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  • Drew Kendall’s job replacing Landon Dickerson on Eagles O-line would be to ‘make sure we don’t skip a beat’

    Drew Kendall’s job replacing Landon Dickerson on Eagles O-line would be to ‘make sure we don’t skip a beat’

    Drew Kendall was talking last Thursday about his rise on the depth chart from a deep reserve last season to a primary backup for 2026, and the Eagles interior offensive lineman noted that nothing would really change.

    Kendall, a fifth-round pick last year, got on the field for seven games last season. After a standout summer that had him cross-training at guard and center, Kendall said his game-day approach would be the same, though the chances of playing were much greater.

    “I was usually the second guy in, but this year is different,” he said. “I’ll be the next guy in. So I’m just excited to be there for my guys if they need me and go out there and make sure we don’t skip a beat.”

    Eagles to place guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, will miss at least four games

    It was hypothetical then, but four days later, it’s likely his job.

    The Eagles are placing left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, sources told The Inquirer on Monday, and Dickerson will miss at least the next four games with a knee injury. The veteran lineman struggled Sunday during the Eagles’ 24-22 win over Washington after a 2025 season that was marred by inconsistent play while battling through multiple injuries.

    Kendall is expected to be Dickerson’s replacement, but it remains to be seen if the Eagles opt to reconfigure their front and put Kendall at center while sliding Cam Jurgens to guard. Kendall was a center in college while Jurgens played his first season as a starter in the NFL at right guard. Willie Lampkin is also in the mix for more playing time, though Kendall likely gets the first shot.

    Philadelphia Eagles’ Drew Kendall speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team’s training facility in Philadelphia, Friday, May 2, 2025.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Kendall was one of a few bottom-of-the-depth-chart players who stood out this summer. He said last month that he worked hard during the offseason on his body and “put on weight in good ways and shed weight in bad ways.” The offseason program and training camp put that transformation and what he learned last year as a rookie to the test. “Rookie year is always the long one,” he said last week, “but I learned from a lot of the great guys here.”

    The Eagles put a lot on Kendall’s plate, putting him at both guard and center during camp and in preseason games.

    “I really embrace that,” Kendall said last month. “I’m about that as a guy and as a player. It’s never fun to take the easy way out. You want to come over some things.”

    There were adjustments to make.

    “I’d say the biggest thing was, one, there’s just a little more space,” Kendall said last week. “And then, two, it’s just getting confidence, and that comes with repetition, just doing it day after day and just building on top of things that you’re doing.”

    He credited offensive line coach Chris Kuper as well as the starting guards, Dickerson and right guard Tyler Steen, with helping him learn new techniques.

    Murphy: This better not be the new normal for the Eagles offensive line

    Dickerson, Kendall said, has been “super helpful.”

    “He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve been around, so just giving me tips and different tools that I can add to my game has been very valuable,” Kendall said.

    He also may lean on his father, Pete, who was a guard in the NFL from when he was a first-round pick with Seattle in 1996 until he retired in 2008 with Washington. Kendall made a rule of sorts to not talk so much football with his dad — who coached him for most of his life — when he went to Boston College. However, Kendall did occasionally break the pact by sending clips to Pete in search of tips.

    Pete was among more than a dozen family and friends Kendall had on hand last month when the Eagles went to New England for joint practices.

    “I think he enjoys seeing me at guard because that’s what he played mostly so I think it’s fun for him,” Kendall said. “I just know that he loves football so anytime he can come watch me play, it makes his day.”

    Kendall started last year’s meaningless Week 18 game when the Eagles rested their starters. He is in line to make his second career start when the Eagles play on the road at Tennessee on Sunday. The Eagles’ new-look offensive scheme could be a benefit to Kendall. Boston College did some wide zone running when Kendall was there, though it mostly was from the shotgun.

    “It’s a great way to run an offense in general, but I think it definitely showcases my abilities more than other offenses for sure,” Kendall said.

    Cooper DeJean’s first game in his new role with the Eagles ‘wasn’t good enough’

    General manager Howie Roseman said after cutting the roster down to 53 spots two weeks ago that “if any of you would’ve given me a truth serum” before training camp, “how our interior offensive line depth panned out” was a worry.

    “Feel like we’re in a really good spot there and it was a concern going into camp,” Roseman said.

    His words soon will be put to the test.

    Inquirer staff writer Jeff McLane contributed reporting.

  • ‘The kids are not learning’: Employees inside a North Philly charter detail chaos inside their school

    ‘The kids are not learning’: Employees inside a North Philly charter detail chaos inside their school

    The leadership meeting happened at midafternoon on a Tuesday at Alliance for Progress Charter School. It was a small huddle to discuss how the new school year was going.

    Unexpectedly, CEO Stacey Scott burst into the Aug. 25 meeting held inside the main office, disrupting the discussion.

    “You b—!” Scott said to the principal, Eric Langston, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the meeting. She then spoke to the others in the room. “You can’t trust this snake! Motherf—!”

    Scott then walked out of the room, shouting, “F— this school,” and left.

    The extraordinary outburst, insiders say, shows Alliance for Progress, whose charter is up for renewal this year, is a school in turmoil.

    The Inquirer interviewed multiple people directly involved with the school, all of whom declined to be publicly identified because they fear reprisal.

    The North Philadelphia charter has churned through staff. Paraprofessionals — workers without college degrees or educational licenses — are providing instruction, those inside the school say. Students who never attended a day of school last year remained on Alliance’s rolls for the entire year, meaning the charter received payment for children it did not educate.

    Scott remains CEO, but is no longer working inside the building, according to the sources.

    Alliance, a K-8 school on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, had 616 students on roll last year.

    Both Scott and Larry Griffin, the president of the school’s board of directors, were asked to comment on the allegations. Griffin sent The Inquirer a statement. Scott did not respond.

    “Alliance For Progress Charter School continues our important work of educating our economically disadvantaged student populations,” Griffin wrote. “Respecting the privacy of all our AFPCS employees, we decline to comment on personnel matter.”

    Langston declined to comment.

    The Philadelphia School District’s charter schools office declined to comment. Officials from the charter office are expected to visit Alliance in late October to begin the enhanced review process that accompanies charter renewal.

    The school’s board of directors is scheduled to meet Tuesday night.

    Sounding an alarm

    Six weeks after joining Alliance as principal in July, Langston, who has spent time as a leader in the Mastery Charter system and at Northwood Academy, sent a confidential email outlining concerns he had about the school to the Alliance board of directors.

    The concerns, he said, according to the message obtained by The Inquirer, “have reached a level that gives me significant pause regarding leadership practices, organizational culture, transparency, and the long-term health of Alliance.”

    Langston asked for the board to shield him from possible retaliation. In 2025, the school’s former director of business and compliance filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging he suffered reprisal — demotion — after reporting significant problems at the school.

    Raheem Harvey, who left Alliance last year, said he flagged to school and board officials violations of state and local bidding requirements, contracts issued without board approval, a student enrollment problem, skipped payroll taxes, and more.

    Scott told The Inquirer in December that Alliance officials “categorically deny all the allegations asserted by this disgruntled former employee.” That suit is still pending.

    Langston, in his email, laid out several issues raised by employees around ”Scott’s leadership and decision-making, including questions about whether decisions are consistently being made in the best interest of the school.” Alliance, he added, does not have “the level of psychological and professional safety necessary for adults to openly communicate, learn, disagree, grow and lead.”

    Different organizational structures are needed at the school, Langston said in the email. He proposed becoming chief schools officer — a promotion — which he said would result in “creating clearer lines of accountability and appropriately limit the extent to which Ms. Scott is involved in the daily instructional and operational decision-making of the school.”

    Langston also raised alarm over Scott instructing human resources to withhold the bonus an employee earned because the employee was taking family medical leave to care for an ill relative. Scott, he said, wanted to make sure the employee returned to Alliance after the leave.

    “I am deeply concerned that conditioning compensation already earned or otherwise due upon an employee’s return from protected leave may create significant legal, ethical and organizational exposure for Alliance,” Langston wrote.

    Langston also suggested Scott was misrepresenting staff vacancies and counting classes covered by substitutes as filled.

    “Our reporting should distinguish between FTE-filled positions, substitute-covered vacancies, and completely uncovered vacancies,” Langston wrote. “Anything less creates an inaccurate picture of our staffing reality. I believe the board deserves complete and transparent information upon which to make governance decisions.”

    ‘There are grave concerns’

    Four days after Langston sent the email to the board, Scott burst into his meeting shouting profanities, according to those with direct knowledge.

    Langston immediately notified the board of Scott’s conduct and asked for a meeting, which happened the next day.

    Some board members apologized for Scott’s behavior, but Griffin, the board president, neither offered an apology nor discussed the issues Langston raised, according to multiple insiders.

    Soon after the meeting, the board’s lawyer instructed Langston and the board to have no contact with each other. Alliance, at its lawyer’s instruction, has hired an outside consultant to investigate the situation.

    Langston remains on site at Alliance for Progress; Scott is working remotely, sending emails and issuing directives.

    Employees say Scott “has created a scope at the school where nothing can go on without her,” one employee said.

    The school’s atmosphere is “such a toxic working environment, not a healthy space. The kids are losing, the families are losing,” the employee said.

    “There are grave concerns,” the employee said. “We service families that come from challenging backgrounds, and we cannot assume that just the children have struggles. We have parents that cannot read. They do not know their children are not being serviced, their children are not being prioritized.”

    The employee said while the school’s climate is decent, Alliance lacks some organizational basics, including human resources processes and a formal student discipline cycle. Some students who never attended the school remained on roll all year, the employee said — an assertion confirmed by other employees.

    Some classes have been taught “for years” by unlicensed paraprofessionals, the first employee said.

    “It lacks stuff that a normal school understands,” the employee said. “It’s a very low tier, low level of support. The kids are not learning.”

    Just 9% of the school’s students meet state standards in reading, and 5% reached math standards. That is far below district and state achievement — in the Philadelphia School District, 33% of students were considered at grade level in reading and 25% in math; across Pennsylvania public schools, 50% of students are considered proficient in reading and 42% in math.

    A second employee, who also asked for anonymity for fear of reprisal, is particularly troubled by the school’s academic issues.

    “Our school is predominately Black and brown children, and they can’t read, and they’re just passed on to the next grade, and we go into these meetings, and they say, ‘These are the worst test scores I’ve ever seen.’ But what are we doing to make that different?”

    The second employee also expressed alarm about students on Alliance’s books who had left the school.

    “We noticed that students who’ve withdrawn were back on our roll. Students who haven’t been there for years. They literally lied on enrollment documentation,” the second employee said.

    Charters are allotted funding based on the number of students enrolled.

    “Something,” the second employee said, “is very wrong.”

  • Letters to the Editor | Sept. 15, 2026

    Letters to the Editor | Sept. 15, 2026

    What law?

    If, in fact, as I have read, bribing individuals to vote in a particular way is illegal.

    If, in fact, we are to take Donald Trump’s offer of $5,000 to every adult in America if and when the Republican Party gains control of specified governing bodies, is this not, in fact, a bribe? A bribe by the man holding the most powerful office in America, the man sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, or are we just supposed to laugh this off as only another of Trump’s little affectations? Please do not tell me this is not a bribe; please do not tell me Trump is indemnified from prosecution.

    A bribe is a bribe; a law is a law. We are on the cusp of creating a society of millions of people who will sense that the Constitution and laws supporting it are only applicable to those who do not have the means to defend themselves.

    Wake up, America — we are in troubled times. Do we or do we not have laws? Or is it that what we do have is a government rife with self-serving wealthy individuals who would rather turn a blind eye?

    Philip A. Tegtmeier Sr., Honey Brook

    . . .

    There’s never been anything subtle about President Donald Trump. Now he’s promising a $5,000 check to every adult if the Republicans retain control of the House and the Senate. Let’s not pussyfoot around about Trump’s promised bonanza to the American people. It’s an outright attempt to bribe the people and “buy” our vote. Mr. President, it “ain’t gonna work.” We will not sell our vote to the highest bidder, especially to a man who is infamous for stiffing those he owes money to. No, Donald Trump, we’ll not sell our soul that readily — and besides, while it’s true that some men’s word is as good as gold, your word is not even worth the paper it’s printed on.

    Ken Derow, Swarthmore

    Losing accountability

    After reading Will Bunch’s informative column about Schuylkill County, Pa., and how local police departments there are joining forces with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to get money, I found myself focusing not only on the payments themselves, but also on the fact that any information regarding these relationships asked of these departments requires Freedom of Information Act requests with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Now that might not seem terrible until you realize reporters and newspapers are how we, the citizens, find out what’s happening in our communities, and if the police will not be clear and the commissioners are withholding information, then we are being kept in the dark. That means people who are paid with our taxes and supposedly work for us are suddenly not accountable. I ask my fellow Pennsylvanians, “Are you OK with that?” Are you OK with what is happening across this state, having no say in it — and then being told you don’t have a right to know?

    Liese Sadler, Philadelphia

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.

  • Dear Abby | Drama queen disrupts gatherings without even being there

    Dear Abby | Drama queen disrupts gatherings without even being there

    DEAR ABBY: A good friend in our prayer circle, “Diane,” has a friend, “Suzy,” with whom several of us once socialized. We’ve all distanced ourselves because Suzy has anger and stability issues that have become increasingly frequent since her former spouse has begun dating again. Diane allows Suzy to verbalize all kinds of half-truths and act out with volatile behavior, which some of us feel is basically encouraging destructive mental health.

    While some of us suspect Diane enjoys the drama of recounting Suzy’s latest issue, others believe she thinks she’s “being there” for Suzy. Since so much of each meeting is now focusing on Diane’s description of Suzy’s latest tantrum, how can we encourage her to help Suzy get the counseling she needs to get past not only her divorce, but also the results of several years of negative behavior, and focus on the real reason we are gathering?

    — CARING FRIEND IN OHIO

    DEAR FRIEND: Has it occurred to you that instead of praying, which is what those meetings are supposed to be about, Diane has hijacked the purpose of the meeting with gossip when she describes in detail poor Suzy’s antics? What an invasion of Suzy’s privacy! Tell Diane that if she really wants to help her friend, she should encourage her to get professional help and, if she’s reluctant to do it, to pray (as will you all!) that Suzy summons up the courage.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: I live in a neighborhood that has no sidewalks, and I vacation in a busy coastal area that also has narrow roads. My dog and I walk at least once a day along these roads, and I’ve noticed that many pedestrians don’t know which side of the road to walk down.

    According to the Scouts, you should walk facing traffic. This makes sense because you can see vehicles coming toward you and can move out of the way if they do not or cannot move around you. These days, electric cars are so quiet that many walkers don’t hear them coming. Driving when you never know where walkers will be is dangerous, too. Please get the word out to walk or jog facing traffic, but not down the middle of the road. Thanks!

    — DOG WALKER IN IOWA

    DEAR WALKER: I have long thought that my column serves as a sort of extended “community billboard.” Your safety message is an important one. Thank you for taking the time to share it.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: We need advice on the polite thing to do when you observe something on the face of a person you are talking to. Should you: a) Motion with your finger on your face that an object has been observed; b) Tell the person discreetly; c) Say or do nothing? Does it make a difference if the person is a friend, spouse or casual acquaintance? In the case of a spouse or good friend, should the observer suggest removing it? Does the same thing apply if you notice a zipper undone, button unfastened, clothing untucked, a smudge, tear or wet spot?

    — DIFFERENT OPINIONS

    DEAR OPINIONS: I think the kind choice would be to inform the person of the problem discreetly, which would cause the least confusion and embarrassment. If appropriate, offer to help and see if it is welcome.

  • Horoscopes: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026

    Horoscopes: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Algorithms rarely show you something that doesn’t intrigue you or make you want to pull out your wallet — there go your attention and money. Contrastingly, the analog living you do today will reward your attention instead of competing for it.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Avoid spending any time at all noticing or lingering in the sorrow of unpossessed talents while your potentiality waits for attention, praise and the hours of work it will take to make the talents you possess in abundance absolutely gleam.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ve spent enough time in your head lately, so it will be great to get a win you can feel in your body or see in the physical world, such as sore legs after a long walk, a point on the score board or a room you cleaned yourself.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re reminded how life is always rolling along and relationships along with it, shifting in ways perhaps undetectable over the course of days and weeks, yet each little change creates a different degree of depth, distance or temperature.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re so open to the muses, not just for yourself and your own work, but for those you’re sure to inspire along the way. You’re all contributing to something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Don’t be overly concerned with making everything easy for others today. Some need it, sure. But if you make yourself too useful to entitled types, you could be doing yourself a disservice, as they will never stop taking.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Believe in your powers of consecration. You can imbue a subject with a sacred energy, which exists as much in you as it does in any. What’s sacred to you is sacred, period.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Maybe someone’s loyalty runs so deep they would be there for you whether you were nice to them or not, but the fact is that you’re unfailingly kind and never take them for granted, and they show up for you again today.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There’s no need for postgame analysis because today’s cosmic gift is the clear, clean, obvious and undeniable move that all can see and comprehend immediately. This doesn’t happen every day. The whole game will progress.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You may feel the strong need to surround yourself with things that reflect who you are because it’s extremely important now that you put your whole self into what you’re creating. It needs the values, taste and sensibility that’s all you.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll solve a long-standing problem with one elegant move. The answer may be so simple that you’ll laugh at the elaborate plans in the recycling bin. It’s a testament to your beautiful thought processes. Sometimes they take the scenic route.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). When is it appropriate and useful to say everything you want to say? Almost never. Even so, adults still manage to communicate with grace inside the realization that everyone is, to some degree, holding back.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 15). In your Year of the Gentle Rain, your wild heart is nourished by all that you need to thrive, and it seems to come straight from heaven in measures that are so easy to absorb. More highlights: Education is immediately applied to better relationships and lucrative work. Peace, pride and production as you build together with chosen family. Hot tickets and fun. Pisces and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 10, 12, 9 and 15.

  • Rapper Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’ Philadelphia stop, while supporting acts quit

    Rapper Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’ Philadelphia stop, while supporting acts quit

    Just days before Ed Sheeran’s concert on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, rapper Macklemore was dropped over pro-Palestine comments. Following that, several of Sheeran’s supporting acts have quit in support of Macklemore.

    Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Sheeran’s backing band, Beoga, have all announced they were dropping out of the tour, Deadline reported. Lincoln Financial Field officials didn’t immediately return a phone call for comment on what this might mean for this weekend’s concert.

    Macklemore, a Grammy winner, joined the tour earlier this month and was slated to open for Sheeran on eight of his last 10 shows on the U.S. leg of the tour.

    According to Rolling Stone, Macklemore was dropped because of the rapper’s pro-Palestine statements at two shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., earlier this month.

    On Sept. 4, Macklemore performed his 2024 protest song, “Hind’s Hall,” about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University and chanted “Free Palestine” while a screen behind him showed footage from the war in Gaza.

    Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performs during “Ed Sheeran’s Play: Live from New York” presented by TikTok at Domino Square in Brooklyn on Sept. 13, 2025. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)Andy Kropa

    On Tuesday, Sheeran issued a statement on Instagram, writing that he was in contact last week with venue owners, promoters, and activists to “find a mutual resolution for all.”

    While he respects Macklemore’s “strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” Sheeran said he was unable to “build bridges” with venue owners and promoters because of the way the rapper “conveyed part of his message” during his two New Jersey shows.

    Messina Touring Group, the promotional team behind the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour, told Rolling Stone that several venues “will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.” That list of venues includes Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.; Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium; Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.; AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.; and the South Philadelphia venue.

    Not removing Macklemore from the lineup, Messina representatives said, would “result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.”

    Lincoln Financial Field representatives did not respond to requests for comment from The Inquirer at the time of publishing.

    U.S. rapper Macklemore (center) attends a demonstration in support of Palestinians calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, near the Dolby Theatre where the 96th Academy Awards Oscars ceremony were being held, on March 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)Etienne Laurent

    “What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years,” Macklemore wrote in a social media post on Monday. “So why is it an issue now? Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America.”

    The rapper wrote that he was dropped from the tour after Sheeran, whom he called a friend, received a call from Robert Kraft, the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium.

    “Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave [Sheeran] an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” the post reads.

    “I agree with Macklemore,” Kraft said in a statement obtained by USA Today Sports, in which he acknowledged his decision that Macklemore’s “participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”

    Kraft also wrote: “Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate.”

    Macklemore’s shows at MetLife spurred backlash from pro-Israel groups like StopAntisemitism. In a social media post, the group accused Macklemore of spreading “anti‑Israel propaganda,” an assertion that was amplified by Bucks County-bred pop star Pink.

    “A repost isn’t a statement,” Pink clarified in an Instagram post, adding that she didn’t object to Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” chants, and said that she believes that “Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations.”

    “I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund,” she said. “What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?” she wrote. She also pointed to her “decade as a UNICEF ambassador” during which she worked for “kids who didn’t choose the country or the war they were born into.”

    In this Feb. 20, 2019 file photo, singer Pink poses for photographers at the Brit Awards in London. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)Vianney Le Caer

    The Israeli American Council also launched a petition, demanding that Macklemore be removed from the tour.

    Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival on March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)Jack Plunkett

    Despite one “painful disagreement, Macklemore contends that he will remain friends with Sheeran and understands his position. “Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things,” Macklemore wrote in his social media post.

    The North American leg of the “Loop Tour” wraps up at Raymond James Stadium on Nov. 7. A South American leg of the tour will follow in November and December.

    An earlier version of this article misstated the day of Ed Sheeran’s concert. It is on Saturday, Sept. 19.

  • Pennsylvania AG announces bust of statewide ring allegedly selling millions in ‘legal’ weed

    Pennsylvania AG announces bust of statewide ring allegedly selling millions in ‘legal’ weed

    Twelve people have been charged in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar operation to sell high-potency marijuana products in stores across Pennsylvania “under the guise that they were legal” using large distribution warehouses, including one in Bucks County, state Attorney General Dave Sunday said Monday.

    Marijuana products are being sold at vape shops, convenience stores, and gas stations because of what has been described as a loophole in federal law. This is separate from the laws passed by states, such as New Jersey, approving the sale of recreational marijuana with strict regulations.

    In the Pennsylvania case, investigators traced about $18.7 million to the alleged illegal proceeds, Sunday said.

    “We have closed this operation by raiding the main source warehouse locations, three of them, and by removing products from those warehouses and many convenience stores or smoke shops across Pennsylvania,” Sunday said at a news conference in Westmoreland County.

    “The defendants in many cases went from being renters of homes and apartments to owners of giant warehouses and lavish residential properties,” Sunday said.

    The investigation got its first “big break” in January 2025, when authorities conducted a vehicle stop in Chester County and discovered the driver was “hauling loads of THC products to these stores, illegal products, all being paid for with cash, and that was a tipping point,” Sunday said.

    Three warehouses were raided as part of the statewide investigation into “legal weed” sold at gas stations and vape stores, state Attorney General Dave Sunday said.Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office

    “So our investigation showed that this criminal organization began as a small-town, small-time operation that grew into something massive,” Sunday said.

    A few months later in Westmoreland County, a related investigation was launched after authorities found that “kids at school” were consuming marijuana products sold from these stores, Sunday said.

    “We know that these products can end up in the hands of children, but also adults who consume them, sometimes without knowing what they contained. The charged traffickers, however, knew what they were selling and they knew that the products were illegal,” Sunday said.

    Investigators then allegedly connected the statewide operation to three main warehouses, and search warrants were executed last September in Bensalem, Pittston in Luzerne County, and Plum Borough in Allegheny County.

    “These warehouses were hubs for distribution to storefronts where the products were sold, and those transactions led to consumption by kids and adults alike. From those warehouses, we seized more than 40 pallets full of illegal products,” Sunday said.

    Hundreds of types of products were sold, including pre-rolled joints and candy-like edibles, and investigators seized nearly 150,000 total items, Sunday said. Some were also legal products, such as snacks and sodas.

    Sunday said some of the defendants owned stores where the products were sold.

    “The storefronts were also scattered all throughout the commonwealth, but the pieces and the players were all working together,” Sunday said.

    Search warrants also were executed at some of the stores.

    The 12 individuals charged are Albina Kumar, Duttkumar Patel, Dharmeshkumar Patel, Madhav Patel, Nirav Patel, Palak Patel, Divyesh Patel, Ketankumar Patel, Niravkumar Vora, Roshniben Patel, Ankitkumar Patel, and Mitul Patel.

    “Many of them are also charged with felony drug trafficking charges as well, because that is precisely what this was — a high-level drug trafficking empire disguised as legitimate businesses,” Sunday said.

    Agencies that assisted the attorney general’s office in the case include the district attorney’s offices in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties. Also assisting were the police departments in Bensalem Township, Bristol Township, Lower Moreland Township, and other municipalities.

    In the meantime, Pennsylvania lawmakers are still struggling with how to close the so-called loophole.

    Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp became legal if it contained less than 0.3% Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) after harvest. The legislation was meant to help a struggling agricultural sector.

    However, entrepreneurs began extracting trace amounts of intoxicating THC variants from those legally grown hemp flowers and turning them into powerful, alternative cannabis products.

  • Eagles to place guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, will miss at least four games

    Eagles to place guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, will miss at least four games

    The Eagles are placing left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, NFL sources told The Inquirer on Monday.

    Dickerson will miss at least the next four games with a knee injury after his struggles in the season-opening 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders. The 27-year-old offensive lineman was on 94.1 WIP when the news broke and while he said he had yet to be told he was going to injured reserve, he said it was “the plan.”

    Jalen Hurts used his arm, legs, and mind to beat the Commanders. He also helped the Eagles mask some O-line issues.

    “Honestly, I played like s— yesterday,” Dickerson said on the radio. “I was a complete liability. It was my fault. I should not be out there until I feel healthy. A few weeks ago, someone rolled up on me in practice. We got some imaging on it today. Really the best plan going forward is to put me on IR so I can have a good stretch at the back end of the season.

    “I don’t think anybody wants to see that again. That was ugly. That was [bull]. This is not related to last season.”

    Dickerson underwent knee surgery prior to last season after suffering an injury during training camp. He rushed his return in time for the opener, but said recently that he wouldn’t have come back so soon in retrospect.

    He struggled all season and there was concern inside the Eagles that he may retire. Dickerson later said he never contemplated retirement.

    “I wouldn’t have spent seven figures in the offseason,” Dickerson said on WIP.

    Second-year offensive lineman Drew Kendall is expected to replace Dickerson, unless the Eagles decide on another configuration that could shift center Cam Jurgens to guard. Willie Lampkin is also in play for either job, although Kendall is the likely first interior lineman up.

    Drew Kendall (66) had a good training camp and appears in line to start on Sunday in Tennessee. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Kendall played center exclusively in college, while Jurgens’ first season as a starter in the NFL was at right guard. Jurgens also struggled against Washington on Sunday.

    Like Dickerson, he played through injury during the Super Bowl LIX run in 2025 and returned the following season following back surgery. He never looked 100%.

    Dickerson’s career, dating back to college, has been injury-plagued. He had multiple ACL tears, ankle surgeries, and other ailments during his time at Florida State and Alabama. The Eagles drafted him in the second round despite the medical red flags.

    He quickly became one of the NFL’s best interior linemen, though, and earned three straight Pro Bowl nods from 2022-24. But the injuries mounted, and while Dickerson missed only a handful of games in his first five seasons, it increasingly affected his performance.

    The Eagles’ changes to their offensive scheme this offseason were expected to affect Dickerson the most out of the starting five O-linemen. The wide-zone blocking requires more athletic and agile blockers.

    Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was asked earlier on Monday if Dickerson was healthy enough to compete at a high level.

    “I think what you see with Landon is his extreme power,” Sirianni said. “He’s a big man who’s able to move guys off the spot. If you go back and you look at, OK, so he gives up some pressures, all right. But he also caved in the side on Saquon [Barkley]’s long run on that third down.”

    Dickerson underwent meniscus surgery during training camp last year but returned to practice approximately two weeks later.

    “Probably shouldn’t have gone out there and played, but you live and you learn,” Dickerson said after the third practice of training camp this summer. “You do stupid stuff when you’re young. I learned that mistake.”

    Landon Dickerson is injured and walks off the field in the second quarter against the Chargers on Dec. 8, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    A player placed on injured reserve with a designation to return is required to be out for a minimum of four games. Dickerson will miss road contests against the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears over the next two weeks, in addition to a home game against the Los Angeles Rams and the team’s Oct. 11 trip to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

    He would be eligible to return on Oct. 18 against the Carolina Panthers.

    General manager Howie Roseman admitted last month that the Eagles’ interior O-line depth was a chief concern heading into camp. Kendall and Lampkin had very little NFL experience, but Roseman said their performances in camp and the preseason assuaged his worries.

    Kendall, a fifth-round pick out of Boston College in 2025, played mostly special teams in seven games last season — including a start in the season finale against the Commanders when the Eagles rested most of their starters — and also appeared on special teams in Sunday’s win against Washington.

    The Eagles signed the 5-foot-11, 290-pound Lampkin after the Rams released him with an injury designation last August. He was inactive all of last season, but showed promise immediately this summer despite his below-average size.

  • Jaxon Smolik pulls ahead in Temple’s QB battle; K.C. Keeler proud of defense’s ‘dramatic’ improvement

    Jaxon Smolik pulls ahead in Temple’s QB battle; K.C. Keeler proud of defense’s ‘dramatic’ improvement

    Two games into the season, Temple’s identity is beginning to take shape.

    The Owls’ defense kept No. 14 Penn State within reach, but Temple managed just nine points in an 18-point loss while continuing to split quarterback duties between Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard.

    With several offensive players nearing returns and the defense’s emergence, here are three takeaways from Monday’s practice as the team prepares for a nonconference road matchup against Toledo on Saturday (3 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

    Temple honored its 2016 team. A few of them offered advice on how the Owls can reclaim success.

    Quarterback roles taking shape

    K.C. Keeler has not formally declared a winner of Temple’s quarterback competition, but the division of responsibilities between Smolik and Sheppard is becoming clearer.

    Smolik started against Penn State and completed 10 of 16 passes for 59 yards with an interception, while adding 71 rushing yards. Sheppard completed 3 of 6 passes for 48 yards and scored Temple’s only touchdown on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.

    Keeler expects the arrangement to remain the same against Toledo, with Smolik directing most of the offense and Sheppard entering when his mobility fits a situation.

    Ajani Sheppard (13) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a Temple’s only touchdown on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    “I still think we feel we have two quarterbacks who can win in this league,” Keeler said, referring to the American Conference. “It just depends on how we’re going to deploy them.”

    Sheppard could receive more snaps this weekend, particularly when his running ability could force Toledo’s defense to crowd the line of scrimmage. Keeler also wants the Owls to counter that expectation by allowing Sheppard to attack favorable matchups through the air.

    Smolik remained first in Temple’s quarterback order during Monday’s practice. Keeler defended his performance against Penn State, noting that the Nittany Lions’ tight coverage and pressure against a depleted offensive line limited passing opportunities.

    “It’s tough to play quarterback when your receivers aren’t open,” Keeler said. “I thought he did a good job managing the offense, pulling the ball down and making plays when he had to.”

    Offense awaits reinforcements

    Temple rushed for 176 yards against Penn State, but an inability to turn that production into points underscored how much the offense missed its injured starters.

    Sights and sounds from Temple vs. Penn State at the Linc
    Video: Sights and sounds from Temple vs. Penn State at the Linc

    Running back Sam Brown practiced in full pads Monday after missing the Owls’ first two games. Keeler said Brown could have played against Penn State if it were Temple’s final game of the season, but he did not clear the training staff’s return-to-play protocols.

    Keveun Mason will continue receiving most of the work while Brown, who is expected to return vs. Toledo, eases into the rotation. Mason rushed for 76 yards on 14 carries against Penn State.

    “We’re hoping a healthy Sam Brown, along with what Keveun can do, gives you a great one-two punch with your run game,” Keeler said. “We definitely want to get him involved, but we’re going to be smart enough not to give him 30 carries.”

    Sam Brown almost walked away from football. Now he looks to lead Temple’s backfield.

    Mason said he is prepared for any distribution of the carries and believes the running backs bring different elements to the offense.

    The offensive line may also receive reinforcements. Keeler expects guard Eric King and tackle Kevin Terry to be available, although their workloads will depend on their progress this week.

    Defense setting the standard

    Temple’s defense demonstrated its resilience in its Week 2 loss. After Smolik’s first-quarter interception set up Penn State at Temple’s 5-yard line, the Owls made a goal-line stop four plays later.

    Temple also held Penn State scoreless in the first quarter and allowed just 10 first-half points before the Nittany Lions pulled away. In the season opener, the Owls forced three turnovers and returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Rhode Island.

    Temple linebacker Eric Stuart (left) pushes back Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea during Saturday’s game.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    “They’ve improved so much from a year ago,” Keeler said. “It’s dramatic. Part of it is that I think we’re putting our kids in a little bit better position to be successful. The other thing is we’re more talented.”

    Defensive tackle Kevin Hornbeak Jr. credited the unit’s progress to a deep rotation that has kept the defensive line fresh through two games.

    “All of our group is one,” Hornbeak said. “Anybody can get thrown out there. I’ve got all the faith in our room.”

  • Philadelphia Orchestra musicians’ pay will reach $200,000 if new pact is approved

    Philadelphia Orchestra musicians’ pay will reach $200,000 if new pact is approved

    Musicians and management of the Philadelphia Orchestra have struck a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor deal. The pact, whose terms were finalized in the past few days after more than six months of talks, would, if ratified, put the base minimum salary of orchestra members at $200,008 annually by the end of the contract.

    Players were presented with the deal Monday and, after a mandatory 48-hour period to mull it, are slated to hold a ratification vote starting Wednesday.

    The old contract expired Monday at 12:01 a.m., but no interruption of performances is expected. Opening night of the 2026-27 season is Sept. 24 — a benefit concert for the musicians’ retirement fund featuring Joe Hisaishi’s Orbis and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

    The musicians’ negotiating committee recommended the contract — which keeps the Philadelphia Orchestra’s players among a group of the best paid in the U.S. — to the full membership.

    “It’s a step in the right direction,” Ellen Trainer, president of local 77-274 of the American Federation of Musicians, said of the tentative deal. “I think the association [management] understood our narrative and worked with us to achieve something we can all be proud of.”

    “This is a deal that commits to the artistry of the orchestra,” said Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts president and CEO Ryan Fleur. “We’re trying to assure short- and long-term economic stability. It does make an investment in our artists and it is a competitive deal that will keep them among their highest-paid peers.”

    The new contract follows one whose negotiations in 2023 were publicly acrimonious and left some orchestra board members feeling bruised. Players authorized a strike, though a strike never happened, and they filed unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.

    Talks this time did not bubble over in public, though musicians did make labor-solidarity statements over the summer such as wearing union T-shirts to rehearsals.

    The new contract calls for an increase in base salary from the current $176,280 to $200,008 over the contract’s three-year span. Many players earn more, and some, like principals, make much more.

    The contract does not call for changes in healthcare coverage. It provides work-rule changes, such as opening up more rehearsals to students, and spells out protocols for hearing loss protections during performances using amplified sound. The third year of the contract grants supplemental payments to substitute and extra musicians for their retirement accounts.

    Ravi Coltrane and the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Edwin Outwater, during a concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth at the Highmark Mann Center this past July.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    The new contract increases the size of the “complement” — that is, the number of full-time members — from the current 103 to 104 by the third year.

    The deal also enshrines for the first time a limit on the number of live-to-screen movie presentations that can be programmed to two per subscription season, with no more than three performances per movie. The contract does not restrict the number of film concerts in summer.

    Fleur said it’s not the film music itself that concerns the orchestra’s musicians. But film scores are typically recorded in multiple sessions, and when an orchestra performs the entire score all at once, “it’s a very intense process and requires skills that are not consistent with the skills when responding to [music and artistic director] Yannick [Nézet-Séguin] in a Mahler symphony.”

    The new contract also provides for a process at the end of the season to review “the quality of all programs featuring a nonsymphonic work, including, but not limited to, programs featuring pops music,” to discuss the income generated as well as the “impact of the programming on the artistic health of the Philadelphia Orchestra.”

    Musician dissatisfaction has been around certain concerts at which “the orchestra is playing with stand-lights and they’re not really a partner on the stage but more in the background,” said Trainer. “They want to be mutually featured.”

    A number of other major U.S. orchestras have been in negotiations recently. This month, the National Symphony Orchestra settled a new contract, as did the Boston Symphony Orchestra last month. Players of the Cleveland Orchestra recently voted to authorize a strike. The San Francisco Opera canceled opening night of its 104th season on Sept. 12 after musicians of the orchestra went on strike.

    Philadelphia Orchestra has also had its share of strikes, though the most serious work stoppage in past years was three decades ago — a 64-day strike in 1996.

    Fleur said that recent talks featured a “collaborative process,” and while there were times when each side got frustrated, “that’s what happens when there’s an open dialogue, and we worked through it.”

    Orchestra negotiating committee chairperson and violinist Dara Morales said that this time in talks she felt that “the musicians’ voices and our collective knowledge of the orchestra and our industry were taken seriously.”

    The new contract runs though Sept. 9, 2029.