Category: Newsletters

Welcome to Sunday.

By the time you’re reading this, it has likely snowed overnight. The National Weather Service issued a warning overnight for 3 to 5 inches, with 6 or more possible across the region. Check Inquirer.com for the latest.

Our top story highlights Atlantic City’s struggles as it tries to close the door on 2025.

Further on, go inside the FBI’s hunt for a ring of bandits who allegedly tried to rob five armored trucks over the summer.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Shore town in trouble

Between the looming threat of New York casinos moving in and a fire at Peanut World, it’s been a rough year for Atlantic City.

And just as business owners and residents alike are ready to turn over a new leaf, a new plot twist has emerged: Marty Small Sr., the newly reelected mayor, is on trial for what he described a “private family problem.” Small is accused of allegedly physically abusing his teenage daughter.

The site of historic mayoral misdeeds, multimillionaire overreach, and chronic unwanted attention is ending 2025 in crisis, and more worries are brewing.

Can A.C. come out of this unscathed? Amy Rosenberg has the story on the myriad problems the resort faces entering 2026.

In other Shore news:

🌊 Eroded beaches could soon get federal money for replenishment. Will it be enough?

🎡 Ocean City Mayor Jay A. Gillian was hit with a civil suit saying he owes nearly $600,000 for an unpaid debt related to Gillian’s Wonderland Pier.

💰 Atlantic City wind turbines were once opposed by residents. Two decades later, officials estimate they have saved $8.8 million.

How the hunt happened

Old-school detective work. High-tech surveillance. An anonymous tip. And seemingly unrelated probe into car thefts.

These elements and more helped investigators piece together a case against a crew that allegedly executed two robberies of armored trucks over the course of six days this summer in Philadelphia.

Caught in the mix of records is a text message that came from a West Philly man now playing in the NFL, referencing a news story about the heists.

Investigative reporter David Gambacorta details how officials worked to identify, track, and ultimately arrest members of the robbery ring.

What you should know today

• At least two people were killed and several more injured in a shooting in the area of Brown University in Rhode Island on Saturday, a law enforcement official said, as the Ivy League school issued an active shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter.
• A Philly charter awarded a big contract to a board member’s friend, then punished the official who reported it, according to a lawsuit.
• Candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans spent a busy weekend in New York trying to woo donors and supporters, as Pennsylvania’s political elite gathered in Manhattan for the annual Pennsylvania Society dinner — and a parade of related events.
• A South Jersey man was charged with impersonating law enforcement after he showed up at a police investigation claiming to work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• Approximately 3.4 million state agency letters intended for Pennsylvania residents — including some detailing whether they are eligible for health benefits or food assistance, or need to renew them — were not delivered to residents from Nov. 3 through Dec. 3, officials said Friday.
• Julianne Murray, President Donald Trump’s U.S. attorney in Delaware, abruptly resigned Friday. She is the latest Trump-appointed federal prosecutor whose appointment has drawn scrutiny.
• Off-duty Jefferson nurses performed CPR on a man who fell ill during a music performance at a Philly venue this week. It’s not the first time in recent memory that hospital staff helped save a customer’s life at the club.
• Two local bookstores are among eight in Pennsylvania to win a $500 grant from award-winning author James Patterson’s annual Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program.
• A Texas-style country outlaw-themed bar meets secondhand store — deep in the heart of Fishtown.
• A couple in York claim to have the best-lit Christmas tree in all of Pennsylvania. They shared tips to make yours second best.

❓Pop quiz

This week brought some conversation regarding the fate of the Rocky statue located at the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s steps (for now, it’s not moving). In total, how many official Rocky statues are in Philly?

A) one

B) four

C) three

D) two

Think you got it? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: City in Chester County

LOCATE ELVIS

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Peter DiMaio, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Elkins Estate. The Gilded Age estate and wedding venue in Montco is adding a boutique event space and distillery.

Photo of the day

🎶 Today’s song sounds like: “Free, I want to be / Tell them all get out from under me.” I’m enjoying Golden Apples’ Shooting Star record. Here’s how Russell Edling, the man behind the music, enjoys his perfect day in Philadelphia.

One more musical thing: The most acclaimed Philly act of 2025 is a band called They Are Gutting a Body of Water. Pop critic Dan DeLuca spoke with its frontman on why he loves Philadelphia, and Philadelphia music.

👋🏽 Thanks, as always, for spending part of your morning with us. Stay warm, and take care.

Good morning.

The first measurable snowfall of the winter seems a certainty this weekend with about 3 inches expected in the region.

Today, we’re discussing train etiquette when it comes to playing music loudly.

But first, let’s go over the latest broadside against the board of the Philadelphia Art Museum by ousted director and CEO Sasha Suda, what we know about Philly’s first-ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert, and our report card for this week in Philly news.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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What you should know today

• Police are looking for a suspect wanted in connection with the killing of a 93-year-old man in the city’s Logan neighborhood last week.
• A flier showing the KKK was posted in Southwest Philly. A ward leader, wanting to calm community fears, said he believes this all may be some kind of misunderstanding.
• A Southwest Philadelphia woman was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison for the October 2024 killing of a pregnant woman during a fight.
• Dismissed Art Museum chief Sasha Suda is arguing for a trial with a jury, rather than settling her dispute with the museum through arbitration, in a new court filing.
• Pennsylvania’s political elite will return this weekend for the first time in seven years to where the annual out-of-state glitzy gathering all began: the Waldorf Astoria New York.
• Philly’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday kicks off on New Year’s Eve with a free outdoor concert featuring LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more.
• The Philadelphia Portal art installment at City Hall is offline. The cause of the blackout was unclear as of Friday.
• After Lincoln University’s homecoming in October ended with seven people shot, including one killed, the surrounding rural Chester County township plans to pass new regulations on large events.
• It’s a buyer’s market around Temple. But an Old City real estate agent’s clients were paying about double the original asking price for properties.
• What, exactly, is the Eagles “positivity bunny”? We explain in our roundup of the good, bad, and weird in the latest stories out of Philly.

Etiquette on the El

It happens every so often, even in the quiet car: I get on the train, and somebody’s loudspeaker starts blaring music or even TikTok videos. A quick look around, and a shared discomfort is obvious on other riders’ faces. What do you do in this situation? Do you speak up, or suffer on your morning commute?

To answer this reader question, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss recruited reporters Beatrice Forman and Henry Savage. Their chat touched on whether there is a “right way” to ask someone to quit blasting their playlist or other disruptive behaviors like smoking.

Forman shared a solution-oriented anecdote: “I was recently on the BSL home from an assignment in South Philly around the time classes let out, and this kid was blasting Kendrick Lamar loud enough for all the train car to hear, so I ended up politely offering him a pair of corded earbuds to use to see if he’d take the hint.”

Personally, I opt for drowning it out with my own music — in my headphones, of course. But I’ve definitely been stuck on SEPTA without that option because said headphones also run out of battery.

Read along for my colleagues’ full verdict. And if you have a pressing question you need advice on, we’re all ears. Send it in here.

One viewpoint

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s H.O.M.E. initiative — a $2 billion proposal to build or restore 30,000 homes across the city — has proved to be a sticking point between Parker’s administration and City Hall. On Wednesday, City Council voted against Parker’s vision.

In the latest edition of “Shackamaxon,” Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson unpacks the mayor’s housing plan and more.

📍 Find the location

Somewhere in Philly, there’s a bright yellow pop-art inspired sculpture that reads “OY/YO” (depending on your vantage point).

Where is it?

A) City Hall

B) Independence Mall

C) Penn’s Landing

D) None of the above

Think you know? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets to the test. Check your answer.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Gilded Age property in Montco

LEAKIEST NEST

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Ken Schwartz, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Baby KJ. The Philadelphia-area infant, who made international headlines this year after a successful gene-editing treatment at CHOP, has been named by Nature as one of 10 people who helped shape medicine in 2025.

We were there

This is Olga Sorzano, owner of Baba’s Brew of Phoenixville, holding a scoby.

Sorzano’s kombucha company generates large amounts of scoby, the mother culture used as a kombucha starter, so she found a new way to use leftover supply: in skincare products.

Food writer Kiki Aranita and photographer Alejandro A. Alvarez went inside the brewing room to learn how the fermenter transforms her bubbly brew into toners, masks, and more.

Somewhere on the internet in Philly

Redditors are nostalgic for these SEPTA bus designs from the ’80s.

Jake Beckman, “the Eagles guy” for FanSided and a stand-up comic, shared a video of what appears to be a police officer conducting a wellness check on Monday night. Their exchange says it all: “The Eagles lost.” “I know.” I wonder how Beckman feels about the positivity bunny.

And another passionate Birds fan is keeping the holiday spirit alive by belting out a Jalen Hurts serenade to the tune of “All I Want for Christmas is You” — at 3 in the morning, no less.

👋🏽 That’s it for now. Let’s catch up again tomorrow.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

It’s Friday, Philly.

Good news for snow lovers: Forecasters say the city could see its first measurable amount of the season over the weekend.

So-called porch pirates continue to strike in the city and beyond. Our top story is an Inquirer analysis that shows how package theft reports have stacked up this year.

Farther down, hear how a chain restaurant and longtime Sixers hangout transformed into one of Philadelphia’s hottest “clubs.”

Scroll along for these stories and more to start your weekend.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Beware the thieves

Porch pirates are expected to be particularly active as gifts and other goodies pile up outside your house this month.

With this in mind, we looked into Philadelphia Police Department data to gauge the severity of the problem.

📦 Reported thefts are up 6% from January to November, compared with the same time period last year, according to an Inquirer analysis of police data.

📦 Reports spike every December, coinciding with a flurry of purchases over the holidays. Still, some incidents go unreported to law enforcement. These factors can make it difficult to project end-of-year totals.

📦 The crime goes beyond Philly, as suburban residents frequently vent about the issue on local Facebook groups.

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy and graphics editor John Duchneskie explain their calculations, and share best practices to protect against porch piracy-related headaches this holiday season.

What you should know today

• Philadelphia’s school board voted Thursday night — over some objections — to explore giving its surplus buildings to the city.
• A veteran lawyer in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has been disbarred in the region’s federal courts after a panel of judges concluded he “lied repeatedly” while seeking to overturn the death sentence of Robert Wharton, who killed a Mount Airy couple and left their infant behind to die.
• Authorities are searching for someone who shattered two windows at Philadelphia’s federal courthouse this week.
• Philadelphia lawmakers voted on Thursday to ban mobile outreach groups that provide medical care and support services to people in addiction across a swath of Kensington. City Council also voted to approve plans to refurbish and reuse Center City’s abandoned Greyhound terminal for intercity buses.
• With the region in the grip of bitter cold, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency Thursday due to a service disruption at a Delaware County propane distribution facility.
• Philly has banned so-called reservation scalpers and made it easier for restaurants to add outdoor dining in areas of the city.
• A Warminster man who fled to his native El Salvador last year after he was charged with sex crimes against children was extradited to Bucks County on Thursday to face trial for sexually assaulting three girls.
• A Penn State faculty group has taken the next step to form a union across the system’s campuses, which eventually could represent about 6,000 faculty. And employees of a West Philly mental healthcare provider have formed a union, citing increased workloads and business changes that diminished patient care.
• Voters in Shamong handily rejected a $25 million school bond question that would have raised property taxes, while a referendum in Mantua was too close to call, officials said Wednesday.
• Would Pa. coal miners really turn down a “beautiful, magnificent” Manhattan penthouse, as President Donald Trump claims? Some say yes; some say it’s not that simple.

‘Club Fridays’

Hours-long wait times. Fans lined up around the block. Patrons dressed to the nines.

You’d think these excited partygoers were posted up for a Center City club, but we’re talking about the TGI Fridays on City Avenue.

Over the years, the chain restaurant was incorporated into the city’s nightlife scene with the help of Sixers legends like Allen Iverson, who transformed the spot into a destination.

It was the team’s unofficial hangout due to its proximity to where the Sixers practiced. But everything changed when Iverson, a rookie at the time, came to town.

Features sportswriter Alex Coffey has the story.

Plus: What happens if one of the 109 flags lining the Parkway is damaged?

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 reporter Nate File on how the city maintains the 109 flags that line the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which were first installed in 1976 as part of the United States’ Bicentennial celebration.

The city’s department of public property aims to replace them twice a year, or as needed when a flag gets damaged. 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 average commute in Philly takes longer than in most large U.S. cities — and it’s gotten slightly worse recently.

In 2024, how many minutes on average did commuters spend getting to work in the city?

A) 31.1 minutes

B) 33.2 minutes

C) 27.2 minutes

D) 45.5 minutes

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re…

🧸 Loving: A former Daily News sportswriter’s toy drive that gives South Philly kids the “Christmas they deserve.“

😮 Remembering: When Archbishop Ryan High School students were held hostage on this week in Philly history.

🍴 Following: What happened after a restaurant came clean about why the Health Department shut it down.

🫣 Confounded by: The half-naked man who stood — and shivered — on a box near the Liberty Bell.

📝 Considering: The role that the Department of Licenses and Inspections plays in Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s affordable housing plan.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Philadelphia-area infant who made international headlines this year

ABBY JK

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Sandy Homel, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Austin Davis. Several hospital-based anti-violence programs in the area received $3 million in state funding, as announced Wednesday by Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor.

Photo of the day

Thanks for stopping by this morning. Have a great weekend.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Morning, Philly. Today’s newsletter is all about buildings.

Thousands of new apartments have sprung up in Center City since 2015. But who, exactly, is living in all of them?

And demolition has started at the mosaic-clad former Painted Bride Art Center building. See how the Old City space went from art haven to neighborhood battleground.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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New neighbors

Between Pine and Vine Streets, river to river, 3,500 new apartments have opened since 2023. If you’ve lived in Philly for a while, you might have looked up at all those high-rise towers and wondered: Who’s up there?

The answer is, more than likely, a bunch of carless, 30-something transplants who work at Jefferson.

🏢 Most of these renters are young — under 45 — and probably don’t own a car, a Center City District survey found. Nearly half moved from beyond the region, but they want to stay for at least the next few years. Many work in Center City or very close by, and they’re in healthcare more than any other sector.

🏢 They say they’re attracted by the downtown area’s density and walkability. They’re also likely to pay nearly double the median Philadelphia rent, for an average of $2,645.

🏢 Case in point: “I love that Philadelphia has so much energy,” said a Logan Square data analyst who moved to the city with his wife, a Cooper University Hospital employee, from Baltimore last year. Next, they hope to buy a condo nearby.

Commercial real estate reporter Jake Blumgart has more on a changing Center City.

In other housing news: Airbnb expects to host 17,000 guests at its short-term rentals across the region when the FIFA World Cup comes here next summer.

The fall of the Painted Bride

The former site of the Painted Bride at 230 Vine St. is in the process of being demolished to make way for apartments and commercial space.

This unceremonious ending follows a nearly six-year legal battle that pitted artists and preservationists against neighbors, who opposed developer Shimi Zakin’s plans to save the arts space. Zakin said he now hopes to incorporate pieces of the exterior’s 7,000-square-foot mirror-and-tile mosaic by Isaiah Zagar into his new building.

But the celebrated structure had faced tumult before.

See the full timeline of the Painted Bride’s stay in Old City, and the complicated legal battles that led to its building’s razing.

More arts funding news: A Roxborough nonprofit thought it had $170,000 in the bank. Then the payroll didn’t clear.

What you should know today

• A man and teenager who were killed Tuesday in Germantown had met for the sale of a Rolex watch.
• A North Philadelphia street-gang hitman wanted in connection with three murders was taken into custody Wednesday in Delaware County, officials said.
• Out-of-state residents can’t use New Jersey’s aid-in-dying law, a federal appeals court ruled.
• King of Prussia-based Recovery Centers of America will pay $2 million to settle federal claims of illegally dispensing controlled substances and falsely billing Medicaid.
• The Trump administration changed the name on a portrait of former Health Secretary Rachel Levine, formerly Pennsylvania’s physician general. She called it a “petty action.”
• Former Gov. Ed Rendell has endorsed State Sen. Sharif Street to succeed U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.
• A former Philly teacher-turned-Democratic official wants to unseat a Republican state senator in the suburbs, part of a larger effort to flip the state Senate for the first time in 31 years.
• Philadelphia City Council voted Wednesday against Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s vision for her signature housing plan, signaling a win for progressives.
• A Philly judge’s ruling in a charter case has called into question Joyce Wilkerson’s seat on the school board.
• For the second year in a row, the Delaware County Council approved a double-digit property tax increase.

Quote of the day

Richardson is now making “bus-driver rap” in a different way: He has become a go-to artist for Philly-set TV show Abbott Elementary, plus Albie’s Elevator and other local productions .

🧠 Trivia time

Beginning Jan. 5, twice-weekly trash pickup is coming to which area of the city?

A) North Philadelphia

B) West Philadelphia

C) Northeast Philadelphia

D) Northwest Philadelphia

Think you know? Check your answer.

What (and whom) we’re…

🪙 Collecting: The new Semiquincentennial coins featuring three Philly landmarks.

🥊 Following: The latest plans to keep a Rocky statue at the top of the Art Museum steps.

🫗 Glad to know: The Ridley Creek oil spill cleanup is almost complete.

⛸️ Cheering on: This Mount Laurel figure skater and Olympic hopeful.

🥔 Eager to try: South Philly’s Mod Spuds, a monthlong jacket potato pop-up, plus South Street’s new Banshee from Cheu alums.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Lt. Gov. _ _

UNSAID VISTA

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Fatima Lee, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Wissinoming. Jeff Brown, whose family operates a dozen local ShopRites, recently purchased the Shoppes at Wissinoming shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia for $30.8 million.

Photo of the day

📚 One last homey thing: When Abel Tootle Jr. bought his home 13 years ago, it gave him full freedom to design a space reflecting his interests — most importantly his many, many books. Check out his “maximalist” North Philly rowhouse.

Sounds like a dream home to me. I’ll be OOO through next week, so Paola and Sam will bring you the weekday news. ‘Til we meet again in your inbox, be well.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.