It’s Friday, Philly. Forecasts for this weekend’s storm now have more than a foot hitting the region, and city residents are, understandably, freaking out — but with some whimsy sprinkled in.
Philadelphia School District officials are proposing closing 20 schools, colocating others inside existing buildings, and renovating more than 150 others as part of a massive reshaping of the system. Read on for what we know and don’t and local lawmakers’ strong reactions.
And the immigrant father of a 5-year-old with brain cancer is accepting deportation to Bolivia after months in federal detention.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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A school district overhaul
Philadelphia School District officials have revealed the results of a years-in-the-making facilities plan to reshape the system.
The big picture: Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s current proposal would close 20 schools, colocate six, and modernize 159. The closures, which would not begin to take effect until the 2027-28 school year, would be scattered through the city, with North and West Philly hardest hit. The 10-year blueprint comes with a $2.8 billion price tag.
What we don’t know: Of several unknowns, the biggest is which, if any, of the proposed closures will actually happen. Any changes must be approved by the school board, which could adopt all, some, or none of Watlington’s recommendations.
Lawmakers’ reactions: The district’s facilities plan did not go over well in City Council’s first session of the year on Thursday, with several members voicing dismay and one proposing to allow Council to remove the school board members who will consider the proposed closures.
Search your school: Check our chart to see what’s happening to any city school under the proposal.
‘He reached his limit’
Despite community support and legal efforts, the detained immigrant father of a 5-year-old son with brain cancer has decided to drop efforts to stay in the United States and accept deportation to Bolivia.
Johny Merida Aguilara has been in federal custody at Moshannon Valley Processing Center since September. He was previously a main caretaker for his son, Jair, who has been treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, but whose future care is now uncertain.
Merida Aguilara’s wife and three American-citizen children will also go, voluntarily, leaving their home in Northeast Philadelphia.
In their own words: “I am tired,” Gimena Morales Antezana, his wife, said in an interview with The Inquirer. “We have been trying to survive, but it is difficult with the children because they miss their dad so much.”
Reporters Jeff Gammage and Michelle Myers have the story.
What you should know today
- The National Park Service on Thursday started dismantling exhibits about slavery at the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park. The Trump administration last year ordered displays at national parks that “inappropriately disparage” the U.S. to be reviewed and potentially removed.
- Villanova University was one of several colleges nationwide that saw its operations disrupted Thursday by a series of hoax threats.
- Mayor Cherelle Parker’s housing plan is back on track after Philadelphia City Council reapproved $800 million in city bonds. Plus, a bill to ban waste incineration was put on hold after failing to gain lawmakers’ support. And one Council member refused to advance her colleague’s reproductive healthcare legislation — but is now promoting her own.
- We asked attendees at New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s inaugural ball four questions about her. Here’s what they said.
- An independent law firm found that independent and unaffiliated voters were left off Chester County’s poll books in November’s election due to human error and insufficient training.
- A massive data center is under construction in South Jersey. Some residents are concerned about its impact on their lives and the environment.
- New Jersey officials confirmed 2026’s first case of bird flu in a commercial flock in Burlington County.
- A Philadelphia woman accused a local influencer of racist remarks and then pepper-sprayed him in the face on a SEPTA bus. Video was taken and widely shared on conservative media.
- The University of Pennsylvania received an $8 million gift to redesign how it trains doctors at its medical school.
Plus: What’s the story behind the colonial-era grave site hidden in residential Cherry Hill?
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we have an explainer from suburban reporter Denali Sagner by way of Curious Cherry Hill. A reader asked for the backstory of a hidden-in-plain-sight grave site in the township’s Woodcrest neighborhood.
The small cemetery is the final resting place of one of South Jersey’s most prominent colonial families, the Matlacks, and an unspecified number of servants and enslaved people. Here’s the full story.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
The former KYW radio building on Walnut Street just sold for about $5 million — a steep discount from the $19 million it sold for in 2019. Which Beatle once worked there?
A) Ringo Starr
B) George Harrison
C) John Lennon
D) Paul McCartney
Think you got it? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.
What (and whom) we’re …
🚚 Remembering: That time an armored guard stole from his own truck on this week in Philly history.
⚕️ Cheering on: The Bucks County toddler who’s an ambassador for a national cancer charity.
⛳ Reading: Chill Moody’s new book about a little girl with magical golf clubs.
🍴 Impressed by: The 28-year-old about to open his third restaurant in the suburbs.
🍺 Anticipating: Philly bar legend “Fergie” Carey’s takeover of Mac’s Tavern in Old City.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Sixers’ drum line
REST SIX
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Ruben Taborda, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Four Seasons. If you want to stay in the luxury hotel’s new penthouse suite, it’ll cost you … $25,000 per night.
Photo of the day
Consider this your moment of calm before the storm. Remember: City residents can be fined up to $300 for not shoveling their sidewalks.
Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. ’Til we meet again in your inbox, be well.
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