ARIES (March 21-April 19). Virtues such as patience, kindness, compassion and good manners are like concentrates — a little goes a long way. Consistent application in small doses has you rising socially, spiritually and in other ways. People trust you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You can really set a tone. They’ll join in your fun, follow your lead and rise to your expectations. They’ll do it because they admire you, partly because you make sure to be a person worthy of their admiration.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Maybe it’s considered selfless to do what’s best for the group, but it’s also the most advantageous move you could make. Everyone will perform better inside a thriving group. And the collective needs just what you’re so good at giving.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Some battles are never really won, but if you stop thinking of them as battles, you’re the one who wins. Try thinking of the situation as a conversation, a puzzle or a dance. That is what it will become.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Like a cat, you act when you feel it, not when they tell you to. You don’t obey orders unless they happen to coincide with your body’s sense of energy and timing. You’re swift, strong, fierce or tender, according to your own wild instinct.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Refinement involves repetition. It’s a thousand small moves to polish the surface. It’s the 50th read, the dozens of meetings, the comb-through, the edits after the final edit. Refinement is what sets you and your work apart.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ve spent weeks circling a vague feeling, and now it’s acute, vivid and up close — maybe too close. Now that you know more about what you’re dealing with, step back again for the big picture that’s only visible from a broad perspective.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Some people confuse need with want. You want only the wisdom to delineate. You’ve seen how messy and ugly it can be when excess spills all over everything. Elegance is having just the right amount.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Life is not a speed date. You’re more into really being somewhere than collecting a bunch of checkmarks. Today, an experience will linger. You’ll love how the moment gets under your skin and later makes you think.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It may surprise you when others share a part of their world they don’t let just anyone in on. But don’t be too quick to share back just yet. You’re under no obligation. It’s enough to honor others with your sweet attention.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re not asking for magic. You don’t want to be served or hyped or charmed or rescued. But you do want respect — for your intelligence, your style and your choices. And that’s exactly what this moment is about.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Like everyone, you have your own unique set of quirks and blind spots. The ones who’ve offered you acceptance and belonging have taught you to extend the same grace to others. Sometimes, that simply means letting small imperfections pass without comment.
TODAY’SBIRTHDAY (Feb. 1). Welcome to your Year of Life-Changing Introductions. Doors open because someone recognizes your talent and introduces you to exactly who you need next. Ideas move from imagination into form with help that feels timely and sincere. More highlights: collaborators who become friends, shared laughter that fuels productivity, and a long-range plan that pays at every milestone. Libra and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 18, 26, 5 and 39.
Xfinity Mobile Arena jumped back in time on Saturday as the 76ers honored their iconic 2001 NBA Finals team with a reunion night as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary celebration.
The vintage 76ers logo, with its retro comet tail, adorned the basketball court. Hip-Hop, the team’s mascot during that era, returned to interact with the crowd, and players and fans alike wore their throwback black jerseys to pay homage.
From special appearances and halftime tributes, here’s what the fans had to say about reunion night:
There’s only one thing — or person — that comes to mind to most fans when they think of the throwback Sixers jerseys.
“I just think of Allen Iverson,” said 23-year-old Robert Phillips. “That’s it.”
Iverson, who was drafted by the 76ers with the first overall pick in 1996, became an immediate fan favorite — representing the grit and toughness of Philadelphia. His stardom has reached generations, including Phillips, who said he grew up watching highlights on YouTube.
“I wasn’t born yet,” Phillips said. “My grandmother was alive and she watched AI’s run and then once we were old enough we went on YouTube and watched AI highlights. When he did that crazy layup in the All-Star Game, I still watch it and I’m like, ‘How are you this acrobatic?’”
The 11-time NBA All-Star had early success, earning Rookie of the Year honors. Iverson eventually led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001 — winning NBA MVP in the process — before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
However, that run is still something Philly fans like to reminisce about. Ishmael Amir, 36, remembers how “electric” it was to be a Sixers fan at the time.
“That team was so Philly, because again, it was a team full of underdogs, and I think that represents the city,“ Amir said. ”Like nobody expected the Sixers to do it. Most people outside of the city can’t name anybody on that team besides AI and maybe [Dikembe] Mutombo. And that’s who we are as a city. … You can count us out. We love when you count us out. And that season it was a great time for us.”
Iverson gave Philly fans many iconic moments, including the step over Tyronn Lue, which became a picture-perfect memory for most fans. However, there are a few unsung heroes from the 2001 team. And former Sixers president Pat Croce commended one of them before Saturday’s game.
“You know Allen Iverson, you know our Bubba Chuck,” Croce said, referring to Iverson’s nickname. “Bubba Chuck wouldn’t be Bubba Chuck without Snowman [Eric Snow]. He watched his back every game. He talked in his ear every game in that locker room. Allen could play the way he did because he had [Snow] watching his back. Eric Snow was an integral part of the championship season.”
Honoring the 2001 team
Snow and Iverson were in attendance for Saturday’s game alongside several other members of the 2001 team, including Rodney Buford, Theo Ratliff, Todd MacCulloch, Jumaine Jones, George Lynch, Croce, and Billy King.
To start the night, Croce was the special guest to ring the bell ahead of the game.
Saturday night, however, belonged to the 76ers’ 2001 Eastern Conference championship team.
Joel Embiid continued to put teams on notice that he’s back to playing at an All-NBA level. And Kelly Oubre Jr. is doing his best to fill the void left by George‘s 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Those things stood out on an evening where the Sixers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 124-114.
The Sixers improved to 27-21 while extending their home winning streak to three games. Embiid finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Oubre added 19 points on the first night of Paul George’s suspension.
Not to be outdone, Tyrese Maxey (18 points, eight assists), VJ Edgecombe (15 points, five assists), and Jared McCain (12 points) were the other double-digit scorers against the Pelicans (13-38).
Former Villanova standout Saddiq Bey led New Orleans with 34 points, while Zion Williamson was held to 11.
But the 2000-01 Sixers were the highlight of the evening.
Not only did that squad reach the NBA Finals, but they were also the last Sixers team to advance past the second round of the playoffs.
That gritty team was led by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and a bunch of defensive-minded blue-collar players. It was a squad that still carries a lot of weight in Philly and across the NBA. And that’s impressive, considering the Los Angeles Lakers ousted them in five games in the NBA Finals.
“I can say I’m not surprised, because we had an iconic run, but we had an iconic player, too [in Iverson],” said Eric Snow, who was that team’s point guard. “And it was different. It was unique, the city and the players. It was such a connection that I can [feel] to this day everywhere I’ve been, and I traveled to other countries, and I’ve been to every state, except two, and I’m always asked about this team.”
That season, Iverson was the league MVP, Aaron McKie was the Sixth Man of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo garnered Defensive Player of the Year, and Larry Brown was the Coach of the Year.
Members of the team were on hand and honored during a halftime celebration. Former Sixers team president Pat Croce and former Sixers mascot Hip Hop were the bell ringers.
The thing that made that Sixers squad special was Brown, a true player’s coach, and the team general manager Billy King assembled around Iverson.
“When you had a talent like Allen, you had to build a team to fit him,” King said. “So I remember talking to Larry quite a bit. Larry had a vision to get him off the ball, get him to two guard, but we needed a bigger guard that could play point guard and defend some of the guards that Allen couldn’t guard.
“And I remember Larry and I talking, and we were saying we were watching Eric, we were in Seattle, and he was the fourth point guard there. And we were like, we think we can beat that.”
Former Sixers guard Allen Iverson talks with former team announcer Marc Zumoff during Saturday’s celebration.
So they acquired Snow from the Seattle SuperSonics on Jan. 18, 1998, in exchange for a second-round pick.
“That’s where it started,” King said. “Then it was like, let’s get George Lynch, because we need somebody that can defend the three. Then the big one was Larry, and I looked, we needed a shot blocker, and it was like we knew Allen and Jerry Stackhouse wasn’t going to fit, and so we kept calling Detroit about Theo [Ratliff].”
The Pistons agreed to the trade, but also wanted the Sixers to take McKie for salary purposes.
So on Dec. 18, 1997, they traded Stackhouse, Eric Montross, and a 2005 second-round pick for Ratliff, McKie, and a 2003 first-round pick.
Former Sixers President Pat Croce jokes with past team mascot Hip-Hop during pregame ceremonies before the Sixers-Pelicans game on Saturday.
Lynch signed with the Sixers as a free agent on Jan. 21, 1999.
“So it was more than building pieces,” King said. “We wanted guys who could play defense. Larry was a guy that I knew from coaching with him that he didn’t care if you could shoot it. He wanted guys that can play defense, and he’d figure out how to score.”
But Ratliff suffered a broken bone in his right wrist, which forced him to miss the 2001 All-Star Game and the remainder of the season.
In need of a standout replacement, the Sixers traded Ratliff along with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sánchez to the Hawks for Mutombo and Roshown McLeod on Feb. 22, 2001.
Former Sixers guard Allen Iverson greets former team president Pat Croce during the 25th anniversary NBA finals team ceremony on Saturday.
Embiid back to dominating
Embiid has made things look easy in the first half, especially as of late.
The 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star scored 23 of his points on 7-for-17 shooting. Two games prior, Embiid scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter.
But none of this has been surprising, as the 7-foot-2 center is getting back to his old self after dealing with two left knee surgeries in the previous two seasons.
Sixers center Joel Embiid drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy on Saturday.
Embiid averaged 33.2 points while shooting 50.0% on three-pointers, along with 9.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his previous six games. And it was the seventh straight game that he’s scored at least 29 points.
“Honestly, surprising,” Embiid said of his play. “Coming into this year, I thought it was going to be more of a tryout year to me. To me, this year has already been successful, because I feel like coming into the year, it was about figuring out, OK, what’s the schedule? How are we going to do this moving forward? And try to figure out how the knee is going to respond every single day.”
He began the season by taking at least two days off after every game. Now, Embiid can play every other day, and he says everything is going well. That’s why this season is already a success.
“But that doesn’t change my mentality as far as wanting to get better every single day,” he said. “Keep pushing and seeing. … Like I said, it was supposed to be a tryout for next year and moving forward, and how we are going to do this.
“His name hasn’t been mentioned. But I think guys like Simon Rice [the vice president for athletic care for the Sixers], you know, he’s been probably the main guy when it comes to everything. I would say probably everybody gave up on me. He’s the one guy that just kept trying to figure it out … I’m really thankful because he was that one person.”
Embiid scored on putbacks, jumpers, and layups while making it tough for everyone who had the misfortune of guarding him.
At one point in the season, the Sixers appeared to be Maxey’s team. But Embiid is showing that he can still be the franchise player. Fans chanted “MVP … MVP … MVP!” as Embiid attempted foul shots in the closing seconds.
” He’s really good at basketball,” Maxey said. “That’s really good, though. And I’m not trying to be funny. He’s playing the right way, too. He’s getting people involved, rolling. I think the biggest thing right now is his trust level and his teammates.”
Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr.,is expected to play a major role with the loss of Paul George due to his suspension.
Oubre’s outing
The biggest question surrounding the Sixers is who’s going step up in George’s absence.
Oubre appears to be the frontrunner to do that. The 6-8 swingman scored his points on 7-for-13 shooting — including making 3 of 7 three-pointers — to go with 10 rebounds and four assists.
This isn’t the first time that Oubre was a force in a game. He scored a season-high 29 points on Nov. 2 against the Brooklyn Nets. He’s also scored at least 18 points on 10 occasions. But he’s been known more for crashing the boards and guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter defender.
He’s sure to get more offensive opportunities with George out. And he’s excited about that.
“But at the end of the day, man, any given night we have a team that people can show up and put points on the board and be key contributors to winning,” Oubre said. “And I just want to be a key contributor to winning, whether you know my role be what it was or what it is, just try to take everything with grace and just take the proper steps to be prepared for anything.
“But at the end of the day, man, I just want to prove that, you know, I’m a valuable piece to this league, and to this team, and you know, that I just continue to show up every day.”
And if he continues to excel, the Sixers may be better suited to weather the storm.
His teammates are confident that he can step in for George.
“We’ve seen it,” Oubre said. “We’ve seen it last year. We’ve seen it the year before. We’ve seen it early this year. He did a really good job early in the season, just kind of playing that role, scoring, rebounding, and defending.
“I think he had 10 rebounds tonight. That’s big time. We’re going to need it, especially filling in for that role. And I have trust in him, because Kelly’s a guy who is not scared of the moment.”
Penn rallied to defeat Columbia on Saturday evening at the Palestra a day after a narrow loss to Cornell, closing out a two-day stretch of Ivy League games on a high note.
The 64-55 win over the Lions (14-6, 5-2) marked the first win over Columbia in three years for the Quakers (13-7, 3-4) and kept alive Penn’s hopes of competing for the Ivy title. It also dropped the Lions out of a tie for first place with Princeton.
And it erased the pain of a nail-biting 62-58 home loss to the Big Red on Friday that snapped a two-game Quakers winning streak.
“We were hungry,” said Penn guard Mataya Gayle, who finished with a team-high 16 points and seven assists against Columbia. “We wanted it. I think that showed in how we played. We were all over the court. We know they’re a good team, but we put in our heads that today we’re going to be the better team.”
The Lions entered boasting a 5-1 Ivy record after defeating No. 19 Princeton on Friday night. On the flip side, Penn’s loss to Cornell put it at sixth in the Ivy League — three games back from competing for a spot in the league tournament.
Following the loss, Penn coach Mike McLaughlin pressured the team to step up its effort, knowing the kind of battle the players had ahead of them.
“I challenged them that you can’t be outplayed,” McLaughlin said. “You can get out-skilled, but you can’t have someone play harder than you.”
Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin urged his team to play with intensity following a Friday night loss to Cornell. The result? A big win against league-leading Columbia.
Against Columbia, it was evident that the players took that advice to heart. Using a 3-2 zone defense for a majority of the matchup, the Quakers held Columbia to 32.3% shooting from the floor.
“Losing to Cornell was not ideal,” Gayle said. “Our backs were against the wall, but I think that also gave us another boost today. We went out there like we had the most to lose, but also nothing to lose. We competed. You saw everyone on the court doing what they needed to do, the little things. We took yesterday’s loss and learned from it, and that translated today.”
‘Not an easy task’
McLaughlin has been looking for players to step up and support the team’s stars, Katie Collins (nine points) and Gayle, and for the first time in Ivy League play, he got his wish.
Every player to log more than three minutes for Penn scored at least eight points, which helped overcome a 24-point night from Columbia guard Riley Weiss. The supporting cast was headlined by a double-double from center Tina Njike, who bounced back from a difficult 13-minute performance against Cornell to finish with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Penn center Tina Njike (10) seen in a game earlier this season, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Columbia on Saturday.
“I’m really proud of Tina,” McLaughlin said. “Thirty-five minutes. It’s not an easy task for anyone.”
Brooke Suttle, whom McLaughlin has relied upon as the team’s de facto sixth man, also shined, scoring 11 points.
Honoring the 2001 team
In attendance was Penn’s 2001 championship team, which was honored at halftime in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the program’s first Ivy League title.
Penn, coached by Kelly Greenberg, went 14-0 in league play en route to securing the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid with a record of 22-6.
“It was a great building tonight,” McLaughlin said in reference to the former players’ support. “That was about as fun as I think these kids can play in this environment. And I want them to experience that, too. All this came together tonight.”
Sixers fans have had a lot to celebrate over the last few weeks, whether it was Tyrese Maxey’s second All-Star nod, VJ Edgecombe’s Rising Star selection, or their backcourt duo gracing the cover of SLAM magazine.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” said 32-year-old Ruben Rivera. “There [are] good things to look forward to as a Sixers fan.”
However, that all changed on Saturday morning when the team suffered a significant blow. The NBA announced that nine-time All-Star Paul George would be suspended 25 games without pay for violating the NBA and National Basketball Players Association anti-drug program.
“So, somebody sent me a meme,” said 40-year-old West Philly native Hoag Davis. “And I thought it was a joke. That’s crazy to me. It was right when I thought the Sixers were about to get it together.”
Earlier this month, Paul George (right, with ball) and Sixers center Joel Embiid (left) combined to score 61 points in a win over the Bucks.
But for other fans, including Robert Phillips, 23, and Xavien Phillips, 20, this felt like a common Philly occurrence.
“That’s the Sixers for you,” Robert said. “We pick up a little traction and we’re doing our thing and something always bad happens to us. We have some sort of bad luck. But, we’re going to pursue through it. That’s how we is. Maxey’s hooping. Embiid’s hooping. The whole team is hooping. So, we should be good.”
That was a common feeling for Philly sports fans who made their way to the Xfinity Mobile Arena to catch Saturday’s game against the Pelicans, especially with George coming off a big game less than a week ago which saw him finish the night with 32 points.
“I mean, it felt like man just one more thing, just as the team’s getting healthy, just as they’re starting to roll,” said 36-year-old Ishmael Amir. “You have Paul George have a big game the other day. So, your hopes are getting high and then you get this news out of the blue. But you get over it. We’ve got the young talent. We’ve got Maxey, who’s an All-Star. We’ve got VJ [Edgecombe]. We’ve got Embiid looking healthy. It’s only 25 games. It gives PG enough time to rest to get fully healthy for a postseason run, so it’s unfortunate, but we’re gonna be back.”
Paul George shared a statement following his 25-game suspension for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. (via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/oCHWa0VDhy
George sat out of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Sixers heading into the game with the Eastern Conference’s sixth-best record. Although Amir believes the 25 games gives George enough time to heal, others believes it’s enough time to negatively impact the season.
“I think it will impact the season from maybe a three-seed to a six-seed,” Rivera said. “It will hurt. There’s no denying. But, we got to be optimistic. If Embiid keeps balling, we’re going to be alright. We still got Maxey. We got to be optimistic.”
Heading into Saturday’s game George was averaging 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 27 games. The forward won’t be eligible to play until March 25 in the Sixers game against the Chicago Bulls at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
A deep bench has been crucial as Villanova maintains its hold on second place in the Big East.
Just look at Saturday’s 69-56 win over DePaul at Finneran Pavilion.
Senior guard Ryanne Allen accounted for 17 points for the Wildcats (16-5, 9-3 Big East) and was their second-leading scorer behind sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe (27 points).
The 6-foot-1 Perkasie native aims to bring a spark and is averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds, mostly off the bench.
“Our bench has been tremendous,” said Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “I think any of them are capable of being in that starting lineup, with Ryanne, Dani [Ceseretti], and Brooke Bender. They generate a lot of offense for us. It’s so nice to have that spark coming off the bench.”
Bringing a ‘spark’
Allen’s specialty has been her consistent shooting from beyond the arc, where she’s averaging 48.7% this season. Against DePaul, she shot 5-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 in three-pointers.
Allen led the Wildcats to a strong finish against the Blue Demons (5-18, 2-10), contributing a three-pointer and a layup on consecutive possessions in Villanova’s 7-0 run in the final two minutes of action. She also led Villanova with seven rebounds, as it edged DePaul, 38-34, on the boards.
Dani Ceseretti shoots over DePaul’s Michelle Ojo during the first quarter at the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday.
“The big challenge today [against DePaul] was rebounding,” Dillon said. “It’s been a challenge for us as a team. So we crowned a rebounding leader today, and Ryanne was awarded the crown today. I think we’ve got to compete against each other. If we’re doing that, then we’re getting better.”
Although she has only started one game this season, Allen’s experience and sharp shooting have made her a crucial part of the rotation.
“When I come in, I just want to make an immediate impact and bring energy to those who have already been out there,” said Allen, who’s in her second season at Villanova after spending the first half of her college career at Vanderbilt. “Being on the bench, you’re able to see things, see what’s happening out there. So I want to bring that energy and see what I can do to help the team in any way.”
Allen is embracing the opportunity to finish her college basketball career not far from where it started, at Archbishop Wood.
“That’s one of the reasons I came back here, to be able to have my family here, especially to be able to see my siblings, my parents, grandparents, and aunts show out for me every game,” Allen said.
Every game will be crucial in the final stretch of conference play before the Big East tournament. Allen hopes that the energy she brings to the court will reverberate around the rest of the team.
The Wildcats next travel to Indianapolis for a matchup with Butler on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).
“In February, you’ve already played every [Big East opponent], so everyone knows what you can do, and they see your strengths and your weaknesses,” Allen said. “So it’s important to be able to find different ways to win, continue to put our foot in the gas and push forward when everyone’s trying to get as many wins as possible.”
Every day, sometimes several times a day, the 7-year-old girl wants to talk about the mother she lost in the Northeast Philadelphia plane crash.
“She’s missing her all the time and she’ll ask me, `Do you think I look like my mom? Do you think I dress like my mom? Do you see my bag? This is my mom’s bag,’” said 35-year-old Shantell Fletcher, the girl’s godmother.
It has been a year since a medical jet crashed on Cottman Avenue near the Roosevelt Mall, killing all six people onboard. The explosion cast a plume of plane shrapnel and fire over the neighborhood. At least 16 homes were severely damaged and about two dozen people were injured that night.
The girl’s mother, Dominique Goods Burke, and her fiance, Steven Dreuitt Jr., along with Dreuitt’s 10-year-old son, Ramesses Dreuitt Vazquez, were driving on Cottman Avenue on Jan. 31, 2025, just after 6 p.m. when the plane slammed into the ground at more than 278 mph, within feet of their car.
Flames instantly engulfed the vehicle. Dreuitt, 37, trapped in the car with his legs crushed beneath the steering wheel, died at the scene, but Goods Burke and Ramesses escaped with severe burns.
A floral photo of Dominique Goods Burke is carried out after the funeral service as family, friends and community members gather outside at Tindley Temple UM Church in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Dominique passed away at Jefferson hospital on April 27 due to the critical burns from the Roosevelt Mall Learjet crash along Cottman Avenue.
Goods Burke, 34, died of her injuries in April at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, leaving behind her daughter and her 16-year-old son, Dominick Goods. (The family asked The Inquirer to withhold her daughter’s name to protect her privacy.)
On Saturday evening, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and other city officials planned to place a wreath at the crash site. About 100 people gathered inside Engine 71 Fire Station on Cottman, the station closest to the crash site.
The plane’s impact had left a bomb-like crater in a driveway apron between a Raising Cane’s restaurant and a Dunkin’ Donuts. The 8-foot-deep hole has since been filled in and paved over, but the loss and devastation are irreparable.
“I don’t know how we made it through a year. It feels fresh, raw. Sometimes it’s hard to breathe,” said Fletcher, who was Goods Burke’s first cousin and best friend. “Losing her, I’ve felt alone and empty. I miss laughing with her. I miss joking with her. I miss celebrating life with her.”
Fletcher is helping to raise Goods Burke’s daughter and her son, Dominick, an 11th grader at Imhotep Institute Charter High School in East Germantown. Dominick’s father was Dreuitt, so he lost both parents.
“My godson doesn’t have his mother or his father. My goddaughter doesn’t have her mamma,” Fletcher said. “Other than them coming back, nothing could ever give us a reprieve from the pain.”
Ramesses Dreuitt Vazquez, 10, spent months in a Boston hospital recovering from burns to more than 90% of his body when the car he was riding in caught fire in the Jan. 31, 2025 plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia.
“I have my moments of still struggling. It’s been really tough,” said Dreuitt’s 61-year-old mother, Alberta “Amira” Brown, whose grandchildren are Ramesses and Dominick. “The life that we once had, we can never get it back.”
An irreplaceable booming voice
Dreuitt worked as a kitchen manager and team leader at the Philadelphia Catering Co. in South Philadelphia for more than seven years. Co-owner Tim Kelly said it was Dreuitt’s job to call staffers to lunch, which the company served to its 45 employees each day at noon.
“Steve would always call lunch, which basically was him just yelling, ‘LUNCH,’ three times loudly,” Kelly said. “His deep booming voice. Many of the guys here have tried to replicate it, but to no avail.”
“Time does help. It softens the blow,” Kelly said. “It was very difficult for a long time for a lot of us, but we’re at the point where we can remember him with a little less sadness and we can smile a bit.”
Goods Burke, whom loved ones affectionately called “Pooda” and colleagues called “Dom,” worked at High Point Cafe as a day bakery manager for years.
Cafe founder Meg Hagele said the staff treats her former work space, dubbed “Dom’s table,” with a shrine-like reverence. Seeing Goods Burke’s handwriting on recipes, scribbles in margins, stirs memories of her vibrancy and creativity.
“She’s very present with us still,” Hagele said. “This accident was just a shock to the entire city, but to be touched so personally by it is just freakish and profound.”
NTSB investigation continues
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash’s cause. The plane — a medical transport Learjet 55 owned by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, headquartered in Mexico City — had taken off at 6:07 p.m. from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. It climbed to 1,640 feet before nosediving just three miles away around 6:08 p.m.
NTSB investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder at the scene, but after repairing it and playing it back, they found the device “had likely not been recording audio for several years,” according to a preliminary report released in March.
Brown, of Mount Airy, said she got a letter from the NTSB a few weeks ago saying investigators were making progress.
“That’s hope right there,” Brown said in a recent interview. ”It will help to know exactly what happened to make that plane come down. Does it change anything? No.”
Alberta “Amira” Brown remembers her son, Steven Dreuitt Jr., who died in the Jan. 31, 2025, plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia. In November, Brown attended a memorial service at Oxford Presbyterian Church in North Philadelphia.
The cremated remains of the six Mexican nationals who died aboard the plane were returned to loved ones in Mexico City last spring. Among the passengers were 11-year-old Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her 31-year-old mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna. They were returning home after Valentinahad spent four months undergoing treatment for a spinal condition at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia.
Also killed were the pilot, Alan Montoya Perales, 46; his copilot, Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, 43; a Jet Rescue doctor, Raul Meza Arredonda, 41; and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, 41.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson (from left) Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel ring a ceremonial bell at the one-year anniversary memorial observance of the Northeast Philly plane crash Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at Engine 71 Fire Station on Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia.
In the moments after the crash, hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers swarmed the area to put out homes and cars on fire from the jet fuel or burning pieces of aircraft that struck them.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson, a 36-year veteran of the city’s fire department, said the plane crash “was without a doubt the biggest thing that I’ve ever responded to.”
In an interview on Thursday, Thompson recalled rushing to the scene from his Fishtown home, filled with dread and adrenaline.
“I remember it was dark. It was cold, and it was raining — it was like something out of a disaster movie,” Thompson said. “As I got closer, I could just see a sea of lights.”
He arrived to find multiple homes and cars on fire. Pools of jet fuel everywhere. And so many pieces of debris that he initially had no idea of the plane’s size. He said he and other first responders will never forget seeing body parts strewn among the wreckage.
“This still affects all of us. Just to see that is so unnatural,” Thompson said. “And the work that they did that night — that’s indelibly etched in their memories.”
More than 150 firefighters scoured “blocks and blocks” of homes, entering each one and every room, to make sure everyone was accounted for. He said he is amazed how multiple agencies worked together to bring “order to chaos.”
“That just gives me goose bumps,” Thompson said. He added, “This is actually therapeutic — me talking to you has been therapeutic because there was a lot there that night and I don’t often talk about this.”
Miracles, luck, and skill
As tragic as that night was, Thompson said, there was some miraculousness, including the fact that the plane struck a patch of empty pavement between two busy restaurants.
“Sometimes in this life, there’s luck,” Thompson said. “It was rush hour. You had a shopping mall and a densely populated neighborhood. It could have been infinitely worse.”
Lashawn ‘Lala’ Hamiel, Andre “Tre” Howard III, and his family cheer on the Eagles during Super Bowl LIX.
Andre Howard Jr. had just picked up his three kids — then ages 4,7, and 10 — from aftercare at Soans Christian Academy. They headed to Dunkin’ for strawberry doughnuts. As they were leaving the parking lot in Howard’s car, the plane exploded a few feet away. A plane part crashed through the car’s window. Howard’s 10-year-old son, Andre “Tre” Howard III, used his body to shield his 4-year-old sister and a piece of metal struck his head.
Tareq Yaseen, a neurosurgeon at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, was having dinner with his family, including his kids, ages 10 and 6, at Dave & Buster’s at Franklin Mall when he rushed back to the hospital to perform emergency surgery on Tre.
The boy had two gashes in the right side of his head, and his skull had been shattered into more than 20 pieces, Yaseen recalled.
“My son is the exact age as Tre, which made things very personal and emotional to me,” Yaseen said. “He’s gonna die. He was basically losing consciousness and going in a bad direction.”
“I felt for a moment that I would not be able to help him,” Yaseen said. “I was very scared that I’m gonna fail. There’s too much on the line and it’s a little boy.”
Yaseen said he worked fast to relieve the pressure on Tre’s brain and remove bits of broken skull. The surgery was a success. More than 60 relatives and friends in the hospital waiting room hugged and thanked him, Yaseen recalled.
“It’s a moment that would happen in the movies,” Yaseen said. “I was very lucky to take part in saving his life.”
Tre was transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he made a near-full recovery. He celebrated his 11th birthday in December.
“With time, he’ll grow up and forget about it. God gave us a gift to forget, which is great,” Yaseen said. “But I will never forget.”
Jefferson neurosurgeon Tareq Yaseen poses for a photo with Andre “Tre” Howard III and his mother, Lashawn “Lala” Hamiel at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.
A memorial
At the memorial Saturday, Mayor Parker read aloud the names of all eight who perished that night.
“To all the families who continue to carry this grief everyday, that until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, you can’t begin to understand what it’s like,” Parker said. “It is important for us to affirm that they know that Philadelphia stands with you today and we will always.”
She asked the victims’ family members in attendance to stand and be recognized, including Brown, her grandson, Dominick, and Lisa Goods, the aunt of Goods Burke.
The mayor said she plans to keep close tabs on Dominick.
“Now he knows he belongs to me — don’t try to take him from me,” Parker said as she looked at Dominick seated in the front row.
Parker also recognized first responders for their “extraordinary bravery and selflessness.”
“In a moment of unimaginable tragedy, you all ran towards danger to protect others.”
Alberta “Amira” Brown (center), the grandmother of 10-year-old Ramesses Dreuitt Vazquez, who was severely burned after a plane crashed into his North Philadelphia neighborhood last year at the one year anniversary memorial observance of the Northeast Philly plane crash Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at Engine 71 Fire Station on Cottman Ave., in Philadelphia
St. Joseph’s picked up its sixth win in its last seven games following a 67-58 final on the road against La Salle on Saturday.
The Hawks (14-8, 6-3 Atlantic 10) shot 14 of 32 in three-pointers, while La Salle (7-14, 3-6) made 3 of 19 three-point attempts.
The Hawks were led by sophomore guard Dasear Haskins, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Alongside Haskins, Hawks sophomore guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano added 16 points.
After a disappointing nonconference slate, the Hawks have surged in A-10 play. After Saturday’s matchup, St. Joe’s sits third in the conference. Head coach Steve Donahue praised his team’s ability to ignore the noise early in the season.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Donahue said. “I just see [the team’s] ability to forget about personal expectations and figure out what needs to be done on that game, and that tonight was a perfect example.”
Haskins said it simpler.
“Winning is so fun,” he said. ”I love winning so much.”
The Explorers were competitive early in the game, thanks to Rob Dockery’s 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The redshirt sophomore guard was the only Explorer to finish in double-digit scoring, with freshman guard Ashton Walker adding nine points and six assists.
Hawks’ Haskins hot from deep
St. Joe’s came out hunting the deep-ball early. Thirty of the team’s 36 first-half points came in three-pointers. Six threes were courtesy of Haskins, who made all of his attempts in the first half.
With under four minutes to go before halftime, Haskins showed off his shooting touch with a pocket three that rattled around the rim before dropping.
“I was just confident in my shots,” Haskins said. “My guys were cutting for me early, making it easy for me, and I was just making shots.”
Still, La Salle did not shake.
With the Hawks living beyond the arc, La Salle’s Dockery made St. Joe’s pay in the paint, where he had 16 first-half points.
Even with Haskins’ spotless shooting to start, the Explorers trailed 36-29 entering halftime.
Late push by La Salle
Both teams exchanged punches to start the second half, but St. Joe’s kept its lead.
With 12 minutes remaining, Walker made a flashy hop step pull-up jumper in the paint to bring the score to 48-41. After exchanging misses, Toscano hit a one-handed slam to extend the Hawks’ lead back to nine.
For every positive play the Explorers made, the Hawks had an answer.
“I thought defensively we had some breakdowns that we shouldn’t have had,” said La Salle coach Darris Nichols. “But, you know, they’re a good team. They’re playing well right now, they do the job of sharing the ball.”
As St. Joe’s converted free-throws down the stretch to put the game away, its student section loudly chanted “The Hawk will never die” as the La Salle faithful filed out of Glaser.
Donahue made his way over to the fans to show his appreciation.
“I feel [the fans’ impact] at St Joe’s, more than any place I’ve been,” Donahue said. “They really care about basketball. The students care. It’s fun to be a part of that.”
After a rough start to the season, St. Joseph’s head coach Steve Donahue has the Hawks sitting third in the Atlantic 10 conference.
Up next …
La Salle travels to take on Loyola (Ill.) on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPN+). On Wednesday, St Joe’s will host George Washington (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia).
Nearly a month after dangerous winds snarled their New Year’s Day performances, a dozen Mummers string bands got their encore.
The slate of bands reimagined their Jan. 1 routines Saturday on the snow-covered Lincoln Financial Field. It was a break from the norm — but perhaps the start of a new tradition for the 125-year-old Mummers.
“This is how we do it in our city,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker rallied the chilly but boisterous crowd. “When we set our minds to get something done, we won’t let the weather or anything stop us.”
The mayor suggested: “I think we might be on to something big.”
Folks applaud the bands during the 2026 String Band Spectacular at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
It was not the first disruption to the century-old holiday parade, but it was the first time that the popular string band division was suspended. The reenvisioned judged portion — dubbed the String Band Spectacular — on the Philadelphia Eagles’ home turf was announced weeks later.
“Thousands of people are out here cheering like it’s New Year’s Day all over again,” Sam Regalbuto, president of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association, said. “The cold isn’t keeping the fans away, and it’s definitely not keeping the energy down out on the field.”
Laksumi Sivanandan, 27, and Carter Davis, 30, of East Passyunk, were at the parade on New Year’s Day but were excited to see the string bands with different scenery — and have the rare opportunity to be feet from the Eagles sideline at an accessible price. (More than 5,000 tickets, ranging from $12 to $25, were sold, according to Regalbuto.)
“It’s fun to see it in a different environment — usually you’re sitting on a lawn chair on Broad Street.”
But the rescheduled event was not without its own weather woes: On Friday, at least one string band pulled out of the performance, citing the frigid temperatures. A total of 14 bands make up the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association, according to its website, but only 12 were scheduled to take the stage Saturday.
A coastal “bomb cyclone” was expected to douse parts of New Jersey and Delaware with some snowfall this weekend, while stinging winds and arctic air in Philadelphia pushed temperatures into single digits and plunged wind chills to as low as 10 degrees below zero. At the height of the show Saturday, temperatures barely eclipsed 20 degrees at the open-air Linc.
For spectators, who were clustered in the stadium’s lower bowl and sprinkled in suites, the keys to staying warm: layers, hand warmers, and beer jackets.
But the event offered Mummers enthusiasts and newbies alike an opportunity to enjoy the bands’ jovial music, unique sound, and elaborate costumes — with performances taking the audience from the sights of Las Vegas to New Orleans, a funhouse, and the Beauty and the Beast mansion — outside of New Year’s revelry.
“This is the moment each of the string bands work so hard for, and we’re so thrilled,” Regalbuto said. “This all came together to give them their shining spotlight out on that field in an unprecedented way. We couldn’t be more excited.”
The Fralinger String Band performs during the 2026 String Band Spectacular at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
New Jersey Shore communities are forecast to see minor flooding Sunday, as an offshore storm is expected to bring high winds that will also cause another bitterly cold night for Philadelphia and its suburbs.
The biggest concern is the high winds, which are expected to bring gusts of up to 40 or even 50 mph in Cape May County, as well as Sussex County, Del., according to Amanda Lee, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office. Sustained winds are forecast to be 20 to 25 mph.
“There’s potential for some minor coastal flooding with the high tide cycles,” Lee said. Sunday morning’s high tide looks to carry the greatest risk, she added, with the potential for more with the Monday morning high tide.
The threat of flooding is the result of two factors: the wind pushing water closer to the coast and the full moon.
“When we’re in full moons and new moons, the astronomical tides are higher as well,” Lee said. “So the combination of those factors are leading to the potential for the coastal flooding.”
While wind and flooding are the chief concerns, the Shore could also receive some snow — up to half an inch, she said.
Philadelphia and the region
The storm’s impact is expected to be felt much less in Philadelphia, with no snow and lower winds. But breezes could push the wind chill to minus 10 degrees, Lee said.
“It’s still certainly going to be a breezy day, particularly on Sunday. We’ll potentially see wind gusts up to around 30 miles an hour or so,” she said.
Sunday morning’s low is forecast to be in the high single digits to around 10 degrees, with winds picking up later in the day to keep things frigid.
“Again, still very much the same pattern we’ve been in: very, very cold,” Lee said.
Atlantic City gears up
Lee said that while any flooding along the Shore should be minor, that could still mean some full road closures. Conditions may be worse along the bays, where winds could push ice onshore.
One community gearing up for any high winds and floods is Atlantic City, said Scott Evans, the fire chief and emergency management coordinator. He said the city is expecting minor flooding, which may mean water on a few streets.
City public works crews have been out clearing drains, and were ready to salt icy roads, Evans said.
“Just a couple of our low-lying areas are going to experience what we call our nuisance flooding, but this … will be compounded because the temperatures will be well below freezing,” he said.
Evans encouraged Atlantic City residents to take steps, as they would ahead of other potential emergencies.
“Make sure you have your emergency preparedness kits, make sure you have your medications, your flashlights, extra batteries, cell phone chargers, and some of your basic things, some food and water, some other things should your power go out,” he said.
“Let’s hope for the best here,” Evans said.
The coming days
Beyond Sunday, it will remain cold this week, Lee said, “but in some ways a little bit warmer than we have been now.”
But not “warm” warm.
“We’re actually looking at potentially cracking above freezing, most likely on Tuesday,” Lee said. But even then, the highs will only be in the lower 30s. And another shot of cold is forecast for later in the week into the following week.
