Joe Krell still remembers getting a call from his brother celebrating after Brandon Graham sealed an Eagles victory with a strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.
Krell, the vice president of engineering at Comcast, had not seen the play when his brother called. His feed of the game was delayed, and the surprise of the play was spoiled.
Now, Krell is leading the team of software engineers that helps some fans watch games with as little delay as possible.
This summer, the company’s Realtime 4K technology is delivering live action from matches at the FIFA World Cup to Xfinity customers’ TVs roughly 17 seconds after it takes place on the pitch. The broadcast is 20 seconds faster than a standard high-definition stream and two seconds faster than an over-the-air signal, according to Vito Forlenza, Comcast’s vice president of sports entertainment.
“It’s about how we limit that amount of buffering and get those video segments to the device as fast as possible,” Krell said Wednesday from the Comcast Technology Center.
The technology debuted ahead of Super Bowl LX in January, and Krell’s team has continued to develop it (alongside other sports initiatives) in an effort to create a spoiler-free viewing experience.
“Now I don’t have to worry about turning my phone over, or turning it off,” Forlenza said. “Nobody’s going to spoil it on me. I could actually be on social media if I wanted to be and not have the experience ruined. I could have all my notifications on; I could be in all my chats with my friends and family [and] not have the experience ruined. Maybe I’ll ruin it for them.”
A demonstration of the RealTime 4K technology on Wednesday on a TV at Comcast Labs.
New for the World Cup is a feature called “Smart Boost” that allows Xfinity internet customers to automatically prioritize their TV on their server when watching a Realtime 4K broadcast of a World Cup match.
Forlenza said the company got good feedback from customers who used the technology to watch the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics in February.
During the group stage of the World Cup, the customizable multiview function, which was developed by software engineers in Philadelphia, allowed Xfinity customers to take in multiple matches at once. When it launched in 2024, the multiview platform was not customizable, but Krell’s team, after feedback from customers, has engineered it to allow viewers to watch any combination of games across traditional broadcast options and streaming.
“You get something out there, you learn from it, build into it,” Krell said.
Instead of having preset combinations for multiview options, the technology assembles the combination of channels a viewer wants to watch as they request them, allowing Xfinity to offer the service with more channels on a larger scale.
The National Association of Broadcasters recognized Xfinity’s multiview as one of its products of the year for 2026 in April, and in June it won a Stream TV award in the category of innovation in content delivery and distribution.
With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.
Player: Markel Bell
Position: OT
Age: 22 (when camp starts)
Previous experience: Bell’s lone season as a full-time starter was this past one, when the 6-foot-9, 346-pound offensive tackle helped Miami reach the national title game. Bell is sort of a late bloomer. He started playing football in seventh grade. In part because he grew up in a small town in Mississippi, he was a zero-star high school recruit who went to junior college before blossoming into one of the most sought-after offensive line prospects two years later.
Bell was a rotational tackle in 2024 before earning the left tackle gig at Miami last year. He dominated. He did not surrender a sack while playing more than 1,000 snaps. He also was named second-team Academic All-America last season.
Path to a roster spot: Bell’s spot on the 53 is not in doubt. Surprisingly, it was Bell taking first-team reps during OTAs (with Lane Johnson absent) and not Fred Johnson, the swing tackle the Eagles brought back for another season. Sure, OTA reps are relatively meaningless, but it’s a sign the Eagles think Bell possibly could step in right away to that swing tackle role. We’ll see where things stand come training camp, but given recent injuries over the last few years to Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, Bell could see meaningful snaps as soon as 2026.
Fun fact: Bell grew from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-4 during a summer growth spurt between eighth and ninth grades, according to The Athletic.
Quotable: “Typically when you get guys out of high school and they come in the door, they’re not as driven or as focused,” Les George, Bell’s offensive line coach at Holmes Community College, told The Inquirer in April. “They kind of have an idea of what they want to accomplish just based off of what they see on social media or see other people accomplish and they’ll kind of be all-in with it, but Markel was different than any other guy I’ve coached. Extremely focused, very humble. He was a guy that didn’t want to settle for mediocrity.
“I don’t know how to explain it. He’ll make you a better coach.”
Markel Bell practices during rookie camp on May 1.
Player: Joshua Weru
Position: Edge rusher
Age: 22
Previous experience: Football experience? None. Rugby experience? Plenty. Jordan Mailata proved that path is possible. The Eagles signed Weru after he went undrafted. He is one of two players on the training camp roster who come with International Pathway Player designations, the other being seventh-round pick Uar Bernard.
Weru, a native of Kenya, attended Arizona State University last year. He showed off his athleticism at the International Player Pathway program pro day, where he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash (with 1.59 10-yard split) and had a 41.5-inch vertical and 11-2 broad jump. The Eagles are hoping those traits translate into an edge rusher capable of playing NFL snaps.
Path to a roster spot: Nothing is impossible, but Weru’s chances of making the 53-man are long. The Eagles are a bit crowded on the edge, with four shoo-ins and a few players with real football experience pushing for the bottom of the depth chart. Weru, however, will have a chance to make a good first impression on the Eagles and show them why he’s worth carrying on the practice squad while they continue to mold him into a football player.
NFL teams can carry 16 players on the practice squad and have a 17th spot available for players with IPP designations. Bernard seems more likely than Weru to make the 53-man roster, but there’s a world where both of them end up on the practice squad after passing through waivers. One would count toward the normal 16-player practice squad roster, and the other would be the IPP designation.
Fun fact: Weru joined a professional rugby club at age 14 and has represented the Kenyan national team on the international stage.
Quotable: “I’d say my playing style is fast and aggressive,” Weru told a Kenyan radio station. “One of the reasons I enjoy this game is that it’s 100% all the time. I was used to rugby, where the game was longer and it would be too tiring to go 100% every single phase. But in football, especially in the few times we’ve gone full contact, it’s nothing like that.
“The way I think about it is that you’re like a sprinter and a boxer at the same time, you’re going full speed and trying to hit people as hard as possible. I enjoy that, and that’s how I’d describe my playing style: fast and aggressive.”
If we’ve learned anything lately from smallish Flyers GM Danny Brière, it’s that size matters.
The Flyers were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the fast, physical, slightly bigger Carolina Hurricanes, and often struggled against bigger, heavier teams. Their defensemen were particularly unimposing, and Brière has been on teams where the bigger, the better. His teams as a young player in Buffalo brought the beef and laid the wood. The 2010 Flyers made their Stanley Cup runs with 6-foot-6, 220-pound Chris Pronger and 6-5, 224-pound Braydon Coburn lying in wait for unsuspecting forwards.
The Flyers’ most promising prospect is 5-10, 172-pound wing Matvei Michkov. Brière, who was 5-9 and 174 pounds as a player, knows little guys need big guys to protect them.
For all the beautiful hockey witnessed in South Philly, physicality is part of the Flyers’ DNA. The franchise’s two best players, Bobby Clarke and Eric Lindros, were known as much for their guts as their skill.
Brière recognizes this.
His two, er, biggest pieces last offseason were 6-5 veteran goalie Dan Vladař and 6-3 first-rounder Porter Martone, both of whom pushed the Flyers into the playoffs and past the Penguins in the first round.
Darnell Nurse, Donovan McNabb’s nephew and a defenseman who asked for a trade out of Edmonton, landed with San Jose but the Flyers were in the mix. He’s 6-4, 215, and he would have been the second-biggest skater on the roster if he came to Philadelphia.
Porter Martone’s late-season addition to the Flyers helped push them to the playoffs and to a series win over the Penguins.
Vladař also signed an extension, for five years and $27.5 million. Only four other full-time starters are as big as he is; his nickname, “Darth Vladař,” certainly fits.
Retaining Foerster and Vladař underscored the club’s commitment to heft. The most significant move before those deals included trading talented defenseman Emil Andrae, who, at 5-9, was the shortest of a legion of Lilliputian blueliners. Cam York, the overtime hero who eliminated the Penguins in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series, is listed at 6-foot, perhaps measured while wearing his helmet. Jamie Drysdale, the No. 2 scoring defenseman last season, is 5-11 … ish.
“It did make our defense a little small at times,” Brière said when Andrae was dealt. “We have Jamie and Yorky there, so the three of them — it wasn’t ideal.”
It’s notable that Brière recently has traded sizable wingers Garnet Hathaway, who is part wolverine, and Nic Deslauriers, who is not. And Brière will always choose exceptional skill in a smaller package over modest skill in XXL.
But XXL occupies more space on the ice and carries a lot more punishment in the corners than small/medium. These Flyers are growing by leaps and bounds in performance, expectation, and laundry bills.
Team Canada defenseman Travis Sanheim, the Flyers’ best player at 6-4 and 222 pounds, is the biggest skater on the roster, and he’s under contract for five more years. The back end of that deal could see the back end of the hockey team grow like Jack’s beanstalk.
The Flyers used their first-round pick on Maksim Sokolovskii, a 6-7, 240-pound bulldozer with the attitude of that bulldog you see on the grills of Mack dump trucks. Properly fed, he could occupy most of the defensive zone by himself. He doesn’t even turn 18 until July 12.
Apparently, neither his speed nor his skill warrants a first-round grade, but, as Brière noted, speed and skill can be developed.
“He was also a big defenseman, something we don’t have a lot of. We don’t expect him to be the next big point producer. We see him as a big physical force, a defenseman that’s going to be tough to face,” Brière said. “The way our development has worked the last few years, we feel confident that it’s going to come. We know there’s a lot of work to be done, but there are things that you can’t teach.”
Things like size. Things like grit.
The Flyers selected 6-foot-7 defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii in the first round of the NHL draft last week.
“He’s still going to be 6-foot-7 two years from now,” Brière said, “and that internal physicalness is something you can’t really teach.”
That was true when 6-6 Kjell Samuelsson and 6-5 Chris Therien helped the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.
It was true when — in a different era, when a 200-pound defenseman was imposing — the Broad Street Bullies went to three straight Cup finals from 1974-76, and won twice.
Will Brière’s strategy revive the Broad Street Bully ethic and swagger?
No. Nothing will ever do that. The NHL has grown softer than playoff ice, and won’t allow it.
On a sweltering and humid summer afternoon — as tourists and historical reenactors milled about Old City ahead of 250th anniversary celebrations — Cristian Marín guided his family through the President’s House.
Loyal soccer fans, Marín’s family had traveled from Colombia to visit their son in Philadelphia, attend the World Cup matches, and see the Revolutionary Erasites.
But it was up to Marín, 37, to play tour guide last Friday and explain to his family why large gaps of brick wall were covered by paper adorned with handwritten messages expressing their indignation with President Donald Trump after his administrationremovedexhibits about slavery at George Washington’s former home in Independence National Historical Park.
Marín’s family started laughing from pure disbelief about the “craziness of the situation,”he said.
Marín’s relatives are among an influx of tourists visiting Philadelphia in the lead up to the city’s Semiquincentennial festivities only to find themselves confronted with evidence of the largely partisan battle playing out over how to tell the complicated story of America’s founding.
“For me, it’s shocking to see a country trying to erase that history,” said Marín, a freelancejournalist. “I think it’s important to remember our past in order to just not repeat those kinds of things.”
Cristian Marín, 37, tours the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park last week.
Ahead of the 250th, both Philadelphians who have been engaged in the fight to protect historical exhibits and tourists who have wandered through the President’s House for the first time, have lamented the Trump administration’s changes to the exhibit, which was largely dismantled by the administration earlier this year.
They told The Inquirer that the missing panels, such as those that discuss the brutality of slavery, do a significant disservice to understanding the full picture — even the ugly parts — of U.S. history.
“History is going to be out there, and the more we share history, the better for everybody,” said Hector Vargas, 40, from New York. “For the new generation, and even ourselves, because this is something from the past and we need to understand better — what happened and how this great country basically became the great country it is.”
The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that from 250th-related events alone the city will welcome over 1.5 million overnight visitors in 2026.
But the turmoil facing the President’s House is hanging over the celebrations, as the site’s stakeholders and the Trump administration battle over which version of history residents and visitors will see as they celebrate on Independence Mall.
Judges presiding over lawsuits related to the President’s House or other threats by the Trump administration to change historical content at national parks have viewed the Fourth of July as a deadline to set the record straight as to whether the federal government has the authority to rewrite history.
Some advocates believe the Trump administration saw it that way, too.
Visitors read unofficial signage put up to protest the Trump administration’s changes to the President’s House site, which memorializes the nine people enslaved by George Washington in Philadelphia.
The Inquirer reported that the federal government also quietly removed mentions of slavery from Independence Hall and a panel under Thomas Jefferson’s portrait at the Second Bank — sending a new wave of outrage among historians and advocates ahead of this weekend.
“In the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Declaration of Independence, there’s probably increased impetus and motivation to get these changes installed before the dawn of the Fourth,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
‘They want to make us believe that slavery did not happen’
Perched on folding chairs bordered by patriotic banners that flapped in the wind, dozens of Philadelphians spent their Friday night at the People’s Plaza, a concrete gathering space just steps away from the President’s House eight days before the 250th anniversary.
A truck displaying a digital screen with the name of the event, “Trump Fascism: Historical Erasure and the Battle Over the Truth,” parked across the street.
With Independence Hall towering behind them, state Rep. Chris Rabb, attorney and advocate Michael Coard, civil rights organizer Masaru Edmund Nakawatase, and visual artist Dread Scott railed against the federal government’s changes to history at an event hosted by Refuse Fascism, an anti-Trump organization.
The gathering is one of many events opponents to the Trump administration’s actions are holding in the days surrounding the 250th. Coard’s group, Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, is hosting its annual Black Independence Day on July Fourth at the President’s House.
“We have so much power and it scares these people. If it didn’t scare them, why would they be worried about this exhibit right here?” Rabb (D., Philadelphia) declared, pointing at the President’s House.
Rabb, who will represent parts of Philadelphia in Congress after winning the Democratic primary for the Third District in May, has often spoken of how he is a descendant of both a signer of the Declaration of Independence who enslaved people and of Black abolitionists.
The Trump administration had spent a year eyeing the President’s House and other exhibits before they abruptly dismantled the site in January, just weeks into the nation’s 250th year. Last year, the president had issued an executive order directing parks to conduct a content review of materials that could “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
Subsequent legal battles have allowed some — but not all — of original panels to be reinstalled, though the administration can now install its own spin on history at the President’s House, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has ruled.
But the struggle to confront the full scope of U.S. history is baffling to some visitors, like Camila Ordenana, 24, from Ecuador. Ordenana, who ventured from Guayaquil to Philadelphia to attend a World Cup game, said she hasnever seen this kind of censorship in her other travels.
“It is weird, because we have been to several places, several historical cities, like, I can remember going to the U.K. or going to Germany, and you can learn about the experience in a very neutral and respectful way,” Ordenana said.
Katrie White, 53, from Illinois, traveled to Philadelphia specifically for sightseeing to learn more about African American history. She said she was disturbed by the removal of the signs.
“They want to make us believe that slavery did not happen,” White said. “And that’s how it affected African Americans, that it wasn’t a big deal, that it made us better. But of course, we all know that it didn’t, and it really did affect us. It was a trauma that is still carried on to this day.”
Many Philadelphians appear to agree.
A recent Suffolk University / Inquirer poll found that a quarter of city residents see preserving historic sites as Philadelphia’s top responsibility to the nation ahead of the 250th.
Richard Porter (left), 52, of Michigan, at the President’s House last week.
Gathered by the Market Street entrance of the President’s House last Friday, looking at the colorful illustration panels that remained, Richard Porter grappled with the impact of the removals, saying that without the educational information, “We’ll repeat it over and over again.”
The Michigan resident said that the country is at a point where it needs to move forward but that the changes to the President’s House are sowing further divisions.
“This is an everyday battle. It’s not just today or for the 250; this is all the time,” Porter said.
Larry Cohen and Marla Hexter’s Schwenksville neighbors often stop by to admire the wildflower meadow in front of their home.
Some admirers, Larry said, ask for advice. They are considering replacing their front lawns with a meadow as he did.
They crave the profusion of blue cornflowers, red poppies, yellow black-eyed Susans, purple larkspur, a variety of bee balm and more. The flowers attract 17 bird species including bluebirds and gold finch, as well as pollinating insects. The meadow now extends from the frog pond in front of the house to the curb where wisteria entwines the mailbox.
A sign reading, “Pardon Our Appearance, Meadow in Progress,” sits in the newer of two meadows planted in Hexter and Cohen’s front yard.The newer of two meadows grows in Hexter and Cohen’s front yard.
Set among the blossoms is a metal sculpture of a woman holding the female symbol of a circle over a cross. It was fashioned by the late Zieglerville artist Phillip Smith.
The meadow project began in 2023 when Cohen and Hexter enlisted the services of S. Edgar David of SED Design in Blue Bell. David Brothers Landscape Services in Collegeville removed the grass, seeded wildflowers, and continues to cultivate the meadow.
When Cohen and Hexter purchased the property of more than an acre in 2015, Callery pear trees flanked the driveway. The invasive species has been replaced with yellowwood, larch, maple, and swamp oak and smoke trees. Cohen protects the bark of the young trees with chicken wire to deter deer.
A frog sits in the pond in the home’s front yard.Another frog in the pond.
The backyard, where rescue dogs Barkley and Caleb romp, has an azalea-shaded swimming pool and a vegetable garden fenced in to keep out rabbits and other marauders.
In raised beds, Hexter grows beets, carrots, cabbage, green beans, English peas, garlic, blackberries, and raspberries — which birds eat — and onions, a deterrent to slugs and snails. Strong scented marigolds also repel pests.
There are five rain barrels around the house as well as several bird feeders, a blue bird house, and a bat house — as yet unoccupied.
By the front door is a sign designating the property as a “Wildlife Habitat.” Another says “Welcome” in English and Farsi. Cohen spent time in Afghanistan.
A “Certified Wildlife Habitat” sign and a “Welcome” sign on display in the couple’s yard.A bird feeder with a built-in camera sits in the backyard.
His and Hexter’s careers sent them all over the world. He worked in the foreign service for the U.S. State Department and she was with the CIA.
The couple live by the motto “Think globally act locally,” considering the broader health of the entire planet while focusing on practical, hands-on solutions to protect habitats and help the environment.
They have solar paneling on the south-facing roof of their two-story home; a geothermal heating and cooling system; energy-efficient insulation, doors, and windows; and two electric vehicles.
Between meadows and trees, only the roofline and solar panels are visible from the driveway.
Cohen and Hexter met on a blind date in Washington, D.C., and married in 2000. After postings in Africa and Brazil they lived in Virginia.
When they retired they wanted a home where Hexter would have space to garden, and where they could age in place. They were familiar with Montgomery County because Cohen grew up in Pottstown, where his great-grandfather emigrated from what is now Slovakia in the late 1880s.
The home Cohen and Hexter bought was built in 1986 as a one-story with two bedrooms and a bath. In the 1990s a second floor with three bedrooms and two baths was added as well as a two-car garage.
The two-car garage was added onto the home by a previous owner.Marla Hexter cleans up some overgrown carrots in her vegetable garden.
The couple liked the downstairs sleeping area and walk-in shower and rooms upstairs to host family. They each have a son and daughter from previous marriages, and three grandchildren.
The house has a ramp to the backyard deck and a ramp from the house to the garage, built by prior owners.
But the wooden deck was rotting. The couple replaced it with Trex, a sturdy wood composite. They furnished the deck with an attractive table and chairs made of recycled plastic and decorated it with containers of flowers and potted fig trees.
Bees collect pollen from a magnolia flower in the backyard.A house sparrow grips a tree branch in the front yard. Since they planted the meadows, neighbors have commented on the number of birds that visit their neighborhood, the couple said.
Growing the fruit has been a challenge for Hexter who gathered tips from local growers and from the annual fig festival in Lower Pottsgrove.
She and her husband are active in the community. “It is our plan to stay here forever,” Hexter said.
Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.
After he and Phillies star Bryce Harper unveiled the 2026 All-Star Game logo last July, the team’s managing partner and CEO John Middleton gushed about how “very, very real” hosting the Midsummer Classic felt a year out from first pitch.
“It was real in Atlanta,” Middleton said, three days after the 2025 All-Star Game was played at Truist Park, home of the Braves. “And became a lot more real this afternoon, with the celebration, and the kickoff and everything else. It’s so much bigger than it was in ’96.”
Baseball’s All-Star Game was last staged in the City of Brotherly Love three decades ago, at the since-demolished Veterans Stadium, when there was only a home run derby and the game itself to enjoy. The 2026 edition is expected to be a “Rocky”-sized draw, especially with the festivities coinciding with the country’s 250th birthday.
“It’s great for baseball to be able to, kind of, piggyback right on top of the July Fourth celebration,” Middleton said. “There’s gonna be millions of people in town.”
The sports fan masses will continue to flood Philly into late summer when two marquee sports events close out August: the University of Pennsylvania hosts the “Tennis Classic” Aug. 23-29, a showcase featuring some of the top women’s professional players; and after a 10-year hiatus, the Cycling Classic returns to Philadelphia on Aug. 30, when top male and female riders cycle through the city and its outskirts — including the famed Manayunk Wall — en route to a dramatic finish on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Best of all? The Cycling Classic is free.
While the FIFA World Cup leaves Philly after this weekend’s July 4 match, there will be lots of places in town showing the Final on July 19 from East Rutherford, N.J. And, lest we forget the Birds. The NFL preseason kicks off Aug. 13.
The logo for the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
MLB All-Star Week: July 10-14
The five-day All-Star extravaganza starts with the HBCU Swingman Classic on July 10. In its fourth year, the Swingman Classic features 50 Division-I players from historically Black colleges and universities, selected by a committee that includes Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
The opening rounds of the Major League Baseball draft follows on July 11 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, while the All-Star Futures Game is played July 12 at Citizens Bank Park.
The Home Run Derby and All-Star Game round out the festivities on July 13 and 14, respectively, with both events also at the Bank. Diehard Phillies fans can see some of the team’s legends at the Capital One All-Star Village, including scheduled appearances by Hall of Famer Steve Carlton and 2008 World Series champions Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, and Jimmy Rollins.
“I’m old enough that I was here [in Philadelphia] as an adult in ’76 [the bicentennial],” Middleton had said. “It’s gonna be a spectacular year for Philadelphia.”
Philadelphia Tennis Classic: Aug. 23-29
Tennis fans can see some of the top-ranked women’s players compete at the University of Pennsylvania’s Hamlin Tennis Center. The WTA 125 tournament features rising stars and established players in a somewhat compact venue, meaning up-close views of the action from most seats.
Philadelphia Cycling Classic: Aug. 30
During his pro cycling career, Freddie Rodriguez rode to great success in this city, winning in 2001 (then called the Philadelphia International Championship).
“I made a career out of this race. It’s the closest thing we have to the Tour de France,” Rodriguez, 52, said. After a 10-year pause, the premier U.S. cycling event returns to Philly, and Rodriguez will be on the other side this time, as a TV commentator.
Philly native Eric Robbins, one of the race organizers, said that from the outset, the mission was to not only bring back the event, but eschew public funding (the race is presented by AmeriGas).
“It was really important to give back to the city,” Robbins, a co-owner of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic said. “All these other wonderful sporting events, there’s a price tag that comes with them. This is an absolutely free event. We’re bringing the stadium to the streets.”
Fans can line the Philly streets and see elite international men’s and women’s riders tackle the 14.4-mile loop that includes the grueling Manayunk Wall. The women’s race is 62 miles total, and the men’s is 120 miles. The race dates to 1985 — then known as the CoreStates — won by Olympic speed-skating gold medalist Eric Heiden. Other iconic riders who have competed in Philly include Tour de France legend Greg LeMond.
Pro cyclist Robin Carpenter, a member of the Modern Adventure team competing this year, grew up steps from the Manayunk Wall summit and competed in the last edition in 2016, when riders finished on the Wall. Carpenter, 33, said he’s thrilled the race is back, and that the course organizers have restored the Benjamin Franklin Parkway finish.
“The Wall changed the dynamic of the race a fair bit,” Carpenter said. “Going up the wall every time was always bananas. It is a tunnel of noise. Super loud. The Parkway finish makes the race more open from a competitive standpoint.”
Rodriguez added that the Parkway finish is comparable to the dramatic last stage of the Tour de France, along the Champs-Élysées.
“It feels like that,” Rodriguez said. “When it comes to U.S. racing, this is probably our best classic race. It’s right up there with the quality of riders and the quality of the event.”
The Revolutionary War ended in 1783, but when the 1790s rolled in, America was in an economic spiral. Citizens were broke. Businesses were going under. The government had little money.
So the first United States Treasurer Alexander Hamilton came up with a plan to create a national bank to serve as the primary fiscal agent for the federal government. It would issue paper money, pay America’s bills, provide loans to private citizens, and collect taxes so the country could fund itself.
“Hamilton had been studying the British banking system for decades,” said Lynn Nash, a park ranger at Philadelphia’s First National Bank that is managed by the U.S. National Park Service. “He did a deep dive and decided America needed a similar system to build more fiscal authority.”
Malachi Floyd’s image of Alexander Hamilton, stacks of money, and the original First Bank of the United States’ building honors Philadelphia’s history as the seat of the federal banking system.
On Feb. 8, 1791, Congress passed a law establishing America’s first federally backed bank, which was located inside Philadelphia’s Carpenter’s Hall.
In honor of the Semiquincentennial, the National Park Service will reopen the First Bank to the public on July 1, following a multiyear $43 million rehabilitation. The gleaming Greek Revival-style building will feature exhibits centering on the history of American banking.
America’s first commercial bank, the Bank of North America, was charted by the Continental Congress in 1781 to provide loans to colonists and fund the Revolutionary War. And some lawmakers, especially Thomas Jefferson, thought that was sufficient and that the Federal Bank overstepped the Constitution.
“He writes a letter to George Washington telling him how the bank needs to be housed in a large commercial seat,” Nash said. ”And that he knows Philadelphia will remain prosperous.”
The First Bank of the United States’ charter ended in 1811. Hamilton had died by then and President James Madison did not renew the charter. The next year, the building was purchased by Stephen Girard, who opened a private bank in the space.
“But the War of 1812 was hard on the economy again,” Nash said. On April 10, 1816, Madison signed legislation establishing the Second Bank of the United States at 420 Chestnut St., Nash said.
(Today that building is the Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery.)
Second Bank of the United States at 420 Chestnut Street. Today it is the Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery.
Its charter expired in 1832; Andrew Jackson was president, and he, too, opposed the idea of a federal bank. The charter was not renewed and America didn’t have a federal banking system for 77 years.
In 1907, New York financier J.P. Morgan and a consortium of bankers stopped the American banking system from collapsing by extending a line of credit to banking institutions. Without a federal banking system, the government could not bail these institutions out, so government officials began discussing the establishment of yet another national bank.
Finally, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, setting up the federal banking system we know today.
A 1901 $10 Bison Note on display at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s newly redesigned “Money in Motion” exhibit Thursday, May 7, 2026. The bill was issued during the 100 year anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The exhibit features nearly 400 historic artifacts and interactive installations that explore currency and the Federal Reserve’s mission.
The Federal Reserve is headquartered in D.C., but there are 12 branches across the country; Philadelphia is home to one of them.
Today, the Federal Reserve acts as a fiscal agent for the U.S. Treasury, which issues paper money, collects taxes, and pays America’s bills. It does not offer private loans to businesses or individuals.
Like the national banks, the Federal Reserve also began with a 20-year-charter. But in 1927, Congress passed the McFadden Act, granting the Federal Reserve Bank perpetual succession.
“The government finally agreed that a federal banking system was something America needed,” Nash said. “It just took them more than 100 years to agree.”
America’s First National Bank Firstival will be celebrated on Saturday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the First Bank of the United States, 120 S. Third St.
This eternal blustering by the U.S. and Iran over the control of the Strait of Hormuz is just that. Two nation-states vying for control of a waterway neither has the right nor historical precedent to. I can’t say I blame Iran, which from any vantage point was — despite its history — unjustifiably attacked by Israel and the U.S. Where is Iran in this picture? Why is President Donald Trump taking full responsibility for keeping it open? What role should a NATO peacekeeping force be playing? Why are the peace negotiations being driven by Trump and Iran? Where is Israel in that picture? Unless Israel is totally complacent and under the thumb of Trump, how can he and Iran expect to sign a treaty governing southern Lebanon? Something just doesn’t smell right.
Tim Reed, Philadelphia
Heat safety
As Philadelphia welcomes thousands of visitors for a summer filled with historic events, matches, and celebrations, it’s important to remember that extreme heat poses serious health risks.
Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Forecasts suggest above-average temperatures throughout summer — and we’re all really seeing the truth of that this week. The combination of heat, humidity, and dense crowds can quickly lead to heat-related illnesses.
There are three simple but critical steps everyone should follow:
Stay hydrated. Drink water regularly, even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid sugary, caffeinated, and alcoholic beverages.
Stay cool. Take frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned spaces. If your home is too warm, visit public places such as libraries, malls, or designated cooling centers.
Stay connected. Check in on friends, family, and neighbors, especially those at higher risk. Make sure pets also have access to water and shade.
Philadelphia’s historic summer events should be a time of celebration. By taking a few simple precautions and looking out for one another, we can ensure this season is not only memorable but safe for all.
Jennifer Graham, CEO, American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region
Ignoring Public Law 88-260, which established the center as “a living memorial to be named in [JFK’s] honor,” the brief asserts that Trump’s name should also be on it. The reason being that the center’s trustees thought Trump’s experience building things warrants his name being placed back above President Kennedy’s, even though Trump was 25 when the center opened and he had nothing to do with its construction.
The brief gets worse, stating that Trump’s “construction abilities” would fix the building and restore it as a crown jewel of D.C. Apparently, neither the board of trustees nor anyone at the Justice Department has seen what Trump has done to two of the district’s other crown jewels — the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the East Wing of the White House.
Even if the laughable assertions in the brief were true, they are meaningless. The center was named for an assassinated president, and the name of a narcissistic opportunist doesn’t belong there, legally or otherwise. It’s impossible that Todd Blanche was unaware of this frivolous argument. This further cements his place as likely the most unfit person ever nominated to serve as attorney general. The only law he cares about is the law of Trump.
Stewart Speck,Wynnewood, speckstewart@gmail.com
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married for 20 years and have three kids: 19 (in college), 17 and 15. My wife and I sleep in separate beds and haven’t had sex in more than five years — her choice, not mine. We tried counseling in the past but never got anywhere.
My wife is not investing in our relationship and isn’t interested in seeking outside help. At this point, I’m in it for the kids and my faith in God. I long to be in an intimate relationship. I feel incredibly lonely and have a growing resentment toward my wife. I work two jobs; she stays at home — doing what, I can’t tell you. She’s resistant to going to work. I’m afraid of the crash and burn of a divorce and how it would impact my children and my career. Please advise.
— DESPERATE FOR HELP IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR DESPERATE: Your wife may not be interested in getting outside help for your marital difficulties, but you definitely should. If you do, it will help you to clarify your thinking and decide how to rationally handle the next steps. From where I sit, your marriage died five years ago, and you shouldn’t have to live the way you have been.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My husband’s sister “Jewel” and her husband sometimes make condescending comments and embarrass me. Most recently, I held a family get-together at my house and prepared lots of food for it. Great meal and great time had by all.
Her husband came in late, walked past every dish and announced there was nothing there he liked. He then told Jewel, “Let’s go and pick up KFC. I’m hungry!” Jewel didn’t go, but she looked at me and said to the crowd, “Oh, my dear, you were cooking a lot. I’m so proud of you!” Neither one ate anything, but everyone else loved it.
There are some people you just don’t like to be around. How do I avoid inviting these people to my house or anywhere?
— HAD IT IN FLORIDA
DEAR HAD IT: Because Jewel is your husband’s sister, you may not be able to avoid them entirely. However, because the issue seems to be with your cooking, exclude them from gatherings in which you are the chef, or serve them a bucket of KFC. (With a smile, of course.)
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DEAR ABBY: Some of my friends and relatives have passed away recently, and some of the families have requested donations to religious organizations or charities I don’t want to support (nor do I wish to send flowers or plant a tree). Is it acceptable to send a donation to a charity that feeds children or in other ways works for the good of humankind? I do want to acknowledge the family’s loss. What would you suggest?
— MEMORIAL MALAISE
DEAR MEMORIAL MALAISE: I’m sorry to hear you have lost so many loved ones. However, it would be inappropriate to honor the deceased with a donation to a charity of your own choosing. If you want to support the family but not the causes they’ve suggested, enclose a check with a thoughtful sympathy card and trust that the money will be used to offset the funeral expenses.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). A problem can seem small to everyone else and still feel enormous to the person living it. Because problems don’t obey laws of scale. Small things can have tremendous emotional significance. If it’s a big deal to you, it’s a big deal, period.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It’s an ideal moment to update your surroundings and relationships to match who you are now. Your closet, like your contact list, contains artifacts from previous chapters. Release what no longer reflects your current life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Each individual who interacts with others is both a person, and an idea of a person. We never interact with people completely objectively. We interact with them and our ideas about them at the same time. Today, some of those ideas will need updating.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). What you want is in fine alignment with the interests of those around you. This makes manifestation much easier. You won’t have to convince anyone. No hard sell — no soft sell either — just building on the enthusiasm that already exists.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll work without proof that you’re doing it right. But you know that even if this idea doesn’t work, you’ll have another one. Your confidence doesn’t depend on success. It depends on your faith in your own ability to keep creating.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s not true that all dark clouds have a silver lining. Sometimes it’s black. Sometimes it’s gold. Sometimes everything disperses in a fog so diffuse there’s no lining at all. But every weather reveals something that sunshine alone cannot.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There are things you know but don’t yet know that you know. Writing has a way of revealing them. Once thoughts leave the swirl of the mind and take shape on a page, patterns emerge, priorities become obvious and hidden assumptions introduce themselves.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Smart people sometimes hide behind being smart. You’ll be around the dynamic today — people trying to have interesting conversations instead of real ones. Things gets better when nobody is trying to prove anything. So how can you put them at ease?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Where does your responsibility end and theirs begin? Today you can clean up some of the blurred lines between “my job” and “your job.” Remember that what you establish in the early stages of a relationship is likely to become the norm.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What if the universe wants to give you what you ask for, but it doesn’t understand the request? In some small way, give the very thing you want. This will serve as an example — a template for the universe to follow and scale up.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Animal trainers know that training a relaxed animal is challenging, while training a stressed animal is near impossible. The human animal also learns better without too much stress and pressure. The education itself is challenge enough.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Throughout history, reasonable people have accomplished unreasonable things — things they never imagined they could do. Don’t let a momentary crisis of confidence keep you from going forward. Doubt yourself if you must, but march on anyway.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 3). It’s your Year of the Vineyard of Dionysus. In Greek myth, the god of wine, theater and celebration taught that pleasure and creativity are close companions. Gatherings become collaborations. Fun turns into opportunity. Joy proves productive. More highlights: You’ll make game-changing sales. You’ll clear up a cluttered area of your life and have a deep peace. Your powers of attraction grow. Aries and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 15, 20, 41, 6 and 9.
