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  • Pennsylvania was known for an arduous permitting process. New policies aim to accelerate building projects.

    Pennsylvania was known for an arduous permitting process. New policies aim to accelerate building projects.

    When U.S. Steel opted to build a new mill in Arkansas that had originally been planned for Allegheny County, then-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joked in 2022 that his state could have the mill built faster than Pennsylvania could have it permitted.

    Three years later, Pennsylvania politicians and business leaders are hopeful that a series of permitting reforms — the latest of which were approved as part of the state’s $50.1 billion budget — have finally flipped that dynamic.

    The reforms, which are designed to expedite Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection’s permitting process to allow for quicker development, mark a major step forward in a project that has long been a goal for Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican leaders in the General Assembly.

    Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for issuing a variety of permits for building plans to ensure they comply with state law and are environmentally safe. The latest reforms will force the agency to automatically approve certain permits relating to stormwater and groundwater within 60 days if it has not completed its review in that time period or sought an extension. For certain permits related to air quality, the changes allow for the permits to be automatically approved 30 days after submission if the DEP has not acted.

    The budget, which Shapiro signed into law last month, also expanded an existing program, called SPEED, that allows companies to hire third-party inspectors for certain permits to expedite the process. And lawmakers required the state to create and maintain a database where companies can easily track the progress of their permit applications.

    For Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana), the change represents a paradigm shift in the state. He recalled the 2022 loss of the U.S. Steel mill at a news conference last month.

    “You cannot have economic development without shovels in the ground, and you can’t put shovels in the ground without permits,” Pittman said.

    The reforms, he said, will “provide certainty,” which he called, “critical to economic development.”

    A longtime goal

    Amy Brinton, director of government affairs at the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, said it has long been common for businesses to choose other states because of Pennsylvania’s arduous permitting process, and at times begin the process of building in Pennsylvania only to move out of state when permitting becomes a hurdle.

    “We lose a lot of projects to Texas and Ohio because of our complicated permitting process,” Brinton said.

    Remedying this through permitting reforms, as well as expedited certifications, have been among Shapiro’s top priorities as governor.

    “When he took office in January 2023, Governor Shapiro promised to make state government work more efficiently and effectively for Pennsylvanians. Since then, the Shapiro Administration has delivered on that promise to get stuff done — streamlining permitting processes, reducing wait times for licenses, and cutting red tape to attract more businesses to the Commonwealth,“ Kayla Anderson, a spokesperson for Shapiro, said in a statement. ”This budget builds on the Governor’s success.”

    Shapiro signed several executive orders aimed at that goal including developing a “Fast Track” program for high-priority projects. DEP has eliminated the 2,400 permit backlog that existed when Shapiro took office in 2023. Additionally, Shapiro’s office said, the average processing time for all permits dropped to 38 days in 2025 from 53 days in 2022.

    Lawmakers first approved the SPEED program allowing for third-party inspectors in the 2024 budget. Shapiro’s office said the program has already produced results, cutting permit wait times in half in some cases.

    These projects are a key part of Shapiro’s business-friendly approach, which he’s promoted as he bolsters his resume and bipartisan appeal ahead of a 2026 reelection campaign and a potential future presidential run.

    But Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) also celebrated the new reforms, as well as the state’s exit from a multistate carbon cap-and-trade program, as key wins for Republicans.

    “The permitting was awful,” Ward said in an interview last month. “Permitting now, instead of 300 days, we’re at 30 days. It’s amazing that we were able to come together and get that done.”

    Brinton said she is hopeful that the combination of reforms will make it easier for businesses to choose to build in Pennsylvania because the timeline will be more predictable.

    “Improved accountability, greater predictability, faster timelines — those are the key kind of drivers that we’re hoping this will continue to provide to our businesses in the hopes that when they look at Pennsylvania they won’t wince at the fact that this is going to take forever,” Brinton said.

  • Among the 100 or so concerts he attended in 2025, our pop music critic picks his favorites

    Among the 100 or so concerts he attended in 2025, our pop music critic picks his favorites

    Philadelphia concert stages were busy in 2025, from the South Philly sports complex to the Mann Center in Fairmount Park, and plenty of intimate venues in between.

    This list, sorted by date, gathers a dozen shows that stood out among the 100 or so I saw this year, and also includes two I sadly missed. They were enthusiastically reviewed for The Inquirer by my colleagues Earl Hopkins and Shaun Brady.

    Kraftwerk performs at the Franklin Music Hall on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Philadelphia is the first stop on their tour, “Multimedia,” which celebrates the 50-year anniversary of the group’s album “Autobahn.”

    Kraftwerk

    March 6, Franklin Music Hall

    The German electronic music pioneers served a reminder that they were making music about “The Man-Machine” a half-century before AI threatened to make human labor obsolete. The band whose “Trans Global Express” “became a foundational building block for the New York DJs who created hip-hop in the 1970s, embraced all things electronic early in its career. Its members stood almost completely still last March while making kinetic music that barreled down the “Autobahn” with irresistible momentum.

    Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds perform at the Met Philadelphia on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Cave performs his new album, “Wild God.”

    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

    April 27, Met Philly

    This was a two-and-a-half-hour leap “toward love, wonder, meaning, and transcendence,” as Cave put it, with the vampiric Australian goth-punk veteran leading his flock in a thumping Saturday night church service on his “Wild God Tour.” Backed by a band that included whirling dervish violinist Warren Ellis and Radiohead bass player Colin Greenwood, Cave dedicated “Long Dark Night” to late Philly-born music producer Hal Willner and acknowledged the tragic losses in his own life while insisting: “We’ve all had too much sorrow, now is the time for joy.”

    Superstars Kendrick Lamar and SZA take Philly fans on a glorious ride through the streets of Compton and to moss-covered meadows during their “Grand National Tour” stop at the Linc on May 5.

    Kendrick Lamar & SZA

    May 5, Lincoln Financial Field

    Just months after scoring five Grammy wins and headlining the most-watched Super Bowl halftime of all time, Kendrick Lamar continued the victory lap with an electrifying performance. Lamar was joined by R&B star SZA for the “Grand National Tour,” and the two musical supernovas combined their distinct styles and shared hits across eight acts. Lamar transported fans to the Compton streets, while SZA’s sultry tunes brought the audience into her whimsical, moss-covered labyrinth. While the momentum occasionally slowed during the three-hour show, there were few concert moments this year more dazzling than when Kendrick and SZA shared the stage. — Earl Hopkins

    Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen’s 101st birthday celebration at Solar Myth in South Philadelphia in May, with Andre 3000, Ronnie Boyd, who is Marshall Allen’s son, and Allen.who is seated. Drummer Austin Williamson is in the background.

    Marshall Allen’s 101st Birthday Party

    May 25, Solar Myth

    The Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader and remarkable experimental musician celebrated the beginning of the second year of his second century. The party featured an all-star band that included Andre 3000 of OutKast (not rapping, but playing flute and piano) as well as special guests Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Tara Middleton. The Ars Nova Workshop event celebrated Allen’s new Live in Philadelphia album, recorded with the Ghost Horizons Ensemble.

    Lenny Kravitz (center) performs on the Fairmount Park Stage during The Roots Picnic 2025 at the Mann Center on Sunday, June 1, 2025.

    Maxwell and Lenny Kravitz at The Roots Picnic

    May 31-June 1, Mann Center

    This year, things didn’t go as planned at Philadelphia’s signature summer concert event. D’Angelo, who died of pancreatic cancer later in the year, canceled due to illness. Then torrential rains caused delay, angering ticket holders who waited outside the gates for hours.

    Maxwell was the hero of the Picnic’s first night, stepping in as D’Angelo’s super sub and delivering a silky performance that (mostly) made the bad vibes go away. Then on Sunday, the clouds parted and the Picnic got the feel-good sun-baked “Let Love Rule” rock star performance from Kravitz that Questlove & Co. had been hoping for.

    Francie Medosch, leader of the rising Berwyn-born country rock band Florry. Photo from October 2023.

    Florry and the Hold Steady

    June 27, Foundry at the Fillmore and Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia

    Philly concert FOMO is an ongoing issue. Why can’t a music-loving person be at two places at once? The beauty of this particular evening was the venues were next to one another. The terrific Philly rocking country band Florry was at the Foundry, the upstairs venue at the Fillmore, where the Francie Medosch-led band was ripping through the ragged and right songs on its new Sounds Like … And the timing was such that I was able to catch almost all of Florry’s set and then run over to the Brooklyn Bowl to catch bar band extraordinaire, the Hold Steady, in the middle of its “Constructive Summer” three-night run.

    Audience members applaud during the Wu-Tang Clan’s final performance of their farewell tour, “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber,” at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Friday, July 18, 2025.

    Wu-Tang Clan

    July 18, Xfinity Mobile Arena

    Was this the final fully-staffed Wu-Tang clan show ever? Not only were all nine surviving members, plus Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s son Young Dirty Bastard, in the house on the last stop on the Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chapter tour, LL Cool J, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Freeway, and Philadelphia City Council president Kenyatta Johnson, who gave the pioneering hip-hop proclamations of appreciation, were also present. All that, plus a knockout opening act in Run the Jewels.

    The Weeknd performs during his After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour stop at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

    The Weeknd

    July 30, Lincoln Financial Field

    Was this really a retirement party? The Weeknd — Canadian pop superstar born Abel Tesfaye — says he’s ready to put his character to rest. But at the Linc — where he and Metallica were the only artists to play multiple nights this year — Tesfaye seemed to have a glorious time. Dressed like a wizard, he must have felt like one, as he stood at the 50 yard line of the Linc and listened to 65,000 fans sing along to his every word.

    Best pop music albums of 2025, according to our pop music critic

    Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett

    Sept. 5, TD Pavilion at the Mann Center

    “The Crooner and the Cowboy Tour” featured retro-leaning R&B singer Bridges, who headlined, and Crockett, the honky-tonk singer who blends blues and soul. The result was an evening that — with the added attraction of opener Reyna Tropical — offered a delightful combo of tough-minded twang and sultry soul from the Texas. The twosome attracted a refreshingly diverse, intergenerational crowd.

    The Pogues

    Sept. 5, Franklin Music Hall

    Without frontman and songwriter Shane MacGowan, who died in 2023, the Pogues carried on this year with original members Spider Stacy, Jem Finer, and James Fearnley. They were joined by a dozen or so players who have the Irish folk-punk band’s music in their blood. The result was raucous, and restorative. Long live Shane MacGowan!

    Making Time ∞

    Sept. 17-19, Fort Mifflin

    Fort Mifflin is the coolest festival site in Philadelphia and DJ-impresario David Pianka put the grounds of the Revolutionary War era structure to imaginative use in the fifth year of his internationally renowned electronic music-plus gathering. The three-day fest attracted crowds with its new rave-tastic Option 5 stage and big name acts like Panda Bear, mellow afternoon live band shows like a collaboration between Marshall Allen and harpist Mary Lattimore, and a food and beverage program that outpaces all musical competition.

    David Byrne performs songs from his solo album “Who Is the Sky” at the Met on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia.

    David Byrne

    Oct. 16, Met Philly

    The first of the former Talking Heads leader’s three shows, Inquirer reviewer Shaun Brady wrote, found “Byrne and his 13-piece band engaged in a vibrant act of communion and celebration.” The musicians all used wireless mics and dressed in pajamalike outfits. The stage “abounds in color and movement,” Brady wrote. “A semicircular video screen surrounds the band, illustrating Byrne’s songs in sometimes literal, sometimes wry fashion.”

    Patti Smith and Her Band perform “Horses” on its 50th anniversary at the Met Philly in Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.

    Patti Smith

    Nov. 29, Met Philly

    The punk rock poet who grew up in Philadelphia and South Jersey finished the tour for the 50th anniversary of her 1975 debut album, Horses at the Met, and turned it into a celebration of the 215 beginnings that she chronicles in her new Bread of Angels memoir. The still electrifying performer, who identified with downtown New York in the 1970s, reminded her fans that it all started in Philly. “I might have left Philadelphia physically,” she said. “But it’s always been in my heart.”

    Glory Glory Allan Sherman

    Dec. 4, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

    This only-in-Philly performance was a ragtag wonder, a tribute to the musical comedian who wrote “Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah.” Inspired by Philly-born musical alchemist Hal Willner, the evening featured killer bands and Philly talent, including Wesley Stace, Adam Weiner, Rodney Anonymous, and the aforementioned Marshall Allen. It also accomplished something far too rare this year: It made me laugh.

  • Philadelphia’s streets are still treacherous for pedestrians, but signs point to progress | Editorial

    Philadelphia’s streets are still treacherous for pedestrians, but signs point to progress | Editorial

    For nearly a decade, city transportation and public safety officials have taken part in Vision Zero, an ambitious, nationwide program designed to help communities reduce the number of lives lost to traffic collisions.

    In recent years, City Hall has narrowed lanes, installed red-light cameras, and built speed humps in roadways in an effort to slow traffic and keep pedestrians safe.

    Even with those changes, Philadelphians are twice as likely to be killed by a vehicle as San Franciscans, and nearly three times more likely to be killed than New Yorkers. Even Los Angeles, where street designs are famously incompatible with walking, is slightly safer for pedestrians. Still, there is evidence that the city’s efforts are starting to have a positive effect.

    According to an analysis by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the city has suffered 94 fatalities this year. That’s a 39% decrease from the 155 Philadelphians who lost their lives in 2020.

    Like so many other quality-of-life concerns, street safety was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fatalities nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020, as a mix of increased instances of aggressive driving and decreased police enforcement took a toll. A trend among car manufacturers to make vehicles bigger and heavier than earlier models also served to amplify the danger for pedestrians.

    According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s “Traffic Victims Report,” pedestrian fatalities this year are down 39% compared with 2024.

    According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, those national shifts have contributed to a roughly 80% increase in pedestrian deaths since 2009.

    City officials, including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, deserve credit for swimming against this national tide. While there is little City Hall can do to regulate vehicle size, officials have used the tools that are available to reduce fatalities.

    The city’s biggest success story is Roosevelt Boulevard. Once dubbed one of the most dangerous roads in America, the Boulevard is no longer even the most dangerous corridor in Philadelphia (Broad Street now holds that dubious distinction). The change is largely a result of the installation of speed cameras, which officials credit with saving around 50 lives since they were installed in 2020. The cameras have now been installed for Broad Street, as well.

    Additionally, the Parker administration has placed a welcome focus on safety around schools and playgrounds. Given that an average of about five Philadelphia children are struck by a vehicle every week, those efforts should be accelerated. After some initial consternation, City Council approved speed cameras for seven school zones this year. If those programs show success, they should be expanded.

    An automated speed enforcement camera is mounted on North Broad Street at Arch Street.

    So, too, should support from the police. In an interview with Philadelphia Magazine, Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel responded to a plea for more traffic enforcement with a reference to ongoing staffing issues, saying that his officers must prioritize the most serious calls. With 100 Philadelphians dying in collisions each year, citations and arrests for traffic violations should remain a point of emphasis.

    The plan to reduce traffic fatalities also requires some assistance from Harrisburg. City officials would like to set their own speed limits, arguing that state rules that are designed for rural and suburban communities don’t work in dense, urban areas with heavy pedestrian traffic.

    There is still much to be done when it comes to keeping pedestrians in the city safe, but Philadelphians can take comfort in knowing that the tools currently in place are doing what they’re intended to do — save lives.

  • Letters to the Editor | Dec. 30, 2025

    Letters to the Editor | Dec. 30, 2025

    Resign to run

    Paul Davies is right to worry that campaigning can distract officials, invite misuse of public resources, and deepen voter cynicism. Those risks are real. But Philadelphia’s resign-to-run rule addresses them by turning a run for higher office into a luxury purchase.

    If candidates must quit a six-figure job for a year to campaign, the field skews toward the independently wealthy, the well-connected, and those backed by private money. That is not a theoretical concern. It is part of what is broken in American government today: representation filtered through privilege and increasingly detached from the daily realities of most voters. It also discourages experienced public servants from stepping up, even when they know the work and the neighborhoods best.

    Councilmember Isaiah Thomas is right to push for change. The better approach is to strengthen guardrails and enforce them. Require clear firewalls around staff and city resources. Publish transparent schedules, travel, and spending during campaign season. Investigate violations quickly. If an officeholder neglects constituents while campaigning, voters can punish that. If they misuse taxpayer-funded resources, prosecute them.

    Good government should prevent corruption without shrinking democracy to only those who can afford to buy their way into candidacy.

    Brandon McNeice, head of school and CEO, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Philadelphia

    What a mess

    My husband and I are senior citizens living in West Philadelphia near not one but two SEPTA trolley lines, which have allowed us to fully enjoy the riches of our city. Thanks to SEPTA, we can make a trip to the library, the bank, the grocery store, or wherever — and be back home in minutes. The trolley also makes it easy for us to grab lunch from our favorite vendors at Reading Terminal Market, slip into our seats for concerts at the Kimmel Center, make it on time to doctor appointments, patronize stores along Chestnut Street, explore culture and history sites with out-of-town visitors, and, even with the trolley-to-subway transfer, speedily made it to Citizens Bank Park in ample time to catch the first pitch.

    Now, though, that’s all changed, thanks to the ongoing ineptitude of SEPTA. The route diversions make trips much longer. Contending with crowds of frustrated, tense riders waiting to make the trolley-to-El transfer at 40th and Market. The physical demands that the transfer places on us older folks. All this has pushed us increasingly into our car for suburban shopping, since parking downtown is hard to find, or relying on ride-share options that tax our budget and do nothing to help the environment. And news reports these days say there’s no end in sight. So everyone loses — retailers, restaurateurs, cultural institutions, and especially those of us who’ve relied on SEPTA as a vital resource. It defies understanding how the public transit operator of a major city has been so utterly unable to fix something that its incompetence caused in the first place — and, by the way, nothing but resounding silence from City Hall and City Council.

    Beth Palubinsky, Philadelphia

    Oil, not drugs

    Donald Trump has all but conceded that his focus on toppling Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela is about the oil and not the drugs. He’s demanded that Venezuela return the assets it seized from U.S. oil companies, and uses Venezuela’s reluctance to comply as justification for his blockade of oil tankers. This raises questions about who the men killed in “drug boats” were. And if he really wanted to interdict drugs coming into the country, he would be working with Mexico.

    Trump has always put the needs of the rich and powerful ahead of the average American. It is all about oil and helping the Big Oil companies. It is American imperialism dressed up as concerns about people dying from fentanyl. Amazingly, Sen. John Fetterman has bought the baloney about the “drug boats.”

    Another lie that Trump has told is that he inherited an economic mess, but contradicted himself by saying the economy is great and America is the hottest country right now. That last claim sounded like a Realtor selling a property, and not a president. And, ignoring his “Day One” promises, he pledged that the economy would be great in 2026. And then when that doesn’t happen? 2027? 2028? His third term?

    It should be very clear from his speech that he has no clue about what he is doing regarding the economy, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is too much of a sycophant to tell him the truth. In politics, when you go on the defensive, it means you’re losing with the voters. Trump is certainly doing that, and he can’t make the higher prices disappear.

    George Magakis Jr., Norristown

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.

  • Horoscopes: Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll find yourself saying yes automatically, if not accidentally, and it’s OK. Think of this as an experiment. And if the process makes your pulse quicken, all the better. Courage kicks in the moment you need it.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Today gives you options. Choose what future-you will thank you for. Also, it’s OK to let yourself want more. When you honor your longings, life responds. Each clear decision snaps a new timeline into place.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There is much to take in today, but the closer you look, the less you see. And though a wide angle will show you more, it also removes you from the action. Stay open to intuition, and it will guide you to your ideal lens.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Discipline can be self-love instead of punishment. Think of it as the structure that supports your dreams. Your routines are scaffolding. It’s a good time to involve others. Work in groups. It will energize you.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Share your ideas to the audience you have, even if it’s the wrong crowd. The bad match will still inform you. Someday soon you will have an ideal audience: attentive, smart, engaged, curious and ready for a lively exchange.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Make others feel comfortable and good about themselves, and suddenly you have more clout than the most confident person in the room. Today, you have the charm that makes impenetrable doors swing open for you.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Good things to borrow: library book, pen, tools. Bad things to borrow: money, time, trouble. Today, you’ll field a few requests and offers, and by picking the right ones, you set yourself up for victory.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Skepticism is an increasingly valuable life skill in the age of fakery. You’ll be presented with convincing information, but is it true? Today, it’s worth pondering the question: “Who benefits if I believe this?”

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Today represents a climb of sorts, and you’ll need all your faculties to balance. After all, it’s difficult to carry items up a ladder. How can you unburden yourself? Can you temporarily lock up your “valuables” and keep only the key?

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). No more talking about the dream, mulling ideas or refining the plan. You simply have too much energy buzzing through you for all that. Time to act. Dive in. This story is about to write itself.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your momentum is like a train leaving the station — slow to get going, then unstoppable. Bring what you need for the whole day, because once you’re moving, you’ll be inclined to keep going until you get to the destination.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re on an adventure. How do you know? You feel ill-equipped. The very essence of an adventure is that you don’t know what’s going to happen, so how could you gear up for that? Accept that improvisation is part of the deal.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 30). Welcome to your Year of the Genius Pivot that even you didn’t see coming. A small decision changes your entire trajectory — in work, in love, in how you introduce yourself. More highlights: a surge in confidence around money, social invitations that nudge you outside your comfort zone (in the best way) and tremendous wells of self-discipline leading to health, fitness and aesthetic improvements you’ve long wanted. Gemini and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 25, 12, 38 and 47.

  • Dear Abby | Friend’s comments have fallen short of friendly

    DEAR ABBY: I am a very overweight woman, but down 50 pounds from my top weight and continuing at a consistent, but slow, rate to lose. My A1C is now down to prediabetic, so I know my efforts are making a difference. I recently had a terrible bout of sciatica and pain in an arthritic knee, which kept me from some anticipated travel.

    A good (so I thought) friend who was affected by my cancellation suggested that perhaps my weight was causing the sciatica and arthritis, and if I lost more weight things would go better. (DUH!!) Lots of thin people suffer from sciatica and arthritis, and it felt to me that her comment was condescending, hurtful and disrespectful. I don’t know what I feel, other than like throwing a canned ham at her. She has done this before.

    When another dear friend died, and I expressed my grief and teared up, this same “friend” suggested I would do better if I got out more and socialized. This was during COVID.

    Is there anything I can say to her? Should I ignore her comments and press on with the “friendship,” or is it time to move on? I’d like to tell her off, but I see no value in countering her more subtle form with overt aggression. Is there a single, good, deadly one-liner I could have used?

    — SLOW LOSER IN NEW YORK

    DEAR SLOW LOSER: As I see it, you have two ways to play this hand. The next time this woman says something grossly insensitive, tell her it’s her third strike and repeat what you have written to me about what comes out of her mouth. Or simply do yourself a favor and from now on ice her out. (She may have been trying to help you — in some weird way — or she’s clueless.)

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: My daughter and son-in-law have decided to move his mom from California to our home state of Tennessee. The kids have a lovely home about an hour from my husband and me. Both are professionals. They have been married 10 years and have no children.

    The mom, “Anita,” has an unmarried daughter with two kids living with her now and using her money. Anita wants to escape and be left alone. I’m afraid this could spell disaster for my daughter’s marriage. Their plan is to remodel their attic so they have the upstairs and Anita has the downstairs.

    Should I express my concerns to my daughter or both of them, or keep my mouth shut? We have a great relationship, and I never insert my opinion into their business.

    — PROTECTOR IN THE SOUTH

    DEAR PROTECTOR: If this is still in the planning stage and the project has not yet begun, mention your concerns to your daughter and son-in-law together. One problem that occurs to me might be if your son-in-law’s sister plans to bring the kids and live with her mother in the future. However, once you have brought this up, do not insert yourself any further.

  • ‘I still root for those guys’: Rick Tocchet has no regrets ahead of his return to Vancouver

    ‘I still root for those guys’: Rick Tocchet has no regrets ahead of his return to Vancouver

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia ― The terms “abandoned” and “quit” have been thrown about in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to Rick Tocchet’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks.

    After 2½ seasons, Tocchet’s contract expired, and he opted to move on, linking up with the Flyers two weeks later in May. Now, months later, the bench boss, who won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2024 while at the helm in Vancouver, returns for the first time.

    How does he think fans will react?

    “I don’t know, honestly, don’t know. It is what it is. I’ll have my business mode anyway,” Tocchet said, standing in an empty locker room near his team’s room — and down the hall from his old stomping ground — while donning a black long-sleeve shirt with Philadelphia Flyers emboldened on it.

    Flyers takeaways: The good, the bad, and the ugly from a 4-1 loss to the Kraken

    “Trust me, I played 18 years in the league, I’ve been booed a lot of places. It’s all right.”

    The Flyers coach has bigger things on his mind these days anyway. Despite coming off a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, he has the team he once starred for playing well. Entering Monday night’s action, the Orange and Black have a 19-11-7 record and are sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division, just four points behind the leaders, the Carolina Hurricanes.

    On Tuesday (10 p.m., NBCSP), the Flyers will face a Canucks team they beat handily a week ago, 5-2. Vancouver will also be playing a back-to-back after facing the Kraken in Seattle on Monday night. Tocchet wants his team to keep a foot on the gas and make the hometown team play an uncomfortable game.

    He does acknowledge it was a little weird seeing the Canucks — the players, like Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, and Conor Garland, and the coaches, especially head coach Adam Foote, whom Tocchet hired as his assistant coach with Vancouver despite not having NHL experience — last week from the home bench in Philly.

    Rick Tocchet still has strong relationships with several members of the Canucks, including new head coach Adam Foote (left) and winger Conor Garland.

    It’ll be even weirder at Rogers Arena.

    “I loved it,” he said of his time in British Columbia. “Obviously, we had a really good year the year before. Then last year, even though there were a lot of issues and injuries, I thought we were only a couple of points out of a playoff spot.

    “I thought the core guys there hung together, and I really appreciated that, and respect those guys. … Those guys, really, I still root for those guys.”

    Vancouver wasn’t Tocchet’s first stop on the coaching carousel, but he certainly learned a lot that he carried back to Philly.

    “A wealth of experience of different things, the highs and lows, situational stuff. You learn different things … and then trying to just build a winning culture,” explained Tocchet, who said he had a good relationship working with the general manager Patrik Allvin, president Jim Rutherford, and owner Francesco Aquilini, too.

    The Flyers are in Rick Tocchet’s ‘blood.’ Now he’s tasked with returning the once-proud organization to prominence.

    After taking over midway through the 2022-23 season, Tocchet led the Canucks to Game 7 of the second round in 2024, falling to the Edmonton Oilers, who have made the Stanley Cup Final the last two years. That run represented the first time Vancouver made the postseason since the 2020 bubble.

    He is now working on building a winning culture with a Flyers team that has not made the postseason since that same summer.

    “We’re lucky to have him,” forward Sean Couturier said. “He’s got tons of experience as an ex-player and a coach, so he can relate in different situations.

    “We have a young team, though, so I think he’s given us older guys a voice to kind of lead,” the captain added. “But I think we’re all in this together. We’re all buying into what the style of play he wants us to play. It’s been working so far. So it’s been fun.”

    Breakaways

    It looks like Sam Ersson will start in goal for the Flyers on Tuesday night, as he took the majority of the reps Monday in the starter’s net during practice. If that is the case, it all but assures that Dan Vladař will start on New Year’s Eve against his old club, the Calgary Flames.

  • Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey among leaders in All-Star fan voting; two key players participate in practice

    Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey among leaders in All-Star fan voting; two key players participate in practice

    MEMPHIS — For the 76ers, Monday was a day of receiving great news.

    Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford participated in practice at FedEx Forum as part of their reintegration into team activities. While the Sixers were on the court, the league announced that Tyrese Maxey was second in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall in the initial fan voting returns for the NBA All-Star Game.

    “I appreciate it,” Maxey said of the fans’ recognition. “Hopefully, it kind of shows us how we started out the season, winning some games. I don’t know what seed we are at right now, but trending in the right direction. We are in a little skid now. But at the beginning of the season, we did a good job of winning games. I think that’s a testimony to that.”

    Rookie VJ Edgecombe knows he can score. He still defers to the Sixers’ Big Three.

    The East’s sixth-place Sixers (16-14) head into Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a season-high three-game losing streak. After starting the season 4-0, they have gone 12-14. But the one constant has been Maxey, the league’s third-leading scorer at 30.7 points per game.

    “For me personally, I think my talent level has been shown in the NBA,” he said. “I think it’s growing. But for me, it’s winning games. That’s what shows like a big gap, a big difference, and a big talent level: impact on your team. When you have that type of impact, when you can help your team win games, that’s what I want to be known for.”

    Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić is the league’s top vote-getter with 1,249,518 votes, while Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the East at 1,192,296. Maxey has 1,072,449 votes.

    Fans account for 50% of the vote to determine the 10 starters for the All-Star Game, which will be played on Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. A media panel and NBA players will each account for 25% of the vote. This season, All-Stars are being selected regardless of position.

    Under a new format, two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.

    “It would be cool,” Maxey said of being voted an All-Star starter. “I watched Joel [Embiid] start in an All-Star Game before. It was actually really cool to be out there and watch him. So if I’m blessed with the opportunity, I definitely won’t take it for granted.

    Joel Embiid (left) was an All-Star starter for Team LeBron in 2023.

    “You never know how many opportunities you get like that. Hopefully, I get to watch VJ [Edgecombe] and probably Jared [McCain] on Friday [Feb. 13 in the Rising Stars competition]. So we’ll see.”

    Embiid, who’s 17th in the voting (102,017), is the only other Sixer among the top 20 vote-getters in the East.

    The second voting update will be on Jan. 6. Fan voting concludes at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 14.

    Oubre (sprained left knee ligament) and Watford (strained left thigh muscle) will remain sidelined when the Sixers face the Grizzlies, while Embiid (sprained right ankle) is listed as questionable. But Oubre and Watford made their most significant strides in their return-to-play program on Monday.

    After practice, both players stayed to participate in individual workouts. Oubre even did wind sprints on the court.

    The 6-foot-7 swingman has been sidelined since suffering his knee sprain against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14. Watford, a 6-9 point forward, has been out since suffering his injury against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 25.

    “Right now, I consider myself day to day,” Watford said when asked if he expects to return at some point during the final three games of the Sixers’ five-game road trip.

    Why are the Sixers winless with their Big Three? A lack of rhythm.

    After facing the Grizzlies (15-17), the Sixers will play the Dallas Mavericks on New Year’s Day at American Airlines Center before concluding the trip on Saturday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

    “I was able to get some halfcourt in,” Watford said Monday. “The next step is getting some full-court in and seeing how I respond from there. But I feel good, but now, it’s on the team to clear these last two checkpoints.”

    If he does some full-court workouts on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, there’s a chance Watford could return as early as Thursday against the Mavs.

    Watford was one of the team’s top free-agent additions this summer. He provides frontcourt depth, and the Sixers also signed him to take over some of the ballhandling duties. The Alabama native, who is in his fifth season in the NBA, showed he’s more than capable while collecting 20 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 8. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 14 games with four starts.

    “Luckily, I was able to play a good amount … before I did get hurt,” he said. “I was able to get a good rhythm with the team and play with the guys. But it’s unfortunate. But it could always be worse, and I could be sitting up there for the rest of the season.

    “So thank God I’m not, and I get to get back out there with the guys and get back to helping the team.”

  • Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    If you were waiting with bated breath for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to appear in front of a camera Monday afternoon and reveal his exact plans for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders, you are probably new around here.

    Sirianni was unsurprisingly noncommittal when asked if he intended to roll out his starters for the final regular-season game or rest them with the No. 2 seed in the NFC — and a guaranteed home playoff game if you win your first one — still up for grabs.

    “It’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow,” Sirianni said Monday, a day after the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills coupled with Chicago’s loss kept the Eagles alive for the No. 2 seed in the conference.

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    The Eagles need to beat Washington at Lincoln Financial Field and hope the Bears lose at home to the Detroit Lions in order to leapfrog Chicago into second place in the NFC. Both games will kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, so the Eagles won’t have any additional insight before kickoff. In addition to the possible second home playoff game, the second seed would mean hosting a banged-up Green Bay team in the wild-card round and avoiding a more difficult NFC West opponent.

    “Things are still up in the air as far as seeding goes,” Sirianni said. “It’s pretty similar to where we were last week.”

    The Eagles, of course, played their starters as normal on Sunday following a week when resting and seeding were topics of conversation at the NovaCare Complex.

    Jalen Hurts and the Eagles can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win over the Commanders on Sunday and a Bears loss to the Lions.

    “We’ve done it both ways,” Sirianni said. “We’ve had opportunities to rest; we’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played.

    “You go through your process, but every season is a little bit different, every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team.”

    Given the advantage the No. 2 spot provides, it’s fair to wonder why the Eagles wouldn’t pursue it vigorously.

    Sirianni pointed to the past when asked that question Monday. The Eagles rested their starters in the season finale last year, when they were locked into the No. 2 seed. When the Eagles reached the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, they played their starters in the finale to win, earn the top seed, and create a bye for themselves.

    Eagles favored over Commanders in Week 18; Super Bowl odds take a dip despite win

    Bye weeks and extended rests have gone pretty well for Sirianni’s teams. The Eagles are 11-4 in games that come at least 10 days after their previous contests (including playoff games). That’s a winning percentage of .733, which is more than Sirianni’s career winning percentage of .699 (including playoffs).

    “This is a marathon of a season,” Sirianni said. “Yes, your seeding is not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding-wise,’ while also you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you got to think through and go through.

    “I think a lot of guys would say last year that that was a big deal, being able to have a built-in bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”

    Time will tell how the Eagles decide to approach Sunday.

    The Eagles may believe they can have it both ways — resting some starters and playing others, while still being in a good position to beat Washington. The 4-12 Commanders are a weaker opponent that could be starting third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback.

    “You guys don’t know what we’re doing yet,” Sirianni joked. “We’re leaning and getting all the information.”

  • Strong winds are expected around Philly in the final days of 2025

    Strong winds are expected around Philly in the final days of 2025

    A soggy, gloomy Monday was expected to give way to a blusterous Tuesday that brings a wind advisory as gusts of up to 50 mph blow their way into the Philadelphia region ahead of the New Year.

    Strong winds arrived behind a cold front that descended upon the Philly area Monday afternoon, dropping temperatures from the 50s into the 30s. The gusts arrived amid a wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly in effect through 1 p.m. Tuesday, with sustained wind speeds of up to 25 mph expected.

    “There could be some lulls in the morning, but there is no clear signal as to when we will see the lowest lulls” in wind speed Tuesday, said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist with the weather service. “It will pretty much be windy all through the morning into midday.”

    With gusts potentially reaching into the 50-mph range, Johnson said, the primary concern for Philly-area residents was power outages caused by downed trees and broken tree limbs. That element will especially be a possibility following Monday’s rainy weather, which softened the ground in the area and primed it for potential treefall that could also bring down power lines.

    Peco, meanwhile, has said that it is aware of the wind advisory, and that its crews are actively monitoring weather conditions while remaining ready to respond to potential outages. The company on social media also advised residents to steer clear of downed power lines and report outages on its website.

    Johnson also noted that the high winds posed a risk to loose objects outdoors, such as holiday decorations and light furniture. Those items, she said, should be secured or taken indoors to keep them from potentially being lost or causing damage should they be taken away in a strong wind.

    Additionally, Tuesday’s forecast strong winds could create challenges for drivers — particularly those behind the wheels of “high-profile vehicles” like SUVs, trucks, and other large cars. Essentially, the larger a vehicle is, or the higher off the ground it sits, the more it is apt to be pushed around in high winds, she said.

    “The closer you are to the ground, the less likely you are to be impacted by high winds,” Johnson said.

    Tuesday’s windy weather, meanwhile, is not an uncommon occurrence for December in the Philadelphia region, Johnson added. Strong cold fronts are known to bring with them windy conditions as temperatures drop — and the cold is likely to remain throughout the week as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day come and go.

    “It is normal for us to have the strongest temperature gradients — the biggest difference in temperature — in the winter seasons,” she said. “We tend to see those from late fall through early spring — pretty much prime season.”

    The strongest winds are likely to move out later Tuesday, but Wednesday is expected to remain somewhat breezy, with gusts possibly reaching up to 20 mph. Those winds, however, fall well short of the wind forecast for Tuesday.

    That may be welcome news for New Year’s Eve revelers set to ring in 2026 at Philadelphia’s first New Year’s Eve concert Wednesday. The concert, set to kick off at 8 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, will feature performances by LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Los Angeles rock band Dorothy, and Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts graduate Adam Blackstone.

    Though Tuesday’s windy weather will likely abate in time for the holiday, colder temperatures with a high around 32 degrees are expected Wednesday, so attendees ought to bundle up. New Year’s Day on Thursday fits a similar description, with highs hovering near freezing and breezes up to 20 mph, Johnson said. There is only a slight chance of “lingering light snow or flurries,” according to weather service forecasts.

    “It’s likely to be dry, but cold and maybe breezy” the first day of 2026, Johnson said.