🔵 DNC 2028’s economic impact | Morning Newsletter

Happy Thursday, Philly.

What would hosting the 2028 Democratic National Convention mean for the city’s economy? It depends whom you ask.

And the decline of Philly basketball’s onetime legendary alliance began a long time ago, our sports columnist writes. Now it isn’t much of anything anymore — and the reasons are many.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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‘A chance to show off Philadelphia’

If Philadelphia lands its pitch to host the 2028 DNC, the city could see big economic gains — or not, experts say.

🔵 City and state officials and other boosters say the thousands of visitors expected to attend the convention would spend their money on hotels, meals, and attractions. A Visit Philly-commissioned report on the 2016 DNC found the event brought $230.9 million to the local economy.

🔵 Economists who have studied conventions say tourism groups’ lofty claims can be overblown. But at least one economic winner is clear: the hospitality industry.

🔵 “I can think of a few of examples of hotels making their annual budget based on the DNC alone,” the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association’s chief told The Inquirer, about a past convention held in the city.

🔵 And hosting the next DNC could have other benefits for Philly — breathless international media coverage, for one — with minimal financial tradeoffs.

City Hall reporters Sean Collins Walsh and Anna Orso have more.

In other local government news: City Council’s housing committee on Wednesday advanced two bills meant to help Philadelphia renters living in unsafe or unhealthy homes. And Mayor Cherelle L. Parker this week appointed former prosecutor Tito Valdes as Philadelphia’s new director of LGBTQ+ affairs.

What happened to Big 5 basketball?

🎤 Now I’m passing the mic to sports columnist Mike Sielski.

These days, most people who follow college basketball, if they’re being honest, have to acknowledge that the Big 5 isn’t much of anything anymore.

The round-robin rivalries among La Salle, Penn, St. Joe’s, Temple, Villanova, and more recently Drexel have lost most of their juice. That white-hot competition, fueled by the benign hatred that only proximity and familiarity can ignite, used to define Philadelphia hoops. It has cooled.

Now, just one school, Villanova, enters each season with the baseline expectation that it will qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and the pipeline of local recruits that once sustained these programs has all but dried up. — Mike Sielski

Ahead of March Madness, read his deep dive on what changed about the once-glorious Big 5.

More basketball news: Sixers center Andre Drummond always wanted a signature shoe. Instead, he got an entire brand.

What you should know today

• Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democratic senator to vote against curbing President Donald Trump’s power to order strikes in Iran.
• A statue of a founding father who enslaved people was taken down in Wilmington. It’s now moving to D.C.’s Freedom Plaza as part of Trump’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
• Pennsylvania voters broadly oppose some of Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics — but there’s a stark partisan split, a new poll found.
• Youth- and immigrant-rights advocates on Wednesday called on Gov. Josh Shapiro to close a Berks County center that holds immigrant children.
• At least four people were critically injured after a large explosion destroyed a commercial production building Wednesday in Logan Township, Gloucester County.
• A convenience store worker shot during a September armed robbery has sued a “skill games” manufacturer, alleging the casino-style devices on the Frankford premises motivated the attack.
• Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. Last year, 81% of workers who earned that much or less were women.
• SEPTA expects to receive about $5.5 million from a federal appropriation to offset the cost of providing transit service in Philadelphia during the FIFA World Cup.
• Lankenau and Robeson High Schools are still fighting their proposed closures, even after Philadelphia school officials tweaked plans to appease them.

Quote of the day

While workplace gossip might not always be a wise idea, the practice has its benefits — like bonding among coworkers, this researcher says.

🧠 Trivia time

The mustard-yellow building of the former Italian bistro La Locanda del Ghiottone in Old City is set to be demolished and replaced with what?

A) Luxury condos

B) A performance space

C) The new Painted Bride headquarters

D) La Locanda del Ghiottone II

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re …

🚘 Testing: E-ZPass stickers in place of those white windshield transponders.

🪻 Learning: The origins of the Philadelphia Flower Show.

🇵🇷 Answering: Why were the Parkway flags taken down this week?

⚽ Anticipating: Rob Mac-owned Wrexham AFC’s match at Subaru Park this summer.

🪴 Considering: This grieving mother’s plea to keep Lankenau High School open.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: _ Bakery

INTERPOL MOAT

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

Cheers to Nick Horiates, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: NASCAR. South Jersey’s Lavar Scott is NASCAR’s third active Black driver. He’s “trying to change the whole dynamic of motorsports.”

Photo of the day

🎉 One last hyped-up thing: Philadelphia Soccer 2026 marked the 100-day countdown before kickoff of the FIFA World Cup with a rally. The Tuesday event was emceed by Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham — who admitted to being a new fan of the sport.

Find something to celebrate today. Back at it tomorrow.

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