ARIES (March 21-April 19). Lately, everything seems to run together — as soon as one thing ends, another begins. If you want real downtime, you’ll have to claim it deliberately. The world won’t pause unless you do.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re not auditioning for the approval of anyone. These friends, clients, bosses, neighbors, dates — they either match up and fit in your world, or they don’t today. You’re the one casting the show, and don’t forget that.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your curiosity influences the scene. People open up around you. Your questions make them think differently, then listen. Advice isn’t needed. The way you move through the world is teaching enough.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s a power shuffle in the air — nothing dramatic, just a few egos bumping. You’ll spot it right away and, with a little charm or humor, smooth things out before anyone even knows there was tension.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Today you might notice that you feel more guarded around certain people. Some folks are safe places for your feelings; others aren’t. Save your honesty for the good listeners who won’t use it against you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You live your spirituality today. It’s not about your worshipful practices or charitable donations. It’s how you move through the world, your attitude as you tend to your routines and work and how you get along with the people around you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). If you find yourself oscillating between belief and disbelief, it’s only because you’re so tuned into fakery right now. People tell white lies. Clones voice ads as celebrities. Products don’t really work. Your skepticism will save you time and money today.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Again, you’re trying to go under the radar. But sometimes this makes you more alluring. When multitudes clamor for attention, everyone wonders about the private life or inner world that wants none.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ve seized the day so often, you do it with finesse. Often, the day doesn’t want to be grabbed or snatched, but it is fine being held. Stay with the action, which will move spontaneously.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The more you stare at what’s wrong, the bigger it looks. Shift your focus to what you want instead. Keep walking toward that picture. It will be wild how fast life starts rearranging itself to match.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Pain doesn’t cancel out beauty; it’s part of the same spectrum that makes your soul capable of wonder. Feeling deeply, even when it hurts, is the price and privilege of a vivid inner life.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re diving into something new — no practice runs, just splash and go. Luckily, you catch on fast. Before long you’ll be moving with the current, right in rhythm with the tide.
TODAY’SBIRTHDAY (Dec. 6). Welcome to your Year of the Brilliant Exchange. You’ll be part of dynamic conversations that change your trajectory. Every introduction matters. You’re socially astute and eloquent. Your words magnetize opportunity. More highlights: signing a lucrative deal, being invited to lead and an international connection that brings business and travel for years to come. Capricorn and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 16, 8, 12 and 39.
DEAR ABBY: I’m a man in my 70s. My girlfriend is eight years younger. We were first introduced 42 years ago by relatives who believed we would be a good match. I was an only child; she was from a broken home. We dated and liked each other, but there were communication problems. I was independent as a younger man and dated. She was devoted to her mother and cared for her until her passing. We reconnected and started dating seven years ago. We live an hour apart, and I would drive to spend a weekend with her every two weeks. We talk every day.
Things were good, and I asked if she would be interested in marriage someday. She said she would “consider it.” A few years later, I offered to buy a ring to show that she belonged to me, and she became upset. I backed off. A year ago, she suddenly said I shouldn’t come any longer. When I asked why, she told me I have said things in the past that upset her. She said I poke fun at things she likes to do and made comments that were intimate in nature. I asked why she hadn’t brought these issues to my attention sooner. She said she should have but just didn’t do it. I kid around a bit, even poke fun at myself, but I never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings. I apologized and suggested relationship therapy. She believed we could just work through it. She said she had to build up the trust again. We took a vacation, but nothing changed. Simple things like holding hands don’t seem to interest her anymore. I don’t have years to waste. Do I have the wrong girl here?
— FRUSTRATED IN OHIO
DEAR FRUSTRATED: Yup, you sure do. The lady isn’t physically attracted to you, and she can’t bring herself to communicate when there are problems that could be fixed. You can do better than this, and the time to start widening your dating circle is now.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to a wonderful man for five years. He has an almost-20-year-old daughter, “Amber,” whom he raised alone. Amber is spoiled and entitled because he overcompensated for the lack of a mother figure in her life. I get it. However, she continues to be disrespectful to me and has made him choose sides in disagreements. I’ve always tried to be neutral in situations. We all live together, but Amber and I just don’t get along. She doesn’t respect her father at all. When I have tried to make him realize it or support him when she’s being unruly, I am turned into the bad guy. I am not asking him to choose, but there is only one queen of the castle, and it isn’t me. What do I do?
— PRICKLY SITUATION IN GEORGIA
DEAR PRICKLY: Is Amber in college and living at home? Is she employed but not earning enough to support herself? Where is her mother? How long is she going to be living with you?
You and your “wonderful” husband could lessen some of the tension in your household if you start talking with a licensed marriage and family therapist. He should have stepped in the moment his daughter started acting out and insisted you be treated with respect (at the very least) as long as she is under his roof.
On the flip side, it’s time to stop being critical of Maxey’s defense.
And Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow might be the NBA’s best two-way players.
Those things stood out in Friday’s 116-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
Taking up Maxey’s offensive slack
Maxey’s streak of scoring at least 20 points ended with 21 games. The early-season MVP candidate had a season-low 12 points on 5-for-14 — including missing all three of his three-pointers — along with finishing with four rebounds, four assists, a team-high four steals, and one block.
Maxey’s scoring was a significant drop off from his career-high 54 points against the Bucks in the Sixers’ 123-114 overtime victory in Milwaukee on Nov. 20.
This time, Milwaukee (10-14) made a conscious effort to get the ball out of Maxey’s hand. But that tactic led to other Sixers stepping up and contributing.
Paul George hit several clutch shots en route to finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. With the Bucks mounting a comeback, the 6-foot-8 forward hit two straight jumpers to give the Sixers (13-9) a 101-87 lead with 5 minutes, 51 seconds remaining. Then he grabbed a huge defensive rebound to ward off another comeback attempt with 2:52 to play. George scored six points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter.
George took a lot of the pressure off Maxey while logging a season-high 29 minutes, 58 seconds. He brought the basketball up the court and initiated the offense. His performance had to be refreshing for the Sixers coaching staff to see.
Sixers forward Paul George puts up a shot against Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) in the first half at Fiserv Forum.
George missed Thursday’s 99-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors due to left knee injury recovery. And Friday’s matchup was just his seventh game of the season.
“I just wanted to come out and get us on a good note,” George told NBC Sports Philadelphia following the game. “That was just my mindset. My body is starting to shape back. I’m blessed that I’m healthy, and I’m just trying to stack games.”
George actually sat Maxey down in the fourth quarter to tell him not to worry. He said that he would finish things out for the Sixers.
“That’s what he’s here for,” Maxey told the media. “You know what I mean? And we appreciate Paul.”
Reserves Quentin Grimes (a team-high 22 points on six three-pointers), Adem Bona (10 points), and Walker (a season-high 18 points) also stepped up. The Sixers also led, 61-41, in bench points to help fill the gap.
Maxey’s defense
Not too long ago, Maxey was considered a defensive liability. That’s why there was a lot of excitement when the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe third in June’s NBA draft. That thought was that Edgecombe or Grimes could provide a defensive presence while starting alongside Maxey in the backcourt.
But if we learned one thing recently, Maxey is quieting his critics.
On Thursday, the point guard blocked former Sixer De’Anthony Melton’s layup right before the final buzzer to preserve Thursday’s victory.
Then, on Friday, Maxey finished with four steals for the third time this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder put his defensive imprint on the game early, recording three steals in the first quarter. Then he blocked AJ Green’s three-pointer late in the second quarter.
This comes after Maxey averaged 3.0 steals and one block in his previous two games. He’s averaged 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks through his first 21 games.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma (18) controls the ball as he drives to the basket between Philadelphia 76ers’ Dominick Barlow, left, and Adem Bona during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Two-way stars
As fourth-year players, Barlow and Walkers aren’t your typical players on two-way contracts. Walker actually signed a multi-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers after being selected by them with the 59th pick of the 2022 draft.
Meanwhile, Barlow went undrafted in 2022 but had his two-way contracts with the San Antonio Spurs (2023-24) and the Atlanta Hawks (2024-25) converted to standard deals the past two seasons.
Yet, they both have been huge bargains after signing two-way deals with the Sixers in July. So far, Walker has averaged 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in his first 20 games. Meanwhile, Barlow took averages of 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds into the game.
Barlow made his 10th start of the season at power forward Friday night. The 6-9, 215-pounder had a rough shooting night, missing five of six shots. However, he finished with six points, four rebounds, and a steal. Meanwhile, Walker gave the Sixers a huge lift, scoring 16 points while making 4 of 6 three-pointers before intermission. Walker made his first four threes.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. (7) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers’ Jabari Walker, right, Jared McCain (20), and Adem Bona during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
The 6-7, 237-pounder cooled in the second half, scoring two points while missing two three-pointers. But his four three-pointers were a season high.
“He was shooting like he was in Camden,” Maxey said of Walker being a solid shooter at practice.
Maxey added, “I just want him to shoot it when he’s open. If he’s open, shoot it. That’s what he can do. he’s really good at that. Corner threes, wing threes. I think that would be a good shot for him.”
During a marathon preliminary hearing, held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility due to security concerns, seven members of the Pagans were held over for trial by District Judge Marc Alfarano on charges including aggravated assault, conspiracy, riot, and reckless endangerment.
Those who appeared before Alfarano were: Joel Hernandez-Martinez, 36, George Hripto Jr., 50, and Jason Lawless, 45, all of Bridgeport; Manuel Baez-Santos, 34, of Norristown; Erik Dixon, 33, of King of Prussia; Luke Higgins, 29, of Dauberville; and Justin Noll, 34, of Reading.
Two other Pagans allegedly involved and facing similar charges in the incident, George Cwienk III, 51, of Bridgeport, and Erik Rosenberger, 46, of East Greenville, had their preliminary hearings continued due to a scheduling issue with their attorneys.
Assistant District Attorney Bradley Deckel said the group conspired to attack two members of the Unknown Bikers outlaw club after seeing them parked at the Wawa on Oct. 17.
Given the rules of their subculture, Deckel said, the Pagans felt they had no choice but to confront the rival club.
A gang expert testified Friday that the Pagans have a strong presence throughout Pennsylvania, and fiercely defend their territory.
“They knew what they had to do the moment they saw a group invading their territory,” Deckel said. “And they had to teach them a lesson with violence.”
But defense attorneys for the Pagans took turns sharply rebutting Deckel’s theory during the seven-hour hearing, arguing that their clients were not the ones responsible for the shooting. They asserted that prosecutors had built their case entirely on speculation and innuendo, unfairly painting their clients as dangerous in news coverage.
Further, they said, investigators could not clearly identify what role each of the nine men played in the supposed conspiracy to attack the other bikers, nor prove whether any of the Pagans were armed at the time.
Noll’s attorney, Robert J. Kirwan II, argued that the alleged targets in the case — the Unknown Bikers — were the ones who should be held accountable. Ballistics evidence showed 13 of the 14 bullets fired during the chaotic melee came from their guns.
He said he was “disgusted” that the men were not called to testify during Friday’s hearing.
“It’s astounding that the Unknown Bikers are not charged,” Kirwan said. “What we do know is that they unloaded all of their ammunition at the people present, including bystanders, and yet they’re walking free.”
After pulling into the Wawa just after 9 p.m., the Pagans encircled the other two bikers and began assaulting them. In turn, the Unknown Bikers opened fire on the Pagans with two 9mm handguns in what prosecutors described as an act of self-defense.
Three of the Pagans — Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez, and Noll — were injured in the gunfire. Nearby, a man filling his tires with air was shot in the face as he dived for cover, and a woman smoking a cigarette outside the store was shot in the right side.
Deckel, the prosecutor, said that during the attack some members of the group strategically positioned their bikes at the gas station’s entrance, in what he described as an attempt to prevent their targets from escaping.
The Pagans’ defense attorneys denied that entirely, saying their clients were the true victims in the attack. Paul Lang, representing Dixon, said his client abandoned his motorcycle and fled as soon as the first gunshots rang out, despite the supposedly coordinated assault.
Still, Deckel said, the motive for the attack was clear: The Pagans wanted the Unknown Bikers’ “cuts,” their denim vests bearing the club logo. In the world of outlaw clubs, a biker’s cut is sacred and, therefore, a trophy sought by his rivals, according to a gang expert who testified Friday.
After the shooting, five of the Pagans were arrested during a car stop in Bridgeport. One of the motorcycles they were riding bore a bullet hole in its gas tank.
The other four were taken into custody in the following days, prosecutors said, tracked down through automated license plate readers and cell phone records.
Famed architect Frank Gehry died Friday in his home in Santa Monica at 96 after a brief respiratory illness. And while he is gone, cities all over the world will continue to hold a piece of him — including Philadelphia.
Though he is known for the striking, rambunctious architecture of buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, around here, Gehry will perhaps be best remembered as the man behind the Philadelphia Art Museum as we know it today. Gehry in 2006 was selected from a slate of more than 20 renowned architects to oversee what would become a $233 million renovation of the Art Museum.
Known as the Core Project, the effort — completed in 2021 — was designed to open up the museum’s floor plans, reclaim a ground level that had been closed to the public for decades, and add some 20,000 square feet of new gallery space. Completed in phases over more than a decade, Gehry’s planned renovations were designed to make the building more accessible, revitalize its aging infrastructure, and give the space more flow — all while not disrupting the museum’s iconic look.
Frank Gehry with a model of his design for the museum’s expansion, to be on display in the exhibit “Making a Classic Modern: Frank Gehry’s Master Plan for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.”
“Frank always felt in the design of the core project that he was collaborating with the original architects,” said retired Philadelphia Art Museum chief operating officer Gail Harrity Friday. “He often said he was following the bread crumbs left by the original architects to revitalize a building that needed a flow, needed the restoration of the east-west access, the north-south access.”
Gehry’s work on the Art Museum created “views toward a work of art that pull you like a magnet into the galleries,” Harrity said. And in a 2021 Inquirer review of the revamp, architecture critic Inga Saffron found that the redesign gave “museum officials precisely what they wanted: clarity, light, and space.”
A contentious choice
But when he was selected to lead the effort, Gehry was something of a controversial choice. At the time, Gehry was known for flamboyant architecture dotted with playful, tumbling forms — much different from the Greek Revival and Neoclassical design that made the Art Museum an icon on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Some museum lovers worried he would desecrate Philly’s art museum, while others pondered why museum officials would pick such a high-profile architect to design features that largely would not be seen from the outside.
“Nothing [Gehry] has done gives me a good feeling,” one reader wrote to The Inquirer in 2006. “Please rethink using this man to destroy the Philadelphia Museum of Art.”
Gehry himself did little to quell his detractor’s worries. As he put it to The Inquirer at one point: “We will set off a bomb. But I can’t tell what kind till the fat lady sings. I think we’ll make it memorable.”
A $233 million Frank Gehry-designed renovation of the Art Museum focusing on the building’s bottom two floors. The Core Project’s goals were to open up the museum’s floor plans, reclaim a ground level that had been closed to the public for decades, and add 20,000 square feet of new gallery space.
Ultimately, Gehry’s design would be understated and in line with the museum’s existing structure. In fact, it was Gehry’s work on the ’60s-era Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena — which he transformed into a series of serene, classically arranged galleries in the 1990s — that convinced Art Museum officials to go with him for their redesign, so there was perhaps little to be concerned about all along.
Museumgoers got their first taste of the revamp in the fall of 2012, when work on an art-handling facility was completed. That project moved a loading dock and backstage area from the building’s northeast side near Kelly Drive to the Schuylkill side, and would allow for Gehry’s redesign project to progress.
And, at least to Gehry, big plans were afoot.
“I wonder if people in Philadelphia know what a big deal this is,” he told The Inquirer in 2014. “Bilbao was a sleepy little town before the Guggenheim came along. This is going to change Philadelphia.”
The unveiling
By 2017, the Art Museum officially broke ground on the Core Project phase of its redesign. Two years later, in 2019, it reopened a long-shut entryway on the building’s north side, leading to a vaulted walkway more than 600 feet long, running the width of the museum. An auditorium was demolished, being replaced by the area today known as the Williams Forum.
Its removal opened up the interior of the museum, allowing visitors to see through the entire building, bringing in light and street vistas through windows, and “possibly ending that feeling of being lost amid proliferating galleries of art,” The Inquirer reported at the time.
In 2021, the Art Museum officially unveiled Gehry’s work, showing off the result of 15 years of planning, design, and reconstruction. The Daniel W. Dietrich II Galleries and Robert L. McNeil Jr. Galleries made their debut, housing contemporary and American art, respectively.
“Gehry has provided the canvas,” Saffron wrote of the redesign. “Now it’s up to the museum to make the most of it.”
View of the vaulted walkway at the Art Museum.
But the design wasn’t exactly completely finished. Gehry also created the Philadelphia’s museum’s master plan that includes a proposed next phase: building more gallery space beneath the museum’s east steps. The project has been on hold for a number of years, and its status remains undetermined, a museum spokesperson said Friday.
The museum had also had informal discussions recently with Gehry about designing a learning and engagement center, but that project‘s status is also undetermined, the spokesperson said.
“The building is a landmark that is iconic in Philadelphia, that’s difficult to change the exterior of, and in many respects is on a site that is hard to expand,” said Harrity. “So in looking at previous ideas and designs I think Frank’s solution for further increasing gallery space while responding to the architectural integrity of a landmark that is beloved in Philadelphia is brilliant.”
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
For the past month, Ty Robinson has been grappling with what he calls a “strange feeling.”
Robinson, the Eagles’ fourth-round defensive tackle out of Nebraska, has been inactive for the last four games. It’s not surprising given the depth chart at the position, but it has been an adjustment for the 24-year-old. After all, Robinson went from being a five-year starter at Nebraska to an Eagles rookie behind Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo.
Still, when Robinson joined the Eagles in April, he said he understood that playing time was going to be hard to come by in a room full of “a bunch of dudes.”
“I’m a realistic person,” Robinson said Friday. “So just being patient and understanding that football has its tendency to be violent. Guys are going to go down with something. Obviously you never want that, but it’s the reality of the game. So just to continue to work and help that motivates me in a good way to be ready when the time comes.”
That patience could pay off on Monday. Carter, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle, is week-to-week after undergoing a procedure to treat both of his shoulders. With Carter out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Robinson could be active for the first time since Week 9 against the New York Giants.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said on Wednesday that it’s “possible” Robinson could factor into the defensive tackle rotation with Carter injured. Robinson said that the coaching staff hasn’t had a conversation with him about his role against the Chargers. But that isn’t to say he won’t have a role, Robinson clarified.
“Whatever they’re willing to give, whatever that role’s going to be, I’m here for the room,” Robinson said. “We’ve got an awesome room that’s going to also step up on Monday. I’m excited to be behind those guys.”
Monday’s game wouldn’t be Robinson’s first, but it could be an opportunity for him to play meaningful defensive snaps for the first time in more than a month.
The 6-foot-5, 288-pound defensive tackle has played 35 defensive snaps in six appearances. The majority of his playing time came in the Week 6 loss to the New York Giants when Carter was inactive due to a heel injury.
In his 19 defensive snaps in that game, Robinson made a tackle on Cam Skattebo in the red zone and batted a pass from Jaxson Dart at the line of scrimmage. Even though his last game action was in late October for the Eagles’ second meeting with the Giants, Robinson said he feels better prepared now to step into a more substantial role on defense.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart slips by a tackle attempt by DT Ty Robinson on Oct. 9.
“I didn’t know nothing coming into this season,” Robinson said. “But being around the guys for halfway through the season, I definitely feel like I’ve grown as a player. And obviously I feel a little bit more ready. It’s a challenge. I’m not going to back away from a challenge. I’m going to take what I can with it.”
Davis concurred that Robinson is ready for the challenge that could await him on Monday. His confidence is rooted in what Robinson has shown him in practice, going up against the Eagles’ starting offensive line. Now, Robinson must translate his growth on the NovaCare Complex practice field to SoFi Stadium when he faces the Chargers.
“Just the reps that he’s getting against Landon [Dickerson], against Jordan Mailata, against Cam [Jurgens], all those compound and add up,” Davis said. “So when he gets his opportunity to go against a former Eagles player, Mekhi Becton, or somebody that’s on the Chargers’ line, we have full confidence in him that he can go out there and execute.
“It’s more about the mindset that he has, carrying it out there and understanding that he is meant to be here. He is here for a reason. It’s the same thing I went through as a rookie. I didn’t have a lot of experience going into this, and looking at the offensive line, I was like, ‘Man, these guys have years of experience on me.’ But as time goes on, the more experience that I have, execution breeds confidence.”
Robinson (9) is looking to break out as a pro after a decorated five-year career at Nebraska.
Robinson will need to tap into that confidence to help the defense rebound after a porous Black Friday performance against the Chicago Bears. This time around, the Eagles will face one of the league’s top passers in Justin Herbert — if he’s healthy enough to play — and a strong rushing attack that is poised to welcome the return of standout rookie Omarion Hampton on Monday.
Even if he hasn’t earned many meaningful defensive snaps this season, Robinson can still detect his own growth. Between his practice reps and his time spent with the Eagles’ developmental program, Robinson said he has taken strides in “everything” related to his game.
“Just in the kind of aspect of building up the player that I am,” Robinson said. “With awesome people in this building, being able to put in extra work with them and just to see that continued growth.
A man was stabbed several times on a SEPTA train in Center City early Friday evening, police said.
The stabbing occurred shortly before 5:25 p.m. and the victim was taken by SEPTA Transit Police from the 13th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, police said.
“Two people were engaged in an argument that escalated into a fight and then a stabbing that left one of them in critical condition,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said in an email.
The victim was stabbed in the neck, police said. No further information was available about him.
HARRISBURG — An unknown amount of mail from Pennsylvania state agencies to residents has gone undelivered, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration discovered this week.
The Pennsylvania Department of General Services said in a statement Friday that it has ended its contract with an unidentified vendor that pre-sorts state agency mail before delivering it to the U.S. Postal Service to be sent to residents around the state. The department discovered in the last 48 hours that the vendor “had been failing to deliver Commonwealth mail to constituents,” said Paul Vezzetti, a spokesperson for the department.
The state is still determining how much and what type of mail was not delivered to Pennsylvania’s residents. It was unclear Friday why the vendor failed to send the state’s mail, where the mail was located when it was not in the state’s possession,how long the mail went unsent, and how the failure was not identified sooner.
The unsent mail could prove to be a major headache for Shapiro’s administration, depending on the magnitude of the issue and which state communications were not delivered to residents.
After discovering the backlog, the Department of General Services rapidly hired a new vendor to sort and deliver the unsent mail “as quickly as possible,” Vezzetti said. The unsent mail has already been transferred to the new vendor and the state estimates that it will be mailed by early next week.
According to an emergency contract made public Friday, the state hired technology solutions company Pitney Bowes for $1 million, citing its preparedness to process and resume mail operations. If the services were not immediately restored, it “could result in missed deadlines, loss of services, delayed benefits, legal exposure, and operational disruptions for multiple agencies and constituents,” according to contract.
The unsent mail from unspecified state agencies could include critical communications relating to state services, such as health benefits or food assistance, among other potential communications. State agencies send communications by mail about an individual’s eligibility for services or benefits, renewals and appeals, and whether a person is due to appear at a hearing about that eligibility, and more.
Vezzetti declined on Friday to confirm which agencies were impacted by the stalled mail, or to name the vendor that had been fired.
Pennsylvania lawmakers last month ended a 135-day-long state budget impasse that required counties, schools and social service organizations to take out loans or limit their services during the protracted budget fight.
The state is now taking steps to “carefully assess and mitigate impacts” of the mail delay and adjust deadlines for impacted residents.
Staff writer Ximena Conde contributed to this article.
More than 130 drug cases were dismissed Friday — and hundreds more are expected to collapse in the coming months — after prosecutors said three Philadelphia narcotics officers repeatedly gave false testimony in court.
Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom vacated 134 cases during the first in a series of hearings that could see nearly a thousand criminal prosecutions collapse because the testimony of three officers on the Narcotics Strike Force has been deemed unreliable.
Philadelphia Police Officers Ricardo Rosa, Eugene Roher, and Jeffrey Holden were found to have repeatedly given false testimony against people suspected of selling drugs after lawyers with the Defender Association of Philadelphia recovered video footage that contradicted their statements, the district attorney’s office said.
The defenders said the officers regularly watched surveillance cameras to monitor suspects in drug investigations in real time, then didn’t disclose it to prosecutors or defense attorneys in court, officials said. The video footage later showed they also testified to things that never happened or that they could not have seen from where they were positioned, according to court filings.
Prosecutors later conceded that they could no longer vouch for the officers’ credibility and are expected to dismiss scores of cases built on their testimony.
Michael Mellon and Paula Sen, of the Defender Association, began looking into whether officers on the narcotics squad were lying in court starting in 2019.
After a review of cases and convictions involving the officers’ testimony, lawyers for the defender association and prosecutors identified more than 900 cases and expect to ask the judge to dismiss them over the next year. It was not immediately clear how many people, if any, served time in jail, or are still in custody, as a result of the prosecutions that are now in question.
Holden, reached by phone Friday, said he was shocked to learn that his cases and testimony were under scrutiny, and said he had not been told of the move to end the cases at Friday’s hearing. He declined to comment further.
Rosa and Roher did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The officers remain assigned to their narcotics squads.
The district attorney’s office said it provided the police department’s internal affairs unit with details of the officers’ false statements in multiple cases last March.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, in a statement, said the department takes “potential credibility issues with our officers extremely seriously.”
An internal affairs investigation into the matter was launched last March and remains ongoing, he said.
The department requested and reviewed cases flagged by prosecutors, he said, but “thus far we have not identified any evidence that would raise concerns of misconduct or criminal behavior on the part of those officers.”
He added: “We will, as always, take appropriate action if and when evidence supports such action, but we will not preemptively sideline officers absent some verified findings.”
Bethel said he learned of the plans to dismiss the cases on Thursday, and has asked prosecutors to provide additional information to assist with their review. He also said the police department has been working with the district attorney to develop a clearer protocol on how officers can use surveillance cameras during investigations.
District Attorney Larry Krasner on Friday declined to say whether his office was investigating the officers’ conduct, but noted that “the statute of limitations for police officers in their capacity is much longer than the statue of limit for other offenses.”
“I have dealt extensively with Commissioner Bethel. I know he and the mayor are committed to rooting corruption, lying, stealing, and cheating out of the police department,” he said.
District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to say whether his office was investigating the officers’ conduct as criminal in nature.
‘They’re lying’
Assistant District Attorney David Napiorski, who reviewed the cases for the office, stopped short of accusing the officers of lying, but said “there’s enough of a pattern of inconsistencies across testimony that we can’t rely on them as critical witnesses in court.”
But Paula Sen and Michael Mellon of the Defenders’ Police Accountability Unit disagreed.
“It’s a fancy way of saying they’re lying,” said Sen, who has worked with Mellon to uncover the officers’ credibility issues since 2019.
The unfolding scrutiny is the latest in a series of large-scale conviction reversals in Philadelphia tied to misconduct in the narcotics unit. Over the past three decades, judges have thrown out thousands of drug cases after officers were found to have fabricated evidence, lied on the stand, or stolen money from dealers.
Bradley Bridge, a longtime public defender, was often the driving force behind those reviews and estimates he’s worked to overturn about 2,500 drug convictions since 1995.
In 2015, Bridge filed a petition to vacate more than 1,400 drug convictions tied to six ex-narcotics cops after they were charged with robbing and beating drug dealers, then altering police paperwork to cover their tracks. The officers were later acquitted by a jury and got their jobs back through arbitration, but more than 950 cases were thrown out after officials agreed they couldn’t trust their testimony.
Bridge, who returned from retirement to handle the cases tied to Rosa, Roher, and Holden, said, “Tragically, nothing is unique about this. It’s exactly the same problems that keep arising since 1995, including the lack of supervision and oversight of police officers on the street.”
A video camera used by Philadelphia police located at Somerset Street in Kensington.
Sen and Mellon said they first noticed a pattern of false testimony in 2019 after they reviewed surveillance footage that contradicted statements Rosa gave about drug cases. As time passed, they said, they continued to monitor his narcotics squad, and found inconsistencies with Holden and Roher’s testimony, too.
They said the officers used the city’s surveillance camera systems to monitor suspected drug activity in real time, but didn’t disclose it as part of their investigation — a violation of due process because the evidence wasn’t shared with defense attorneys.
In court, the officers denied using the cameras, Mellon said, and often said they witnessed hand-to-hand drug transactions that video later showed either never happened or that they could never have seen because the suspect was out of sight.
“They just straight up lied and invented acts of criminality,” Sen said.
‘Who are they gonna believe?’
In one case, Roher said he was seated in an unmarked police car when he saw Darrin Moss sell drugs to two people near Somerset and Helen Streets in Kensington in April 2022. He said he could see Moss inside the fenced lot retrieve drugs, then hand them to a buyer and accept money in return.
Prosecutors later said in court filings that video footage captured by a surveillance camera on the end of the block showed that one drug deal never happened, and the other supposed deal was behind a building and would have been impossible to see.
The charges against Moss were withdrawn.
When prosecutors learned of the discrepancies, they asked Roher to meet and discuss the case, but he failed to appear in court twice without explanation, they said in a court filing.
Prosecutors said this became a pattern — once the officers seemed to learn their testimony was under scrutiny, they stopped showing up to court.
Court filings identify at least nine cases in which the three officers allegedly gave false testimony. Napiorski, of the district attorney’s office, said prosecutors reviewed a few dozen videos from other cases that suggested a systemic pattern of false information in court.
Sen, of the defenders association, said it was troubling that the officers remained assigned to the narcotics squad and have been able to continue making arrests.
“How is the public supposed to have trust in a department that continues to employ people who have so clearly proved themselves to be liars, that has resulted in thousands of people being arrested and jailed?” she asked.
Most of the cases dismissed Friday were drug crimes that led to a sentence of probation, prosecutors said. Seven included a gun charge.
The drug charge against Ramoye Berry was among them.
Berry, 29, from North Philadelphia, said that in April 2023, he was standing on the 1300 block of West Boston Street talking to some friends when a group of officers tackled him and accused him of selling drugs.
When they searched his car, he said, they found a small amount of weed, but he wasn’t selling it. He was charged with possession with intent to sell drugs.
Berry couldn’t recall which officer testified against him in court, but he said he remembered telling his lawyer that the officer wasn’t telling the truth.
He said he pleaded guilty to drug possession and accepted a year of probation because he didn’t think he could prove his innocence, and the court dates were challenging to keep up with. It kept him from being able to get a job, he said.
When he learned on Friday that the officer had a history of giving false information and that his conviction would be vacated, he said he felt vindicated — but frustrated by the time and jobs he lost to the case.
“This is what I was saying from the beginning,” he said, shaking his head. “But who are they gonna believe? The cops, or me?”
WASHINGTON — There’s plenty of history of World Cup host teams getting easy groups. But the soccer gods definitely smiled on the U.S. men’s national team at Friday’s draw.
The Americans got Australia out of Pot 2, the second-toughest batch, instead of the stars and skills of Croatia, Morocco, or Colombia. In Pot 3, they got Paraguay, instead of Norway’s all-world striker Erling Haaland and playmaker Martin Ødegaard.
At that point in the glitzy stage show, with President Donald Trump leading the guest list at the Kennedy Center, the U.S. knew it would get a European playoff winner from Pot 4. But even then, they got lucky, landing the bracket of Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo, instead of the one led by Italy.
Then, as the dust settled and the watching world looked at the results, something else became clear. At least two of the three games will be rematches of recent U.S. games, and all three will be if Turkey wins that playoff.
Mauricio Pochettino (second from right) in the audience in the Kennedy Center’s historic Concert Hall.
“It means less work,” U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “We can say we’ve already done the homework because it’s fresh when we played them … It’s still six months. We need to update everything — and we know them, but they know us.”
The Americans’ opening game will be against Paraguay on June 12, the second day of the tournament, in Inglewood, Calif. The teams met last month at Subaru Park in Chester, and the U.S. won, 2-1, with goals from Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun.
“I know they’re a very difficult, very complex team, one that has found a way to build a solid foundation, a solid base,” Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro said. “And that helps us understand the things we need to improve.”
Seven days later, the U.S. will play Australia in Seattle, a game that should produce a thunderous atmosphere in one of America’s elite soccer cities. In October, the U.S. came from behind to beat a physical Socceroos squad, 2-1, with two goals from Haji Wright.
“We know what to expect — a top team, a top coach,” Australia manager Tony Popovic said. “It will be obviously different in a World Cup to a friendly, but that also excites us.”
Then it will be back to the LA area for the group stage finale, on June 25 against the playoff winner.
Turkey beat the U.S., 2-1 in June in East Hartford, Conn., but that U.S. squad was missing a lot of its stars — deliberately at that point, by Pochettino’s decision. Turkey’s squad was full-strength, including star playmakers Kenan Yıldız of Italy’s Juventus (where he’s teammates with Weston McKennie) and Arda Güler of Spain’s Real Madrid.
If Romania pulls off the upset in the playoff, memories will come back of the teams’ 1994 World Cup matchup at the Rose Bowl. Romania’s 1-0 win that day was the last of the teams’ four all-time meetings, with the first in 1991 the only U.S. win.
The Union’s Quinn Sullivan (left) made his senior U.S. debut in June’s game againt Turkey.
The U.S. has only played Slovakia once, a 1-0 Slovakia win in that country’s capital, Bratislava. The U.S. and Kosovo have never played.
The European playoffs are in March. Turkey hosts Romania, and Slovakia hosts Kosovo, and the latter game’s winner hosts the finale.
Pochettino wants his team to believe it can win the World Cup. His favorite slogan lately has been “Be realistic and do the impossible.”
It’s his job to present that message, even if “realistic” for everyone else is something else. That bears saying loudly because fans who only watch the U.S. men during World Cups might take Pochettino at his word.
Mauricio Pochettino at a U.S. team practice last month.
For them, and for the team’s devotees too, Tyler Adams’ words are worth heeding.
“Everyone’s going to want us to say winning it is obviously the goal,” the veteran U.S. midfielder and locker room leader said. “Our idea is to win — that’s the goal. But I think setting the benchmark of the furthest the U.S. team has gone is also realistic. So we want to go and make a run, but again, it’s a game by game mentality.”
The farthest the U.S. men have gone at a World Cup was nearly a century ago at the first edition, in 1930, when they finished third in a 12-team field. They have advanced from their group in five of the eight World Cups they have gone to in their modern era, which started in 1990; and their only ever knockout game win was in 2002, against next-door-neighbor Mexico half a world away in South Korea.
Reaching the semifinals this time would require three knockout-round wins: in the round of 32 in the first 48-team World Cup, the round of 16, and the quarterfinals. The conventional wisdom outside the program is, and likely will remain, that success will be reaching the quarterfinals.
The U.S. men haven’t won a World Cup knockout game since Landon Donovan (center) scored to help beat Mexico in the 2002 World Cup’s round of 16.
“We have to focus on ourselves — we have to worry about how we are and who we are and what we are and the connections and the aggressiveness and the intensity and the focus,” said centerback Tim Ream, Pochettino’s captain as the squad’s most experienced player. “At some point, you’re going to have to play the best some of the best teams. So do you play them in the group stage? Do you play with the knockouts? It doesn’t really matter, right?”
What’s certain is that no matter the opponents, the games matter more now, starting with March friendlies against Portugal and Belgium. Then the U.S. will play its send-off games amid training camp against Germany and a team to be announced.
As the nation starts to tune in, it will be up to Pochettino and his players to turn that pressure into a force that strengthens them, and potentially powers a history-making run on home soil.
“I think it’s good pressure,” Pochettino said. “The expectation is good, because it puts good stress in your body.”
It will only build up over the coming months.
U.S. men’s soccer team 2026 World Cup group schedule
June 12: vs. Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif.
June 19: vs. Australia in Seattle
June 25: vs. UEFA playoff winner in Inglewood, Calif.
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
