Hi there, Philly. A major winter storm is looking more likely for the region this weekend, with experts calling for several inches of snow that’s likely to stick around into next week.
What can the city’s nonemergency service system do? Take our quiz to see if you know how to use Philly311.
And President Donald Trump’s strong support in the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania is splintering. Read on to learn what that could mean for key races this year.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Phoning 311
Several street lamps in my neighborhood park had been out for what seemed like months. So, earlier this winter, I fired up the Philly311 app, reported the dead bulbs, and voilà — within days, light was restored.
☎️ The 311 hotline and its accompanying app, website, and email address make up the city’s nonemergency service system. The call center fields residents’ requests and transfers them to the city department or community partner best equipped to help.
☎️ The service received over half a million requests last year.
☎️ But what counts as a nonemergency? Is it a noise complaint about a loud neighbor, a car that seems abandoned, a persistent pothole, a beeping smoke alarm?
Think you know all that 311 can do? Find out with our quiz.
‘He left nothing for the working man’
In the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, where President Trump made his biggest gains in the state in the 2024 election, there are signs that his winning coalition is splintering.
Some Republican and independent voters in the region who previously backed the president told The Inquirer they still do. But others shared their disappointment with rising grocery prices and what they see as Trump’s failure to keep his commitments.
The shift comes as the Pennsylvania GOP looks to hold onto two swing congressional seats in November: U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, who represents the Lehigh Valley, and Rob Bresnahan, who represents his neighboring Northeastern Pennsylvania district. Both won their seats in 2024 by a single point or less.
In other federal government news: A Chester County school district is under investigation by the Trump administration for a policy allowing transgender girls to play on girls’ sports teams. And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted his new nutritional guidelines and pushed back against criticism of his vaccine policy at a rally in Harrisburg Wednesday.
What you should know today
- From calls for “ICE out of Philadelphia” to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s signature housing initiative, see what’s on City Council’s agenda in 2026.
- The foster parent of a 20-month-old who died in a Harrowgate home in April has been arrested and charged with murder.
- A man died after being electrocuted inside the shuttered Brith Sholom House senior housing complex Wednesday, authorities say, one day after city officials announced a plan to redevelop the vacant West Philadelphia facility.
- In one of Phil Murphy’s final acts as New Jersey governor, he signed a bill that could help a Camden tower get $400 million in tax credits and pardoned a power broker’s son who was convicted in a fatal hit-and-run. The state also ended up with some of the most restrictive e-bike regulations in the country.
- The new owner of the defunct Crozer-Chester Medical Center wants to restore hospital and emergency services to the 64-acre Delaware County campus. Plus, two other Delco hospitals are getting $6 million from the state to help them address a sharp increase in patients after Crozer Health closed last year.
- A warehouse developer’s proposal to trade land with the state in Limerick Township and beyond has blindsided local officials and ignited fierce opposition from residents.
- The region nabbed 13 James Beard Award semifinalist slots, including Greg Vernick for outstanding restaurateur and Kalaya for outstanding restaurant.
- Architecture critic Inga Saffron weighs in on the city’s decision to allow the Rocky statue to be permanently installed at the top of the Art Museum steps, calling the move “no victory.”
Quote of the day
On this week’s episode of Abbott Elementary — the Emmy-winning sitcom from West Philly-raised comedy star Quinta Brunson — the teachers get a visit from a surprise guest: a reporter from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
More Philly-on-TV news: A politics and public policy professor from Immaculata University is competing in the Jeopardy! 2026 Tournament of Champions this Friday. And ABC’s Shark Tank is returning to Philadelphia for an open casting call on March 18.
🧠 Trivia time
Ahead of this year’s Groundhog Day, the animal-rights organization PETA offered to replace Punxsutawney Phil with what?
A) An animatronic groundhog
B) A taxidermied groundhog
C) A hologram of a groundhog
D) A human in a groundhog suit
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re …
🤝 Meeting: Dana Edwards, the new mayor of Narberth, and Conlen Booth, the new mayor of Swarthmore.
🍝 Ordering: These 26 standout dishes on Center City District Restaurant Week menus.
🏀 Confirming: Yes, Philly is most definitely a basketball city — dating all the way back to 1898.
🏒 Obsessed with: Heated Rivalry, the talk of Flyers’ Pride Night as it introduces hockey to a new, gayer audience.
🏈 Answering: Why is a Pennsylvania school celebrating Indiana’s national title?
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Luxury hotel in Center City
SUNROOF SEAS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Mark Bussy, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Kim Kardashian. Skims, the clothing company she founded, collected sales tax from New Jersey consumers for five years. (The state doesn’t tax clothing.) The brand has settled an investigation for $200,000.
Photo of the day
🖌️ One last playful thing: Educational play spaces were built at two North Philly affordable housing sites. Stakeholders hope they can inspire similar projects nationwide.
Stay warm out there. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.
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