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

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

    The Eagles picked up a big Sunday Night Football win over the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field.

    The defense shut down one of the NFL’s best offenses, but the game wasn’t without a few minor controversies. Here’s what the national media is saying about the Birds after their 16-9 win …

    An ‘absolute garbage’ penalty

    A defensive pass interference call on Rock Ya-Sin ultimately iced the game for the Eagles, but was it fair?

    On the broadcast, Cris Collinsworth immediately called it out as a “terrible” penalty, which should arguably have been on A.J. Brown, instead of Ya-Sin.

    New Tush Push drama, A.J. Brown talk, Cris Collinsworth’s ballet memories, and more from the Eagles-Lions broadcast

    The morning was not any kinder to referee Alex Kemp, who told a pool reporter that “the official observed the receiver’s arm getting grabbed and restricting him from going up to make the catch.”

    Many members of national media were not buying that justification.

    “That is absolute garbage right here,” Rex Ryan said on Get Up. “You’re making it worse by coming up with that B.S. Here’s the problem, NFL. The entire country saw this, and everybody knows, except the guy that throws the flag here. I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking … You can’t cover a guy any better than this.”

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

    Ryan wasn’t alone.

    “As you see this type of game unfold, you know it’s going to come down to an epic finish,” Cam Newton said. “We were robbed of that, because, what happened to physicality and letting them play, ref? We didn’t see that. The ref made it about himself. Was it touchy-touchy? Yes, but was it that type of game? Absolutely.”

    ‘I don’t see [another] loss on their schedule’

    After the win, the Birds now sit at 8-2, firmly in control of the NFC East, with games against the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Commanders left to play.

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

    So do the Eagles, winners of four straight, have another loss in them with the schedule as it stands? Kay Adams doesn’t think so.

    “This was not my favorite game to watch, cinematically, but who the hell cares, because a win’s a win,” Adams said. “… I don’t see anyone beating them the rest of the year. I don’t see a loss on their schedule the rest of the way. I can’t remember seeing anyone make Jared Goff look this uncomfortable.”

    The Eagles ‘beat them down’

    For all the hand-wringing about the offense’s struggles, Vic Fangio’s defense continues to perform at an elite level week after week. On First Take, Stephen A. Smith said the defense was far more impressive than the offense was weak.

    “You’ve got the second-ranked offense in the NFL coming into the game, averaging 31 points a game,” Smith said. “You didn’t just beat them, you beat them down.”

    Eagles grades: Defensive line dominates; Jalen Hurts struggles in win over Lions

    The Birds forced what may have been the worst performance of Jared Goff’s career. Goff, who was leading the NFL in completion percentage coming into the game, completed just 14 of 37 passes, the worst completion percentage of his NFL career. The Lions went 3-for-13 on third down and were 0-for-5 on fourth down conversion attempts.

    Dan Orlovsky said the Eagles’ improved pass rush — thanks to the trade deadline acquisition of Jaelan Phillips from Miami — is reestablishing the defense as the class of the NFL.

    “I’m praising Howie Roseman,” Orlovsky said. “This Jaelan Phillips addition feels like it’s going to be the Von Miller addition to the Rams from several years ago. This defense is the best defense in football along with the Rams and Seattle Seahawks.”

    Vic Fangio and Howie Roseman have rebuilt the Eagles defense that won a Super Bowl | Marcus Hayes
  • Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires

    Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires

    Don’t expect A.J. Brown to be happy any time soon.

    Brown called the Eagles’ offense a “bleep show” on a livestream last week, prompting an unprecedented, on-field admonition at Thursday’s practice from Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who reportedly told him to stop whining about the offense on social media.

    The offense isn’t likely to get any better with the news that right tackle Lane Johnson will miss several weeks with a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot.

    Johnson has been the team’s best player during its current Golden Era, evidenced by the club’s 15-23 record when he does not play. He missed 14 games early in his career to PED suspensions but has been remarkably durable, although ankle issues have plagued him the last few seasons and this injury reportedly will cost Johnson at least a month and maybe six weeks, if not longer. Johnson is 35, and he has long suffered chronic problems with his surgically repaired right ankle.

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

    Johnson’s replacement, Fred Johnson, played passably well after Lane’s exit Sunday night, but Fred’s an undrafted seven-year career backup for a reason.

    This means that, likely for the rest of the season, the Eagles will continue their streak of having zero consecutive games in which the first-team offensive line begins and finishes the game. Center Cam Jurgens just returned from an injury bug that also has affected left guard Landon Dickerson and, earlier in the season, Lane Johnson.

    The Eagles had the No. 1 defense during their run to the Super Bowl LIX championship, but they also had the No. 1 offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus. In fact, in the span from 2013-24, the Eagles’ line was considered by most to be the best in football.

    Line coach Jeff Stoutland arrived in 2013. He campaigned to draft Lane Johnson, a former high school quarterback, with the No. 4 overall pick.

    To be fair, all might not be lost.

    Eagles tackle Lane Johnson (center) giving a pep talk to teammates before heading out to the field prior to the game against the Lions.

    Even with the lack of continuity, PFF ranked the Eagles’ line No. 5 entering Sunday. But the Birds rank 25th in yards per game and, to Brown’s repeated point, they have the 28th-ranked passing offense. This, despite boasting Brown, bookend DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert, and Saquon Barkley, who is a home-run threat by run or pass out of the backfield.

    And even without Lane Johnson, those rankings might soon rise, considering that the Eagles visit the Cowboys on Sunday, then host the Bears on Black Friday. They are two of the league’s poorer defensive teams.

    Rest assured, if the Eagles offense doesn’t improve, Brown will let you know on your hellsite platform of choice.

    Vic Fangio and Howie Roseman have rebuilt the Eagles defense that won a Super Bowl

    ‘Just strike somebody’

    The Eagles are on a four-game winning streak that has them atop the NFC standings. They’ve allowed 14.5 points per game in that stretch and 16 total points in their last two games in prime time, at Green Bay on Monday Night Football then home against the potent Lions on Sunday Night Football.

    What happened four games ago?

    Nakobe Dean returned.

    Dean was the play-caller for the Eagles’ top-ranked defense that eventually won Super Bowl LIX, although he missed the end of the playoff run and the first five games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. He was limited in his first three games but has been unleashed in the last two. Sunday night, he was everywhere.

    Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean leaves the field after his standout effort against Detroit.

    On the Lions’ interception, Dean covered the back out of the backfield, Jared Goff’s first read. On Jaelan Phillips’ sack, Dean covered the receiver who chipped Phillips at the line, again taking away Goff’s first read.

    Early in the third quarter, Dean blitzed and forced an incompletion. Late in the fourth quarter, Dean covered speedy running back Jahmyr Gibbs, then, on consecutive plays, he blanketed Jameson Williams, the fastest active receiver in the league. Finally, Dean bulled over 230-pound running back David Montgomery and sacked Goff. Dean weighs 231. It was brutal.

    Said NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, before the replay: “Don’t look if you’re squeamish.”

    There have been other developments on the Eagles defense, chief among them the addition of edge rusher Phillips, but he has played only the last two games. It has been Dean’s kamikaze play and his indomitable spirit that have injected the Birds with some midseason juice.

    He’s sharing time with first-round rookie Jihaad Campbell, and he’s still a bit lost in zone coverages, but Dean has once again become the soul of the defense.

    A.J. Brown was right. The Eagles offense is still a bleep show. They need to fix it soon.

    His philosophy and his advice:

    “If all else fails, just strike somebody. Strike somebody. Be physical. Put hands on somebody.”

    It’s been working.

    Extra points

    If the playoffs began Monday, neither the 5-5 Chiefs, who have made it for 10 straight years and played in four of the last five Super Bowls, nor the 6-4 Lions, who were cofavorites with the Packers at some sportsbooks to win the NFC, would even qualify. However, most analytics sites still give each a better than 50% chance to reach the postseason. … Bengals superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase has been suspended next Sunday against the visiting Patriots after very nastily spitting a huge loogie on cornerback Jalen Ramsey in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The league’s emphasis on sportsmanship led to the one-game (sort of) suspension of Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter after he spat on Dak Prescott in the NFL season opener. Chase may appeal.

  • Percy rebrands to all-day diner after mixed reviews

    Percy rebrands to all-day diner after mixed reviews

    Breakfast for dinner? Groundbreaking, at least in Philly.

    Just six months after opening, Percy — the swanky cafe-brunch-listening lounge-dinner joint hybrid from the team behind Forín — is now a permanent all-day diner, according to co-owner and general manager Seth Kligerman.

    The transition became official Thursday when the restaurant revealed a new (and cheaper) menu on Instagram that includes a 12-item all-day menu of revamped diner classics served from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., plus pared-down lists of breakfast and dinner-only options.

    The change embraces Percy’s “true identity,” Kligerman said, and comes after a spate of mixed reviews that called out how the restaurant’s brunch program outshone a dinner menu of $30-plus entrees that included a Thai curry, a lamb shank, and a Cooper Sharp-topped burger.

    Percy opened under the El at 1700 N. Front St. in May as the ground-floor anchor to Urby, a 200-unit luxury apartment complex. The restaurant earned fans and haters fast: Percy’s ¾-pound ricotta pancakes and babka French toast found an immediate following in Fishtown’s crowded brunch scene. And yet, Philly Mag food critic Jason Sheehan bestowed the title of “Philly’s most disappointing new restaurant” upon Percy in September, arguing the restaurant was “all vibe, with little else worth saying.”

    The reviews came with a silver lining, according to Kligerman. Percy was able to raise $4,000 for the Fishtown Community Library through a limited-run sale of shirts screen-printed with Sheehan’s headline.

    Plus, a bit of constructive criticism didn’t hurt.

    “I’m really grateful that we were able to spin something negative into something so positive,” Kligerman said. “We don’t have the runway that [larger restaurateurs] have, where they can collect a lot of data and open with a perfect concept … Now that we have the data from reviews, from the public, from our sales reports, we get to hit our stride.”

    Review | From Aug. 2025: Percy is a local brunch gem, but it’s no dinner destination yet

    Percy’s all-day menu leans heavily on what worked from its brunch. The cinnamon-crusted ricotta pancakes are still there, but customers can now order them until 9 p.m. along with other favorites such as the espresso-dulce de leche beignets, a roast pork croque monsieur, and a new mortadella club sandwich smeared with burrata and pistachio pesto.

    The biggest changes came for the breakfast and dinner menus, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. respectively. Breakfast’s star is the $11 Philly Grand Slam, a play on the standard diner breakfast with two eggs and home fries plus bacon, duck sausage, and a ricotta pancake for an additional charge.

    The $11 Philly Grand Slam from Percy has two eggs, toast, and homefries, with bacon, duck sausage, or a ricotta pancake for an additional charge.

    Dinner, too, got a makeover, swapping the Thai curry and lamb shank for a fried chicken Reuben and an elevated meatloaf served with a red wine jus, whipped potatoes, and purple cauliflower.

    The new menu nods to Tuckerton, N.J’s Dynasty Diner, where South Jersey-bred Kligerman grew up splitting disco fries and pancakes with his friends until their parents chastised them for running up against curfew. It also fills a hole in Philly’s breakfast-for-dinner scene, as the city’s diners continue to dwindle, with owners putting them up for sale or preparing for demolition.

    “When I think about Dynasty, I get that warm family feeling,” said Kligerman, 37, who now lives in Fishtown. “I want Percy to offer that.”

    The $26 pork cheek bourguignon at Percy, now served TV-dinner style on three compartment trays as part of the restaurant’s diner rebrand.
    As 24-hour diners dwindle in Philly, a few fight to remain

    TV dinner trays and cheap(er) eats

    Percy’s revamp also comes with a significant decrease in prices.

    Initially, all but the burger on Percy’s dinner menu cost between $30 and $40 per entree. Now the entire menu — save for the $31 half chicken with polenta — clocks in below $28. Most dishes had $4 to $6 shaved off, Kligerman said. The croque monsieur, for example, dropped from $24 to $17, while the burger had $3 knocked off, to now sit at $18.

    “We wanted to make sure the pricing allowed people to come back multiple times a week. And I think our opening pricing … definitely positioned us to be that one-day-a-week or special occasion-type restaurant,” said Kligerman. “Good diners are for everyone.”

    The plate-sized ricotta pancakes from Percy, which will now be available from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. as the restaurant transitions to an all-day diner.

    Good diners also have a look, he said: hard plastic cups that get constant refills, salt and pepper shakers on the table, and stacks of paper napkins. All of those elements have now been wrapped into Percy’s mid-century modern decor.

    Percy’s plating also reflects the change. All five dishes on the dinner menu will be served TV-dinner style, in compartmentalized trays with spaces for the protein, side, and a single bread roll.

    “It’s kind of playful,” Kligerman said. ”Everything is.”

    Percy, 1700 N. Front St., 215-975-0020, percyphl.com. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

  • Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman are coming to the Met Philly

    Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman are coming to the Met Philly

    Katie Crutchfield and MJ Lenderman have struck up a fruitful collaboration as leading lights of the indie Americana music scene. And now, the two singer-guitarists are joining forces for a tour that will bring them to the Met Philly on April 18.

    Crutchfield, who records as Waxahatchee, a sobriquet taken from the name of a creek near where she grew up in Alabama, released one of the most acclaimed albums of 2024 in Tigers Blood.

    That album heavily featured Lenderman, the North Carolina songwriter whose solo outing Manning Fireworks landed on as many 2024 best-of lists as Tigers Blood.

    For most of the 2010s, Waxahatchee lived in West Philly. She moved here from Brooklyn along with her identical twin Allison, with whom she formed the band P.S. Eliot when they were teenagers growing up in Birmingham, Ala.

    On Halloween, the Crutchfield sisters surprise released a new album under the band name Snocaps, a super group of sorts that also includes Lenderman and producer, multi-instrumentalist Brad Cook.

    Next month, Snocaps is doing a brief tour with shows in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, but no plans to play Philadelphia.

    Which makes this Waxahatchee-Lenderman date at the Met the next best — or maybe even a better — thing than a Snocaps tour. It will include Waxahatchee and Lenderman solo sets, and also feature them playing together.

    That most likely will include collabs like Tigers Blood’s “Right Back to It” and well as tracks from the top-flight Snocaps album, which moves Crutchfield back into more of a rock and roll direction than her more recent country-flavored songs.

    @triciadavenport

    Life of a Showgirl @waxahatchee #thundergong This #swiftie was so excited!!

    ♬ original sound – Tricia Davenport

    Earlier this month, Crutchfield went semi-viral when she covered Taylor Swift’s “The Life Of A Showgirl” at Ted Lasso creator Jason Sudeikis’ Thundergong! benefit show in Kansas City, where Crutchfield now lives with her partner Kevin Morby.

    Lenderman also had a recent moment of social media virality when he brought then New York City mayoral candidate and music nerd Zohran Mamdani on stage at Brooklyn Steel.

    Via PLUS1.org, $1 from each ticket sold for the Waxahatchee-Lenderman show at the Met will go to support community-driven nonprofits that work to increase access to nutritious food and housing resources.

    Tickets will go on sale Friday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. via waxahatchee.com/shows.

  • Penn says info compromised in data breach has been ‘mischaracterized’

    Penn says info compromised in data breach has been ‘mischaracterized’

    Following a cybersecurity breach at the University of Pennsylvania last month, an anonymous hacker claimed that they had compromised data for some 1.2 million students, donors, and alumni — a figure that the school now says is inaccurate.

    “The 1.2 million number has been mischaracterized and overstates the impact,” Penn said on an information page about the incident updated Friday.

    The university said that a forensic investigation into the breach remains ongoing and that a “precise number” for the amount of records that were improperly accessed was not yet available.

    A timeline of when that investigation would be concluded was not provided, with the school noting that analysis of the breach would “take time to complete.”

    “While our investigation is ongoing, we do not currently have evidence to indicate that information involved in this incident has been used for the purposes of fraud,” the university said.

    The incident was reported Oct. 31, when students and alumni received what the school called a “fraudulent” email crudely criticizing Penn’s hiring practices. The message, which also called on recipients to stop donating money to the university, appeared to come from Penn’s Graduate School of Education.

    “We have terrible security practices and are completely unmeritocratic,” the email said.

    Since then, Penn has said that the data breach attack had been contained and that the incident was reported to the FBI.

    The breach, the university said, came as a result of “sophisticated identity impersonation commonly known as social engineering,” which is a hacking technique in which “bad actors deceive individuals into giving up confidential information.”

    Systems accessed included “Penn’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (Salesforce), file repositories (SharePoint and Box), a reporting application (Qlikview), as well as Marketing Cloud,” the school added.

    Electronic medical records from Penn Medicine do not appear to have been accessed in the breach. In its update Friday, the university said that it would notify individuals whose information had been accessed once its analysis of the incident was complete.

    The data, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s student newspaper, included memos about donors and their families, receipts of bank transactions, and personal information. The DP said that it reviewed documents released by the alleged hacker on LeakForum and that the perpetrator claimed to have accessed data on 1.2 million Penn students, alumni, and donors.

    The Verge, a technology publication, reported that among the items obtained was personal information about former President Joe Biden, whose granddaughter had been a student at Penn. The hacker claiming responsibility for the breach told the outlet that they planned to sell some of the data before releasing it publicly.

    Beyond disputing the 1.2 million figure, Penn has not commented on what information was accessed.

    Following news of the breach, more than a dozen proposed class-action lawsuits were filed against the university in federal and state courts alleging that Penn failed to secure the personal information of those affected.

    The litigation is still in its early stages, and Penn hasn’t yet responded to the allegations in court filings. On Monday, attorneys who filed 10 of the 14 federal lawsuits in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania asked the court to consolidate the cases.

    On its information page about the incident, Penn warned school community members to “be wary of suspicious calls or emails that could be phishing attempts,” as well as “any embedded links in emails that you are not familiar with.”

    It also advised concerned individuals to take steps such as reviewing their credit reports and activating fraud alerts with major credit bureaus.

    “We recognize the severity of this incident and are working diligently to address it,” the university said.

    Staff writers Abraham Gutman and Susan Snyder contributed to this article.

  • Eagles open as road favorites over Cowboys — and improve their Super Bowl odds after latest win

    Eagles open as road favorites over Cowboys — and improve their Super Bowl odds after latest win

    The Eagles defense paved the way to a victory for a second straight week, once again dominating an NFC contender on the defensive side and getting just enough offense to win. The Eagles limited the Detroit Lions to just nine points in their 16-9 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

    The Birds improved to 8-2 with the win, but we’re already looking ahead at their next opponent — the Dallas Cowboys. From the Eagles’ chances against their division opponent to updates on yearly awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …

    Eagles vs. Cowboys odds

    After securing a win at home, the Eagles are gearing up to travel to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys. The teams met at the Linc in the season opener, in a game that saw the Eagles pull out a 24-20 win despite a big ejection, a lightning delay, and some shaky early defense.

    Now, the Eagles defense looks the best it has all season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are preparing to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football after losing their last two games.

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

    Ahead of the Week 12 matchup, sportsbooks are favoring Philadelphia, who opens as a 4.5-point favorite at both FanDuel and DraftKings.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Cowboys +4.5 (-110); Eagles -4.5 (-110)
    • Moneyline: Cowboys (+188); Eagles (-225)
    • Total: Over 50.5 (-110); Under 50.5 (-110)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Cowboys +4.5 (-112); Eagles -4.5 (-108)
    • Moneyline: Lions (+185); Eagles (-225)
    • Total: Over 50.5 (-110); Under 50.5 (-110)

    NFC East odds update

    The Eagles continue to hold a big lead over the rest of the NFC East in the race to win the division. They are several games above the Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1), who have the second best odds to win the division.

    Meanwhile, Washington’s (3-8) chances continue to fall without Jayden Daniels, and the New York Giants (2-9), who fired head coach Brian Daboll and are without quarterback Jaxson Dart, are at the bottom of the list.

    FanDuel

    Source: Lane Johnson to be sidelined for multiple weeks with foot injury

    DraftKings

    The Eagles already have wins over several of the other top NFC teams, including the Lions, Packers, Rams, and Buccaneers.

    NFC odds update

    After their win over the Lions on Sunday night, the Eagles are now the favorites to win the conference at both sportsbooks — dethroning the Los Angeles Rams, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-19, on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Lions remain in the top five, just ahead of the Green Bay Packers.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

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

    Super Bowl odds

    Despite the Eagles having the better NFC odds, the two sportsbooks are split between the Rams and the Eagles as Super Bowl favorites. Sunday’s win was enough for FanDuel to move the Eagles into the top spot. At DraftKings, however, the Birds are still behind L.A., although they’re considerably closer than they were last week. The top three favorites remain the same: the Eagles, Rams, and the Buffalo Bills, who are in the third spot at both books.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are 8-2, just like they were through 10 games last season.

    MVP odds

    After throwing for just 135 yards in the Eagles’ win over the Lions, Jalen Hurts’ MVP odds continue to fall in both sportsbooks. Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Josh Allen hold the top three spots in the race to MVP.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    A.J. Brown was right. The Eagles offense is still a bleep show. They need to fix it soon.

    Offensive player of the year

    After a Week 12 performance in which he finished with 83 yards on 26 carries, Saquon Barkley continues to fall out of the race for offensive player of the year. Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor remains a clear favorite despite his bye on Sunday.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

  • The first professional orchestra of Arab and Jewish musicians in Israel is coming to Philly

    The first professional orchestra of Arab and Jewish musicians in Israel is coming to Philly

    On the face of it, the Galilee Chamber Orchestra could be an impossible meeting of musical minds.

    Comprising “equal numbers of both Jewish and Arab musicians,” as its website notes, the orchestra has a 13-year history, and is now on a high-prestige tour with celebrated pianist Bruce Liu that includes the Kimmel Center on Nov. 19 and New York’s Carnegie Hall Nov 20.

    Based in Nazareth (known as the “Arab capital of Israel”), the orchestra’s common ground on this tour includes Mozart among other composers whose nationalities, from centuries past, now feel like neutral territory — while still speaking to the present.

    “Classical music has become something that belongs to the world. If you go to Japan or Brazil, they feel that Mozart and Beethoven belong to them as much as anybody else. There’s something very global about it,” said Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar, executive director of Polyphony Education, the conservatory where the orchestra is based.

    Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar, executive director of Polyphony Education, the conservatory where the Galilee Orchestra is based, speaks during Bachfest 2025 in Leipzig, Germany.

    “Once you’re part of this cultural world, you instantly connect with so many people around the world … you have a lot more in common with so many people.”

    With that kind of mandate, it’s no surprise that the orchestra, in its last U.S. tour in 2022, was acclaimed for generating more sound than a typical chamber orchestra. This year, its 42 players draw from Polyphony students, faculty, graduates, and nearby professionals.

    The Galilee Orchestra, which is currently on its U.S. tour. The group will perform in Philadelphia on Nov. 19.

    Structurally, the conservatory/orchestra setup resembles Venezuela’s much larger El Sistema but also is meant to have an ethnicity mixture more like the Spain-based West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Galilee Chamber Orchestra is firmly planted in its Jewish/Arab balance and in Israel, a country with a 20% Arab population.

    The tour program includes the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 with Paris-born, Montreal-raised pianist Liu, a 2021 winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition. The presence of Symphony No. 3 (“Scotch”) by the Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn isn’t meant to make a statement but is a piece the orchestra has wanted to do for a few years.

    Also, Abboud-Ashkar’s brother Saleem Ashkar, conductor of the tour, has considerable history with the composer, having also been the soloist in both piano concertos in a well-received, major-label recording with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

    More intentional is the inclusion of Nocturnal Whispers by Arab composer Nizar Elkhater, whose own Israel-based ensemble, named Abaad, seeks to fuse Western and Eastern musical styles

    Saleem Ashkar, conductor of the Galilee Orchestra, which is currently on its U.S. tour. The orchestra will perform in Philadelphia on Nov. 19.

    The orchestra’s concerts haven’t been subject to the kinds of in-concert interruptions and demonstrations that have greeted the Israel Philharmonic and the Jerusalem Quartet in Europe and the U.S.

    But years of war, however, have strained the orchestra and conservatory in tangible ways. Planning is more provisional than ever. Concerts can be canceled on short notice, lessons planned to be in-person can suddenly switch to online, getting home from a European tour can be impeded and delayed by new conflict outbreaks in the Middle East.

    Among the musicians, tensions are heightened by constantly seesawing events, said Abboud-Ashkar. After the attack of Oct. 7, 2023, the whole operation was suddenly in unfamiliar territory, he said.

    “We don’t live in our own bubble. We experience, we see … we feel everything that is happening around us,” Abboud-Ashkar said in a Zoom interview from Nazareth. “Some people might think we’re being naive and ask … ‘How can you talk about collaboration and partnership being equal … with horrific things happening in Gaza?’ … We believe that what we’re doing has an impact. Even if it’s just making it a little better, we’re moving the needle in the right direction.”

    The Galilee Chamber Orchestra performs at Bachfest 2025, in Leipzig, Germany.

    The main enemy may well be despair. Within the orchestra and conservatory, lack of hope for war resolution can turn into loss of musical motivation.

    “On the other hand, there are cases where people show incredible empathy for others,” said Abboud-Ashkar. “There’s a commitment to having this (musical) dialogue … and having more consideration for each other. When you’re in distress … you’re motivated to continue and to always find a way. You fight for your space and your values and hope there are still enough people out there who shared them. We’re going to stay together because this is what we believe in.”

    The Galilee Chamber Orchestra performs Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Perelman Theater. Tickets: $39-$89.60. philorch.ensembleartsphilly.org

  • Tower Health’s audit for fiscal 2025 reversed its reported operating profit

    Tower Health’s audit for fiscal 2025 reversed its reported operating profit

    Tower Health’s preliminary financial report in August for fiscal 2025 showed a $5.9 million operating profit, a gain that came thanks for the sale of a shuttered hospital in Chester County.

    But that apparent annual profit, the Berks County nonprofit’s first since 2017, turned into a $20.6 million loss when Tower released its annual audit.

    Auditors from KPMG decided that Tower should boost medical malpractice reserves and give up on collecting millions owed by patients, Tower said in a statement.

    “As part of our standard accounting process, the audited financials for the full year reflect increased malpractice insurance reserves and final adjustments to accounts receivable,” Tower said.

    Most of the $26 million swing to a loss came from medical malpractice, but Tower also reduced what is called patient accounts receivable, representing unpaid bills, to $236.6 million from $251.6 million in August’s preliminary results, according to Tower’s audited financial statements that were published Friday.

    Separately, Tower reported a $15.9 million operating loss for the three months that ended Sept. 30. That loss was a bit bigger than the $14.2 million loss in the same period last year. Tower’s revenue for the quarter was $501 million, up 4% from $479.8 million last year.

    The results for the first quarter of 2026 did not include expenses for Tower’s layoff of 350 employees, or about 3% of its workforce, earlier this month. The cuts hit Pottstown Hospital particularly hard. Tower is eliminating 131 jobs there and eliminating some services.

    The closures include the combined intensive care/critical care unit, the Pottstown location of the McGlinn Cancer Institute, and the hospital’s endoscopy center.

    Two unions that represent Pottstown employees, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania have decried the cuts and called on management to engage in discussions on how to preserve jobs and services.

  • Source: Lane Johnson to be sidelined for multiple weeks with foot injury

    Source: Lane Johnson to be sidelined for multiple weeks with foot injury

    Lane Johnson is dealing with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot that is likely to sideline the Eagles’ star right tackle for multiple weeks, league sources confirmed to The Inquirer on Monday.

    NFL Network was first to report the update on Johnson, who left Sunday’s 16-9 Eagles win over the Detroit Lions after playing just 14 snaps.

    Johnson is awaiting results from X-rays with Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist. While Johnson is believed to have suffered a sprain, a decision will be made if he needs potentially season-ending surgery, according to sources.

    He is likely to miss at least 4-6 weeks with a sprain. A placement on injured reserve would force him to miss at least the next four games.

    “I know that he’ll do everything he can do to get back as quick as he possibly can,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. Sirianni would not discuss a potential timeline.

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

    The 35-year-old Johnson, who is playing in his 13th season, has dealt with multiple injuries this year. He left the Eagles’ Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams with a stinger, then left the team’s Week 4 game against Tampa Bay because of a shoulder injury. He left last week’s game against Green Bay with an ankle injury and missed a large chunk before returning in the fourth quarter.

    Johnson, who has been a first- or second-team All-Pro selection in each of the last four seasons, has played in every game this season and continues to play at a high level despite battling multiple injuries.

    This one, however, will cost him at least a few games, which historically presents a problem to the Eagles.

    The Eagles are 12-23 in games Johnson hasn’t started since the beginning of the 2016 season. But backup tackle Fred Johnson has filled in well this season — and last year — when Johnson has missed time.

    Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson keeps an eye on Lions cornerback Amik Robertson on Sunday.

    The Eagles traded to bring Fred Johnson back at the end of training camp after the tackle left for Jacksonville in free agency. He has been a difference maker for the Eagles. They were 5-1 last season when he started and are 3-0 in games this season when he has come on in relief to play at least 50% of the offensive snaps.

    The Eagles have been using Fred Johnson as an extra tight end in jumbo packages in recent weeks. That duty will fall to Matt Pryor, who saw four snaps Sunday night after Lane Johnson exited. Sirianni said the Eagles have confidence in both Fred Johnson and Pryor.

    “I think they’ve played good football when they’ve been able to go in and play,” Sirianni said.

    Fred Johnson, 28, played his first substantial snaps with the Eagles in 2024 after the team signed him to its practice squad in 2022. In Week 4 last year, he started his first game since the 2021 season, when he was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. So far this season, he has played 181 offensive snaps and, according to Pro Football Focus, has allowed seven pressures and one sack on 78 pass blocking snaps.

    Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires

    Lane Johnson wasn’t the only Eagles offensive lineman to leave the game. Center Cam Jurgens also did not finish the contest.

    Sirianni was not asked Monday for an update on Jurgens, who left the game in the fourth quarter Sunday. Jurgens was playing in his first game since Week 7, when he suffered a knee injury. It’s unclear whether he aggravated that injury or whether he’ll miss time.

    Brett Toth filled in for Jurgens after he left the game.

    Sirianni on fourth-down decision

    Six days after the analytics overwhelmingly supported the Eagles punting on fourth down at the end of the Packers game (to the tune of a 5% increase in win percentage if they would have punted), Sirianni again made an aggressive fourth-down decision that didn’t go the team’s way.

    The Eagles, leading the Lions by 10 points, tried to Tush Push their way to a first down on a fourth-and-1 from their own 29-yard line with three minutes to play. The Eagles, down two starters on the offensive line, got stuffed, and the Lions took over in scoring range. They cut the lead to one score and almost got the ball back again to try for a game-tying drive.

    Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo (right) and coach Nick Sirianni after running back Saquon Barkley lost a few yards on a play against the Lions.

    Sirianni took the blame for the decision not working after the game and was asked again about the topic on Monday. The fifth-year Eagles coach said the decision starts with his confidence in his players and the play.

    “The analytics can say what it wants, but if you don’t have faith in the players to go execute it, that doesn’t give you a lot of confidence,” he said. “Analytics is a piece of the puzzle. All these different things are a piece of the puzzle: your past successes, the league studies that you do. All these things play into that. I love our process. Just because you have a great process doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to convert every fourth down.”

    The Eagles have learned that over the last two weeks.

  • College of Physicians and Mütter Museum will undergo a $27 million expansion and renovation

    College of Physicians and Mütter Museum will undergo a $27 million expansion and renovation

    The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which runs the popular Mütter Museum, announced plans on Monday to expand its footprint at 22nd and Chestnut Streets with a new, accessible entrance, larger galleries, educational and event spaces, an upgraded gift shop, and a renovated core gallery for the museum.

    The oldest private society of physicians in the country, the College purchased the buildings at 2129 Chestnut St., a former Swedenborgian Church and Parish House, in 2023 for about $9.3 million.

    The organization has since raised $27 million to initiate the first phase of renovations, which will occur in stages over the next few years.

    A rendering of the sanctuary space at the former church located at 2129 Chestnut St. The College of Physicians plans to use it for events.

    A large glass structure will serve as the new entrance and will connect the current College building and the adjacent church building. The latter will hold administrative offices, shared spaces for College Fellows, and public event spaces for both College and Mütter programming.

    A Tale of Two Philadelphians in the Mütter

    “We’ve been space constrained for a number of years. In our original building, we use pretty much every square inch of space, and so this allows us to increase the space, especially our educational offerings,” said CEO Larry Kaiser, a thoracic surgeon who was appointed in January.

    The College typically welcomes about 5,000 students a year for STEM and museum programs. With more classroom space, they anticipate doubling the number of Philadelphia students that can be reached.

    A rendering of how the College of Physicians building will connect to the adjacent former Swedenborgian Church at 2129 Chestnut Street.

    The renovations will also increase the amount of gallery space for the museum. There will be greater square footage in the current galleries with the goal of showcasing more of the Mütter and Historical Medical Library collection of some 500,000 objects, from medical equipment to human remains.

    Expansion plans initially developed under former College CEO Mira Irons and Mütter executive director Kate Quinn, who was dismissed in April following years of public controversy around the museum’s handling of human remains.

    Now, in place of a museum director, the Mütter is led by Erin McLeary, senior director of collections and research, and Sara Ray, senior director of interpretation and engagement.

    A rendering of the Mütter Museum’s renovated core gallery, which will expand its footprint while retaining its Victorian aesthetic.

    The core gallery of the Mütter, which showcases historical artifacts along with skeletons and organs that represent rare medical conditions, will undergo significant renovations to update the display cases and create more space for the exhibits on view.

    The Victorian aesthetic will remain, but the casework and labels will be upgraded for better visibility and legibility. Those renovations are expected to begin in 2027.

    “People love the look of the museum. They love walking into that space and feeling like they are transported back into time, they respond really positively to it. We really want to respect and honor that,” said McLeary. “However, when people walk up to look into the cases, they’re dealing with century-old glass that’s hard to see through … so we really want to honor the architecture of the building, the feeling of being transported to a different time and place, but really improve the visitor experience and the staff experience [with] strategic updates.”

    From left: New Mütter Museum leaders Sara Ray, senior director of interpretation and engagement, and Erin McLeary, senior director of collections and research.

    It’s likely that the exhibits will also change as staff rotates specimens and objects out so that museum staff can ensure preservation and conservation.

    “I’ve been giving tours of this museum since like 2014 — it’s 11 years that I’ve walked through that core gallery with great attention to detail, and almost nothing has changed,” said Ray, who was once a docent. “There’s some things that have been in there for decades at this point, and they need to be rotated off display for the stewardship of that specimen.”

    The Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden.

    The hope is that the Mütter will be able to spotlight more of its historical holdings as only about 20% of the collection is currently on display.

    Design firm MGA Partners and project managers Becker & Frondorf are partnering with the College on the expansion efforts, and construction will begin in early 2026.

    An earlier version of this article reported that Mütter and the College’s expansion is a deviation from Mira Irons’ plans, and that there would be new galleries at 2129 Chestnut Street. The expansion is in line with the plans of Mütter’s former leadership and, for now, is limited to the existing galleries in the museum.