Philadelphia is unlikely tohave a white Christmas, but snow is on the horizon for the weekend.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon issued a winter storm watch for much for eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The watch will be in effect from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.
From Friday into Friday evening, forecasters are “near 100% confident” that most of the Philly area will get some form of winter precipitation, according tothe National Weather Service. But exactly what type of precipitation, how much, and the precise timing remains uncertain.
“We’re likely going to see an impactful winter storm,” said Eric Hoeflich, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Philadelphia may get between 1 and 4 inches of snow Friday into the night, according to the National Weather Service. Light precipitation could linger into Saturday morning.
Forecasters expect between 1 and 3 inches of precipitation in northern Delaware, far southern New Jersey, and Southeastern Pennsylvania. Eastern Pennsylvania and much of New Jersey may see 4 to 7 inches. Actual precipitation totals and types, however, may vary. Some areas could get snow, sleet, freezing rain, or plain rain depending on temperatures and timing.
Ahead of the expected weekend storm, Philadelphians are unlikely to be greeted with snow-dusted streets on Christmas morning.
After sun and high temperatures in the 40s on Wednesday, Christmas Day may also bring above-average temperatures, with highs forecast in the mid-40s and a potential for light showers in the morning.
It will be “not great weather, but not bad either for late December,” according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Friday’s winter weather event would mark the second measurable snowfall of the season in Philly. The snowstorm that swept across the Philadelphia region on Dec. 14 dumped 4.2 inches of snow at Philadelphia International Airport. Some suburban communities in Bucks and Chester Counties recorded over 8 inches.
If you’re planning to travel on Friday evening, expect impacts to your plans, as roads may get snowy and icy.
If you’re still on the hunt for any last minute Christmas gifts, or you’re already preparing for next year, then Jason and Travis Kelce have got you covered.
On the latest episode of New Heights, the former Eagles center and Kansas City tight end put together the ultimate gift guide for “dudes who can’t shop good” — but of course, they had some help from Not Gonna Lie host, Kylie Kelce.
Here are some of the best gifts included in the New Heights gift guide:
Gift cards. Jason and Travis Kelce approved.
Gift cards
You typically can’t go wrong with a gift card. When it comes to last-minute shopping, these are some of the easiest gifts you can grab for friends and loved ones. Sure, it may not be the most thoughtful gift option in the world, but it’s definitely going to be one of the more useful ones.
“If it’s to a store you know that she shops, yes,” Kylie said. “I think some women may find this to be a little impersonal. But also, with online shopping then she’s guaranteed to get something she wants and it’ll come right to her door.”
But is a gift card enough on its own? According to Jason, it’s not.
“i just feel like if it’s somebody special, I wouldn’t roll into the holidays with just a gift card,” Jason said.
Candles are great. Assuming you or your special person isn’t allergic to them.
Scented candles
So, what pairs well with a gift card? To Kylie, a scented candle would have been perfect. Unfortunately, she happens to be married to someone who doesn’t enjoy the fresh smells of cinnamon, gingerbread, and peppermint taking over the house.
“I’m anti-candles,” Jason said. “I don’t like chemicals just burned and thrust into the air for me to be breathing in all day so I can get brain cancer.
“I don’t think it makes any sense. Why would I want some artificial [expletive] flower thing in the air that some person made in a lab from some combination of vegetable this and that. And this essence, I don’t want it in my face.”
When it comes to last-minute gifts, Kylie Kelce thinks a nice piece of jewelry is “a great idea.”
Jewelry
If you’re gift hunting for that special someone, then you may be looking for something bigger than gift cards and candles. Jewelry can be another option — whether it’s a nice set of earrings, a pearl necklace, a tennis bracelet, or a shiny ring.
“Jewelry is a great idea,” Kylie said. “Because I think there’s varying degrees of jewelry.”
Jason responded: “Is there a bad degree of jewelry? Like, would you get something and be like ‘Oh, this is not it and I’m mad?’”
“I don’t know if I would be mad,” Kylie said. “I just think that if it’s going to turn your skin green, probably don’t get it as a gift.”
That new refrigerator you’ve been eyeing up? Chances are your significant other has been eyeing it too, according to the Kelces.
Kitchen appliances
To Travis, some of the perfect gifts can even be kitchen appliances. The Chiefs tight end revealed that one of his fiancé Taylor Swift’s favorite gifts that she’s ever received from him was a bread slicer.
“I will say that one of Tay’s favorite gifts that I got her was the bread slicer,” Travis said. “She’s been throwing together so much [expletive] sourdough. Gosh, the best gut health there is.”
Health and fitness gifts might sound great but could be a silent trap you don’t want to fall for, according to Kylie.
Health & fitness related gifts
And when it comes to health and fitness-related gifts, this one can be a little tricky.
“You’re asking the wrong person because I would say yes,” Kylie said. “More [generally], I would say — unless she explicitly asks for it — absolutely not.”
“You also buy her a set of pants that are a size smaller,” Jason said, jokingly. “With a card that says ‘You can do it.’”
They almost didn’t put up a Christmas tree this year.
R.C. Wilson Sr. knew things were going to be tight for his family this holiday, with him starting a new job and “life just being hard,” he said. It was a week before Christmas when he reached out to Justin Brown, who leads an organization that connects athletes with community initiatives and had arranged several holiday donation drives this season, asking if Brown knew of any agencies that might donate some gifts to Wilson’s six kids.
Brown reached out to the Chester County community, and he got an outpouring of support. He asked NFL tight end Kenny Yeboah, a former Temple player who later joined the New York Jets and Detroit Lions, and former Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene to be part of a surprise. He told Wilson to put up the Christmas tree.
And on their quiet Coatesville street a few days before the holiday, the community showed up at Wilson’s doorstep with bags upon bags of gifts — essentials like clothing and shoes and food, plus toys and more than $500 in gift cards.
“We always try to do what we can for [the kids] to give them the best, but they also understand life gets hard for everybody. We went from, I feel like, being up top to rock bottom,” Wilson said Tuesday. “It’s amazing to get to see in person. Seeing it in person, especially when I needed the help, was a blessing from the community and for my family.”
Nevaeh Miller-Wilson, 8, organizes presents after a Christmas surprise from former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene and New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah at her home in Coatesville, Pa. Greene and Yeboah surprised the family, which includes six children, with a full Christmas celebration, providing gifts and holiday essentials.
The gifts were stacked under the Christmas tree and through the living room. It was overwhelming, said his wife, Chelsea Miller.
Yeboah, a new resident of Downingtown, and Greene signed footballs, baseballs, and the backs of T-shirts and posed for photos with the family.
It was cool to see, said Aadan Miller-Wilson, 15.
“I’ve never met an athlete, and I play two of the sports they play, too,” he said.
Yeboah, out with an injury, offered to coach the kids while he recovered. He had wanted to give back to the community he was now part of, and was connected with Brown.
New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah interacts with members of a family of six children, from left, Nevaeh, Robert, Bryden, Jacob, David and Aadan, during a Christmas gift surprise at their home in Coatesville, Pa.
“To come here and see all these people help out and give back to the community that they’re in, it’s just an amazing feeling,” Yeboah said. “It’s really, really cool to see that everyone’s here just to help out.”
Greene credited his “better half,” Wendy, for quickly becoming involved with the surprise. When you help each other out, you help everyone out, Greene said.
“When you get a chance to make a difference, you do,” he said.
Wilson, who kept the surprise a secret from his family until the community showed up at their door, also found the support overwhelming.
“It’s a blessing,” he said.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline leaked over a period of months at a Monroe Energy petroleum tank farm in Aston, Delaware County, according to company and state officials.
The leak was first identifiedin August, and it was traced in December to a one-quarter-inch hole in the bottom of a tank. It totaled about 9,000 barrels, or 378,000 gallons, at the Chelsea Pipeline Station and Tank Farm.
The facility contains 12 aboveground tanks and is operated by MIPC LLC, a subsidiary of Monroe Energy. It is about five miles north of the company’s Delaware River refinery, which is in Trainer, Delaware County.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said Tuesday it has ordered that some nearby homes with wells within 1,000 feet of the facility’s western border be provided bottled water if requested. And it ordered that the company “begin an interim cleanup plan and thorough investigation.”
MIPC said in a statement that it had notified local, state, and federal authorities. It said that on Dec. 13 crews determined that the source of the spill was traced to one tank.
It further said that an EPA-approved lab it had contracted tested residential wells, “and all results have shown no petroleum related compounds.”
MIPC said that the tanks are routinely inspected and that the company is conducting daily testing of monitoring wells along its fence line and inspecting local waterways.
“No further releases have been found,” the statement said.
“We sincerely apologize for any concern that this may be causing our neighbors,” the statement continued. “MIPC is committed to ensuring that the entire affected area is remediated and returned to its original condition.”
Adam Gattuso, a Monroe Energy spokesperson, said the leak is “considered one cumulative event, over the course of several months.”
He said that if people are within 1,000 feet of the facility’s western border and have a potable groundwater well and would like bottled water delivered to their home, the company would do so within 24 hours. He said the company will soon mail letters to those residents.
DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in a statement Tuesday that “swift action by the company is necessary to fully investigate the extent of damage and address the community’s needs.”
According to the DEP order, the first report of an issue came over the summer at the facility, where a series of aboveground tanks are part of a pipeline network.
The company notified county officials on Aug. 19 of hydrocarbons found in a storm sewer at the facility. It said no leaks were found, but there was “sheening” on the water.
MIPC did not know the source of the gasoline on the water and said it would continue investigating.
On Sept. 3, the company notified officials it “had discovered water with petroleum odors discharging from a concrete drainage pipe” leaking unleaded gasoline at a rate of five gallons per minute.
The DEP ordered MIPC to treat and discharge the contaminated water.
The agency said the company’s investigations from September through November found no signs of additional leaking.
The DEP had not heard from MIPC regarding any leaks until Dec. 5, when the company reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center “that the amount of gasoline released may be significant and was impacting soil and groundwater.”
It notified officials that the source of the leak had been found in the tank.
As a result, the DEP has ordered MIPC, in addition to supplying bottled water, to identify residents with private wells within 1,000 feet of the facility that spans Bethel, Upper Chichester, and Aston Townships.
And it ordered the companyto sample private wells for petroleum, submit a plan to detect potential vapors near homes, schedule environmental investigations, submit a remedial plan, and communicate with officials and the public.
As of yet, the DEP has not cited any violations or issued any fines.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information about water bottle availability for residents.
The vote to fire Philip Leddy, who had been principal of Lower Gwynedd Elementary, was unanimous.
Sue Kanopka, the former Lower Gwynedd principal who had been promoted to curriculum supervisor for the school system, will return as acting principal.
Dan Strauss, a board member who is Jewish, said at the special board meeting he was pleased with the board’s swift actions around Leddy.
“This incident was something that was extremely personal for me and my family, and I witnessed you acting swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for doubt that antisemitism has no place in our district,” said Strauss, a Democrat. “I’ve also personally had a chance to speak with the parent who received the voicemail, and they’ve shared with me that even though this has been a dark moment for their family, immediate and continued response from the district has been overwhelmingly supportive.”
Officials with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia have said that in the recording, Leddy was heard saying something about “Jew money” and that “they [Jews] control the banks.”
Leddy was asked if the parent he was speaking to was a lawyer and then remarked, “the odds probably are good.”
District officials said Leddy, who could not be reached for comment, acknowledged that he made the call, thought it had disconnected, and continued speaking.
No actions were taken Tuesday against the other staff member who was present when Leddy made his comments, but who allegedly did not report them. That staffer has been placed on leave as the matter is investigated.
No members of the community spoke in support of Leddy.
One resident, Jesse Klein, called his swift firing “a public shaming and execution,” contrasting what he saw as a difference in Wissahickon’s responses to Leddy’s comments and its response to some Jewish parents’ concerns over the district’s handing of student discourse about the Israel-Hamas war and the pro-Palestinian movement.
Klein and Danielle Parmenter, a Wissahickon resident and a rabbi, said those concerns have been minimized.
“That inconsistency is deeply destabilizing, and it erodes trust,” Parmenter said.
Leddy’s firing “was necessary,” Parmenter said. “Antisemitism must never be tolerated, especially from those entrusted with the care of children.”
Carmina Taylor, another Wissahickon resident, said the Black community is “in support of the way you’ve handled the situation, and how you’re trying to have a meeting of healing for the Jewish community, but understand that the Black community is also hurting for the way we’ve been treated over the years. … We hope that you’re mindful of our concerns as well.”
Nineteen people remained hospitalized on Wednesday, one in critical condition, officials said. All residents and staff had been accounted for as of Wednesday.
Reports of a gas odor preceded the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said a lot of “unanswered questions” remained during a news conference Tuesday night. The cause of the blast remains under investigation.
// Timestamp 12/24/25 4:58pm
NTSB investigators arrive at scene of explosion
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates pipeline accidents, said it responded Wednesday morning to the scene of the explosion at the Bristol Township nursing home.
Peco crews had responded to the nursing home earlier Tuesday to reports of a gas odor just before the explosion, and firefighters reported the heavy odor of gas before a second explosion.
“The team won’t be able to fully evaluate the natural gas service line, which extends below ground from the main near the road to the interior of the building, until a safe path is cleared, which could take several days,” said agency spokesperson Peter C. Knudson.
“Once it’s safe for investigators, they will continue documenting the accident scene and conducting further examinations of the pipeline and equipment involved,” Knudson said.
The NTSB investigation will cover three primary areas: human factors, the pipeline system, and the operating environment, Knudson said.
“Witnesses to the accident or those who may have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov,” Knudson said.
Victim remembered as immigrant who wanted to work as nurse and ‘make a difference’
Rose Muema stands with family and friends of Muthoni Nduthu on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025 in Bristol Township, Pa. Muthoni Nduthu was killed in the explosion at Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Tuesday.
The night before she died in the explosion, Muthoni Ndutu cooked spiced chicken for her husband and three adult sons to share on Christmas, her friend Rose Muema said Wednesday outside Ndutu’s one-story brick home in Bristol.
Ndutu, 52, was working a nursing shift Tuesday night when she was caught in the blast. Another woman also died.
An immigrant from Mombasa, Kenya, Ndutu earned her nursing degree from Jersey College, Muema said, and had worked at the home for more than a dozen years.
“She came here to work,” Muema said. “She came here to make a difference.”
Ndutu had three sons — Clinton, 30; Joseph, 24; and K.K., 18 — and a 4-year-old granddaughter.
Her family declined to speak Wednesday but stood beside Muema as she talked.
Muema, who also immigrated from Kenya, described her friend as bubbly, hardworking, and devoted to her family and community. She called Ndutu her sister. “That’s what we do in Kenya,” she said. “We call each other sisters, not friends.”
She said the two attended nursing school together. “We had plans,” Muema said — plans now cut short.
Ndutu was a devout Catholic and a longtime member of St. Ephrem Catholic Church in Bensalem. She was part of a close-knit Kenyan community in the area, Muema said, many of whom gathered around her family Wednesday to offer support.
Muthoni Nduthu 52, was working a nursing shift at at Bristol Health and Rehab Center and died in the blast Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Another woman also died.
Natalie, 35, was almost finished with her Tuesday shift when the facility that she’d worked at for five years suddenly imploded.
The certified nursing assistant was among those pulled from the wreckage after an explosion and fire ripped through Bristol Health and Rehab Center Tuesday afternoon, said her mother, Andrea Taylor. Taylor asked that her daughter be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy.
Natalie, who has a 6-year-old daughter, remained hospitalized Wednesday with a punctured lung and bruising throughout her body, Taylor said. She can’t recall the explosion, where she was, or how she was found, her mother said, but she is expected to make a full recovery.
“She doesn’t remember anything,” Taylor said. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
Taylor said she was laying down for a nap when she received a harrowing text from her daughter’s boyfriend: “Natalie’s building blew up.”
The rest of the night was a blur, she said, as the family tried to get information and updates on the nursing assistant’s condition. She was on her way to visit her daughter Wednesday morning.
Taylor said she and her family are grateful to first responders and are counting their blessings entering the Christmas holiday that Natalie is alive.
Peco gas technician was seriously injured by explosion, union rep says
A Peco gas technician who responded to reports of a gas leak at a Bristol nursing home on Tuesday was seriously injured in the blast and then attempted to rescue other people from the damaged building, according to the union president who represents Peco workers.
Larry Anastasi, president of IBEW Local 614, said the technician arrived at Bristol Health & Rehab Center on Tuesday afternoon to address a reported gas leak. The technician was working alone in the basement of the nursing home to assess the problem when he resurfaced to get more tools from his truck.
As he was walking back toward the nursing home, the building erupted.
“If he was in the building, he’d be dead,” Anastasi said.
The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Local 614 represents more than 1,500 electric linemen, gas technicians, and office support staff at Peco.
The technician, whose name has not been made public, was being treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Burn Center. He suffered severe burns to his face and hands, as well as injuries caused by shrapnel. Anastasi said the technician was expected to be released Wednesday.
After suffering those injuries, the technician tried to help others escape from the blast area, Anastasi said.
“He was trying to go in and get more people,” his union rep said. “[First responders] had to grab him and said ’brother, you need to stop and go in the ambulance.’”
Anastasi said the near-death experience highlights the risks Peco technicians face when responding to gas leaks. They often work alone, sometimes in dangerous conditions, while dealing with leaks in enclosed spaces.
He said the situation at the nursing home also highlights why gas meters are now required to be located outside and aboveground.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Tuesday declined to answer questions about the gas meter’s location in the building’s basement. The agency, which regulates utility operators like Peco across the commonwealth, ordered utility companies in 2011 to relocate all indoor gas meters outdoors, in an effort to bring safety standards up to date.
It remains unclear why that meter relocation never occurred at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as Silver Lake.
“My [technicians] are putting themselves in a great deal of danger,” Anastasi said. “So we’re hoping that Peco does a very thorough investigation.”
Shapiro and Mayor Parker order flags half-staff in Bucks County and Philly
Today, I ordered Pennsylvania flags on all Commonwealth facilities, buildings, and grounds in Bucks County to be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of the Silver Lake Nursing Home explosion.
To the Bristol community, we all stand with you — and we'll continue to provide…
Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered all Pennsylvania flags on state buildings and property within Bucks County to fly at half-staff in honor of the victims of the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center.
“To the Bristol community, we all stand with you — and we’ll continue to provide the support your community needs as you begin to rebuild and recover,” Shapiro said in a post to X.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker also ordered flags to be flown half-staff in Philadelphia across city buildings in solidarity.
“This solemn gesture of remembrance and support for the victims and their families will be observed until Tuesday, December 30,” the city said in a statement on X Wednesday.
.@PhillyMayor Cherelle L. Parker has issued an immediate order to lower the flags on City buildings to half-staff as a tribute to the victims of the explosion and fire that tragically occurred at Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, December 23. pic.twitter.com/e9YH3X2nJx
Nursing assistant identified as one of two nursing home explosion victims
Muthoni Nduthu, a 52-year-old woman, is one of the two people who died in the nursing home explosion, according to the Bucks County Coroner’s Office.
Nduthu was a nursing assistant at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, the office said.
The other victim was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia and is not in the care of the Bucks office, Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Croop said Wednesday afternoon.
Family member of nursing home resident describes waiting for news
Elizabeth Lind, 67, describes hearing a loud explosion near her home on Winder Drive after a gas explosion at a nursing home in Bristol Township, Pa., left two people dead and several others injured and reported missing.
Elizabeth Lind lives on Winder Street, her backyard divided from the nursing home by a chain-link fence.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 67-year-old was watching television when a sudden boom shook her house. The blast, she said, seemed to vibrate through her body. From her window, she saw black smoke rising from the facility where her older brother, Walter Ferris, has lived for years.
More than two hours passed, she said, before she learned he was safe. A nursing home employee brought the news Tuesday night. Until then, she said, “I just pictured him inside there. I was praying he wasn’t one of the casualties.”
Ferris has Parkinson’s disease and is in his early seventies, she said.
Bucks County’s Area Agency on Aging working to assist residents
Staff members for Bucks County’s Ombudsman program, which advocates for residents in long-term care facilities and nursing homes, will be meeting individually with residents displaced by the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, county spokesperson Jim O’Malley said. O’Malley spoke on behalf of the county’s Area Agency on Aging.
It’s unclear when and what the timeline of those meetings will be, but staff members will look to assess residents’ needs, such as their missing personal belongings, O’Malley said. County staff may also be coordinating with the state on those meetings.
Rep. Fitzpatrick promises ‘thorough examination’ of building collapse
In a post to X Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick expressed thanks for the first responders “who ran into danger again and again, risking their own lives to save others.”
The Republican congressman promised that the events of the building collapse would be “thoroughly examined” and that the facts would be made public.
The one thing that is clear, he said, is that emergency responders were swift to respond and saved lives.
“So tonight, as homes and churches across our region are lit for Christmas, we ask for prayers—for those grieving, for those recovering, and for the brave men and women who stood watch when it mattered most,” Fitzpatrick said.
‘Send everybody’: Law enforcement recalls scene of explosion
Bristol Township law enforcement officials Wednesday recalled the harrowing scene first responders encountered as they arrived at Bristol Health and Rehab Center one day earlier.
A thick smell of gas hung in the air. Flames were spreading. Inside, dozens of residents and employees needed help escaping.
“Send everybody,” one of the first responding officers radioed.
“We were overwhelmed,” Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said during a news conference Wednesday.
First responders, he said, ran toward danger.
From 50 feet away, Winik said, he could still smell gas and the walls appeared close to collapsing. Yet officers and firefighters continued rushing inside to rescue those trapped.
“I’ve never seen such heroism,” he said.
The facility, formerly known as Silver Lake, housed 120 people, Winik said, including some who couldn’t walk and used a wheelchair. Officers and responding firefighters carried them from the burning building.
Two women, one employee and one resident, died. Nineteen remained hospitalized on Wednesday morning. One person is in critical condition.
19 remain hospitalized, one in critical condition, 2 dead following nursing home explosion
Nineteen people remained hospitalized Wednesday morning, one in critical condition, after an explosion Tuesday afternoon at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center.
Two women — an employee and a resident of the nursing facility, formerly known as Silver Lake — were killed, Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said.
All employees and residents were accounted for as of Wednesday, Winik said.
The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, said Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito.
“Until we excavate the area and remove the walls and roofs that collapsed, we won’t have any idea what may have occurred in there,” Dippolito said during a news conference on Wednesday.
Former nursing home employee said fire alarms routinely went off, describes state of disrepair
Late Wednesday morning, cranes began to hoist debris from a crumpled tangle of drywall, windows, and a white picket fence.
Donna Straiton watched from behind a line of yellow caution tape a block away from the rubble. It’s what remained, she said, of the nursing home’s kitchen, which sat above its basement.
Straiton, 67, worked in the nursing home’s dementia unit for 20 years before retiring in February 2024. In her final years working at the home, fire alarms routinely went off, she said. She estimated the facility locked down no less than twice a month as the smell of gas wafted in the air.
Most often, she said, the alarm system indicated the fire was in the basement. But no flames were ever seen, she said.
“The fire department would come and we’d get an all clear, and then it would be back to business as usual,” she said.
At a news conference, Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said he couldn’t recall how many times his department had been called to the facility in the last several years.
“But I don’t think we’ve been here for the last several weeks,” he said.
Still, Straiton described the facility as being in a constant state of disrepair when she worked there.
When it rained heavily, she said, water would flood the basement and run into the elevator shaft. The elevators were often broken, she said.
The facility “needed a lot of maintenance it was never going to get,” she said.“It was almost like we were just waiting for something like this to happen,” she added.
Aerial footage of Bucks County nursing home explosion
CBS Philadelphia’s chopper is flying over Bucks County this morning, providing a look at the damage from overhead.
— CBS Philadelphia
// Timestamp 12/24/25 9:52am
County officials send condolences, praise first responders in statements
Bucks County Commissioners Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia said the response to Tuesday’s explosion at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center was proof that the county can unify in the face of tragedy.
“[There is] a lot of division in this country, but we show up when we need to,” said Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, about the efforts of first responders.
She said she was sending “warm thoughts” to families impacted by the incident and experiencing the “terrible shock and sadness.”
“And for the people who were injured as well as those who passed, I mean, they got up yesterday like it was any other day and had no idea what would befall them,” Ellis-Marseglia said. “And I’m holding them all close.”
The vice chair’s sentiments echo a statement released by Bucks County on Wednesday morning, expressing officials’ “sincerest condolences to the many victims and families this Christmas Eve who are feeling the devastating impacts of yesterday’s explosion.”
Commissioners’ Chair Bob Harvie was at a news conference outside the center with Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday. The county’s statement commended first responders, nursing home staff, and emergency personnel services that came into Bristol from across Bucks, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.
Peco on Wednesday morning changed its explanation of what happened leading up to Tuesday afternoon’s massive explosion at a Bucks County nursing home that killed at least two people.
On Tuesday evening, the gas and electric company had said that its crews responded to the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — “shortly after 2 p.m.” and that while they were on site, the explosion occurred. The blast was reported just before 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito.
But on Wednesday morning, the energy company backtracked, releasing a statement indicating that its crews had actually been on scene hours earlier — although it did not say precisely when they arrived.
“Peco crews responded to reports of a gas odor on Dec. 23 at the Silver Lake Nursing Home at 905 Tower Road in Bristol Township, Bucks County. A few hours later, an explosion occurred at the facility,” company spokesperson Greg Smore said in a statement.
“Peco crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents. The cause of this incident is under investigation,” he said. “It is not known at this time if Peco’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident.”
The company is now directing all questions to the National Transportation Safety Board, which it said was leading the investigation.
“Our hearts go out to the families and community affected by this tragic event,” Smore said.
Video: Fatal explosion and fire at nursing home in Bucks County
// Timestamp 12/24/25 7:20am
2 dead, 20 injured in explosion at Bucks nursing home
First responders at the scene of an explosion at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bucks County Tuesday.
Two people were killed and at least 20 were injured after a possible gas explosion rocked a Bucks County nursing home Tuesday, triggering a widespread emergency response and dramatic rescues and causing destruction that Gov. Josh Shapiro described as “quite catastrophic.”
Just before 2:20 p.m., an explosion and fire were reported at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — at 905 Tower Rd. in Bristol Township, Bristol Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said at a news conference with Shapiro and other officials Tuesday night.
Emergency responders found a major structural collapse, with parts of the first floor falling into the basement and people trapped, Dippolito said. Firefighters immediately went into rescue mode.
“They pulled many residents out of the building via windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts,” Dippolito said.
The people rescued from the building were handed off to police officers who “came from every direction, and I believe every municipality around here,” Dippolito said.
“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran with people to help,” the fire chief said.
Many people were injured, but the number was unknown early Tuesday night, Dippolito said. Two people were rescued from the collapsed area in the basement.
At one point, Dippolito said, there was a heavy odor of gas and the firefighters evacuated the building. Within 15 to 30 seconds, there was another explosion and fire, he said.
First responders work the scene of an explosion and fire at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Briston, Pa. Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens from ambulances and fire trucks pierced the blocks surrounding the facility hours after the explosion led to a mass evacuation of nursing home patients.
Kim Wilford, 60, was visiting family for the holidays roughly two blocks from the facility when she felt the house shake, as though something had fallen on the roof.
When Wilford and relatives realized the explosion came from the nursing home, where her 87-year-old mother lives, they rushed to the campus and were met with chaos.
“It was something out of a Die Hard movie,” said Deanna Rice-Bass, 59, one of Wilford’s relatives, who recognized local nurses, not affiliated with the nursing home, evacuating people.
Patients were being wheeled out of the facility, but in some cases they were simply placed on mats outside, Wilford said.
First responders were instructing the able-bodied to take those with non-life-threatening injuries to nearby Lower Bucks Hospital.
Wilford panicked as she saw the outside of her mother’s room.
“Her window was blown out,” she said. “Naturally I freaked out.”
Wilford would later find her mother among the crowd of evacuees cleared to go to Lower Bucks Hospital.
“She said she and her roommate were lifted from their beds and back down,” said Wilford, adding she had never had issues with the nursing home before.
A reunification center was established at Truman High School, officials said.
Langhorne Police Chief Kevin Burns said about 35 families came in and filled out forms with their loved ones identifying information along with details such as their room number.
Shapiro: ‘There are still a lot of unanswered questions’
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers remarks on the explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center, at Lower Bucks Hospital Tuesday.
During a news conference Tuesday night, Gov. Josh Shapiro said investigators were still working to determine what caused the explosion and to locate anyone who may be missing, urging the public to remain patient as crews work to identify victims.
The total number of injured residents remains unclear because victims were transported to multiple hospitals. Bucks County officials said up to five people were unaccounted for, though Shapiro cautioned that the figures are preliminary and could change as the investigation continues overnight.
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions,” Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday night. “You’ll have to bear with us as we work to confirm who was injured and who may be missing.”
Map: Location of nursing home explosion in Bristol
The explosion occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center — formerly known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home — at 905 Tower Rd. in Bristol Township.
State officials repeatedly cited Bristol nursing home over fire safety deficiencies
First responders work following an explosion at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bucks County Tuesday.
The Bristol nursing home destroyed by an explosion and fire on Tuesday had been repeatedly cited for unsafe living conditions, including the absence of a fire safety plan and adequate extinguishers, according to state inspection records.
During an Oct. 29 site visit, Pennsylvania Department of Health inspectors flagged Silver Lake Healthcare Center — now operating as Bristol Health & Rehab Center — for failing to provide a floor map showing fire exits, fire barriers, and smoke barriers.
Officials also found the facility “failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers” on all floors. The state ordered corrections by Nov. 30.
It remained unclear Tuesday whether those fixes were made before the blast, or whether the deficiencies affected residents’ ability to escape after an explosion leveled much of the building at 2:19 p.m. this afternoon.
British Township Fire Marshall Kevin Dippolito said Tuesday that a second explosion — and subsequent fire — erupted at the nursing home while firefighters attempted to rescue people.
Other fire safety deficiencies have been documented for years. A 2024 inspection report found the nursing home hallways were not equipped to handle heavy smoke.
“The facility failed to ensure corridor doors were maintained to resist the passage of smoke, affecting two of four smoke compartments,” inspectors wrote.
State and federal officials have also repeatedly cited the facility for substandard medical care.
Ownership of the nursing home has shifted among for-profit operators in recent years. CommuniCare, an Ohio-based company, acquired Silver Lake in 2021. Earlier this month, Saber Healthcare Group took over and rebranded the facility as Bristol Health & Rehab Center.
Saber manages 140 assisted living facilities across six states. At a Tuesday night news conference, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the health department visited the facility again on Dec. 10. New owners agreed to make more fixes, though the governor did not provide details.
“There was a plan in place in order for these new facility owners to upgrade the standards,” Shapiro said. “That work will obviously continue.”
NEWARK, N.J. — More than an hour before the game, Kevin Willard was on and around the basketball court at the Prudential Center, the place he called home for 12 seasons as Seton Hall’s head coach.
The first-year Villanova coach, like most head coaches, normally is tucked away going over final game preparations while assistants get his players loose. But Willard was home. It was an emotional couple of days since the Wildcats arrived here Monday evening.
“This place helped raise my family in a very special way,” Willard said. The family saw the same security guards who used to carry his children — one now a college freshman, the other a high school senior — around after games.
Before tipoff, Willard embraced Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway, who coached under Willard for 11 seasons at Iona and Seton Hall. A video that played before the national anthem showed highlights of Willard’s tenure at Seton Hall, and the sellout crowd of 11,153 mostly responded with a nice ovation for the coach who left in 2022 for Maryland and returned Tuesday for his first game against his old program with one of its bitter Big East rivals.
The show at that point was over. “Walking out, once I got out, we got to win a game,” Willard said.
It was a sloppy-at-times Big East fight during the first half, but Villanova used an emphatic 16-0 run early in the second half and pulled away from Seton Hall in a 64-56 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested. Villanova led by as many as 20 midway through the second half.
Kevin Willard spent 12 seasons from 2010 to 2022 with Seton Hall before taking a job at Maryland.
The Big East opener was a matchup of teams off to hot starts. Willard’s Wildcats improved to 10-2 and handed Seton Hall (11-2) its second loss of the season.
The Wildcats entered Tuesday ranked 30th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, and they shot up to 20th on Wednesday morning after winning their first Quad 1 game of the season. By 10 p.m. Tuesday, the metrics site KenPom had Villanova ranked 24th. Seton Hall was just outside the Associated Press Top 25 this week. The Pirates were 27th, based on ballot points. Surely, Villanova will be in the conversation to be ranked for the first time since November 2023 next week.
The Wildcats’ two losses are to then-No. 8 BYU and No. 2 Michigan. They hit the holiday break with a home victory over Pittsburgh and road wins at Wisconsin and Seton Hall.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” Willard said. “I like the fact that no one’s really talking about us.”
They are now. It was a light day on the college basketball calendar, and, given Seton Hall’s surprising start to the season and Willard making his return to Newark, there were plenty of eyeballs watching Villanova pass the eye test.
Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis “controlled the game,” Holloway said, after he led all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting to go with five rebounds, two assists, and three steals (to cancel out three turnovers) in a season-high 37 minutes. Redshirt freshman Matt Hodge added 12 points and six rebounds, and redshirt sophomore Bryce Lindsay scored 15 points on nine shots.
The night was far from perfect for Villanova. The Wildcats turned the ball over 18 times and had trouble with Seton Hall’s press after the lead ballooned late in the game. They allowed 16 offensive rebounds and had just eight of their own.
Villanova freshman guard Acaden Lewis played a season-high 37 minutes in a 64-56 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday night.
But Villanova had an answer every time Seton Hall pushed back in the second half. Devin Askew hit a three-pointer to push the lead back to 17 (50-33). Hodge put back a Lewis miss with just over eight minutes to play that stopped a 6-0 Seton Hall run and bumped the lead back to 16. The Pirates then cut their deficit to 13 before Lindsay made a three-pointer. He made 3 of 7 attempts on the night.
“We’re battle-tested,” Willard said. “We played BYU on the road, Michigan on the road, Wisconsin on the road, three Big 5 games … so I have a lot of confidence in the fact that our guys have played against a lot of good teams.”
Villanova overcame its struggles because of its defense. Willard said the game plan was to make dynamic Seton Hall point guard Adam “Budd” Clark, a West Catholic graduate, be a scorer and not a “sprayer.” The Wildcats, who utilized a zone defense, forced him into tough spots and limited his driving opportunities. He also was limited to just five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, and Seton Hall’s offense was disjointed without him. Clark finished 1-for-11 from the floor, and Seton Hall converted just 33.3% of its shot attempts.
The Pirates were 15-for-30 on what were considered layups by the official stats, but the majority of their shots were well-contested. The 16-0 run happened mostly because of Villanova’s active hands, which forced steals and easy transition buckets.
Earlier in the season, defense was one of Willard’s major concerns. It recently has become a strength. Why? Lewis said physical practices where fouls aren’t called have translated into higher-intensity stretches of defense during games.
Villanova returns home on New Year’s Eve for a game vs. DePaul (8-5). But first, a few days off to celebrate the holiday, a break that got a little merrier with Tuesday’s win.
“We’re trending up,” Lewis said. “Since that Michigan game, we really locked in and built with each other. [Michigan] showed us there’s levels, and we’re building up to that level to see them again when March comes around and we want a different look when that happens.”
After Tuesday, playing meaningful basketball in March seems like a real possibility.
For a long time when it came to sports, Buffalo was Diet Philadelphia. Similar, but with a little less. A smaller city, yes. Half as many major pro franchises, yes. But those teams — the Bills in the NFL, the Sabres in the NHL — have always occupied an outsized importance within the culture of the region. They mattered to the people of Buffalo as much or more than the Eagles, the Phillies, the Sixers, and the Flyers mattered to the people of Philadelphia.
Oh, and there was one other common thread for decades: None of those teams ever won a championship.
Not ever ever, but close enough. The Bills won back-to-back titles in the American Football League in 1964 and ’65, and Philadelphia had that wonderful 10-year stretch, from 1973-83, when the Flyers won two Stanley Cups, the Phillies won a World Series, the Eagles reached a Super Bowl, and the Sixers won an NBA championship. But for 25 years — until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series — then another nine-plus, the towns could bond through being blue-collar bridesmaids.
Eagles fans cheer after the win against the hapless Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 14.
Recently, though, the Eagles have altered that dynamic. They won a Super Bowl in 2018, then another earlier this year, and as they prepare to face the Bills this Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., they have quelled much of the anger and anxiety that once characterized Philadelphia sports fandom. It might not seem that way, with the attention paid to Jalen Hurts’ play and the worry over the Eagles’ chance to repeat as league champs, but it’s true. The atmosphere was much worse during the Buddy Ryan and Andy Reid eras.
For Buffalo, though, there has been no great expulsion of joy and relief. In their 55 years of existence, the Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup and have reached the Final just twice, losing to the Flyers in 1975 and to the Dallas Stars (on Brett Hull’s disputed triple-overtime goal) in 1999. What’s arguably worse, for a city that loves hockey as much or more than any in the United States, is that the Sabres haven’t even qualified for the playoffs since 2011 and haven’t won a postseason series since 2007, when one of their best players was Danny Brière, now the Flyers’ general manager.
Steve Watson, a friend and former classmate of mine, has lived in the Buffalo region for most of his life. His son, Eli, is 12. Eli has never seen a Sabres playoff game.
“It’s sad,” Watson, 50, who has been a reporter for the Buffalo News since 2001, said by phone Tuesday. “When the Sabres are good, and they have been good for a lot of their history, you see the little flags people put on their cars. We embrace the team, but they’re losing this current fan generation. They took a great hockey town and tarnished it.”
The situation with the Bills has, if possible, been even more painful, for all their near misses. Even a casual football fan is familiar with the Bills’ four consecutive Super Bowl losses from 1991 to 1994 and all the tragic heroes from that period — Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Frank Reich — and the comeback from 35-3 against the Houston Oilers, Scott Norwood and wide right against the New York Giants. But the aftermath has been just as rough.
A Bills fan sits among snow-covered seats before the start a wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 15, 2024.
The Bills went 17 years, from 2000 through 2016, without making the playoffs. Now they have Josh Allen, who was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player last season, who is regarded as the second- or third-best quarterback in the league at worst, and who has led the Bills to the postseason for seven straight seasons … and to no Super Bowls. Either Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow has been in their way, or they’ve had a bad day at the worst time and squandered home-field advantage, or they’ve stood under a ladder staring at a broken mirror while a clowder of black cats strutted past them. They’re 11-4 this season, and Allen has again been outstanding, but now their intradivisional nemeses, the New England Patriots, are back atop the AFC East after a few years of mediocrity. The cycle seems without end.
This excruciating history wouldn’t generate much sympathy from anyone, let alone from Philly’s famously competitive and insecure sports fans (“Oh, you think you’ve had it rough? Lemme tell ya about the night Joe Carter …”), if we were talking about an area of the country whose lifers didn’t care so much. But that ain’t Buffalo. The people there bleed for their teams just like everyone down here does. After all, sports is their only salvation from spending three-quarters of the year with snowshoes strapped to their feet.
“It’s up there with chicken wings,” Watson said. “It’s up there with our lovely weather. It’s our identity. We are blue collar. We are the city of good neighbors. And we’re a big sports town. I used to write more obituaries for the News, and it was always painful for me to write, ‘Lifelong Bills fan … Lifelong Sabres fan.’ They never got that payoff for their years of suffering.”
Look, if you’re an Eagles fan, you don’t have to root for the Bills — certainly not on Sunday, certainly not if the two teams end up facing each other at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8. In many regards, though, you and those fans near Niagara Falls were kindred spirits for years. So if and when the Eagles do bow out of the playoffs, and if Buffalo’s hopes for a Super Bowl victory are still alive, send some good thoughts toward western New York. They’re still waiting for their moment in the warm sun up there, and Lord knows they’ve already suffered enough.
Armed and unarmed guards who weren’t paid for some of their hours patrolling Philadelphia public housing developments and other buildings have filed class-action complaints against their former employer, Sovereign Security LLC, owner Richard D. Cottom, and manager Maurice Dupree.
The guards are seeking back pay for unpaid work, sick and vacation days, overtime violations, damages under state law, and the return of uniform deposits.
The guards, led by plaintiff Shirell Williams, say Sovereign violated the state Minimum Wage Act and Wage Payment Collection Law and breached employment contracts over four years, starting in late 2021. Williams worked for Sovereign at PHA and at the city-owned Philadelphia Gas Works, the Navy Yard business center, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, and the former Delaware County Memorial Hospital.
Through their attorney, Center City labor lawyer Josh Dubinsky, the guards seek unpaid wages, damages, interest, and attorneys’ fees stemming from “systemic wage abuse” while working at Sovereign. They seek certification as a class including more than 100 current and former Sovereign staff.
Cottom, a former Drexel University security executive who founded Sovereign in 2004, and other Sovereign officials didn’t return calls seeking comment.
The lawsuit also named a Sovereign manager, Maurice Dupree, as codefendant. Guards have described Dupree as their off-site supervisor, who managed assignments, hired and fired, and scheduled their work, and who they turned to for help when paychecks were late or bounced.
Pennsylvania’s wage and hour law requires companies to set regular paydays and meet them. Sovereign’s contract with PHA required it to comply with city rules and applicable laws.
PHA renewed Sovereign’s contract last spring even after The Inquirer reported on late and bounced Sovereign paychecks.
The housing authority canceled Sovereign’s contract on July 9, giving owner Cottom two days to stop work and file final reports.
The official cancellation letter stated only that PHA and its property management unit had determined “that it is in the best interest” of the agencies to terminate Sovereign.
Correspondence collected under an Inquirer Right to Know request also shows PHA had warned Cottom that “it has come to the attention” of PHA that Sovereign “may be delinquent in paying its employees in a timely manner,” that late payment was “a breach of the contract,” and that it is “imperative” to ensure guards are paid and show up.
That letter was dated Jan. 27, 12 days after The Inquirer first reported on the late payments.
Sovereign had held the largest of at least three outside security guard contracts at PHA, which also has its own police department and a staff security force. PHA has paid Sovereign more than $7 million since 2021.
Tahazha Woodard, a guard at a jointly operated PHA and School District site in North Philadelphia, was the first in a stream of Sovereign Security LLC employees who tried to cash delayed Sovereign paychecks on Jan. 10. United was one of the few Philadelphia institutions willing to cash Sovereign checks at that time, after incidents when the company left its accounts underfunded and paychecks bounced, according to guards.
PGW ended its agreement with Sovereign in 2023. As of last summer, Sovereign no longer worked at the Navy Yard either.
The guards in the suit say a trial would show whether Sovereign had a “pattern or practice” of shorting their pay, failing to pay overtime, and not refunding uniform deposits. Other issues are whether Sovereign violated state wage laws and failed to keep required time and pay records, and the damages they are owed.
Williams, the lead plaintiff, was paid $14.40 an hour when she started in 2022.
Besides back pay,the suit also seeks to collect $500 or 25% of wages due for each violation, plus attorneys’ fees, under provisions of state law.
Many know the late Harry Kalas for his broadcasting career as the play-by-play announcer for the Phillies, but in 2002, a producer at KYW-TV, asked Kalas about doing a recitation of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
He wasn’t the only broadcaster asked to recite the poem. Kalas was featured alongside Marc Zumoff and Tom McGinnis of the 76ers, Merrill Reese of the Eagles, and Jim Jackson of the Flyers.
It aired on Dec. 24, 2002, and a few years later, the producer, Andy Wheeler, found the unedited Kalas video. Suddenly, an idea struck him: Why not use the Kalas version in its entirety?
A tradition was born.
Barring breaking news — and Eagles games — the station, now known as CBS 3 Philadelphia, has aired Kalas’ reading of the poem every Dec. 24 since 2005.
After Kalas died of heart disease in April 2009, the station considered ending the tradition but eventually decided that “this is a way of keeping him close.”
Years later, Kalas’ rendition still has that effect. From start to finish, it captures his sense of humor, and his humanity. You can hear the richness in his voice.
It’s like he plays “the role of Santa Claus” for families across the Philadelphia airwaves. The Inquirer’s Alex Coffey dives into the origin story of how the annual tradition came to be.
We at Sports Daily wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays. The newsletter will be taking Thursday and Friday off. Sports Daily will return to your inbox on Monday.
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is “iffy” this week after suffering a hamstring injury, Vic Fangio said.
Nakobe Dean has helped give the Eagles defense, which looked a bit unsteady in the early portion of the season, some life. He especially has impacted the run defense while also being an effective blitzer. However, the Eagles may be without the fourth-year linebacker on Sunday after Dean suffered a hamstring injury against the Commanders.
“The good news is I don’t think it’s too serious,” Vic Fangio said. The Eagles defensive coordinator also said that without Dean, they’ll turn to rookie Jihaad Campbell.
The Eagles are hopeful that Jalen Carter will be available Sunday vs. the Bills. The 24-year-old defensive tackle practiced Tuesday after a three-week hiatus while recovering from a pair of shoulder procedures. The last game he played was against the Bears on Black Friday.
Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway hasn’t recorded a point in 33 games this year.
Garnet Hathaway is facing a new battle. He’s been a healthy scratch for the last two games. Before this spell, the last time Hathaway watched from the press box when healthy was Feb. 23, 2023. To say it’s been a difficult season for Hathaway would be an understatement. He hasn’t recorded a point and is minus-8 in 33 games.
But the 34-year-old knows his game isn’t judged by how many goals or points he has. What he brings is an unwavering commitment to the team — whether it’s throwing his body in front of high-velocity slap shots or being a leader in the locker room — and he looks to get himself back to that.
The Flyers opened their five-game road trip with a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. But the win came at a cost as Denver Barkey and Travis Sanheim each left the game early with injuries.
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper competed for the United States in several international tournaments as a teenager.
Bryce Harper aspires to play in the Olympics. First, he’ll suit up for the World Baseball Classic. The Phillies first baseman announced his plans on Instagram, and he’ll join a loaded roster that includes Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., teammate Kyle Schwarber, and ace pitchers Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
Baseball will be reinstated as an Olympic sport in 2028 in Los Angeles. The MLB is considering extending the All-Star break in 2028 to enable major leaguers to compete in the Olympics. So maybe the WBC could serve as a warm-up act.
Sports snapshot
Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (center) is defended by Paul George during Tuesday night’s game.
Winless trio: Despite having Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George in the lineup, the Sixers lost to the Nets and remain winless when all three play.
A hearty breed in Orchard Park, N.Y.: Buffalo Bills fans during a divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 19.
For a long time when it came to sports, Buffalo was Diet Philadelphia. Similar, but with a little less. There was one other common thread, however, for decades: None of those teams ever won a championship. Recently, though, the Eagles have altered that dynamic.
Buffalo has yet to have that great expulsion of joy and relief. The city’s excruciating sports history wouldn’t generate much sympathy from anyone, let alone from Philly. But if and when the Eagles do bow out of the playoffs, and if Buffalo’s hopes for a Super Bowl victory are still alive, send some good thoughts toward Western New York, because you were just like the fans there once, writes columnist Mike Sielski.
🧠 Trivia time answer
Which Oakland Raider deflected the pass that Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris hauled in for the Immaculate Reception on Dec. 23, 1972?
A) Jack Tatum — Miles P. was first with the correct answer.
What you’re saying about Hurts and Allen
Jalen Hurts hugs Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen after the Eagles’ overtime win on Nov. 26, 2023.
We asked: Who’s a better QB? Josh Allen or Super Bowl winner Jalen Hurts? Among your responses:
No doubt Allen. He can literally carry the team unlike Hurts who needs a little help. — Bob M.
In terms of skill and overall talent, it’s Allen. As to who’s right for this team it’s clearly Hurts. He brings passion and unquantifiable, yet obvious skills to his position. He is Philly through and through. He’s right for the team and they trust him to deliver. — Gary G.
Depends on what you use to compare the two. Allen in my opinion right now is the better raw passer and runner. Winning percentages are close 68.5% for Allen and 64.6% for Hurts. But, Hurts has played very well in the most important games (NFC Championship and Super Bowl). He won a Super Bowl and played extremely well in the one they lost. Allen has never gotten over that last hurdle. Both of these guys are great QBS but I think Hurts’ play in the big games gives him the edge.— Bill H.
The competition is not even close. Allen is the far superior quarterback. Hurts is a competent actor who occasionally demonstrates above average attributes while Josh Allen is a future hall of fame superstar.— David M.
Great question. Josh Allen is a big physical QB who puts up big numbers and regular season wins. Jalen Hurts has efficient numbers, but wins in the biggest games. Ask Buffalo fans if they would trade gaudy QB stats for Super Bowl wins. Ask Eagles fans if they would love Josh Allen in Kelly green? I would opt for Jalen and his two Super Bowl appearances. — Bob C.
Interesting and tough question. Josh has long been my favorite non Eagle QB. Guy is really tough and very talented. Not his fault that the Bills have not won a SB during his time. Overall at this point in time I give the nod to Josh, but if Jalen is behind it is not by much. On the plus side Hurts has been to two Super Bowls and is the reigning SB MVP. Love Josh but of course will be loudly routing for Jalen and the Eagles. — Everett S.
Josh Allen. He can do it all and more consistently.— Tom G.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Mike Sielski, Jackie Spiegel, Gustav Elvin, Keith Pompey, Amy S. Rosenberg, Scott Lauber, Devin Jackson, and Dylan Johnson.
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.
As always, thanks for reading. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy holidays. We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. — Bella
