In Philly and Delaware County, listings and sales of luxury homes are down from last year,according to an analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin.
The luxury home market in the counties is relatively small, “so it can be somewhat volatile,” said Chen Zhao, head of economics research at Redfin.
In the combined market of Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, 285 luxury homes sold between July and September of this year. That’s down about 16% from the same time last year.
Redfin defines luxury homes as those in the top 5% of an area’s prices. The median luxury sale price in this region was about $1.3 million, according to Redfin.
A low supply of homes for sale is helping drive luxury trends. At the end of September, the number of active listings of luxury homes — 503 — was down about 23% from last year, the sharpest drop out of the 50 populous metro areas that Redfin analyzed.
Zhao noted that luxury home owners are less likely to need to sell their properties, and decisions to hold onto multiple luxury homes during a time of economic uncertaintymay be contributing to the tight supply.
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Faster price growth for luxury homes
Prices for luxury homes have grown faster than prices for other homes both in the Philadelphia region and nationwide.
In the combined market of Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, sale prices grew by almost 8% for luxury homes and about 6% for homes in the middle-price range over the last year.
Nationally, luxury prices increased by about 5%. Prices for homes in the middle range increased by about 2%.
“Luxury prices are outpacing the rest of the market because the people buying at the top end are playing by different rules,” Sheharyar Bokhari, senior economist at Redfin, said in a statement.
Unlike middle-income homebuyers, people purchasing homes at the highest price points don’t need mortgage interest rates or prices to fall before they can afford to buy. They’re more likely to pay in cash or take out smaller loans. Some are choosing real estate as a more stable investment.
“That demand, even at a smaller scale, is enough to keep pushing luxury prices up faster than the broader market,” Bokhari said.
How other metros compare
Between 2024 and 2025, luxury sales rose the most — almost 31% — in the pricey market of San Francisco. The median luxury sale price was more than $6 million.
Luxury homes sold the fastest — in a median of 14 days — in the San Jose, Calif., region and the slowest — in a median of 130 days — in the Miami metro area.
Florida is home to the areas where luxury prices rose and fell the most over the last year. They increased by about 15% in the West Palm Beach metro, and decreased by about 3% in the Tampa area.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It only took Phillies outfield prospect Dante Nori 14.76 seconds to leg out an inside-the-park home run in one of his final games in the Arizona Fall League.
On Nov. 6, Nori blasted a ball 414 feet into deep right-center field at Salt River Fields, the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Off the bat, Nori thought it was a no-doubter that would certainly carry over the wall.
“Out of the box, I was like, ‘Aw, it’s gone,’” Nori said. “I’ve seen some balls that I’ve hit that well. I was like, ‘All right, that’s going to get out.’ And I remember, right as I passed first base, I saw it clank off the wall. And I was like, ‘Uh-oh, we’ve got to go.”
Despite getting a slow start, the speedy left-handed hitter clocked one of the fastest times recorded around the bases in 2025. Only Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (14.71 seconds) circled the bases at a faster pace in a major league game this year.
The Phillies’ 2024 first-round pick dazzled in his short time in the AFL, a six-week showcase for some of baseball’s most promising minor league prospects.
Nori, 21, impressed scouts with his defense and baserunning, while batting .308 with a .386 on-base percentage, .822 OPS, seven RBIs, and two stolen bases in 12 games. But his time was limited due to an undisclosed leg injury that he suffered in his first AFL game on Oct. 7.
Phillies 2024 first-round pick Dante Nori, shown playing for single-A Clearwater, stole 52 bases across three levels of the minor leagues this season.
Nori said he “tweaked something” on a steal attempt, and chose to play it safe, taking the next two weeks off.
He returned to the Surprise Saguaros’ lineup Oct. 21 and saw regular playing time as the leadoff man and center fielder, a spot he hopes to occupy one day for the Phillies. His presence in the Saguaros’ lineup helped them win the AFL championship.
“I think I find ways to help my team win,” Nori said. “If it’s not with your bat, it’s with your glove, it’s with your speed. You know, you’re not always going to have your bat every single day. Sometimes, it might be the opposite. You might not have your glove, but you’re going to find a way to help your team win.”
Nori’s first full season in the Phillies organization started slowly — he batted just .221 through his first 50 games at single-A Clearwater — prompting him to modify his approach, as well as his bat selection.
“After the first two months I was struggling, so we made an adjustment,” Nori said. “I moved closer on the plate, and I switched to the torpedo bat, and since then, it’s been good.”
Nori saw immediate results, batting .300 with a .410 OBP and .860 OPS over his final 58 games in single-A, earning him a promotion to high-A Jersey Shore in mid-August, before finishing his regular season at double-A Reading.
Nori said the torpedo bat made an impact.
“Honestly, [the bat] just brings the barrel closer to my hands,” Nori said. “All my mishits are usually close to the hands, so it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Hey, if I’m missing there, why not bring more of the barrel in, up closer to the plate, so it just brings the barrel closer to me?’ And I’m able to contribute more. So, I like it way more. It’s been fun.”
Late in July, Nori was thrilled to receive a call about playing in the Fall League. He believes he made the best of the experience, and said his favorite part was making connections with other players and coaches, and learning from them.
“Honestly, just the relationships,” Nori said. “Just hearing how different organizations work, and just keep playing the game. We’ve been playing since January, and I think it’s a privilege to be here, and just to finish the year on a high note against some top competition, that’s all I could ask for.”
With his first full season of pro ball behind him, Nori will head home for the winter. He hopes to start 2026 in double A.
“I could see myself starting in double A,” Nori said. “That’s the goal. [I wanted to] come down here and prove that [I] can play at that level. So, start in double A, and then you know, you just take it one step at a time. So, the next one’s triple A, and then after that, it’s the big leagues.”
But before beginning his next minor league assignment, Nori has his eyes fixed on another objective: playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy. While his addition to the team has not yet been finalized, Nori, who is of Italian heritage, has been in contact with the Italian national team and is excited about the potential opportunity to play in the WBC.
Dante Nori slashed .261/.361/.372 across three levels of the minor leagues in 2025, his full season in professional baseball.
Nori, the son of longtime NBA assistant coach Micah Nori, was born in Canada and spent most of his childhood in the United States. His grandfather is a longtime baseball coach who helped recruit Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber to play at Indiana University.
“I worked out with Schwarber in the offseason these past three seasons,” Nori said. “So, I’m at his facility hitting with him, so I know I have a great bond with him.”
And he added about the National League home run king, who is a free agent: “I’m really hoping he comes back.”
“We could walk everywhere,” said Kevin Diehn. “We’d even forget where we’d parked our car.”
This was Diehn’s tribute to the rich offerings around the Bella Vista trinity he bought in 2012 with his wife, Ariel.
But perhaps the most unusual is the path leading to their street, with mosaics by the legendary Isaiah Zagar. Diehn says it’s about 70 yards long.
The outside of the home sits along a brick path.
And “we loved the proximity to South Street,” he said.
But now the Diehns — he works in the pharmaceutical industry and she’s a Pilates instructor — have moved to Maryland for work.
From the 840-square-foot home, the Italian Market, South Street, Washington Square, Penn’s Landing, and Jefferson and Pennsylvania Hospitals are all easily accessible.
The bathroom has a tub and a window.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom house is tied together by a spiral staircase that wraps around all four floors.
The living room features exposed brick, wood floors, and a fireplace that could work if refurbished.
The kitchen is in the basement and has an adjacent pantry, stainless steel appliances, a gas stove, a laundry area, and tile floor.
The kitchen is in the basement.
The winding stairs lead through French doors to the first bedroom and a bathroom with a tub/shower combination and glass enclosure.
The primary bedroom is on the third floor with vaulted ceilings and two large windows. The upper floors have plentiful exposed brick.
The house is in the Meredith School catchment area.
It is listed by Pamela Rosser-Thistle of BHHS Fox & Roach at the Harper Rittenhouse Square for $319,000.
Don’t let a five-goal outburst on Friday night fool you; the Flyers’ offense has stalled.
Entering Tuesday, the Flyers averaged 2.61 goals per game. It is the fourth-lowest average in the league, with only the Calgary Flames (2.10), Nashville Predators (2.40), and the New York Rangers (2.50) between the Orange and Black and the cellar.
Maybe this team needs an infusion to spark things.
Maybe they need a bump.
Maybe they need an Alex Bump.
“He started out really slow, and I really attribute this [improvement] to Snowy,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Monday, referring to Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach John Snowden.
“I think he’s an excellent coach. He knows how to develop, but he’s got a little bit of, not sternness, but he’s good at getting to a player without crushing the guy’s confidence.
“I think Bumper needed that two, three weeks ago, and his play is getting better. So I attribute it to Bumper, obviously, it’s all him, but I have to give a lot of credit to Snowy for what he’s doing with him down there.”
On Sept. 30, Bump was loaned to the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate. Maybe the demotion was a hard pill to swallow for a player many, including The Inquirer, inked into a spot on the opening night roster.
As Tocchet said, the left winger did start slowly. Bump didn’t score his first goal until Game 3 and had one goal and three points in the first eight games. Across his past seven games, he has three goals and seven assists.
“The moment that it really clicked for him was after the second Wilkes-Barre game. I challenged him in a different way,” Snowden told The Inquirer, referencing the fifth game of the season.
“We all know that he has the offensive ability — he can hold onto the puck, he can beat you one-on-one, he can score with his shot, he can beat you with a pass, he’s got all those qualities — but the one thing that he was lacking was the abrasiveness in playing inside of contact and getting guys on your back and in finishing hits when it’s time to finish a hit, and valuing the defensive side of things. All those little things that are going to create more offensive opportunities for him, we need to get those better.”
In his first year as the Phantoms’ bench boss, after serving as an assistant coach for two years, Snowden challenged Bump in areas like winning pucks back, getting through contact, puck retrieval, and working to get inside and into dangerous areas.
“In order to play in the NHL … everybody’s going to finish their hits, everybody’s going to be incredibly hard in battles, and 50-50 pucks on the wall,” Snowden said. “You have to be able to do that here [in the AHL]. If you can’t do that here, you’re not going to do it there. So what do we have to do?
“And for him, it starts in practice. How are you getting in and over pucks? How are you coming outside of pucks? What are you doing to get those opportunities back, and defensively, are you sprinting back to your spot? Are you closing plays out? Are you in shot lanes? Are you doing all those things to give you all the offensive opportunities that you have?
“And we challenged him with that, showed him some video, and all credit goes to him. He’s like, ‘Yep, no problem. I completely understand it.’ And he’s taken that advice and that challenge, and he’s really run with it. And as you can see, now he’s starting to get offensive production, and he’s a threat in most every game when he wants to play that way. And that’s given him an opportunity to set himself up to eventually become an NHL player when that time comes.”
Alex Bump is starting to pair more consistency away from the puck with his offensive dynamism.
Bump’s become a more well-rounded player lately, and the uptick in his defensive play has, according to Snowden, led to more touches offensively.
The 21-year-old entered Tuesday tied for third among AHL rookies in points (13) and is the co-leader with nine assists. His 45 shots on goal rank No. 1 among rookies and 10th overall.
Bump’s been skating on a line with fellow rookie Denver Barkey, whom Tocchet complimented as well. Barkey has 10 points in 15 games.
Alex Bump with some great work to set up a pretty wacky second goal of the night for Denver Barkey (this line is really buzzing!) pic.twitter.com/xCirSjFMT4
And, yes, the Flyers’ bench boss is keeping close tabs on the Phantoms.
“You know what, lately, a lot more,” Tocchet said Monday when asked how much he pays attention to Lehigh Valley, maybe hinting at an upcoming move. “Talked to Snowy the other day. He checks in. I’ll check in with him. We talk systems. We talk about what he’s seeing, which is great, who’s playing well, and then usually we’ll have the game on, working out or something. So as much as we can.”
After Bump averaged over a point a game (47 points in 42 games) and won a national championship with Western Michigan, and then impressed during a nine-game stint with Lehigh Valley at the end of last season, many expected him to slide right into the NHL this fall.
But he didn’t. Despite having a strong development camp in July and another impressive spin at rookie camp in early September, the forward didn’t have a great training camp.
Skating alongside guys like Sean Couturier, Trevor Zegras, and Travis Konecny, he showed flashes of what he can bring, namely a big-time shot, playmaking ability, and high hockey IQ.
However, across three preseason games, Bump was minus-6 with seven shots on goal, and one bad miscue that led to a Boston goal. According to Natural Stat Trick, which tracked two of the games, he had seven individual chances with several hitting the post or getting sent straight into the goalie, and the sixth-highest individual expected goals (0.68) on the team.
There is a brightness to Bump. He brings not just youthful exuberance, but a giant chip on his shoulder — the 2022 fifth-round pick told The Inquirer at the Frozen Four in April that he was “definitely not a fifth-round player” — and that chip probably got bigger with not making the roster.
But don’t confuse it with ego. Bump has talent, and he knows he has talent. It’s not ego. It is a confidence in himself and his game.
He’s been playing that way of late. His puck control and possession numbers have been strong with his increased focus on using his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame to dominate the boards, steer away from opponents, and weave his way through defenses.
“When you get Bumper a puck on like the second or third touch of an offensive-zone sequence, that’s when [his line with Barkey and Lane Pederson are] dangerous, because he’s got that ability to shoot the puck in the net from anywhere. And now he’s extending possessions, and he’s attacking the interior,” Snowden said.
“As a line, they’re doing a lot of good things, but in order to do that, Bumper had to get to the place of like, he needs to go win pucks back, too. And when he wins pucks back, he gets maybe his second or third touches in the Grade A area, and, boom, it’s in the net.”
Snowden said that Bump is 90% consistent with how he plays the game. But is he ready for that NHL debut?
The Flyers certainly could use his offense, but the biggest conundrum for the team’s brass is where he would fit in the lineup. Right now, the only spot that looks to be open is on the fourth line, and Bump is too skilled to slot in there. But he looks like he’s not inching, but taking giant leaps to be ready to make the jump if and when that opportunity comes.
“I think he’s a pretty cerebral person,” said Snowden, adding that Bump is “starting to problem-solve the American League.
“I think he studies his game, and he watches his shifts, and he understands when he can be dynamic and when he needs to obviously live to fight another day with a situational play. It’s only going to be more magnified there. So can he do what he’s doing now and up that 25, 30% 40% to be able to do it in the NHL?”
Marathon weekend can look chaotic — thousands of runners, crowds along the Parkway, and traffic everywhere — but it can also be one of the most fun, kid-friendly days in Philadelphia.
Between the Nemours Children’s Run, the Health and Fitness Expo, easy cheering spots, and plenty of stroller-friendly food stops, there’s a lot for families to enjoy without getting overwhelmed.
Here’s how to navigate the Philadelphia Marathon with kids in tow.
📍 Eakins Oval (22nd St. & Benjamin Franklin Parkway)
Kids run age-specific, short-distance dashes along the Parkway and get an event T-shirt, a finisher medal, and special goodies.
Nothing is timed, so the emphasis is fun. Children may only run in their age group, and each child is limited to one race. A parent or guardian must be present, but adults can’t run with the kids.
Come early. Before the races, kids can enjoy:
sports zone (football, baseball, basketball, soccer)
Runners on Walnut Street in Center City during the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Best viewing spots with kids
The marathon route stretches across Center City, Fairmount, and Manayunk. These spots are easiest for families:
Chestnut Street at Mile 1: High-energy, big crowds, and runners come through early — good for short attention spans. There’s room on side streets for stroller parking.
34th Street / University City (around Mile 5 and Mile 13): Wide sidewalks, walkable from the Parkway, and you can catch runners twice here if you hustle.
Manayunk’s Main Street (Miles 19–21): The loudest, most festive part of the race — think music, costumes, cowbells. Great for older kids; may feel crowded for toddlers.
Kelly Drive (Miles 22–24): Quieter stretch with room to spread out. Better for small kids and families who want to avoid packed sidewalks.
Cheering tip for kids: Have them call out runners’ names from their bibs — runners light up when a kid yells their name.
Getting Around: Transit, biking, and parking for families
Getting to the start/finish near the Art Museum is doable — especially with public transit.
SEPTA (big perk for parents)
Children 11 and under ride free with a fare-paying adult. Buses that usually stop near the Parkway (7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, 49) may be detoured. Check SEPTA’s System Status before you head out.
Regional Rail is helpful if you’re heading to Manayunk to cheer between Miles 19 and 21.
Driving & parking
Road closures are extensive, so expect detours and delays. If you plan to drive with kids, park early.
Amanda Carter and her children, Quinn, 3, and Cameron, 5, pose for a photo at 16th and Arch Streets at the start of the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. The kids had masks with dad Ron Carter’s face. They’re from New York City and this is Ron’s first marathon. Amanda who had done three, says “’m usually the one running.”
Kid-friendly sign ideas
If your kid needs inspiration, try:
You’re super fast! Like superhero fast!
Don’t stop! You’re almost at the snacks!
Run like you’re chasing the ice cream truck!
Go Birds! (And go YOU!)
My arms are tired from holding this sign!
My mom trained for months — I made this sign in five minutes!
Or have them tap through our Sign Generator for more options.
The gyros platter from Moustaki.
Where to eat with kids along the route
Whether you need a quick warm-up or a post-race reward, we rounded up 10 family-friendly places along (or just off) the course — from dumplings and giant slices to pancakes, burgers, and big dining rooms made for strollers.
When a western diamondback rattlesnake sinks its fangs into your hand, and it swells up like a purplish water balloon for days in a Texas hospital, it might be a sign for a career change.
But Clyde Peeling, who was born in Muncy, Lycoming County, in 1942, had already been bitten by the proverbial bug long before the rattlesnake bit him while he was stationed in Texas with the Air Force. Peeling, 83, still loved snakes, despite that close call, and went on to become the reptile king of Pennsylvania.
“I’ve pretty much known what I wanted to do with my life since I was 14,” Peeling said recently, from his beloved zoo near Williamsport.
A snake-necked turtle is shown in an aquarium at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pa., on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
It wouldn’t be the last time he’d be bitten, either, in a career that has spanned more than half a century.
“Let’s see, once by a copperhead, a viper, and four other rattlesnakes. I don’t say that with any bravado,” Peeling said. “That was a very serious bite.”
Today, Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland is home to enormous Komodo dragons with uncanny eyes, poisonous Gila monsters, anacondas thicker than most thighs, and Aldabra tortoises that can live up to 150 years.
“Some of these tortoises were just five pounds when we got them,” he said, in their hot enclosure.
Today, the tortoises look like boulders.
Clyde Peeling, 83, talks about his experiences at his reptile zoo, Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland.
Reptiland opened on US-15 in Allenwood, Union County, in 1976. It joined an American tradition of roadside attractions ushered in by the post-World War II auto boom and the urge to hit the highway.
U.S. Route 15 bisects Pennsylvania, from the Maryland border, north to New York, passing through Williamsport and Harrisburg. Still, Peeling said it was far from bustling back then.
“I remember sitting there hoping one car would pass by. I was too egotistical to think I’d made a mistake, but I had a lot of naysayers,” he recalled.
In the timeless tradition of late-night television, Peeling has brought wild animals to visit Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, and others.
Reptile parks, serpentariums, and alligator farms dot the American landscape. Peeling wanted to elevate Reptiland beyond those hokey roadside shacks.
In 1986, his facility received a key and difficult-to-obtain accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and it’s held that status ever since. Peeling said the inspection process, which takes place every five years, is grueling and every facet of the business is scrutinized, everything from record keeping, to veterinary care, aesthetics, and visitor services.
“We would have been accredited in 1985, but we were hit by a tornado that nearly flattened us,” he said.
Over the decades, Peeling expanded with a parakeet-feeding aviary and a large, outdoor dinosaur exhibit. More renovations are in the works, too. If you’d like parakeets to land on your head, you’ll have a blast. The park hosts a “Wino & Dinos” event outdoors, during the summer, for adults only.
At Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, life-size animated dinosaurs give visitors a perspective on life in the Mesozoic Era.
Peeling, with his sons, has visited, lectured, and collected in dozens of countries.
“That skull is from a crocodile in Borneo,” he said in his office.
Peeling’s son Chad, a right-hand man in the family business, died from brain cancer in 2019. Peeling himself fought non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Tornadoes have damaged the property, and the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt, too.
Peeling hasn’t guided a trip since his son died but won’t rule out doing it one more time.
It's been 30 years since I've been back to Clyde Peeling's Reptiland in Union County and I wish I had come back sooner. Thanks for having us, Clyde! pic.twitter.com/5RKP9AbuWM
“Jefferson How We Adore Thee” will be released to the university community at its annual gala Tuesday. The university held a contest during its bicentennial last year, and Barden’s piece was selected from dozens of entries, the school said.
Elizabeth Avril Barden, a customer-experience specialist at Jefferson Health Plans and recent summa cum laude graduate of Thomas Jefferson University, has written the school’s first alma mater song in its 201-year history. “Jefferson How We Adore Thee” will be released to the university community at a gala on Tuesday.
“Elizabeth really captured the essence of the Jefferson community,” said Jefferson President Susan C. Aldridge “Learning, collaborating and innovating are all part of our collective DNA and I couldn’t be happier that we finally have an alma mater which captures who we are as a university as we venture into our third century.”
Jefferson has had a handful of songs that students have written over the years and a processional theme that launched in 1974, but never an official alma mater song, said F. Michael Angelo, Jefferson archivist.
One reason could be that at its founding in 1824, Jefferson was a medical college and over the years evolved into a university. But it was always medically focused until the school merged with the former Philadelphia University, best known for its design, engineering, and health science programs, in 2017.
“Philadelphia University, as far as we can tell through their archives, never had an alma mater song, either,” Angelo said.
Barden, 32, who received her bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management from Jefferson this year, said a colleague encouraged her to enter the contest. She has written about 30 songs, she said, so it wasn’t an off-the-grid venture.
It took her just 25 minutes to write the lyrics and music for the one minute, 55-second piece, she said.
“If you’re creative, you just flow,” she said. “You flow like water because it’s already in you, and you don’t have to overthink what’s already in you.”
And with the help of producer Keegan Myers, who played the music while Barden sang, the chorus goes:
It’s the Jefferson strong and true, where innovation leads us through. Together we achieve our best, as we prepare for what’s next.
“In every step I was taking at the university, it was preparing me for the next level of life,” she said.
Barden has been singing in front of people since age 2 and wroteher first song at 7, she said. Her parents, both Christian pastors originally from Haiti, encouraged her musical talent as she grew up in Brooklyn surrounded by gospel music, she said.
“Me and my six siblings, we were essentially the choir,” she said.
In high school, she won a song-writing contest and got to meet Grammy-winning R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, who, she said, encouraged her to keep writing. She had written her high school’s alma mater song, too. And when she was a student at Delaware County Community College, she sang the national anthem at two ceremonies.
“Any school I go to, I want to leave a piece of me there,” she said. “Music to me is connection. That’s how I connect to people.”
For winning the Jefferson contest, she received a $200 gift card to the school bookstore, lunch with Aldridge, and a Jefferson mug.
“But the greatest gift was my name being attached to this alma mater song,” she said.
Barden said her aim in writing the song was to give Jefferson a gift.
“Jefferson gave me a lot,” she said, including a scholarship. “There were moments where I needed to talk to professors because life was happening. They were always kind and patient with me.”
Barden attended community college in New York after high school, but left when she got pregnant. When she moved to Philadelphia in 2016, she enrolled at Job Corps and then moved on to the Delaware County college. She continued on to Jefferson, while raising her four children, now ages 2 to 13.
In 2023, she began working there, too. Her job entails focusing on the patient experience and helping patients navigate the system.
“For the most part, I’m kind of like a clean-up person,” Barden said.
She’s currently enrolled in a dual program at Bryn Mawr College and Jefferson to obtain her master’s degrees in social service and public health. She plans to become a licensed clinical social worker and to incorporate music therapy into her work.
As part of her studies, she’s doing research on how music therapy can help those suffering from post-traumatic stress.
“I do believe that the incorporation of music,” she said, “has the ability to communicate with anyone … and help them learn how to cope.”
Fetterman has not announced whether he will run for reelection in 2028, but the progressive party put out a public declaration Tuesday pledging to endorse — and, if necessary, recruit and train — a challenger.
The announcement, first reported by The Inquirer, is a remarkable step for the left-leaning organization to take more than two years before an election and speaks to the degree of frustration with Fetterman among progressives.
“At a time when Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are doing everything they can to make life harder for working people, we need real leaders in the Senate who are willing to fight for the working class,” Shoshanna Israel, Mid-Atlantic political director for the Working Families Party, said in a statement.
“Senator Fetterman has sold us out, and that’s why the Pennsylvania Working Families Party is committed to recruiting and supporting a primary challenge to him in 2028.”
Fetterman did not immediately return a request for comment about the Working Families Party’s announcement.
The Working Families Party is a progressive, grassroots political party that is independent from the Democratic Party, but it often endorses and supports Democratic candidates.
Though he supports extending federal healthcare subsidies, Fetterman has long said he is against government shutdowns as a negotiating tactic and will always vote to get federal coffers flowing and federal employees paid.
“I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks,” Fetterman said in a post on X after the vote. “It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure.”
Already one of the most well-known and scrutinized senators in Washington, Fetterman was back in the spotlight this week as he returns to work following a hospitalization after a fall near his home in Braddock. His staff said he suffered a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up” and hit his face, sustaining “minor injuries.”
Ventricular fibrillation is the most severe form of arrhythmia — an abnormal heart rhythm — and the most common cause of sudden cardiac death.
He spent Thursday and Friday in the hospital and was released Saturday, saying he was feeling good and grateful for his care with plans to be back in the Senate this week.
Working Families on the offensive
Israel said in addition to the online portal, the party will hold a number of recruitment events across Pennsylvania in the coming months to train candidates and campaign staff on the basics of running for office and managing a campaign with hopes of finding quality candidates for a variety of races ahead of 2028.
The party is also pledging a robust ground game and fundraising for a potential challenger it supports.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Working Families Party has opposed Fetterman. In the 2022 Democratic Senate primary, WFP endorsed State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia) over Fetterman, who was lieutenant governor at the time.
The book makes no mention of a reelection bid but laments the ugly politics he experienced in both the Democratic primary and his general election race against Mehmet Oz.
Fetterman said in the book that Oz’s attacks during his rehabilitation from his stroke became so mentally crushing he felt he should have quit the race.
And he grapples with criticism he faced during the primary surrounding a 2013 incident in which he wielded a shotgun and apprehended a Black jogger he suspected of a shooting. Fetterman calls the backlash an early trigger of his depression.
Fetterman has said he will remain a Democrat even as Republicans have lauded his independent streak and willingness to work with the GOP.
Earlier this year, Fetterman was the first Senate Democrat to support the Laken Riley Act, a Republican immigration bill that requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain and take into custody individuals who have been charged with theft-related offenses, even without a conviction. Critics of the law say it severely cracks down on due process for immigrants.
Fetterman was the sole Senate Democrat to vote to confirm Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was one of Trump’s attorneys when he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“He has repeatedly shown disregard for the rights of Palestinians,” the Working Families Party release said. “Refusing to support a two-state solution and breaking with the rest of the Democratic caucus on Israel’s illegal annexation of the West Bank.”
Staff writer Aliya Schneider contributed to this article.
Philadelphia is obviously a gift to the world, but what in the world do you give someone who is obviously in love with Philly?
If The Inquirer’s 2025 Very Philly Gift Guide helps you find something for everyone, this one’s just for the locals — and anyone who thinks a Sizzli snow globe is peak holiday magic. Consider this a love letter to Philly’s quirks: a collection of gifts that only true locals (and a few honorary ones) will fully appreciate.
As one of those people myself, I’ve compiled this list of some of my favorite recent Philly purchases and experiences, along with items I’m putting on my own wish list this year.
The selections here represent The Inquirer’s picks this holiday season. When you make a purchase through a link in this list, The Inquirer may be paid a commission.
Apparel
SEPTA ugly sweater
It’s no secret that Al’Lee Floyd, who manages SEPTA’s store, has elevated the agency’s retail outlet into a must-stop shopping destination for Philly transit lovers.
SEPTA’s ugly holiday sweater for 2025.
This holiday season, Floyd is really killing knit with a particularly snazzy ugly holiday sweater featuring a front-and-back design of SEPTA vehicles, the Philly skyline, and snowflakes.
So while all you may want for Christmas is for our state legislatures to permanently fund SEPTA, you can at least get this ugly sweater — which seems far less likely to unravel than our government.
🛍️ SEPTA’s holiday sweater is $49.95 and available at shop.septa.org.
‘Women’s Sports Town’ shirt
A collaboration between Go Hamm and Watch Party PHL, this shirt celebrates Philly’s forthcoming WNBA team.
If you want to score points with the sports fan in your life who’s hyped that Philadelphia is getting its own WNBA team in 2030, this year’s slam-dunk gift is a “Philly is a women’s sports town — Est. 2030″ T-shirt.
This wardrobe staple is extremely versatile — you can wear it while traveling or to court — and it’s been spotted on celebrities like Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza, who wore it to a WNBA game this summer.
Aubrey Plaza is spotted in the audience of a New York Liberties vs. Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., wearing Go Hamm and Watch Party PHL’s popular “Philly is a Women’s Sports Town” T-shirt.
The tee is a collaboration between Go Hamm, a Philly-based shirt company dedicated to women’s sports, and Watch Party PHL, a group founded by Philadelphia firefighter Jen Leary.
Called the “shirt of the year” by the Phillies’ social media account, the “Go Phils & Phillips” tee from Phillygoat is ridiculously random and a great gift for the Phils fan in your life who’s still salty at the actual team.
Phillygoat’s “Go Phils & Phillips” T-shirt celebrates the vast variety of Phils on this planet.
Emblazoned with the words “Go Phils” on the front and back, the T-shirt features an assortment of people, characters, and things named Phil and Phillip, or that have “fill” in their name. There’s Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, former St. Joe’s basketball coach Phil Martelli, Punxsutawney Phil, and a cavity filling.
Phillygoat also makes a “Go Birds!” shirt with images of Larry Bird, Tweety Bird, and a hand flipping the bird.
If you’re stuck on what to get the diehard Delaware County resident in your life, how about a holiday decoration that commemorates getting stuck in Delco?
The Route 420 “crash bridge” ornament, featuring a tractor-trailer stuck under a low-clearance bridge, nods to the Amtrak bridge on Route 420 in Prospect Park, where big-rig drivers keep getting stuck despite the warning signs.
This ornament by Rock and Russ Creations of Delaware County immortalizes the Route 420 “crash bridge” in Prospect Park.
The ornament is from Rock and Russ Creations, a company founded by lifelong Delconians, Stephen and Lisa Russell. The couple started designing locally themed ornaments in 2022, and they release a new one each year. Stay tuned to their website for this year’s very Delco decoration release.
🛍️ The Route 420 “crash bridge” ornament is available at select Delco gift shops and rockandruss.com for $25.
Wawa snow globe
Sleigh gift-giving this year with the Wawa snow globe.
For your Shorti who’s always going on a Wawa run, consider shaking up gift-giving this year with a Wawa holiday snow globe.
Is there any reason this had to be made? Nope, but I’m snow glad it was. The globe features an old-school Wawa store and a base that reads “Wawa Wonderland.”
If you’ve ever been to a Wawa after 2 a.m., you know it is a land of wonders, indeed.
🛍️ This Sizzli and snowy gift is $19.99 and available at gear.wawa.com (sold out as of Nov. 25).
Hallmark ornaments
Hallmark’s Jalen Hurts Keepsake Ornament is sure to be number one on your tree.
For those who dream of hanging in their living room with Jalen Hurts or Trea Turner, Hallmark can help make your holiday wishes come true.
No, you can’t buy your way into a Hallmark holiday movie with Hurts or Turner as your star-crossed lover, but you can buy official Hallmark ornaments of the Philly sports stars your friends will pine after, fir sure.
Hallmark’s Trea Turner Keepsake Ornament will slide its way into your holiday collection.
The Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village will return this year thanks to a fundraising campaign by the Philadelphia Visitor Center and the building’s new owner, TF Cornerstone. And for the first time, you can secure the “best seat in the house” by making a donation in a loved one’s name (or in your own, Scrooge).
The “Behind the Lights” blueprint is available for those who donate at least $250 to the “Save the Light Show” fundraiser.
As part of the “Save the Light Show” fundraiser, there are several donation gifts, including an 8-by-10 “Behind the Lights” blueprint for those who donate $250 and a “best seat in the house” experience for four to view the show from the second-floor mezzanine when you donate $500 or more. (Note: There are no plans for actual seats. It will still be standing room only.)
Obviously that’s a sack full of money, but it’s for a great cause, and the show is still free to the public.
The holiday light show at the Wanamaker Building in 2019, when it was owned by Macy’s.
I can’t believe it took me 18 years to go on the tower and building tours of our gorgeous City Hall, but after finally crossing it off my bucket list this year, I highly recommend the tours for the Philly-phile on your list.
Even though I’d walked in and around City Hall countless times, I saw so many details on the building tour I’d never noticed before, like City Hall’s cornerstone.
Philadelphia City Hall.
The tower tour, which is a separate ticketed experience, took me high up in City Hall and into a four-person elevator that dropped me off right below the statue of William Penn and onto a platform with an incredible 360-degree view of the city.
🛍️ Timed tickets for the tours are available at phlvisitorcenter.com/CityHall and range from $10 to $26 a person, depending on age and military status.
The Universal Sphere
Times are tough right now, and just leaving your house can feel expensive, so I wanted to include a free experience that doesn’t feel cheap — the Universal Sphere at the Comcast Technology Center.
The Sphere, a state-licensed attraction in the building’s upper lobby, is a 34-by-39-foot futuristic orb you step inside of for an immersive theatrical experience. For most of the year, it features a seven-minute film called The Power of I, about the power of ideas, but during the holidays you can see the short film Shrek’s Festive Flight, which features a roller-coaster-esque adventure to the North Pole that begins with a flyover of Philadelphia.
Audience members enter the Universal Sphere in the second-floor lobby of the Comcast Technology Center earlier this year.
Tickets are free, but timed reservations are recommended — that way, you don’t have to tell anyone it was free. Pair this with free visits to the nearby Comcast Center’s holiday show on its LED wall and the Wanamaker Christmas Light Show, and you’ve got a day that’s easy on the wallet but rich in memories.
Two of my favorite purchases this year were plushies of Gritty and the Phanatic that sit independently on my shoulders. When I wear them both at the same time, it’s the Philly version of having an angel in one ear and a devil in the other.
Called “shoulder buddies,” these plushies come with magnets in their bottoms and an additional flat magnet that goes inside of your shirt so the doll can attach to it. These stuffed mascots are so humerus nobody will give you the cold shoulder while you’re sporting them around town.
Gritty sports an itty-bitty shoulder version of himself.
🛍️ The Gritty shoulder buddy is $24.99 and available at shop.outphitters.com. The Phanatic shoulder buddy, which I bought at Citizens Bank Park, is harder to come by. The Reading Fightin Phils had it available online for $25 at fightinphils.milbstore.com recently, but it was unclear how long supplies would last.
Released this year to mark the 20th anniversary of the show about five megalomaniacs who run a skeevy Philly dive bar, the set also features Charlie in full conspiracy-theory mode, Flipadelphia Dee, Fat Mac, and Dennis demonstrating his D.E.N.N.I.S. system of seduction.
The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Little People set from Fisher-Price.
🛍️ The Little People gang comes in a box made to resemble Paddy’s Pub and is available on Amazon for $29.95.
Books
‘Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century’
From the folks at the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia website and the University of Pennsylvania Press comes a hardcover book set, Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century, for the Philly history buff in your life.
The set features three books: The Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Philadelphia and the Nation, and Greater Philadelphia and the World, which tell the true Philly stories behind everything from the topography and transit of the region to the Revolutionary War, the Odunde Festival, Gritty, and scrapple.
“Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century” comes in individual editions or as a three-volume set.
Timed to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary next year, these new encyclopedic books feature lovely images and loads of dense text about the city’s history and its place in the world.
🛍️ The books retail for $44.95 each or $125 for the three-volume set. They are available wherever books are sold and at pennpress.org.
‘Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern’
When it comes to mainstay establishments in Philadelphia, few have more street cred or more stories than McGillin’s Olde Ale House, which predates LOVE Park, Ralph’s Italian Restaurant, and even City Hall.
Now the tales of Philly’s oldest continually-operating tavern, which opened in 1860, have been gathered into one book — Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern — by the bar’s longtime publicist, Irene Levy Baker.
“Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern” traces the 165-year history of one of Philadelphia’s longest-running establishments.
The newly released book includes ghost stories, tales of love, sports celebrations remembrances, recipes, photos, and a foreword by former Gov. Ed Rendell.
🛍️ Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern is $29.95 and available at mcgillins.com, at McGillin’s Olde Ale House (1310 Drury St.), the McGillin’s Shoppe (123 S. Juniper St.), and wherever books are sold.
A favorite of mine was ESPN’s Mike and Mike. I remember during the height of the Colin Kaepernick protest, Mike Golic commended Kaepernick for his attention-grabbing display and the reasons behind it.
But Golic turned the tables on Kaepernick and asked what the quarterback planned to do to achieve the goals he sought through his protest.
I would love to ask white people who were part of the “No Kings” rally recently the same question, but I am unsure of what tangible outcome was sought from it. It seemed like an occasion to voice their displeasure, so I am unsure what the next step is beyond planning another “protest” in the next few months.
The optics from the mass demonstration were indeed impressive: seven million people, predominantly older and white, took part in protests nationwide. That cannot be ignored. But the substance of these protests was lacking.
Not according to news media pundits, who declare that these acts are signs of the anger and emerging resistance to the Trump administration we’ve been waiting for.
But “No Kings” shouldn’t be confused with the Arab Spring.
Protesters made no demands. They caused no ruckus. In fact, this “protest” seemed more like a party than a desperate attempt to save humanity.
Don’t get me wrong.
Protesting one’s grievances in an attempt to acquire a remedy for them by way of public policy is a good thing. Black people are well acquainted with our history of protest and resistance to unjust laws.
Lessons from the civil rights era
But the lessons for all to learn from the history of Black resistance, particularly the civil rights movement, is 1) there is always a tangible demand for something or numerous things, 2) there’s a righteous anger that is harnessed into a tangible action (e.g., protest, boycott, divesting, etc.) to produce the demand, and 3) there is a desperation that yields a willingness to sacrifice in the name of their humanity.
The “No Kings” protest had none of these.
But it did have singing, dancing, and folks in costumes. Indeed, there is room for joy within any social movement (if you can call this a social movement yet, I am not sure), and there’s been that at protests before.
Joy is one of the fruits of our work, whether it comes from protest or other mass action, but a protest isn’t a party.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders march in Memphis on March 28, 1968. He was killed a week later.
Organized protests should elicit a response that either brings the oppressor to their knees and forces them to concede the demand, or, at the very least, brings them to the negotiating table.
The “No Kings” rally produced only one response from Donald Trump: an AI video of a “King Trump” jet dumping what appeared to be liquid feces on the protesters. Clearly, demonstrators got a reaction from Trump, but not the kind that relieves any of the pressure they face at the kitchen table.
I previously commented that white people have a decision to make. That is, whether they intend to fight for their rights and the rights of nonwhite people, or only for their own rights. I’m not sure what these protests suggest is their answer to that question. But my advice is to learn from the civil rights movement.
Some sit it out
I highly doubt white Americans can “save” democracy in America by way of reconciling its relationship with white supremacy absent Black people. However, a lot of us have chosen to sit out these protests because many of the people protesting Trump are likely responsible for his return to power.
We’re tired of persevering through the hypocrisy in the name of survival, but I digress.
Learn from the civil rights movement to strengthen this effort on behalf of all Americans. Concretely define the “movement’s” demand(s) via policy change that can directly begin to upend systemic oppression.
Just as the civil rights movement improved the lives of all Americans, so should these coordinated mass demonstrations. Harness the real anger seen at town hall meetings, for example, to agitate and aggravate the power structure to show that these protests are a force to be reckoned with, as opposed to “a good time had by all.”
Lastly, continue direct action with a consistency that demonstrates your demands aren’t a wish list, but rather the oxygen necessary to breathe.
Taking it to the streets is definitely a start. But it’s nowhere near the finish.
To reach the finish line, y’all have more work to do. Some Democrats in Congress need to learn these lessons, as well.
Rann Miller is an educator and freelance writer based in southern New Jersey. His “Urban Education Mixtape” blog supports urban educators and parents of children attending urban schools. urbanedmixtape.com@UrbanEdDJ
