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  • Horoscopes: Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Today, the adage “just do it” applies. If you’re reasonably sure your action helps (or at least won’t harm anyone), go without hesitation, because if you waste time explaining or asking permission, you’ll miss your chance.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There’s often one person whose quick wit lifts the whole room, and right now, that’s you. Your timing is impeccable, your instincts are on point, and your humor is sharp. Things get done because you inspire.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What good is a fancy shoe if it doesn’t fit? If it gives you blisters, it’s the wrong shoe for you. Similarly, no one is “better” because they are popular. If you can’t relax around them, they’re not your person. Happiness is finding a good fit.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Something in your life may feel like a relic from an older version of you. Notice what distracts from your true purpose. Notice what feels redundant. Streamlining now removes static and lets you focus on the main goal.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). “No one wants to see how the sausage is made,” they say — except the other sausage makers, who adore the gritty details. Likewise, you’ll find yourself among people who get your weird process and actually want to hear about it.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your rational side may take charge for a while, but the emotions don’t just disappear, they wait. You may need to compartmentalize a feeling, but make time to return to it later so it doesn’t weigh on you.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Theme of the day: Happiness is something you take in, not something you collect or display. “Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.” — Roger Corless

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You want to feel special and connected to someone, but not owned. Relationships need freedom and respect. Choose people who understand that closeness isn’t achieved by trying to own or control another person — rather, it’s about showing up for each other.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). People care what you think of them much more than you might guess. So any gesture that lets them know you like them will be well received and will promote a sense of calm and comfort. Everything is easier from there.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You love to learn. It feels good when your brain absorbs the information to connect ideas. You’ll have the sensation today akin to the particular kind of pleasure that happens when a puzzle comes together.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some use a situation for all its worth, and the moment something “better” comes along, they jump. Not you. You value loyalty and make moves that aren’t just based on self-interest. You strongly consider your effect on others, too.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Lean into reinvention. You’re not obligated to remain recognizable to anyone except your own spirit. Change your habits, your look, your approach — whatever makes your life feel more like “you.”

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 28). Welcome to the Year of “You’re IT, Baby.” You’ll know how it feels to rule the room, be the source of the buzzy excitement and handle the special attention your charisma attracts. It comes about with clever micro-moves that add up to major life upgrades — the kind no one sees coming until suddenly you’re that person. More highlights: Money becomes easier to track and even easier to grow, romance reinvigorates your aesthetic sensibilities, and a skill becomes unexpectedly profitable. Virgo and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 15, 26, 31 and 48.

  • Dear Abby | Jilted wife blames herself for marriage’s collapse

    DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband and I were best friends. We shared everything — dreams, laughs and struggles. I was convinced we’d grow old together. When he proposed, I said yes without hesitation. We had plans to start a family, but he asked me to wait until we purchased a home. I waited five years, trusting that the dream we had built together was still alive.

    In time, we bought our house, but when I asked about having children, something had shifted. He told me he no longer wanted kids. I was heartbroken. The life we had talked about for years suddenly dissolved. Soon after, he invited his mother, sister, brother-in-law and their daughter to move in with us. I tried to be understanding, but I began feeling like a guest in my own home — like he loved me, but prioritized them. Eventually, he told me he was moving out. He bought a condo and moved with his entire family, and I was left alone — emotionally and physically.

    I have tried to convince myself that this was never really about the kids, but I can’t shake the guilt. Part of me keeps thinking if I had said no to children, would he have stayed? Even now, years later, I still care for him and cannot seem to let go. I don’t know how to move forward when someone who was once my everything still occupies so much of my heart, even if he’s no longer in my life. How do I let go of someone who let go of me so easily?

    — DREAM DESTROYED IN VIRGINIA

    DEAR ‘DREAM’: You feel guilty for having wanted children, after your husband led you on for years pretending that he did? You were grossly misled and then deserted. If that reality hasn’t been enough to help you “let go,” then what you need is professional help from someone who is licensed to give it. You are clinging to the fantasy of this person, not the reality.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: My retired husband of 15 years, “Seth,” is pushing me to the edge of divorce. He’s extremely negative, verbally abusive and estranged from many friends, which has harmed my relationships with friends and family. He drinks almost all day (I drink as well), calls me horrible names I won’t repeat and refuses to respect my sleep needs (I’m still working). He thinks he’s being “funny” when he acts this way. Seth doesn’t hear well, so he talks softly, and this also leads to unnecessary arguments.

    I love Seth, but I feel like he is destroying my spirit and who I am. I used to be an independent, capable person. Now I feel like I am always walking on eggshells. I dread coming home from work some days. I just want to run away. Your thoughts?

    — END OF MY ROPE IN IDAHO

    DEAR ‘END’: Go online to Al-Anon (al-anon.org/info), find a location near you and attend some of the meetings. Then, if you are really at the end of your rope, draw the line with your disrespectful, alcoholic verbal abuser. Tell him LOUDLY, when he’s a little more sober than usual, that you have had it and that if he doesn’t stop drinking, his marriage is over. Then save yourself and follow through.

  • Flyers ready to return to full strength as a grueling stretch awaits ahead of the Winter Olympics

    Flyers ready to return to full strength as a grueling stretch awaits ahead of the Winter Olympics

    SEATTLE ― According to coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers “dodged a bullet” when it comes to the health of two players.

    Travis Sanheim, the team’s top defenseman, was clipped by Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Alex Vlasic in the third period of the Flyers’ 3-1 win on Dec. 23. He did not play the final 12 minutes, 33 seconds, after being pulled by the NHL’s concussion spotters. At the time, Tocchet said, “I think he’s fine.”

    But there was a little bit more concern for forward Denver Barkey, who did not return for the entire final frame after he was hit hard in the ensuing scrum following his boarding call. Tocchet said after the game that Barkey would be reevaluated by the doctors.

    After a long plane ride Saturday morning from Philly, both players were full participants at Climate Pledge Arena for the team’s practice following the NHL’s mandatory three-day holiday break.

    “They both are good,” Tocchet said. “I think Sanny was fine. It was just the spotter. And then I think, Barkey, he just kind of had a headache, but it’s gone away. So he’s pretty good.”

    Flyers center Denver Barkey is hoping to return from injury after getting hurt in just his third NHL game.

    Barkey, who was injured in just his third NHL game, was back alongside his linemates Owen Tippett and Sean Couturier.

    “Feeling good,” he said afterward. “Obviously, taking it day by day, but feeling really good right now. And, yeah, I was excited to get home to see family and friends as well.”

    A native of Newmarket, Ontario, where he went for two of the three days off, Barkey should be sticking around the Flyers for the foreseeable future. He has brought a spark to not just his linemates but the power play — one assist at five-on-five and one with the man advantage — and the bench.

    “He’s got a lot of hockey sense. Good kid. So I’ve enjoyed seeing him,” said Travis Konecny, who chuckled and said the youngster “is way smarter than I was” when told that Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong called Barkey “a little mini TK” over the summer.

    “I think he’s one of those guys who, once you see him in the NHL, he’s a hard guy to send down. He does a lot of the little things right, and it seems like he’s ready.”

    On-ice comparisons have been made between Denver Barkey and Flyers right wing Travis Konecny.

    Barkey just turned pro this season, but has London of the Ontario Hockey League close to his heart — literally. He sports a silver chain and pendant etched with the Knights logo on one side and 86, his number in juniors, on the other. It was a gift from a jeweler in London, Ontario, after he was named the team’s recipient of the Don Brankley Community Service Award this year. Barkey was also awarded the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year.

    But while he’s just 20 years old and a newbie to the pro ranks, he has “always kind of taken it pretty serious and try to prepare every game quite similarly.”

    “Obviously, it’s a really surreal experience, and there’s a lot going on, a lot of moving parts,” he said of his NHL start. “But I keep saying, I think a lot of the credit goes to coaches and all the guys in this room.

    “They’ve made it easy for me, just make me feel at home and comfortable coming to the rink every day. So, yeah, it’s been fun, and just looking to continue to grow as a person [and] player throughout this experience.”

    We’ll see if he’s still calling it fun when the NHL reaches its mandatory break for the upcoming 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Beginning with Sunday’s game against the Seattle Kraken (8 p.m., NBCSP), the Flyers will play 20 games in 40 nights.

    Right-wing Nikita Grebenkin, center, and the Flyers will be tested as starting on Sunday, they’ll play 20 games in 40 nights.

    It’ll be a grind that includes 11 games on the road, and three back-to-back sets. The last game before the break is Feb. 5 against the Ottawa Senators, and the Flyers don’t hit the ice again for a game until Feb. 25 at the Washington Capitals — the first of a back-to-back.

    “When it comes to it, you’re playing basically every other night. There’s not a lot of these two- [or] three-day breaks. So, that’s why it’s important that we crammed in the system stuff,” Tocchet said after the lengthy practice.

    “You still have other ways to do it; we might do hotel meetings, things like that, to make sure that we were up to speed. But, you know, everybody’s dealing with it, so there are really no excuses.”

    Flyers prospects at the 2026 World Juniors

    Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and the Canadians opened the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship with two straight victories — each with a tinge of revenge and redemption.

    On Friday night, they beat Czechia 7-5; Canada lost the past two years in the quarterfinals to the European nation. On Saturday, they topped Latvia 2-1 in overtime after the nation, which is Rodrigo Abōls’ home country, beat Canada 3-2 last year.

    Speaking of Abōls, his father Artis Abōls is the head coach of the Latvian side at this year’s tournament.

    Top prospect Porter Martone ‘can’t wait’ to play for the Flyers. But first, he has a couple of championships to win

    Luchanko has yet to register a point and has a plus-minus of minus-3. Martone, the team’s captain, has one goal in two games. He issued an apology on Saturday after tapping a Czech player on his backside while skating to the bench after scoring his empty-netter.

    Flyers rookie Porter Martone (22) has a goal in two matches as the captain of Team Canada.

    “That’s unacceptable, and that can’t happen,” he told reporters in Minnesota. “As the captain of this team, the leader of this team, it just sets a bad [example] for the rest of the guys. That’s on me, and I can’t do that. It’s a learning experience, it’s in the past now, but yeah, I take full responsibility for the actions I took yesterday.”

    Martone was also handed a formal warning by the IIHF for his actions during warmups on Friday night, when he crossed the red line and bumped players.

    A teammate of Martone’s at Michigan State, Vansaghi played in the first game for USA Hockey, a 6-3 win versus Germany, as the extra forward and skated just over 5 minutes. He was a healthy scratch for Saturday. Heikki Ruohonen and Max Westergård each had an assist in Finland’s 6-2 win against Denmark on Friday, and Sweden captain Jack Berglund chipped in an assist in a 3-2 win over Slovakia.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Flyers hockey right here!
  • Joel Embiid will miss Sixers’ matchup against Oklahoma City due to a sprained ankle

    Joel Embiid will miss Sixers’ matchup against Oklahoma City due to a sprained ankle

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Joel Embiid has been ruled out for Sunday’s afternoon game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center with a sprained right ankle and right-knee injury management.

    The 76ers center has been dealing with right knee issues since early November, which led to him missing nine consecutive games earlier in the season.

    However, Embiid’s absence from the Thunder game should not come as a surprise. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder usually doesn’t play with less than two days in between games. He played in Friday’s 109-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls. So, according to his regular schedule, Embiid wouldn’t play again until at least Tuesday.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss Sunday’s game against Oklahoma City due to a sprained ankle.

    Embiid is averaging 21.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. He finished with 31 points and five rebounds in the road loss to the Bulls.

    He’s already missed 16 of the Sixers’ 29 games this season.

    Sixers takeaways: Bulls target Joel Embiid’s defense, Tyrese Maxey’s offense in 109-102 loss

    Embiid isn’t the only Sixer who will miss the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain) will remain sidelined. Meanwhile, Paul George (left knee injury management) is probable.

    The defending NBA champion Thunder have the league’s best record of 26-5. They’re also 14-1 at home.

  • Seeing culture ‘under attack,’ Philadelphians gathered in Germantown to celebrate Kwanzaa

    Seeing culture ‘under attack,’ Philadelphians gathered in Germantown to celebrate Kwanzaa

    In the roughly 20 years that Pamela “PJ” Johnson-Thomas and her husband, Weller Thomas, have celebrated Kwanzaa, they have usually marked the holiday at their home or the homes of friends.

    This year, they wanted to expand their celebration. So they gathered about two dozen people at the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. House in Germantown on Saturday, the second night of Kwanzaa.

    This holiday “focuses on culture,” and “culture’s under attack,” Johnson-Thomas said. For example, this year, the Trump administration has targeted programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; aimed to sanitize the history of American slavery; and disparaged Black immigrants and their home countries.

    “It’s up to us,” Johnson-Thomas said, to continue cultural traditions.

    Children and adults dressed in fine clothes with African prints lined up in the fraternity house’s meeting hall to light the seven candles of the kinara and talk about the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Traditionally, families light one additional candle each night of the seven-day holiday.

    PJ Thomas dances during the Kwanzaa ceremony at Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Philadelphia.

    Since Friday, families across the Philadelphia region and the world have been celebrating the annual African American and Pan-African holiday created in 1966 with the goal of uplifting people of African descent. The nonreligious holiday honors culture, community, and family.

    On the south side of City Hall, the candles of a Kwanzaa kinara are lit each day of the holiday, which ends on Jan. 1. Each year since 2017, Boathouse Row has been lit in Kwanzaa colors — red, green, and dark purple, which represents black — to celebrate.

    State Sen. Sharif Street, who is running to represent Philadelphia in Congress, told the people gathered in Germantown that “community is built from culture.”

    “This year I think we’ve seen more robust Kwanzaa programs than in any year in recent history,” Street said. “The purpose of Kwanzaa was to have a cultural celebration that united our people across religious, regional boundaries. … It’s great that we continue to have spaces and places where people can celebrate it.”

    Attendees of the celebration talked, laughed, danced, sang, ate, and played games together. They honored ancestors by calling out the names of family members and Black activists and cultural icons who have died.

    Vincenteen Paige, a friend of the hosts’, usually has yearly Kwanzaa gatherings at her house but was happy to join the broader celebration.

    “With all the things that are going on in politics and all the things that are being changed, you need something to hold. What did we have? What has meaning? I think people are looking for that,” she said.

    Thomas told the crowd that Kwanzaa is about unity. “It’s about bringing us all together and pulling together,” he said.

    He and Johnson-Thomas own a travel company called Pathfinders Tours & Travel, which formed out of the publication they ran for 25 years called Pathfinders Travel Magazine for People of Color. They regularly travel with groups to places inside and outside the United States.

    On a future trip, they want to return to Egypt with some young people, Johnson-Thomas said, because “I think they need to see their greatness.”

    “Everything we do,” she said, “we want to highlight the culture as it relates to African American people.”

    Brynne and Tai Elmore light the kinara during the Kwanzaa celebration at Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Philadelphia.

  • Despite a number of key absentees, Penn State calls its Pinstripe Bowl win a ‘team effort.’

    Despite a number of key absentees, Penn State calls its Pinstripe Bowl win a ‘team effort.’

    NEW YORK — Penn State’s second overall appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl, played Saturday at storied Yankee Stadium against Clemson, wasn’t a big enough draw for 16 Nittany Lions players, including star senior running back Nicholas Singleton and senior defensive tackle Zane Durant, part of a sizable PSU group that skipped the team’s final game of the 2025 season.

    Perhaps the event could have been subtitled the Opt-Out Bowl.

    The Lions’ tumultuous season began with three straight victories and championship expectations, but later nosedived during a six-game losing streak that cost coach James Franklin his job after an October loss to Northwestern.

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State. Is bringing in D’Anton Lynn as DC next?

    It made for a bittersweet close Saturday in the Bronx when Penn State beat Atlantic Coast Conference titan Clemson, 22-10.

    “A tremendous effort, team effort,” interim coach Terry Smith said postgame.

    But despite the historic Yankee Stadium venue, a national television audience, and Penn State riding a three-game winninig streak under Smith, the more tantalizing PSU storyline leading into Saturday’s tilt was how many Lions players were not in uniform.

    Twenty-four hours before the game, Smith was asked whether he was disappointed in the numerous players who opted out.

    “Well, we’re not disappointed. We have a tremendous opportunity to finish this season off the way the last three games have gone, and here’s a moment and an opportunity for these guys to step forward,” Smith said on a Zoom call with reporters. “It’s the next man up. This is today’s college football. We’re adapting and adjusting, and we have a game to play, and that’s all that matters. … We’re going to play hard and get after it like we’ve done the past four or five weeks.”

    Penn State was without star senior running back Nicholas Singleton, who opted out of playing in the bowl game earlier this season.

    Singleton, the Shillington, Pa., product who is the university’s career leader in rushing touchdowns (45) and all-purpose yards (5,586), and Durant, an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection, had both made their opt-out intentions public earlier this month. Singleton’s father, Tim, told The Inquirer that “the risk versus the reward wasn’t worth it” for his son to play in the Pinstripe Bowl.

    “It was a tough season, with Franklin getting fired,” said Tim Singleton, who still works as a mailman in Shillington. “Time to move on. Nicholas is in New York [for the game] and is going to support his teammates, especially the guys he came in with. We’re wishing them well.”

    Singleton is projected to be an early pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and Tim Singleton said his son would start the new year training in preparation for the Senior Bowl (Jan. 31), the NFL Scouting Combine (Feb. 23-March 6), and ultimately, the draft from April 23-25.

    “Hopefully, [we] stay healthy,” said Tim Singleton.

    Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) reacts after tackling Clemson running back Adam Randall (8) during the first half of the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday.

    One senior who did not opt out was defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who recorded two sacks in Saturday’s win.

    “Dani is my MVP, because this guy didn’t have to play today,” Smith said.

    Dennis-Sutton said it was a “no-brainer” to play in the season finale. “I made a dedication to this program,” he said. “I love playing football. I love this program.”

    The risk/reward component was likely a key factor for many of the players not in uniform — with no college playoff implications at stake, why risk injury in a game only months away from the draft, when many college players hope to make a lucrative jump to the pros?

    Both Penn State and Clemson began the season with title hopes, but each finished with a mediocre record — Penn State was 6-6, and Clemson was 7-5. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, however, already has two national championships with the Tigers on his resumé.

    Smith, the former Nittany Lions star receiver, meanwhile, coached his final game at the Penn State helm Saturday. Former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell assumes coaching duties in 2026.

    Smith, who will remain with the program, said before the game that Campbell would attend the Pinstripe Bowl.

    “Matt will be there, but I don’t know if he’s going to be on the sidelines or not,” Smith said. “He wants to stay hidden away and allow us to run the game.”

    Smith said he has had “terrific” communications with Campbell so far.

    “Yeah, it’s been great. He has made himself really accessible to the staff. We’re just trying to piece together and retain roster and bring in new roster players,” Smith said. “But he’s been very, very good. The guys that have come with him so far, they’ve been awesome, as well. We’re just learning [about] each other.”

    As for Penn State’s running game, Swinney said his team’s main worry going into the Pinstripe Bowl was how to contain the Lions’ rushing attack.

    “The biggest thing is [Penn State] can run the football. They’re big, strong, physical,” he said. “They’ve got the all-time leading rusher in the history of Penn State [in Kaytron Allen]. If you follow Penn State football, that says a lot. There have been a lot of people [who have played] there like Franco Harris and Saquon Barkley. They’ve had a bunch of great ones roll through there. So he’s a big strong back.”

    Penn State running back Kaytron Allen missed Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl game due to injury.

    But even though Smith said Allen would be in uniform Saturday, Allen did not play due to injury. Allen is Penn State’s career rushing leader (4,180 yards), and is also expected to be a coveted draft pick next spring. Quinton Martin Jr. took the bulk of the Lions’ carries Saturday and finished with 101 yards.

    Nick Dawkins, Penn State’s center and the son of the late 76ers star Darryl Dawkins, was another opt-out. And there was only one PSU starting offensive lineman from the 2025 season, guard Anthony Donkoh, who was in uniform for Saturday’s game.

    On the heels of a winter storm that dumped several inches of snow on New York City on Friday night and into Saturday morning, the two teams took the field in frigid conditions before 41,101 fans. It was the first time the teams had met since the 1988 Citrus Bowl, a 35-10 Clemson victory.

    A dull first half ended with Penn State leading, 6-3. Lions kicker Ryan Barker booted field goals of 22 and 48 yards. Barker also later hit a 43-yarder. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (23-for-34, 262 yards), who took over after starter Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury on Oct. 11, connected with Trebor Peña for a 73-yard score. He connected with Andrew Rappleyea for an 11-yard, fourth-quarter TD to ice the game.

    As for Smith’s swan song as Penn State head coach?

    “It was a great ride,” he said. “I’m ready for the next chapter.”

    Not present

    The complete list of Penn State players who opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl included: Singleton, Durant, Dawkins, OL Alex Birchmeier, DE Chaz Coleman, DE Zuriah Fisher, CB AJ Harris, OL Vega Ioane, LB Kari Jackson, DE Daniel Jennings, LB Alex Tatsch, CB Elliot Washington, S Zakee Wheatley, TE Khalil Dinkins, OL Nolan Rucci, and OL Drew Shelton.

  • SEPTA officials: Man fatally struck by Trenton Line train

    SEPTA officials: Man fatally struck by Trenton Line train

    A man died after being hit by a Trenton Line train Saturday afternoon, SEPTA officials said.

    The Regional Rail train was traveling inbound about 12:30 p.m. when it struck the “trespasser” between the Croydon and Bristol stations, a SEPTA spokesperson said.

    Service along the line was suspended for about three hours, and operations resumed about 3:40 p.m.

    No additional information about the crash, including the man’s name or age, was immediately available Saturday evening.

  • Days after Bristol nursing home explosion, residents are left in unfamiliar new locations without clothes, possessions, and medications

    Days after Bristol nursing home explosion, residents are left in unfamiliar new locations without clothes, possessions, and medications

    First, Danielle Delange saw the news alert: Bristol Health & Rehab, the nursing home where her mother lived, was on fire.

    Within minutes, Delange got a phone call from an unfamiliar number. On the line, she heard her 64-year-old mother’s trembling voice.

    “My mom said there was a gas explosion,” Delange said. “And I said, ‘How do you know it was a gas explosion?’ And she said, ‘Because we’d been smelling gas.’ … And I said, ‘Today?’ And she said, ‘No, for a couple days.’”

    Her mother, Anna Grauber, who uses a wheelchair, was evacuated from the burning building soon after Tuesday’s devastating blast, which killed a nurse and a resident and injured 20 people. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

    First responders work the scene of an explosion and fire at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Bristol, Pa.

    According to Delange, in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, her mother was outside, and she was starting to get uncomfortably cold.

    Delange said her mother, who lives with COPD and emphysema, didn’t have the oxygen that she needs and was struggling to breathe. Even her emergency inhaler was back in her room.

    Delange’s mother is one of the 119 residents who had to be relocated from the healthcare facility in Bristol Township, Bucks County, to other care homes across the region. With the facility now the scene of a federal investigation, Grauber and other residents are left without their possessions and, according to several families, they lack even basic necessities like clothes and phone chargers.

    ‘She doesn’t have pants’

    The company that runs the nursing home, Saber Healthcare Group, says it’s doing all it can while it waits for the National Transportation Safety Board to determine whether people can safely return to the nursing home building at 905 Tower Rd.

    But family members of residents, such as Delange, are questioning whether that’s enough.

    Delange said her mother was promptly moved to another Saber Healthcare Group property, Statesman Health & Rehabilitation Center, a short drive away in Levittown. However, her mother had to go several days without one of her medications, Delange said, and was struggling to adjust.

    Muthoni Nduthu’s son Clinton tears up while the family speaks with the media on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Bristol Township, Pa. Muthoni Nduthu was killed in the explosion at Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Tuesday.

    Delange said that when she visited her mother on Friday at her new home in Levittown, her mother was wearing men’s basketball shorts and a T-shirt. She said that Saber has not provided clothes for the relocated residents, and so staff have resorted to pulling clothes from a donation box.

    “She doesn’t have pants,” Delange said. “And that got me thinking, like, what did my mom have on when she left there?”

    ‘No indication’ of issues

    Zachary Shamberg, Saber’s chief of government affairs, said the company is doing everything it can to help the displaced residents — but right now, nobody is allowed in the Bristol facility.

    Possibly as early as Monday, Saber may be cleared to reenter the building, Shamberg said. “We’ll survey the damage, we’ll see what can be salvaged, and we’ll get in touch with families to ensure any items were returned.”

    Saber’s insurance company would likely handle replacement or compensation for items destroyed in the blaze, he said.

    As far as he knows, Shamberg said, the company is not providing money or purchasing new clothes or essential items for residents. He encouraged residents’ families to contact leadership at the Bristol facility if they need anything.

    With the smoke cleared, key questions emerge in the wake of a deadly nursing home blast

    Shamberg said many residents have been moved to other Saber-affiliated nursing homes in the area, and these residents would promptly get prescriptions refilled. In addition, the company has started working with Medicare and Medicaid to replace residents’ dentures and eyeglasses. However, because some Saber locations are full, people have been placed in other facilities.

    In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Shamberg said, the goal was to get people “to the best care setting as quickly as possible.” He added the company tried to keep residents as close as possible to their families.

    “The focus, initially on Tuesday, was to make sure staff and residents were safe,” Shamberg said. “Now, we survey the damage. We assess the facility. And we decide what happens next in terms of rebuilding and moving forward.”

    Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers remarks on the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, at Lower Bucks Hospital on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Bristol, Pa.

    Saber staff at Bristol are being paid for the next 30 days regardless of whether they work, Shamberg said, and the company is offering them positions at other locations. Some staff, such as care coordinators and facility leadership, have remained in close contact with residents’ families, he said.

    Saber, a privately run for-profit company, acquired the Bristol nursing home from Ohio-based CommuniCare Health Services barely three weeks before the explosion. Under CommuniCare, the nursing home had received numerous citations for unsafe building conditions and substandard care.

    Saber was aware of these issues, Shamberg said. However, he said, as the company took over, there was no indication of problems with its gas lines.

    “When you acquire a nursing home, you inherit that nursing home’s survey history,” Shamberg said. “Even looking at the most recent survey, the October 30th survey, there’s nothing that indicated a potential gas leak or explosion.”

    Bristol had not been the first choice for 49-year-old Lisa Harnick and her family when it came time to find a nursing home for her mother, Debra Harnick. However, since Lisa Harnick didn’t have a car, the family opted for a choice close to her home in Bristol Township.

    Now, Lisa Harnick’s 77-year-old mother is about an hour away at York Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, she said. (The facility is not part of Saber Healthcare Group.) And their weekly lunch date is on hold.

    “We started going over every Tuesday to have lunch with her, and visit with her, and now I can’t do that,” Lisa Harnick said.

    Debra Harnick is “completely bed-bound,” her daughter said, and has no possessions except for her iPad, which she uses to communicate with family. She does not have a cognitive impairment, is alert, and is not happy about her new situation, Lisa Harnick said.

    She added that Saber has remained in touch.

    “I’ve been in contact with the social worker, and the activities director,” she said. “And I’ve been in contact with the insurance company, too. They just wanted to verify that she was there.”

  • After a snowy Friday and an icy Saturday, Sunday could bring rain

    After a snowy Friday and an icy Saturday, Sunday could bring rain

    The last day of the weekend will see temperatures rise in the Philadelphia area. But don’t get too hopeful: A chance of rain on Sunday is forecast to lead into a somewhat soggy Monday before things grow cool and dry for the New Year’s holiday.

    With a high of 43 degrees and a low of 37, Sunday could bring showers, according to Ray Martin, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office.

    Weather prediction is not exact, but the weather service expects a 30% chance of rain Sunday, particularly in the afternoon.

    “With temperatures set to be above freezing, we are not expecting additional icing or any significant impacts across Philadelphia tomorrow,” Martin said Saturday.

    The odds for rain, however, increase further into Sunday night and the wee hours of Monday.

    The chances of showers will hit 60% Sunday night, with temperatures rising overnight, according to the weather service. Worry not; less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation is expected to fall throughout the day on Monday.

    Total accumulation across the region varied as of Saturday afternoon, from 0.2 inches in Rittenhouse Square to 0.3 at Philadelphia International Airport, 0.4 in Mount Holly, and 1 inch in Skippack.

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    Regardless of the rain, Monday’s temperatures are forecast to be the warmest in more than a month, with a high of 58 degrees, before dropping again that night, with a low of 27. The biggest concern? Gusts as strong as 35 mph.

    That is forecast to pass by the end of the night, opening the skies for a breezy Tuesday and a cold, but dry, farewell to the year.

    Thinking about starting 2026 outdoors? Be ready to bundle up, Martin said.

    Wednesday brings a partly sunny day, with a high of 37 and a nighttime low of 27, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are forecast to reach 35 on Jan. 1.

  • Snow, sleet, and rain moved into Philly overnight, with icy roads a concern on Saturday

    Snow, sleet, and rain moved into Philly overnight, with icy roads a concern on Saturday

    Friday’s snow, sleet, and rain brought a cold mix of precipitation to Philadelphia and surrounding areas, leaving behind slippery conditions Saturday.

    “Today looks quiet compared to last night, but watch out for the icy roads,” said Joseph DeSilva, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office.

    Saturday looks to be mostly cloudy, with a high of 34 degrees, a low of 25, and no precipitation on the horizon, DeSilva said.

    While roads continue to be treated, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has already removed a 45 mph temporary speed-limit reduction for major highways in the five-county Philadelphia region, including on Interstates 76 and 95, as well as I-476, I-676, and I-295.

    The wintry mix of snow, sleet, and intermittent rain moved into the region overnight, with temperatures hovering in the mid-30-degree range.

    Regional accumulation totals varied, from .2 inch in Rittenhouse Square to .3 at Philadelphia International Airport, .4 in Mt. Holly and 1 inch in Skippack.

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    Ray Martin, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office said Friday that even without especially high accumulations, conditions would remain hazardous.

    Sleet tends to be more compact than snow, demanding more effort when it comes to shoveling or plowing it off sidewalks, entryways, and garages.

    For Martin, this is: “a lot of little ice balls, basically frozen raindrops, covering the ground. It will be like shoveling sand.”

    If possible, he recommended waiting to drive until later Saturday, when temperatures were expected to rise above freezing.

    In Northeast Philadelphia, icy roads have already claimed a life.

    A 45-year-old woman was killed when her car was struck head-on by a pickup truck, police said. The crash occurred around 2 a.m., when thepickup was traveling north on the 3500 block of an ice-covered Aramingo Avenue when the driver lost control of the truck, police said.

    The pickup was moving at an “unsafe speed for the wintry conditions,” police said, crossing into the southbound lanes and striking the woman’s car head-on.

    Fire Department medics transported both drivers to local hospitals. The cwoman was transferred to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 2:35 a.m. Meanwhile, the pickup driver is considered stable at Jefferson Hospital.

    A third person, a 29-year-old passenger in the truck, was taken to Temple University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

    And the snowy, icy conditions aren’t just affecting Philadelphia.

    Accumulation totals were higher north of the area, with anywhere from 2 to 6 inches in northern New Jersey.

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    Due to the slippery conditions, acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency across her state Friday morning, urging people to monitor official updates, remain off the roads unless necessary, and stay safe.

    As of Saturday afternoon, 27 flights at Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled, and 164 were delayed, due to the storm. Those with holiday traveling around the corner, can track flight statuses at Philadelphia International Airport.

    The storm came ahead of the 30th anniversary of Philly’s massive 1996 snowfall, when the city registered 30.7 inches between Jan. 7 and Jan. 8.

    So far this season, Philadelphia has already seen more than half the snow last winter brought. This year’s seasonal total stands at 4.2 inches, while the city saw 8.1 inches during the entire 2024-25 winter.

    Slight melting is expected through Saturday, but refreezing will come overnight, bringing a rainy Sunday with a high of 43 and a low of 37 degrees.

    Conditions are set to improve in Philadelphia by early next week, with Monday expected to bring a high of 58 degrees and a low of 28, and the year waving farewell Wednesday with a high of 38 degrees and a low of 30, according to AccuWeather.

    A pedestrian walks through a cloud of steam on a cold winter day in West Philadelphia, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, as snow and a wintry mix are forecast for the area through Saturday morning.