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  • Amaris Baker scores 27 as Drexel holds off Elon’s late rally to win 68-59

    Amaris Baker scores 27 as Drexel holds off Elon’s late rally to win 68-59

    Drexel is winning at the right time.

    On Friday, Drexel defeated Elon, 68-59. After starting out 0-2 in Coastal Athletic Association play, the Dragons have rattled off eight wins in their last 10 conference outings.

    The Dragons (15-8, 8-4 CAA) pushed their lead to 19 points late in the third quarter behind fifth-year guard Amaris Baker’s 27 points. The Phoenix cut Drexel’s lead to single-digits in the fourth, but ultimately dropped their ninth consecutive game to the Dragons.

    Drexel starts slow and can’t keep pace with Monmouth in 93-73 loss

    Drexel currently sits in fifth place in the CAA standings with six games remaining. If Drexel can clinch a top four seed in the conference, the team will receive a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament.

    “Every game at this point is going to be a position game for us,” said Drexel coach Amy Mallon. “I think that really has to be the mentality of this team. … We always take it game by game and possession by possession, but they have to understand right now where we are and where we fall.”

    Local leaders

    Baker, the CAA’s leading scorer and a Cardinal O’Hara graduate, notched her 14th game this season scoring at least 20 points. She also logged five rebounds and two assists.

    “[Baker’s] composure this year with what she’s seen as one of the best players in the league, as far as scoring — they’re keying in on her every week,” said Mallon. “So the fact that she’s still capable of putting up the numbers she has been able to put up just goes to show the discipline she has.”

    Drexel’s Amaris Baker (right) is the leading scorer in the CAA.

    Behind her in the stat sheet was another local product, Archbishop Wood’s Deja Evans. The junior forward logged 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Evans’ efforts on the board were a major factor in Drexel winning the rebounding battle, 31-20.

    After trailing big in the third quarter, Elon made the game competitive in the fourth behind freshman center Tamia Watkins. The three-time CAA rookie of the week scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the final period.

    Elon cold from deep

    The Dragons were perfect from deep through the first quarter, shooting 4-for-4 from three-point range. Baker made two of those threes.

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    Meanwhile, Elon’s (11-13, 6-6) shooting woes started early and carried throughout the game. The Phoenix shot 23.8% from deep compared to Drexel’s 63.6% from three

    “We mostly just locked in on defending them outside the three, and when we’re in our 2-3 [zone defense], we just were moving well together, and we’re just communicating well together,” said Evans.

    The Dragons turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, taking a nine-point lead to the half. In the second half, Drexel cleaned up their ball security, turning it over nine times.

    ‘Staying composed’

    A 12-0 run powered by Watkins helped Elon cut Drexel’s lead to six points with just over four minutes to go.

    Drexel’s Laine McGurk (center) falls backward trying to control a loose ball against Elon.

    Eight of Drexel’s 15 points in the fourth quarter came from the line to help the Dragons outlast the Phoenix.

    “In a fourth quarter, they go on a run, and you can sustain and make sure you stay disciplined. Teams are going to have runs,” said Mallon. “I thought we did a nice job staying composed, understanding what needs to be done.”

    Up next

    Drexel goes on the road next Friday to face Hampton for a second time this season (7 p.m., FloCollege).

  • La Salle baseball ushers in a new era with 27-10 win over Maryland Eastern Shore: ‘This is almost six years in the making’

    La Salle baseball ushers in a new era with 27-10 win over Maryland Eastern Shore: ‘This is almost six years in the making’

    It certainly did not feel like baseball weather. Fans were bundled up in coats and blankets and hand warmers were the most coveted item of the day as mounds of snow sat behind the dugouts.

    Despite the 35 degree weather, there was an undeniable excitement in the air at Hank DeVincent Field — and for good reason.

    La Salle baseball was back for the first time in 1,728 days.

    The Explorer program shut down following the 2020-21 season but returned Friday for the first time since May 9, 2021, to face Maryland Eastern Shore. In front of a dedicated crowd braving the cold, La Salle beat the Hawks 27-10 to welcome the program back to the diamond.

    “This is almost six years in the making for me and two years in the making in this most recent run,” said head coach David Miller. “It’s just a lot of hard work with these kids.”

    La Salle’s loyal baseball community restored the program. Now it’s time to get it ‘back on the map.’

    La Salle’s on-field performance certainly left a strong first impression for fans, many of whom were getting their first look at Explorer baseball. They recorded 19 hits, led by second baseman Daniel Perez, who went 4-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Right handed pitcher Shawn Karpaitis threw five innings and gave up one run in relief after UMES tied the game at eight in the second inning.

    While the outcome is a bright spot for the program, the atmosphere brought even more excitement.

    A major tenet of La Salle’s three-step plan to bring back baseball was getting the field up to Division I standards. The program made sure there was new padding in the outfield and got the scoreboard up to date. The season-opener was not initially supposed to be in North Philadelphia, but issues with UMES’ field moved the first series of the year to La Salle.

    And the Explorer faithful were ready to support their program.

    La Salle outfielder Kosei Suzuki reacts after scoring during the first inning against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Hank DeVincent Field.

    Fans filled bleachers behind the home dugout and parents occupied the grass along the first base line.

    “There’s a lot of excitement around the program,” said Ed Litsky, father of freshman pitcher Josh Litsky. “I know from a parent perspective there’s a lot of excitement. The coaches and players seem really into it. It’s just amazing.”

    The baseball team also got immense support from fellow student athletes. They helped fill the bleachers and the standing area to provide a boost to the players and even offered some heckling of the Hawks.

    “Other student athletes on campus were all very supportive today, coming to my office in the morning and wishing us luck,” Miller said. “I know I saw rugby out here, girls lacrosse, soccer and a couple of fraternities heckling a bit.”

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    The players enjoyed a chance to usher in a new era of La Salle baseball. Some, like center fielder Chase Swain, had been waiting since 2019 to play for the Explorers, while others, like Perez, followed Miller after he raved about his time at La Salle.

    “Coach Miller always talked about [La Salle] at Manhattan,” Perez said. “I knew the program had shut down and he has a lot of good words to say about this program. I knew he wanted to come back here and it sucked that when I hit the portal last year, I probably would have come here if there was a team. It’s just super special to be able to play for him.”

    La Salle’s Jayden Novak (left) celebrates with teammate Chase Swain during the fifth inning against Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday.

    Friday wasn’t about the past. La Salle is excited about its future and a chance to kick-starting a new era.

    “It’s a great day for La Salle Athletics and it’s a great day for La Salle baseball,” Miller said. “[The fan support] is Philly in a nutshell.”

  • Strip club shooter sentenced for killing a Good Samaritan, prosecutors say

    A Trenton man was sentenced to up to 60 years in Pennsylvania state prison for fatally shooting a bystander at a Morrisville strip club.

    On Friday, Pedro E. Rodriguez, 29, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of an instrument of crime, and four counts of recklessly endangering another person in the killing of 28-year-old Mekhi Norman in August 2024.

    According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Norman was shot at a Morrisville nightclub while acting as a Good Samaritan. He did not know Rodriguez but was helping the club’s staff following an altercation at the doorway.

    Surveillance video shown during the sentencing hearing shows Rodriguez walking to his car, getting a handgun, loading it, and returning to the club, according to a district attorney’s office statement. Then, he fired into the building as security staff were attempting to remove his nephew, according to the statement.

    Norman, who was helping the staff when he was shot, was struck in the back of the head, the left thigh, and under both armpits, as 17 patrons and employees remained at the club.

    Rodriguez fled but later turned himself in and was held on $5 million bail at the Bucks County Correctional Facility. He now faces between 30 and 60 years in state prison.

    Rodriguez’s nephew, 22-year-old Kevin Perez, entered a guilty plea in 2025 to several counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment for assaulting staff. The Trenton resident was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility, followed by a year of probation.

    During the sentencing hearing, Deputy District Attorney Ed Louka described Norman as a good father, a good son, and a good friend who died being a Good Samaritan, according to the statement.

    Offering an account of how life has changed, the mother of Norman’s daughter told the court that the child still cries waiting for her father to call in the mornings and nights, as he used to, according to prosecutors.

    “While this sentence ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his senseless and violent actions, we know it cannot fill the void left in the lives of those who loved Mr. Norman,” District Attorney Joe Khan said.

  • ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin falls twice in disastrous Olympic free skate; Mikhail Shaidorov claims gold

    ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin falls twice in disastrous Olympic free skate; Mikhail Shaidorov claims gold

    MILAN — Ilia Malinin wound his way through the tunnels beneath the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night, trying in vain to explain — or even just understand — exactly went wrong in an Olympic free skate that could only be described as a disaster.

    In the arena, Mikhail Shaidorov was taking a victory lap wearing the gold medal everyone expected the American to win.

    Meanwhile, Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida,” and the lyrics that begin, “I used to rule the world …” played over the loudspeakers.

    In one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, Malinin fell twice and made several other glaring mistakes, sending the “Quad God” tumbling all the way off the podium and leaving a star-studded crowd in stunned silence. And that cleared the way for Shaidorov, the mercurial but talented jumping dynamo from Kazakhstan, to claim the first gold medal for his nation at these Winter Games.

    “Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened,” Malinin said. “I mean, going into this competition, I felt really good this whole day. Feeling really solid. I just thought that all I needed to do was trust the process that I’ve always been doing.

    “But it’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics, and I think people [don’t] realize the pressure and the nerves that actually happen from the inside. So it was really just something that overwhelmed me and I just felt like just I had no control.”

    Ilia Malinin falls during his free skate.

    Out of control is a good way to summarize the performance.

    The 21-year-old Shaidorov finished with a career-best 291.58 points, while Yuma Kagiyama earned his second consecutive Olympic silver medal, and Japanese teammate Shun Sato took bronze.

    Then there was Malinin, also 21, who dropped all the way to eighth. The two-time world champion finished with 264.49 points, his worst total score in nearly four years and one that ended a two-plus year unbeaten streak covering 14 competitions.

    “Honestly, yeah, I was not expecting that,” Malinin said. “I felt, going into this competition, I was so ready. I just felt ready going on that ice. I think maybe that might have been the reason, is I was too confident it was going to go well.”

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    Much of Malinin’ journey during the Milan Cortina Games had felt a little bit off.

    He was beaten by Kagiyama in the short program of the team event, later acknowledging for the first time the pressure of winning at the Olympics was starting to get to him. And he still wasn’t quite his dominant self in the team free skate, even though a head-to-head win over Sato was enough to clinch the second consecutive gold medal for the American squad.

    But by the time of his individual short program Tuesday night, Malinin’s fearless swagger and unrivaled spunk seemed to be back. He took a five-point lead over Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa of France that seemed insurmountable entering Friday night.

    “Going into the competition,” Malinin said, “I felt like this is what I wanted to do, this is what we planned, this is what I practiced, and really just needed to go out there and do what I always do. That did not happen, and I don’t know why. ”

    Malinin had decided to practice early in the day at U.S. Figure Skating’s alternate training base in Bergamo, just outside of Milan, and that gave him a brief reprieve from the pressure of the Olympic bubble. And he was the essence of calm throughout his warmup, never once falling in all of his practice jumps while wearing his familiar glittering black-and-gold ensemble.

    Then came the performance that could haunt Malinin for the rest of his career.

    As the atmospheric music with his own voice-over began, he opened with a quad flip, one of a record-tying seven quads in his planned program. Then he appeared to be going after the quad Axel that only he has ever landed in competition and had to bail out of it.

    Malinin recovered to land his quad Lutz before his problems really began.

    He only doubled a planned quad loop, throwing his timing off. He fell on a quad Lutz, preventing him from doing the second half of the quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination. And in his final jumping pass, which was supposed to be a high-scoring quad Salchow-triple Axel combination, Malinin only could muster a double Salchow — and he fell on that.

    “He never messes up,” Italy’s Daniel Grassl said, “so, obviously, we’re all a little surprised by how it went.”

    Isabeau Levito wins bronze at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with a clean program

    By the time the music stopped, Malinin was left trying to mask his sorrow for a crowd that included Nathan Chen, the 2022 Olympic champion, along with seven-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, actor Jeff Goldblum, and his wife, Emilie.

    “I knew that I could not have necessarily a perfect program and still manage to have a good skate. But just really, something felt off,” Malinin said, “and I don’t know what it was, specifically. I’m still trying to understand what that was.”

    Shaidorov seemed just as shocked as everyone as the realization hit that he had won the gold medal.

    He was only in sixth after the short program and an afterthought as the night began. But the world silver medalist, known for high-flying jumps but maddening inconsistency, delivered the performance of his life, landing five quads in a technically flawless program.

    “It was my goal,” Shaidorov said simply, when asked about the gold medal. “It’s why I wake up and go to training. That’s it.”

    Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan (right) reacts in the kiss and cry after his free skate on Friday.
  • Philly’s tiniest used bookshop opens in the back of a children’s dress shop on Passyunk Avenue

    Philly’s tiniest used bookshop opens in the back of a children’s dress shop on Passyunk Avenue

    Little Yenta has to be the tiniest used bookshop in Philly. And it’s certainly the only one located in the back of a 40-year-old children’s dressmaking studio.

    Ariel and Simon Censor, partners in life and now books, opened Little Yenta Books, their self-described “micro-bookstore,” on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia on Saturday.

    Situated, speakeasy-style, in a postage-stamp-sized loft above the Painted Lady children’s boutique, the 150-square-foot shop is nearly bursting with over 1,500 titles, including literary fiction, science fiction, poetry, history, graphic novels, plays, and first-edition classics.

    Simon and Ariel Censor, owners of Little Yenta Books, showing one of their favorite books they acquired, “In Cold Blood,” a novel by Truman Capote, in their small bookshop in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

    “We can’t be everything to everyone,” said Ariel Censor, 27, preparing the spine-packed space with her husband on a recent afternoon. “But we want to be something to most people.”

    The shop is a passion project.

    The Haverford College graduates have long been aficionados of used bookshops — believers in the magic of unexpectedly stumbling upon a literary treasure in a sea of cast-off paperbacks. Their South Philly rowhouse could double as a secondhand store itself, the couple jokes.

    “You really couldn’t use the living room anymore,” Ariel Censor said with a laugh. “It was all books.”

    Last year, they decided to host pop-up used book sales around the neighborhood, including at the popular Cartesian Brewery. It was a hit.

    “We got lots of people coming and saying that they wished there was a permanent used bookstore around here,” said Ariel Censor, who works as an associate communications director at the Penn Center for Impact Philanthropy.

    Molly’s Books & Records on Ninth Street in the Italian Market has long been an iconic South Philly used book spot. A Novel Idea, a popular independent bookshop, opened on East Passyunk Avenue in 2018 and mostly deals in new books.

    The couple believed South Philly could handle another used book destination. Selling nearly 100 books at the brewery event, the couple decided to make their dream a reality.

    Searching for a brick and mortar space they could afford — and that boasted a little South Philly charm — they found it in the back of Painted Lady. It’s in a small storefront at 1910 E. Passyunk, where dressmaker Angela D’Alonzo has made custom baby outfits for decades.

    Little Yenta Books is a small bookshop in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

    It’s a case of old South Philly meeting new South Philly. For $400 a month, she offered the couple a little loft area storage space five steps above her shop, with no heat or hot water. Warmth creeps up from the basement, explained Simon Censor, 29, who works for a real estate firm. And hot water is not a must for book buying, they added.

    “Your hands are just a little cold, and that’s OK,” Ariel said.

    Ariel and Simon Censor have transformed the tiny space into a literary thicket, with shelves and stacks of titles from their home collections, and ones they’ve purchased from estate sales and sellers. Rare early editions and classics by Truman Capote, James Baldwin, E.L. Doctorow, Octavia Butler, and Willa Cather. Hard-to-find paperback editions of George Orwell, Albert Camus, Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, and cult favorite Charles Bukowski.

    “I always want to fit more books in here,” said Ariel Censor.

    Ariel Censor shows one of the books she and Simon Censor acquired, “The Plague,” by Albert Camus, in their small bookshop in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

    On a bulletin board hang keepsakes the couple have discovered in the books, including notes, prayer cards, letters, poems, baseball cards, a high school class schedule from the 1990s, and a vintage recipe for triple chocolate cake.

    “I actually want to make that someday,” said Ariel Censor.

    Opened Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 7 p.m., and weekends from noon to 6 p.m., the spirit of the shop is found in its name, the couple said. In American Yiddish parlance, Yenta can mean matchmaker. For Ariel and Simon Censor, that means that special feeling of playing matchmaker between a reader and a book.

    “Just coming in and stumbling upon a book that you will love,” said Ariel Censor.

    “Complete Cheerful Cherub” by Rebecca McCann is a book in Little Yenta Books in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
  • Shane Gillis’ hit Netflix series ‘Tires’ receives $6 million in tax credits to film its third season

    Shane Gillis’ hit Netflix series ‘Tires’ receives $6 million in tax credits to film its third season

    The hit Netflix series Tires is returning to the Philadelphia area, with more than a few extra dollars to spare.

    The show, starring Mechanicsburg, Pa. native and former Mantua resident comedian Shane Gillis was approved for a $6 million tax credit for its forthcoming production in the Philly region.

    The $6 million tax credit was issued through the state’s Film Production Tax Credit Program, which is overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

    A still from Mechanicsburg native Shane Gillis’ Netflix comedy “Tires.” Season two is currently being produced in Philadelphia and will premiere on Netflix in 2025.

    The program offers a 25—30% tax credit to productions that spent at least 60% of their total operational budget in the state.

    Nicole Shiner, co-executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office alongside Erin Wagner, said incentives like these are vital for large-scale productions like Tires to land and remain in the region..

    “The tax credit program is the primary economic development tool that allows Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia specifically, to compete nationally and internationally for projects the tax credit supports,” Shiner said.

    “Film and TV production is very mobile, and production companies compare states based on infrastructure, financial competitiveness, workforce in the area, and overall reliability,” she said. “Without a strong incentive program, we simply wouldn’t be competitive in attracting major episodic TV or studio features.”

    Tires is created by Gillis and his longtime collaborators Steven Gerben and John McKeever, the show is set and filmed in West Chester. It premiered on Netflix in May 2024 and was soon renewed for a second season. In July 2025, the West Chester, Pa.-set show was renewed for a third season.

    “When a series returns for additional seasons, that signals the area has stability,” Shiner said. “That consistency is what allows businesses and workers to grow with our industry. People can stay, create families, make plans, and pay mortgages.”

    The Greater Philadelphia Film Commission co-executive directors Erin Wagner (left) and Nicole Shiner (right) pose for a portrait outside Philadelphia’s City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.

    She is glad the show is shooting on location. “When you see stuff on location, it gives you a Pennsylvania authentic feel that you really can’t make up. We love that,” she said.

    Pennsylvania Film Office officials expect the forthcoming production to generate an estimated $24 million to the local economy in return, including 1,709 jobs.

    Based on the local film office’s own projections, Shiner said the show’s total economic impact could reach as much as $50 million across the region.

    The estimate is based on additional professional services, goods, and production costs linked to shows of this magnitude. These operational costs include local cast and crew wages, equipment rentals, construction, transportation, catering, security, lodging, and other expenses accrued, which are then injected into the regional economy.

    The state film office also awarded $28 million to the Pittsburgh-set and shot series Mayor of Kingstown starring actors Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, and Edie Falco.

    Combined, Pennsylvania Film Office officials said the two productions are expect to inject more than $131 million into the economy in direct expenditures, creating and supporting nearly 3,500 state jobs.

    Shane Gillis as Shane in the second season of “Tires”

    Since the beginning of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, the state’s Film Office has approved 135 new productions through the tax credit program.

    These productions are projected to inject over $1.34 billion in direct spend in over 34 countries in the Commonwealth, while supporting nearly 40,000 jobs and $505.3 million in state resident wages.

    Shiner said this commitment is one of many reasons more TV and film studios are turning to the Commonwealth.

    “We are sandwiched between New York and New Jersey, and the tax credit program has been increasing astronomically over the last few years,“ she said. ”It’s really important that Pennsylvania pays attention to this, if we’re going to remain competitive.”

  • ICE operation causes students at Lindenwold bus stop to flee in panic, school district says

    ICE operation causes students at Lindenwold bus stop to flee in panic, school district says

    The Lindenwold School District reported Thursday that fourth- and fifth-grade students waiting at a bus stop ran away in a panic when a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement operation occurred nearby.

    The incident happened in the morning as the students were waiting to take a bus to school from the Woodland Village Apartments, the district said in a statement.

    Superintendent Kristin O’Neil said about 44 students were waiting at the bus when unmarked vehicles arrived at the complex. Officers in tactical gear and wearing masks fanned out, she said.

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    “The presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion, and several students ran from the bus stop. Our bus driver acted quickly and responsibly, circling back multiple times to ensure as many children as possible were safely transported to school,” the district said, also thanking the bus driver.

    A Ring video from the apartment complex provided to some news outlets shows the children running with some shouting: “ICE! ICE!”

    “Upon arrival to school, many children were understandably upset and emotional,” the district said.

    “All students currently in school are safe,” the district said. “ICE Agents are NOT at the Lindenwold School District.”

    O’Neil said the students attend the district’s school No. 5. About 20 students didn’t show up Thursday, she said. The district will work with families of students who will be marked absent, she said.

    “To us, these are our children,” O’Neil said.

    About 60% of the district’s 3,100 students are Hispanic, according to its latest school performance report. O’Neil said it is not unusual for parents to keep their children home when there are reports of ICE activity in the area.

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    A district leader reached out to county and state representatives to alert them about the incident and to advocate for protocols that prioritize the safety of children during any future ICE operations, the district said.

    “Our students deserve to feel safe while waiting for their school bus and while attending school each day,” the district said.

    A spokesperson for ICE could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

    U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, (D., NJ), who represents the district, was among several dozen people who showed up Friday at an “ICE Out of Lindenwold” protest at Lindenwold Borough Hall. The protest was announced before the bus stop incident.

    “Schoolchildren are not criminals, and enforcement actions must reflect that,” Norcross said in a statement. “… Our community will not be terrorized, and we will keep fighting to protect our neighborhoods.”

    Lindenwold, located about 16 miles southeast of Philadelphia, has been among several communities in Camden County that have been subject to ICE operations.

    County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement Thursday night that “the absolute chaos sowed by this ICE operation in Lindenwold this morning was appalling.”

    Cappelli added that “we are short on facts and details about the intentions of ICE,” however at some point ICE called 911 to request local police assistance.

    “That said, the impact and fear that struck the children of our county was painful to watch, and I can’t imagine the anxiety and trauma that came from this incident,” Cappelli said.

    He added, “As a community, segments of our population are being terrorized and scared to leave their homes. This is no way for any of us to live.”

    County Commissioner Jonathan Young said in a statement: “As a former Lindenwold resident, I’m disgusted to watch the videos of children running in absolute terror along a busy county thoroughfare.”

    Young said that “no one wants criminals in their community,” but added that, “under Trump, ICE has been inhumane in how it conducts its operations. We’ve seen that firsthand throughout other cities in the country, and now it’s happening here.”

  • Jefferson Health reported a $201 million operating loss in the first half of fiscal 2026

    Jefferson Health reported a $201 million operating loss in the first half of fiscal 2026

    Jefferson Health had an operating loss of $201 million in the six months that ended Dec. 31, compared to a $55 million loss the year before, the nonprofit health system said in a notice to bondholders Friday.

    The $201 million loss included a $64.7 million restructuring charge related to severance for 600 to 700 people laid off in October and other changes designed to improve efficiency in the 32-hospital system that stretches from South Jersey to Scranton.

    Excluding the restructuring expenses, Jefferson’s operating loss was $136.3 million in the first half of fiscal 2026.

    Jefferson said in a statement that it continues facing significant financial headwinds, like health systems nationwide, citing rising pharmaceutical costs.

    “We remain focused on driving efficiency, advocating for reimbursement rates that better reflect the true cost of care in Pennsylvania, and advancing the long-term stability of our academic health system,” the health system’s chief financial officer Michael Harrington said.

    Here are some details:

    Revenue: Patient revenue reached nearly $6 billion in the first half of fiscal 2026. The figure for the previous year is not comparable because it does not include Lehigh Valley Health Network for the full six months. Jefferson acquired the system on Aug. 1, 2024.

    Jefferson’s total revenue of $8.6 billion included $145.9 million of investment income that directly boosted operating income. Competitors who use heath-system reporting rules do not include investment income in revenue. Jefferson, by contrast, follows rules for higher-education reporting.

    Insurance business: Jefferson noted improvement in its health insurance arm. Jefferson Health Plans’ loss in the six months ended Dec. 31 was $90.7 million, compared to a $118.5 million loss in the same period the year before. The number of people insured in the plans climbed to 371,005 from 359,662. Medicaid recipients account for most of that enrollment.

    Notable: Both Moody’s Ratings and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service in December and January revised their outlooks on Jefferson to negative, which means the agencies could downgrade the organization’s credit rating if Jefferson’s finances don’t improve over the next two years.

    “The negative outlook reflects the magnitude of current operating losses as well as anticipated difficulties in returning to or near operating profitability for several years,” Standard & Poor’s said.

  • Chris Rabb says he’s reported his treasurer for ‘unauthorized withdrawals’ from his campaign for Congress

    Chris Rabb says he’s reported his treasurer for ‘unauthorized withdrawals’ from his campaign for Congress

    State Rep. Chris Rabb, who is running in a competitive primary for Philadelphia’s open congressional seat, said that his now-former campaign treasurer made unauthorized withdrawals and that he has reported her to federal authorities for “misconduct.”

    The treasurer, Yolanda Brown, is a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based campaign consultant who was accused last month of embezzling six figures’ worth of campaign dollars from another Democrat.

    Rabb said in an interview Friday that he would not speculate on the amount of money that may have been stolen, citing a pending review. He said he reported the matter to the Federal Election Commission.

    “My team and I remain committed to this campaign toward a collective victory on May 19,” said Rabb, who is running to succeed retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.

    Brown, who manages the firm Brown Financial Consulting Services Group LLC, did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

    A campaign treasurer is generally responsible for a political action committee’s bank account and is often tasked with ensuring legal compliance. Rabb on Monday filed paperwork with the FEC to list himself as his campaign’s treasurer, replacing Brown.

    Last month, Ken Welch, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Fla., accused Brown of embezzling $207,000 from his campaign committee. Attorneys for Welch’s campaign told a local Fox television station that they had discovered Brown made “improper transactions” and that they had “demanded the return of funds.” When the money was not sent back, Welch’s campaign notified state and federal law enforcement, the station reported.

    Campaign finance reports showed that Welch’s PAC had made several transactions, including one for $100,000, to a business that Brown controlled.

    The developments came as the race for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers about half of Philadelphia, was just heating up. Rabb is considered among a handful of front-runners seeking the Democratic nomination to represent the district, which is one of the most Democratic-leaning in the country.

    Rabb was not in attendance at several events this week — including two community forums — citing an emergency.

    Here’s who is funding Philly’s crowded race for Congress

    A progressive and a five-term lawmaker who represents Northwest Philadelphia in the state House, Rabb is amassing support from some of the city’s left-leaning organizations.

    But he was already struggling to keep up with other front-runners financially.

    State Sen. Sharif Street, the former head of the state Democratic Party, had more than half a million dollars in the bank as of Jan. 1, according to his most recently filed campaign finance report. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon, had nearly $400,000 on hand after lending her campaign $250,000 of her own money.

    Rabb, by comparison, had just shy of $100,000 in the bank. That came after a lackluster fundraising quarter — he raised $127,000 in the final three months of 2025, significantly less than the $257,000 he raised in the previous reporting period.

  • Quakertown’s superintendent goes on leave

    Quakertown’s superintendent goes on leave

    Quakertown Community School District Superintendent Matthew Friedman is on leave effective immediately, a district spokesperson said Friday.

    The spokesperson, Melissa Hartney, said the district’s school board could not comment further.

    “Because this is a personnel matter, the board is limited in the amount of information it can share at this time,” Hartney said in a statement.

    Friedman did not return a request for comment.

    Friedman took over the 4,600-student district in Upper Bucks County in 2023, after serving as superintendent of the Ocean City School District in New Jersey.

    Kids start talking careers in kindergarten in this Bucks district. It’s part of a new approach with an eye toward life after school.

    The Quakertown school board in November granted him a $10,000 raise, bringing his salary to $233,000, and extended his contract until June 30, 2028.

    Assistant Superintendent Lisa Hoffman is taking over day-to-day operations of the district, Hartney said.

    “The board is confident that district operations, instructional programs, and student services will continue without interruption,” Hartney said, adding that it “remains committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the trust of our students, staff, families, and community.”