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  • Jeff Stoutland exits as Vic Fangio pondered retirement: Eagles drama never ends

    Jeff Stoutland exits as Vic Fangio pondered retirement: Eagles drama never ends

    At this time a year ago, as he celebrated his second Super Bowl title as the Eagles’ offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland was being hailed as the greatest assistant coach in franchise history. His only real competition: Vic Fangio, whose arrival as coordinator the previous offseason saw the team turn its defense from its greatest weakness to its greatest strength.

    Now, a year later, one considered going and the other now is gone.

    Stoutland announced Wednesday evening on his Twitter/X feed that he had decided “My time coaching with the Eagles has come to an end.”

    Meanwhile, after weeks of rumors and reports, there was still no definitive news regarding Fangio and his annual contemplation of retirement.

    The Eagles and Fangio finally indicated that he will return as the DC. They did so a little more than an hour after this column published Wednesday evening, painting them as a team in disarray.

    Granted, 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.

    It certainly seems like a team in disarray.

    The departure of Stoutland was a seismic development. Since arriving with Chip Kelly in 2013 from the college ranks, Stoutland has become a cult figure in NFL circles and a demigod in football-crazed Philadelphia. His demanding coaching style, dubbed “Stoutland University” by Jordan Mailata, a giant converted rugby player who was his most prized pupil, turned Mailata, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson into Hall of Fame candidates and helped several other linemen perform beyond expectation.

    However, the offensive line in 2025 struggled. There was a cascade of injuries, but as the season collapsed, whispers regarding Stoutland’s effectiveness began to circulate.

    He’d also been passed over. Stoutland was not considered a viable candidate to replace offensive coordinator Kellen Moore last year when Moore became the head coach in New Orleans, nor was he considered a viable candidate to replace recently demoted OC Kevin Patullo.

    Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will return next season, ending talks of retirement.

    During the season, Stoutland, who had been serving as running game coordinator, was stripped of those responsibilities by head coach Nick Sirianni.

    After the Eagles hired Sean Mannion as OC last week, all offensive assistants were put on notice that Mannion might alter the staff. Quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler was expected to be the first casualty.

    Instead, Stout was out.

    Stoutland is 63, and is contemplating both retirement and remaining with the Eagles in an advisory position, although, given his strong personality and his 13-year tenure, his shadow likely would be too much of a distraction. His status will remain in limbo for the time being.

    Longtime Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announces departure from team

    For weeks, the same was true of Fangio

    I heard 2½ weeks ago that Fangio, 67, was contemplating retirement, and that it might hinge on a reunion with offensive coordinator candidate Mike McDaniel, under whom Fangio worked as defensive coordinator in Miami in 2023. I couldn’t get it confirmed in the Eagles building, so I didn’t write it, and then PhillyVoice.com broke the story over the weekend.

    The most intriguing parts of that story concerned the news that not only was Fangio so close to retirement that the Eagles alerted possible candidates, but also that one of those possible candidates was former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was generally despised by Eagles fans when he left for the Cardinals’ head coaching job.

    At any rate, my league sources said Fangio decided to not retire last week, which was one reason Gannon went ahead and took the DC job in Green Bay. Then, on Monday, The Inquirer reported that Fangio was still dithering … but the next day, @PHLY_sports reported that Fangio was expected to stay. Which was true. By Wednesday night, anyway.

    As prime candidates to replace Fangio keep getting hired by other teams, Fangio was holding the Eagles hostage.

    Just one more chapter in the story of a very strange workplace.

    The team, with its high-maintenance players, its impulsive head coach, and its eclectic collection of front-office characters, often gets frustrated by the way it is covered.

    This is the sort of behavior that casts the organization as dysfunctional.

    Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense has been dominant for two seasons.

    Sirianni taunts fans, including his own. Diva wide receiver A.J. Brown complains about the offense for three seasons, reads books on the sideline, calls the offense a “[bleep] show” online, and has to be reprimanded by owner Jeffrey Lurie. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter spits on Dak Prescott before the first snap of the season and somehow gets himself ejected and suspended from the same game.

    Fangio likes to golf and fish and watch the Phillies, but as a defensive coordinator, he gets to do that just one month per year.

    Jeffrey Lurie admired Kellen Moore as OC in Dallas and hired a similar coach, Sean Mannion, for the Eagles

    There were plenty of reasons besides age that Fangio might’ve wanted to step away.

    First, while the Eagles win, the NovaCare Complex isn’t exactly an easy place to be. Howie Roseman operates with more autonomy than most other GMs, who are more beholden to their coaching staff, especially their coordinators. Additionally, the best defenders will soon be receiving lucrative extensions, which could change the dynamic in the building. It might be a lot more pleasant coaching young, hungry talent like Jordan Davis, Quinyon Mitchell, Nolan Smith, and Cooper DeJean than coaching those same guys minus the financial incentive.

    Fangio has won a title. He has made millions. Maybe, as he ages, he doesn’t want to babysit a well-paid, overweight, under-motivated Jalen Carter.

    The way things go at the NovaCare facility, I can’t say that I‘d blame him.

  • Democratic campaign manager charged in Chester County for allegedly filing fake signatures in 2024 primary race

    Democratic campaign manager charged in Chester County for allegedly filing fake signatures in 2024 primary race

    A Democratic campaign manager was charged Monday in Chester County with filing fraudulent nomination petitions in the 2024 primary for auditor general, including the forged signature of a Chester County judge, authorities said.

    Mariel Kornblith-Martin, 40, of Philadelphia, is accused of filing the false nomination petitions when serving as campaign manager for Mark Pinsley, the Lehigh County controller, as he sought to secure a place on the competitive Democratic primary ballot.

    Petitions for Pinsley’s campaign included the names of people who said they had not signed them, including Chester County Judge Alita Rovito, Coatesville City Council members Carmen Green and Khadija Al-Amin, and West Goshen Township Supervisor Nate Wolman, The Inquirer reported.

    Rovito reported the forgery to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office at the time, saying the signature was not hers and she did not sign nominating petitions for any candidate, “as to do so would be a violation of judicial ethics,” according to charging documents.

    Rovito, a Democrat, told The Inquirer at the time that “the use of my name and signature is concerning to me due [to] the potential implications on my role as a member of the independent judiciary.”

    Alita Rovito, a Chester County judge, poses for a portrait in West Chester, Pa. in 2020.

    In the criminal complaint filed against Kornblith-Martin, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office alleges that she gave three college students “stacks of pages containing signatures of supporters” and asked them to sign the required sworn declaration at the bottom of each page. Among the charges filed against Kornblith-Martin was solicitation to false swearing.

    Prosecutors say she paid the students, who are not named in the charging documents, $50 on at least three occasions to sign the petitions.

    “That’s disgraceful,” former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the chair of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, said of the charges against Kornblith-Martin. “She’s not one of our favorites.”

    The three college students were all working part-time on several campaigns run by Kornblith-Martin, according to the complaint.

    The students were previously identified by The Inquirer as paid volunteers attending Temple University.

    Kornblith-Martin described herself to investigators as a “political operative” in Philadelphia with 13 years of experience who had worked on 16 campaigns, according to the criminal complaint. She previously served in Philadelphia’s 39th Democratic Ward, but resigned last year, according to its ward leader, Traffic Court Judge Michael Sullivan.

    Kornblith-Martin did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday or Thursday.

    She turned herself in on Wednesday and has been released on bail, which was set at $50,000.

    Kornblith-Martin said in 2024 that the campaign was conducting an “internal investigation” when asked about the alleged fraudulent signatures.

    Pinsley told The Inquirer on Wednesday evening his campaign “reviewed what was brought to our attention but did not have enough verified information to reach independent conclusions” when concerns were raised.

    “Petition drives can involve invalid or questionable signatures for many reasons, and we were not in a position to determine intent,” he added in a text message. “I was not personally involved in the signature collection, and I believe the legal process is the appropriate place for the facts to be established. If anyone knowingly falsified signatures, that would be wrong and should carry consequences.”

    Pinsley said he has “not been involved” with Kornblith-Martin since his auditor general campaign and does “not know the facts of this situation.” Pinsley is now running in the crowded Democratic primary to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley.

    Pinsley’s campaign was not the only one with signatures that came under scrutiny.

    State Sen. Nikil Saval’s 2024 campaign complained about signatures on then-candidate Allen King’s petitions, which included two of the same student circulators and contributed to his being booted from the ballot.

    King, an entrepreneur who still has political aspirations, told The Inquirer the incident had disillusioned him about the two-party system and inspired him to reapply to law school.

    “When ballot access becomes a game of shortcuts and challenges, democracy loses before voters ever enter the booth,” he said.

    The February 2024 revelation that Pinsley’s campaign may have submitted fraudulent petitions shook up the race for a little-known office responsible for conducting audits to ensure that state money is spent properly.

    Pinsley failed to secure the Democratic nomination over State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who ultimately lost to incumbent Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor as the GOP swept the state’s row offices in the general election.

    Kenyatta did not formally challenge Pinsley’s nominating petitions to remove him from the ballot during the primary. Reached Wednesday, Kenyatta said in a statement: “Fraud occurring within any stage of our electoral process is a direct assault on our democracy.”

    “The charges brought today are a first step in the legal process but accountability must not end here: the buck always stops with the candidate,” added Kenyatta, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

    Investigators found at least nine pages of alleged forgeries of Chester County voters, according to the complaint.

    To get on the ballot in Pennsylvania for a statewide row office like auditor general, a candidate must submit 1,000 signatures, including at least 100 from at least five counties.

  • Fire Marshal rules that a fatal house fire in Kingsessing was intentionally set

    Fire Marshal rules that a fatal house fire in Kingsessing was intentionally set

    A 25-year-old man was pronounced dead after he was pulled from a burning house in a fire that was intentionally set early Wednesday in the city’s Kingsessing, authorities said.

    The Philadelphia Fire Department responded just before 1:45 a.m. to a report of a fire in a two-story rowhouse on the 5400 block of Regent Street, authorities said

    Firefighters battled the fire on the second floor and attempted to rescue a man from the back bedroom. He was transported by medics to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:29 a.m.

    The fire was placed under control at 2:01 a.m. and no other injuries were reported.

    “The Fire Marshal’s Office did determine this fire was incendiary, meaning it was set intentionally,” said Rachel Cunningham, spokesperson for the fire department.

    The case is now being investigated by police.

  • Longtime Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announces departure from team

    Longtime Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announces departure from team

    After 13 seasons, Jeff Stoutland, the longest-tenured Eagles coach, will no longer be the team’s offensive line coach as the offensive coaching staff continues its overhaul.

    Stoutland, who has been on the staff since 2013 and worked under head coaches Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson, and Nick Sirianni, announced his departure from coaching in a social media post Wednesday night.

    “I’ve decided my time coaching with the Eagles has come to an end,“ Stoutland wrote. ”When I arrived here in 2013, I did not know what I was signing up for. I quickly learned what this city demands. But more importantly, what it gives back.”

    The Eagles wanted Stoutland back, a source said, but Stoutland chose to step away from coaching. He may still be around the team in an unofficial capacity.

    The Eagles are in the process of an offensive makeover with new coordinator Sean Mannion at the top. They hired former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as the pass game coordinator a day after hiring Mannion, and more changes to the coaching staff could be on the way.

    Stoutland, who turns 64 next week, was also the team’s run game coordinator, but his influence over the running game lessened during the season when the Eagles shifted their game planning and play-calling to offset the early struggles on the ground, The Inquirer reported last week.

    Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be ‘a home run hire’ for Eagles: ‘His internal memory is ridiculous’

    Stoutland has been a coach for more than 40 years and has been widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the league for some time. His influence on the team’s offensive front was critical in its two Super Bowl victories. The success stories under his tutelage have been numerous. He helped turn Jordan Mailata from a rugby player into an All-Pro, oversaw two of the best offensive tackles in recent history, Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, and just a season ago helped Mekhi Becton turn his career around.

    Stoutland has also been key in the Eagles’ success using their signature Tush Push, though, like the running game this season, that aspect of the offense took a step back.

    “Stout’s influence throughout football is immense, having helped countless players reach their true potential, including many who went on to earn All-Pro honors and some who developed into future Hall of Fame talents,” the Eagles said in a statement. “His passion for the development of young players set the bar not only for our organization but for the entire National Football League.

    “It is hard to fathom another coach investing more personally and professionally in their players than Jeff Stoutland.”

    The Eagles had 10 first-team All-Pro selections under Stoutland, whose offensive line teaching earned the nickname “Stoutland University” during his time with the team. Jason Kelce (six) and Johnson (two) made up eight of the All-Pro honors, and Peters and Evan Mathis each were selected once during Stoutland’s tenure.

    Jason Kelce embraces Jeff Stoutland after Kelce announced his retirement at the Novacare Complex on March 4, 2024.

    “There is absolutely no one I credit more with the career I had than Jeff Stoutland,” Kelce wrote on social media. “The consistent passion and his eagerness to teach pushed my teammates, me, and our room to amazing success. More importantly, we became incredibly close as people. It was more than just coaching and teaching, it was his presence and sense of urgency that was unaccepting of mediocrity and potential left behind.

    “He will undoubtedly be missed inside the building, and everyone that played for him. I am incredible grateful to have played for Stout, 1 of 1 coach and person. I love you coach.”

    Stoutland, in his statement, said the past 13 years “have been the great privilege of my coaching career. I didn’t just work here, I became one of you.

    “Stout out.”

  • What to know about Penn State’s 2026 class on national signing day

    What to know about Penn State’s 2026 class on national signing day

    Matt Campbell completed his first recruiting class as the head football coach at Penn State, and the team welcomed 55 newcomers, including 15 recruits in the class of 2026, four of whom put pen to paper on national signing day.

    Penn State’s class is ranked No. 41 nationally and No. 10 in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports. Many of the players in Campbell’s class were signed before Wednesday’s national signing day. He landed 40 players from the transfer portal, 24 of whom came from Iowa State.

    “I feel like we went with a mentality of not wavering from who we want this football team to be,” Campbell said at a news conference. “Young men that love the sport of football, young men that love Penn State, and I would say, most importantly, young men also that know, they understand the value of an education from this institution. Those core values were really critical for us to kind of build this football team forward.”

    2026 class

    Penn State’s class took a hit during the early signing period while the program continued its search for a head coach. Eleven pledges flipped to Virginia Tech to join James Franklin. Malvern Prep edge rusher Jackson Ford and Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone, a three-star quarterback, were the only two to sign early with the Nittany Lions.

    Since then, Penn State had an additional nine recruits sign, and each of Wednesday’s signees, which included Elijah Reeder, Keian Kaiser, Pete Eglitis, and Lucas Tenbrock, were originally committed to play for Campbell at Iowa State.

    Reeder, a Bayville, N.J., native, is a four-star edge rusher and the fourth-best prospect in New Jersey, according to 247Sports. In his senior season at Central Regional High School, Reeder recorded 50 tackles and eight sacks. Reeder is listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds.

    The defensive lineman’s other FBS offers came from Iowa State and Missouri.

    Eglitis, an offensive lineman, is from Columbus, Ohio. The three-star 6-7 prospect earned all-Ohio honors in 2024 and 2025, as he helped lead Bishop Watterson High School to back-to-back state championships. In addition to flipping from Iowa State, Eglitis also chose Penn State over Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and Missouri, among others.

    Kaiser is a linebacker from Sidney, Neb. The three-star recruit was a multisport athlete at Sidney High School, participating in the high jump and the discus. In his junior year, the 6-4 Kaiser recorded 127 tackles and two interceptions.

    A native of St. Charles, Ill., Tenbrock is the sixth-best punter in this year’s recruiting class, according to the composite rankings of ESPN, Rivals.com, and 247Sports. Tenbrock’s only offer came from Campbell at Iowa State.

    While most of the four- and five-star recruits are already committed to schools by national signing day, Penn State was on the losing end of one recruiting battle on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions made a late push to persuade Samson Gash to come to Happy Valley instead of Michigan State, but the four-star wideout and Michigan native chose to stay closer to home.

    Ford is the only Philadelphia-area talent in the class of 2026.

    Transfers

    The majority of Penn State’s roster in 2026 will be transfers.

    Campbell signed 40 players from the portal. The Nittany Lions likely will need the veteran presence, as they lost 47 members of last year’s team to the portal after finishing 7-6 and firing Franklin in the middle of the season.

    Ethan Grunkemeyer perhaps was the most impactful of the outgoing transfers. Grunkemeyer took over after starting quarterback after Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October. Grunkemeyer, who passed for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, followed Franklin to Virginia Tech.

    Campbell turned to a familiar player to fill the hole at quarterback in Rocco Becht.

    Becht spent three seasons as the starter under Campbell at Iowa State. He logged two 3,000 passing-yard seasons and chose to follow his old coach for his final year of eligibility.

    “What I believe Penn State football is — integrity, character, class, excellence, grit — [Becht] embodies every one of those traits,” Campbell said. “And so to me, I just felt like that was such a critical opportunity for him to finish his career with us.”

    Becht is not the only former Cyclone expected to have a major impact.

    Benjamin Brahmer, a 6-7 tight end who led the Cyclones with 37 catches and six touchdowns last season, will spend his senior season at Penn State. The Nittany Lions also will get Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell, last year’s leading receivers at Iowa State. They finished with 526 and 500 yards, respectively. Campbell added the Cyclones’ leading rusher, Carson Hansen (952 yards on 188 carries), to the roster as well.

    The Nittany Lions hope the veteran Cyclones can replace the offensive production they lost after running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton declared for the NFL draft.

    Former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht hands off to running back Carson Hansen, who led the team in rushing yards last season. Both will play at Penn State in 2026.

    “[Hansen is] durable, he’s tough, he’s physical,” Campbell said. “He’s got great vision. He’s got the ability that if you need him to carry the ball 40 times in a game, he can do it. … And so I think what you’ll get from Carson is a guy that’s about as trusted as you’re going to find.”

    Former Cyclones will also impact the defensive side. Campbell landed Iowa State’s leading tacklers in Marcus Neal, a junior defensive back, and Kooper Ebel, a senior linebacker. Both finished last season with 77 tackles, with Neal adding a team-high 11 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

    Caleb Bacon, a redshirt senior linebacker who led Iowa State with three sacks last season, also will join Penn State.

    Penn State’s 2026 schedule: A trip to the Linc and a visit to Northwestern in debut of new stadium

    While the number of transfers who followed Campbell to Penn State from Iowa State should provide Campbell some proven talent, the first-year coach noted that players will still have to navigate change to be successful in Happy Valley.

    “I think there’s competition and there’s the ability to grow, but we’ve got to go grow,” Campbell said. “Every coach in America is going to tell you how great their team is. I’m saying the opposite. We’ve got really great talent, but we’ve got to grow forward. We’re all going through change. We have to figure out who can do it the most consistently.”

  • Trading Jared McCain is a big risk, unless something bigger is in play

    Trading Jared McCain is a big risk, unless something bigger is in play

    Curious.

    Suggestive.

    Dangerous.

    Most of all, unfortunate.

    Those are the only sorts of words you can use right now when evaluating the Sixers’ decision to trade Jared McCain to the Thunder on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and some ancillary draft capital.

    To judge the move in more definitive terms would be irresponsible given the amount of time that still remains between now and Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The final verdict depends on what happens next. If nothing happens next, then, yeah, the Sixers’ decision to jettison their promising 2024 first-round pick will rank somewhere on a spectrum between “underwhelming” and “foolish.” If their primary motivation was to duck below the luxury tax yet again, it will be a level beyond foolish. It will be criminal.

    Many Sixers fans came to love Jared McCain and his social media flair. And now their hearts are broken.

    That being said, there are a lot of other ifs in play, many of them more plausible than Daryl Morey viewing a legitimate asset as a cost-savings vehicle. The NBA’s in-season hot stove is sizzling right now. The Mavericks traded All-Star center Anthony Davis to the Wizards, thereby finalizing their aggregate return for Luka Doncic at a grand total of three first-round picks, each of which is more likely to be closer to No. 30 than to No. 1. Trade rumors continue to circulate around Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, with suitors like the Timberwolves and Heat jockeying to present Milwaukee with an offer that will convince it to strike a deal now rather than wait for the offseason. There are a lot of dominoes left to fall, and the Sixers could easily end up toppling one — or being one.

    The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the big prize at the NBA trade deadline.

    As of Wednesday night, there were no indications that the Sixers were gearing up to make a legitimate run at acquiring Giannis, who was previously reported to be intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. Such a move would almost certainly require the Sixers to part with rookie star V.J. Edgecombe. That’s a move they almost certainly will not do.

    But the Sixers could easily end up involved on the periphery of the Giannis talks. If Minnesota is determined/desperate to add Giannis, then it would presumably need to be desperate/determined to acquire the first-round picks that the Bucks would require (the Timberwolves don’t have much in the way of draft capital to trade). Minnesota’s determination/desperation creates some intriguing possibilities for a third team that does have first-round picks it can trade. The dream scenario would be someone like young sweet-shooting big man Naz Reid becoming available. A more realistic opportunity could come in the form of former Villanova-turned-Knicks-turned-Timberwolves grinder Donte DiVincenzo.

    Forget about trading VJ Edgecombe for Giannis. Or anybody.

    I’m throwing those names out there mostly as for-instances. The world remains Morey’s oyster until the clock strikes 3 p.m. EST on Thursday.

    What we can say right now is that trading McCain is a risk. We’re barely a year removed from the 21-year-old guard looking like one of the best players in his draft class. His star has dimmed quite a bit since a season-ending knee injury put the kibosh on his rookie season after 23 games. But remember what we saw in those 23 games: 15.3 points, a .383 three-point percentage, promising toughness and defense. It’s hard to believe that those things were mirages, especially when you consider the track record that the Thunder have in identifying undervalued young talent. If Sam Presti wants to trade for your player, it’s a good reason not to trade him.

    Adding a young guard like the Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu would help the Jared McCain trade make sense.

    The Sixers surely know this. That’s a good enough reason to give them until the trade deadline before deciding how we feel. The reality on the ground has changed a lot since McCain burst onto the scene early last year. The fit with Edgecombe isn’t an ideal one. McCain is averaging just 16.8 minutes this season. But he was hardly in danger of becoming a sunk cost. The hope here is that the draft capital the Sixers acquired from the Thunder will help them add a player who brings more certainty to go with his youth. The Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu is just one example of a player who would make all the sense in the world to swap in for McCain.

    Until then, we wait.

  • The new Norristown school board plans to oust its superintendent, citing poor test scores

    The new Norristown school board plans to oust its superintendent, citing poor test scores

    The Norristown Area School District’s board is moving to oust its superintendent, saying the district needs a new leader to reverse years of poor test scores.

    The move to replace Superintendent Christopher Dormer, who has led the Montgomery County district since 2018 and whose contract expires June 30, comes after five new members were elected to the nine-person school board in November. The board voted unanimously Jan. 20 to give Dormer notice they would not renew his contract.

    Some community members expressed shock at the decision to part ways with Dormer, who is also the president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. Dormer has been a vocal advocate for increasing funding to Norristown, which is considered underfunded by the state, and where nearly three-quarters of students are economically disadvantaged.

    Jeremiah Lemke, who joined the Norristown school board in December and is now its president, acknowledged Dormer as “a leader statewide” in advocating for a new school funding system and a superintendent who has done “many good things for the district.” But, he said at the Jan. 20 meeting, test scores are a concern.

    “Student achievement in Norristown hasn’t been winning, under Mr. Dormer, for years, not months, but years — seven to be exact,“ Lemke said in an emailed statement Wednesday. ”If the Eagles didn’t win for seven years, regardless of what positive developments happened in the organization, there would be no questions asked when the head coach was replaced.“

    Norristown, a majority Hispanic district, enrolls about 8,000 students.

    About 28% of Norristown’s third-through-eighth graders scored proficient or above in English language arts on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment standardized tests last year, compared to 48.5% statewide. In math, 27.4% of Norristown students were proficient, compared to 41.7% statewide.

    Over the last few years, changes in Norristown’s test scores have largely tracked Pennsylvania’s as a whole, with ELA scores sliding, and math scores improving. In 2023, 30.7% of Norristown students scored proficient in ELA, compared to 53.7% of students at the state level. In math, 21.6% of Norristown students scored proficient in 2023, compared to 39.4% statewide.

    In a message to staff and families after the Jan. 20 vote, Dormer said he was proud of what the district had accomplished during his tenure — “including consecutive years with minimal to no tax increases, the sizable and significant additions in staffing after years of reductions, the sustained investment in new instructional resources and educational opportunities after years of unaffordability, the development and implementation of our facilities master plan after decades of deferred maintenance, and the commitment to the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging as we navigated a worldwide pandemic and an increasingly politically divided country.”

    Dormer, who began his career in education as an educational assistant in the Lower Merion School District, spent 13 years as a teacher, coach, and athletic director in the Upper Darby School District before moving into administration in 2005. He became Upper Darby High School’s principal in 2008, a role he held for five years, and came to Norristown in 2016.

    Performance reviews on the district’s website show Dormer was rated “proficient” by the board in 2021-22 and 2022-23. More recent reviews were not listed online.

    On Wednesday, Dormer declined to comment.

    Lemke — who works for a Philadelphia nonprofit, Jounce Partners, that has coached charter school leaders to improve teacher performance — said in a statement Wednesday that the decision was “thoughtful, reflective, data-informed, and unanimous, amongst new and continuing board members.”

    The board last week voted to approve a $79,500 contract with Alma Advisory Group, a Chicago-based firm, to conduct a national search for a new superintendent.

    Jordan Alexander, another new school board member, said during that board meeting that members “often have to make decisions that are very unpopular.”

    “I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t so sold,” Alexander said. A former Norristown student, Alexander said that when Dormer “came to the scene, the pride did go up, and it was a breath of fresh air.”

    But “we cannot advocate ourselves to be the best if our performance does not reflect that,” Alexander said.

    Community reaction to the ouster

    Some community members accused the board of a predetermined decision.

    “Staff were not aware of these changes … the community was not aware, or anybody. You guys just threw it out there,” Ericka Wharton, a parent and leader of a Norristown community center, told the board at last week’s meeting. Wharton warned the decision could create instability, including a decline in student achievement.

    Carmina Taylor, a local advocate, told the board that community members deserved “a full explanation with dates and details that led to your decision.”

    “This decision is short-sighted, abrupt, without consideration as to how the students will be impacted by this major shift in leadership,” said Taylor, co-founder of the Movement for Black and Brown Lives in Montgomery County.

    The election of the new board came after infighting in the local Democratic Party. Chris Jaramillo, the former board president, lost the local Democratic Party’s endorsement for reelection last year. Jaramillo had opposed a tax break for a senior affordable housing development. Last week, the new board voted to rescind a November district policy that restricted tax abatements, saying it would replace it.

    Jaramillo is also a co-founder of the Movement for Black and Brown Lives in Montgomery County. In an interview Wednesday, he described the board’s new leaders as inexperienced and questioned how it could quickly replace Dormer without causing disruption.

    “I don’t think it’s a sound decision,” said Jaramillo. He said he worried the board would pick someone “without any sort of knowledge of how diverse Norristown and its surrounding area are.”

    Taylor said Wednesday she wasn’t speaking on behalf of Jaramillo. She accused the board of “plotting” to remove Dormer.

    “How in the world, if they didn’t have a sense of what they wanted to do, could they have even attempted to do that in the last 45 days?” said Taylor, who has filed a complaint with the school board, alleging insufficient transparency.

    Lemke said it is “categorially false” that the board acted too quickly and without transparency. “Once we were installed, we had a short time period in which to make a decision because we knew that if we didn’t renew his contract it would not be a quick task to do a national search for a superintendent,” he said.

    Taylor noted that while the district’s test scores “are bad,” Norristown has only been receiving additional state money under a new formula intended to remedy constitutional underfunding for the past two years. (The budget proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro Tuesday would give underfunded districts their third installment of a nine-year plan.)

    “It’s not enough to address the systemic issue, period,” she said.

  • Unlocking Jamie Drysdale’s offensive potential could go a long way toward improving the Flyers’ power play

    Unlocking Jamie Drysdale’s offensive potential could go a long way toward improving the Flyers’ power play

    Jamie Drysdale snapped a 20-game goal drought with his game-winner late in the third period Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.

    The goal was critical to keeping the Flyers competitive in the Metropolitan Division standings, snapping the team’s four-game losing streak and helping build some momentum heading into the Olympic break.

    But it was also important personally for Drysdale, as it marked his first goal since returning from an upper-body injury on Jan. 14, and doubled as a sign of the progress he and the power play have been making in recent games.

    “I think I had my chances, to be honest with you, I just couldn’t put the puck in the net,” Drysdale said. “Guys did a great job of finding me, finding holes, and it was nice to see one go in.”

    Jamie Drysdale’s third period goal helps Flyers beat Capitals and snaps four-game losing streak

    Coach Rick Tocchet has praised Drysdale’s growth as one of the locker room leaders, including an important speech on the bench against Colorado. But the 23-year-old is also quietly having his best season on the ice, as he is on pace for a career high in points in addition to improving his game on the defensive side of the puck.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers’ top three performing defensive pairs this season, with more than 30 minutes played, have included Drysdale. Cam York, Nick Seeler, and Travis Sanheim have all generated more expected goals with Drysdale than without.

    “Such a good skater, really high IQ,” York said of what makes Drysdale easy to play with. “He can be a one-man breakout when he wants to. Being close friends helps, too, because I feel like the communication is really good.”

    The last piece for Drysdale to unlock is the power play. The Flyers have converted on 16.3% of their power play opportunities, good for 26th in the league, but they’ve slowly improved in recent weeks, scoring six power play goals over their last seven games.

    Over that last stretch of games, Drysdale has anchored the top power-play unit of Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Bobby Brink, and Travis Konecny, which Tocchet first pivoted to in earnest against Vegas on Jan. 19. In 20 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time on the power play, that unit has scored four goals, including a goal in each of the last two games.

    Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (9) scored the game-winner with just over five minutes left against the Washington Capitals.

    Drysdale’s shot from the point on Tuesday was an example of exactly what Tocchet wants to see the defenseman do on the power play: take point shots that are low enough for a deflection opportunity.

    “Teams will pre-scout you, and we’re trying to explain to the players that on the pre-scout, if you’re overpassing, they won’t respect the middle shot,” Tocchet said. “That’s the hardest thing to defend is a middle shot when you’re out of position. If we can get those types of goals and build on it and get some guys confident with that shot, you can get those types of goals.”

    Flyers GM Danny Brière addresses Rick Tocchet’s recent comments on Matvei Michkov: ‘They have a good relationship.’

    Just five of Drysdale’s 22 points this season have come on the power play, including three in the last seven games. Since his draft year in 2020, Drysdale, due to his skating and playmaking ability, has possessed the potential to be a strong offensive defenseman.

    If he can continue to improve the Flyers’ power play, he could surge far past his career high of 32 points, set in 2021-22.

    “It’s not easy to get pucks through,” Drysdale said. “Obviously, it’s guys’ jobs to get in front of them, but at the same time, it’s your job to get them through and try and create. It’s a little give-and-take, and you’re constantly working and building and trying to create more.”

    Breakaways

    Konecny did not skate Wednesday for maintenance reasons. … Emil Andrae has been a scratch the last five games and could sit again on Thursday against Ottawa (7 p.m., NBCSP), Tocchet said. … The Rangers traded All-Star winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday for a third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree.

  • Many Sixers fans came to love Jared McCain and his social media flair. And now their hearts are broken.

    Many Sixers fans came to love Jared McCain and his social media flair. And now their hearts are broken.

    After less than two seasons with the Sixers, Jared McCain is saying goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love.

    In what is one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 trade deadline so far,the Sixers traded McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks.

    McCain got off to a quick start in his rookie campaign in Philly, averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 boards on 46% shooting from the floor in 23 games before a meniscus tear sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

    While he had a standout rookie season, McCain struggled in his second year since returning from his injury, averaging 6.6 points in 16.8 minutes. But he did have a breakout game against the Milwaukee Bucks last week, scoring 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting from deep, and had scored in double digits in three of his last six games before the trade.

    But Sixers fans weren’t just falling in love with McCain’s presence on the court. The 21-year-old guard also made a name for himself on social media, boasting 4.9 million followers on TikTok and 1.9 million followers on Instagram.

    So it’s no surprise that Philly fans took to social media to express their condolences about the trade. That’s right, condolences. Sixers fans are mourning the trade and reluctantly saying goodbye to McCain in the process.

    Other fans were less emotional, but the common theme remained disappointment, even though star rookie VJ Edgecombe and All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey are blocking him from playing more minutes.

    While Sixers fans continue to cope with the loss in their own way, there are plenty in the media, who get paid to think with their heads and not their hearts, who weighed in on the deal …

  • Ann Harnwell Ashmead, renowned classical archaeology researcher and writer, has died at 96

    Ann Harnwell Ashmead, renowned classical archaeology researcher and writer, has died at 96

    Ann Harnwell Ashmead, 96, of Haverford, renowned classical archaeology researcher, writer, museum curator, volunteer, and world traveler, died Saturday, Jan. 17, of chronic congestive heart failure at her home.

    Dr. Ashmead was an archaeological specialist in Greek vase painting, the depiction of cats on classical and Near Eastern artifacts, and the history of other ancient ceramics. She traveled to Greece, Italy, Turkey, France, and elsewhere around the world to examine, analyze, and research all kinds of ceramics collections.

    She consulted with hundreds of other archaeologists and curators, and wrote extensively about the ongoing international research project to document ancient ceramics and the extensive collections at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges, the Penn Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Louvre Museum in Paris, and other places. She did archaeological field work in Greece during her college years at Bryn Mawr and served as a classical archaeology graduate teaching assistant.

    She was onetime curator of Bryn Mawr’s 6,000-piece Ella Riegel Memorial Museum and a research associate at the Penn Museum. She partnered for years with Bryn Mawr professor Kyle Meredith Phillips Jr. to research and write articles and books about ancient vases, cups, jars, pots, Etruscan images of cats, and other classical antiquities.

    Dr. Ashmead visited many archaeological sites in Greece and elsewhere.

    Some of her colleagues lovingly called her “the cat lady.”

    Dr. Ashmead often reassembled broken ancient objects for curators and created visual and oral presentations to augment her printed catalogs, articles, and books. “She was indefatigable,“ her family said in a tribute.

    She shared her research at conferences, meetings, and exhibitions around the globe, and most recently collaborated with Ingrid M. Edlund-Berry, professor emerita at the University of Texas at Austin, on a project that scrutinized cats as shield devices on Greek vases.

    “Ann was very modest, humble, and self-deprecating about her publications and academic achievements,” her family said. Her son Graham said: “She was a role model who inspired me with her curiosity on all subjects and issues, and a love of world travel, reading, and lifelong learning.”

    Dr. Ashmead spoke English, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, French, Danish, and Italian.

    Dr. Ashmead was active with the Archaeological Institute of America, and her research was published by the American Journal of Archaeology, the journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and other groups.

    She married Haverford College English professor John Ashmead Jr. in 1949, and they spent the next two decades traveling the world while he completed Fulbright Scholar teaching assignments. They lived in Japan, Taiwan, and India, and later in Paris, Athens, and Florida.

    She spoke English, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, French, Danish, and Italian. “Her learning never stopped,” her family said.

    Ann Wheeler Harnwell was born Oct. 7, 1929, in Princeton, N.J. Her family moved to Wynnewood in 1938 after her father, Gaylord P. Harnwell, became chair of the physics department at the University of Pennsylvania. He became president of Penn in 1953.

    Dr. Ashmead had many articles, catalogs, and books published over her long career.

    She graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1947 after spending the previous three years with her family in California. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate in classical archaeology at Bryn Mawr, and her 1959 doctoral thesis was titled: “A Study of the Style of the Cup Painter Onesimos.”

    On page 2, she wrote: “Such attributions of vases to an artist are a delicate business, the outcome of a long and intricate process of observation and analysis, often of tentative nature.”

    She and her husband had sons John III, Graham, and Gaylord, and daughters Louisa and Theodora. They divorced in 1976 but remained close friends until he died in 1992.

    Having grown up during the stock market crisis in the 1930s, Dr. Ashmead followed the market closely as an adult, and was thrifty and frugal, her family said.

    Dr. Ashmead married English professor John Ashmead Jr. in 1949.

    She was an avid letter writer and reader, and her personal library featured more than 5,000 books. She volunteered for years at Bryn Mawr’s old Owl Bookstore and especially enjoyed reading to her children and grandchildren.

    She was on the board of the Haverford College Arboretum and a member of the Hardy Plant Society, the Henry Foundation for Botanical Research, and the Philadelphia Skating Club. She enjoyed dancing, organizing Easter egg hunts, and hosting birthday parties and family events.

    A fashionista in the 1960s and ’70s, she was adept at needle crafting, quilting, and sewing. She bred cats, painted, collected antiques, and researched her genealogy.

    She always made time for family no matter where in the world they were, and they said: “She was concerned if she was ever separated from a child and distraught if they were distraught.”

    Dr. Ashmead (front left) always made time for her family.

    She lived in Denmark for a few years and finally settled for good in Haverford in 1983. “She was interesting, smart, capable, strong, articulate, and fun to be around,” her daughter Theodora said. “She was solution-oriented. She sparkled.”

    In addition to her children, Dr. Ashmead is survived by six grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

    She requested that no services be held and donated her body to the Humanity Gifts Registry through Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

    Donations in her name may be made to the Haverford College Arboretum, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa. 19041.

    Dr. Ashmead (left) met many dignitaries during her worldwide travels.