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  • Source: Braves’ Jurickson Profar faces 162-game suspension for second positive drug test

    Source: Braves’ Jurickson Profar faces 162-game suspension for second positive drug test

    NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game suspension by Major League Baseball for a possible second failed test for a performance-enhancing drug, a person familiar with the issue told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

    The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the process, first reported by ESPN, was ongoing.

    Profar intends to ask the players’ association to file a grievance to appeal any discipline to baseball’s independent arbitrator, Martin F, Scheinman, a second person familiar with the process said, also on condition of anonymity, because no announcement had been made.

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    Because this would be Profar’s second infraction, an appeal would take place after a suspension was announced.

    An All-Star in 2024, Profar was suspended for 80 games last March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps production of testosterone. He issued a statement then saying: “I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

    His agent, Dan Lozano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Profar homered in his return from suspension on July 2 and finished with a .245 average, 14 homers, 43 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 80 games. He batted .280 in 2024, when he set career highs with 24 homers, 85 RBIs and an .839 OPS.

    Profar said at the start of spring training that he had sports hernia surgery in November, requiring a six-week recovery time. He has appeared in four spring training games this year, going 3 for 10 with three RBIs.

    A native of Curaçao, Profar had been set to play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

    Under the suspension, he would be ineligible for the postseason.

    Profar would lose his $15 million salary for this year as part of a $42 million, three-year contract through 2027. He lost half his $12 million salary in 2025 due to the initial suspension.

    He would be the seventh player suspended 162 games for a second PED infraction after New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia (July 2015), Cleveland outfielder Marlon Byrd (June 2016), free agent catcher Cody Stanley (July 2016), Houston pitcher Francis Martes (February 2020), Mets second baseman Robinson Canó (November 2020) and Milwaukee pitcher J.C. Mejia (September 2023).

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    Mejia received a lifetime ban in February 2016 after a third positive test, the only player to be given a permanent ban since drug testing with penalties started in 2004.

    Four players have been suspended previously this year for positive tests, including former Phillies outfielder Max Kepler for 80 games under the major league program following a positive test for Epitrenbolone.

    Following the offseason signing of left fielder Mike Yastrzemski to a $23 million, two-year deal, Profar had been targeted to be the Braves’ primary designated hitter.

    When catcher Sean Murphy returns from a hip injury, perhaps in May, 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin could fill in at DH when not behind the plate.

    With Yastrzemski, Michael Harris and Ronald Acuña Jr. in the outfield, Eli White could be a DH option. The Braves also are without projected starting shortstop Ha-seong Kim due to a finger injury. Mauricio Dubon, expected to serve a utility role, is scheduled to open the season as the starting shortstop.

    The loss of Profar could create an opportunity for Dominic Smith, who signed a minor league deal on Feb. 17.

  • The short- and long-term implications of Matt Hodge’s injury for Kevin Willard and Villanova

    The short- and long-term implications of Matt Hodge’s injury for Kevin Willard and Villanova

    It’s worth addressing the human part of Matt Hodge’s right ACL tear first.

    The Villanova forward was having a solid first college basketball season after an NCAA ruling prevented him from playing last year as a freshman. The long wait was worth it. Hodge made his 29th start in Villanova’s 29th game of the season Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. He hit two three-pointers and was on his way to reach his season average of 9.2 points per game before he crumpled to the floor early in the second half after making a move in the post.

    Hodge will undergo surgery to his right knee and miss the rest of the season.

    “It just really stinks that the kid was going to be able to play in his first Big East tournament, his first NCAA Tournament, that’s really where [my head] is at,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said Tuesday.

    Villanova forward Matt Hodge suffers season-ending knee injury

    But this is March, crunch time in college basketball, and so while Willard was feeling bad for the player he recruited out of high school while still the coach at Maryland, Villanova has a game Wednesday night and another on Saturday before postseason play begins.

    Hodge was averaging more than 28 minutes in the 28 games prior to Saturday, and the 6-foot-8 forward going down leaves Willard with a big hole to fill for a team with limited frontcourt depth.

    Willard answered the obvious first question — who goes into the starting five? — by saying sophomore wing Malachi Palmer, who will likely get his first college start in his 52nd career game Wednesday night at DePaul. Palmer, a 6-6 sophomore wing, is the sort of obvious replacement. Save for 7-foot backup center Braden Pierce, Palmer is the biggest and most physical defender Villanova brings off the bench.

    Villanova guard Malachi Palmer could make his first on Wednesday night.

    Palmer had a relatively quiet first half of the season but has emerged in conference play as a willing defender and someone who can knock down three-point shots.

    “Obviously not having Matty stinks, but Malachi has played really well,” Willard said. “It does hurt us, but it’s not catastrophic.”

    While Palmer starting offers more of a traditional one-through-five lineup for Willard, there will be variations that have the Wildcats going smaller or bigger. The smaller unit would have Tyler Perkins — who at 6-4 is Villanova’s second-leading rebounder (5.5 per game) — guarding a forward in a lineup that also has three other guards — Acaden Lewis, Bryce Lindsay, and Devin Askew — on the floor.

    The bigger unit would be one that hasn’t happened yet this season: Pierce being on the floor at the same time as 6-10 starting center Duke Brennan. Neither big man stretches the floor with outside shooting ability. So, how would that work?

    Willard pointed to his two-big lineups last year at Maryland, where Derik Queen and Julian Reese played side-by-side and while Queen could shoot a little bit, he rarely attempted three-pointers. Lineups with Brennan and Pierce on the floor at the same time would feature more screening and more side-to-side action, Willard said. One big hides in the dunker’s spot, for example, while the other is rolling.

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    Villanova has practiced with both bigs on the floor, Willard said, in case it ever needed to match up against bigger lineups. It’s a lineup the Wildcats could have had to use in the postseason with or without Hodge’s injury, now it’s one they could deploy as soon as Wednesday night.

    Temple transfer Zion Stanford, who has barely played in conference play, could factor into the rotation more significantly, too.

    Kevin Willard believes Villanova forward Matt Hodge will have a large role when he returns from injury next season.

    Those are the short-term implications, and Willard has two regularseason games to tinker with the rotation before the Big East tournament.

    But it being March also means it’s time to start considering next season’s roster. Willard said Hodge’s injury “does and it doesn’t” have major implications for the 2026-27 Wildcats. That’s because Willard is planning for Hodge to return and take on a big role. Willard said he expects Hodge to need around eight months to return from his injury, and he could be practicing by October.

    “We’re planning on Matt playing for us next year,” Willard said.

    There will still need to be plans for the portal, though. That means making sure to stockpile the roster via the portal or otherwise in case Hodge isn’t ready to go right away or, worse, has a setback. Villanova’s priorities for the portal were going to be adding talent and athleticism in the frontcourt anyway with Brennan graduating.

    From that standpoint, Hodge’s injury hasn’t changed a ton. But it will be on Willard’s mind as he and general manager Baker Dunleavy navigate the frenzy that is the transfer portal, which is only one month away.

  • Pa. insurance regulators fined Aetna $550K for violations of mental health parity regulations

    Pennsylvania insurance regulators fined CVS Health’s Aetna health insurance subsidiary $550,000 for violating rules meant to ensure that mental health services are as accessible as medical or surgical care, the state Insurance Department said Tuesday.

    Regulators found that Aetna applied standards of review for certain autism therapies and inpatient opioid addiction treatment services that were more stringent than those applied broadly to medical claims submitted to the insurer. The result was limits on the scope and duration of the treatments that violated parity rules.

    The department said Aetna would have to fix its practices within a year and repay affected customers. It did not specify how much money Aetna needs to repay, or how that process would work.

    “Aetna has long been an advocate of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Aetna has received the results of the market conduct exam from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and will implement, as appropriate, any corrective actions,” the company said in an email.

    The violations were found during a regular periodic review of insurers’ practices. The Aetna exam covered the period from October 2021 through Dec. 2022. Aetna and regulators signed a consent order in January.

    The insurance department fined Aetna $190,000 in 2019 for similar violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a federal law passed in 2008.

  • Philip C. Ricci, retired Catholic monsignor and founding pastor emeritus of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in North Wales, has died at 90

    Philip C. Ricci, retired Catholic monsignor and founding pastor emeritus of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in North Wales, has died at 90

    Philip C. Ricci, 90, formerly of Conshohocken, retired Catholic monsignor, founding pastor emeritus at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in North Wales, talented pianist, singer, artist, and mentor, died Saturday, Feb. 14, of complications after a fall at Villa St. Joseph senior living community in Darby.

    Ordained in 1965 by Cardinal John Krol, Msgr. Ricci was named founding pastor of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in 1987. Over the next 23 years, until his retirement in 2010, Msgr. Ricci worked many 16-hour days, made spiritual house calls on bicycle, spurred significant fundraising, and helped grow the Montgomery County parish from 600 founding families to 3,500.

    The Inquirer wrote about his house calls in 1987 and opened the story with: “His charge is to spread the word of God, and the Rev. Philip C. Ricci does so in a most unconventional fashion — on a 20-year-old bicycle from Sears.”

    He supervised construction of a new church building in 1991 and a Catholic Education Center and school in 2003. He officiated at hundreds of weddings, baptisms, and funerals, served as a mentor to other priests, and was, according to one parishioner, “our guiding light in the darkness.”

    His niece, Christine, said: “He could talk to anybody about anything.”

    Msgr. Ricci lived and held services in a 200-year-old farmhouse from 1987 until the new church building was completed. Pope John Paul II elevated him to monsignor in 2003.

    He was active with school activities, and his homilies were often about mercy and compassion. In 2010, he told members of his congregation at a retirement celebration: “We must always accept people where they are and then allow God’s grace to work in patient understanding.”

    In an online tribute, colleagues at St. Matthew Parish in Conshohocken said his “kindness, wisdom, and steady presence touched countless lives.” Others called him “the perfect priest” and “the epitome of what a Catholic priest should be.” One friend said: “He was without a doubt the nicest person I have ever met.”

    In a tribute, his family said: “His priesthood was not simply a role. It was the core of who he was.”

    Msgr. Ricci first served in the 1960s as a chaplain at the old Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia and pastor at the Riverview Home for the Aged and St. Margaret’s Home for Girls. He went on to be assistant pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Ambler, St. Stanislaus Parish in Lansdale, St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square, and St. Margaret Parish in Narberth.

    In 1974, he became spiritual director of the college division at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He also earned a master’s degree in spirituality from Creighton University in Nebraska.

    Ministering to people, no matter where he was, he told the Main Line Times in 2010, was personal. “You don’t go out forming community,” he said. “You go out and form one-on-one. I can’t separate who I am as a man, as a Christian, and as a priest.”

    The Inquirer published a story about Monsignor Ricci making spiritual house calls on his bicycle in 1987.

    Msgr. Ricci played piano and sang before church services and after Communion. He directed choirs, and friends presented him with his own piano at his retirement.

    He returned to his family home in Conshohocken after leaving Mary, Mother of the Redeemer but continued to assist others at nearby parishes and visit those in hospitals and nursing homes. “Father was a Renaissance man, an artist, musician, writer, deep thinker,” a former colleague said on Facebook. “He could speak about the liturgy or the Eagles, the football team or the band. He related well to everyone regardless of age, religion, or background.”

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    Philip Cosmo Ricci was born Sept. 26, 1935, in Conshohocken. He graduated from the old Conshohocken High School, took night classes at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and, inspired by his parents, entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to study the priesthood.

    “When the Lord wants you, he gets you,” he told the Main Line Times. “I couldn’t fight it. It was always there.”

    Monsignor Ricci’s house calls were featured in this 1987 Inquirer article.

    He played piano in a dance band when he was young and enjoyed gardening. He was good at drawing and cooking. He followed the Eagles, Phillies, and 76ers, and invented a beanbag toss game the family played at gatherings.

    It was fitting, his niece said, that he died on Valentine’s Day because he embraced love and service to others. “Faith for Uncle Phil was never theoretical,” she said. “It was lived. It was action. It was presence.”

    In addition to his niece, Msgr. Ricci is survived by his brothers, John and Francis, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

    Services were held earlier.

    Donations in his name may be made to Villa St. Joseph, 1436 Lansdowne Ave., Darby, Pa. 19023; and Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish, 1325 Upper State Rd., North Wales, Pa. 19454.

    Monsignor Ricci (rear right) enjoyed time with his family.
  • The Flyers have been heating up since the Olympics. These are the numbers behind their latest win in Toronto.

    The Flyers have been heating up since the Olympics. These are the numbers behind their latest win in Toronto.

    TORONTO ― The Flyers’ motto this season is brick by brick, and although they were missing the mortar on Monday, with leading scorer Travis Konecny out due to an upper-body injury, they rallied for a 3-2 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

    Here are four numbers to know:

    5

    Nick Seeler went into the corner to throw a hit on Nicolas Roy with just over four minutes in the middle frame, and, although it’s hard to gauge what happened exactly, he went down hard, left the ice six seconds later, and did not return. Seeler was seen after the game limping.

    “Nothing yet. Hopefully nothing major,” coach Rick Tocchet said postgame when asked for an update.

    Without Seeler on the third pair, and the game eventually heading to overtime, the Flyers’ top four defenseman played heavy minutes. Travis Sanheim led the way with 29:11, followed by Rasmus Ristolainen (27:14) — in what could be the highly-coveted right-shot blueliner’s last game with the Flyers as the trade deadline looms — Jamie Drysdale (24:30), and Cam York (23:01).

    The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

    Emil Andrae played 12:12 and played just over a minute on a penalty kill that went 2-for-3, and Tocchet recently said it was important for the young defenseman to prove he can play down a man. He was not on the ice for William Nylander’s power-play goal that tied the game 2-2.

    “They were huge. … When they’re playing like that, it’s fun to play in front of them,” said forward Noah Cates, who extended his point streak to four games with his 12th of the year.

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar makes a save during the second period, when his team was outplayed but didn’t allow a goal.

    3

    Let’s go streaking!

    The Flyers extended their winning streak to three games, the first time they’ve hit that mark since they beat the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils in succession around Thanksgiving. It is the third time they’ve hit the three-game mark, but the last time the team won four straight was in February 2024.

    “Just, I think, the reset with the break,” Cates said about the difference in the team’s game now. “Obviously, physically, but then, we got to work that week where we were practicing.

    “Really got into our systems and just doing some little things in our D-zone that are really helping. The wingers are just getting us out of the zone quicker, and then just some of our offensive zone possession, we’re just making those little plays and feeling confident with the puck. So I think we just needed the break personally and as a team.”

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    They had also entered the night having lost their last three shootouts, with the last win in the skills competition coming against that Islanders team on Nov. 28. Unlike in that game, Matvei Michkov found the back of the net on Monday after a nifty move to beat former Flyers goalie Anthony Stolarz, and Trevor Zegras once again scored.

    “Just how slow he comes in,” Stolarz, a New Jersey native, told Toronto reporters on the challenge of facing the New Yorker. “He’s got quite the arsenal of tricks. Having played with him for three years in Anaheim, I’ve kind of seen it all. So, you never know what to expect with him.”

    Zegras holds the top shooting percentage (62.1%) all-time in the NHL among skaters who have had at least 10 attempts.

    The Flyers’ Emil Andrae (36) tries to move the puck between Toronto Maple Leafs Nicolas Roy (55) and teammate Dakota Joshua (81).

    11-4

    For the second straight game and third in the four games since returning from the Olympic break, the Flyers were outshot in the second period by a wide margin (11-4). But for the second straight game, they did not allow a goal.

    “Yeah, definitely struggled and got away from it like we did in Washington,” said Cates, noting the Flyers’ loss Wednesday, where they were outshot 13-6 in the second period and allowed a goal. “Big for us not to give up a goal, but then to regroup in the third and come back and play our game. For whatever reason, we just can’t get away from it for 20 minutes; we’ve got to play a full 60 and eliminate kind of those moments.”

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    Middle periods have been an issue for this team at times, dating back to the John Tortorella era. This season, they’ve been outscored, 72-59, in the middle frame, with the 72 goals allowed the fifth-most in the NHL. But, like on Monday, they play well in the third and are actually outscoring the opposition, 63-52.

    “I think, just forcing a little bit too many plays through the neutral zone,” forward Christian Dvorak said about the second period against Toronto. “They thrive on transitions. So that’s where we got ourselves in trouble, and we were hemmed in a bit. So we cleaned that up for the most part in the third period.”

    According to York, the Flyers simplified things in the third period and cleaned up their play in the defensive zone. They were outshot by just a 9-5 margin, but both teams potted goals in the third period.

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    “Once we kind of just got into a groove in that third period, I think we had some good chances,” York said. “So, that’s kind of what it’s about this time of year, you know they’re going to push. It’s just about bending, not breaking.”

    2/13

    Across three games in late January, the Flyers scored a power-play goal in each contest (3-for-8), but then things went a little stagnant. Entering the game in Toronto, they had one goal in 10 chances across the past four games.

    The Flyers got three opportunities in the first period when Ristolainen was tripped, Bobby Brink was interfered with, and Brandon Carlo was called for holding Zegras.

    There was some good movement for the new units with Konecny out. One unit had Michkov, Zegras, Brink, Drysdale, and Owen Tippett. The other saw York, Sanheim, Dvorak, Cates, and Barkey line up together. The latter group scored on the 11th shot attempt when Dvorak scored on the eighth scoring chance.

    “We had some opportunities,” Tocchet said. “Some guys, [we] had two or three in the slot, high-danger shots, and then you get that goal on a scramble, big one from Dvo. So, yeah, special teams were good for us tonight.”

    The Flyers’ power play is now ranked 28th at 16.2%.

  • Man who assaulted Hatboro woman after she refused to abort his child is sentenced to prison

    Man who assaulted Hatboro woman after she refused to abort his child is sentenced to prison

    Last April, Raymond Bautista donned a ski mask and black clothing and waited for the mother of his unborn baby to leave her Hatboro apartment to head to work.

    Around 4:30 a.m., Bautista, 37, of Allentown, attacked the woman. He hit her from behind, and kicked her in the back and stomach. While she was on the ground, he got on top of her and punched her face. And when she began to scream, he ran.

    The woman, a coworker of Bautista’s who was 15 weeks pregnant with his child and had recently told him she planned to keep the baby, suffered nasal fractures and abrasions, according to police.

    On Tuesday, Bautista pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and no contest to aggravated assault of an unborn child.

    He was sentenced to four to six years in prison.

    The woman said in a statement read aloud by prosecutors the assault scars her to this day.

    “I lost my peace of leaving home every morning,” she said. “… No woman deserves to be treated this way.”

    After the assault, while the woman’s clothing was still soiled with blood, police asked whether she could think of anyone who would want to hurt her. The only person who came to mind, she said, was Bautista, a coworker at a Hatfield-based food processing company.

    According to the affidavit of probable cause for Bautista’s arrest, the woman said that after he learned that she was pregnant with his child, he told her to take an emergency contraceptive. He also said he “did not want any involvement with the child’s life,” the document said

    Bautista initially denied leaving his Allentown residence that morning and told police he had been sleeping.

    Investigators later recovered footage of Bautista’s vehicle being driven from Allentown to Hatboro that morning, as well as clothing resembling the attire worn by the woman’s assailant when he was captured in Ring doorbell camera footage of the assault.

    Presented with that evidence, police said, Bautista admitted to the crime. He told investigators he attacked the woman because she had been “talking [expletive]” about him at work.

    Montgomery County Court Judge Steven T. O’Neill accepted Bautista’s guilty plea and, in addition to sentencing him to years in prison, ordered him to have no contact with the woman and to attend domestic violence counseling.

    O’Neill commended the victim for facing Bautista in court and said that in her statement, he had “heard her courage.”

    “I hope you’ve heard the same,” the judge told Bautista.

  • Former Lumberton mayor pleads guilty to DUI, child endangerment charges

    Former Lumberton mayor pleads guilty to DUI, child endangerment charges

    A former Lumberton Township mayor admitted in court Monday that she drove drunk with her toddler in the car last St. Patrick’s Day, bringing to a close a case that prompted calls for her resignation.

    Gina LaPlaca, 46, who served as mayor until December and remains a member of the township committee, pleaded guilty before Burlington County Superior Court Judge Craig Ambrose to driving under the influence and child endangerment, according to Burlington County prosecutors.

    Under a plea agreement, LaPlaca will enter a three-year diversionary program for first-time offenders. She also agreed to attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and install an ignition interlock device in her vehicle. Over the last year, she has completed inpatient and outpatient treatment, prosecutors said Tuesday. LaPlaca told the judge Monday she had installed an interlock device in October.

    Prosecutors said a motorist captured LaPlaca on cell phone video driving a blue 2019 BMW erratically on Route 38, swerving across the center line and nearly striking a utility pole. After the driver alerted police, officers located LaPlaca and found an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, authorities said.

    LaPlaca told officers she had been drinking before picking up her 2-year-old son from daycare, prosecutors said. At the time, her blood-alcohol concentration measured 0.30% — more than three times New Jersey’s legal threshold for intoxication.

    In the weeks after her arrest, the township committee formally censured LaPlaca for alleged ethical violations. Despite public outcry and calls from state lawmakers to step down, she declined to resign as mayor and remained in office until her term ended in December.

    An attempt to reach LaPlaca on Tuesday was unsuccessful. After her arrest last year, her husband, Jason Carty, told The Inquirer that she was “on a path to recovery” and asked for privacy.

  • A ‘milky white’ substance was leaking into a Chester County creek, and a business could face fines

    A ‘milky white’ substance was leaking into a Chester County creek, and a business could face fines

    A business that operates an industrial site in West Goshen Township that leaked hazardous discharge into a nearby creek could face fines, municipal officials said this week.

    Several people spotted a “milky white” substance in Goose Creek, near Nields Street in West Chester, on Saturday. The borough received reports of it around 12:20 p.m., according to a news release from the borough on Monday.

    The “illicit discharge” stemmed from a pipe at Atmos Technologies, at 216 Garfield Ave. in West Goshen Township, near Henderson High School. The leak was plugged within roughly an hour after reports were initially made, officials said.

    It is not known how long the pipe had been leaking before residents reported it.

    The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the spill to find out how much of it spread into the creek and what remediation efforts are needed to protect the public, officials said.

    Atmos Technologies told DEP that chlorinated water was released to a containment area, Robyn Briggs, a DEP spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday. It mixed with a manufactured product known as “Long Duration Foam AC-645,” forming a foaming agent.

    DEP alerted Aqua Pennsylvania, a public water provider that serves portions of Chester County. It continues to monitor the downstream flow, but said in a post online that residents’ drinking water was not affected.

    People had reported fish kills — mass deaths of fish, usually prompted by environmental stress or pollution — and “noticeable pollution” of the creek over the weekend, but Briggs said no further fish kills had been reported since and the creek appeared clear, with some foaming, on Sunday and Monday.

    Officials advised people and their pets to stay out of the creek, a West Goshen Township news release said Monday.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Conservation group to pay $15M to preserve 835-acre Pinelands property

    Conservation group to pay $15M to preserve 835-acre Pinelands property

    An 835-acre property in Burlington County once threatened by development will be sold to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation for $15 million, according to a deal announced Tuesday.

    Evesham Township plans to incorporate the new property into its already popular Black Run Preserve, swelling the size of that 1,300-acre holding widely used by hikers, bird-watchers, and cyclists.

    Developer Linda Samost has agreed to the sale, with the price $2.4 million less than the property’s full market value, the announcement said.

    “We are eager to move forward with the project so that the community can experience and appreciate the natural beauty of this land for years to come,” Samost said in a statement.

    File: A 2025 of a trail at Black Run Preserve off Kettle Run Road in Evesham, Burlington County, N.J.

    Tuesday’s announcement noted, however, that while a sale contract has been signed, the foundation still needs to raise more money before taking ownership. It plans to launch a fundraising campaign with partners that will allow for public contributions.

    The property has been the site of a fight over its future since 2024, when Kettle Run Investments LP, led by the Samost family, submitted plans to the New Jersey Pinelands Commission to build 250 single-family homes on a portion of the tract.

    That plan drew vehement opposition from the community, the nonprofit Pinelands Alliance advocacy organization, and local officials.

    At the same time, the Pinelands Commission was rezoning a large area from rural development (RD-3) to Pinelands Forest Area, which would have greatly reduced the amount of development that could have taken place on Samost’s property.

    Linda Samost told The Inquirer last year that her “inclinations” were to have the land “benefit the community and the ecosystem, the environment,” rather than be developed.

    Developer with controversial plan to build houses on a Pinelands tract hopes to have it preserved instead

    But the price had to be right, and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation began negotiating with Samost.

    In November, the Burlington County commissioners authorized $5 million from open-space funds to help with a purchase. The Pinelands Commission, an independent state agency, also approved a $3 million grant toward the purchase.

    It was not immediately clear how much additional money the foundation needs to raise.

    The Samost property is situated between Kettle Run, Tomlinson Mill, Kenilworth, and Egret Roads in Evesham.

    It is part of New Jersey’s Pinelands and the source of the Black Run, a tributary that feeds Rancocas Creek. The property is habitat for numerous species, including the threatened Pinelands tree frog.

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    Robyn Jeney, a New Jersey Conservation Foundation regional manager, said the preservation means “water quality, critical plant and animal habitat, and the overall ecological integrity of the area will be protected for generations to come.”

    “This agreement marks a historic milestone for Evesham Township and a victory for every resident who treasures our natural landscape,” said Evesham Township Mayor Jaclyn Veasy.

    Jane Dean, board president of the Friends of the Black Run Preserve, said the deal means “this place will remain as it should be, unbroken, instructive, and alive.”

    Susan Grogan, executive director of the Pinelands Commission, called it “the best possible outcome for this property.” She noted the property has long been a “top target” by the commission for preservation.

  • ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Kyle Schwarber on an epic offseason, why the WBC was an ‘instant yes,’ and more

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Kyle Schwarber on an epic offseason, why the WBC was an ‘instant yes,’ and more

    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Kyle Schwarber was scheduled to talk with a Japanese television crew after batting practice on Feb. 22, just as the men’s hockey gold medal game at the Olympics went into overtime.

    How’s that for rotten timing?

    So, Schwarber did the interview from the Phillies’ dugout, where he could keep one eye on the game on the new 3,200-square foot video board in right field at BayCare Ballpark. And when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal for the Americans, well, Schwarber stopped in mid-answer and reacted as you might expect.

    “I was like, ‘Shoot! Yes!’” Schwarber said later.

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    Schwarber conceded that he doesn’t watch much hockey in the offseason at home in Ohio. But he was transfixed by the Olympics, which featured NHL players and elevated the profile of the sport among even casual fans.

    Over the next two weeks, Schwarber will play in the closest thing baseball has to an Olympic competition. He will join Phillies teammates Bryce Harper and reliever Brad Keller at the World Baseball Classic on the most talented U.S. roster ever assembled.

    Before he reported to Team USA, Schwarber made a return appearance on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss the WBC, the Phillies’ upcoming season, and more.

    Here are a few excerpts from the conversation. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

    Q: I’ll start by congratulating you on a new baby, a new contract, a run to the national championship for Indiana football — during which you were the honorary captain of the Peach Bowl. Did anyone have a better offseason than you?

    A: It was a great offseason. … It all started with the contract and re-signing here in Philadelphia. And obviously that’s a stressful time, just with all the unknowns. But I’m happy that we were able to find the deal for everyone. And I’m happy that this is where we wanted to be. And we got that all said and done. Then [our] baby girl came in on the 14th [of December] … Then Peach Bowl, captain, [Indiana] gave me the call for that. And that was like, I’m just going to stand there and not do anything and don’t get in the way. And it was a great experience. And then, obviously, a national championship, too. It was amazing. And then getting to represent your country for Team USA, and again, in the World Baseball Classic. It’s just been such a great offseason, and just looking forward to what this year has in store for everyone.

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    Q: You’ve been fortunate to make the playoffs every year of your career, except for one. When you’re with a team that has that expectation, do you ever have to remind yourself, or maybe remind your teammates to enjoy the ride?

    A: You’re talking my language. You’re hitting the sweet spot. The beautiful thing about our game is that nothing’s ever given. And I always say my worst fear is packing up on, say, Sept. 30. It’s after Game 162, and you’re packing things up to go home. I’ve done it once and it’s just not fun, and I don’t want to do that ever again. I want to still feel like I’m giving everything I can to winning. That’s why I came back here. There’s a lot of other different reasons, but there’s also the reason that this team and our ownership and everything like that, front office, coaching staff, we’re all pushing for that same goal. And that is obviously, one, making the postseason, and two, holding up that trophy at the end of the year. Those are goals, right?

    But there are the steps along the way. There is that, like we say, the quote-unquote, the journey, right? The whole process to it. There’s goals to that. It’s winning the division. If you don’t win the division, we’re finding our way into the postseason trying to weather any kind of storm that could come in a year. Because that’s the thing, is that every year presents a new challenge, and it’s never the same circumstances. …

    Kyle Schwarber’s spring training is on pause as he and other Phillies leave to play in the World Baseball Classic.
    Q: One narrative in Philadelphia is that the Phillies are “running it back,” so to speak. You can agree or disagree with that. But I wonder, internally, how do you avoid the staleness that might set in from just being together as a core for so many years? And does the addition of some young guys like Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter, and eventually Aidan Miller help keep things fresh?

    A: I don’t think it’s really ever going to be stale, just for the fact of … we have fun. We poke fun at each other all the time. It’s never like we’re walking in the clubhouse and we’re dreading walking in. That’s not the environment we have … If you go ask pretty much everyone in the clubhouse who’s been there for a while, I guarantee you that everyone’s looking forward to walking into the clubhouse doors and going, ‘What are we going to hear today? What are we going to talk about today? What’s the fun going to be poked at?’ … That’s kind of the environment that we have, and we enjoy that. … It was funny, we were talking about it the other day in the clubhouse, we just missed sitting down in the chairs and just talking B.S. to each other and laughing at each other. It is what it is. It’s never going to get stale. It’s not like we’re hypersensitive to that by any means.

    And I think the youth stuff, you need that in teams. I think that’s very valuable to teams. … We were all the young guy somewhere else. [Aaron Nola] was the young guy here. We were all those young guys who came up and you’re trying to make your mark, and you need that on your team. Because there’s the whole [contractual] control part, but also just for these guys to be able to take their next steps and to keep submitting their name here in Philadelphia. That’s what we need. And we need them to not feel like they’re going to have to get very accustomed to the big league locker room. That’s why we’re trying to always be intermingling with everyone in our clubhouse in spring training.

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    You see it every year — injuries happen, and someone’s coming up, and you need them, whenever that person walks through the door, we need them to be them. They need to be the best versions of themselves. They’re getting called up for a reason, or they’re going to break [camp] with us for a reason. They’re good. They’re really good players. And I need them. Everyone needs them to be really good players.

    … It’s fun getting to watch [Justin] Crawford take at-bats in camp. You get to see [Aidan] Miller here in the clubhouse, and you see [Andrew] Painter throwing his lives [bullpen sessions] and seeing how that’s been coming along. Excited to see how the two years after Tommy John [surgery] happens for him. He’s just got to go out there and get his feet wet again and compete. And now he’s making adjustments to get back to a couple different things, which I think is going to be exciting because he’s got the stuff. Crawford’s got the stuff. I’m excited to see what Miller is going to get to have. It’s fun to see these kids come up, and you want them to have instant success right away. And also realize, too, that we have still a lot of really good young players that are on our team still who have been playing here for a while.

    Kyle Schwarber celebrates with third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a three-run home run against Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
    Q: Why do you think the interest in participating in the WBC was so high this time? It’s been difficult for Team USA in the past, especially on the pitching side, to recruit the best players. Did you get a sense that guys who maybe said no in the past were more eager to do it this time?

    A: It’s a great question, because I only know me personally that when I got that call back 2023 it was an instant yes. And I know that there’s been a lot of buzz around the pitchers that we have got committed to play for [Team] USA. I know that there’s probably way more details than just someone wanting to say, ‘Yes, I’m in.’ I think that’s been written about and talked about. But also, too, I’m sure there’s even more things. But I think it’s a great team. Another stacked lineup. The lineup that we had out there in 2023 was an amazing lineup full of studs, MVPs, All-Stars, everything. And this lineup that we’re going to have, obviously, MVPs, All-Stars, and I think the cool thing is that there’s kind of a little bit more youth on it, too. We’re starting to see some of these younger faces that could really have those chances to be the future MVPs, or future perennial All-Stars, are going to be on this team as well. So I’m just excited about it.

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    When you look at it, from top to bottom, it’s such a deep roster, and I don’t know how you’re going to construct the lineup and how you’re going to decide who’s coming out of the bullpen and things like that. Or who’s starting what game. But I just know that I’m excited to get out there, get with these guys, and I’m excited to watch, I’m excited to see how guys prepare, hear the conversations, talk different things and baseball stuff, and try to take in some knowledge. This is what this is about, too. It’s obviously a great opportunity for all of us to go out there and compete and compete for our country, but also a great opportunity to be around a lot of great players and hear their experiences and hear how they prepare and other things too. So it’s going to be a great time.