The University of Delaware on Tuesday appointed Laura A. Carlson, who had been serving as interim president, to the permanent post, effective Jan. 1.
Carlson came to the school in 2022 as provost after spending 25 years at the University of Notre Dame. She stepped into the interim presidency in July after former president Dennis Assanis announced he was stepping down last June with less than two months notice.
The university did not conduct a national search but rather engaged a consultant to help the school evaluate the qualities needed for the next president and assess Carlson’s ability to fit the role.
“Dr. Carlson has demonstrated a deep commitment to the advancement of our university and a clear passion for the success and wellbeing of our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Terri Kelly, board of trustees’ chair, said in a statement.
As provost, Carlson, whose specialty is psychology, expanded courses offered in winter and summer sessions to give students the ability to graduate more quickly and prioritized bringing ideas from faculty and staff to fruition, the university said.
She’s a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth, where she got her bachelor’s in psychology of language and obtained her master’s from Michigan State University and her doctorate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
“I have fallen in love with UD, and I am deeply committed to its purpose and people,” Carlson, 60, said in a statement. “Together we can make the University of Delaware a place where we inquire with impact, create with connections, innovate with intention, grow with purpose, welcome with promise, educate with outcomes, work with trust, and belong with joy.”
Ty Murchison wasn’t sure whether he should sit or stand when the media wanted to talk to him in the Flyers’ locker room in Voorhees on Monday.
On Saturday, the defenseman was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, and, normally, availability in Allentown is held outside the room.
He was more prepared for the swarm of reporters following the team’s optional morning skate Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Although it was hinted at a day earlier, Murchison learned officially that he would be making his NHL debut later that night.
“Extremely excited,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s been something I’ve been dreaming about my entire life. So, yeah, definitely an emotional time, but ready to go tonight.”
It’s been a journey for the California kid, a fifth-round pick by the Flyers in 2021 and someone who didn’t swap his roller hockey wheels for ice hockey steel until he was 11 years old.
“I would say roller hockey is where home is for me,” he said Monday. “The skating is definitely a bit different. It’s funny when I go back and play in the summer with all my ice hockey buddies, like I’m the only guy that can stop in my roller blades, because I pretty much grew up on them. But the rest of the guys, they usually struggle trying not to break any ankles out there.”
Murchison jokes that he didn’t know how to stop and was “blowing up kids” on the ice when he started playing. It’s not a bad thing because that’s how he evolved into a rugged defenseman.
With his size, 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, and physicality at development camp in July, and rookie camp and the main training camp in September, his play piqued the interest of the Flyers’ new coaching staff.
“I thought from Day 1 — and I don’t think we gave [him] an exhibition game — he was really impressing me in practice,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said on Monday.
“He was [ticking] guys off, he was blowing up guys on cycles and stuff like that. And he’s played really well. I talked to [Phantoms coach John Snowden], and he’s a guy who deserves to come up and get a shot.”
When the season started, not many would have pegged him to be the first guy to take a rookie lap this season. Just a few months ago, Murchison wrapped up his four-year career at Arizona State as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s defensive defenseman of the year after blocking 98 shots.
Ty Murchison’s roller hockey background has taken him all the way to the NHL.
After signing a two-year deal, he registered a goal and an assist in four regular-season games last season for the Phantoms and did not play in the postseason.
But this year, in 21 games, he has a goal, four points, 30 penalty minutes, and is plus-9. Murchison said he feels the pro game fits his style of play better than college because he likes to play a fast-paced, physical game.
So there he was this week, getting called into Snowden’s office to learn he was getting called up.
“My heart was beating about 100 beats per minute,” he said. “It was crazy, definitely nerve-racking, but extremely grateful to be here.”
And then he started making calls. His former teammates at ASU got a call, but the first FaceTime of the day was to his parents, Allyson and Ken.
“It was early morning back in Arizona, so woke them up, but yeah, I was choked up trying to get the words out. But as soon as I told my mom, she was screaming for my dad,” Murchison said with a laugh.
“But yeah, extremely emotional. There’s been a lot of periods throughout the last 48 hours where I’ve been getting a bit choked up and just thinking about it. Because, I mean, I’ve been thinking about this every day of my life.”
Murchison added that his parents packed their bags after that initial call and were just waiting for the next call to say he would be making his NHL debut. They will be in attendance along with about 20 buddies and family members from places like California, Prince Edward Island (his parents are from Canada), and Arizona on Tuesday when he skates against the visiting San Jose Sharks (7 p.m., NBCSP). For the record, Murchison grew up an Anaheim Ducks fan in Corona, Calif.
Ty Murchison has some familiarity with Todd Reirden (middle), having worked with his son at Arizona State.
He’ll be working with assistant coach Todd Reirden — he already knew him through Reirden’s son, Travis, who worked in analytics for Arizona State — and alongside veteran blueliner Noah Juulsen on the third pairing. Communication will be key for the new partner, as noted by Juulsen, and Murchison said he was “extremely talkative” during practice on Monday.
A big difference between this year and previous regimes is that the Flyers and Phantoms play a similar structure, especially in the defensive zone. It has helped several players, like center Jacob Gaucher and defenseman Emil Andrae, seamlessly enter the big club’s lineup when they have been called up.
Now it’s Murchison’s turn to show the bench boss what he can do. And while Tocchet called it “music to my ears” when told that Murchison likes to play a fast, hard game with an edge, the Flyers coach just wants to see him play his game.
The Phantoms coaches “felt that he was a guy who really consistently has brought his game [and is] competitive every night,” Tocchet said. “I’ve talked to [the media] about how we’ve got to squash plays, we’ve got to come up with some battle. And he’s one of those guys who, hopefully he can do it for us. I don’t know, but I think you’ve got to give him a shot.”
Breakaways
Forward Carl Grundström will be inserted into the lineup on the fourth line in place of Nic Deslauriers. Acquired in the deal that sent Ryan Ellis’ contract to the Sharks, Grundström played one season for San Jose, registering nine points in 56 games. He was recalled Dec. 2 from the Phantoms after Tyson Foerster was injured. Grundström made his Flyers debut against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 8. … Goalie Dan Vladař (10-5-1, .906 save percentage) will start in net.
Ty Murchison signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in March.
Monday’s loss to the Chargers was not a pretty one for the Eagles offense, which was led by a career-worst performance from Jalen Hurts.
The Birds (8-5) are now riding a three-game losing streak, but they still sit in the driver’s seat in the NFC East with the Cowboys hot on their heels. That streak has not been good for their position in the NFL power rankings. Here’s where the Eagles stand heading into Week 15 …
ESPN: Ninth
The Eagles dropped three spots from sixth after their 22-19 loss to the Chargers. Tim McManus pointed to the Birds’ poor third-down conversion rate and high three-and-out percentage as some of the most shocking statistics from their skid.
“The Eagles have been among the worst on three-and-outs for most of the season — shocking giving all the talent on that side of the ball,” McManus wrote. “But a mix of pre-snap penalties and a substantial drop in rushing success has prevented the offense from getting into a flow. They ranked 11th in third-down success rate last season (40.28%) but entered Monday’s game near the bottom at 34.46%.”
The Ringer dropped the Eagles to seventh, their lowest rating of the season. Diante Lee has the Birds on fraud watch given the team’s deterioration compared to how it looked one year ago.
“Philadelphia’s offense has spent this entire season seemingly afraid of the shadow cast by its own immense roster talent, running away from any bit of discomfort and hoping that the rest of the league would quietly submit instead of challenging the Eagles’ right to the NFL throne,” Lee wrote. “Complacency kills in this sport, and it’s only the Eagles’ fault that they’ve allowed complacency to ruin two of their past four seasons.
“While the Eagles offense has failed to evolve, their opponents have been picking away at every weak spot, notably Kevin Patullo’s scheme and the play of Jalen Hurts. The typically risk-averse QB committed five turnovers in Monday’s loss to the Chargers, a new low point for the Eagles’ passing offense. Philadelphia still has a comfortable lead in the NFC East, but this offense hardly looks like a playoff-caliber unit.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts committed five turnovers in his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Athletic: 12th
Josh Kendall and Chad Graff gave their most pessimistic take on every NFL team in this week’s power rankings. For the Eagles, that worst-case scenario is that A.J. Brown has been right about the offense all along.
“The mercurial wide receiver has been advocating for a more wide-open offense (and himself) all year long,” Graff and Kendall wrote. “The last month has suggested he was right. The Eagles act like they’re getting extra points for degree of difficulty on offense, and Jalen Hurts isn’t making things much easier. He turned the ball over twice on one play Monday night and finished with four interceptions (one of which bounced out of Brown’s hands) and a 31.2 passer rating. Philly has lost three in a row.”
NFL.com: 13th
Eric Edholm said that time is running out for the Eagles to figure themselves out on offense, and the group wasted another elite performance from the Birds defense.
“It’s hard to blame a defense that held the Chargers to 3.9 yards per play and didn’t allow a touchdown after Los Angeles’ opening drive,” Edholm wrote. “The Eagles consistently got good starting field position from the return teams but had eight empty drives and went 0-for-2 in the red zone. After a third straight loss, this will be another long week in Philly. If the Eagles can’t get right in Sunday’s home game against the lowly Raiders, the reigning champs are in serious trouble.”
Joseph Cooney joined the Philadelphia Police Department’s narcotics unit in 1998. For eight years, the officer began and finished each workday at the unit’s headquarters on the site of the old Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia’s Bridesburg section, where munitions were manufactured and tested from the Civil War through the Vietnam War.
Cooney, 53, said he would joke with his colleagues that “we’ll all be glowing in the dark someday” because of the materials left behind in the ground and the chemical plants across the Frankford Creek. In 2024, that joke became a dark reality for Cooney when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer.
In a lawsuit, filed along with lawsuits by the families of two narcotics officers who died of the disease, Cooney links his cancer to radioactive and toxic materials that had not been properly remediated when the munitions factory shut down and the site was converted to a business park.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Common Pleas Court, accuses the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, developer Mark Hankin, and Hankin’s businesses of having known about risks of exposure but failing to warn those working in the location or properly remediate the harm.
“This type of cancer, at the end of the day, it’s a death sentence,” Cooney said. “When you go to work every day, you don’t expect to be dealing with this.”
The Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development declined to comment. Hankin did not respond to requests for comment.
Joseph Cooney, a police officer who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2024, seen after his third surgery in July 2025.
‘The street that beat Hitler’
The Frankford Arsenal opened in 1816 as a weapons storage and repair shop for the U.S. Army, and in 1849 became the country’s largest developer and manufacturer of small arms and artillery shells. The arsenal’s campus grew over the years, including a massive expansion during World War II. By the end of the war, workers fondly referred to it as “the street that beat Hitler.”
Each war throughout the century-plus of the arsenal’s existence brought its own challenges, and the complex between Bridge Street, Tacony Street, and the Frankford Creek adapted to support the nation’s military needs.
This woman is loading powder into cartridges of .30 caliber tracer bullets in the assembly division of the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Penn., on July 27, 1940 during World War II. (AP Photo)
The arsenal closed in 1977 and the authority for industrial development, an agency with a mayor-appointed board, became the campus’ steward. Hankin, a Montgomery County developer, bought the campus in the 1980s and transformed it into a business park, which included the narcotics unit headquarters from the early 1990s until 2015.
As soon as the arsenal closed, decontamination needs were discussed, newspaper articles from the time show. An official report found the existence of dangerous materials in buildings in 1981, before the property was converted to civilian use, the lawsuits say.
Throughout the 2000s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in a series of reports, flagged concerns over dangers in the old arsenal’s ground. A 2016 report found elevated concentrations of lead and potentially cancer-causing substances in six areas that posed “unacceptable risk or potential concerns to future human receptors.”
One of the areas of concern noted in the report sits atop building 202 — the narcotics unit’s former home.
A map showing areas of concern for hazardous materials at the Frankford Arsenal site, from a 2016 report on a feasibility study conducted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
The common denominator
Cooney has been hearing over the past decades about colleagues from his narcotics unit days who have gotten sick.
Michael Deal, who spent 37 years on the police force and joined the narcotics unit in 1994, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018 and died the next year at age 64. Then, in 2023, Andrew Schafer, a 20-year veteran who worked at narcotics from 2002 to 2015, also was diagnosed with the brain cancer. He died in March at age 51.
The families of Deal and Schafer also filed lawsuits similar to Cooney’s.
Cooney heard through the grapevine about other cases. And then he was diagnosed.
“Everyone sat down, started talking,” Cooney said. “The only common denominator was everybody worked in the same building.”
Adding to their concern were the adjacent chemical plants, Cooney said.
Fifty-four employees of the Rohm & Haas chemical plant, right across the Frankford Creek from the arsenal, died of lung cancer in the 1960s and early ’70s, the Philadelphia Daily News reported in 1981.
The current suits allege that the contaminants in the arsenal ground were not properly cleaned up, and that those working at the site were not warned despite a series of reports.
“The remediation was not done to the extent that it eliminated the risk,“ saidWilliam Davis, the attorney who filed the suits. ”Up until now we have no evidence that there was any warning to any tenants.”
Cooney still works as a police officer, with a desk job supporting the city’s SWAT team. He has lost much of his independence to the disease, which can be slowed but not cured. He can no longer drive or coach youth sports, and relies on a cane to walk.
The officer is concerned about who will take care of his wife and their seven children once he is gone, and Cooney is especially worried for the health of one of his daughters— a biology teacher at Franklin Towne Charter High School, which sits on the arsenal’s old site.
Jalen Hurts had only thrown two interceptions over his first twelve games this season. But the 13th game vindicated hotels and superstitious fans across the country — the Houston native was intercepted a career-high four times against the Chargers, including one near the end zone in overtime to seal a three-point Los Angeles victory.
It was the Eagles’ third straight loss, their first time doing that since Weeks 13-15 in 2023, when Philadelphia started 10-1 before losing six of its next seven games, including to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round. The Birds have a chance to end their current losing streak against the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the odds for that matchup, as well as the rest of the season …
Eagles vs. Raiders odds
Despite the offense’s continued struggles, the Eagles defense put up a bounceback performance against the Chargers. Vic Fangio’s unit allowed just one total touchdown the entire game, and turned over Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert twice while sacking him seven times. Other than running back Kimani Vidal, who recorded a 60-yard reception on the Chargers’ third offensive snap, no LA pass catcher finished with over 25 yards.
The Eagles open as double-digit favorites on Sunday. That likely has to do with their opponent, the Raiders. It has not been a good season for Las Vegas, who is riding a seven-game skid, which included a 31-0 loss to the 6-7 Kansas City Chiefs and a 24-10 loss to the 3-10 Cleveland Browns. The Raiders have only scored 20 points once in their last seven games. Quarterback Geno Smith is also tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14.
Jerry Jones’ Cowboys are the only NFC East team with a chance of catching the Eagles.
NFC East odds
The Dallas Cowboys remain 1½ games back of the division lead after losing to the Lions on Thursday night. Still, Dallas has gained two games on the Birds by winning three of its last four contests.
It gets slightly more dicey for the ‘Boys when you take into account the Eagles’ remaining schedule. In addition to the Raiders matchup, the Eagles play the Buffalo Bills, and the Washington Commanders twice. Even if the Birds lose to Buffalo, Dallas would still need Philly to lose to a two- or three-win team to have a chance.
The good news for the Cowboys is that their schedule is similarly light. Dallas has one tough matchup remaining, against the Chargers, and three easier games against the Minnesota Vikings, Commanders, and New York Giants. If the Eagles were to drop two games, Dallas could take the NFC East by winning out. The Commanders and Giants have both officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
Even with three straight losses, the Eagles still have the fourth best odds in the NFC to make the Super Bowl at both FanDuel and DraftKings. Ahead of the Birds are the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks.
The Eagles beat the Rams at home earlier in the season, but Los Angeles has been the better team since.
Super Bowl odds
The Birds’ Super Bowl odds have taken a considerable dip. Last week, Philadelphia was listed with the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl by FanDuel and the fifth-best by DraftKings. This week, they rank seventh at both sportsbooks. On the AFC side, the Bills, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos all have shorter odds than the Eagles.
In his sophomore season, Drake Maye has led the Patriots to an 11-2 record, which is tied for the AFC lead. Maye ranks second in the NFL in passing yards. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Matthew Stafford has led the 10-3 Rams to the top of the NFC and has thrown an NFL-leading 35 touchdown passes. Next closest are Dak Prescott and Jared Goff, who have both thrown 26.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Bills quarterback Josh Allen are both longer-shot candidates worth monitoring. Hurts and Saquon Barkley are not, but we included their odds for reference.
This week in Philly music features hometown shows by two reunited Philadelphia pop-punk bands in the Starting Line and Algernon Cadwallader, plus South Philly arena dates with the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly and the all-star Jingle Ball tour. Also on tap: Club shows with the Dream Syndicate, Rhett Miller, and Greg Mendez.
Pittstown, N.J.-born and Philly-based pop-rock quartet the Happy Fits headline the Fillmore on Thursday. The band, fronted by singer and electric cellist Calvin Longman, is on tour for Lovesick, their snappy fourth album, and first since founding member Ross Monteith left the band and new members Nico Rose and Raina Mullen (who sings lead on the title track) joined up.
The ‘60s and early ‘70s live in the music of the Heavy Heavy, the Brighton, England, duo of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, whose songs stand on their own while being unashamed for their affections for counterculture-era rock sounds.
Will Turner and Georgie Fuller of England’s the Heavy Heavy play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday.
JD McPherson’s most recent album of rockabilly and old school R&B-influenced originals was last year’s Nite Owls. Hopefully, the Oklahoma singer-guitarist will dip into his entire discography, but his show Thursday night at Arden Gild Hall in Wilmington is a “A Rock ’N’ Roll Christmas Tour” stop centered on the songs on his 2017 album Socks.
Algernon Cadwallader play Union Transfer on Dec. 13.
King Mala is Los Angeles alt-pop artist Areli Lopez, the El Paso native who’s touring behind her Billie Eiish-ish moody full-length debut And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing. She’s at Nikki Lopez on South Street with Dezi opening.
If Steve Wynn isn’t touring doing solo shows, or playing with indie supergroups Gutterball and the Baseball Project (the latter with whom he was in Philly in September), he’s on the road with the Dream Syndicate, the band that emerged from the 1980s Los Angeles psychedelic rock scene known as the Paisley Underground.
The band’s 1984 album Medicine Show mixed neo-noir mystery and Southern literary flair on epic guitar tracks like “John Coltrane Stereo Blues.” They’ll open with a set that surveys their career before playing Medicine Show in its entirety at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday.
Rhett Miller divides his time between the Old ‘97s and his solo career. His ninth Rhett Miller album is the new A lifetime of riding by night, which is a stripped-down affair that was recorded before (successful) vocal surgery and captures him in a reflective, philosophical mood. He plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday, then heads down the road to play 118 North in Wayne that night.
Rhett Miller plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday and 118 North in Wayne later that night. The Old ’97s singer’s new solo album is “A lifetime of riding by night.”
Philly “apocolectric” folk-rock quartet Bums in the Attic celebrate the release of their The Denouement EP at Dawson Street Pub on Friday, with Ms. J & the Cresson Street Band and Anthony Baldini.
Philly pop-punkers the Starting Line — originally from Churchville in Bucks County — have released only three albums in an initial burst of activity that began with 2002’s release, Say It Like You Mean It.
Philly pop-punk band the Starting Line’s new album “Eternal Youth” is their first in 18 years. They play two nights at the Fillmore Philly on Friday and Saturday.
The band went on hiatus in 2008, but has regrouped for several tours throughout the years and got a boost in the pop cultural consciousness in 2024 when Taylor Swift name-checked them in “The Black Dog” fromThe Tortured Poets Department. Now they’re back in earnest with Eternal Youth, their first album in 18 years, and shows at the Fillmore on Friday and Saturday.
Jon Langford & Sally Timms of the Mekons return to the charming confines of Harmonie Hall in Manayunk on Saturday. Expect a survey from the 40-plus year career of the Leeds, England-born country-punk pioneers featuring the divine-voiced Timms and offhand brilliance of the prolific Langford, who will be coming back to Philly together with the full-sized Mekons at the Latvian Society in June.
Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on Saturday. His new album is “Starburst.”
Inspired and eccentric Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street on Saturday. He’s touring behind his new album Stardust, which vividly chronicles his journey to sobriety.
Algernon Cadwallader hail from Yardley in Bucks County. But in a world of inscrutable micro-genres, they’re often labeled a “Midwest emo” band. After going their separate ways after their 2011 album Parrot Flies, the band that includes singer Peter Helmis and guitarist and Headroom Studio owner Joe Reinhart (also a member of Hop Along) got back together in 2022. Trying Not to Have a Thought, their first album in 14 years, came out in September, and they’re playing a hometown show at Union Transfer on Saturday, with Gladie and Snoozer opening.
Machine Gun Kelly gets slimed after performing “Cliche” during the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The artist, now known as mgk, plays Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Mgk isn’t just shorthand for Philly classic rock radio station WMGK-FM (102.9). It’s now the stage name of the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly, who ditched his previous moniker in 2024 to disassociate himself from gun violence.
The rapper and singer is touring behind his new album, Lost Americana, which was released in June accompanied by a trailer narrated by none other than Bob Dylan, who is apparently his biggest fan. “From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles,” Dylan said. “This is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms.” The “Lost Americana” tour comes to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Philly indie songwriter Greg Mendez is playing one more show in the super-intimate side chapel of the First Unitarian Church on Monday. This Mendez and Friends show features guest Amelia Cry Till I Die, Mary St. Mary and Shannen Moser singing traditional folk ballads. Most likely they will be making beautiful music together.
BigXthaPlug performs during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., on June 13, 2024. The Texas country rapper plays the Jingle Ball at Xfinity Mobil;e Arenea on Monday. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
On Monday, it’s the Jingle Ball. This year’s iHeart Radio package tour of hitmakers at Xfinity Mobile Arena runs alphabetically from AJR to Zara Larsson. The show presented by Q102 — Philly station WIOQ-FM (102.1) — serves up a crash course in contemporary pop with Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Laufey, Monsta X, Miles Smith and Raven Lenae, plus a KPop Demon Hunters sing-along.
A Pennsylvania State University faculty group has taken the next step to form a union across the system’s campuses, which eventually could represent some 6,000 faculty.
Officials from the Penn State Faculty Alliance and the Service Employees International Union said they had filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor after having obtained at least the required signatures of 30% of eligible faculty.
The next step would be an election, and if approved by a majority, a union would be formed and contract negotiations could begin. How long it takes to schedule an election depends on whether the university opposes the move.
“It would be the largest single union election in the public sector in the history of the Commonwealth if not the last 50 years,” Steve Cantanese, president of SEIU 668 said at a news conference held at the Capitol building Tuesday in Harrisburg.
The announcement comes about a month after graduate student workers at Penn State voted to unionize, with 90% in favor. That vote came nearly a year after the Coalition of Graduate Employees at Penn State filed the required signature cards with the labor board. Their vote came amid a wave of graduate union workers’ efforts to unionize.
Penn State is the only state-related university of the four in the Commonwealth without a faculty union. Faculty concern about the university’s decisions began to accelerate during the pandemic and have continued to mount amid budget cuts and the decision in May to announce the closure of seven of the school’s Commonwealth campuses. A seeming lack of shared governance, salary, and workload inequities across campuses, and transparency are among other concerns cited by faculty involved in the effort.
“Penn State faculty are filing for a union election to bring transparency to their workplace, to bring job security to their workplace, to have an opportunity to have a greater voice at their workplace, to have some economic security at their workplace,” Cantanese said.
Julio Palma, associate professor of chemistry at Fayette, one of the campuses selected for closure, said faculty tried to fight the Commonwealth campus closure plan but didn’t have enough power.
“We organized,” he said. “We held rallies on campus. We talked to our elected officials. Nothing moved the needle.
“If we had a faculty union, we wouldn’t be in this situation… We need a faculty union now.”
Cantanese said SEIU reached out to the university in the hope that it will welcome faculty’s efforts to unionize.
Penn State in a statement said it would review the petition when it is received.
“Penn State deeply values the teaching, research, and service of our faculty, who play a critical role in fueling the success of our students and advancing our mission,” the school said.
Faculty at the press conference said a union is needed.
“As a teacher, I know that my working conditions are my students’ learning conditions,” said Kate Ragon, an assistant clinical professor of labor and employment relations at University Park, Penn State’s main campus. “We want a voice in the decision-making that affects us, affects our students, and affects our work.”
The three other state-related universities in Pennsylvania ― Temple, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lincoln ― already have faculty unions. Temple’s has existed for more than 50 years, and its graduate student workers have been unionized for about 25 years. Lincoln’s formed in 1972. Pitt’s is more recent. It was established in 2021.
Faculty at Rutgers, New Jersey’s flagship university, are unionized, too. So are the 10 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Faculty in the alliance have said they hope to secure better wages and benefits, job security protections, and a greater role in decision-making. When they announced plans to form a union last March, they said they wanted full and part-time, tenure, and nontenure faculty to be included as members and believed all campuses would be involved except for the medical school faculty at Hershey.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially six months away, and Philadelphians’ next chance to buy general admission tickets starts Thursday.
From Dec. 11 to Jan. 13, fans can enter a lottery for the chance to buy World Cup match tickets, like the two previous lottery phases. The “random selection draw” is the third of several ticket sale phases leading up to the World Cup’s first match on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City.
During the first two ticket phases, the United States, Canada, and Mexico (in that order) drove the bulk of ticket sales, according to FIFA. Fans in 212 countries have bought tickets.
However, since the final draw on Friday, the World Cup matchups and schedule have been finalized. This will be the first ticket sale phase in which fans can apply for single-game tickets for exact matchups and teams.
Brazil’s Raphinha (center) celebrates with teammate Vinícius Júnior after scoring his side’s opening goal against Venezuela during a World Cup qualifying match.
How to enter the random selection draw for FIFA World Cup tickets
The lottery application form will become available on FIFA’s website starting at 11 a.m. Thursday and will close at 11 a.m. on Jan. 13.
Log in during the application window and complete the random selection draw application form.
Winners will be selected in a random draw, with notifications starting soon after Jan. 13. Those selected will receive an assigned date and time to purchase tickets, subject to availability.
Single-match tickets to all 104 games, plus venue-specific and team-specific options, will be made available to choose from. That means fans in the Philadelphia area could buy tickets for matches at Lincoln Financial Field — if selected.
Fans who have applied to previous ticket sale lotteries must submit a new application form.
Typical Philadelphia-area retail workers would need to make more than twice their annual wages to afford the region’s median-priced apartment, according to Redfin.
Retail workers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, which includes Camden and Wilmington, made a median of $35,006 in 2024. But to comfortably afford the median monthly rent for an apartment in the area in October — $1,783 —they would need to make a median of $71,331, according to a report Redfin published last month.
In all 40 of the major areas Redfin analyzed, typical retail workers make less money than they need to afford the median rent for an apartment.
“As the cost of living has increased, so have the sacrifices renters must make to afford a place to live,” Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Since most retail workers don’t earn enough to afford the typical apartment, many are opting to share rent with a family member or friend, move far away from their job, or live in a very small space.”
A typical U.S. retail worker would have to work 83 hours per week to afford the typical apartment alone.
Renters struggling
Rents are considered affordable if they are no more than 30% of a renter’s income. A growing number of Philadelphia renters are spending more than 33% of their income and struggling to pay rent, according to Census Bureau data.
In a nationwide survey in May of about 1,600 renters, almost one in four said they regularly or greatly struggle to afford housing costs, Redfin found. Renters said they were diningout less, taking fewer vacations, and borrowing money from family and friends to pay their rent.
In Redfin’s November report, even retail workers with wages in the top 25% earn 44% less than they need to afford the median-priced apartment.
Data on rent affordability for retail workers in the Philadelphia metro area closely mirror national trends.The typical U.S. retail worker made $34,436 in 2024 but would need to make $71,172 to afford the typical apartment, priced at $1,779 in October.
Rents have gotten slightly more affordable for the typical retail worker in the last few years. Prices aren’t rising as much because of all the apartments that have been built in recent years.
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Bigger gaps in New York
Redfin analyzed wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and retail workers fell into three categories: cashiers, retail salespersons, and first-line retail supervisors.
The New York regionhad the biggest gap between what retail workers make and what they need to make to afford an apartment. Workers’ median annual wage was $39,185 in 2024. Workers would need to make $134,896 — almost 3½ times as much. The median apartment rent in October was $3,372.
The affordability gap for retail workers was smallest in Cleveland’s metro area — $31,982 vs. $47,654.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated the definition of the study’s metro area.
Donald Trump let us know exactly who he is when he rode down that escalator in June 2015, declared his presidential candidacy, and said this about Mexicans: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
We’ve heard him refer to Haiti, African nations, and El Salvador as “shithole countries.” Last year, he accused Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats. Trump allows mask-wearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to terrorize undocumented immigrants, most recently in New Orleans, as reported by my colleague Will Bunch.
No one should be surprised he called Somalis “garbage” who “contribute nothing” and should leave America during a cabinet meeting last week.
“These are people that do nothing but complain,” Trump said. “When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
Trump talks a really good game about putting America First, but he really means people of color last. An example of that was when he suspended refugee admissions, but then turned around and made an exception for white South Africans.
Even knowing Trump’s agenda, it’s still upsetting to hear a sitting U.S. presidentdenigrate the roughly 250,000 Somalis in this country.
He’s talking about law-abiding folks like Salma Hussein. She made headlines in 2022 when she became the first female Somali principal in her school district in suburban Minneapolis,and possibly in the entire state of Minnesota.
Hussein was born in Somalia, but has lived in America since the age of 7, and is a naturalized citizen. She’s a wife. She’s a mother of two. She’s a good person. “It’s really hurtful, and he’s giving permission to people to be hateful, and that’s really disheartening,” Hussein said.
I stumbled across some of her social media posts about what’s been happening and decided to reach out. When I got her on the phone last week, Hussein, 37, and I talked about a lot of things, including how a stranger had emailed her saying: “Watch out. You’re not wanted. We’re taking out the trash from our country.”
Salma Hussein, a Somali American who’s lived in the U.S. since she was 7, said the president is “giving permission to people to be hateful.”
I shouldn’t even have to write this:Most Somalis are honest, law-abiding people. Many settled in Minnesota during the early 1990s after fleeing their war-torn country. Of the state’s foreign-born Somalis, most are naturalized U.S. citizens. They have every right to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. They vote. They pay taxes. Trump is their president, too. Some, oddly enough, even voted for him.
I wish they’d thought longer and harder before voting for Trump, who posted on Truth Social that Minnesota is “a hub of fraudulent money laundering” and announced he was terminating Somalis’ Temporary Protected Status.
Dozens of Somalis in Minnesota are facing charges in connection with a nefarious scheme to defraud the U.S. government of hundreds of millions in funding that had been set aside to feed hungry children atthe height of the pandemic. Still, it’s unfair for a sitting U.S. president to stereotype an entire community for the actions of a subset. “As a Somali American, I’m just as upset about the people in my community who use fraud to make money,” Hussein told me.
Somalis, who have built a large and influential enclave inMinnesota, are terrified that masked agents from ICE will take them into custody. Some have started carrying their passports. Others refuse to even leave their homes.
“This kind of dangerous rhetoric and this level of dehumanizing can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday.
It’s textbook Trump — and, of course, MAGA loves it.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) speaks during a news conference, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Which ethnic minority Trump will single out next for harassment is anybody’s guess. The only thing we can be certain of is that they will be from a Black or brown community.
