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  • Every Pa. lawmaker votes to release Jeffrey Epstein records as Congress passes bill after Trump’s reversal

    Every Pa. lawmaker votes to release Jeffrey Epstein records as Congress passes bill after Trump’s reversal

    WASHINGTON — Congress passed legislation Tuesday to require President Donald Trump’s administration to release troves of records related to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein after months of pressure from Democrats and survivors on the issue.

    The U.S. House voted 427-1 to pass the bill on Tuesday, prompting lawmakers in the chamber to cheer. The legislation was then rapidly passed by the U.S. Senate through unanimous consent, a process that skips debate when no senator objects to a bill.

    Despite the overwhelming bipartisan consensus, Tuesday’s House vote followed months of pushing by Democrats to bring it the floor as Trump unsuccessfully lobbied to prevent it from receiving a debate.

    The president abruptly changed his stance on the bill this week after it became clear it had enough Republican support to pass against his objections. The veto-proof bill now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature.

    U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a freshman Republican who represents Northeastern Pennsylvania, told The Inquirer after the vote that his office “had a lot of phone calls” about the bill.

    “We listened to our constituents… and I want to thank the people at home for bringing this to our attention,” he said outside the House chamber.

    U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, was the sole no vote. Five House members did not vote.

    Trump said this week he would sign the bill into law, but he doesn’t actually need congressional approval to order the release of the files and could have already done so — a fact noted by U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in the lead-up to the vote.

    “Let’s be clear — Donald Trump doesn’t have to wait until Congress votes on this resolution,” Evans, a retiring Philadelphia Democrat, said in a Monday post on X. “If he wanted to, he could tell the Justice Department to release the Epstein files TODAY.”

    The bill, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified files related to the prosecution and investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender who was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019 and determined to have died by suicide after being federally charged with sex trafficking underage girls. After his death, his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sexually exploiting and abusing girls with him over the course of a decade.

    The bill was led by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who grew up in Bucks County, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who frequently breaks with party leadership. U.S. Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon and Chris Deluzio, both Pennsylvania Democrats, were cosponsors.

    Trump suggested on the campaign trail that he would release files related to the Epstein investigation, but after his administration faced uproar over their lackluster release of information surrounding the investigation, he began discrediting the cause.

    Trump is mentioned numerous times in files that have already been released, including in an email in which Epstein claims Trump “spent hours at my house” with a young woman who later said she was a victim of Epstein, the New York Times reported last week. The president was neighbors with Epstein in Florida and was photographed with him at numerous social occasions in the 1990s and 2000s. He has called the efforts for more transparency a Democratic “hoax” that had fooled “stupid” Republicans who would be committing a “hostile act” by supporting the release.

    Bresnahan was hesitant to answer whether any of the mentions of the president concern him.

    “I saw some of the email threads; a lot of it was snippets. I don’t know where it came from,” said Bresnahan, who represents a swing district.

    “I want to look at the whole comprehensive picture,” he added.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) wasn’t going to allow the bill to be voted on the floor, so Khanna and Massie successfully forced the vote through a discharge petition, which was supported by all House Democrats and just three other Republicans — U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

    Massie and Khanna started to gather signatures in September and got the 218th needed on Wednesday last week when U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D. Ariz.) was sworn into office after winning a special election in September.

    U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat, blamed the delay for Grijalva’s swearing in on Trump and Johnson‘s resistance to the bill getting to the floor.

    “There is a reason why Donald Trump has worked so hard to keep these Epstein files covered up,” he said in a video he shared on social media.

    The bill reaching the floor put Republicans in a new bind: their stance on the matter would be on the record. They had to choose whether their loyalty to Trump would outweigh pressure from constituents on the matter.

    Once it became clear the president wouldn’t prevail, Trump had a complete about-face Sunday night and called for lawmakers to support the bill.

    “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” he posted on Truth Social.

    “I DON’T CARE!” he added in the post and claimed that the files are a “curse on the Democrats, not us.”

    Khanna said that almost 100 Republicans would have voted for the bill before Trump changed course in an interview with The New York Times.

    “Trump saw his MAGA coalition was splintering and the last thing he could have had is a hundred Republicans vote for a Democratic bill in defiance of what he wanted,” he said in the interview. “Obviously, he has enough political instincts to realize how much he was losing on this issue.”

    Once Trump signaled support for the bill, Khanna said he would “be surprised if it’s not close to unanimous.”

    A separate House Oversight Committee investigation has released thousands of files from Epstein’s estate that show his connections spanning from Trump to influential leaders on Wall Street and across the globe. The Wall Street Journal also revealed over the summer a sexually explicit birthday message that appeared to be from the president to Epstein.

    Trump has since called on the Justice Department to investigate ties between his political adversaries and Epstein, particularly the Clintons.

    Survivors of Epstein’s abuse rallied outside the Capitol in the cold Tuesday morning.

    Liz Stein, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, said in a statement that she hopes “our elected leaders show the courage to stand with survivors.”

    “Those of us directly impacted and harmed by the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell deserve justice and for the world to know our story,” she said. “It’s time for real accountability and true transparency.”

    Where did Pa. Republicans stand prior to Tuesday’s vote?

    U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican and former FBI agent who represents a purple district, had been quiet on the issue.

    World Without Exploitation, an anti-human trafficking group that has called for the release of all Epstein files, put a billboard up in Fitzpatrick’s district that says: “Courage is Contagious: Release ALL The Epstein Files.”

    Fitzpatrick was also the subject of digital ads from the Democratic National Committee about the Epstein files over the summer that called him one of Trump’s “sycophantic enablers.”

    Even though no Pennsylvania Republicans signed onto the petition to allow a vote on the bill, some had previously indicated that they wanted the records released.

    Bresnahan said on FOX56 WOLF on Friday that he would vote to release the files while making sure victims are protected. He told The Inquirer after the vote that he made that decision “weeks ago.”

    When asked whether he was surprised at the near-unanimous support from his Republican peers, he said he “really wasn’t talking to a lot of my peers as to where they were going to be on it.”

    Other Republicans made statements over the summer after the Justice Department said it would not release any more files. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in February that she had Epstein’s “client list,” but the department released files that were long in the public eye before claiming in July that Epstein didn’t actually have a list of clients.

    U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a freshman Republican who represents the Lehigh Valley, said during a telephone town hall in July that he would support measures to release DOJ files on Epstein if Trump’s administration doesn’t do more, NPR reported. He echoed that position Monday night, according to news reports.

    “I know they have not released as much as I would like to see to date, but hopefully they’re going to be doing that,” he said in July. “And if not, then Congress should potentially step in and compel them to do that because again, the American people deserve to have full transparency and information about what is in those files, and ultimately, we’re going to get there.”

    U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Trump ally who represents parts of Central Pennsylvania, shared a letter to Bondi on July 18 expressing “serious concern” over how the Epstein case had been handled and said it “remains one of the most troubling examples of apparent failures within our justice system.”

    He said the Trump administration’s handling of the case at that point had “only heightened public distrust.” He cited how the administration’s February 2025 release of documents “contained little new information” and its pivot on a supposed client list.

    “The continued secrecy surrounding these records undermines public confidence in the Justice Department’s commitment to justice,” he said at the time, requesting a special prosecutor to investigate the handling of the case.

    Perry supported a Democratic motion in July to subpoena the Justice Department for the Epstein files in an effort led by U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat from Pittsburgh. He also backed motions to subpoena former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton related to the case.

    Fitzpatrick, Perry, Mackenzie, and Bresnahan all represent districts that will be targeted by Democrats during next year’s midterms.

    Also in July, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R., Luzerne) called for the release of “all the pertinent, credible Epstein files” but focused squarely on Clinton.

    Other Republicans in the state have been pretty quiet on the matter.

    Lee, the Pittsburgh Democrat who led the summer subpoena effort, said in a post on X after the vote that the Department of Justice has “slow-walked” the release of files for months and echoed that Trump hasn’t acted on his ability to compel the department to release the files.

    “No matter how wealthy or well-connected, every person who is complicit, enabled, or abused women and girls will be brought to justice,” she added.

    Protesters head to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 as a bill that would require the release of records relating to Jefrey Epstein comes to a vote.
  • After eight years, police say they’ve solved the ‘brutal’ killing of a Maple Shade woman and her son

    After eight years, police say they’ve solved the ‘brutal’ killing of a Maple Shade woman and her son

    For eight years, the mystery of who killed a Maple Shade woman and her 6-year-old son swirled in the South Jersey town.

    The bodies of Sasikala Narra, 38, and her son, Anish, were found in their blood-spattered apartment by their husband and father, Hanumantha Rao Narra, in March 2017. They had been stabbed to death.

    In the end, the mystery was unraveled by a single drop of blood, prosecutors said Tuesday as they announced who they believe was the killer.

    Nazeer Hameed, 38, has been charged with murder and related crimes in the double stabbing. Authorities say Hameed fled to his native India after the killings, where he remains today.

    Hameed worked at Cognizant, a North Jersey tech company with an office in Philadelphia, alongside Hanumantha Narra, and lived in the same apartment complex as the family.

    Sasikala Narra, 38, and her son, Anish, 6, were stabbed to death inside their apartment in Maple Shade in 2017.

    Patrick Thornton, the chief investigator for the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, said he could not reveal any information about Hameed’s potential motives. But he said Hameed had stalked the family for some time before the killings and used his background in tech to hide his movements after the fatal stabbings.

    Thornton said Hameed waited until Narra had left the apartment before attacking his family with a series of violent stab and slice wounds to their head and hands. Anish was nearly decapitated in the attack.

    “These innocent victims were defenseless during the horrific attack,” Thornton said. “Veteran officers said this was one of the most brutal crime scenes they’ve seen in their careers, and they are still affected by the memory of it.”

    Hameed’s indictment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw, was the result of a yearslong investigation that involved local, state, and federal law enforcement.

    And while she said Tuesday that she was pleased to share the news of the charges against Hameed, she stressed that the work for law enforcement was far from over. Hameed is still living in India, and prosecutors in Bradshaw’s office are awaiting assistance from federal authorities to extradite him to New Jersey.

    Prosecutors say Nazeer Hameed stalked the Narra family for some time before killing Sasikala and Anish Narra.

    “We urge the full cooperation of our two nations to send a message that those who commit crimes cannot escape accountability by crossing oceans,” Bradshaw said.

    Hameed was initially considered a person of interest in the case, and later identified as a suspect in 2019, when investigators found a drop of blood at the crime scene that did not belong to the victims.

    South Jersey man battles to collect $1M in life insurance on his slain wife, son

    For the next five years, detectives attempted to compel Hameed to submit a DNA sample, but were unsuccessful. The Indian government agreed to assist in the collection of the specimen, but never acted on that agreement, officials said Tuesday.

    A break in the case came in 2024, when Cognizant, the tech company Narra and Hameed worked for, sent local prosecutors the laptop Hameed used. A sample of his DNA was pulled from the device, and was ruled to be a match to the blood found at the crime scene.

    Authorities continued to investigate in the months that followed and, on Tuesday, publicly announced his involvement in the crime.

    Bradshaw vowed to work with federal authorities and the Indian government to bring Hameed to America to face criminal charges.

    “The passage of time does not lessen our resolve,” she said. “No border can stand in the way of justice, and the people of Burlington County deserve closure.”

    The mother and son were killed in their Fox Meadows Apartment complex in Maple Shade, N.J.

    The Narras immigrated to America from the Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh state, on India’s eastern coast.

    After marrying, they moved to Maple Shade and later enrolled their son in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. Teachers there called Anish “a beautiful child of God” in speaking to reporters after his slaying.

    Hanumantha Rao Narra could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Through a lawyer, Sasikala Narra’s family in India said Tuesday they were relieved to hear that the killer had been identified.

    “They’re very appreciative of all the work by law enforcement,” Donald F. Browne Jr. said. “It took a very long time, but that’s how justice goes sometimes, and they’re very thankful that everyone kept fighting and kept trying to find the answer to this case.”

  • Bistro at Cherry Hill owner indicted on charges of tax fraud

    Bistro at Cherry Hill owner indicted on charges of tax fraud

    The owner of the beleaguered Bistro at Cherry Hill, a longtime mall fixture that closed this summer amid bankruptcy proceedings, has been indicted on charges of tax fraud.

    The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced the indictment against Andrew Cosenza Jr. on Tuesday, saying an investigation found that he had failed to send the state more than $270,000 in sales tax paid by Bistro customers in 2021 and 2022.

    The 57-year-old Cherry Hill resident was indicted Oct. 29 on several charges, including tax fraud.

    “Everyone is required to pay their fair share of taxes,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in the statement. “This form of tax fraud will not be tolerated.”

    Cosenza did not return a request for comment on Tuesday. No defense attorney was listed on court documents as of Tuesday, and an attorney representing Cosenza in a new Chapter 11 bankruptcy case did not return requests for comment.

    Is the Bistro at Cherry Hill closed for good? Its owner says no, despite bankruptcy.

    Cosenza had owned the Bistro at Cherry Hill for more than 25 years. The beloved restaurant operated out of a 12,000-square-foot kiosk in the middle of the Cherry Hill Mall. This summer, it closed abruptly, saddening loyal customers.

    In July, Cosenza told The Inquirer that the sudden closure was the result of a communication “breakdown” regarding a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition that he filed in May. It was the restaurant’s second bankruptcy filing since 2017.

    While Cosenza was incapacitated by medical issues over the summer, he said the Bistro’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition had been converted to a Chapter 7, which involves the liquidation of assets, without his consent. Cosenza said his brother showed up to open the Bistro on July 10 and found the doors locked.

    The Cherry Hill Mall, where the Bistro at Cherry Hill operated for 27 years, is shown in January.

    “This is not a case of mismanagement or inability to meet financial obligations,” Cosenza said in a July interview. He said that the bankruptcy was the result of lingering pandemic-related issues and that he had a plan for repaying his debts.

    In early October, the Bistro’s bankruptcy case was dismissed. Cosenza told The Inquirer on Oct. 10, two weeks before the indictment, that he planned to keep fighting to reopen the Bistro. On Oct. 15, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a small-business debtor.

    The charges against Cosenza stem from a 2023 joint investigation by the New Jersey Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation and the Division of Criminal Justice. Investigators said they found discrepancies between the gross sales tax amounts that Cosenza reported on his business tax returns and the amounts turned over to the state.

    If found guilty of the charges, Cosenza could face five years or more in state prison and fines of more than $150,000, according to the prosecutor’s office.

  • ‘Very, very difficult morning’: Three dead, including two kids, in North Philly house fire

    ‘Very, very difficult morning’: Three dead, including two kids, in North Philly house fire

    Three people, including two young children, are dead after an early-morning fire ripped through a North Philadelphia rowhouse Tuesday morning.

    “Very, very difficult morning,” said Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said during a news conference.

    Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the 3400 block of Hope Street around 1 a.m. Deputy Chief Frank Hannan said the fire was in the back of the first floor of the home, which did not have working smoke alarms.

    Firefighters pulled three people out of the building, Hannan said — a 5-year-old boy, a 6-year-old girl, and a 45-year-old woman.

    “The two children were transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital, one adult was transported to Temple Hospital,” Hannon said. “All three occupants have been declared deceased by the hospital.”

    The police department identified the victims as Nidre Annette Ayala, 45; Kataleya Garcia, 6; and Sebastian Rodriguez-DeJesus, 5. The children were siblings.

    Thompson said that the woman killed was not the mother of the two children.

    “From what I understand, the mother of the children is at the hospital,” Thompson said.

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025.

    Neighbors on Hope Street remember the two children playing in the neighborhood, laughing and enjoying games in front of their home. One neighbor said that as the children often played, a man would regularly work on his car beside them.

    Queani Crespo, 22, saw the flames from her home next door, which was still enveloped in the smell of ash and smoke from hours earlier.

    “This fire has been crazy. It’s just been too much,” Crespo said. “From seeing those kids running around, playing on this block, and just being happy, to seeing what happened to them. It is the worst feeling.”

    In front of the home sat two large decorated pumpkins from the Halloween season, adorned with children’s drawings, smiley faces, and polka dots.

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025. Two pumpkins adorned with children’s drawings and smiley faces still sit outside the home on the day of the fire.

    The home itself looked hollowed-out, with every glass window in the front shattered; burn marks were left like shadows on the corners of the frames. Out front, a three-foot-tall pile of blackened debris sat as the smell of smoke stained the Tuesday afternoon air.

    Crespo and other neighbors said there were no loud explosions that precipitated the fire. They said the smoke billowing from the two-story home was nauseating.

    “I couldn’t feel the heat, but the smoke was crazy,” Crespo said Tuesday afternoon. “The little house right next door to the fire is mine. It still smells like fire and smoke. It’s really bad.”

    A North Philadelphia home that was the site of an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of three people, including two young children on Nov. 18, 2025.

    The cause of the fire remained under investigation. There was no initial indication of arson, police said. Thompson urged anyone without working smoke alarms to contact the city, which provides them free of charge.

    “If you do not have smoke alarms, please call 311, and we will come out and install them for you,” Thompson said.

  • School closings are coming to Philly. Here are four themes that are emerging as leaders come closer to decisions.

    School closings are coming to Philly. Here are four themes that are emerging as leaders come closer to decisions.

    Sweeping changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with officials promising large-scale school closings, co-locations, grade reconfigurations, and new construction over the next several years.

    The district is launching a survey this week to gain more input into that plan after Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. pushed back a November deadline to announce his recommendations amid concerns from school communities.

    But those working closely on the facilities planning process said Monday that four themes are emerging that will shape the recommendations: strengthening K-8 schools, reinvesting in neighborhood schools, reducing school transitions for students, and expanding access to grades 5-12 criteria-based schools.

    Philadelphia School District facilities survey

    Here’s what to know about each of the themes:

    Strengthening K-8 schools

    “Many school programs with declining enrollment, or which operate in aging buildings, struggle to offer a full range of high-quality classes, activities, enrichment opportunities, and supports,” the district said.

    Students and teachers in K-8 schools need better spaces and staffing and more resources, and the district cannot achieve that in its current configuration — the district has 216 schools but about 300 buildings, many of which are in poor shape. And enrollment is unevenly distributed — some schools, particularly those in the Northeast, are overcrowded, while others have thousands of empty seats.

    Citywide, there are 70,000 excess seats in district schools.

    The district might merge two schools or co-locate multiple schools in a single building, said Claire Landau, a senior adviser to Watlington tasked with steering the facilities planning process. It might also invest in “more suitable buildings.”

    Reinvesting in neighborhood high schools

    “Some neighborhood high schools lack a full range of academic enrichment and post-high school preparation pathways, while some smaller magnet high schools lack extracurricular programs and diverse enrichment opportunities,” the district said.

    Possible outcomes for reinvesting in neighborhood high schools include “targeted building improvements,” partnerships, and theme-based or career-connected programs in the district’s traditional neighborhood high schools.

    Reducing school transitions for students

    “Transitions for schools can be disruptive to learning and community connection. Research supports that students do better when they have fewer transitions between school programs during their pre-K-12 experience,” the district said.

    There are currently 13 different grade configurations in the district; the aim is to shrink that. To achieve this, the district could increase pre-K-8 schools and adjust grade configurations.

    Expanding access to grades 5-12 criteria-based schools

    “Philadelphia community desires schools that allow students to learn in one community from middle grades through high school,” the district said. (Some of those already exist — Masterman, for instance, and GAMP.)

    To achieve that goal, the district could create more seats at existing 5-12 schools, or create new 5-12 pathways, with an eye toward neighborhood equity.

    “This is not going to be a plan that erases or proposes to move away from all of our more traditional middle school grade spans, but we will be looking for opportunities to provide more access to pre-K-through-8 programming and 5-through-12 programming — because of how much support we’ve heard for it from communities across this process as well as what the research shows as far as students doing better in these environments,” said Landau.

    The mayor weighs in

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker weighed in on the matter at a district hearing before City Council on Tuesday, saying she was in lockstep with Watlington and the school board president.

    “We need to recreate a comprehensive plan for repurposing every underutilized school building in the city of Philadelphia,” Parker said.

    But, the mayor said, “that plan will have to include housing, and that includes housing for public servants and educators who deserve to live in the communities that they serve, along with thinking about access to the repurposing of those buildings, to aid us in our desire to build affordable and workforce housing in the city of Philadelphia.”

  • Randy Garber leads Abington boys’ soccer team to its first state title in his final game as coach

    Randy Garber leads Abington boys’ soccer team to its first state title in his final game as coach

    The drought is over for Abington High School.

    After 41 years, the school will add its third state championship banner to the gymnasium rafters after the boys’ soccer team defeated West Chester Henderson, 3-1, in the PIAA Class 4A championship on Friday, marking the program’s first state crown.

    “It feels amazing,” senior captain Sean Westmoreland said. “I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet, but it’s amazing. I feel like the community has been with us and brought us together.”

    Abington finished its season 22-2-3, with those two losses coming against Haverford High in the season opener and District 1 final.

    “They were disappointed that Haverford had beaten them in the district final, 3-1,” longtime Abington coach Randy Garber said. “It left a bad taste in their mouth, and the only thing that could erase that disappointment was running for a state title and winning that, and that’s where their focus was.

    “When it came to the [state] final, I don’t think they wanted to be denied. … They came out on fire.”

    Randy Garber holds the state championship trophy.

    For Garber, who graduated from Abington in 1971 and has been the head coach for 32 years, winning a state crown was the cherry on top in his career, and he plans to step down.

    “People reached out by text, by phone that I haven’t [heard from] in a while,” said Garber, who played professionally for the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. “I have more than 100 texts from former players just reaching out saying how great it was, a long time coming — it’s your last season as head coach, and this happens.

    “The moment was extremely special. I’ve had good teams in the past that did extremely well but couldn’t get over that hump because of whatever reason. … This year with this team, everything fell into place. One thing got better than the next.”

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    Abington had a 3-0 lead at halftime, putting it in a solid position to claim the title. No team scored four goals in a game against the Ghosts this season.

    “I mentioned this in the huddle,” Westmoreland said. “There’s 40 minutes left in the season no matter what. Forty minutes left in some guys’ soccer careers, so we just wanted to have a lasting impact and leave everything out on the field. I think that was the mindset coming out of halftime. Just put the game away.”

    The Abington student section supporting the boys’ soccer team.

    Despite school being in session, plenty of students made the trip to Manchester, York County, in support of their team. Back home, the Abington community awaited the newly crowned state champions’ return to celebrate with a parade.

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    “It’s just great for the community, the school,” Garber said. “They’re all rallying around the soccer team because it’s the first state championship since 1981. … The senior high filled with students watching [the game] live while we were playing [Friday morning]. The elementary schools were watching it in Roslyn Elementary in the gymnasium, and the parade on the way home … that took us all [though] Glenside and all through the elementary schools, and the students out on the sidewalk just waving. It was a treat. It was a real treat.

    “I don’t know that any of the students and surely the coaches knew it was going to be celebrated in that fashion. We didn’t expect the fire trucks. We might have expected a police car [escort], but we did not realize how they got the community out. … There were people just walking out of the house and clapping. … It was an all day and night [celebration] — the school did a really nice job getting everyone to know that we won.”

    Randy Garber gets drenched in water after leading Abington to its first state title in boys’ soccer.

    The legacy Garber leaves behind is one of a kind, and the impact he made goes beyond winning a state crown.

    “Seeing the way he interacts with our students, our athletes, not just on the field, but he’s a health and [physical education] teacher,” Abington athletic director Charles Grasty said. “He does an excellent job with the students here. … He knew he had a good team going into the year, and they worked hard and trusted him and listened to him.”

  • Sixers’ Paul George ‘felt good’ after making his season debut

    Sixers’ Paul George ‘felt good’ after making his season debut

    After 12 games on the shelf recovering from offseason knee surgery, Paul George finally made his season debut Monday night against the Clippers.

    Nick Nurse doesn’t expect George to play both legs of the Sixers’ upcoming back-to-back against the Raptors and the Bucks, but he said his star forward exited the game feeling healthy.

    “He was good,” Nurse said Tuesday. “Came out good. Felt good. Feels good. Today he was a full participant in practice.”

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    George, who signed a four-year max contract ahead of last season, played 21 minutes and scored nine points against his former team. Nurse said before George’s season debut that the forward would be on a minutes restriction but did not get into specifics.

    Although George shot 2-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-4 from three-point range, the Sixers are already feeling his impact on both ends of the floor.

    “We all know [what] he can do as far as on-ball defending, but he’s also a great off-ball defender, being there for us, being able to help, being loud,” Trendon Watford said. “I think that’s what we’ve been missing. With Kelly [Oubre Jr.] going out, Kelly being the vocal guy on defense, and obviously the guy who takes the toughest matchups, Paul can fill that void for us.”

    Sixers forward Paul George had nine points, seven rebounds and three assists in his season debut on Monday.

    Dominick Barlow, who played his second game since returning from an elbow laceration, idolized George growing up. He said the spacing George brings on the floor helped open up the game for the entire team.

    “It’s going to make our lineups a lot more interesting, and it’s going to be fun,” Barlow said.

    Barlow’s return

    Speaking of injuries, Barlow said he’s at full strength and not restricted in any way after a procedure to repair the cut in his elbow. He is working with the medical team to prevent the cut from reopening but said he’s not overly concerned about it.

    Barlow believes his vision on the court already is improving.

    “Seeing driving angles, I had a couple of straight line drives that I was able to attack, so I’d probably say that was the biggest thing,” Barlow said. “I’m just trying to get some more pop back in my legs.”

    Sixers’ Paul George pleased to return to court after ‘long journey’ back from knee surgery: ‘There were so many emotions’

    The Sixers did not have updates on the health status of Oubre or Joel Embiid, Nurse said. Embiid was a full participant in practice Tuesday but has missed four consecutive games because of soreness in his right knee.

    “He’s OK, I would say,” Nurse said ahead of Monday’s game. “Just not quite pain-free. Still day to day. I think it’s getting better. I don’t think he’s far away from playing.”

    Oubre missed Monday’s game with a lateral collateral ligament injury in his left knee, which he suffered Friday in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. Nurse said the team is still waiting for an update on his status.

  • Penn takes down St. Joe’s in Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra

    Penn takes down St. Joe’s in Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra

    Penn spoiled former coach Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra on Monday as the Quakers beat St. Joseph’s for the first time since 2019.

    Penn kept the pressure on St. Joe’s to secure an 83-74 victory, the first big win of the Fran McCaffery era. Led by Ethan Roberts’ 31 points, with 22 coming in the second half, Penn moved one win away from earning a spot in the Big 5 Classic championship.

    “I mean, amazing,” Roberts said after the Quakers improved to 2-2. “I don’t really know the words to [describe] it yet, but I’m grateful I did it with this group and Coach McCaffery.”

    Penn forward TJ Power (12) is interviewed alongside Ethan Roberts after the win against St. Joseph’s.

    With the Quakers leading by four, point guard AJ Levine forced two air balls from St. Joe’s guard Deuce Jones II, who led the Hawks (2-2) with 24 points. On the final possession, Levine drew a technical foul against Jones to seal the win before a packed crowd at the Palestra.

    “Let’s … go,” Levine said to the fans. “I can’t hear you.”

    Taking the emotions out

    Penn snapped St. Joe’s seven-game Big 5 winning streak, as the Hawks had not lost in pod play since the inception of the Big 5 Classic in 2023.

    The hiring of Donahue by St. Joe’s added a new twist to the rivalry. However, Donahue, who spent nine seasons as Quakers coach before his firing in March, said he didn’t plan on letting his emotions affect the game.

    St. Joe’s coach Steve Donahue directing the Hawks during the first half Monday.

    “I tried to work on the emotional side of this and take it out,” Donahue said. “I told myself, it’s just a blue and white scrimmage, no other guys coaching this group — took the emotion out of it.”

    McCaffery also discounted any rumblings.

    “We have tremendous respect for anybody in the Big 5,” the Quakers coach said. “The respect I have for Steve, and for some of the guys on that team — you knew it was going to be this kind of game.”

    Power up

    After scoring a career-high 15 points against Providence last week, TJ Power had 23 points — 18 in the first half — and 15 rebounds to help lead the Quakers. He made 7 of 15 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers. The former Duke and Virginia forward took a moment to appreciate his first 20-point performance since high school.

    TJ Power shoots a three-pointer against the Hawks on Monday.

    “Each game, I feel I’ve been getting more comfortable,” Power said. “Coach just stayed on me to stay confident and shooting, playing the way I know how to play.”

    Power also contained Jones and Derek Simpson (16 points).

    “I hugged him after the game,” McCaffery said. “I said, ‘This is what I’m talking about — you can be the best player in the league, and I love you.’”

    Villanova still has work to do on defense, Kevin Willard says

    Center of discussion

    The starting center position is still up in the air for Penn.

    Augustus Gerhart, who struggled last week, underperformed against St. Joe’s — while freshman Dalton Scantlebury scored eight points in 17 minutes off the bench.

    The Hawks’ Anthony Finkley shoots a three-pointer against the Quakers’ Augustus Gerhart.

    “I think Auggie is better than he’s played in the last two games,” McCaffery said. “I really believe that.”

    Up next

    Penn will play for a chance to secure its first berth in the Big 5 championship when it visits Drexel on Friday (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia). St. Joe’s will play at UNLV on Thursday at 10 p.m.

  • Week 12 NFL power rankings roundup: ESPN drops Eagles from top spot after win

    Week 12 NFL power rankings roundup: ESPN drops Eagles from top spot after win

    For the second week in a row, it was the Eagles defense leading the way as the Birds scraped past another NFC North opponent, this time in a 16-9 win over the Detroit Lions.

    Last week after their win over the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles (8-2) seemed to confuse those who compile weekly NFL power rankings. Some saw the victory over another NFC contender as a reason to move the Eagles up. Others, however, saw the narrow victory as a reason to drop the Birds, largely because of the questions surrounding their lack of offensive output.

    Did another defensive win confuse the list makers even more? Or did the impressive showing by Vic Fangio’s defense — against one of the NFL’s best offenses — confirm that this team doesn’t need to score a lot of points to win? Here’s a look at where the Eagles stand in the latest round of power rankings as the season enters Week 12 …

    ESPN: Second

    Our first outlet, and we’re already seeing the Eagles drop despite their win. Last week, ESPN was one of the sites that moved the Eagles up to the top spot. This week, they’re back to No. 2, and the team that leapfrogged them — the 8-2 Los Angeles Rams — is one the Eagles already have beaten this season, albeit on a last-second blocked field goal.

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 12 vs. the Cowboys

    So what was the difference? The Eagles offense, according to Tim McManus, who also says that offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is under the most pressure.

    “The offense has been a disappointment,” McManus wrote. “The Eagles rank 25th in total yards (300.1 per game), 28th in passing (184.9) and 29th in third-down conversion rate (33.87%). They’re averaging 115 rushing yards per game (17th in NFL), compared to 179 in 2024 (second). They are, however, the best red zone offense (75% conversion rate) and have a league-low four giveaways. That, paired with a defense that has played lights out as of late, has been enough to keep Philly atop the NFC. But the offense has not yet reached its potential, and it falls on the first-year play caller to help remedy that.”

    We’re more than halfway through the season. At what point do we stop talking about the Eagles’ offensive “potential” and just come to terms with the product they put out there each week? You are what you repeatedly do, right?

    The Eagles beat the Rams this season — barely — but still trail them in most national power rankings.

    Yahoo! Sports: First

    The tight win on Sunday Night Football wasn’t enough for Yahoo! to drop the Eagles from the top spot, even if it openly acknowledges that the already struggling offense just took another hit with the loss of right tackle Lane Johnson to a Lisfranc injury.

    “Lane Johnson’s injury will knock him out 4-6 weeks and everyone by now knows the Eagles aren’t nearly as good without their All-Pro right tackle,” Frank Schwab wrote. “Still, the Eagles are becoming masterful at overcoming adversity. Their defense is finally hitting its stride, too.”

    No surprise that the Rams are right behind the Eagles, with the Indianapolis Colts in third and the Seahawks in fourth after each dropping a spot after being leapfrogged by the Rams.

    ‘Absolute garbage’ penalty call ‘robbed’ fans of epic finish, and what else they’re saying about Eagles-Lions

    The Athletic: First

    The Athletic’s Josh Kendall and Chad Graff offered a seemingly simple suggestion to the Eagles, one that is hard to argue with after watching their last two games: “Be more interesting.” But boring football wasn’t enough to drop the Birds from the top spot.

    “Thank goodness for A.J. Brown,” Kendall and Graff wrote. “The wide receiver’s weekly passive-aggressive complaints about his role in the offense are the only things making this team worth watching anymore. Jalen Hurts completed 14 passes for 135 yards Sunday night. The sublime Saquon Barkley averaged 3.2 yards per carry and is 14th in the league in rushing (662 yards). Yet the Eagles and their smothering defense are marching joylessly back toward the Super Bowl.”

    The Rams held steady at No. 2, while the idle Colts climbed to No. 3, and the Denver Broncos, courtesy of their win over the Kansas City Chiefs, moved into the fourth spot.

    Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires | Marcus Hayes
    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn’t posted big numbers this season, but he’s been efficient and avoided turnovers.

    The Ringer: Second

    Unlike ESPN, The Ringer didn’t drop the Eagles to second after their win; it elevated them from third to second. “This team is finding its 2024 form again, and I’m starting to believe,” Diante Lee wrote.

    “As the ugly wins stack up in 2025, it’s hard not to think about the similarities to last year and whether all the issues will iron themselves out once we get to the playoffs,” Lee added. “If this defense keeps playing this well, I’m inclined to believe that the answer is an emphatic yes.”

    The Rams have held steady in The Ringer’s top spot for several weeks. Meanwhile, the Seahawks (No. 3), Broncos (No. 4), and Colts (No. 5) round out their top five.

    Eagles open as road favorites over Cowboys, improve their Super Bowl odds

    Sports Illustrated: Second

    The Rams were already well ahead of the Eagles at Sports Illustrated — they moved from second to first this week — but the Birds were one of the outlet’s biggest risers, climbing five spots, up from seventh, to second.

    “The clips of Nakobe Dean staying stride for stride with all of Detroit’s best players was just another reminder of how weaponized this Eagles defense is,” Conor Orr wrote. “Can’t we understand now that the team’s best talent and coaching resides on that side of the ball, which is why the offense is being used as a game-shortening tool rather than an elevator of personal feelings and your fantasy team?”

    The Eagles jumped over the New England Patriots, Seahawks, Broncos, Colts, and Lions to claim that second spot.

    What is a Lisfranc injury? Where does it get its name? And what does it mean for Lane Johnson?

    NFL.com: Third

    The Eagles moved up one spot at NFL.com, thanks to the Seahawks’ loss. But that also meant that the new No. 1 team, the Rams, and the new No. 2, the Colts, also moved up a spot each as Seattle fell to fourth.

    “The Lions might have hurt themselves with their own overaggressiveness, but the Eagles certainly had a lot to do with that,” wrote Eric Edholm. “Philadelphia’s relentless pressure has been the new calling card of a defense that has reached another plateau since the bye. That’s now two straight games in prime time where the Eagles have held a playoff-contending opponent to single-digit points. The trade acquisition of Jaelan Phillips looks like a gem of a pickup, with the edge rusher making his impact felt in both games since his arrival in Philly. … Doubt them at your own risk.”

    The Eagles added linebacker Jaelan Phillips at the trade deadline, and he has made an immediate impact on the defense.

    CBS Sports: Third

    A big tumble by the previously top-ranked Seahawks (now No. 7) meant a lot of teams moved up, including the Eagles, who climbed one spot to third, behind the Rams and the Patriots, respectively.

    “The offense still isn’t great, but they are winning games,“ Pete Prisco wrote. ”The defense has really stepped up the past two weeks.”

    The Colts (No. 4), and Broncos (No. 5) also cracked the top five.

    Nick Sirianni wins in spite of himself, some might say. Those critics are wrong.

    USA Today: Fourth

    The Eagles remained in the fourth position at USA Today, as there was very little movement among Nate Davis’ top five teams.

    “A replenished defense has held two high-octane offenses to single-digit points in successive weeks − which is even better news with injured RT Lane Johnson set to miss a chunk of time with a Lisfranc injury for an already sputtering offense,” wrote Davis.

    The Rams, Patriots, Seahawks, and Broncos — in that order — make up the rest of their top five, with the only change this week being the Patriots and Seahawks swapping spots.

  • The Trump administration will announce the dismantling of multiple parts of the Education Department

    The Trump administration will announce the dismantling of multiple parts of the Education Department

    The Education Department plans to announce Tuesday that it will move multiple parts of the agency to other federal departments, an unprecedented and unilateral effort to dismantle an agency created by Congress to ensure all Americans have equal access to educational opportunity and better coordinate federal programs.

    The move was described by three people informed of the plan ahead of the announcement. Two of these people said six offices within the department would be shifted elsewhere; the third person said it was at least two.

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March seeking to close the department and asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon to work with Congress to do so. The agency, which was created in 1979, has long been derided by conservatives as unnecessary and ineffective. But Congress has not acted on or seriously considered Trump’s request.

    From July: The Supreme Court is allowing Trump to cut U.S. Department of Education staff. What does it mean for Philly-area schools?

    McMahon has acknowledged that only Congress can eliminate the department but vowed to do everything in her power to dismantle it from within.

    Asked for comment, an Education Department spokeswoman suggested some information provided to The Post about the plan was inaccurate, but did not offer specifics.

    Supporters of the department say that the agency is effective in coordinating multiple aspects of education in one place and keeping priorities important to students, parents and schools high on the federal agenda.

    From March: The Department of Education just laid off half its staff. How will that affect local schools?

    Offices that could be moved out of the agency include the Office for Civil Rights, which investigates allegations of discrimination on the basis of race, sex and disability; the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which administers the $15 billion Individuals with Disabilities Act program; and the Indian Education program; the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which administers K-12 grant programs; and the Office of Postsecondary Education.

    Federal law directs that these programs be housed in the Education Department. The Trump administration is employing a work-around, the people briefed on the matter said, whereby other government agencies would run the Education programs under a contract with the Education Department. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the changes.

    From March: Federal education department office in Philadelphia is among seven to be shut nationally

    The Trump administration laid the groundwork for this change earlier this year when it signed an agreement to move career, technical and adult education grants out of the Education Department to the Labor Department. Under the arrangement, Education retains oversight and leadership while managing the programs alongside Labor, a way of sidestepping the federal statute.

    “We believe that other department functions would benefit from similar collaborations,” McMahon wrote in an op-ed essay published Monday in USA Today.

    More broadly, McMahon has argued that the recently ended government shutdown showed how unnecessary her agency is.

    “Students kept going to class. Teachers continued to get paid. There were no disruptions in sports seasons or bus routes,” she wrote. “The shutdown proved an argument that conservatives have been making for 45 years: The U.S. Department of Education is mostly a pass-through for funds that are best managed by the states.”