LeBron James, in the midst of his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, already had his All-Star sneakers from Nike designed and created 22 years ago.
Though James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists during the 2003-04 season and was named Rookie of the Year, he was snubbed by NBA coaches because of the Cavs’ losing record.
James, who signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers this offseason, will drop the shoes he was supposed to wear at the 2004 All-Star Game in Los Angeles during next year’s All-Star Weekend.
The Nike Air Zoom Generation “L.A. All-Star” player-edition shoes, which features a white base color with blue and red trimmings near the toe, on the Nike check, the accents of the shoelaces, an “LA” logo with the Nike check on it, and the date “2-15-2004″ in the tongue of the shoe outlined with red trimming and blue lettering.
The shoes were designed to match the East All-Star’s jerseys that year, which were blue with white letters and numbers and red trimmings, including down the sides of the jerseys.
They also happen to match the Sixers’ home jerseys perfectly.
The sneakers are set to drop on Feb. 19, 2027, at $190 retail price, according to Just Fresh Kicks. That is the weekend for the 2027 NBA All-Star festivities, which will be held in Phoenix and would be James’ 23rd All-Star selection should he make it on what will be a loaded Eastern Conference team.
LeBron James’ Nike Air Zoom Generation shoes, which he debuted in 2003, appear to be making a comeback next year.RICK BOWMER
Philadelphia School District officials said this week that because of a delayin Harrisburg, they cannot use the latest state test scores to judge whether the school system’s academics are improving.
The apparent bureaucratic delay could have real-world consequences for Philadelphia students who rely on the state test scores for admittance into selective magnet schools. And because the 2025-26 PSSA and Keystone results now will not be part of the closely watched school selection process, district officials said, some kids may need to take an alternate assessment if they want a chance to attend a magnet school.
But the situation seems murky, with Philadelphia walling off its data in ways that other districts have not.
Districts across Pennsylvania — including Philadelphia — received preliminary school-level scores from the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the spring, as is typical, sources confirmed to The Inquirer. And though some Philadelphia principals and teachers did see limited data for some incoming students for rostering purposes in August, most of the student- and school-level data remain hidden.
Here is what we know, and what we don’t know, about the score release.
PSSA administration was online, and glitchy, this year
Many districts experienced technical glitches early in the PSSA assessment window, with some students unable to log in to complete their exams. Some canceled testing for a day, shifting assessment schedules because of the problems with the online system.
PDE just weighed in
The Pennsylvania Department of Education usually releases preliminary statewide results to districts in August or September, to give educational leaders time to crunch the numbers and prepare for a fall public release of the data.
But PDE officials, in a letter sent to districts on Tuesday, said there would be a delay because a “review of the preliminary data is still underway.”
No reasons for the shift were given, and no information was shared about whether the public release, which usually happens in the late fall, will be pushed back.
Philly took a different tack
While other districts and charters still have access to school- and student-level data from the 2025-26 PSSAs and Keystones, Philadelphia kept the vast majority of its data hidden from principals and teachers.
Though some other data, like the results of periodic benchmark tests, are still available, PSSA and Keystone figures are often used to help pinpoint student needs.
The Philadelphia School District Office of Evaluation, Research and Accountability told principals in June that “state test data are embargoed and not available until they are verified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education,” district spokesperson Monique Braxton said in a statement Wednesday.
That review was expected to be completed by Tuesday, Braxton said, but has been pushed back.
“Until this process is complete, assessment data will not be released,” Braxton said. “Additional information will be shared after PDE completes its review and the official statewide results are released.”
It remains unclear why most Philadelphia data are still inaccessible to school staff.
Questions around school selection and more
Philadelphia’s school selection window, when students can apply to the city’s 37 sought-after criteria-based schools, opens Sept. 8.
But the questions around the state data mean that the district “cannot use the 2025-26 assessment results to evaluate year-over-year student achievement or as the required criterion for school selection,” Braxton said. “In the interim, students will have the opportunity to take an alternative assessment in the fall and submit those results instead.”
The district did not address questions about what assessment will be given, when it will be offered, whether it will be mandatory for school selection, or what will happen if students want to apply for criteria-based schools but not take the alternative assessment. It also did not answer questions about whether there will be an additional cost for the new assessment.
Fastest-improving large urban district?
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has staked his reputation on Philadelphia being the “fastest-improving large urban district in the country,” and the district has posted promising, if incremental, gains during his tenure. Philadelphia students’ learning post-pandemic was best in the nation, according to recent research out of Harvard and Stanford Universities, though district students still perform 2.46 grade levels below the pre-pandemic national average.
District-wide, 34% of students score at grade level in English and 23% in math, as judged by 2024-25 standardized tests.
Braxton said in the statement that after consulting with PDE, “the district cannot use the 2025-26 assessment results to evaluate year-over-year student achievement.”
More information will be shared, Braxton said, “as it is received from the PDE.”
Two years ago, Steve Alexander “rang the bell” inside a Media hospital, celebrating the end of treatment for colon cancer.
On Tuesday afternoon, his life ended when a stray bullet struck him in the back in North Philadelphia. He was 78.
Police say that, shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, as the 2200 block of Ridge Avenue bustled with bystanders and cars during rush-hour traffic, a light-colored SUV pulled up and four gunmen fired more than 50 shots toward a group of young men on the sidewalk.
A 71-year-old and a 30-year-old were wounded by gunfire. Alexander was struck in the back, and died at Temple University Hospital shortly after.
No arrests have been made.
Alexander’s sister, Paulette Coles, said he was picking up cigarettes when the gunfire erupted.
Coles, 73, said in an interview from her Strawberry Mansion home on Wednesday that her brother was the eighth of 10 children, born in Mobile, Ala. Her mother, she said, brought her and her siblings to the Philadelphia area in 1960 to be closer to family.
A younger Steven Alexander, in a photo shared by his sister. Courtesy of Paulette Coles
Alexander lived in Lansing, Mich., for several years, working for General Motors, before returning to Philly in the 1970s, she said. He worked odd jobs through the remainder of his adult life and had two children who are now grown, she said.
“Anything you say goes with him. He was just a happy-go-lucky guy. He never argued with nobody,” Coles said.
“All he wanted for was a cigarette and a beer,” she said. “He was just happy.”
Happy, she said, even as he navigated life’s challenges. Cancer. Housing. He had spent the last year or so living at the Bethesda Project shelter, at 19th and Oxford Streets, but was on his way to living independently again.
He had just had an appointment with a housing specialist and visited an apartment in South Philadelphia last week, she said.
“He was going to be on his own again,” she said. “And then this happened.”
Staff and residents at the Bethesda Project facility on Wednesday said Alexander was always seated in a green lawn chair outside the building, cigarette in hand, greeting passersby and staff as they arrived each morning.
Tanya Cleveland said he was social and helped introduce new residents. He welcomed her each morning when she arrived to start her shift.
He took care of his appearance, she said, and often changed his clothes several times a day to make sure his shirts were crisp and clean.
Every morning, at 6:30 a.m., he would bring his outfits for the day down to the community room and iron them. He was the only one in the facility who used the iron, a staff member named Kelly joked.
On Wednesday, she said, her boss placed the ironing board in the basement. It was too painful to look at.
Investigators continue to search for the gunmen. Anyone with information is asked to submit tips to police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A.J. Brown’s path from the New England Patriots’ facility to their practice field bisected the Eagles’, where his former teammates were beginning to warm up ahead of Wednesday’s joint practice.
As he jogged by those familiar faces, he beat his right hand over his heart, which was shrouded by his new-look No. 1 navy blue jersey.
“It was love, man,” Brown said after practice. “I know I’m on an opposing team right now, but I still felt some love.”
Brown may have felt some love, but he didn’t show the Eagles any mercy once practice began.
The 29-year-old receiver was back to his dominant self in the first of two joint practices of the week, hauling in all six of his targets from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 team drill sessions.
Wednesday’s practice marked the first time Brown has faced the Eagles as a member of the Patriots, the team that acquired him on June 1 in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. It turned into somewhat of a reunion late during the two-hour practice. At one point when the starters were on the sideline, Brown spoke to members of the Eagles offensive line and Saquon Barkley.
Once the final horn sounded to conclude practice, Brown chatted with Quinyon Mitchell, Jordan Davis, and Darius Cooper. He spent time with Eagles receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, gave reserve quarterback Tanner McKee a hug, and fist-bumped Nick Sirianni.
But after practice, Brown acknowledged that he hasn’t spoken to Jalen Hurts since the trade, although both were photographed at DeVonta Smith’s wedding in the days following the deal. Brown also declined to explain the driving force behind his desire to change teams.
How did Brown leave things with Hurts before he left Philadelphia?
“Philly, man, y’all tough, man,” Brown said with a laugh. “Man, it’s love. Listen, listen. Honestly, guys, none of that stuff even matters. You all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. So let’s not get into that, and let’s keep everything positive. It’s love my way, and just move forward. That’s all.”
A.J. Brown was a media focus on Wednesday but he let his play do most of the talking. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Brown expressed that he was open to catching up with Hurts if he saw him this week.
“I’m sure if our paths run across, yeah, sure, yeah,” he said.
When Brown lined up on the field, though, he wasn’t doing much talking. Mitchell, who exchanged his fair share of trash talk with Brown in practice during their two seasons as teammates, said the receiver wasn’t in his ear between reps Wednesday.
“We just kept it businesslike, and just competing,” Mitchell said.
Brown handled his business during team drills, namely against starting outside cornerbacks Mitchell and Riq Woolen. But Mitchell got the better of Brown in wide receiver-defensive back one-on-ones to open practice.
The Pro Bowl receiver had a step on the All-Pro cornerback on a deep ball from Maye down the left sideline. Mitchell latched on to Brown’s towel that hung behind him from the top of his pants.
Mitchell pulled himself back into the play, and while Brown got his left hand on the ball, he couldn’t get his right hand around quick enough to make the catch. The ball bounced off Brown’s hand and fell incomplete. Brown asserted that Mitchell got away with holding, but he took accountability for the incompletion.
“That’s on me,” Brown said. “Attention to detail, catching the ball high, not letting it get low. So those are the little things. It was never about who I’m going against.”
Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown drops the football while defended by Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell on Wednesday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Brown was sharper as practice progressed. On his first target in 11-on-11s, he motioned from the left side of the formation and inserted into the B gap on the right side. Brown ran a deep crosser over the middle back to the left side of the field, then caught a pass from Maye with Woolen trailing in his wake.
Later, Jihaad Campbell had a would-be sack of Maye on a blitz up the middle. But Maye still got the deep pass out to Brown on a fade, and the receiver made the back-shoulder grab with Woolen on his heels again.
“He gave me a good ball,” Brown said. “It was a quicker throw, and I just know I had to win at the line of scrimmage, and I was going against Tariq, and I know he’s very fast, and I know he was coming, so I just had to hold my line of scrimmage and just keep going vertical and fade at the last second.”
According to Mitchell, Brown didn’t look like the same player he had grown accustomed to competing against on the practice field the last two years. He asserted that Brown looked “better” and “faster.”
The last time Brown shared a field with the Eagles, he was suited up in midnight green for the wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 11. He had three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards in the 23-19 loss.
It was an underwhelming performance to cap off a relatively underwhelming season, in which Brown finished with 1,003 receiving yards, his lowest total since 2021 with the Tennessee Titans.
When asked for his message to Eagles fans, particularly in the aftermath of that game, Brown acknowledged his shortcomings. He also expressed a desire to move on from the past.
“I love you, and I’m not looking in the past,” Brown said. “It’s a game. That game, no, I didn’t play my best, but I’m not going backwards.”
A.J. Brown looked “better” and “faster,” according to cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Instead, Brown said he is fixated on his opportunity in New England. He lauded Maye as an “incredible leader” who is making his job as a receiver easier with his arm talent and his vision. Brown also raved about Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, as he excels at creating advantageous matchups for the receiver.
As he moves on with his new team, Brown said his love for Philly persists. Still, he didn’t view joint practice as an opportunity to get closure on his departure.
“No, it’s not about no closure or anything, man,” Brown said. “It’s love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them, and [it’ll] always be love, no matter how anyone feels. I love Philly, and I will always love Philly.
“But I’m here now, and that’s where my feet are, and that’s where I’m focused on.”
The 2027 NCAA women’s lacrosse championships finals won’t be at Subaru Park after all.
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that Towson University will host next year’s championship from May 28 to 30 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md., near Baltimore. The NCAA and the Union previously announced that Subaru Park in Chester would host the Division I women’s lacrosse finals in 2027 and 2028. In a statement released Wednesday, the NCAA said a “scheduling conflict made the facility unavailable” in 2027, but Subaru Park, the Union’s home field, is still slated to hold the championship in 2028.
A request for comment was left with Subaru Park officials.
The change was released alongside the NCAA’s announcement that all three divisions’ women’s lacrosse championship games will be held at one site for the first time.
This past season, the Division I championship was at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill., with semifinals two days before the final. With the change, the 2027 and 2028 events will expand to three days of games. In 2027, the Division I semifinals are set to be played on Friday, May 28 at Towson. The Division II and Division III championship games are May 29, and the Division I national title game is May 30.
“This announcement of a joint women’s lacrosse championship to life in 2027 at Towson and again in 2028 at Subaru Park has been years in the making and is a testament to the hard work and the collaborative efforts of all involved,” Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association executive director Liz Robertshaw said. “The chance to showcase the best of the college game across divisions in one weekend is amazing, but getting to do it in Baltimore and Philadelphia, I feel, has the opportunity to be massive with regards to attendance all three days.”
Subaru Park previously hosted the Division I championship in 2015 and 2016. Last week, the stadium hosted the inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League championship.
Maryland Charms players Ally Kennedy (left) and Alex Holman celebrate Kennedy’s goal late in the fourth quarter of the inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League championship on Saturday at Subaru Park.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—Jalen Hurts refused to take the bait.
The Eagles quarterback was asked three questions about Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was traded to New England in June, after the two teams practiced against each other on Wednesday. Hurts put on a master class in question deflection.
First, he was asked what it was like to share a practice field with Brown in different uniforms.
“I think it was a great day out here,” Hurts said. “I mean, I know he’s going out there and competing. Got a lot of love for him. I always have. Seems like it was a competitive practice.”
Next, a Patriots reporter asked what advice Hurts would give Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on how he can “get the most out of” Brown. With Hurts as his quarterback, Brown posted the two highest single-season receiving yard totals in Eagles history — 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023. The pair won a Super Bowl together in 2024.
“I think Drake has had a lot of success already,” Hurts said. “So, I don’t know what my advice would be. I just think he needs to continue the progression that he’s on. I mean, he’s already accomplished so many great things in this short time and I expect more great things to come for him.”
Lastly, Hurts was asked if he had a chance to catch up with Brown, who spent four seasons in Philadelphia, like many of his teammates did on the sidelines Wednesday. He didn’t dance around it.
“No, I didn’t get to yet,” said Hurts.
It’s clear Hurts and Brown are holding back when speaking about one another. Brown was traded to New England in exchange for a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick on June 1. The deal came after months of Brown’s frustrations, reportedly due to his lack of targets, finally boiled over.
As Hurts spoke on the lower turf at the Patriots practice facility, Brown met with a large gaggle of Eagles and Patriots reporters on the main field less than 100 feet away.
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown meets with the media after a joint practice with the Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Brown said he hasn’t spoken with Hurts since the trade in early June, although both were in attendance at wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s wedding in the days following the deal. When pressed on the Hurts interactions, Brown scoffed at the line of questioning from Philadelphia reporters.
“Philly, man, y’all are tough,” Brown said with a laugh. “Man, it’s love. Listen, honestly guys, none of that stuff even matters. You all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. Let’s not get into that. Let’s keep everything positive.
We’ll see how the trade ages. As for Wednesday, it was Brown who got the best of his former team, catching all six targets during seven-on-seven drills Wednesday — including a deep shot down the sideline with Eagles newcomer Riq Woolen in coverage — and looking sharp against one of the top cornerback rooms in the NFL.
“Yeah, [Brown] looked a little better [than previous seasons],” said cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If it were up to Vic Fangio, the Eagles would have a lot more than two joint practices on their summer calendar. Though if Fangio were made king, two-a-days would come back, players would dress for preseason games, and there’d certainly be a lot more contact in practice.
The NFL is a different game from when Fangio first started coaching it 40 years ago, but count this week in New England as the defensive coordinator’s favorite of the preseason. The Eagles and Patriots met for the first of two joint practices Wednesday. They’ll have another Thursday, before meeting for a preseason contest Saturday night.
“It’s great to go against a new team, new schemes, new players,” Fangio said before practice. “You learn things. You’re going to get unscouted looks and plays and you see how people react.”
Fangio wasn’t available for questions after the first practice session, but he surely learned a lot about the things his defense needs to work on, and the things he might worry about before the real games begin next month.
Against a team that went to the Super Bowl last season and added A.J. Brown, Fangio’s defense had some ups and downs on Wednesday. The run defense was solid, but the secondary struggled. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas found the ball in their hands often. Eagles corner Riq Woolen struggled, and while his M.O. has been a cover corner who is inconsistent in zone coverage, he was a step behind multiple times when the Eagles were in man.
Quinyon Mitchell might have gotten the best of Brown on the first rep of one-on-one work prior to team drills, but Mitchell didn’t have his best day of camp, and Brown later beat him on a quick slant on a third-and-4 play during a competitive period.
There were some bright spots. Zack Baun and Jalyx Hunt had sacks on consecutive plays, and Jihaad Campbell later got to Drake Maye on a blitz for a “sack” that negated a long completion to Brown over Woolen on the sideline (quotation marks on “sack” because there is no live tackling during practices, especially not on the quarterback).
Fangio was looking forward to Wednesday and Thursday because the first-team defense has only gone up against Eagles teammates so far in camp. The Eagles’ new offense under Sean Mannion is more condensed, while the Patriots under Josh McDaniels spread the formation. The Patriots also deploy a fullback, which Baun appreciated.
“I liked today’s practice, in the run game in particular, because they have a fullback,” Baun said. “We haven’t seen a fullback all camp. If we see a fullback-like body in the backfield, it’s a tight end and it’s not often. It’s cool to go against a fullback. It’s something you always see a couple times a year and you have to be prepared for it.”
They’ll see it again Thursday.
Jonathan Greenard warmed up before the Ravens preseason game but his return to contact is uncertain. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Will Jonathan Greenard be ready for Week 1?
Perhaps Maye would have had a harder time finding open receivers if the Eagles’ pass rush got home more frequently. They’re still missing the player at the top of the edge rusher depth chart, and Jonathan Greenard’s return date from a pectoral injury remains unclear.
“I don’t know when Greenard will be back,” Fangio said. “It’s going to take some time to heal.”
Asked later if there was some concern Greenard, the major offseason acquisition, would not be ready to go when the Eagles open the season on Sept. 13, Fangio said, “Yeah.”
Fangio said he’s “very happy” with Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr., and said Arnold Ebiketie is “coming along,” but he’s still looking for the back end of the rotation to solidify itself. A.J. Epenesa seems to be on track to win a roster spot, but without Greenard at the top, the quality of the position group as a whole suffers.
The Eagles offset that some with one of the best interior defensive line units in the league, but they’ll need to win on the edges, too, and Greenard being healthy will be a big part of that.
Vic Fangio does not shy away from offering a revealing quote or wry observation. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Vic-isms
Fangio is typically strong when it comes to one-liners and funny sayings, and he didn’t disappoint Wednesday morning.
On defensive tackle Ty Robinson, last year’s fourth-round pick who had a slow start to camp, Fangio offered up this one: “He came to life. He’s been on life support since he’s been here, but he came to life, and hopefully that will continue.”
On Kelee Ringo, who had a nice interception Saturday but also gave up a touchdown, Fangio said: “He’s been everybody’s piñata doll for a while. I kind of sense he could be coming. I think these two days for him are big.”
As usual with Ringo, Wednesday’s practice offered a mixed bag.
And on the subject of Joshua Weru and Uar Bernard, the two International Pathway players playing football for the first time, Fangio said: “Those are our two exchange students. They’re doing fine, but they’ve got a long way to go.”
Jihaad Campbell was the only Eagles starter who played on Saturday against the Ravens. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Playing time explanations
Why did Jihaad Campbell dress and play in Saturday’s preseason opener in Baltimore while most of the starters rested?
Fangio said Campbell, whose playing time decreased last season when Nakobe Dean returned, still needs more reps in the defense.
Then why did Andrew Mukuba get the night off? Fangio said Mukuba’s lack of reps last season were injury-related and not the same as Campbell’s, and also said “every case is different.”
There’s a starting battle going on at safety, but one of the participants, Marcus Epps, didn’t play Saturday.
Fangio explained that he wanted Michael Carter II, a converted nickel, to get more reps playing a new position, one that Epps has been playing for his whole NFL career.
“This is new territory for Mike, and we need to get him a bunch of reps there to really get him prepared and totally evaluated,” Fangio said.
A 41-year-old man allegedly fleeing sex-assault charges in Maine was arrested Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Germany, authorities said.
Matthew Thomas Cooley, of Solon, Maine, was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the departure gate where he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt on a one-way ticket, the federal law enforcement agency said Wednesday.
Cooley was transferred to the Tinicum Township Police Department to initiate extradition proceedings.
Court records show no attorney listed for Cooley, who was being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.
In April, detectives from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in Maine went to Cooley’s home to arrest him in the sexual-assault case and Cooley allegedly pepper sprayed the detectives, CentralMaine.com reported.
Detectives began investigating Cooley after a 31-year-old woman alleged that Cooley sexually assaulted her twice last year, the news outlet reported. The woman also gave investigators videos and photos of multiple firearms and hundreds of boxes of ammunition kept in Cooley’s home.
Cooley was charged in Maine with two counts of gross sexual assault, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of domestic violence stalking. Cooley also was charged with two counts of assault on an officer, and one count of refusing to submit to arrest.
Elliott N. Ortiz, area port director in Philadelphia for Customs and Border protection, said in a statement: “Customs and Border Protection officers will always leverage our border security authority to help victims of sexual assault seek justice by capture dangerous fugitives attempting to flee the United States.”
Ortiz added: “Capturing dangerous fugitives is one way in which CBP works with our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe.”
The former Pennsylvania State University student accused of running a cocaine trafficking ring out of fraternity houses surrendered to law enforcement Tuesday morning, the state attorney general’s office announced.
Agostino Abbatiello, 24, is charged with orchestrating cocaine sales at Penn State over 2023 and 2024, while he was a student there. He eventually became known as the main cocaine dealer on campus, according to a criminal complaint.
Abbatiello and another defendant in the case, Thomas Robinson, 23, allegedly were the two key suppliers for the ring and made regular trips to Philadelphia and New York to purchase large quantities of cocaine.
They arranged for the drugs to be brought to two off-campus fraternity houses, Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi, where it was packaged for distribution to other Penn State students, according to the complaint. For some fraternity members, preparing the cocaine for sale became part of their indoctrination to the fraternity, Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement on Monday.
Police began investigating in September 2024, and used informants to purchase cocaine, allegedly from Robinson. After Robinson was arrested in December 2024, he told police he had purchased large quantities of cocaine from Abbatiello, including as much as $22,000 for one kilogram at a time, according to the complaint.
Old Main on Penn State’s University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania.Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PA
Abbatiello, of Long Island, N.Y., is charged with felony counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, conspiracy, and related offenses. District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker denied bail at Abbatiello’s arraignment on Tuesday.
Abbatiello’s attorney, Philip M. Masorti, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Penn State has placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension while it investigates, the university said in a statement Monday. Sigma Chi is not a registered student organization and receives no support from Penn State, it said.
A total of 14 people have been charged in the case. Abbatiello, Robinson, and three others were charged with felonies related to the alleged cocaine operation and have been arraigned. Eight others were charged with misdemeanor drug possession.
All are current or former Penn State students, except for Paul Robinson, Thomas’ father. Paul Robinson is charged with tampering and concealing evidence related to law enforcement’s investigation. No lawyers for the Robinsons were listed in court records.
The Abington Township Police Department is ending its contracts with the fast-growing surveillance start-up Flock Safety over data security concerns, officials said this week.
“We’re sensitive to the issues surrounding Flock,” Lt. Joe Blei said, but the cameras also “bring a lot of value to what we do.”
The suburban police department is seeking a supplier to replace Flock, a network of private and public surveillance cameras that log the license plates and other vehicle features, like bumper stickers, of every car that passes them.
Abington has one permanent Flock camera up in the township and a few cameras the department keeps at the station and deploys as needed, Deputy Chief Ed Quinn said.
One of the department’s two contracts expired this month, and Abington will let the second contract expire in February 2028.
The contract expiring this month cost the township $9,225 per year for two years, Blei said, and the three-year contract ending in 2028 costs $10,500 annually.
The department is currently negotiating with other vendors to replace Flock, Blei said Wednesday, and a future contract would need approval from the township commissioners.
Abington concerned about Flock camera data
Flock has raised privacy concerns with civil liberties groups because the network captures every vehicle that passes its cameras, and police can access data from cameras outside their jurisdiction.
The network also uses artificial intelligence to identify cars that frequently drive together, and allows officers to search for vehicles by behavior, rather than plate number.
Thousands of Abington’s searches have appeared in public data dumps on sites like HaveIBeenFlocked.com, which is sponsored by the nonprofit Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, and 404 Media, which reported on a large dataset that anonymous researchers gleaned from a records request to Danville, Ill., police.
Searches from other local departments, including Cheltenham, appear in some of the same datasets. Lt. Joseph O’Neill said Cheltenham has no contracts with Flock, but can access the national network through subscriptions held by businesses in the township with their permission for investigations.
Though Abington’s Flock search logs are legally available through Right-to-Know requests, details of criminal investigations would normally be redacted.
“We don’t want anybody’s personal data getting out into the public without their knowledge or permission,” Blei said. “The privacy concerns of American citizens are also of concern to us.”
Abington has guardrails and oversight in place to prevent officers from misusing the cameras, Blei said.
How Abington police use Flock cameras
The network-connected cameras have been credited with tracking cross-county crime in Pennsylvania.
Last year, a Berks County township’s camera flagged a stolen Bucks County license plate on a vehicle that was tied to a Montgomery County bank robbery.
“They still are a great investigative tool,” Quinn said. “We can link together crimes we wouldn’t otherwise have known were linked.”
That includes stalking and missing persons cases, Blei and Quinn said.
“We have multiple cases of violent crime — shootings, armed robberies,” Quinn said. “It’s helped us make arrests.”
All Abington officers who search Flock data have their own ID, Blei said. Flock keeps logs of officers’ searches that the department can audit as needed, though the department does not have a set schedule for auditing searches. Abington officers can search the cameras only for specific investigative purposes, Quinn and Blei said.
Other police departments nationwide with Flock contracts also had access to Abington’s Flock cameras, the officers said, but the department no longer approves those requests now that it has become aware of the data risks.
Abington does not have agreements in place with businesses to access private Flock cameras, Quinn said.
The department approves access only for criminal investigations, Blei said, and would not allow access for civil matters, such as an immigration-related request from the Department of Homeland Security.
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