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  • Dear Abby | Message about new husband arrives anonymously

    DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to my husband for two months. I haven’t told anyone I’m married except my close friends and family. Someone recently messaged me about my husband, stating that he has Asperger’s. They know my name and have my phone number. I don’t know who this person is or why they would tell me this now.

    I already suspected my husband has Asperger’s, so I’m not shocked, but this is eating me up inside. I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I recently lost my mom to cancer. Now I’m facing this. I previously dated a narcissist who used to lie regularly. But after all that heartbreak and torment, I’m now with someone who lies to me again? I’m so confused and upset. I really do want to ask my husband to get assessed. I don’t think I can trust him anymore. Do you have advice for me?

    — LOSING AGAIN IN CANADA

    DEAR LOSING: Let me point out that individuals who write anonymous letters usually are not trying to be helpful and instead may be trying to cause trouble in your marriage. Before asking your husband to be assessed for Asperger’s, go online and read as much information about it as you can. You might also consider contacting the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (aane.org), which has been mentioned in my column before.

    If what you learn from reliable resources indicates that it could be your husband’s problem, then by all means suggest he be assessed. He may not necessarily be “lying” to you as much as being in denial. This does not have to destroy a marriage. Many successful people are on the spectrum.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: My best friend and co-worker is 57. I’m 32. Her husband died two years ago, leaving her and her 22-year-old son alone. We’ve been best friends and co-workers for the last six years, but over the last few months, I’ve been realizing she’s a lot more to me than just a friend.

    I am nervous about trying to make advances because I don’t know if the feelings are mutual or how she views our age difference. I don’t want to risk ruining our friendship. I just know that my heart skips a few beats when our eyes meet or our fingers accidentally touch. I’ve realized these last few months that I’m falling hard for her, and I’m afraid to let her know. If I don’t, however, my feelings are going to eat me alive. What should I do?

    — FALLING FOR HER IN KANSAS

    DEAR FALLING: Ask your best friend (and co-worker) to join you for a casual lunch or dinner. Keep it light but tell her how much you enjoy her company and ask if the age difference between you bothers her. If the answer is no, explain that you care very much for her and wonder if she’d be open to the idea of dating you.

    If she says yes, and there are rules at your job that discourage “fraternizing,” you may have to find another place to work. If she responds that dating would be awkward, let her know you will always be her friend because you think she is special.

  • Horoscopes: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your personal journey also happens to be very relatable. Though what you’re doing feels specific to you, it will become meaningful to others, too, if communicated well. The first step is to read the room and adjust your vibes to match it.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Life is like a bubbly drink. Down it on the fresh pour and enjoy the effervescence. If you wait, it goes flat. The sparkle is fleeting, and that’s what makes it precious. Taste the moment.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). After a string of intense days, the quiet feels strange but sacred. The body exhales first; the mind lags behind, replaying everything. Let yourself land. Stillness isn’t the absence of motion; it’s the moment your spirit catches up to you.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). To those who know how to read the signals, body language often tells a deeper truth than words. You are such a person. You may not know exactly what’s being expressed, but you read the tension and it makes you curious about getting a fuller story, which you’re sure to do today.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). People like you, but that’s not what’s important here. External approval or popularity isn’t the real reward. It’s nice, but secondary. The point is, your contribution is making a difference. It’s meaningful and will have an impact beyond your control or awareness.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are those who will keep taking for as long as they are allowed. With these types, you need to state the boundaries and then refer to them multiple times. Being assertive is the kindest thing to do.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The day’s events remind you that you are in a phase of self-improvement and discernment — not a phase of comfort. Because you want growth, you will opt for the more challenging lessons and teachers.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Follow the muse. She speaks in posters and puffy clouds. She speaks in street art and store windows. She beckons with song and draws you into detours that will be better than the main road.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There were times you distanced yourself from the decision-making process just to keep things simple for the group. But right now, they need your leadership. Gather the relevant information and leap back in.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll receive appreciation, emotional rewards, creative satisfaction — the nonmonetary kinds of payment that make life rich. But it’s the financial compensation that allows you to keep going. Material stability keeps the whole system functioning.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some people can’t meet your playfulness. Humor is intimacy in disguise. When you make someone laugh, you’ve shown them your rhythm, your timing, your view of the world. That can be terrifying for the person who’s used to controlling the scene.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Are you starting to notice a pattern? Something repeating in a relationship or a little habit of yours that’s not doing you any good? If you knock it off soon, it will be quick and painless with a rich reward.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 25). Welcome to your Year of Community Magic. You’ll step into a circle where your gifts uplift many, and the group returns the energy tenfold. You’ll attract collaborators who challenge and stretch you, helping your career blossom in directions you couldn’t map alone. More highlights: financial stability through a smart partnership, an artistic triumph and an adventure that changes your worldview. Aries and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 15, 22, 40 and 13.

  • Flyers shut out for the first time this season in 3-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning

    Flyers shut out for the first time this season in 3-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning

    TAMPA BAY — The Flyers headed to the Sunshine State to begin a four-game road trip, but the nice weather dried out their offense.

    After scoring a combined 15 goals in the past four games, the Flyers were shut out for the first time this season, losing 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It snapped the Flyers’ two-game winning streak and is their fourth loss in the last seven games.

    It wasn’t a barn burner as the teams combined for 38 shots on goal. The Flyers had their chances, like when Matvei Michkov was robbed in the slot and Travis Sanheim was stoned in the high slot in the third period by Andrei Vasilevskiy. But they were few and far between, and the Lightning had better chances and buried them.

    Flyers make more tweaks to the power play; Jon Cooper discusses Travis Sanheim’s Olympic chances

    Flyers coach Rick Tocchet has spoken out about not wanting his players to back in and wanting them to stand up more at the blue line. Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who was Canada’s bench boss at the 4 Nations Face-Off alongside his assistant Tocchet, must have watched his pressers. The Lightning took a 1-0 lead with 4 minutes, 26 seconds left in the first period, thanks to Brandon Hagel using his speed to push the Flyers back.

    Hagel got the puck at the Lightning’s blue line and carried it through the neutral zone. Despite three Flyers at the blue line waiting for him, he carried the puck in and dished a pass to Nikita Kucherov on the wall. As Hagel curled to the front of the net, Kucherov fed Emil Lilleberg at the point for a slap shot that Hagel ended up deflecting past goalie Sam Ersson.

    Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (right) attempts a shot at Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy on Monday.

    On their 12th shot of the game, the Lightning made it 2-0. And it was the same line: Brink, Michkov, and Sean Couturier, and the same defensive pairing, Jamie Drysdale and Andrae, on the ice — at almost the same time in the second period.

    With four minutes remaining, after some sustained pressure in the Lightning’s end, Hagel sent the puck cross-ice to Kucherov, trapping the three forwards deep. The Russian winger skated up and sent the puck back across the ice to Hagel as the defensemen collapsed around the net, and the backcheck was late. Andrae went down to the ice to take away the pass, but Hagel skated around him and fed Anthony Cirelli alone in front for the easy tip-in.

    Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko traded to Ontario Hockey League favorite Brantford

    Breakaways

    Hagel added an empty-netter in the final seconds. … The Flyers’ Nic Deslauriers, who is 6-foot-1, dropped the gloves with 6-9 Curtis Douglas in the first period. The elder statesman in the fight by nine years, Deslauriers won the battle against the 25-year-old and yelled at his bench and a fan banging the glass on his way to the penalty box. … Sanheim played in his 600th NHL game, all with the Flyers. He is the sixth defenseman to hit that mark in franchise history.

    Up next

    The Flyers head to Sunrise, Fla., for a matchup with the Florida Panthers on Thanksgiving Eve (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Lawsuit alleges Campbell’s soup VP made racist comments and said its food is made for ‘poor people’

    Lawsuit alleges Campbell’s soup VP made racist comments and said its food is made for ‘poor people’

    A former employee of the Campbell’s Co. has sued the Camden-based food giant, alleging he was fired for reporting that a company vice president had made racist comments about coworkers and disparaged Campbell’s products.

    Robert Garza, who worked as a cybersecurity analyst for the company, alleged in the lawsuit filed last week in Michigan that Martin Bally, a vice president and chief information security officer, made the comments during a November 2024 meeting that the complaint said was intended for a discussion of Garza’s salary.

    Bally “made several racist comments about Indian workers at the company,” the complaint said.

    Bally also told Garza that Campbell’s products were highly processed food for “poor people,” according to the lawsuit.

    In an interview Garza did last week with WDIV, an NBC affiliate in Detroit, he said that he secretly recorded audio of the meeting, which occurred at a restaurant. The TV broadcast played some portions of the recording.

    The audio recording is not mentioned in the lawsuit. It is legal in Michigan for one party in a conversation to make a recording without the consent of the other party.

    In a statement, the Campbell’s Co. said: “If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.”

    The company, which changed its name from the Campbell Soup Co. last year, added: “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”

    The company said it uses “100% real chicken” in our soups, and the meat comes from “long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers” and does not contain antibiotics.

    “[We] also want to emphasize that the person alleged to be speaking on the recording works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food,” the company said.

    James F. Regan, a spokesperson for the company, said Garza never told the company that he made a recording and the company learned about the recording after the TV report was aired last week.

    Bally, the vice president, could not be reached for comment.

    Zachary Runyon, Garza’s attorney, was unavailable for comment.

    In recorded excerpts included in the TV report, the person in the recording, alleged to be Bally, says: “We have s— for f— poor people.” The speaker then acknowledges rarely buying Campbell’s products, saying they are unhealthy.

    The voice says that Campbell’s uses “bioengineered meat. I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.” The speaker then goes on to make racist comments about coworkers.

    Garza, who started with the company in September 2024, told the TV station he decided to record the conversation, which reportedly lasted more than an hour, because he had an “instinct that something wasn’t right with Martin.”

    The lawsuit says that “Bally also disclosed to Plaintiff that he often appeared at work high from marijuana edibles.”

    The lawsuit says that Garza reported to his manager on Jan. 10, 2025, what Bally allegedly said during the November meeting. The complaint said the manager did not encourage Garza to report the incident to human resources and did not provide any direction on how to proceed.

    On Jan. 30, according to the complaint, Garza was “abruptly terminated from employment.”

    The complaint alleges that Garza was terminated “in retaliation for complaining about Defendant Bally’s racist behavior.”

    Garza is seeking unspecified compensation for damages and related costs.

  • U.S. judge tosses cases against ex-FBI chief James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James

    U.S. judge tosses cases against ex-FBI chief James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James

    WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday dismissed criminal charges against two perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump, FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling the U.S. attorney he hand picked to prosecute them was unlawfully appointed.

    The ruling throws out two cases Trump had publicly called for as he pressured Justice Department leaders to move against high-profile figures who had criticized him and led investigations into his conduct.

    Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer to Trump, was named interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September to take over both investigations despite having no previous prosecutorial experience. The findings by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie came after both Comey and James accused the Trump Justice Department of violating the U.S. Constitution’s Appointments Clause and federal law by appointing Halligan in September.

    New York Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court in October in Norfolk, Va.

    ‘No legal authority’

    Currie found that Halligan “had no legal authority” to bring indictments against either Comey or James. But Currie dismissed the cases “without prejudice,” giving the Justice Department an opportunity to seek new indictments with a different prosecutor at the helm.

    “All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment,” Currie wrote, were “unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside.”

    After the decision, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters the Justice Department would “be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct.”

    Bondi said that because Halligan was made a special U.S. attorney, she can continue to prosecute cases.

    “She can fight in court just like she was and we believe we will be successful on appeal,” Bondi said.

    James and Comey separately said they were grateful for the ruling. James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, said she would “continue to challenge any further politically motivated charges through every lawful means available.”

    In an Instagram video, Comey said the case against him “was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump.”

    It is unclear if prosecutors could seek to bring a new case against Comey over the same conduct. The five-year statute of limitations on the charges expired on September 30, and Comey’s lawyers have already indicated in court filings that they do not believe prosecutors have more time to refile the charges.

    Both Comey and James have been longtime targets of Trump’s ire. Comey as FBI director oversaw an investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and the Russian government and later called Trump unfit for office.

    James, an elected Democrat, successfully sued Trump and his family real estate company for fraud. Trump ordered Bondi to install Halligan to the post after her predecessor Erik Siebert declined to pursue charges against Comey or James, citing a lack of credible evidence in both cases.

    Halligan moved swiftly

    Shortly after her appointment, Halligan alone secured indictments against Comey and James after other career prosecutors in the office refused to participate. Comey pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements and obstructing Congress after he was accused of lying about authorizing leaks to the news media. James pleaded not guilty to charges of bank fraud and lying to a financial institution for allegedly misleading on mortgage documents to secure more favorable loan terms.

    Attorneys for Comey and James argued that Halligan’s appointment violated a federal law they said limits the appointment of an interim U.S. attorney to one 120-day stint.

    Repeated interim appointments would bypass the U.S. Senate confirmation process and let a prosecutor serve indefinitely, they said. Siebert previously had been appointed by Bondi for 120 days and was then re-appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, since the Senate had not yet confirmed him in the role.

    Lawyers for the Justice Department argued the law allows the attorney general to make multiple interim appointments of U.S. Attorneys. Still, Bondi sought to shore up the cases by separately installing Halligan as a special attorney assigned to both prosecutions. In that same document, she also said she ratified the indictments.

    Currie found that Bondi’s attempts to retroactively secure the cases were invalid. Currie, who is based in South Carolina and was appointed by former Democratic President Bill Clinton, was assigned to rule on Halligan’s appointment because federal judges in Virginia had played a role in appointing her predecessor.

    The challenge to Halligan’s appointment was one of several efforts lawyers for Comey and James have made to have the cases against them thrown out before trials. Both also argued that the cases are “vindictive” prosecutions motivated by Trump’s animosity.

    Halligan has come under intense scrutiny by courts, particularly over her handling of the Comey case. A federal magistrate judge found she may have made significant legal errors in presenting evidence and instructing the grand jury that indicted Comey. The trial judge repeatedly questioned whether the full grand jury had seen the final version of the Comey indictment.

  • Mayor Cherelle Parker has appointed nonprofit leader Anton Moore as the city’s director of public engagement and neighborhood affairs

    Mayor Cherelle Parker has appointed nonprofit leader Anton Moore as the city’s director of public engagement and neighborhood affairs

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has appointed nonprofit founder and Democratic ward leader Anton K. Moore as the city’s director of public engagement and neighborhood affairs.

    Moore, who founded the South Philadelphia-based group Unity in the Community, effectively replaces Hassan Freeman, who was fired from the Parker administration about two months ago following a verbal altercation outside City Hall with City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas that the lawmaker described as “negative and disturbing.”

    Freeman, who worked under Chief Deputy Mayor Sinceré Harris, was director of neighborhood and community engagement. Parker said she renamed the role to reflect added responsibilities while appointing Moore, whose work will now fall under Chief of Staff Tiffany W. Thurman’s portfolio.

    A Philly lawmaker said Parker admin staffers accosted him outside City Hall in a ‘disturbing interaction’

    The Office of Public Engagement and Neighborhood Affairs will manage the city’s 10 Neighborhood Community Action Centers, which are meant to be “neighborhood City Halls” where residents can access services closer to home. The centers are a major part of Parker’s efforts to follow through on her campaign promise to create a city government “residents can see, touch, and feel,” and there is one in each Council district.

    Moore, the Democratic leader of the 48th Ward in South Philadelphia, has strong political connections, and his nonprofit work has been praised by numerous elected officials.

    “This is the piece of the puzzle that we needed,” Parker said Monday at a City Hall news conference, before addressing Moore: “You now have an opportunity to do what you did in South Philly but you’ve got to do it all over the city.”

    Moore’s salary is $195,000, according to the mayor’s office.

    “We’re going to work, we’re going to have fun, and we’re going to deliver the services that the city of Philadelphia deserves,” Moore said.

    Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said he has worked with Moore, 39, on youth employment and engagement efforts and leaned on him as an “adviser of my process to help me understand what is going on in the streets.”

    “There is nobody better connected to our community. There is nobody better trained to take on this task,” said Bethel, who later added he would “go through a wall for this kid.”

    Founded in 2008, Unity in the Community provides a variety of services, including connecting residents with housing aid and students with scholarships, and its parent organization is Soul Food CDC. The group has partnered with 76ers player Joel Embiid to give residents Giant gift certificates and former teammate Ben Simmons, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, to provide Christmas gifts to children.

    The group also received $417,900 from a city anti-violence grant program founded during the surge in shootings and homicides that followed the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a report about poor oversight of that program, The Inquirer in 2023 reported that Unity in the Community received about 60% more in funds than the $258,000 the group had applied for. The paper also found that a staffer for the Urban Affairs Coalition, which administered the grant program, raised questions about management of Unity in the Community’s project, expanding a youth carpentry training program in South Philadelphia.

    The staffer wrote in a 2022 email he was “very concerned” about accounting issues, including $75,000 in funding for which the organization had not submitted invoices. Moore said in 2023 he would work to fix the paperwork errors and defended the group’s work.

    Philly poured $22M into an anti-violence grant program. It picked some groups unable to deliver on their proposals.

    His application for the anti-violence grant was supported by Thomas and State Sen. Anthony Williams (D., Philadelphia), an indication of Moore’s support among Philadelphia’s political class.

    Council recently named a block in South Philly in his honor. He was appointed by former Gov. Tom Wolf to the Pennsylvania Commission on African American Affairs. At Monday’s news conference, Ryan Boyer, a Parker ally who leads the politically powerful Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council, heaped praise on Moore and joked that he “will be a great director of whatever the mayor called it.”

    Parker’s chief of staff, Tiffany W. Thurman, praised Moore as “someone whose heart beats with the rhythm of our streets in every neighborhood.”

    “Your mandate from the mayor is very clear: You are now the direct link between our administration and our neighborhoods,” Thurman said at the news conference.

    Freeman’s dismissal followed a September incident in which he allegedly confronted Thomas at the lawmaker’s parking spot. In an email Thomas sent administration officials that was obtained by The Inquirer, Thomas wrote Freeman “spoke to me in a disrespectful manner, a hostile tone, and addressing me outside my name and title.”

    Freeman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Parker declined to comment on the ordeal, except to say “some personnel adjustments were made.”

    “I’m not looking back on anything associated with yesterday,” Parker said in an interview. “I’m thinking about how we are going to keep moving Philadelphia forward.”

    Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.

  • Book it: The Eagles’ loss to Dallas will put their coaches under Jeffrey Lurie’s microscope

    Book it: The Eagles’ loss to Dallas will put their coaches under Jeffrey Lurie’s microscope

    There are games in the NFL that have repercussions. The Eagles’ 24-21 loss Sunday to the Cowboys — a game in which they blew a 21-point lead, throttled back their offense after taking that lead, and committed one egregious mistake after another — is likely to be one.

    Those repercussions might yet be good for the Eagles. The NFL is so parity-ridden, each team separated from the other by such small differences, that it’s possible that Sunday’s meltdown will inspire the Eagles to clean up their sloppy play, beat the Chicago Bears on Black Friday, and embark on another deep playoff run. They’re still going to win the NFC East, at a minimum. It will be difficult to call such a season, no matter its final endpoint, a complete failure.

    But Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie stopped judging his franchise by that standard a long time ago. Sunday’s loss went from See, the team is rounding into form to HOLY HELL EVERYONE’S WORST FEARS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED in a matter of minutes. That sudden reversal of fortune, though, really had been the culmination of a steady accumulation of inconsistent performances, injuries to important players, and consternation both inside and outside the locker room.

    Whoever is captaining the Eagles offense — Nick Sirianni or Kevin Patullo — veered off course in loss to the Cowboys

    Those conditions are the kind that, in the past, have compelled Lurie to act. It is, of course, true that the offensive line’s decline is a huge factor in the Eagles’ overall regression, maybe the biggest factor, and that reality, one could argue, should absolve Nick Sirianni, Kevin Patullo, Jalen Hurts, and anyone else for an 8-3 team that feels like it’s 3-8. But it’s naive to think, given the nature of Sunday’s loss and the arc of this season, that Lurie isn’t taking a long, hard look at the coaching staff, Sirianni included.

    Raising such questions might seem premature or unnecessary. It’s not. There are reasons for Sirianni to be worried here — not necessarily that he’s going to be fired after the season, but that he’s more vulnerable than he once was. Nine months after winning the Super Bowl, six months after getting a contract extension, he ought to understand that, if recent history is any indication, there’s a lot at stake for him over the next 6-12 weeks. Consider:

    1) The Eagles aren’t playing offense the way Lurie has generally wanted his teams to play offense.

    This assertion is obvious, and it’s based on the Eagles’ production, or lack thereof. But it’s also based on the Eagles’ style of play.

    For years, dating to the Andy Reid era, the Eagles made their bones by remaining aggressive in their play-calling even after taking a big lead, by using analytics to set themselves apart from the rest of the league. Sometimes, it cost them games. In February 2018, it won them their first Super Bowl. Lurie loves that approach.

    The last two years, however, the Eagles have turned themselves into a full-fledged running team. Lurie is not necessarily anti-running the ball — not when it leads to the big plays and the Super Bowl victory that Saquon Barkley and that dominant offensive line delivered last season. But those plays haven’t materialized and the line hasn’t dominated this season, and Sirianni’s response has been to lean into being uber-conservative. He doesn’t call plays, no, but the offense is his, and he hasn’t prioritized piling up points. He has prioritized protecting the football, eliminating turnovers, and walking a thinner line to victory. He has tempted fate by trying to win games in a manner Lurie is inclined to reject once it fails.

    Hayes: Jerry Jones reveals who saved the Cowboys’ season; Tom Brady’s Chip Kelly problem; more Week 12 thoughts

    2) Lurie has never hesitated to insist upon coaching changes when he has thought them necessary.

    After the 2019 season, for instance, the Eagles parted ways with then-offensive coordinator Mike Groh and then-wide receivers coach Carson Walch. A year later, after the team’s disastrous 4-11-1 season in 2020, then-head coach Doug Pederson was fired.

    For the moment, Patullo is a great shield for Sirianni. Everyone knows that Patullo is the Eagles’ offensive play-caller. Everyone knows that he’s a neophyte when it comes to this role and its responsibilities. And everyone can see that the Eagles offense has not been good this season, even though it has plenty of superstar-level players to whom Lurie is paying superstar-level dollars. So if the Eagles offense remains dysfunctional — and it really hasn’t been functional at all, not to the degree it was expected to be — Patullo will be and has been the coach who bears the blame, and a layer of protection will have been removed from Sirianni.

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on the sideline with head coach Nick Sirianni (right) during Sunday’s loss in Dallas.

    3) Lurie expects his franchise quarterback to grow into greatness, then remain there.

    One of the problems that the Eagles’ play-not-to-lose strategy creates for Sirianni is the implication that Hurts can’t be trusted or isn’t at his best when asked to operate a more dynamic, more daring offense. Lurie doesn’t care and doesn’t want to hear that the Eagles’ coaches feel like they have to run a Frankenstein’s monster style of offense, patching together parts from several systems just to maximize Hurts’ skill set. He wants his franchise quarterback to be worth the franchise-quarterback money he’s paying him, and if that player isn’t meeting those expectations, Lurie will greenlight a search for a replacement only as a last resort.

    Remember: Even after Carson Wentz’s horrible 2020 season, the Eagles fired Pederson first. They were willing to make it work with Wentz until they finally understood they couldn’t. Only then did they trade him.

    The Eagles had problems with the Tush Push against the Lions. Nick Sirianni has to adjust his coaching accordingly.

    4) Sirianni’s personality is different from Pederson’s, and that difference doesn’t help Sirianni.

    Pederson was a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy, at least as much of one as an NFL head coach ever is. But after he won the Super Bowl, he started to assert himself. He wrote his autobiography. He sought more power within the organization, at least with respect to his assistants. Lurie eventually disabused him of those notions.

    Sirianni is naturally more emotional and combative than Pederson. He, too, has won a Super Bowl, and his winning percentage is among the best of any head coach in league history. It’ll be interesting to see whether he’ll have to quell his assertiveness with Lurie and Howie Roseman — and if he’s able.

  • Thirteen years after he abused his infant son, an ex-Bensalem man is charged with the boy’s murder

    Thirteen years after he abused his infant son, an ex-Bensalem man is charged with the boy’s murder

    A former Bensalem resident who spent two years in state prison for abusing his infant son is now charged with the boy’s murder after police say complications from the injuries he inflicted more than a decade ago caused the boy’s death.

    Kyle Hinkle, 38, who now lives in Allentown, was charged Monday with third-degree murder in the death of his son, Leonardo, who was 11 when he died in August 2024.

    After the child’s death was ruled a homicide earlier this year, investigators in Bucks County spent months gathering medical records and other evidence to link it to the injuries he received as an infant.

    Hinkle remained in custody, in lieu of 10% of $2 million bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

    Investigators first learned of the abuse in October 2012, when the boy was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital with severe head injuries, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Hinkle’s arrest.

    Doctors there determined the injuries had been intentionally inflicted to the then-3-month-old, and a CAT scan revealed signs of similar, older injuries that were still healing, the affidavit said.

    The boy’s grandmother told detectives that on an earlier occasion, she had seen bruises on the child’s arm that matched a necklace Hinkle used to wear, indicating he may have struck the boy with it.

    In an interview with detectives, Hinkle admitted he shook the baby vigorously without supporting his head out of frustration because he would not stop crying.

    The injuries left the child wheelchair-bound, nonverbal, and reliant on a feeding tube, according to prosecutors.

    Hinkle pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child in 2013. He served two years in state prison, followed by three years of probation, court records show.

    In the intervening years, the boy and his mother moved to Oliver, Fayette County, southeast of Pittsburgh.

    When the child died in 2024, the Fayette County coroner ruled his death a homicide, saying, in a statement, that complications from living with Shaken Baby Syndrome directly led to his death.

  • A new BYOB looks to bring the flavors of Mexico to Media

    A new BYOB looks to bring the flavors of Mexico to Media

    Editor’s note: Taquero has pushed back its opening date and now plans to open on Dec. 1.

    The longtime chef of Italian restaurant Ariano in Media is readying to open his own eatery on the same block, where he’ll turn his attention to paying homage to his Mexican roots.

    Chef Antonio Garcia began dreaming up Taquero about three years ago and set the plans in motion for his restaurant at 111 Veterans Square last spring. After more than 18 months of work to convert part of a former office building, Taquero will open Nov. 24.

    The BYOB will look to set itself apart from other Mexican eateries in the borough by showcasing a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine, with an emphasis on authentic dishes. The menu will give a nod to Garcia’s hometown of Toluca, while also sampling from elsewhere in the country.

    In conceptualizing his restaurant, Garcia said he wanted to do “something that’s going to make me proud, for me and my family.”

    Some of the restaurant’s offerings are dishes his grandmother made when Garcia was a child, while others borrow from the street food scene in Mexico City, where he spent time before coming to the U.S. nearly 25 years ago.

    “Everybody says their grandma is the best cook. My grandma was, like, insane,” Garcia said. “Everything she cooked was so delicious.”

    Fideo seco is made with toasted pasta, lump crab, chipotle broth, avocado, crema, and queso fresco.

    One nod to her is fideo seco, a traditional Mexican pasta dish made with spaghetti-like noodles in a chipotle broth and served with queso fresco, crema, lump crab, and avocado.

    Other entrées include carne asada, enchiladas, a Mexican-style pork chop, and Mexican-style paella, a spicier take on the Spanish version that’s more chipotle-forward.

    Appetizers will include guacamole; the popular street corn, elote; empanadas; and sopesitos, a tortilla-like base formed into a small bowl to hold toppings like beans. There will be soups, like pozole, made with seafood and hominy, and salads, including a beet-forward option and Garcia’s take on the Caesar salad. Taquero — which translates to taco-maker — will also have a selection of five tacos: fish, birria, carne asada, shrimp, and vegetarian, each served in housemade corn tortillas.

    Some dishes will be served in a classic molcajete, like this one with steak, shrimp, chorizo, salsa tatemada, and panela cheese.

    Desserts, including flan and xangos, a tortilla-wrapped cheesecake served with ice cream, round out the food offerings, which will change seasonally.

    The BYOB will also offer three mixers: a traditional margarita, a paloma, and a daily special. Diners can bring beer, wine, or champagne, with no corkage fee, or sip on a selection of Mexican sodas or the fruit-forward agua fresca.

    The restaurant will launch with lunch and dinner service, with a goal of adding breakfast in the new year.

    In keeping with his desire to make authentic dishes, Garcia is using goods imported from Mexico, including various types of chorizo.

    Garcia plans to split his time between the kitchen and the floor, tapping Jose Rigoberto, who’s been working in the kitchen at Fellini Cafe for years, as his sous chef.

    While Garcia has been focused on Italian cuisine, Media residents may have already sampled some of his Mexican dishes during Ariano’s Mexican Monday nights.

    Ariano’s former owner, Anthony Bellapigna, encouraged Garcia to pursue dishes that were true to his roots, which helped lay the groundwork for him to open his own restaurant. Fittingly, Bellapigna also helped create the copper-topped tables in Taquero, which he, Garcia, and Rigoberto hammered by hand to create their dimpled designs.

    The restaurant has been a labor of love for Garcia, who has been hands-on in the redevelopment of the space, including ripping up the drywall.

    The restaurant spans roughly 1,200 square feet across the first and second floors of the three-story building. It has 14 seats on the ground floor, where diners can see into the kitchen, while the main dining room is on the second floor and features a selection of ceramic Mexican plates on one wall.

    Diners seated on the first floor can see the action in the kitchen.

    Seeing it all come together, Garcia said he’s both nervous and happy, but with the opening on the horizon, he’s more happy than anything.

    Taquero will be open six days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with dinner service starting at 4 p.m.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Philly moves to ban mobile addiction services from parts of Kensington and most of the Lower Northeast

    Philly moves to ban mobile addiction services from parts of Kensington and most of the Lower Northeast

    Philadelphia City Council is escalating its clash with some harm reduction providers, with lawmakers on a key committee voting Monday to ban mobile addiction services from parts of Kensington and its surrounding neighborhoods.

    Members of Council’s Committee on Licenses and Inspections voted, 5-1, to advance the legislation, which covers the Lower Northeast-based 6th District, represented by Councilmember Mike Driscoll, the bill’s sponsor.

    The area stretches from the eastern side of the intersection at Kensington and Allegheny Avenues — long the epicenter of the city’s opioid epidemic — north along the Delaware River and up to Grant Avenue.

    The full Council could vote on the legislation as early as next month.

    Map of the 6th Council District, the target of proposed legislation to ban mobile addiction services.

    Some Kensington residents who have begged lawmakers for years to address the sprawling homelessness and addiction in the neighborhood said they support the legislation because the providers draw people who use drugs into residential areas.

    “I have grandkids who can’t come and see me because of where grandmom lives at,” said Darlene Abner-Burton, a neighborhood advocate. “It’s not fair that we have to endure what we have to endure. No one should live like we do, and no one should go through what we go through.”

    Council just dramatically limited where mobile addiction services providers can operate in Kensington — and it may go further

    However, a half dozen harm reduction advocates testified that the legislation would not reduce homelessness or addiction, but would instead erect barriers to medical care that vulnerable people rely on and would lead to more overdose deaths.

    “Every member of our community deserves dignity and compassion, not punishment,” said Kelly Flannery, policy director at the Positive Women’s Network, an advocacy organization for people with HIV.

    Flannery called the measure a “cruel ban.”

    Councilmember Mike Driscoll, who represents the 6th District and authored the legislation, greets Mayor Cherelle Parker after her first budget address in City Council in March 2024.

    It’s the second time Council appeared poised to pass a bill aimed at restricting mobile service providers, which are groups that operate out of vans or trucks and offer a range of assistance to people in need, including first aid, free food, and overdose reversal medication.

    Earlier this year, Council voted to pass restrictions on the providers operating in the nearby 7th District, which covers the western parts of Kensington.

    But that bill — which passed the full Council 13-3 and was signed by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker — was not a blanket ban.

    That legislation, authored by 7th District Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, requires providers obtain a license, and it limits organizations that provide medical services to specific areas designated by the city. Groups that offer nonmedical services like distributing food are prohibited from parking in one place for more than 45 minutes.

    The city is expected to begin enforcing that law on Dec. 1.

    Frustrations over Kensington erupted in Philly City Council with heated speeches: ‘How dare you!’

    Driscoll said he introduced his own legislation to ban the services from his district entirely because he was concerned that providers who faced restrictions in the 7th District would migrate into the neighborhoods he represents.

    The only committee member to vote against Driscoll’s legislation Monday was Nicolas O’Rourke, a member of the progressive Working Families Party who represents the city at-large and also opposed the 7th District legislation.