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  • U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East, relieving long-deployed USS Lincoln

    U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East, relieving long-deployed USS Lincoln

    WASHINGTON — The Asia-based USS George Washington aircraft carrier is now operating in the Middle East, the U.S. military said Thursday, relieving a long-deployed carrier following reports of mental health challenges and supply shortages aboard while it was supporting the Iran war.

    U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said on social media that the carrier arrived in the region Wednesday. It was not clear when the USS Abraham Lincoln would arrive back in the U.S. or whether it would make a port stop along the way, but the journey takes just over a month.

    The Washington arrived as concerns have grown about the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment, which has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days, and about reports of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products.

    Several Democratic lawmakers have pressed the Department of Defense for accountability over conditions aboard the Lincoln, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said were “completely misrepresented.”

    Hegseth spoke with the Lincoln’s crew last week, and Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, visited this past weekend. In an editorial published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, Cooper said the crew “delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home.”

    Extended deployments of carriers wear on service members who are away from home for long periods and increase strain on the ship and its equipment. While renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran calmed in recent weeks, the Navy is enforcing a reimposed blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war.

    Hegseth has said the U.S. can maintain the blockade “indefinitely.”

    President Donald Trump this week downplayed reports about conditions on the Lincoln, which left its homeport in San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. Trump called the nearly nine months at sea that the sailors endured a “good period of time” but added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.”

    Trump told reporters Monday that he spoke with a retired admiral over the weekend who recounted being on ships for “much longer.” Trump said the admiral assured him that the Lincoln is “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.” Trump did not name the admiral.

    In a statement Sunday after visiting the Lincoln, Cooper praised the carrier’s leaders for prioritizing mental health and resilience.

    “History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper said.

    The Washington joins the USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East, leaving Asia without an American carrier strike group at a time when China has shown more signs of aggression.

    The lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the open-ended operations with Iran are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the Western Hemisphere.

  • Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium will host the 2027 women’s World Cup final

    Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium will host the 2027 women’s World Cup final

    RIO DE JANEIRO — Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will host the opening match and the final of the women’s World Cup next year, FIFA announced Thursday.

    Brazil is the first South American nation to host the tournament and will play in the opener on June 24 against a to-be-determined opponent in the 73,000 seat Maracanã, which also hosted the 2014 men’s World Cup final.

    The hosts also will play in São Paulo and Brasília during the group phase of the 32-team competition spread across eight Brazilian cities.

    The final is July 25.

    The USWNT will play reigning World Cup champion Spain at Subaru Park in October

    The Maracanã is one of soccer’s most iconic venues, having hosted the decisive match of the 1950 men’s World Cup, with Uruguay crowned champions after beating the hosts, 2-1. In the final of the 2014 edition, Germany lifted its fourth title after a 1-0 extra-time win against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

    So far, only Sweden’s Rasunda Stadium and California’s Rose Bowl have hosted both the men’s and women’s World Cup finals.

    Spain is the defending champion. Brazil has never won the title.

  • WHYY’s ‘Fresh Air’ host Terry Gross is at the center of catfish-style scams targeting stars and media personalities

    WHYY’s ‘Fresh Air’ host Terry Gross is at the center of catfish-style scams targeting stars and media personalities

    Comedy writer Bruce Vilanch was enamored.

    He had received an email from WHYY’s Terry Gross, herself, asking to be interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air.

    “It was so articulate and so like her,” the writer told the Hollywood Reporter. She laid out talking points and a run of show, according to Vilanch. “It felt real.”

    But when Vilanch jumped on their scheduled video call, Gross was nowhere to be found. It finally dawned on Vilanch: He had been scammed. And he was not alone.

    A recent string of scams and catfish-style attempts targeting stars and other media personalities are using Philly’s own Gross as the bait. Vilanch says he was the latest victim.

    “If somebody claiming to be Terry Gross contacts you for an interview, it is a scam,” the comedian said in a Facebook post last week. He encouraged other potential victims to contact NPR and WHYY.

    Online forums reveal a number of recent catfishing attempts involving someone purporting to be Gross.

    “These impersonation scams are increasingly common,” said Siwei Lyu, digital media forensics expert and director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. “Authors are a particularly attractive target because an unexpected invitation from a prominent host or podcast can seem both flattering and plausible.”

    It is unclear if one person is behind all of the Fresh Air-centered fraud or if multiple impostors are responsible. Lyu says scam scripts and techniques are easily shared, adapted, and copied, “so the same premise can be used by many unrelated actors.”

    On a Facebook group for authors, a writer posted in July about being approached by Fresh Air and asked to donate money. Months earlier, psychologist Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature, said he was similarly approached by “Terry Gross” via a fake Gmail account as part of a scam targeting authors.

    In Vilanch’s case, he said “Gross” asked him for money to support NPR’s nonprofit public radio efforts amid government cuts. He told the Hollywood Reporter that he thought the request was odd, but that enough credibility within the email chain had been established. So he went for it.

    From there, the scammers prepped him for Fresh Air, sending interview questions and scheduling their virtual interview. When the big day arrived, Vilanch was greeted by two video boxes: a screen that read “NPR,” and one with a man who identified himself as “Mike,” the new interviewer. When Vilanch eventually bailed, he sent a final message, according to the Hollywood Reporter: “Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy the paltry sum that I sent.”

    Then he reached out to NPR and WHYY. WHYY confirmed it was aware of the scams and investigating.

    “WHYY, NPR and Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley are aware of fraudulent emails in which individuals have impersonated Terry and members of the Fresh Air team attempting to deceive potential guests,” the news organization said in a statement. “As the article in The Hollywood Reporter mentions, other programs and podcasts have also been the subject of these scams.”

    The Fresh Air situation is one of several podcast/radio scams targeting Hollywood. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Broadway actor Seth Rudetsky was targeted by a scammer posing as Nikki Glaser who solicited a podcast interview in exchange for a fee. Later, Rudetsky also received an invitation from someone supposedly working on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang.

    In addition to money, some of the scams also target the victim’s social media accounts or login credentials.

    Sportswriter Jemele Hill said someone once lied and claimed to be booking her for a new Facebook show hosted by Rob Dyrdek of Ridiculousness. She handed over her Facebook credentials. It took weeks to get them back, she wrote in an X post. “It’s a very sophisticated operation.”

    In April, figure skater and personality Adam Rippon told a story on his podcast about being similarly catfished by someone purporting to be on Katie Couric’s podcast via Facebook Live. The follow-through scammed him out of his own Facebook credentials.

    “I know I made a grave error,” he said. His Facebook account was ultimately suspended.

    A spokesperson for WHYY added that Fresh Air cohost Tonya Mosley has been the named catfish in similar scams, imploring would-be guests to send money in exchange for a radio slot. As a nonprofit organization, WHYY says, it never requests payment for interviews, nor does it pay guests to be interviewed on any of its programs.

    “Any communication asking a prospective guest to pay a fee — or offering payment for an interview while claiming to represent WHYY or Fresh Air — should be treated as suspicious,” the statement said.

    It is unclear if any of the scams are connected. What they all have in common, though, is their apparent leverage of a celebrity figure along with heavy use of AI to capture the alleged host’s voice and flatter victims with deep-cut knowledge about their work. Lyu said generative AI’s rise in popularity and usage makes hoaxes like this even easier, allowing scammers to quickly personalize messages and operate at a greater scale.

    “The technology is new, but the underlying strategy is classic social engineering,” Lyu said. “Establish trust through a recognizable identity, then use that trust to obtain money or account credentials.”

    WHYY said it is concerned about its own brand and credibility being used in this case.

    “We take the misuse of our journalists’ and programs’ names seriously and are concerned that scammers are exploiting the trust audiences and guests place in Fresh Air,” WHYY said. “We are working with law enforcement to address the situation.”

  • The Union showed fight (literally) after being shown ‘a real lack of respect’ from Inter Miami. Will it spark a playoff run?

    The Union showed fight (literally) after being shown ‘a real lack of respect’ from Inter Miami. Will it spark a playoff run?

    The city of Philadelphia has always understood sticking up for your brother.

    In that respect, some might say the Sullivan brothers made Philly proud Wednesday night.

    In front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000, the Union put on a show against Inter Miami and the greatest player ever, Lionel Messi.

    The Union battle Miami and Lionel Messi to a wild draw in front of a sold-out Subaru Park

    And calling Messi “the greatest player ever:” That’s how Union interim head coach Ryan Richter described the Argentinian star, when discussing Messi’s sixth goal in six games against the Union, during his postgame press conference.

    Cavan Sullivan leaps over Miami’s Casemiro during the second half of Wednesday’s game at Subaru Park.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

    “I don’t know how he gets it out of his feet to find the finish,” Richter joked. “But that’s why he’s the greatest player ever, because he doesn’t need space to find a goal.”

    Despite a display that amounted to a 2-2 draw after close to 115 minutes of soccer, what happened in the final nine-plus minutes of second-half stoppage time became the night’s story.

    In the 101st minute, Quinn Sullivan, still in recovery from an ACL tear, went down hard in the box. Ian Fray, who defended Sullivan’s attempted ball into the box, got up and tried to step over the Union star by placing his hands on the back of Sullivan’s head and pushing him through his legs.

    And it was no surprise that he was quick to let Fray know he wasn’t a fan of that courtesy of a single-leg takedown in the box.

    “I thought the action that kicked off that whole situation in scrum was the real lack of respect from Fray,” Richter said. “When he comes over on top of Quinn, goes out of his way to do this … Quinn’s reaction is totally normal of what you would do in that situation. It’s a real lack of respect, and things like that happen when people behave like that.”

    A scuffle ensued with Cavan Sullivan, Quinn’s 16-year-old brother, coming to his aid in an attempt to pull people off his sibling and getting punched in the face for his troubles.

    In the end, Major League Soccer will have the final say on fines and suspensions that are sure to be levied. As it currently stands, Cavan, who has been the engine in the midfield for this Union club, will miss Saturday’s road match against Austin FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

    Cavan, Quinn Sullivan crack the Inquirer’s inaugural 25 under 25 best Philly athletes list

    Quinn is on a yellow; Yannick Bright, who took a swing at Cavan, is also out with a red, but it would be tough to find a world where the league’s disciplinary committee doesn’t extend his suspension.

    Messi probably won’t receive any discipline for his slap at the back of Quinn’s head during a heated conversation because, well … does it even need to be said?

    Suspensions aside, what was on display at Subaru Park Wednesday night is the type of fire that invigorates an entire team.

    No soccer match needs to conclude with punches being thrown — in this case by an Inter Miami team that MLS prides itself on viewing as the class of the league, with its mix of high-priced global stars.

    But it’s the type of fire that adds a bit more relevance to the argument that, despite the rough start to the season, this Union collective can push through and gain a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It’s even more believable when you consider that the club, in dead last heading into the World Cup break, is now a mere four points out from the final playoff spot and it’s only mid-August, with two full months of MLS games still to play.

    The Union’s Neil Pierre celebrates his goal against Miami during the second half of Wednesday’s game at Subaru Park.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

    “When we’re on the field, we have to stand up for each other, we have to,” said Richter. “As a team, we have to always stand up for each other and yet not go across the line where it’s [getting] suspended for games and getting red cards. But that wasn’t the case in this one. So hopefully [it] can be reviewed and [we] get what I think is the fair outcome from it.”

    In the moment, Wednesday’s scuffle was a stain on an otherwise evenly matched affair between the Union and Miami, with the fallout anticipated to be worse after MLS’ review. The Union made it clear that despite their place in the standings, a payroll that’s dwarfed by most of the league, and players who aren’t world-renowned like Miami’s, they’re not about to take disrespect.

    Fewer things are more Philly than that.

    The Union are close to a deal to bring back Mark McKenzie

    The kids are ballin’

    What could be lost in Wednesday’s game is that the goals and assists — on both sides — arrived from many players whose ages still end in “teen.” Westfield, 20, played the perfect ball into Indiana Vassilev, who volleyed home the game’s first goal. The pass into space for Westfield? Cavan Sullivan.

    Neil Pierre, the 18-year-old, 6-foot-7 tree trunk along the Union’s backline, scored on a diving header to tie the game, and would have had an assist on what looked to be a go-ahead goal from Milan Iloski in the 61st minute that was called offside.

    Even Miami’s first goal was scored by 19-year-old Daniel Pinter, his first in MLS. In a league long classified as a retirement destination for aging global stars, its future stood out in Chester.

    “I think my confidence has slowly been going up,” said Pierre. “[But] I think it’s really from my teammates and them pushing me forward, not so much the games. I think they believed in me the whole time. They said you should have confidence, you should be able to push yourself. And, obviously, it’s been a great result so far.”

    Are we starting to see a method to the Union’s madness in believing that they can get first-team results from a grassroots methodology? A few older, experienced pieces aside, the Union surge comes largely from the effort of baby-faced kids.

    Westfield, Pierre, Quinn and Cavan Sullivan: four names that started as youngsters on the fields at WSFS Sportsplex when it was still a brainchild. They’ve now not only become Richter’s supporting cast to the more experienced names on the roster, but in some cases they’ve been the show during this up-and-down Union campaign.

    At least when late-game mayhem doesn’t steal the headlines.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete soccer coverage right here!
  • Pocono’s racing weekend set on NASCAR’s 2027 calendar as Craftsman Truck Series returns

    Pocono’s racing weekend set on NASCAR’s 2027 calendar as Craftsman Truck Series returns

    Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., has been a popular NASCAR destination in the Northeast for more than a half-century, and it’ll again have a three-day weekend of races next year.

    After taking a year off from hosting the Craftsman Truck Series, the trucks will race again at the “Tricky Triangle” on June 11, 2027, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race a day later on June 12. The weekend will culminate with the NASCAR Cup Series on June 13.

    Pocono Raceway has sold out the NASCAR Cup Series race for four straight years and had a record of roughly 115,000 people in the stands for its races this past June. But instead of having the Truck Series on Friday, the ARCA Menards Series took its place.

    What makes Pocono Raceway, a track nestled in the mountains, NASCAR’s best? Everyone seems to have a similar answer.

    Ben May, Pocono Raceway’s president, cited the absence of NASCAR’s Truck Series this year as an agreement between NASCAR and the racetrack to not host that series because this year “there was conflicts with production on the World Cup side.”

    “That’s an important piece of our business. To have the [Craftsman] Truck Series, the O’Reilly [Auto Parts] Series, and the Cup Series three days in a row is massive for us,” said May, who has been Pocono Raceway’s president since 2017. “The discussion was, ‘OK, we understand that the trucks won’t be here.’ The World Cup’s maybe a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of folks, so we’ll step out of the way and not get in the way of that conflict, knowing that the trucks would be back here in 2027.

    “To have [the trucks] back, the fans love the trucks. They’re a cool machine.”

    Chandler Smith (18) leads the pack down the front straight on a restart at the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Matt Slocum / AP

    Pocono was a biannual racetrack for NASCAR for 40 years until 2022, when NASCAR added other courses to its yearly schedule. Similarly, Dover Speedway in Delaware and New Hampshire Speedway, two other premier tracks in the Northeast, also went from two races to one in the last nine years.

    Despite having just one race each summer for the last five years, May believes “treating people like family” keeps fans coming back.

    “I think that’s a little bit of the secret sauce that some tracks and other sports in general or arenas or stadiums can’t really replicate,” May said. “And a lot of the folks that worked here knew our founders. They know the family. It’s just a little bit of our magic. Outside of that, we don’t try to over engineer our experience. … The best example has always been, for me, the infield, where we have a dog park and a playground.

    “We created this massive $30 million fan zone, and it’s all things that our fans want that we’ve talked to them about. And we make them come to life, and the whole little magical mix starts to work.”

    South Jersey’s Lavar Scott, one of NASCAR’s three Black drivers, is chasing greatness and not looking back: ‘There was no Plan B’

    Single-day tickets for next year’s Cup Series race are on sale, starting at $65.

  • Sixers fans got their first look at LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey on the court together

    Sixers fans got their first look at LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey on the court together

    Sixers fans have just gotten their first look at LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown on the court together — and now they’re already counting down the days to the regular season.

    On Wednesday, after Sixers guard Maxey posted a photo of the trio in the gym on his Instagram story, basketball trainer Chris Johnson posted a video of the three practicing together at his L.A. facility, working on the pick-and-roll, showing off some no-look passes, and finishing strong at the rim.

    But this isn’t anything new for James and Maxey.

    Before LeBron, a 22-time NBA All-Star, announced that he would be signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Sixers, James and Maxey shared the court together in past offseasons.

    Both athletes are represented by Rich Paul, a longtime friend of James and CEO of Klutch Sports agency. The two have been working out together for years, starting when Maxey was drafted into the league in 2020.

    But now, they’re adding five-time NBA All-Star Brown into the mix.

    The former Boston Celtics guard was traded to the Sixers in July before the team signed James, the league’s biggest free agent, an all-time great, and a future Hall of Famer.

    Since the footage of the trio was released, giving the world a small glimpse of what they could see in a few months, Sixers fans have already responded on social media with high hopes for the upcoming season.

    Meanwhile, fans of opposing teams seem a little worried.

    The Sixers will provide a real opportunity to see James, Maxey, and Brown in action when they open the season on the road, traveling to Madison Square Garden to take on the defending champion New York Knicks on Oct. 20. The team’s home opener in Philly will be Oct. 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

  • Philly is one of three finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention

    Philly is one of three finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention

    Philadelphia is one of three finalist cities to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, the party announced Thursday.

    In addition to Philadelphia, the Democratic National Committee said it is also considering Denver and Boston on its narrowed short list of cities to hold the next presidential nominating convention. The announcement means that Atlanta and Chicago, which were on a previous list of five potential host cities, have been eliminated from contention.

    Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement that the three finalist cities put forward “incredibly strong bids.” He did not say why the party is no longer considering Atlanta or Chicago.

    If Philadelphia is picked, the convention would take place from Aug. 7 to 10, 2028, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the South Philadelphia stadium complex. The Republican Party’s 2028 convention will be held in Houston.

    Inside Philly’s high-stakes charm campaign to lure the 2028 Democratic National Convention

    Democrats in 2028 will choose from an array of potential candidates to succeed President Donald Trump. No major candidate has formally launched a campaign, but Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is widely considered to be a contender.

    The announcement comes as Martin has faced criticism for his leadership of the party, especially as it relates to fundraising. Democrats trail Republicans ahead of this year’s midterm elections when it comes to money in the bank.

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is joined by city leaders and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and his team for a “One City” salute group photo Thursday, April 30, 2026, after they toured the Xfinity Mobile Arena facilities as the city makes its bid to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.
    Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    The party’s decision to narrow its 2028 convention short list comes after Martin and other top officials traveled to the five finalist cities in the spring to assess logistical readiness, including arena capacity, technological capabilities, transportation and security infrastructure, and more.

    In April, local Democratic officials and some of the city’s biggest boosters wooed Martin over the course of a three-day trip and presented the city as an improved tourist destination since 2016, the last time the party hosted its major convention in the city. That year, Democrats nominated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the general election to Trump.

    The 2016 DNC was one of 10 major-party nominating conventions that Philadelphia has hosted since the 1800s. The city hosted the Republican National Convention in 2000.

    The events draw thousands of party members and journalists from around the world, putting the host region in the spotlight for several days. Proponents of hosting the convention also argue that it will generate business as visitors eat, shop, and play; the true economic impact of conventions, however, is up for debate.

    How to lure the DNC into picking Philly for its convention? With Patti LaBelle, Rival Bros. coffee, and Tastykake treats

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who has led the city’s effort to bid for the 2028 convention, said in a news release that Philadelphia this year has “proven that we can do big things better than any other city in the country.”

    She cited this summer’s litany of big events in the city, including FIFA World Cup games, the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, and events associated with America’s 250th birthday.

    “We are ready to welcome the Democratic Party and the nation back to our city,” she said.

    David L. Cohen, the longtime Democratic Party stalwart and president of Pick Pennsylvania, the city’s host committee, said in a statement that Philadelphia’s selection as a finalist “is a testament to the ongoing strength of our bid and our record of success.”

    “We have presented an unmatched case,” he said, “built on experience, preparation, strong partnerships, and a proven ability to deliver major national and international events.”

  • Welcome America Inc.’s new interim CEO is local PR executive Nicole Cashman

    Welcome America Inc.’s new interim CEO is local PR executive Nicole Cashman

    Welcome America Inc., the nonprofit behind Philly’s Wawa Welcome America festival, has named Philly public relations executive Nicole Cashman as its interim CEO.

    The founder and CEO of communications firm Cashman & Associates, Cashman will follow Michael DelBene, who served as CEO since 2019 and grew the July Fourth festival and other large-scale events to new heights and a wider audience. DelBene left the organization earlier this year.

    Cashman & Associates has worked with Welcome America Inc. for 25 years as its marketing and communications arm. This long-standing relationship and intimate knowledge of the organization led to the decision to name Cashman as the new CEO, officials said.

    “Nicole has spent her career helping tell Philadelphia’s story and bringing people together around the experiences that make our city extraordinary,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who chairs the Welcome America board of directors. “Nicole understands the important role Welcome America plays in our city, creating moments that bring together our communities, welcome visitors, and showcase Philadelphia on a national and international stage.”

    Fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the statue of George Washington at Eakins Oval during the Wawa Welcome America Festival on July 4, 2023 following a free concert featuring Demi Lovato and Ludacris on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

    Cashman founded her agency in 2001 and has accumulated a portfolio of some of the city’s high-profile agencies and events, including Comcast, Adventure Aquarium, and Philabundance. She has also served in leadership roles at Atlantic City Alliance and Visit Philadelphia.

    The PR exec will join Welcome America as it transitions between CEOs and prepares for the coming year’s slate of celebrated civic events and cultural experiences. Welcome America is a public-private partnership that receives city and state funding as well as corporate sponsorships. Parker and City Councilmember Mark Squilla are board members.

    “I have had the privilege of working alongside Welcome America for 25 years and have seen firsthand the extraordinary impact this organization has on Philadelphia and the region,” Cashman said. “… Welcome America means a great deal to me, and I’m excited to help guide it through this next chapter as we reimagine the organization for 2027 and beyond.”

    Welcome America will look for a permanent CEO, Cashman said, as she will not fill the position long term, just during the period between DelBene and the nonprofit’s next executive leader.

    “Michael set the bar high. He was great to work with and I have enormous respect for what he accomplished — I want to build on that success,” Cashman said.

    She will enter the role on the heels of the city’s decision this year to take over Philly’s Fourth of July concert and fireworks from Welcome America for the first time since 1993. The Parker administration ended up paying around $12 million more for its July Fourth concert than Welcome America’s $3 million budget of years past. Parker’s “One Philly: Unity Concert for America,” a reference to her “One Philly: A United City” slogan, was slated to go much later into the night than previous years — a move some residents criticized as “not a family-friendly decision.”

    Despite storm delays pushing the celebration into the early hours of July 5, ending around 2:50 a.m., the crowds that stayed experienced Will Smith, the Roots, Meek Mill, and an extravagant fireworks display.

    Cashman could not say who would run 2027’s Fourth of July concert but did say Welcome America would surely be a part of the 16-day festival thrown each year.

    Besides the Fourth of July festival, Welcome America also oversees the city’s official holiday tree in Dilworth Plaza. The 55-foot concolor firs, planted decades ago and brought into Philly each December, serve as a meeting place for holiday shopping and traditions, amid the Christmas Village and other attractions scattered around City Hall.

    This holiday celebration is what Cashman and Welcome America are moving full steam ahead on, with planning already underway, she said.

    “We know how important this level of programming around the holidays is to the city, our partners, the public, and visitors,” Cashman said. “So I’m really focusing on finalizing those plans, and that is our primary focus for the remainder of 2026.”

  • Temple boosts police salaries by double digit percentages in new contract, will increase number of patrol officers

    Temple boosts police salaries by double digit percentages in new contract, will increase number of patrol officers

    Temple University will significantly raise the salaries of its police force under a new five-year contract aimed at addressing its longstanding problem of attracting and retaining enough officers.

    The new contract — which comes a year before the previous contract was set to expire — was initiated by university president John Fry after a staffing study released in December found the school needed to increase its number of police officers.

    The new pay scale more closely aligns with that of the Philadelphia Police Department, the university said, and is expected to help the school reach its goal of increasing its number of patrol officers by 29, or 58%, over five years. It now has 79 police officers on staff — about 50 of them patrol officers — with three more poised to start Sept. 8. Five more are ready to graduate from Temple’s police academy in October, with more lined up to start there, the university said.

    “We understand, like in our bones, how vital this work is not only to the safety of our students and our employees but to our neighbors, which we prioritize as well,” Fry said in an interview Thursday. “If we’re going to make North Philadelphia in particular an investable area, it all starts with public environment and public safety. No one’s going to contemplate making major research or commercial or residential or retail investments in an area that they don’t have confidence in.”

    Temple pledges to boost police patrol officers by 58% over five years following staffing study

    Under the new pact — which was ratified in June and runs through June 30, 2031 — an officer with at least three years of experience will start at a salary of $92,000, up $8,572, or 10.25%, from the previous salary of $83,428.

    Those with at least five years of experience will start at $100,000, up $12,878, or 14.75%, from $87,122.

    And officers will get raises ranging from 3% to 6.5% at anniversary milestones or across-the-board increases of 3% — whichever is greater. The agreement was announced Thursday.

    “From a competitive standpoint, this new contract will make a huge difference,” Andrew Lanetti, president of the Temple University Police Association, the union, said in a statement. “It is going to entice young officers at the beginning of their career to join Temple, and it will also entice officers from other agencies to join our department.”

    And it is helping to keep officers, too, he said in an interview.

    “Many people who were thinking about moving on to other departments have now changed their minds,” he said.

    Officers will see significant salary bumps, ranging from $5,000 to $17,000, as they reach each level, he said.

    The contract, said Denise Wilhelm, interim vice president of public safety, also has made officers feel more valued.

    “This is a true partnership, and it shows,” Wilhelm said.

    Temple University’s public safety vice president will depart in June after a challenging tenure marked by policing changes

    Temple enrolled 29,503 students last year excluding its campuses in Rome, Tokyo, and Kyoto, Japan. Its police officers patrol on and around the school’s main campus and health sciences campus in North Philadelphia and on its Ambler campus.

    The university had faced criticism from the Temple police union in the past for not doing enough to recruit and retain officers. In a social media post in December 2024, the union said the department had lost more than 50 officers since 2022.

    The new pact also includes paid parental leave, an additional week of vacation for a total of five after 15.5 years, field training officer pay, and hazard pay for working during declared states of emergency, the university said.

    The staffing study released in December showed that Temple was below the middle tier of a framework that rates law enforcement agencies. The university at that time had 77 sworn officers — 50 of them patrol officers — and Fry pledged to add 29 patrol officers, one detective, six sergeants, and one lieutenant over the next five years. That would increase the overall number of sworn officers to 114.

    “We must, and we will, deploy ever more compelling and creative incentives to make Temple’s Department of Public Safety a destination employer for law enforcement in our region,” Fry, who named public safety a top priority when he started as Temple’s president in November 2024, said at that time.

    Retaining and hiring police officers have remained challenging, as has been true for police departments nationally. The university in the past had increased salaries and benefits, added signing and retention bonuses and higher contributions to retirement accounts, and hired an associate director to focus solely on hiring, recruitment, retention, and training.

    Temple president targets safety, neighborhood improvements and fundraising for early attention in his tenure

    But the overall number of officers had declined over the last few years anyway. Temple ended the last academic year with 76 officers, down one from December.

    Fry said he is confident this time will be different because the strategy is long-term and intentional, with the university prepared to make the budgetary investment, even though it means sacrifices will have to be made elsewhere.

    “We’re certainly going to do better than we have been doing,” he said.

    The university is preparing to bring in new leadership for public safety. Jennifer Griffin, Temple’s former vice president of public safety, resigned in June after nearly four challenging years on the job. The university is conducting a national search for her replacement.

    Griffin had started in August 2022 as the university continued to cope with the aftermath of the shooting death of student Samuel Collington outside his off-campus apartment in November 2021.

    She led the department when Temple Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed in 2023 while on duty and through other challenges facing the campus.

    During her tenure, the university implemented or began implementation of all 68 recommendations from a safety audit by former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey’s firm.

  • Eagles rookie wide receiver, first-round pick Makai Lemon returns to practice

    Eagles rookie wide receiver, first-round pick Makai Lemon returns to practice

    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Makai Lemon is officially back.

    On Thursday, the Eagles wide receiver — who had been nursing a hamstring injury for over two weeks — returned to practice for the first time since Day 4 of Eagles training camp on Aug. 3.

    It was an eventful week for the rookie to return as the Eagles took on the Patriots in the second of two joint practices at the New Balance Athletics Center adjacent to Gillette Stadium.

    The 22-year-old Lemon was still limited on Thursday and he did not participate in team drills, but his return to full-pad action is encouraging.

    Saquon Barkley and Jordan Mailata want more rushing, less fighting. Both think the Eagles run game can be great.

    This comes one day after the Eagles listed Lemon as limited on a day when Lemon was not in full uniform and was mostly held out. Last week, Lemon was on the field prior to practices at Jefferson Health Training Complex, catching passes from the JUGS machine and partaking in light warmups.

    DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Darius Cooper have topped the wide receiver depth chart with Lemon sidelined.

    Lemon’s return is crucial for an Eagles passing offense that struggled against New England on Wednesday and was held to seven points in their preseason loss to the Ravens last Saturday. The Eagles selected Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick in April’s draft with the expectation that he would bolster the offense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts praised the former USC star last week.

    “I think he’s been very intentional with [learning]. I think he’s all ears,” Hurts said. “I think he’s a very intentional, quiet, mild-mannered hard worker. He’s hungry.

    “[USC] Coach [Lincoln] Riley has always said a great number of things about Makai and how he prepares and how intense he is in the walkthroughs. I’ve seen the same thing here.”