2026 BMW iX xDrive45 vs. 2026 Cadillac Vistiq: A lot for a lot?
This week: BMW iX
Price: $96,275 as tested. M Sport Package added $4,500 for a lot of M’s(on the steering wheel, among exterior and interior elements); Executive Package, $3,250 for soft-close doors and more; Driving assistant professional, $2,550. And there’s more, mentioned below.
What others are saying: “Highs: Tranquil cruising, competitive driving range, deluxe cabin. Lows: Busy exterior styling is polarizing, low rear seating position,” says Car and Driver.
Consumer Reports gushed: “We were thoroughly impressed with BMW’s all-electric iX, which is speedy, ultraquiet, and delivers a cushy ride. Even with its complicated controls, the iX earned one of the highest road test scores ever.”
What BMW is saying: “The new age of iX.”
Reality: And this $100,000 model is the low-budget iX.
What’s new: The iX electric SUV is new and improved for model year 2026, BMW says, with a redesigned exterior, cutting-edge technology, and versatility.
Competition: In addition to the Vistiq, there are the Genesis Electrified GV70, Lexus RZ, Mercedes-Benz EQE, Tesla Model X, and Volvo EX90.
Up to speed: Car and Driver reports the iX xDrive45 gets to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. An M70 version takes just 3.6. It’s still quite fast, but there are other reasons to upgrade. Read on.
Shiftless: A small toggle gets you into Reverse or Drive; there’s a button for Park.
On the road: The iX handles nicely like a good all-wheel-drive EV should. It’s not stellar but it’s smooth and fun. It was actually a little rough on highways.
Vehicle modes are accessed via a touch pad on the console, which gives you a touchscreen full of choices to take your mind and eyes off the road. When you press Sport then there’s an activation dialogue to capture your attention. Who cares about the car that stopped in front of you, the cyclist, the deer, the kid chasing the ball, when there’s all this touchscreen to look at.
The interior of the 2026 BMW iX is striking in red leather. It’s comfortable and spacious but with some quirks.
Driver’s Seat: Here’s another of the iX’s mysteries. The seat is nicely appointed and most comfortable (and on the roomy side), but I was stuck with a lumbar bump that I couldn’t get rid of. The controls are on the door a la old Hyundais but there’s there nothing for lumbar. The touchscreen wasn’t offering any clues either.
The seats do offer massage, and that function helped take my mind off the lumbar issues — and convinced me there has to be a control for it … somewhere.
All this for the bargain price of $3,500, for the leather seats.
Steady speed: The steering wheel controls allow for changing from adaptive cruise to a more intrusive driving assist mode.
All I wanted to do was simply figure out how to set the distance to the next car. It flashed on the screen when I set the system up and then disappeared forever. Because it was set to the farthest distance, cruise control became useless on Philly-region roads, because everyone here will just cut right in front of you. Mr. Driver’s Seat included.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat is comfortable and luxurious, although the backrest is a little recline-y for me. There’s ample room for three people across and for everyone’s legs.
Cargo space is 35.5 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 77.9 with the seat folded.
In and out: The iX is at a nice height so anyone who doesn’t like climbing or bending will be pleased.
Play some tunes: The Harman Kardon stereo system produces among the best sound I’ve heard in a long time. Notes and chords that are buried by normal speakers are allowed to sparkle as intended; this is an A+.
The system is all in the touchscreen or through BMW’s dial and buttons on the console. A volume roller knob on the console just monkeys things up; it’s fairly smooth to the touch and hard to roll. The latter controls remain a favorite and bring this system a step above many other modern BMW offerings (I’m glaring at you, 228).
Keeping warm and cool: Temperature settings are available on the main touchscreen. A small fan icon on the touchscreen opens the larger menu, and I confess for the first couple days I found that HVAC system annoying — it would blow too hard on auto, even on the lowest setting — and then occasionally boil us. In manual mode I had to run the fan at four out of five to get any coolness.
Range: The iX xDrive45 has a range of 312 miles, according to BMW. That jumps to 340 miles in the mid-range xDrive60, and drops back to 302 in the high-performance M70.
Where it’s built: Dingolfing, Germany
How it’s built: Consumer Reports gives the iX a 3 out of 5 for reliability.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Josh Jobe had locked down Jaxon Smith-Njigba in college before their matchups in Seahawks practices compelled Smith-Njigba to extol the virtues of the Eagles castoff to his coaches.
Smith-Njigba was a rookie wide receiver at Ohio State when he first faced the Alabama cornerback in the College Football Playoff championship game in January 2021.
“I was like, ‘Gosh this guy’s buff,” Smith-Njigba said. “Who’s this buff guy at corner lifting all these weights?”
Smith-Njigba lined up opposite Jobe for only about a dozen plays, but the ball never came his way. He had three future NFL first-round Buckeyes receivers also vying for targets, but the receiver struggled vs. Jobe’s press-man coverage as the Crimson Tide won, 52-24.
Three years later, Seattle signed Jobe to the practice squad when the Eagles released him after two seasons in August 2024. His confidence was shaken, but he had found a scheme that augmented his physicality and immediately had Smith-Njigba bending the ear of coach Mike Macdonald about the third-year corner.
“I remember our veteran receivers saying, ‘Hey, this guy’s pretty dang good,’” Macdonald said Wednesday. “And he kept making plays and when there was an opportunity to be on the field, we felt really confident for him to go out there and do his job. And he just kept hitting it.”
Josh Jobe worked his way up from the Seattle practice squad to a critical starting role.
Jobe started earning call-ups to the game day roster, a promotion to the 53-man roster, and eventually starts in his first season in Seattle. But he elevated his play in 2025 and became a regular for arguably the best secondary in the NFL as the Seahawks are poised to face the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday (6:30 p.m., NBC10).
The soft-spoken Jobe may float under the radar while cornerback Devon Witherspoon or safeties Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori get most of the attention. But teams around the league likely are aware of Jobe with the fourth-year pro set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
His ascension may seem sudden — which Jobe acknowledged — but only he knows all the steps he had to climb. As for pending free agency, he said he should be “the top” corner on the market.
“It is shocking — being undrafted and cut, trying to make the team throughout training camp,” Jobe said. “But I’ve been through a lot of adversity. So this is a big accomplishment. It’s pretty awesome. It’s a pretty great story.
“I thank Seattle for this opportunity. I would love to stay in Seattle. Hopefully, something works out.”
Nearly three years ago, Jobe saw his pre-draft stock fall because of a hamstring injury he suffered during his senior year. The Eagles snagged him after the draft. He contributed mostly on special teams, and started three games in 2023 when injuries forced him into the lineup.
He played two snaps at the Seahawks late in the season. Starter James Bradberry was getting torched so badly by receiver DK Metcalf that he was pulled before a series.
“I jumped in, and I got a flag,” Jobe said.
Josh Jobe received occasional snaps at defensive back but largely was a special teams player in Philly.
Metcalf — another future teammate who eventually would praise Jobe — drew a pass interference penalty vs. the handsy cornerback. Jobe logged one more snap and then was yanked himself. Smith-Njigba later caught the game-winning touchdown over the overmatched Bradberry.
Jobe, meanwhile, never quite hit his stride in the Eagles’ Vic Fangio-influenced defense. When Fangio was hired as defensive coordinator in 2024, and general manager Howie Roseman expended the team’s top two picks on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Jobe became the odd man out.
He said the additional competition didn’t affect him.
“I’ve been going against vets for years — [Darius] Slay, James Bradberry, and other guys,” Jobe said. “I’m used to competing since I was at Alabama. I’m all about competing. At the end of the day, what they decide is out of my control.”
The Eagles released Jobe after training camp. Seahawks general manager John Schneider scooped him up two days later. He saw a corner who could fit in McDonald’s aggressive scheme, which had similarities to the one Jobe played in at Alabama. It helped that Karl Scott, his defensive backs coach with the Crimson Tide, was in Seattle by then.
“He’s taken a slow climb to get where he’s going,” Scott said. “He’d be the first to tell you that he has a ton to learn about the position. He has a lot of the tools, especially his pure confidence, whether that’s false or real.
“Having confidence in yourself is important. I think a lot of that comes from hard work.”
Scott said he was worried this offseason about the cornerback spot opposite Witherspoon because Smith-Njigba was getting the better of Jobe and Riq Woolen. But when it became obvious during the season that the receiver had jumped to the elite level at his position, he recalibrated.
“I think, in turn, Josh contributed to Jaxon’s improvement,” Scott said. “He was jamming receivers and you would see them autocorrecting themselves. That was a sign to us in training camp that we might have something.”
Josh Jobe (28) believes the competition he faced at Alabama helped prepare him for the trials of the NFL.
Woolen might have been drafted by Schneider, but Jobe’s progress forced the Seahawks to split time between the two.
“That’s a great example of the pride that we take in how we run our program,” Macdonald said. “When you come in and you play great football, and you’re a great teammate, you’re going to get an opportunity to play.”
A year ago, Jobe said he watched the Eagles play in the Super Bowl “[ticked] off.” He said he was rooting for his former teammates, though, and that he appreciated Roseman and the Eagles giving him a first chance.
“At the end of the day it’s just a business and I wasn’t going to let that bring me down,” Jobe said. “I know what kind of person I am, what kind of player I am. So I just moved onto the next organization and showed them what kind of person and what kind of man I am.”
Jobe is about to become a first-time father. His fiancée, Nayomie Suarez, is due on March 13. They’re having a daughter.
“We’re naming her Ami,” Jobe said, “short for Amelia.”
Scott, more than anyone in football, has seen Jobe mature before his eyes.
“Whether he’s in a room with big names or no-names, Josh is a very quiet, cerebral guy. … I wish everything that’s coming to him in the future, but I don’t think it’s possible now to keep Joshua a secret,” Scott said.
“He’s done the part that everybody asked him to do, and now in turn, he’s going to hopefully get what he deserves.”
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker often says she isn’t a fan of “Monday-morning quarterbacks” and “expert AOPs” — her shorthand for so-called articulators of problems who don’t offer solutions.
The mayor acknowledged residents’ exasperation at a news conference at the Pelbano Recreation Center in Northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, her first appearance dedicated to the city’s snow response since Jan. 26, the day after the storm walloped the region.
“For anyone who is frustrated right now about the ice, about the ability for all of the streets to be fully cleared, I want you to know that I understand,” she said. “Everybody can Monday-morning quarterback. … That’s cool. We can’t stop people from feeling the way they feel. But let me tell you something: We were prepared.”
Parker said the city deployed 1,000 workers and 800 pieces of snow-removal equipment to deal with the emergency.
“We don’t promise to be perfect, Philadelphia,” she said. “We promise to go to war with the status quo and to fix things, to be doers. … We’re going to continue doing everything that we can to make sure all of this work is done.”
A pedestrian walks past a large pile of snow and ice along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway days after a fierce winter storm dropped up to 9 inches of snow and sleet, with freezing temperatures leaving large banks of ice and snow on streets and sidewalks in Philadelphia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.
Snowstorms are infamous for their ability to undermine constituents’ faith in their mayors. Over the years, they have been credited with ending political careers in Denver, New York, Chicago, and Seattle.
The risk of political fallout could be heightened for Parker, who campaigned on a promise to upgrade city services. When Parker ceremonially dropped the puck at Tuesday night’s Flyers game, she was greeted with boos from many fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“Parker has pitched herself as the can-do mayor. ‘I’m not gonna deal with ideology. I’ve got principles, but I’m here to get the job done,’” said Randall M. Miller, a political historian and professor emeritus at St. Joseph’s University. “There’s that expectation you’re going to get this thing done.”
But Miller said the mobility issues associated with snow removal have unique psychological effects for constituents.
“You’re cold, you’re miserable, and you’re trapped. You’re looking around like, ‘Who is confining me?’” Miller said. “You get angry at the mayor because the mayor said, ‘I’m here to provide public services,’ and public service isn’t being provided.”
Fred Scheuren shovels snow at 12th Street, near Waverly Street, in Center City, Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.
The circumstances of this year’s winter weather emergency could also give Parker some breathing room. Municipal leaders in Pittsburgh, New York, Washington, D.C., and Providence, R.I., are all feeling the heat amid the polar temperatures, thanks to an unusually persistent cold snap that has hampered snow-removal operations.
A slight reprieve in the weather this week, with highs peaking above freezing Tuesday and Wednesday, could help the city’s cleanup efforts. But officials warned Wednesday that temperatures are forecast to fall again by the end of the week.
“It’s not hyperbole to consider that we’re still under emergency conditions,” Dominick Mireles, who leads the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, said Wednesday.
Lessons from past Philly storms
By some measures, the city threw more resources at the latest storm than in the past, but got fewer returns.
After the legendary blizzard of Jan. 7, 1996, then-Mayor Ed Rendell deployed more than 540 snowplows, dump trucks, and other vehicles to clear away the record 30.7 inches of snow that fell over two days, according to an Inquirer report from that year. Officials bragged at the time that the fleet eclipsed the 300 vehicles marshaled by former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. for the last major blizzard, in 1987.
Four days after the 1996 storm, the city said it hauled away 50,000 tons of snow, including truckloads famously dumped directly into the Delaware River and the Schuylkill. Officials also said that day that about 71% of roadways were passable, including around half of all side streets.
In February 2003, the city got walloped with 19 inches of snow, followed by days of subfreezing temperatures. Four days after that storm, the city said it had cleared 75% to 80% of city streets.
In 2016, Mayor Jim Kenney used 10,000 tons of salt and 1,600 city workers to clear away 22.5 inches of snow, clearing 92% of residential streets by day four — with a major assist from warmer temperatures a few days after the storm.
The 800 pieces of snow-removal equipment Parker cited that were used in the most recent storm are far more than even in the blizzard of 1996. She also said the city brought in a snow-melting machine from Chicago, saying workers had melted about 4.7 million pounds of snow, while scattering 30,000 tons of salt.
The result: More than a week after the end of the snowfall, about 85% of city streets had been “treated,” which includes salting, plowing, or both, according to the city.
Heavy equipment clearing snow along S. Broad Street at Dickinson Street, Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
But mobility nonetheless remains limited in much of the city, and officials pointed to the lingering icy conditions.
The prolonged freeze is “not unheard of, but it is unusual, and that stresses and makes the potential for a lot of not-great things to happen,” Mireles said. “It’s affecting the snow-fighting operation.”
An analysis of city plowing data shows that after the conclusion of the storm on Jan. 25, vehicles reached about 70% of city streets by the end of Monday. As the snow hardened, activity slowed by about a third on Jan. 27. Some parts of the city — including neighborhood-size chunks of South Philly — saw little plowing until five days after the storm or longer.
The psychology of snow
One reason voters punish mayors more harshly for failing to remove snow than for other problems is because of its omnipresence, from getting around the city to small talk about the weather, Miller said.
Even trash-collection problems tend not to get under residents’ skin to the same degree because they don’t shut the city down, he said.
“You are furious, and it’s day in, day out,” Miller said. “You’re constantly reminded.”
Trisha Swed walks with her dog Alberta Einstein at North 30th Street and Girard Avenue in Brewerytown on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, 9.3 inches of snow fell, the most in a decade.
Parker has turned to private contractors to help with the snow-removal operation. And at Wednesday’s news conference, she touted the city’s efforts to deploy 300 “same-day pay and work” laborers earning $25 per hour to help manually clear streets and sidewalks.
Those moves drew criticism Wednesday from the city’s largest union for municipal workers, District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, which went on strike for higher wages last summer.
“District Council 33 is deeply concerned by the City’s decision to bring in outside laborers for snow‐removal operations without any consultation or collaboration with our union,” DC 33 president Greg Boulware said in a statement. “Our members deserve better, and the residents of Philadelphia deserve a snow‐removal strategy rooted in safety, foresight, and respect for the workforce that keeps this city running.”
Miller said those efforts show the city is doing everything it can to clear the city’s streets and sidewalks.
“There’s been a great effort to try to deal with it, but Philadelphia is a very difficult place to manage in terms of snow because it’s got so many older streets,” he said.
Man with shovel clearing snow from small park on Main Street in Manayunk on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.
But, he said, hearing about the city’s efforts is cold comfort to residents struggling to navigate their neighborhoods.
“The major thoroughfares, they’ve done a pretty good job. But folks are concerned with their neighborhoods. They’re not concerned with if they go down to Fourth and Market,” he said. “Once you start to hear those kinds of complaints, it’s hard to contain it.”
Parker said complaints will not deter her team. “Whenever we’ve been dealing with something challenging in government … there are some people who are expert articulators for problems,” she said.
Her staff, she said, “is not a team of expert AOPs.”
“This is a team of subject-matter experts who are doers and they are fixers, and we don’t cry,” she said. “Our job won’t be done until every street in the city of Philadelphia is walkable.”
Staff writers Ximena Conde and Anna Orso contributed to this article.
When Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent his team to his 11th Super Bowl, a record for any owner, in search of a seventh title, which would be a record for any franchise, he expected the team to have to deal with uncomfortable questions.
Last week, ESPN reported that Bill Belichick, who won all six of New England’s titles, did not receive the minimum number of votes by a committee required to secure induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in this cycle.
Now, Kraft and the Patriots will spend the week answering questions about why Kraft didn’t make it, either. ESPN reported Tuesday that Kraft failed to receive at least 40 of 50 votes required for induction. The 2026 inductees will be officially announced Thursday.
Several explanations and theories circulated following last week’s news. There were assertions that some voters sought revenge for Belichick’s constant bullying. There were assertions that the new, convoluted voting system is flawed.
The Patriots were found guilty of cheating twice during their run. Spygate and Deflategate cost them millions of dollars and several draft picks.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) with coach Bill Belichick on Jan. 11, 2024, the day of Belichick’s exit.
Notably, the span of cheating included not only Super Bowl XXXIX, when they beat the Eagles, but also all but two of their Super Bowl appearances: their loss in Super Bowl LII to the Eagles and their win the next year over the Rams.
Clearly, voters believe that cheating devalues winning.
They also might consider Kraft’s 2019 involvement in a massage-parlor sting a disqualifying element (see below).
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday, before the news broke, “They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers.”
It sounds like Goodell knew that Kraft hadn’t made it, either.
It also sounds like Goodell knows, as hard as it is to imagine, that their tainted records might keep them out forever.
NFL’s Epstein hypocrisy
The NFL is supposed to hold team executives to a higher standard of conduct than it holds players. Don’t expect Deshaun Watson and Justin Tucker to believe that.
Goodell on Monday indicated that the league will not immediately launch an investigation into Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, and probably never will. Tisch appears repeatedly in the latest released batch of files concerning the activities of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial in 2019.
There are hundreds of emails between Tisch and Epstein, some of which indicate that Epstein was supplying Tisch with female companionship. This correspondence took place after Epstein had served jail time for soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution, the latter conviction requiring him to register as a sex offender in both Florida and New York.
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s name appears repeatedly in the latest released batch of files regarding Jeffrey Epstein.
The nature of the companionship and the ages of those companions Epstein supplied to Tisch remain unknown. Tisch insists that all of the women Epstein supplied him were adults and that he never visited the notorious Epstein island.
Even Tisch’s apparently legal and possibly acceptable interaction with a man who has become synonymous with sex trafficking and pedophilia sounds like something the NFL should probably investigate, right? The Personal Conduct Policy exists to keep The Shield clean.
No, said Goodell.
“We will look at all the facts,” he said. “We’ll look at the context of those, and try to understand that. We’ll look at how that falls under the policy. I think we’ll take one step at a time. Let’s get the facts first.”
With so many more prominent personalities mentioned in the files, including President Donald Trump, it is likely that the government will have neither the bandwidth nor the incentive (Trump routinely diminishes the files) to pursue a relatively small fish like Tisch.
Translation: Unless other entities uncover more facts about Tisch’s relationship with Epstein and what services he provided him with, the NFL will turn a blind eye.
Commissioner Roger Goodell during his state of the NFL news conference on Monday.
Which is the opposite of what it does with its players.
I don’t think there’s any question that if, say, Jameis Winston was found to have exchanged similar emails with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who went to prison for sex-related offenses, the NFL would investigate the matter posthaste (sorry for the stray, Jameis).
But it seems like Goodell will handle this matter the way he handled the Robert Kraft scandal.
The Patriots’ owner was caught in a sex trafficking and prostitution sting in 2019. Video allegedly showed Kraft paying for sexual acts on consecutive days that year in Florida. The misdemeanor charges were dropped, but Kraft admitted at least a measure of guilt when he apologized for having “hurt and disappointed” fans and family members.
Unlike Kraft, neither Watson nor Tucker was ever charged with a crime for his alleged sexual misconduct with private massage professionals, but both were suspended without pay.
Goodell chose to not punish Kraft back then. He seems just as reluctant to hold Tisch accountable today.
Notably, NFL owners like Kraft and Tisch are the ones who pay Goodell’s $64 million salary.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s facilities master plan — which includes 20 school closures and comes with a $2.8 billion price tag over 10 years — has attracted serious criticism. But while the proposal requires fine-tuning, and officials must work to earn Philadelphians’ trust, Watlington is wisely pushing to modernize and rightsize the district.
The need for a facilities plan is clear.
The average school building in Philadelphia is over 70 years old. More than simply being timeworn and out of date, the district’s buildings frequently contain environmental hazards like asbestos, and staff struggle to maintain older bathrooms and heating systems. In total, the cost of fully updating the district’s facilities is an estimated $10 billion, which is money the district simply doesn’t have.
Meanwhile, many children attend classes in buildings meant for several times the number of students currently enrolled. Others have been forced to use trailers due to overcrowding. Some institutions lack key enrichment programs, like art or music.
Unlike the downsizing in 2013, when Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. closed over 20 schools in a desperate bid to stave off a fiscal crisis, Watlington’s plan comes with some clear benefits to students, families, and educators.
The city plans to open new schools (in part by using empty space in existing buildings), expand access to criteria-based middle school programs, create additional career and technical education pathways at neighborhood high schools, and update recreational and performance spaces. These investments lean into the district’s relative strengths. Suburban schools may have more resources, but they don’t have options like the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, or Central High School.
The plan, of course, is not perfect. One proposal the district should reconsider, for example, is the relocation of Lankenau High School. The facilities plan recommends relocating Lankenau to Roxborough High School, which would make it difficult to offer many of its nature-oriented programs. The district may be better off keeping Lankenau and closing Roxborough, which has just over 600 students and test scores that are lower than district-wide averages.
Grace Keiser, 27, of Norristown, a math teacher at Lankenau High School, holding a “Save Lank” sign during a rally outside the Philadelphia School District in January.
Another reason to reconsider closing Lankenau is the fact that some of the school’s struggles are the result of district decisions. The poorly executed revamp of admissions at the city’s criteria-based, or magnet, high schools led to recruiting struggles at many of the district’s most well-regarded institutions. Beyond Lankenau, CAPA and Girls’ High also experienced a dip in enrollment. For the school to experience another drastic change would be a step backward.
Another criticism of the plan is that it will impact predominantly Black schools and neighborhoods disproportionately. This is partly a reaction to trends that are far outside the district’s control. Since the 2014-15 school year, there are around 20,000 fewer Black students in traditional public schools. Another factor is the rise of charter and cyber schools, which educate nearly 80,000 students in Philadelphia. As this board wrote in 2024, “threading this needle might be the most daunting part of the job” when it comes to reorganizing the district’s schools.
The facilities plan has attempted to soften the blow by including a neighborhood vulnerability score. Without it, the plan would likely recommend more closures in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Some of the outrage over the plan has less to do with the specifics of the proposal and more to do with the district’s deficit of goodwill among residents. After the 2013 closures, many educators noted an uptick in behavioral issues, and the financial savings failed to fully materialize. It is important to note, however, that while this plan is constrained by fiscal realities, it was not created in reaction to them. The goal is not to save money, but to improve buildings and programs for students.
Each building that the district transfers to the city for new usage eliminates millions of dollars’ worth of overdue maintenance and upgrades. Given the nearly $30 million cost to renovate and remediate asbestos at Frankford High School, reducing the district’s capital needs by shrinking its physical footprint is the right call. It creates fiscal space for the district to invest in programs that are succeeding.
No one cheers for the closure of schools, but Watlington’s plan offers students across the city access to better facilities and better programs. After some revisions, it should move forward.
A large new apartment proposal for 4889 Umbria St. in Roxborough has been altered to appease some neighbor concerns, with more brick incorporated into the facade and design tweaks to ease congestion.
The developers, Philadelphia-based Genesis Properties and Newtown Square-based GMH Communities, also reduced the number of apartments from 384 to 369.
But the actual number of bedrooms increased from 481 to 486, as they shifted to larger, family-size apartments.
“I love the increase of twos and threes [bedrooms] and the availability to families, which I don’t find very common as a developer,” said Maria Sourbeer, vice president at Mosaic Development Partners and a member of the city’s Civic Design Review committee. “The money’s in the studios and ones.”
The design team explained that the developers felt this corner of Northwest Philadelphia would have strong demand for larger units.
Last November, the project’s initial consideration at the Civic Design Review committee saw pushback to its fortress-like design.
Philadelphia-based Oombra Architects sought to soften elements of the project, increasing plantings and street tree coverage.
More brick has been added as a building material, in a bid to echo the older industrial buildings on the project’s southwestern edge.
A bird’s eye rendering of the new development on Umbria Street in Roxborough.
The 123-space bike parking facility has been moved from the third to the first floor.
The developers also relocated the parking garage entrance from busy Parker Avenue to Smick Street, which had not previously been publicly accessible. The project includes 380 spaces.
“[We] want to commend you in taking the process seriously,” said Ximena Valle, an architect who chairs the CDR committee. “We recognize that you could have come here with no changes made. … Overall, there’s a big win here.”
The Civic Design Review process makes recommendations but cannot force developers to accede to its critiques. The last time the Philadelphia City Planning Commission studied its efficacy in 2019, it found that only a third of projects adopted CDR recommendations.
A rendering of the Lemonte Street side of the project, the largest new apartment building in Roxborough in years.
Although the project offers nearly one parking space for every apartment — far more than they are legally required — the local community group still held concerns about the amount of parking included in the project as the bedroom count rose.
Otherwise, they largely embraced the changes.
“There are going to be more cars on the street. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” said Marlene G. Schleifer of the Ridge Park Civic Association. “But we were pleased with the work that the developer has done to comfort us a little bit and make it easier to swallow.”
Mark Tyler, historiographer and executive director of research and scholarship of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, often wonders: What if Christians stood up in the 1780s and challenged the articles of the U.S. Constitution that said Black people were not whole human beings?
What if the American branch of the Methodist church followed the teachings of its founder, John Wesley, who taught that slavery was a violation of Christian mercy? What if the ushers of Old City’s St. George’s Methodist Church didn’t kick formerly enslaved congregants Richard Allen and Absalom Jones out of the general congregation and force them to worship in segregated pews?
“We would have avoided the Civil War,” Tyler said. “We would have avoided Jim Crow. We would have avoided the moment in history we are in now.”
A stained glass window of founder Richard Allen and Mother Bethel AME Church’s previous homes is at entrance of the church.
Instead, American Methodists sided with southern landholders who relied on cost-free Black labor to build their empires. Evangelical churches, Tyler said, were among the first institutions to practice segregation.
Allen and Jones went on to start their own churches.
Allen established Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, regarded as America’s — and the world’s — first AME congregation.
Mother Bethel will celebrate this history at the Philadelphia Historical District’s weekly “firstival,” part of a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Each Saturday in 2026, the historic district is hosting a daytime shindig honoring an event that happened in Philadelphia before anywhere else in America and often the world.
Iris Barbee Bonner is a fashion designer and graphic artist who brought her experience growing up in the AME Church to this 52 Weeks of Firsts No. 1
Allen was born into slavery in Philadelphia in 1760. He bought his freedom from his enslaver, a devout Methodist who converted many of the people he enslaved, in 1783. Allen answered the call to preach and traveled the mid-Atlantic for a few years evangelizing freed and enslaved people.
In 1786, he returned to Philadelphia, joined St. George’s, and started a 5 a.m. worship service. He led the service for a year-and-a-half before walking out in November of 1787.
“Certainly there had been moments of resistance in colonial Black communities,” Tyler said. “But this walkout was significant because it led to the emergence of the first American institutions by and for Black people,” Tyler said.
Allen bought land at Sixth and Lombard Streets — where Mother Bethel sits now — on Oct. 10, 1791. Mother Bethel’s first building, a repurposed blacksmith shop, was dedicated on July 29, 1794, by Bishop Francis Asbury.
A second building was erected in 1805, a third in 1841, and the current building was completed in 1890.
“We are the oldest independent denomination founded by people of color in the United States,” said the Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, pastor of Mother Bethel. “Our church sits on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans.”
In 1816, 30 years after Allen established Mother Bethel, he invited delegates of Black Methodist churches in Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey to a conference, establishing the AME Church as its own denomination.
A statue of Mother Bethel AME Church founder Richard Allen stands on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by Black Americans in Philadelphia on Oct 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Mother Bethel has stood at the center of civil rights for centuries, from serving as a station on the Underground Railroad to uniting interfaith clergy who questioned $50 million of community benefits slated to go to the Sixers arena in 2024.
“We are the Mother Church,” Cavaness said. “ … the foundation of so much Philadelphia history, so much American history. It’s an honor to be the sacred caretaker of this history.”
This week’s Firstival is Saturday, Feb. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Mother Bethel, 419 S. Sixth St. The Inquirer will highlight a “first” from Philadelphia Historic District’s 52 Weeks of Firsts program every week. A “52 Weeks of Firsts” podcast, produced by All That’s Good Productions, drops every Tuesday.
Philadelphia biotechs are worried about losing a key source of federal funding for early-stage innovation.
Known as “America’s seed fund,” the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs helpsmall companies develop innovative technologies. In recent years, they’ve allocated $4 billion annually to more than 4,000 businesses nationwide. However, after Congress failed to reauthorize the decades-old programs last fall, their funding officially expired in September.
The fallout has affected more than a dozen local life sciences companies, raising concerns about whether they can maintain staffing and make up for thedelay in funds promised months ago, said Heath Naquin, senior vice president of innovation and new ventures at University City Science Center, a nonprofit commonly known as the Science Center that provides startup support.
For many, staffing and financing plans could be disrupted by funding shortfalls, as companies either haven’t gotten their payment yet or can’t get their funding for next year approved, he said.
An exact figure is unknown, but Naquin estimated that some affected companies could be short up to a million dollars for the year.
At the same time, the city of Philadelphialaunched last spring a new program that provides additional funding to those who have already earned SBIR/STTR grants. The 21 awardees who will share $450,000 from the city were announced publicly in January.
The citymoney is earmarked for technical assistance, such as the cost of attorneys, marketing, and anything else needed for commercialization, while SBIR/STTR money normally goes toward research and development.
“There is no overnight solution to SBIR right now,” said Tiffany Wilson, chief executive officer of the Science Center, which is partnering with the city to implement the program. “It’s just another layer of uncertainty that we’ve got to navigate through.”
New city-led program
Pennsylvania is not one of the dozens of states that offer matching programs to supplement the federal SBIR/STTR funds.
To fill that gap, Philadelphia launched its new city-level program, which is one of the first in the nation and the only one of its kind in the state.
The idea was to boost companies already vetted by the federal government that could still benefit from smaller amounts of money.
“Life science companies need millions of dollars, but this was a way that we could help Philadelphia-based companies thrive,” said Rebecca Grant, who runs the program and serves as senior director of life sciences and innovation for the city.
This year, the city offered funding to all eligible applicants.
The $450,000 is doled out in three tiers: companies with the earliest stage grants received $20,000 while those in the next phase received $40,000. Those whose grants were no longer active received $2,500.
The program is still a pilot, and city leaders hope to run it on an annual basis, Grant said.
Naquin has heard from at least three companies in the last six months that are formally considering moving to Philadelphia as a result of the program’s existence.
The SBIR/STTR grants are valuable to early-stage biotechs for two reasons: They provide funding without asking for ownership or equity in return, and signal to potential investors that the company is less risky, Wilson explained.
The programs traditionally have been reauthorized every few years without major lapses. However, recent debates over reforms have created a deadlock.
Policymakers from both parties want to address companies that are repeatedly going back for more funding, concerns over foreign involvement, and how to better support commercialization, Naquin said.
“We’re still in a waiting game,” he said, adding that the programs were not reauthorized in the latest government funding bill passed this week.
With the SBIR/STTR pipeline stalled, the Science Center has had to pivot. Federal support for science has been particularly precarious under President Donald Trump’s second administration, with widespread cuts and pauses to millions of dollars worth of programs and grants.
Late last year, the center launched aninitiative to help startups figure out which agencies still have available funding opportunities.
The aim is to help them better shop around for the grants that they can apply to, Wilson said.
McCain, who one could argue until he tore his meniscus last season, was in the conversation for NBA Rookie of the Year honors, averaged 6.6 points this season, and was believed to be a key part of the team’s guard rotation.
Moving McCain did get the Sixers below the luxury tax threshold, also freeing up an additional roster spot, but the team’s decision to trade him was not necessarily met with a ton of understanding, judging by the reaction on social media yesterday.
Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announced he’s stepping down from the role on Wednesday.
After 13 seasons and three head coaches, Jeff Stoutland, leader of the Eagles’ offensive line, took to social media to announce he was stepping down from the position.
It’s unknown if Stoutland will remain a member of the organization in some capacity, in what looks to be a bit of a shakeup on the offensive side of the ball, with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion at the top and Josh Grizzard as entering as the new passing game coordinator.
Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg has more on Stoutland, his time with the team, and what his exit might mean going forward.
❄️ Sharing: Here’s how to make sure you watch the locals and more competing at the Winter Olympics, beginning this week.
🤔 Wondering: If someone said, “Don’t forget to bring the hot dog launcher,” as the Phillies packed up for the long drive to Clearwater, Fla., this week for spring training.
Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale in action against the New York Islanders earlier this month.
Jamie Drysdale hasn’t scored much. In fact, his goal on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals was his first in 20 games. So why is he still receiving praise from head coach Rick Tocchet?
Because goals aside, Drysdale is arguably having his best season. He’s on pace for a career high in points, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers’ top three performing defensive pairs this season, with more than 30 minutes played, have all included Drysdale.
In the aftermath of his game-winner that keeps the Flyers competitive in the Metropolitan Division standings and snapped the team’s four-game losing streak, writer Gabriela Carroll takes a look at what it’s now going to take to get him firing on all cylinders.
Orion Kerkering talked to former Phillies closer Brad Lidge, among many others, to help move past his error in Game 4 of the NLDS.
When Phillies pitchers and catchers hold their first official workout Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla., it will have been 125 days since Orion Kerkering bobbled a comebacker at his feet, threw home instead of to first base, and lobbed it over J.T. Realmuto’s outstretched mitt, ending the Phillies’ season in the 11th inning of the fourth game of the division series. It was only the second time ever that a playoff series ended on an error, and in the age of social media, clips of Kerkering’s blunder were everywhere.
“No matter what you do, whether it’s the internet, just basic browsing, even looking up a recipe or something, it’s going to be there. It’s like the first thing,” Kerkering said this week on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast, which drops today on Inquirer.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. “It’s going to always be brought up. You can’t get around it. It’s always going to be stuck there.
Penn State head coach Matt Campbell landed 40 new players to the Nittany Lions’ roster through the transfer portal.
Matt Campbell hasn’t had a lot of time to prepare for his new role as the head football coach at Penn State. He’s had even less time to recruit for the upcoming season.
Good thing a lot of those names came to him.
During Wednesday’s signing day period, the Nittany Lions landed 55 new names. The mix? 15 incoming freshmen and 40 by way of the seemingly always-on NCAA transfer portal. So what now? Here’s a list of the top names in the group and how they break down moving forward.
NFL Films founder Ed Sabol (left) watches as his son, Steve, unveils his bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in Canton, Ohio in 2011.
On this date
Feb. 5, 2011: Ed Sabol, who, alongside his son Steve, co-founded the Mount Laurel-based sports documentary house known as NFL Films, was elected for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at age 94.
“We haven’t yet reached Super Bowl Sunday, but teams that win a Super Bowl within a calendar year and then return to the playoffs usually remain more stable than the Eagles have been the past few weeks.” — The Inquirer columnist examines the departure of Jeff Stoutland and more in his latest piece.
What you’re saying about Philly sports
We asked: What was your favorite era to be a sports fan in Philly and why?
Definitely, in 1980-81, all four teams reached the finals of their respective leagues. While only the Phillies became champions, we were thrilled to cheer on the Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers! — Bob C.
I will most likely be the only one to pick the 1950’s, but for this Springfield-Delco kid who saw his first Phillies game in 1948, it was my coming-out decade. No Flyers yet, and the 76ers were a long way away, but I fell in love with Paul Arizin and Villanova basketball, and then the Warriors, where Paul went after a short service in the Marine Corps. Wilt was tearing up the Public League, and then off to Kansas to be an all-American and be drafted by the Warriors in 1959. The Phillies, of course, won their first National League pennant since 1915, with Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn leading the way. — Everett S.
In the 1970’s, Philadelphia was known as the“City of Champions.” Flyers in 1974 and 1975. In 1978, the Eagles played in a Wild Card game and lost. Was there! The Phillies played in the Championship Series in 1976 and lost to the Reds. The 76ers in the 70’s usually were in the playoffs but never advanced. I was in my 30’s and enjoyed every minute of it. — Ronald R.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Jeff Neiburg, Scott Lauber, Gabriela Carroll, Brooke Ackerman, Jackie Spiegel, Rob Tornoe, Jonathan Tannenwald, Ariel Simpson, Owen Hewitt, and Marcus Hayes.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Appreciate you allowing me to get your day started. We’ll be back tomorrow to get you set for the weekend. Have a good one, Philly. — Kerith
Kevin Willard was going on about his appreciation for the way his Villanova team works during practices when he referred to junior guard Tyler Perkins, seated to his right after Villanova’s 72-60 victory over Seton Hall, as a “pain in the ass.”
He meant it in the best way possible.
“He works too much,” Willard said. “His processor gets burned out sometimes.”
Villanova improved to 17-5 on the season and 8-3 in the Big East for a variety of reasons Wednesday night. The Wildcats, who never trailed, got a key effort from Malachi Palmer, who scored a career-high 15 points off the bench and helped ignite an 11-2 run to end the first half to send Villanova into the break with a 15-point lead. They forced Seton Hall point guard and Philadelphia native Adam “Budd” Clark to shoot jump shots and limited his ability to impact the game in transition. They outrebounded one of the better rebounding teams in the conference, 37-27.
But they won again because Perkins, the only returning regular player from last season, continues to excel. It has been a different guy on some nights for Villanova. Early in the season, it was Acaden Lewis and Bryce Lindsay driving the backcourt with Duke Brennan manning the middle.
Devin Askew has chipped in strong efforts off the bench, especially lately. Wednesday night was Palmer’s turn. But Perkins, who transferred to Villanova from Penn after his freshman season, scored 18 points and added five rebounds. It was his 10th double-digit scoring effort in Villanova’s last 12 games.
Villanova forward Duke Brennan and guard Tyler Perkins compete for a rebound against Seton Hall.
“He’s just the glue of their team,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said. “He’s just solid.
“For him to be a junior, he’s a grown man. He plays bigger than his size.”
Being a “glue guy” can be a derogatory term to some players. And maybe it’s an unfair label for Perkins, a 6-foot-4 guard, who is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 rebounds over his last six games. Lewis and Lindsay have, at times, struggled with the physicality required to get through a Big East season. Perkins hasn’t.
You can call him whatever you want.
“A lot of people say it, but at the end of the day I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help my team,” Perkins said. “I can impact the game in many ways. I’m fine with that if we win.”
Tyler Perkins is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 rebounds over his last six games.
He made winning plays Wednesday, and some were more obvious than others. Seton Hall threatened to erase a Villanova lead that grew as large as 20. The Pirates dialed up the pressure and forced Villanova into 11 second-half turnovers. The lead was down to 11 when Perkins turned a missed Palmer three-pointer into a putback layup plus a free throw to push the lead back to 14 with 5 minutes, 50 seconds to go. He was just 1-for-6 from three-point range but made all five of his free throws and turned the ball over just once.
Willard was doing some reminiscing Wednesday with his former school in the building. He was asked if Perkins reminded him of Josh Hart with all of the little things he does.
“Josh kicked my ass for four years,” Willard said. “Three games a year, I got it from Josh. One of the things I loved about Josh is he affected the game at every level and never made a mistake. He was OK not touching the ball for eight or nine possessions. Once [Perkins] realizes it’s OK not to touch the ball a little bit, and he can still affect the game at an unbelievable level, that’s what made Josh a pro. Josh affected the game without having to score, but he found ways to score. He found ways to shut down the best offensive guy.
“[Perkins] is starting to figure that out. That’s about a big a compliment as I can give to somebody because Josh was not only a phenomenal person, which Tyler is, but just a winner. And Tyler is a winner.”
He may not have the kind of NBA future that Hart has created for himself, but Perkins is affecting winning right now on a Villanova team that is tracking toward snapping a three-year NCAA Tournament drought in Willard’s first season. The Wildcats play next at Georgetown on Saturday, a team they beat by 15 at home two weeks ago. There are more winnable games on the calendar ahead, and rematches with No. 3 UConn and No. 22 St. John’s remaining, too.
Villanova coach Kevin Willard said he isn’t satisfied with his team: “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
With all the success Willard has had so far through 22 games, the coach was asked Wednesday night what he’s most satisfied with so far.
“Nothing,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. February is not a time to be [satisfied]. You should be looking at your team right now in February and saying, ‘What do I need to improve? What do I need to fix?’ I have to fix our offense a little bit.”
