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  • Phillies will use extra position player spot on a third catcher, says interim manager Don Mattingly

    Phillies will use extra position player spot on a third catcher, says interim manager Don Mattingly

    ANAHEIM, Calif. — When MLB rosters expand from 26 players to 28 players on Tuesday, interim manager Don Mattingly said he expects the Phillies to use the extra position player slot on a third catcher.

    The Phillies carried three catchers — starter J.T. Realmuto and backups Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs — for several months this season until both Stubbs and Marchán suffered injuries in July. Stubbs returned from left wrist inflammation on July 21 while Marchán (left knee patellar tendinitis) is currently on a rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 10 rehab games so far for the IronPigs, the switch-hitter has a .206/.300/.206 slash line.

    Stubbs’ positional flexibility — he has also appeared in left field, first base, and third base this year, and has enough speed to be used as a pinch runner — is why the Phillies are comfortable retaining all three when Marchán returns from the injured list.

    Phillies rookie Alex McFarlane carries his hometown in the U.S. Virgin Islands with him

    Mattingly believes the Phillies’ current mix of bench players cover the Phillies’ positional needs. Carrying three catchers also allows the club to avoid designating either Stubbs or Marchán for assignment, as both are out of options, and could risk losing them on waivers.

    “[Stubbs] gives us a different dimension in that,” Mattingly said. “A lot of times, in that role, you would bring a guy that steals a bag. We kind of got that guy. So positionally, what we do is kind of set.”

    Injury updates

    Tanner Banks (left forearm strain) made his second rehab appearance for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday. The lefty tossed 1⅔ scoreless innings Saturday to follow up a scoreless inning on Wednesday. He has not allowed a hit.

    Banks is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list starting on Sept. 7. His last major league appearance prior to the injury was on July 8.

    Tanner Banks is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list starting on Sept. 7.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “I think for Banksy, it’s make sure we get him built properly, the fact he’s out for a long time,” Mattingly said.

    Left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes, who the Phillies signed to a major league deal on Aug. 19, is currently doing long toss in Clearwater, Fla., according to Mattingly. Cortes has not appeared in a major league game since Sept. 3, 2025 after undergoing arm surgery that sidelined him for most of 2026.

    Shortly after signing Cortes as veteran pitching depth, the Phillies optioned him to single-A Clearwater and placed him on the seven-day injured list to allow him time to build up.

    Phillies World Series winner Larry Christenson has died at 72

    “We’ll see how long that takes, to see where it goes,” Mattingly said.

    Reliever Caleb Kilian (left oblique strain) is also progressing and is close to throwing, Mattingly said. When Kilian suffered the injury after making just his fourth appearance with the Phillies since they acquired him from the Giants at the trade deadline, the team expected he would be out for a while. But they are not counting Kilian out from returning this season, either.

    Extra bases

    The Phillies released right-handed pitcher Jean Cabrera on Friday. Cabrera, who was ranked the 11th-best prospect in the Phillies farm system by MLB Pipeline in 2025 and won the organization’s internal award for best minor league pitcher in 2021, had struggled significantly this season. He posted a 7.64 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in 21 games between double-A and triple-A and was previously designated for assignment on July 5. … Zack Wheeler (10-5, 3.40 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 6.25).

  • Cavan Sullivan’s wondergoal helps the Union to a 3-1 rout of Red Bull New York

    Cavan Sullivan’s wondergoal helps the Union to a 3-1 rout of Red Bull New York

    The Union laid a 3-1 rout down on perennial rival Red Bull New York on Saturday in North Jersey, with a highlight-reel goal from Cavan Sullivan at the center of it.

    Milan Iloski and Neil Pierre also scored to extend the Union’s unbeaten run in league games to seven, and edge them up to 12th in the Eastern Conference at the final whistle (6-10-6, 24 points). They’re now just one point back of ninth, the last playoff spot, now held by Toronto FC.

    Neil Pierre (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his goal.Philadelphia Union

    As pretty as Sullivan’s goal was, Iloski’s opener had to be described as all goals counting the same, no matter how ugly they are.

    What Philly got out of the World Cup, the nation’s 250th, and the MLB All-Star Game

    Sullivan worked out of a jam to spring Danley Jean Jacques down the right flank, he hit a hopeful cross, and Iloski crashed into Dylan Nealis as both men went for the ball. Neither got it, and the prize bounced away to an unmarked Indiana Vassilev.

    From there, Vassilev either woefully scuffed a shooting chance, or made it look like he did while passing back to Iloski. But the end result was Iloski gratefully tapping in from near the goal line.

    Andre Blake made a fine save in the 31st, then got lucky when Ronald Donkor shot an easy rebound shockingly wide of the net. Blake made an even better one seven minutes later after Red Bull’s young phenom striker Julian Hall pushed off Nathan Harriel, and was lucky once again when Harriel got up just in time to block Jorge Ruvalcaba’s long-range attempt.

    The Union’s turn for a shocking miss came in first-half stoppage time. Iloski settled a bouncing ball and squared it through the 6-yard box for Pierre, but Justin Che beat him to it to clear off the line. The ball went back to Iloski, and his follow-up was blocked by a sliding Nealis.

    The second half started with fireworks: Hall shot off the post with Blake stranded a mere 12 seconds after kickoff.

    Nine minutes later, the big boom struck. Jean Jacques hit a superb cross-field pass to Sullivan on the right wing, he trapped it expertly, cut in, and lashed a shot to the far corner of New York’s net.

    The Union are well-represented on The Inquirer’s list of the Philly area’s 25 best athletes under 25

    The traveling Union fans in the upper deck erupted, Sullivan ran to their corner to celebrate, and a whole lot of jaws elsewhere likely dropped.

    New York (7-10-5, 26 points) looked flattened at that point, and Pierre put them in an even deeper hole off a free kick play in the 65th.

    Iloski hit the service from the left flank, Bruno Damiani jumped to flick it in the box, and Pierre crashed the back post — losing his footing along the way, but doing enough to slide the ball in. Red Bull goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, a former U.S. national team regular, could only stand on his line and watch.

    Neil Pierre played another huge game for the Union in Austin to keep the team’s unbeaten run going

    Remarkably, that was the fourth goal in nine games for the 18-year-old centerback, who spent the first half of the year at Danish club Lyngby (in which the Union have an ownership stake).

    The hosts got their goal in the 74th from one of the only veterans on the field for either team, 37-year-old striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. He entered the game as a substitute at halftime, when New York manager Michael Bradley switched to a two-striker setup to match the Union’s usual setup.

    But that was all Bradley’s players could muster. Instead, it was the visitors celebrating not just a win, but one of the most comprehensive performances of Ryan Richter’s tenure so far.

  • Some Freedom Fuel stations have been able to sell gas cheaply because some fuel wasn’t paid for, a lawsuit claims

    Some Freedom Fuel stations have been able to sell gas cheaply because some fuel wasn’t paid for, a lawsuit claims

    A petroleum distributor has filed suit in federal court alleging it supplied $4 million worth of gasoline sold to multiple Freedom Fuel Network gas stations but has never been paid for it.

    That is at least one reason, the civil suit claims, Freedom Fuel Network gas stations have been able to sell gas so cheaply after President Donald Trump touted the brand.

    Georgia-based plaintiff Mansfield Oil Co. of Gainesville Inc. filed the civil suit against KRSM Inc. in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia earlier this month.

    The suit says that Syed Kazmi, as president of KRSM, requested in May to buy gasoline from Mansfield at Energy Transfer’s Twin Oaks terminal in Aston, Delaware County.

    KRSM then took 1.12 million gallons of gasoline and sold it to stations that are part of the Freedom Fuel Network. The price of the purchase was just shy of $4 million, according to the suit.

    “KRSM was able to sell such fuel for such low prices and garner such publicity because it never paid [Mansfield] for such fuel,” the suit said.

    The suit does not specify which Freedom Fuel locations it says sold gas originally purchased from Mansfield.

    The White House promoted Freedom Fuel when it launched its first location in July on Dreshertown Road in Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County. The station initially sold gas for $3.47 a gallon, a nod to Trump being the 47th president.

    “They are doing this because they love the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on July 1.

    “The administration has had zero contact or dealings with the defendant: KRSM Inc or Sayed Kazmi,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.

    Kazmi and his brother, Cherry Hill developer Shamikh Kazmi, are linked to at least eight of Freedom Fuel’s 29 locations. Neither could be reached for comment Saturday. However, attorney Mauro Tucci said in a statement on Saturday: “KRSM disputes the allegations in this case, which is an accounting dispute over fuel invoices mispriced by Mansfield Oil. We will not be commenting further on this pending litigation.”

    The Inquirer reported last week that six of the network’s New Jersey stations had racked up environmental violations with the state dating back to 2023.

    South Jersey Freedom Fuel stations racked up big fines before being promoted by White House

    For its part, Mansfield says in the suit that it initially had difficulty sending invoices to KRSM, but managed to begin doing so by July.

    The contract specified that KRSM was to pay the invoices in full within 10 days of receiving them or face 1.5% per month interest on the balance.

    Mansfield said that, as of Aug. 17, it had not received any payment for the 150 loads of fuel KRSM purchased at the Twin Oaks terminal.

    The suit cites breach of contract and five other counts in seeking $4 million for the fuel, interest, and attorney costs from KRSM.

    The Kazmi brothers have been embroiled in at least two lawsuits related to previous gas station ventures, including a 2021 trademark dispute with BP American Inc. and BP Products North America Inc. Additionally, Petroleum Marketing Group Inc., a fuel distribution company, accused the brothers of stealing thousands of gallons of gas from the company.

    The network expanded to 29 locations earlier this month, but one Philly station was nearly shut down by the city after it failed a license renewal inspection.

    Freedom Fuel first launched with prices 40 to 50 cents a gallon cheaper than nearby stations, confounding experts and angering competitors due to the network’s apparent connection to the White House. Prices have since risen closer to other discount chains.

    The White House has maintained it is not involved in Freedom Fuel’s operation or provided the company with any subsidies.

    “Freedom Fuel Networks is a private company,” a White House spokesperson told The Inquirer in July. “They are not purchasing gasoline at a discount. The administration has not provided any funding. They are simply lowering their costs to make gas more affordable for drivers in PA and NJ.”

    Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Randy Brown and former commodities trader Yoni Gontownik signed the company’s certificate of formation in Delaware and have not spoken publicly about the highly touted enterprise.

    Freedom Fuel’s owners have been silent about their discount gas operation more than two months after the network was loudly promoted by the White House.

  • Cooper DeJean didn’t participate in the Red Bull Run, but he has a strategy in mind: ‘I’d just go full speed, probably’

    Cooper DeJean didn’t participate in the Red Bull Run, but he has a strategy in mind: ‘I’d just go full speed, probably’

    Saturday afternoon featured belly flops, cannonballs, and face-plants into the Delaware River as 120 contestants tried — and mostly failed — to retrieve a flag at the end of a 30-foot greased-up telephone pole angled up over the water.

    Competitors in the third annual Philadelphia Red Bull Championship Run soon found the challenge was harder than it looked. But with family, friends, and onlookers gathered Saturday at Penn’s Landing, each athlete had cheers and groans egging them on as they stretched, slid, and dove for the flag.

    The event was peppered with wacky surprises, including an appearance by Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean, Red Bull’s newest ambassador, who found his doppelgänger at a look-alike contest held amid the pole runners. DeJean even aided in the ceremonial greasing of the pole with a long paint roller dipped in Crisco.

    “I think I’d have a good chance at grabbing the flag,” DeJean said. “I don’t know if I’d be able to do it on the first go, but maybe give me a couple tries. I’d just go full speed, probably.”

    Cooper DeJean signs with Red Bull — and gets a Mini Cooper with a giant can to drive around practice

    The competitors, who entered the competition in early August after Red Bull posted it on social media, had different strategies while waiting their turn. Some tried to go slow and steady, while others pranced on their toes, but in the end, those who got the farthest cited luck as the biggest help.

    Three of the 120 contestants emerged with a flag in hand. The trio got a second shot to be the ultimate winner, and Keilan Barber from Havertown secured the flag on both of his runs to take home the glory and the Red Bull Run trophy.

    “I actually blew my quads out on the first run,” Barber said. “So they hurt, but I have a long car ride home with my dad, so I didn’t want to do it in silence. Shout-out to my family.”

    Mike Kablack of Philadelphia was one of three contestants to capture the flag during the Red Bull Run on Saturday at Spruce Street Harbor Park.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    “He must have the Red Bull angle on his side,” said Everett Jackson (aka Mr. Hollywood DJ), one of the emcees, after Barber flipped off the pole, second flag in hand.

    Other competitors weren’t so lucky, even if they were repeat entrants.

    “I got farther than I did last year,” said Luke Cheslock. “I had a graceful fall, but, yeah, I’m getting the flag next year, for sure.”

    Eagles roster cuts tracker

    Amid DeJean’s presence and with football season dawning, many had opinions on which Eagles could make it to the end of the pole and grab the flag.

    “I think DeVonta Smith would do the best,” DeJean said. “He’s got good balance, tall, quick, fast, so he’d definitely get up there.”

    Contestant No. 34 Devin Gual is introduced by Cooper DeJean and Mr. Hollywood DJ (right) during the Red Bull Run.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Many competitors agreed with DeJean’s answer as they strapped into their life jackets and Red Bull helmets. Other popular names thrown out were Saquon Barkley, DeJean himself, and, of course, Jalen Hurts.

    As for who on the Eagles would do the worst?

    “The worst? I think that would have to be Quinyon Mitchell,” DeJean said of his fellow star in the secondary. “He’d get a little scared. He might just bail out.”

  • Two men, one with an AR-15-style rifle, robbed a victim of gold chains and a watch

    Two men, one with an AR-15-style rifle, robbed a victim of gold chains and a watch

    Two masked men, one wielding an AR-15-style rifle, robbed a man of his jewelry and a watch Friday in Center City, according to Philadelphia police.

    Central detectives are investigating the incident, which took place about 2:15 a.m. on the 1500 block of Sansom Street. It was the second such robbery in Center City involving an AR-15-style rifle within a week.

    Friday’s robbery occurred as a 23-year-old man and two friends were returning home.

    Two masked men got out of a light gray or beige four-door sedan with tinted windows, police said. One was carrying the AR-15-style rifle, according to police. The second was armed with a black semiautomatic handgun.

    The robbers stole two gold chains off the victim’s neck and demanded his silver diamond watch. They then fled west on Sansom Street, police said.

    No one was injured.

    Early on the morning of Aug. 23, masked men armed with handguns and what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle robbed three men in Center City, forcing at least one of the victims to his knees at gunpoint, according to police.

    The victims — ages 27, 35, and 36 — were talking on the sidewalk around 3 a.m. on the 1500 block of Locust Street when three robbers stepped out of a gray Hyundai sedan and demanded the men’s belongings, police said.

    Two of the men complied but the third resisted, and one of the robbers hit him in the face with a handgun. He was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

    The assailants took cell phones, watches, car keys, wallets, driver’s licenses, and cash, police said.

    Surveillance video showed one victim on his knees on the sidewalk as two of the robbers pointed guns at his head.

  • In the wake of alleged hazing incidents, Cheltenham parents and officials marched to support students before school starts

    In the wake of alleged hazing incidents, Cheltenham parents and officials marched to support students before school starts

    After a football hazing scandal led to criminal charges for coaches and players, about 35 Cheltenham School District parents, students, and school board members marched across town Saturday morning to show their support for students.

    The purpose of the march, just days before school starts, was to show students that the community cares about what they are going through, and is calling on the school board to make needed changes, organizers said. Marchers also said it is important to portray the district in a positive light.

    “We need to come together as a community, address needed changes, and also push back against some of the false information out there,” said Ikysha Dearry, president of the Cheltenham African American Alliance.

    Dearry said the school has faced a barrage of negative attention online from opportunists who want to bring issues like race and the region’s changing demographics into the discussion. “That can have an impact, not just on how our district is viewed, but on how our students are viewed,” she said.

    School board director Caroline Watts was one of the first to arrive in the parking lot behind the Cheltenham School District building Saturday morning. She wore athletic shoes for the nearly two-mile walk to the high school. Watts said the message of the march was a “delicate balancing act.”

    ”We’re addressing what happened, making sure it doesn’t happen again, and we’re starting the school year,” Watts said.

    Participants listens as Ikysha Dearry, president of Cheltenham African American Alliance (not shown), addresses the crowd after a community march was held as residents are banding together before the new school year begins to advocate for students, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, on Ashbourne Road near the Cheltenham School District Administration Building in Elkins Park. Dr. Brian Scriven resigned as superintendent of the Cheltenham School District in the aftermath of Cheltenham High School football coaches and players being charged with assault in a locker-room hazing incident. Dr. Chris McGinley recently took over as interim superintendent.William Thomas Cain / For The Inquirer

    Montgomery County prosecutors in July charged four football coaches and six players in connection with two 2025 assaults in a Cheltenham High School locker room that led to the cancellation of last year’s football season. During the assaults, prosecutors said, a 15-year-old was beaten by teammates who poked a broomstick toward his buttocks.

    “It’s horrific, what happened,” board vice president Jenny Lowman said before the march. “To think that it happened more than once, it’s also horrifying. Those coaches were responsible for these children. And two of the coaches were parents of students on the football team.”

    According to prosecutors, the coaches urged the player not to tell his parents. And according to a grand jury report, high school employees downplayed a complaint from the player’s mother and took then-head coach Terence Tolbert at his word that he had not instructed the boy not to tell his mom.

    The report faulted the district’s handling of the situation from the start, saying employees had included Tolbert in their investigation and failed to discover there were two assaults. Employees were also confused about their duties to report child abuse, and at least five football coaches did not have clearances related to mandatory-reporter training, according to the report.

    A community march was held as residents are banding together before the new school year begins to advocate for students Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, on Ashbourne Road near the Cheltenham School District Administration Building in Elkins Park. Dr. Brian Scriven resigned as superintendent of the Cheltenham School District in the aftermath of Cheltenham High School football coaches and players being charged with assault in a locker-room hazing incident. Dr. Chris McGinley recently took over as interim superintendent.William Thomas Cain / For The Inquirer

    Cheltenham parent Aubria Nance said the alleged assaults have “absolutely shaken” the students. Nance, a board member of the Cheltenham African American Alliance, said students need to know their concerns are being taken seriously.

    “We want the board and the interim superintendent to know that we are advocating for the safety of our students,” Nance said.

    Cheltenham parent Kisha Rodwell-Green said the type of hazing she believes to have happened is called “broomsticking.” Searching online, she said, she learned that many other schools had dealt with this.

    Rodwell-Green wants the board to approve funding to work with an advocacy group called Stop Hazing. She said the athletic department needs to build a “culture of trust,” one where athletes feel comfortable speaking up if something does not seem right.

    “We know we have a lot to correct in our community, and we are starting to see that work being done,” said Rodwell-Green, who also serves as president of a parent-teacher organization called United Parents Group.

    Jackson Scott, a student at the high school, speaks to a reporter after a community march was held as residents are banding together before the new school year begins to advocate for students Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, on Ashbourne Road near the Cheltenham School District Administration Building in Elkins Park. Dr. Brian Scriven resigned as superintendent of the Cheltenham School District in the aftermath of Cheltenham High School football coaches and players being charged with assault in a locker-room hazing incident. Dr. Chris McGinley recently took over as interim superintendent.William Thomas Cain / For The Inquirer

    Still, she said, the issues Cheltenham High faces are not unique to the school, and media attention from the hazing incidents has cast an unfair light on a good school.

    “Comments on Facebook got very nasty,” Rodwell-Green said. “There’s a microscope on Cheltenham, and we want to take that microscope off.”

    For some community members, the criminal charges added fuel to complaints that the district has not been taking safety seriously enough. Parents of football players said they had urged the district not to hire Tolbert, citing concerns he let bullying go unchecked during his one-year stint as Abington’s head football coach.

    At Cheltenham Elementary School, parents said they have been battling with the district after repeated assaults by students against peers and teachers, and pointed to the football charges as proof of a systemic problem in the district.

    The district, which in May canceled the forthcoming football season, has responded to the charges by commissioning an outside investigation and hiring a new superintendent. Chris McGinley, a veteran educator who had served as Cheltenham’s superintendent two decades ago, was approved by the board on Aug. 18 to lead the district under a one-year contract. He replaces Brian Scriven, who resigned last month.

    The changes also have forced high school students to grapple with the fallout.

    Cheltenham senior Jackson Scott, 17, had mixed feelings. Scott, a soccer player, said it was unfair that his friends on the football team had their seasons canceled. Steps must be taken to stop such incidents from happening again, he said, but he also wondered if some of the details of the hazing incidents had been exaggerated.

    Senior Isabella Pero, 17, said she was disgusted that other students said nothing despite knowing about the hazing.

    Pero said she was shocked to learn that Tolbert, who taught one of her classes and seemed like a nice person, was involved. The same goes for the students involved in the alleged assaults, she said. She struggled to square her impression of the students with the violence.

    “In my opinion, in the moment, you’re so hopped up in wanting to win a game, and have a good season, that you make those tainted, not good decisions,” Pero said.

    Parent Michelle Gregorio said she hopes athletic director Sam Sheridan will help the district move forward. “And we don’t want to sweep under the rug what happened, but we want to let students know we’re addressing it.”

  • This educator just gave away his 5 millionth book — and will give away thousands to Philly and N.J. teachers this year

    This educator just gave away his 5 millionth book — and will give away thousands to Philly and N.J. teachers this year

    Inside a cavernous warehouse just off I-295 in Cherry Hill, Larry Abrams spread his arms, gesturing to the sea of industrial-size cardboard boxes that surrounded him.

    “We’re sitting on a rocket ship,” said Abrams, a third-generation teacher.

    Abrams’ rocket ship is composed of books: thousands and thousands of them — picture books and out-of-date science textbooks, cookbooks and battered novels. He sees them as a way to change kids’ life trajectories.

    The BookSmiles van and a staffer’s car parked outside of BookSmiles new warehouse in Cherry Hill.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    To date, BookSmiles, the nonprofit Abrams started out of his garage in 2017, has distributed five million books. It just outgrew its third location, expanding into a 14,000-square-foot space in Cherry Hill that is formally opening next week.

    Book banks are not a new idea. But Abrams believes he’s got the secret sauce.

    “We’re the only book bank in America that does this — we actively trade pallets of grown-up books for pallets of upcycled gently used children’s books,” Abrams said. “Never before has there been a low-cost way to get so many beautiful, upcycled books into the homes and hands of kids who need them the most.”

    ‘It’s simply about lack of book access’

    Abrams served in the Navy — he was stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Persian Gulf War — and managed a copy shop. Then he settled into a career as an English teacher, working first in Moorestown, then in Lindenwold.

    “I thought, ‘Why do most of the Lindenwold kids in my ninth-grade class read at a third- or fourth-grade reading level?’” Abrams said. “It’s simply about lack of book access. It’s not fair that some kids grow up with no access to books, and other kids have everything.”

    Abrams thought long and hard about how to change that equation. What if he redistributed books from wealthy and middle-class communities to the places that didn’t have them?

    BookSmiles founder Larry Abrams works in the loading dock area of BookSmiles’ new Cherry Hill warehouse on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    He put out a social media call for children’s books, and got thousands.

    There is no market for reselling used children’s books online, Abrams found — you can’t sell them and make any kind of money. So the BookSmiles concept developed.

    Now, people from all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania donate books — any kind of books, from old encyclopedias to nearly new novel series. The BookSmiles team (at first, just Abrams himself; now, it’s 11 people and a growing corps of volunteers) sorts through every single book.

    The organization gets books in myriad ways: from folks dropping off what they salvage after cleaning out a bookshelf to donations of entire estates of books. BookSmiles accepts library discards and scrap paper, too.

    Adult books, old textbooks, and kids’ books that are not in excellent condition are sold, not for cash, but for gently used children’s books that are distributed directly to teachers, daycares, and other nonprofits that get them in kids’ hands.

    ‘There’s a low-cost way to raise test scores’

    BookSmiles grew so significantly that Abrams retired from teaching and now works full-time as executive director.

    But his educator hat is always on. Research shows that access to books, and books in children’s homes, is a powerful determinant of kids’ educational outcomes and economic success.

    “This comes from a place of me being a teacher, and seeing there’s a low-cost way to raise test scores,” said Abrams, dipping his hand into a cardboard box and fishing out an old dictionary that will end up being recycled for paper.

    BookSmiles founder Larry Abrams among boxes of childrens books ready for young readers in BookSmiles new Cherry Hill warehouse on Friday, August 28, 2026.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    The largest share of BookSmiles’ books moves out through its “Teacher Take” program. Teachers pay a nominal fee — BookSmiles asks for $35 annually — and can then take hundreds of books multiple times a year, either for classroom libraries or for distribution.

    BookSmiles also sponsors “Fair Book Fairs,” where schools get enough books for every child to take home at least three volumes at no cost.

    Schools that serve predominantly students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are asked to kick in just $200 to get a Fair Book Fair. Others pay a little more.

    In 2025, BookSmiles gave away half a million books to teachers and kids in Philadelphia schools. Another 500,000 went to New Jersey teachers and schools, and the remainder, about 250,000, were sent overseas.

    With libraries often on the chopping block in low-wealth school systems — Philadelphia had fewer than five people working as full-time, certified school librarians last school year — classroom libraries are key, and teachers often need resources to build them.

    “We can hook them up,” Abrams said. “I can’t give them school supplies, but I can give them books.”

    Book joy

    Abrams still gets struck by moments of “book joy” when he looks at the Teacher Take room, or the massive room of books waiting to be sorted or moved out.

    “It’s almost like walking into Willy Wonka’s world, but it’s not candy, it’s books,” he said. “Sometimes, you can’t tell the difference between what Barnes & Noble is selling and what we’re giving away.”

    Larry Abrams shows BookSmiles books to Lindenwold Elementary School students in the nonprofit’s early days. This file photo is from 2018.TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

    BookSmiles’ new space, across the street from the PATCO Woodcrest station, just off I-295, is a level up for the organization. It will allow BookSmiles to move from distributing 1.3 million books per year to five million books per year, and can accommodate more volunteers.

    Abrams, like many, is thinking of Dolly Parton a lot these days.

    The music icon and humanitarian, who died Tuesday, was an inspiration for BookSmiles and a mentor to him, though he never met her.

    Parton began her Imagination Library, a program that sends free books directly to children’s homes, as a tribute to her father, who never learned to read.

    “I don’t know if I’ll ever get to 300 million books,” Abrams said. “But we know that if books are in the home, children will be more successful academically. We know that access to books changes equations.”

    BookSmiles, 100 Melrose Ave., Cherry Hill, N.J., accepts book donations and volunteers. Its Teacher Take program resumes soon.

  • The Delaware psychiatrist who testified in the Lindsay Clancy case has resigned from Nemours, the health system said

    The Delaware psychiatrist who testified in the Lindsay Clancy case has resigned from Nemours, the health system said

    A psychiatrist with Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware resigned his position after he began testifying in the nationally watched murder trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts, the health system said in a statement Friday.

    Avram Mack testified on Friday, Aug. 21, and Monday, Aug. 24, as a prosecution rebuttal witness in the case against Clancy, 36, whose lawyers have argued was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she killed her three young children in 2023.

    “Dr. Avram Mack is no longer employed by Nemours Children’s Health, he resigned on Monday, August 24th,” Shelley Meadowcroft, a Nemours spokesperson, said in an email.

    Meadowcroft declined to comment further on “confidential personnel matters.”

    Mack could not be reached for comment Friday.

    CT Insider, which is covering the trial, reported that Mack’s resumé submitted during the trial listed him as a psychiatrist at Nemours Children’s Health since 2023.

    Mack testified that he interviewed Clancy before the trial and did not notice any episodes that he would diagnose as bipolar, the Connecticut-based news site reported.

    Mack also testified that Clancy having some odd thoughts, including fear that someone would take her children, was normal, CT Insider reported.

    Kevin Reddington, Clancy’s defense attorney, reportedly sparred with Mack over the doctor’s experience working with adults, the definition of “postpartum,” and technical questions related to postpartum depression and psychosis.

  • Pat McQuaide is Villanova’s starting quarterback — for now. Here’s a look at the legal fight over his eligibility.

    Pat McQuaide is Villanova’s starting quarterback — for now. Here’s a look at the legal fight over his eligibility.

    On Aug. 2, Katie LeGrand, Villanova’s senior associate athletic director for compliance, penned a letter to the Patriot League Policy Committee, urging the conference to grant quarterback Pat McQuaide eligibility for the upcoming season.

    LeGrand wrote that “Pat has fought hard to stay positive throughout his collegiate experience. He is the epitome of the word resilience, something that many youth may lack in today’s society.”

    McQuaide’s resilience would continue to be tested over the coming weeks, as the Patriot League maintained that McQuaide would not be eligible.

    Still, there was a chance McQuaide, who continued to practice with the team, could suit up for Villanova’s opener against league rival William & Mary. That chance became a reality hours before kickoff on Friday.

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    On Friday, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court judge Timothy P. McCormick granted an emergency preliminary injunction that named the Patriot League as a defendant, clearing McQuaide to be eligible for league contests. Despite the quick turnaround, Wildcats coach Mark Ferrante opted to start McQuaide against the visiting Tribe.

    “Yeah, we found out [Friday],” Ferrante said. “And once we found out, there really was no hesitation. I mean, if it was 6 o’clock and a 6:03 kickoff, he probably would have rolled out there. If it was two hours before, if it was yesterday, [McQuaide would start]. The plan was, get the other guys reps. But if it happens, we’ll roll Pat out there. And he’s had a lot of practice under his belt.”

    Villanova lost, 35-32, to William & Mary after squandering a 10-point lead in the game’s final minute. McQuaide passed for 270 yards and a touchdown but threw three interceptions, including a pick with 9 seconds remaining that set up the Tribe’s game-winning field goal.

    “We made a lot more mistakes than they did,” Ferrante said. “Turnovers, penalties. Never comes down to one play, but unfortunately, it came down to one play.”

    Although he struggled, McQuaide’s return was welcomed by his teammates. Last season, after being named the starter days before the season opener, McQuaide emerged as a team leader. During his first year on the Main Line, the Ohio native led Villanova to an FCS semifinal — the team’s best finish since 2010. If McQuaide had not been able to play Friday, senior Robert Russo or freshman Nolan DiLucia was expected to receive the starting nod. Neither has completed a pass in college.

    “It’s kind of just second nature, having a guy like Pat back in the locker room,” junior running back Ja’briel Mace said. “Especially back in the offense, really helpful. … Finally get back to the flow of things.”

    Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 270 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times on Friday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    For the foreseeable future, McQuaide is expected to stay on the field for Villanova. It remains to be seen if the Patriot League will appeal Friday’s preliminary injunction or if the conference will take additional steps to bar his participation.

    The league previously denied McQuaide’s eligibility on Aug. 4, despite a preliminary injunction by McCormick, and then rejected Villanova’s appeal on Aug. 22. The NCAA supported the conference’s barring of McQuaide, contending that as the Patriot League was not “served process and is not a defendant” in the original lawsuit, the initial preliminary injunction could not be applied to the conference.

    Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel, the liaison for the Patriot League Council of Presidents executive committee that denied the appeal on Aug. 22, attended Friday’s game.

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    The question around McQuaide’s eligibility pertains to his season at Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2022. Villanova, which submitted the waiver request to the NCAA on behalf of McQuaide, argued that the COVID-19 pandemic led to McQuaide’s single season at the junior college. McQuaide contends the pandemic stunted his development in high school, which led to him walking on at Kent State. After one year redshirting with the Golden Flashes, he transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast.

    In its original eligibility waiver, the school described the move as a “necessary bridge rather than a choice to ‘use’ an additional season.” Additionally, juco programs are not under the purview of the NCAA, but seasons spent at that level have counted toward student-athletes’ eligibility in past decisions.

    After one season at Mississippi Gulf Coast, McQuaide played two seasons at Nicholls State before transferring to Villanova.

    This year will mark McQuaide’s sixth in college. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nicholls State and a master’s in higher education and leadership from Villanova. In court documents, McQuaide contended that he is aiming to complete a certification in public administration at Villanova this year, with the goal of becoming an NFL general manager.

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    The battle between Villanova and the Patriot League over McQuaide’s eligibility comes during the program’s first year in the conference. The Wildcats announced last summer that they would leave their football conference of 18 seasons, the Coastal Athletic Association, to join the Patriot League. Unlike the Patriot League, the CAA supported McQuaide’s eligibility for this season, according to McQuaide’s attorney, Richard Hamilton Jr.

    “[McQuaide] had a letter of support from the conference, the old CAA,” Hamilton said. “He had a letter of support from the president of the university and from the athletic department, all supporting the waivers.”

  • Penn State hosts first ‘Victory Day’ under Matt Campbell: ‘It’s the best day of the year’

    Penn State hosts first ‘Victory Day’ under Matt Campbell: ‘It’s the best day of the year’

    During Matt Campbell’s first year as the head coach at Toledo, he attended a high school coaching clinic in Michigan. There, Campbell discovered a concept that changed the way he concluded fall camp.

    Aaron Segedi, a coach at Trenton High School in Michigan, was holding what he called “Victory Day,” on which children with disabilities participated in activities with the team. After seeing the impact it had on the children, Campbell knew he wanted to bring it to college football.

    Victory Day became an annual training camp tradition under Campbell, and now he’s brought it to Penn State.

    “Great night for our community. Great night for our kids,” Campbell said after Victory Day with the Nittany Lions. “Still, this world’s about giving back and making a difference. And to be able to do that [Friday night], and be able to be with so many great families and young people that may never get the opportunity to play the game of football, it’s a special opportunity for us.”

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    Friday was the first edition of the event in Happy Valley, as local children and their families joined the Nittany Lions inside Beaver Stadium. Kids could participate in activities like footwork drills, the Oklahoma drill, throwing balls into a net, and playing catch with players.

    The highlights of the event, however, were the rushing touchdowns. Children would line up for the chance to run a play with Penn State’s starting offense and defense while their names boomed from the stadium’s sound system. Campbell greeted every kid with a smile and a handshake before huddling everyone up for the play call.

    “I know we had a couple of trick plays in there, some special calls in there that weren’t supposed to be leaked,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “But they were out there for the kids.”

    Friday was Becht’s fifth Victory Day — he participated in four at Iowa State — so he’s seen firsthand the impact this event can have on a community and those who participate.

    The highlight for him this year? Throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to a youngster down the sideline.

    “I think it’s the best day of the year for me to give back to these kids, to see a smile on their face,” Becht said. “It’s truly the best thing in the world. We’re just glad to be here and put a smile on these kids’ faces.”

    Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, an Iowa State transfer, is no stranger to Victory Day. Offensive lineman Trevor Buhr is a fellow Cyclones transfer.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer

    Although the Iowa State transfers have experienced Victory Day before, it was most of the team’s first time participating. Becht said some guys were a “little skeptical” when it began, but, by the end, there wasn’t a face without a smile.

    Junior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins still believes THON, the dance marathon that raises funds to help children with cancer, is the best day of the year at Penn State. But Victory Day is now a close second.

    “It was awesome seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, seeing every kid get the opportunity to score a touchdown was awesome, and really just seeing the family’s reactions,” Cousins said. “When you get the opportunity to come out here and hang out with the youth around the community, inspire them, and be with them throughout the night, it was awesome. It was a great time.”

    Takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    Since becoming Penn State’s head coach in December, Campbell has made it a point to get out into the community and make a difference. From packing lunches for the YMCA of Centre County Backpack Program to doubling the amount of money players raised for THON, Campbell is determined for the Nittany Lions to have a charitable impact.

    And Victory Day was the latest example.

    “This isn’t a popularity contest. This isn’t trying to sell our program to anybody. This is to make a difference in the lives of other people,” Campbell said. “To be honest with you, the more people we can make a difference in their lives, the better this opportunity is, and the more special this day becomes.”