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  • We asked attendees at Mikie Sherrill’s inaugural ball four questions about her. Here’s what they said.

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    We asked attendees at Mikie Sherrill’s inaugural ball four questions about her.

    Here’s what they said.

    Mikie Sherrill held an unconventional inaugural ball inside the American Dream mall on Tuesday.
    Mikie Sherrill held an unconventional inaugural ball inside the American Dream mall on Tuesday.Aliya Schneider / Staff

    Mikie Sherrill’s inaugural ball was unconventional, but it was very Jersey.

    She held it at the American Dream mega-mall in East Rutherford, amid open-for-business stores, an indoor ski resort, roller coasters, a water park, restaurants, and children’s attractions.

    Sherrill’s party was held where there’s usually an ice skating rink — “Across from Nickelodeon," one event worker provided as instructions.

    Guests in tuxedos and ball gowns roamed past pretzel shops, toy stores, and life-size versions of children’s characters – and even through a candy shop – while searching for the entry.

    Once they found the coat check, attendees were greeted by dancers sporting military-themed costumes with high heels in one of many nods to Sherrill’s experience as a Navy helicopter pilot.

    story continues after advertisement

    Sherrill joined New Jersey hip-hop group Naughty by Nature on stage, a Bollywood group performed, and hits from Lizzo and Earth, Wind & Fire, blasted. On their way out, partygoers could pick up “Taylor hams” or “pork rolls” from workers wearing “flight crew” T-shirts.

    “May you always be able to have a great future for your kids and your family and get maybe a week at the Shore every year,” Sherrill said in a toast in front of the crowd.

    Over the course of the night, about 2,500 people poured out of the dance floor and mingled in front of storefronts and a cell phone case booth. The Inquirer was there to talk with the new governor’s supporters. Here’s some of what they said.

    What are you looking forward to in Sherrill’s administration?

    John Currie
    Passaic County Democratic Party chair

    I'm looking for her to continue some of the things that Gov. Murphy has done.

    John Walsh
    Influencer

    I'm looking forward to seeing how she differs herself from Phil Murphy in a positive way. I don't think Phil did a bad job, but I'd like to see a lot of things change.

    story continues after advertisement

    Catie McNulty
    Special education teacher in Point Pleasant

    I'm looking forward to Mikie moving our state in a direction that supports affordable housing for everybody. I work closely with groups with developmental disabilities, so focusing on improving Medicaid and ensuring that our members and our adults with developmental disabilities don't lose out on services due to cuts at the federal level.

    Robert Speer
    President, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 827

    I'm hoping that she will work with unions to bring good paying jobs to the state of New Jersey and contracts to the people in those union jobs. …. She, I believe, will represent the middle class very well, and I'm hoping she will.

    Maritza Walton
    Business owner in Bloomfield

    I'm looking forward to her improving expenses for business owners, especially our utilities, and the different fees that business owners have to pay, especially small-business owners.

    What is an obstacle she might face?

    Amber Reed
    Co-Executive director of AAPI New Jersey

    New Jersey did not become more transparent or accountable after Murphy and change comes really slowly here. Even though she says she's committed to making government more transparent and accountable to the people, I can see her running against some entrenched culture around that in New Jersey.

    Tara Buss
    Mayor of Colts Neck

    She is dealing with a variety of counties with a variety of needs. So I think she'll struggle with different counties and their different needs. We may have different needs in Colts Neck, New Jersey, than she may have in towns that she's from. So I think that's going to be a challenge.

    Rhina Cavarez
    Worked on Ras Baraka and Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaigns

    She must face our own citizens … 1.4 million people voted for Jack. That means 1.4 million believe that Trump is doing the right thing, which is going to be a problem for the rest of us.

    Falguni Pandya
    New Jersey-India commissioner and AAPI commissioner

    We do have high real estate taxes, some affordability issues, so I think she has to get the financial house in order first.

    Kris Ramanathan
    Entrepreneur

    I think the obstacle she's going to face is the budget issue. I think it's going to be challenging, because there are so many things that we need in New Jersey, and with the Republicans not doing anything with the federal government, basically abdicating on any of their responsibilities, I think it's going to be a huge obstacle for her to find the money to do all the things that I know she wants to do.

    What is something you know about Sherrill?

    Kathy Bryant
    Clinical data manager

    I do know she's a humble person. I met her coming from the Democratic convention. We were on the same plane, and we just spoke casually, and she's very easy to speak to. … You could have a conversation with her, and she was really listening to you. So it was nice to be able to say, ‘Oh, you might be our future governor.’

    John Walsh
    Influencer

    Her name is not Mikie. It's Rebecca, and a lot of people don't know that. And I have to out her on that. I told a couple people that today, and they had no idea … when she swore her name and gave the oath, I was like, I'm surprised she didn't say Rebecca.

    Catie McNulty
    Special education teacher in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

    She's an outstanding bartender at D’Jais in Belmar, New Jersey.

    Amber Reed
    Co-Executive director of AAPI New Jersey

    We know her as a very caring mom in our community, as well as an elected leader. She was one of the first electeds who showed up for us as Asian Americans during the pandemic when we were experiencing anti Asian hate, and she brought a lot of real human empathy to that moment.

    Thomas Duch
    Bergen County administrator and counsel

    I just know that she was a very diligent congresswoman. I know that her office was known for constituent service, for constituent response. The state of New Jersey is not really known for constituent response. … so if she brings that mentality, that kind of a service mentality, to state government, by way of example, I think that it will be contagious, and it will help, and we will improve our customer service.

    What is something you want to know about Sherrill?

    Rhina Cavarez
    Worked on Ras Baraka and Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaigns

    Are you running for president in 2028?

    John Walsh
    Influencer

    When she did Colbert and she (said she) gave birth in a taxi, that was shocking to me. And I did a lot of TikToks, I met her, and I was like, why did that not come out during the campaign? So I'm sure there's more minute stories like that that are waiting and I'm looking forward to hearing about them.

    Pulkit Desai
    Parsippany mayor

    What kind of music she likes. What does she do to decompress?

    Kris Ramanathan
    Entrepreneur

    How many G's she can handle in a helicopter, what pressure she's gotten to.

    Kathy Bryant
    Clinical data manager

    I just want to see how she's going to move forward with ICE. Are we going to maintain [New Jersey’s] sanctuary state [policy]? Are we going to prohibit them from coming into our churches, into our schools? Are we going to continue to be our brother's keepers, which I believe she will be.

    Falguni Pandya
    New Jersey-India commissioner and AAPI commissioner

    How she does it all, like what makes her so effective and so productive and so successful. If we were to look at her as a role model, what would she teach young people coming into politics, young people wanting to be in it, or not even young necessarily, but people who are actually wanting to follow her footsteps.

    Staff Contributors

    • Reporting, Photography, and Digital Editing: Aliya Schneider
    • Editing: Julie Busby, Ariella Cohen

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  • A former St. Joe’s walk-on won $1 million picking NFL games while ‘changing diapers’

    A former St. Joe’s walk-on won $1 million picking NFL games while ‘changing diapers’

    Chris Coyne had a chance to win $1 million earlier this month, but that wasn’t enough to get him out of reading his son a bedtime story.

    His friends were coming over the next afternoon to watch the final slate of NFL games as Coyne neared the prize. So his wife said it was his night to make sure one of their two children was sleeping.

    And there was Coyne — a cell phone on his lap so he could follow the Buccaneers-Panthers game on Jan. 3 — reading The Pout-Pout Fish to 2-year-old Charlie.

    “I know it by heart now, so I’m just reading it from memory and watching the phone on mute while I’m telling the story,” said Coyne, who also has an infant son named Harrison. “But I have a million dollars on the line. The Bucs missed a field goal, and I’m like, ‘Ahh.’ I had to grit it.”

    It was the start of an emotional roller coaster of a weekend that ended with Coyne, a 34-year-old former walk-on for Phil Martelli at St. Joseph’s, winning the $1 million grand prize in a season-long NFL pick ’em contest run by a Las Vegas casino with 6,000 participants.

    He lost a game in September when the Eagles returned a blocked field goal against the Rams, picked up a win in December when the Raiders kicked a meaningless field goal to lose by 7 points instead of 10, and then pouted through that bedtime story as the Buccaneers faded.

    It was a season-long marathon. But it ended with Coyne, who lives in Brooklyn, flying to Las Vegas during the NFL’s wild-card weekend to claim his oversized check and custom blue jacket at the Circa Resort & Casino as the winner of the Circa Million VII.

    “I wasn’t as dedicated to it as many others are,” said Coyne, who was at the playground with his kids when he checked his phone to see how Jordan Davis’ sprint spoiled that game against the Rams on Sept. 21.

    “I joke that there were no models, no Excel spreadsheets. It’s just me changing diapers and making picks.”

    A team photo of the 2012-13 St. Joe’s team with Chris Coyne (first row, third from the left).

    Walk-on Hawk

    Coyne was cut from the St. Joe’s basketball team as a freshman and sophomore but was certain that his junior year in 2011-12 would be different.

    He could have played Division II hoops but came to Philly because his Manhattan high school followed the Jesuit educational model just like St. Joe’s. Coyne played JV ball as a freshman and sophomore for the Hawks and practiced with Martelli’s crew in the offseason.

    He rode his bike home from the gym the night before tryouts and thought it was finally his chance to make the team. Then Coyne hit a curb and flew over his handlebars. His palms were gushing blood and his wrists were banged up.

    “I had no skin on my hands,” Coyne said. “There it goes. There goes the dream.”

    Coyne arrived early to the tryout, hoping that the Hawks athletic trainer could do something. The trainer wrapped Coyne’s hands and sent him on the court.

    “I pretty much looked like a boxer,” he said.

    It worked as Coyne — shooting like coaches always stressed with his fingers and not his palms — seemed to knock down everything. Maybe he should always play like a prizefighter, he thought.

    Martelli called to tell him that his third try was a success: Coyne was a walk-on.

    Chris Coyne played for coach Phil Martelli alongside star Langston Galloway (10) during his time with St. Joe’s.

    “It was my dad’s birthday and I called him to tell him,” Coyne said. “He was the one who pushed me to see this through and not just play at the D-III level. He said, ‘This is your dream. Whether you get one minute in a game or 30 minutes, go see this through.’ I couldn’t thank him enough.”

    He played two years for Martelli, who told the bench players on the “Pinnie Squad” to give it their all in practice against the starters. The reserves were a bunch of guys like Coyne, who could have played elsewhere but stayed on Hawk Hill with Martelli.

    So the future $1 million NFL picker battled every day against Langston Galloway, the future NBA player. Martelli assigned his players to read articles about leadership and teamwork and preached the value of family. It was always more than basketball.

    “I never felt like I was just sitting on the sidelines getting guys water,” Coyne said. “You were in the mix every day, which was really cool.”

    Coyne played just 12 minutes over eight games during those two seasons. But he did knock down a three-pointer at the Palestra, entering the game late against Penn on ESPN for his first NCAA basket.

    “It’s funny looking back and thinking, ‘Why would you ever be nervous?’” Coyne said. “But you’re just sitting there, you’re cold, there’s 15,000 people in the stands, and he’s going to call your name but you don’t know when it’s coming or if it’s coming. You’re just thrown out there.

    “My parents were there and it was a dream come true. It was years of seeing your dream not play out the way you wanted to and then have that opportunity.”

    Chris Coyne making the first and only three-pointer of his St. Joe’s career in 2013 against Penn at the Palestra.

    Winning it all

    Coyne entered his first football contest in 2019 after his friend Brian Hopkins signed him up during a trip to Vegas. He split that entry with Hopkins, and they met each week at a Manhattan bar after work, scribbling down the five games they liked on napkins.

    The pool has a $1,000 buy-in and requires each entrant to pick five games every week against the point spread. A proxy then places the bets for them in Vegas, as more than half the players live outside Nevada.

    Coyne and Hopkins decided to each enter the next season, and they developed their own strategies. Coyne stays away from Thursday night games as he would have to pick all five games by then instead of waiting until Saturday afternoon. The lines for every game lock on Thursday morning, which sometimes means a line could move before Coyne sends in his picks.

    He didn’t watch a full NFL game until the middle of October because he was usually busy on Sundays with his kids. He read articles during the week and listened to podcasts. Picking games, Coyne learned, is less about breaking down game tape and more similar to the sales job he has on Wall Street.

    “You’re aware of trends,” Coyne said. “When the public A.K.A. retail is buying a lot of stock, that’s never a good sign. Maybe in the short term it works out, but over the long term, you try to find those overreactions in the market where the public really likes a team. Especially if the public loves a team and the line is going against the public.

    “That’s the biggest telltale sign right there. You have to have a process and you have to know what you’re doing, but so much of it is you have to get the breaks sometimes. The breaks went my ways sometimes.”

    That bedtime story would have been a bit less stressful had the Bills converted their two-point try a week earlier against the Eagles, as Coyne would have entered the final weekend with a three-game lead.

    Josh Allen and the Bills’ inability to execute a two-point conversion against the Eagles on Dec. 28 made Coyne’s road to the $1 million a little more stressful.

    Coyne was in Berwyn for that game visiting the family of his wife, Maddy, which was rooting for the Birds despite knowing Coyne was in the hunt for big money.

    “I’m devastated and I’m like, ‘Can’t you for one week just be on my side?” he said “But Eagles trump all in that household.”

    He instead had to sweat it out. He won Saturday night with the 49ers after the Buccaneers lost and then won Sunday with the Giants but lost with the Titans and Dolphins. Coyne said he tends to pick bad teams since he’s often going against the popular choices.

    The Steelers won on Sunday night, pushing the second-place entry even with Coyne. He thought they would then split the first and second prizes ($750,000 each) and went to bed disappointed.

    “It was a long couple of weeks and I was football fatigued,” Coyne said. “I’m all [ticked] off. But I couldn’t complain. It was still $750,000 and it was a great season, but I didn’t know if I was getting the blue jacket. That’s what I really wanted. It’s like the Masters green.”

    Coyne woke up at 5 a.m., checked his phone, and saw he finished in first place on a tiebreaker, because he had more winning weeks than the other entry. The $1 million prize was his. The blue jacket was, too.

    Chris Coyne (second from the left) with his friends in Vegas on Jan. 9 after he won the $1 million prize.

    Coyne flew to Vegas that weekend with his friends, received his prize, spent 30 hours at the resort, and didn’t take his blue jacket off until he got home.

    It was perfect, like a walk-on hitting a three-pointer at the Palestra with his parents in the crowd.

    “I spent all of November and December saying, ‘How am I going to screw this up?’” said Coyne, who finished 60-29-1 over 18 weeks. “But somehow I came out on top. It was the weekend of a lifetime.”

  • Know your news? Test your skills with our News Quiz.

    Know your news? Test your skills with our News Quiz.

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    News Quiz

    Think you know your news? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome back to our weekly News Quiz — a quick way to see if your reading habits are sinking in and to put your local news knowledge to the test.

    Question 1 of 10

    Just in time for what figures to be a monumental year for local tourism, Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Hotel at the Comcast Center has introduced a new luxury floor dedicated to what it calls personalized, “residential-style” living. About how much will a night in the penthouse suite cost you?


    Question 2 of 10

    According to a new law signed by former Gov. Phil Murphy, some New Jersey elementary school students will be required to learn this skill:

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    Question 3 of 10

    Tyrese Maxey is getting his first signature shoe. Which brand is behind the partnership?


    Question 4 of 10

    At 18, South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito is heading to the Olympics. What activity does she do on the side and plan to do in Milan to calm her nerves?


    Question 5 of 10

    Nearly all the stars of this new Netflix series have Philly roots:

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    Question 6 of 10

    A fictional copy of The Philadelphia Inquirer was featured on this week’s episode of Abbott Elementary with a photo of the Abbott crew. What is the headline accompanying the article?


    Question 7 of 10

    The American ___ Tournament is moving from Connecticut to Philadelphia next year.


    Question 8 of 10

    Charlotte Astor, a junior at Cherry Hill High School East, is on the hunt for her mom’s 30-year-old demo tape. What was her mom’s band called?


    Question 9 of 10

    The former KYW radio building on Walnut Street sold for about $5 million — a steep discount from the $19 million it sold for in 2019. Which Beatle once worked there?


    Question 10 of 10

    A Philly-area university professor is competing in the Jeopardy! tournament of champions. To celebrate, a local business named this menu item after him:


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    Staff Contributors

    • Reporting: Emily Bloch
    • Editing: Molly Eichel, Emily Babay, and Kim Lyons

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  • ‘He reached his limit.’ Immigrant father of 5-year-old with brain cancer accepts deportation to Bolivia after months in ICE detention.

    ‘He reached his limit.’ Immigrant father of 5-year-old with brain cancer accepts deportation to Bolivia after months in ICE detention.

    In the end, the pressure on the family simply became too great.

    Johny Merida Aguilara, the detained immigrant father of a 5-year-old son with brain cancer, has decided to drop efforts to stay in the United States and accept deportation to Bolivia.

    His wife and three American-citizen children will also leave the country, though they are not required to do so, departing their Northeast Philadelphia home to reunite with their husband and father in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba.

    The decision to go comes as Merida Aguilara, 48, approaches his fifth month in immigration detention ― with no end in sight. The family’s forced separation has been emotionally devastating, friends and supporters said. And with Merida Aguilara in custody and unable to work, the financial situation for his wife and children was growing desperate.

    Merida Aguilara had been a main caregiver for his son, Jair, who has been treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and whose future is now deeply uncertain. Quality healthcare can be lacking in Bolivia, where the U.S. State Department warns that “hospitals cannot handle serious conditions.”

    Jair has autism and a severe eating disorder, surviving on PediaSure nutrition drink delivered through a plastic syringe. He generally would accept food only from his father, and Merida Aguilara would leave work during the day to feed his son.

    The father was arrested by ICE for an immigration violation during a September traffic stop on Roosevelt Boulevard near Hunting Park Avenue, having lived in the United States without official permission for nearly 20 years.

    “I am tired,” Gimena Morales Antezana, his wife, said in an interview with The Inquirer. “We have been trying to survive, but it is difficult with the children because they miss their dad so much.”

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not reply to a request for comment on Thursday.

    The family has received strong community support, Morales Antezana said, but that could not continue indefinitely, and at this point she can no longer afford rent, water, or heat,

    Son Matias, 7, cries himself to sleep most nights, calling out for his father to come home. His sadness deepened after Christmas, turning into anger when Morales Antezana finally revealed that his father was not away on an extended work trip, but was being held by immigration authorities at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an ICE facility in central Pennsylvania.

    Gimena Morales Antezana and Johny Merida Aguilar’s wedding photos hang on the wall at their home in Northeast Philadelphia.

    Daughter Melany, 13, now feels unsafe in the U.S., her mother said. Teenage insecurities have bloomed into a persistent sense of danger, and she told her mom that leaving might be the only way to feel comfortable again.

    Jair cries inconsolably every time he sees or hears his father on the phone, asking why his dad can’t be home, Morales Antezana said.

    All three children were born in this country and are U.S. citizens by law.

    Some good news came this month. Doctors told Morales Antezana that Jair’s brain tumor had not grown, allowing time to try to find care in Bolivia.

    “This is going to be a constant struggle every day until God decides,” Morales Antezana said. “It’s scary to think that if something happens we don’t have a hospital to take him to, but knowing his dad will be there makes it a little lighter to bear.”

    Morales Antezana, 49, had to stop working in 2020 to handle the nearly full-time demands of Jair’s health, taking him to see specialists and undergo treatments while also caring for Melany and Matias.

    Jair Merida, 5, posed for a portrait at home in October. His father, Johny Merida Aguilar, was stopped and arrested by ICE in September.

    She has not been ordered deported while she has pursued legal means to stay in the country. Mother and children plan to voluntarily depart this month, while the precise timing of Merida Aguilara’s deportation is uncertain.

    “He couldn’t do it anymore; he reached his limit,” said Philadelphia immigration attorney John Vandenberg, who represents the family. “It’s a tough environment in the jail.”

    Vandenberg won relief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which issued a Sept. 30 order to temporarily block Merida Aguilar’s deportation. The lawyer also applied on Morales Antezana’s behalf for a T visa, which can bestow a path to citizenship on victims of human trafficking and their families.

    But time has gone on with no sign from the government as to when that visa application might be considered.

    Merida Aguilar and his wife were given permission to legally work in the U.S. under her 2024 claim for asylum, which could enable both to live here permanently if granted. The Trump administration, however, has made it increasingly difficult for people to succeed on those claims.

    Vandenberg said Merida Aguilar has no criminal record in the U.S., and Bolivian authorities provided documentation showing he had committed no offenses in that country.

    His efforts to remain in the U.S. have been complicated by a previous deportation, when he tried to enter the U.S. east of San Diego in 2008. Immigration officials sent him to Mexico, but Merida Aguilar secretly crossed back into the U.S. almost immediately.

    Now he and his wife want their children to be in Bolivia in time for the new school year, which starts in February.

    “I want to make sure our kids can study,” Morales Antezana said, “so they can decide who they want to be in the future, and come back [to the U.S.] as professionals with a different story than us.”

    Her parents, and a son from a previous relationship, are eager to see them in Bolivia.

    She said she is looking forward to what many people might take for granted ― hugging her partner, watching him play with their children, enjoying a meal as a family. That helps ease the pain of saying goodbye to a city she sees as home and to the friends who tried to help.

    “They kept me strong and helped me not get more depressed,” Morales Antezana said. “I’m going to miss everything about Philadelphia. It hurts a lot to have to leave because there are good people here.”

  • ⚾ Hot stove heats up | Sports Daily Newsletter

    ⚾ Hot stove heats up | Sports Daily Newsletter

    As a nasty winter storm bears down on us, it’s a good time to start the newsletter with warm thoughts about baseball.

    Could the Mets actually give the Phillies a run for their money in the NL East this season? In the last week or so, they have gotten a little closer.

    First they swiped Bo Bichette in a free-agent signing that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski called “a gut punch.” Then the New Yorkers traded for Gold Glove center fielder Luis Robert. Then they dealt for front-line pitcher Freddy Peralta, a noted Phillie killer.

    What in the name of Flushing is going on around here? David Murphy takes it all in and provides his analysis: “Offseasons are pretty much the only the thing Mets have won in the 40 years since the ’86 Amazin’s did their thing. They are going to need a lot of things to break right for that to change this year.” Read more of Murphy’s take here.

    Still … In Peralta and second-year righty Nolan McLean, the Mets will have a powerful 1-2 punch, and if Sean Manaea can bounce back, their starters could be formidable. At the very least, the flurry of Mets moves has given fans something to talk about around the hot stove … and we’ll need that stove in the next few days.

    — Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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

    Philly ties

    Rams linebacker Omar Speights hits Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on Sept. 21.

    The Eagles will be spectators Sunday when the NFC and AFC championship games are played, but there will be more than a few Philadelphia connections to the action. The pride of Penn Charter, Mike McGlinchey, is the anchor of the Broncos’ line. Imhotep Charter’s Omar Speights is a top tackler for the Rams. And ex-Eagles DT Milton Williams is lining up for the Patriots. Olivia Reiner gives us the rundown of familiar faces one step from the Super Bowl.

    Assistant coach Christian Parker is set to become an ex-Eagle himself, as reports have him heading to the Cowboys to become their defensive coordinator.

    Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a finalist for NFL assistant coach of the year honors.

    Working overtime

    Sixers center Joel Embiid drives on Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. during the second quarter Thursday.

    Joel Embiid delivered a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Sixers fought past the Houston Rockets, 128-122, in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tyrese Maxey made only 2 of 10 three-point shots but led the Sixers with 36 points. Gina Mizell has a closer look at the action.

    Let’s make a deal?

    St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (left) is one of the NHL’s top playmakers and tallied at least 80 points in each of the last two seasons.

    The Flyers’ ongoing search for a No. 1 center is no state secret at this point. But do they potentially have a new lead?

    With reports that St. Louis pivot Robert Thomas could be available, the Flyers might finally have a path to filling the organization’s biggest hole. Gustav Elvin believes the Flyers should do whatever it takes to land Thomas, whom he calls one of the league’s top playmakers and a bona fide top-20 center.

    The Flyers’ need for centers has been apparent in recent weeks as the team has dropped seven of eight games and fallen below the playoff cut line. But blowing a 3-0 lead and squandering a point on Wednesday in Utah represented a new low, writes Jackie Spiegel.

    Back to grassroots hockey

    Frank Seravalli added Germantown Academy boys’ hockey coaching duties to an already busy portfolio.

    A former Flyers beat writer for the Daily News, Frank Seravalli has become known as an NHL insider who is now building a hockey network at the streaming service Victory+. These days, he is also known as the hockey coach at Germantown Academy, a job that takes up even more of his precious time. A family tragedy was a major part of Seravalli’s inspiration to coach the Patriots. Alex Coffey tells the story.

    Sports snapshot

    Fans at the Finneran Pavilion honored the life and legacy of coach George Raveling at the Villanova-Georgetown game.

    What you’re saying about the Sixers

    We asked: Thoughts on the Sixers so far this season? Among your responses:

    Why would any Philadelphia sports fan, specifically a basketball fan, get fired up over our 76ers? By giving Joel Embiid and Paul George max contracts, the GM has essentially made this team irrelevant in the NBA for thee years. These two “Superstars” don’t play enough to make an impact yet account for almost a half BILLION dollars in salary over the life of their contracts. This franchise is handcuffed for the foreseeable future with two untradeable players who miss more games than they play while making it nearly impossible to add salary/free agents. For this franchise, the new reality is not championships, it’s relevancy. — Tom D.

    No one cares. George and Embid will be out of the playoffs with “pain management.” Please move back to Syracuse. — Bill M.

    An aging Embiid is transitioning into the complementary center he needs to become to help the young Sixers mesh and morph. They will become a quick guard-oriented offense, with the best total guard talent in the NBA.That set of guards includes Maxey, Edgecombe, McCain, Grimes, Edwards, Gordon and Lowry to mentor all of them. But there is no reason for Embiid to be hoisting 3-point shots, which he does at an awful 26% rate this year. — John W.

    Encouraging! After last year’s disastrous season, Tyrese and VJ have stepped up to lead the team. Finishing in the top 6 in the conference would be a very successful season. — Bob C.

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Lochlahn March, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Alex Coffey, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Matt Breen, and Owen Hewitt.

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

    Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter, when it looks like we’ll be digging out from a doozy of a storm. — Jim

  • Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. is showing why he should be a keeper at the NBA trade deadline

    Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. is showing why he should be a keeper at the NBA trade deadline

    Kelly Oubre Jr. looks like someone the 76ers might want to hang onto.

    Oubre always said it was just a matter of getting back into basketball shape. And based on his recent performances, the 6-foot-8 small forward is now well-conditioned.

    He had 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting — including 4 of 5 from three-point range — to go with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Draining three-pointers and providing his trademark high energy, the 30-year-old looked like he deserved to remain in the starting lineup. More than that, Oubre looked like a key piece the Sixers need to retain beyond the trade deadline.

    He’s an asset to the Sixers because he can play shooting guard, small forward, and small-ball power forward. However, his name keeps coming up as someone the Sixers could possibly move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline because his expiring $8.3 million contract would help them gain salary cap relief and avoid the luxury tax. The squad is currently more than $7 million over the luxury-tax threshold.

    The Sixers could also get salary cap relief by moving the expiring contracts of Andre Drummond ($5.0 million) and Eric Gordon ($3.6 million with a dead cap hit of $2.2 million). Letting Drummond and Gordon go would be viewed as a softer blow than trading Oubre.

    Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr., blocks Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason’s first quarter three-point shot attempt on Thursday night.

    Oubre’s value stretches all over the floor. He had a sequence in the second half where he knocked the ball out of bounds twice while providing solid defense on Houston’s 6-foot-11 center Alperen Şengün. Those plays not only motivated his teammates but also electrified the sellout crowd of 19,746.

    “Obviously, that’s a huge center posting you up, you have to do something to disrupt the rhythm of that and not make it easy,” Oubre said. “And I think that over there they thought it was going to be an easy post up, post me up, whatever. I just tried to be disruptive.

    “Obviously, it sucks [for the Rockets] because they were all looking depleted every time they tried to throw it in, and it wasn’t complete. But it was just about me trying my best to stop him from getting the momentum to go score, because once he gets me under the basket. I’m done, right?”

    Kelly Oubre Jr. has had a quality season when healthy but continues to be the subject of trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.

    Oubre recently scored 21 points on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns and 18 points on Monday against the Indiana Pacers, rounding out his three best games since missing 22 games with a sprained left knee ligament. After making 4 of 5 three-pointers on Thursday, he’s shooting 11-for-18 from deep in his last three games.

    “You just put the work in, man, and you have to trust it,” Oubre said of his shot. “That’s all it is. It’s just being confident in those positions and having faith that your shot will go in and you follow the right discipline.”

    Oubre started his third consecutive game, and was in the opening group for the fourth time in the nine games since his return. The first three starts came as Paul George was sidelined due to left knee injury management. But on this night, Oubre started alongside George, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey.

    Nick Nurse said starting Oubre over Dominick Barlow was based on performance.

    “I think Barlow has played outstanding and played outstanding again tonight,” Nurse said. “But Kelly obviously has been a pretty big spark plug, getting to the rim and just guarding. Just guarding really good, tough matchup every night as well. So I went that way. He’s pretty experienced as well.”

    Maxey led the Sixers with 36 points, 10 assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, Embiid added 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and two blocks for his ninth career triple-double. Oubre has mastered playing off the two standouts by slashing to the basket and hitting opportunistic shots.

    For Oubre, it’s more than just getting the ball — it’s about moving bodies around.

    “I’ve always been a slasher,” he said. “Having a guy who creates as much energy around him as Joel, if my man goes to double or somebody is not looking or they’re not worried about the weak side, then that’s just a free lane to just cut into the paint and potentially give him an easy assist, or free somebody else up for a jumper.”

  • Chill Moody’s newest venture is a book about a little girl with magical golf clubs

    Chill Moody’s newest venture is a book about a little girl with magical golf clubs

    Chill Moody didn’t plan on writing a children’s book.

    A story about a young athlete was bubbling in his head. And the West Philly-born rapper and serial entrepreneur wanted to turn it into a screenplay, mirroring the upbeat, have-faith vibe of fellow rapper Bow Wow’s 2002 film, Like Mike.

    “Instead of basketball [in Like Mike], I wanted the story to be about golf,” said Moody, whose real first name is Eric.

    “And instead of a little boy, I wanted my main character to be a little girl.”

    But movies take forever to become a reality. Moody, always ready to churn out his next nice thing, wanted to get this fictional little girl, who rocks a red golf tee and wields golf clubs passed down from the ancestors, into the world quickly.

    So Moody, and his coauthor and cousin, Danielle Kellogg, decided a children’s book would be their best bet. This way, Moody could share his message of inspiration directly with his target audience. His character would come alive with every page turn; and a skilled rapper, Moody could write a story that rhymed.

    “There had to be alliteration,“ he said. ”So, I named her Gia,”

    Gia the Golfer was released in December.

    The 36-page picture book, featuring vibrant illustrations by local artist Stephen Hatala, is available on the Barnes & Noble website and Amazon, where it sells for $14.99.

    So far, Moody said, he’s sold a few hundred copies of Gia the Golfer. And, he said, 100% of the profits will fund his nonprofit We Golf Now. The two-year-old nonprofit encourages Philadelphia’s Black and brown youth to develop confidence, social, and networking skills through playing golf.

    Zane King, 6, get advice from Chill Moody during a We Golf Now event at Five Iron Golf in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

    “We serve over 100 kids,” Moody said. “We teach kids how to play golf, the business of golf, and introduce them to careers and job opportunities.”

    Moody sees Gia’s spark and optimism in all of his young golfers.

    When we meet Gia, her grandfather, Geo, has just died. She and her mother are going through his things when Gia discovers golf clubs that belonged to Geo, a star golfer and winner of a lot of tournaments. She takes the clubs and practices on her own and seems to be a natural. Her mother signs her up for golf classes and, following in her grandfather’s footsteps, she excels and decides to compete in a tournament.

    But, on the day of the tournament, the golf clubs — that twinkle like they could be magical — disappear. Gia has to play without them.

    “I wanted to teach children about memories and dealing with grief,” Moody said. “And that even if you lose something that you think is important, you aren’t at a loss.”

    Moody, 40, finished writing the book in 2024. He shopped it to publishers for nearly a year before taking the self-publishing route.

    “I didn’t want to sell the books out of my trunk like I did with my music,” Moody said. “But then I remembered I did this so we could tell our children’s stories. I remembered I could do this … I bet on myself.”

    Moody is used to taking bets on himself.

    Under Moody’s nicethings umbrella, he has released several flavors of kombucha and partnered with City Winery for a limited-edition wine.

    In September, he partnered with Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits and released Tequila Transfusion, a mix of tequila, grape, ginger, and lime — his version of the country club cocktail.

    Just like his drinks, Moody has big plans for Gia.

    “I’m thinking animated cartoons and plush toys,” Moody said. “I want her to blow up as a brand. Seriously, I’m thinking Gia will be the next Dora the Explorer.”

  • One year of inspections at Chester County Hospital: December 2024 – November 2025

    One year of inspections at Chester County Hospital: December 2024 – November 2025

    Pennsylvania’s Department of Health did not cite Chester County Hospital for any safety violations between December 2024 and November of last year.

    The West Chester-based hospital is part of Penn Medicine.

    Here’s a look at the publicly available details:

    • Feb. 6, 2025: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
    • May 5: Inspectors visited for a special monitoring survey and found the hospital was in compliance.
    • July 25: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
  • A win-win for Parker and Council brings $800 million housing spending plan closer to reality | Shackamaxon

    A win-win for Parker and Council brings $800 million housing spending plan closer to reality | Shackamaxon

    This week’s Shackamaxon covers the return of City Council, an update on the water wars, and the weekend’s potential snowpocalypse.

    Closer to H.O.M.E.

    Both City Council and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker are calling the compromise agreement on the $800 million housing spending plan a win.

    For councilmembers, the Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., proposal was altered to prioritize households at the bottom of the income scale, their main demand throughout the process. For the mayor, Council has approved her signature proposal and done so without significant alterations. That means the city will borrow and spend the first tranche of money soon.

    Frankly, I’m surprised the income limits for just two of the dozens of programs included in the initiative became such a source of contention. Council is right that the neediest should be prioritized, while the mayor is correct in saying that raising the limits is unlikely to create a flood of interest that will squeeze out lower-income homeowners.

    If a house needs modification to facilitate a resident’s physical needs, or has one of the qualifying repairs (like a major roof leak) for the Basic Systems Repair Program, most homeowners with means will address the problem as soon as they can — even if it means spending their own money. Getting help from the city can take months. That’s a lot of time to deal with a leaking roof, crumbling joists, or an inability to access your entire home.

    Perhaps the argument suited both sides. For the mayor, arguing with Council about income limits meant not arguing about whether borrowing nearly a billion dollars for her housing initiative is a good idea. It also meant new concepts like One Philly Mortgage or the property-based Shallow Rent Program mostly went unscrutinized. For councilmembers, it was an opportunity to demonstrate their compassion and score a win over a mayor who doesn’t like to lose.

    The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility is a waste-to-energy incinerator in Chester that handles more than a million tons of trash a year.

    Burning desire

    The biggest controversy during Council’s first session of the year was whether or not the city should continue sending trash for incineration at the Reworld Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility.

    Chester residents and 3rd District Councilmember Jamie Gauthier want the city to stop a practice they view as unneighborly, blaming Reworld for poor air quality and medical issues. Reworld says incineration is better than the alternative: landfills. Both options lead to increased local emissions. Which one is considered worse often depends on whom you’re talking to.

    One way to reduce the impact of the city’s trash would be to begin a municipal pilot program for composting. While many residents utilize composting services, extending access could lead to a significant reduction in waste. This would mean less impact on the environment and local communities, no matter which option the city ultimately chooses.

    The Chester Water Authority, located at 415 Welsh St. in Chester.

    Water wars

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chester Water Authority, a win for advocates of publicly owned water utilities. The financially distressed Delaware County city had claimed ownership of the authority and its assets, based on the fact that it had originally established the agency decades ago. In the meantime, however, the coverage area has spread, even including much of neighboring Chester County.

    Despite this, the state-appointed receiver for the city of Chester came to see a sale of the authority as a way to rebalance the books. Chester has been under state supervision since 1995 and was placed into receivership by former Gov. Tom Wolf in 2020. When Aqua America offered more than $400 million for the authority, it was hard for the city, which has around $500 million in liabilities, to refuse — even when the authority’s board opposed the deal.

    The court’s ruling ends the push to privatize the authority, which is a win for ratepayers, especially the many who don’t live in the city but still rely on the authority for water. But it leaves Chester City in need of another way out of its long municipal nightmare.

    Colin McAndrew, 9, a fourth grader at North Penn, holds a sign that reads “Classrooms not Class Zooms” during a rally held outside of the Montgomery County Human Services Center in Norristown in 2020.

    No Zoom school

    With Philadelphia expected to receive a huge helping of snow this weekend, I think it is worth reminding regional school administrators that kids deserve better than Zoom school.

    Weather models that are much more accurate than the ones they used back in John Bolaris’ day are predicting a foot or more of snow. That could be enough to make getting to class on Monday unrealistic, especially given how many teachers travel in from the suburbs.

    Losing a day of school is a challenge, but it doesn’t justify forcing kids to spend the day on their laptops, especially given the growing body of evidence showing that digital learning tools simply aren’t as effective. The National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores, often called the Nation’s Report Card, show that students have regressed across the board, erasing decades of progress.

    This decline roughly correlates with the explosion of technology in the classroom. Additionally, children’s behavior worsened overall during the pandemic, with some researchers blaming the shift to screens. UNESCO went as far as to blame it for increasing educational inequality.

    Psychologist Jonathan Haidt wrote a book called The Anxious Generation, which blames a surge in screen time (including for school) and a severe curtailment of unstructured free time for growing teenage anxiety.

    Sadly, too many adults who grew up in a time when children were allowed more freedom and spontaneity keep imposing policies on kids that leave them with less of both.

  • Letters to the Editor | Jan. 23, 2026

    Letters to the Editor | Jan. 23, 2026

    Where do we turn?

    Will Bunch’s recent column on Donald Trump and how he is guided by “his own morality” hit me hard. Bunch alluded to “America’s battered psyche.” That is exactly how I feel — battered. Every day seems to fill me with sadness as our president and the people who surround him weaken our democracy and diminish our moral standing as a country to be proud of. American citizens and immigrants are being bullied, beaten, and killed.

    The president has even threatened to use force if other countries do not bend to his will.

    Meanwhile, people in our own country are struggling to pay for healthcare because the president and our congressional leaders do not have the decency to vote for affordable healthcare.

    So where do I find hope? I see hope when Bunch reminds us that our morality is what can make a difference. Hope comes from seeing my neighbors and members of my parish at the recent MLK Day of Action. Hope also comes when I remember I am not alone.

    Mary DiVito, Philadelphia

    Madam President

    Jenice Armstrong wrote an excellent column on what a massive difference a Kamala Harris victory in last year’s presidential election would have meant to this nation and to the world. Every newspaper in the country should publish her commentary. Voters made a catastrophic mistake by not electing Harris. As Ms. Armstrong’s article details, it is a tragedy on a global scale.

    The corruption, self-enrichment, and cruelty of the Donald Trump presidency cannot be overstated. By 180-degree contrast, a Harris administration would have been competent, stable, humane, and dedicated to improving the lives of all people in our nation. Under a President Harris, we would have sane foreign policies aimed at peaceful relations and fair trade with other countries, while promoting human rights and providing humanitarian aid for people harmed by wars and natural disasters.

    Harris would have brought intelligence, integrity, altruism, and decency to the presidency. Instead, over the past 12 months, Trump’s lawlessness and pathological character have become blatantly clear.

    I thank and commend Ms. Armstrong and The Inquirer. Please continue to write your critically important observations and analyses about the destructive, immoral, malignant, egomaniacal insurrectionist who never should have been allowed to have any position in government.

    Mark DeWitte, Lyndell

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.