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  • Extreme heat leads to canceled and postponed July 4 plans across South Jersey

    Extreme heat leads to canceled and postponed July 4 plans across South Jersey

    Countless parades, fireworks, drone shows, and more are scheduled for this weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th birthday across South Jersey, but extreme heat is beginning to complicate plans.

    With temperatures forecast to exceed 100 degrees through Independence Day, some South Jersey towns are taking steps to keep residents out of the heat — even if it means canceling their annual holiday events.

    Others that haven’t taken any major steps yet are advising residents to stay hydrated and out of the direct sunlight as much as possible over the weekend.

    Here are some South Jersey towns that have announced changes to their Fourth of July celebrations:

    Bordentown Township

    Bordentown Township postponed fireworks planned for Friday with plans to reschedule the show for Aug. 4.

    “This wasn’t an easy call to make, but the heat forecast is dangerous, and that’s not something we’re willing to gamble with, not with your families, our volunteers, and our first responders out there for hours,” the township posted on social media Thursday.

    Delanco Township

    Delanco’s summer concert featuring the Nathan Renson Quartet scheduled for Thursday evening was canceled due to the heat. It will be rescheduled for a later date, the township said on social media.

    Haddon Township

    Due to the heat and humidity forecast for Saturday, Haddon Township has canceled its July Fourth parade.

    “This was a difficult choice, but ensuring the health and safety of our participants and spectators alike is our highest priority,” the township wrote on social media.

    The township’s “Happy Birthday America Celebration” fireworks will still take place on Friday night at the Haddon Township High School stadium.

    Amid the heat wave, the township’s Crystal Lake Pool will be open and free to all township residents, their extended family, friends, and guests.

    Haddonfield Borough

    Haddonfield’s Independence Day Parade is taking place as scheduled on Friday morning, but due to the extreme heat forecast for later in the day, the block party and drone show scheduled to start at 5 p.m. have been postponed. A new date for the rescheduled events will be announced soon, according to the borough.

    Magnolia Borough

    Magnolia’s Fourth of July Fair is starting a bit earlier now because of the heat, the borough announced on social media. The fair, which includes food trucks, a beer garden, live music and more, will now take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday immediately after the parade.

    Oaklyn Borough

    Oaklyn is hoping to get ahead of the heat by moving up the start time for the borough’s annual July Fourth parade. The parade will now start at 9 a.m., two hours earlier than originally planned.

    Paulsboro

    In light of the heat, Paulsboro has also decided to cancel the borough’s annual Fourth of July parade.

    “We understand how much this annual tradition means to our community. For generations, the Fourth of July Parade has been a source of hometown pride and a celebration that brings families, friends, and neighbors together. We share the disappointment of having to cancel this cherished event, but the safety and well-being of our community must always come first,” the borough wrote on social media.

    Despite the parade cancellation, the borough’s 250th Anniversary Celebration at Fort Billingsport Park will continue as scheduled on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    Stratford Borough

    While Stratford will still be holding its annual Fourth of July parade, the borough has decided to cancel its plans for games, inflatables, and other activities scheduled for Mancini Field throughout the day.

    Washington Township

    Washington Township has canceled its annual parade on July 4 after recommendations from public safety and local meteorologists. The township’s fireworks will still proceed as planned at 9 p.m., launched from the Washington Township High School Complex.

    Staff writer Sarah Nicell contributed reporting.

  • Kyle Lowry will reportedly retire as a Toronto Raptor. But his impact for his hometown Sixers will be remembered

    Kyle Lowry will reportedly retire as a Toronto Raptor. But his impact for his hometown Sixers will be remembered

    On a December night in Milwaukee, Kyle Lowry pulled up a livestream on his phone from the visitors’ locker room inside Fiserv Forum.

    An elementary school band was playing “Jingle Bells” at their winter concert — including Lowry’s son, Kam, on the trombone.

    “Yeah, Kam!” Lowry said, with 76ers teammate Tyrese Maxey looking over his shoulder. “Got to act like you’re there.”

    Several NBA players face this reality during the season, when extensive travel and nighttime games take them away from time with their families. The 40-year-old Lowry has experienced this for two decades of a career highlighted by six All-Star appearances and an NBA title. But soon, the North Philly native will be able to share more of those family moments in person, as Sportsnet reported Thursday afternoon that Lowry is retiring from the NBA.

    This decision from Lowry has long been expected. He said after the 2024-25 season that he wanted to play one more to reach 20 for his NBA career, though was more coy when asked about those plans in recent months.

    He also is about to fulfill his longtime promise to sign a one-day contract to retire as a Toronto Raptor, where he became a franchise icon and 2019 NBA champion. Sportsnet reported that there will be a Lowry event and news conference on Tuesday — matching Lowry’s jersey number — along with future plans to retire his jersey sometime during the 2026-27 season.

    The Sixers just transformed themselves for an unbelievable price | David Murphy

    That recognition comes after Lowry’s celebratory final visit to Toronto as player for two January games last season. Sixers teammates marveled at the reception he received throughout Scotiabank Arena, taking photos and videos as he held court in front of a massive media scrum at his locker. And when a lopsided score allowed Lowry to check in for the final stretch of the second game, a raucous ovation ensued.

    “Probably one of the greatest basketball moments of my personal career,” Lowry said after that game.

    Kyle Lowry (right), here with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, served as a mentor to the Sixers’ young stars.

    Lowry played parts of his final three NBA seasons with his hometown team, after starring at Cardinal Dougherty High School and Villanova led into his NBA career fueled by undersized tenacity and savvy point guard play.

    He joined the Sixers off the buyout market in 2024, reuniting with former Raptors coach Nick Nurse and becoming a starter on a playoff team. A hip injury derailed most of his 2024-25 season, when he candidly acknowledged watching Maxey create space to launch three-pointers and thinking, “Man, I remember when it was that easy to get shots off and have the confidence to do that,” he told The Inquirer then.

    In his final season, it was clear Lowry could no longer keep up physically. He appeared in 14 games — sometimes out of desperation when the guard group was depleted by injuries — and scored 17 total points on 4-of-25 shooting.

    One could argue the Sixers could have benefited from having another player on the roster who could contribute on the floor more than that version of Lowry. But he was an engaged and respected leader on the bench and in the locker room, particularly for Maxey.

    “He talks to me every timeout,” Maxey said during the Sixers’ first-round playoff upset over the Boston Celtics. “And there’s never a moment where he’s going to give me any bad advice. So I always just listen. That’s the biggest thing. If you have a guy like that, you’ve just got to listen.”

    Tyrese Maxey’s latest playoff outburst made an improbable Game 2 victory possible

    Added Lowry about his connection with his younger teammates: “I really give to them the purity of how I feel about them. Like I said, sacrifice. I don’t care about myself as a basketball player. I know in my career what I’ve done. … I’m the ancient man in this locker room. I embrace it, and they embrace me.”

    Lowry also was the first Sixer on the floor for pregame warmups — including on the day they were about to be swept out of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks. Two hours before tipoff of Game 4, Lowry was sweating through his Adidas long-sleeve shirt while playing one-on-one against a player development coach inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    He will no longer need to commit to such workouts because his fabulous basketball career is over.

    More time to attend those elementary school band concerts.

  • Jaylen Brown’s workout in Philly, beef with Joel Embiid, and more things to know about the new Sixers star

    Jaylen Brown’s workout in Philly, beef with Joel Embiid, and more things to know about the new Sixers star

    The Sixers stunned the NBA by acquiring Jaylen Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

    The five-time NBA All-Star and 2024 Finals MVP has quite a history with the Sixers over his last 10 years in the NBA.

    Here are a few of them of note:

    History with the Sixers

    Brown was the third overall pick in 2016, the year the Sixers drafted Ben Simmons first overall. The Sixers worked Brown out, but ultimately didn’t stray from the widespread consensus and drafted Ben Simmons. But after the trade, fans uncovered a few old photos of Brown in Sixers gear from that pre-draft process.

    “It’s just another prospect who we wanted to see and bring into Philadelphia,” Marc Eversley, vice president of player personnel at the time, said about Brown. “He’s one of those guys who’s up in that area that we’re looking at. He’s a high-level prospect. As you saw today, he shoots the ball extremely well. He had a terrific year at Cal, and we just wanted to get him here in Philly and take another look at him.”

    An All-Philly debut

    Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley made their late night debut on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon after the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. The other guest in the building that day? None other than Jaylen Brown.

    @bleacherreport Jalen Hurts looking smooth 🔥 (Via @fchwpo/IG) #nba #nbabasketball #nflfootball #football ♬ original sound – bleacherreport

    All three (plus the Eagles offensive line) appeared on the Feb. 11 episode, with Brown on set to promote a sponsor and the upcoming NBA All-Star Game. Now, they’re all in the same city.

    Brown’s big social media presence

    Brown is extremely active on social media, under the handle “FCHWPO” on Instagram, Twitter, and Twitch. The handle stands for “faith, consistency, hard work pays off,” which he’s used since before he was drafted.

    His Twitch streams helped make him more accessible to his fans, but have also occasionally started drama, including with Joel Embiid.

    Brown faced off with the Sixers often

    During Brown’s tenure with the Celtics, they met the Sixers in the playoffs four times. Brown has an all-time playoff record of 14-8 against the Sixers, including three series wins in 2018, 2020, and 2023, and one loss in 2026. He averaged 22.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in the four series.

    One day after the Celtics lost Game 7 to the Sixers in early May, Brown hopped on a Twitch livestream.

    “Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history,” Brown said. “[He] flops. He knows it. This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”

    Brown also said that the refs have had an agenda against him, which causes him to get called for offensive fouls on his off-arm push-offs.

    “I’ve actually spoke to some refs and they said it was an agenda going into each game,” Brown said. “Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. But Paul George does the same thing, Jalen Brunson does the same thing … I could go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not.”

    Bronny comments

    The next biggest question on every Sixers fan’s mind is the lingering seed of hope that LeBron James could sign in Philadelphia.

    At Summer League in 2024, Brown was caught on camera telling a friend that he did not believe that James’ son, Bronny, who had just been drafted in the second round by the Lakers, was a pro-caliber player.

    Brown later tweeted an apology.

    “It’s a flex to have your son alongside you in the NBA, it reflects greatness and longevity!” Brown wrote. “Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful. I look forward to watching his growth.”

    “Our relationship has been pretty respectful, besides that [expletive] he said about Bronny at Summer League, but other than that, we’ve been all right,” James said with a joking tone. “I think he went on social media and said something about it. It’s all good.”

  • Pa. state and religious leaders hold vigil to honor lives lost in ICE custody ahead of nation’s 250th birthday

    Pa. state and religious leaders hold vigil to honor lives lost in ICE custody ahead of nation’s 250th birthday

    As Philadelphia gears up to celebrate the nation’s 250th, a group of political and interfaith leaders held a vigil Thursday at Christ Church to honor those who died in ICE custody.

    The event comes a day before the nation’s birthday celebrations but a week after the Supreme Court’s decision to take Haitians and Syrians off temporary protection status, opening them up to deportation.

    Nathalie Cerin spoke at the vigil about her experience as a Haitian-American on TPS, which allows people whose home countries are unable to accommodate them a way to stay in the U.S. legally. Cerin said she was still celebrating Haiti’s two goals against Morocco in a World Cup game (before ultimately losing) when she heard of the Supreme Court’s decision to end TPS for Haitians.

    Cerin also said her experience on TPS had been a confusing one that left her and others in limbo.

    “The toughest part about being a TPS recipient is the ambiguity, and that’s by design,” Cerin said. “The confusion keeps you from making long-term plans. It traps you in a prison of conjecture, whispers of ICE raids and stories of people in detention centers who didn’t make it out.”

    These vigils and ICE protests happen consistently, said Alisa Lasater Wailoo of First United Methodist of Germantown, who attends the demonstrations every Monday. Demonstrations also happen on Wednesdays and Fridays, Lasater Wailoo said.

    U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat who represents South Philadelphia and Delaware County, also spoke Thursday, thanking the city’s religious community for stepping up during a time of need.

    “Our faith communities have stepped up and have really been a bright light,” Scanlon said. “They’ve stepped up in defense of the humanity of our neighbors and the strangers among us. They have stepped up as individuals to bring awareness and muster opposition to the administration’s activities, and they’ve stepped up in service to those who are suffering from that cruelty.”

    Scanlon tied her speech to the country’s founding, reflecting on the words of Thomas Paine, the Founding Father who wrote Common Sense, calling for independence from Great Britain.

    “He [Paine] also reminds us we are all called to contribute to the greater good, and it is not in our numbers, but in our unity, that our great strength lies,” Scanlon said. “So I call everyone to hear these words as a calling and an invitation to show up, to shine and to love.”

    The vigil concluded with a Ringing of the Bell ceremony, where the names of 50 people who have died while in ICE custody nationwide since Donald Trump took office in 2025 were spoken and followed by a bell toll.

    Two of the people honored died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania: Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, who died after a medical event, and Chaofeng Ge, whose death was ruled a suicide.

    State Sen. Art Haywood, a Democrat who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, said he hoped attendees would leave remembering that the nation’s future is mutable and that they can make a change.

    “I think the main thing I want people to see is a rededication to what the nation has become,” Haywood said. “I am not so much looking back at 1776. 1776 was a very bad year for Africans; that was a year of enslavement. So I’m not that comfortable celebrating, but I think the future of the nation is very powerful.”

    Following the vigil held at Christ Church, Haywood, multi-faith leaders, and other attendees walked eight blocks through the hot, muggy streets of Philadelphia to take a stand in front of the ICE detention facility on Cherry Street.

    Protesters tied a long red fabric to block the main driveway of the facility. The red cloth was meant to signify the blood of those lost and the red in Betsy Ross’s American flag.

    “Today, we mark this line with the same red that runs through Betsy Ross’s flag,” said the Rev. Kipp Gilmore-Clough of Chestnut Hill United Church. “It is a witness to the bloodshed and the lives lost. But it also symbolizes the possibility of unity.”

  • Why Pa. lawmakers almost tore down Independence Hall in the 1800s

    Why Pa. lawmakers almost tore down Independence Hall in the 1800s

    While all eyes are on Independence Hall this week, something almost unfathomable happened more than 200 years ago: It was nearly demolished.

    Between the 18th and 19th centuries, Pennsylvania’s capital had moved to Harrisburg from Philadelphia, by way of Lancaster, and lawmakers wanted a new statehouse. The obsolete building then known as the Old State House in Philadelphia, on Chestnut between Fifth and Sixth Streets, was on prime real estate, according to Villanova University professor and historian Whitney Martinko.

    So, they contemplated demolishing the building and selling off the salvage and parcels of land to the highest bidders to fund the grand statehouse. But Philadelphians mounted a campaign to save what’s now called Independence Hall — the Georgian-style building where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and drafted. Today, Independence Hall stands as a testament to the Founding Fathers’ ideals as the country prepares for its 250th birthday this Saturday.

    “People looked to Independence Hall — already in the 1810s — as an important building and historic site,” said Martinko, who studies historic preservation in the early U.S. “Some of those people were residents of Philadelphia who didn’t want to lose a local landmark … but other people were really tourists who came to Philadelphia to see the site.”

    Independence Hall in 1950, looking north from Walnut Street, in the area that would become Independence Mall.

    The state initially wouldn’t budge on its $150,000 price tag for the building, according to Martinko’s research, but after its yearslong campaign, the city ultimately purchased the plot for $70,000, or less than $2 million today. The deal, which was finalized in 1818, cemented Independence Hall’s legacy as a monument to the great American experiment.

    Government offices occupied the building, while the State House yard remained public green space. What’s now Independence National Historical Park was once a maze of industry, mixed-use buildings, and alleyways.

    By the mid-20th century, those blocks were razed, with some giving way to Independence Mall, in a push to beautify and boost civic pride.

    “Preservation and stewardship of historic sites is an ongoing decision — it’s very easy to take for granted buildings that are preserved today are going to be there tomorrow,“ Martinko said, ”but there’s no guarantee that any building will be here tomorrow or in 50 or 100 years.

    “History needs stewards and we all need to think of ourselves as people who should be engaged with saving places.”

  • Burlington County man caught in child trafficking sting drove an hour to have sex with underage girl, DA says

    Burlington County man caught in child trafficking sting drove an hour to have sex with underage girl, DA says

    Christopher Reynolds thought he was talking to a woman looking to exchange money for sex with her 13-year-old daughter, Bucks County prosecutors said Thursday.

    Reynolds was adamant about certain graphic details while negotiating the price for the encounter, and even offered a higher rate so the woman could buy her daughter an emergency contraceptive pill, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

    But in reality, Reynolds was speaking to an undercover detective who investigates human trafficking. And Reynolds, 35, was arrested late Wednesday after driving nearly an hour from New Jersey to a motel in Bensalem.

    Reynolds, of Browns Mills, Burlington County, has been charged with criminal attempt to engage or perform a commercial sex act with a minor, criminal attempt to commit trafficking in individuals, and related crimes. He was held in lieu of $500,000 bail, and there was no indication that he had hired an attorney.

    District Attorney Joe Khan said Reynolds’ arrest “sends an unmistakable message to those who look to prey on children in our communities.”

    “This is the exact kind of proactive, aggressive enforcement the public can expect from our office’s revamped anti-trafficking operation,” he said. “We are going to use every tool and technology at our disposal, and we will continue to hunt down those who attempt to exploit vulnerable individuals.”

    Investigators say the undercover detective first started communicating with Reynolds on Tuesday, after he responded to an ad on a website offering “taboo” with an underage girl, the affidavit said.

    After negotiating the price and duration of the encounter, Reynolds agreed to meet the girl’s mother at a motel on Lincoln Highway. He nearly called off the appointment when detectives declined to send nude images of the girl, but relented when they sent a digitally de-aged photo of a female detective.

    Investigators arrested Reynolds as soon as he entered the motel, the affidavit said. He was carrying $300 and a bottle of Mountain Dew, items the undercover detective told him to bring to the meeting while posing as the girl’s mother.

    Reynolds is scheduled to appear before a district judge for his preliminary hearing on July 16.

  • Temple University IDs student killed by hit-and-run driver on Kelly Drive

    Temple University IDs student killed by hit-and-run driver on Kelly Drive

    Temple University on Tuesday identified a 20-year-old student who was killed last week by a hit-and-run driver on Kelly Drive.

    Bryce Wolfe, of Conyngham, a borough in Luzerne County, was an actuarial science major in the Fox School of Business and had just completed his sophomore year, said Temple President John Fry in a joint statement to the university community with Jodi Bailey Accavallo, vice president of student affairs, and Denise Wilhelm, interim vice president for public safety.

    Wolfe was riding a motorcycle when he was struck by a vehicle believed to be a white SUV, his parents said in an interview late Tuesday night.

    The unidentified driver dragged Wolfe for more than a mile on Kelly Drive, Clarence Wolfe III said.

    “We’re committed to getting justice for our son,” Lori Wolfe said.

    Philadelphia police said they responded to a report of a crash at Kelly and Reservoir Drives around 11:15 p.m. on June 24.

    Police said they believe the driver of a white SUV was traveling east on Kelly Drive and was trying to make an illegal turn onto Reservoir Drive, but then attempted to return to eastbound Kelly Drive when the SUV entered the westbound path of the red 2004 Triumph motorcycle Wolfe was riding.

    Wolfe became trapped beneath the SUV and was dragged to the area of Fountain Green Drive before his body was dislodged from the SUV, police said.

    Wolfe was transported by medics to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and pronounced dead at 4:41 a.m. on June 25, police said.

    The suspected SUV sustained damage on the driver’s side and damage to the driver’s-side front wheel well, fender, and possibly driver’s-side door, police said.

    “Thanks to an anonymous donor, there is a $10,000 reward available for information leading to an arrest and conviction,” Fry said.

    Anyone with information about the case can contact police at 215-686-TIPS (8477), Fry said.

    Wolfe “had quickly established a reputation as both an excellent student and engaged member of the Temple community,” maintaining a high grade-point average while being enrolled in both Temple and Fox Honors program, Fry said.

    “Bryce was also deeply involved outside of class as he was a member of the student professional organization Gamma Iota Sigma and had recently started an internship with United States Liability Insurance Group,” Fry said.

    “There is no doubt that he had a very bright future ahead of him, and that’s what makes delivering this news especially difficult,” Fry said.

  • Flyers’ Dan Vladař is happy to have found a team that believes in him: ‘I don’t take it for granted’

    Flyers’ Dan Vladař is happy to have found a team that believes in him: ‘I don’t take it for granted’

    The word “believe” was used throughout the Flyers’ run to the postseason and beyond.

    It was in big letters on the T-shirts the team wore, with 3.8% on the sleeve and beloved goalie Bernie Parent’s mask. And, a year ago, it was why Dan Vladař signed with the Flyers. He believed he could be a No. 1 goalie, and he believed something special was brewing in Philly.

    Flyers sign goalie Dan Vladař to a five-year, $27.5 million extension

    That belief became a reality when, across 51 starts, he went 29-14-7 and recorded the most wins by a Flyers goalie since Steve Mason in 2013-14. He finished the regular season with a 2.42 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, with one relief appearance included. He was even better in the playoffs, posting a 2.18 GAA, a .922 save percentage, and two shutouts.

    The Flyers showed how much they believe in Vladař on Wednesday by signing him to a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension that carries an annual average value of $5.5 million.

    Vladař, who turns 29 next month, spoke to the Flyers’ brass not long after the season concluded, and said that two weeks after the exit interviews, the deal was done. There was no hesitation and “no thinking longer than one second” on his part to get it done.

    “Obviously, it means a lot. I, for sure, I don’t take it for granted,” he said on a Zoom with reporters Thursday when asked what it means to him to have the Flyers believe in him. “Since Day 1, I really felt like I became a part of the family here, and [that’s] why my goal is to stay here for as long as I can and to have as much success as I can.

    “Nothing’s going to change for me heading into the next season. I’m still going to try to be the same goalie and obviously be the same person and really enjoy my time in Philly, and obviously my family loves it there, too, which was a big factor as well.”

    Family is another word used religiously by the Flyers. Vladař said when he signed his initial two-year contract last July 1, every player reached out to him. They welcomed him with open arms, and it’s akin to how he reached out to the newest goalies in the organization, Martin Psohlavec and Marek Sklenička. The fellow Czechs were drafted by the Flyers last weekend.

    “I spoke to them right away on Saturday,” he said. “Both seemed really excited to be part of the Flyers, and I basically just congratulated them. I just told them that I’m here for them if they ever have any questions and stuff like that. And at the same time, if they are going to be in Prague around the summer, they are more than welcome to go for lunch or come over for some barbecue.”

    It will be a 50% new look between the pipes for the Flyers this upcoming season. Sam Ersson was traded to Toronto before his rights were traded to Ottawa. He signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the Senators on Wednesday.

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar was 29-14-7 and posted a .906 save percentage in his first season in Philadelphia.

    Vladař said the news of the trade on June 16 was shocking — “I never saw that coming” — and called it a sad day.

    “First of all, I want to say thank you to Sam. He’s been one of the big reasons why we had a pretty good year, us as a team,” Vladař said. “I cannot wish him anything, just the best. And I hope he’s going to get his role, he’s going to get his games, and he’s going to prove to everybody that he’s a starting goalie. That’s my belief.”

    And, yes, he has spoken with Joseph Woll, his new goalie partner acquired in the swap with Toronto.

    Dan Vladař has been the Flyers’ MVP all season long. He’s also far from your typical goalie.

    “I reached out right away to Joe,” he said. “… And same thing as with Sam; we are going to need two, if not three, goalies over the next couple of years. So, for me, nothing’s changing. I’m going to be supportive, and I’m going to battle, and I’m going to be there for him every time he needs me. So nothing’s changing for me.

    “And he seemed like a really good person and a guy who wants to be a Flyer. So I think that’s what we are trying to build here. So I’m pretty sure that we are going to have great chemistry, and we are going to do something really special here.”

  • Pirates torch Phillies’ bullpen to win series finale ahead of nine-game trip

    Pirates torch Phillies’ bullpen to win series finale ahead of nine-game trip

    As a heatwave continued to roll across the Northeast on Thursday, the Phillies’ offense wilted.

    On a scorching afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, where the temperature at first pitch was 98 degrees and climbed to triple digits from there, the Phillies dropped the series finale to the Pirates, 6-1.

    But the loss could have easily been even more lopsided. Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities to run up the score further, with 14 hits to the Phillies’ four.

    Don Mattingly not bothered that Zack Wheeler was upset by his decision

    “That was definitely one of the hotter days I’ve felt in this ballpark,” said Bryce Harper, whose RBI double in the third inning drove in the Phillies’ only run. “Played some hot ones out in Turner Field against the Braves, but that was one of the hotter days I’ve ever felt in this park.”

    The Pirates had base runners in every inning except the first, and stranded 12 thanks to some solid defensive efforts from the Phillies.

    Interim manager Don Mattingly opted not to use an opener for Alan Rangel, who made his first major league start and delivered four scoreless innings. He wriggled out of a few jams to do it. A double play from Alec Bohm — who fielded a grounder, stepped on third, and fired to first base — helped Rangel leave two on in the third. Rangel also recovered from back-to-back walks in the fourth with a groundout that ended the inning.

    Alan Rangel pitched four scoreless innings in his first major league start.

    “He’s kind of doing what he’s been doing for us the whole time, which is keeping us in the game,” Mattingly said. “Threw zeros. You could tell he was kind of running out of gas at the end with the walks and things like that, but he did a nice job for us.”

    The Phillies led early after Harper’s RBI double, but the bats fell silent after that. It gave the Pirates time to break through, which they did against the Phillies’ bullpen.

    Pittsburgh tied things up with one run on three hits against Tim Mayza in the fifth. Trea Turner limited the damage there with another double play, which he fielded himself and threw to first while stepping across the bag.

    The Pirates took the lead against José Alvarado in the seventh inning. He got ahead, 0-2, against Brandon Lowe, but failed to put him away, giving up a leadoff single instead on a cutter. Lowe later scored when Esmerlyn Valdez sent a ball past Justin Crawford in center for a triple.

    Another single scored Valdez before Alvarado ended the inning with a strikeout. The lefty has a 6.10 ERA this season.

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    “It’s kind of game to game with Alvy,” Mattingly said. “Big games, he’s been good, getting some big outs. But in other games, he gives up the hit that obviously hurts. But in general, I think his stuff has been good.”

    Runs scored on all three left-handed relievers the Phillies used in the game: Mayza, Alvarado, and Kyle Backhus, who gave up a solo homer in the ninth. Lefties in the Phillies’ bullpen have a 4.73 ERA, fifth-worst in baseball.

    Lou Trivino, a righty who had his contract selected earlier this week to give the bullpen a fresh arm, also allowed a pair of runs in the eighth. He gave up two hits, including a solo homer, and walked two.

    Bryce Harper (far right) said Thursday was “definitely one of the hotter days I’ve felt in this ballpark.”

    The Phillies’ bullpen overall has been taxed this week, but will get a respite with Friday’s off day.

    “The off day is definitely coming at a good time for us,” Mattingly said. “ … I think anytime you can get guys a day off their legs, it’s good. And obviously we need to try to get that bullpen where more of the guys are rested.”

    Phillies’ Derek Hill uses his artistic side to paint his own cleats as a ‘little getaway from the game’

    The offense, meanwhile, struggled against Pirates starter Jared Jones and piggybacking Carmen Mlodzinski, who combined for seven innings. After Harper’s RBI double against Jones, the Phillies managed just two more hits — singles from Turner and Bryson Stott — the rest of the game.

    “I think in the whole series I thought we swung the bat well,” Harper said. “Obviously, today didn’t go as planned. They got four horses over there that throw really hard and have really good stuff, so just weren’t able to really get it going today, fell behind, and split the series.”

    Pirates relievers entered Thursday’s game with a 4.44 ERA, which is fourth-worst in the National League, but the Phillies didn’t capitalize. Mason Montgomery struck out Brandon Marsh, Bohm, and Stott in order in the ninth to seal it.

    “Obviously it was hot, we know that, but both teams played in it, so can’t really make an excuse with the weather,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, it affects in some way, but both teams played in it.”

    The Phillies played their final game at home before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14. They depart on a three-city, nine-game road trip, opening in Kansas City on Saturday.

  • Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donate $1 million to Reading food bank

    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donate $1 million to Reading food bank

    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may or may not be getting married this weekend. But the pop singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end are celebrating their impending nuptials with some philanthropy.

    The couple donated $26 million to 20 charities across the United States on Thursday — including one in Swift’s hometown of Reading. Helping Harvest, a food bank that serves “seniors and adults experiencing food insecurity” in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, received $1 million from the couple.

    The donation was unexpected, Helping Harvest said in a statement on Thursday, but greatly appreciated.

    “The $1 million that Ms. Swift and Mr. Kelce donated to us today will be used and the impact will be exponential in allowing us to rescue more food from waste and provide more food to people in need,” Helping Harvest president Jay Worrall said to The Inquirer. “[Swift] has done the people in her home community a great service, and we thank her for it.”

    Taylor Swift performs during the first of three Eras Tour performances at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday, May 12, 2023. .

    Swift has a history of donating to food banks, particularly when on tour. During the “Eras Tour” in 2023, Swift donated to Three Square Food Bank in southern Nevada, Food Lifeline in Seattle, and Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in San Jose, Calif., among others.

    In December, she donated $1 million to Feeding America, of which Helping Harvest is a partner food bank.

    One of Helping Harvest’s largest expenses is its infrastructure, such as cold storage and refrigerated trucks for food distribution. The donation, Worrall said, would likely be invested in additional trucking or warehouse space that would allow them to store more food.

    “There have been substantial reductions in federal resources for food banks over the past few years, compounded by the reductions to the SNAP programs that are being enacted right now,” he said. “The state has tried to step up in some ways, but the increase in state funding has been modest compared to the reductions in federal funding.”

    Last year, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration invested $459,000 in Helping Harvest’s new community kitchen, which provides culinary training and is where meals are prepared for people in need.

    In the last two years, Helping Harvest’s federal funding has decreased by a little over a third. The organization received $2,687,166 in grants awarded under federal programs, compared to $4,240,293 in 2024, according to a recent audit for the 2025 fiscal year. The organization anticipates distributing over 14 million pounds of food this year, up 3 million pounds from 2024.

    A spokesperson for Swift did not immediately respond to The Inquirer’s request for comment about the donation to Helping Harvest.

    While there has been no confirmation from the couple, Swift and Kelce are reportedly tying the knot on Friday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where Swift was most recently seen cheering on New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

    Celebrity news publication Page Six released a video of large Sysco-branded boxes of food being brought into the venue, including lobster meat, french fries, andchicken. The Associated Press has reportedly obtained a copy of a city permit for a “special event” taking place at the venue on Friday night.

    The article has been updated to include details about Swift and Kelce’s reported wedding. Staff writer Beatrice Forman contributed to this article.