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  • Agustín Anello took the long way back to the United States, then found familiar faces with the Union

    Agustín Anello took the long way back to the United States, then found familiar faces with the Union

    Though Agustín Anello has lived more than half his life outside the United States, the Florida native still feels like an American.

    So when the Union called with an offer, he was interested. Even better, he had two friends already on the team in Nathan Harriel and Bruno Damiani. From there, Anello did his homework and decided it was time to come home.

    “The guys have really made it feel like home, so that’s quite nice,” Anello told The Inquirer. “You know how things work when a lot of things come together, and, yeah, the feeling of coming back to my country to play was also a big factor. So I feel a lot of things came together for this to to be possible.”

    He knew of the Union’s track record, including last year’s Supporters’ Shield, and of the style they play. That intrigued him too.

    Agustín Anello on the ball during the Union’s last preseason game against CF Montréal.

    “Philly reached out, and, obviously, the great season they had the year before, the way they train, the work ethic — they’re all factors that obviously push [and were] important factors, at least, for me to come,” Anello said. “I think it’s a style of play that fits my game style. There’s a lot of transitions, a lot of importance inside the attacking area, a lot of pressing, a lot of passion.”

    Anello sees himself fitting in one of the striker spots, but also in one of the attacking midfield spots. Union manager Bradley Carnell has the same idea.

    The Union paid a transfer fee of around $2 million to sign Agustín Anello

    “He’s got a good technique with dribbling, so he can be off the shoulder of the outside back dribbling in a one-v-one,” Carnell said. “He can pick up in the pocket too, [which is] how we like to play as well with interior 10s [attacking midfielders]. So he shows a lot of flexibility within our game model.”

    An unusual journey to get here

    Anello was born in the Miami suburb of Hialeah to Argentine parents and grew up in Cape Coral, on the west side of South Florida near Fort Myers. He moved with his family to Barcelona, Spain, at age 10 because of his father’s work and didn’t set foot in the U.S. again until the summer of 2022.

    “I got to live what my parents lived, what my dad and uncles lived when they were little, playing in the streets with their friends,” he said. “That was a very big thing in my childhood. … I feel full American and full Argentinian at the same time, so, yeah, I think I have that blood running in me.”

    Anello rose through the youth ranks of Belgian club Lommel and turned pro there in 2021. In early 2023, he made the first of four moves around Europe over the next 16 months.

    An analysis of the Union’s roster at the start of the season, with new players in the mix

    He did well enough along the way to attract U.S. Soccer’s attention, and earn an invitation to an under-23 team camp in November 2023 that surveyed candidates for the 2024 Olympic team. His teammates there included Nathan Harriel and Jack McGlynn, whom the Union traded to the Houston Dynamo last February.

    That wasn’t when the seed for a move to MLS was planted, but it’s also a moment that Anello and Harriel remember well.

    “It was a long time ago, but at the same time, at the camp, he was a great guy,” Harriel said, noting that Carnell sought out him and Damiani when Anello’s name came on the radar. “He’ll be great for the locker room. He fits in really well, hard worker, creative, he’s a good dribbler.”

    In August 2024, Anello crossed the Atlantic to join Uruguayan club Boston River. His new teammates included Union prospect José Riasco, who was on loan there, and Damiani. Anello and Damiani became good friends, and that also ended up coming in handy down the road.

    The inside story of how the Union created their new jersey that honors Philadelphia history

    “I talked with Bruno mostly,” Anello said, at times when Damiani came home to Uruguay during MLS’s breaks. “He told me good things about the club, how the boys were, the facilities, the training ethic. And, yeah, those things obviously are adding-up factors to take this step.”

    (Damiani was away getting his green card when this piece was reported, so wasn’t available for comment.)

    Off to a quick start

    Anello also had observed the growth of MLS, and American soccer as a whole, from the quality of play to stadiums and training facilities. It also does not hurt to come home in a year when the biggest World Cup in history will be here.

    “It’s exciting, to be honest, just seeing the league grow, the World Cup coming up,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more eyes. So, yeah, me and my agents, my family, thought it was the best time to come.”

    Andre Blake begins his 13th season with the Union, still waiting for fate to finally smile on him

    He hasn’t had much time to train with his new club, since he only joined the squad this month. When Anello started the preseason finale against CF Montréal, he had only been in one full practice session with his teammates.

    But he fit in well enough to play the first half and delivered a sharp assist to Milan Iloski for the Union’s second goal of the game. The buildup was good, too: Ezekiel Alladoh made a strong run up the middle with the ball, Anello ran down the left side to get in position, and Alladoh put the pass on a plate.

    “It’s good to take a step at a time,” Anello said. “I just want to get integrated as fast as possible, start getting my qualities out, start to get comfortable with the team, and start making an impact.”

    That was sage advice, and he has lived up to it so far.

  • West Philly ‘stayed the path’ to get back to the Public League final

    West Philly ‘stayed the path’ to get back to the Public League final

    West Philadelphia High School has been in this situation before.

    The Speedboys cruised their way to the Public League championship during the 2022-23 season before suffering an 18-point loss to Imhotep Charter in the final. Now three years later, head coach Adrian Burke and his team are back in the title game, following a 68-47 win over Dobbins Technical High School in Tuesday’s semifinal.

    When Burke walked into the locker room at La Salle’s John Glaser Arena following the win, he was bombarded by his team, who dumped water on him to celebrate its championship appearance. Now, the Speedboys will look to knock off Imhotep, the defending champions, on Sunday.

    As for Burke, he feels a sense of pride for his team and coaches that West Philly got there.

    West Philadelphia poses for a photo after its 68-47 win against Dobbins on Tuesday.

    “It feels great,” Burke said. “You put in a lot of work with these kids, and you never know what’s going to happen. From day in to day out, but these kids, they stayed the path. They stayed straight. We just kept fighting. I tell them, ‘Continue working hard, good things will happen for you.’”

    Senior guard Khabir Washington led the Speedboys with 18 points and sophomore forward Isaiah Powell-Smith added 17.

    Imhotep Charter looks to make history with its sixth straight Public League boys’ basketball title

    The Speedboys have six seniors who were on the 2022-23 team and lost in the Public League championship. Now, they’ll get a second chance.

    “They’ve been playing hard,” Powell-Smith said. “They’ve been here since freshman year, but I feel like we should just give them another chance.”

    A game of runs

    Despite trailing, 32-25, at halftime, Washington and senior guard Xavier Howard helped propel West Philly through its rut. Though they let an early lead slip away, the Speedboys remained calm heading into the locker room.

    “Never get too high, never get too low,” Washington said. “Whether we [are] winning or we [are] down. Basketball is a game of runs, and as long as we make the final run, we always believe we’re going to be good.”

    Washington was the catalyst. He had four points in the first half, but drilled a three from deep as Howard knocked down another to power a 14-0 run.

    Dobbins didn’t score until the three-minute mark of the third quarter and had just 15 second-points as the Speedboys erupted.

    West Philadelphia’s Khabir Washington led the team with 18 points against Dobbins on Tuesday.

    “I said, ‘Look, we ain’t going to zone no more gimmicks. We going straight man-to-man. We’re going to put our will against their will, and let’s see what happens,’” Burke said. “That’s what happened.”

    Dobbins mounted a comeback behind three-pointers from guards Zahmir Green and Kyyir Roberts-Moore to cut the score to 42-39, but it wasn’t enough.

    Alexis and Kayla Eberz ‘work together’ to guide Archbishop Carroll back to the Palestra

    Powell-Smith’s eight fourth-quarter points helped put Dobbins away.

    “​​He had a rocky start,” Burke said. “Halfway through the season, he just bought into everything we were doing.
Everything changed.”

    ‘Make it worthwhile’

    As West Philly prepares to face Imhotep in another Pub final, Burke noted that many of the players from that team that lost to the Panthers in 2023 are no longer with the program. The seniors sticking with him throughout all four seasons meant a lot.

    “These guys stuck with me when other guys left,” Burke said. “They told me, ‘We’re going to work as hard as we possibly can and get back.’ I said, ‘We’re going to get back. We just gotta keep working hard.’”

    The team feels the same way about Burke, and they hope to return the favor on Sunday.

    “I was here my freshman year, it took a lot to get back to this place,” Washington said. “Guys left. Guys stayed. I’m just happy for my head coach. We get an opportunity to play [for] a championship, and we’re going to make it worthwhile this year.”

  • Johnson & Johnson will spend $1 billion on a cell therapy plant in Montgomery County

    Johnson & Johnson will spend $1 billion on a cell therapy plant in Montgomery County

    Johnson & Johnson plans to spend more than $1 billion to build a cell therapy manufacturing facility in Montgomery County near Spring House, the New Jersey pharmaceutical and medical supplies giant said Wednesday.

    The Lower Gwynedd Township plant, part of an effort by the company to invest $55 million in the U.S. by early 2029, is expected to employ 500 people when fully operational in 2031, J&J said.

    The facility at 1201 Sumneytown Pike will add to J&J’s capacity to make cell therapy treatments for cancer, with a focus on multiple myeloma. That’s a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells in the bone marrow. Cell therapy is the use of engineered immune cells to treat disease.

    “Pennsylvania’s proud manufacturing legacy, from steel to today’s medicines and medical technologies and Johnson & Johnson’s roots here for seven decades, are part of why we are investing here.” Joaquin Duato, J&J’s chairman and CEO, said.

    Duato spoke during an event at the company’s Spring House research and development campus, where 2,500 scientists work in 70 laboratories. The Montgomery County site is J&J’s largest R&D center and it’s “where most of our discovery efforts start,” Duato said.

    The company based in New Brunswick, N.J., employs 5,885 people at 10 Pennsylvania facilities, according to the office of Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Shapiro administration has offered $41.5 million in state support for the J&J project.

    “With this investment, we are further cementing our place as a leader in life sciences,” Shapiro said. He said his administration’s efforts to cut red tape are among the reasons companies like J&J “are choosing to double down on their investments” in Pennsylvania.

    Eli Lilly & Co. last month announced plans to build a $3.5 billion pharmaceutical plant in the Lehigh Valley to expand manufacturing capacity for next-generation injectable weight-loss medicines.

    GSK said in September that it will build a biologics factory in Upper Merion Township, but did not specify how much it would spend there. That project is part of GSK’s plan to spend $1.2 billion on advanced manufacturing facilities.

    Johnson & Johnson chairman and CEO Joaquin Duato (left), was joined by Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger (right) on Wednesday when J&J announced it will spend $1 billion on a cell therapy plant on its campus in Lower Gwynedd Township.

    Merck, another New Jersey-based drug giant, last year announced plans for a $1 billion factory and lab near Wilmington. Merck also has major operations in Montgomery County, which is among the top-ranked counties nationally for pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs.

    J&J has a long legacy in the Philadelphia region. Among its major acquisitions here was the 1959 purchase of McNeil Laboratories, which later developed Tylenol. The pain reliever is still made at a plant in Fort Washington.

    Other major Philadelphia-area J&J deals include the 1999 purchase of Centocor, one of the country’s first biotech companies, and the 2012 deal for Synthes Inc., a Swiss medical device maker with its North American headquarters and major operations here.

    Separately from the new cell therapy manufacturing facility, J&J has two expansion projects planned for the Spring House R&D site.

    One is a new cell engineering and analytical sciences facility. The other is focused on CAR-T testing and manufacturing during research and development, with the goal of creating personalized therapies more quickly and efficiently. The company did not disclose the cost of those projects.

  • 260-apartment project is proposed for long-vacant site on Ridge Avenue in East Falls

    260-apartment project is proposed for long-vacant site on Ridge Avenue in East Falls

    A 260-apartment development, largely composed of one-bedroom units, is the latest residential project slated for 4401 Ridge Ave. in East Falls.

    The almost two-acre site has been long vacant and is now covered in trees. It is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which operated a dozen rental homes there until the late 1990s. The property is under an agreement of sale, according to the agency.

    Plans for the project were posted on the Philadelphia Planning Commission’s website Tuesday, showing a six-story building from Stokes Architecture & Design.

    The zoning paperwork in city records is signed by Eric Marshall, who is the principal with MGMT Residential. The company, based in Northwest Philadelphia, owns and manages hundreds of units in neighborhoods including Roxborough and Manayunk.

    MGMT itself is not the developer and will not own the property, according to the project’s zoning lawyer, Richard DeMarco, although the company will manage it once construction is completed.

    The development team declined to comment in advance of a neighborhood meeting Wednesday night.

    The plans show that the apartment building proposed for 4401 Ridge Ave. will offer 217 parking spaces. It will also host at least 8,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the East Falls Community Council, which has been negotiating with the developers.

    The neighborhood group’s zoning chair, Hilary Langer, reports progress at the discussions.

    He says that many neighbor concerns center on traffic, parking, and the preponderance of smaller units — a concern he does not personally share.

    “The … fact is that one-bedroom apartments are in demand and their vacancy rate is [almost] 10%, which is really the same as annual natural turnover,” Langer said in an email.

    Langer said that by his calculations, 115 two-bedroom apartments have been built in his neighborhood since 2021, and a quarter of them are still vacant. But 399 one-bedroom or studios have been constructed in that time frame, and only 12.5% of them are empty.

    An aerial rendering of the 260-unit apartment building proposed for 4401 Ridge Ave.

    The project needs approvals from the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment to move forward, with a hearing set for March 25. It will appear before the advisory-only Civic Design Review committee on March 3.

    The last proposal for the site came in 2021 from Baltimore-based Atapco Properties. That project included 189 parking spaces for 185 apartments.

    That former proposal’s frontage was pushed back from Ridge Avenue, which the East Falls Community Council feared would make an already pedestrian unfriendly environment even worse.

    The newer development has the apartment building fronting on the sidewalk.

    “You’re not going to get walkability if you just put in plazas and parking lots,” Langer said. “This building, at the very least, it provides the chance of walkability.”

  • A Minneapolis artist’s custom font, Times New Resistance, autocorrects Trump to ‘felon’ and ICE to ‘goon squad’

    A Minneapolis artist’s custom font, Times New Resistance, autocorrects Trump to ‘felon’ and ICE to ‘goon squad’

    Abby Haddican got tired of the rhetoric.

    The Minneapolis-based artist can’t unsee the impact ICE and directives from President Donald Trump’s administration’s have had on her hometown in recent months.

    “I don’t really know anyone whose life hasn’t been affected by the occupation in a tangible way,” she said. “Many people I know are volunteering to deliver meals, patrol schools, drive folks to work, and serve as peaceful observers — which is what both Renee Good and Alex Pretti were doing when they lost their lives at the hands of ICE agents.”

    The independent graphic designer thought about ways she could get involved when it hit her. She’s joining a larger tradition of subversive font design.

    Haddican, whose work focuses on typography, branding, and packaging, thought back to Moontype, a font created by designer Olli Meier that autocorrects “bad words,” like hate, into “good words,” like love.

    Then she thought about language and its use today.

    “It’s become impossible to ignore how blatantly the Trump administration is misusing language in order to control and distort the narrative,” she said. It clicked.

    “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could change someone else’s words?” Haddican said. “I decided that the best practical use of this font feature would be a practical joke.”

    This month, she launched Times New Resistance, a parody of the commonly used Times New Roman font, which autocorrects a slew of specific words as they’re typed. Notably, Times New Roman is the new (and old) official font of the State Department.

    Using Times New Resistance, the term ICE autocorrects to “the Goon Squad.” Trump autocorrects to “Donald Trump is a felon.” Gay becomes “gay rights are human rights.” Illegal alien becomes “human being.”

    Kingsley Spencer, a creative director and designer based in Jacksonville, Fla., says using the State Department’s own font is part of what makes Haddican’s font so powerful.

    “Using technology as a form of commentary against a political regime that decided to weaponize Times New Roman as a form of culture shaping is sharp for a designer,” he said. “I love how direct and comical it is.”

    The font is free, “just like America used to be,” Haddican‘s website says. She said Monday that it has been downloaded about 600 times so far. She describes it as a “social commentary meant to autocorrect the autocrats.”

    The hope is that some users might secretly install the font onto the computers of “an ICE apologist,” or “morally bankrupt American” as a way of unleashing mischief.

    To the untrained eye, the typeface looks like Times New Roman in the font menu — there’s just a sneaky extra space between the words Times and New. But it’s likely many downloads are by like-minded supporters who want to enjoy the font for themselves.

    The technology behind the font is simple.

    Haddican modified an existing open-source typeface that resembles Times New Roman and programmed the substitutions. She said the hardest part was deciding which autocorrections to make.

    “I know I’ve done an imperfect job. The corrections are a mixture of serious stuff (for example, the word ‘good’ autocorrects to ‘Renee Good was murdered by ICE’) and things that I find funny, like changing ‘Stephen Miller’ to ‘Nosferatu,’” she said.

    “The first draft was significantly more profane, but I toned it down. I wanted to offend people by speaking truth to power, not for swearing like a sailor.”

    Spencer said the font uses something in the typography world called ligatures, which replaces a set of recognized characters with a single character phrase. An example of this is when you type a fraction or date in a document and it’s automatically formatted.

    Haddican joins a group of other typography artists who have made jokes, social commentary, or both through text.

    Times Newer Roman is a typeface created by the Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF (pronounced mischief) in 2018 that looks identical to Times New Roman, except each character is 5% to 10% longer, making essays appear slightly longer without changing formatting rules.

    It was billed as a font that could help students cheat on term papers. The font takes jabs at academic productivity culture, using typographic invisibility that’s undetected by the untrained eye.

    Sang Mun, a designer and former National Security Agency contractor, created a subversive “surveillance proof” font called ZXX in 2013. The fonts were created to be legible to the human eye, but difficult for surveillance software used by Google and other companies to scan text to read.

    More mainstream examples include Shepard Fairey, the artist behind OBEY and President Barack Obama’s iconic HOPE graphic, who is known for his use of single phrases and high-contrast graphics to make political propaganda-style art. In the 2024 presidential election, Fairey made a Kamala Harris poster that said FORWARD in the same style as his Obama art.

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    On social media, reception for Haddican’s font has been strong, garnering over 6,000 likes on Instagram and hat tips from fellow designers.

    “I think just about anything can be a form of resistance, and I believe that humor and playfulness are powerful tools for pushing back against oppression and authoritarianism,” Haddican said. “The trickster (e.g. Bugs Bunny) always beats the martyr (e.g. Elmer Fudd) in the end.”

  • Imhotep Charter looks to make history with its sixth straight Public League boys’ basketball title

    Imhotep Charter looks to make history with its sixth straight Public League boys’ basketball title

    Last year, Zaahir Muhammad-Gray suffered a torn ACL in Imhotep Charter’s third game of the season and could not play during the Panthers’ run to a fifth-consecutive Public League boys’ basketball title.

    This season the 6-foot-7 junior forward helped lift the Panthers to their sixth consecutive Public League championship appearance with a 73-41 drubbing to Constitution High School at La Salle’s John Glaser Arena on Tuesday evening.

    Latief Lorenzano-White finished with a game-high 22 points for the Panthers, while Muhammad-Gray added 17, 11 of which came in the second half.

    Imhotep’s Latief Lorenzano-White finished with a game-high 22 points against Constitution on Tuesday.

    Muhammad-Gray has yet to be on a team who misses the Public League title game. But the forward says being sidelined in last year’s postseason makes this one sweeter.

    “I’ve been here before,” Muhammad-Gray said. “I’ve been here every year, so I’m kind of getting used to it now. Just sitting out the last year made me miss it even more.”

    Muhammad-Gray reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of 2027 after tearing his ACL. He has scholarship offers from Temple, La Salle, Penn State, and Georgia Tech, among others. He’s considered the second-best junior prospect in the state.

    “[Muhammad-Gray is] a Division I basketball player,” said Imhotep coach Andre Noble. “He’s one of our team captains. That’s what we expected.”

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    Imhotep’s other captain, Lorenzano-White, scored 16 of his 22 in the first half as Imhotep bowled over an outmatched Constitution team. The 6-foot-4 senior guard is committed to play at Drexel next season.

    “Today, I just was seeing the rim,” Lorenzano-White said. “We’ve been preaching it for the last couple of practices and games, to get to the rim and not settling for jump shots.”

    The Panthers led, 38-14, at halftime. Their lead ballooned to 35 with 3 minutes, 5 seconds to play in the fourth before Noble pulled his starters.

    The Panthers will face West Philadelphia in the Public League title game at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Glaser Arena.

    Imhotep coach Andre Noble has the chance to make Public League history as the first coach to earn six consecutive Pub titles.

    Imhotep, seeking its sixth straight Public League title, will have a chance to make Public League history on Sunday.

    “No team’s ever done it,” Muhammad-Gray said of winning six straight Pub titles. “I would love to be the first team.”

    ‘Unfortunate for all parties’

    While Constitution lost to Imhotep in Tuesday’s semifinal, the game was accompanied by controversy that began last week during Constitution’s quarterfinal game against Carver Engineering and Science.

    Constitution trailed E&S, 61-49, with 1 minute, 11 seconds to play last Thursday when an altercation started. Spectators flooded the court, leading officials to suspend the game with 71 seconds remaining.

    The Public League disqualified E&S from the game because its entire bench came onto the floor during the skirmish, which is a violation of the league’s unsportsmanlike conduct policy and results in a full-team suspension of the following game.

    The quarterfinal was ruled a forfeit by E&S, allowing Constitution to advance to the semifinals to face Imhotep. However, an official’s report noted that a Constitution player instigated the altercation, and spectators from the Constitution bleachers came onto the floor.

    Rob Moore, Constitution’s head coach and athletic director, called the events at the quarterfinal an “unfortunate situation.”

    E&S players left the bench to protect their teammates. Now their season is over.

    “It’s just unfortunate for all parties involved,” Moore said. “Trying to get my guys ready to play and missing guys, obviously, against a team that every year is the cream of the league, cream of the state. … I’m proud of my guys for coming out and, through everything, coming out here and playing basketball.”

    Moore also disputed the referee report that suggested the spectators who came onto the floor were affiliated with Constitution. Moore said accessing the electronic ticketing system E&S uses for its home games revealed that only one male Constitution student bought a ticket for the quarterfinal.

    Constitution’s Jacob Mitchell drives for a lay up against Imhotep’s Latief Lorenzano-White on Tuesday.

    “We felt like we’ve been, basically, scapegoated as, we were just in the wrong with everything that happened,” Moore said. “In actuality, with all the facts that the district had to deal with, that just wasn’t the case.”

    The Generals played with 10 players available against Imhotep. Three Constitution players were suspended and were not in jerseys for the game.

    E&S attempted an emergency injunction from a Common Pleas Court judge on Tuesday in an effort to overturn its disqualification, but the team’s request was dismissed and the semifinal was played as scheduled.

  • The ‘AMOR’ sculpture has been removed temporarily from Sister Cities Park

    The ‘AMOR’ sculpture has been removed temporarily from Sister Cities Park

    Those around Logan Circle might notice something missing today: Robert Indiana’s bright red AMOR sculpture.

    On Wednesday morning, Philadelphia officials removed the artwork — a companion piece to Indiana’s iconic LOVE sculpture at nearby John F. Kennedy Plaza — from its perch at Sister Cities Park on 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway for conservation and restoration.

    Creative Philadelphia, the city’s arts office, said AMOR is scheduled to return on May 1.

    “Over the years, the paint on AMOR has naturally faded due to exposure to UV rays and weather,” said Marguerite Anglin, Creative Philadelphia’s public art director. “We are excited to give the sculpture a full restoration treatment, and look forward to its return back to Sister Cities Park in time for the city’s largest celebrations of America’s 250th.”

    The removal was overseen by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Heritage Conservation Collective. The sculpture was transported to Fine Finishes Painting Studio in Peekskill, N.Y., where conservators approved by the Robert Indiana Foundation will strip and repaint it.

    Indiana created AMOR in 1998 “in response to the changing demographics of the U.S. and his desire to speak to his fellow citizens,” according to the Association for Public Art.

    AMOR, meaning love in Spanish and Latin, came to Philadelphia in 2015 to mark Pope Francis’ visit, thanks to the aPA and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. On loan from the New York-based Morgan Art Foundation, it was displayed at the top of the museum steps, where it overlooked the papal Mass held on the Parkway.

    In 2016, it was permanently installed at Sister Cities Park with funding and support from the city, PMA, aPA, the Morgan Art Foundation, and Edith R. Dixon.

  • Villanova continues ‘growing up in front of everybody’s eyes’ with OT win at Xavier

    Villanova continues ‘growing up in front of everybody’s eyes’ with OT win at Xavier

    Acaden Lewis did a little bit of everything to lift Villanova to a 92-89 overtime victory over Xavier in Cincinnati on Tuesday.

    Lewis had 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, including one that sealed the win in the final seconds of the game. Villanova (21-5, 12-3 Big East) improved to 7-1 on the road in the Big East.

    “I think we’re just built for [overtime],” Lewis told reporters. “We’ve been on the road. We’ve had seven road wins after this game. So I think we’ve been through the fire. We’ve been in some far games. We played the first game of the year [against] BYU in Las Vegas. It was with no other games around. So, we’re used to it at this point. We’re growing up in front of everybody’s eyes. And I think we’re getting really good on the road for that reason.”

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    Lewis is averaging 12.7 points and leads the Wildcats in assists (5.3).

    Duke Brennan had 10 points and 13 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. He is two double-doubles shy of tying Michael Bradley’s single-season program record.

    In overtime, Villanova outscored Xavier, 11-8, and outrebounded the Musketeers, 5-4. Lewis and Bryce Lindsay had nine of the 11 points.

    Bench lifts Villanova

    Xavier (13-12, 5-9) opened the game on an 11-2 run that forced Villanova coach Kevin Willard to call a timeout. Willard took out Matt Hodge, Brennan, and Lindsay. He replaced them with Devin Askew, Malachi Palmer, and Braden Pierce.

    Villanova quickly spun off a 17-7 run over the next six minutes to take a lead. It spun into a 28-13 run.

    Askew scored back-to-back three-pointers during the run.

    “Coming into the game, we didn’t get any stops,” Lewis told reporters. “Starting five was out there, kind of, lackadaisical. They were running the speed of the game kind of got to us. And we didn’t really respond. Chris [Jeffrey] came in, Dev [Askew] came in, a bunch of guys came in and just changed the whole game. Got more stops, got us in the rhythm. And then going back in and help guys that start to get into a rhythm as well. And I think [the starters] just kept that same pressure.”

    Duke Brennan, shown during a game on Feb. 10, had his 12th double-double of the season against Xavier on Tuesday.

    Lindsay shows improvement

    After scoring double digits in 13 of his first 14 games of the season, Lindsay has struggled. He went from averaging 16.9 points over the first 14 games to just 6.4 over the last 10.

    Against Xavier, Lindsay finished with 15 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. It was his fourth double-digit performance in the last 11 games.

    “There’s a reason he started,” Willard told reporters. “I have tremendous confidence in Bryce, and he’s been putting the work in. He’s just been in a little bit of a slump, and it’s good to see him get out of it.”

    Lewis echoed Willard’s thoughts on Lindsay’s performance.

    “That’s great to see,” Lewis told reporters. “I’m proud of [Lindsay]. It’s not easy to go through big slumps like this when you’re playing on national TV. And everyone expects so much out of you. So for him to just keep his head down, stick to it, and keep working … I mean, that’s what happened.”

    Is Tyler Perkins Villanova’s new Josh Hart? He might be close enough.

    Up next

    Villanova returns home after two road games to face No. 5 UConn at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday (5:30 p.m., TruTV/TNT). UConn won 75-67 in overtime on Jan. 24 in Storrs, Conn.

    The last time Villanova hosted UConn, it upset the No. 9 Huskies, 68-66, on Jan. 8, 2025.

  • Change comes to Pat’s Steaks | Let’s Eat

    Change comes to Pat’s Steaks | Let’s Eat

    Pat’s King of Steaks, where the steak sandwich was invented in 1930, makes two bold changes.

    Also in this edition:

    • “Girl dinner”: This $39 steakhouse feast has gone viral.
    • Ramadan: A guide to breaking the fast.
    • Coffee boom: Read on for news, including word of major coffee activity in Center City.

    — Mike Klein

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

    Kicking it new school at Pat’s

    It’s only taken 96 years, but you can now get a seeded roll for your steak at Pat’s King of Steaks. Frank Olivieri explains this and one other seismic shift at the shop that invented this storied sandwich.

    Where to break the Ramadan fast

    Hira Qureshi is fasting for Ramadan, and she shares her guide to fasting and celebrating. Above is the lagman soup from Uzbek standout Plov House in Northeast Philadelphia.

    ➕ Where to break the Ramadan fast around Philadelphia.

    Here’s a ‘girl dinner’ gone viral

    Kiki Aranita sat down for Del Frisco’s $39 martini/oysters/Caesar/fries bar special. It’s a ready-made “girl dinner” that social-media consumers are eating up.

    You still can buy Italian specialties in the burbs

    With Di Bruno Bros. gone from Ardmore and Wayne, Denali Sagner visits the homegrown Carlino’s Market to scope out its line of Italian specialty foods.

    Closings: Manakeesh Cafe and La Chingonita

    Manakeesh Cafe Bakery & Grill — home of fine Lebanese treats such as the qatayif shown above — has ended its 15-year run at 45th and Walnut Streets. Management cites a rent increase, and Andrew Kitchenman explains the family’s next steps.

    La Chingonita will wrap its four-year brick-and-mortar run in Fishtown with burrito offerings on Wednesday, Feb. 18 (burritos) and Friday, Feb. 20 (birria), from noon-6 p.m. or sellout. Rebecca Baez and Omar Martinez, who started the business in 2020 as a food cart, said they decided it was best “to prioritize our family, bow out gracefully, and end things on a high note.” They said the decision to shut down “did not come lightly, but we recognized that it was time to close this chapter with intention and gratitude, before burnout set in further.” They say they think they’ll do popups but have no plans to open another restaurant in the near future.

    The best things we ate last week

    Here’s what we enjoyed during our various local travels: Craig LaBan is delighted by the bise bele bath (above) — a comforting porridge from southern India — at Exton’s Malgudi Cafe. Also: Bedatri Choudhury enjoyed a goat with spicy scallop creole at a Honeysuckle collab dinner with New York’s Kabawa, while Jenn Ladd says she visited Bomb Bomb Bar and had what might be the best crab cakes she’s ever had. That’s high praise coming from someone who lived and worked in Baltimore. (To enjoy more of our “Best Things,” click here.)

    Craig, meanwhile, found “something magical about the mole poblano” for his review of Tlali, a modest Mexican BYOB in Upper Darby, where the Sandoval family is cooking its heart out.

    Beatrice Forman touts the smashburgers at the new El Sazón R.D. in Northern Liberties, which are topped with a pad of queso frito and tangy mayo-ketchup to bring Dominican flavors to an American classic.

    Scoops

    Chef Dominique Shields, founder and former owner of North Philly’s Pretty Girls Cook (at left with her staff when she was featured last year on the Fox show Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service), will oversee weekend brunch at the new Savú (208 S. 13th St.) as chef-in-residence. The brunch service starts Feb. 28.

    The Broad Street Diner will yield to a new six-story hotel, as Jake Blumgart found in new city documents. What could that mean for the Melrose Diner site, also owned by Michael Petrogiannis?

    Imminent openings include Mi Vida (the swank Mexican restaurant out of D.C.), coming to 1150 Ludlow St. in East Market on Feb. 22, and Bar Tacconelli, the cocktail lounge from the pizza family in the former Versa Vino at 461 Route 38, Maple Shade, on Feb. 25.

    Root & Sprig, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio’s health-forward fast-casual restaurant, has been booked for the Shop Penn retail district in the Perelman School of Medicine’s Kelley Research Building (421 Curie Blvd.) later this spring. There’s also a location at the Penn Medicine Food Hall.

    Sports bar P.J. Whelihan’s will replace the shuttered Iron Hill Brewery in Newtown, Bucks County.

    Restaurant report

    Maddy Rose at the Landing has replaced the Landing restaurant on the Delaware River in New Hope, which closed in late 2024. It’s a second Maddy Rose location (after Jersey City) for Frank Cretella of By Landmark, who also runs the nearby Logan Inn, Hotel du Village, and Anzu Social. The open dining room faces the Delaware and the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge, with indoor dining, bar seating, and deck dining planned as part of a second renovation phase. Mediterranean-influenced menu includes dinner entrees priced in the high $20s (white bean ravioli, Bolognese), the $30s (roasted chicken, baby back ribs), and occasional gusts into the $40s and higher (dayboat scallops, prime rib).

    Maddy Rose at the Landing, 22 N. Main St., New Hope. Hours: 4-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday, noon-3 p.m. and 4-11 p.m. Saturday, and noon-3 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Reservations via OpenTable.

    Cake & Joe owners Sarah Qi and Trista Tang open their third location at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 1735 Market St. with free cakes for the first 100 people. The specialty coffee-and-dessert shop started in Pennsport in December 2020 and added a second in Fishtown in June 2023. The Center City location, open daily from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., features more grab-and-go options as well as a larger focus on Chinese food.

    Besides Cake & Joe, the Center City West coffee scene is broadening. Last week, Mahmood Islam and Samina Akbar opened a M.O.T.W Coffee (Muslims of the World Coffee) franchise at the Murano (2101 Market St.), next to Trader Joe’s, with Arabic baked goods alongside specialty coffee in chill environs. Two Yemeni coffeehouses are planned nearby: As I reported a few weeks ago, Haraz Coffee House is applying for zoning to open at 1822 Chestnut St., while Rittenhouse Ramblings says Jabal Coffee House has a deal at 1524 Chestnut St.; Jabal’s corporate website suggests a fall opening.

    Briefly noted

    West Chester Restaurant Week will run from Sunday, Feb. 22 to Sunday, March 1 with 30 restaurants offering multicourse menus priced from $40 to $60.

    East Passyunk Restaurant Week returns for its 14th year: Monday, Feb. 23 to Friday, March 6 at 21 participating restaurants with prix-fixes of $20, $40, and $60.

    Filipino stylings are on the menu Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Breezy’s Deli (2235 Washington Ave., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.) and Porco’s & Small Oven Pastry (2204 Washington Ave., 4-8 p.m.). Owner Chad Durkin is collaborating with the visiting Mike and Eylonah Strauss — formerly of Mike’s BBQ and Sidecar Bar — who in 2023 moved to Bacolod City, Philippines, where they run Sugaree Gelato Bakery Cafe.

    Gilda in Fishtown will have help from Cantina La Martina for Gilda’s first-ever Tuesday service, on Feb. 24. Expect Mexican specialty drinks, pastries, sandwiches, and more with a Portuguese twist. Menus will be released on their Instagram accounts. It’ll be pay-as-you-go; dine-in or takeaway.

    At Amá, chef Frankie Ramirez’s Taco Tuesday special, Taco Novela, brings in a guest chef every month for a special weekly taco, with proceeds benefiting a charity. Juan Carlos Aparicio of El Chingon launched the series this week with a taco de lobster zarandeada (a full 1½-pound Maine lobster, charred cabbage sancocho, squink ink sofrito, and chiltepín mayo on squid ink corn tortillas, priced at $42). It will be repeated on Feb. 24. Esperanza Immigration Legal Services is the beneficiary.

    Cuba Libre in Old City is marking its first quarter-century with an open house noon-4 p.m. Saturday, March 7 (snow date, Sunday, March 8) with comp tastings of the restaurant’s original menu items plus rum tastings, cocktail samples, beer, wine, and sangria. No reservations, but those who register will get a $25 gift voucher.

    Convenience chain Sheetz is scouting Wawa territory hard for a new location— as in “a site five miles down the road from Wawa HQ” hard. Erin McCarthy shares the intrigue.

    ❓Pop quiz

    What new policy is in place at Philly dive bar Dirty Franks?

    A) Customers must be at least 25 to enter

    B) One additional hour of happy hour daily

    C) Free drink for anyone with Frank in their first or last name

    D) Non-U.S. beers only

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    I saw a posting at the former Devon Seafood Grill on Rittenhouse Square with an estimated investment of $3.2 million. Any insight? — Woody R.

    Stephen Starr is developing a restaurant — concept is TBD — at the former Devon Seafood Grill at 18th and Chancellor Streets, as I reported nearly a year ago. What you’ve spotted in a window is a printout of a city commercial building permit. The “$3.2 million” cited is the estimated cost of the general work — just a fraction of the total budget, including major categories such as equipment, furnishings, and architectural and design work. Starr would not disclose the budget. It’s probably safe to say it won’t be $20 million, the sum he and partners invested in Borromini, which opened last year across the way.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

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  • Epstein files offer lessons to parents on keeping kids safe | Expert Opinion

    Epstein files offer lessons to parents on keeping kids safe | Expert Opinion

    A millionaire’s private island filled with luxury goods, gourmet food, and fine wine seems like a reality a million miles from yours, so what can Philadelphia-area parents learn from the Epstein files?

    Plenty.

    There are people like Jeffrey Epstein everywhere. He just had a bigger field.

    Epstein started small. In her memoir Nobody’s Girl, the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, abused and trafficked by Epstein starting at age 16, describes how Epstein told her that as a teacher, he traded sex for grades. Alumni of New York’s elite Dalton School have described inappropriate conduct toward girls. Yet he was dismissed from the school simply for “poor performance.”

    Back in the 1970s, when Epstein taught, sex abuse prevention programs were primarily directed at kids. Teaching kids to recognize “good touch/bad touch” would have done nothing for teenage girls, likely targeted for their insecurity, for whom attention from a cute, popular new teacher felt like affection and status. Today, the most effective school-based sex abuse prevention programs involve the entire school helping faculty and staff recognize and respond to inappropriate behavior. Policies explicitly identify acceptable and unacceptable behaviors around issues from touching to communicating with students outside of school. Ongoing prevention programs empower everyone to act if they see a breach. Parents are included as partners to reinforce healthy messages at home. One great example is Safety STARS — Enough Abuse.

    What are the lessons for parents? I can count at least four:

    1. Learn what sexual abuse prevention program is offered in your school or district and participate in the parent component. Confirm that it follows best practices, such as requiring a code of conduct for faculty, staff, and students, and commitment from administration to continuous monitoring of adherence to the policies.

    Almost 20 years ago, Epstein was convicted of trafficking children for sex but escaped serious punishment in a now widely criticized plea deal. Defense attorneys at the time used the phrase “underage women” to soften how his acts against children sounded. I urge parents and all adults to more accurately call his crimes “child rape.” This helps challenge the social norm that it is somehow acceptable to have sex with minors who may be dressed up to appear older than they truly are.

    2. For decades, social scientists have distinguished a pedophile — someone primarily attracted to prepubescent children — from ephebophiles, people attracted to older adolescents and teens. Either way, acting on such attractions is a crime against children.

    Adults who target older youth may be more subtle in how they approach their targets, and that’s why parents should monitor all their teens’ relationships with adults, both virtual and in real life. A 17-year-old may look grown, and may balk at this supervision. But their brain still has nearly a decade before it can consistently make mature decisions.

    Adolescence is a time of deep insecurity, when teens are highly sensitive to others’ opinions. As Giuffre noted in her memoir, people like Epstein are adept at “reading a room.” They can intuit what a vulnerable teen needs, and offer it, exacting their price later.

    3. Even as maturing teens pull away, parents must work harder to stay connected and know what is happening in their teens’ lives. Set special times — driving to school can be ideal — to ask questions that require more than a yes-no answer. Take the time to learn the names of their friends, teachers, and coaches, so they know you’re really interested. Leave a surprise note on their bed telling them you’re proud of something they did. Teens need steady validation of their worth — not only for achievements, but simply for who they are. Keeping their self-esteem “cup” as full as possible is an important protective factor.

    Predators are master manipulators. They can patiently work their way into an adolescent’s confidence, shoring up fragile self-esteem. That’s why it’s so critical for parents to be their children’s consistent support. Predators don’t just live on private islands and roam the world in private jets; they can run the social hierarchy as the “alpha” in a high school, or orchestrate hazing in a college fraternity or sorority.

    4. Use the Epstein news as a moment to remind kids what a bully really is: someone who repeatedly uses their power to hurt, scare, or control a more vulnerable person. It is also a crucial chance to talk about sexual health and safety. Explain how youth of any age can be vulnerable to exploitation, and be explicit that sex should never be traded for anything.

    A colleague raising teens put it starkly when I asked how she was handling the Epstein stories: “Kids are watching how we handle this as adults, and they are not impressed.” The children of this attorney are likely not the only ones who wonder why Epstein went so lightly punished, or why our culture seems to condone sexualized images of teens.

    Ask your children what they’ve read and heard, what they think it means, and listen. Then share your thoughts and values. All adults can show the young people in our lives that we can do better — by talking openly about abuse, bullying, harmful media messages and whatever else is troubling our children. We can show them that we stand behind them and will advocate for safer policies in schools and communities.

    Janet Rosenzweig MS, PhD, MPA is author of the book “The Sex-Wise Parent,” a senior policy analyst at The Institute for Human Services, and a member of the board of directors of The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.