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  • Sixers takeaways: Tyrese Maxey rises again, Joel Embiid has to get better, and more from win over Warriors

    Sixers takeaways: Tyrese Maxey rises again, Joel Embiid has to get better, and more from win over Warriors

    Tyrese Maxey showed, once again, that he’s super talented.

    As good as Maxey is playing, Joel Embiid has to get better to lead the 76ers if they expect to win an NBA championship.

    The Sixers need to do a better job of holding leads. But they’re fortunate to have VJ Edgecombe.

    V.J. Edgecombe’s game-winning shot, Tyrese Maxey’s game-saving block helps Sixers beat Warriors, 99-98

    On Thursday, they beat a Golden State Warriors team with a huge Sixers presence.

    Those things stood out in their 99-98 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Maxey’s super talented

    Displaying elite speed and quickness, Maxey is the type of player league executives drool over in today’s NBA.

    He puts pressure on the defense and gets in the paint whenever he wants. And on Thursday, the 6-foot-2 point guard blocked De’Anthony Melton’s layup attempt at the buzzer to enable the Sixers (12-9) to escape with a one-point victory.

    “He had a clean layup, man,” Edgecombe said of Melton. “[Tyrese] probably ran a 4.2 [second 40-yard dash] or something, and ran him down. So credit Tyrese, and he blocked it, by the way, he blocked it.

    “So he’s probably the best shot-blocking guard under 6-4.”

    Said Maxey: “I just ran back and wanted to make a play and help us win that game. VJ scored it, so I just tried to get back and make a play on the ball.”

    That came after Edgecombe grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on a putback with 0.9 seconds left after Melton blocked Maxey’s shot.

    Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 35 points.

    Though his shot was blocked, Maxey will be great at making contested shots in the postseason if the Sixers get there.

    That’s when opposing teams will have the Sixers thoroughly scouted and know precisely what they’re going to run. But when you desperately need someone to produce in late shot-clock situations, Maxey is capable of stepping up.

    Against the Warriors (11-12), Maxey finished with a game-high 35 points while making 4 of 10 three-pointers. He also finished with three rebounds, two assists, and the block in 39 minutes, 40 seconds.

    He ranks second in the league with nine games of at least 35 points, trailing the Lakers’ Luka Dončić, who has 10 such games.

    Maxey is also third in the league in scoring (32.6 points per game), trailing the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.8) and Dončić (35.3).

    Sixers’ Kelly Oubre is ‘trying to stay above water’ while sidelined with a ligament sprain in his left knee

    “Fun to watch,” Embiid said of Maxey. “I was just telling him, and I told him the last couple of years when I was on that scoring run, ‘When you get in that moment, it just feels like the game slows down. It just becomes easy.’

    “That’s what it is right now every single time he steps on the floor. … He’s in such a good rhythm making shots, getting to his spots, not rushing. I think that’s the biggest key.”

    Embiid must improve

    If Embiid doesn’t get better, this whole thing is going down.

    That’s not a knock on Maxey or Paul George. Maxey has established himself as an All-NBA caliber player and hasn’t yet reached his ceiling. But right now, he’s not the most essential piece to an NBA championship puzzle. It has to be Embiid’s team. If it’s not, they’re in trouble.

    Embiid finished with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting — including missing all six of his three-pointers. He also had six rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, and one block in 25:13 minutes. He looked fatigued during a poor performance.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid finished with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting against Golden State.

    The Sixers kept saying Embiid would get healthier. But it became apparent at the start of the season that the Sixers would be a team incapable of making a deep postseason run without him rolling to the basket. Yet, we’re in December, and the 7-2, 280-pounder is still positioned outside the three-point line.

    Could that be a sign that his knees aren’t getting better?

    If his knees don’t improve, it’s hard to imagine the Sixers advancing beyond the first round of the postseason.

    A blown lead

    The Sixers had a 24-point lead with 8:06 left in the third quarter. At that time, it appeared that coach Nick Nurse would rest his starters in the fourth quarter ahead of Friday’s road game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

    But the Warriors chipped away at the Sixers’ lead before taking a 93-92 advantage on Gui Santos’ basket with 2:39 to play. With the Sixers down 98-97 with 40.9 seconds left, Adem Bona missed a pair of foul shots.

    Joel Embiid’s new Skechers, the brand’s first signature basketball shoe, have dropped: ‘It means a lot’

    They were fortunate to have Edgecombe step up down the stretch, followed by Maxey blocking Melton’s shot.

    Edgecombe finished with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a game-high three steals. In addition to scoring the game-winning basket, the third pick in June’s draft tallied two of his steals in the fourth quarter.

    Edgecombe’s final steal came on Pat Spencer’s pass with 8.2 seconds left to set up the Sixers’ final possession.

    “He just does a lot of things that, like, we know he can score, we know he can pass, but he does things that don’t show up in a box score all the time,” Maxey said. “He goes out there and plays hard. He’ll get the extra rebound. He’ll tip the ball to somebody, or he’ll get the deflection.

    “We appreciate him because he does those things. And we know who he is as a person and as a basketball player. So he’s going to keep doing that and keep working on those things, and we appreciate him.”

    Former Sixer Buddy Hield (left) and VJ Edgecombe meet after the game. Both players were born in the Bahamas.

    Sixers West

    Melton, who scored 14 points Thursday in his season debut, is one of five Warriors who have played for the Sixers during their career.

    Melton played in Philly from 2022-24. He initially signed with Golden State on July 8, 2024, following his tenure with the Sixers. The shooting guard suffered a season-ending partially torn ACL in his left knee on Nov. 12, 2024. After having surgery on Dec. 4, 2024, Melton was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 15. But he re-signed with the Warriors on Oct. 1.

    Jimmy Butler (2018-19), Al Horford (2019-20), Seth Curry (2020-21 and until the trade deadline of 2021-22), and Buddy Hield (after the trade deadline of 2023-24) also played for the Sixers.

    Melton appeared in six games — two starts — with the Warriors last season, averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in 20.2 minutes before suffering his injury against the Dallas Mavericks.

    “I’m just happy to see him out there, dude,” Maxey said of his close friend. “He was at my house two or three hours yesterday, just chopping it up, talking about life. I’m happy to see him out there. He’s smiling.

    “I told him I’ll give him one jump shot, because he was struggling early. I gave him one middy in the third. But I’m just happy he was out there. It was good to see him. I told him he can’t guard me. So it’s all good.”

    Butler had the best Sixers stint among the group. He averaged 18.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals in 55 games in Philly. The 2018-19 team, which featured Butler, Tobias Harris, Embiid, JJ Redick, and Ben Simmons in the starting lineup, was the best Sixers team since the start of The Process.

    Butler, a six-time All-Star, missed Thursday’s game with left knee soreness after exiting Tuesday’s game against the Thunder.

  • V.J. Edgecombe’s game-winning shot, Tyrese Maxey’s game-saving block helps Sixers beat Warriors, 99-98

    V.J. Edgecombe’s game-winning shot, Tyrese Maxey’s game-saving block helps Sixers beat Warriors, 99-98

    Rookie VJ Edgecombe made the go-ahead follow shot with 0.9 seconds left, Tyrese Maxey raced back for a game-saving blocked shot and the 76ers beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors 99-98 on Thursday night.

    Maxey scored 35 points but missed a jumper with the Sixers trailing by one. Edgecombe tipped it in, but the Warriors quickly fired an inbounds pass to De’Anthony Melton, who had broke downcourt. Maxey got back to block the shot off the backboard just before time expired.

    Joel Embiid had 12 points in his return to the 76ers lineup.

    Pat Spencer scored 16 points for the Warriors, who erased a 24-point deficit despite playing with their two leading scorers, Stephen Curry (left quad contusion) and Jimmy Butler (left knee soreness), then losing Draymond Green to an injured right foot late in the second quarter.

    Sixers’ Joel Embiid (left), Tyrese Maxey and Adem Bona celebrate after they beat the Warriors by one.

    Maxey’s three-pointer made it 67-43 with 8 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Warriors used a 15-0 run early in the fourth quarter to get back in the contest, then had a late lead before Edgecome stole an inbounds pass with 8.2 seconds to play.

    Paul George (left knee injury recovery) was out for the Sixers, who play the second game of a back-to-back on Friday night in Milwaukee (8 p.m., NBCSP).

    Curry didn’t even make the trip to Philadelphia, missing his third in a row and seventh game this season. Butler couldn’t play after getting injured in the Warriors’ 124-112 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Golden State did get some good news on the injury front with the return of Melton, who had 14 points in his season debut while coming back from a torn ACL.

  • Zohran Mamdani and the Louvre make the list of most mispronounced words of 2025

    Zohran Mamdani and the Louvre make the list of most mispronounced words of 2025

    DALLAS — From the election of Zohran Mamdani to the intrigue surrounding the jewel heist at the Louvre, keeping up with this year’s news also left some Americans struggling with pronunciations. That’s put both the name of New York City’s incoming mayor and the famed Paris museum on a list of the most mispronounced words in 2025.

    The language-learning company Babbel and closed-captioning company The Captioning Group on Thursday released a list of the words that news anchors, politicians, and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with the most this year, giving an overview of the people and topics that had Americans talking.

    As Mamdani made his political rise, the democratic socialist’s name often was mangled. When he takes office in January, the 34-year-old will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, first born in Africa, and first of South Asian heritage. Babbel said his name — which should be pronounced zoh-RAHN mam-DAH-nee — was most commonly mispronounced when people swapped the “M” and “N” in his last name.

    Mamdani has said he doesn’t mind if someone tries to pronounce his name correctly and misses but that some mispronounce it intentionally. During one mayoral race debate, he chided former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pronunciation of his name, telling his opponent: “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I.”

    The theft of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre in October had many people mispronouncing the name of the world’s most-visited museum. Babbel says the correct pronunciation is LOOV-ruh, with a very soft pronunciation on the “ruh,” which can be a challenge for English speakers.

    “A lot of these words come from different languages and so we have to adapt to a sound that we’ve never made before,” said Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel.

    Other words and names on the list include:

    • Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the Tylenol, is pronounced uh-SEE-tuh-MIH-nuh-fen. President Donald Trump gave comedians plenty of material when he stumbled over the word as he implored pregnant women to avoid taking the painkiller despite inconclusive evidence about whether too much could be linked to autism.
    • Alex Murdaugh, the prominent South Carolina attorney who was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 fatal shootings of his wife and son, is pronounced AL-ick MUR-dock. This year the case was dramatized in a series on Hulu.
    • Mounjaro, pronounced mown-JAHR-OH, is part of a wave of diabetes and obesity medications that soared in popularity because of the weight people have lost while taking the injections.

    Several words on the U.S. list, including Louvre and Mounjaro, also made the list for the U.K., which was compiled by Babbel and the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, an organization for subtitling professionals. Storm Éowyn, which battered Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland in January, put that name on the U.K. list. Babbel says the correct pronunciation is ay-OH-win, said with a three-beat pattern.

    Throughout the year, captioners note words that come up over and over as difficult to pronounce, spell or are newly emerging. Linguists at Babbel also track new pronunciation challenges they see.

    In a pronunciation surprise of the year, actor Denzel Washington told late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel that he was named after his father and their first names are actually pronounced DEN-zul. But, he said, that became confusing so his mother decided to pronounce her son’s name Den-ZELLE.

  • Could RoboCop be to Detroit what Rocky is to Philly?

    Could RoboCop be to Detroit what Rocky is to Philly?

    DETROIT — RoboCop has finally found a permanent home in Detroit.

    A statue looming 11 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds has been drawing fans since it began standing guard over the Motor City on Wednesday afternoon, after about 15 years in the making. Even in a snowstorm in the dark, people were driving by to see it, said Jim Toscano, co-owner of the FREE AGE film production company where the bronze-cast statue now stands bolted near the sidewalk.

    RoboCop hit theaters in 1987, portraying a near-future Detroit as crime-ridden and poorly protected by a beleaguered and outgunned police force, until actor Peter Weller appeared as a nearly invincible cyborg, created by a nefarious corporation bent on privatizing policing.

    There was a time when Detroit pushed back on anything pointing to its past reputation as an unsafe city, and the movie, which developed a cult following, spawning two sequels and a reboot, didn’t help its image.

    But things have changed. Violent crime has been trending down for years. Homicide numbers have dropped below mid-1960s levels. And city officials offered no objections to the statue’s installation, Toscano said.

    “I think there will be a lot more acceptance,” Toscano said. “Detroit has come a long way. You put in a little nostalgia and that helps.”

    The statue campaign appears to have started around 2010 when Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was tagged in a tweet that noted Philadelphia’s statue of boxer Rocky Balboa and said RoboCop would be a “GREAT ambassador for Detroit.”

    Bing tweeted back, saying there were no such plans. But some Detroiters ran with the idea, crowdfunding it through a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $67,000 from more than 2,700 backers worldwide, and Detroit sculptor Giorgio Gikas finished the statue in 2017.

    Then, it got stuck, stored away from public view.

    The Michigan Science Center in Detroit ultimately nixed plans to host the sculpture in 2021, citing pressures from the coronavirus pandemic and the need to focus museum resources. Officials in Stevens Point, Wis., raised their hands, hoping to honor Weller, a native son of that city, by erecting it outside the police station or in a park.

    The search for a suitable home for RoboCop remained in limbo until about three years ago when Toscano’s company bought a building in Eastern Market, an open-air produce market, shopping and entertainment district just northeast of downtown. Toscano says he thought they were “kidding” when he was contacted by the creator of the statue idea and Eastern Market officials. But he and his business partner gladly came on board: “It’s too unusual, too unique, too cool not to do,” Toscano said.

    Toscano, 48, says he’s only viewed the first RoboCop movie.

    “It wasn’t a big film in our house,” he admitted. But if there is one iconic line uttered by RoboCop that fits this moment, Toscano said it would be “Thank you for your cooperation.”

    On Thursday, James Campbell approached the statue and told three picture-takers: “I own this. Do you guys know that?”

    Campbell said he donated $100 to the original Kickstarter campaign over a decade ago, which makes him a “.038% owner of this statue.”

    “I’m here to see this big, beautiful, bronze piece of art,” he said. “What a piece of cinematic history to represent the city of Detroit.”

    Asked why RoboCop is an appropriate symbol for the city, Campbell said: “He’s a cyborg crime fighter! In the movie, in the futuristic Detroit, he’s there to save the city. He’s a symbol of hope.”

  • Lumberton mayor indicted for endangering her child while allegedly driving under the influence

    Lumberton mayor indicted for endangering her child while allegedly driving under the influence

    The mayor of Lumberton Township, who was charged earlier this year with driving under the influence, has been indicted on charges of failing to protect her then-2-year-old son who was in the car at the time of the incident, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Thursday.

    Gina LaPlaca, 46, was charged by a grand jury with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree child abuse, Bradshaw said. LaPlaca is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

    She previously was charged with several offenses, including child endangerment.

    LaPlaca, who was still listed on the township’s website as mayor of Lumberton Thursday, could not be reached for comment.

    On her Facebook account, LaPlaca posted as recently as Wednesday promoting Lumberton’s holiday tree lighting celebration set for Friday evening.

    After her March arrest, LaPlaca was censured by the township’s committee for alleged ethical violations, one of the committee members said, including allegedly driving under the influence, asking for Lumberton’s police chief while she was being arrested, and endangering her child.

    The arrest has been widely viewed on video taken from police body cameras.

  • Philly principals get raises; some defend educators in the crosshairs of a congressional investigation: school board roundup

    Philly principals get raises; some defend educators in the crosshairs of a congressional investigation: school board roundup

    Philadelphia’s principals are getting raises and, for the first time, paid parental leave.

    Members of CASA — the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, Teamsters Local 502 — overwhelmingly approved the new four-year deal on Wednesday night, and the school board sealed the deal at its meeting Thursday night.

    Philly principals union has a tentative contract

    Nearly 1,000 district principals, assistant principals, climate managers, and other administrators will get 3% raises every year, plus a $1,500 bonus this year and a $1,500 bonus in 2029.

    They’ll also get five weeks’ paid parental leave, a new benefit also achieved by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers earlier this year, and more: a take-home vehicle stipend and incentives for principals who work at hard-to-staff schools.

    CASA’s contract expired in August, and its leadership and members expressed public displeasure with the pace of contract talks as recently as a few weeks ago. Robin Cooper, CASA’s president, said the district stepped up recently.

    “We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we are leaving feeling heard, and we are leaving with a what we believe to be a fair contract, and it was never our goal to try to break the bank or not be fiscally responsible,” Cooper said.

    Cooper had concerns going into the contract about little differentiation in the salary scale between new administrators and veteran ones. Adjustments to the salary schedule will help, she said.

    Principals at the top of the pay scale now make $167,608 annually; at the end of the contract, they will be paid $187,720. The union’s lowest-paid workers, school safety supervisors, now start at $40,256 annually. In 2029, a brand-new school safety supervisor will make $45,087 per year.

    School board members and district administrators were full of praise for Cooper and CASA.

    “You and your team are always strong advocates for all of your members and deeply committed to improving the lives of students, families, and employees,” chief financial officer Mike Herbstman said. “We appreciate all that you and all of the CASA administrators do.”

    Defending Ridgeway and Jimenez

    Several supporters also turned out at the board meeting to defend Keziah Ridgeway and Ismael Jimenez, two district educators alluded to in a recent order for a congressional investigation of alleged antisemitism in the district.

    In November, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) said that the House Education and Workforce Committee — which he chairs — would probe “disturbing reports of Jewish students being harassed and subjected to open antisemitism in their classrooms and hallways” in three school systems: Berkeley Unified in California, Fairfax County in Virginia, and Philadelphia.

    Ridgeway is a high school teacher and Jimenez is director of social studies curriculum and has been targeted by activist groups in the past.

    Ridgeway, who testified Thursday night, is suing the school district over alleged civil rights violations. She was suspended and ultimately disciplined after allegations of antisemitism and violations of the district’s social media policy surfaced, but is now back teaching at a district school.

    “All I’ve ever wanted was to protect students in the ways that I wasn’t protected from the racism and discrimination that permeates the SDP schools,” she told the board. “While recently the district has addressed antisemitism, it has not addressed racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian discrimination with the same rigor.”

    The district in late 2024 reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights requiring school officials to hold training on antidiscrimination policies and educate thousands of students about racial and ethnic discrimination.

    Ridgeway said the district “is at a crossroads right now, with a national spotlight looming.” She wondered whether it will “capitulate to McCarthyism tactics” or “channel the spirit of Harriet [Tubman] and Martin [Luther King Jr.] … our Black children deserve better. Our Muslim children deserve better. Our Palestinian children deserve better. Will you give it to them or will you disappoint them?”

    Alex Volin Avelin, a district educator and member of Jewish Voice for Peace Philadelphia, called the congressional investigation “political theater. It’s government overreach. It is not about protecting students. It’s about intimidating and silencing teachers.”

    Volin Avelin and Thomas Quinn, another district teacher, urged the district to learn from history. In the 1950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee singled out Philadelphia teachers for alleged communist ties. Twenty-six were ultimately fired.

    “Looking back, we can all see the injustice and cowardice in the district’s choice to capitulate,” Volin Avelin said. “I urge the board today to learn from this shameful history and stand up for educators teaching critical content.”

    Streater and Andrews stay on in leadership positions

    The board, in its final action meeting of the year, also formally reorganized, setting meeting dates for 2026 and naming leaders.

    Reginald Streater and Sarah-Ashley Andrews held on to their president and vice-president positions. Every board member supported Andrews’ candidacy; Streater won 8-0, with board member Crystal Cubbage abstaining. She gave no reason for the abstention.

    Streater complimented his fellow board members for their work in the past year.

    “We have demonstrated that steady leadership, not reactionary swings, produces real results,” Streater said.

    The board has an enormous job in front of it in the next year: the facilities master planning process, which will bring school closures that will surely be unpopular.

    “The responsibility is not lost on me,” Streater said, “and I gratefully accept.”

  • Holiday season kicked off at City Hall with tree lighting

    Holiday season kicked off at City Hall with tree lighting

    The holiday season at City Hall was kicked off Thursday night with a lighting ceremony for what is officially called the “Philly Holiday Tree,” followed by live musical performances by Grammy-winning artists Ashanti and Lalah Hathaway.

    The 50-foot-tall, 75-year-old Concolor Fir, sourced from Stutzman Farms in New York, will be displayed on the north side of City Hall through Jan. 1. The tree is bigger and brighter this year, with a reimagined base that serves as a centerpiece and more than 6,000 lights.

    Mayor Cherelle Parker smiles alongside Santa during the annual City of Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
    Attendees wait in line for drinks during the annual City of Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
    Attendees with Grinch hats gather for the annual City of Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
    Ashanti performs at the annual City of Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

    Ashanti performs a medley during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker struck a replica Liberty Bell with a large hammer at 7:05 p.m. to signal the lighting of the tree.

    Cassie Donegan, the current Miss America, sang “White Christmas” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” The show was broadcast live on 6abc.

    The annual city-run event is part of a wider event schedule to ring in the holiday season in Philadelphia, organized by Welcome America LLC, which also organizes the Wawa Welcome America festival on July 4.

    There will be a free photo opportunity with Santa Claus at the Comcast Center on Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.

  • Sixers’ Kelly Oubre is ‘trying to stay above water’ while sidelined with a ligament sprain in his left knee

    Sixers’ Kelly Oubre is ‘trying to stay above water’ while sidelined with a ligament sprain in his left knee

    Kelly Oubre Jr. missed his ninth straight game with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his left knee on Thursday when the 76ers faced the Golden Warriors at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Before the game, the swingman was transparent when asked how difficult it’s been to watch from the sideline.

    ”It sucks,” Oubre said. “Listen, man, I’m trying to stay above water, keep my head about it. Trying to fight the depression and all that stuff that comes with not being able to do your job and fulfill your purpose. So it’s a different challenge, and I’m up for the challenge, and I think the reward at the other side will be great just because I’m trying to take it day by day.”

    Paul George will miss Sixers’ game vs. Warriors

    The 6-foot-8, 203-pounder was recently evaluated and is progressing well. He’ll be re-evaluated early next week.

    Since his injury, Oubre has been doing upper-body work in the weight room. He has leaned on the Sixers’ medical team to tell him what he can and can’t do during his rehabilitation process.

    Oubre said he’s trying not to get too high or too low during what has been a difficult time for him.

    “I want to be out there with my guys,” he said. “I want to help each and every one of them just develop. I want to help us win, and being on the sideline, I can’t really do so. I’m taking it day by day and trying to do everything I possibly can to get back.”

    Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 12 games.

    Oubre suffered the injury late in the second quarter of the Sixers’ 114-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14 at Little Caesars Arena. He remained in the game for the rest of the half, but didn’t play after intermission.

    “I just kind of hyperextended my knee,” Oubre said. “I did it in the first game against Boston, as well. But that wasn’t obviously as bad. I did the same thing again. But this time, I just wasn’t so lucky.”

    Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George finally shared the floor. And the Sixers have a lot of work to do.

    Oubre, in his 11th season, got off to a strong start.

    He averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 12 games. Oubre also did a solid job of guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player. His best performance of the season came against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 2.

    Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 29 points to go with three rebounds, one steal, and one block against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 2.

    Oubre scored a season-high 29 points to go with three rebounds, one steal, and one block. His 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting set a career high for points scored in the opening frame. He added a second-quarter basket to set a career high for points in a half at 24.

    “Getting better each and every day,” Oubre said of his rehabilitation. “It’s a slow process, of course. Just not playing with Mother Nature and just allowing my body to heal and take the time to do the things I need to do in order to strengthen the muscle. So every day is a new challenge. But it’s getting better, and it’s going well.”

  • Grand jury rejects new mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James

    Grand jury rejects new mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James

    NORFOLK, Va. — The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.

    Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia after a judge’s ruling halting the prosecution of James and another longtime Trump foe, former FBI Director James Comey, on the grounds that the U.S. attorney who presented the cases was illegally appointed. But grand jurors rejected prosecutors’ request to bring charges.

    It’s the latest setback for the Justice Department in its bid to prosecute the frequent political target of the Republican president.

    Prosecutors are expected to try again for an indictment, according to one person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

    James was initially charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Va., in 2020. Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide and Trump lawyer, personally presented the case to the grand jury in October after being installed as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia amid pressure from Trump to charge Comey and James.

    James has denied any wrongdoing and accused the administration of using the justice system to seek revenge against Trump’s political opponents. In a statement Thursday, James said: “It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop.”

    “This should be the end of this case,” her attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. “If they continue, undeterred by a court ruling and a grand jury’s rejection of the charges, it will be a shocking assault on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system.”

    The allegations related to James’ purchase of a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family. During the sale, she signed a standard document called a “second home rider” in which she agreed to keep the property primarily for her “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year,” unless the lender agreed otherwise.

    Rather than using the home as a second residence, James rented it out to a family of three, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, prosecutors alleged.

    It’s the latest example of pushback by grand jurors since the beginning of the second Trump administration. It’s so unusual for grand jurors to refuse to return an indictment that it was once said that prosecutors could persuade a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.” But the Justice Department has faced setbacks in front of grand juries in several recent cases.

    Even if the charges against James are resurrected, the Justice Department could face obstacles in securing a conviction against James.

    James’ lawyers separately argued the case was a vindictive prosecution brought to punish the Trump critic who spent years investigating and suing the Republican president and won a staggering judgment in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. The fine was later tossed out by a higher court, but both sides are appealing.

    The defense had also alleged “outrageous government conduct” preceding her indictment, which the defense argued warrants the case’s dismissal. The judge hadn’t ruled on the defense’s arguments on those matters before dismissing the case last month over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney.

    U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie took issue with the mechanism the Trump administration employed to appoint Halligan to lead one of the Justice Department’s most elite and important offices.

    Halligan was named as a replacement for Erik Siebert, a veteran prosecutor in the office and interim U.S. attorney who resigned in September amid Trump administration pressure to file charges against both Comey and James.

    The following night, Trump said he would be nominating Halligan to the role of interim U.S. attorney and publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against his political opponents, saying in a Truth Social post that, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility” and “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

    Comey was indicted three days after Halligan was sworn in by Bondi, and James was charged two weeks after that.

    The Justice Department had defended Halligan’s appointment but has also revealed that Bondi had given Halligan a separate position of “Special Attorney,” presumably as a way to protect the indictments from the possibility of collapse. But Currie said such a retroactive designation could not save the cases.

  • California activist gets jail time for taking chickens from Perdue Farms plant

    California activist gets jail time for taking chickens from Perdue Farms plant

    SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A California animal welfare activist who took four chickens from a major Perdue Farms poultry plant was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of felony conspiracy, trespassing and other charges.

    Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals from Petaluma Poultry but argued she wasn’t breaking the law because she was rescuing the birds from a cruel situation. A jury found her guilty in October after a seven-week trial in Sonoma County, an agricultural area of Northern California.

    Rosenberg was sentenced on Wednesday and ordered to report to the Sonoma County Jail on Dec. 10. She will serve the 90 days, but 60 of those may involve jail alternates, such as house arrest, the county’s district attorney’s office said. Rosenberg will also have two years of probation, and she is ordered to stay away from all Perdue facilities in the county.

    The activist with Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, a Berkeley-based animal rights group, has said she does not regret what she did.

    “I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care,” Rosenberg said following her conviction.

    The group named the birds — Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea — and placed them in an animal sanctuary.

    Petaluma Poultry has said that DxE is an extremist group that is intent on destroying the animal agriculture industry. The company maintains that the animals were not mistreated and said Wednesday’s sentencing upholds the rule of law.

    “We’re grateful that DxE has been held to account for its unlawful campaign –- training and paying staff to carry out dangerous, unauthorized intrusions onto private property,” Herb Frerichs, general counsel for Petaluma Poultry, said in a statement Thursday. “DxE’s actions show a reckless disregard for employee safety, animal welfare, and food security.”

    Rosenberg testified that she disguised herself as a Petaluma Poultry worker using a fake badge and earpiece to take the birds, and then posted a video of her actions on social media.

    Petaluma Poultry is a subsidiary of Perdue Farms — one of the United States’ largest poultry providers for major grocery chains.

    The co-founder of DxE was convicted two years ago for his role in factory farm protests in Petaluma.