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  • Five underrated benefits of adding LeBron James to the Sixers

    Five underrated benefits of adding LeBron James to the Sixers

    LeBron James is a member of the 76ers and there are a number of obvious benefits that come with that. While he’s not a prototypical score-first player, James is the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. And while James is not a prototypical point guard, he’s one of the more talented passers to ever pick up a basketball. The same applies for his ability to rebound, defend, and think the game.

    These are known commodities and the expectation is that James will bring immediate punch for the Sixers all over the stat sheet. Those tangible qualities have been on display throughout James’ 23-year career and they will likely be present in his time with the Sixers after he signed a two-year, $8 million contract.

    But the intangibles are what makes James great. He can elevate teammates, serve as a strategist, and demand greatness from every player on the roster. At 41 years old, James is past his physical prime and might not dominate games at the same level he once did. But that doesn’t mean he won’t bring a host of underrated benefits to a Sixers roster chock full of talent. We took a look at five of them.

    LeBron James (23) has helped guide young superstars, including Kyrie Irving (2), and has won titles with them. Leah Klafczynski / MCT

    Leadership

    This is typically one of James’ biggest assets. The Sixers are technically a veteran team, with Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid all boasting ample postseason experience. But remember these Sixers haven’t won a title since 1983 and haven’t advanced past the second round since 2001. Of course, they look great on paper, but it will take a lot of hard work and hard conversations to mesh four ball-dominant scorers and a rookie hoping to make a second-year leap in VJ Edgecombe.

    David Murphy: LeBron James’ maddening process was everything the Sixers needed

    This is where James’ ability to keep the main thing the main thing, as Jalen Hurts would say, comes into play. James steered and steadied the ship with bigger personalities and more dysfunctional rosters. After successfully leading the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat to titles, James will now have a chance to become the first player to win a title with four franchises.

    LeBron James’ ability to call plays and direct the action on the court is one of his underrated skills. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

    Late-game strategy

    You’ve heard the stories about David Blatt. A rookie coach still soaking up the NBA and American basketball culture, Blatt made the mistake of drawing up a play for J.R. Smith on the 2015 Cavaliers. James famously erased the play, called his own number, and sank a baseline dagger to win Game 4 of their second-round series against the Chicago Bulls.

    Grading Mike Gansey’s transformational first offseason as Sixers president

    James is famously unselfish and has called the number of other players with the game on the line as well. Former Cavs teammates turned media members like Iman Shumpert and Richard Jefferson have touted James’ ability to prepare his teammates and predict moments when he will need them.

    And this is also where the Sixers have lacked direction. Look back at their past playoff losses and you’ll see that they have hung tight with some of the league’s best franchises. Prior to this year’s blowout loss to the New York Knicks, they played them close in the opening round of the 2023-24 playoffs. The same goes for the Celtics, Heat, and Hawks in the three years before that. And then the Raptors defeated the Sixers on Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce buzzer-beater en route to their 2019 title.

    David Murphy: A note to LeBron James’ skeptics. And maybe to the Sixers’.

    In each of those losses, execution in the closing moments played a large part in deciding the winner of the series. Whether it was Ben Simmons’ ill-timed pass against the Hawks in 2021 or Jayson Tatum’s offensive outburst in 2023, the Sixers found ways to lose. James came to Philly to win a title and he’ll do what he can to help his new team avoid the mental meltdowns that have defined this franchise for the last decade.

    Passing and playmaking are among LeBron James’ greatest skills. Mark J. Terrill

    Playmaking

    James is one of the best passers to ever pick up a basketball. That much was clear when we watched him as a youngster at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. While James is the leading scorer in Ohio high school basketball history, several of James’ most famous highlights as a prep star were passes, which isn’t typical for stars on that level. He’s only sharpened that skill over the last 20 years.

    LeBron James first played in Philly as a teen and had no interest in seeing the Liberty Bell

    Few teams could use that mastery more than the Sixers. Edgecombe is learning how to set the table on offense. Maxey is still at his best as a score-first guard. He was fifth in scoring last season at 28.3 points per game. Brown was right above him at 28.7 points. In his last healthy season, Embiid averaged 33.1 points and played 66 games in 2022-23, and his dominance is better suited in the paint and at the free throw line extended. James will allow them all to spend more time off the ball to do what they do best.

    LeBron James’ presence means another Joel Embiid (right) injury doesn’t have to sink the Sixers. Matt Slocum

    Joel Embiid insurance

    Embiid has played more than 50 games only six times in his career. This is year No. 10. The Sixers’ title hopes have always come with one large caveat: Can Embiid stay healthy? The answer was no for the past three seasons, as Embiid’s availability was complicated by chronic knee injuries and bouts with Bell’s palsy and appendicitis.

    Marcus Hayes: LeBron James signing with the Sixers could save Joel Embiid’s career

    That reality was the source of the Sixers’ moves to sign Paul George, then trade George for Brown. Now the grouping of James, Brown, Maxey, and Edgecombe allows the Sixers to finally enter the season with real championship expectations, whether Embiid’s body holds up or not. To his credit, Embiid has fought to play through every injury. He’s also in the middle of his first healthy summer in quite some time. That’s a good start.

    Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe finished third last season in Rookie of the Year voting.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    VJ Edgecombe’s maturation

    Billed as an uber-athletic defensive specialist, Edgecombe was expected to be a project last season. Then coach Nick Nurse immediately placed Edgecombe in the Sixers starting lineup. Edgecombe stepped up and served as the Sixers’ secondary offensive option when injury and suspension kept Embiid and George sidelined.

    LeBron James’ signing adds an exclamation point to the Sixers’ transformational summer

    As a result, Edgecombe averaged 35 minutes and trailed only Maxey, who led the NBA at 38. Edgecombe added 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, including a historic 34-point debut against the Boston Celtics. Edgecombe scored 14 points in the first quarter of that game and broke James’ previous record of 12.

    As the season wore on, Edgecombe benefited from the tutelage of George, Maxey, Kyle Lowry, and more. He soaked up that information and applied it in real time, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. Edgecombe arrived ahead of schedule and took the Sixers’ focus from their three-star system to the young backcourt of the future. Now, after breaking James’ record, Edgecombe will have the opportunity to learn directly from the NBA legend and build on his breakout rookie season.

  • The only thing louder than the political noise is the voice of voters. More Philadelphians should use theirs.

    The only thing louder than the political noise is the voice of voters. More Philadelphians should use theirs.

    Last month, the city commissioners certified the results of 2026’s primary election — another safe, secure, and accurate election, one whose results Philadelphians can trust.

    But those results highlighted an obvious flaw: Most of our neighbors didn’t show up to vote.

    The 2026 primary turnout numbers tell a story of silence in which there should be a vibrant force of civic engagement:

    • Turnout citywide was just 22.3% — a drop from four years ago, whose 23.6% turnout was already nothing to brag about.
    • When you don’t include the three top-performing wards — the vaunted 9th, 22nd, and 50th Wards, which comprise the Northwest corner of the city — the citywide average drops even further, to just 20.4%.
    • Ward 7 saw the lowest turnout in the entire city, with fewer than 6.5% of registered voters casting a ballot.

    There are always logistical hurdles to voting, including language barriers, childcare, and rigid work hours, and my office at the Philadelphia City Commissioners works tirelessly every day to tear those barriers down. We’ve made progress, but clearly, there’s still work for all of us to do.

    If everything in your neighborhood, your school, your block is exactly how you want it, fine, sit this one out.

    If not, there are a few things you can do — and you don’t need to wait until November.

    This month marks the kickoff of “Between the Ballots: No Days Off for Democracy,” a citywide outreach initiative designed to bring voter education, election services, poll worker recruitment, and civic engagement opportunities directly into Philadelphia neighborhoods during the summer. The next event in the series will take place on Tuesday at the 3rd District satellite office at 4029 Market St., and will include food, family fun, community resources, and more.

    We made significant strides when we opened satellite election offices in every City Council district in the city, and now we’re giving everyday Philadelphians even more reasons to engage with those offices any time of the year, not just when there are votes to cast.

    Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir speaks at the opening of the 10th permanent satellite election office, located at 6420 Frankford Ave., in October 2024.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Philadelphia has lots of ways to get involved. Our Election Academy, which launched this past spring in partnership with the nonprofit Committee of Seventy, invited registered voters from every corner of the city into our satellite election offices and our Northeast election warehouse to see exactly how voting machines are secured, tested, and audited. No taking our word for it. You can watch it happen. The program was a great success, so much so that we will continue these public sessions through the fall.

    Philly Rises is our initiative to engage youth, recruiting students who are ready to make their voices heard.

    Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir rallies Parkway West High School students to get involved in the general election in November 2024.Jesse Bunch

    The Involved at 17 program allows high school seniors to serve as poll workers, giving them a front row seat to the election process and paying them to do it.

    Regardless of age, education, or income, voters cannot expect change if they don’t participate.

    Political noise is louder than ever, and the resulting fatigue is real. But as we’ve seen time and again, in Philadelphia and around the country, the only thing louder is the voice of voters and their power, which has always mattered and always will.

    Disengaging from local races is consequential for everyone: If you choose to sit out, you’re opting not to weigh in on everything from school board decisions and zoning matters to property taxes and what development does or doesn’t happen in your neighborhood.

    Do you really want someone else making those decisions for you?

    Two hundred and fifty years ago, Philadelphia didn’t sit on the sidelines. We’re not about to start now.

    Omar Sabir is the chairman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, a three-member bipartisan board of elected officials responsible for voter registration and election administration for the city of Philadelphia.

  • With the World Cup’s afterglow still on him, Danley Jean Jacques resumes his key role for the Union

    With the World Cup’s afterglow still on him, Danley Jean Jacques resumes his key role for the Union

    When Danley Jean Jacques stepped back on to the field in a Union game on Wednesday, it had been just under a month since his first trip to a World Cup with Haiti ended.

    But for as much as happened after that — 52 of the tournament’s 104 games, plus Major League Soccer’s return to action — the afterglow hadn’t fully faded yet. Nor does it need to for the first active Union player to play in a World Cup.

    Jean Jacques will have that title forever. And at least until 2030, he’ll be the only active Union player to have played in a game on the world’s game’s biggest stage.

    “I take great pleasure from representing my country in a World Cup,” he said. “We know how much glory there is in a World Cup. It’s great to have played in one.”

    Jean Jacques also gets lifetime membership in one of the sports world’s most famous clubs: people who have played in a World Cup. Whether just one game, his three, or Lionel Messi’s record 34, all can say they’ve had the honor.

    The memories will last a long time, not just for him but the nation’s fans. After Haiti was unable to play a home World Cup qualifier because of domestic unrest, the diaspora showed up to Philadelphia, Boston, and Atlanta in big numbers: a sea of blue that came through loud and clear to fans worldwide.

    Danley Jean Jacques becomes the first active Union player to play in a World Cup

    “It’s been a long time since we played in front of our home crowd,” Jean Jacques said of a drought that has endured for over five years. “During the World Cup, we had the good luck to play in front of our fans. It feels great to see Haitians cheering on their team, because I know they are thirsty for it. They need that, to see the team play in front of them. It really feels good.”

    They also got to see Les Grenadiers put in a fighting effort. Though the team lost all three games, there were two goals to savor in the finale against Morocco, including a contender for goal of the tournament from Wilson Isidor.

    And there was the chance to play against Brazil, not just a soccer superpower but a team that has a proud soccer history with Haiti specifically — with the cherry on top for Jean Jacques of it being in Philadelphia. Though Haiti lost the game 3-0, he got to tussle with stars including Vinícius Júnior, at one point leaving the Real Madrid winger down on the deck after a challenge.

    “I say thanks to the fans who came out to support me and my country,” Jean Jacques said. “It was a pleasure to play in a stadium that was full like that, and the fans were fully behind us. They give their all, and we give our all for them, too.”

    For Haiti, a lopsided World Cup loss to Brazil didn’t matter much. Just being here meant everything. | Mike Sielski

    He lamented that “unfortunately, the result of the game didn’t go our way, but on the field, we made sure to give our absolute best, and I want to thank the fans for spurring us on.”

    He also offered a hope that “the best is yet to come,” for Haiti and himself. That might be a tough ask in a Union context this season, with the team facing a big deficit in the standings. But MLS is eternally forgiving, with nine teams from each conference making the playoffs.

    Danley Jean Jacques (right) left superst Vinícius Júnior on the ground after a collision during the Brazil-Haiti World Cup game in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    “My teammates gave me a warm welcome back,” Jean Jacques said. “Honestly, it feels good to be back here and to start back up with the club again. … My goal for the rest of the season is to stay focused, give the maximum for the team, help the team win, and try to climb the standings too.”

    Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders marked just the halfway point of the regular season in terms of games played. It also marked a second straight win for the Union for the first time this year, raising their record to 3-10-4 (13 points).

    Amid Kai Wagner and Quinn Sullivan’s returns, Neil Pierre stole the show in the Union’s win over Red Bull New York

    Jean Jacques was quietly effective, as he often is. In 80 minutes, he registered two tackles, two clearances, three defensive recoveries, four duels won from eight contested, and 28-of-32 passing including five passes into the attacking third.

    Three days earlier, he was more active in the 3-1 win over Red Bull New York: 12 defensive recoveries, five interceptions, two tackles, four duels won from six contested, and 25-of-32 passing including nine passes into the final third.

    “When he’s at his best, to me he’s one of the best midfielders in the league,” interim manager Ryan Richter said Saturday night. “We’re getting, from what I see in the first two games [of his tenure], a really good version of him.”

    He asked Jean Jacques to “keep working the way you are, keep being a positive influence with your teammates. If this team’s going to be good, Danley has to be one of the best players, and he has been in these first two games.”

    Neil Pierre earns first start as Union top Seattle Sounders to win second straight game

    As a little extra psychological boost, the Union now aren’t the worst team in MLS anymore. Atlanta United, coincidentally the team that will come to Chester on Saturday (7:30 p.m.), took over that mantle with a 4-1 blowout loss at New England.

    Jean Jacques promised that the team is “going to do everything we can to make the playoffs,” and said spirits are high despite the scale of the task.

    “It’s good for the team, good for the mindset and morale,” he said. “It had been a long time since we won, but now we’ve got that winning feeling back. So we need to keep that going for the rest of the season.”

  • Wayne’s new sourdough bakery got its start in a Main Line living room

    Wayne’s new sourdough bakery got its start in a Main Line living room

    In early 2025, John Goncher knew it was time to get out of his living room.

    That’s where the ex-CFO and Rosemont resident was singlehandedly baking some 700 loaves a week for his sourdough startup, Wild Yeast Bakehouse. Between mixing and proofing dough, packing all his product, working weekend markets, and dropping bread at a couple hundred subscribers’ doorsteps, Goncher was running on fumes. Even his smartwatch knew it.

    “My little watch told me, ‘You’re averaging more sleep this year.’ I went from three hours and 10 minutes to three hours and 20 minutes over the year,” Goncher said over a recent interview at Wild Yeast’s newly opened brick-and-mortar bakery in Wayne’s Eagle Village shopping center.

    Owner John Goncher, chatting with D’Arcy Lyness and her husband, Larry Richard, of Wayne, Pa., who discovered the Wild Yeast Bakehouse yesterday and came in to buy some bread on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Sandwiched between two well-established Main Line restaurants (Autograph Brasserie and The Silverspoon), Wild Yeast officially opened July 18. It joins Wayne’s burgeoning food scene: Notable newcomers include the splashy Maison Lotus, Main Line darling Johnny’s Pizza, and boutique wine bar Nature’s Vin.

    The bakery is open Wednesday through Sunday, selling a variety of sourdough loaves, from kid-friendly cinnamon-raisin and sandwich bread to olive herb and oat porridge boules. You can also score Gryphon coffee, whole-grain Castle Valley Mill flour, and Wild Yeast’s own sourdough focaccia, cookies, and scones for now. (More discard-fueled pastry projects are in development.)

    With crown molding picture boxes, a cozy-chic sofa, and a sunny window seat, the bakery has a living room vibe — perhaps not surprising given Goncher once dreamed of baking out of his living room forever.

    The inside of Wild Yeast Bakehouse in Wayne, Pa., on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    It was in early 2025 that Goncher first started looking at spaces to move his cottage business, which he started in 2021 after leaving a career in finance. Thanks to a combination of farmers market traffic and media attention, his business had ballooned. He was baking bread for half a dozen wholesale clients and nearly 250 monthly subscribers, plus a sell-out crowd at the Media farmers market.

    Keeping up with that demand meant maintaining a brutal schedule seven days a week. Goncher would roll into his living room shortly after 2 a.m. and bake until 6 a.m. The meat of the day consisted of readying and making deliveries (or working the market), followed by afternoon and evening dough prep. Most nights, he went to bed at 11 p.m. Meanwhile, he was turning away new business.

    “I said to my wife, ‘It either has to contract or it has to really grow,’” Goncher remembered. “We have to move out and do something with it.”

    D’Arcy Lyness and her husband, Larry Richard, of Wayne, Pa., picking out some bread at Wild Yeast Bakehouse on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Goncher initially considered spaces in Bryn Mawr — “I was looking close to home, because [I had a] 10-second commute, I figured under 10 minutes would be ideal” — but shifted his sights elsewhere when he learned Malvern’s Buttery would be opening a new location there. He looked at leases in Ardmore as well before landing on the bustling Eagle Village complex, which numbers home and clothing boutiques, a florist, a barre studio, and Main Line Mahjong among its varied tenants.

    “This place [gets] constant traffic,” Goncher said.

    Goncher inked the lease on the stone-faced storefront at 503 Lancaster Ave. last November. He spent six months renovating it, working with the same architect and builders who renovated his own home. The 1,500-square-foot space features a retail counter and small seating area, and is subdivided by large picture windows that overlook a roomy, well-lit kitchen destined to be used for evening baking classes.

    The outside of Wild Yeast Bakehouse in Wayne, Pa., on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Offering classes is one aspect of growth the brick-and-mortar space allows for, Goncher said. But it will also enable him to take on more subscribers and wholesale accounts in the near future, expand Wild Yeast’s offerings, get more involved in the Main Line community — and, hopefully, reclaim a whiff of work-life balance.

    Wild Yeast now has six employees, including an operations manager, a delivery driver, and three other bakers besides Goncher.

    Fresh oat porridge at Wild Yeast Bakehouse in Wayne, Pa., on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    The additional hands have already helped Goncher get a little more sleep — “my goal is [to work] 5 [a.m.] to 6 [p.m.], I’m 3 to 9:30 as of yesterday” — not to mention most of his living room back. He’s looking forward to what a new chapter holds for Wild Yeast.

    “I was ready to have this stop being about me,” Goncher said. “I want it to to be something that starts to have a life of its own.”

    Wild Yeast Bakehouse. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; 503 W. Lancaster Ave., Suite 1105, Wayne; 610-672-6884; wildyeastbakehouse.com

  • Here’s what the ‘Star Wars’ experience coming to the Franklin Institute will look like

    Here’s what the ‘Star Wars’ experience coming to the Franklin Institute will look like

    A long, long time ago (Friday) in a galaxy far, far away (California), representatives of the Franklin Institute and Lucasfilm released details about the science museum’s upcoming world premiere exhibit, Star Wars: The Experience, during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

    From getting frozen in carbonite next to Han Solo to walking through Queen Amidala’s throne room, the 18,000-square-foot exhibition will feature a variety of interactive elements and displays across several interconnected galleries, according to a news release.

    The immersive fan experience, which debuts in February, is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first film released in the sci-fi saga, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

    During the “Making of Star Wars: The Experience” panel at Comic-Con — which was moderated by Ashley Eckstein, who voices Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars’ animated series — official renderings and details about the exhibit were released for the first time.

    An artist’s rendering of what “Queen Amidala’s Throne Room” will look like at the upcoming exhibit, “Star Wars: The Experience,” at the Franklin Institute in 2027.Courtesy of MDSX

    According to the news release, displays and interactive features of Star Wars: The Experience will include:

    • “Queen Amidala’s Throne Room”: In an exhibit dedicated to costume design in the Star Wars galaxy, guests will walk through a room of “suspended fabric and projection” resembling the queen’s throne room while surrounded by Star Wars costumes, costume art, and stories from the franchise’s costume designers.
    • “Wireframe Worlds”: In this gallery, fans will get a look at the blueprint and sketch designs behind some of Star Wars most famous sets and vehicles. The display will be anchored by a wireframe TIE fighter and surrounded by diagrams of Star Wars spaceships.
    An artist’s rendering of the “Wireframe Worlds” gallery at “Star Wars: The Experience,” which is coming to the Franklin Institute in February 2027.Courtesy of MDSX
    • “Carbon Freeze Capture”: Billed as a “dramatic, photo-ready moment,” this display will feature a full-scale Han Solo encased in carbonite flanked by two stations where visitors can undergo their own “carbon freeze sequence.”
    • “50 Years of Star Wars”: More than 90 rare and vintage Star Wars action figures and prototypes from Kenner, Hasbro, and other manufacturers will be featured in a gallery about premium collectibles.

    The Franklin Institute previously announced that a variety of rare artifacts used in the films — like Darth Vader’s costume and Darth Maul’s lightsaber — will be on display, along with various robots and aliens from the universe, like R2-D2 and Grogu.

    Guests will also be equipped with RFID technology to interact with some of the displays and strengthen their alliance with the force, “culminating in a personalized finale moment,” the release said.

    A promotional image for “Star Wars: The Experience,” which premieres February 2027 at the Franklin Institute.Courtesy of MDSX

    Lynwen Brennan, copresident of Lucasfilm, called the exhibit a “testament to five decades of innovative storytelling.”

    “As we mark the incredible milestone of the 50th anniversary of Star Wars, we wanted to develop something truly extraordinary — a space that honors both the visionary pioneers who built this galaxy, and the remarkable fan community at its heart,” Brennan said in the release.

    Tickets for the experience, which runs from February to September 2027, go on sale in November. Following its run at the Franklin Institute, the exhibit will embark on a five-year tour of North America.

  • A new streaming documentary tells the story of America’s founding through the eyes of Black Philadelphians

    A new streaming documentary tells the story of America’s founding through the eyes of Black Philadelphians

    It’s a story about America’s founding that doesn’t begin in a Philadelphia state house — but on a rancid English slave ship sailing for Pennsylvania shores. It’s a story about the bustling slave auctions that once occupied the cobblestones outside the Old London Coffee House, while patriots plotted insurrection inside the Old City shop. A story about countless Black Philadelphians who sacrificed their own lives to a yellow fever epidemic — nursing dying victims and hauling the dead — to prove their worth to white Philadelphia residents.

    Becoming American: Philadelphia’s Story, a new documentary now streaming on PBS.org, tells the story of Philadelphia and the creation of America through the lens and experiences of Black Philadelphians.

    “At its core, this film is about people,” said executive producer Oliver St. Clair Franklin. “Those whose stories have too often gone untold — and the city that brought them together.”

    While telling the story of America’s founding in its 250th year, the film stays firmly rooted in colonial Philadelphia neighborhoods, and the lives of lesser-known activists and artisans who shaped the republic — and the age.

    People like Anthony Benezet, a French-born abolitionist who formed the African Free School out of his Chestnut Street home in 1770. Cyrus Bustill, a Revolutionary-era brewer and baker, who helped found the Philadelphia Free African Society. And the soaring lives of Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, pioneering Philadelphia abolitionists and rights leaders, both born into slavery.

    “I wanted to tell the story that would connect African Americans to the founding era,” said Franklin, 80, scholar and former chief arts and cultural official for the city of Philadelphia. “In the process of doing this film, I realized that it will connect a lot of people to the founding because it’s a story of resistance and resilience.”

    Franklin, who grew up in Baltimore, attended Lincoln University before earning a bachelor’s of philosophy in economics from Balliol College at University of Oxford in 1970. For years, he served as Philly’s chief British delegate.

    Produced jointly with Bear House Media, a UK-based television production company, the film explores the nation’s origins through the racially diverse melting pot of colonial Philadelphia — its first makeshift capital and meeting points of cultures, ideas, and identities. And home to a vibrant free Black community fighting on the front lines for America’s freedom — and their own.

    “I couldn’t have done this film 50 years ago,” said Franklin, crediting recent decades of research into the experiences of Revolutionary-Era Black Americans. “It makes it possible to tell a really coherent story — a human story — that touches everybody.”

    In his film, bursting with Philly voices like historians Kelli Racine Barnes, a Mellon humanities postdoctoral fellow, and Emma Lapsansky-Werner, a visiting professor of history at Haverford College, those human stories are often about ordinary Philadelphians. Free, enslaved, Native, and immigrant people all doing extraordinary things for freedom.

    “We focus on the lesser-known stories of individuals, whose dreams and challenges we explore at the ground level,” he said.

  • How to keep your home safe without an expensive security system | Expert opinion

    How to keep your home safe without an expensive security system | Expert opinion

    Do you have good dead bolts on all your doors? Strong latches on your windows? Are you diligent about keeping doors and windows locked? Have a barky dog?

    If you can answer “yes” to the first three questions, you’re way ahead when it comes to home security (and get extra credit for the dog). Despite what thriller movies might suggest, most burglars enter homes by simply opening unlocked doors or windows — or pushing and kicking locked ones until they open.

    Very few pick locks or circumvent alarm systems. Intruders prefer empty homes, visual obscurity, silence, easy entry, and quick exits. So your primary objective when planning home security is to beef up your locks and latches and maintain good security habits.

    You can also DIY your own system by using home security components controlled by a smartphone app or similar interface. Dozens of companies now sell security system components that can easily connect to smart home hubs.

    All this competition and choice means lower prices. You don’t have to pay a home-security service $750 to $3,000 for a professionally installed system plus $1,500 or more each year for monitoring. Instead, for $400 or less, you can assemble a basic DIY system and then pay as little as $200 per year to have it monitored — or nothing at all if you monitor it yourself.

    Keep in mind that many people get annoyed by the alerts that self-monitoring requires and end up turning them off or not replacing batteries if they run out. If this will be you, don’t waste your money on the tech.

    Here are some simple steps to secure your home.

    1. Secure the perimeter. Make your doors and windows as difficult to penetrate as possible. Although intruders prefer unlocked doors and windows, many can quickly and almost silently pry open locked ones. Some break a pane of glass so they can reach in and unlock the window or door.

    Double-hung windows, for example, can be secured by screwing together the two frames.

    Solid-wood doors are much sturdier than hollow ones. Many homeowners in high-crime neighborhoods install metal bar doors.

    2. Get a security audit. Most police departments provide free advice and will send someone to evaluate your home for weaknesses.

    3. Lose lousy locks. Key-in-the knob locks are inadequate. Install good deadbolt locks on all your exterior doors. The locks on sliding glass doors are notoriously flimsy — many doors can be lifted right off their tracks. Numerous how-to videos online can show you how to make yours more secure, or you can pay a locksmith to install reinforcements.

    4. Keep valuables out of sight. Place articles of value out of the view of your front door or front windows. Stash cash and expensive jewelry in unlikely places — for example, in a large envelope or among many paper files. Select containers no one will accidentally discard.

    5. Rent a safe-deposit box. A box may be inconvenient, but it provides a level of security against theft and fire that cannot be duplicated at home for less than several thousand dollars.

    6. Keep your landscaping in check. Doors and windows hidden by garages, bushes, fences, and trees are attractive targets for intruders who prefer to invade unseen.

    7. Light it up. Many burglars will flee if they activate an outdoor light connected to a motion detector.

    8. Keep track of your keys. An AirTag key chain is a good idea if you’re forgetful.

    In addition to improving your home’s physical security:

    • Evaluate your insurance. Consider adding replacement-cost coverage to your homeowners insurance policy for your personal property. If burglars clean out your home, this coverage could save you thousands of dollars. If you own expensive jewelry and other similar items, consider taking out additional policies.
    • Get to know your neighbors. Neighborhood watch groups are one of the most effective ways to protect all the homes in your neighborhood. At the very least, get to know your neighbors and share information on your not-at-home schedules and vacation plans, so everyone can look out for suspicious activities.
    • Keep up appearances. Because most burglars strike when no one is home, make sure your house always appears occupied. Leaving on lights and a TV helps. If you go on vacation, work with neighbors or friends to prevent mail from piling up and to keep your yard maintained.

    Still want a professionally installed system?

    If you decide to go pro, you’ll want a company that ensures your system is effective, convenient, and unobtrusive; minimizes false alarms; and controls costs.

    Have several companies come to your home to propose systems and quote prices. When Checkbook’s undercover shoppers collected proposals from companies for a specific alarm system and three years of monitoring, they were quoted prices ranging from $2,200 to $4,200.

    Read the contract before you sign. Some companies make it very difficult for customers to switch monitoring services by refusing to provide programming codes or to reset systems to their default modes. Choose a company willing to contractually agree to provide you with programming codes.

    Discuss payment terms. The more you can pay after the job is complete, the better.

    Delaware Valley Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers it evaluates. Until Sept. 5, readers can access Checkbook’s home-security ratings and advice free at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/home-security.

  • Meet Jenkintown’s new superintendent, whose background ranges from Sixers reporter to Russian translator

    Meet Jenkintown’s new superintendent, whose background ranges from Sixers reporter to Russian translator

    After the sudden departure of Jenkintown’s longtime superintendent in April, the school district’s new CEO started work this month, and she already has plans.

    “I’m really excited once the year starts to really dive in and go into classrooms,” Brea D’Angelo said last week, “and get the narrative out to the community of the incredible things that are happening. … I’m really looking forward to being the communicator of those types of things.”

    D’Angelo used to be a professional communicator: She went to Rider University for TV and radio and then took a reporting job covering the Sixers at WBCB radio in Levittown.

    “I had the opportunity to go into the locker room and interview players,” D’Angelo said. “What I started realizing was that I wasn’t making a difference.”

    New superintendent Brea D’Angelo poses for a portrait at Jenkintown High School on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Jenkintown. D’Angelo comes to the Jenkintown School District from the Hatboro-Horsham School District.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    From Sixers to secondary education

    She switched from communications to education, starting as a special education assistant in the Lower Moreland Township School District and spending seven years as a secondary school teacher there before working her way up as an administrator in the Hatboro-Horsham School District, where she spent more than 12 years and still lives with her husband and teenage daughter.

    D’Angelo chose to teach English — a subject she came to love as a reluctant reader who learned the joy of books from a teacher when she was about 15.

    “[She] really took an interest and was like, ‘You just haven’t found the right thing to read yet,’” D’Angelo said, and helped her find early favorites, such as Of Mice and Men. “You want teachers to be that for someone.”

    Her plans as superintendent include a return to publishing, of sorts.

    “I’m going to do a newsletter that comes out monthly, from me,” D’Angelo said. “I just want our story to get out there and to show what an incredible place we really are.”

    Jenkintown finds comms pro to replace superintendent

    Jenkintown’s last superintendent, Jill Takacs, had announced her retirement for Aug. 31 this year before leaving early, in April, for an administrator job in New Jersey.

    Takacs’ departure came after an email from a retiring principal leaked to the public last fall that outlined concerns with Takacs’ management style, including a ”lack of transparency,” outgoing Jenkintown Elementary principal Christopher Jahnke wrote. Takacs was on leave shortly afterward.

    But some locals said they had already had concerns about Takacs’ communication with parents in Montgomery County’s smallest school district — particularly amid the universally quick-shifting plans and procedures of the COVID-19 era.

    Jenkintown’s school board appears to have taken that note, highlighting D’Angelo’s narrative chops as a reason for hiring her.

    “The board decided to hire Dr. D’Angelo due to her combination of leadership, team building, and communication skills,” board president Carolyn Riley said. “She struck the right balance between expertise and a ‘friendly but firm’ quality.”

    Riley also highlighted the new superintendent’s experience with special education and facilities management — critical for the steward of Jenkintown’s 103-year-old high school building.

    But the district’s new chief storyteller also knows what communication barriers feel like: D’Angelo grew up hearing both English and Russian, but had to pick up much more Russian as a child to interact with her Ukrainian grandmother.

    Those skills came in handy when Ukrainian refugees arrived in Hatboro-Horsham, and D’Angelo was enlisted to help families get settled.

    “I fell into it because I was pretty much the only Russian speaker on the staff,” D’Angelo said. ”I can’t even imagine fleeing my home, going to a place not speaking the language. … That was really something that I pride myself in, being able to connect with these families and support them.”

    Public relations is often a struggle for public schools, which must balance legally required disclosure with legally required secrecy, especially for personal details about individual students and staff — details like the circumstances surrounding Takacs’ departure.

    D’Angelo, who earned her Ph.D. from Gwynedd Mercy University, hopes that being fully transparent from the beginning with information she is allowed to share will help residents trust her on topics she cannot say much about.

    “I’m OK with being vulnerable in certain situations,” D’Angelo said. “When you build that strength with community members, with staff, with families — there’s a bit more understanding when I go silent on certain things, knowing it’s not because I don’t want to say it; it’s because I can’t.”

    Perhaps sports will be one of those topics: A diehard Philadelphia football and basketball fan (“I bleed green for the Eagles,” she said), D’Angelo already attended a Color Day this year, but she refuses to say which team is better.

    “I will be rooting for Blue and Red all the time, or I’ll be purple,” the new superintendent said. “Yeah, it’s gonna be one of those.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Trump wants to give U.S.-Iran talks ‘some space’ as he weighs escalation, aide says

    Trump wants to give U.S.-Iran talks ‘some space’ as he weighs escalation, aide says

    President Donald Trump wants to give ongoing talks with Iran “some space” as he considers whether to escalate attacks, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday.

    Mike Waltz’s comments came as the U.S. military paused its bombing raids on Iran over the weekend after 13 consecutive days of heavy strikes and warnings by Trump of an even more aggressive bombing campaign.

    On Friday, Trump emphasized ongoing talks between the United States and Iran in an Oval Office appearance. The day prior, he had told Axios that he is “considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision.”

    When asked Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether the U.S. has decided against ramping up attacks on Iran, Waltz said: “I wouldn’t go that far at all.” He said Trump is keeping “all options on the table.”

    “What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space,” Waltz said, adding that discussions are ongoing “on every level,” both technical talks and between governments.

    Waltz pushed back on reports that the decision to back away from escalation was driven in part by concerns within the Trump administration about depleted U.S. munitions.

    “The U.S. military, and I’ve verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign” effectively, he said.

    Though the Pentagon has dismissed concerns about U.S. stockpiles, Pentagon officials have expressed far greater anxiety in private, according to current and former officials, arguing that the military desperately needs more money to replenish munitions, including to deter China and Russia.

    Waltz said one diplomatic challenge in negotiations is that those on the Iranian side are “divided.” He said that “there’s internal fighting,” with some seeking guidance from the supreme leader and others who “want to move in a different direction.”

    Still, the ambassador warned that Iran should “take the president very seriously. … The U.S. military is locked and loaded. In fact, more assets have gone into the region.”

    Despite the pause in U.S. strikes, the conflict with Iran has widened amid new turmoil in the Red Sea. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels asserted responsibility for strikes Saturday on oil facilities belonging to the Saudi state oil company, Aramco, in the Red Sea towns of Yanbu and Jazan.

    The Houthi strikes could add to the pressure on global oil markets, which are already under severe strain amid disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

    On Sunday, Iranian state-affiliated media reported that an oil tanker exploded after hitting a mine in the strait.

    In a separate incident, Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking a commercial Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday and killing a sailor.

    In a Saturday statement on Telegram, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has had “good results” with long-range strikes on Russian targets, including in the Caspian Sea. He said targets included a warship and vessels involved in the transportation of military cargo linked to Iran.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran over the attack. Iran’s assistant foreign minister, Manouchehr Moradi, said in the meeting that it amounted to an act of aggression, Iranian state media reported.

  • Out of balance | Editorial Cartoon

    John Cole spent 18 years as editorial cartoonist for The (Scranton) Times-Tribune, and now draws for various statesnewsroom.com sites.