Good morning. It’s a mostly sunny Saturday.
Philly’s surprisingly cold and snowy winter isn’t done yet. Resident weather expert Tony Wood breaks down what went wrong with the outlooks, and some big changes on the way.
Heavy snowfall in the area means snowmen, sledding, and snowball fights. But what if you’re randomly hit, unprovoked, by teenage strangers? We discuss.
Plus, there’s news about one of America’s most popular diet trends, the state of Philly’s pension fund, and our report card for this week’s news.
Scroll along for these stories and more.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
- Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree was reportedly put on leave as the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office continues investigating a clash at a student anti-ICE protest.
- The so-called Clothespin building will host a hotel and hundreds of apartments after a recent sale. It once had the most office space in the city.
- Aramark will not be the official food, beverage, and hospitality provider at the new South Philadelphia arena where the 76ers, Flyers, and the city’s new WNBA team are expected to play.
- A decade ago, Philadelphia’s $10 billion municipal pension system looked like it could sink the city. Now it’s on pace to be fully funded by 2032.
- Franklin Mall reopened Friday after being temporarily shut down since a small fire last weekend at the once-popular Northeast Philadelphia retail destination.
- Despite winning awards for improving test scores, the Philadelphia School District says not enough neighborhood children want to attend Robert Morris Middle School.
- Intermittent fasting may be no more effective than simply cutting calories for weight loss, a new review of Rutgers research shows.
- A Philly-based biotech nonprofit has landed $76 million in federal funding to advance its artificial intelligence match-making tool that identifies existing drugs to treat rare diseases.
- Breeze Airways is expanding again at the Atlantic City Airport, this time offering more southbound flights.
- Pennsylvanians react to Reese’s ingredient changes, the Phillies face a prove-it season, Team USA honors Johnny Gaudreau, and more in this week’s Philly report card.
Iced by teens
This week, we’re answering this reader question on a bit of winter warfare: Two random teenagers threw snowballs at me, a grown man. One hit me in the face and knocked off my glasses. Was I, a grown man, allowed to throw the world’s fastest revenge snowball? Or should I have just yelled a few expletives and moved on (what I actually did)?
To help, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss recruited life and culture reporters Jason Nark and Mike Newall. The group weighed the dangers of unprovoked snowballs, the value of retaliatory throws, and even brought up moving to warmer climates altogether (lol). Jason, who pointed out that our neighbors in New York City are also dealing with snowball related incidents, put it quite simply: “No one likes a snowball to the face.”
Read along for my colleagues’ full chat. And if you’re looking for advice (or just want to share your takes), we’re all ears. Send in your pressing questions here.
One viewpoint
In this week’s Shackamaxon, Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson unpacks the race to replace U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a security snafu at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion, and calls for some basic sense about security.
He also analyzes the rise of cameras around Philadelphia.
“Over the last few years, Philadelphians have increasingly come under surveillance,” Pearson writes. “This surge in surveillance has led to some residents bemoaning what they view as a cash grab.”
Read on for Pearson’s perspectives.
📍 Find the location
Where can you find this mosaic by Isaiah Zagar? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets to the test. Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: 300-year-old village in western Chester County
CHEVRON LILAC
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Eileen Cleary who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Our Missing Hearts. Celeste Ng’s dystopian novel is this year’s One Book, One Philadelphia pick.
We were there
This cheerful celebration, captured by staff photographer Monica Herndon, was among our best sports photos of the week.
Edmundo Sosa and Adolis García consider themselves more like brothers than friends. After García signed a one-year deal with the Phillies this winter, they are reunited once again, with the “same goal.”
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
We all saw the viral video of Saladine Sharad riding his scooter on Lincoln Drive, but another funny scooter moment materialized from the recent winter storm, this time featuring Bad Bunny.
Speaking of the storm, this “emergency cheesesteak” is all the rage. And please… don’t be this guy.
I can’t be the only one going “awww” at these adorable baby penguins at Adventure Aquarium in Camden. 🥺
And what constitutes a “hidden gem” around here? One Philadelphian shares her hot take.
👋🏽 Thanks for stopping by. Take care, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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