An educator who has been a behind-the-scenes mentor to many of Philadelphia’s most prominent musicians, gets his just due in a new film premiering at the BlackStar Film Festival this weekend.
The list of Hines’ mentees include highly regarded Philly musicians, such as Christian McBride, Immanuel Wilkins, Justin Faulkner, Bilal Oliver, Derrick Hodge, the late Joey DeFrancesco, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots, who is Morelli’s brother.
The film begins with a poem, written and soothingly spoken by Morelli.
“Flower and seed, orchard from tree / Like a stream of golden sun and urban sky you shined through … the Philadelphia Sensei is Lovett Hines.”
Many of the most prominent mentees of Hines, 83, who also taught at the Settlement Music School, give testimonials in the short documentary, praising him for his loving way of nurturing talent, rather than acting like a disciplinarian obsessed with technique.
“The first thing is, he finds your strength,” Roots drummer Questlove says in the film. “He describes the importance of listening and absorbing. Really, he was just super encouraging.”
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson in “Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines.” Donn Thompson Morelli / Philadelphia Sensei
“I always think of him as the most perfectly balanced teacher that I’ve ever had in music,” says McBride, bassist and host of NPR’s Jazz Night in America. “He always gave us room to make our own mistakes. He never said, ‘You have to do it this way, you must do it the way it says on the paper.’ He would let us find our own personality.”
When McBride attended South Philly High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in the late 1980s in an illustrious period when DeFrancesco, The Roots, and Boyz II Men were also students. When he was starting out, McBride realized he needed to follow the path of Philly heroes like McCoy Tyner and Benny Golson and move to New York to make a name for himself.
“Mr. Hines was like, ‘Cool, you wanna go to New York. Let’s make sure you have what you need, so when you go to the Big Apple you’ll be straight.’”
In the film, Hines talks about growing up in North Philly, and how he learned from his mother, who was a community builder who encouraged appreciation of the arts and history. She often gathered up neighborhood children on weekends and took them to the Philadelphia Museum of Art or Independence Hall.
His family worshipped at the United House of Prayer for All People near 12th and Poplar Streets.
“Of course, it had music,” Hines, an alto saxophonist who also plays bass clarinet and piano, tells Morelli. “They had the piano player, they had the choir. But they also had the band. And that was my first introduction to instrumental music.”
Christian McBride in “Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines,” which premiered Sunday at the BlackStar Film Festival.Donn Thompson Morelli / Philadelphia Sensei
On a warm summer evening in June, Wayne native Annabelle Dinda was gearing up to take the stage. It was her first time opening for folk sensation Noah Kahan on his “The Great Divide” tour, and it was in Citizens Bank Park, the home of her beloved Phillies.
The last time she had performed on home turf was a month earlier at the Lounge at World Stage for around 200 people. This time, she was about to sing in front of a sold-out crowd of around 45,000.
The 25-year-old singer-songwriter was very excited, as she recalled.
Annabelle Dinda performs an opening set during the Philadelphia stop of Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide Tour” at Citizens Bank Park on June 26.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer
“I’m not a huge sports girl, but I do love baseball. I was [like a kid]in the park out there,” said Dinda, 25, on looking around Citizens Bank Park during rehearsals.“[My band and I] walked through the dugouts, I stood on home base, I cried. It was so cool. I could’ve just done that and been done.”
That performance coincided with the first anniversary of her starting to post her music on TikTok. In October of last year, just four months after starting an account, Dinda posted a video of her playing her then unreleased song “The Hand.” It currently sits at 16.7 million views and 2.2 million likes, with praise from popular indie artists like FINNEAS and Gigi Perez.
The song, about the oppressive societal perceptions of women, is now part of her latest album Some Things Never Leave, and is her most popular song by far, with over 55 million streams on Spotify.
this song is called ‘the hand.’ Yes I’m putting it on streaming. this is a run through of the whole thing and it proves that I have to practice like 80 times before I find the breath control and this is only my third run thru ok peace n luv bye
“There were periods of time where I didn’t talk to people, not in an ignoring sense, but because I couldn’t even begin to describe the fabric change of my life,” said Dinda over Zoom from a hotel room in Raleigh, N.C., last month, having been on tour with Kahan for a month at the time of being interviewed.
“It was a huge shift. I was a nanny and I had to quit. The idea of making money from doing music was so alien to me. I’m very grateful for it, but I think I’m maybe about 40% done processing it.”
Springsteen, Sinatra, Demi Lovato
Dinda’s folk rock, Cranberries-esque style of singing captivated TikTok viewers — but she didn’t always have or even want that sound. When she was growing up, her parents would play her Sinatra and Springsteen, while Dinda had a burning desire to sing like the stars she listened to on Disney radio.
“I was absolutely despondent that I couldn’t sing like Demi Lovato. It was one of the worst things that I ever had to come to terms with,” joked Dinda. “I would never sing if I couldn’t belt something, because I thought that’s what good singing was.”
But at a certain point, she said, “you realize your own limits, and then a style comes from singing within those limits.”
Annabelle Dinda performs an opening set during the Philadelphia stop of Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide Tour” at Citizens Bank Park on June 26.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer
Citing influences like Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, whom she heard while hanging out with her older cousins, Dinda was inspired to start writing music. She was 10. Her fans love her in-depth, poetic lyrics, but she always starts a song with a melody.
“I always approach songwriting melody first … I didn’t give a s— about what the lyrics sounded like or what they meant, and that went on for years. Eventually, I thought it might actually matter what I say.”
After graduating from Radnor High School, Dinda made her way to New York City to attend NYU. She took two music classes and quickly “despised it.”
A headshot of Annabelle Dinda as part of the photoshoot for her latest album “Some Things Never Leave.”Lia Whitman
“I’ve met many friends now who did these kinds of music classes, but when I was 18 and meaner and more insecure, I thought those people sucked.”
So she pivoted to crafting her own major in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, studying poetry and philosophy for the rest of college.
“My final concentration was basically the power of poetic language, the philosophy behind it, and how it can reach this ineffable part of being alive that music, too, can play into.”
It was at this time that she started releasing her music independently. Starting out on SoundCloud, Dinda put out six singles in 2019, followed by her first album Nostalgion in 2020. She would go on to release eight singles, three EPs, and two albums before Some Things Never Leave dropped last January.
Her already extensive catalog tends to be unified by two themes: time and grief.
“I think there’s a natural thematic pairing of time and grief, because time runs out and then that’s grief,” said Dinda. “When I was making the first three [albums] from ages 17 to 22, I had so much anxiety. I was going through so much self-transformation and I did a lot of insular work. In general, but even more so then, I mourned many versions of myself.”
In 2024, she released her third album, Sixth Sense, which dealt with a more acute sense of grief after her brother John passed away earlier that year unexpectedly.
“I think all the songs in that, maybe besides two, I wrote in a three-month period after he passed,” said Dinda. “It was interesting because the muscles that I had built talking about the idea of grief and the idea of time for many years, it became that this theme was all I think about now. It became very tangible.”
Forever rooted in Philly
Dinda is based in New York; the album cover for Some Things Never Leave was shot in Prospect Park. But she hasn’t forgotten about her hometown.
“London Plane Trees Grow in Philly,” the six-minute album closer on Some Things Never Leave, delivers a nostalgic, bittersweet love note to her life and family, with lyrics dedicated to her mom and other brother, Henry.
The cover for Annabelle Dinda’s newest album “Some Things Never Leave” shot in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.Lia Whitman
“Henry studied horticulture and he is a landscaper now. I remember being a teenager and loving [London Plane trees], asking him what that tree was, and him explaining that tree to me,” said Dinda. “I’m really happy with the metaphor of an old-rooted thing being in both [New York and Philly]. They’re city trees, too, so they’re everywhere. There’s something kind of bland about them. The most common things can be the most inspiring because they’re so overlooked and utilitarian.”
In May, Dinda played a “Free at Noon” concert at WXPN before embarking on the tour with Kahan. Her family was in the crowd loudly cheering her on throughout the show.
She was selected as the radio station’s “Artist to Watch” for the month of May by WXPN music director Dan Reed, who was introduced to her songs by his son.
“If you’re gonna write these confessional deep lyrics, that’s great, but they’re not going to have a whole lot of staying power if they don’t have a great song behind them,” said Reed. “She’s able to put those two things together, which is really rare.”
Coming off the melancholic, nostalgic themes of Some Things Never Leave, Dinda released her upbeat single “Whatever You Wanna” in June. This song feels more like holding your hands outside the window of a car on a road trip, with lyrics telling the romantic, but possibly naive tale of Dinda feeling compelled to do whatever crazy thing her lover wants her to do.
Does this more high-spirited track reflect the tone of Dinda’s next album? She says it’ll be more of a “mixture.”
“I’m always wary of people getting too solid an idea of me,” said Dinda, who has been performing unreleased songs “Fill the Gap” and “Learn Something, Baby!” at smaller shows in between Kahan tour dates.
“This last album we recorded so quickly that there were some elements that were left raw that I’m going to try to thicken and expand. I will always want to experiment more than I am currently. I think if you don’t do that, then what the hell are you doing?”
Annabelle Dinda performs an opening set during the Philadelphia stop of Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide Tour” at Citizens Bank Park on June 26.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer
Dinda will continue to perform with Kahan through August.
After that? She wants to seek more growth, but also a sense of normalcy.
“I’m really interested in, and this is the grandma in me, a slow and steady growth and seeing how that feels,” she said. She wants to record her next album, release it, and tour again next year, and then compare next year with this year to see what she can do differently.
“I was so deeply overwhelmed this year that I was focused on releasing and getting my face and literal body on stages out in the world. I’ll be happy to have a little more time to do music videos and pay real attention to pictures we take,” said Dinda, who wants to focus more on the creative aspects behind the next album’s rollout. “Incrementally growing I’m really excited about, because I don’t want to feel insane, is my goal.”
The Phillies spent the trade deadline doing the baseball equivalent of rearranging an entire office while everyone was still working.
Luis Arraez arrived to play second base. Bryson Stott moved to third, where he had all of two major league games of experience. Alec Bohm slid over to first. Bryce Harper returned to right field for the first time since 2022. Trea Turner, despite having the roughest defensive numbers of the bunch, stayed exactly where he was.
Stott’s response was basically: Tell me where to stand. Harper volunteered to move before the trade was even finished. When the two-time MVP agrees to return to the position where he tore his UCL four years ago because it’s what gives the team the best chance to win, everyone else loses the right to be precious about their assigned seat.
For one night, the whole thing looked inspired. Arraez drove in two runs in his debut, Harper caught everything hit his way, and the Phillies won, 5-0. Then Wednesday arrived with an 11-inning loss, two injury scares, six runs allowed in the final frame, and a reminder that moving the furniture around does not repair the entire house.
Still, the Phillies needed something different, and different is certainly what they got. Arraez has already brought the bat and the energy… the rest of the lineup just has to remember where it’s playing.
Katherine Ross, left, and John Pacewicz, right, get married in Love Park surrounded by friends and family and their dog Hoagie, in Philadelphia, October 8, 2025.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
LOVE Park’s 1,000th wedding: A+
The average wedding comes with a carefully curated guest list.
A LOVE Park wedding comes with whoever happens to be walking through Center City that afternoon.
Maybe there’s a SEPTA train rumbling underneath. Maybe someone wanders into the background of your photos. Maybe a guy with a microphone decides this is also the perfect place for his performance. Whatever happens, it’s part of the ceremony, which really is part of the allure.
Shapiro’s cameo in the sequel to Dreams and Nightmares only lasts a few seconds, but it’s enough to make you rewind and ask, “Wait… was that Josh Shapiro?” Turns out it was. The footage came from a backstage meeting at the One Philly: Unity Concert.
It actually makes perfect sense given Shapiro and Meek’s long relationship through criminal justice reform. But context disappears pretty quickly when you’re watching one of Philadelphia’s most iconic rap songs and the governor suddenly walks onscreen.
There are certain questions guaranteed to start an argument in Philadelphia. Pat’s or Geno’s? Wiz or Cooper Sharp? Is Dallas Goedert underrated?
This week, Reddit tackled another one: Does ketchup belong on a cheesesteak? The answer, according to multiple Philadelphians, is… maybe.
The comments were surprisingly reasonable. Plenty of people argued that a great cheesesteak shouldn’t need ketchup, but a dry one absolutely benefits from it. Others pointed out that “salt, pepper, ketchup” has been a standard order for decades, while one former South Philly steak shop worker declared, “The ketchup pump is there for a reason.”
The real plot twist wasn’t ketchup, though. It was the original poster casually revealing that his wife puts mayo and pickles on her cheesesteaks… and dips plain cheese pizza in ketchup. Suddenly, everyone stopped arguing about him.
For once, Philadelphia found common ground.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal reacts after a play at home plate during the sixth inning of game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)Melissa Tamez
The Dodgers do it again: D
The Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal, because apparently the two-time defending World Series champions with Shohei Ohtani still needed the two-time reigning Cy Young winner.
It’s the baseball equivalent of the kid who already got the biggest slice of birthday cake asking if anyone’s going to finish theirs.
The Dodgers have built one of the best organizations in sports. They draft well, develop prospects, spend money, and somehow all at once. GOOD FOR THEM.
It’s also exhausting (and boring). Part of what makes sports fun is believing more than one team has a legitimate shot. When the same handful of franchises keep adding MVPs and Cy Young winners, it starts to feel less like a pennant race and more like everyone else is competing for second place.
Still, nobody in the clubhouse seemed interested in panicking. Stott said the Phillies aren’t scared of anyone, and Schwarber’s message was simpler: First, make the postseason. October has humbled plenty of superteams before.
Still… it would be nice if the Dodgers took a trade deadline off every once in a while.
David Elder cools off with a cold towel draped over his head as he walks through South Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. Forecasters are predicting a heat wave across the region over the next several days.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Summer’s greatest hits: F
The forecast has basically been on repeat for weeks now.
The weather has reached the point where nobody asks, “Is it supposed to rain today?” We just assume the answer is yes and hope it doesn’t happen during the 15 minutes we’re outside.
The worst part is the false hope. Every time the forecast teases a “slight relief,” it lasts about 12 hours and then we’re right back to sweating through our shirts and wondering whether the afternoon commute will include flash flooding.
In Rodin Museum’s courtyard last Friday evening, you could run into old friends, play a game of gigantic chess, or try to keep up with your toddler toddling through the garden.
Or you could just sit back, sipping white wine and taking in the scene.
This weekly urban oasis at the Rodin has often featured live music to accompany drinks and snacks in the gorgeously landscaped courtyard. The event is now in its seasonal homestretch, continuing each Friday evening with recorded music through the end of August.
A Friday evening gathering at the Rodin Museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway, July 31, 2026.Glenn Holsten
Oh, and while you’re there, you could also take in the jewel-box of a museum, which offers a choice selection of works by the French sculptor. The current show, “Rodin’s Hands,” features 15 bronzes and plasters, some of which relate to Auguste Rodin’s famous The Burghers of Calais.
The Rodin Museum, 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Friday-Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Fridays until 8:30 p.m. through Aug. 28. Friday evenings are pay-what-you-wish. philamuseum.org.
— Peter Dobrin
Eddie Veddie with Charlie Hall to his right and Imelda Mae to his left in a tribute to the late Glen Hansard at the Dublin concert hall Vicar Street.Screenshot from YouTube
A devastating Glen Hansard tribute
The last Irish funeral I watched on YouTube was Shane MacGowan’s.
The musical peak of that celebration of the Pogues songwriter, who had been beset by health problems before his death in 2023 at 65, came on a thrilling duet between Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill on the whiskey-soaked holiday classic “Fairytale of New York.”
The funeral mass, which was livestreamed Aug. 4 from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, — and is archived online — had a feeling of unwanted deja vu. Less than three years after MacGowan had been laid to rest, many of the same musician mourners again gathered to pay tribute to one of their own, in this case a life brought to an unexpected tragic end.
Mourners included U2’s Bono, who led the congregation in an a cappella “Beautiful Day,” and played a voice note recording of Patti Smith singing a lullaby she wrote for Hansard. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, whom Hansard opened for in Philadelphia in 2024, sang “A Song of Good Hope” with the Swell Season’s Marketa Irglova.
The service is a beautiful, devastating watch. Eulogies were given by Hansard’s wife, Maire Saaritsa, and his brothers Richard and Gary, the latter of whom sang the heartbreaking ballad “I Can See God,” written by the Hansards’ uncle Paul Cahill.
O’Neill, who was among the Dublin musicians who played with an expanded Pogues at Franklin Music Hall in Philly last September, was particularly moving on “Old Note,” a song she wrote in a Dublin apartment that Hansard lent her so she could work on her music.
The Philadelphia crew who worked with Hansard at Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken in 2025, and this year, was represented by producer Charlie Hall of the War on Drugs. He can be spotted in the church choir as the service came to a close with a fevered rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young,” mashed up with George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” and led by Hot House Flowers singer Liam Ó Maonlaí.
The night of the funeral, Hansard was further celebrated at Dublin’s Vicar Street concert hall. Vedder led the way on Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” with Hall on guitar on his right, and Asbury Park repped by Jake Clemons of the E Street Band, and photographer/musician Danny Clinch.
Philly musicians who worked with Hansard, including Hall, Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Ben Arnold, and Kevin Hanson, shared their remembrances of him on the Craic Radio Hour on WPPM-FM (106.5). The show can be heard on Mixcloud.
— Dan DeLuca
The fabric of a person
For incarcerated individuals with long-term or life sentences, life outside of prison may seem unimaginable. Artist Jesse Krimes brings those future visions to life through his Elegy Quilts.
The quilts, currently on display at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, are made up of pieces of clothing from incarcerated individuals. Krimes then asks the subjects of these quilts to name three elements: a piece of furniture, an animal, and an object, all meant to represent the person’s identity.
Some commonalities are present, with multiple individuals selecting a bird or a bathroom setting. However, each quilt feels like its own distinct insight into this person’s life, whether that’s a memory they cherish or the life they wish to return to.
Krimes himself was incarcerated for five years, and used art as a creative outlet during his sentence. All of the pieces in the show are named after prisons.
Jesse Krimes’ 2026 quilt “Riverside” will become a mural in Spring Garden that will be unveiled on June 3. Description: Jesse Krimes, “Riverside,” 2026. Antique quilt, used clothing collected from incarcerated people, assorted textiles, 87 1/2 x 54 inches.Courtesy of Jesse Krimes and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
The quilts feel incredibly personal, thanks to the elements that Krimes requested of the subjects. Particularly in pieces like Florence, where I could almost see the sadness of the quilt horse as he looks at this childhood playroom scene.
At the same time, as deep as the pieces feel, their ultimate message or theme can’t be known without knowing the subject’s intention. It creates this emotional reaction while also raising questions about these people’s identities and how they perceive themselves: What makes someone feel like they’re an owl? Or a flamingo?
The quilts are striking, and all I want to see besides a million more are the actual stories behind them. That being said, the mystery is heartbreakingly beautiful, too.
“Elegy Quilts by Jesse Krimes” is on display until Nov. 1, 2026, at the Fabric Museum and Workshop, 1214 Arch St., Phila. fabricworkshopandmuseum.org
— Morgan Ritter
Wonders in wood
Inside the quiet, well-air-conditioned Museum of Art in Wood, visitors can explore dozens of wondrous artworks that will leave them asking, “How did the artist make this?” Two floors in Old City are packed with treasures primarily inside humidity-controlled glass cases, though I’d encourage you to check every corner — and make sure to look up! — so you don’t miss a thing.
One disarmingly funny work that I loved was a pair of tall bar chairs made of cherry wood with a special design on the seat: meticulously crafted luscious lips. Artists Silas Kopf and Thomas Coughlin fittingly called them Kiss My Ass Chairs, but I was fascinated even before I learned the cheeky title. The lips (and nose) are multicolored to indicate texture, light, and shading with such impressive skill.
Kopf is particularly renowned for his expertise in marquetry, a style of woodworking that incorporates thin pieces of material (in this case, assorted types of wood) to create a design.
One of the “Kiss My Ass Chairs” by Silas Kopf and Thomas Coughlin, on view at the Museum of Art in Wood in Old City.Rosa Cartagena
See also: Louise Hibbert’s stunningly shiny seashells, Daniel Forest Hoffman’s unbelievably realistic Ram, Jason Marlow’s enigmatic helmet, and John H. Williams’ Solar Storm, a deep orange vessel with fingerprint-like swirls.
Those picks are from the permanent collection — the museum also hosts rotating exhibits, with the latest spotlighting their artists-in-residence. (The gift shop is another must-see.)
Plus, if you’re looking to enjoy the air-conditioning a bit longer, enter the museum’s wooden games library and try your hand at various puzzles or the ancient Egyptian board game senet.
Museum for Art in Wood, Wednesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., 141 N. Third St., Phila. museumforartinwood.org
Meek Mill’s newest single “Nightmares to Dreams” has a surprising cameo star: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The North Philly rapper calls it a “full circle Philly moment.”
Shapiro appears a little more than a minute into the music video, hugging and conversing with the rapper, with whom he’s built a friendship over the past decade.
The clip of Shapiro and Meek Mill is from a brief meeting the two had before Meek took the stage July 4 at the One Philly: Unity Concert for America, according to state officials.
The song is a spirited sequel to Meek’s 2012 anthem and title track of his debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares.
The update features a similar melody as the original but with a more frenetic, more menacing instrumental on the song’s back half. Shapiro’s appearance in the song’s music video marks a convergence of some key themes in Meek’s life and music career.
“‘Nightmares to Dreams’ is about coming from North Philly, surviving everything that came with that, chasing a dream, and then using what I built to create opportunities and make change for other people,” Meek, also a criminal justice reform advocate, said in a written statement to The Inquirer.
With “Dreams and Nightmares,” the career of the rapper born Robert Rihmeek Williams began to take off. But he remained on probation with a decade of legal woes stemming from a 2008 drug and gun charge. Court-imposed restrictions disrupted his ability to travel and work, he said, and years of supervision limited his freedom and his musical ascension.
“I was selling out shows, taking care of my family, and representing my city, yet the system still controlled my life,” Meek said in the statement. “That probation nightmare followed me for years and sent me back to prison because of technical violations.”
Meek Mill closes day 2 of the Roots Picnic 2025 while performing on the Fairmount Park Stage at the Mann Center on Sunday, June 1, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
In November 2017, the rapper was sentenced to two to four years in state prison following a string of nonviolent technical probation violations.
It was this court decision by former Common Pleas Court Judge Genece E. Brinkley that brought the incident to then state attorney general Shapiro’s attention.
“Meek got a real raw deal,” Shapiro said in an appearance on the Higher Learning podcast in March.
After Meek’s sentencing, Michael Rubin, founder and CEO of the sports platform Fanatics and a mutual friend of Meek’s and Shapiro’s, urged Shapiro to look closely into Meek’s legal battle.
The #FreeMeek campaign was launched soon after Meek’s sentencing and Shapiro urged Rubin to broaden the mission of the movement, he said on the podcast. The campaign became a national push for criminal justice reform for those who fell victim to systemic corruption.
Meek Mill in Amazon’s Free MeekAmazon
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered Meek to be released from prison on bail in April 2018. In January 2019, he cofounded the nonprofit Reform Alliance, with Rubin, Robert Kraft, and Jay-Z. The aim was to mount a five-year campaign to overhaul Pennsylvania’s probation system.
“What happened to me wasn’t just my story,” Meek said. “It was happening to millions of people across this country. That’s why we created Reform Alliance. We wanted to turn one person’s experience into a movement that changes the system for everyone.
“Gov. Shapiro understood this issue was bigger than me” said Meek, “He told us to put a bill on his desk, and when we did, he kept his word.”
Shapiro signed Act 44 into law in December 2023. It creates new pathways for eligible Pennsylvanians to receive early termination hearings, finish probation after demonstrating sustained progress, and limits incarceration for technical violations of probation.
The act “created a more proportionate approach to technical violations, the same kind of noncriminal missteps that repeatedly sent Meek back to prison and derailed the progress of too many others,” Reform Alliance CEO Jessica Jackson said in a statement.
Rapper Meek Mill (center left) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro move to embrace during a ceremonial bill signing in Philadelphia, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. More criminal records in Pennsylvania can be sealed from public view and fewer people might be kept on probation or in county jails, under legislation signed by Shapiro. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Matt Rourke
Shapiro commends Meek for opening his eyes to the failures of the Pennsylvania criminal justice system and for working to ensure others didn’t face the same barriers as him.
“I’m a more compassionate person and understanding person for what he’s taught me over the years. And I appreciate him,” Shapiro said to Higher Learning podcast hosts Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay. “There are a whole lot of people who are no longer incarcerated, who shouldn’t have been incarcerated in the first place, because of policies I’ve changed in Pennsylvania, decisions I’ve made on pardons and clemencies because of lessons Meek has taught me.”
Meek has even informed his musical tastes, the governor said.
When they first sat down for a dinner at Rubin’s house, Shapiro admitted he wasn’t a fan of the rapper’s music. “I really find a lot of your music quite offensive,” Shapiro recounted telling Meek.
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro addresses the audience during a rally for Congressional candidate Bob Brooks at the United Steelworkers Union Hall in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sunday, July 26, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
But after Meek played his songs and explained the meaning behind the lyrics, “it opened up my eyes a lot more into understanding his music, the way he thinks, the way he approaches things,” Shapiro said.
Years later, Meek said his music and circumstances have changed vastly.
That is what is reflected in the video to “Nightmares to Dreams,” which includes Philly landmarks and other high-profile cameos from the likes of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Million Dollaz Worth of Game hosts Wallo267 and Gillie da King.
It illuminates his North Philly roots, the distance he has traveled, and the change his advocacy has inspired.
What was once a nightmare is shaping up to be a dream, with a friendship with the governor to boot.
Betty J. Wilson, 92, of Cherry Hill, celebrated longtime South Jersey teacher, singer, poet, mentor, community advocate, volunteer, and two-time chapter president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., died Thursday, July 16, of cancer at her home.
Mrs. Wilson taught elementary school students in Bordentown, Bridgeton, and Mount Laurel from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and served as two-time president of the Mount Laurel Teachers Association. She was named one of the country’s top teachers in 1972 by the old Outstanding Teachers of America Association and told the Courier-Post: “Children are our most valuable asset. If we don’t give them the proper training early, there’s not much chance for the future.”
Her family called her “dynamic and outgoing” in a tribute, and her daughter, Saundra Umstead-Capers, said: “She was a born leader and had a commanding presence.”
Mrs. Wilson championed discipline and parental participation in school and at home, and told the Courier-Post: “Most of our children are allowed to talk first and ask too many questions before complete directions are given. … If the child is used to directives, he won’t resent authority. And in life, we all have to take directions from someone else no matter who we are.”
She represented Mount Laurel teachers during sometimes contentious contract negotiations with Board of Education officials and helped improve teacher benefits and job protection through the New Jersey Education Association.
She joined Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1953 at what is now Virginia State University. Later, she cofounded local AKA chapters in Cherry Hill and Voorhees, served as two-time president of the Theta Pi Omega chapter in Cherry Hill, and was recognized by national AKA officials for her contributions.
Friends called Mrs. Wilson “a phenomenal woman” and “a beautiful, smart, professional woman” in online tributes.Courtesy of the family
The theme of her sorority presidency was service, scholarship, and Black American heritage, and she helped establish social service, public speaking, and scholarship programs. “Her presence,” sorority colleagues said in an online tribute, “will be profoundly missed.”
As a singer, Mrs. Wilson had a soaring soprano voice, and she took lessons in high school and college. She performed on a local TV station in Western Pennsylvania when she was young and sang with a traveling choir in college and for the school president.
She also wrote poetry for years and acknowledged the one-year anniversary of the 1999 death of her husband, Wilbur Wilson, by writing in 2000: “Your legacy stays with us and shall always light the way/We thank God for your presence and your sharing every day.”
She lobbied locally for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s, and volunteered with the Rancocas Valley chapter of the Links and the South Jersey chapter of the Continental Societies. She served on the education committee at Evergreen Baptist Church in Palmyra and tutored the children of many church members.
In online tributes, friends called her “a phenomenal woman” and “a beautiful, smart, professional woman.” One friend said: “She impacted so many lives, especially the students she taught.”
Betty Jane Atkins was born April 6, 1934, in Library, Pa., about 12 miles south of Pittsburgh. The oldest of nine children, she was an honor student and the lead singer in every musical during her years at the old Snowden Township High School.
She attended Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Library, earned scholarships to attend college, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education at Virginia State.
Stylish and sophisticated, Mrs. Wilson was a popular figure on the college campus. She was selected by the football team to represent it on their homecoming float in 1953, and she served as the school’s Miss Valentine in February, Miss Apple Blossom in the spring, and Miss ROTC.
She was an engaging storyteller and, her daughter said, “a lot of fun.”
“Sister Wilson embodied the ideals of an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman,” sorority colleagues said, “elegant, poised, and gracious.”
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Wilson is survived by a granddaughter, three sisters, a brother, and other relatives. Two sisters and two brothers died earlier.
Visitation with the family is to be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Boyd Funeral Home, 1458 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, N.J. 08104. Services are to be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Evergreen Baptist Church, 602 W. 3rd St., Palmyra, N.J. 08065.
Donations in her name may be made to Evergreen Baptist Church, 602 W. 3rd St., Palmyra, N.J. 08065.
But if you’re true to this, you already know they are the best places to get delicious fruits, veggies, and other tasty treats directly from your local farmers, bakers, and artisans.
Costs to transform a dilapidated property into a public park in Tredyffrin have ballooned to $1.7 million. Officials say it’s an investment, but some residents worry it’s too high.
A new study shows it is possible to tap the earth formore efficient heating and cooling for two Philadelphia School District buildings at once, providing a potential path to cleaner energy.
Cira Green in Philadelphia was named one of the best sunset spots in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh and Erie also got nods, the former ranking in the top 10, as did two in Delaware and three in New Jersey.
🌳 Your outdoorsy experience
Last week, I asked if you’d noticed any spotted lanternflies in your area this season. John S. in Manayunk shared what he’s seen:
The lantern fly population is stable here although I do not tolerate their presence.
The little ones as big as specks appear in mid April. Through July 4th there are the bigger stage red and black ones. Finally the adults appear second week in July. Their presence dwindles by mid October.
I suspect there are folks that are unaware of lantern flies. The presence of lantern flies in the house, car, and on people are a problem.
Definitely. It’s a shame they’re rather strangely beautiful (mostly when their bright red-and-black underwing is visible inflight.) Thanks for the dispatch, John!
🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to food writer Kiki Aranita.
Philadelphians know it’s officially peak summer thanks to a recent announcement: the beginning of BLT season at Middle Child, where the seasonalsandwiches draw lines down the block.
“We become Pat’s and Geno’s but instead of making cheesesteaks all day, we’re making BLTs,” said Matt Cahn, the owner of the Center City sandwich shop Middle Child and Fishtown’s Middle Child Clubhouse. You won’t see fresh tomatoes on the menu at any other time of the year, but come mid-July: “It’s just BLT, BLT, BLT,” said Cahn.
You could say tomato season is Middle Child’s Super Bowl.It is intense but short. BLTs are only made for about four weeks, when tomatoes are at their best. It started on July 22 and each location makes roughly 200 to 250 sandwiches per day.
While there are other top-tier tomato sandwiches in town — don’t miss the River Twice entry, adorned with gamtae and a quenelle of caviar, for example, or Loretta’s in Headhouse, with herbed aioli and the same vaunted produce as Middle Child’s — none stir up quite as much fervor. — Kiki Aranita
Check out this New Hope-area estate and its magical gardens. It used to be open to the public as Paxson Hill Farm Nursery and Gardens until 2024. The property just hit the market this week.
👋🏽 See you out there.
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens, in a sign that even after his first attempt at limiting birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court, he’s ready to try again.
The president said he was signing two executive actions on immigration.
He said one will limit the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States.
A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country.
Additional details weren’t provided, but Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.
In June, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s previous efforts to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens, and upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship.
On Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, which allows anyone born in the United States to automatically become an American citizen.
Trump’s administration was immediately sued by opponents who said the executive order went against the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, which makes anyone born in the country a citizen, with very limited exceptions.
The executive order was blocked by several lower courts and never took effect.
In June, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s order by a 6-3 vote. But the vote was too close for many immigration advocates and legal observers who felt the legal question of birthright citizenship was a long-settled issue.
Good news! I have somehow avoided being eaten by the polka-dotted lanternflies that have swarmed our city to deliver this week’s Things To Do Newsletter.
BlackStar Film Festival returns to celebrate filmmakers of color
Directors Melissa Beatriz & Andrés Cisneros are set to premiere their short documentary, “Philly Rumba,” at the 2026 BlackStar Film Festival.Courtesy of Luiza Barreto
The BlackStar Film Festival, one of the nation’s premier showcases for filmmakers of color, returns for its 15th annual celebration.
This year’s lineup includes 91 films from filmmakers from over 30 countries.
Along with showcasing the work of first-time directors and veteran storytellers, there will be wellness sessions, seminars, panel discussions, and after-hours events starting Thursday.
Get the perfect colorful summer selfie this weekend during the Sunflower Spectacular at Butler’s Orchard. The farm is open late on Saturday with live music and local craft beer and cider. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)Michael S. Williamson
🦹🏽♂️ Nerd out at Liberty Comic Con: Comic book and anime lovers, rejoice! You will have access to your favorite voice actors, artists, cosplayers, and a wide range of vendors all weekend long at Liberty Comic Con.
🪲 A bug’s life: Stop by the Academy of Natural Sciences to celebrate insect biodiversity at Bug Fest 2026. Through Sunday, guests can mingle with bug enthusiasts and researchers, and watch a real-life roach race in action.
🌻 Let your curiosity blossom: At Linvilla Orchards, bask in the beauty of the bright yellow daisy at Sunflower Festival. Guests can pick their own blooms and enjoy delicacies like peach pie, fresh cider, roasted sweet corn, and more summertime treats.
📅 My calendar picks this week: Wine Safari at Elmwood Park Zoo, Nicetown 24th Annual Giveback Community Festival, America’s 250th celebration in Newtown. Here’s our full list for the week.
WWE SmackDown stars will rumble in South Philly
Solo Sikoa, The Bloodline, Roman Reigns – WWE SmackDown 10-18-2024WWE.com
Top WWE superstars will be throwing elbows, leaping from turnbuckles, and tossing tables, ladders, and chairs this Friday.
Watch top-end performers Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jade Cargill, CM Punk, and Rhea Ripley at the center of the action at Xfinity Mobile Arena. This South Philly rumble might get messy. (And we hope it does).
A child runs through an octopus display at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)Tassanee Vejpongsa
🍻 Need First Friday plans?: Elfreth’s Alley and 48 Record Bar are teaming up for a free garden party this Friday. The 8 Record Bar Garden Party will include a night of delicious cocktails, a pop-up vinyl market, and DJ sets.
🖼️ A spiritual quest through time: It’s your last chance to witness “A World in the Making: The Shakers,” an exhibition centered on the legacy of Rebecca Cox Jackson, the founder of the only Black-led Shaker community. The exhibition is on view at West Philly’s Institute of Contemporary Art through Sunday.
🍴 A deal you can’t refuse: Center City District is offering new summertime lunch specials ranging from $10-20. Participating restaurants include Pruenlla, Darling Jack’s Tavern, Dolce Italian, Hard Rock Cafe, and other dining spots.
🏮 Celebrate the Year of the Horse: There are less than two weeks left to enjoy the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy an illuminated Franklin Square, which wraps for the year on Aug. 16.
Staffer picks
Billy Idol on a video set in 1981.Live Nation Studios
Here’s pop music critic Dan Deluca’s list of the best concerts this weekend.
🎤 Thursday: The Isley Brothers, led by soul and R&B maestro Ronald Isley, now 85, will take the stage at Dell Music Center. Stephanie Mills and Breakwater open.
🎸 Friday: Billy Idol, a forthcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, I might add, is teaming up with Devo to perform at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton on Friday night.
🕺🏼 Sunday: Former Disney Channel Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff is on tour for her first album in 11 years. She’s joined by Jade LeMac and La Roux for her “Lucky Me” tour stop at TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann.
Before filmmaker Maori Karmael Holmes founded BlackStar Film Festival, what other festival did she help develop in Philly?
A) Black Orchid Film Festival
B) Black Lily Film & Music Festival
C) Black Rose Film & Music Fest
D) None of the above
Here’s the answer to last week’s question: With LeBron James’ arrival, NBA Championship hopes are now abound. Most Sixers fans know the last time the team captured a chip, but what year was the first? Answer: 1967
Ask Earl anything
Many of you have questions about each week’s listings, and others about Philly’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene.
I have you covered. Have a question? Email me for a chance to have it answered in an upcoming newsletter.
Philly, you’re in for a cinematic weekend. Grab a bucket of popcorn and catch a screening at BlackStar. You won’t want to miss the action.
– Earl Hopkins
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Even as a boy in New York, he loved language, literature, and poetry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English, took graduate classes at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and could recite lines from Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Frost on demand.
He was generally calm and reasonable, too, his sons said. “He didn’t get upset easily,” his son Mark said.
His vocabulary was extensive, and he could spell practically any word. So it is no surprise that he spent 50 years, from the early 1950s to his retirement in 2002, as an editor, page designer, and reporter for The Inquirer, the Bulletin, the Morning Call of Allentown, the Pottstown Mercury, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and the Evening Tribune in Hornell, N.Y.
The Morning Call published this story in 1959 when Mr. Langman left to work in Hawaii.Newspapers.com
He joined The Inquirer in 1981 and worked mostly nights for 21 years as a copy editor, assistant news editor, and suburban assigning editor. Former colleagues at The Inquirer called him a “meticulous” editor, “enormously patient,” and “a man of great integrity” in online tributes.
He won an award from the old Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association in 1957 for a front page he designed for the Morning Call and spent 20 years as assistant city editor and news editor at the Bulletin. “I’m glad that I had a chance to work with him,” a former Inquirer copy desk colleague said. “What a pro.” Another said: “I could not have had a better teacher.”
On Saturday, June 13, Dick Langman died of complications from pneumonia at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was 99.
Long before he came to Philadelphia in 1961, Mr. Langman was a seasoned newspaperman. He honed his reporting skills as a writer at the Evening Tribune in New York and the Mercury in Pottstown.
Mr. Langman and his wife, Betty, married in 1954.Courtesy of the family
In January 1954, he opened a Page 1 story for the Mercury with: “From clomping around in wooden shoes in Holland to wearing modern footwear in Bechtelsville is a long way, and Mrs. LaVerne Fronheiser is glad to be home. She’s not too glad, however, because her husband had to stay in Germany, where he’s stationed with the infantry.”
On Page 1 in March 1954, he wrote: “They had need of a chaplain yesterday at borough hall. He could have served well the 50 moaners and groaners whose cars were tagged for parking violations.”
He moved on to the Morning Call and covered high school sports and other news. He left for Honolulu in 1959 and became sports editor at the Star-Bulletin. But he missed the East Coast and returned to work at the Bulletin in Philadelphia in 1961.
“Hawaii is one of the loveliest places in the world,” he told the Morning Call. But his wife, Betty, had roots in Norristown, he said, and they both got homesick.
Mr. Langman wrote this Page 1 story for the Pottstown Mercury in 1953.Newspapers.com
Earlier, after college, Mr. Langman worked briefly for the Associated Press in New York and as a statistician for what is now the Elias Sports Bureau. He enlisted in the Army after high school in 1944, went to active duty in 1945, and served until the end of World War II.
At The Inquirer, a former colleague recalled, Mr. Langman edited a story about a horse that had injured a leg. Naturally, he tried to find out which leg was hurt.
“Dick was a painstaking editor,” his former colleague said on Facebook, “and a master in getting the details right.”
Richard Langman was born Sept. 5, 1926, in New York. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and earned a bachelor’s degree at City College of New York in 1948.
Mr. Langman enjoyed cooking and shared his favorite recipes with colleagues at The Inquirer.Dick Langman
He met Betty Fabbri, the society editor at the Mercury, and they married in 1954. The Morning Call announced their union in its Breakfast Chatter column by saying: “Best wishes to reporter Dick Langman, who walks the long mile in Norristown Sunday with Bettina.”
He and his wife had sons Mark, Peter, and Andrew, and lived in Allentown, Ardmore, and the Quadrangle retirement community in Haverford. His wife died in 2017.
Mr. Langman and his wife shared wanderlust, and they went to Russia, Austria, Hungary, Europe, and elsewhere. They visited Italy 10 times, France three times, and Cape May as often as possible.
They liked to cook together, too, and he shared his favorite recipes with colleagues at The Inquirer. At the Bulletin, he became part of the “old bulls” lunch group.
He submitted his own prewritten obituary to his funeral director long before it was needed and said: “He enjoyed classical music, poetry, mystery novels, and British mystery and comedy.” He also liked crossword puzzles, fishing, table tennis, classic movies, and duplicate bridge.
He cheered for the New York Yankees baseball team and the Green Bay Packers and Penn State football teams.
“He delighted in jokes and was a real fan of the Marx Brothers,” his son Peter said. “When we were children and a local movie theater would feature a Marx Brothers film for one night, my parents made sure that we went. Fond memories indeed.”
In addition to his sons, Mr. Langman is survived by two grandchildren and other relatives.
Services were held earlier.
Donations in his name may be made to the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, 100 S. Independence Mall West, Suite 600, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.
