One year after he was drafted by the Phillies, Gage Wood will make his Citizens Bank Park debut in the Futures Game.
Wood and fellow right-hander Wen-Hui Pan were selected to represent the Phillies in the annual prospect showcase as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities. The seven-inning game takes place July 12 (noon, NBC10).
The Phillies selected Wood with the 26th overall pick last year. After striking out 38% of the batters he faced over eight starts this season at low-A Clearwater, they promoted him two levels to double-A Reading, where he has a 3.86 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings over seven starts.
Wood, 22, achieved notoriety last year with a no-hitter for Arkansas in the College World Series. He’s widely regarded as the Phillies’ top prospect, though not yet among the top 50 in baseball. MLB Pipeline has him 54th in its midseason rankings, while Baseball America lists him 69th.
Pan, a right-handed reliever, signed with the Phillies as an international amateur from Taiwan in 2023. The 23-year-old missed last season after Tommy John surgery but was promoted to double A roughly two weeks ago.
In 20 appearances at three levels, Pan has a 3.18 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22⅔ innings, including a 5.40 ERA mark in five games since moving up to Reading.
The future is headed to Citizens Bank Park 🤩
Congratulations to Fightin Phils pitchers Gage Wood and Wen-Hui Pan on being selected to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game! ⭐
— Reading Fightin Phils (@ReadingFightins) July 1, 2026
Like everything about All-Star week, the Futures Game will have a Phillies flavor. Shane Victorino will manage the National League roster, while Larry Bowa will manage the American League. Bowa’s staff will include several former Phillies, notably Michael Bourn (first base coach), Juan Samuel (bench coach), Milt Thompson (hitting coach), and Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner (pitching coach).
Twelve of the top 13 prospects in Baseball America’s rankings were selected for the Futures Game: infielders Jesús Made (Brewers), Leo De Vries (Athletics), Franklin Arias (Red Sox), George Lombard (Yankees), and Eli Willits (Nationals); outfielders Josue De Paula (Dodgers), Theo Gillen (Rays), and Mike Sirota (Dodgers); pitchers Ryan Sloan (Mariners), Seth Hernandez (Pirates), and Kade Anderson (Mariners); and catcher Ethan Salas (Padres).
NBA free agency opened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and, within hours, the 76ers had made their first move, agreeing with Dean Wade on a four-year, $39 million deal.
This was the first free agency move for new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who previously was the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Wade spent the first seven seasons of his career.
Outside of his familiarity with Gansey, Wade’s 6-foot-9 frame and versatility on the court have led many to think he could be a good fit in Philly, but his age (29) and contract terms garnered some criticism.
Here’s how experts are grading the move:
ESPN: B+
Wade’s ability to guard perimeter players and his 36.7% career three-point accuracy make him the type of player the Sixers have been seeking for years, ESPN said.
“The 76ers have plenty of guards and centers but a dearth of wing connectors between them” Zach Kram wrote. “Other than Paul George — a big swing on a maximum contract at forward — they’ve cycled through various options who haven’t quite panned out.”
“Philadelphia doesn’t get a full ‘A’ grade here because a four-year contract is a bit rich for a player who will celebrate his 30th birthday in November and already has an extensive injury history. Wade has played between 44 and 59 games in each of the past five seasons — which is a concern, given Philadelphia’s rough injury track record.”
The Athletic was a little more critical of the signing, with the same concerns about the four-year commitment and a lot more pause on Wade’s assets.
“I’ve never fully understood the Wade obsession within the Cavaliers,” Zach Harper wrote. “He’s about a league-average 3-point shooter (36.7 percent). I’m not convinced he’s some great defensive option. He competes on that end but doesn’t have definite matchups you feel great about. He’s never played more than 63 games in a season. He’s never made more than 80 3-pointers in a season. He’s a solid role player, and he could land nicely with Philadelphia. Committing four years is a lot, though.”
New Sixer Dean Wade will turn 30 early next season.Julio Cortez
Bleacher Report: C
Wade’s age and consistency again posed a concern, this time for the Bleacher Report NBA staff, which gave the signing one of the lowest grades among all free agency signings so far.
“Dean Wade has started a lot of games for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the years, but he turns 30 in November, has a career average of 5.3 points and has a barely-above-average three-point percentage,” the Bleacher Report NBA staff wrote. “In theory, a good floor spacer with size can open up a lot of possibilities for a rotation, but Wade’s not consistent enough to really bend defenses. And while he’s generally been a pretty good positional defender, it’s going to be tougher for him to keep up with NBA scorers as he ages into his 30s.”
The only signing graded lower by Bleacher Report was Zach Collins’ two-year $17 million extension with the Chicago Bulls which received a C-.
A landmark bipartisan bill aimed at stabilizing college sports and protecting student-athletes cleared the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on June 18 and is expected to receive a Senate floor vote in July. This marks the first time a major college reform bill has advanced this far in the Senate.
Spearheaded by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Protect College Sports Act was introduced last month to regulate college sports and provide antitrust protection to the NCAA.
“We need order and stability now,” Cantwell said in her opening statement on June 18. “The craziness that is happening in this marketplace with cutting of thousands of roster slots, the taxing students’ fees for education to pay for football, the arms race that is basically taking money away from research and development. Our task here is to win the race in innovation.”
The bill was voted 19-9 and included support from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. It now must pass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate before advancing to the House of Representatives. If approved by both chambers, it would then be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk. The bill can still be challenged and changed throughout this process.
The history behind the proposed legislation
The NCAA has sought congressional intervention for years to help regulate college athletics. College sports officials have asked Congress to help them create a national standard for how athletes are paid and for antitrust protections to avoid continuous legal challenges.
“There have been dozens of attempts at congressional intervention in college athletics for decades, but it certainly has increased the past 10 years because of justified litigation over a broken college sports model and restricting athletes’ rights,” said David Ridpath, a professor of sports business at Ohio University and an expert on NCAA governance.
The Protect College Sports Act has been spearheaded by Senators Ted Cruz (right) and Maria Cantwell.Manuel Balce Ceneta
Last year, the SCORE Act advanced through two major House committees but did not reach the floor for a vote. That proposed bill was focused on creating a national framework for name, image, and likeness compensation and failed because it did not receive bipartisan support.
What does the bill say?
The proposed bill would provide an antitrust exemption, allowing the NCAA to regulate athlete transfers and eligibility within certain guidelines. It would also establish limits on athletes’ compensation and prohibit coaches from leaving before the season ends with their current team. Coaches who violate this rule would be ineligible to coach for the following season.
The legislation also seeks to protect women’s and Olympic sports programs. Major colleges and universities would not be able to cut the number of women’s and Olympic sports programs, roster spots, or scholarship opportunities below current levels. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee endorsed the bill.
“The revised version of the Protect College Sports Act ensures that higher-resourced NCAA Division I athletic departments — those with annual revenues exceeding $80 million — will maintain at least the same number of roster spots as in the 2024-2025 academic year,” wrote the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee in a statement. “We welcome that the agreement provides reasonable flexibility, including traditional protections for mid-sized institutions, while preserving overall participation opportunities.”
Student-athletes would be allowed only one unrestricted transfer during the NCAA designated windows in their career. Any other transfer would cost the athlete a year of eligibility.
The bill would also allow colleges and conferences to voluntarily pool their media rights under a single entity rather than negotiate deals solely through individual conferences. The NFL voiced its support for the voluntary pooling of media rights, according to ESPN.
What are the experts saying?
Ridpath said pooling media rights could generate more revenue and allow colleges and universities to share that revenue across the entire college athletic ecosystem.
“That could be used to help expand sports offerings and save current sports,” Ridpath said. “College sports is an incubator for Olympic and national teams, and if we start cutting these sports, we’re going to become less competitive.”
Ridpath said this bill is a “fair effort” to regulate college athletics, but his biggest issue is the lack of direct negotiation with student-athletes.
“If the NCAA wants real legal and antitrust protection, if they would sit down and negotiate with the athletes as a collective body, that would give you legal cover because everyone has agreed to the rules,” he said. “Until you speak directly with the athletes, I think we are still going to have litigation.”
What are people saying?
College sports stakeholders have voiced mixed opinions on the bill.
More than 20 conferences, including the American, Big East, and Atlantic 10, have expressed support for the bill. The NFL, MLB, and the National Basketball Players Association sent statements to Congress voicing their support as well.
Charlie Baker, the NCAA president and former governor of Massachusetts, publicly backed the bill on social media.
“Every sports league needs rules, and there are certain challenges to NCAA rules that only Congress can address,” he wrote. “The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act’s sections bolstering eligibility, transfer and agent policies are needed now to deliver on that obligation. As a former governor, I understand that getting important legislation done requires compromise. While the bill does not address every issue college sports face, the current state of play cannot continue, and we must move the bill forward.”
However, the Big Ten and SEC, the wealthiest college conferences, oppose the bill as it stands, saying revisions are needed to gain their approval. Part of the bill prevents conferences that declare more than $1 billion in revenue on their 2025 tax returns — the SEC and Big Ten — from forming a “super-league.”
“From the outset, we identified a set of essential revisions to the PCSA necessary for the long-term sustainability of college athletics,” the two conferences wrote in a joint statement on June 18. “We have worked with both majority and minority staff to advance those revisions, which focus on better supporting student-athletes and stabilizing the college sports environment.”
Letters obtained by The Inquirer from former Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano showed Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi writing on June 17 to Sens. Fetterman and David McCormick in opposition to the bill, saying “significant problems remain” in the legislation.
Lubrano, whose term ended Tuesday, said Bendapudi did not collaborate with the board of trustees on the correspondence with Fetterman and McCormick. He believes it would be in Penn State’s best interest to support the proposed legislation.
“For Penn State, we’d be best served to embrace the legislation and work to enhance and improve it over time,” Lubrano said. “But in the absence of perfection today, we shouldn’t allow perfection to get in the way of being good, and so we should be behind it.”
The bill, he said, protects all student-athletes and the non-revenue Olympic sports at Penn State.
“Listening to the senators on a number of calls I’ve had with them, it’s clear that one of their primary concerns revolves around the Olympic sports,” Lubrano said. “If you do nothing, schools will likely discontinue some of their programs in the non-revenue sports, and a lot of those are Olympic sports. So consequently, you can envision a day where the United States isn’t competitive on a world stage at the Olympics. Is that what we want to see happen?”
The University of Valley Forge, a small Christian school that prepares students for leadership in the church and the world, has been given a serious warning that it is in danger of losing its accreditation.
The Phoenixville-based college has until Sept. 1 to “show cause” to justify why it should not lose accreditation, according to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which posted the action on its website this week. Colleges need accreditation to keep their students eligible for federal aid.
The “show cause” action is the most serious that the commission issues. Others include warning and probation.
The commission cited “insufficient evidence that the institution is in compliance” with standards involving planning, resources, and institutional improvement, and governance, leadership, and administration.
The university must document in its show-cause report “financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability,” the commission said. The school also must provide information on long-range financial planning that includes “realistic enrollment projections and the assumptions on which they are based,” the commission said.
The university did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday, and when asked for the current enrollment, an employee said she was not permitted to disclose any information and hung up. The school enrolls 589 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Under the action, the school is required to immediately notify its community of Middle States’ action.
The university started in 1939 as the Eastern Bible Institute, which was aimed at training pastors, evangelists, missionaries and Christian educators, and lay workers, according to the school’s website. It became a college in 1975 and the University of Valley Forge in 2014. The university is part of an international network of Assemblies of God colleges and universities and offers more than 60 degree programs, according to its website.
It’s their first time back at the table since June 19 and since the union announced plans to strike on the Fourth of July if a contract had not been reached by then. They’ve now scheduled back-to-back bargaining sessions Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, as time runs out.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia region is under an extreme heat warning, with possible thunderstorms on Saturday. Many of the union’s members work to repair outages, such as those that can happen during extreme weather.
“The temperature and the sustained heat generally causes a lot of issues, and the thunderstorms as well,” said IBEW Local 614 president Larry Anastasi, adding that Peco needs “the trained workforce that they have to take care of it, and they’re not going to have that on July 4.”
Weather conditions are not a factor in the bargaining process, Peco spokesperson Candice Womer said, and the company “continuously monitors weather conditions and prepares to respond to impacts on the electric system as part of normal operations.”
The union, which represents roughly 1,500 field workers, call center staff, and other Peco employees, is seeking better wages and healthcare benefits, as well as a uniform retirement plan for all members. Their most recent five-year contract expired on March 31. Wages and benefits have become sticking points in negotiations.
This strike would be a first for Peco.
“We’ve exhausted every avenue to reach a deal,” Anastasi said in a statement last week. “If Peco won’t invest in the workers who keep the lights on, we’ve got no choice but to stand together and demand the respect we’ve earned.”
Womer said Tuesday morning that the company’s goal remains “reaching a fair and equitable agreement that supports our employees while maintaining affordability and reliability for customers.”
Peco has proposed a nearly 20% increase in wages over five years, as well as improvements to retirement and medical benefits, Womer said.
“We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and hope continued discussions will lead to a successful resolution,” said Womer.
If union workers do walk off the job, customers should not expect any delays or interruptions in service, Peco has said. “Our customers can be assured that we have comprehensive contingency plans in place to maintain safe and reliable service under any circumstance,” Womer said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office has been in communication with the union and Peco, spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky said in a statement Wednesday.
“The Shapiro administration’s focus in these negotiations is a fair outcome for the hardworking women and men of Local 614 and safe, reliable energy infrastructure in Southeastern Pennsylvania over the holiday weekend and throughout the summer,” said Lapowsky.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker urged Peco and IBEW Local 614, to work together to reach a deal on Wednesday.
In a letter addressed to Peco president and CEO Michael Innocenzo, and IBEW local 614 president Anastasi, Parker advised “both parties to remain fully engaged at the bargaining table day and night and to pursue every reasonable avenue toward a mutually acceptable agreement.”
She cautioned that “any disruption to PECO service and support would pose real risks to public health, safety, and economic activity,” adding that Philadelphia is welcoming visitors for the Fourth of July and in the midst of extreme weather.
Quentin Grimes will not return to the 76ers, instead agreeing to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon.
Grimes’ departure is not a surprise after the Sixers agreed to sign forward Dean Wade to a four-year, $39 million contract late Tuesday, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer. Reports surfaced earlier Tuesday that the Lakers were targeting signing Grimes, who will reunite with former Dallas Mavericks teammate Luka Doncic. It is also a significant raise for Grimes, who played last season on his $8.7 million qualifying offer after a messy restricted free agency.
Grimes was primarily the Sixers’ sixth man during a 2025-26 season he described multiple times as “solid.” The 26-year-old was part of a terrific three-guard lineup, and reignited his aggressive scoring ability when All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey missed three weeks in March with a finger injury.
But Grimes shot a career-low 33.4% from three-point range, while also averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 29.4 minutes in 75 games. And other than an excellent Game 5 performance on both ends of the Sixers’ first-round upset of the Boston Celtics, he was not good enough during the playoffs for a Sixers second unit that desperately needed scoring production.
When asked shortly after last month’s season-ending Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks about how he viewed his free agency and ideal basketball setup, Grimes was not exactly forthcoming.
“I haven’t even really thought about that, honestly,” Grimes said. “… talking to my agents and everything, we’ll kind of figure out what’s the best situation moving forward.”
Quentin Grimes played a large role for the Sixers in the disastrous 2024-25 season but struggled at times last year, especially in the playoffs. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
After joining the Sixers at the 2025 trade deadline, Grimes became a go-to scorer for an injured team that had shifted to “tank” mode to increase odds of landing a high draft pick. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28 games with the Sixers that season, including a 46-point outburst at his hometown Houston Rockets.
Grimes then entered restricted free agency, which turned into a months-long saga. He skipped the Sixers’ training camp and preseason games in Abu Dhabi and eventually signed his one-year qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Grimes then parted ways with agent David Bauman and is now represented by Creative Arts Agency.
Grimes’ departure suggests that the Sixers will immediately lean on rookie-to-be Labaron Philon Jr., the Alabama guard they selected 22nd overall in last week’s draft to link with the dynamic Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers also lost sharpshooting guard Jared McCain in a controversial trade at the February deadline.
Fellow Sixers free agent Kelly Oubre Jr., a starting forward for three seasons in Philly, remains uncommitted to return or sign with a new team. He will reportedly meet with at least the Sixers, Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Backup center Andre Drummond, reserve forward Trendon Watford, and veteran guard Kyle Lowry (who is expected to retire) are the Sixers’ other unrestricted free agents.
The Sixers on Wednesday morning also agreed to sign reserve center Ariel Hukporti to a one-year, $3.4 million contract, The Inquirer confirmed. That means the Sixers have about $2.6 million remaining of that midlevel exception, which can be used to sign an outside player. They also still have the $5.5 million biannual exception. They entered free agency with limited financial flexibility, with Maxey ($40.8 million), former NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid ($57.7 million), and former perennial All-Star Paul George ($54.1 million) all on max contracts that account for the vast majority of the salary cap of nearly $165 million.
The Sixers finished last season seventh in the Eastern Conference standings (45-37) and, after a stunning rally from down three games to one to beat Boston, were swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks.
Last July 1, the Flyers surprised many by signing Dan Vladař to a two-year, $6.7 million contract. Vladař then surprised many with his play.
One year later, and the goalie is sticking around for the foreseeable future. The Flyers announced Wednesday that he is signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension with an annual average value of $5.5 million. According to a league source, the contract comes with a no-trade clause for the first two years, followed by a no-movement clause for the remaining three years, with it dwindling from 15 teams to five.
Vladař’s contract won’t kick in until the 2027-28 season and will take him through his age-34 season. The signing came now, as opposed to next summer or even mid-season, because if he at least meets his numbers this year, “you’re looking at a crazy number that we’re probably not comfortable with,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said on Wednesday.
“Dan, I think, exceeded expectations last year, not just on the ice, but also off the ice, too,” the GM added. “Tremendous leader, tremendous human being, the way he interacted in the room with the guys, the way he found a way to get them going, and wanted more.
“I think you’ve heard Rick Tocchet talk about him coming over to the bench and trying to encourage the guys and get them going; it’s more than just this play on the ice. He was huge in our locker room. I don’t expect that to change. He’s just a good human being. It’s good to have him around.”
The writing had been on the wall for some time that the goalie was sticking around long-term. Asked about the rumors of an extension, Vladař joked at his end-of-season availability that, while he would accept the phone call for the extension, “If you can ask the same question to Danny Brière, I’m going to be watching. So we’ll see what he says.”
Two days later, the general manager was quick to respond, saying, “I heard his answer. Maybe we wait, and I’ll talk to you guys [off camera] about that.” The extension could not be signed until July 1.
The Czech goalie, who previously was a career backup, mainly for the Calgary Flames, is coming off the best season of his career while playing almost twice as many games as his previous career high (30). Across 51 starts, he went 29-14-7 and had the most wins by a Flyers goalie since Steve Mason in 2013-14. He also had one relief appearance, stopping all six shots he faced from the Boston Bruins, to finish the regular season with a 2.42 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
In the postseason, despite the Flyers getting swept in four games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes after beating the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six, Vladař’s numbers were even better. He posted the ninth-best playoff GAA among Flyers goalies all-time with at least five starts (2.18) and the eighth-best save percentage (.922). Vladař recorded two shutouts in the playoffs, making him the eighth Orange and Black netminder to have a pair in the postseason; the team did not record one in the regular season.
Flyers goaltender Dan Vladař recorded two shutouts in the playoffs, making him the eighth Orange and Black netminder to have a pair in the postseason.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“Vladdy, he was a monster in there,” forward Travis Konecny said after the season. “And he wins the games two ways. There’s the — we’re not playing good; he comes and talks to us, pumps us up. We believe in him, so you kind of keep going, you keep pushing, you find a way to win. Or he wins the game by just being Vladdy, and he just takes the game.”
Vladař revealed after the season that he had sustained an injury in the playoffs when Penguins forward Bryan Rust ran over his arm. Because of it, he wasn’t able to represent Czechia at the men’s World Championships in May.
There are some questions outside the organization about the long-term contract, especially with this past season being Vladař’s first season as a No. 1. Internally, they do not think it’s an anomaly. He came to Philly to prove he can be a starter, and he showed it.
“Dan Vladař wanted to be a Flyer,” Brière said. “He was adamant … and look at the end of the day, it’s not everybody who wants to be a Flyer … but when you have your MVP from the previous year who says, I want to be here, this is my team, I want to lead this team, it made it really easy for us to [sign him] — especially at the number that we got [him at].
“He put it on the line, and he played ball with us. If we wait, that number gets dramatically higher the following year.”
Bringing in Vladař, who will turn 29 in August, helped solidify a position that has long been a question mark in Philly. The previous year, the Flyers’ three-headed monster of Sam Ersson — who was traded recently for Joseph Woll — Aleksei Kolosov, and Ivan Fedotov — who was traded before last season — combined for a league-worst .879 save percentage. Brière stressed that things needed to be better.
Under Vladař, they were. And now he has a solid backup in Woll, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in mid-June. Woll has a career 63-43-9 record with a 2.94 GAA and .906 save percentage.
“Now with Woll to help him, it’s not just him; now he’s got a really strong helper right beside him,” Brière said. “So my hope is that with both those guys we can keep them fresh along the way, too. You don’t have to overplay one or the other. I think they’ll support each other really well, and I think that ups the chances that both these guys will be able to stay fresh and play well throughout the year.”
Editor’s note: The patient has been identified, Temple officials said Wednesday afternoon.
Temple Health seeks help from the community identifying a patient at its main hospital in North Philadelphia.
The health system on Wednesday released a photo of the patient, who appears to be in his 50s and was admitted to Temple University Hospital on June 8. Ithopes to locate his friends and family.
Philadelphia’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday culminates July 4 with a free concert and fireworks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The One Philly: Unity Concert for America begins at 5 p.m. in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, featuring Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith, The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jordan Davis, Seal, State Property, Kathy Sledge, and more.
This year’s event is no longer part of the longtime Wawa Welcome America festival. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration took over production of the annual July Fourth concert, renamed it the One Philly: Unity Concert for America, and hired ESM Productions to produce the show.
Wanda Sykes will emcee the concert, which concludes with the city’s official fireworks display over the Parkway.
Here’s everything you need to know before you go.
Fans react to the music as the Wawa Welcome America Festival concluded on July 4, 2023, with a free concert featuring Ludacris on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer
Schedule and entry
Guests must enter through a secure checkpoint at 20th Street and Logan Circle, where security may search attendees and their bags. Gates open at 3p.m.
The concert will start around 5p.m., followed by the fireworks around 11:30 p.m., according to city officials.
Who is performing at Philadelphia’s Fourth of July Concert?
Headliners include Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith, The Roots, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Other performers include Jordan Davis, Kathy Sledge, State Property, Seal, and several others.
Fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Friday, July 4, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Fireworks
Following the concert, the city’s official July Fourth fireworks display will begin at about 11:30 p.m. The show will be visible from throughout the Parkway and surrounding neighborhoods.
The concert and fireworks will also air live on NBC10 and Telemundo62.
Road closures
Unless otherwise noted, the following closures will be in effect from approximately 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday:
1900 Race Street
1800-1900 Vine Street
I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street
I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street
I-76 eastbound off-ramp at Spring Garden Street
Spring Garden Tunnel
Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th Streets
20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
19th Street between Callowhill and Cherry Streets
Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 17th Street to Eakins Oval
Eakins Oval
Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue (inbound traffic closes at Fountain Green Drive beginning about 5 p.m.)
2000-2100 Winter Street
Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street
23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval
22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
All roads from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street between 18th and 22nd Streets (local access maintained for residents)
All roads from Arch Street to Fairmount Avenue between 22nd and Corinthian Streets (local access maintained for residents)
16th and 17th Streets between Arch Street and Spring Garden Street will close only if conditions warrant.
1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway will close only if conditions warrant.
Beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday, the following roads also will close:
Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval
From 8 p.m. Saturday until approximately 1 a.m. Sunday, Kelly Drive between Fairmount Avenue and Fountain Green Drive and Waterworks Drive also will be closed because of the fireworks display.
Parking
Temporary no-parking signs will be posted along streets affected by closures. Vehicles left in those areas will be courtesy towed to another nearby location.
Most Regional Rail lines will offer additional inbound and outbound service before the fireworks. All Regional Rail lines except the Airport and Cynwyd lines will provide late-night outbound service from Jefferson Station, Suburban Station, and William H. Gray III 30th Street Station after the fireworks.
Other SEPTA service will operate on a Sunday schedule. Routes without Sunday service will not operate.
Routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 49 will be detoured beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Sunday because of road closures.
SEPTA ambassadors will be stationed at major transit hubs to help direct passengers after the July 4 FIFA World Cup match and the One Philly concert and fireworks.
PATCO will operate on a holiday schedule July 4, with trains running every 10 minutes throughout the day. More information is available at ridepatco.org.
Todd Marcocci (left) and Jeremy Williams work on a float on Monday for this year’s big Fourth of July parade, in Philadelphia.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Fourth of July celebrations happening elsewhere in the area
Fourth of July Freedom Festival at Pleasant Hill Park: 💵 Free, 🕒 July4, 5 to 9:30 p.m., 📍Linden Ave., Philadelphia, Pa 19136
Tessenderlo agreed to pay $13.30 a share for a 20% stake in publicly traded FMC. That’s a modest premium to FMC’s recent trading price but less than the share value as recently as June 1. As if unimpressed with FMC’s prospects even with the new cash, traders drove the share price down almost 5% Wednesday to close at $10.95.
FMC traded at over $120 a share in early 2022 but has since lost most of its value, with crop-protection sales growth slowing worldwide amid slow progress on regulatory approval and marketing for new products to offset last year’s expiration of patent protection on the company’s best-selling Rynaxypyr insecticide.
The buyer expressed faith in FMC’s next-generation fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides.
“FMC offers an attractive opportunity to invest in a business with meaningful long-term potential, driven by a new generation of proprietary molecules that are renewing its portfolio and strengthening its competitive position,” Luc Tack, chief executive of publicly traded Tessenderlo Group, said in a statement.
That includes products developed at the company’s Stine research labs in Newark, Del., which FMC acquired from DuPont Co. in 2017 as DuPont spun off its farm chemicals and seed business into Corteva.
FMC “perfectly aligns” with Tessenderlo’s farm businesses, Tack added. Tessenderlo gets a seat on FMC’s board as part of the deal.
Those businesses include Kerley, an Arizona-based farm fertilizer maker and niche pesticide distributor; sulfur-based fertilizer maker Tiger-Sul, based in Connecticut; and French organic fertilizer developer Violleau.
Other Tessenderlo investments include plastics, chemicals, industrial machinery, electronics, and animal-byproduct (“bio-valorization”) businesses.
FMC’s board approved Tessenderlo’s investment after a “comprehensive and deliberate” process, which the company started in February with its investment bankers and lawyers, as the best way forward for the company and its shareholders, said Pierre Brondeau, FMC board chairman and chief executive.
The $400 million inflow is the last piece in FMC’s efforts to reach Brondeau’s debt-reduction and cash-boosting targets, so the company can more easily remain independent until its new products get to market.
Other recent steps by FMC included renegotiating its credit agreements; raising $1.2 billion in a junk-rated bond offering; selling its India commercial business for around $250 million; a $200 million deal to supply key products to its larger rival, Corteva, which is moving its headquarters from Wilmington to Indiana; and selling the 250-acre Stine Research Center to a unit of New York-based real estate investor Broadstone Net Lease Inc., while leasing back part of the property for continued research.
These actions, plus reduced debt and increased cash, put FMC “on a path to growth,” Brondeau said.
FMC employs around 5,500 worldwide, including around 300 at its headquarters and 330 at the Stine research and development center.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with FMC’s closing share price.
