NEW YORK — The woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including campus police and the county prosecutor, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
Hochul said at a news conference that she decided to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the case after learning “troubling details” about how authorities have handled the woman’s claims thus far, including that the district attorney closed the case without having anyone interview the accuser or anyone else involved in the alleged attack.
“In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?” Hochul said. “This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”
She also assailed the Cornell University Police Department for not fully conveying the woman’s story to prosecutors.
“After this young woman came forward, she spoke to the police. She sat for hours and told them exactly what happened to her. And according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped,” the Democratic governor said. ”Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors.”
James is brought in
Hochul said Thursday that she appointed James to oversee the case because she had lost faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle it.
James didn’t say how long her investigation might take, but she said it would take some time and wouldn’t be rushed, as every New Yorker “deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly, that they will be seen and heard.”
“We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions,” James said. “I know that you want answers. I do too. A comprehensive investigation of this nature takes time, but my office is committed to seeing it through.”
The investigation initially was closed without charges in 2024.
Last month, the woman filed a lawsuit and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation. He has since been bombarded by criticism that he abandoned the original investigation too quickly.
Van Houten has defended his decision not to prosecute, maintaining that a sworn statement by the woman prepared by police didn’t include the woman’s allegations that she was drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent and forced into sex.
He didn’t respond Thursday or Friday to messages seeking comment.
The attorney general will determine whether there is enough evidence to press charges, Hochul said.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” she said in a statement Thursday.
The case’s impact extends beyond Cornell
The case has roiled the Ivy League school and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November of 2024 that she was sexually assaulted, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.
The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sexual acts by a group of men while she was partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.
Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client didn’t touch the woman. Attempts to reach the other men or their representatives for comment have been unsuccessful.
Officials say New York’s sexual assault laws need updating
Hochul also threw her support behind proposals to change an element of New York law that has long made it more difficult to prosecute people who have engaged in sex with someone who voluntarily became intoxicated to the point where their ability to consent was compromised.
Under the law, rape charges generally need to involve force or a clear refusal of sex, unless the victim is physically helpless due to being unconscious, or mentally incapacitated due to being drugged without their consent. New York is one of 19 states with such laws.
“If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape, period,” the governor said.
New York governors have turned to attorneys general to oversee important cases in the past.
In 2018, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed then-Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as a special prosecutor to investigate Eric Schneiderman, who resigned as New York attorney general after women accused him of violent slapping, choking and other abuse.
In 2021, James oversaw a non-criminal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading to his resignation. Cuomo initially tried to choose who would lead the investigation into the allegations. He then allowed James to choose two independent attorneys to lead it instead.
James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the power under state law to investigate every death involving law enforcement in the state. But, typically, she can’t initiate criminal investigations without a referral from a local district attorney, the governor or a state agency, or an appointment like the one Hochul made Thursday.
Democratic State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Friday called for Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine to resign from the Pennsylvania House after he reportedly useda homophobic slur against Kenyatta, who is gay, earlier this week.
“Pennsylvania is better and bigger than this,” Kenyatta, who represents Philadelphia, said in a video message posted to X Friday.
He added that he’s calling for Bernstine, who represents portions of Butler and Lawrence Counties in Western Pennsylvania, to step down “not because I’m angry at him or because he hurt my feelings. It’s because his behavior falls so far beneath what it must mean to be a member of the House of Representatives.”
“And when you use language that demonizes people, that belittles people, it’s never about one person. It’s indicative of what you will do to anybody, and what he’d say about any Pennsylvanian,” Kenyatta said.
Along with the alleged slur, Bernstine also allegedly said in a Harrisburg bar earlier in the week that Kenyatta had lost weight, which Bernstine reportedlyattributed to AIDS, according to PennLive.
Kenyatta was not present when the alleged remarks were made.
In his post, Kenyatta said he was “deeply grateful” to leaders of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council “who stood up in real time.”
Michael Ford, the organization’s secretary/treasurer, overheard Bernstine’s alleged remarks and told PennLive, according to the news organization. Ford didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Addressing the incident in a statement Thursday, Bernstine said, “The allegations attributed to me are false. This is a political attack.”
After news broke, various legislative groups spoke out against Bernstine, including the Democratic National Committee, for which Kenyatta serves as vice chair.
“Hateful, homophobic, and racist attacks like this have absolutely no place in our politics, our communities, or our country,” DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Several Democratic lawmakers called for Berstine’s resignation. House Democratic leadership said it was “exploring potential next steps” and called on GOP leadership to hold Berstine accountable.
The Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus called the reported conduct by Bernstine, one of its members, “troubling,” and said it “does not comport with the values and professionalism Pennsylvanians expect of their state lawmakers.”
Bernstine has been the subject of controversy in the past.
In 2020, House Republican leaders called for Bernstine’s resignation after videos of him encouraging his young son to smoke and curse surfaced. Soon after, Bernstine was reelected, and the demands quieted.
Three years earlier, in the midst of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in which motorists were blocked, Bernstine posted on X, “If anyone EVER tries to stop my car on a highway with negative intentions… I will not stop under any conditions.”
On Friday, in concluding his remarks on X, Kenyatta suggested it’s time to move on.
“Let’s all in united voice demand better, demand more, and then let’s get back to work on the serious stuff,” he said.
A man ran from Pat’s King of Steaks after throwing a cheesesteak through its service window around dinnertime Wednesday. But the camera he carried left an online trail behind him.
Philadelphia police said Friday that the man, who turned himself in Thursday, was charged with harassment, a summary offense. Police declined to identify him, and it is not clear what prompted him to surrender.
The video he apparently made of the encounter had surfaced on YouTube and Instagram, where Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri said his information-technology team traced it to accounts filled with pranks, music, and Philadelphia street content.
Surveillance video from Pat’s King of Steaks shows a man throwing his cheesesteak at manager Tom Camardo on Sept. 30, 2026.Courtesy of Pat's King of Steaks
“He wanted to be famous,” Olivieri said. “He got exactly what he asked for. Now, he needs to be accountable for his actions and his words.”
The YouTube account, under the name h4ll0w33n, presented the episode as a food review titled “I Threw This Cheesesteak in His Face Geno’s Steaks,” misidentifying the stand with the name of another landmark eatery across the intersection of Ninth Street, Wharton Street, and Passyunk Avenue.
A screenshot of the video’s thumbnail showed what appeared to be an AI-generated image of a cheesesteak flying into a man’s face, with “THIS CHEESESTEAK SUCKED!” in large type and “YAM TV” beneath it.
By Friday morning, the video was unavailable. YouTube said the account associated with it had been terminated.
An Instagram account using the name @h4ll0w33n___ remained online with about 10,500 followers. The video also appeared on a newly created Instagram account called YAM TV, which described itself as “The Reality Food Critic Show” covering Philadelphia and beyond. Neither account disclosed the man’s name. No one from the accounts replied to The Inquirer’s messages requesting comment.
Olivieri said his IT team searched online using a photograph of the man and found the accounts after he posted his recording.
“How brazen are you to assault somebody and then post it?” Olivieri said. “Thank God for stupidity.”
Olivieri had offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to the man’s arrest and conviction. On Friday, he said he had allocated the money to someone who contacted him with information.
The episode began shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, after the customer ordered a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and onions.
Surveillance video shows him sitting at a table outside Pat’s, pulling apart the sandwich with his hands without eating it. He later returned to the window, exchanged words with general manager Tom Francano, threw the cheesesteak at him, and ran.
Francano can be seen throwing pieces of the sandwich back toward the fleeing man. He was not injured, police said.
By Friday, Francano was willing to revisit the moment under friendlier circumstances.
Justin Camardo, co-owner of Dough Head Pizza across the intersection, posted an Instagram video with the caption: “We heard Pat’s was throwing food around, so naturally we had to see what all the hype was about.”
The video shows Camardo walking across the street with a slice of pizza and handing it to Francano, who promptly smashes it into Camardo’s face.
Detectives initially investigated Wednesday’s episode as an assault. Olivieri said Friday that he was disappointed that the man had been charged only with summary harassment and questioned whether it would provide the deterrent he sought.
“What are they going to give him, community service?” he said. “Maybe he should come over here and sweep the pavement.”
Pat’s has dealt with thrown drinks, food, coins, and other objects during its 96-year history, Olivieri said. What made Wednesday’s incident different, he said, was the camera — evidence, in his view, that the confrontation had been staged for an audience.
Olivieri said he pursued the case because he feared that allowing the episode to pass without consequences could invite copycats at Pat’s and other restaurants. Businesses already contend with the positive and negative effects of influencers, he said; deliberately provoking employees for online attention crossed another line.
“I not only did this for me,” Olivieri said. “I think it’s for everyone else who has had an issue with a pizza influencer, a hoagie influencer, or whatever.”
A nearly 4-acre Delaware County estate, complete with a multi-sport court, pool, par-three golf hole, and dedicated entertainment space, is on the market for $4 million.
Located at 1120 Clover Lane, the Glen Mills property features the primary residence, an “entertainment lodge,” a pool with a poolhouse, and additional living space over a detached garage.
The home has been expanded and blends different architectural styles.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
The main home was built around 1979 and was later expanded by previous owners, who added a second kitchen and a second story with three bedrooms. The roughly 4,500-square-foot home — a blend of Craftsman- and Tudor-style architecture — has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms, multiple living areas with fireplaces, and a bar in the walkout basement that leads to a poolside patio.
The three upstairs bedrooms include a primary suite with a walk-in closet and access to a sunroom that overlooks the grounds.
With two kitchens and multiple living spaces, the home could be reconfigured to include a separate suite.
“It is an opportunity to customize to the buyer’s wants,” listing agent Robert Capps of Coldwell Banker Realty said.
The property also has multiple sports amenities, including a lighted, multi-sport court for tennis, pickleball, and basketball, as well as an in-ground pool. A poolhouse has a full bathroom, a kitchenette, and a sauna. Nearby is an area for grilling, Capps said.
Elsewhere is a par-three golf hole, with a tee box near the house.
The living space above the detached garage, which has a full bathroom and kitchenette, is currently configured as an office.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
There’s a four-car detached garage with living space above it. The open-concept area is currently configured as an office, and also has a living area with a fireplace, a kitchenette, a full bathroom, and its own deck.
Rounding out the property’s structures is adedicated “entertainment lodge” complete with two bars, a “restaurant-quality” kitchen, a brick patio, and a second floor loft with a projector.
“I think anyone that likes to entertain would love this space,” said Capps of the lodge, which is slightly separated from the main home.
A separate entertainment lodge has two bars, a kitchen, and a projector, as well as a bedroom and full bathroom.Derrick Kunzer/HomeJab
The space has exposed stone walls, brick floors, large chandeliers, and a row of skylights.
In addition to space for entertaining, the lodge has a bedroom and full bathroom, providing additional accommodations.
“You’d be hard pressed to replicate this property starting from scratch just because of the size of the lot and all the other amenities,” Capps said, adding “there’s nothing like it for sale or that sold like this recently.”
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
A fatal scuba dive at a lake near Bethlehem, Northampton County, has shaken the Philly region’s tight-knit diving community, leaving divers questioning how an underwater training excursion ended in tragedy.
Stephen O. Adjei, a 31-year-old U.S. Army captain died Saturday while training with U.S. Military Academy West Point — a premier school for those seeking a career in the Army. His death is under investigation, West Point said.
“Our hearts are with the Adjei family during this difficult time. Capt. Adjei’s dedication to our cadets, commitment to his teammates, and service to others left a lasting impact on our community. He will be greatly missed,” said West Point Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Joe Katz.
Originally from Ghana, Adjei had lived in Worcester, Mass., and had worked with the military academy, located in New York state, since 2024, West Point said.
U.S. Army Captain Stephen O. Adjei died while scuba diving at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of U.S. Military Academy West Point
West Point divers made up one of several groups Saturday at Lake Hydra, a limestone quarry near Bethlehem that draws scuba enthusiasts from all over the mid-Atlantic. About 140 people were at the 55-acre lake Saturday, owner Ken Kraft said. According to him, there hasn’t been a diving death since 2022.
Like many sports, diving involves risks, Kraft said.
“That is why we are only open for training and not to the general public, this ensures that a professional is with the diver in training at all times,” he said.
In addition to being a training destination, people enjoy the quarry, previously called Dutch Springs, for its opportunities for underwater exploration, said Dave Barnes, who runs Scubadelphia Diveseekers in Philly. Airplanes, a helicopter, and a school bus are among the attractions on the lake bottom, along with large fish and wildlife.
Barnes said his group was nearby on the north cove of the lake when he learned about a missing diver.
“It’s terrible. I sent my divers in to help search,” Barnes said.
Two of his students — a paramedic and a physician from Philly — helped render aid to Adjei after he was brought ashore, Barnes said.
Divers conduct training at Lake Hydra, Northampton County.Courtesy of Dave Barnes
Kevin Pang, who co-owns South Jersey Scuba in Marlton, N.J., also had divers in the water. Pang said the incident has shocked the community — especially since Adjei was young and presumably fit.
“Scuba diving overall is a really safe sport,” Pang said. “These events are rare. That’s what makes it shocking when it does happen.”
Still, there were some challenges on the lake that day, Pang said. The lake is 100 feet deep at its lowest points. Divers routinely go down to around 60 feet, and overcast weather meant that it was hard to see at those depths. Inexperienced divers can make that situation worse by kicking up mud on the lake bottom, Pang said.
When Adjei went missing, a string of rescue protocols would have gone into effect, he said. Divers typically have a “dive buddy” responsible for maintaining eyes on their partner underwater. If one goes missing, the other diver searches for them for a minute, then surfaces. Usually, Pang said, the missing diver is quickly found at the surface.
It is not yet known whether Adjei’s death resulted from an error or a medical condition. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said his office is working to determine how Adjei died.
Cheltenham Township plans to take over part of the independently run tax office amid a dispute with its finance officer over business data.
The disagreement over data privacy began shortly after Melvin Pitts took office in January, according to Pitts and emails obtained by The Inquirer. Cheltenham plans to amend the township code and reassign one of Pitts’ duties to help resolve the impasse.
Dispute over business licenses
Cheltenham’s tax office is independent from the township and collects county, school district, and municipal taxes for a flat fee from each entity. The tax collector, under the township code, also doubles as Cheltenham’s finance officer and issues the town’s annual $15 business licenses.
Shortly after Pitts and the township commissioner board’s new president, Matthew Areman, began their terms this year, Areman asked Pitts for a list of licensed businesses. Then in August, Pitts was asked for similar data to fulfill a Right-to-Know request.
Pitts refused both requests because, he said, he sees the information as confidential taxpayer information. Tax professionals who violate confidentiality rules can face jail time under state law.
“It’s very sensitive data,” Pitts said in an interview.
But the township argues that a list of licensed businesses does not qualify as tax information and should be public.
“I agree with you that information related to tax … is not subject to public access,” township solicitor Ed Diasio wrote to Pitts in February, “but there is no provision … that a list of businesses that the township has licensed in the township is not subject to public access.”
Two lawyers specializing in public records told The Inquirer that although the tax office is exempt from sharing certain records, the tax collector is required to provide other records as an officer of the township.
Cheltenham has no list of businesses
Without the business license data, Cheltenham has little way to confirm which businesses are operating in the township, spokesperson Lauren Walter said — especially more discreet enterprises like rental properties, which the township has to inspect every three years.
“Township Administration does not currently have a defined list of businesses within the Township, making communication with our business community a challenge,” Walter wrote in a statement. When the township began regulating plastic bags, for example, the environmental committee went door to door to help inform proprietors of the changes.
Cheltenham officials are also keen to build the township’s business tax base as part of its most recent comprehensive plan.
Rental inspector confronted tax collector
The conflict between the tax office and the code enforcement department came to a head in August, after Pitts learned that the township’s rental inspector, Michael Bluestein, had access to the tax office’s data portal. In August, after Pitts moved to cut off Bluestein’s access, Bluestein confronted Pitts.
Pitts recalls Bluestein telling him: If you take away my portal access, “I’ll crush you.”
Bluestein wrote an apology to Pitts after the incident that does not specify what he said. “I did not realize in that moment that my tone sounded aggressive or threatening,” Bluestein wrote in part. “While I was previously approved to have access, [I] honestly did not know that you did not want me to have access to that information.”
Walter, the township spokesperson, said that she conferred with Bluestein and that he had access in the system only to business contact information, not to financial data.
Township to do business licensing in-house
Now, the township is planning to transfer business licensing applications to someone who will handle accounts receivable, a now-vacant role. Information on newly licensed businesses would then be shared with Pitts’ office for tax collection purposes.
Moving the licensing process from the tax collector’s office to the township would require Cheltenham to amend the town code, which currently specifies that the collector handles it.
The Administrative Office Building on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Cheltenham, Pa.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Cheltenham plans to post the accounts receivable position within weeks, new township manager Jonathan Altshul said, and would not move to amend the ordinance until sometime after tax day 2027.
Pitts would have to remove business licensing from a new system his office is rolling out to allow online tax payments, he said, and he worries that the licenses will become delayed by code enforcement.
That is what had led to a $30,000 backlog in licenses that Pitts inherited, he said, and has since cleared.
“We’ve been getting stuff done so quickly,” Pitts said. “I just want to do my job, and do it under the law.”
Areman, the commissioner board president, said Cheltenham “looks forward to working closely with the tax office throughout the transition” to ensure it is “seamless for the business community.”
Clarification: This story was updated to clarify the tax office’s status under the Right to Know Law.
Correction: This story was updated to correct Michael Bluestein’s name.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
The Eagles return home looking to bounce back after a tough loss in Chicago. The birds face the Rams in Week 4, looking to get back on track and make a statement. Eagles beat reporter Ryan Novozinsky breaks down all the top postgame storylines and key moments.
The Phillies bristled last winter at the suggestion that they were running it back after another disappointing October. Rob Thomson — then still the manager — pointed in January to the team’s three new relievers, Adolis García in right field, Justin Crawford in center, Andrew Painter in the rotation, and Otto Kemp’s place on the roster.
But everyone knew enough to know they were indeed running it back. The main pieces were the same. So the final result — yet another disappointing October — wasn’t much of a surprise.
The three new relievers? Just one pitched in the postseason. García had a .599 OPS when his season ended with a shoulder injury. Crawford looked like a rookie, Painter was a mixed bag, and Kemp appeared in just 13 games before finding himself in the batter’s box for the final out of Thursday’s listless 6-2 loss to Atlanta in Game 3 of their wild-card series.
The Phils were flat in an elimination game, a fitting way to end a season that rarely gave you reason to believe that this October would be any different from last October. The front office didn’t act last winter with any urgency, doing little to upgrade a roster that needed improvement. And then the team started 9-19.
García? He had a .675 OPS over the last two seasons. An upswing would’ve been a bigger surprise than what the Phils got. The bullpen additions? They fizzled. Kemp? The Phils were so thin that they added him to their postseason roster even though he hadn’t been in the majors since May. The bullpen was a disaster, the lineup underperformed, and the trade deadline acquisitions fell short.
The Phils had a good run when Don Mattingly replaced Thomson in late April and they played well in August. But that soured in September when they nearly missed the postseason. The maddening season was extended by three games, just one of which was actually in October. Game 3 was lined up for them: Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler vs. Ray Kerr and Grant Holmes. But this October was the same as last October. They indeed ran it back.
Aaron Nola started Game 3 and lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up a three-run homer to Michael Harris II in the first. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
I had no problem with …
… the plan to start Nola before going to Wheeler. The Phils needed Nola to go through the lineup at least once and then you’d be able to decide when to best deploy Wheeler. Nola couldn’t do it and that was the game. But the plan — which would have Nola to Wheeler to Duran — was sound. It didn’t work out.
Remember when …
… the Phillies beat the Diamondbacks by 10 runs in Game 2 of the 2023 NLCS and then flew to Arizona with visions of splashing in their pool? The Phils have since gone 4-12 in the postseason and have failed to win a playoff series. The Phils had a second-straight pennant in their grasp that night and felt like a budding dynasty. How was that just three years ago?
Phillies Alec Bohm walks off the field after the final out in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Austin Riley (left) and Matt Olson celebrate their win in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series over the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves starting pitcher Chris Sale closes the game during the ninth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. attempts to catch Phillies Derek Hill triple during the eighth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Derek Hill runs to third after hitting a triple during the eighth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Jonathan Bowlan after Braves Matt Olson hits a solo home run during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Matt Olson hits a solo home run during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies first baseman Bryce Harper hits a double during the sixth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a single during the sixth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Bryan de la Cruz hits a single during the fifth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Brandon Marsh tosses his bat after drawing a walk during the fifth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies second baseman Bryson Stott after he strikes out looking to end the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after Braves Ozzie Albies hits a two-run homer during the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after Braves Ozzie Albies hits a two-run homer during the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch during the third inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Tim Mayza throws a pitch during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies second baseman Bryson Stott (right) and shortstop Trea Turner (left) go after a single hit by Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies manager Don Mattingly takes out pitcher Aaron Nola during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Aaron Nola after giving up a three-run home run to Braves Michael Harris II during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Michael Harris II hits a three-run home run during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a single during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies shortstop Trea Turner and back-up catcher Garrett Stubbs (right) throw the baseball during warm ups before the Phillies play on the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of the National League wild-card series on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Please stop suggesting that …
… Garrett Stubbs should’ve started over J.T. Realmuto since Nola was pitching. Yes, Nola has better numbers this season with Stubbs behind the plate, but they’re practically equal (.703 OPS against with Realmuto compared to a .692 OPS against with Stubbs) across Nola’s career. Plus, Realmuto has caught more than 700 innings from Nola than Stubbs. Realmuto had a big triple in Game 1 and another hit in Game 2. Plus, his defense in Game 2 kept the Phils alive. There was no reason to swap Realmuto out in an elimination game and sacrifice an at-bat or two just so Stubbs could catch Nola.
… Aidan Miller to be an impact player. The Phils have produced just one homegrown impact bat — Rhys Hoskins — since the end of the last golden era. Bohm and Stott’s career production hovers around league average. Crawford looks like a fine player but not a star. Hoskins had a career OPS+ of 125 when he left the Phils. That kind of production would play. The lineup will be another year older in 2027 and it’s hard to imagine this run continuing without an infusion of young talent. There’s not much in the pipeline besides Miller.
… they already have their rotation set for 2027 and it’ll rival any team in baseball. You can put Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, and Cristopher Sánchez up against any other staff’s top three pitchers. Painter looked the part after returning from the minors and his performance in Game 2 makes you feel even better about next season. Nola threw a dud on Thursday, but he’s a luxury as your fifth starter.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, who will be 33 next season, has seven years left on his contract.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Worry about the Phils because …
… they’re getting older and there doesn’t seem to be much you can change about the lineup. Realmuto turns 36 in March and has two years left on his deal. Harper and Schwarber will both be 34 next season and Turner will be 33 with seven years left on his 11-year deal. The offense — besides Harper and Schwarber — underperformed in 2026 and it’s hard to believe they’re going to get better with a core that remains intact. They’ll acquire a right fielder (or a first baseman and have Harper stay in right) and maybe replace Brandon Marsh in left. They can swap out Bohm for Miller but there doesn’t seem to be room for the drastic upgrades they need as they already have $217 million committed for next season. Plus, they need to spend some money on the bullpen.
Every era eventually ends. Thursday night felt like an inflection point. The Phils won’t run it back again. Right?
ATLANTA — Like statues, there they stood, this Phillies team. Leaning against the dugout railing, chins resting on their crossed arms as they watched it all slip away once again.
This one was a slow death. But the end could have been discerned a mile away.
Even before Michael Harris II’s first-inning homer off Aaron Nola that gave Atlanta a lead it would not surrender. Even before Ozzie Albies’ fourth-inning homer off Zack Wheeler, which might have been the mortal blow.
It was the Phillies’ roster construction that led to this, a 6-2 loss to the Braves on Thursday night, the end of their season in Game 3 of the wild-card series. It was the lack of starting depth, the lack of a competent bullpen, the lack of reliable right-handed hitters. The weaknesses that at times the Phillies had been able to paper over were all amplified by the way their regular season ended, and directly led to their demise Thursday.
“It’s just as frustrating as last year, and the year before that,” said Kyle Schwarber.
The Phillies’ Bryson Stott strikes out to end the fourth inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The four consecutive games lost in the final week, delaying a postseason clinch until the very last possible moment, loomed incredibly large. The Phillies used Nola on two days’ rest in Game 161 as a desperate attempt to secure a playoff berth — and it failed. They were then forced to use Wheeler in Game 162.
“Looking back, having your pitching set up is really important this time of year,” Trea Turner said. “We didn’t do a good job playing down the stretch to have that happen.”
Instead of being able to line up the top three arms in their formidable rotation for this three-game series, the Phillies had to cobble together a precarious plan. Jesús Luzardo, who returned from injury to also pitch in Game 162, could cover only five innings on Tuesday. Cristopher Sánchez started Wednesday, and the Phillies leaned on Andrew Painter in relief rather than their unstable bullpen.
That left Nola, who has struggled to keep the ball in the park all season, and Wheeler on short rest for Thursday’s elimination game.
None of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s trade deadline acquisitions — not Brooks Raley, nor the injured Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian — were on the wild-card roster.
“We didn’t play as well as we wanted down the stretch, especially right there at the end, and we kind of had to piece it together,” Wheeler said. “This series, not ideal, but we’re all pros here, and when we get the ball, it’s time to compete, and it’s up to us at the end of the day.”
Aaron Nola started Game 3 and lasted 1⅔ innings, giving up a three-run homer to Michael Harris II in the first. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
When both pitchers gave up blasts to the Braves over the right-center field wall on Thursday, there were endless “what ifs.” What if Wheeler wasn’t pitching on three days’ rest? What if he had started the game instead of Nola, who has historically been hit hard by the top of Atlanta’s order? What if the Phillies’ bats could have picked up their overworked pitchers?
Interim manager Don Mattingly said the Phillies decided to start Nola because he was more rested than Wheeler, and they hoped he would be able to keep them in the game for a few turns through Atlanta’s batting order. Nola had also authored a notable turnaround in his regular season, with a 2.77 ERA in his final 10 starts.
“He was one of our best guys down the stretch,” Mattingly said.
It was a nightmare scenario for the Phillies early, and a best-case scenario for the Braves. Less than two months ago, Atlanta opener Ray Kerr had been a minor leaguer. But he did his job by handling the Phillies’ lefties — excluding Schwarber, who singled and then drew a walk — while their righties failed to carry the load.
From the leadoff spot, Turner went hitless against the lefty Kerr. He finished the series 1-for-11 in three games.
Phillies Alec Bohm walks off the field after the final out in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Austin Riley (left) and Matt Olson celebrate their win in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series over the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves starting pitcher Chris Sale closes the game during the ninth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. attempts to catch Phillies Derek Hill triple during the eighth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Derek Hill runs to third after hitting a triple during the eighth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Jonathan Bowlan after Braves Matt Olson hits a solo home run during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Matt Olson hits a solo home run during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies first baseman Bryce Harper hits a double during the sixth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a single during the sixth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Bryan de la Cruz hits a single during the fifth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies Brandon Marsh tosses his bat after drawing a walk during the fifth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies second baseman Bryson Stott after he strikes out looking to end the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after Braves Ozzie Albies hits a two-run homer during the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after Braves Ozzie Albies hits a two-run homer during the fourth inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch during the third inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Tim Mayza throws a pitch during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies second baseman Bryson Stott (right) and shortstop Trea Turner (left) go after a single hit by Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies manager Don Mattingly takes out pitcher Aaron Nola during the second inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Aaron Nola after giving up a three-run home run to Braves Michael Harris II during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerBraves Michael Harris II hits a three-run home run during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Phillies Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a single during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies shortstop Trea Turner and back-up catcher Garrett Stubbs (right) throw the baseball during warm ups before the Phillies play on the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of the National League wild-card series on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 in Atlanta.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I think this year was the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time, and I got to figure that out,” Turner said. “So definitely gonna have a lot of work to do there, and I’ll do it.”
Nola, on the other hand, only managed to secure five outs. The veteran right-hander did not have his command, and he sprayed the ball all over the place while Atlanta was content to take its bases. That is, until Harris went down to get a sinker below the zone in the first inning, powering it 387 feet for a 3-0 Atlanta lead in the blink of an eye.
“I just didn’t get ahead, they didn’t chase much,” Nola said.
Tim Mayza finished off the second inning before Nola could see the top of the Braves’ order again. And then it was Wheeler for the third, tasked with stopping the bleeding there. But a nine-pitch walk to Austin Riley, followed by a mistake pitch to Albies, resulted in yet another homer over that brick wall in right center.
Kyle Schwarber hits a single in the first inning. He reached base three times in Game 3. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
A five-run deficit, especially in the fourth, has been surmountable for this club before. But with every groundout, with every lazy fly ball, it became apparent the Phillies had exhausted the last of their comeback magic. They managed a run in the sixth — on a Schwarber single, a Bryce Harper double, and an RBI groundout from Alec Bohm — and another in the seventh. Derek Hill tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Turner.
But the Phillies were unable to snatch momentum back with the long ball, as they had done on Wednesday. While the Braves went deep again in the seventh, this time Matt Olson against Jonathan Bowlan, the Phillies couldn’t find their power.
“It’s hard to score in the postseason. I know we got the lineup capable, but the best teams that get to the postseason have the best pitching, and it’s not like you’re going to put up 10 every night,” Turner said. “Can we play better? Can we do things better? For sure. We got to ask ourselves those questions and find answers.”
In the eighth, Atlanta brought in ace Chris Sale in relief, after the 37-year-old had thrown 95 pitches two days ago, to face Harper. He chased three pitches outside the zone to strike out in a non-competitive at-bat.
The third strike, a slider in the dirt, got past Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin and skittered toward the backstop, but Harper didn’t notice right away. He leaned down to undo his leg guard before realizing and starting to run toward first. By then, Baldwin had recovered the ball and threw him out easily to officially end the inning.
“I don’t like the shoulda, woulda, coulda, if this ball would have dropped, or we would have put this guy in, or anything,” Harper said. “I don’t like that. You’re here to do business. You’re here to win games. We didn’t do that.”
Sale closed it out in the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single from Bohm, but rebounded to retire Bryson Stott and Bryan De La Cruz. As a final indictment of the Phillies’ roster and depth, the final out came down to pinch-hitting Otto Kemp, a utility player with an .080 average in 25 major league at-bats this year, the last of which was in May.
Braves ace Chris Sale closed out the Phillies in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Kemp was outclassed by Sale, badly missing on a slider well inside to send the Braves to the Division Series against the Dodgers. Fireworks ignited the sky, as the Phillies leaned on the railing and watched.
“If you don’t win the last game, it’s a crash landing no matter what,” Mattingly said. “It doesn’t matter where it is. There’s going to be one team that doesn’t have it.”
There will be changes coming. Mattingly’s future as Phillies manager is in doubt. He declined to discuss his status postgame. Bohm, Arraez, Edmundo Sosa, José Alvarado, Tim Mayza, Brooks Raley, and injured Adolis García will all be free agents. The Phillies will no longer owe dead money to Nick Castellanos or Taijuan Walker.
Harper said he expects the team to look “a lot different” next year.
“It’s going to be a long offseason, obviously. I trust in the organization and people that are in charge,” he said. “See where we go.”
But the core, built around him, still left Truist Park late Thursday night another year older, and never further from that elusive goal.
Starting in 2022, for more than three years, a group of filmmakers chronicled much of it, mostly in Doylestown and the Central Bucks School District, and some in the Pennridge School District. At the heart of the story are two teenage girls who maintain their close friendship, even as their parents took opposite political sides.
The result is a five-part documentary called Bucks County, USA. Its first two parts debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, when the series was far from complete; even those first two episodes have been revised.
A still from the docuseries “Bucks County, USA” that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 and is now streaming on PBS. Using Bucks County as a focal point, the series examines political polarization and culture wars in America.Courtesy of SenArt Films & Baltimore Pictures
The series includes footage from contentious public meetings and talking-head interviews with a range of participants — from school board members to families with queer children, who all feel they have been adversely affected by the district’s policy decisions. It also includes scenes in which residents on opposite political sides discuss their differences.
Bucks County, USA, features plenty of Bucks County color, from a visit to an annual re-enactment of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware to Doylestown’s Oscar Hammerstein Museum, which, during the period of filming, was the subject of a fundraising campaign. We hear “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” a Hammerstein composition from the musical South Pacific, about the scourge of racial prejudice.
Filmmaker Robert May, who codirected the first episode and directed the other four, is a Pennsylvania native who now lives in the Poconos. The other codirector of the first episode is filmmaker Barry Levinson, whose work includes best picture Oscar winner Rain Man.
Both May and Levinson have previously made films about Pennsylvania scandals: May directed Kids for Cash, the 2014 documentary about a Pennsylvania judicial corruption scandal of the same name. Levinson directed Paterno, the 2018 HBO drama about the Penn State abuse scandal.
Jason Sosnoff, who has long worked with Levinson, is Bucks County, USA’s producer.
A still from the docuseries “Bucks County, USA” that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on PBS. Using Bucks County as a focal point, the series examines political polarization and culture wars in America.Courtesy of SenArt Films & Baltimore Pictures
Sosnoff said the seeds of the docuseries were planted when he was invited to a focus group with Trump supporters on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after the Capitol riot. The focus group was led by pollster and Penn alum Frank Luntz.
The producer came to the focus group with skepticism, but, he said, “I would say, about an hour into it, I started really hearing the people … I began to actually just hear and listen to them and see them as humans who have a point of view, rather than names and labels we give to them.”
He went to Levinson, his business partner, proposing that they start a project that would “humanize the right to the left and the left to the right.”
The next step was to find a community that could serve as a microcosm of that story and to ask, “Why is there such opposition now between the left and the right, Democrat or Republican, whatever you want to call it? Why is there such animosity in the air?” Levinson said.
The answer lay in “The School Board Wars,” a 2021 two-part episode of the New York Times podcast The Daily.The podcast examined the bitter political fights that had come to school boards nationwide, with the Central Bucks School District featured as an example.
“In that podcast, you hear people from the town screaming at each other, yelling at each other, death threats,” said Sosnoff, who thought, “Wow, this is a community that’s in trauma. And I think there’s a story there.”
A still from the docu-series “Bucks County, USA” that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on PBS. Using Bucks County as a focal point, the series examines political polarization and culture wars in America.Courtesy of SenArt Films & Baltimore Pictures
“What we saw in Bucks County was the possibility of using the school board wars and the school board campaign … as a narrative drive for the series,” May said. “These parents are all going to school board meetings, and they’re firing shots at both sides for the sake of their children.”
They started filming in April 2022 and continued through the end of 2025. Over that time, the filmmakers documented many school board meetings in which community members yelled at each other, wrote hundreds of angry social media posts, and battled over a 2023 school board election in which control of the Central Bucks School Board hung in the balance.
“They’re all protecting their kids, but they’re all fighting in front of their kids, too,” said May.
Two of those kids are Evi and Vanessa, who were 14 when the series started filming and remained best friends, even as their parents battled over political considerations. Vanessa’s father, Paul Martino, is a businessman who funded the conservative Back to School political action committee. His wife, Aarati, ran for the school board. Evi’s mother, Lela Casey, is a contributing writer to the local, progressive-leaning publication, the Bucks County Beacon.
The film team shifted its focus, in part, to Evi and Vanessa. The two teenagers were initially reluctant to speak on camera for fear of jeopardizing their friendship, but they ultimately did and remained friends.
It’s part of a repeating theme, May said. “The kids were a lot more civil with each other, and had a great deal of respect for each other, much more than a lot of the adults did.”
The filmmakers wanted to apply fairness to all sides and give everyone a say on camera. Winning the trust of some participants was hard.
A still from the docuseries “Bucks County, USA,” now streaming on PBS. Using Bucks County as a focal point, the series examines political polarization and culture wars in America.Courtesy of SenArt Films & Baltimore Pictures
“The conservative folks that we talked with viewed us as the media. ‘You’re making a movie, so you’re gonna bash us. We don’t want to be part of that.’ So it took a while to really convince them,” said May, who believes the team has been able to create a “nonbiased portrayal.”
The rancor has continued, nonetheless.
Bucks County Community College was set to host a local premiere screening of the documentary Sept. 15 but canceled it two days earlier. The screening instead took place that same night at a different venue: the Hiway Theater in Montgomery County’s Jenkintown, a Democratic stronghold.
In a statement provided to the media, the BCCC said the screening was canceled after “after we received information that raised concerns about our ability to provide a safe environment for campus visitors.”
“With the docuseries premiering locally on WHYY in less than one week,” the statement read, “and erring on the side of caution, the decision was made to cancel the event.”
“It is obviously unfortunate,” May and Sosnoff said in an email. “We had taken months to plan a great event at this location.” The entire point of the special screening was, they said, “to thank the community for their hospitality over the past four years, and in particular, thank all those who participated in our project.”
”Unfortunately, we live in fearful times, and while the school was not acting with ill intentions, they took something away from the community they are supposed to serve. Our series is all about community — how it can be built and how it can be destroyed,” they said. “Our goal is to foster more trust going forward.”
“Bucks County, USA” is available to stream via the PBS app, as well as The World Channel.
