As concerns about surveillance cameras mount nationwide, Shamong Township is taking steps to limit the use of Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers.
Shamong Mayor Michael Di Croce introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would establish a one-year moratorium on automated license plate readers and other vehicle surveillance technology on township rights-of-way and on township-owned property.
Flock cameras capture the license plates and other vehicle features, like bumper stickers or dents, of each passing car and compiles them into a searchable database.
“Flock cameras basically create a surveillance system for people who have done nothing wrong,” Di Croce said at Tuesday’s township committee meeting.
“I am opposed and I hope that my fellow committee members will agree that we don’t need to create another surveillance system that tracks people and where they’re going,” he said, noting that location data is already collected through E-ZPass and cell phone GPS.
“We should not create a permanent or searchable record of where law-abiding residents drive merely because they happen to pass a government camera or in the case of Flock, private-entity cameras,” he said.
“I’m not opposed to technology that helps the police solve crimes,” Di Croce said. “I’m opposed to turning Shamong into a surveillance community without demonstrating that the benefits outweigh the cost, violating our privacy implications with the potential for misuse and the loss of local control over our residents’ data.”
Shamong is not alone in its concerns about the use of surveillance technology.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has “real concerns” about Flock cameras and is open to considering a statewide ban on the technology, a spokesperson said this week.
The ordinance is “just a statement that we don’t want these cameras in Shamong and we’re not going to have them on any township property,” Di Croce said.
Residents can weigh in on the proposed ordinance before the committee votes on its adoption on Oct. 6 at the Shamong Municipal Building.
Micah Crawford (left) Kerry Crawford (center) and Brooklynn Crawford Brown (right) wave the American flag during the annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade in Philadelphia on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
One of Philly’s largest and oldest Labor Day parades is rolling through Columbus Boulevard on Monday.
The 39th Tri-State Labor Day Parade honors the thousands of working-class people who keep our country running. Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, which represents more than 100 unions and nearly 150,000 workers, has organized a full day of family-friendly activities.
The pre-parade kickoff rally begins at 9:15 a.m., followed by the parade down Columbus Boulevard at 10 a.m.
The commemorative march will end at Sheet Metal Workers’ Union Local 19. Paraders will come together for a family celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Russ Lickfield, of Northeast Philly, holds three large beers during 153rd annual Cannstatter Labor Day Weekend Volksfest in Philadelphia on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. Lickfield said he was holding the two extra beers for family members using the nearby bathroom.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
🧵 Afrofuturism in full glam: Visit the African American Museum in Philadelphia for one last chance to see Ruth E. Carter’s “Afrofuturism in Costume Design.” The exhibition features personal sketches and cinematic costumes from Black Panther and Sinners on display through Sunday.
⛸️ Go before it’s gone: The Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest closes shop for the season on Monday. Bring your family to Penn’s Landing for roller skating, mini golf, boardwalk treats, and other late summer fun.
🥨 Long-running Labor Day tradition: Stop by the 154th annual Cannstatter Volksfest to celebrate German heritage with live music, amusement rides, games, and food and drink.
🇧🇷 Beauty and vibrancy of Brazil: Stop by Spruce Street Harbor to celebrate Brazilian Day on Sunday. The free outdoor festival will be filled with music, dancing, food, and moreto honor the country’s independence.
📅 My calendar picks this week: Polish American Festival & County Fair, Sheer Mag with Gripper and Real Shocks, Workshop of the World Exhibition. Here’s our full list for the week.
The 54th annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival
Asleep at the Wheel at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival.Delware Valley Bluegrass Festival
Founded by bluegrass legends Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley in 1972, it’s a Labor Day tradition that has endured over the decades, says our pop music critic Dan Deluca.
The three-day festival kicks off Friday in South Jersey’s Salem County with country-bluegrass singer Kathy Mattea as headliner. Friday’s lineup also includes the Price Sisters, Virginia guitarist Junior Sisk, and the Travelin’ McCourys.
On Saturday, Dan Tyminski gets top billing. New Orleans ragtime street band Tuba Skinny also plays Saturday, along with Critten Hollow, Danny Paisley & Southern Grass, and the Gibson Brothers.
The festival wraps up on Sunday with Black Eyed Suzies, Tennessee quintet Blue Highway, Chicago duo Special Consensus, Boone, N.C., roots band Burnett Sisters, and Nashville quintet Appalachian Road Show.
Coach Nik Devore (right) with CityPickle works with student Joan M. P (no last name) on the morning pickle ball courts returned to Dilworth Plaza, Philadelphia City Hall on Monday, September 9, 2024.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
🐎 Saddle up: Ludwig’s Corner will host the 83rd Horse Show & County Fair this weekend. Along with top-level equestrian competition, food trucks, games, carnival rides, and vendors will fill the 33-acre community space.
🎨 Summertime market at Dilworth: Friday is the start of a sun-soaked celebration of local makers. The Made in Philadelphia Market is coming to Dilworth Park on Friday, with more than 60 makers, artists, and artisans from across the region.
🎾 Pickleball pickup games:CityPickle has turned Dilworth Plaza into a space for pickleball enthusiasts. Two branded courts are now placed near City Hall. Download the CityPickle app to reserve a time or private court to put your skills to the test.
🎭 Fun at the faire!: The Bucks County Renaissance Faire is taking place at the historic TileWorks in Doylestown from Saturday to Monday. Visitors will experience high-level juggling, live music, theater, and even a hint of magic.
Staffer picks
Kacey Musgraves brings her Middle of Nowhere Tour to the Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly on Friday.Kelly Christine Sutton
Here’s pop music critic Dan DeLuca’s list of the best concerts this weekend.
🎤 Thursday: After performing at Xfinity Mobile Arena in May, Houston rapper Don Toliver is back in support of his latest album, Octane.
🪕 Friday: Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves is hitting the stage at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Fans can expect this show to turn into a Dolly Parton celebration.
💃🏼 Saturday:Kehlani, off the heels of her biggest career hit, “Folded,” is returning to the region for a headlining show at Camden’s Freedom Mortgage Pavilion.
🎸 Monday: Bassist Peter Hook, cofounder of England’s Joy Division, New Order, and Durutti Column, will perform New Order’s 2001 album, Get Ready, at Union Transfer on Monday.
Question: What year was Labor Day first recognized as a federal holiday?
A) 1900
B) 1893
C) 1894
D) 1905
Here’s the answer to last week’s question: Which athlete won the first Philadelphia Cycling Classic in 1985? Answer: Eric Heiden
Ask Earl anything
Many of you have questions about each week’s listings, and others about Philly’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene.
I have you covered. Have a question? Email me for a chance to have it answered in an upcoming newsletter.
That’s all folks! Don’t let these end-of-summer events (and extended weekend) go to waste. There are plenty of Labor Day traditions and other cultural events worth exploring.
— Earl Hopkins
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The richest man in the world, who was laser-focused on delivering Pennsylvania for President Donald Trump in 2024, is wielding his wallet in the Keystone State once again to support Republicans in three swing congressional districts ahead of the midterms.
America PAC, Musk’s super PAC, has contributed roughly $12,000 apiece in support of U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, of Lehigh; Rob Bresnahan, of Lackawanna; and Scott Perry, of York — all GOP incumbents facing tough reelection challenges, according to an independent expenditure report filed Wednesday.
The PAC’s contributions for the congressional races went toward printing at Storytellers Group LLC, a Tennessee-based company, according to the report. He also contributed to several other competitive races across the country.
Even though Musk is not yet deeply involved in Pennsylvania, the PAC’s spending signifies that the billionaire likely views these three congressional seats as important as both parties vie for control of the U.S. House.
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.Evan Vucci
America PAC and spokespersons for Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry did not immediately return a request for comment.
The PAC also has yet to make a contribution in support of U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks) will also be defending his seat against Democratic challenger Bob Harvie in a swing district this November.
“I think Fitzpatrick is fairly well positioned regardless of what Mr. Musk does or does not do,” said Christopher Nicholas, a GOP consultant.
But the three GOP incumbents benefiting from Musk’s latest spending all lagged their Democratic challengers in fundraising during the most recent quarter. And Tesla and SpaceX’s CEO’s support could help close the gap.
Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union leader who is challenging Mackenzie, seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the nation, said in a statement that Musk is “spending a fortune to buy this congressional seat” in the Lehigh Valley.
“I have a message for Elon and Ryan: Pennsylvania’s Seventh district is not for sale,” he said.
A spokesperson for former TV news anchor Janelle Stelson, who is running in a rematch against Perry in the 10th District, said that: “Scott Perry lacks the courage to highlight Musk’s efforts to increase corruption in our government, so now Musk is rewarding Perry for his subservience.”
And in the 8th Congressional District, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said: “Unlike Rob, I don’t take a dime of corporate PAC money.”
“In Congress, I’ll answer to the people of NEPA, and no one else,” she said.
The lawyer for a Guinean man who has lived legally in the United States for nearly 20 years asked a federal judge to free him from ICE detention on Thursday, even as government attorneys described plans to proceed with his deportation.
Mamadou Fadel Cherif, 56, was arrested by immigration officers as he left his West Oak Lane home for work on July 13 and remains in custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Central Pennsylvania.
“There’s a human being underlying these proceedings,” attorney Conor Deane told U.S. District Judge Juan Sanchez, as the lawyers debated complicated immigration regulations and law. “An exceptional human being. … He’s the epitome of who you would want to live in this country.”
Fadel Cherif works in dining services at La Salle College High School, the private Catholic boys school in Montgomery County, and also drives for Uber. He’s the main support for his wife, who has legal permanent residency, and for their four American-born sons, one of whom is a Marines reservist.
Deane sought Fadel Cherif’s immediate release, saying he has been illegally detained and denied due process under the law.
Nearly two decades ago, Fadel Cherif was granted what’s called Withholding of Removal, which allows him to live and work in the United States, and bars his deportation to his West Africa homeland, where the U.S. government agrees he could be harmed or killed over his political beliefs.
That status does not shield him from being sent to a third country, however, if ICE can find a nation willing to accept him. Those kinds of third-country deportations are difficult for the agency to achieve, but the Trump administration has pushed to accomplish them.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that during its first year back in office, the Trump administration carried out about 15,000 removals to third countries, a fraction of the total 396,000 deportations.
Deportations of those who have Withholding of Removal are even more rare, according to the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington. The center says it is pointless to detain those people while attempting to deport them. If ICE were to release a foreign national and later identify an appropriate third nation, it could simply detain them again.
In court Thursday, the judge noted that authorities plan to deport Fadel Cherif to Ghana — sparking courtroom debate over the West African land’s assurances to the U.S. government that he would be safe there.
Deane said those assertions are not sufficient to deport someone. He described Ghana’s diplomatic assurances as “very boilerplate,” and not barring that nation from sending his client to another country or even back to Guinea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Landon Jones told the judge he did not have additional information regarding Ghana’s assurances, but the U.S. State Department has deemed them credible.
Abdoulaye Cherif near his West Oak Lane home in July 2026. His father, Mamadou Fadel Cherif, was arrested by ICE and has been detained while the agency tries to deport him.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Fadel Cherif’s wife and two of his sons, who were in court for the proceedings, declined to comment.
Advocacy groups and immigration lawyers say the Trump administration is increasingly arresting and detaining migrants who have been granted withholding, keeping them in custody while it pursues removal to a third country.
One challenge to deportation is even those nations that willingly accept their own citizens can be disinclined to accept other foreign nationals.
Ricky Palladino, another lawyer for Fadel Cherif, said earlier that there’s no reason for ICE to detain him. He has no criminal record, but does have work authorization, a Social Security number, and a driver’s license.
Fadel Cheriff is nearing the end of his eighth week in detention.
In Guinea, a nation of 12 million people that’s roughly twice the size of Pennsylvania, Fadel Cherif was jailed by the government after protesting the results of his country’s 1998 presidential election, which was marred by irregularities. He later fled in fear of being rearrested, using a document that showed a different Guinean identity to enter the United States in New York in November 2003.
Fadel Cherif was denied asylum — which carries a path to citizenship — when he could not prove that he had filed within a year of entering the United States.
To receive Withholding of Removal, applicants must prove they were persecuted in the past or that their lives would be threatened in the future, that the government harmed or will harm them — or failed to control others who might do so. They also must show that moving to a different part of their home country would not provide safety.
When Withholding of Removal is granted, the immigration judge also enters a deportation order, then tells the government it cannot deport the person to their homeland. In that way the removal is “withheld.”
People with that status cannot leave the United States without triggering deportation, have no path to citizenship, and cannot petition to bring family members to this country.
Fadel Cherif’s lawyers filed what’s called a habeas petition, which asks a judge to order the government to prove it has the lawful authority to detain the person. The term “habeas corpus” translates from Latin as “you have the body,” and such filings are considered crucial constitutional safeguards against wrongful imprisonment.
Habeas petitions, once rare, have dominated the docket at Philadelphia federal court since the Trump administration initiated a policy of mandatory detention last year. That provoked an avalanche of lawsuits by immigrants who challenged their incarceration, demanding their freedom or at least a bond hearing in Immigration Court.
Judge Sanchez gave no indication of when he would issue a ruling.
PHOENIX — The last time the Phillies saw the Braves, their season was going in a very different direction.
Their last meeting on April 26 also happened to be Rob Thomson’s final game as the club’s manager. The 6-2 loss dropped the Phillies’ record to 9-19 to start the season and Thomson was fired two days later.
Don Mattingly took the reins as interim manager, and the team that had been on track to miss the playoffs entirely authored a stunning turnaround, and is back in contention for the National League East. As the Braves return to Philadelphia on Friday, their lead on the division — at one point a gargantuan 10½ games — sits at four.
This series could determine the NL East. If the Phillies keep winning at the clip they have been lately, they would close within striking distance. But if they don’t, the race could be all but put to bed by the time the Braves leave Citizens Bank Park on Monday.
“I think we’re all excited for the challenge,” Kyle Schwarber said. “Hopefully that weather starts cooling down and it gets a little bit of a fall weather feel, and it starts feeling playoff-y, and the fan base is going to be rocking and rolling. Looking forward to a rowdy weekend.”
Plenty of ink has already been devoted to what changed for the Phillies since April: better pitching performances. Better hitting. A different outfield mix that works. An unconventional cleanup hitter with a contagious approach. A risky defensive shuffle that paid dividends. Severalrookies coming into their own. And multiple astonishing comeback wins along the way.
Bryce Harper’s monster August helped fuel a 21-7 record in the month.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Before the Phillies headed home from their nine-game West Coast trip on Wednesday afternoon, Mattingly said he felt as good about his club as he has all season.
“I think we’re showing up every day and playing, and it’s not really any different one day to the next, win or loss,” he said. “Yeah, I think we’re in a good spot right now.”
Another key has been the Phillies finding a way to handle what had been their most exploitable weakness: left-handed pitching.
From March to May, the Phillies had a collective .210 batting average and .659 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Their righties were struggling significantly, and their lefties weren’t able to carry the load.
But things have steadily improved. Since June 1, the Phillies have a .265 average against lefties — good for fourth in baseball in that span — and a .739 OPS. August was their best month yet. As the offense has improved its discipline and approach as a whole, they hit .281 vs. left-handers, with just a 15% strikeout rate and a .370 on-base percentage.
On Tuesday, they knocked around Diamondbacks lefty Eduardo Rodriguez for eight hits. Rodriguez is in the midst of a career season, and the Phillies raised his ERA from 2.50 to 2.59.
The addition of right-handed hitters Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz has helped. So has the fact that Edmundo Sosa has been heating up, and Bryce Harper has started hitting lefties the way he has in the past. And while the Phillies brought in a left-handed bat at the deadline, Luis Arraez hits above .300 no matter the handedness of the pitcher.
Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez has been an unconventional but consequential cleanup hitter.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I think we’ve done a better job with them,” Mattingly said. “We’ve been able to mix and match the lineup a little bit, where we can put some righties in there that have traditionally hit lefties. I think that’s solidified us a little bit, and Harp’s actually hitting lefties now. He struggled a little bit, but he’s traditionally hit them. Schwarb’s hit them. Luis has hit them.
“I’m not really afraid to stack them, those lefties together up there, because they’ve handled lefties.”
But all of that will be put to the test on Friday in a pivotal moment of the season. Chris Sale is a bit of a different beast, and the Braves ace is set for a duel against Cristopher Sánchez in Friday’s series opener.
Sale happened to be on the mound against the Phillies in that last meeting on April 26. He smothered them, holding them to one hit over six innings.
At 37 years old, the lefty still has high-90s fastball velocity — he touched triple digits in his shutout against the Dodgers last week — and pinpoint command. His 11-degree arm slot is the lowest among qualified left-handers this season, and it adds to the deception of his slider and changeup.
Schwarber and Trea Turner have handled Sale relatively well. Schwarber is 5-for-19 (.263) against him with two homers, while Turner is 6-for-19 (.316). The problem is, both of them are in the midst of ice-cold stretches.
Trea Turner (left) and Kyle Schwarber (right) have had some success against Braves ace lefty Chris Sale.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Turner batted .158 on the road trip and Schwarber hit .171. Schwarber said he has been feeling a tick off in his timing, and has been alternately early and late at the plate over the last nine games.
“It’s frustrating,” Schwarber said. “But I know the things that I need to do, and I’m looking forward to getting the off day, get back home, and then get in there early and get right back to work and feel really confident. … It’s past experience, right? And especially as baseball, where there are going to be times when you’re up, you’re down, and you have keep finding a way to be competitive, and that’s what I try to do on a daily basis, and get right back to work.”
On Friday, the Braves offense will have a left-handed ace of its own to contend with in Sánchez. But to win, the Phillies will need to hit.
And while they’re anticipating a playoff-like environment for what will be the biggest series of the regular season so far, the offense also wants to stick to the routines that helped it win 15 of its last 18 games.
“It’s trying to tame that, and trying to make sure that when you are out there, we’re doing what we always do,” Schwarber said. “Which is taking our at-bats, taking our approach, taking our game plan, executing, and going from there.”
In their findings, the NBA said the Clippers, in violation of league rules, facilitated payments and deals for Leonard with four different companies. The Clippers denied any wrongdoing in a strongly worded statement, saying they “vehemently reject” the league’s findings.
The league handed down a number of punishments for individuals in the Clippers organization and for the team itself. Owners Steve Ballmer was suspended for a year and fined $30 million in part for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities.” President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension and president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended a year. Leonard was not suspended and received a $700,000 fine.
The league is also taking away five first-round draft picks from the Clippers in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033. The 76ers still have some Clippers draft capital from the trade that sent James Harden to Los Angeles in 2023, but that will be unaffected by the league’s punishments, a source confirmed.
Reviewing the Harden trade
When the Sixers traded Harden in October 2023, they received, as part of a three-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 2026 protected first-rounder from Oklahoma City (which they eventually traded), the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick and a 2029 top-three protected pick swap from the Clippers (along with 2024 and 2029 second-rounders from the Clippers).
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey played a little under two seasons alongside James Harden. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Clippers dealt that 2028 first-rounder in a convoluted pick swap to the Celtics in the Jaylen Brown trade, but they still owned that valuable 2029 pick swap.
How Wednesday’s news relates to the Sixers
On paper, it could appear as though the league was taking away the 2029 Clippers pick the Sixers had the right to swap.
But a league source confirmed a report from PhillyVoice that said the NBA was taking away a first-round pick the Pacers owe the Clippers from the Ivica Zubac trade and was not touching the Clippers’ own pick, meaning the Sixers’ right to swap that pick remains intact.
The value of that pick swap
Wednesday’s news would seem to bolster the immediate value of that swap. Even while the pick is top-three protected, the Clippers could be in a tough spot as a franchise for the next few years as they attempt to rebuild in the post-Leonard era. It will still be a valuable trade chip they can dangle this season and beyond to make more roster moves. There’s also the fact that the NBA has moved to address tanking by flattening lottery odds for teams that miss the playoffs and play-in tournament.
One effect of the league’s ruling is how it shapes a pending trade the Clippers had with the Toronto Raptors to send Leonard back there, where he won a championship in 2019. By giving Leonard a comparative slap on the wrist with the fine, and by not suspending him or voiding his contract, the league seemingly has preserved the Clippers’ ability to deal Leonard eastward.
An ESPN report said the trade is on track to go through in the next few days. This will add to an already deep Eastern Conference that has plenty of potential contenders.
The revised outlook “reflects SEPTA’s better-than-expected financial performance” in fiscal 2026 that leaves it with enough liquidity to pay the bills while continuing to try to solve a structural budget gap, Moody’s said in an Aug. 28 statement.
“Our hope is that this external validation supports the message we want to send to our stakeholders in Harrisburg that SEPTA is a sound investment and that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” assistant treasurer Michael Kendall said in an interview.
SEPTA managers pivoted to an increased focus on controlling costs, finding new revenue from advertising, parking, and real estate, and service improvements, Kendall said.
The transit agency says it has found about $30 million in annual savings, as well as increased income from advertising, parking, and real estate. Ridership remained steady and spiked during the summer’s World Cup games, celebrations of America’s 250th birthday, and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Overall, SEPTA says its structural budget deficit dropped from $213 million a year to $192 million.
The credit rating for authority bonds remains good, as they are backed by reliable federal and state income streams, not passenger revenue, which can fluctuate.
SEPTA has a $501 million bond for asset improvement and a $42 million bond in the Public Transportation Assistance Fund. Moody’s gave both one of its highest ratings, Aa3. Moody’s also affirmed the A3 ratings on the authority’s $138 million in bonds issued against federal capital grants it has been awarded.
Still, Moody’s warned, “over the long-term, SEPTA’s sizable structural budget gap will be difficult to resolve without further financial support from the commonwealth or significant adjustments to operations.”
The Campbell’s Co. has cut 13% of its salaried workforce, roughly 515 employees, amid declining sales.
The Camden-headquartered soup, snack, and sauce business has suffered from inflation among other challenges, president and CEO Mick Beekhuizen said in an earnings call Thursday, highlighting multiple cost-cutting efforts. He did not provide information on where the workforce reductions took place, and a company spokesperson declined to offer more details on how many were impacted in Camden.
The company reported $9.7 billion in net sales for its most recent fiscal year, which ended Aug. 2, a decrease of 5% from 2025.
“Our results remain unacceptable,” Beekhuizen said. “But instead of waiting for the environment to improve around us, we are addressing reality head-on.”
Beekhuizen said inflation is expected to continue being an issue in the coming year amid an “external environment that we expect will remain volatile.”
The company is embarking on a $500 million cost-cutting initiative over four years to get back to “profitable growth,” Beekhuizen said. He said the company is making “difficult but necessary” decisions.
Some of that work is already underway. The company has recently cut costs in part by reducing its salaried workforce by 13% through voluntary early retirements and layoffs. The company had 13,700 full-time and part-time employees as of September 2025.
Campbell’s also recently closed two snack facilities and plans to increase prices on roughly 60% of its products.
The company’s snack division, which includes Goldfish, Pepperidge Farm, and Cape Cod, saw a 12% decrease in net sales last quarter. The meals and beverages segment, which includes Rao’s Homemade, Swanson, and Prego, saw a 4% decrease.
“Our performance is not where it needs to be, and we are taking decisive action to improve it,” Beekhuizen said.
Since Beekhuizen became CEO last year, the company’s leadership team has been “strengthened” through internal promotions and some external hiring, he said.
“Looking ahead, our top priority is to get closer to the consumer in everything we do,” he said. “This is not new, but it’s a philosophy we must follow with greater speed and discipline.”
I have been faking it for 25 years. Not about the people and issues that matter to me. Not my work or anything like that.
But in the way everyone tells you to “fake it till you make it.” Get up. Go to work. Act like you’re doing fine when you’re not, hope nobody notices, and hope you’ll eventually get better.
When I got to ground zero late on Sept. 11, 2001, nothing felt real. Therapists have since explained that I may have slipped into what they call a dissociative state, and it was frightening.
I hadn’t exactly lost my grip on reality, but I felt detached, like I was living in a movie, feeling uncertain about what was real and what wasn’t.
A New York City firefighter looks out onto the collapsed World Trade Center on the morning after the attack of Sept. 11, 2001. Chronicling the devastation there has haunted the author over the years.
I managed to keep taking pictures, leaning into the parts of myself that were still working, as I have in some ways every day since.
My friend and colleague Chris Brennan, the reporter with whom I had gone to the scene for the Daily News, later wrote about our journey together and the early aftermath.
A harrowing aftermath
The next 18 months were the worst for me, filled with flashbacks, nightmares, extreme insomnia, memory blackouts, mood swings, and broken relationships.
Serendipitously, a psychiatrist wrote to me in early 2003 about acquiring some of my photographs for instructional use. She also sensed what I was going through, and provided the treatment I needed to get the most crippling symptoms under control.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. Far from it.
New York City firefighters sift through the rubble of the World Trade Center on the evening of Sept. 11, 2001.Jim MacMillan
From the outside, what followed looks almost ridiculously good: a career filled with fellowships, faculty appointments, and even a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for my photographs from the war in Iraq.
I had accompanied U.S. troops on hundreds of combat missions over the course of a year, feeling indestructible following my initial recovery, but then some new and old symptoms emerged, and I needed more care when I got back. I got better again, although I still overreact when startled.
One of my pictures from 9/11 went on to have a remarkable life of its own. The New York Times wrote about the time it toured alongside some of the great artworks of the 20th century. My alma mater, Tufts University, hung it in a gallery next to a Picasso.
Looking back now, it feels painfully obvious that I have also spent the past 25 years stockpiling accomplishments as if to prove I was OK, probably to myself as much as anyone else.
We talk a lot in the news about surviving terrible events and their immediate aftermaths. And we love stories of recovery. But we don’t talk much about the long tail of trauma.
Our traumatic pasts aren’t so easily fooled. There is no unseeing what we have seen.
Rescue workers carry a body from the ruins of the World Trade Center to a temporary morgue at the heavily damaged Dow Jones Building in the early morning after the Sept. 11 attack.
I still have occasional nightmares and persistent phobias that seem obviously related to things I saw at ground zero.
And random reminders can bring me back there in every sense. The smoke and rubble appear behind my eyelids in an instant. I can hear the sounds and taste the dust. My breath deepens, and my skin crawls again.
Giving back
Most of the time I am completely fine. Sometimes I get triggered, and I’ve got my hands full again for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. I had a bad year not so long ago.
Living my best life takes maintenance, just as I imagine countless people quietly manage other long-term health challenges.
Since 2006, I have also spent a lot of time studying and teaching students and journalists about trauma. Giving back has felt both cathartic and critical to maintaining my well-being.
A message is scrawled in ash on a column inside One Financial Center, adjacent to the World Trade Center ruins at ground zero.Jim MacMillan / Staff Photographer
But while journalists and other first responders are frequently invited onto stages for these conversations, most people carrying trauma will never get the spotlight.
Domestic violence and other crimes can alter lives without ever making the news. Trauma can accumulate alongside structural violence, from racism and concentrated poverty to overpolicing and mass incarceration.
Rescued from Lower Manhattan, a family lands in Liberty State Park in New Jersey hours after the attack on the World Trade Center. The trauma from that day lives on for survivors and witnesses.
Communities most vulnerable to trauma are often the least likely to have access to the kind of care that helped me endure.
Too many are left to carry their burden alone, while resources seem perpetually overstretched, and horrifying headlines keep coming at us with relentless frequency.
If nobody is coming to save us, we’ll need to get better at taking care of one another, now more than ever.
I’m no clinician, but I can tell you what I needed: Listen when people tell you about their struggles. Don’t turn up the heat or ask when they’re going to get over it. Ask what they need, ask how you can help, and help them find more support.
A New York City firefighter surveys the wreckage of the collapsed World Trade Center on the evening of Sept. 11, 2001.Jim MacMillan
I recently moved to Ireland, where my grandparents were born, thinking I might have one more chapter to write in my career and that, for once, I might step away from all the trauma.
Instead, every new relationship and opportunity seems to be leading me back to the same work: helping journalists stay safe and healthy while reporting responsibly on survivors.
The distance has also helped me see more clearly what I’ve carried all these years, and what we can’t fake.
Jim MacMillan spent 17 years as a photojournalist at the Daily News. His photographs from ground zero now reside in the Special Collections Research Center at the Charles Library at Temple University, and one was acquired last year by the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. He founded the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting in 2019 and served as its director until June.
Miller, the Phillies’ top position player prospect, has missed the season because of a back condition. But in an appearance this week on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, minor league director Luke Murton said the 22-year-old shortstop is “progressing very well.”
“I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver, but there may be a surprise in the near future,” Murton said. “I’ll say that. I’ll leave it at that for now.”
The Phillies have been intentionally vague with updates on Miller, especially since a June 5 spinal procedure to relieve recurring low-back pain. At the time, the Phillies set a “goal to return to game activity in six to eight weeks.” But Miller only resumed all baseball activities, including swinging a bat, last month.
Murton suggested the Phillies have taken a conservative path with Miller.
“He wants to be on the field,” Murton said. “It’s hard. But he also understands the big picture. He’s got a long career ahead of him. … Just from seeing him move around of late, he’s moving as good as I’ve ever seen him. And so I’m excited about where he’s at right now. I’m excited about where he’s going to go.”
The minor league season is nearing an end, with both A-ball levels wrapping up Sunday, double A on Sept. 13, and triple A on Sept. 20. But the Phillies’ low-A Clearwater team qualified for the Florida State League playoffs next week, a logical starting point for Miller’s return to game action.
Double-A Reading also is closing in on a second-half title in the Eastern League, which would net a spot in the postseason and provide additional opportunity for Miller to get into games.
Aidan Miller was the 27th pick of the 2023 draft.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
The Phillies also could choose to send Miller to the Arizona Fall League, which begins on Oct. 3. He was scheduled to play there last year, but the Phillies withdrew him because of late-season discomfort in his back.
Miller, the 27th overall pick in the 2023 draft, had an .825 OPS, 27 doubles, 14 homers, and 59 stolen bases last season, mostly in double A. He got promoted to triple A in September and went 9-for-27 (.333) with one homer and seven steals.
After seeing multiple spine specialists, Miller was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine, according to the team in June. He underwent a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints, a procedure described by the Phillies as “minimally invasive.”
It’s unclear whether Miller will have to manage the condition throughout his career.
“As far as the long-term effects, positive, negative, I would let the [medical] experts speak to that,” Murton said. “But I feel pretty confident, [based on] what we’ve been seeing lately, that he’s on the right trajectory to be with us and be a good player for a long time.”
The full episode of Phillies Extra will be available Friday on inquirer.com, The Inquirer’s YouTube channel, or by subscribing on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
