Lawmakers are back in Washington this week for a four-week sprint to finish funding the government before the current spending law runs out on Jan. 30.
If they fail, they will need to pass another short-term extension or spark another government shutdown just two and a half months after the last one, the longest funding lapse in U.S. history.
Funding the government usually requires passing 12 individual bills. Lawmakers approved three as part of a deal to end last fall’s shutdown, and they also extended current funding levels for the rest of the government into January. Those levels were last set in March 2024.
But it will be challenging to finalize the remaining bills, which have not yet been formally negotiated between the House and the Senate or approved by congressional leaders.
The two Appropriations Committee chairs, Rep. Tom Cole (R., Okla.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), announced in late December that they had finally reached an agreement on the total spending level they’ll shoot for in the remaining bills. They did not reveal the overall cost, but Cole said it is lower than the amount if Congress were to pass another funding extension, known as a continuing resolution.
“This pathway forward aligns with President [Donald] Trump’s clear direction to rein in runaway, beltway-driven spending,” Cole said in a statement. “We will now begin expeditiously drafting the remaining nine full-year bills to ensure we are ready to complete our work in January.”
From there, appropriators must navigate political pressures from their right and left: Fiscal hawks, including many in the conservative House Freedom Caucus, insist that funding levels for most agencies should not be higher than the last fiscal year.
“I believe that we should begin to control our federal deficit and runaway federal debt by keeping this year’s discretionary spending level at or below last year’s level,” said House Freedom Caucus chairman and senior Appropriations Committee member Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.) in a statement.
But Democrats must approve any funding agreement, which has to receive at least 60 votes in the Senate to bypass the filibuster. Republicans control the upper chamber 53-47.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed the chamber’s newly released Homeland Security spending bill in December, calling it “partisan” and pledging to fight for accountability in Trump’s “out-of-control” DHS.
The Senate has spent weeks attempting to pass a five-bill appropriations package that had only been negotiated in that chamber. The bill needed consent from all 100 senators to advance, and several conservative senators held up action for weeks over billions of dollars in earmarks tucked into the bills. (The House proposals also include billions in earmarks.)
Those senators eventually relented, and the chamber was poised to vote on the package right before leaving town for the winter break, but two Democratic senators blocked it — demanding funding be reinstated for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a Colorado-based research organization that Trump has moved to eliminate.
The Senate package would tie together two major government funding bills — covering defense, labor, education, and health and human services agencies — with three other bills to fund the departments of Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Justice, and science-related agencies.
It would appropriate $1.3 trillion,making up the vast majority of discretionary federal government spending.
Cole has said that the Senate’s five-bill package would be too big to pass the lower chamber. He suggested passing the remaining nine appropriations bills in three separate three-bill packages in January when lawmakers return, beginning with bills covering the Commerce and Justice Departments, the Interior Department and agencies covering energy and water.
The political minefield ahead may mean lawmakers once again turn to a funding extension rather than face another shutdown.
“I don’t want another CR, I don’t think Mr. Cole wants another CR,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “Let’s go. Let’s get the bills done.”
Congress is supposed to pass all 12 appropriations bills before government funding runs out at the end of each fiscal year on Sept. 30.
But lawmakers’ inability to adhere to that process is not new: Congress has only passed all its spending bills before the deadline four times in recent decades. Instead, most spending bills in modern history have been approved in one big package known as an “omnibus” right before the holiday break.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) pledged to stop that practice. The political complications of passing all 12 bills separately, however, has made that difficult to achieve. Instead, lawmakers have extended funding levels first approved under President Joe Biden multiple times, and Republicans have passed supplemental spending for their immigration and defense priorities through a party-line tax and spending bill.
Philadelphia-area restaurant diners will have plenty of new options in 2026 — among them, a chic wine bar/bottle shop in Chestnut Hill, an all-day Italian spot from Ellen Yin and High Street Hospitality in Rittenhouse, an Asian fusion/sushi bar in Penn Center from Teddy Sourias, a retro French “bouillon” in Washington Square West, a white-tablecloth destination in Fort Washington, a Euro-style cocktail-bar collab between Forsythia chef Christopher Kearse and design house PS & Daughters at the former Varga Bar space, plus restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow’s swank, retro splash at the Bellevue, topped with stunning light fixtures and a Ferris wheel on the bar toting top-shelf selections.
I’ll offer first word on those projects, and — because we go high-end and low-end around here — I’ll also drop the news about a luxe tasting-menu restaurant coming to Merchantville’s recently shuttered Park Place Cafe as well as a takeout counterinside a Center City gas station.
And have you heard the one about the comedy club coming to South Broad Street?
The 2026 lineup includes a few projects announced in 2025, such as Greg Vernick’s Italian restaurant Emilia in Kensington; the New York-based Ayat, serving homey Palestinian food in a casual setting in the former Roxy Theater in Rittenhouse; chef Elijah Milligan’s Lovechild at the 990 Spring Garden building; the bold Indian restaurant Adda in Kensington, from New York’s acclaimed Unapologetic Foods; the novel, crowd-sourced restaurant called Recipe Phillyat Broad and Arch; the all-day cafe, bakery, and pub in Chestnut Hill called the Blue Warbler; the new location of Collingswood’s Hearthside; Charles Barkley’s yet-to-be-named King of Prussia steakhouse; and Savú, a mod Washington Square West lounge on two levels. (The deal to open the New York hit Pig & Khao at the former Martha in Kensington blew up last spring, but another restaurant is on the way for the space.)
The dining room of Adda in New York City’s East Village.
Altogether, well over 100 restaurants fill the rows on my 2026 tracking spreadsheet, and more surely will crop up. I can’t tag everything here. Details are scarce about Stephen Starr’s forthcoming project at the former Devon Seafood Grill on Rittenhouse Square, as they are on Pica’s timeline for its new takeout location in Delaware County.
Love & Honey Fried Chicken (1111 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr)
The Northern Liberties-based fried-chicken outlet expands to the Main Line. Grand opening: Jan. 17
Malooga (203 Haverford Ave., Narberth)
The Old City Yemeni restaurant joins the Main Line with lunch and dinner service, a bakery, and expanded space for groups and outdoor dining. Late January
The California-inspired restaurant at Ellis Preserve boasts an extensive list of domestic and international wines in a polished setting. February
A group digs into a box of PopUp Bagels.
PopUp Bagels (Anderson and Coulter Avenues, Ardmore)
The viral bagel sensation will enter the Philly market across from Shake Shack at Suburban Square; a lease for a Center City location is being finalized. Mid- to late February
Salt Korean Barbecue Steakhouse/Yugo (840 W. Lancaster Ave., Devon)
The owners of Salt Korean BBQ in North Wales are headed to the Main Line for two restaurants on the former site of La Jonquille and Shiraz. Salt will be a luxe Korean BBQ experience. The Japanese-themed Yugo upstairs, opening after Salt is running smoothly, will have a carousel bearing premium sushi. Late summer
Testa Rossa (523 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne)
Fearless Hospitality will bring a second location of its fun-loving Italian restaurant to Wayne’s former Bertucci’s. April
333 Belrose (333 Belrose Lane, Radnor)
The Main Line stalwart is undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation. January/February
Wild Yeast Bakehouse (503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne)
New restaurants in Montgomery County, King of Prussia, and Bucks County
Academy Grill (424 S. Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington)
Michael Sloane and Jay Rosenthal, of Jasper’s Backyard in Conshohocken and the Fort in Fort Washington, are transforming Cantina Feliz’s previous location into a white-tablecloth, Italian-inspired restaurant. The menu will have seafood, steaks, and house-made pasta from Jeffrey Power, longtime chef of the nearby Dettera in Ambler, which Sloane and Rosenthal recently purchased. When Academy opens, they will close Dettera and, 100 days later, renovate and roll out what they call an approachable pan-Mediterranean concept on the site. March
Amma’s South Indian Cuisine (280 N. Sycamore St., Newtown)
The South Jersey-rooted operation’s sixth location will replace a former Zoe’s Kitchen. Spring
Cecilia (266 E. Fourth St., Bridgeport)
The crew from Blue Bell Inn and Horsham’s Copper Crow is taking over the defunct Taphouse 23 for a contemporary American bar-restaurant. March
Charles Barkley’s steakhouse (Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia)
The still-unnamed project, announced in October, attaches the NBA star to a sleek luxury dining and smoking experience, complete with personal memorabilia from his career and a walk-in humidor. No timeline
Haraz Coffee House (1459 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown)
The fast-growing Yemeni coffee house expands into a former Starbucks. Jan. 15
Lazy Dog(160 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia)
The Rocky Mountain lodge-themed restaurant is coming to the mall after a long delay. Late 2026 (The Mount Laurel location is not due till 2027.)
Melange on Sycamore (255 N. Sycamore St., Newtown)
Taking shape in the former Sycamore Grill is chef Joe Brown’s revival of his erstwhile South Jersey restaurants with a Louisiana-meets-Italian menu. February
Nudy’s Cafe (122 Park Ave., Willow Grove)
Diner king Ray Nudy is teeing up a location across from the Marshall’s store. Spring
RiverTide Brewing (58-B E. Bridge St., Morrisville)
Pennsbury High grads Frank Brill, Ken Terry, and Rob Staples have taken over the former Bitchin’ Kitten space. January/February
Table 8460 by Amina (8460 Limekiln Pike, Wyncote)
Felicia Wilson and chef Darryl Harmon (Amina, BlackHen, FIA, AVANA, and First Daughter Oyster & Co.) are creating a rustic farm-to-table restaurant at the Towers at Wyncote. February
New restaurants in South Jersey
Bar Tacconelli(461 Route 38, Maple Shade)
Vince Tacconelli and partners Stacey Lyons and Greg Listino are turning the former Versa Vino into a 50-seat Italian cocktail lounge serving oysters, charcuterie, fried bites, and pastas — but no pizza, as it’s four minutes from Tacconelli’s Maple Shade location. February
Duo Restaurant & Bar (90 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township)
The former Keg & Kitchen is reopening under the owners of Cherry Hill’s Il Villaggio, who plan to keep the bar menu and supplement with small plates. January/February
Eclipse Brewing (25 E. Park Ave., Merchantville)
New owner Megan Hilbert refreshed the space and expanded the outdoor setup with fire pits, patio seating, and a tented event area. Alongside house beer, Eclipse will offer alcoholic and nonalcoholic seltzers and its popular root beer, rotate food trucks and local vendors, and lean heavily into events — trivia, comedy, and pop-ups — as Hilbert frames it as a community gathering spot. Grand opening: Feb. 6.
Gouldsburger’s
The fast-growing fast-casual sandwich specialist has several on the way: 27 N. Maple Ave. in Marlton (February), 110 High St. in Glassboro (April), and 1251 Burlington Pike in Cinnaminson (spring).
Happy Place Homemade (690 Stokes Rd., Medford)
Ice cream, doughnuts, and other fun foods. Jan. 23.
Haraz Coffee House (113 Route 73, Marlton)
The Yemeni coffee house premieres in South Jersey with a location in Marlton Crossing. March
Hearthside (105–107 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township)
After eight years in Collingswood, chef/owner Dominic Piperno plans to move down the street into larger digs with a bar, lounge, and outdoor patio. He says he’d like to set up a chef in Hearthside’s existing space. Fall
After a year’s delay, Chris Fetfatzes says his bagel shop is finally coming round. Spring
Pizzeria Cusumano (872 Haddon Ave., Collingswood)
On the books since September 2021, this artisan pizzeria from third-generation pizzaiolo Sal Cusumano is back on track.“Q1”
Chef Chris Bennett (left) with June chef-owner Richard Cusack at a food event.
1793 (7 E. Park Ave., Merchantville)
Chris Bennett, chef de cuisine at Collingswood’s stellar June BYOB, has taken over the tiny Park Place Cafe for a tasting-menu restaurant whose six-course contemporary American menu will emphasize seafood, pastas, risottos, and a consistent duck entrée. Bennett, a carpenter in his first career, is building it out to feel like an upscale library, with dark woods and leather seating. He’s aiming for fine dining without formality. “I want people to leave full and happy,” he said. March
New restaurants in Philadelphia
Center City West / Rittenhouse / Logan Square
Ayat (2021 Sansom St.)
Abdul Elenani’s Palestinian restaurant is as well known, especially outside New York, for its outspokenness as it is for its mansaf (a lamb stew served over saj and rice) and maklouba (a six-layer, upside-down chicken and vegetable dish). March
Bar Caviar (256 S. 16th St.)
At Dwight D Hotel, a new bar whose Champagne list is expected to read more like a collector’s catalog than a bar menu: 50 selections in total, with 15 by the glass. Spring
Cake & Joe (1735 Market St.)
Sarah Qi and Trista Tang are opening the third location of their pastry/breakfast/lunch shop at BNY Mellon Center. January
Carolyn’s Modern Vietnamese (2015 Walnut St.)
Carolyn Nguyen is moving up as Revolution Taco moves out; she’ll take over for her Viet-Cajun hybrid. Early 2026
A chill, elegant bar above the new Wine Dive. Late summer
Mac Mart (Arch Street just west of 18th Street)
After 13 years at 18th and Chestnut Streets, sisters Marti Lieberman and Pamela Lorden are pivoting to a kiosk outside the Four Seasons at 18th and Arch. It’s built for grab-and-go, drawing on lessons from Mac Mart’s successful Munch Machines vending operation. In addition to mac and cheese, the kiosk will feature rotating wraps, hoagies, and products from local food businesses. Mid-January
Mahmood Islam and Samina Akbar at MOTW Coffee, 2101 Market St.,
A rendering of Mr. Edison, Jeffrey Chodorow’s first Philadelphia restaurant, with a bartop carousel at left. The restaurant is due to open in the Bellevue in spring 2026.
Mr. Edison (the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut Streets)
Jeffrey Chodorow calls this a “new generation” supper club that honors tradition while embracing the present — pairing the clubbiness, sophistication, and hospitality-driven focus of classic supper clubs with a modern culinary approach and live entertainment from a stage. The name nods to the Bellevue, whose lighting and electrification were overseen by Thomas Edison himself. Chodorow says it will “pulse with modern electric energy,” illuminated by warm, Edison-inspired lighting. The farm-to-table menu will be supplied in large part from Chodorow’s farm in New Hope, and dishes will be inspired by the iconic Philadelphia restaurants that influenced Chodorow’s personal culinary journey, including Le Bec-Fin, La Panetiere, Jimmy’s Milan, Bookbinder’s, Astral Plane, Knave of Hearts, Frog, and Commissary. March
O’Morrey’s (1720 Sansom St.)
Main Line-based chefs Biff Gottehrer and Kenjiro Omori (Refectory, the Ripplewood, Izzy’s) are developing this cocktail bar in the spirit of the Ripplewood on the former site of Genji, which Omori’s father created decades ago. O’Morrey’s is a cheeky rendering of Omori’s last name. Early summer
Recipe Philly (1401 Arch St.)
A full-service restaurant created by local businessman Ed Baumstein, who has invited the public to submit family recipes to create the menu. The entire build-up to opening is being filmed for a reality series. May
Restaurateur Ellen Yin will open a new Italian restaurant in Rittenhouse in 2026.
An Ellen Yin project (1620 Sansom St.)
Yin and High Street Hospitality have taken a space next to Uchi in Rittenhouse for an unnamed Italian restaurant. Spring
A Teddy Sourias sushi bar (1515 Market St.)
Sourias has no firm opening date or even name for his latest restau-bar, a splashy, two-level Asian fusion space that will subsume the shuttered HSBC Bank at 16th Street, adjacent to his Uptown Beer Garden. There’s an eight-seat sushi bar that will be overseen by the crew from Kichi Omakase. No timeline
The bar inside the Teddy Sourias restaurant at 1515 Market St. on Dec. 31.
Center City East / Old City
Chibanos (1127 Pine St.)
Evan Fong Jaroff, who melds his background — his mother is Chinese and born in Cuba, his dad is Russian American Jewish — will specialize in pressed sandwiches at the former Effie’s in Washington Square West. March
Harlem Shake (1330 Walnut St.)
The old-school burger shop, whose name was borrowed from the dance created by Al B. (Albert Boyce), has an atmosphere that pays homage to Harlem, home of its original location. No timeline
The future Known Associates, on the former site of Varga Bar, 941 Spruce St., on Dec. 31.
Known Associates (941 Spruce St.)
Chef Christopher Kearse of the Michelin-recommended Forsythia and designers PS & Daughters will open a cocktail bar at the former Varga Bar. Specifics are few for now, but the line is that food will play a more substantial role than at most American cocktail bars and will have a clear European influence. “That idea really clicked for us in Milan on my honeymoon — seeing how naturally great drinks and serious, satisfying food can live together,” Kearse said. The design reflects that same depth and intention. “Nothing here is minimal,” said Phoebe Schuh, PS & Daughters’ creative director. “We want to create a room built for lingering — where layers, atmosphere, and a sense of memory reward a closer look, and support the depth and creativity of Chris’ cocktails.” Spring
Chef Christopher Kearse and his wife, Lauren Kearse, during the cocktail hour at the Michelin Guide announcements at the Kimmel Center on Nov. 18.
Mi Vida (34 S. 11th St.)
Upscale Mexican player out of Washington, D.C., is opening next to Mom’s Organic Market in East Market. January/February
Piccolina (301 Chestnut St.)
A low-lit Italian restaurant and cocktail bar at the Society Hill Hotel from Michael Pasquarello (Cafe Lift, La Chinesca, Prohibition Taproom). Late winter/early spring
Savú, 208 S. 13th St.
Savú (208 S. 13th St.)
Kevin Dolce’s Hi-Def Hospitality has converted Washington Square West’s Cockatoo into a modern, bi-level dining and late-night lounge, with weekend brunch and Champagne brunch parties on Sundays. Jan. 30
Soufiane at the Morris (225 S. Eighth St.)
Soufiane Boutiliss and Christophe Mathon of Washington Square West’s intimate Sofi Corner Cafe are expanding into the genteel Morris House Hotel with an elegant but approachable restaurant inspired by France’s classic bouillons and brasseries. Menu will be split between small-plates bar offerings and full entrees: pâté en croûte, frog’s legs, bone marrow, smoked beef tartare, duck à l’orange, cassoulet, and mussels prepared with cream and curry, alongside Moroccan-influenced tagines. Breakfast, lunch, and brunch service will continue outdoors during the day, while the indoor dining room will open in the evenings only. February
Tun Tavern (207 Chestnut St.)
Montgomery Dahm, who owns Tun Tavern in Atlantic City, is retrofitting Old City’s Lucha Cartel into a tribute to the Marine Corps and is targeting early spring. (There’s a whole legal saga surrounding the name; the nonprofit group planning its own re-creation of the Tun around the corner hopes to open in 2027.) March
Society Hill / South Street
Kampar (611 S. Seventh St.)
Ange Branca hopes to reopen her Malaysian restaurant sometime in 2026; it’s undergoing extensive repairs from a February 2025 fire. No timeline
Taste Taco Bar (300 South St.)
Hi-Def Hospitality is readying this indoor/outdoor taco bar at the former Jon’s Bar & Grille. Spring
The long-delayed third location, just off Second and Girard, from the Center City Sichuan specialist is on track for 2026; its name hasn’t been set. Spring
Emilia (2406 Frankford Ave.)
Chef Greg Vernick and chef de cuisine Meredith Medoway lead a neighborhood trattoria featuring a seasonal menu built around house-made pasta and live-fire cooking. Late January/early February
ILU (2118 Dauphin St.)
A low-lit cocktail bar with Spanish tapas from Vintage Syndicate in the former Old Philadelphia Bar. February
Joe & Kay(702 N. Second St.)
Owen Kamihira (El Camino Real, Superette) and sons are behind a Northern Liberties izakaya — on the books for two years — named in honor of his grandparents, who owned a farm in Washington State before the family was interned during World War II. March
Matt Kuziemski has taken the old Penalty Box for a convivial 12-seat bar (amid 42 seats overall) with eclectic decor sourced from Thunderbird Salvage. Next week
7th Street Burger (1216 Shackamaxon St./1215 Frankford Ave.)
New Yorker Kevin Rezvani keeps the smash-burger menu simple; this location is just north of Girard Avenue and across from Frankford Hall and Fette Sau (another New York transplant). March
Slider & Co. (2043 Frankford Ave.)
William Johnson and Anesha Garrett are going the pop-up route at 2211 Frankford while awaiting their permanent home nearby. Spring
Terra Grill (1099 Germantown Ave.): Chef Laurent Tourondel, also behind Scusi Pizza, will tend this wood-fire grill at Piazza Alta. February
South Philly
Brunch Bulls (1638 W. Passyunk Ave.)
Brothers Derrick “Dee” and Jarrick “Jakk” Long are setting up an all-day bruncherie, where they’ll also serve their own liquor brand, Jakk & Dee Spirits Co.Spring
Claude’s Comedy Club & Bar (1123 S. Broad St.)
Reid Benditt, who publishes the comedic gem Philly Jabroni, plans a comedy club with a full bar featuring beer, cocktails, and fun food. (You don’t need a show ticket to sit at the bar, but it wouldn’t hurt.) Spring
EMei plans to open at the former Marra’s, as seen Nov. 30, its closing day after 98 years.
EMei (1734 E. Passyunk)
The Chinatown landmark takes the former Marra’s in South Philadelphia. Summer
Bartender Sam Ahern’s cozy, Euro-influenced homage to her spunky great-great-grandmother, who ran a speakeasy in North Jersey. Early 2026
Love & Honey Fried Chicken (1523 E. Passyunk Ave.)
The fried chicken chain heads to South Philadelphia. Spring
Long hot and provolone-stuffed Swabian pretzel from Pretzel Day Pretzels.
Pretzel Day Pretzels (1501 S. Fifth St.)
James and Annie Mueller’s pretzel-delivery operation gets a takeout home in South Philadelphia’s former Milk + Sugar. They bake classic soft pretzels, plus German-style variations rarely seen locally, including Swabian pretzels with a large, split-able belly and thin, crunchy arms. The shop will offer several stuffed options. February
Schmaltz (1300 S. 18th St.)
Jewish-inspired breakfast and lunch spot in Point Breeze from spouses Jeremy Asch and Abby Armstrong, who plan coffee, egg-and-cheese sandwiches on house-made English muffins (with pickle-brined crispy tofu as a vegan option), latkes, and blintzes. No timeline
Side Eye (623 S. Sixth St.)
Hank Allingham has taken the former Bistrot La Minette for a bar serving chef Finn Connors’ “French-ish” food alongside beer, $13 cocktails, and European wines. January
The Jeweler’s Row coffee-geek haven goes for its second location. No date
North of Center City / Loft District / Spring Garden
Lovechild (990 Spring Garden St.)
Well-traveled chef Elijah Milligan, taking over the former Lucky Well space with friends Simon and Yaminah Egan, plans an eclectic menu blending Japanese and Mexican cuisines, with a wood-fired grill as a centerpiece. They’re going for sleek and chic with cushy seating. The bar program will focus on clarified cocktails. The Lovechild name carries personal meaning for Milligan, who was raised by a single mother and is a single father himself. Spring
Chef Elijah Milligan in the space that will become his restaurant Lovechild at 990 Spring Garden St.
South Sichuan II (1537 Spring Garden St.)
A sequel for the South Philadelphia takeout. January/February
Yum Grills (1135 Vine St.)
Shahezad “Shah” Contractor and crew from Cousin’s Burger Co. are behind this halal shop selling smash burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken over rice, and wings out of a Shell station; at the Jan. 10 grand opening (1 p.m.), the first 100 people will get a double smash burger, fries, and soda.
West Philly / University City
Amina Ocean (4101 Market St.)
Felicia Wilson and chef Darryl Harmon (Amina, BlackHen, FIA, AVANA, and First Daughter Oyster & Co.) are going the seafood route for their long-awaited restaurant at 3.0 University Place. Summer
Burrito Feliz Cantina (4403 Chestnut St.)
Miguel Nolasco’s Burrito Feliz food truck — no relation to the Cantina Feliz restaurants in Fairmount, Manayunk, and Ambler — is partnering with Brewery ARS on a brick-and-mortar. No date
Kabobeesh and Karak Cha House (3748 Lancaster Ave.)
Asad Ghumman’s popular Pakistani restaurant and the street-food sibling are moving a mile within University City into bigger quarters at the Triad Apartments. January
Fahad Azam and Khurram Ghayas are franchisees of this Yemeni coffee shop, prepping for opening at the Triad. January
Northwest Philly
The Blue Warbler (8001 Germantown Ave.)
First-time restaurateur Fred Mogul calls this an “unfussy” all-day bakery-cafe-tavern serving “edgy, eclectic comfort food” accompanied by coffee, cocktails, wine, beer, and nonalcoholic drinks. February/March
Crust Vegan Bakery (4200 Ridge Ave.)
Meagan Benz’s vegan bakery, relocating from Manayunk to East Falls, will be an expanded shop/cafe in a century-old building just off Kelly Drive. January
Lovat Square (184 E. Evergreen Ave.)
Damien Graef and Robyn Semien — he’s lead sommelier at Philly’s Four Seasons, she’s a journalist who runs a podcast company called Placement Theory, and together they own Brooklyn’s long-running Bibber & Bell wine shop — are taking over Chestnut Hill’s former Top of the Hill Market and Mimi’s Cafe. Phase one, beginning in coming weeks, will be a wine shop featuring about 30 indoor seats, wines by the glass, tastings, and snacks. A 70-seat courtyard with a full dinner menu is planned for spring, followed by a late-fall opening of a full cocktail bar and restaurant.
Mermaid Bar (6745 Germantown Ave.)
Pizzaiolo Dan Gutter and business partner Alex Carbonell are redoing the shuttered Mermaid as a yet-to-be-named bar-restaurant whose pizzas will resemble Circles & Squares, the Kensington shop that became Gutter’s first brick-and-mortar location in 2019. (Gutter also has Pizza Plus in South Philly.) There will be a full bar, a large outdoor patio, and two levels: a bar downstairs and a dining room upstairs. Summer
Tyrese Maxey dropped one spot in the second round of NBA All-Star fan voting returns released Tuesday. The 76ers point guard now ranks third among Eastern Conference players and fifth overall.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid remains 17th among players in the East.
Maxey had been fourth overall and second in the conference when the first returns dropped on Dec. 29. However, he was supplanted by New York Knicks point guard and former Villanova standout Jalen Brunson.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić is the league’s top vote-getter with 2,229,811 votes, and Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is second overall. He leads the East with 2,092,284 votes. Brunson has 1,916,497 votes, followed by Maxey at 1,908,978.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to determine the 10 starters for the All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. A media panel and NBA players each account for 25% of the vote. This season, All-Stars are being selected regardless of position.
Voting will conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 14. NBC and Peacock will reveal the All-Star starters on Jan. 19. Coaches will select All-Star reserves at a later date.
Under a new format, two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.
Tyrese Maxey has the third-most Eastern Conference NBA All-Star votes in the second fan returns released today. The 76ers point guard was second in the first returns. pic.twitter.com/3TUUWxyz40
It’s not surprising that Maxey has a solid chance to be voted an All-Star starter.
An All-Star reserve in 2023, he entered Tuesday third in the league in scoring (31.0 points per game), fourth in steals (1.8), and 12th in assists (7.0). He’s also fourth in made three-pointers (120). And the sixth-year veteran has scored at least 30 points in 17 of his 32 games.
Maxey’s season highlight was a career-high 54 points, to go with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in a 123-114 overtime victory over the Bucks. He joined Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (March 18, 1968) as the only two players in franchise history to produce at least 50 points and nine assists in a game.
Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham (1,752,801) and Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (1,530,237) round out the East’s top five vote-getters.
The West’s top five vote-getters are Dončić, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (1,998,560), Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (1,844,903), Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1,554,468), and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1,321,985).
Dan Vladař remembers watching the highlights of the Czech Republic’s only Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey. It was how he fell in love with the sport.
Growing up in Prague, the goalie was less than a year old when Dominik Hašek and former Flyers like Jaromír Jágr and the late Roman Čechmánek helped their country win at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
Now the 28-year-old Flyers goalie will get a chance to follow in their footsteps. On Tuesday, Vladař was named to the Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
“I wouldn’t say it was a goal, but it was maybe in the back of my head somewhere,” he said Monday before the announcement. “Obviously, especially coming here as a new guy, I didn’t really have time to think about it that way.
“I was just trying to establish myself on this team and get to know everybody and focus on myself and the team here.”
Vladař joked that if his phone didn’t ring, he’d go somewhere warm during the two-week NHL break. But how could Czechia leave him off the roster after the season he is having?
Through 24 games, Vladař is 15-6-3 with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. His 24 starts are five off his career high, set last season when he backed up Dustin Wolf in Calgary. And his 15 wins are already his all-time best.
“I feel great. Still hungry, as everybody else is in this locker room,” he said about his season with the Flyers. “So, obviously, I’m glad for the opportunity and trying to take advantage of it every day. Body feels great. Head feels really good, too. So everything’s good.”
Flyers goaltender Dan Vladař is tied for eighth in the NHL with a .910 save percentage.
Everything is better than good. Vladař has looked sensational in net with his tracking and ability to read plays. He will put up a bad game here or there, but they have been few and far between as the Flyers have lost only once in regulation following a loss.
He’s also been one of the NHL’s top goalies.
Vladař’s save percentage ranks him tied for eighth in the league among goalies with 20 appearances, and his GAA is the fifth best. He could challenge to be Czechia’s starting goalie, too, as his numbers are better than those of Karel Vejmelka (.896, 2.70), who plays for Utah, and projected starter Lukáš Dostál (.887, 3.18), who might be in the opposite crease when the Flyers host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
“I think he worked on his game this summer because he went with a skating coach, and I think he wanted to work on some stuff like the next play, the rebound,” coach Rick Tocchet said before the season resumed after the holiday break. “And I noticed him this year, he’s in position for the second rebound. … I think Vladdy’s worked on that, and I think he’s really done a great job when it comes to that second save, being in position and not being out of position.”
Vladař joins Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland), Travis Sanheim (Canada), and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Tocchet will be an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.
The netminder last played for Czechia at the 2025 IIHF men’s World Championship, posting a 3-0-0 record in four games with a 1.09 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage; Vladař relieved Vejmelka in the Czechs’ quarterfinal loss to Sweden.
It was the first time he suited up for his country since 2017 at the World Juniors. In 2014, he was the backup to Vítek Vaněček as the Czechs lost to the United States in the gold-medal game at World Juniors. That same year, he started the gold-medal game against Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, giving up four goals, with one scored by his current teammate Travis Konecny.
Czechia is expected to compete for a medal in Milan, and boasts NHL stars like David Pastrňák (Boston Bruins), Martin Nečas (Colorado Avalanche), and Tomáš Hertl (Vegas Golden Knights). Former Flyers Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks) and Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice) will also suit up for the Czechs. The tournament begins on Feb. 11 and will run through the gold-medal game on Feb. 22.
Breakaway
After clearing waivers on Tuesday, Egor Zamula agreed to a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets through the end of the season. The former Flyers defenseman, who was traded to Pittsburgh last week but refused to report to its American Hockey League affiliate, was placed on waivers Monday by the Penguins for the purpose of contract termination. Puckpedia lists the deal at $1 million. Zamula, 25, will reunite with former teammate and fellow Russian Ivan Provorov with the Blue Jackets. Ivan Fedotov is also in the Columbus organization but is currently in the AHL with Cleveland.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance. Her comments came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under U.S. control in the aftermath of the weekend military operation in Venezuela.
The dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas to capture leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife early Saturday left the world stunned, and heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of NATO.
Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the president’s comments and warned of catastrophic consequences. Numerous European leaders expressed solidarity with them.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday. “That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”
20-day timeline deepens fears
Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the island. His comments Sunday, including telling reporters “let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days,” further deepened fears that the U.S. was planning an intervention in Greenland in the near future.
Frederiksen also said Trump “should be taken seriously” when he says he wants Greenland. “We will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way,” she added.
Nielsen, in a news conference Monday, said Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united.
“We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation,” he said.
Nielsen added: “The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland.”
Ask Rostrup, a TV2 political journalist, wrote on the station’s live blog Monday that Mette previously would have flatly rejected the idea of an American takeover of Greenland. But now, Rostrup wrote, the rhetoric has escalated so much that she has to acknowledge the possibility.
Trump slams Denmark’s security efforts in Greenland
Trump on Sunday also mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.
“It’s so strategic right now,” Trump had told reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
He added: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
But Ulrik Pram Gad, a global security expert from the Danish Institute for International Studies, wrote in a report last year that “there are indeed Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic, but these vessels are too far away to see from Greenland with or without binoculars.”
U.S. space base in northwestern Greenland
Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled this weekend by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON.”
“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. It was built following a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. It supports missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
On Denmark’s mainland, the partnership between the U.S. and Denmark has been long-lasting. The Danes buy American F-35 fighter jets and just last year, Denmark’s parliament approved a bill to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil.
Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the U.S. The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.
After being sworn in to her first full four-year term, City Controller Christy Brady on Monday vowed to examine spending related to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s signature housing program and to probe whether Philadelphia is maximizing economic opportunities at its waterfront and port.
“In my next term, I will be expanding my oversight of the mayor’s housing program to ensure every dollar borrowed is used as intended and is properly accounted for,” Brady said of Parker’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative during a swearing-in ceremony at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
“And with our waterfront and ports being one of our strongest economic assets, we will be focusing on efforts to ensure they can deliver the greatest financial impact,” Brady said.
Holt denies that it has engaged in anticompetitive conduct, and a company spokesperson said growth is “vitally important to the future of our business and our region.”
“Holt Logistics has been a key driver of the Port’s growth over the last decade, as witnessed by the fact that in the last month alone, two new lines of business have chosen to call Philadelphia, largely because of the service they receive,” spokesperson Kevin Feeley said.
Additionally, Brady promised to help prevent fraud in city spending related to this year’s Semiquincentennial festivities.(Parker has pledged to dole out $100 million, focusing on neighborhood-based programming across the city, for major events in 2026, including the nation’s 250th birthday.)
And in her capacity as chair of the Philadelphia Gas Commission, Brady said she would “conduct a thorough review of PGW’s operations.”
Brady also sits on the city Board of Pensions and Retirement and said she would “collaborate with [City] Council to adjust benefit structures.”
The controller’s office audits city agencies and investigates allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse.
Brady was appointed by former Mayor Jim Kenney to serve as acting controller in late 2022 when Rebecca Rhynhart resigned to run for mayor. Brady in 2023 won a special election to serve the remaining two years of Rhynhart’s term.
Seeking her first four-year term, Brady ran unopposed in the May 2024 Democratic primary and easily defeated Republican Ari Patrinos in the November general election.She was sworn in Monday with District Attorney Larry Krasner, who is beginning his third term, and city judges who were on the ballot last year.
Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Natasha Taylor-Smith introduced Brady and administered her oath of office.
Many past controllers have had less-than-friendly relationships with the mayors they served alongside, a natural dynamic for an office tasked with investigating the executive branch. The post has also served as a springboard for many politicians with higher aspirations.
Rhynhart, for instance, repeatedly clashed with Kenney by publishing critical reports on city accounting practices and a lack of accountability in spending on anti-violence groups. She touted those probes to brand herself as a reformer while running in the 2023 mayor‘s race, finishing second behind Parker in the Democratic primary.
Brady’s background and leadership style are different. She has spent three decades rising through the ranks in the controller’s office and was deputy controller in charge of the audit division before being appointed to the top job. And since becoming controller, she has made a point of working collaboratively with Parker’s administration.
Dignitaries and elected officers before start of 2026 Inaugural Ceremony at the Kimmel Center Performing Arts on Monday.
“As promised, I hit the ground running. We’ve achieved far more than many thought was possible,” Brady said. “A key to that success has been collaboration with Mayor Parker and Council President [Kenyatta] Johnson to ensure that our recommendations resulting from the findings in each report, review, and audit that we issue are implemented.”
Parker acknowledged their collaboration in her remarks during Monday’s ceremony.
“Controller Brady, thank you for not being wrapped up in politics and staying focused on the work of the controller’s office,” Parker said. “You do it by communicating with our office. No ‘gotcha’ moments.”
In her relatively short political career, Brady has received strong support from influential groups in local politics, especially the building trades unions and the Democratic City Committee. On Monday, she gave shout-outs to numerous politicos, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who chairs the city’s Democratic Party and is not related to her.
“I want to thank the people who have made this possible, including my friends in labor, Congressman Bob Brady, my friends in the Democratic Party, the business community, and all the voters who put their trust in me,” Christy Brady said.
No place was hit harder than Cuba by the shock waves that Saturday morning’s U.S. military seizure of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro sent throughout Latin America and the world.
Within hours of the operation — long before the government in Havana acknowledged it — phone calls and texts across the island spread the news that dozens of elite Cuban security forces had been killed guarding Maduro.
But by the time it finally released a statement late Sunday saying that 32 of its military and security personnel were dead in Caracas, the Cuban government had bigger problems on its hands.
Both President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear over the weekend that the collapse of Cuba’s communist government was not only a likely side benefit of Maduro’s ouster but a goal.
“I don’t think we need [to take] any action,” Trump said as he flew back to Washington from his extended Florida holiday break. Without Maduro and the oil supplies Venezuela provided, he said, “Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall.”
Rubio went further, indicatingthat the United States might be willing to give it a push. “I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. But, he added, “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.”
Their words resonated with many in the Miami-centered exile community, where the struggle to free Cuba from communist rule has dominated politics for decades. On Saturday, South Florida Cuban exiles — some wearing red Trump hats and Cuban flags as capes — joined hundreds of revelers at spirited, impromptu celebrations from Little Havana to Doral, a city nicknamed “Doralezuela” because of its large population of Venezuelans. Cuban American leaders, most of them Republican, issued statements as Venezuela coverage dominated local TV stations.
Cuba is the “root” of problems with Venezuela, Nicaragua, and other leftist regimes in the region, said Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade County’s elected tax collector. “Now the time has come … for the Castro communist and socialist assassin regime to be held accountable as well, and for the Cuban people to finally be free.”
Absent direct U.S. intervention, however, Cuba experts here and on the island were less certain.
“If you’re asking if the Cuban government will just collapse on its own because the economic pain is bound to increase” without shipments of Venezuelan oil, “I’m very skeptical,” said Michael J. Bustamante, associate professor of history and director of the Cuban studies program at the University of Miami.
To keep the lights on and cars running, Cuba has long been dependent on Venezuelan oil supplies, for which it has exchanged security and medical personnel in a sympathetic contract with leftist allies in Caracas.
“I could very well be proven wrong, but Cuba has been here before” and survived, Bustamente said, referencing what is known in Cuba as the “special period” that began in 1991 with the abrupt cutoff of outside assistance after the demise of the Soviet Union.
Juan Gonzalez, who served as Western Hemisphere director on the Biden administration’s national security staff, said that “cutting off the oil deliveries is going to put a huge squeeze on the humanitarian situation” in Cuba, which is already suffering regular electricity blackouts and food scarcities. “But I don’t think the regime is going to cry uncle.”
Aside from an economic uptick during the Obama administration, when the resumption of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana led to increased tourism and slender openings for private ownership and outside investment, the Cuban economy has never really recovered from the Soviet fall.
The nation has been on a steady slide into economic chaos for years, owing to U.S. sanctions and what even many of its supporters see as mismanagement by a sclerotic Cuban Communist Party.
Some chose to see opportunity in the darkness following Maduro’s ouster. Carlos Alzugaray, a retired career Cuban diplomat reached by phone at his Havana home, said, “There is of course an increase of the threat, a very bad thing.”
But it was possible, he said, that Cuba’s allies in Russia and elsewhere would help, “and just maybe the government will … open up the economy and do what the economists have been telling them for a long time and they have refused to do.”
Venezuelan support under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, in the early 2000s helped Cuba emerge from the special period and the weight of decades-long U.S. sanctions. Since then, Havana has weathered the death of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, COVID, Trump’s dismantling during his first administration of the limited Obama opening and furious street protests in 2021.
But the emboldened second Trump administration presents an entirely new threat to Cuba’s leaders.
At various points over the years, Cuba’s own government economists have advised overhauling the economy and have been urged to do so by allies in China, Vietnam, and Russia.
Raúl Castro, who took over from his ailing brother, Fidel, in 2006, warned of needed reforms in a lengthy 2010 speech to the Cuban parliament. “We are playing with the life of the revolution,” he said. “We can either rectify the situation, or we will run out of time walking on the edge of the abyss, and we will sink.”
But his plans to expand the role of the private sector and reduce state ownership were seen as contradictory andinsufficiently implemented, ultimately resolving few of Cuba’s systemic problems. Other pushes for change have run into similar roadblocks over the ruling party’s refusal to allow private businesses and farms to sell their goods directly for market prices, its rejection of currency reforms, heavy government investments in a failing tourism industry and the growing power of GAESA, the military-controlled conglomerate that runs vast swaths of the economy.
At their peak of about 100,000 barrels a day, Venezuelan oil shipments allowed Cuba to serve its own energyneeds and sell refined petroleum products overseas for desperately needed cash. But as Venezuela dealt with sharp drops in output, due to U.S. sanctions and mismanagement, shipments dropped to about 30,000 barrels last year.
Those cuts, along with Cuba’s aging refineries, failing infrastructure and the occasional hurricane, led to at least five islandwide blackouts last year.
“They have to realize they can’t depend on foreign help anymore,” Alzugaray said. Russia and Mexico have supplied some oil, although Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is likely to come under increasing U.S. pressure to cut off aid to Havana. China, which holds major Cuban debt, has shown little interest in helping.
Reforms have been approved “on paper,” Alzugaray said. “The problem is they don’t do it. The essence is opening to market economics, allowing expansion of the private sector, and eliminating or selling socialist state enterprises that don’t produce. They have to do it, and they have to do it fast. They have lost too much time.”
Few Cuba watchers have much confidence that reforms will happen, at least under the party government of President Manuel Díaz-Canel and the current power structure.
“There are reformers inside the regime,” said Gonzalez, the Biden administration official, who had extensive dealings with the Cuban government. “They have a vision, but they don’t have the wherewithal and the influence to have it done.”
Even if they did, he said, “it won’t be enough” for Rubio, whose parents fled the island before Fidel Castro’s 1959 takeover, and Cuban American lawmakers and power brokers, he said. “They’re going to want big change.”
Opposition on the island is diffuse and leaderless since arrests following the 2021 street protests.
“People who aspire to be opposition leaders are either in Miami or in Madrid or in jail,” said William LeoGrande, a specialist in Latin American affairs at American University. A Venezuela-like removal of even a handful of individuals is unlikely to rattle the multilayered, entrenched party and military power centers to the point of collapse, he said.
As for Cubans themselves, Alzugaray said, “I wouldn’t think that people are so desperate that they will welcome an American intervention or a group of Miami Cubans taking over. What people want is the Cuban government to change,” he said, “but in Cuban terms, not imposed by the outside.”
Another Eagles rival in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders, is dismissing defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. In addition, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will not return to coach Dann Quinn’s staff.
Fired by Dallas
It’s the second consecutive season in which Eberflus has been fired. He was let go midseason in 2024, his third year as head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Eberflus made it to the end of the season in his return to Dallas, where he had been an assistant from 2011-17 before going to Indianapolis as defensive coordinator. But the 55-year-old’s fate appeared sealed before Sunday’s finale, a 34-17 loss at the New York Giants that set a club record as the ninth game of allowing at least 30 points.
“Having known Matt Eberflus for decades now, we have tremendous respect and appreciation for him as a coach and a person,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “After reviewing and discussing the results of our defensive performance this season, though, it was clear that change is needed. This is the first step in that process, and we will continue that review as it applies to reaching our much higher expectations.”
The departure of Eberflus means the Cowboys will have their fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons, following Dan Quinn in 2023, Mike Zimmer last year and Eberflus. Dallas’ last five defensive coordinators have been former NFL head coaches.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts checks on Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on Nov. 23 in Arlington, Texas.
Dallas gave up 500 points for the first time in club history, allowing 511 for an average of 30.1. The only higher average was the 30.8 points per game given up by the franchise’s winless expansion team in 1960.
The defense’s six interceptions fell one short of the previous franchise low, and the 12 takeaways were the second fewest in club history. The Cowboys finished tied for 29th in the NFL with a minus-9 turnover margin.
One of the two first-round picks acquired from Green Bay in that deal led to a trade for standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets, a move that sparked a three-game winning streak under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Jones has said the most surprising moment of the season was the 44-30 loss at Detroit that ended the winning streak and sent the Cowboys tumbling to a 1-4 finish. Trailing most of the game, Dallas couldn’t get a fourth-quarter stop after trimming the deficit to three with 10 minutes remaining.
Dallas has consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the last of three in a row in 2002. The Cowboys had three straight 12-win playoff seasons from 2021-23 but just one postseason victory.
Eberflus moved to the coaching booth from the sideline with three games remaining, but the results didn’t change much.
“I don’t really think about it that way,” Eberflus said when asked before the season finale what he might have done differently. “I think about being in the moment and just keep adjusting and learning and growing and getting better. I don’t think I’d do anything differently.”
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury agreed to move on after a meeting with coach Dan Quinn.
Washington’s shake-up
Kingsbury and Whitt are both gone from Quinn’s staff with the Commanders after a 5-12 season, a team official with knowledge of the moves told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the staff changes had not yet been announced.
Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator, and Whitt, who had been in charge of the defense until being stripped of play-calling duties during the season, both arrived in Washington with Quinn before the 2024 season.
According to the person who described Tuesday’s decisions to the AP, Quinn and Kingsbury met in the morning to talk about the future of the team’s offense, which stars quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Quinn and Kingsbury then mutually agreed to part ways, the official said.
Whitt was dismissed, which was not surprising given his earlier demotion and just how bad Washington’s defense was this season. No team in the NFL allowed opponents to gain more yards.
But Daniels kept getting hurt this season, managing to start only seven games and getting shut down in December after a series of injuries to his left knee, right hamstring, and left elbow.
Blood banks across the Philadelphia region say donations are urgently needed this week as they brace for anticipated post-holiday blood shortages.
New Jersey Blood Services, whose coverage area includes South Jersey, declared a blood emergency on Tuesday, stating they had less than a two-day supply for the more than 200 hospitals they serve across New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
The American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania separately said Philadelphia and South Jersey, as well as the nation at large, are on the cusp of a blood shortage.
January is a difficult time for blood donations — so much so that President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation in 1969 declaring it “National Blood Donor Month.”
This year, a trifecta of seasonal illness, severe weather, and holiday disruptions has resulted ina significant decline in donations, said Chelsey Smith, a spokesperson for New Jersey Blood Services.
Flu cases surged in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Christmas and New Year’s Day both fell midweek, on days when the organization normally sees high collection. Blood donation levels dropped toalmost 40% below what is needed to meet hospital demand.
“We essentially experienced a mere total loss of midweek collections for two straight weeks, and that adds up very quickly,” Smith said.
The most urgent needs are for red blood cells and platelets.
The group urges people to donate at least once per season, emphasizing that blood is a perishable product. Red blood cells only last about 42 days after a donation. Platelets, which are especially critical for cancer patients going through chemotherapy, have a shelf life of just five to seven days.
“When those donations drop, it directly impacts our blood supply, and hospitals usually feel the effects of that pretty quickly,” Smith said.
Blood shortages are becoming more frequent
Blood shortages and emergencies have become more common following the pandemic, Smith said.
Fewer young people are donating, for starters, which she attributes to the loss of school collections during the height of COVID-19.
“We weren’t able to go into high schools and instill those lifelong values of donating blood when they’re young,” she said.
More people are also working from home, a challenge for the New Jersey organization thatused to rely heavily on corporate workplace blood drives.
New Jersey Blood Services declared a blood emergency last summer as well.
“Pre-COVID, blood emergencies were not quite as common. Post-COVID, they’re almost routine,” Smith said.
The American Red Cross also saw a lower number of people donate over the holidays than anticipated, according to Alana Mauger, a spokespersonfor the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter.
Organizersreleased calls this week for donations in hopes of preventing a shortage, which they’re on the cusp of.
The group alsopartnered with the National Football League this month to offer a chance at winning a trip to Super Bowl LX to those who donate.
Saquon Barkley is participating in the campaign, sharing his own experiences as a blood donor.
“It only takes about an hour and once you realize in that short amount of time how much help it can bring — it’s a beautiful thing,” the Eagles running back said in a Monday news release.
New Jersey’s acting health commissioner, Jeff Brown, urged donors not to wait to donate.
“Schedule an appointment today or visit a walk-in center this week. Your donation can save a life,” he said in a statement.
One Trump supporter’s journey from a mall kiosk to a Bucks County strip mall is coming to an end this month.
The “Trump Store,” a Bensalem spot for merchandise and knickknacks celebrating President Donald Trump, is closing its doors after six years in business. The store’s final day is Jan. 31.
Mike Domanico, who co-owns the store with his wife, Monica, remains an ardent supporter of the president. But business is business, and Domanico said sales have declined since Trump returned to the White House, forcing the “tough decision” to shut down.
“Business has slowed down some because there’s not really much action going on with Trump,” Domanico said. “It’s time.”
There were other factors. The store’s lease is up in February, and Domanico wants to devote more of his time to a booming side business selling gun show merchandise.
Domanico said Trump’s tariffs on imported goods haven’t impacted his business at all.
“Any of the stuff I buy is priced the same as it was before all the tariffs took effect,” Domanico said.
Michael Domanico and his wife, Monica, seen here in 2020 during the grand opening of their Trump Store in Benaslem.
The store began its closeout sale on Tuesday, Jan. 6, exactly five years to the day when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Everything’s on sale, from shirts featuring the president as an Eagles player to hats promoting a fictitious 2028 reelection campaign barred by the U.S. Constitution.
Domanico opened a sister Trump Store in Chalfont in July 2022, but closed it last year due to issues with the landlord and some vandalism. He has two full-time employees helping him run the store.
In his six years selling Trump merchandise, Domanico said the only tough year was after the 2020 election. Following his second impeachment, Trump appeared to lose support from most Republicans, and sales at the store slowed.
“I stuck with it because I knew he was going to run again, and it worked out very well,” Domanico said.
Trump Store manager Lisa von Deylen, seen here replenishing the store’s inventory in May 2024.
Sales grew during the final years of Joe Biden’s tenure, fueled by Trump becoming the first former president indicted for a crime. “Free Trump” shirts became a particularly hot seller, and the store saw a spike in sales when the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., was raided by FBI agents.
While many Bucks County residents appear to have soured on the president and his policies, Domanico isn’t among them.
“I think his second term has been great,” Domanico said. “I know the liberal media turns everything around, making it look bad, but he’s doing some great stuff. I love it.”
