Welcome to Sunday.
One progressive lawmaker has become a prominent voice in City Hall. We examine how she charted a new path to power.
But first, a massive winter storm is sweeping through the Philly region. As conditions grow icier by the minute, we’ve got you covered with important information and guides below, and all the latest updates at Inquirer.com.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Snowpocalypse now
Philadelphia is weathering its most significant winter storm in years. The threat of heavy snowfall and potentially dangerous icing prompted a citywide emergency and a winter storm warning through early Monday afternoon. All schools are closed Monday.
Forecasts say 6 to 18 inches of snow is possible across most of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Philly is expecting somewhere between 6 and 10 inches.
Though exact amounts are never fully certain, one thing is for sure: It will not melt soon. The bitter cold will stick around for several days.
🔍 Use our map to see how much snow is expected in the Philly region.
🛷 Once it’s safe to go outside, bundle up and make the most of the snowfall at some of the area’s best sledding spots.
And before you grab the shovel, we explain how to do it safely and give you the rundown on Philly’s snow rules.
⏰ Could this storm break records? Take a look at the top January snowstorms in Philadelphia history.
Get more from resident weather expert Tony Wood, and be sure to visit Inquirer.com for developments.
‘Thought leader’
🎤 Now I’m passing the mic to City Hall reporter Anna Orso.
When Mayor Cherelle L. Parker unveiled her much-anticipated plan to address Philadelphia’s housing crisis last year, there was predictable criticism from the political left. Activists said the proposal drafted by the moderate Democrat would not do enough for the city’s poorest residents.
Less predictable was that a majority of City Council stood with them.
Even the Council president, a centrist ally of the mayor, sided with a progressive faction that just two years ago had been soundly defeated in the mayor’s race — but whose new de facto leader in City Hall has proven adept at building alliances across the ideological spectrum.
At the center of that shift was Jamie Gauthier. — Anna Orso
Read along to learn how the second-term Democratic lawmaker from West Philadelphia has solidified her place as a leading voice on Council.
What you should know today
- Philadelphia parents are worried and shocked over the school district’s proposal for closings, colocations, and other changes would affect children in every neighborhood in the city. “That can’t happen,” one told The Inquirer.
- Michael Coard, a leader in the fight to memorialize enslaved people at the President’s House in Philadelphia, is launching a new campaign to restore the dismantled slavery exhibit and keep it on Independence Mall.
- Federal immigration officers shot and killed a man Saturday in Minneapolis, as hundreds of people protested in the cold in a city still reeling from another fatal shooting weeks earlier. The man, identified as Alex Pretti, was an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who was troubled by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to his family.
- Very little is publicly known about Jonathan Gerlach, the Ephrata man accused of stealing human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery. Here’s what we have learned about him.
- In Camden, incoming state-appointed School Superintendent Alfonso Q. Llano Jr. says it’s too soon to know if more budget cuts will be needed after the district cut nearly 300 jobs last year.
- Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward settled a conflict-of-interest lawsuit by agreeing to void her vote and recuse herself from decisions on an ambulance-services contract with Virtua Health, which employs her husband.
- One of Kennett Square’s last remaining sizable undeveloped parcels could get hundreds of townhomes and apartments — but only after a former industrial site is decontaminated.
- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has named art museum veteran Kristen Shepherd as its next leader.
❓Pop quiz
Swedish retailer Ikea, which has its U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, announced this week that it is testing an immersive product experience on which platform?
A) Minecraft
B) Roblox
C) Fortnite
D) Vegas Sphere
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Tokyo bar and shrine to the city of Brotherly Love (two words)
HILL PHOBIA SHINNY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Geraldine DiPersia, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Will Shortz. The New York Times crossword editor and NPR puzzle master is moving the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament to Philly next year.
Photo of the day
Emilio Mignucci, the third-generation grocer of Di Bruno Bros, is synonymous with cheese in Philly. He recently took us through his favorite places to grab a bite on a perfect Friday in the city.
🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “The things we do for love / Like walking in the rain and the snow / When there’s nowhere to go…”
One more thing: Food writer Kiki Aranita has a reminder to boot: “If you’re ordering delivery from any restaurant or local business, remember to tip your delivery person extra — especially if they dash through the snow and arrive at your house on a re-purposed ATV.”
👋🏽 How will you pass the time indoors today? Let me know. I plan to eat soup and (finally!) finish Task. Thank you for checking in this morning, and may you be safe and warm.
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