on an altered schedule this week for the holiday. See how your pickup is impacted here.
A 36-year-old man was hospitalized last week after he was found with a gunshot wound inside a Cherry Hill recording studio. He was listed in stable condition.
Bridal wear royalty was in town last weekend for the opening of a wedding dress shopâs second storefront. TV star and designer Randy Fenoli, who is known for his years-long tenure on TLC shows Say Yes to the Dress and Randy to the Rescue, helped brides at the new Cherry Hill location of Dress 2 Impress find the perfect gown for their big day as part of his cross-country tour promoting his Keepsake Kollection. He also imparted some wisdom about finding the right fit.
Big Blue Swim School is set to open its doors on Monday at 2100 Route 38, near the mall. The swimming lesson chain will offer programs for kids as young as 3 months old and will be open every day but Friday.
Reminder for families: Thereâs an early dismissal today, and schools are closed tomorrow and Friday.
Last year, 62.2% of township residentsâ taxes went toward the school district. Cherry Hillâs average property taxes were $9,383, just shy of the $10,000 average property tax bill statewide, according to a new NJ Advance Media analysis. (NJ.com)
đ˝ď¸ On our Plate
A new Korean restaurant specializing in hot lava pots is taking over the former Ten Hot Pot and Crabby Crab on Route 70. A timeline for the new eatery hasnât been announced yet. (A View From Evesham)
đł Things to Do
đź Wicked Skate Party: Whether youâve already seen Wicked: For Good or are planning to catch it in theaters soon, share your love of the movies at this themed skate party, which includes trivia, a soda bar, and a glam station where you can add tinsel to your hair. â° Friday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and 6:30-9:30 p.m. đľ $12 admission, $6 skate rental đ Hot Wheelz
đ¤ 18th Annual All Black Holiday Affair: Celebrate the holiday season at this annual 21-and-over event featuring DJs and dancing. There will also be a holiday toy drive collection. All black attire is encouraged at this Black Friday event. â° Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m.-12 a.m. đľ $87.30-$201.06 đ DoubleTree by Hilton
đ´ Cherry Hill Card Expo: Card collectors can browse everything from sports art and memorabilia to trading, playing, and collectible cards, including for PokĂŠmon, during this two-day event. There will also be on-site authentications available. â° Saturday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. đľ $10-$25 đ DoubleTree by Hilton
đ§ Cherry Hill Record Riot: Shop from an array of vinyl albums and CDs from dealers. â° Sunday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. đľ $4.26-$26.66 đ Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Cherry Hill
This renovated Olde Springs home has an elegant rounded front entryway that sets the tone for the interior, where some of its highlights include a crystal chandelier, marble-inspired tiles, and a stone wall fireplace. It has five bedrooms, including a first floor suite, an updated kitchen, and a new deck.
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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.
In the spirit of the holiday, weâre starting the newsletter today with a pair of football-focused stories by Matt Breen to digest.
The first is about a Thanksgiving tradition that is fading away. High school football games between fierce rivals used to be a Turkey Day staple, but only 10 games are planned Thursday in Southeastern Pennsylvania, down from 28 in 2005.
The games are dwindling because of the PIAA playoff schedule, tepid attendance, and school closures, among other reasons, but one Thanksgiving rivalry plays on. Northeast and Central started playing annually in 1896 and the rivalry has paused only twice: in 1918 during World War I and 2020 during the pandemic. The schools say itâs the nationâs oldest rivalry among public schools.
Although attendance has shrunk, the teams will meet again at Northeast on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and the mahogany Wooden Horse trophy will be at stake.
The second story revisits the rough-and-tumble days of the NFL in the 1940s and â50s, when Bucko Kilroy was a fearsome force on both sides of the ball for the Eagles. Kilroy was called the dirtiest player in football in a Life magazine article, but he wound up spending 64 years in the NFL as a player, coach, scout, and front-office executive.
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship limping off the field after he suffered a thigh injury against the Cowboys.
The Eagles needed some good news after that awful ending on Sunday and this is it: Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says he expects to have Reed Blankenship available to play in the Good Friday matchup against the Chicago Bears (3 p.m., Fox29).
The veteran safety left the Cowboys game with an injured thigh and the other safety, Drew Mukuba, suffered a right leg fracture in that game. Cornerback Adoreeâ Jackson left with a concussion, too. Olivia Reiner reports on how the Birds plan to patch up their secondary against the Bears.
There are few teams that have been as undisciplined as the Bears this season. Chicago has been called for 87 penalties, which is tied for fourth in the NFL.
Eagles defensive tackle Byron Youngâs father died suddenly in March. He has found a way to keep his dad close to him.
Lightning center Anthony Cirelli scores on Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson during the second period Monday.
The Flyers managed only 20 shots on goal Monday, failing to score for the first time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Lightning in Tampa, Fla. Tending goal for the first time in 10 days, Sam Ersson played well for the Flyers, making 15 saves. Peer beyond the box score and youâll see a goalie who played his game.
Live from the Linc: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the game against the Bears on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Tune in to Gameday Central.
Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey drives to the rim during the first half of their loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
We asked: Should the Eagles change their play-caller? Among your responses:
I do not ascribe that play calling is at the root of the offenseâs âfunk.â I see the issue as execution on the field. Saquonâs inability to gain constructive yards and bone headed penalties and decisions (fielding punt on 2-yard line) as the primary culprit. â Bill M.
YES! â Jill L.
Just curious why the Eagles felt that âon the job trainingâ would be successful? Detroit made the change a few weeks ago. Worked for the first game and thatâs it. How come no one is questioning Jeff Stoutland, the OL and run game coach? Big game coming up on Friday afternoon against daâ Bears. Looking for a 34-10 win and that will shut everyone up! Me included! Except for talk radio that will pick the game apart as usual. â Ronald R.
ABSOLUTELY. Duh. ⌠Patullo is not working. At the end of the season, youâll be saying âshoulda, woulda, coulda.â â Karen L.
The Eagles definitely need to change their play caller, but would guess that would not be easy at this point in the season. Maybe a serious sit down with Patullo, Sirianni, Roseman, and Mr. Lurie would help. Iâve never been a football coach, but just watching on TV from far away I find myself so frustrated at the calls that seem to be contrary to the immediate need. â Everett S.
It is easy to want a change, but who would you turn to? Nick is hopefully on the middle of game planning. Given his 4th quarter calls, he is not the answer. We are stuck with a learning curve and will have to ride it out. Either the plays are too conservative or the execution by the players is off. The offensive line has not been intact all year and Barkley looks a step slower. â Bob C.
There is something clearly wrong with this offense. They have enough talent that blowing a 21-point lead should never happen. I am not certain that the play caller is the problem but something has to change and that seems to be the place to start. â Bill H.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Ariel Simpson, Colin Schofield, and Katie Lewis.
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Again, happy Thanksgiving! Iâll see you in Mondayâs newsletter. â Jim
Thereâs an old saying â well, there ought to be one â that the surest way to jinx something is to write, âI donât want to jinx it…â My Border Patrol tornado-chasing trip to Charlotte was doomed the moment I posted about it here â frantically canceled when I learned 17 hours before takeoff that the BP had abruptly ditched North Carolina. There is a Plan B but no way will I jinx it a second time.
Itâs better to stop Trumpâs illegal orders than hope troops will disobey them
Lt. William L. Calley Jr., center, and his military counsel, Maj. Kenneth A. Raby, left, arrive at the Pentagon for testimony before an Army board of investigation hearing into the My Lai Massacre in December 1969. Calley led the U.S. soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the most notorious war crime in modern American military history.
A U.S. Army helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson Jr. may be the greatest American hero youâve probably never heard of. On March 16, 1968, Thompson â a warrant officer serving in Vietnam â and his crew were dispatched to support a âsearch and destroyâ mission supposedly targeting the Viet Cong in a tiny hamlet called My Lai.
Instead, the Georgia-born soldier came up upon arguably the most notorious war crime in U.S. history â with thatch hutches ablaze and countless villagers, including women and children, laying dead or dying in an irrigation ditch.
Thompson landed and found the commander on the ground, Lt. William Calley. âWhat is this?â he asked. âWho are these people?â
âJust following orders,â Calley replied. After some more back and forth, the flustered Thompson replied: âBut, these are human beings, unarmed civilians, sir.â
What Thompson and his helicopter crew did next was truly remarkable. Holding Calley and their other U.S. comrades at bay, they shielded a group of Vietnamese women, children and old men as they fled. Eventually, he loaded 11 villagers into the helicopter, and then Thompson and his men thought they detected movement in the ditch. Two fellow solders found a boy, just 5 or 6, hiding under the corpses, âcovered in blood and obviously in a state of shock.â After safely evacuating the boy to a military hospital, Thompson reached a lieutenant colonel who ordered Calley to stop the killings.
Near the end of his life, Thompson â who died in 2006 â and two comrades were recognized for their courage and the many lives they saved at My Lai, awarded the Armyâs highest award for bravery not in conflict with an enemy (the Soldierâs Medal), as well as the the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award. He even returned to My Lai for an emotional reunion in 1998.
But it wasnât like that in real time. During the war, a prominent congressman demanded that Thompson be court-martialed. âIâd received death threats over the phone,â he told CBSâ 60 Minutes in 2004. âDead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up.â
A generation after Thompsonâs death, the kind of bold action he took that day in 1968 â disobeying what he correctly understood as an illegal order â is yet again on Americaâs front burner. This time, the debate is fueled by a video from six veterans who now serve as Democrats in Congress â reminding todayâs soldiers about their sworn duty to disobey unlawful commands.
That every expert in military law agrees with this principle hasnât stopped President Donald Trump or his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, from going ballistic â calling the Democrats âtraitorsâ or even reposting calls for their death by hanging.
On Monday, Hegseth kicked things up a notch by endorsing a plan for one of the six â Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and decorated Navy fighter pilot â to return to active duty, so that he can be court-martialed for taking part in the video. A statement from the Pentagon, which Trump and Hegseth call âthe Department of War,â insisted that âorders are presumed to be lawful. A servicememberâs personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order.â
Even as the growing controversy dominates the headlines, there is one aspect to the illegal-orders debate that practically no one is talking about. Actions like Thompsonâs refusal at My Lai donât only stand out for the soldierâs gumption. It is also the stuff of peace prizes and 60 Minutes profiles because it is so incredibly rare.
Do your own research. Itâs very difficult to find examples in Americaâs 249-year history of troops disobeying orders because they are believed to be illegal. To be sure, there are famous incidents of soldiers who disobeyed an order and heroically saved lives â but almost all of them were because the command was reckless or just plain stupid, which isnât the same as illegal or unconstitutional.
Itâs not like there havenât been opportunities. There have been American war crimes from Wounded Knee to Abu Ghraib, what Barack Obama famously called âdumb warsâ like the 2003 assault on Iraq, and moments of intense moral agony, like dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These did produce a few whistleblowers or conscientious objectors, of course, but cases of actually refusing an order are few.
Itâs not hard to understand why. Most military orders â even ones later reviled by history â come with some veneer of legality, whether itâs an opinion from a military lawyer or a congressional authorization vote, as happened with Vietnam, Iraq, and other conflicts.
The video recorded by Kelly and the others (including Pennsylvania Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio) focuses only on the widely accepted principle that military men and women must follow the law and the Constitution above all else, and doesnât mention Trump or any specific disputed orders. In interviews, though, Democrats like Kelly and Houlahan have criticized Trumpâs ongoing attacks on boats off South America that the regime claims are smuggling drugs.
While almost every expert on military laws describes these attacks â which have killed at least 83 peopleâ as extrajudicial killings lacking legal justification, the Office of Legal Counsel in Trumpâs Justice Department has nonetheless written a secret classified memo to justify them. Any officer or lower-level troop ordered to blow up these boats and kill all the people on board hasnât seen the memo. And they wonât get a medal for saying ânoâ â at least not in 2025. They will be court-martialed and vilified by MAGA.
New York Times opinion writer David French, a Harvard Law grad who served as an Army lawyer in Iraq, notes the congressional video didnât advise troops on what exactly is an illegal order, and adds: âIndividual service members donât have sufficient knowledge or information to make those kinds of judgments. When time is of the essence and lives are on the line, your first impulse must be to do as youâre told.â
Not always, as Thompson showed at My Lai, but military matters are rarely that black and white. The Trump regimeâs sending of National Guard units and even active-duty military into cities such as Los Angeles may be an unnecessary and inflammatory violation of democratic norms, but experienced judges continue to debate its legality. Expecting the rank-and-file troops to decide is asking a lot.
It is very much in the spirit of Joseph Hellerâs World War II novel and its legendary Catch-22: A soldier must disobey an illegal order, yet orders, in the heat of the moment, are almost never illegal.
That doesnât mean Trump and Hegseth threatening Kelly and the other Democrats with jail and possibly the noose isnât utterly outrageous. After all, they did nothing more than remind soldiers of their obligation to the law in the same language their drill sergeants use in boot camp.
I do also think â understanding the limitations of a MAGA-fed Congress â that good people of both parties on Capitol Hill should be doing a lot more to invoke the War Powers Act, hold hearings, debate impeachment, and do whatever else they can to prevent Trumpâs reckless acts in the Caribbean and elsewhere. In other words, stop illegal orders before theyâre given.
That said, as the Trump regime deteriorates, there may come a day when right and wrong feels as obvious as it did that 1968 day in the rice paddies of Vietnam. If, heaven forbid, this government ever ordered troops to put down a protest by firing on citizens, we will need a platoon full of Hugh Thompsons and no William Calleys, âjust following orders.â
Yo, do this!
The writer Anand Giridharadas is the best of todayâs public intellectuals, with a laser focus on the 1 Percent and the devastating role of income inequality in works such as Winners Take All, which rips apart the facade of modern philanthropy. So who better to pour through the late financier-and-sex-fiend Jeffrey Epsteinâs emails and find the true meaning? His recent, masterful New York Times essay â âHow the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emailsâ â parses the small-talk and atrocious grammar of Americaâs rich and powerful to decipher how they rule. It is a must read.
Saturday was the 62nd anniversary of the day that changed America, for bad: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as his motorcade rolled through downtown Dallas. It was also the day I was savaged by several dozen people on Bluesky for expressing an opinion shared by 65% of Americans: that we havenât been told the whole truth about what really happened on Nov. 22, 1963. Kudos to ABC News for a new special that aired Monday looking at both sides of the endless controversy â Truth and Lies: Who Killed JFK? â that included skeptics like veteran journalist Jefferson Morley of the excellent site JFK Facts. The one hour-special is now streaming on Hulu.
Ask me anything
Question: Why is the Trump administration uncritically regurgitating the Russian âpeace planâ? â @kaboosemoose.bsky.social via Bluesky
Answer: Thatâs a great question as our president has consistently told us that the âRussia! Russia! Russia!â scandal around Vladimir Putinâs U.S. election interference and his seeming sway over the 45th and 47th president is all a massive hoax. How to explain, then, that the supposedly-Trump-drafted 28-point peace plan to end the fighting in Ukraine was translated from its original Russian, with its details hashed out in Florida by corrupt and contented Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev, a U.S.-sanctioned Russian envoy? Itâs probably true that liberals were naive during Trumpâs first term to believe the strange ties between MAGA and the Kremlin would bring down his presidency, but itâs also true that where thereâs smoke, thereâs fire. We all want peace in Ukraine, but Trump and his U.S. government simply are not honest brokers.
What youâre saying about…
Last weekâs question about the Jeffrey Epstein files, and whether theyâll ever see the light of day despite enactment of the law calling for their release, was kind of open-ended, and thus it drew an array of responses. But most agreed with my view that itâs highly unlikely weâll see the files, or see very much. âThey wonât release them because they are now investigating the Democrats in the files, thus they wonât be able to release them due to the investigation,â Rosann McGinley wrote. âAlso theyâd be heavily redacted, ânothing to see here.ââ Added Judy Voois: âI would not be surprised if he declared war on Venezuela just to steer the media and public interest away from continued scrutiny of the Epstein saga.â
đŽ This weekâs question: The heated reaction I received online about the JFK assassination now has me wondering what newsletter readers think. Do you believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone killer of John F. Kennedy, or do you think there was a conspiracy? Please email me your answer and put the exact phrase âJFK assassinationâ in the subject line.
Backstory on Pennsylvaniaâs budget deal with the devil
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at a news conference at the United Association Local 524 union building in Scranton, Pa. in March 2024.
Saturday was the 62nd anniversary of the JFK assassination, but on Nov. 22, 2025 it was the entire planet that was under fire. One researcher declared that globally it was the hottest Nov. 22 ever recorded. It didnât feel that way at my windswept dog park in Delco, but it did from the American Southeast â experiencing a record heat wave â to Tehran, where an epic drought has seen water fountains run dry. And yet the worldâs leaders were on a full-fledged retreat from climate action, from the White House, where U.S. CEOs toasted the oil dictatorship of Saudi Arabia at a posh dinner, to Brazil, where a global summit on climate change failed to take on the hegemony of fossil fuels, to Harrisburg.
In a state thatâs kowtowed to Big Oil and Gas interests since the days of John D. Rockefeller, Pennsylvania Republicans used the shame of the nationâs longest state-budget impasse to finally ram home their most cherished agenda item: gutting efforts in the Keystone State to work with our neighbors to control the greenhouse-gas pollution behind climate change. The GOP-run state Senate backed Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro into a corner. Pennsylvania had to withdraw from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional pollution-control system, or the money wouldnât resume flowing to schools and other vital services.
To be clear, the drivers of this giant step backward were state lawmakers whoâve been swimming in Big Oilâs tainted campaign cash for a couple of decades now. But the capitulation, even at political gunpoint, was not Shapiroâs finest hour â especially as the Democrat with apparent ambition for higher office continues to push for polluting and energy-devouring data centers that he claims will boost the economy. As the American Prospect noted in a new piece, Pennsylvaniaâs environmental retreat came at the same time Virginia was electing a Democratic governor in Abigail Spanberger whoâd promised to restore her state to the RGGI. If Shapiro does run for president in 2028, he may struggle to explain this deal to climate-minded voters.
The real problem, though, is that the best way to tackle climate change is by going on offense, with aggressive programs to promote alternative energy such as wind (there seems to be a lot of that around here) and solar that arenât not only cleaner but a better deal for beleaguered consumers. While Pennsylvania â second only to Texas in natural-gas production â went all in on fracking, a 2024 survey found the commonwealth was 49th on expanding wind power and energy efficiency. With RGGI in the rearview mirror, the Shapiro administration needs to work a lot harder on green energy. That would be good for our governorâs White House dreams, but it would be a lot better for the planet.
What I wrote on this date in 2020
In the late fall of 2020, when I wasnât trying to warn people that Donald Trump was planning a coup, I turned my attention to the incoming president, Joe Biden â and itâs both fascinating and sad to read how naive we were in the giddy aftermath of Trumpâs defeat. In writing about Bidenâs early Cabinet picks, the subhead read: âAmerica is seeing the start of something itâs not used to: A White House thatâs experienced, qualified … and boring. Could Bidenâs ploy work?â NO! The answer turned out to be âno.â But still read the rest: âBidenâs Cabinet is âdelightfully boring.â Can reality-TV-addled America deal with it?â
Recommended Inquirer reading
Only one column last week as I spent time both preparing for and then canceling the Charlotte trip that never happened. In that piece, I vented my rage at the lavish White House shindig for a monster: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was behind the brutal bone-saw murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The man that Joe Biden all too briefly promised to make âa global pariahâ was feted by the CEOs of Apple, Nvidia, GM and just about any big business entity you can think of, in a stunning embrace of corruption that should end the myth of âwoke corporations.â
There are two things, more than anything else, that keep local news in America alive: Hometown sports teams, and restaurants. Here in Philly, it was a lousy week for the former but a remarkable moment for the latter, as restaurants in the City of Brotherly Love competed for the very first time for recognition from the worldâs ultimate dining survey, the Michelin Guide. In a glitzy ceremony at the Kimmel Center, Michelin bestowed its coveted star on three Philadelphia restaurants and honored more than 30 others â and Inquirer readers were obsessed. Four of the newsroomâs top seven most-read articles online last week were about the Michelin madness â including the bittersweetness of one eatery cited just before its closing, the cheesesteak shop that was honored but not invited, and other various snubs and surprises. The Inquirer has amped up its food coverage this year, and if you live and eat in this region I donât know how youâd survive without it. If you donât subscribe, please sign up today.
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While you still might be reeling in frustration after the Eaglesâ 24-21 loss to Dallas on Sunday â when the Birds gave up a 21-point lead and didnât score a single point after halftime â the changes you think should be made wonât be happening.
At least, not right now.
Nick Sirianni does not plan to change who is calling the plays. The Eagles coach expressed faith in his first-year offensive coordinator on Monday, noting that he has not considered taking play-calling duties away from Kevin Patullo.
The Eagles have the pieces to be Super Bowl contender again, but theyâre hurting themselves. They have consistently failed to run the ball and sustain a passing offense through a full game.
Heading into Week 13, it seems like all fingers point to one common issue: the play-calling. Itâs clear whatever the offense is doing is not working. Even former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles said, âThereâs an art to play-calling that not everyone has, and itâs not showing up this year.â
Yet Sirianni believes âweâve got the right peopleâ to make a course correction this late in the season.Well, letâs see if Jeffrey Lurie feels the same way.
Former North Catholic football player John Kane holds a 1978 team photo while former teammates gather at Dagwood’s Pub in Torresdale on Nov. 16.
The 50th anniversary Thanksgiving Day game between the North Catholic Falcons and the Frankford Pioneers in 1978 is one many seniors from the North Catholic football team havenât forgotten. Thatâs because the Falcons were heavy underdogs but pulled off an improbable win over the Pioneers at Veterans Stadium. While the school closed its doors in 2010, the Norphans have kept the legacy of that game alive: âIt was the last game weâd ever play together and we went out as a winner.â
Sixers center Joel Embiid has missed six games because of an issue with his right knee.
Joel Embiidâs injury status is eitherâs the NBAâs biggest mystery or the 76ersâ best-kept secret. The former MVP has missed seven games because of knee injuries and will likely remain out as he continues to nurse a new issue with his right knee. Whatâs his status? âThe same as it was,â coach Nick Nurse said Monday, hours before Embiid was listed as questionable. âHeâs still day to day.â
As for Tyrese Maxey, heâs more concerned about Embiid, a person he wants to see healthy on and off the court. âYes, basketball is our career, but life is life, you know what Iâm saying?â Maxey said. âYou only get one life. So youâve got to live life to the fullest. And as long as people are happy, his familyâs good, heâs good, and he can get on the basketball court as much as possible, Iâm happy.â
Flyers center Jett Luchanko was traded on Monday from Guelph to Brantford.
Monday brought good news for Flyers fans worried about Jett Luchankoâs development, as the speedy center was traded by Guelph to fellow Ontario Hockey League club Brantford.
This is a significant development, as it will see Luchanko join the OHL favorites, who have yet to lose in regulation across 23 games and are expected to contend for a Memorial Cup. With the Bulldogs, Luchanko will play alongside improved talent and in more high-leverage games, both of which should allow the Flyers to get a better picture of where he is from a developmental perspective.
While Luchanko is jetting off to Brantford, Rick Tocchet is a few months away from a trip to Milan as an assistant coach with Team Canada for the Olympics. But will Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim be joining him? Jackie Spiegel talked with Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Monday about Sanheimâs chances.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (left) is standing by his offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo.
The worst thing the Eagles can do right now is the thing that everybody wants them to do. Nick Sirianni isnât going to do it. You donât make a change in play-calling duties after a late afternoon road game in the week of Thanksgiving when you are scheduled to play on Friday. Anybody who calls plays for this offense is going to face the same challenges as Kevin Patullo, writes columnist David Murphy.
What youâre saying about the Eaglesâ loss
We asked: What bothers you most about this Eagles loss? Among your responses:
Oh where to start. All of it. A sloppy, poorly played game from start to finish. Too many penalties and costly fumbles. Zero offense in the second half. Poor coaching. Most of all losing to the Cowgirls is like a punch in the gut. Will take a while for this stinging loss to subside. â Kathy T.
What bothers me the most is a lack of consistency. Great teams are consistent. Obviously, not every game can be a good one but yesterday was the epitome of this season. Blane the head coach, OC, OL, Hurts holding the ball, Barkley, etc., this team will not advance to the SB playing this helter-skelter game. â Rick W.
Three things bother me. First, the defense, so strong the previous two weeks, disappeared for the last 35 minutes. Second, the OL seems to have taken a step back from the last two years. The split-second timing just isnât there. And third, Saquon Barkley has lost his magic. Heâs not even an average running back this year. Too many commercials? Too much golf? The fourth-quarter, drive-killing fumble just canât happen. I think the first one is curable. Iâm not so sure about the other two. â Joel G.
Both the wife and myself said at halftime, watch them go back into conservative play calling. They think they have the game won but if they do theyâre going to lose the game. â Ronald R.
The thing that bothered me most was having to watch the smiling, laughing Jerry Jones with all his friends in his private box. This was the most frustrating Eagles game I have watched in a long time. How can a reigning SB Champ blow a 21-point lead? Jake missed a FG, Saquon fumbled, Hurts sometimes looked like the SB winner, but also often looked like the return of Sam Bradford or Norm Snead. The officials looked like they were handpicked by Jerry Jones, the Eagles defensive backfield could not cover the Cowboysâ two top receivers, and the coaching, play calling, defensive line, and offensive line all could have done better. â Everett S.
What bothers me most is the complacency after the early 21-0 lead, especially on offense. A good team will view this loss as a wake-up call and immediately right the ship.â James F.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, David Murphy, Mike Sielski, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gabriela Carroll, Lochlahn March, Sean McKeown, Ryan Mack, 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.
Thatâs it for me this week. Jim will be back in your inbox with Wednesdayâs newsletter. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. â Bella
Philadelphia stands to lose tens of millions of dollars for housing as President Donald Trumpâs administration changes the way aid goes to cities.
And two days before a West Philly apartment complex went up in flames in June, its owner, embattled city landlord Phil Pulley, transferred the vacant property to a New York investment firm. Read on for the latest in the suspected arson case.
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plan released earlier this month calls for cutting funds for permanent housing by two-thirds.
HUDâs new plan: The department will funnel most of the money for permanent housing into short-term housing programs with requirements for work and addiction treatment. HUD is also encouraging religious groups to apply for funding, and would limit funding to organizations that support âgender ideology extremism,â among other ideological preconditions.
Local impact: Philadelphia counts 2,330 units of permanent housing, many of them financed by $47 million the city received from HUD last year, according to city officials. Advocates say the lost funds could lead to a spike in homelessness by forcing people who were once homeless, but are now living in subsidized housing, back on the street.
Notable quote: âItâs a misguided approach that blames the victim and fails to address the lack of affordable housing,â one expert told The Inquirer, about the administrationâs move toward transitional housing and required treatment.
In other government funding news: Rape crisis centers are finally getting funding from Pennsylvaniaâs budget, but advocates say itâs not enough to support survivors. Plus, SEPTAâs Zero Fare program for low-income riders could end next year. Some elected officials are pushing to save it.
New details are emerging about a vacant apartment complex destroyed in June by a four-alarm fire, the circumstances of which are now being investigated by federal authorities.
Property records show the notorious landlord of the decaying Admiral Court apartments at 48th and Locust streets, Phil Pulley, had signed a deed transfer two days before the blaze.
This month, the new owner of the building â which records show is linked to investors in South Korea and Saudi Arabia â obtained a permit to demolish it.
West Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier on Friday blasted the deal: âThe new owner appears to be a shell corporation with little transparency,â she said, âand Iâm deeply concerned that demolishing Admiral Court will create new blight and safety hazards.â
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from obtaining the private medical records of youth who sought gender-affirming care at Childrenâs Hospital of Philadelphia.
Trump this weekend doubled down on his call for six Democratic members of Congress, including two from Pennsylvania, to be jailed over their video directed at U.S. troops. Both U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of Chester County and Chris Deluzio of Western Pennsylvania reported bomb threats at their district offices on Friday.
The mother of Steven Dreuitt Jr., the Mount Airy man who died in Januaryâs plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia, spoke about her son during a remembrance event on Saturday.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick introduced a bill Thursday to modernize pipelines and emergency responses in the wake of a leak of a Sunoco pipeline detected this year in Bucks County.
Councilmember Jeffery Youngâs latest plan for the Cecil B. Moore Library â to build a new library nearby and convert the aging building into another public space â was met with pushback from neighbors who want to see it renovated.
Bryn Mawr birth center Lifecycle Wellness is shutting down operations amid growing financial pressure, the nonprofit said Thursday.
Penn Museum on Saturday unveiled a new gallery showcasing the artistic, linguistic, spiritual, and revolutionary traditions of Native Americans across the country.
If you hoped to get a reservation at one of the cityâs newly honored restaurants ⌠well, good luck. The âMichelin effectâ is already at work, with a surge in bookings soon after the awards ceremony.
P.S. Hereâs why Fridayâs anagram was Plymouth Meeting: The Montgomery County mall is slated to be sold by owner PREIT to a Philly developer.
Photo of the day
Dorcas R. Tarbell, daughter of the inventor of the green bean casserole, turns on the blowers to inflate the Thanksgiving decoration in the front yard of her father’s home in Haddonfield.
Add another entry to the âWait, thatâs a Philly(ish) thing?â list: The green bean casserole turns 70 this year, and its creatorâs family is honoring the iconic Thanksgiving side dish with a six-foot inflatable green bean lawn decoration for their home in Haddonfield.
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 Ellen Pannell, who describes raising the next generation of Philadelphians:
I am a South Philly transplant who grew up near Valley Forge. During the â70s, my immigrant mom would drag our family to every historic event in the city. When deciding where to plant my roots after college, Philly already felt familiar from all those bicentennial and civic events visited as a kid.
My husband and I bought our home between Broad Street and the Italian Market in 1996 when most friends gasped, âBelow Washington?!â As transplants, we knew we had to get into good graces with the old Italian ladies on the block who would sit on their stoops in their house dresses and ask âSo, whaddaya making for dinner tonight?â (I think four were named Mary.) We learned the lingo (âgravyâ not âsauceâ), planted trees, picked up trash, called the cops when things got out of hand â we made a go of it!
Those ladies asked whether we planned to fill âthat big houseâ with kids, and with each pregnancy, they were the first to say âGah-bless!â
Each kid was born at Jefferson, sometimes after we walked to the emergency room or took the subway after a recent street-closing snowstorm. Jefferson always took care of us, with old-timer nurses giving advice (âDonât be a martyr for the pain, honey!â) to new, super-fit nurses aptly named Adrienne with a pep talk (âCâmon, you donât need another epidural, you got this!â) to a novice sent to give me my IV (âThe nurses said you wonât mind because youâre a proâ) to a room full of interns and residents there to be educated while Baby Four came into this world.
Fast forward through the child-rearing years of Moonstone Preschool, Palumbo Rec Center, Independence Charter, Central High, and eventually college, when I couldnât convince even one member of my South Philly brood to leave the city they called home. (Thank you Temple, Drexel, and CCP!)
And now I am almost an empty nester and the old lady on the block, minus the house dress. All four kids have started their own lives in the city they love too much to leave, and where I am so proud to say they are true âborn and raised South Philadelphians.â
Shout-out to the Marys among us. Have a good one.
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How did the Eagles collapse Sunday in Arlington, Texas? Let us count the ways âŚ
They coughed up a 21-point lead to the Dallas Cowboys. Their running game vanished. They fumbled the ball away twice in the fourth quarter. Dak Prescott passed for 354 yards against their defense. And they had 14 penalties, which tied the largest total in a single game since Nick Sirianni began coaching them.
So it was Cowboys 24, Eagles 21, thanks to Brandon Aubreyâs 42-yard field goal as time expired. A four-game Eagles winning streak ended with a thud.
This oneâs on Sirianni, Jeff McLane writes in his grades on the game. The coachâs conservatism finally cost the Eagles, who were sloppy with all those penalties. Thatâs on the coaching.
Tom Brady praised Jalen Hurts in Foxâs coverage of the game, but Hurts and the offense went nowhere in the second half.
âAll it is is a lack of focus,â left tackle Jordan Mailata said of the Birdsâ sorry effort. âFirst, look internally, because thatâs the only way we can move forward.â
Focus? Marcus Hayes wonders how the team could not do that when it could have virtually wrapped up the NFC East title with six weeks to go.
Now the Eagles will need to turn things around quickly with the 8-3 Chicago Bears heading to Lincoln Financial Field for a game on Black Friday.
New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese stops a shot on goal during the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Union.
New York City FC bounced the Union out of the MLS playoffs with a 1-0 victory Sunday night at Subaru Park. Matt Freese, a former backup goalkeeper for the Union from Wayne, did in his old team, making four saves. The Union earned the Supportersâ Shield as the team with the best record in MLS, but they were shut out at home for just the second time this season.
NYCFC advances to face Lionel Messiâs Inter Miami squad in the Eastern Conference final on Friday.
Menâs winner Melikhaya Frans, left, of South Africa and womenâs winner Anna Oeser, of Brookfield, Conn., cross the finish line at the Philadelphia Marathon.
On a brisk Sunday among 17,000 contestants, Melikhaya Frans of South Africa captured the 32nd annual Philadelphia Marathon title in 2 hours, 13 minutes, 57.74 seconds. A former Boston College runner, Anna Oeser of Brookfield, Conn., won the womenâs title.
Sixers guard Jared McCain looks for a way around Miami’s Dru Smith on Sunday.
The good news for the Sixers: Jared McCain had his best game of the season Sunday against the Miami Heat, finishing with 15 points. The bad news: Their big men could not contain 7-footer Kelâel Ware and 6-foot-9 Bam Adebayo in a 127-117 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The home team played without former MVP Joel Embiid for the seventh straight game, and rookie VJ Edgecombe sat out, too. Injuries continue to hamper the Sixers, who sank to 9-7.
Flyers goaltender Dan VladaĹ stops the puck in the second period against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
At the 20-game mark this season, the Flyers are 11-6-3 and sit in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Three of their four lines scored Saturday in a 6-3 rout of the New Jersey Devils. On defense, the pairing of Jamie Drysdale and Emil Andrae held the Devils scoreless when they were on the ice.
In goal, Dan VladaĹ has emerged as the teamâs clear No. 1, sporting a 2.42 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Jackie Spiegel has seven takeaways from an impressive win.
Sports snapshot
Villanovaâs Jaâbriel Mace scores a touchdown in a victory against against Sacred Heart on Saturday.
Big âNova win: The Wildcats move a step closer to the Big 5 final with an 88-58 womenâs basketball victory over Temple.
Phillies eyeing Japan: Theyâve been shut out from signing a Japanese player to a major league deal, but itâs not for a lack of trying.
On this date
Hall of Fame matchup: Wilt Chamberlain (right) of the Warriors and Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
Nov. 24, 1960: Wilt Chamberlain pulled down an NBA-record 55 rebounds for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 132-129 loss to the Boston Celtics.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Marcus Hayes, Gabriela Carroll, Owen Hewitt, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Scott Lauber, Katie Lewis, Greg Finberg, Dylan Johnson, 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.
Happy Monday as we head into a holiday week. Bella will bring you the newsletter on Tuesday. Thanks for reading. â Jim
The NICU has a noise problem. All those beeping machines and alarms can stress infants. In the short term, they struggle to eat or sleep. In the long term, theyâre at a higher risk for language delays.
But Penn graduates Gabby Daltoso and Sophie Ishiwari are working on a solution.
Theyâve developed a high-tech beanie that mimics the womb. It filters out high-frequency sounds and lets human voices at low frequencies in. The device also delivers audio messages recorded by parents for their babies.
For Pamela Collins, whose son spent months in HUPâs intensive care nursery, the beanie was a game changer. âI know my baby can listen more than he can see,â she said, âand Iâm excited to know heâs listening to our voices.â
SEPTAâs trolley tunnel has been shut down as crews complete repairs to the overhead catenary power system. The transit agency says the tunnel will remain closed through:
Cheers to Allyn Zygmund-Felt, who correctly guessed Saturdayâs answer: King of Prussia. Add some slime (the fun kind) to your holiday shopping experience this year.
Photo of the day
Jared Ward, 37, of Mapleton, Utah, picks up his bib before the Philadelphia Marathon. This is Ward’s third race in Philly. He is an Olympic runner and has been an ambassador for the races for a long time.
đ Thanks for reading! Julie will be back in your inbox tomorrow.
Good morning, and happy (almost) Thanksgiving week. The most trusted name in Philadelphia weather, my colleague Tony Wood, ruled out snow showers for the holiday week. He did note, however, that a taste of winter is coming.
Today, weâre reflecting on a seemingly common issue: As gobble-gobble time quickly approaches, many dinner guests start feeling pangs of anxiety about what they volunteered to bring to their sprawling feast, whatâs reality, and whether or not to pass off a store-bought item as homemade.
The final defendant in a sweeping corruption probe that uncovered a series of bribes being lavished upon an Amtrak manager during a renovation project at 30th Street Station was sentenced Friday to two months in prison.
Philadelphia can now write a law to offer developers a 20-year pass on property taxes if they convert large, underutilized properties into residences.
Two new studies on New Jerseyâs rising sea levels predict potentially serious environmental outcomes in the Garden State, from the flooding of numerous toxic sites to significant erosion.
The Flyers once inducted fans into a secret club if they got hit by a puck during a game. Being a member of âThe Loyal Order of the Unducked Puckâ meant so much to its members that some mention it in their obituaries.
Temple Universityâs marching band is one of only 11 that have been selected to participate in the Macyâs Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Itâs a first for Temple.
Every Saturday, weâll talk about something happening around Philly, or to Philadelphians, thatâs stuck in our minds. Today, itâs what to bring for Thanksgiving.
This year, Iâm on pie duty. The only problem? I have never baked a pie in my entire life. Why did I volunteer for this? Your guess is as good as mine. The silver lining in all this is Iâve learned that pie crusts can be purchased separately, and some fillings come right out of a can. This is proof that sometimes America can get it right.
In this vein, three of my stellar colleagues â editors Sam Ruland, Margaret Eby, and Evan Weiss â debated in this weekâs advice chat about whether or not itâs rude to bring a store-bought Thanksgiving dish when everyone else (seemingly) cooked their dishes from scratch.
And weâre all in agreement: Of course not. As only Ruland can say it: âI think it comes down to how much you like these people.â
And as a bonus, if of course youâve decided to go the passing-it-off-as-your-own route, our colleagues in the food department compiled a handy list of the best places to buy pie in the region.
One viewpoint
Sports gambling
Senior editorial writer Paul Davies wrote that he wasnât shocked by the latest investigation into sports gambling, âsince the heedless race into legalized sports gambling is ruining the games â and some lives â all in the name of money.â
Davies says this was not the first investigation, and it wonât be the last.
Read his dissection of the state of sports gambling, and why he feels that betting on sports has become so pervasive that the integrity of the games can no longer be trusted.
đ§ Trivia time
This comedian with Philly ties mocked President Donald Trump on a recent podcast episode for hurling a âpiggyâ insult at a former Philadelphia Daily News reporter.
Cheers to Kathy Paulmier who correctly guessed Fridayâs answer: Plymouth Meeting.
We were there
The old waiting room at 30th Street Station.
The old waiting room at 30th Street Station, the one that most people only pass through on their way to the restrooms, has been spiffed up with benches â and a Christmas tree, writes staff photographer Tom Gralish.
âThe tree was added this year in front of the 30-foot frieze, The Spirit of Transportation, while the lobby of Amtrakâs $550 million station restoration is underway,â he added. âThe 1895 relief sculpture by Karl Bitter was originally hung in the Broad Street Station by City Hall, but was moved in 1933. It depicts travel from ancient to modern and even futuristic times.â
More of Gralishâs visual exploration of our region can be seen in his blog at Inquirer.com/sceneontheroad.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
If you see chickens huddling together during a rainstorm, do not be alarmed. Theyâre just like us. (P.S. Itâs turkey week, my friends, so letâs give those cluckers a break.)
đ My colleague Erin Reynolds will take over newsletter duties tomorrow. If I donât see ya, have a happy Thanksgiving.
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.
Teens from juvenile diversion program MileUp will be among the thousands of athletes participating in this weekendâs races. Theyâre running for more than accolades.
And President Donald Trump accused six Democrats in Congress, all of whom are either veterans or members of the intelligence community, of sedition âpunishable by death.â We spoke to the two Pennsylvania lawmakers who were targeted.
A group of teenagers will take the final steps toward getting their criminal records expunged by running the 13.1 miles of the Philadelphia Half Marathon this Saturday.
đ˝ Theyâre students of MileUp, a juvenile diversion program that gives young people who are charged with certain offenses, such as auto theft and vandalism, the chance to clear their records.
đ˝ Mentors help them practice accountability and responsibility while developing distance running. For the fall cohort, the Philly Half follows their completion of a 5K and the All-City 10 Miler.
đ˝ Data from the District Attorneyâs Office show the program is keeping teens out of the criminal justice system. Participants say theyâre grateful for the opportunity to start fresh as they approach adulthood: âEveryone deserves a second chance,â one 16-year-old told The Inquirer.
đ¤ Iâm passing the mic to politics reporters Aliya Schneider and Julia Terruso.
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan was in her Washington office when she saw attacks directed at her and other military veteran members of Congress from President Donald Trump, days after they urged members of the military and intelligence community to ârefuse illegal orders.â
Trump called the Democrats âtraitorsâ in a Thursday post on Truth Social and, in a second post, accused them of sedition that he said is âpunishable by DEATH.â
Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat and an Air Force veteran, was one of six Democratic members of Congress who released a video Tuesday contending that Trumpâs administration is âpittingâ service members and intelligence professionalsagainst American citizens and urging them not to âgive up the ship.â
âThe idea that the most powerful man on the planet, who wields the power of the United States military and should be emblematic of all the things we value in this republic, would call for the death and murder of six duly elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate â Iâm speechless and Iâm devastated,” Houlahan told The Inquirer on Thursday afternoon. â Aliya Schneider and Julia Terruso
In other federal government news: The Trump administration said it wants to âcompletely deconstructâ the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Hereâs whatâs actually happening. Plus, the U.S. Department of Energy will loan $1 billion to help finance the reopening of Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant near Harrisburg.
What you should know today
A woman was killed in a hit-and-run early Thursday in University City. State officials have identified the person killed in a South Jersey crash after another man allegedly fled from police last week. And an East Germantown man on Wednesday admitted he struck and killed a wheelchair-bound woman with his car in Lower Merion last year, then fled the scene without helping her or calling police.
An Ocean City woman who worked for U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew falsely reported a violent political attack when sheâd actually paid an artist to cut her, federal authorities said.
A Pennsylvania Senate vote Wednesday means the CROWN Act is closer to protecting workers from being fired for wearing Afros, braids, or locs.
Philadelphia-based independent contractors and others who are self-employed could soon become exempt from paying certain business taxes, per new City Council legislation. Plus, a councilmember wants to make it easier for restaurants to get approved for outdoor dining.
This week, we have an explainer on the lunar module thatâs been on display outside the Franklin Institute for nearly half a century. The engineering prototype served to test how parts and pieces would fit together in preparation for the real Apollo 11 lunar module that took Neil Armstrong to the moon.
But now, itâs headed back to the Smithsonianâs National Air and Space Museum in D.C. Hereâs the full story.
A small dog pokes into view in a carâs driver-side rearview mirror during a traffic jam during a rainy day in Center City.
Itâs time to put the week in the rearview and look forward to the weekend. Have a good one.
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