In the five-county Philadelphia region, nearly 34,000 veterans depend on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits. These benefits are not just a lifeline; they are a powerful economic engine that pumps nearly $955 million into our local economy every year.
But on Oct. 29, the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing to “reform” the disability system, laying the groundwork to gut this vital support by using a false narrative that targets the very veterans who need it most.
The hearing was built around a proposal by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) to create a commission similar to a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) procedure to fast-track changes, and by the testimony of one star witness, Daniel Gade.
Gade, a retired Army colonel, professor, and disabilities activist who was badly wounded in Iraq and is now running for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, argued that disability benefits “rob veterans of purpose” and that conditions like tinnitus and hypertension should not be compensated.
As a Navy veteran and a medical student, I was alarmed by the medical and data-driven inaccuracies used to justify this attack.
Questioning PTSD
Gade’s claim that PTSD is “curable,” and thus shouldn’t be permanently compensated, is medically false. As any first-year medical student knows, post-traumatic stress disorder is a chronic condition that, at best, can be managed into remission. It is not “cured.”
Gade’s dismissal of hypertension as a “lifestyle” condition is equally dangerous. As the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has testified, hypertension is scientifically linked to military service and associated with common toxic exposures to Agent Orange and other toxic substances. These conditions are not lifestyle choices; they are the documented, latent wounds of military service.
My research at Temple University involves analyzing large medical data sets, and the data here is clear: The fraud narrative is a myth. The DAV’s testimony confirmed that the VA sees “fewer than 200 fraud convictions annually” out of nearly “3 million claims.” That is a fraud conviction rate of less than 1/100th of 1%.
This isn’t just a national story. This rhetoric insults the 33,816 veterans in the Philadelphia region who receive these earned benefits.
In other words, the “veteran fraud” narrative is a dangerous distraction from the real problem: a broken VA disability system. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) agreed, confirming that the system has been on its “High Risk List” since 2003 due to “longstanding challenges” concerning oversight and training.
Exterior of Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Regional Benefit Office, 5000 Wissahickon Ave.
While Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman do not sit on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the financial stability of over 33,000 of their constituents, and nearly a billion dollars in our local economy, is on the line.
I urge them to publicly oppose this dangerous commission and demand Congress focus on the real problems: cracking down on the claim sharks who prey on veterans, and fixing the VA management failures the watchdogs have identified for decades.
Alyster Alcudia is a U.S. Navy veteran, a former nuclear submarine warfare officer, and a medical student in Philadelphia.
Sixty-two years ago, Allan Sherman was all the rage.
Sherman, the singer and comedian who specialized in wry song parodies rife with references to Jewish culture, released three albums that all topped the Billboard charts in 1963.
The popularity of “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp),” a song about a spoiled child writing home from summer camp, set to music from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda, made his My Son, the Nut the fastest-selling album ever up to that point in time.
And judging from the lineup that will perform at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday, affection for Sherman, who died in 1973 at age 48, remains strong with musicians across a wide range of genres.
The A-list lineup includes performance artist Laurie Anderson, centenarian Sun Ra Arkestra leader and free jazz sax player Marshall Allen, NRBQ pianist Terry Adams, English songwriter and novelist (and Philly resident) Wesley Stace, Dead Milkmen vocalist Rodney Anonymous, Hooters singer-guitarist Eric Bazilian, and Low Cut Connie bandleader Adam Weiner.
Bringing these eclectic talents together in tribute to the musical humorist who’s been called “Weird Al Yankovic’s Founding ‘Faddah’” is Bucks County native Jonathan Stein, who coproduced the show with his partner Jess Gonchor.
A handful of VIP-level tickets remain for the otherwise sold-out 8 p.m. “Glory, Glory.” By popular demand, a 3 p.m. dress rehearsal show has been added, for which tickets are available.
For over a decade, Stein has been working on an in-and-out-of-development project aiming to bringing a biopic of the pudgy, unlikely pop star who chronicled Jewish life in songs like “Sarah Jackman“ (set to the tune of “Frere Jacques”) and “Harvey and Sheila” (based on “Hava Nagila”).
Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen performs at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. He’ll be among the performers at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday.
Stein is also a fan of Hal Willner, the Philadelphia-born producer who specialized in bringing musicians of diverse backgrounds together to sing sea chanteys, or honor William S. Burroughs, or recast music from Walt Disney films.
The poster for “Glory, Glory” announces the concert is presented “in conjunction with the spirit of Hal Willner,” who died in the spring of 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-piece house band at the show will be led by pianist and bandleader Steve Weisberg, a longtime Willner associate.
Willner, the longtime Saturday Night Live sketch music coordinator, was the son of a Polish Holocaust survivor who co-owned Hymie’s Deli in Merion Station. In 2014, Willner put on a Sherman tribute in New York that featured many “Glory, Glory” guests, plus luminaries like the composer Philip Glass.
Philadelphia-born record producer Hal Willner, who died in 2020. He is the inspiration behind “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday. The photo was taken by Willner’s late friend Lou Reed.
The diversity of the “Glory, Glory” bill reflects Willner’s try-anything aesthetic. It includes Robert Smigel, the comic behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog; actress Chloe Webb, who played Sid Vicious’ Philadelphia-born girlfriend Nancy Spungen in Sid & Nancy; and “banshee mandolin” player John Kruth.
“Hal had this Rolodex, and people just wanted to do his shows,” says Stein. “When we started talking about doing this, and Hal’s name was invoked, people started coming on board left and right, because they know what kind of show it’s going to be, and they want to be a part of it.”
When Dan Samuels, the Weitzman’s director of public programs, first got Stein’s pitch to bring the Sherman show to the museum he thought, “This is crazy!” but in the best possible way, he says, while on a Zoom call with Stein this week.
Generations of fans “came up on Allan Sherman, or their parents had the records in the house, or their grandparents had the records in the house, or maybe because they just know [”Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh”],” says Samuels, who also grew up in Bucks County. “They’re going to be surprised when they realize the version of the songs are not going to sound like they did on the records. They might be really surprised when they hear Marshall Allen.”
Philadelphia singer and novelist Wesley Stace is among the performers at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute to the late song parodist and comedian Allan Sherman at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
Stace counted himself in, and connected Stein with the Hooters’ Bazilian and Low Cut Connie’s Weiner. “They both e-mailed me back and said: ‘I’m in,’” Stein says. “And those three right there are the beginnings of a great hometown show.”
Almost all of the artists on Stein’s wish list came back with a yes, including pianist Adams, who worked with Willner on many projects, and Anderson, who also teamed with Willner and is the widow of Willner’s close friend Lou Reed.
Just this week, however, he did get “a very kind rejection letter from the Phillie Phanatic. He expressed his regrets and “apologized that he’s already booked,” Stein says.
Another Philly icon that Stein did get is the Dead Milkmen’s Anonymous. He’ll sing a song called “I’m a Punk.”
“Allan voiced The Cat in the Hat for CBS in 1971,” Stein says. “It’s just a really clever, pre-punk punk song, with the guy declaring that he’s just a punk,” which rhymes with “a crutunkulous shnunk!”
“When I asked him,” Stein says, “he said ‘Oh my God, I’m so honored to do it. My Mom and I would sing Allan Sherman songs together all the time.”
The poster for Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute, is being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday,
Stace’s history with Sherman goes back to his mid-‘70s schoolboy days in England. At a friend’s house, a pile of Velvet Underground, David Bowie, T-Rex and Roxy Music records gave him “my first proper education in music,” he says. And there was also one Allan Sherman album, My Son, the Celebrity, the second hit LP from 1963.
“That’s the one with the liner notes that says ‘the family are croquet players, with mallets toward none,’” says Stace, with a laugh. “I know that album inside out.”
At the Sherman tribute, Stace will perform “Won’t You Please Come Home, Disraeli” sung in the character of Queen Victoria to the tune of “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey,” and “Me,” in which Sherman described his physique as “a carcass” dressed in “the best from Neiman Marcus.”
“They’re both very funny songs,” Stace says. “I hope to do them justice.”
“Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” Dec. 4, 8 p.m., Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East. There is also a 3 p.m. dress rehearsal. theweitzman.org
How random are moments in our lives that we define as “coincidence?” Perhaps, not so much.
A basic premise of Ian Kershaw’s The Greatest Play in the History of the World is that fortunate moments present themselves under the guidance of time and space. And the potential for life-changing outcomes lies in our recognizing such opportunities and seizing them.
A joint production of the Inis Nua and Tiny Dynamite theater companies, The Greatest Play is a warm and endearing tale of love lost and rediscovered. Directed by Kathryn MacMilllan, it makes parallel use of male-female relationships and science-fantasy motifs — equal dollops of James Thurber and Ray Bradbury.
The story and all its characters are told entirely by one actor … and a litany of shoes. More on that later.
Set in a quaint British neighborhood and, more grandly, the universe itself, the play begins with 31-year-old Tom awakening to a world frozen in time. But through his bedroom window he spots one person — staring back from her window — 26-year-old Sarah, who lives across the street. Tom, who’s writing The Greatest Play in the History of the World, is obsessed with words, and Sarah is a traveler enamored of numbers. Both have lost at love and feel their lives ending.
Brett Ashley Robinson in Ian Kershaw’s “The Greatest Play in the History of the World.” A joint production of the Inis Nua and Tiny Dynamite theater companies, it is playing in Philadelphia through Dec. 14, 2025.
We’re soon introduced to the Forshaws, their elderly neighbors — also named Tom and Sarah, also aged five years apart, and also feeling life has stopped. Mrs. Forshaw, in the last stages of life, recalls teaching her former students about Carl Sagan’s Golden Record, an audio-visual collection included in NASA’s 1977 Voyager launch, offering a taste of our world to aliens who might stumble upon it.
The denouement of the play asks what we would choose as a personal remembrance in that vastness of space.
Barrymore awardee Brett Ashley Robinson narrates the monologue, and projects an unmistakable charm, maintaining a brisk pace throughout the 80-minute evening, a challenge for any actor. Her empathy is unmistakable, sustained with a smile that virtually never leaves her face.
Kershaw’s narrator leans exclusively into tale-telling, not role-playing. As such, our experience is that a novella is being read to us.
As for the shoes, Kershaw uses them to represent each character, and Robinson uses them to build rapport through audience interaction, demonstrating admirable improvisational skills.
Shannon Zura’s set/light design is inspired. A backdrop suggesting a cozy cottage gives way to an enchanting series of lighting effects. These create a sense of mystical science and the two-way power of windows. Adiah D. Hicks’ sound design includes voiceovers about the Voyager journey, interrupting Robinson’s narration with compelling contrast: the expanse of space versus the intimacy and love we require.
Brett Ashley Robinson in Ian Kershaw’s “The Greatest Play in the History of the World.” A joint production of the Inis Nua and Tiny Dynamite theatre companies is playing in Philadelphia through Dec. 14, 2025
Told with wry humor and eccentric details specific to both personalities and environment, the play moves toward an emotional conclusion. Can we capture those connections that may escape our awareness?
The current challenging environment for the arts shows the wisdom of the Inis Nua/Tiny Dynamite partnership. The commitment to bring recent plays from the United Kingdom here provides an opportunity for Philly audiences to see the human experience through distant yet familiar cultures. As warm holiday entertainment, The Greatest Play is one with that mission.
‘The Greatest Play in the History of the World’
(Community/Arts)
A story love, loss, and reunion told through the eyes of an omnipresent narrator, spacecraft music, and shoes.
⌚️ Through Dec. 13, 📍 Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks St. 🌐 tinydynamite.org
Theater reviews are produced independently by The Inquirer without editorial input by their sponsor, Visit Philadelphia.
A former Cherry Hill principal claims he did not engage in discriminatory behavior or retaliate against a former employee following a lawsuit filed earlier this year against administrators in the South Jersey school district.
In court documents filed last month, legal counsel for Daniel Finkle, the former principal of Cherry Hill High School East, denies claims made by former assistant principal David Francis-Maurer, who sued the school district and Finkle in September over alleged discrimination and retaliation.
Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit claims that top Cherry Hill officials, including Finkle and Superintendent Kwame Morton, “unlawfully conspired with each other” to subject Francis-Maurer to ”retaliatory conduct” and “severe, pervasive, and continuing instances of discrimination” based on his sexual orientation and religion (Francis-Maurer is gay and practices Judaism). Francis-Maurer also claims that administrators skirted student drug testing and mental health protocols. At the crux of Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit is the allegation that he was wrongfully terminated in May for blowing the whistle on Finkle’s behavior.
Legal counsel for Finkle says Francis-Maurer’s job performance, not whistleblowing, led to his firing.
According to filings from Finkle’s attorneys, Francis-Maurer was argumentative and made “egregious errors” as assistant principal. Specifically, they contend, Francis-Maurer was allegedly unresponsive to feedback and unwilling to collaborate with colleagues, and he failed to complete mandatory performance reviews of employees.
Finkle served as the principal of Cherry Hill High School East from August 2024 through his resignation in September. He was set to become principal of Hightstown High School in the East Windsor Regional School District this fall until the district rescinded its offer.
Francis-Maurer, called “DFM” by students, was hired in 2023 as an assistant principal at East. His termination in May was met with protest in the community, including a student-led walkout and a contentious public meeting in which students implored the school board to retain Francis-Maurer, calling him a “rare talent” who advocated for their needs. He is currently serving as assistant principal of Central High School in North Philadelphia.
Court filings by Finkle and the district dispute Francis-Maurer’s telling of numerous events over the course of the 2024-25 school year.
In Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit, he alleges that Finkle told him to “leave his identities ‘at the door,’” referring to Francis-Maurer’s being gay and practicing Judaism.
Finkle, who is also openly gay and Jewish, rebuts this, saying that “the insinuation that [Francis-Maurer] could not express this same identity is ludicrous.” Rather, Finkle says, he was explaining that when he walks through the school doors, he “does not assert any other identity than a high school principal” as his job is to “be there for every student regardless of their beliefs.” When Francis-Maurer asked if he was required to take the same approach, Finkle says he “told him no” but said that it has been effective, which Finkle described as an act of mentorship.
Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit claims that Finkle appeared in a video “trivializing” and “mocking” gender identity. Finkle was featured in a video published by the student government association lip-syncing to a sound bite that stated, “My pronouns are U.S.A.” Francis-Maurer says that parents complained to him about the video, and that when he confronted Finkle, the principal was “dismissive” and brushed him off.
In Finkle’s telling, he was “ignorant at the time” and didn’t know the sound bite was “anti-trans.” As soon as he was made aware of the video’s connotations, Finkle says, he immediately asked the student to take it down, which he did. Finkle says he then emailed the school’s Gay Straight Alliance adviser to take ownership of the incident and express that it was “never his intention to make any group feel marginalized.”
Finkle also pushed back against Francis-Maurer’s characterization of his handling of sensitive student issues.
Francis-Maurer claims that when a student who appeared to be under the influence was referred for drug testing, testing protocols were skirted, and that Finkle said, “I know the student doesn’t take drugs.”
According to Finkle’s court filings, a teacher’s suspicion that a student might be under the influence is not enough to constitute required drug testing. That particular student was not tested for drugs because a parent refused the test, the filing claims.
Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit also claims that after a student reported suicidal thoughts to a club adviser, the adviser texted the student continuously for five days without a response. Francis-Maurer says he raised concerns that an adviser was texting with a student from a personal phone, but “no disciplinary action was taken.”
Finkle, on the other hand, says that the student’s parent was immediately contacted and that Finkle met with the club adviser to explain that he could not use his personal cell phone to contact students. Finkle was informed that the adviser did not have a school email and worked with the district technology team to get him one. Finkle states that Francis-Maurer, who was then the supervisor of the club, “should have been more aware of the situation and addressed it before an issue arose.”
Francis-Maurer says that “the very next day” after he submitted a detailed complaint to top administrators about Finkle, outlining those concerns, Francis-Maurer was rated “partially effective” on parts of his performance review for the first time and was later placed on a performance improvement plan, despite a successful track record.
In a separate filing, attorneys for the district say this did not happen on “the very next day.” Rather, they say, Francis-Maurer submitted his complaint on Feb. 24 and the district submitted his performance evaluation on March 17.
Attorneys for Francis-Maurer describe his work as successful, citing an outpouring of support after his contract was not renewed. In Finkle’s characterization, however, Francis-Maurer would “argue incessantly” when told to complete a task and made “egregious errors” in his failure to properly evaluate employees.
Francis-Maurer’s conduct “demonstrated a lack of alignment with District and building priorities and an unwillingness to fully support the collective vision of the administrative team at High School East,” court filings from Finkle’s legal counsel claim.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
A recent report in the Washington Post reveals that before a Sept. 2 strike on a boat suspected of smuggling drugs, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to “kill them all” — a reference to the vessel’s crew. After an initial ordnance strike, two survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage. In order to comply with Hegseth’s order, an officer ordered a second missile strike on them. His blind obedience violated the standards of humane treatment of combatants during armed conflict that are clearly spelled out under the Geneva Conventions. People need to realize this incident won’t be a one-off if they don’t start condemning such tactics.
The conventions provide that all shipwrecked sailors, civilian or military, are to be protected, and all attempts on their lives are prohibited. The opposing party must treat them humanely and not willfully deny them medical care. It requires a party to the conflict to search for and care for those who are shipwrecked. Our country violated those rules on Sept. 2.
This incident is a stain on the Navy that no twisted excuse can erase. The report should silence the hand-wringers upset with the members of Congress who reminded military members about their duty to obey only lawful orders. The indifference to legality — or even basic humanity — that has been shown by both Hegseth and President Donald Trump necessitated that reminder. As a Navy veteran, I never thought my country would stoop to launching a missile at shipwrecked souls. Hegseth and those following his sick orders proved me wrong and made the U.S. Navy little better than the so-called narco-terrorists it is combating.
We can’t say we weren’t warned. Anyone who remembered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s full-throated support of Eddie Gallagher’s tactics as a Navy SEAL platoon leader in Afghanistan was aware of Hegseth’s depraved mindset about “war-fighting.” Gallagher, you may remember, was brought to trial for murder and torture of an Afghan ISIS fighter, and was magically acquitted by a surprise admission of guilt by one of his platoon members (Gallagher later admitted to killing the POW in his charge by performing “medical“ procedures on him). Hegseth, then a Fox News talking head, lobbied Donald Trump to grant clemency to Gallagher for the crime of taking a picture with the corpse. Trump pardoned the SEAL. No wonder it’s not difficult for anyone to believe Hegseth ordered the summary execution of survivors of a boat bombing who were holding on for dear life to wreckage in the open sea. Our “war” secretary sees the mission of his department as being, in his own words, to “kill people and break things.”
What have we come to? Are our service members given license to act as sadistic thugs in war? What will happen to our own troops if they become POWs of an enemy in some future military action? God help them — and God help us all.
PM Procacci, West Palm Beach, Fla.
What is your legacy?
I would love to ask each of our politicians and government officials how they believe they will be remembered once their time on this earth is at an end. Would you be remembered as an American patriot who put our country ahead of your own party and personal interests?
Would you expectthousands of people from all corners of the political spectrum to show love, respect, and admiration while mourning your loss, as was shown to John McCain, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Dick Cheney? Or would your passing be greeted with relief, or maybe not even noticed?
Your time on this earth is limited, but history will remember you for eternity. Once you are gone, the only footprint you will have left is your legacy. Is the desire for power and wealth worth leaving behind a tarnished legacy for eternity? How do you want to be remembered?
As an American patriot, or as a complicit part of a dark era in American history? The choice is yours; there is still time to write another chapter in your own personal history.
Fred Shapiro,Margate
Still loving leftovers
I’ve worked with an international team for several years now — and this time of year is always an opportunity for me to explain our American culture around Thanksgiving. Describing the celebration of football, food, and Friday shopping that necessitates the last Thursday in November off from work must seem like Bob Cratchit asking Ebenezer Scrooge for a full day off in A Christmas Carol. So I’ve resorted to this description: parades and food.
Turkey leftovers. Turkey soup. Turkey sandwiches. Lots of them.
In terms of parades, there is nothing like Philadelphia’s. I still remember the Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though it ended when I was only 7.
Philadelphians don’t know how lucky they are to have the best Thanksgiving Day parade around — and that’s not to mention the Mummers on New Year’s Day.
Michael Leibrandt, Abington
Playing nice with a tyrant
I found Jonathan Zimmerman’s recent column — about how we should stop referring to Donald Trump as a “fascist” — both aggravating and naive.
Mr. Zimmerman essentially wants us to “play nice” with Trump. Just like the spineless German politicians did with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. How did that turn out?
Has Mr. Zimmerman read the nefarious, hate-riddled treatise called Project 2025?
Or has he heard Trump call for the elimination of Democratic lawmakers? By elimination, I mean death.
Or has he heard Trump refer to journalists as ugly, pigs, etc.?
And the list of outrageous statements by Trump goes on and on and on — unabated and sadly often not refuted by the mainstream press.
Donald Trump is — by his own actions — a fascist. He is, in practice, the orange Hitler.
Europe learned a very sobering lesson in the 1930s: You can’t appease a tyrant! You must confront him on his own terms. He understands nothing else.
Stephen R. Gring, Ocean City, N.J., University of Pennsylvania, Class of 1979
. . .
In his recent column, Jonathan Zimmerman argues that in order to defeat Donald Trump, we must stop calling him names. The name Mr. Zimmerman suggests we stop using is fascist. He then goes on to say he does see elements of fascism in Trump’s MAGA movement: the relentless denunciation of perceived enemies, the Big Lie about elections, and his misguided belief that he is a strongman who alone can save us. But Mr. Zimmerman thinks it’s an enormous mistake to imagine all his supporters as fascists.
When you support a fascist, you are, in fact, a fascist. Not calling an evil by its name does not defeat it. It just denies reality. And that won’t make it go away.
Barry Berg,Langhorne
A must-win
If you are not yet afraid of the damage our current president is doing by appeasing his buddy Vladimir Putin, just watch 2000 Meters to Andriivka. Just five minutes in, and my stomach was in a knot, while the Russian devil destroyed these young men’s lives. Ukrainian men in hopeless positions, with broken arms and legs, begging their fellow soldiers to leave them behind in a burned-out, desolate wasteland. Meanwhile, a French army chief is warning its citizens that they must be ready for war, and that they must accept they may lose their children when they enlist in the military and head to the battlefield. Russia cannot be given one inch of Ukrainian territory. If we don’t support Ukraine and win this war, we are truly doomed — and we may end up losing our children, as well.
Beth Logue,Philadelphia
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Normally, you wouldn’t dream of letting someone with inferior skills handle the work you do so well. But how will they learn if they are never given the chance? Sooner or later, delegation will be necessary. Why not now?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You handled a situation in a dignified and mature way. Kudos. It’s OK to do the “rage version” to vent, too. That’s what private writing is for — a place where the unsaid, unpretty, unfair parts can get oxygen so they don’t rot inside you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Which is better: when disinterested people say the right thing due to good manners and social intelligence, or when curious, caring and socially awkward people say the wrong thing? You’ll give a pass to those with good intentions.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re not chasing attention. You give attention, and you give it generously. Pointing out what’s cool about the people around you is like a hobby to you. Funny thing is, the more you do that, the more you glow.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Expectation will change the game today, especially in how you perceive and participate in a relationship. If you go in expecting delight, you’ll notice more delight. If you go in expecting irritation, every quirk will feel like sandpaper.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). With a little more order, everyone has a better experience. That’s part of why people love being near you. Your calm steadiness sets the tone. Keep tending your systems; they’re what bring out your best.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll answer a call of duty. The tasks required of you won’t be difficult. The hardest part will be juggling these new elements in with what you’ve already got going on. This can work. And whatever gets dropped, you can come back to it later.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Reminders: You’re playing the long game. You’re learning how things work. There are many moving parts in the venture. You’re aware, and that’s what counts. New awareness equals new possibilities.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Trust your talent. Trust that your intelligence goes far beyond the factual. Trust that what you can talk about is but a sliver of what you really know. As you lean into your brilliance, a magical scene comes together.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When you stop trying to do it all yourself, the right people appear, each bringing a strength that fits perfectly with yours. You’ll get help in ways you couldn’t have planned.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Like magicians, we all practice a little art of misdirection, drawing eyes toward our shine and away from our flaws. It’s not deception. It’s survival, and sometimes even generosity. Today, focus on the magic, not the mechanics.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). That buzzkill you know isn’t trying to ruin your life. It’s just that some people build their sense of virtue from denying themselves joy and policing other people’s happiness. Performative morality isn’t the same as genuine goodness.
TODAY’SBIRTHDAY (Dec. 3). Welcome to your Year of Brilliant Alignment. Your talent matches the job, and the pay matches the lifestyle you aspire to. The love relationship falls right in with mutual goals. More highlights: A chance encounter leads to a partnership that multiplies your influence and resources. More highlights: financial freedom through invention; home harmony; and laughter that heals. Scorpio and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 11, 28, 37 and 23.
DEAR ABBY: I’m struggling with my integrity and an important friendship. My friend “Beth’s” husband, “Jerry,” came to my house to help with a construction project. After discussing the project, we sat down to visit for a bit. He was very forward with me and overly affectionate. (It’s been 10 years since I’ve had any affection.) He also talked about how affection doesn’t have to “mean anything,” which I believe is true — to an extent. I told him it was inappropriate, but I didn’t stop either of us when Jerry kissed me before leaving.
Part of me was thrilled at being kissed again, even though I know it was wrong. I am sure that I won’t allow it to happen again. I’m afraid to contact him and deliver that message directly, because there’s a chance it wouldn’t be a private message. I couldn’t tolerate Beth knowing this happened. I treasure her friendship. I’ve no idea if Jerry said anything to her about what happened. I’m panicked that I may have lost a treasured friend. Advice?
— AFRAID AND WORRIED
DEAR AFRAID: I do have some. If Jerry behaved this way with you, it is likely that he does this with other women who consult him about construction projects. I don’t think it is necessary for you to inform Beth about what happened, but seriously consider using another construction company for your repairs now and in the future. Jerry appears to be a classic cheater, and you are vulnerable after a long dry spell.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My son, “Grant,” who is 37, is autistic. My ex-wife removed him from a group home five years ago and took him out of the country. I made a mistake years ago by allowing her to have guardianship. I tried to stop them from leaving. I have had zero communication with my ex or Grant in those five years.
My 40-year-old daughter, her three children and her husband live with me. I have another daughter, age 35, who lives independently. My daughters have been in constant communication with their mother. My ex comes to the U.S. once a year and meets with them.
Both daughters had difficult younger years because Grant was violent. I have a good relationship with both of them. But every time I ask about Grant, I receive angry responses. I wouldn’t be surprised if Grant is no longer alive. I realize I likely don’t have that many more years and may depart this world without knowing anything about him. I haven’t had a photo or a word. Is there anything I can do?
— SAD FATHER IN NEW JERSEY
DEAR SAD FATHER: So your ex-wife and daughters have a code of silence regarding the whereabouts and welfare of your son. How cruel. Of course there’s something you can do. Pick up the phone, discuss this with your lawyer, and ask what information he or she can unearth about Grant. If necessary, hire a private detective to uncover where your ex took him and whether he’s still living. You have my sympathy.
Philadelphia City Council on Tuesday amended the initial budget for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s signature housing initiative to direct more money to programs that will help the lowest-income Philadelphians, a move that sparked one of the most notable confrontations between Parker and city lawmakers since she took office almost two years ago.
The amendment, which followed a weekslong standoff between the executive and legislative branches, represents a rare act of defiance for a Council that has otherwise been largely compliant with Parker’s agenda, and it appeared at first to be a major win for Philly progressives.
But Parker is not giving up the fight, and she said Tuesday night that the amendment may have had unintended consequences that could hold up much of the housing initiative for months.
The changes to the legislation, she said, may trigger additional procedural steps that will prevent the city from issuing $400 million in bonds to fund the initiative until March or later. The mayor did not hold back from laying the blame for the delays at Council’s feet.
“The resolution that City Council passed out of the Committee of the Whole today contained language that our bond lawyers have repeatedly advised would prevent the administration from being able to issue the bonds,” Parker said in a statement. “That means homes are not being restored. It means homes are not being built or repaired.”
In an unusually blunt statement late Tuesday night, Council President Kenyatta Johnson pushed back against the administration’s analysis of the situation.
“Council’s responsibility is not to rubber-stamp legislation, but to ensure that any multi-billion-dollar public investment is legally sound and targeted to the Philadelphians who need it most,” Johnson said.
But he also vowed to have Council quickly introduce new legislation that could ameliorate the procedural problem Parker identified, tacitly conceding that additional legislation was needed hours after lawmakers approved the resolution with no mention of that possibility.
Johnson said Council would “resolve remaining legal and policy issues swiftly,” and that a new measure to legalize lawmakers’ most recent changes could be introduced this week.
Council wants “shovels in the ground” and “homes repaired,” he said, but ”refuses to rush into issuing $800 million in debt without iron-clad legal protections and clear guarantees.”
“Council members repeatedly raised concerns — directly and in good faith — about accountability, neighborhood equity, homeowner protections, and the long-term impact of the H.O.M.E legislation,” he said. “Council’s action today strengthened the H.O.M.E resolution, not sabotaged it.”
The late-night war of words between Parker and Johnson came hours after a celebratory Council committee meeting in which lawmakers took a victory lap for standing up to the administration.
After the vote, Councilmember JamieGauthier and Councilmember Rue Landau, respectively the chair and vice chair of the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, said the amended resolution means “working and low-income families will finally be able to get the support they need sooner.”
“With roughly $30 million in federal homelessness funding at risk, it is more important than ever that this multiyear, $800 million investment begins by prioritizing the more than 200,000 Philadelphia households on the brink of losing their homes,” Gauthier and Landau said in a joint statement, referring to a federal policy change proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration that could cost the city millions in funding for anti-homelessness programs.
Council pushes for policy changes
Parker, who has long championed the city’s “middle neighborhoods,” structured her sweeping Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E, initiative to ensure that the myriad programs funded or created by the program would be available to homeowners and renters at a variety of income levels.
But Johnson — in an unexpected break from his usual alignment with Parker — stood with Gauthier and other progressives who fought to ensure the neediest city residents were prioritized in the budget resolution, which sets the first-year spending allocations for H.O.M.E. The distribution of funding must be approved by Council before the administration can issue the first of two planned $400 million tranches of city bonds that will finance much of the initiative.
Council’s Committee of the Whole, which includes all members, approved the amendment and advanced the resolution in a pair of unanimous voice votes Tuesday afternoon following hours of testimony.
The measure would now head to the Council floor for a final passage vote in the next two weeks. Parker’s statement, however, could mean Council has additional work to do before getting the measure over the finish line. Johnson’s office said the vote is still scheduled for Dec. 11.
“The majority of the members of City Council want to focus on the issues of those who are poor here in the city of Philadelphia when it comes to housing and equality,” Johnson told reporters after the vote.
It’s unclear whether the vote represents a serious rupture in the tight relationship between Parker and Johnson, who have worked closely together since both took office in January 2024. Council approved the most important pieces of legislation Parker proposed as part of the H.O.M.E initiative earlier this year, and the changes adopted Tuesday do not alter the fundamentals of the program, which Parker hopes will achieve her goal of creating or preserving 30,000 units of housing in her first four-year term.
“We support the H.O.M.E. plan,” Johnson said. “And I think the mayor did a good job in investing close to $1 billion … in supporting the issue of housing inequality here in the city of Philadelphia. This amendment represents the will of the members. … We want to specifically focus on those who are the most least well-off, those who are poor.”
But after reading about Parker’s statement in the evening, Johnson’s attitude toward the administration sharpened. His lengthy statement included the most critical language the Council president has directed at the mayor since they were inaugurated.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker unveils her long-awaited plan to build or preserve 30,000 units of housing during a special session of City Council Monday, Mar. 24, 2025. Council President Kenyatta Johnson is behind her.
Johnson rejected Parker’sclaim that the legislative delays could cause the popular Basic Systems Repair Program to temporarily run out of funding, saying that there is plenty of money in the current city budget to cover shortfalls.
“Threatening residents with a shutdown of the Basic Systems Repair Program and assigning blame does not move this process forward,” he said. “Collaboration and working together does.”
The amendment increases the first-year budget for spending the bond proceeds from $194.6 million to $277.2 million. The increased price tag, however, does not represent new money in the housing budget; it merely allows the administration to spend more of the $400 million in bond proceeds in the initiative’s first year.
The changes include increases in funding for housing preservation from $29.6 million to $46.2 million, and housing production from $24.3 million to $29.5 million. Additionally, the amendment boosted funding for homelessness prevention programs from $3.8 million to $8.8 million.
But perhaps more importantly, Council altered the income eligibility levels for several programs.
Parker, for instance, had proposed that the H.O.M.E. funding for the Basic Systems Repair Program, which subsidizes critical home improvements to prevent residents from being displaced by the costs of needed repairs, be open to any homeowner who makes Philadelphia’s area median income, or AMI, which is about $119,400 for a family of four.
Council’s amendment, however, requires 90% of the new funding to go to families making 60% of AMI or less, about $71,640 for a family of four.
The administration initially planned to issue the first $400 million in bonds this fall, and Parker sent Johnson’s office a first draft of the budget resolution in July. Council then delayed the committee vote on the resolution several times as Johnson negotiated with Parker on potential changes.
The amendment adopted Tuesday appears to largely mirror Gauthier’s priorities for the spending plan, rather than a negotiated compromise, the first sign that Johnson had moved forward despite not reaching a deal with Parker.
Parker’s plan to sell the initial round of bonds this fall appeared to be on schedule when Council in June approved the most important pieces of legislation associated with the H.O.M.E. initiative, including an $800 million bond authorization.
But lawmakers at that time inserted a provision into the bond legislation that required the administration to get Council approval of its H.O.M.E. budget each year before it can spend the bond proceeds. For the initiative’s first year, that provision means the city cannot take the bonds to market at all without Council signing off on the budget resolution, city Finance Director Rob Dubow has said.
The latest potential delay, which could set Parker’s schedule back months more, stems from the amendment approved in committee Tuesday.
Parker did not elaborate on the procedural issue that could cause the latest delay, but her comments indicated what it may be: Because the resolution, which dictates how the bond proceeds can be spent, now includes significant differences from the bond authorization bill Council approved months ago, the city may not be able to rely on the original bill as its legal basis for taking out debt and selling the bonds.
To make them align, Council may have to approve a new bond authorization bill, or abandon some of its changes to the spending resolution.
In his statement Tuesday night, Johnson indicated Council has chosen the former route.
“City Council is preparing to introduce an amendment to the H.O.M.E bond ordinance as early as this week’s Council session,” he said.
It’s unclear if the resolution could pass by the end of the year. But Johnson’s reference to the potential of the current city budget’s surplus covering shortfalls in housing programs indicates that might not be possible.
Council’s last meeting is scheduled for Dec. 11. Lawmakers can vote to suspend Council rules and fast-track legislation as needed.
This story was updated to include Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s response to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s statement.
The William Way LGBT Community Center will return to the building it has called home after much-needed renovations are completed, instead of permanently leaving as had been previously announced, the leaders of the nonprofit’s board said Tuesday.
Earlier this year, William Way announced it was planning to sell its 175-year-old building at 1315 Spruce St. because fundraising efforts for a “comprehensive redevelopment plan to renovate and expand” the Center City property had fallen short.
The nonprofit said early last week that it was permanently closing its doors later this month and relocating services, and even had a “One Last Dance” goodbye party in the building scheduled for this Friday.
The building will still close on Dec. 18, but the services that William Way provides will eventually return, the nonprofit said Tuesday.
“Thanks to the support of multiple sources, including generous individual donors, and the efforts of our board, staff, and partners, we are pleased to share that the center will return to the building once redevelopment is complete,” Dave Huting and Laura Ryan, cochairs of the William Way LGBT Community Center Board, said in a statement.
“While there are still many details to finalize, including a timeline for when we can once again welcome the community back into the building, we are thrilled to share that the center will not be leaving its longtime home,” Huting and Ryan said.
“We look forward to sharing our vision for a reimagined facility, one that continues to be an essential resource for Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community, and which will become a reality as details are finalized,” they said.
“We are partnering with a nonprofit developer to redevelop our building at 1315 Spruce Street, transforming it into a modern and welcoming space that better serves our vibrant and engaged community,” Huting and Ryan said.
The center briefly closed for inspection and emergency repairs last fall, then partially reopened in January 2025.
In June, William Way said it needed to sell the building — which it had purchased in 1997 — because the nonprofit could not move forward with the more than $3.5 million in immediate repairs that were needed “before any broader redevelopment could proceed.”
The statement on Tuesday did not explicitly say the building would not still be sold.
A spokesperson for William Way could not be reached for comment.
In the meantime, William’s Way’s programs will move.
On Jan. 5, the center’s empowerment programs, including the elder initiative, peer counseling, and trans programs, will operate out of the nearby Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany at 330 S. 13th St.
A plan is being developed to temporarily relocate the John J. Wilcox Jr. Archives and is expected to be announced next year, the nonprofit said.
“We have always said that the center thrives not because of its building, but because of its people. However, the rebuilding of the center will allow it to become an even more effective space to advance our mission and enhance the services and support we provide to our community,” the board cochairs said.
As of Tuesday evening, the “One Last Dance” party was still being promoted on William Way’s website.
LAS VEGAS — Goalie Carter Hart, one of five 2018 Canada World Junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault in July, will make his first NHL appearance in nearly two years when he starts in goal Tuesday night for the Vegas Golden Knights, who host Chicago.
The former Flyers goaltender was the first of those five players to agree to an NHL contract. The league ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play beginning Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract and has been working with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nev.
After he agreed to sign, Hart read a statement to reporters that, in part, said he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
Hart was asked Monday what steps he has taken to fulfill that pledge.
“There’s been a few things we’ve talked about,” Hart said. “We did a thing there in Henderson helping out the homeless. There’s some things we’ve talked about throughout the season. Whatever I can do to help, I’m happy to help.”
Giving Hart his first start at home could help ease him into what could be a rocky reception around the league. How welcoming Golden Knights fans will be remains to be seen, but after facing the Blackhawks, Vegas goes on a five-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams, including a Dec. 11 visit to the Flyers.
He worked in Henderson on getting back into NHL game shape. Hart appeared in three games and went 1-2.
“I’ve worked by [butt] off to get back to this point,” Hart said. “For me, the key is preparation and I’ve done everything I can to be prepared.”
The 27-year-old last played in an NHL game on Jan. 20, 2024, for the Flyers. Hart played six seasons for the team, going 96-93-29 with a .906 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average.
“The purpose of Henderson was to get him back into live reps,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He can practice with us with NHL shooters, but traffic around the net, screens, all that stuff is sometimes hard to replicate, especially when you haven’t played that often. We’re less worried about the results, more getting reps, getting used to that stuff.”
The Golden Knights could use the help in net, especially with starting goalie Adin Hill on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and his return possibly weeks away. Akira Schmid has received the majority of the work with Hill out and is 9-2-4 with a .896 save percentage and 2.51 GAA.
Cassidy said the upcoming schedule works in the Golden Knights’ favor in terms of not overloading the goalies.
“Akira’s played well, too, so we have to keep mindful he has to stay sharp,” Cassidy said. “So I’m sure you’ll see a lot of both goalies, but Carter’s waited a long time to play, so he’s definitely going to get his share of starts.”
