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  • Montco officials condemn ICE’s ‘brutality’ after federal agents arrest a man near Norristown

    Montco officials condemn ICE’s ‘brutality’ after federal agents arrest a man near Norristown

    Montgomery County elected officials forcefully condemned a Monday ICE arrest in which agents broke down a family’s front door, lambasting officers for what the leaders described as needless cruelty.

    “We are here for one reason, to say that this kind of brutality is completely unacceptable,” said State Sen. Art Haywood, a Democrat who represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, during a news conference Tuesday in Norristown.

    Neighbors watched in Lower Providence on Monday as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action turned into an hours-long siege, with the street blocked off and more than a dozen government vehicles outside a home in an effort to take one man into custody.

    The local leaders’ comments came amid a national debate over President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, following violent operations in Minnesota in which federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens last month.

    “ICE agents, if you can hear me, do not follow these cruel orders that violate the basic dignity that we all recognize, and for all immigrants who are terrified … we stand with you,” Haywood said.

    ICE officials in Philadelphia did not respond to a request for comment.

    Montgomery County has become a hot spot for ICE activity, and the Norristown area has come under particular scrutiny, with about one-third of the population identifying as Latino. In July, in one of its most high-profile operations in the Philadelphia region, ICE arrested 14 people at a food market near Norristown, about two miles north of the home where Monday’s arrest took place.

    Rachel Rutter, an attorney and the executive director of Project Libertad, was at the scene of the arrest Monday.

    She said it appeared the man was going to work when agents attempted to stop his car, and the vehicles tapped. Each blamed the other, she added. The man, who was not immediately identified, subsequently went inside the home at Ridge Pike and North Barry Avenue in Lower Providence Township.

    By about 10 a.m., agents had arrived and moved into positions around the property. Videos showed the road blocked off with yellow police tape.

    Some agents approached the house, Rutter said, and at least one could be seen waving at someone who was filming from inside. Rutter said family members told her federal agents later obtained a warrant and subsequently broke through the door to arrest the man.

    The Department of Homeland Security statement said Wednesday that ICE was conducting a targeted operation to arrest Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, a Mexican national who overstayed his visa after it expired in 2021 and who in 2025 was charged with driving under the influence.

    To try to evade arrest, DHS said, he “weaponized his vehicle” and rammed an ICE vehicle, then fled into his house and refused to come out. ICE subsequently obtained a criminal warrant and arrested him, the agency said.

    On Tuesday, elected officials said they were especially concerned with the manner in which Monday’s arrest was carried out.

    Janine Darby, a Lower Providence Township supervisor, described seeing at least 20 unmarked vehicles, some with Uber stickers, along with agents from ICE and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. She added that an ambulance was called for a family member in the house who had been “punched in the face.”

    “Inside the home, what I saw was devastating,” Darby said. “Children crying, a family in shock, and a home destroyed after agents broke down the door.”

    State Sen. Katie Muth (D., Montgomery) said that ICE arrests make communities less safe and less trusting of law enforcement.

    “You allow this kind of unlawful behavior without due process to happen to one person, it can happen to anyone,” Muth said.

    Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, a Democrat and vice chair of the board, said Tuesday that “it’s incredibly important that we continue to show that we are taking steps to protect every resident’s rights.”

    Immigration activists have repeatedly called for Montgomery County officials to adopt a formal ordinance or resolution to officially become a “welcoming county.”

    The Democratic-led board of commissioners has not done so, citing limits to its power and concern about creating a false sense of security for immigrants. Last year, county officials approved a policy limiting communication between county employees and ICE and said they would not honor prison-detainer requests without a signed judicial warrant, and the commissioners confirmed that the county will not participate in ICE’s 287(g) program, which authorizes local governments to assist in immigration enforcement.

    Local stakeholders have called for all 62 municipalities in the county to enact their own welcoming provisions to limit cooperation with ICE. As of early December, six of them had done so.

    State Rep. Greg Scott (D., Montgomery) said community advocacy is crucial, adding that residents witnessing and recording ICE activity are documenting “reality.”

    “Keep on recording, keep that spare battery pack in your pocket,” he said. “Keep it in your car, keep your phones charged. We got to keep recording to hold people accountable.”

  • Philly is warming up after a historic cold snap, as locals break out short sleeves and plan vacations

    Philly is warming up after a historic cold snap, as locals break out short sleeves and plan vacations

    Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow, but Phillies pitchers and catchers are reporting in at the Clearwater spring training facility, and that means one thing: Warmer weather is arriving in Philadelphia.

    After the biggest snowfall in a decade and an Arctic freeze that locked in the snowpack with a tenacity rarely experienced in the region, Philadelphians can now be seen walking the streets in short sleeves, eating lunch outside, and preparing for spring staples like the Cherry Blossom Festival.

    It was only in the 40s in Philly Wednesday, but after what felt like a never-ending cold front, it might as well have been summer.

    “I can’t wait to take walks again,” said Jenny Rojas, a Korean major at the University of Pennsylvania. She and classmate Justin Lo were strolling through campus in 40-degree weather like it was a breath of fresh air after weeks of below-freezing temperatures.

    “I’m from Michigan, so this snow isn’t that bad, but the temperatures were freezing. We just stayed inside,” said Lo, a Penn economics major.

    As Philadelphians bustled through Penn’s campus, an assortment of short-sleeve T-shirts, skirts, and shorts was sported by many. Some folks’ lack of coats didn’t stop Lo and Rojas from bundling up still. And while the temperature is getting reasonable, Philadelphians are still traversing treacherously slippery sidewalks and 3-foot snow piles blocking walkways.

    The remnants are going to be slow to vanish with overnight lows below freezing, but the snowpack is decidedly showing its age and is on the run.

    The ice covering the Schuylkill River is melting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pa. The high on Wednesday was 46 degrees.

    Temperatures are due to cool down some Thursday and Friday with highs in the 30s, but the 40s are due back on the weekend.

    For some, like Penn administrative assistant Sheria Crawley, it was just a relief, and a surprise, to be able to finally say, “Thank God it’s 30 degrees out.” Crawley, who has lived in the city for years, said the snowstorm of 2026 is one of the worst she’s seen, not giving residents a reprieve from the cold.

    “It was brutal because we’re used to getting snow and then a warm-up right after that takes the snow away. This year, we couldn’t catch a break,” she said.

    The thing she can’t wait for most this spring is to see the “last vestige” of snow finally melt. Crawley said she would be excited then, but the severity of this storm would stick with her for years.

    “I feel like there’s going to be a mass exodus from the city to all the classic vacation spots nearby so that we can just recover from that storm,” she said.

    A cyclist travels on the Schuylkill River Trail along Kelly Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pa. The high on Wednesday was 46 degrees.

    Eirini Antonopoulou felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes after weeks cooped up inside without the sunshine.

    “Since the previous weeks have been so gloomy, I’ve been feeling kind of down,” the Penn freshman said. “It’s gorgeous out today. We have more sunlight now, so I feel more optimistic.”

    Antonopoulou’s classmate, Tyrus Roney, said he was happy to see city life returning to normal, with people stopping to chat and not bundled up, rushing to their destinations.

    “It’s just it’s so much more vibrant with people outside interacting with each other,” Roney said. “Now we just have to take care of this dirty snow on the side of the road.”

    On another day, perhaps we would mention that the region has an outside chance of seeing some fresh snow late in the weekend. That can wait; as long as it chooses.

  • Art Commission votes to move Joe Frazier statue from South Philly to the Art Museum

    Art Commission votes to move Joe Frazier statue from South Philly to the Art Museum

    “Smokin’” Joe Frazier is heading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

    Philly’s statue of the famed heavyweight boxing champion is slated to be installed at the base of the museum’s steps later this year following a Philadelphia Art Commission vote Wednesday that approved the move. All five commissioners present Wednesday voted in favor of the statue’s relocation from its longtime home at the sports complex in South Philadelphia.

    The proposal, presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, will see the Frazier statue installed where Philly’s original Rocky statue stands today. The Rocky statue, meanwhile, will be installed at the top of the museum’s steps.

    “Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum allows us to share a more complete history about Philadelphia’s spirit,” Marguerite Anglin, the city’s public art director, said Wednesday. “One rooted in real people, real work, and real pride in this city.”

    The Frazier statue should move to the Art Museum sometime this spring, Anglin said. That relocation coincides with the move of the Rocky statue currently at the base of the steps, which is slated to be temporarily installed inside the museum for the first time as part of the forthcoming exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments.” That Rocky statue will then be installed at the top of the museum’s steps in the fall, while the Rocky statue now at the top of the steps will go back into actor Sylvester Stallone’s private collection.

    Created by sculptor Stephen Layne, the Frazier statue was unveiled in 2015 at what is now Stateside Live! at the sports complex in South Philadelphia. Its debut came years after Frazier’s death in 2011, which kicked off a campaign to erect the statue in his memory. Standing at 12 feet tall, it depicts the boxer moments after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the “Fight of the Century” — a famed March 1971 bout in which Ali suffered his first professional loss after a brutal 15-round skirmish.

    For years before its creation, Frazier’s supporters lamented the fact that Philadelphia had long had a Rocky statue, but lacked one showing its own real-life champion. Our Rocky statue, in fact, has been around for more than 40 years, and has stood outside the Art Museum for two decades — about twice as long as the Frazier statue has even existed.

    The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a potential move to the Art Museum

    “Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson famously said at Frazier’s funeral. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”

    Creative Philadelphia’s plan featured widespread support from leaders including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, as well as Frazier’s family and friends. It received little pushback at Wednesday’s meeting, with Gabrielle Gibson, a granddaughter of Frazier’s, asking what is perhaps the most obvious question about the placement: Shouldn’t the Frazier statue be at the top?

    He was, after all, a real person, a real Philadelphian, and a real champion. Rocky, meanwhile, is a fictional character who appears to be an amalgamation of several real-life boxers’ stories — Frazier included, according to Creative Philadelphia. Many speakers Wednesday noted that, like Rocky, Frazier was known to run up the Art Museum’s steps and was said to have boxed sides of beef during his training, among other parallels.

    And then there is the symbolism of where the Rocky and Frazier statues will stand.

    “During Black History Month, I think we need to understand the new placement,” Gibson said. “A real boxer and a Black man’s image and likeness would be placed at a lower position beneath the fictional white character whose story was inspired by real boxers.”

    The Frazier statue’s placement at the bottom of the steps, Anglin said, was for two main reasons. First, she said, having Frazier at the bottom makes it the first statue visitors will encounter at the Art Museum — even if they are there expressly to see Rocky — which will provide “an opportunity to be grounded in history.”

    Second, the Rocky statue’s footprint is roughly half the size of the Frazier statue, which would not be “safe or feasible” to install on high, Anglin said. Putting Rocky at the top, Anglin said, allows for better circulation around the monument, and avoids the potential logistical and code-related issues putting Frazier there could present.

    His son, and former heavyweight boxer Marvis Frazier (right), and Rev. Blane Newberry from Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church bless a 12-foot-tall 1,800-pound bronze statue of “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier after it was unveiled in 2015.

    Jacqueline Frazier-Lyde, Frazier’s daughter, a retired professional boxing champion and a Municipal Court judge, expressed support for the move Wednesday, calling the statue a reminder that “we can overcome any obstacle and achieve.” She also recounted her father’s feelings on the Rocky statue, specifically when he would see tourists taking photos with Stallone’s character.

    “At times,” she said, “he would say, ‘Don’t they understand that I’m the heavyweight champion?’”

  • Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., 80, of Gladwyne, renowned pioneering knee surgeon, former head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Pennsylvania Hospital, celebrated antiquarian, professor, researcher, writer, lecturer, athlete, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, Jan. 15, of complications from cancer at his home.

    Born in Philadelphia and reared in Haddonfield, Dr. Booth was a top honors student at Haddonfield Memorial High School, Princeton University, and what is now the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was good at seeing things differently and went on to design new artificial knee joint implants and improved surgical instruments, serve as chief of orthopedics at Pennsylvania Hospital, and mentor celebrated surgical staffs at Jefferson Health, Aria Health, and Penn Medicine.

    He joined with two other prominent doctors to cofound the 3B orthopedic private practice in the late 1990s and, over 50 years until recently, performed more than 50,000 knee replacements, more than anyone, according to several sources. Last March 26, he did five knee replacements on his 80th birthday.

    In a tribute, fellow physician Alex Vaccaro, president of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, said: “He restored mobility to thousands, pairing unmatched technical mastery with a compassion that patients never forgot.”

    In a 1989 story about his career, Dr. Booth told The Inquirer: “It’s so much fun and so gratifying and so rewarding to see what it means to these people. You don’t see that in the operating room. You see that in the follow-ups. That’s the fun of being a surgeon.”

    Friends called him “a legend in his profession” and “a friend to everyone” in online tributes. He was known to check in with patients the night before every surgery, and a colleague said online: “Patients were all shocked by his compassion.”

    Dr. Booth was also praised for his organization and collaboration in the operating room. “His OR was a clinic in team work and efficiency,” a former colleague said on LinkedIn.

    He told Medical Economics magazine in 2015: “I love fixing things. I like the mechanics and the positivity of something assembled and fixed.”

    This article about Dr. Booth’s practice was published in The Inquirer in 2015.

    His procedural innovations reduced infection rates and increased success rates. They were scrutinized in case studies by Harvard University and others, and replicated by colleagues around the world. Some of the instruments he redesigned, such as the Booth retractor, bear his name.

    He was president of the Illinois-based Knee Society in the early 2000s and earned its 2026 lifetime achievement award. In an Instagram post, colleagues there called him “one of the most influential leaders in the history of knee arthroplasty.”

    Dr. Booth replaced both knees at once on a 52-year old in 2015.

    He was a professor of orthopedics at Penn’s school of medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the old Allegheny University of Health Sciences. He loved language and studied poetry on a scholarship in England after Princeton and before medical school at Penn. He told his family that his greatest professional satisfaction was using both his “manual and linguistic skills.”

    He was onetime president of the International Spine Study Group and volunteered with the nonprofit Operation Walk Denver to provide free surgical care for severe arthritis patients in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Colleagues at Operation Walk Denver noted his “remarkable spirit, profound expertise, and unwavering commitment” in a Facebook tribute.

    This story about Dr. Booth’s charitable work abroad appeared in The Inquirer in 2020.

    At home, Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, amassed an extensive collection of Shaker and Pennsylvania German folk art. They curated five notable exhibitions at the Philadelphia Antiques Show and were recognized as exceptional collectors in 2011 by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.

    He lectured widely about art and antiques, and wrote articles for Magazine Antiques and other publications. He was president of the American Folk Art Society and active at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire.

    “He was larger than life for sure,” said his daughter, Courtney.

    Robert Emrey Booth Jr. was born March 26, 1945, in Philadelphia. He was the salutatorian of his senior class and ran track and field at Haddonfield High School.

    Dr. Booth enjoyed time with his family.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Princeton in 1967, won a letter on the swimming and diving team, and played on the school’s Ivy League championship lacrosse team as a senior. He wrote his senior thesis about poet William Butler Yeats and returned to Philadelphia from England at the suggestion of his father, a prominent radiologist, to become a doctor. He graduated from Penn’s medical school in 1972.

    “I always liked the intellectual side of medicine,” he told Medical Economics. “And once I got to see the clinical side, I was pretty well hooked.”

    3B Orthopedics moves to Aria Health from Pennsylvania Hospital

    He met Kathy Plummer at a wedding, and they married in 1972 and had a daughter, Courtney, and sons Robert and Thomas. They lived in Society Hill, Haddonfield, and Gladwyne.

    Dr. Booth liked to ski and play golf. He was an avid reader and enjoyed time with his family on Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine.

    “He was quite the person, quite the partner, and quite the husband,” his wife said, “and I’m so proud of what we built together.”

    Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, married in 1972.

    In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Booth is survived by six grandchildren and other relatives.

    A private celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations in his name may be made to Operation Walk Denver, 950 E. Harvard Ave., Suite 230, Denver, Colo. 80210.

  • The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a move to the Art Museum

    The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a move to the Art Museum

    The blank space that our famed Rocky statue is slated to soon leave at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps will be filled by a monument to someone a whole lot less fictional — and it has been a long time coming.

    After just over a decade standing outside of what is now known as Stateside Live!, the city’s statue of Philly’s own “Smokin’” Joe Frazier will be the newest Philly boxer to call the Art Museum home. The Philadelphia Art Commission on Wednesday approved a plan detailing the move presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector.

    That plan is the latest development in a saga that began before Frazier’s death from liver cancer in 2011. Frazier’s statue was unveiled in 2015 after years of work and advocacy. Fans and supporters considered the lack of a statue an injustice, given that the statue of Rocky Balboa has been in the city for more than 40 years and he’s not even a real person.

    Rocky, in fact, has been stationed at the base of the Art Museum steps since 2006. That lengthy run follows installations not only at the top of the steps, but also at the sports complex in South Philadelphia, where the Frazier statue has been located since its inception. And Rocky has been in its current home twice as long as the Frazier statue has existed.

    Still, Philly’s Frazier statue has a storied history of its own. Here is how The Inquirer and the Daily News covered it:

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/191021228/

    Article from Nov 12, 2011 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Early advocacy

    Frazier’s supporters had long lamented that Philadelphia lacked a memorial to the boxer. In fact, in a June 2011 Daily News poll, nearly 21% of respondents said Smokin’ Joe should be the next Philadelphia legend honored with a statue — second only to Flyers great Bob Clarke, who himself got a statue in 2013.

    Calls for a statue intensified after Frazier’s death in November 2011. His loved ones and fans — including fellow Philly boxing great Bernard Hopkins — leaned on the city to memorialize the fallen legend. As Hopkins that year told the Daily News, the city ought to “build the biggest statue in appreciation for all the heart and love” Frazier gave to Philadelphia.

    Following his death, Frazier lay in state at the Wells Fargo Center to allow friends, family, and fans to grieve. At Frazier’s funeral, the Rev. Jesse Jackson admonished the city for its lack of respect to Frazier.

    “Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” Jackson said to cheers. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/191021343/

    Article from Mar 9, 2012 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Building momentum despite challenges

    In March 2012, two months after what would have been Frazier’s 68th birthday, boxing promoter Joe Hand — a longtime Frazier supporter — publicized plans for a life-size statue of Frazier that would be placed near what was then Xfinity Live! Hand pledged a memorial, at a cost of $200,000, would be built.

    Divisions among family members, friends, and business partners emerged, but by that September, Frazier’s family — led by daughters and estate executors Weatta Collins and Renae Martin — took over efforts for a statue.

    Hand later bowed out of the proceedings, leaving the memorial up to Frazier’s family with backing from the city via the Fund for Philadelphia. Plans later shifted to a $150,000 funding goal for the statue, with support from the city under then-Mayor Michael Nutter, who was a longtime Frazier fan dating back to his childhood.

    “[This is] a very personal moment for me to be in this position and make this announcement about someone I truly admire,” Nutter told The Inquirer in 2012.

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/191021483/

    Article from Apr 25, 2013 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Setbacks and continued effort

    In April 2013, Frazier’s family and the city selected New Hampshire-based sculptor Lawrence J. Nowlan to helm the project. An Overbrook Park native, Nowlan homed in on an image of Frazier knocking down fellow legend Muhammad Ali in the famed 1971 “Fight of the Century” as the statue’s inspiration.

    But in late July, Nowlan unexpectedly died at the age of 48. The city proceeded with its Frazier statue plans, and roughly three months later selected Fishtown-based sculptor Stephen Layne as Nowlan’s replacement.

    “We all deeply regret the passing of sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and the loss of his artistry in this project,” Nutter said at the time. “But Mr. Nowlan’s untimely passing will not deter us from honoring a great Philadelphian.”

    Layne largely stuck with Nowlan’s plan, and in December 2013, the Philadelphia Art Commission approved designs for a statue depicting Frazier during the iconic Ali fight. It was, The Inquirer reported, expected to stand nine feet tall, plus a three-foot base, ultimately to be cast in bronze.

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/191021607/

    Article from Sep 13, 2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Frazier’s unveiling

    Among the most ardent supporters of the Frazier statue ahead of its unveiling in September 2015 was boxer Hopkins, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to see it erected. In April 2014, he told the Daily News that Frazier “has a rightful place in Philadelphia history and that should be honored.”

    Sculptor Layne, meanwhile, plugged away at the statue for months. The pose, he told the Daily News ahead of its unveiling, showed a “pivotal moment” in Frazier’s career, which itself showed a “blue-collar mentality” that showcased his connection to Philadelphia perfectly.

    And finally, on Sept. 12, 2015, Philly finally got its first look at the statue with its unveiling on the corner of 11th Street and Pattison Avenue. Family and friends pulled a green shroud off the statue in front of several hundred onlookers.

    “I am very happy to know Joe is being honored and memorialized in the city he loved, something that is long overdue,” Ali, Frazier’s longtime arch-nemesis, told the Daily News. “Joe was a great boxer and a worthy opponent in the ring. He always brought his best whenever he stepped inside the ropes. My only regret is that Joe won’t be there to share in the celebration.”

  • Brandi Carlile kicks off her new tour in Philadelphia, ‘the perfect place to start something this terrifying’

    Brandi Carlile kicks off her new tour in Philadelphia, ‘the perfect place to start something this terrifying’

    An arena-sized pop show isn’t the place to go if you’re hoping to be surprised.

    Big productions tend to be risk averse. The music needs to work in unison with what’s on the giant video screens, so night-to-night variation is discouraged. If a tour’s been on the road, googling the set list eliminates mystery and lets you know what’s coming next.

    But part of what made Brandi Carlile’s show on Tuesday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena such a kick is that almost none of that was in play.

    Not only was it opening night on Carlile’s “Human Tour” — named after a song on her new album, Returning To Myself — it was also the start of her first-ever arena tour.

    That kept Carlile’s intensely loyal audience in suspense on what was a career milestone night for the Seattle songwriter who had chalked up another milestone, just two days ago.

    On Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif., the Seahawks fan had sung a lovely, understated “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl LX, opening for her hometown team and Bad Bunny. She was accompanied by SistaStrings, the cello-violin duo of Monique and Chauntee Ross who were also with her in South Philly Tuesday night.

    So you couldn’t blame Carlile for being giddy as she reveled in her dream-come-true after 20 years on the road with twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth, who were on either side of her as always on Tuesday. They play guitar and bass at the core of a band that’s now swelled to eight members.

    Brandi Carlile performs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. The Philadelphia show kicked off the singer’s first-ever arena tour.

    Carlile took the stage after the crowd got into the groove as Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” played on the sound system, following a solid well-sung set by indie-folk band and fellow Seattle music scene standouts, the Head and the Heart.

    She opened her two-hour-plus, 22-song show on acoustic guitar, silhouetted in an orange-and-yellow spotlight as she stood behind a curtain singing Returning to Myself’s title cut.

    The volume turned up gradually on the carpe diem “Human,” and full-on rocker “Mainstream Kid,” from her 2015 The Firewatcher’s Daughter, which wrestled with the implications of an outsider aiming for mass market success.

    She answered those soul-searching questions with “Swing for the Fences,” a vow to grab the brass ring from Who Believes in Angels?, her 2025 album with Elton John.

    Then she took a minute to take it all in — and to also shout-out the tiny Old City venue where she played her first Philly gig in 2005.

    “It’s an incredible feeling,” Carlile told the crowd, which skewed about a decade older than her, in the packed 21,000-seat arena.

    Brandi Carlile performs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Carlile sang ‘America the Beautiful’ at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. .

    “It reminds me of what it was like to see Celine Dion when I was a kid. You can’t really fathom it when you’ve been in a van all these years, and you first came to Philadelphia and played the Tin Angel, no one could have made me believe that we’re standing where we’re standing right now. It’s just wild.”

    Carlile is an expert community builder. Every January she hosts a “Girls Just Wanna” weekend, a woman-centric festival in Riviera Maya, Mexico. This May, she’s presenting “Echoes Through the Canyon at the Gorge” in Washington state, which will reunite The Highwomen, her country supergroup with Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires.

    Tuesday’s show was a master class on breaking down the wall between performer and audience.

    “How did you guys like starting by listening to ‘Like a Prayer,’” she asked, taking the crowd with her behind the curtain. “We’re trying to figure out what songs do we play while people walk in? What are we gonna do with the set list?

    A fan takes a photo while Brandi Carlile performs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.

    “Everything tonight is an experiment for us. And I don’t think there’s a crowd that’s better to do this for because everybody knows Philadelphia is gonna be honest. You’re not going to suffer in silence. And I’ve just been coming here for so long that it really does feel like the perfect place to start something this terrifying.”

    That may make the “Human Tour” opening concert sound like a dress rehearsal, but the band, which also included pianist Dave McKay, drummer Terence Clark, and multi-instrumentalist Solomon Dorsey, were in mid-tour form.

    At one point, she dismissed the band other than the Hanseroths and took requests. That resulted in charmingly casual versions of “What Can I Say” from 2005’s Brandi Carlile and “Josephine” from 2007’s The Story.

    Brandi Carlile performs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. The Philadelphia show kicked off the singer’s first-ever arena tour

    Connecting with heroes and influences is part of Carlile’s brand. She produced a comeback record for country vet Tanya Tucker and organized the “Joni Jams” private sessions in L.A. that led Joni Mitchell to return to perform again in public in 2022 after suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015.

    “Joni” was left off the set list Tuesday; just as well as it’s one of the spottier tunes on Returning to Myself. Instead, she paid tribute to Linda Ronstadt’s 1970 Gary White-penned “Long Long Time,” which was heartfelt and delivered with plenty of power, if it lacked Ronstadt’s nuance.

    The show was quiet and rowdy. In the latter category was “Sinners, Saints and Fools,” from 2021’s In These Silent Days, about a Christian man who turns away immigrants, then is surprised to find heaven closed off to him.

    Carlile dedicated it to “the immigrants who built this country” and acknowledged talking politics in a room full of like-minded people felt “a little like an echo chamber.” But “isn’t it nice just to get together and realize we all feel the same way?” Then she sang, “as a catharsis to myself.”

    Brandi Carlile performs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. The Philadelphia show kicked off the singer’s first-ever arena tour

    For all her affection for roots music, Carlile is a Pacific Northwest child of ’90s grunge and alt-rock who stood in for the late Chris Cornell of Soundgarden at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2025.

    Her Alanis Morissette fandom showed up twice during the three-song encore during which she sported a Sixers scarf. First, she offered a high-volume cover of Morissette’s “Uninvited,” with the band unleashing a blaring wall of sound.

    Then, show ended with “A Long Goodbye,” which references Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Carlile described the autobiographical song as “me, in 4 minutes and 48 seconds” and her hushed performance achieved what she said she saw as her job for the evening: “To be in this big room and make it seem small.”

  • QVC may file for bankruptcy, according to a new report. Here’s what to know.

    QVC may file for bankruptcy, according to a new report. Here’s what to know.

    The West Chester-based QVC Group is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as its financial troubles mount, according to Bloomberg.

    The TV shopping network has been negotiating the voluntary restructuring of billions in debt during confidential conversations with creditors, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

    A final decision had not been made on whether the company would file, according to Bloomberg. As of midday Wednesday, a search for “QVC Group” in online court records did not show any bankruptcy filings.

    In September, QVC Group had $6.6 billion in debt and $1.8 billion in cash or cash equivalents, according to its latest earnings report.

    A QVC Group spokesperson did not return a request for comment from The Inquirer. On Tuesday, company representatives did not immediately respond to Bloomberg or the Philadelphia Business Journal.

    After Bloomberg’s article published, QVC Group’s stock price took a nosedive, losing about two-thirds of its value by the end of the trading day.

    How QVC got into these financial straits

    Based in West Chester for more than three decades, QVC pioneered home shopping.

    Before consumers could make purchases on laptops and smartphones, the network and its smaller counterpart HSN — which until recently was based in Florida — broadcast on live TV at all hours. Anchors sold a wide array of clothing, electronics, household goods, beauty products, and other wares.

    A QVC show is shot at the network’s West Chester studio in this 2019 file photo.

    The news of a potential bankruptcy comes after a tumultuous few years.

    In early 2025, executives closed HSN’s studio in St. Petersburg, Fla., and consolidated both networks on its West Chester campus, laying off hundreds of employees in the process.

    Around the same time, the parent company rebranded as QVC Group. Executives said they planned to focus more on livestreaming and social-media shopping to keep up with stiff competition from the likes of TikTok Shop.

    “Live social shopping is a natural evolution for us,” David L. Rawlinson II, the company’s president and CEO, said in a November 2024 statement. “Our customers are spending dramatically more time on social media, and that is increasingly where they are finding inspiration and shopping.”

    David L. Rawlinson II, CEO of QVC Group, is shown in this 2023 file photo.

    The strategy did not prove fruitful.

    By May, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs took a toll, Rawlinson said the company was taking steps to cut costs and win back customers who were feeling down on the economy. That included an agreement with TikTok that the CEO said would create “the first 24/7 live shopping experience in the U.S.”

    Then in August, a company spokesperson announced plans to hire about 250 employees by early 2026. It was not clear Wednesday whether those hires were ever made.

    Despite these changes, QVC’s revenue and operating income have continued to decline, according to earnings reports, and the company has continued shedding customers.

    As of September, about 7 million people had shopped on the networks in the past year, down from 8.1 million in fiscal year 2023.

    QVC Group is set to release its fourth quarter 2025 earnings report later this month.

    What Chapter 11 bankruptcy could mean for QVC

    A holiday segment is taped at QVC’s West Chester studio in this 2023 file photo.

    A Chapter 11 bankruptcy would not mean the end of QVC.

    Chapter 11 is different from Chapter 7, which involves the liquidation of assets. (Iron Hill Brewery closed all restaurants when it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this fall.)

    After filing for Chapter 11 protection, companies usually continue to operate, though they often decide to close locations or downsize in other ways amid the restructuring process.

    Saks Global, for instance, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, announced Tuesday that its restructuring would involve the closure of its longstanding Bala Cynwyd store, as well as nine other Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus locations.

  • Penn State’s Gavin McKenna has preliminary hearing for assault charge rescheduled to March 11

    Penn State’s Gavin McKenna has preliminary hearing for assault charge rescheduled to March 11

    Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft, will be due in court next on March 11, according to Centre County Courthouse documents.

    McKenna, who is facing three charges relating to an alleged assault in State College on Jan. 31, was initially set to have his preliminary hearing on Wednesday. He is alleged to have punched a 21-year-old man twice in the face, resulting in a fractured jaw that required corrective surgery. According to police, the incident occurred after a verbal exchange between the two on the 100 block of South Pugh Street in the hours after Penn State’s outdoor hockey game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.

    Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, a top 2026 NHL draft prospect, charged with aggravated assault

    The preliminary hearing’s postponement comes less than a week after prosecutors dropped an initial felony charge of aggravated assault. The Centre County District Attorney’s Office and State College Police said in a statement that “a review of the video does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life,“ which is the standard for probable cause for aggravated assault in Pennsylvania.

    McKenna, 18, now faces a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, as well as charges of harassment and disorderly conduct for engaging in fighting. The simple assault charge carries a maximum of two years in prison, while fines are attached to the three charges. He remains released on $20,000 unsecured bail.

    With the preliminary hearing postponed, McKenna is expected to play for the No. 6 Nittany Lions on Friday at No. 2 Michigan, a source confirmed to the Inquirer. That game will mark Penn State’s first action since the alleged assault. Penn State’s regular season ends on March 6, with the Big Ten tournament set to commence on March 11, the same day as McKenna’s preliminary hearing.

    Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, has 32 points in 24 games so far as a freshman.

    “We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment,” Penn State said in a statement on Feb. 4.

    McKenna’s adviser Pat Brisson has not commented publicly on the matter.

    A native of Whitehorse, Yukon, the Canadian winger is ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s 2026 Central Scouting list among North American skaters. After a new rule was passed granting Canadian Hockey League players NCAA eligibility this season, McKenna left the CHL in the summer to play college hockey.

    McKenna, a freshman, is one of the biggest recruits to ever play college hockey and one of the faces of the changing landscape of the sport. He has 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games this season for Penn State, which reached its first Frozen Four in school history last season and entered this season as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

    Penn State’s Gavin McKenna is once again stating his case to be the No. 1 overall pick
  • St. Joseph’s drops 15-point lead in winnable matchup with Fordham

    St. Joseph’s drops 15-point lead in winnable matchup with Fordham

    St. Joseph led Fordham by 15 points on Tuesday night at Hagan Arena. After a crushing loss to George Mason three days earlier, the Hawks were on the verge of forcing a blowout against a team that had won just three Atlantic 10 games entering the contest.

    Then the Rams began mounting a comeback and the Hawks had no chance to stop it. After knocking down 50% of its shots in the first half, St. Joe’s went mute as it made 7 of 24 shots (29.17%) in the second. Guard Austin Williford, who finished with a career-high 19 points, scoring 17 in the first 20 minutes, did not get another bucket until four minutes remained in the game.

    Guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano scored all of his 10 points in the first half. The stagnant offense resulted in a 68-64 loss.

    St. Joseph’s is unable to upset George Mason despite pushing the game to the brink

    “Obviously the second half was not one of our better efforts offensively,” coach Steve Donahue said. “I thought we competed at a high level. Guarding was very physical, but we did not do a good job handling that in the second half, and allowed their physicality to just take us out of our rhythm.”

    However, St. Joe’s (15-10, 7-5 A-10), which is now riding a two-game skid, is still in contention for a coveted top-four seed to earn a double bye in the conference tournament next month.

    Game-changing moment

    St. Joe’s attacked Fordham’s zone with ease for the first 20 minutes of play. Glover-Toscano scored 10 points in the first 14 minutes.

    Then Williford, who has become a regular in the starting lineup, made a layup and nailed three consecutive three-pointers. His play made up for scoring leader Derek Simpson not scoring a bucket in the first half.

    “I think he’s got a great future ahead of him,” Donahue said. “Even he’ll say the second half wasn’t his best, it wasn’t our best, and it got us tonight.”

    St. Joe’s coach Steve Donahue says his team was making “uncharacteristic” errors in Tuesday’s loss to Fordham.

    St. Joe’s success ended after Fordham (13-12, 4-8) switched up its defenses in the second half. The Rams made it difficult for the Hawks to run their offense. They ended the second half with nearly as many turnovers (six) as field goals (seven).

    “That’s a sign we’re not in rhythm or there’s no synergy in the offense.” Donahue said. “When you take one with 10 or 12 [seconds] left there, you’re kind of open. We’ve done that to ourselves a few times this year. My job is to get us out of this.”

    The A-10 race

    St. Joe’s dropped its second straight game in a similar fashion. The Hawks allowed George Mason to snag a win after holding a second half lead on Saturday. In that loss, they shot 29.03%, despite grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.

    After winning seven of eight before Saturday’s loss, St. Joe’s looked poised to earn a fourth-place finish, which is the final spot for a double bye in the A-10 tournament.

    Now, Davidson, Duquesne, and Dayton all trail St. Joe’s by a game in the standings. The Flyers and Wildcats face another on Sunday, while Duquesne plays on Saturday. There’s a chance there could be a three-way tie for fourth place by the end of this weekend.

    With six games remaining, Donahue is looking to get St. Joe’s back to how his team was playing in January.

    “This is A to B. This is the stuff we talked about. Now we’ve got to live it,” Donahue said. “We were uncharacteristic [on Tuesday] in some ways. In particular, on the offensive end. For the next eight days, you have to do a great job.”

    Up next

    The Hawks will visit St. Bonaventure (14-10, 3-8) on Feb. 18 (7 p.m., ESPN+).

  • Wednesday’s Olympic TV schedule: Speedskater Jordan Stolz, Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate second gold

    Wednesday’s Olympic TV schedule: Speedskater Jordan Stolz, Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate second gold

    Two United States Olympic stars will make their debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday.

    Jordan Stolz, the American speedskating phenom whose dominance has been compared to Michael Phelps, is set to compete in the men’s 1,000-meter race at 12:30 p.m. Philadelphia time on NBC.

    Stolz, 21, enters the race as the gold medal favorite, and is expected to be among the top competitors in the 500, 1,500, and mass start, a long-track race in which everyone starts together and the top three finishers make the podium.

    The Wisconsin native holds the world record in the 1,000-meter race (1:05.37), which he set in 2024, and plans to wear the same pair of skates when he takes the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.

    United States snowboarder Chloe Kim is trying for her third straight women’s halfpipe gold medal.

    More than 140 miles to the north, U.S. snowboarder and Princeton grad Chloe Kim continued her quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal by making it through the halfpipe qualifiers early Wednesday morning.

    The halfpipe finals begin Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

    Figure skating duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who already won a gold medal in the team event, will compete in the free dance event beginning at 1:15 p.m. on USA Network. They sit in second place behind the French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.

    Philly connections to the Winter Olympics, from a young figure skater to Donovan McNabb’s niece

    How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online

    NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference from Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.

    As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.

    NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.

    Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.

    On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.

    Here is the full event schedule for the entire Olympics, and here are live scores and results.

    Wednesday’s Olympic TV schedule

    As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.

    NBC

    • Noon: Freestyle skiing — women’s moguls final (tape-delayed)
    • 12:30 p.m.: Speedskating — Men’s 1,000 meters
    • 1:30 p.m.: Snowboarding — Men’s halfpipe qualification
    • 2:15 p.m.: Figure skating — Free dance (final groups)
    • 8 p.m.: Prime time in Milan, with replays including Alpine skiing, figure skating, and speedskating
    • 11:35 p.m.: Late show replays including freestyle skiing and snowboarding

    USA Network

    • 4:45 a.m.: Snowboarding — Women’s halfpipe qualification
    • 5:30 a.m.: Alpine skiing — Men’s super-G
    • 6:45 a.m.: Snowboarding — women’s halfpipe
    • 7:30 a.m.: Freestyle skiing — women’s moguls
    • 8:15 a.m.: Freestyle skiing — women’s moguls final
    • 9:15 a.m.: Biathlon — Women’s 15 kilometer individual
    • 10:40 a.m.: Men’s ice hockey — Slovakia vs. Finland
    • 11 a.m.: Luge — Women’s and men’s doubles
    • 1:15 p.m.: Figure skating — Free dance
    • 3:25 p.m.: Men’s ice hockey — Sweden vs. U.S.