ST. LOUIS — Two-time defending champion Amber Glenn set the record for a women’s short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night, giving her a narrow lead over world champion Alysa Liu heading into the free skate.
South Jersey native Isabeau Levito was third with 75.72 points on the opening night of the national championships, which are the last opportunity for skaters to impress the U.S. Figure Skating officials who will decide the team for the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday.
Liu had broken the record mere minutes before Glenn’s skate with a score of 81.11 points, earning a standing ovation from a crowd packed into the home of the St. Louis Blues. But then Glenn took the ice and was flawless from an opening triple axel to a finishing combination spin, earning 83.05 points, a hug from coach Damon Allen and a standing ovation of her own.
“I knew that I came here to do my job,” Glenn said, “and I was happy to see that scores were up, scores were good, and I was able to keep them going up. I felt a responsibility to keep it going better and better and better.”
Glenn wound up being the best.
The dance competition gets started Thursday night alongside the men’s short program.
Levito, the 2023 champion and a former world silver medalist, had to withdraw from nationals last year because of injury. But she looked as if she had never missed a day, performing with style and grace to a medley of music honoring Sophia Loren.
“I felt really happy with myself that I did my job,” said the 18-year-old Levito, who lives and trains in Mount Laurel. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now.”
Isabeau Levito, here competing at Skate Canada, performed a short program honoring Sophia Loren on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Glenn, who four years ago missed nationals and a shot at the Beijing Games because of COVID-19, channeled her trademark power and emotion into a program set to “Like A Prayer” by Madonna. Glenn followed her axel with a triple flip-triple toe loop, and her triple loop merely catapulted her into a rollicking finish to an energetic program.
Allen was waiting for her rinkside, dressed in a maroon suit to match Glenn’s dazzling maroon dress.
“Of course I feel ecstatic. The score was huge,” Glenn said. “My grandma passed last year, and she was with me from Day 1, and I just felt it today, and I’m not usually one of those people that says it, but I felt like I had something help me today.”
Glenn’s showcase came on the heels of a similarly splendid performance from the 20-year-old Liu, who finished sixth at the Beijing Games, then stepped away from the sport entirely because of burnout, but is in the midst of a remarkable comeback.
Last year, she became the first American world champion since Kimmie Meissner in 2006.
Now, Liu is among a few U.S. hopefuls trying to deliver women’s Olympic gold for the first time since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
Liu performed the same short program from last year’s world championships, opening with a whirling triple flip, landing a solid double axel and finishing with what coach Phillip DiGuglielmo called her best triple lutz-triple loop of the season.
“I’m really happy with the lutz,” Liu said. “That was good. That was real good.”
Earlier in the night, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov began defense of their U.S. pairs title with a near-perfect short program, leaving them nearly eight points clear of the field as they hold out hope of making the American team for the Winter Games.
While the 28-year-old Mitrofanov was born in the U.S., his 26-year-old partner was born in Finland. And despite the couple having wed in early 2024 and Efimova getting a green card approved that summer, she still is waiting for the U.S. to decide whether to waive a three-year waiting period to become a citizen — one of the requirements to represent a nation in the Olympics.
But time is running out before U.S. Figure Skating must announce its Olympic team on Sunday.
“We’re hoping maybe a last-minute miracle might happen,” Mitrofanov said.
Efimova and Mitrofanov seemed to glide inside Enterprise Center on Wednesday night. They opened their short program with a beautiful triple twist, landed their side-by-side triple toe loop in sync, their throw triple loop covered a long expanse of ice, and they finished by pumping their firsts as their music came to a close.
They wound up with a season-best 75.31 points, while Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy were second with 67.67, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea right behind with 67.13, and Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez were in fourth with 67.03.
“We’re definitely very proud with how we skated tonight. The crowd was amazing,” Mitrofanov said. “We really trusted each other. We trusted our training. I was a little more nervous than normal, to be honest, and I was proud of Alisa holding my hand throughout.”
DEAR ABBY: My husband is battling cancer. He has good days and bad days. He is not at the end, but he can no longer do a lot of things for himself. At this point, we are very busy with doctors and treatments. We have 14 medical treatments this month alone.
His children want to visit from out of town frequently. Of course they want to see their dad, and I understand. However, how can I moderate the visits graciously without discouraging them so the additional responsibilities don’t wear me out?
I have tried setting some limits, and some of them pay attention to what I say. However, one “child” (age 50) doesn’t listen. They come to town and want to spend all day with Dad. I have to provide meals, snacks, beverages and attempt to monitor my husband’s rest time as well as my own.
I have tried limiting the number of days, but I am ignored. The last time, my husband and I suggested four days instead of seven, but we were ignored. Now, this child wants to come for a month. Help, please.
— CARETAKER IN UTAH
DEAR CARETAKER: That this “child” would ignore not only your wishes but also their father’s is terrible. I’m sorry you didn’t mention where this person stays when they visit, but it should not be in your home. They should stay at a hotel or motel and they, not you, should be responsible for their meals.
Your husband can help with this to some degree. When he’s tired and needs to rest, he should be willing to tell his child it’s time to go. This child should also be willing to lend a hand wherever it’s needed, including shopping for groceries, doing laundry and taking Dad to medical appointments so you can rest.
Drawing the line isn’t easy, but once it’s done, you will both be glad you did.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My mother loves exchanging gifts and spends a lot of time and energy choosing and elaborately wrapping items for all the members of our family. She’s also retired and living on a limited, fixed income. She showers me and my kids with expensive things at holidays, but then almost immediately hits me up for cash because she’s broke.
I’ve gotten into the habit of returning as many of her gifts as I can and banking the money for when she needs it back. She found me out and gets really angry when I do this. At the same time, she’s unwilling to scale back her spending. She sees these as completely separate issues. I can’t refuse her the money because she wouldn’t be able to pay for rent or groceries.
How do I get her to understand that the most precious gift she could give would be to stay within her means, and I’d rather not have to pay her back for things she buys us?
— NO MORE GIFTS
DEAR NO MORE: If telling your mother to stop giving you gifts has been unsuccessful, you are not going to change her. This is who she IS. Accept that. My recommendation would be to continue dealing with this issue as you have, regardless of the inconvenience, and suggest to your mother that, if she is able, she should look for a part-time job so she will have more disposable income.
OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Once again, the football was yanked away from would-be Ocean City boardwalk hotel developer Eustace Mita just as he was about to kick it.
Ocean City’s planning board unexpectedly deadlocked Wednesday night on a request to declare the old Wonderland Pier site “in need of rehabilitation,” dealing a significant setback to Mita’s plan to build a luxury hotel on the boardwalk property.
The vote is the second time Ocean City has thwarted Mita’s attempts to move his project forward (though, in loop-the-loop fashion, an earlier no vote by City Council was later reversed.)
Mita, who has proposed turning the property into Icona in Wonderland, called Wednesday’s vote an “incredibly serious roadblock.” He said he indeed felt a bit like Charlie Brown to the city government’s Lucy, and revived thoughts of selling the property.
A rendering of the proposed new Icona in Wonderland Resort, to be built on the site of the old Wonderland Pier. The proposal for a 252-room resort includes saving the iconic Ferris wheel and carousel.
The board was split 4-4 with half the members agreeing that the property was significantly deteriorated and underutilized, two legal criteria needed for the designation.
But half the board, including chair John Loeper, said they did not believe the criteria had been met, and noted some businesses were open last summer at the front of the property.
The matter still will go back to City Council for a final vote on the designation, but Mita said if Council waits too long, he will unload the property.
The “in need of rehabilitation” designation has been long sought by Mita, who wants to build a $150 million luxury hotel at 600 Boardwalk.
The designation would allow site-specific zoning changes and possible tax breaks. The site is currently zoned for amusements.
After the meeting, Mita said he was shocked by the failure of the board to recommend the designation. “It’s been deteriorated for decades before I bought it,” he said. “I’m very very disappointed. This is the poster child for rehabilitation. ”
Gillian’s Wonderland Pier closed in October 2024, ending nearly a century of amusement ride ownership by the Gillian family in Ocean City. Mayor Jay Gillian had sold the property to Mita and leased it back from him, but said he could not make the enterprise profitable.
Gillian recently declared Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy, listing nearly $6 million in debt.
Wednesday’s vote brought about 150 people out to another iconic boardwalk structure, the Music Pier, on a pleasantly warm January evening.
About three dozen members of the public spoke, including Mita himself, who said the city would benefit “tenfold” from his development plans. The speakers were evenly divided in their views.
A visit from Will Morey
Will Morey came up from Wildwood to lay bare what many in Ocean City did not want to hear — reviving Wonderland Pier as an amusement park would be next to impossible.
“Starting from the ground up, it is not financially feasible,” Morey, the CEO of Morey’s Piers, told the city’s planning board. “It’s a very challenging lift.”
The board could not agree that the property met the legal criteria for the designation: that it was significantly deteriorated and showed a pattern of vacancy and underutilization.
“It’s an enormous piece of property that’s literally falling apart on the oceanfront,” said board member Dean Adams.
But Loeper, the chair, called the abandonment “self-inflicted” and said he would need more proof of the deterioration.
Engineering and other studies put the cost of repairing the carousel, Ferris wheel, and log flume at $6.5 million, and the cost of fixing the site’s concrete foundation and pilings at $3.9 million.
The matter will still go back to Ocean City’s City Council, which is also awaiting a report from a boardwalk subcommittee.
Eustace Mita arriving at the Ocean City Music Pier for a city planning board meeting on Wednesday. He was seeking a recommendation that the old Wonderland Pier site he owns be declared “in need of rehabilitation,” which he described as “Step 2” in his plan to build a luxury hotel.
‘The boardwalk is not thriving.’
Opponents asked board members to deny the “in need of rehabilitation” designation. They scoffed when Jody Arena, a construction expert who testified about the property’s deteriorated state, acknowledged that Mita was a partner in his firm, Caritas Construction.
They surmised that similar photos of deterioration could be taken of the Music Pier, where the meeting was held. One resident, Jim Tweed, said the designation would threaten “decades of restraint.”
Business owners, including the owners of Manco’s, George’s Candies, Cousin’s Restaurant, Barefoot Trading, and Ocean City Bikes, asked the board to approve the designation to avoid further closures of businesses. They described a devastating impact from the closure of Wonderland Pier.
Boardwalk property owner Mark Raab said three of his tenants had decided to close their shops. “People don’t know what’s been going on,” he told the board. “The boardwalk is not thriving. It’s going down piece by piece.”
“We are a city based on tourism,” said Cousin’s Restaurant owner Bill McGinnity. “We’d appreciate a vote of ‘yes’ tonight so that we can move forward quickly,”
Others resisted any fast-tracking of development. Donna Saber, owner of Here Comes the Bride shop, brought along a copy of the original 1881 deed that she said sought to preserve its original intent as a place for child amusements.
“It was deeded as an amusement park,” she said.
Donna Saber, owner of Here Comes the Bride bridal shop in Ocean City, holds a copy of the original 1881 deed to the property that was the Wonderland Pier. She’s opposed to a plan to build a luxury hotel.
Marie Hayes, a full-time resident for 22 years, worried the designation would set a “dangerous precedent,” that would result in the town resembling Ocean City, Md., with high-rises along its oceanfront.
The planning board was given reports submitted by Mita back in August, when council stunned some, especially Mita, by voting not to ask the board to study the site’s future. Mita immediately said he would sell the property.
John Loeper, chair of Ocean City’s planning board, on stage at the Ocean City Music Pier. The planning board was set to vote on whether to recommend that the old Wonderland Pier site be declared in need of rehabilitation, a designation that could lead to a luxury hotel on the site.
Sean Barnes, the city councilman liaison to the planning board, questioned Wednesday whether the rides should even be considered part of the property.
“Amusement rides are not structures,” said Helen Struckmann, a resident who has opposed the hotel idea and vowed to save Wonderland Pier. She said the historic carousel was in better shape than the reports stated. “They don’t justify the need for rehabilitation designation for the property. Different amusement rides have been swapped out.”
She and others questioned why Mita had not addressed deterioration of the property since purchasing it in 2021. Mita is “now requesting a benefit from his purposeful underutilization of the property,” said resident Bob Duffy.
But Mita said he’d waived rent on the property so that Jay Gillian could try to make a go of the amusement pier. He said he’d put in $500,000 last summer to open the front portion of the property as an arcade, coffee and pizza shop, and bike shop.
Engineer Matt Mowrer told the planning board the property was “heavily deteriorated,” with “concrete spalling” — chunks of concrete breaking off from the foundation. He said corrosion from salt air would get only worse.
Board planner Randall Scheule told the board Wednesday he believed the structural deterioration of the property itself and the underutilization of the property met the standards. There was some debate as to whether the rides themselves should be included in any analysis.
The board looked at whether the site met the legal criteria needed for the designation, which will allow City Council to rezone the site for a hotel and grant tax abatements.
Will Morey, president and CEO of Wildwood’s Morey’s Piers, testifies in Ocean City at a planning board meeting to determine the future of the old Wonderland Pier.
The board did not discuss Mita’s specific hotel plans, which have included the carousel and Ferris wheel and some kiddie rides.
The old Wonderland Pier site on the boardwalk in Ocean City, N.J., as seen from Wayne Avenue on Jan. 6. The beloved amusement pier shut down in October 2024. A developer wants to build a luxury hotel. A report put the cost of repairing the Ferris wheel, carousel, and log flume at as much as $6.5 million.Five minutes before the 6 p.m. scheduled closing all but one of the gates are shut on the Boardwalk, on the final day for the beloved Wonderland Pier in Ocean City Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
Last summer, four businesses operated on the site: Ocean City Pizza Company, Dead End Bakehouse, Wonderland Pier Arcade, and OC Bikes and Rentals. Mita entertained several offers to sell, including one from the Norcross brothers, who envisioned residential development.
Planner Tiffany Morrissey told the planning board that showed the property was underutilized.
The property is assessed at $15.8 million, which translates to an estimated market value of about $29 million.
Saving the site as an amusement park has been the focus of much despair among community members and others with generations of memories at Wonderland Pier.
But the reports lay out the deterioration of the pier’s marquee attractions.
The report states that the carousel, which dates to the 1920s, would require as much as $1.5 million in repairs, including a new electrical system and repair or replacement of the telescopes, the poles that support the horses.
The Ferris wheel is also in need of substantial repair, costing as much as $2.5 million, including replacing or repairing the lights, and rebuilding the spokes and “spreader bars,” which connect the spokes and form the arc.
The Log Flume Ride, built in 1992, would need substantial repairs estimated at between $2.5 and $4 million, including rebuilding the upper troughs.
No company has stepped forward with a plan to keep the site solely an amusement park.
Those things stood out in a 131-110 victory over the Washington Wizards at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Embiid stringing together games
This contest marked the fifth consecutive game that Embiid has played this season. There was one day’s rest between each game. Earlier this season, the 7-foot-2, 280-pound center didn’t play with less than two days of rest between games.
The limited amount of rest hasn’t appeared to impact Embiid’s performance, who has already missed 17 games due to right and left knee injuries and a sprained ankle.
He averaged 28.5 points, 8.5 rebounds. 5.3 assists, and one block in his previous four games. On Wednesday, Embiid tallied 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 25 minutes, 24 seconds.
Embiid felt “pretty good” after playing a season-high 40:03 in Monday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
“I just got to keep it going,” he said. “I think tonight, I was OK tonight, so that was a good sign. But like I said, I got to keep going.
“We are still building myself back up. And you just have to be smart.”
He scored the game’s first basket on an 11-foot jumper 17 seconds into the contest. Then Embiid delivered a thunderous two-handed dunk to put the Sixers up 7-0, 1:20 later.
And Embiid displayed solid defense while blocking Justin Champagnie’s layup with 5:02 left in the quarter.
He ended the quarter with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, along with three rebounds and one assist. Embiid was up to 16 points at the half.
“The nicest thing to see is he’s stringing some games here, one after another,” coach Nick Nurse said. “And the same is applying to the daily work, and all that kind of stuff, too. I just think that’s important for him to continue to keep playing.”
Sixers’ Joel Embiid (right) scored 16 of his 28 points in the first half.
The good thing for the Sixers (20-15) is that his availability means he’s feeling better. It also means the 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star is regaining his rhythm. And as Nurse pointed out, you see him continue to sharpen his skills.
“But yeah, it’s great to see him, obviously,” Nurse said. “The guys that we got playing around him now are playing extremely hard for the most part, and he’s obviously, I always say this, it’s our best version if he’s out there and he’s good. Hopefully, we can continue along with that. Hopefully, he’ll keep stringing some games up here.”
The Sixers were cautious with Embiid earlier in the season by giving him two days of rest between games and hard practices.
“I’m going to be honest, he’s moving way better than I’ve seen him when I first got here,” VJ Edgecombe said. “He’s definitely moving way better. He’s just being Joel, man. We are all seeing that. Like I said, he’s a 30-point scorer every night. He can get 30 points on any given night. So he’s super skilled.
“It’s just been good to see him moving better.”
Edgecombe did note that he’s “a little scared” every time Embiid falls on the court. But he said Embiid tells him why he does that.
So the rookie isn’t mad at the 31-year-old for purposely falling. And when he stays upright, Edgecombe is starting to see Embiid move faster than he expected.
“So I’m happy to see him healthy,” Edgecombe said. “Health is a big thing.”
The crew’s intact
This matchup marked the first time since December 2023 that the Sixers had all their key players available.
Oubre returned after missing the previous 22 games with a sprained left knee ligament against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14. Watford was available after being sidelined 17 games with a strained left thigh muscle against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 25.
“It’s good to have Kelly back,” Edgecombe said. “It’s good to have TY back. And you know we’ve been having a consistent [lineup] with the starters the past few games, which also helps. But overall, it’s been great, man. I’m just happy to see everyone on the floor.”
Oubre checked into the game at the 4:27 mark of the first quarter to a loud ovation. He immediately made an impact, impeding the Wizards (10-26) from getting an offensive rebound on a missed three-pointer. And in true Oubre fashion, the 6-8 small forward signaled that it was the Sixers’ possession before sprinting down the floor.
He grabbed his first rebound at 1:51 left in the quarter, while playing power forward in a small-ball lineup with Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona. Oubre grabbed his second rebound — also defensive — 17 seconds into the second quarter. This time, he dribbled the ball up the court before misfiring on a 28-foot three-pointer. Oubre went to the bench 1:48 into the quarter. He had two rebounds and missed both of his shots during his initial stint.
In his second stint, Oubre was on the floor with Maxey, Embiid, George, and Dominick Barlow for the final 1:56 of the half.
Oubre scored his only basket with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. He finished with two points on 1-for-4 shooting to go with three rebounds, one assist, and two steals in 20:16.
“It was a stretch in the game where I was picking up anybody that was bringing the ball up, which is normally what I do,” Oubre said. “But I just wanted to test that, and make sure everything was good. I felt good. So I think I’m kind of back to myself. I’m a two-way player, of course. But in-game flow. You know how it flows.”
Watford didn’t come into the game until 4:45 remained. He had three assists in closing out the blowout victory.
Nurse hinted before the game that Watford probably would not play, or would play very little. That’s because he didn’t want to disrupt the team’s rhythm. The Sixers have been successful recently with Barlow and reserve Jabari Walker getting the bulk of the minutes at power forward.
Jabari Walker played four minutes for the Sixers on Wednesday.
But the coach is elated to finally have his full complement of key players at his disposal.
“It is great. It is great, it is,” Nurse said. “You know, getting them all there … is the first kind of accomplishment, or first step, I should say. And then, getting them all to a level of conditioning and rhythm and like their peak performance is going to be a ways away yet, but this is the first step in that. That’s when we can see all the things that we can really do eventually.”
With their full complement of players, we can finally get an idea of how competitive the Sixers are this season. Nurse can also figure out which lineups work best.
“It’s up to the coaches, now,” said Andre Drummond, who started his second stint with the Sixers last season. “We have a full roster. I mean, it’s exciting. It’s the first time I’m playing with a full roster since I’ve been here, at least. So I’m looking forward to what we do, and guys stay healthy, and really getting that rhythm now. It’s almost that time of the year [close to when] the All-Star break comes. And, you know, I’m ready for whatever.”
Paul George scored 23 points on Wednesday.
George’s showcase
George had an efficient game. The small forward finished with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting — including making 4 of 8 three-pointers — along with 5 of 6 foul shots. He also had five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Most of his damage occurred in the second quarter, when he scored 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, making 3 of 4 three-pointers. He also had a block and a steal while logging 10:12 of the quarter.
Critics will point out that George’s domination came against the Eastern Conference’s next-to-last-place Wizards squad, who were missing five players due to injuries.
But he has been playing well all season. And he usually steps up when his number is called. So his second-quarter dominance is why the Sixers signed him to a four-year, $211.5 million contract last season. It’s also the type of domination that quiets the critics who say that the 35-year-old is washed up.
The selfless player is comfortable deferring to Embiid and Maxey so they can all shine.
“Obviously, Joel and Tyrese are our two engines,” George said. “Those guys are going to, rightfully so, demand attention, demand the ball in moments to score and put points up for us. I got to fit in, find my shots, my opportunities, and moments to be aggressive. That’s what I’m trying to do.
“But more than anything, defensively, I know I can still be elite. I can still make plays. I can still get us extra possessions, limit the [opposing team’s] best player, or just make things tough with the opposing player. And, then just, you know, try to be a calming voice, keep us level, keep us pretty much even keeled, but still apply pressure when we’re not playing defensively.”
In addition to playing quality defense, he sees his role as helping run the offense and stepping up when needed. And George came through in the second quarter, which is always a good sign for the Sixers.
“That’s Paul George, man,” Edgecombe said. “He’s elite. He’s an elite scorer, an elite defender. That’s something he’s always been known for. The things he does don’t show up on a stat sheet.
“But we all know that he can score the rock any given time.”
Joel Embiid scored 28 points, Paul George added 23 and all of Philadelphia’s starters scored in double-figures as the 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 131-110 on Wednesday night.
Tyrese Maxey contributed 22 points and eight assists for the Sixers, who have won four of five.
Tre Johnson had a team-high 20 points for Washington, which played without several key players on the second night of a back-to-back. CJ McCollum (right quad soreness) and Khris Middleton (right knee injury) were among the Washington players sidelined.
Embiid played in his fifth consecutive game contest since being slowed by early season injuries. The 2023 MVP shot 10-for-14 from the field and 7 of 8 from the line, and added seven rebounds.
Philadelphia took control early behind Embiid’s 16 points in the first quarter. The Sixers were up 92-80 entering the fourth before opening the final period with an 11-0 run, capped by a Quentin Grimes dunk to take a 23-point lead. Grimes finished with 16 points.
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe attempts a dunk during the first half against the Wizards.
Kelly Oubre Jr. returned to the Philadelphia lineup and scored two points in his first game since Nov. 14. Trendon Watford (strained left thigh muscle) also returned for the Sixers, who had their full complement of players for the first time this season. Watford last played on Nov. 25.
The Sixers bounced back from Monday’s 125-124 overtime home loss to Denver in which the Nuggets had just nine available players and were missing their entire regular starting lineup.
Washington had won five of seven games entering Wednesday after starting the season 3-20. But, they were short-handed against the 76ers, missing Corey Kispert (hamstring) and Keyshawn George (left hip) in addition to Middleton and McCollum. Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly each scored 18 for the Wizards.
Coach Brian Keefe said before the game that there is no timetable for Cam Whitmore’s return. He has been out since last month due to upper extremity deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
The Sixers travel to the Orlando to face the Magic on Friday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
Another lawsuit has been filed on behalf of victims of the explosion at a Bucks County nursing home just before Christmas that left three dead and about 20 people injured.
The plaintiffs, Joseph Juhas Sr. and MaryAnn Schnepp, were residents of Bristol Health and Rehab Center when an explosion just after 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 23 ripped through the main building and caused an intense fire. The spouses of the victims also are named as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, names as the defendants PECO Energy Company and its parent company, Exelon Energy, and Bristol Health and Rehab Center LLC, and its parent company, Saber Healthcare Group. The former operators of the nursing home also are named as defendants.
“Joe and Maryann suffered serious life-changing injuries because of the negligence of the defendants,” said Brian Fritz, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs. “We plan on holding all of them responsible for their lack of action in dealing with the well-documented gas leak and conditions that led to this tragic event.”
On Monday, a lawsuit was filed alleging negligence in the nursing home explosion.
Exterior of Bristol Health & Rehab Center after the Dec. 23 fatal explosion. The photograph taken Christmas morning, Thursday, December 25, 2025.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation — including by the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates pipeline accidents.
The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home defendants “proceeded as business as usual in the face of a natural gas leak, which presented a clear and obvious threat to the safety and well-being” of the residents.
The nursing home defendants “recklessly and with callous disregard continued to supply cigarettes and lighters to the residents during the scheduled smoking sessions throughout the day while they knew or should have known that such activity could cause any gas manifestation from the gas leak to explode,” the lawsuit alleges.
In an interview with the Inquirer, Susie Gubitosi, 71, a resident who is blind and uses a wheelchair, said that just after 2 p.m. that day, she returned inside the building after joining several other residents on the patio for a cigarette break. Gubitosi said she was waiting inside for a staffer to help her with a task when the explosion occurred.
According to the lawsuit, MaryAnn Schnepp suffered traumatic brain injury, intracranial bleeding, laceration to her scalp requiring staples, a collapsed lung, and broken bones, including broken ribs.
Joseph Juhas Sr. also suffered traumatic brain injury, intracranial bleeding, and bone fractures, according to the lawsuit.
The scene at Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Bristol Township, Pa.
Zach Shamberg, chief of government affairs for Saber Healthcare Group, said in an email: “We continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, and we cannot comment on pending litigation.”
A spokesperson for Peco said in an email: “We are a party to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. We are fully cooperating with the NTSB and according to the NTSB rules, we are not permitted to comment on this matter.”
The age and condition of the gas line running to the nursing home remain unclear, but Peco has said that it has about 742 miles of substandard gas lines across the state that need to be replaced — accounting for roughly 5% of its gas service, but 82% of leaks, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
As Champagne showered behind him in the Eagles’ postgame locker room following their Super Bowl LIX victory, Jeffrey Lurie raved to reporters about Jalen Hurts’ “clutch gene.”
Hurts, then 26, dazzled under the bright lights of the Superdome, earning Super Bowl MVP honors after he totaled 293 yards (221 passing, 72 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Lurie, the Eagles’ owner, noted that his quarterback seemed to amp up his play when the stakes were the highest.
That so-called clutch gene, according to Hurts, is truly inherent.
“Some things are in you,“ Hurts explained Wednesday.
Hurts will have an opportunity to flaunt that trait again on Sunday when the Eagles return to the playoffs after last year’s Super Bowl win. They will start from the beginning once more in the wild-card round against the San Francisco 49ers, a team they have not faced since 2023.
The opponent may be relatively unfamiliar, but the postseason is a familiar stage to Hurts. In his fifth season as the Eagles’ starter, he is tied for the best playoff win percentage (6-3; 66.7%) among postseason quarterbacks with the 49ers’ Brock Purdy (4-2; 66.7%).
Hurts has more overall playoff experience than Purdy and a Lombardi Trophy to his name. That experience, Hurts said, informs his approach to the postseason.
“I think experience is the biggest teacher,” Hurts said. “So a lot of moments you can lean on experience in itself. So just being able to reflect on, not always someone else’s opinions but your own experiences, that’s valuable.”
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles last played the Niners in 2023.
Hurts has experience playing against the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers, too. Hurts has started at quarterback against San Francisco three times in his career from 2021-23, including the NFC championship victory that punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVII in the 2022-23 season.
Shanahan isn’t calling the defense, though. Hurts has yet to face a 49ers defense led by Robert Saleh, who rejoined the staff as defensive coordinator this year. Despite his lack of direct experience with Saleh’s 49ers, he is familiar with their physical brand of football.
“I think any time we’ve matched up against this team, it’s been a very physical, fast, and intense game,” Hurts said. “So we’ve got a lot of respect for this opponent and how they play ball and the mentality that they have. That’s something that we have a lot of respect for.”
But the 49ers defense of late isn’t the same group that throttled the Eagles, 42-19, two seasons ago. For one, Dre Greenlaw, who got into it with Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro on the sideline in that game, is no longer on the team.
That isn’t the only difference, nor the most notable. Injuries have ravaged Saleh’s unit this season, with inside linebacker Fred Warner and defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams sustaining long-term injuries that will prevent them from suiting up on Sunday.
The San Francisco inside linebacker corps has experienced the most turnover of any position. All five linebackers who made the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster out of training camp are injured, including projected starter Dee Winters, who did not practice on Wednesday due to an ankle ailment.
The 49ers will be missing defensive end Nick Bosa (center) and linebacker Fred Warner (right) for Sunday’s wild-card matchup.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are potentially getting healthier. Lane Johnson returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since he sustained a Lisfranc foot injury in the Nov. 16 win over the Detroit Lions. His status for Sunday’s game remains in question, as he was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Hurts is healthy, too, and fresh off a week of rest, luxuries the Eagles haven’t always had in the postseason. His good health seemingly correlates with his career-low as a starter in rushing attempts this season (105). But Hurts pushed back on the notion that the decrease in carries was intended to keep him out of harm’s way.
“I think the season just kind of going the way it has, the approach this year and how the games have been called with this coordinator, with coach KP [Kevin Patullo],” Hurts said. “It’s just kind of going that way. Just kind of taking it in stride and tried to give my best, whatever position I’ve been put in.”
Hurts has been put in all kinds of positions this season, whether he handed the ball off to Saquon Barkley or dropped back more to pass. The Eagles have shown flashes of an identity at times throughout the season, especially when to establish the run game and build passing concepts off those looks. But their overall performance as a group has been characterized by inconsistency.
Still, winning in multiple ways, according to Hurts, isn’t necessarily bad.
“I think it depends on what perspective you look at, half empty or half full,” Hurts said. “I think being able to evolve and change as much as we have and still find ways to win, maybe gives off this perspective of, ‘Well, what are they going to do? Who are they?’ I do definitely think that is a way that you can look at it.
“Also, at the end of the day, we’re not going to be judged off how it got done. We’re going to be judged off if we did it or not. So my focus is on doing it.”
Hurts and his clutch gene have done it before in the playoffs. Doing it again hinges on whether he can help the offense, as listless as it has been at times this season, find a new gear.
Robinson, a Rutgers University professor and snow expert, said he was aware at the time of the 122-inch total measured at High Point in North Jersey during the eventful winter of 1995-96.
The findings, released Tuesday, were published in a 60-page memorandum authored by Chris Stachelski, an official with the National Weather Service’s Eastern Regional Headquarters.
The report included several pages of images and discussion of the 1995-96 winter during which Philadelphia experienced its biggest snow in its 140-year period of record.
As state climatologist, Robinson said he long had intended to vet the 122-inch figure.
He said he was well familiar with the observer who was measuring all that snow and that he is “someone who is meticulous.”
Robinson said one might ask why he didn’t seek to verify the record sooner.
“I didn’t. It was too far on the back burner for far too long.”
Robinson said the impetus was a national effort a few years back to assemble snowfall records for every state, and that prompted him to look again at the High Point record.
He said the weather service ultimately took the lead in the investigation, and after a meeting with Stachelski, the committee decided 10 feet of snow truly fell upon High Point that winter.
Monday is an anniversary of sorts for Nakobe Dean, but not one to celebrate. When the linebacker takes the field for the Eagles on Sunday — yes, he will play — it will be 364 days after he was knocked from the Eagles’ wild-card playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Dean watched the Eagles win the Super Bowl from the sideline. He danced in place with the help of crutches while streams of Champagne and beer flew around the championship locker room until there was no more alcohol to soak in.
Then, a long rehabilitation from a patellar tendon tear in his left knee began. There were long days of training, and the 25-year-old even dipped his toes in ballet classes to improve his flexibility. But while Dean recovered, the Eagles also drafted his eventual replacement, Jihaad Campbell, in the first round. Then he started the 2025 season on the physically unable to perform list and didn’t debut until Week 6.
Patellar tendon tears are difficult injuries to come back from, but Dean has barely missed a beat. He overtook Campbell and returned to his starting role next to Zack Baun by Week 8. Dean has been one of the best blitzing linebackers in the NFL since he returned. He has four sacks in 10 games after having three sacks in 15 games last season. He has been solid in coverage, too. All eyes will be on Dean and Baun on Sunday as the Eagles face a talented San Francisco offense built around running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle.
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is helped off of the field during the second quarter of last year’s wild-card playoff game against the Packers.
There are the on-field elements on Dean’s mind. The 49ers, he said, do things no other team does with their use of the fullback and their dynamic schemes. The Eagles will need to have “good eyes,” Dean said, and focus on their footwork and technique while making sure to be physical. But there’s the personal element, too. Dean said football is always personal to him, but Sunday, almost a year to the day from the sport being temporarily taken from him, will have extra significance.
“It’s always personal,” Dean said Wednesday. “You got a timeline to play this game of football that you love.”
Dean has learned that the hard way a few times. The 2022 third-round pick, among the first wave of Georgia Bulldogs to the Eagles’ defense, had his 2023 season ended after five games because of a foot injury. Then the knee injury in the playoffs last year forced him to be a spectator during what would have been some of the biggest games of his career. Then, even as he helped the Eagles’ playoff push this season, he was again forced to the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury against Washington in Week 16.
Dean said he probably could have played through the hamstring injury, but the rest served him well.
“They want me in the playoffs the best I can be,” Dean said of the Eagles’ decision to sit him down for a couple of weeks.
Dean thinks he’s a better player today than he was a year ago as he prepared for the playoff run. “The more ball I play, the better I see it, the more I understand it,” he said. He’s said he’s not surprised he came back from his devastating injury in this manner.
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (center) suffered a hamstring injury during a Week 16 win over the Commanders.
“When you’re going through an injury, and I got a goal that I set for myself, I’m going to come back and be the best,” Dean said. “I’m not shooting to just get to where I was before. No, I’m shooting to get better and get better every day.
“I’m a human. I have emotions. But I never lost faith that everything would be great. I never lost confidence in myself.”
Dean said the journey helped him grow as a person and football player.
“Everything I talk about, or I’ve talked about in the past before I hurt my knee, I had to stand on it,” he said. “I had to stand on being that positive person who’s taking a day at a time, who puts one foot in front of the other. The message hasn’t changed for me. But I had to stand on what I believed in and what I talked about.”
He has spent part of this week providing perspective to younger players like Campbell and fellow rookie Smael Mondon on what it means to be in the postseason — “a lot of people want to be where we’re at,” he said — and what to expect from the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. (“It’s like someone talking about an amusement park that they’ve never been to before and I’ve been,” he said.)
It’s the playoffs, and every game could be the last. For Dean, that reality is especially true. This is the final year of his contract, and his future with the Eagles certainly is up in the air. The Eagles have a lot invested in Campbell, and Dean has played well enough after returning from his injury to earn a decent contract, one that could come from another team. It is a thought that Dean said has crossed his mind after the Eagles won their Week 17 game in Buffalo.
Dean then reminded himself that he needed to be present. Sunday will mark his first playoff game since he was carted off the Eagles’ sideline last January. He wants to enjoy what’s in front of him.
“I got to live in the moment,” Dean said. “I got a lot of guys that I played with in college. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just enjoying every second, every moment with them, with Zack and my linebacker room, everybody in the locker room. Just living in the moment and not even thinking about it.”
It is, after all, time for “playoff ball,” Dean said.
“It’s time to get to it, time to turn it up a notch.”
The Flyers beat the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, 5-2.
But hockey is all about the details. So, as the Flyers hit the halfway mark with a 21-12-7 record, let’s take a look at why the small details from Tuesday night matter in the big picture.
Trevor Zegras is a lightning rod
The Flyers forward conceded postgame that he was downplaying how important the game was to him when he spoke to the media earlier in the day.
“It was a tough ending with my time there, and I’ve been thinking about this game for a long time,” said Zegras, who was acquired by the Flyers from the Ducks in June. “It was one that meant a lot to me, and it was cool to get one and then, obviously, two.”
“Playing against your old team, that kind of shoved you out the door, that third one would have been pretty cool,” he added. “But we got the win, so that’s what matters.”
Despite coming out hard, the Flyers trailed 1-0 after public enemy No. 1, Cutter Gauthier, scored a power-play goal. They needed a boost and got it with Zegras scoring not once, but twice, each via a one-timer from beneath the right circle that coach Rick Tocchet said “looked a little [Leon] Draisaitl-ish.” Indeed.
Zegras is the game-breaker the Flyers have been craving for years. He is someone who can change the course of a game in an instant, pressuring and creating turnovers with his deftness and quick footwork, setting up his teammates with his creativity, or having the drive to find the back of the net.
Trevor Zegras says his celebration was a reenactment of how fast Anaheim hung up after telling him he was traded 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/G0VkOdQOaW
He’s never played a Stanley Cup playoff game, but that doesn’t mean Zegras has not starred on some of hockey’s biggest stages. The New York native — who said Philly “is home for me” on Tuesday — helped USA Hockey defeat Canada to win gold at World Juniors. He is back to being the guy who dazzled fans when he entered the NHL, and it’s clear he is someone who won’t shy away from strapping the Flyers to his back and carrying them when it matters — maybe in late April?
The Flyers can play a heavy game
The Flyers have one of the NHL’s youngest teams, and they might not be giants, but it is clear that they are up to the task of playing the heavy game that successful teams tend to deploy in the postseason.
Typically, a heavy game is described as a physical one in which teams are aggressive on the forecheck, lay big hits, win puck battles, and consistently pressure. Tocchet equates a heavy game to good body positioning and being tough to play against.
If the NHL provided the information on zone time for individual games, the ice would have noticeably been tilted in favor of the Flyers. They outshot the Ducks 39-18, limiting them five shots in each of the first two periods.
And, unlike the Ducks, who seemed to be head-hunting the whole game, the Flyers delivered clean, hard checks.
In the last few games, Owen Tippett has played like a true power forward by using his speed, skill, and 210-pound body to throw huge checks and create time and space for scoring opportunities. He had 10 shot attempts (four shots on goal and five that missed the net) and three hits.
But the player who stood out the most was Garnet Hathaway, who showed why he has been a hot commodity at past trade deadlines when teams want to bulk up for the postseason.
The forward, who was playing in his second game since being a healthy scratch for six, and doesn’t have a point thus far this season, threw several bone-crunching — but legal — hits. He had six hits, including ones on Olen Zellweger and Ian Moore that could be heard vividly in Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“Garny laying two huge hits,” Cam York said. “That’s playoff hockey, and we feel like we’re a playoff team.”
“[Hathaway] dragged a lot of people in the fight with us,” Tocchet added.
Hathaway ended up dropping the gloves with former Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas after his hit on Moore, and Noah Cates — Noah Cates! — had a tilt of his own with Jansen Harkins after the latter’s high hit on Bobby Brink in the opening minutes. Brink ended up leaving the game with an upper-body injury.
Bobby Brink gets popped and Noah Cates drops the gloves with Jansen Harkins.
“I don’t know, just kind of, I guess, maybe, speaks to the confidence and strength I kind of put on and different things like that,” said Cates, who joked that the one fight HockeyFights.com has him listed as having, which was in juniors, wasn’t really a fight.
“But, just wanted to defend a teammate. With Bobby [it] looked like a bad hit [but] wasn’t a penalty. … But I think the boys respect it, and it’s kind of a necessary thing in the game.”
The bench boss liked what he saw Tuesday and if the Flyers play as they did against Anaheim, good things should happen.
Rick Tocchet has raved about Travis Konecny’s development as a leader and key locker room voice.
Focus and unity
Whether skating as a five-man unit or going to bat for one another, the Flyers are united. They cheered when Hathaway and Cates dropped the gloves.
They chirped at Gauthier, who didn’t want to play for the Flyers, and got in his face any chance they could. Aside from Cates going after Harkins, they tried to get at Jacob Trouba and Ross Johnston after they threw high, dirty hits.
And they checked on one another. Travis Konecny was seen going up to Denver Barkey, appearing to ask if he was OK, as he got on the ice for a power play. The power play happened after Trouba went headhunting on him.
Konecny, 28, has become a true leader in every sense of the word for the Flyers.
“I love the kid. I can understand how [John Tortorella] loves him, too, in the sense of — what did he call him, a wing nut?” Tocchet said. “For me, he does some stuff that you go, ‘What are you doing?’ And then he does some stuff like, wow. So, there’s a balance there.
“But he’s an unreal guy in the room. This is a close team, and I think he’s one of the reasons why, whether it’s a football pool or whether it’s a dinner, he’s leading the brigade, or whether it’s, hey, unacceptable first period, he’s saying it.”
Home-ice advantage
The Flyers are now 12-5-4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena and, for the second straight game, sold out the building.
It’s a major step for a team that hasn’t packed the barn consistently for a while. And from the moment the puck dropped Tuesday, the faithful were into the game.
The fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena were up to the task on Tuesday, something the Flyers players hope to see consistently as they push for the playoffs.
A lot of the attention was directed at Gauthier, but that didn’t stop them from cheering and booing other aspects.
“The fans were just electric all night,” Christian Dvorak said. “It was a lot of fun.”
“The crowd was outstanding,” said Tocchet, who is in the Flyers Hall of Fame as a player. “I just remember the days when I played; that’s a loud building tonight. They were awesome. I think they really gave our team some juice.”
York said it felt like a playoff atmosphere and that he would “wish it [would] maybe happen more than once a year.” Well, if the Flyers keep playing the way they’re playing, it should.
It did give the players a look into what could be the future. Most of the Flyers have not played in a playoff game, and only Konecny, Travis Sanheim, and Sean Couturier were on the roster the last time Philly made the postseason in the 2020 bubble.
“We don’t want to be satisfied here,” Couturier said after the game. “We’ve got to keep pushing, take it to another level. It’s going to be tight till the end of the year. Look at the standings, doesn’t matter if you win one or you lose one, it’s so tight. So we’ve got to focus one game at a time.”
Before the Olympic break, the Flyers play 15 more games. That leaves 26 when the schedule picks back up at the end of February. Forty-one games down. Forty-one to go. It’ll be an interesting journey.
