DEAR ABBY: I have grown children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild. I don’t know if they think I am senile, but they seem to think I must cater to their every whim. Most of them are self-centered, thinking only of themselves. They borrow money from me, and sometimes I let them know it is a loan. Other times I give it to them and tell them that it is a gift. Loans are to be paid back. When it’s given to you, it’s yours.
One daughter, “Marie,” borrowed a large sum of money and agreed to repay it in installments. She paid me back a portion of the money I had loaned her. When the next installment was due, she claimed her first payment was three times more than it had been. When I called her on it, she insisted she had given the higher amount.
I love all my family, but I don’t intend for anyone to play me. Marie has given me no further payments, and the borrowing has stopped. When Marie tried to get in my face and talk down to me, my wife of 30 years let her know she wasn’t to talk to me that way.
Since then, Marie has stopped speaking to us and has accused my wife of blocking her email, calls and texts. (That did not happen; I blocked them.) I just cannot see how a grown child could treat her parents the way we have been treated. I am deeply hurt, and I cannot seem to get past it. Your thoughts?
— OLD MAN IN THE MOUNTAINS
DEAR OLD MAN: Your hurt is understandable. Not only is your self-entitled daughter a deadbeat, but she’s also disrespectful. You treated her with kindness, and not only did she not repay the money you loaned her, but she attacked you verbally. I hope your other offspring have more character. That said, I don’t think blocking Marie’s ability to contact you was a wise decision. She may wish to apologize in the future, and you have been preventing that possibility.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My wife of 10 years has asked for a separation. She is set on divorce. She feels that, during the last four years since we had kids (2 and 4 years old), I have “chipped away at her self-esteem and self-worth.”
During the past two months since our initial conversation, I have started seeing a therapist, gone on antidepressants and joined an empathy group session for men. I now see the hurt and pain I caused due to my untreated depression and negative self-image, and I have committed to change and save our marriage.
I stood by her and supported her through a major depression episode a year ago, and now she wants out. I am still in love with her, but she says that while she’ll always love me, she is no longer IN love with me. I’m working on giving her space to heal. What else can I do?
— DISAPPOINTED HUSBAND IN MAINE
DEAR HUSBAND: Ask your wife if she would agree to couples counseling with a licensed marriage and family therapist. Remind her that there are children involved, and even if the counseling isn’t successful in healing your marriage, it could benefit all of you in the divorce process and beyond. Whether it will result in you and your wife reuniting is anyone’s guess, but it may improve your relationship later.
For the sixth straight season, Penn took a quiet bus ride home from Jadwin Gymnasium.
On Friday, the Quakers (13-8, 3-5 Ivy League) took a familiar drive up I-95 to take on No. 23 Princeton (19-2, 7-1 Ivy League). Penn entered the game with confidence after beating Columbia, the only team in the Ivy League to take down Princeton, last weekend.
Despite impressive performances from Simone Sawyer (16 points ) and Mataya Gayle (16 points), the Penn women’s basketball team lost to Princeton for the 16th straight time. They fell, 69-50.
“The seniors haven’t won a game against Princeton,” head coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Instead of pretending that didn’t happen, we addressed it like, ‘You could be the group that gets a win here.’ I think they were just disappointed.”
Star Power
A familiar narrative unfolded for Penn in the first half as Gayle jump-started the offense.
Following a sluggish first frame, Gayle took over in the second quarter, dropping eight points to help Penn take a 30-28 halftime lead.
“She made plays off the dribble,” McLaughlin said. “They struggled to contain her. She made some attack, kicks, penetration. We just couldn’t convert.”
Katie Collins, Gayle’s most reliable second punch, didn’t have the same success — finishing with seven points and snapping her 13-game double-digit scoring streak against Princeton.
Can’t guard Hutcherson
Sawyer scored seven of Penn’s 11 points in the third quarter, but a flaming hot shooting performance from Princeton’s Olivia Hutcherson broke the game open for the Tigers.
The 6-foot guard scored nine of her total 19 points in the third quarter. Hutcherson’s efforts were capped off by an assist for a three-pointer and layup from center Fadima Tall, opening the fourth with a 14-point lead and a Penn timeout.
Penn couldn’t climb out of the hole, scoring only seven points in the final frame to finish with under 60 points for the third time in Ivy League Play.
“We were tough the first half,” McLaughlin said. “There were moments of really good play there into half time up to start of the third. End of the third quarter started, they start to pull away a little bit… we just struggled to get stops from them.”
Team Game
The Tigers played seven players for over 16 minutes in the matchup, with three players scoring over 15. On the flip side, Penn kept a tighter rotation — with only six players playing over 15 minutes despite playing in a physically demanding 3-2 zone defense.
“We’ve been working with them in practice trying to get that next kid or two,” McLaughlin said. “Honestly, they haven’t been overly productive in practice settings, to really get those minutes.”
Penn coach Mike McLaughlin says his needs “to find a little lightning here” with less than a month left in the regular season.
Four players scored in the double digits for the Quakers, but the end of the bench lacked punch as Saniah Caldwell and Brooke Suttle produced two points on six shots in a combined 47 total minutes.
McLaughlin is actively waiting for someone on the roster to step up and keep the program’s Ivy League Championship hopes alive — and will be expanding the team’s guard rotation next week versus Cornell and Columbia.
“We need to find a little lightning here,” McLaughlin said. “We need to find someone off the bench to get a basket for us. And I think this week’s a big week for that. We play back to back again. We’re not going to do it without someone stepping up. It’s not just two people. So see what this week looks like. But I’m with you. I think we need another person there, and that’s trying to connect.
Up Next
Penn looks to rebound on Friday against Cornell (8-12, 3-4 Ivy League) in Ithaca (6 p.m., ESPN+).
After her frozen car garnered tens of millions of views on TikTok, Tianna Graham is getting a new car for free, gifted to her by Carvana, whose car vending machine tower features prominently in the background of her videos.
Graham, a 24-year-old fifth-grade math teacher at Community Academy of Philadelphia, had a 2016 Honda Civic. The vehicle became thoroughly encased in ice following the snowstorm and arctic temperatures late last month.
On Tuesday, Graham reached out to Carvana, hoping she could leverage the car tower’s inadvertent virality in her videos to get a discount on a new car. Carvana soon responded, eager to help.
When Graham, a Fishtown resident, arrived at the facility on Friday afternoon with her mom and sister, she said, she expected Carvana would offer her some percentage off one of their cars.
Replying to @✨mrs.corby.nails✨ THANK YOU @Carvana MORE COMING SOON!!! I’m so incredibly grateful for this!!!! after all the details get sorted out, i’ll post a full update! and a big thank u to my lovely friends and family who have been helping me through this!
She was stunned to see a bright blue 2022 Honda Civic descend from the car vending machine with a big bow on it, school supplies inside, and an ice pick, “which I guess I do need,” Graham said with a laugh.
Carvana spokesperson Hayley Pollack confirmed Friday the car will be free for Graham once all the paperwork is finalized.
“I was shocked, in disbelief,” Graham said of learning the car would be free. “It’s a beautiful car.”
Tianna Graham in front of the car Carvana is gifting her.
The car is used and has about 28,000 miles on it, Graham said. She expects to have it in her possession next week based on initial conversations with Carvana, she said.
She plans to take it for a spin for the first time next weekend to drive to Ocean City, Md., for a National Federation of the Blind convention, she said. Graham, whose sister is blind, said she is currently pursuing her graduate degree to become an orientation and mobility specialist to help blind people learn to use canes.
“All things do happen for a reason,” Graham said she learned from this experience. “Anything bad that is happening, something good can always come out of it.”
The NBA trade deadline sparked movement among Eastern Conference contenders.
James Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nikola Vučević landed with the Boston Celtics. The Detroit Pistons added Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić. And the New York Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado.
All these moves were made to bolster those teams’ championship chances.
Anyone expecting to see the sixth-seeded 76ers do the same were let down. In fact, star center Joel Embiid might have been among them after he expressed hope that the front office would avoid “ducking the tax” and instead focus on strengthening the roster to compete.
Still, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey didn’t make any deals that netted a player. Instead, they traded Jared McCain and Eric Gordon in exchange for draft picks in what was viewed as an avenue to get under the luxury tax threshold for the fourth consecutive season.
Morey spoke on Friday as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned about the rest of the conference’s attempts to improve on the margins.
“We like our chances in the East,” Morey said. “We feel like we’re in the mix with the top teams there. Obviously, we’ve got to prove that on the court. But, just reiterating, we were looking to add, and we didn’t add. But we still believe in this team. … Folks have speculated on the improvements of our East competitors. I don’t see it, personally. I think all the teams made moves at the deadline, but there weren’t any needle-movers, in my opinion.”
Pressed about his no “needle-movers” comment, Morey was reminded that Harden’s migration to Cleveland from the Los Angeles Clippers is regarded as a blockbuster deal. Does he believe that the Cavaliers trading for Harden, who is familiar with from stints together with the Sixer Houston Rockets, doesn’t move the needle?
“I don’t want to talk about specific teams,” Morey said. “I’m just saying, I mean, objectively, teams in the East, the array is similar. Like, if you were to look at teams’ chances before and after — that’s my opinion. I think people can have differences of opinion.”
Former Sixer James Harden is coming back to the East as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That said, Morey understands the disappointment among Sixers fans who have witnessed him make moves to duck below the tax threshold for several years at the trade deadline. This gives the impression that saving money for managing partner Josh Harris is more critical than contending for a title. The team comes off looking cheap, especially as Embiid’s championship window continues to shrink.
“I’d say we were trying to add to the team and we didn’t find a deal that made sense that we thought could move the needle on our ability to win this year,” he said. “The CBA pressures were felt up and down the league.”
Morey said the Sixers traded Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in exchange for a 2032 second-round pick swap to create space to convert Dominick Barlow’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal.
According to Spotrac, the team is now $1.7 million below the tax level. The Sixers also have $3.9 million in cap space under the first apron. Morey said that because of the first apron, they had to move to create that opportunity for Barlow.
“But that wasn’t the primary reason for the Jared deal,” he said. “We see Jared as somebody that’s more likely to help a team in the future.”
Yet the Sixers shipped him to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round selections. One of the second-rounders is the most favorable 2027 pick from the Thunder, Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and the Miami Heat. The other second-rounders are 2028 picks that previously belonged to the Milwaukee Bucks and Thunder.
In June, Morey expressed confidence in the Sixers’ deep and versatile backcourt rotation of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and McCain. He likened it to the guard-heavy style used by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers to reach last season’s NBA Finals.
Sixers president Daryl Morey believes former guard Jared McCain has a chance to be a good player in the future.
McCain was exceptional in his rookie season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in December 2024. But he struggled with consistency this season, leaving him out of the rotation.
Did the Sixers lose faith in the second-year guard?
“I wouldn’t say that. No,” Morey said. “I think he has a tremendous future. Sort of the whole thing with people who don’t like the deal is they’ll leave off the return, minimize this draft, which we think is good, and things like that. … That return is for a starter-quality player on a good team. It’s actually above that. We do a lot of analysis on how we think things will play out both here and around the league going forward, in terms of the quality of play. What kinds of returns will there be for what players in the future?
“And the bottom line is, Jared is a player who’s a great future bet and a potential great player. We wish him luck. We feel that this returns sets us up better to set up the team in the future.”
While it’s not a primary focus, the Sixers think the first-round pick can be used to make moves around the upcoming draft. Morey also believes they can use the three second-rounders to move up the draft.
But that doesn’t address the team’s needs for the remainder of the season. They offered the picks they received from OKC to other teams.
“Nothing materialized for a player that we thought could move the needle with those picks now,” Morey said. “But we feel like going forward, those picks will help us build the team in the future in a good way.”
Sixers guard Eric Gordon during warm ups before the Sixers played the New York Knicks on Saturday, January 24, 2026 in Philadelphia.
While Morey mentioned that he had authorization to go over the tax, this was the fourth straight year that the Sixers made moves to get under the luxury tax, even after Embiid’s comments.
“I understand the perception,” Morey said. “I hope to defeat it by finding a deal that I can go to ownership and say, ‘We think this move is the right move to do for that and create those apron issues.’ But I haven’t been able to recommend that move yet.”
At this moment, however, Morey wants to talk about the solid players that the Sixers currently have on the roster.
He’ll remind you that Embiid is rounding into form. Morey will mention that Maxey took a leap to becoming an All-Star starter. And he’ll tell you that Kelly Oubre Jr. is playing the best basketball of his career.
“We love the bigs we have with Joel, [Andre Drummond and Adem] Bona,“ he said. ”We feel like guys are contributing up and down the roster. Coach [Nick] Nurse has done a tremendous job putting us in with the top few teams in the East in terms of how we’re playing. So that’s why we understand the fan reaction. Obviously, the big move was with Jared. Because we’re playing well, we were trying to upgrade the team and add to the team now. That was goal No 1.”
LOS ANGELES — While on the 76ers’ bus heading to the San Francisco airport Wednesday morning, Jared McCain approached his teammates to reveal that he had been traded.
“It was just like, ‘All right, whatever. He’s just joking,’” All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey recalled. “Calls start coming in, and then you realize it’s real.”
That is the human side of the trade deadline, which takes a backseat to the business focuses of asset acquisition, luxury tax ducking, and trying to enhance (or tear down) a roster for the stretch run and playoffs.
The record will show that the second-year guard was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and other draft compensation. Yet the Sixers abruptly lost a teammate in the middle of a five-game Western Conference road trip more than three months into the regular season. McCain, a fan favorite, also was popular inside the Sixers’ locker room, as somebody who brought positive vibes whether he was enjoying a breakout start to his rookie season or struggling to regain form following knee and thumb surgeries.
“It’s a harsh business and I know you have to try to take emotions out of it,” starting forward Dominick Barlow said of McCain, on the same day his two-way contract was converted to a standard deal. “But it’s kind of difficult. … It was a hard day.”
Maxey was the first Sixers to speak publicly about McCain’s “emotional” departure, calling him his “little brother.”
Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey looked like the Sixers’ backcourt of the future only one year ago.
The 25-year-old “veteran” in this relationship was quickly taken by McCain’s combination of personality and diligence to his craft, saying that “anybody that worked that hard, for me, is going to be somebody that I probably gravitate to.” When Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, Maxey called McCain to encourage him to seize the opportunity. And Maxey said last Saturday that he was proud of how McCain had “fought his way out of a little funk” in his comeback from injury, shooting 15-of-26 from three-point range in his final six games before being traded.
Also hit particularly hard by the news were Justin Edwards and Adem Bona, who also were part of McCain’s 2024-25 rookie class.
Edwards has known McCain since they were roommates as teenagers at Steph Curry’s basketball camp. He said McCain has “always been the same person, honestly” (and “more than just a TikToker,” Edwards emphasized to The Inquirer). Even after the Sixers’ loss at the Los Angeles Lakers more than 24 hours later, Bona was “still processing” an “unreal” day.
“It’s kind of hard to understand,” Bona told The Inquirer, “but it’s part of the business.”
Once teammates grasped that McCain was leaving, they tried to “make him laugh, even though it’s a tough situation,” Edwards said. Coach Nick Nurse briefly spoke to McCain as he got off the bus, assuring the 21-year-old that he would be successful with the Thunder. Another member of the traveling party told The Inquirer that McCain shed tears on the tarmac before the Sixers boarded their flight to Los Angeles.
“Obviously developed enough of a relationship that I care about him and wish him a lot of luck,” Nurse said before Thursday’s game at the Lakers. “ … Then I kind of move on, because there was a lot of people wanting to talk to him.”
The emotions hit Maxey again when he woke up for Thursday’s shootaround, realizing he would not see “JMac” downstairs at the team hotel. Bona had a similar reaction when he and rookie VJ Edgecombe went to perform a silly pregame ritual of attempting to juggle the basketball, and McCain was not there to join them as usual. Ditto for when it was time for pregame chapel — a staple for several of the Sixers’ younger players — and it felt like the group “wasn’t complete” without McCain, Bona said. McCain would often round up his teammates whenever they lost track of time.
“Tonight I looked up,” Bona said, “and I’m like, ‘Ah, Jared would have called me right now.’ But he wasn’t here to call me.”
Sixers players Jared McCain and Adem Bona developed a deep bond as members of the same draft class.
By tipoff against the Lakers, however, the Sixers needed to move forward with the players still on the roster. Maxey and star center Joel Embiid encouraged McCain to use being traded as a fresh start with the defending NBA champions. They will all reunite on March 23, when the Thunder visit Philly.
Still, Maxey leaned into the human side of the trade deadline, acknowledging that “a lot of people in this organization were sad to see [McCain] go.”
“He’s got a fan in me for life,” Maxey said. “A brother in me for life.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks)called on President Donald Trump to apologize for sharing a racist video Thursday night on Truth Social that depicts former President Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, and former first lady Michelle Obama, as apes.
“Whether intentional or careless, this post is a grave failure of judgment and is absolutely unacceptable from anyone — most especially from the President of the United States. A clear and unequivocal apology is owed,” Fitzpatrick wrote in a post on X Friday afternoon.
The Bucks County Republican, who will be defending a key swing district this fall, joined a bipartisan ensemble of lawmakers who are condemning Trump’s post, which was deleted Friday after the widespread backlash.
“Donald Trump is a bigoted, small-minded man who has long spewed racist remarks and tried to whitewash our nation’s history. Today he finds a new low,” said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Philadelphia), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, in a post on X. “His recent post is vile, disgusting, and abhorrently racist. Every elected official should speak up and condemn this hate.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) in a statement to The Inquirer, called the president’s post “indefensible and horrendous.”
“That garbage came from, and should forever remain in, the twisted and grotesque corners of the internet,” he said.
Fitzpatrick, a moderate representing a purple county, has disagreed with Trump before but the lawmaker’s comments Friday serve as one of his strongest rebukes yet.
“Racism and hatred have no place in our country — ever. They divide our people and weaken the foundations of our democracy,“ Fitzpatrick wrote. “History leaves no doubt: when division is inflamed by those in positions of power, the consequences are real and lasting.”
The White House blamed a staffer for the video, which was posted just fivedays into Black History Month, The Associated Press reported. This came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was “fake outrage” over the post and that it was a meme inspired by The Lion King.
In addition to the Obamas, other Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden, were depicted as various animals in the video, which was set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and features Trump as the “King of the Jungle.” The clip of the Obamas appears to have originally come from a conservative user on X, The New York Times reported.
In addition to the election officials reacting with horror, Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez, bishopof the Episcopal Diocese in Pennsylvania, said that he was “repulsed and sickened” by Trump’s post and called on the president toresign.
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa) condemned the video late Friday afternoon after the White House had blamed it on a staffer.
“Posting this video is unacceptable and thankfully it has been taken down. It should never have been posted and does not represent who we are as a nation. Racism has no place in America,” McCormick said in a post on X.
Other Republican senators moved faster to publicly condemn Trump’s post.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, said Friday morning, “It’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
Trump engaging in this behavior during Black History Month is no accident. His childish attempt to taint the legacy of America’s most accomplished Black couple is about more than insulting the Obamas. It is meant to demean all of us.
After all, if a Black president is nothing more than a monkey, a Black doctor, lawyer, or executive is even less than that. Therefore, in the minds of those who embrace that kind of racist reasoning, Black history should not be celebrated. It should be mocked, undermined, and erased.
The White House, through a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt, initially sought to downplay the president’s social media post. “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” Leavitt said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Historical interpreter Michael Carver speaks with visitors at the President’s House site on Independence Mall on Jan. 25 — two days after displays about slavery were removed.
But here’s the thing. The president’s racist post does matter to the American public, as evidenced by the immediate backlash from major figures on both sides of the aisle. Even Black Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who normally declines to criticize the president’s racial broadsides, responded.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it,” Scott wrote on social media.
Scott, who chairs the Senate Republicans’ midterm campaign arm, is right to pray, because with each outrageous act by the president, Republican odds in the upcoming elections get a little longer.
But Trump’s overtly racist post was never about the elections. It was about reshaping the society in which we live.
Though Trump deleted the post after Americans reacted with outrage, the message was sent. Black people are the enemy, and they are to be treated as such.
Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), here speaking at a Trump campaign rally in February 2020, called the president’s post “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
As if to underline that point, a white listener called my radio show on Friday morning and called me the N-word on the air. I was neither surprised nor angry. Rather, I experienced a moment of great clarity. America should, too.
Trump is inviting the white conservatives who comprise much of his political base to follow his lead and embrace racism. He is reaching back for vile racist tropes to get them to do so.
In some ways, I’m grateful Trump waited until Black History Month to do this. History, after all, is a strong and determined teacher. We must strive to be the kind of students who embrace history’s lessons.
In 1906, for example, the determination to portray Black people as monkeys took an unimaginably cruel turn. A young African named Ota Benga, who had been taken from what was then the Belgian Congo, was placed in a cage at the Bronx Zoo with actual monkeys. Historians speculate he may have been 12 or 13 — caged with monkeys so crowds of white people could gawk at him, laugh at him, demean and humiliate him.
Benga was freed when outraged Black ministers and others complained about his treatment. Ten years later, Benga killed himself, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which oversees the Bronx Zoo, spent nearly a century trying to cover up what was done to him. It was only after the murder of George Floyd that the organization fully acknowledged and apologized for the incident.
History teaches us that when racism is left unchecked and unchallenged, people die.
This Black History Month, as Trump seeks to take us backward, he must know that we will not go quietly.
Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna remains in hot water after allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old male last weekend in State College. But the temperature cooled a bit on Friday after prosecutors dropped the felony aggravated assault charge against McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
The decision comes two days after McKenna, 18, was charged with aggravated assault and three other related crimes for allegedly punching a man outside of a parking garage in the 100 block of South Pugh Street in State College. The altercation came hours after McKenna had played and tallied a goal and two assists in No. 6 Penn State’s 5-4 overtime loss to No. 2 Michigan State in the first-ever outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium.
“In order to establish probable cause for the crime of Aggravated Assault, the Commonwealth must establish that a person acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances showing an extreme indifference to the value of human life,“ read Friday’s statement from the Centre County District Attorney’s Office.
”Both the District Attorney’s Office and the State College Police Department have reviewed video evidence of this incident and do not believe that a charge of Aggravated Assault is supported by the evidence. Accordingly, the District Attorney’s Office will be withdrawing the felony count of Aggravated Assault and correcting the record regarding the injuries suffered by the victim. A review of the video does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life.”
BREAKING UPDATE | Prosecutors in Centre County say they will be withdrawing the felony aggravated assault charge against Penn State's star hockey player Gavin McKenna.https://t.co/ana1PIzTcbpic.twitter.com/wZYORkx7Rp
According to State College Police, McKenna allegedly punched a man in the face twice Saturday night, resulting in a fractured jaw that required corrective surgery. The altercation came after an exchange of words between the victim and his friends and McKenna. Friday’s statement clarified that the man did not lose a tooth as previously reported and confirmed that the victim is recovering from surgery.
Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna in in the top 20 in the nation in scoring with 32 points.
While the aggravated assault charge was the most severe charge that McKenna faced, and carried a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, he is still facing a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, as well as charges of harassment and disorderly conduct for fighting. The simple assault charge carries a maximum of two years in prison, while fines are attached to the three remaining charges.
McKenna, who was released on $20,000 unsecure bail, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 11 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.
Penn State sent the following statement to The Inquirer after the charges were filed on Wednesday: “We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment.”
The Inquirer also attempted to reach out to McKenna’s adviser, Pat Brisson of CAA, but has yet to receive a response.
McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, is ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s 2026 Central Scouting list among North American skaters. The Penn State freshman, who was considered one of the biggest college hockey recruits ever, has 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games this season for the Nittany Lions. McKenna’s playing status is currently unknown, with Penn State’s next game scheduled for Feb. 13 at Michigan.
American Airlines is planning a new route to Porto, Portugal, from Philadelphia.
The route is expected to become available in summer 2027, pending government approval, the airline noted in a news release Thursday.
The flight will be offered on a new aircraft — the Airbus A321XLR — that American just began operating in December. According to PHL chief commercial officer Kate Sullivan, having that aircraft is key to the new route availability.The aircraft will feature “Flagship Suite” seats, which were recently introduced on some PHL flights.
“Not only is seeing a summer 2027 route announced so early exceptional, the A321XLR will enable American to serve markets like Porto that have strong demand but may not support daily flights from wide-body aircraft,” Sullivan said. “Porto is just the beginning of what this aircraft will unlock for our region’s residents and visitors.”
This will be the first time that Porto is offered as a direct route out of PHL, airport spokesperson Heather Redfern confirmed Friday. Sullivan said the addition is “outstanding news for PHL.”
“Porto is exactly the type of new market the Airbus A321XLR enables us to serve,” Brian Znotins, a senior vice president at the airline, said this week at a conference.
American has recently added several other direct flights from PHL to Europe. In 2024, the airline launched routes connecting Philadelphia to Copenhagen, Denmark; Nice, France; and Naples, Italy.
The airline also launched a bus service in 2022 to shuttle passengers from airports in the region to PHL to take a flight. And it opened new lounges at PHL last year, featuring two bars, private phone rooms, and showers.
American was among the top 10 largest employers in Philadelphia in 2025 and is the largest airline by passenger volume operating out of PHL. In 2024, the airline carried nearly 20 million passengers through the airport.
A Downingtown dog has been euthanized after it injured multiple people in recent months and made residents feel unsafe, officials said.
The decision, made the day of a Thursday hearing in district court, stems from a November incident in which the dog bit a child in a neighboring house on the 500 block of Thomas Road.
Whitley Coggins said her sons, ages 4 and 8, had been playing in the backyard when the neighbor’s dogs were let outside. One mixed-breed dog got through the fence, attacking her youngest son, she said. The boy was bitten on his upper arm and required stitches.
There are four dogs that had been known to neighbors for aggressive behavior, she said. Though the Coggins family had never personally experienced it until November, the mother said, she warned her sons to run back inside if they ever saw the dogs in the yard.
After the hearing and the owner’s decision to euthanize, Coggins said she was frustrated that the only positive was that one of the dogs was removed from the house.
“I feel like I’m supposed to feel like something was done, I’m supposed to feel good that the one dog that attacked my child is gone, and I do feel a small sense of replaced safety or something — that that one dog is not there,” she said. “But that one dog has never been the problem, not the whole problem.”
Coggins said her sons still feel unsafe leaving the house and are fearful of dogs.
“Following our time in court, we still had to return — and the rest of the neighbors had to return — to a neighborhood with three dogs who have registered attacks on other people and other animals, and because of the laws and the way the laws are written or interpreted, there is nothing to go forward with to remove these dogs,” Coggins said.
Reached by phone, the attorney for the dog owner declined comment.
Brendan Brazunas, Downingtown’s chief of police, said the owner’s defense counsel immediately suggested euthanasia given the seriousness of the 4-year-old’s injury, and the fact that this was the fourth documented bite involving this dog since 2023.
“The dog that created the most issues at that house is this dog that was euthanized,” Brazunas said. “Obviously, the community is very concerned and they’re afraid, and I think this was the first step with regards to dogs at that house.”
Brandywine Valley SPCA, which had assisted the Downingtown police in the case, transported and euthanized the dog, a spokesperson for the organization said.
“This was a tragic situation that never should have escalated to this point,” Erica Deuso, mayor of Downingtown, said in a statement. “I love animals, and I am heartbroken any time a dog loses its life, but public safety comes first.”
The charges were dropped, as they can only be made for live dogs, Brazunas said. But there are ongoing cases facing the owner’s other dogs.
A Jan. 20 incidentwas reported to police when the dogs escaped through an open door and injured an adult man, a tow-truck driver who was returning a vehicle. That case will be heard in the coming weeks.
The SPCA has six outstanding charges for other dogs in the owner’s home regarding rabies vaccinations, dog licenses, and the dogs getting loose, the spokesperson said.
