The Flyers, Sixers, and Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday announced a new partnership with Bank of America, which will serve as the arena and teams’ banking partner this season. In addition to naming rights for the Club Level, the deal includes community efforts aimed at benefiting small businesses and youth sports.
“It just is historic on many levels, in that we’re three iconic brands coming together,” said Comcast Spectator chairman and CEO Dan Hilferty. “We’re focused on being key players in Xfinity Mobile Arena, and Bank of America will partner with us on doing some really, really fun things in the community.” Comcast Spectacor owns both the arena and the Flyers.
The deal, for which financial details were not disclosed, is “the most significant partnership” Bank of America has undertaken in its 20-plus years in the Philadelphia market, said Bank of America Greater Philadelphia president Jim Dever. Among its focuses is serving as a presenting partner in the Sixers’ small-business initiatives, such as the Spirit of Small Business Program and the Enrich Program, which benefit independent local businesses with aid and promotion.
“This is an area that’s a prime focus to us, to be able to drive further economic mobility through small business and amplify their mission, and draw more patronage their way,” Dever said.
The company will also head a youth-hockey-focused initiative in which it plans to donate up to $250,000 worth of hockey equipment to Philadelphia-area schools. Additional programs aimed at youth development and small business support will also be established, the organizations said in a statement, but details remain forthcoming.
Tad Brown, CEO of the Sixers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, said the partnership would allow the organizations to come together to “amplify all of our resources to benefit our fans and the region.”
Despite its new banking partner, however, Xfinity Mobile Arena will likely remain cashless, and Dever said the organizations were not envisioning ATMs on the premises. Though, the partnership may create a small change for Hilferty.
“I’m going to have to go elsewhere to get my cash,” he joked. “But that’s OK.”
BOSTON — VJ Edgecombe was unflappable 10 hours before making his NBA debut.
There were no jitters, butterflies, or even a restless night before he faced the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
“I slept great,” Edgecombe said Wednesday morning. “I ain’t going to lie. Yeah, I got more than eight hours of sleep. I ain’t antsy or nothing. I’m just looking at it as a regular game.
“Obviously, the environment won’t be the same. But it’s still basketball, at the end of the day.”
It turns out that the 76ers rookie’s quiet confidence was warranted.
It was the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 43 points on Oct. 24, 1959, and Frank Selvy’s 35 on Nov. 30, 1954. Edgecombe’s 14 first-quarter points set a record for the most in the opening period of an NBA debut, surpassing James’ 12 points on Oct. 29, 2003.
“From a team standpoint, we got the win, which matters the most,” a smiling Edgecombe said of his performance. “Like I said, it’s going to come. It’s basketball at the end of the day, like I’ve been saying. Just trying not to overthink it.
“I’ve been putting in the reps, been putting in the work. My teammates trust me. I trust my teammates. I was blessed to be in this position on this big stage. Blessed to perform.”
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe postgame, talking about being mentioned in the same breath as Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James and more: pic.twitter.com/Pc6HA31rqJ
Yeah, it’s great to have a high-scoring night that enabled the Sixers to start a season 1-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. But how does he process being mentioned in the same breath as Chamberlain and James, two of the greatest to play the game?
“It’s amazing,” Edgecombe said, smiling again. “I must say, it’s amazing. But, I mean, hopefully I have a long career ahead of me. That’s what matters most. Longevity. Knowing ’Bron, who’s been here 20-plus years, I’m hoping I can do that one day. But just putting in work … it’s great having my name mentioned with LeBron’s name, but credit to ’Bron and credit to my teammates for passing me the ball.”
The 20-year-old began to put his imprint on the game midway through the first quarter, scoring 10 consecutive points.
His first basket from the floor came on a cutting dunk with 6 minutes, 22 seconds left in the quarter. Then he drained a 25-foot three-pointer before scoring on a driving layup. He capped the run with another 25-foot three-pointer to knot the score at 20 with 4:09 remaining in the quarter.
Then, after Jabari Walker’s putback layup, Edgecombe drained his third three-pointer to knot the score, 25-25, at the 1:14 mark. He scored 13 of the Sixers’ final 16 points in the opening quarter.
“I was just having fun, to be honest,” Edgecombe said of the first-quarter stretch. “The ball was moving. I was getting good looks, capitalizing on them. That was the main thing, just capitalizing on the looks we had. And I was able to knock down some shots, get to the rim, finish, and my teammates were creating for me.
“That’s why I got those wide-open catch-and-shoot [three-point] shots because my teammates were creating for me.”
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4).
After Edgecombe’s stellar debut, several of his teammates recalled their first NBA games.
“My debut, I played 10 minutes,” said Dominick Barlow of his debut, a 119-97 loss by his San Antonio Spurs to the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 19, 2022. “I was tired as hell. I was like 1-for-3 [shooting]. I didn’t do nothing. He is just so composed, so calm. You don’t see that. That was special. I’ve been around two No. 1 picks [Victor Wembanyama in 2023 with the Spurs and Zaccharie Risacher in 2024 with the Atlanta Hawks], and to see how he carries himself and how good he was in clutch situations and how aggressive he was with All-Star-level guards playing against him [in Jaylen Brown], it’s special.”
Tyrese Maxey, who scored a game-high 40 points on Wednesday, also rolled down memory lane.
The All-Star in 2023-24 finished with six points in 10:51 off the bench in a 113-107 win over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 23, 2020.
“I remember from my debut. I was confident,” Maxey said. “I remember the first thing I did was step out of bounds, and [coach] Doc [Rivers] said, ‘If you do that again, you are coming out.’
“But this guy, I’m proud of him. He played well.”
Maxey raved about Edgecombe’s composure and the shots he took without batting an eye. Not known as a three-point shooter, Edgecombe was left open on catch-and-shoot attempts by the Celtics (0-1). He responded by burying 5 of 13 three-pointers.
“Seventy-seven definitely got scared at the free-throw line, though,” Maxey said jokingly of Edgecombe missing a pair of foul shots with 8.5 seconds remaining.
The Sixers’ Vj Edgecombe helped the Sixers secure a 117-116 win to kick off their season.
But Maxey’s good-natured ribbing ended there, as he switched back to explaining how proud he was of his backcourt mate.
“He was comfortable,” Maxey said of Edgecombe hoisting up the double-digit three-point attempts. “… They tried to close out to him a couple of times, and he shot it. We know what he does when he gets downhill and what he does on defense. But that’s what I was most proud of, man. He shot those threes and shot them with confidence and made them, too.”
Kelly Oubre Jr. wasn’t shocked by Edgecombe’s historic night. When he asked the rookie how he felt before the game, “He was like, ‘Chillin’ bro,’” Oubre said.
“Right then, I’m like, ‘All right, you’re not nervous,’” Oubre said. “No jitters for a very even-keeled individual. And he puts the work in. So that was just a testament to the work he puts in.”
The entrance to Lincoln High School’s football field was locked last Saturday morning for the Railsplitters’ regular-season finale against defending Philadelphia Public League champion Imhotep Charter.
Spectators had to be preapproved for entrance into the gates, then checked by a Philadelphia police officer on a list. There were three camera crews there, too, taking sporadic shots of the field and video of the 50 or so parents scattered in the concrete stands.
Lincoln hasn’t played a game since Oct. 4, after the team received a three-game suspension — which would have ended its season — following a brawl that broke out after its game against Northeast High School. However, last week, the School District of Philadelphia overturned Lincoln’s suspension after video evidence revealed players, parents, and coaches from both schools were involved in an altercation as Lincoln’s team attempted to leave the Northeast Supersite.
The Railsplitters forfeited two games, including their 39-8 victory over Northeast, before the suspension was amended. But none of that mattered against Imhotep. Lincoln just wanted another chance to play.
In a 26-25 thriller, the Railsplitters snapped the powerhouse Panthers’ 35-game league winning streak and became the first Public League team to beat Imhotep in six years.
If the Railsplitters (5-4) had lost, their season was over. Lincoln persevered, despite having 12 players suspended due to the altercation, and will advance to the Public League quarterfinal round of the playoffs. They will play Central at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Germantown Supersite.
Another chance
As the game was winding down on Oct. 4, Lincoln coach Hakeem Cooper and Northeast coach Nick Lincoln agreed to skip the traditional postgame handshake down the middle of the field, Cooper said, due to the in-game chatter that was stirring between the teams.
Instead, Northeast went back to its locker rooms, located up a ramp and behind the stadium field house. Cooper gathered his team in the far end zone to address the group for 15 minutes after the game. Cooper said he sent assistant coach Joe DiGrazio to get the Lincoln team buses over to the visitor’s side of the field.
DiGrazio then went up the steps on the Northeast home side, where a verbal altercation ensued, Cooper said.
DiGrazio, who is shown on a video from the incident, had his back to the steps and extended his arms trying to hold back Lincoln’s players from going up the steps. The video also showed shoving and jostling before the altercation was settled.
Lincoln High School plays against Imhotep Charter on Oct. 18.
Northeast interim principal Peggy DeNaples, Northeast athletic director Phil Gormley, and Vikings coach Nick Lincoln could not comment about the matter.
The school district wrote in a statement: “After an additional review of video footage, statements from coaches, parents and OSS (Office of School Safety) officers on-site and reports from PPD (Philadelphia Police Department), the PPL (Philadelphia Public League)’s investigation concluded that student-athletes and coaches from the Abraham Lincoln high school football team engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct after the conclusion of the game … . Individuals who were not directly involved in the altercation from Lincoln were eligible to return to play for their final regular season game on Oct. 18.”
On Oct. 8, Lincoln principal Jack Nelson was informed by the district that the Railsplitters’ season would be canceled. Cooper gathered his team in a study hall to tell them the news, which was greeted with a swell of emotion.
“Yep, it was not a good birthday present, because it was highly emotional,” said Cooper, who is in his fifth season as the Railsplitters’ head coach and guided Lincoln to a 2023 PPL Class 6A championship, its first league title since 1979. “It’s probably one of the hardest things I ever had to do as a coach. I got emotional, seeing all my boys breaking down after we lost a championship that we should have won [last November to Imhotep on a blocked punt in the Public League championship].
“It’s been a roller coaster these last two weeks. I was holding out hope that we would be able to salvage the season. I just wanted the kids to have one more chance. We appealed the suspension when more video came out, and the school district gave us our season back.”
‘Never gave up hope’
A week later, in the same room that Lincoln thought its season was over, Cooper told his 47 players to grab their helmets and shoulder pads and get ready for practice. They had a 90- minute session last Wednesday and a two-hour practice on Thursday, before finishing the week with a Friday walk-through.
It was not an ideal way to prepare for a team like Imhotep, which beat Lincoln 35-6 last year during the regular season. The Panthers also squeezed by the Railsplitters, 28-26, for the Public League Class 6A title on a blocked punt with less than a minute left in regulation and a touchdown by Jabree Wallace-Coleman (who’s now at Penn State) on the final play of the game.
Last Saturday, Lincoln’s 6-foot-1, 193-pound senior quarterback KJ Moore was brilliant. He extended plays. He found sophomore Nazir Holley in the corner of the end zone for a 20-19 lead with 1:48 to play.
It looked like the Railsplitters would seal the win when defensive end Koi Muse took an interception 35 yards and added a 26-19 lead. But Imhotep kept coming.
On the ensuing kickoff, Imhotep scored a touchdown on a fumbled return and had Cooper feeling cursed by the football gods that another odd special team’s breakdown would end Lincoln’s season. But the Railsplitters held, as Imhotep’s two-point conversion was stopped.
Cooper’s lower lip quivered after the game. The whole experience seems to have galvanized the Railsplitters. The suspension made a tight team a tighter team.
“I never gave up hope that we would play again, and I never felt so happy going to practice last Wednesday,” Moore said. “I was angry. We had to play behind a locked gate. Me, Jamir Duncan, and Nymir Marable, the team captains, called a players-only meeting the day after we were told our season was over. We were determined to get our season back. … On the outside, we had a lot of ignorance coming at us.
“We’re going to be tough to beat. We are getting our guys back, and Alvin Yates is eligible to play. I saw the cameras there. I also saw that they left. They didn’t stick around. They covered their story. They missed the story: us beating a team no one thought we could beat. This adversity has made us closer. … I learned how this coaching staff cares about us. They are always there for us. It’s why we push, because our coaches push.”
Marable, a senior receiver who is getting attention from West Chester, Delaware State, Gettysburg, and West Virginia State, added: “We had to prove everyone wrong. We were supposed to lose 50-0. I think we all got a gift in this — we had something taken away and then given back. We learned not to take anything for granted. Everyone was ready to play. No one was going to stop us.”
When Cooper showed up at Lincoln at 8 a.m. Saturday, he was greeted by 20 of his players waiting in front of the locker room door.
Yates, a 6-5, 260-pound defensive lineman and cousin of former St. Joe’s Prep star Samaj Jones and Imhotep’s Zahir Mathis, had to wait 21 days before his eligibility kicked in after transferring into Lincoln from Imhotep.
“I can’t wait to play after being on the sideline,” said Yates, who is getting attention from Syracuse, Temple, Monmouth, and Penn State. “We have some dogs on this team. The mindset of this team is to win everything, especially with everything we have been through.”
If Lincoln and Northeast win this weekend, the two teams will advance to the Public League semifinals, which will be played at the South Philadelphia Supersite on Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. According to sources from Lincoln and Northeast, there will likely be no fans permitted to attend.
“I won’t forget my son coming home [on Oct. 8] crying like he lost an aunt and I knew something was not right,” said Kareem Moore Sr., KJ Moore’s father. “I was there when the fight broke out. The animosity was high between the two teams. These were adults acting poorly. It’s too bad this was taken out on these kids. It will feel real good when Lincoln wins the Public League title. These kids are filled with a lot of energy. They can do it.”
Ghostly films will meet ghosts of department stores past in a pop-up film series leading up to Halloween. Film historian and former Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey has curated five silent films from the 1920s to be shown at the Pipe Up! series in the Wanamaker Building — each one accompanied by live organ.
Among the films being screened are Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) and Faust (1926).
“What was scary a century ago when the great German filmmakers invented these templates of the modern horror movie aren’t exactly spine-tingling today,” said Rickey. “But they are creepy, in the manner of folk and fairy tales — and artists like Hieronymus Bosch. They get under the skin. And they’re inventive.”
Also being shown are two lesser-known Swedish films: Victor Sjöström’s The Phantom Carriage (1921) — “a huge influence on Ingmar Bergman,” says Rickey — and Häxan (1922), Benjamin Christensen’s film purporting to be documentary.
“It hypothesizes what medievalists called possessed nuns and black sabbaths, and what Freud would call female hysteria. It is the earliest example of goth horror that I’ve ever seen,” Rickey said.
The screenings are scheduled to take place in the Wanamaker Building’s Greek Hall, which means the musical accompaniment will be played on an instrument that gets considerably less attention than the one in the Grand Court.
That smaller instrument is a theater organ, a restored 1929 Wurlitzer originally from the Fox Theatre in Appleton, Wis.
“It’s pristine, it hasn’t been fooled with like a lot of Wurlitzers,” said Friends of the Wanamaker Organ president Ray Biswanger. “It’s got a lot of color in it and represents well the experience of hearing a silent movie.”
Organists have different approaches to scoring silent film, said Peter Richard Conte, the Wanamaker Grand Court organist who is playing two of the five nights. His method is to watch the film 10 to 15 times, prepare a cue sheet, and play leitmotifs (recurrent themes) for various characters and places.
“And you just watch the film like a hawk and improvise,” he said.
Conte tends to avoid tucking in popular tunes or familiar musical references. “It distracts from the film. It can be cute and occasionally I will do it, but almost like a joke. What you want to do is disappear. If the audience forgets that you’re there,” Conte says, “that’s the biggest compliment I can get.”
The lineup: Monday, “Faust,” organist Ian Fraser; Tuesday, “The Phantom Carriage,” organist Don Kinnier; Wednesday, “Nosferatu,” organist Peter Richard Conte; Thursday, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” organist Peter Richard Conte; Friday, “Häxan,” organist Don Kinnear.
Screenings begin at 7 p.m. at the Wanamaker Building, 1300 Market St. Admission is free with advance registration. operaphila.org.
Conte will also perform on the Grand Court Organ for a live-to-screen presentation of the 1925 film “The Phantom of the Opera,” Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. The event is free and requires no advance registration.
The stars of the night were Tyrese Maxey and first-round pick VJ Edgecombe, who scored 34 points, the third-best debut for a rookie in NBA history.
Barkley used Edgecombe’s eye-opening debut to jokingly take a shot at his college coach, Baylor’s Scott Drew. In reality, the two are close, and Barkley played with Drew’s brother, Bryce Drew, with the Houston Rockets.
“Scott Drew can’t coach. He’s been holding this kid back,” Barkley joked.
“I was asked a thousand times this summer about the Sixers. I said I can’t give a fair prediction,” Barkley said. “As much as I love Edgecombe and Maxey, if Embiid and Paul George can’t play, [the Sixers] are not a contender.”
“He only gave your four points,” Shaq added.
So yeah, while Barkley, Shaq, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith have jumped from TNT to ESPN, nothing changed about the chemistry of Inside the NBA, one of the most beloved sports shows in TV history.
Who else would ESPN let compare new Wizards guard CJ McCollum to convicted felon and former New York U.S. Rep. George Santos, who was released from prison by President Donald Trump?
“Man, I don’t know what CJ McCollum did to someone” to end up on the Wizards, Barkley said. “We freed George Santos, let’s free CJ McCollum.”
The foursome, now in their 15th season working together, mocked their new home relentlessly, joking that Barkley will appear on every ESPN show, from Get Up to First Take to NFL Live.
“One thing I’m not going to be is Stephen A. Smith — everywhere,” Barkley said.
Much later in the evening — ESPN let Inside the NBA roll past 1 a.m. Philly time — Johnson quizzed Barkley on which networks a handful of NBA personalities worked for. Barkley got two right, but missed on TNT colleague Allie LaForce.
And for those keeping score, Barkley picked the New York Knicks to win the Eastern Conference, a prediction that will likely change at least seven times before the end of the season.
TNT had broadcast NBA games since 1989, but the NBA rejected the network’s offer in favor of new 11-year deals NBC and Amazon. Despite that, the show is still produced by TNT out of their Atlanta studio. It’s just the name on front of the desk that’s ultimately different.
Barkley and company will be back on the network tonight for another doubleheader: Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers at 7:30 p.m. Philly time, followed by Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m.
“Ernie, that’s today!” Barkley said shortly after midnight.
Once the NFL season is over, Amazon will stream NBA games on Prime Video Thursday nights. Until then, the evening is wide-open, allowing ESPN to swoop in to broadcast two national games tonight.
After that, Inside the NBA will have a light schedule on ESPN until the end of the year, though they’ll appear more frequently during the second half of the season.
Here’s when Inside the NBA will appear on ESPN though the end of December:
Thursday, Oct. 23: ESPN
Wednesday, Oct. 29: ESPN
Wednesday, Nov. 12: ESPN
Thursday Dec. 25: ESPN and ABC
Mark Sanchez still recovering from stabbing as trial date set
Mark Sanchez has called NFL games for Fox since 2021.
Mark Sanchez won’t be returning to a broadcast booth anytime soon.
The Fox Sports announcer and former Eagles quarterback is scheduled to go on trial next month to face accusations he attacked and injured a delivery driver in Indianapolis Oct. 4 ahead of calling an NFL game.
Sanchez, 38, was also seriously injured in the assault, and his recovery could force a delay in the trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 11.
Sanchez is accused of drunkenly assaulting a delivery driver in a fight stemming from an argument over a parking space. Police said the driver, Perry Tole, 69, pepper sprayed Sanchez, then pulled out a knife and stabbed him multiple times in self-defense.
“We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space and-or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in someone receiving just incredibly significant injures,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears told reporters a few days after the incident.
In a lawsuit filed against both Sanchez and Fox Sports, Tole claimed the fight left him with “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function” and other injuries.
Fox Sports has declined any further comment on the incident beyond a brief statement issued in the immediate aftermath of the fight: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”
Quick hits
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe impressed the Celtics’ announcers.
Barkley and Shaq weren’t the only ones impressed by Edgecombe’s debut — announcers on NBC Sports Boston were amazed by his first-quarter jam:
Amazon announced the Eagles’ Black Friday matchup against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28 will stream for free on its Prime Video platform, welcome news for Birds fans that live around the world (unless you live in Canada, where it will remain behind the paywall). The game will air for free in the Philadelphia TV market on Fox 29.
Tom Brady is back to broadcast his third Eagles game of the season Sunday, when the Birds take on the New York Giants at 1 p.m. on Fox. It won’t be his last — Brady is slated to call the Eagles Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and the Birds Week 17 trip to Buffalo to play the Bills.
Say goodbye to ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheaders. NFL owners approved the league’s deal to sell the NFL Network to Disney Wednesday. As a result, the four extra games slotted to ESPN will return to the NFL, according to Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer.
The wine trade is one where true innovations are few and far between, and understandably so. Experimentation with new ideas is simply more complicated when your product takes years to make and is expected to age gracefully for a decade more. The slow pace of due diligence — even on common sense modernizations like the introduction of screw caps — leads vintners to be risk-averse and helps explain why the revival of historical winemaking practices is more common than truly new methods.
Intrinsic Wine Co., out of Washington state, are exceptions to this rule because this label was created to be an established winemaker’s idea lab. This passion project was created in 2016 by the then-head winemaker of one of Washington’s largest wineries, Columbia Crest. Intrinsic wines are expressly designed to challenge the status quo and explore the kinds of innovations that smaller wineries with fewer resources are unlikely to pursue.
This unusual cabernet sauvignon-based blend — made in a way that steps outside the norm on many fronts — serves as a good example of Intrinsic’s work. First, a heaping helping of malbec replaces the merlot that would typically be used in a Bordeaux-inspired recipe, adding a vivid violet hue and a suggestion of earthy sweetness like glazed carrots. Next, the winemaker keeps the grape skins and solids in contact with the wine for a remarkable nine months — far longer than the few weeks that are normally considered an “extended maceration.” Finally, it employs a wholly fresh idea during this process called “skin swapping,” where the cabernet wine ages on the malbec skins and vice versa, in a process intended to build harmony between the varietals long before the individual components are blended together.
Stylistically, the result is a seamless and lush red wine that tastes quite intense. Its blueberry and blackberry flavors have amplified floral and herbal notes, and while the wine is not fully dry, it features far less of the “vanilla frosting” effect imparted by traditional aging in new oak barrels. All in all, what the winemaker has achieved is a post-modern flavor profile that is more sensual than intellectual and that younger audiences will embrace.
Intrinsic Red Blend
Intrinsic Red Blend
Columbia Valley, Wash.; 14.6% ABV
PLCB Item #96329, on sale through Nov. 2 for $19.99 (regularly $23.99)
Editor’s note: We’re sending this morning’s Sports Daily a little late after contending with some technical challenges. We apologize for the delay.
P.S. The Inquirer Food Fest at the Fillmore will assemble the Philly scene’s biggest stars for a day of food, live beats, and hands-on fun. Get your ticket to the Nov. 15 event now.
In a city with too many cars and not enough places to put them all, few civic issues are as polarizing to Philadelphians as parking, especially in densely developed areas like Fishtown.
Three large stand-alone parking garages have been proposed for the city in recent months:
🚧 A 372-unit garage, plus commercial and restaurant space, near the Fillmore and Rivers Casino
🚧 A 495-unit garage in University City, about a fourth of which will be used by a new police forensic lab
🚧 A 1,005-unit garage in Grays Ferry for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia employees
That last project has drawn criticism from neighbors concerned about lost green space and worsened air quality.
The capacity and reliability of electrical grids across the United States has emerged as a major issue as data centers rush to go online — including in Bucks County.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced in June that a data center would be built on the site of a former Falls Township steel mill. It’s one of two big projects Amazon has planned in Pennsylvania to support its cloud computing and artificial intelligence efforts.
An independent monitor is now calling for a transmission service agreement between Peco and Amazon Data Services be rejected, saying it doesn’t go far enough to ensure the cost of heightened energy use is not passed to local consumers.
Keon King has been charged with murder and may have had help burying the body of 23-year-old Kada Scott, officials said Wednesday. Text messages were also revealed.
Three men were convicted of first-degree murder and related crimes for a 2023 shooting at a North Philly playground that left three people dead and one injured, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Two men who set a Fairhill building on fire in 2022 that then collapsed, killing a responding Philadelphia fire lieutenant, were each sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison.
Dozens of local Catholics rallied outside the federal immigration office in Center City on Wednesday, joining a pro-immigrant push by church groups around the country.
A grassroots coalition of parents, teachers, and community members is demanding that the Philadelphia School District halt its plan to close schools.
A University of Pennsylvania faculty group says students and professors have been unfairly called in to stand against “specious accusations of antisemitism.”
SEPTA must inspect 225 Silverliner IV Regional Rail trains by the end of October. As of midday Wednesday, the transit agency had inspected 78.
Quote of the day
Cahillites coach Rick Prete once turned to football in a moment of need. Now it has become a community for him and his wife, Gabriela, to lean on after their daughter Arianna died in a 2024 car crash.
🧠Trivia time
New Jersey officials have sued which company, saying it misclassified and exploited its workers?
Cheers to Christine Sulat, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Fort Washington. This suburb is home to one of 11 exciting new pizzerias around the region — plus, see four others our food team is eagerly awaiting.
Photo of the day
A single crimson tree in Cherry Hill’s Wallworth Park greets Michel and Brigitte Mistler, from Normandy, France, as they take a morning walk while visiting their daughter in the township.
Take a stroll amid the changing foliage today, if you can. Either way, have a good one.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Instead of harping on one of the five major sports in town, we’re focusing on high school level for a story of how sports saved one man, not once — but twice.
Roman Catholic head football coach Rick Prete has found joy through football. It guided him after his return from Iraq in 2009, where he served as an Army infantryman. Now, it’s healing the wounds he suffered just last year after losing his daughter in an auto accident.
But this story isn’t about how football offers an escape; it’s about how the sport has shaped Prete into a rock for the rest of his family, both immediate and the boys who give their all for him on the gridiron.
Inquirer writer Alex Coffey delivers this fantastic story for your reading pleasure. We’ll caution that it’s a deep read, so get your coffee and get settled in.
That cup of Joe serves a dual purpose as it’ll hopefully warm you up, as temperatures are only supposed to creep into the high 50s across the region today.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe had a stellar NBA debut, producing 34 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Sixers started their season off with a bang, beating the Celtics in Boston, 117-116, behind big games from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
The Sixers appear to have a dynamic duo in the backcourt as Maxey and Edgecombe combined to produce 74 points in the season-opening win, but Joel Embiid was limited to just four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
“I’m good,” Embiid said after the game. “You know, it’s going to take a while, obviously, being on a minute restriction, playing shorter stints, it’s harder to kind of get into a rhythm. But I got to figure it out. That’s the way they got it set up.”
Edgecombe’s debut was historic. His 14 points in the opening quarter set an NBA record for the most points in the first quarter of an NBA debut, surpassing LeBron James’ 12 points in 2003. It also set a Sixers franchise record for points scored in an NBA debut.
Up next: The Sixers will host the Charlotte Hornets for their home opener on Saturday (7:30 p.m., NBCSP).
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown missed Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury.
As the Eagles kicked off preparations for the New York Giants at home this Sunday (1 p.m., Fox 29), they were noticeably down a few starters, most notably A.J. Brown.
Brown, who was left out of Wednesday’s practice, stood on the sideline in a sweatshirt alongside Dom DiSandro during the brief portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday. The reason why the Eagles target receiver is being sidelined was unknown until it was revealed he’s suffering from a hamstring injury.
He’s one of three starters listed as Cam Jurgens (knee) and Adoree’ Jackson (concussion) were also inactive participants. Olivia Reiner has more on Brown and what happens next.
Flyers winger Owen Tippett looks to be making a leap when it comes to his all-around play.
Owen Tippett’s talent has never been up for debate. The 26-year-old winger combines breathtaking speed, a heavy shot, and tremendous power all into a 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame.
But while Tippett has established himself as a solid NHL player and has hinted at an even higher ceiling since being acquired for Claude Giroux in 2022, he has yet to take the step that many expected, frustrating at times with his inconsistency.
That might be changing, as the power forward is off to a scintillating start with five goals in six games under Rick Tocchet. Tippett has been a tempo setter on the ice for the Flyers this season, but as Jackie Spiegel writes, that’s not the only place where he’s taken on added responsibility this season.
Phillies president Dave Dombrowski said the Phillies’ infield is “pretty well solidified” with Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner.
While the Phillies are poised for some roster changes in 2026, at the moment, it doesn’t seem like those will occur in the infield.
The Phillies’ outfield has been a revolving door for the past few seasons, but the infield continues to run it back. And according to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, that seems to be the plan again. At least, for now.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t questions for that group — and the prospects who could be part of the future — going into 2026.
Gina Mizell and Keith Pompey break down the 2025 Sixers season
Basketball is back. The Sixers are back. That means Gina Mizell and Keith Pompey breakdown what to expect this season — from roster shakeups to playoff hopes — on Gameday Central, your courtside seat to all things Sixers. Watch here.
On this date
Oct. 23, 1964: Philly boxing legend Joe Frazier won the Olympic heavyweight gold medal at the Summer Games in Tokyo following a defeat of German boxer Hans Huber.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (left) with teammate Tyrese Maxey during Friday’s preseason game against Minnesota.
“The Sixers have figured out the key to a stress-free life. You can’t let anybody down if they don’t have any expectations.” Read more from David Murphy right here.
What you’re saying about the Sixers
We asked: Can the Sixers be successful without Embiid and/or George playing every game?
It’s sad, but … given past performances, the poor souls will again probably spend more time playing in the sick bay over in [Camden, New] Jersey than any moments on the court at Wells Fargo. Best we focus on building a new team by 2030 when B-ball is expected to return in Philly. — John B.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Jeff Neiburg, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Lochlahn March, Gabriela Carroll, Ariel Simpson, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Colin Schofield.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Have a great day, Philly. We’re back tomorrow to get you ready for the weekend.— Kerith
Pamela Anderson is a cookbook author, and she puts her skills to good use as cookingfor the corporate events and retreats that she and her husband, an Episcopal priest, host on their 11-acre property in Bucks County.
Groups come for yoga and sound baths and to meditate. On a recent afternoon, about a dozen architects and interior designers held a corporate retreat to learn about sustainable flooring.
The Andersons added gravel trails, grottos, and fire pits to their property to make it a getaway. And the home’s living room has 180-degree forest views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Besides telling loved ones what to do with your stuff, a signed will could help protect the family home.
I’ve written a bunch of stories about tangled titles, Philly’s name for when it’s not clear who legally owns a property. A common way this happens is when a homeowner dies and the deed isn’t transferred to a new owner.
People living in properties with tangled titles can’t:
use home equity
sell their homes
take advantage of home repair or other homeowner assistance programs
Fixing tangled titles is more complicated when the owner dies without a will that says who should inherit the property.
For the last three years, two Philly-based nonprofits have been running the Will Power Program to help low- and moderate-income homeowners with estate planning so they can protect their properties.
For almost 40 years, the Polish American Cultural Center operated out of a multimillion-dollar property in Society Hill under a rare taxpayer-funded arrangement. Then the city evicted it.
Either way, a handful of readers knew where the photo was shot. Shoutout to Joe C. and Amanda C. for being the first two to give me the right answer.
—
Back in August, my colleague asked Inquirer readers, “What’s your happiest place in Philadelphia?” The question was inspired by a Drexel University professor’s project with his students that mapped their happiest places.
Everyone seems to be zoomed in on protein these days, but while protein is important, I suggest an expanded nutritional perspective. Instead of focusing on that one nutrient, consider a meal’s PFD — protein, fiber, and deliciousness. The acronym works, because together, these three elements provide the broader nourishment needed to ride life’s waves and to maximize the pleasure in doing it.
This skillet recipe offers easily ample PFD in about 30 minutes. The protein is meaty fillets of cod, which also bring health-protective omega-3 fats and essential minerals to the plate. (Alternatively, any thick, steak-like fillet will work, such as salmon, halibut, or sea bass.) The fillets get nestled into a barely softened sauté of shredded cabbage, carrots, onion, and ginger. (You can slice the cabbage and carrots yourself, or use a package of slaw mix as a shortcut.) The vegetables introduce the gut-friendly fiber factor, plus a wealth of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
A mixture of miso paste, softened butter, and a touch of honey, slathered on the fish and dolloped on the vegetables, amplify the deliciousness of these already-tasty ingredients. Add a little water to the pan and a brightening drizzle of rice vinegar, cover it, and let the resulting steam cook the fish until it’s flaky, the vegetables relax into a warm slaw, and everything is imbued with the savory-sweet richness of the miso butter.
Sprinkled with fresh scallions and served with rice, if you’d like, it’s a meal that can save a busy weeknight all the while maximizing nutrition.
Skillet Cod With Miso Butter and Warm Slaw
An umami-rich mixture of miso paste, butter, and honey imbues this saucy skillet cod and warm, gingery slaw with savory-sweet flavor. It’s quick to prepare as written, but can be made even faster by subbing the cabbage and carrots with a bagged slaw mix.
4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Ingredients
3 1/2 tablespoons shiro (white) miso
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey
4 (6-ounce) center-cut cod fillets, patted dry
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado or canola
1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), halved and thinly sliced
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks (about 1 tablespoon)
5 cups (9 ounces) lightly packed thinly sliced green cabbage
2 medium carrots, sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
cooked rice, for serving (optional)
Steps
In a small bowl, combine the miso, butter, and honey, and mash with a fork until well incorporated.
Spread a scant 1 tablespoon of the miso mixture on top of each cod fillet.
In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots, and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes more.
Arrange the fish, miso side up, on top of the vegetables. Scatter small dollops of the remaining miso mixture over the vegetables in the pan. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water with the rice vinegar, then drizzle the mixture over the vegetables in the pan, taking care to avoid the fish. Cover and cook until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a steady, but not overly strong, steam.
Transfer the fish to a cutting board or large plate. Stir the vegetables to coat them in the sauce and season with the pepper.
Divide the warm slaw among plates or shallow bowls. Top each portion with the fish, garnish with the scallions, and serve warm, with rice on the side, if desired.
Substitutions: Cod >> other firm fish, such as halibut or salmon. Sliced cabbage and carrots >> one 12-ounce bag slaw mix. Rice vinegar >> apple cider vinegar. Honey >> maple syrup or agave. Yellow onion >> white onion. Scallions >> chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves.
Gluten-free? Be sure to seek out gluten-free miso.
Nutrition | Per serving (1 fish fillet and 1/2 cup vegetables): 318 calories, 22g carbohydrates, 88mg cholesterol, 11g fat, 5g fiber, 33g protein, 4g saturated fat, 599mg sodium, 12g sugar
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.
