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  • Waterfalls, cabins, art, and eats in Milford, Pa. | Field Trip

    Waterfalls, cabins, art, and eats in Milford, Pa. | Field Trip

    Milford is an outdoorsy town — and then some.

    It sits along the scenic banks of the Upper Delaware River in Pike County, surrounded by mountains, with access to major trails, canoeing, kayaking, and biking, and the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania. It’s an adventure hub among the best in the tristate region.

    But Milford isn’t just for people in hiking boots. It’s also an artsy town, with galleries, a theater, and dedicated film, music, and writers’ festivals. It’s a shopping destination too, with a slew of antique and gift shops, and a healthy-living store that rivals anything in Philadelphia or New York.

    “Geographically, I believe Milford has the edge over most small towns around,” said local entrepreneur Bill Rosado, who owns some popular businesses in town. “It is centered so well. Just looking at the town is a treat to me.”

    There’s plenty of history in Milford, too, which calls itself the “birthplace of the conservation movement” as it was home to Gifford Pinchot, founder and first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. It also has a historical museum that’s home to a unique and morbid artifact from the Civil War era.

    And, finally, you have to eat. Milford is home to fine dining at historic hotels, both fancy and cozy bars, along with breweries, classic diners, organic coffee, and, thanks to Rosado, authentic food from Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. (He was born there.)

    Milford’s about 75 miles northwest of Manhattan and just across the river from North Jersey, so yes, you’ll see Yankees and Giants gear, but it’s just 135 miles from Philly, so get up there.

    One of the cabins available for rent at Sean Strub’s Dwarfskill Preserve in Milford, Pa.

    Stay: Dwarfskill Preserve

    There are plenty of hotels in downtown Milford that are in the midst of everything the town has to offer, including the historic and ornate Hotel Fauchère and the Tom Quick Inn, which would be at home in Cape May. Rosado owns both of them.

    I’ve been eyeing up the tiny cabin at the 575-acre Dwarfskill Preserve, up in the hills above town, for years now, as a former colleague had spent extended time there over the years and shared lovely pictures. It’s owned by former Milford mayor Sean Strub and consists of three separate properties: the one-room cabin I rented for a few nights with my girlfriend, Jen, and my dog, Wanda, and two larger cabins that can fit more people.

    We stayed there over the New Year’s holiday, cooking brisket in the microwave and making coffee on the hot plate. While Milford and the Dwarfskill are undoubtedly at their best in the summer and fall, when you can take full advantage of the outdoor opportunities, including the swimming hole at the cabin, we watched both the wood fireplace and the ample snowfall outside for hours. It was hard to leave, a full hygge experience, in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

    📍 Dwarfskill Falls Lane, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Grey Towers, the Pinchot family residence, outside Milford, and the family’s haven from 1886 to 1963. The family made its fortune in lumber.

    Explore: Grey Towers National Historic Site

    If you drive around Pennsylvania as much as I do, you’ll see the name Gifford Pinchot quite a bit. Pinchot was a two-term governor of the Commonwealth and has a 54,000-acre state forest named after him.

    He went on to found and run the U.S. Forest Service and is generally considered a pioneer in the U.S. conservation movement. Pinchot was born in Milford and his home, Grey Towers, is a national historic landmark run by the U.S. Forest Service. Its curated gardens, French chateau-style stone architecture, and expansive library can all be seen on tours, both in-person during spring, summer, and fall, and online all year round.

    At 150-feet tall, Raymondskill Falls is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania.

    If you’re interested in something a little more outdoorsy, visit Raymondskill Falls, which, at 150 feet, is the tallest in Pennsylvania. You can, technically, visit in winter, but the ice and snow could be treacherous. In summer, you might have to brave some crowds and jammed parking lots, but the views are worth it.

    📍 Grey Towers: 122 Old Owego Turnpike, Milford, Pa. 18337

    📍 Raymondskill Falls: Raymondskill Road, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Learn: The Pike County Historical Society at the Columns

    It’s not every day that a county historical society can really wow you with an artifact, but Pike County punches up with a Civil War relic you won’t find anywhere else in the world: the bloody U.S. flag used to cradle Abraham Lincoln’s head after he was shot at Ford’s Theatre in 1865.

    The flag and other exhibits are housed in “the Columns,” a 1904 neoclassical-style mansion. Want to learn how they obtained the flag? Visit on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

    📍 608 Broad St., Milford, Pa. 18337

    Shop: Better World Store and Cafe

    It’s hard to pin down Better World Store and Cafe in one category.

    It’s a place to get coffee or tea and healthy pastries. It’s a community hub, where people gather to meet or work remotely.

    It’s also a place to look good, with woolens and other “natural” clothes, and smell good, or simply be good, with homesteading supplies and books.

    📍 Broad Street, Milford, Pa. 18337

    Eat: Felix’s Cantina at La Posada

    Jen spends weeks in the Yucatan every winter, so she was surprised to see a restaurant in Northeastern Pennsylvania promising a “taste of the Yucatan Peninsula and other regional dishes from southern Mexico.”

    Rosado, who also owns a historic theater in town, owns the Cantina at La Posada, yet another one of his hotels. He was born in Merida, the capital of Yucatan.

    He knows the dishes well, and she approved, describing our pork and birria tacos as “fattening and delicious.”

    For breakfast, the Waterwheel Café Bakery Bar, an old grist mill along Sawkill Creek, serves up a killer thick-cut challah French toast. We basically licked the plate clean.

    The Waterwheel Café Bakery Bar

    📍 Felix’s: 210 Second St., Milford, Pa. 18337

    📍 Waterwheel: 150 Water St., Milford, Pa. 18337

  • Trump’s assault on free and fair elections continues | Editorial

    Trump’s assault on free and fair elections continues | Editorial

    There are many things Donald Trump could regret about the aftermath of the 2020 election.

    Perhaps it could be his nonstop lying about voter fraud, or how he was recorded asking Georgia election officials to “find” him the votes he needed. Maybe he has remorse about inciting the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol, violence that led to seven deaths and more than 100 injured law enforcement officers.

    But no. What the president “regrets,” as he told the New York Times recently, is not ordering the National Guard to confiscate voting machines in swing states he lost.

    If the idea of military reservists marching into Philadelphia polling places and walking out with the pesky will of the people seems far-fetched — just another of Trump’s rambling musings — then consider that he and his enablers are already laying the groundwork to undermine future elections.

    With the midterms less than a year away, local and state officials must remain steadfast in their defense of free and fair elections, and voters must demand that their rights are protected.

    Hahnemann redevelopment may be another victim of councilmanic prerogative | Editorial

    The administration’s assault on the franchise began in March, when Trump issued an executive order seeking to exert control over election law that the Constitution does not grant the president, including demanding states avoid counting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after.

    The courts have so far stopped the order from taking effect, but it is worth noting that a new U.S. Postal Service rule changes when a piece of mail is postmarked — no longer when it is dropped off, but when it is processed. That means procrastinating voters in states where a ballot counts if mailed by Election Day can no longer take for granted their vote will be tallied.

    Rioters try to break through a police barrier at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

    Trump has claimed he will target mail-in ballots and voting machines as part of his effort to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.” He has also threatened election officials who oversaw the 2020 election with prosecution while pardoning the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters who sought to interfere with the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

    Meanwhile, starting in May, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded that states turn over their complete voter registration lists. Many states have declined to comply, including Pennsylvania, and are being sued by the government. This is sensitive data that includes Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and home addresses.

    Along with privacy concerns, there are fears that the Trump administration may seek to cast doubt on voter eligibility and pressure states to purge people from voting rolls. Already, there are examples of people being falsely identified as noncitizens by federal databases.

    Trump’s efforts to control the Federal Reserve put the U.S. economy in jeopardy | Editorial

    It is sadly not much of a leap to imagine Trump claiming widespread voting by noncitizens requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents be stationed at polling places. Of course, noncitizens can’t vote, but one does not need to be an immigrant to be intimidated by gun-toting masked forces who have shown they will fire first and expect no questions later.

    The president has also successfully lobbied some Republican-controlled states to remake congressional maps to favor the GOP, regardless of their potential illegality. In Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed 2025 redistricting maps to be used for the upcoming election, even as a legal challenge moves forward over racial gerrymandering. The high court’s conservative members are also likely to strike a blow against the Voting Rights Act this term, further emboldening voter suppression efforts.

    The administration’s unprecedented machinations have fortunately run into the wisdom of the founders, who charged the states with running elections, not the federal government. The same decentralization that sometimes frustrates widespread election reform and the implementation of best practices also limits a wholesale takeover.

    State election officials — Republicans and Democrats — have shown they take their charge seriously and are honor-bound to do their duty. Still, as Trump continues to consolidate power in the executive and stoke fears of widespread fraud, ensuring free and fair elections will require keeping the federal government from overstepping its authority.

  • 70,000 Pennie customers have dropped their plans as price hikes loom for health insurance

    70,000 Pennie customers have dropped their plans as price hikes loom for health insurance

    Sasha Kinney fears she cannot afford the $750 a month it will cost to keep her Affordable Care Act health plan in 2026. But she will put the insurance bill on a credit card before risking a medical emergency without access to the doctors she sees regularly.

    The 42-year-old Drexel Hill resident’s insurance costs soared this year, after Congress did not extend a federal incentive program that ensured that no one paid more than 8.5% of income on health coverage.

    She earns enough doing freelance work for nonprofits, while serving as her mother’s primary caregiver, that she is not eligible for Medicaid, the publicly funded health program for low-income people.

    A private health plan through Pennsylvania’s Obamacare marketplace, Pennie, was a major expense, but one she prioritized to help manage her chronic headaches and stress-related pain. But the incentive program expired at the end of last year, leading to skyrocketing ACA insurance costs in Pennsylvania and across the country. Kinney will now pay an extra $250 without the added tax credit.

    “I will go into debt because of these increasing costs,” she said. “But it still seems better than not having coverage.”

    Congress has failed so far to strike a deal to bring back tax credits that have helped record numbers of Americans get health insurance. The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation last week that would renew the program for three years, but it is unclear if the Senate will act.

    President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a healthcare plan that White House officials said would help address rising healthcare costs by creating new drug price controls and sending health subsidies directly to consumers. The sparsely detailed plan is intended to serve as a framework for Congress, though officials did not say which lawmakers are actively working on new healthcare legislation, the Associated Press reported.

    Meanwhile, people who are covered by Obamacare plans are running out of time to decide how to handle massive price hikes that doubled the average cost of the health plans in Pennsylvania.

    The deadline to enroll in a plan for 2026 in Pennsylvania and other states is Jan. 31. After that date, people can drop their coverage if they find it is too expensive, but they will not be able to select a new plan until the fall enrollment period.

    In Pennsylvania, about 70,000 people who bought Pennie plans in 2025 have decided they cannot afford the price increase and dropped their coverage. The dropout rate is unprecedented — about 1,000 people a day, said Devon Trolley, Pennie’s executive director.

    Nationally, about 800,000 fewer people have selected Obamacare plans compared with this time last year, a 3.5% drop in total enrollment so far, according to the AP.

    With just weeks to go in the enrollment period, marketplace leaders are urging people to think carefully about whether they can afford their plan for the full year and to look at other Pennie plan options. If Congress ultimately renews the enhanced tax credits, they have said, they would work quickly to adjust prices.

    “At this point, we are telling people they should make the best decision for their family based on the current cost,” Trolley said. “We want to make sure people who currently have coverage aren’t staying with a plan they can’t afford.”

    Trolley worries that people will stick with a plan they like, not realizing they can no longer afford it, only to be forced to drop the coverage and become uninsured partway through the year.

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    Congress considering tax credit extension

    The add-on tax credits that expired at the end of 2025 were introduced in 2021 and have been renewed by Congress annually since then.

    In Pennsylvania, the federal incentive program ensured the vast majority of enrollees qualified for at least some amount of financial help, driving peak marketplace enrollment of 497,000 in 2025.

    The program became a major sticking point in federal budget discussions last fall, with Democrats forcing a government shutdown after Republicans refused to include the tax credits without significant restrictions.

    The budget ultimately passed without the tax credits after key Senate Democrats, including Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, voted with Republicans to end the shutdown.

    Last week, 17 House Republicans — including Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan, and Ryan MacKenzie — sided with Democrats to approve legislation that would reinstate the tax credits for three years. The measure must be approved by the Senate, and would need to return to the House to consider any changes.

    While the incentive program’s expiration is a major blow to the Obamacare marketplaces, Trolley, Pennie’s executive director, urged people not to rule out finding affordable coverage.

    President Barack Obama’s landmark health law also included income-based tax credits for people who earn less than 400% of the federal poverty level — about $60,000. These tax credits cannot expire because they are part of the law.

    “We have been encouraging people to not assume it’s too expensive,” Trolley said.

    Devon Trolley, executive director of Pennie, has been outspoken about how cuts to ACA tax credits are affecting people who buy Pennie health plans. Pictured during a 2025 roundtable with Pennsylvania lawmakers, stakeholders, health systems at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia.

    Health insurance decisions

    While some parts of Pennsylvania are seeing prices three to four times higher than in 2025, Philadelphia’s collar counties are seeing more moderate cost increases, ranging from an average 46% price hike in Chester County to a 70% average increase in Delaware County.

    Other factors that affect cost include household size, age, and income. People who are generally healthy and use insurance sparingly may be able to save money by opting for a plan that has a low monthly cost and a higher deductible (the amount of money spent out-of-pocket before the plan begins covering a greater share of costs).

    Sasha Kinney, 42, of Drexel Hill, considered switching to a high-deductible health plan to lower her monthly premium, but ultimately stuck with her old Pennie plan because it offered better coverage.

    In Drexel Hill, Kinney considered switching to a cheaper plan when she saw how much it would cost to keep her current coverage.

    Her current plan has a low deductible, and even so, Kinney said, she still spends hundreds on co-pays and other costs not covered.

    She worried that if she switched to a plan with even higher out-of-pocket costs, she would end up skipping appointments and avoiding needed care.

    She routinely sees doctors and physical therapists, and didn’t want to risk having to find new providers.

    “In the end I think it washes out — you can lower your monthly cost, but if the deductible and co-pays are higher, you’re paying the same,” she said. “There’s basically no way to save money.”

  • The best things we ate this week

    The best things we ate this week

    Friday Algerian couscous at Algerino’s

    South Philadelphia has acquired an intriguing handful of Algerian restaurants over the past couple years, including Numidia Algeria (at 2340 S. Hemberger St., near 23rd Street), where I recently devoured a platter of house-made beef merguez, Berber-style semolina flatbread, and pastries. My most memorable Algerian meal of late, however, was the special Friday couscous at Algerino’s, which replaced West Passyunk Avenue’s Little Morocco in July with a wood-fired oven that turns out pizzas topped with merguez, North African-spiced roast chickens, and flavorful kebabs. On Fridays, though, this kitchen is all about producing its weekly special couscous platters: fluffy mounds of fine semolina grains topped with huge hunks of slow-braised beef shank and a tall pan of sauce on the side filled with vegetables and broth to be spooned over top at your leisure.

    Couscous is a common Berber dish served across North Africa’s Maghreb region, but chef and partner Kaci Grabi — who previously ran a restaurant in the central Algerian city of Tizi Ouzou — says the Algerian style is to serve components separately, as opposed to the Moroccan manner, in which plates are more composed, with vegetables already arranged over top. Flavor-wise, he says, there are also fundamental differences, with Algerian couscous occupying a restrained middle place between the sweet aromatics typical of Morocco and the spicier harissa profile of Tunisia. Indeed, the clear broth at Algerino’s was simple, rustic, and straightforward in its beefy savor, but still so incredibly satisfying for a cold winter lunch, especially with wedges of fresh-baked Berber flatbread on the side to soak it up. Algerino’s, 1431 W. Passyunk Ave., 267-639-4504, instagram.com/algerinos_restaurant

    — Craig LaBan

    Lomo saltado from Kiko’s Peruvian Kitchen in Collingswood, N.J.

    Lomo saltado from Kiko’s Peruvian Kitchen

    Lomo saltado — Peruvian-style steak stir-fry with onions, tomatoes, mild ají amarillo chilies, and French fries — has always been my favorite way to the test the quality of a Peruvian joint. Is the skirt steak tender? Are the fries soggy? Does the sauce capture the umami tang of an elevated soy sauce? If the answers are not yes, no, yes — well, thank goodness there’s always pollo al brasa.

    The lomo saltado is textbook at this Collingswood hole-in-the wall, with ultrathin cuts of juicy skirt steak and thick yucca fries only made better by sopping up the sauce. The stir-fry’s tomato slices are still just a bit firm and burst with juice, adding a slight sweetness to the otherwise umami soy sauce. I had no trouble tackling the restaurant’s heaping portions and was secretly disappointed with myself for not leaving more leftovers: Stir-fry always tastes better the next day. Kiko’s Peruvian Cuisine, 624 W. Collings Ave., Collingswood, 856-854-6888, kikosperuviankitchen.com

    — Beatrice Forman

    Rendang hoagie from the Sego food cart, on 16th Street, west side, just north of Market Street, on Jan. 14, 2026.

    Rendang hoagie from Sego cart

    Split a long roll, fill it with just about whatever you wish, and — voila! — in Philadelphia, you’ve got yourself a hoagie. The iconic sandwich, initially made of Italian deli meats and cheeses, has been spun into a world of variety over the years: fish hoagies, eggplant cutlet hoagies, falafel hoagies. All this and banh mi, too. Why shouldn’t the city’s small Indonesian community get in on it, too?

    Last year, Aditya Setyawan and his wife, Irza, who own the Indonesian catering business Pecel Ndeso, opened a food cart called Sego on 16th Street in Penn Center. It caught our eye last fall for The 76, our rundown of essential Philadelphia food destinations. One menu star is beef rendang — a spicy-creamy stew served with jasmine rice, sambal, and collard greens. Or go the hoagie route: They ladle the rendang onto a long roll. Each hearty bite gives you a rich beefiness countered by a bright kick from daikon, cilantro, and pickled carrots scattered on top. Sego, 1600 Market St. (outside of NAYA restaurant on 16th Street just north of Market), hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, 267-559-1656, instagram.com/pecelndeso.usa

    — Michael Klein

  • Dear Abby | Young girl’s presence at playground raises serious questions

    DEAR ABBY: To help out his parents, I pick up my grandson from daycare two days a week. I recently started taking him to a local park for about 45 minutes before I take him home. I’m physically active and climb the slides, chase him around and play with him. He loves our time together.

    Over the last two weeks, there has been a little 6-year-old girl at the park who seems to be on her own. Her parents, I assume, are in the parking lot. They are not in the park play area.

    The time we are there is the same time school gets out, so I’m sure she goes there every day after school. She has attached herself to us and wants me to go down the slide with her, push her on the swings and chase her constantly, and she asks me to watch her do this or that. Whatever we are doing, she is right there.

    She is cute and sweet, but she is taking my time away from my grandson. Also, my grandson is annoyed at someone else demanding my time which also distracts me from keeping a close eye on him. There isn’t another park we can go to that is nearby, and he loves this particular one. The girl is always there when we go. At first, I tried to include her in our play but that made it worse because she wanted more attention.

    I am a retired teacher, so I understand she is craving attention from an adult, but she’s really impeding on our play time together. How do I politely ask her to leave us alone?

    — DISTRACTED GRANDMA IN FLORIDA

    DEAR GRANDMA: You are assuming that the little girl HAS a parent in the parking lot. The next time you see her, ask her who is there with her — mom, dad, aunt, caregiver? If you do, you can either meet the person and explain the problem or realize that no responsible adult is looking after her. If this is the case, for heaven’s sake, report it to the school or CPS because leaving her all alone is child endangerment.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: I am a 66-year-old woman who has worked full time for 47 years, in addition to raising two children and maintaining a home. I will be retiring in three months because, honestly, I’m tired of the rat race.

    I’m single and don’t have a boyfriend. I have plenty of friends and family, but I’m increasingly nervous about what I’ll do with my spare time. I know I should feel happy and grateful that I’m able to retire, but at the same time, I’m having anxiety over this freedom. Have you any suggestions to offer?

    — STOPPING SOON IN TEXAS

    DEAR STOPPING: Start making a list of what your interests are. Your retirement years could offer you the chance to travel and see the wonders this country has to offer. You could take adult education classes at a nearby college or university. You might like to volunteer some time on projects or charities in your community. Or you could just hang out with friends. How you choose to spend your free time is entirely up to you and limited only by your imagination.

  • Horoscopes: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your need for validation comes under scrutiny. It is a human social instinct that falls under the category “unavoidable.” It will benefit you to get curious. So, whose approval do you seek and why?

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The most intoxicating relationships are the ones that contain an element of uncertainty. If you always know what you’re going to get, what you really get is bored. Surprises can be an act of love. Unpredictability will work in your favor.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Brevity will be lucky. Put time constraints on the meeting. Put a word limit on the email. Short messages will get right to the point. The more direct you can be, the better the results. You simply won’t leave any room for confusion.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). There are many different interpretations of loyalty. For some it’s a “ride or die” quality, and for others it’s more like, “I’ll choose you if that’s what makes sense to me in the moment.” It’s just something to be aware of today.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The lucky move: Get dressed up, all confidence and openness, and meet fresh faces in unfamiliar territory. People will be drawn to you. Savor the attention. You only get to be the new person once!

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Let “no answer” be the answer today. Thinking of today’s problem as unanswerable will cause worry, expectation or desperation surrounding an issue to drop away. All that is left is a whole entire world of other things to think about.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). However much help you thought you would need at this point, today proves your estimation was a bit off. Your new assessment will be realistic. You’ll put the word out and find just the assistance you need for moving forward.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Someone is attracted to the way you kick back and have fun, but you won’t find out who it is until you actually kick back and have fun. Does the mystery inspire you to let up on the work? You deserve a break.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Adventure calls, but today the thrill comes in small doses. A spontaneous detour, curious question or mini exploration will give you more than a grand plan ever could.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re no stranger to how consistent moves can add up to a rather big deal. You just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly! Still, you won’t be swept up. Continue to trust steady effort over spectacle.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Ideas are flowing, but only some are worth following today. Trust your instincts and discard the ones that feel heavy or forced. Sharing a fresh thought with the right person could spark a chain reaction. Don’t hold back, but be selective with your energy.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). To speak on matters you know very little about is colloquially referred to as “talking out of school,” but what do you call it when the “school” itself is woefully misinformed? It’s a day to examine even reputable sources, with an ear for bias.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 17). In this Year of Creative Mastery, you’ll be lauded for resourceful wins where you make the most of what’s already in reach. You discover that ingenuity outperforms excess. With clever adjustments and timely decisions, you turn modest inputs into meaningful returns. Collaboration fuels momentum. More highlights: inspired travel, healing and closeness in the family tree and sweet, funny companionship. Gemini and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 14, 24, 1, 19 and 38.

  • Evan Mobley hits game-winner to lift the Cavaliers to a two-game sweep of the Sixers, 117-115

    Evan Mobley hits game-winner to lift the Cavaliers to a two-game sweep of the Sixers, 117-115

    Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 39 points, Evan Mobley’s dunk with 4.8 seconds left was the winner and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers completed a two-game sweep of the 76ers in Philadelphia with a 117-115 victory on Friday night.

    Donovan Mitchell added 13 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers defeated the Sixers 133-107 on Wednesday.

    Joel Embiid scored 33 points and Tyrese Maxey had 22 points, nine assists and five steals for the 76ers.

    The Sixers were dominated by the Cavaliers. Nick Nurse is eager to see how they respond.

    Cleveland was without Darius Garland (right big toe soreness) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain), who were both injured on Wednesday. Coach Kenny Atkinson said both will be reevaluated when the team returns to Cleveland this weekend.

    The Sixers looked in control when Paul George hit a jumper with 8 minutes, 47 seconds remaining for an 11-point lead. But the Cavaliers used a 13-2 run, capped by De’Andre Hunter’s three-pointer with 5:53 left to tie it at 102. Philadelphia moved ahead by seven points after turnovers by the Cavs on three straight possessions, but Cleveland hung around.

    Sixers’ Dominick Barlow (left) and Paul George (right) defend Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell during the first quarter of Friday’s game.

    Hunter’s layup with just over a minute left put the Cavs up a point. After Mobley made one of two free throws with 22.7 seconds remaining, Maxey tied it at 115 on a runner with 8.1 seconds left. After a timeout, Tyson set up Mobley near the basket for an easy dunk to put Cleveland in front by two. Maxey’s shot from just beyond half court that could have won the game went long.

    Dominick Barlow was back in the lineup for Philadelphia after leaving Wednesday’s game early due to a back contusion. He was questionable entering the contest and finished with two points.

    The Sixers will host the Indiana Pacers (10-32) on Monday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • U.S. Soccer aims to build buzz for this summer’s World Cup, but many fans care about ticket prices

    U.S. Soccer aims to build buzz for this summer’s World Cup, but many fans care about ticket prices

    The exact details aren’t all set yet, but the picture is starting to come together in U.S. Soccer’s buildup to this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

    Four of the big pieces are well-known: the games the men’s national team will play before the tournament kicks off. They’ll face Belgium and Portugal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28 and 31, respectively, with the game against the Portuguese sold out at the 71,000-seat venue.

    The World Cup team will be announced at an event in New York in late May. U.S. Soccer Federation chief marketing officer Catherine Newman revealed the news during a speech Friday at the United Soccer Coaches Convention, and said the event will be open to the public in some form.

    She did not specify the exact date or venue, so it’s unclear just how many fans will be able to attend.

    U.S. Soccer Federation chief marketing officer Catherine Newman.

    The team’s training camp will start right after that at the new national training center in suburban Atlanta. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has already said he’ll set the roster before camp starts, not wanting to leave any choices until the last minute.

    There will be two tournament warm-up games: First, Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte, followed by a match against Germany on June 6 in Chicago. After that, the team will head to southern California to get ready for its World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.

    USMNT stalwart Antonee Robinson is finally healthy again, and hopes to get back to the national team soon

    Another milestone along the way will be the unveiling of the team’s World Cup jerseys in mid-March. Some renderings have already made the rounds on social media, of a red-and-white horizontal striped primary kit and a navy alternate kit with a star pattern.

    “You’ve seen the leaks, I’m sure — I’m not going to stand up here and pretend that you haven’t,” Newman said. “And [I] will not confirm or deny if they’re true either. But what I can say is that the kits are absolutely fantastic, they look brilliant, and importantly, the players helped us to design them.”

    Perhaps the details of how that happened will become known upon the official announcement.

    Newman tried to make the case that “what we are trying to do with a lot of things at U.S. Soccer is to make sure that if you can’t attend a match, that you can attend things with U.S. Soccer … Just come in and be a fan, that’s all we ask.”

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    A focus on ticket prices

    But those words will be met with skepticism from some fans, for one big reason: ticket prices.

    People who’ve paid attention know that U.S. Soccer has no influence on World Cup ticket prices. In fact, the 2026 host nations’ bid book proposed prices far lower than what FIFA decided on.

    But there have been complaints for years about the prices of tickets for U.S. Soccer’s own games, whether in big NFL stadiums or smaller MLS venues.

    So it will be noticed that as of Friday, tickets for the Belgium game were available for $44 through the governing body’s official sales page, run by Ticketmaster. Unfortunately, the news was less positive for the other games: $73 and up for Senegal, $122 and up for Germany, and $193 and up for what’s left for Portugal.

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    That doesn’t seem to fit with Newman’s claim that “we are not an expensive option in the U.S.,” even as she referred to $40 tickets and a free “block party” at last year’s U.S. women’s team game at SoFi Stadium. That’s the venue where the U.S. men will play two of its three World Cup group games.

    “We try very hard to think about that as part of our pricing, and to make it as affordable as we can,” Newman said. “And if we think about those four matches, there will be fan activations for all fans that our commercial partners are helping us [with], and there will be no cost to the fans. It is very important to us that fans can participate and can be part of it.”

    Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the U.S. men’s soccer team’s March games against Belgium and Portugal.

    She pivoted from there to more community-oriented events like watch parties, noting that U.S. Soccer is working with the American Outlaws supporters’ group to promote events across the country.

    “Soccer isn’t about just being in the stadium,” Newman said. “It’s about how you watch at home, and how you have those other parts. And that is where it’s incumbent on all of us as part of the soccer community to make sure that people feel part of that.”

    As true as that point is on its own, the words might not satisfy fans who want to take their family to a game, and look at ticket prices before anything else.

  • CHOP, Nemours targeted by Trump administration over transgender care

    CHOP, Nemours targeted by Trump administration over transgender care

    Escalating President Donald Trump’s fight against transgender rights, a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday asked the department’s inspector general to investigate two Philadelphia-area children’s hospitals over their gender-affirming care for transgender children.

    Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington are among a dozen hospitals that HHS general counsel Mike Stuart said in posts on X he had referred to the agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in recent days.

    A CHOP spokesperson declined to comment on Friday, and Nemours did not respond to a request for comment.

    Both hospitals treat children and teens with gender dysphoria — a medical condition in which a person’s body does not match their gender identity. Doctors can prescribe hormone therapy and puberty blockers to treat the condition, although Nemours has already limited its use of these treatments in response to threats from the Trump administration.

    The administration has targeted CHOP and other hospitals that treat transgender youth with subpoenas demanding patients’ medical records, including their dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses, as well as every communication by doctors — emails, voicemails, and encrypted text messages — dating back to January 2020.

    CHOP filed legal action in response, asking a federal judge in Philadelphia to block the parts of the subpoena that sought detailed medical records of patients. In November, the judge ruled in CHOP’s favor.

    The Trump administration appealed the decision Friday. It has argued that it needs the records as part of its investigation into possible healthcare fraud or potential misconduct by the hospitals.

    Stuart said in a Thursday post on X that the administration is investigating hospitals in order to safeguard children from “sex-rejecting procedures,” adding: “There is no greater priority than protecting our children.”

    Corinne Goodwin, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Trans Equity Project, called Stuart’s post part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to intimidate doctors and hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to those under 19.

    “This action by the Department of Health and Human Services is yet another attempt to intimidate healthcare providers and to harm young people who simply want access to proven healthcare that helps them to live happy and productive lives,” said Goodwin, whose nonprofit organization provides services to transgender people in 42 counties, including Montgomery, Bucks, and Delaware.

    In the last year, the president has signed a slew of executive orders aimed at transgender Americans.

    The administration has said it recognizes only two genders, limited research into LGBTQ+ health, and phased out gender-affirming care at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Directly targeting children’s hospitals, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a declaration in December rejecting gender-affirming procedures for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical associations, citing research, widely accept such care as safe, effective, and medically necessary for the patients’ mental health.

    HHS’s OIG declined Friday to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

    Last month, the U.S. Senate confirmed Thomas “March” Bell to serve as inspector general over HHS. During his confirmation hearing, Bell submitted written testimony saying, “If confirmed as inspector general, I will examine, evaluate, audit, and investigate to support the initiatives of President Trump and Secretary Kennedy.”

    An ongoing legal battle

    CHOP runs one of the nation’s largest clinics providing medical care and mental health support for transgender and nonbinary children and teens and their families. Each year, hundreds of new families seek care at CHOP’s Gender and Sexuality Development Program, created in 2014.

    Nemours’ Gender Wellness Clinic, launched in 2018, provided hormone therapy and puberty blockers, as well as mental health support, to transgender patients in Delaware, and Nemours is the only hospital in the state that provides gender-affirming care for children.

    Starting last July, its clinic began accepting only new patients who need behavioral healthcare. Existing patients receiving hormones or puberty blockers at the clinic were allowed to continue their treatment, the hospital said at the time.

    On Thursday, Stuart wrote on X that CHOP and Nemours “appear to continue to operate outside recognized standards of healthcare and entirely outside @SecKennedy’s declaration that sex-rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective.”

    Kennedy’s December declaration says that these procedures “do not meet professionally recognized standards of health care.” Doctors who perform such procedures could be barred from participating in federally funded healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare, he said.

    More than a dozen state officials from around the country, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, filed a lawsuit in late December to block the declaration’s enforcement.

    The lawsuit says that Kennedy has no authority to define “a national standard of care,” and that any substantive changes to Medicare rules are legally required to be subjected to a decision-making process that includes 60 days of public comment.

    Officials at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services have started that process, announcing alongside Kennedy’s declaration that they are proposing a rule that would bar hospitals from Medicaid and Medicare if they offer gender-affirming care to children under 19. They also proposed that Medicaid should not cover gender-affirming care for minors.

    But those rules have not yet been instituted, and the lawsuit alleges that Kennedy’s declaration is skirting the law by immediately imposing restrictions on gender-affirming care in hospitals.

    The Public Interest Law Center, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that advocates for the civil, social, and economic rights of marginalized communities, is representing five parents of transgender children in legal motions seeking to protect their medical records.

    Mimi McKenzie, PILC’s legal director, said the federal judge in Philadelphia was “very clear and on firm ground” when he ruled in November that the DOJ had no authority to issue the sweeping subpoena and that it violated the privacy rights of children.

    She noted that six other courts around the country have similarly ruled that DOJ “has no right to rifle through children’s medical records.”

    “Gender-affirming care is legal in Pennsylvania and endorsed by every leading medical association,” McKenzie said. “This is just another tactic in their ongoing attack against providers and patients.”

  • Snow is expected during the weekend in Philly, but how much is up in the air

    Snow is expected during the weekend in Philly, but how much is up in the air

    Some snow is possible in the Philly region during the holiday weekend, but about the only thing certain is that schools will be closed until Tuesday.

    Snow — not a whole lot of it — is expected Saturday morning, and possibly again during the day Sunday.

    “Definitely something,” said Ray Martin, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, “maybe not a lot of something.”

    In short, he added, expect a “100% chance of forecast uncertainty.”

    How much for Philly?

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    Some snow is expected in the early morning hours of Saturday, said Dan Pydynowski, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., and “sidewalks and streets could be slick for a time” in the Philly region.

    However, temperatures in the afternoon are expected to approach 40 degrees and that should melt any snow. If the precipitation lingers, it likely would turn to rain.

    That snow would be associated with a system from the west, and more significant amounts are expected well north and west of Philly.

    On Sunday when it will be colder, the source would be a coastal storm that has been befuddling computer models the last three days. On Wednesday, the U.S. model was seeing a significant snowstorm for the I-95 corridor. On Thursday, it said never mind and fell in line with other guidance that kept the storm offshore.

    On Friday, models were bringing the storm closer to the coast, but the model consensus was that it would be more of threat at the Shore and perhaps throw back a paltry amount to the immediate Philly region.

    “On the other hand, a slight shift … in the track could bring 1-2 inches into the urban corridor,” the weather service said in its afternoon discussion.

    Said Martin, “It’s always tricky with these offshore lows. It’s also possible that both systems pass us and we get basically nothing.”

    Far more certain is a rather big chill

    A Philadelphia firefighter spreads salt to control icing at a fire scene on Friday.

    That the region was about to experience its coldest weather of the season to date was all but certain.

    High temperatures on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, probably won’t get out of the 30s, and no higher than the mid 20s Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters say.

    Overnight lows are due to tumble into the teens, with wind chills approaching zero early Wednesday.

    No more precipitation is forecast at least through Thursday, but with odds favoring continued below-normal temperatures through Jan. 29 and above-normal precipitation, it should be a robust period for virtual snow threats, if not actual snow.

    “Even if nothing really happens this weekend,” said Martin, “there’s always next weekend.”

    Pydynowski said that “some signs” point to a snowfall “late next week or next weekend.”

    But one uncertainty at a time.