Former center Jason Kelce was one of the first people to share his thoughts when Jeff Stoutland announced last week that he was stepping down after 13 seasons as the Eagles offensive line coach.
Kelce, who spent 11 of his 13 seasons studying under the dean of “Stoutland University,” talked more about the departure of the longtime assistant on the most recent episode of New Heights.
“I mean, [he] just coached a ton of incredible players: Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, Evan Mathis, myself, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata — turned him from a rugby player into an All-Pro left tackle,“ Kelce said. ”He got Cam Jurgens to a Pro Bowl last year, Landon Dickerson to some Pro Bowls, Isaac Seumalo. He’s just done such an incredible job within the Philadelphia Eagles organization, and he’s been such a mainstay throughout multiple head coaches at this point.”
Kelce, who remains a regular at the team facility since his retirement and worked with the Eagles’ young offensive lineman during training camp at the request of Stoutland, also had personal reasons for not wanting to see his mentor go.
“It just sucks to see him go, selfishly. As an Eagles fan and somebody that played for him, and somebody that still goes to the facility — I still go to NovaCare on a regular basis — and I’m not going to be able to see Stout anymore,“ Kelce said. ”And that’s just frustrating for me, and I think frustrating for a lot of people in that building because he was a personality that a lot of people gravitated toward. And this is the reality of the business.”
In addition to Jason Kelce (left), Jeff Stoutland also coached left tackle Jason Peters (right).
He even offered a personal message to Stoutland, who won a pair of Super Bowls with the Eagles and has coached football longer than the 38-year-old Kelce has been alive.
Said Kelce: “Coach, I love you. I don’t know what’s next, but whatever it is, whether it’s coaching or whatever, I know you’re going to be great at it, as you always are.”
Stoutland’s greatness wasn’t lost on Travis Kelce either. While he never played for him, the younger Kelce brother admired him from afar, all while seeing the impact Stoutland had on Jason.
“You already know, man, we’ve got so much respect for him,” Travis said. “He’s one of those guys that you meet in crossing just because you were playing for him … And he’s one of those guys that you would [expletive] just know you’d love playing for, man. And it’s across the board, anybody that runs into him knows you’re going to get everything this guy has and on top of that he’s going to be real about it and we’re going to get [expletive] done.
“One of the best ball coaches I’ve known from afar, and couldn’t be more proud to say congrats on everything your career has gotten to at this point.”
Cam Jurgens (left) was Jason Kelce’s replacement at center. Kelce helped Stoutland coach him up before retiring.
In addition to serving as offensive line coach, Stoutland was also the Eagles run-game coordinator for many years, but Nick Sirianni shifted some of those responsibilities away from Stoutland last year with the ground attack struggling, as Jeff McLane reported. The team also made a change at offensive coordinator, with Kevin Patullo (now reportedly headed to the Dolphins) being replaced by Sean Mannion. And while Jason Kelce understands the nature of the business, he wishes the veteran assistant could’ve stuck around through yet another coordinator change.
“I get that the team is trying to move forward and really embrace this new system and really redesign what this offense is. I wish Stout could’ve been a part of that, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way,” Jason added. “Anyways, love you, coach. Couldn’t be more happy to have been coached by you.
“And 27 Pro Bowl linemen were with Stout over that 13 years. Wild.”
After five seasons with the Eagles, including a yearlong stint as the offensive coordinator last season, Kevin Patullo reportedly will not return to Philadelphia in 2026.
The Miami Dolphins are hiring Patullo as their pass game coordinator, according to NFL Network, joining a revamped coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
The Eagles removed Patullo from his post as offensive coordinator in January following their wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles offense, which returned 10 of 11 starters from the Super Bowl LIX-winning team, regressed under Patullo. The unit finished the season ranked No. 19 in scoring and No. 24 in yards after ranking No. 7 and No. 8 in those respective categories with Kellen Moore at the controls in 2024.
Patullo had technically remained on Nick Sirianni’s staff for the last month, although it seemed unlikely that he would find a role on the offensive coaching staff under Sean Mannion, whom the Eagles hired as their new offensive coordinator on Jan. 29.
The offensive staff has undergone sweeping changes in a short span, underscored by veteran offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announcing his exit after 13 seasons. Mannion filled Stoutland’s offensive line coach duties by hiring Chris Kuper, his former colleague with the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles hired another of Mannion’s former coworkers when they named Ryan Mahaffey, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, as the team’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator.
The Eagles also hired ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard as pass game coordinator shortly after Mannion was named OC.
Despite the departures of Patullo, Stoutland, and former tight ends coach Jason Michael, the Eagles will have some continuity among the offensive coaching staff. Wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and running backs coach Jemal Singleton are among those who will be retained.
Patullo reportedly will get a fresh start in a somewhat familiar place. The 44-year-old coach attended high school in the Miami area in Davie, Fla., and played college football at South Florida in Tampa.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Head out the third base stands of the Phillies’ spring training stadium, go south a block, and you’ll start to hear another ball being knocked around.
The Union have once again made their preseason home here, too, as they prepare to kick off their campaign next week in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
They wrapped up a five-game slate Tuesday night with a 4-2 loss to CF Montréal, an unusually fractious game that included several yellow cards and two reds — one to Montréal’s manager after watching a robust challenge in front of him.
But the result mattered less than getting to see new forward Agustín Anello’s first minutes, starting next to Ezekiel Alladoh and assisting Milan Iloski for a sharp goal. New centerback Geiner Martínez also got some run as a substitute next to Olwethu Makhanya.
How will all that translate to next Wednesday’s curtain-raiser, at Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force FC (6 p.m., FS2 and TUDN)?
“I think it starts off the field,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said Wednesday in a news conference. “When we all speak about recruitment, we speak about people first. And I think all of those guys you’ve just mentioned have come in and exceeded our expectations.”
Martínez and Anello are still settling in, having just arrived to the club in recent days, but have gained familiarity when possible: the former with fellow Spanish-speakers in the locker room, the latter from having already known Nathan Harriel and Bruno Damiani.
Alladoh has been around for longer, so there’s more evidence. He is going to be a handful physically for opponents, but the ultimate verdict will come from how often he scores.
“He’s just a bunch of energy,” Carnell said. “He’s a big dude who just wants to run and compete every single day, and we’re just trying to work little angles and details to get him on the score sheet. He had a couple of chances last night, and does really well for us in the [preseason] games in Spain, and we can see the threat he can be.”
The most important thing now is avoiding the injury bug, and unfortunately it has bitten the Union. Nothing too severe, but Indiana Vassilev and Eddy Davis were in street clothes Tuesday night, and Milan Iloski took a pretty good whack on the foul that produced the other red card. Carnell said he believes it’s a contusion, but there wasn’t a full diagnosis yet when he spoke.
Tuesday’s game was a reminder of the physicality in MLS, even in a preseason game. That has also been an adjustment for the newcomers.
“You don’t know until you know, right?” Carnell said. “I think a lot of people don’t know about MLS and the rigors and the physicality of it. Even [for] a player like ‘Jeff’ Larsen, who’s played at really high levels in the Europa League and everything, playing in this league is a different animal. … Last night was a real, I would say, testament to that statement.”
Geiner Martínez on the ball during Saturday’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the second-tier USL Championship.
Bruno Damiani has also been absent for the last few days: He’s back in his native Uruguay getting a U.S. green card. Carnell said the striker’s return to camp is “imminent.”
The biggest open question mark remains at left back. The Union are still shopping and don’t have a deal done yet.
A source confirmed a report by Sweden’s Expressen that talks are ongoing for 20-year-old Philippe Ndinga of Swedish top flight club Degerfors. Various reports have said Los Angeles FC and the Houston Dynamo previously had interest.
Union’s franchise value
Sports business publication Sportico unveiled its latest judgment of MLS franchise values on Tuesday, and pegged the Union at $740 million. That’s a 6% increase from 2025, and 14th out of the league’s 30 teams — a ranking unchanged from last year.
The Union’s franchise value ranks in the middle of the pack in MLS.
It’s no surprise that Inter Miami is ranked No. 1, and not just because of Lionel Messi. The Herons will open a big-time new stadium this year in the shadow of Miami’s airport. But the valuation of $1.45 billion is still a headline, as it’s bigger than some baseball and hockey teams — including the Marlins across town.
Los Angeles FC, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Atlanta, and New York City FC also have franchise values above $1 billion. The top 10 is rounded out by Seattle, Austin, Columbus, Cincinnati, and San Diego, the last of which is valued at $765 million.
The highest the Union have ranked since Sportico began its estimates in 2021 is 11th in 2024.
Sportico’s metrics include not just revenue projections, but “the value of team-related businesses and real estate holdings.” That works in the Union’s favor, given how much land they own around Subaru Park and the training and academy complex they’ve built there.
MLS hasn’t always embraced outsiders’ valuations of its teams. But it does these days, and even promotes Sportico’s figures on some of its platforms.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday unveiled PHL PRIME, a new service in Philadelphia that has nothing to do with Amazon — although the e-commerce giant could potentially sign up for it.
At her annual address to the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Parker signed an executive order to establish PHL PRIME, which stands for Project Review and Infrastructure Made Easy. The new program is designed to draw “high-impact economic development projects that generate quality jobs” by helping businesses that are considering investing in Philadelphia to navigate city rules and regulations, according to the mayor’s office.
“I‘m the mayor, and I’m not absolving myself of the responsibility of making sure that bureaucracy is working effectively and efficiently,” Parker said during her annual speech at the Convention Center. “We’re not going to burden business with the ‘time tax.’ We’re going to work at the speed of business.”
Parker told reporters the new program will not involve hiring any new staff. Instead, it’s meant to bring various city departments together into a “PHL PRIME Tiger Team“ to coordinate a streamlined approach and lay out the welcome mat for investment.
In her wide-ranging speech, Parker also said the city was committed to helping major development plans from the Market East corridor and the South Philadelphia Stadium Complex to the port and shipyard.
But Parker did not speak at length about two measures she included in last year’s city budget deal that some have said shows the city is not as welcoming to business as it could be. Both relate to the city’s business income and receipts tax, or BIRT.
Attendees record Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on the big screen as she delivers her keynote address at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s Annual Mayoral Luncheon at the Convention Center Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
Parker on Wednesday briefly mentioned a law she and City Council adopted last year that bakes in annual incremental cuts to the two BIRT tax rates over 13 years. And she thanked the Tax Reform Commission for guidance on making the city’s tax structure more business-friendly.
“I am proud to affirm that we proposed and codified into law $210 million in tax investments to provide the kind of predictability that the business community told us that it needs,” Parker said. “I hope that was a direct sign to each of you in this room that the executive and the legislative branches are listening.”
But she did not mention that the enacted tax cuts — the steepest of which will likely take effect after she leaves office — are far less aggressive than the commission’s recommendations, which called for completely eliminating BIRT within eight to 12 years.
Parker also did not address the elimination of an important tax break that allowed businesses to exempt their first $100,000 in revenue when calculating their BIRT liabilities. That policy — which lasted about a decade before Council approved a Parker bill to end it last year — effectively eliminated BIRT for the tens of thousands of businesses that take in less than $100,000 per year from commerce in the city.
Parker has said she supports the exemption but was forced to get rid of it after the city was sued by Massachusetts-based Zoll Medical Corp., which does business in Philadelphia and argued that the tax break violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said it’s unclear what crime the Department of Justice was trying to charge her with when a grand jury refused an indictment over a video in which she, with five other Democratic colleagues, called on service members to “refuse illegal orders.”
“The regular American people that comprised the grand jury saw this for what it was, which was kind of a spurious misuse, abuse of the power of the federal government against the people,” Houlahan, of Chester, said in an interview Wednesday.
“It’s not about me or my colleagues,” continued Houlahan, a former Air Force officer. “It’s about the fact that the Constitution allows for all of us to be treated as equals, and all of us to have the freedom to speak with freedom.”
The Justice Department investigated the six Democratic lawmakers who made the video, all of whom previously served in the military or intelligence agencies. But a Washington grand jury would not sign off on chargeson Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
It’s a setback for President Donald Trump’s administration, which has targeted the lawmakers in a variety of ways since November, when the president claimed the video was an act of sedition.
Houlahan said none of the Democrats’ lawyers could identify what charges could have legitimately been brought against them.
“Collectively, we all, of course, have unfortunately had to secure lawyers in this process,” she said. “And to a person, none of them could come up really with what it was that we had purportedly done. And clearly the people in the grand jury saw the same thing.”
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, an Allegheny County Democrat who also appeared in the video, said in an interview Wednesday he is “not surprised at all” by the grand jury’s decision.
“The fact that the Trump administration and their lawyers want to try to charge us with crimes for stating the law and saying words that they don’t like is outrageous, and of course, not something that you should be able to throw people in prison for,” said Deluzio, who served in the Navy.
In a news conference Wednesday, some of the lawmakers suggested legal action against the Trump administration is on the table.
“There will be accountability, and they should be preserving documents, preparing for what’s coming,” Deluzio said.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio speaks to a large crowd in front of the Beaver County Courthouse in April 2025 wearing a hat that says “don’t give up the ship.”
Trump accused the Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by death” after they posted the video in November, warning service members and intelligence workers to “refuse illegal orders.” In the video, the Democrats urged service members and intelligence professionals not to “give up the ship,” a sentiment Deluzio repeated Tuesday night.
The phrase, which Deluzio has long referenced, is a rallying cry that’s hung on the wall at the Naval Academy’s Memorial Hall.
“It’s a phrase that means a lot, and it means a lot in this moment of great stress to our country — that this thing is worth our efforts and that we should not give it up,” Deluzio said in theWednesday interview.
The Democrats did not mention any specific orders in the video, but lawmakers who appeared in the video expressed concerns at the time about strikes on boats in the Caribbean and National Guard operations in U.S. cities.
Houlahan said they continue to be concerned about “the unlawfulness of the administration.”
The video also included U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.), a former CIA officer; U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), a former Navy captain; U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D., N.H.), a former intelligence officer; and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D., Colo.), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger.
Federal prosecutors unsuccessfully tried to secure the indictment against all six lawmakers in the video, The New York Times reported. The office that pursued the case is led U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News personality who served as district attorney in Westchester County, N.Y., during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Grand jury rejections are extraordinarily rare, but have occurred repeatedly in recent months in Washington, as citizens who have heard the government’s evidence have come away underwhelmed in a number of cases. Prosecutors could try again to secure an indictment.
Attention on the lawmakers’ video escalated days after they initially posted it when Trump began his social media tirade in November.
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
He also shared posts from supporters calling for retribution against the Democrats, including one that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!” and another calling them domestic terrorists.
“The fact that the president and the people around him, in hearing a reminder about the law, reacted the way they did, which is to call for our death, arrest, to try to imprison us, tells me more about them than I could ever know,” Deluzio said Wednesday.
“A normal person, a normal president, would be reminding their troops of their obligations to follow the law as well because they care about the rule of law,” he added.
Hegseth has censured Kelly for participating in the video and is trying to retroactively demote him from his retired rank of captain.
In response, Kelly is suing Hegseth to block those proceedings, calling them an unconstitutional act of retribution. During a hearing last week, the judge appeared to be skeptical of key arguments that a government attorney made in defense of Kelly’s Jan. 5 censure by Hegseth.
This article contains reporting from The Associated Press
CLEARWATER, Fla. — For years, a tucked-away corner of the Phillies’ spring-training clubhouse has belonged to the stars. And because the roster hasn’t changed much since 2022, neither have the nameplates above the lockers.
Schwarber did a double take almost as soon as he walked through the door here Wednesday, even before Realmuto pointed it out. Left fielder Brandon Marsh stopped Miller in the hallway and said, “Man, you got a good little locker spot there.”
“They’ve all kind of made little comments here and there about it,” said Miller, the top prospect who now occupies the space once reserved for Nick Castellanos, the disgruntled $20 million right fielder who no longer has a locker (a photo of him was removed from a hallway in the clubhouse, too) because he will be traded or released by the weekend. “I was surprised seeing it myself.”
Miller shouldn’t be surprised. Nobody should.
Never mind that he is 21, the second-youngest player among 68 in camp. Or that he dressed at a temporary locker on the other side of the room last spring and lived with his parents 20 miles north of the Phillies’ complex.
Miller is in the Phillies’ plans — and sooner than later. So, it isn’t a coincidence, according to manager Rob Thomson, that he and fellow top prospect Justin Crawford (No. 80 in your spring-training program) are taking up residence on Millionaires’ Row.
“We upgraded a little bit,” Crawford said, laughing.
In 2026, after back-to-back divisional-round knockouts, the Phillies will still be led by Harper & Friends, few of whom have aged out of their prime. But they also aren’t getting younger.
As it is, the Phillies are trying to become only the 10th team in baseball history to make the playoffs with four players age 33 or older getting at least 500 plate appearances. If new right fielder Adolis García joins Harper, Turner, Schwarber, and Realmuto, the Phillies would be only the third team to make the playoffs with five. It hasn’t happened since the 2007 New York Yankees.
So, the Phillies must get younger if they’re going to prop open the proverbial window to contend long beyond this year. And that’s where Crawford, Miller, and 22-year-old pitcher Andrew Painter come in — and why they may be the three most important players in camp.
“Crawford and Miller and Andrew, we know they’re all very talented,” said Zack Wheeler, at 35 the dean of the starting rotation. “It’s good to have those guys around. You can’t have everybody under big contracts. You’ve got to have some young guys. We have a good locker room to accept those guys. They can ask any of these guys questions, and they’ll definitely help out.”
That’s the idea.
Crawford, 22, is the presumptive opening-day center fielder after batting .300 at every level of the minors. He might’ve gotten called up last August if the Phillies didn’t trade for Harrison Bader at the deadline. His time is most certainly now.
“I’ll say it feels a little different,” said Crawford, who would be the youngest outfielder on a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. “Last year was kind of the excitement of being in big-league camp for the first time. This, I feel a little bit more laid-back and just ready to get to work and compete. Excited to see what happens.”
Crawford insists he isn’t taking anything for granted. His dad, four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, wouldn’t allow it. Neither would his godfather, Junior Spivey, who played five seasons in the majors, or personal hitting coach Mike Easler, who had a 14-year major-league career.
And then there are Crawford’s new neighbors in the high-rent district of the clubhouse.
“I came in and still it was a little surreal,” Crawford said despite getting a heads-up from a teammate of where his locker was located. “It was like, ‘Wow,’ from being over there [on the other side of the room] last year. So, it’s pretty cool and definitely a good, nice moment.”
The Phillies did this in 2023 with Painter. They gave him a locker alongside Wheeler and around the corner from Aaron Nola and a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation as a 19-year-old. But he suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, had surgery, and missed two seasons.
Painter has a good chance of making the team out of camp in part because Wheeler will be behind the other pitchers as he comes back from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which a vein is compressed between the collarbone and rib cage. Wheeler had a rib removed in September.
But Painter isn’t merely a placeholder. The Phillies remain bullish on his future even after he struggled last season in triple A. Many rival evaluators “cut him some slack,” as one NL scout said, after the two-year absence and believe he still has top-of-the-rotation potential.
Right-hander Andrew Painter has a chance to be in the Phillies’ season-opening starting rotation.
And if Crawford and Painter are ticketed for the opening-day roster, Miller may not be far behind. It isn’t only the placement of his locker. As camp opened for pitchers and catchers, Thomson confirmed that Miller will get reps at third base, in addition to his natural shortstop, a spot occupied by Turner.
It won’t be the first time. Miller played third base at J.W. Mitchell High School, up the road from here in Trinity, Fla., before the Phillies drafted him in the first round in 2023. This spring will be about “relearning” the position, he said, notably the footwork and the hops.
“I just want to get there [to the majors],” Miller said. “I don’t care where it is in the field. As long as I’m there, I’m cool.”
If Crawford, Painter, and Miller can get there, the Phillies will have threaded the needle of replenishing the roster while also contending. It’s a tricky balance.
Thomson was a coach with the Yankees in 2017 when they successfully blended youth (Aaron Judge, Gary Sánchez, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, and Luis Severino) with a veteran core en route to 91 wins and Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
“I think there’s some similarities there,” Thomson said. “If you want to have a really healthy organization for a sustainable future, you have to be able to infuse some youth along the way.”
And it starts, symbolically, with a couple of kids lockering alongside the stars for six weeks in February and March.
Talking to reporters gathered at the front of an auditorium at Montgomery County Community College, the collar county’s top officials engaged in a friendly back-and-forth about something local leaders have had to pay unprecedented attention to since last year: how to handle any future federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump.
Within the last year, counties have navigated uncertainty surrounding reductions in funding under the Trump administration. In Montgomery County, those cuts have jeopardized key resources for public health, higher education, and homeless services.
“Naturally, our teams are following what’s coming out of [the Department of Housing and Urban Development], what’s happening with SNAP. We’re trying to anticipate,” said Jamila Winder, a Democrat and thechair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.
Community needs “that arise from the cuts to SNAP and the cuts to Medicaid are significant,” said vice chair Neil Makhija, a Democrat.
Tom DiBello, the board’s lone Republican, had a different view.
“Well, we also have to maybe look at what those reductions are, why those reductions are occurring … and I know this is where we divide,” he said.
Crossing the aisle has become rare in the rancorous national political environment. But at Montgomery County Community College on Wednesday, the commissioners emphasized at their annual State of the County address that they are striving for cooperation to be their norm, even as lawmakers in Harrisburg and Washington struggle to work together.
The commissioners have navigated their own tense moments in recent months, particularly related to immigration.
“Look, there are definitely things that we disagree on as a team, but what’s most important is that we’re able to fund the services that we provide to people in Montgomery County,” Winder told reporters.
Montgomery County commissioners and row officers stand on stage during introductions.
Wednesday’s address featured the commissioners reflecting on the county’s accomplishments in 2025 and outlining their goals for the year ahead to an audience of constituents and officials. Those include opening shelters for people experiencing homelessness, determining how to best integrate artificial intelligence in county services, and cutting red tape for residents trying to access local services.
And it was also sprinkled with displays of camaraderie despite political differences, such as the commissioners touting 2026’s bipartisan budget as the first in nearly a decade or DiBello going in for a hug after turning the microphone over to Winder for her closing remarks.
“If there’s one thing I want you to take away from today, it’s this: Under our collective leadership as commissioners, this board will continue to put politics aside to do what’s best for our communities,” Winder said at the address, of which the theme was “collaboration.”
But their interactions have not always fit the cordial image presented Wednesday.
Winder and Makhija called for ICE agents to be held accountable, while DiBello encouraged respect for law enforcement and denounced the incorporation of politics into the meeting.
“People are being terrorized by masked ICE agents in Montgomery County, that’s what we’re saying. And if you can’t be empathetic to that, that’s disconcerting,” Winder said at the time.
Thomas DiBello, the lone Republican commissioner, walks to the podium for remarks during the Montgomery County’s 2026 State of County event in Blue Bell. At right is Jamila H. Winder, the board’s Democratic chair.
“No matter what, we should be respecting our law enforcement agencies until they break the law,” DiBello responded.
On Wednesday, immigration-related disagreements lingered when Makhija told reporters about his opposition to ICE buying warehouses in Pennsylvania, including in Berks County, that may be used to detain people.
“Again we divide, because I will support the rule of law,” DiBello said on immigration enforcement. ”I stand with law enforcement, and if people want changes, they need to go to Washington and ask and promote those changes.”
The Cherry Hill School District has decided against redrawing its elementary school maps to redistribute students and ease overcrowding.
Instead, the school board will consider adding additions to the two schools with the highest anticipated growth— Clara Barton Elementary and Rosa International Middle School — and continuing to monitor enrollment at four other elementary schools.
The decision was announced Tuesday night when the district presented a highly anticipated report on rebalancing school enrollment. The South Jersey school system had been considering adjustingthe boundaries assigned to each of its 12 elementary schools to handle an anticipated increase in students — a move that sparked opposition from some parents.
The recommendation is “a huge win,” said Bruck Lascio, whose children attend Barton. “We’ll take their proposal.”
“The administration is not recommending boundary adjustments at this time,” said George Guy, director of elementary education.
Guy said both schools now potentially slated for expansion are expected to have a severe shortage of seats by the 2028-29 school year. Clara Barton would be 69 seats short, and Rosa Middle 51 seats, he said.
The additions, if approved by the school board, would be ready for the start of the 2028-29 school year, Guy said.
The report also recommends that the district monitor enrollment trends at Horace Mann Elementary, which is also expected to have more students than seats. And it calls for another demographic study in 2026-27 to assess needsat all schools.
Guy left open the possibility that Mann could also get an addition to ease overcrowding. The district also plans to monitor enrollment at Joyce Kilmer, Richard Stockton, and Woodcrest Elementary Schools.
Why was rebalancing under consideration?
A demographic study conducted in 2024 showed that five of Cherry Hill’s 12 elementary schools are expected to have a total shortage of 337 seats in the 2028-29 school year, and prompted the school board to look into rebalancing.
Cherry Hill began the rebalancing project with a possibility of changing the boundaries for students at five of its 12 elementary schools. Some elementary schools are nearing capacity, and a few have surplus seats.
In developing a recommendation, Guy had to consider parameters set by the board. It was also important to considertransportation and avoid having students spend longer periods of time on buses.
Board president GinaWinters said the board basically had two choices: shift students where there were available seats or add more capacity to keep students in their neighborhood schools.
Rosa International Middle School in Cherry Hill.
Changing the boundaries would have affected 534 children in the district, which enrolls about 11,000 students, Guy said. Clara Barton and James Johnson Elementary Schools would have faced the biggest impact, he said.
The sprawling 24.5-mile community of nearly 75,000 is divided into elementary school zones. Most students are assigned to a neighborhood school within two miles of where they live.
The district also dismissed possible relocation of some special education programs to ease overcrowding because that would further stress students and staff, Guy said.
Guy said creating new English as a second language (ESL) programs at more schools was also considered, but that option was rejected because it would not have adequately addressed the overcrowding.
According to Guy, the costs would not affect the property tax rate. Winters said there could be additional budget costs in the future to hire additional teachers and administrators.
How did parents react to the proposal?
Parents who had lobbied heavily against having their children moved because they like the convenience of neighborhood elementary schools welcomed the recommendations.
“We love our school,” said Katie Daw, whose children attend Clara Barton in the township’s Erlton section. “This is the best-case scenario.”
Marie Blaker said she had braced for bad news Tuesday. She is part of a Clara Barton group that has organized other parents.
“We didn’t think it was going to go like this,” Blaker said. “I’m thrilled they listened to us.”
What’s next?
The nine-member board did not vote on the recommendations Tuesday night. Winters said the board appeared to support the recommendation.
Winters said public hearings would be held at Barton and Rosa. A final plan is expected by the summer, at which point the board will vote on the proposal.
Guy has said officials are not yet examining future enrollment needs at the remaining middle schools and high schools.
“The reality is that we will be faced with very difficult decisions,” board member Renee Cherfane said.
PORTLAND, Ore. — After the 76ers’ victory at the Phoenix Suns last Saturday, Nick Nurse was still irked about the game they let slip away at the Los Angeles Lakers two nights prior.
“Quarter here [Monday] that’s really bad, and one quarter in L.A.,” Nurse said late Monday about the 3-2 trip. “But most of it was really good basketball.”
That was all part of the Sixers’ busy week out west, which overlapped with the trade deadline. The Sixers said goodbye to Jared McCain and Eric Gordon in the middle of the trip. Joel Embiid remained dominant in the three games he played. Tyrese Maxey was invited to the three-point contest at All-Star Saturday.
Next, the Sixers have one more game against the rival New York Knicks before the All-Star break.
“Everybody will get up for [that],” veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr. said of the Knicks game. “Take care of that one, and we feel good going into the break.”
First, here are some additional nuggets and observations from the Sixers’ five-game trip.
Maxey three-point contest
Tyrese Maxey declined an invitation to compete in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend in 2024, acknowledging he was “nervous” and wanted to soak up the experience as a first-time All-Star.
“This year, I definitely wanted to do it, man,” Maxey said Monday morning from Portland. “I wanted to be a part of that night, and I’m going to go out there and try to win.”
Maxey was announced Sunday as a participant in the event that now headlines All-Star Saturday. He has become one of the league’s most dangerous long-range shooters because of the variety of attempts he can fire off the catch and dribble, and because he has extended his range. He entered Wednesday shooting 37.9% on 8.8 attempts per game this season.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will participate in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend.
Shooting off a rack, however, is quite different than taking a shot in the flow of a game. Maxey said he has a little experience in such competitions in high school and while at Kentucky, and might spend some time practicing off the rack Tuesday night. And Sixers player development coach Toure’ Murry has told Maxey since the beginning of the season that he has “got something for me” as far as strategy with where to place the “money” balls worth extra points.
Maxey has fond memories of watching former Golden State Warriors “Splash Brothers” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson get hot in the three-point contest. Former winners Damian Lillard and Devin Booker are also in this year’s field.
And now, Maxey is far from nervous to join them.
“Everything from that weekend and being a part of it is special,” Maxey said. “It’s a blessing, and I’m not going to take any of it for granted.”
Plan for Paul George
As the Sixers walked into Santa Monica Prep for their first shootaround of this trip, Paul George was among those in attendance. George’s personal trainer also has continued to travel with the team.
George still has 19 games remaining in his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. But he is permitted to remain around the team for practices and shootarounds.
“The organization’s equipped in any way to provide him whatever he needs,” said Nurse, alluding that George has at least partially attributed his positive drug test to mental health struggles. “ … We want to keep him as engaged on the basketball side.”
Oubre, who is now tasked with making up for some of George’s production on both ends of the floor, expressed support for his teammate during this time.
“My first thought was just praying for him,” Oubre said upon hearing the news of George’s suspension. “Obviously, that’s tough, man, especially when you talk about mental health, because that’s the unseen. You see us physically, but you don’t know what’s going on in our head and in our lives.”
Edgecombe’s bounceback
VJ Edgecombe said his 1-of-11 shooting dud on Feb. 2 at the Los Angeles Clippers was easy to mentally flush. But Nurse took things a step further, immediately calling the Sixers’ first couple of plays for Edgecombe in the following night’s matchup at Golden State.
That ignited the rookie guard’s 25-point outburst on 11-of-20 shooting, a significant lift as the Warriors’ defense relentlessly swarmed Maxey.
“Just to say, ‘We’re going to VJ,’” Nurse said “ … I didn’t know it was going to be that good. But I figured he’d be ready to go, and we just wanted to let him know we believe in him.”
Consider that another example of the immense — and rare — confidence Edgecombe has instantly instilled in his coach and teammates. And Edgecombe feels that reciprocated.
“Once your teammates have trust in you, I feel like you can just go out there and just go hoop,” Edgecombe said. “ … You don’t have to worry about if they care if you’re missing. It’s a team game. They know I’m going to make the right plays. They just have a ton of faith in me.”
That performance also arrived in his second matchup against mentor and former Bahamian teammate Buddy Hield, whom Edgecombe playfully talked trash to after taking him off the dribble for a score. Edgecombe also jawed with fellow Bahamian teammate Deandre Ayton during Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, and said goodbye to Eric Gordon when the Sixers traded him at the deadline.
Nurse credited Gordon with helping foster Edgecombe’s poise as an immediate impact rookie.
“That type of steadiness and calmness that Eric kind of always has,” Nurse said, “I think was valuable to VJ. He probably picked some of that up.”
Bona’s hands
Adem Bona nabbed a steal against the Warriors, and had a wide-open court in front of him. The reserve center methodically dribbled and threw down the dunk, prompting a more-excited-than-usual reaction from the Sixers’ bench for a fairly routine transition bucket.
“It’s kind of a joke from the previous game [against the Clippers],” Bona said, “where I was running too fast and I fumbled the ball. I was taking my time this time. I was a little slower. … I was super slow.”
Sixers center Adem Bona has worked diligently to be able to catch passes on the move.
Bona’s hands have warranted critique since taking on a more important role as the backup center, whether Joel Embiid or Andre Drummond starts the game. He regularly drills those fundamentals, including before games while working with assistant coach TJ DiLeo on moving up and down the court while dribbling between his legs and behind his back.
Evidence that this is still a work in progress: He mishandled an alley-oop catch during Saturday’s victory at the Phoenix Suns.
Tardy in San Francisco
Even NBA travel parties can get caught in San Francisco traffic. Especially while immersed in Super Bowl week hubbub before the big game played in nearby Santa Clara.
The Sixers’ team buses were more than an hour late to the Chase Center last Tuesday, throwing off pregame routines for players who are creatures of habit. Nurse secretly hoped players would ditch those warm-ups entirely, because “I’m not that big of a believer” in expending that energy on the second night of a back-to-back.
Nurse, meanwhile, used the additional bus time to flip on some film that he planned to watch in his office. And it caused him to expedite a series of meetings with various coaches that typically begin about two hours before tipoff.
“They’re just review, review, review,” Nurse said, “one last time before we take the test.”
The move was somewhat anticlimactic, given his impact this season as a rebounder, cutter and all-around hustle role player. And his postgame comments about the conversion were somewhat subdued, given that they occurred after the Sixers had surrendered a 14-point lead against the Lakers.
Yet all of that also demonstrates how much Barlow has thrived as a late signee with the Sixers, in a situation where he feels his skills are “valued and appreciated.” This career season comes after Barlow spent his first three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks, where he made a combined five starts and never averaged more than 14.6 minutes in those appearances.
“I feel that energy here,” Barlow said, “ … I’m just having so much fun being out there with everybody.”
Beauchamp makes his debut
Perhaps the one positive of the Trail Blazers’ drubbing of the Sixers Monday? MarJon Beauchamp got his first NBA minutes of the season, totaling 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Even better: That performance occurred in the arena closest to Beauchamp’s roots that the Sixers will travel all season. The 25-year-old was born in Yakima, Wash., and went to high school in Seattle before joining G League Ignite and getting drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022.
Nurse said he was impressed with Beauchamp’s quickness and aggressiveness to push the ball off rebounds. The coach also did not notice any glaring mistakes within the Sixers’ schemes or Beauchamp’s individual assignments. After suiting up for three NBA teams last season, Beauchamp said he was focused on playing with confidence in his first extended minutes at this level in an estimated 18 months.
“I just tried to be assertive, not think too much, and just play hard,” Beauchamp said after the game.
Added Oubre: “He did a really good job of picking up on everything, so that goes to show that he’s been studying and putting in the work and staying ready, just giving him confidence and making sure that he feels like we’re all together, he’s in this with us and not just visiting.”
Beauchamp flashed that confidence when he tried to uncork a dunk on Portland rookie Yang Hansen, who stands 7-foot-1. Beauchamp said he attempted such a feat when he was signed to a training camp deal with the Trail Blazers this past fall, but that in-game attempt was “probably the closest I’ve been” to throwing it down.
“I wanted that dunk so bad,” Beauchamp said. “Next time, though.”
Quotable
Oubre on reaching the All-Star break: “We have a blank canvas on the season, and we want to create a masterpiece at the end. We’re still painting.”
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Center City, with its large round tables, soaring ceilings, and big screens flashing sports games above the bar, regularly attracts many large groups of men.
And yet, the establishment has recently gone viral, mainly among women, thanks to a bar menu item entitled “Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirred.” A video of 24-year-old Philly native and influencer Hannah Sparkevicius dubbing the $39 combination — which encompasses a cocktail, half a dozen oysters, truffle fries, and a small Caesar salad — “girl dinner” currently has over 100,000 views.
Sparkevicius posts regularly about beauty trends, going out to eat in Philly, and great deals. The Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirredmenu item fits the bill, standing outon a menu that otherwise features $20 cocktails and half a dozen oysters for $25. (The sampler debuted on the bar and lounge menus at all 15 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle locations last October.)
“Girl dinner” is a social media trend that took feeds by storm two years ago and it hasn’t waned since. Why? Because girl dinners have always existed. The trend simply put a name to casual, pulled-together meals that might not make sense on a restaurant menu. (You don’t have to be a girl to partake in girl dinner.)
Sparkevicius’ video has inspired legions of social media users tagging one another in her comments section, suggesting future Del Frisco’s outings. It also spurred similar posts on others, like one from the Instagram account Who What When Where Philly — which actually prompted me to gather my own girl group and head to Del Frisco’s.
My three girl friends and I made our way to Del Frisco’s 15th and Chestnut location, an ornate, cavernous 1922 lair that was formerly a First Pennsylvania Bank.Weelbowed our way past several groups of bachelor parties, snagged seats at the bar, and ordered our bar specials.
“For me, fries and salad means girl dinner,” said one of my companions. “It’s yin and yang. You have your vegetable, which is healthy and refreshing, and your fries, which are warm, salty, and comforting… If all I eat is a salad, then there’s inadequate satiation. Fries balance out that craving.”
Jojo Goodwin and Bonnary Lek at Del Frisco’s on Feb. 7, enjoying what has been recast as “Girl Dinner”: Caesar salad, French fries, oysters, and martinis.
Our server, Bradley, put exceptional care into taking our orders for martinis and didn’t bat an eye when we requested multiple orders of Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirred: “So that will be four girl dinners for the table?”
When he returned, he carefully arranged the oyster towers (cradling East Coast Blue Points) balanced on top of a plate holding fries, romaine Caesars, and ramekins of ketchup and extra Caesar dressing. Bradley walked around the table cracking fresh black pepper over each mini salad.
Sitting by the kitchen, I watched one girl dinner after another emerge through its double swinging doors. Bradley reported that a dozen other guests had also ordered the same special and called it “girl dinner.”
“Since the video went live, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in guests visiting specifically to request the bar special,” said Sawan Thakkar, vice president of operations for Del Frisco’s in Philly. They’ve also seen a “significant rise in new guests ordering it.”
And how does Del Frisco’s feel about their bar special being renamed?
“We love it,” said Thakkar. “We’re happy to embrace the name.”
