DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a man for 2 1/2 years. He’s divorced; I am a widow. We get along well and enjoy many activities together. The problem is his 31-year-old daughter. She is very rude and unkind to me. He tells me it is not me; she would treat any female companion of his this way.
With the holidays approaching, I spoke to him about what our plans will be. During the past two years, his ex-wife and daughter have controlled most of the get-togethers, saying that I was not invited to join them for a Christmas Eve dinner. I don’t want to be controlling like his ex and daughter, but I would like us to be part of the plans as a couple.
At this point, he’s unable to decide what we will do. He’s trying to mend the relationship with his daughter, but I’m pretty sure it won’t improve until she’s ready to accept her dad having another partner in his life.
I want this relationship to work out. We are talking about living together and possibly getting married, but I’m not sure if we should consider this until his situation with his daughter improves. Any advice?
— SEEKING INCLUSION IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR SEEKING: Your gentleman friend’s daughter should not have been allowed to treat any woman he was seeing disrespectfully. His mistake has been ceding his power to someone who is emotionally immature and unwilling to see her father in a happy, healthy relationship.
Give him a deadline to decide how he is going to spend the holidays. If it isn’t with you, take a vacation at that time. You are intelligent to put the brakes on living together until he resolves this issue, preferably with input from a licensed mental health professional.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: While the saying goes “no man is an island,” I beg to differ, as I am married to one. My husband has little to no patience with anyone, family included. He has always been negative, and as he grows older, it has grown 10 times worse. Over the past 15 years, my husband has alienated most of his (our) friends to the point where he no longer has any contact with them. He literally walks away from them in public.
While I know a lot of people are super narcissistic today, I feel you have to put up with some of today’s BS. I’m not super social myself, but his rudeness has gotten out of hand. Our social life is nil. It may be a case of depression (he’s on a multitude of medications). It’s wearing me down, and I’m afraid I’m sinking down with him. Is there a solution?
— GOING DOWN, TOO
DEAR GOING: Because your husband has mental health issues, this should be discussed with a doctor. A different medication and talk therapy might help him if he would consent to it. Please consider consulting someone for yourself to help you decide if you want to spend the rest of your life being this isolated. Nothing will change if you don’t become proactive.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Not everything valuable is advertised as such. It’s a day when you’re likely to find gems in thrift shops, odd corners of the internet, even in overheard conversations. Life is a treasure hunt because you say it is. And the treasure you find has the value you put on it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There are situations when good manners are in fact only good to the ones who made up the etiquette rules. Furthermore, compliance can be harmful when the system itself is harmful. The important thing is to stay awake and aware.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). As a “twin,” multiplicity is your gift today. You can hold two sides of an argument, two moods and two truths at once. Sure, it causes tension, and that’s your talent — holding that tension when nothing needs to resolve right away. It’s a form of intelligence.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Empathy is your superpower, but it can also wear you out. Today, protect your energy. Offer kindness without absorbing every ripple of someone else’s pain. Witnessing is enough. And sometimes, stepping back is the truest act of love.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You don’t have everything you need to pull off the plan, and that’s the whole point. If you had everything, it wouldn’t be worth taking on. It’s about what you learn and create to get yourself to the finish line.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Even if you understood why people behave the way they do, it wouldn’t change what’s happening. Sometimes people are just plain confusing. Don’t worry if you can’t figure them out; you don’t need to. Today’s situation will smooth over on its own.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). For you, it’s not about being correct, important or powerful; it’s about being harmonious. So while you have a definite perspective, you’re willing to keep that on the inside while you express yourself like an instrument able to blend your notes beautifully with the orchestra.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Don’t discount the quiet experiment. There’s magic in tinkering. The innovation doesn’t have to be radical to be impactful. A subtle shift, a tweak, a surprising angle that no one else thought to try — it may turn out to be your most revolutionary act.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Novelty isn’t always found in new places; sometimes it’s hidden in old ones. A familiar street revisited with fresh attention will reveal things you’ve walked past a hundred times. Today, discovery will be more about perception than distance.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Don’t confuse speed with progress. If you rush, the scenery blurs, which can be a fun effect, but it also causes confusion. For instance, you can’t read the signs, you can’t turn safely, you won’t remember much because nothing stands out… so just slow down. Way down.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Secrets are tricky currency. Withholding can feel powerful, but disclosure creates intimacy. The question is not whether to tell, but why. If the reason brings connection instead of control, it’s probably worth sharing.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Dreams are a language your psyche uses when waking words fall short. Though it won’t help to interpret them literally, it may very well change things to notice the emotions they stir. The mood is the message, pointing you to what needs tending.
TODAY’SBIRTHDAY (Oct. 25). Welcome to your Year of Surprising Applause. The thing you considered a hobby suddenly wins attention. Your offhanded comments are accepted as wisdom and rightly so. Lead with your playfulness and ideas become projects, projects become profitable. More highlights: a physical routine that makes you glow, a big check that arrives at just the right moment and a relationship that will be glorious music your days dance to. Sagittarius and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 17, 22, 34 and 42.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon confirmed Friday that it has accepted an anonymous $130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls.
While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used $6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation.
“That’s what I call a patriot,” Trump said during a White House event Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor.
The president declined to name the person, whom he called “a friend of mine,” saying the man didn’t want the recognition.
The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday “under its general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits,” said Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. “We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
Congress is at a stalemate over the government shutdown, now on track to become one of the longest federal closures ever, in its 24th day. Neither Republicans, who have control of the House and Senate, nor Democrats, in the minority, are willing to budge in their broader standoff over health care funding.
Payment for service members is a key concern among lawmakers of both parties as well as a point of political leverage. The Trump administration shifted $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll last week, ensuring that military compensation did not lapse.
But it is unclear if the Trump administration will be willing — or able — to shift money again next week as tensions rise over the protracted shutdown.
While the $130 million is a hefty sum, it would cover just a fraction of the billions needed for military paychecks. Trump said the donation was to cover any “shortfall.”
What’s unclear, however, is the regulations around such a donation.
“That’s crazy,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan organization focused on the federal government.
“It’s treating the payment of our uniformed services as if someone’s picking up your bar tab.”
He questioned the legality of the donation and called for more transparency around it.
Pentagon policy says authorities “must consult with their appropriate Ethics Official before accepting such a gift valued in excess of $10,000 to determine whether the donor is involved in any claims, procurement actions, litigation, or other particular matters involving the Department that must be considered prior to gift acceptance.”
Two Plymouth Township police officers were hospitalized in stable condition Friday afternoon after a driver allegedly injured them intentionally with a vehicle in the parking lot of a DoubleTree Suites near the Plymouth Meeting Mall, Montgomery County officials said.
Around 12:40 p.m., Plymouth Township police received a report of a person driving erratically in the area of Hickory and Narcissa Roads, and a few minutes later, an officer found the suspect driving in the parking lot of the hotel, Thomas Nolan, deputy chief of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, told 6abc and other news outlets at the scene.
The suspect backed into the police vehicle, and then struck the officer after he had exited his vehicle, Nolan said. The officer fired his weapon at the suspect, who drove away.
The injured officer was applying a tourniquet to an injury when the driver returned and struck the officer again several times, Nolan said.
As more police responded to the scene, the suspect struck another police vehicle, injuring a second officer before finally being taken into custody, Nolan said.
The suspect was treated and released from a hospital and was being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said Friday night.
VJ Edgecombe hasn’t seen the fan reaction to his breakout performance against Boston. He’s barely even left his house.
“Nobody’s really seen me,” Edgecombe said jokingly. “I’ve been in my house. I go to my car, and my windows are tinted, so you can’t see if that’s me.”
But after an NBA debut that ranked among the all-time greats, Edgecombe is quickly winning over a fan base that came into the year with low expectations.
After his 34-point performance in the 117-116 win over Boston in the opener at TD Garden, Edgecombe will play his first regular season home game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday against the Hornets. He’s expecting a rowdy fan environment — but he was expecting that even before his breakout debut.
“I know Philly fans are passionate, so I’m expecting every game to be like that. If I had a good game or not, I was expecting it to be like that,” Edgecombe said. “Credit to the fans for just showing love to the city, showing love to the sports teams. That’s the main thing. We all just try to have a connection with the fans. We’re regular people, so having a connection with the fans means a lot.”
Sixers guards VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined to score 74 points in their team’s second opener.
If the expectations for the No. 3 overall pick weren’t high enough, his first game — the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 43 points on Oct. 24, 1959, and Frank Selvy’s 35 on Nov. 30, 1954 — sent them through the stratosphere. But Edgecombe is keeping a cool head and taking it one game at a time.
“Building blocks, just trying to take steps in the right direction, learn from film,” Edgecombe said. “I was watching film just now, learning, knowing team tendencies, know what they do. It’s just a steady progression. I’ve played one NBA game. That doesn’t determine who I am as a player.”
Embiid’s minutes restrictions
To defend the slim lead over the Celtics in the game’s final minutes, Nick Nurse turned to Dominick Barlow at center because Joel Embiid had already hit his 20-minute limit. Nurse expects that limit to be in place for the foreseeable future.
“We knew going in what [Embiid’s minutes restriction] was,” Nurse said. “It was very similar to what it was in the preseason game. We had a plan of what we were going to do with it, and we pretty much stuck to that plan. Wasn’t a whole lot of variation.”
The Celtics had a relatively small lineup, which matched up well with the Sixers’ guards and allowed Nurse to use the 6-foot-9 Barlow to close in that spot. Nurse also said he expects to use Jabari Walker a bit at the five with Embiid off the court.
Sixers center Joel Embiid is still working his way back to form after undergoing knee surgery this offseason.
Embiid scored just four points and grabbed six rebounds in his 20 minutes, 18 seconds of game action. The Sixers were minus-16 in his minutes. He’s still working his way back from the knee injury that kept him out for most of 2024-25, and Nurse said he’s working to find ways to fit into what the Sixers are doing well, which, on Wednesday, was letting Edgecombe and Maxey, who combined for 74 of the Sixers’ 117 points on Wednesday, handle the ball and play off one another.
“I’m just trying to encourage the speedy guys to be speedy either way,” Nurse said. “I think there’s a chance to push, push, push, push, but we don’t have to rush, and if we pushed ahead and we have some opportunities, we should take them, and then we’ll settle in. I think that’s probably my ideal version, if we can get to that.”
Hitting the open market for the first time this summer, Dan Vladař wasn’t sure what to expect. But when he heard that the Flyers were interested, he “really wanted to come.”
And after signing a two-year, $6.7 million contract with the Flyers in July, he has found a home — on and off the ice.
“It’s been great. Since Day 1, everybody’s been super nice to me. So obviously, I really appreciate the way that guys welcomed me in this organization. … And I for sure, appreciate the opportunity as well,” he said on Friday.
“So, you know, I don’t want to waste any moment here. I’m just trying to do my best, and enjoy my time, but at the same time, try to get myself and my teammates better every day.”
There were question marks from outsiders about the Czech goalie’s ability to tend the twine, enforced by his .895 career save percentage across 105 NHL games.
According to Natural Stat Trick, over his past three seasons with the Calgary Flames, during five-on-five action, he had the 12th-lowest goals saved above average (-13.97) and 14th-worst high danger save percentage (.808) among goalies with at least 3,000 minutes.
For comparison, his current partner, Sam Ersson, was third-worst in GSAA (-33.78) and 15th from the bottom in HDSV% (.809). GSAA compares the number of goals allowed to what was expected based on a league-average save percentage and shots faced.
But in five starts for the Flyers, Vladař has been impressive with his compact movement, ability to read the play — even as teams crash the net and try to take away his eyes — and confidence in net. He is 3-2-0 with a .932 save percentage, tying him with two-time defending Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck for the third-best mark among goalies who have played at least four games.
After a season in which the Flyers’ goalies produced a ghastly .879 SV%, Dan Vladař has brought some much-needed solidity to the position.
“Just solid,” coach Rick Tocchet said of his netminder. “There’s some saves there, where they’re Grade A shots. Like, it doesn’t seem like that to the average person, but that’s a good save. There’s traffic, and you see him stick his blocker out; from the bench, that’s a good save. He’s making those kinds of saves [and] he’s giving us a chance to win.”
Flyers general manager Danny Brière said at the end of last season that the team’s goalies — Ersson, Aleksei Kolosov, who is now with Lehigh of the American Hockey League, and the since-traded Ivan Fedotov — needed to be better after combining for a league-worst .879 save percentage.
Entering Friday, led by Vladař, the Flyers are ranked 12th with a .908 save percentage. And, according to Natural Stat Trick, he is ranked sixth with a 2.96 GSAA and .889 HDSV% at five-on-five among goalies with at least 150 minutes.
“Obviously, you want to start off well, but at the same time, you only have to focus on things you can control,” Vladař said. “And that’s how you prepare, and what you do outside of the games, right? So whether it’s practice or just taking care of your body outside the rink, you’ve just got to try to put yourself in the best position for success.
“And if it works out great, if it doesn’t, then you at least know that you did everything you could to give yourself the best chance.”
Vladař came to Philly intending to go day by day with a clear mindset. What he probably didn’t expect was having the comforts of his hometown, Prague, close by.
The 28-year-old native of the Czech Republic and his family head to Four Green Cats Café in Mount Laurel often.
Described as a cozy Czech café with an antique atmosphere that offers authentic European pastries and drinks on its Facebook page, Vladař said that his wife, Martina Vladařová, goes twice a week. He goes at least once a week to get some home cooking at the café that lists Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos as a patron, too.
“I can even put a food order, and the lady makes it for us, Nadia [Vasa]. So she’s been awesome and we really like it. We really like it,” he stressed. “It reminds us of our country, of our home, and she’s a really good cook.
“I told her that she should open up a Czech restaurant in Czech, not in the U.S., because she cooks really well.”
Vladař is a big fan of goulash — he likes the beef stew with the chunks of meat — and has already ordered it twice. He may just get it again in the near future. And this time, maybe with the Czech version of coffee cake, one of his favorites.
“One hundred percent,” he said about having familiar, fresh foods so close.
“The only thing is, it’s not as healthy,” he smiled. “So, if I do that once a week, I always get the kids’ portion, because I don’t want to stuff myself up with not as nutritious meals.”
Breakaways
The Flyers Charities Carnival will be held on Feb. 1. General admission tickets go on sale Monday at 11 a.m. Tickets bought on this day will have early access to purchase Sign & Snaps when they become available on Nov. 10.
When the ball rolls on Sunday at Subaru Park in the Union’s playoff opener vs. Chicago (5:55 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes, Apple TV), most of the spotlight will be where it usually is: on the players.
But a little more than usual will be on manager Bradley Carnell, and not just because he’s a finalist for MLS’s Coach of the Year award.
A lot of people have been waiting all year for his first return to the playoffs since 2023, when he guided St. Louis City SC to the Western Conference’s best record in their expansion season.
The club crashed out of the playoffs in the first round to cross-state rival Sporting Kansas City. They weren’t just being swept in the best-of-three series but lost decisively: 4-1 at home in the first game and 2-1 on the road in the second.
Bradley Carnell on the St. Louis City sideline in 2023.
How much of a fluke was that? How different are the circumstances with this Union team, having not just many veterans but many players who’ve been here for a while?
Given how much Carnell dislikes talking about himself, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t want to answer those questions in his pregame news conference Friday. Nor was it surprising that the media present tried to find multiple ways to ask them.
Everyone knew they would come, and that this was the time.
“I think that’s a loaded question — it needs maybe a lot more time,” Carnell said when asked one of them.
“I do a disservice now planning for three games, as opposed to just planning for one every match day for 34 match days,” he said to another.
Bradley Carnell (center) celebrating on the field with his players after the final whistle of their Supporters’ Shield-clinching win.
A moment later, he came the closest he got, but that was as far as he went.
“We don’t want to go back in the history books,” Carnell said. “It’s a clean slate now. It’s three games, and it starts with one, and everyone has to be dialed in from the very get-go.”
He preferred to talk about the team as a whole and how far it has come since he took the reins at the start of the year.
“I think everyone has grown” Carnell said. “You have to face a bit of adversity to see what you can battle through and fight the demons and come out on the other side. And I think as a staff, as players, we’ve all been through this adversity from January, to find ourselves now to fight for something that’s greater than each and every individual one of us.”
Bradley Carnell gets an ice water bath at the end of his speech:
He praised his group for its sacrifices, then realized he wanted a different word.
“If you have to call it a sacrifice, it means somebody’s forcing you to do something, right?” he said. “I think we all love to do what we do, and I think we all enjoy the process right now. So for us to give willingly, whatever, we’ve gone to great lengths to to get where we are and to earn ourselves [being] in a position where we are, credit to everyone.”
Carnell even admitted that his team has exceeded its own expectations.
“Now that we’ve won the Supporters’ Shield, I can tell you that our target was top four” in the standings, he said. “We wanted I think, 55, 58 points — [that was] the target was for the boys, and that’s thinking big picture. You have a big picture, break it down into small cycles, and that’s the way you go about building the puzzle.”
The one moment where Carnell did talk about himself was when he was asked about being a Coach of the Year finalist.
“I’m so grateful to be in this community, the soccer community in the States,” he said. “It’s been eight years now, just growing and pursuing what I love to do, and what I love to do is my job and [to] help players develop.”
Bradley Carnell on the Subaru Park sideline earlier this year.
It means something to him that honor comes partially from his coaching peers, along with media, players, and front office staff.
“We look out for each other,” he said of the coaching fraternity. “And, yeah, we’re competitive, but we also have a lot of compassion for each other because we know what sort of job this is We’re the first ones when people are talking good things, and we’re the first ones when it doesn’t really go your way … and I’ve experienced both in a short span of time.”
The Union’s reserve squad has reached the second round of the MLS Next PRO league playoffs, and will host Huntsville City — Nashville SC’s reserve squad — on Saturday at Subaru Park (6 p.m., Apple TV).
Union II finished second in the Eastern Conference this year and beat FC Cincinnati’s reserves, 2-1, in the first round last weekend. This game’s winner will face the reserves of the No. 1 New York Red Bulls II or No. 6 Chicago Fire II next weekend in the conference final.
Brace for Stas on the assist from CJ for the lead! 🙌
There have been strong performances this year some few young players on first-team contracts, particularly Cavan Sullivan (six goals and five assists in 14 games) and Neil Pierre (MLS Next PRO’s Defender of the Year). In this game, many eyes will be on two other players: midfielder CJ Olney and 16-year-old striker Malik Jakupovic.
Olney also is on a first-team deal, but he didn’t crack the squad this year and then plateaued with the reserves. The Union tried to spark some improvement with a loan to Lexington SC of the second-tier USL Championship, but he didn’t play much there.
Since his return to town, though, the 18-year-old has been in great form: six assists in five games, and his team has won them all.
“I’m really happy for him that he went through this,” Union II coach Ryan Richter said. “Trying to develop as a professional is also how you respond to setbacks and how you respond to adversity and some of the low moments that you might have in your career. … For him to get back in [and] get on with it after a tough couple months, that shows a lot about his character.”
Jakupovic has been getting hype from scouts for a while, and has started to deliver. The 6-foot-3 Michigan native signed his first pro contract in May — after the Union fended off many European teams that wanted him — and has scored eight goals in 17 games.
“If he would have signed up for playing significant minutes in playoff games, and scoring eight goals this season — we all would have signed up for that in the beginning,” Richter said. “But he earned every minute that he got, and he’s performed well in every opportunity that he’s had on the field.”
Tickets for Saturday’s contest are $17 including fees, with all seating general admission.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State’s once-dynamic offense has faltered this season.
During last year’s College Football Playoff run, the unit ranked 26th in the nation in total offense. Andy Kotelnicki’s flashy play calling enabled Drew Allar to take deep shots, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to each rush for over 1,000 yards, and Tyler Warren to win the Mackey Award as college football’s best tight end.
But the Nittany Lions’ offensive production has plummeted through seven games. The group has gone from averaging 430.2 yards per game to just 355, which ranks 97th among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
“I don’t know,” said Kotelnicki, the team’s offensive coordinator. “The reality is it hasn’t gone like we’re hoping. And what do you do? You go to the next play, you go to the next game, you go to the next moment and opportunity. I don’t have a good explanation for where [the offense] is.”
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense ranks 97th among FBS programs.
Penn State has passed for 250 yards just twice through Kotelnicki’s 23 games as offensive coordinator, its last such performance coming last October.
The offense has thrown for fewer than 150 passing yards in three of its seven games this season. Against Iowa, first-time starter Ethan Grunkemeyer finished with a 93 yards, the lowest passing mark for Penn State this year. His longest pass was for 14 yards.
Allar’s 67-yard completion to Devonte Ross, a drag route the speedy receiver turned into a big gain against Florida International, is the team’s longest pass play this season.
Interim head coach Terry Smith wants that to change.
“On offense, we continue to not be able to throw the ball down the field, or even throw the ball in the intermediate zone,” Smith said. “We’ve gotta get that fixed.”
But it’s not just the passing game.
Nick Singleton, who rushed 172 times for a career-best 1,099 yards in 2024, has struggled to find rushing lanes in 2025. The senior running back is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry compared to 6.8 in his freshman campaign and 6.4 last season.
Singleton is known for his speed, but he has yet to break a run longer than 16 yards and has eclipsed 50 rushing yards just twice through seven games.
Smith said he wants to get Singleton going. Kotelnicki said Singleton’s superpower is finding lanes and hitting them with speed.
“[Nick] has great speed,” Kotelnicki said. “We need to do a good job of getting him on the perimeter, allowing him to get some edges where his speed can show up.”
Penn State running back Nick Singleton is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in a season that was expected to be his breakout year.
A steep climb
With Allar lost for the season, Grunkemeyer will quarterback the Nittany Lions’ offense in Columbus against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox 29), before facing No. 2 Indiana at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 8. The redshirt sophomore completed 15 of his 28 pass attempts and threw two interceptions in Penn State’s 25-24 loss to Iowa last Saturday.
But considering the circumstances, starting his first college game in a tough road environment, Grunkemeyer’s performance wasn’t all bad. At least in Kotelnicki’s view.
“There are things that he does really well with his feet. He makes quick decisions, and he goes. That was evident,” Kotelnicki said of Grunkemeyer. “There were some opportunities that he missed or got off the read too fast, but those are things you would expect to say about somebody who got their first career start.”
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) faces two stiff defenses in No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Indiana.
Kotelnicki’s confidence stems from Grunkemeyer’s preparation while serving as the team’s QB2. The second and third tests of that preparation: The nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 scoring defenses.
Kotelnicki said he is “pleased” with the direction his young quarterback is trending in entering the team’s toughest stretch.
“I [anticipate] that through this bye week and the next week, there’s a ton of growth from start one to start two,” Kotelnicki said. “How we practiced, how we prepared him, the number of reps we’ve gotten him through all the spring and in the moments where he’s gotten into games has prepared him for how he’s going to handle those things.”
The University of Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon released the letter that President J. Larry Jameson sent to the U.S. Department of Education last week, explaining why the school rejected the compact proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Our university policies and practices are already aligned with many of the core principles of the Compact…” Jameson wrote. But “we find that significant portions of the Compact and its overarching framing would undermine Penn’s ability to advance our mission and the nation’s interests.”
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was the latest attempt by the Trump administration to force changes in the way universities operate as the president tries to reshape higher education to match his vision. It offered colleges that sign preferential consideration for federal funding. It’s still not clear what penalty, if any, Penn — which receives about $1 billion annually in federal funding — will face for not signing.
“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than [those in the compact], if the institution elects to forego federal benefits,” the compact states.
Penn last week declined to release its letter, but Jameson in a message to the campus community Friday afternoon said “in the spirit of transparency” he would share it. He said he’d received many requests for its release.
The university has not had further discussions with the government since rejecting the compact, Jameson said, noting “we believe there remains opportunity to advance the long-standing relationship between American higher education and the federal government which has greatly benefited our community, nation and world.”
But he also was clear that Penn’s greatest partnership is with the public.
“America’s great universities already have a compact with the American people,” he said. “It is built on the open exchange of ideas, merit-based selection and achievement, and freedom of inquiry to yield knowledge. It affirms that knowledge should serve the public good, that education should remain a ladder of opportunity, and that discovery should make life better, richer, and freer.”
Jameson highlighted seven areas where he said Penn and the compact appear to be in alignment and five areas that pose concerns.
Areas of agreement include hiring and promotion standards and “merit based admissions” that comply with the law, including the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that banned the use of race-based admission, Jameson said. The university also has reinstituted a standardized test score requirement for admission; Penn like many others had paused the requirement during the pandemic. And, its undergraduate student body is 13% international, Jameson said. That’s under the 15% mark that the compact would require.
Penn also is in compliance with federal foreign gift regulations and has “viewpoint-neutral rules” governing protests and expression, he said.
The university last year adopted an “institutional neutrality” policy, which states that the school will no longer make statements about world events unless they have a direct effect on Penn’s operations; the compact calls for schools to adhere to institutional neutrality.
While the university hasn’t agreed to freezing tuition for five years as the compact asks, the school has taken steps to make education more affordable, Jameson said, noting that its aid is all grants and no loans and is need based. Nearly half its students receive aid, he said.
And, Jameson said, Penn officials “share concerns about grade inflation and believe there may be an opportunity to engage the higher education community to seek a broader solution.”
But Penn objects to federal funding being meted out based on signing a compact, Jameson said.
“Research and our nation are better served by competition that rewards promise and performance,” he said. “Penn seeks no special consideration beyond fair and merit-based funding.”
The compact fails to promise or even mention academic freedom, which is “the bedrock of our national system of higher education,” Jameson said. It seeks to protect conservative thought alone, he said.
“One-sided conditions conflict with the viewpoint diversity and freedom of expression that are central to how universities contribute to democracy and to society,” Jameson wrote.
He also objected to the compact mandating free tuition to students in the “hard sciences.”
“We celebrate the sciences,” Jameson wrote. “However, we focus our financial aid efforts on those who cannot afford to pay, ensuring that a Penn education is accessible to those who are offered admission.”
Jameson also called out the compact’s financial penalties for failing to comply “based on subjective standards and undefined processes.” That could endanger teaching and research, he said.
“Universities must be accountable for their actions,” he wrote. “We believe that existing laws and policies suffice to achieve compliance and accountability.”
Many groups on campus had spoken out against the compact and were watching closely, given that the university had struck an agreement with the Education Department in July over the participation of a transgender athlete on the women’s swim team.
Penn’s announcement that it would reject the compact brought praise from local and state officials, including Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
A firefighter browsing sneakers. Tots in tutus arriving for dance lessons. Manicurists.
All were at a Moorestown strip mall Thursday afternoon when a car crashed into the Main Street building, damaging a running gear store, dance studio, and nail salon.One person who was in the salon was hospitalized, Moorestown Director of Police Patrick Reilly told The Inquirer.
About 4:20 p.m., two cars collided in the shopping center parking lot, and one of the drivers, a woman in her 80s, mistakenly hit the gas pedal, slamming at least 50 feet into South Jersey Running Company, according to Reilly. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
“It’s an accident, it’s not purposeful,” Reilly said, “it’s just bad timing, bad luck.”
💗 Tutus Update 💗
Yesterday afternoon, a car drove into the front of our Studio A at the Main Street location, causing…
South Jersey Running Company owner Dave Welsh said the car drove flew through the front glass vestibule, dressing rooms and an office.
Owner Jaclyn Adams estimated about 30 people were inside Tiny Tutus Dance Center, but no one was injured. La Moores Nail and Spa could not immediately be reached by phone Friday.
Damage to local shown businesses is apparent after a car crashed into a shopping center Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Moorestown.
“A little bit of shattered glass is nothing compared to dealing with what could have been a horrible tragedy,” Adams said in a phone interview. “I’m just very lucky.”
Welsh, who operates four locations, said he doesn’t anticipate losing business and is prioritizing helping the dance studio and salon rebuild: “We’re a super small, independent, little footwear store, … and our customers are as loyal as can be.”
Adams hopes to reopen as soon as possible, and city officials are evaluating the damage to all the businesses. For now, classes are uninterrupted at the Tiny Tutus’ Union Street location.
