🏖️ Choosing a getaway | Morning Newsletter

Good morning.

The bitter cold is here, and a winter storm is on the way. The latest forecasts call for more ice in Philadelphia. Be sure to visit Inquirer.com for weather updates.

Does a week at the boardwalk beat a trip to the ballpark down South? Inquirer staffers make their case for the better vacation option.

Plus, there’s news about a grocery store chain collecting biometric data, the aftermath of the removal of slavery exhibits at the President’s House, and our report card for this week in Philly-area news.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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What you should know today

• All Philadelphia schools will be closed Monday. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said he wants students to focus on having fun after the incoming snowfall.
• The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the suspension of a former Philadelphia judge who was ejected from the bench in 2024 after refusing to stop posting political statements on Facebook.
• Wegmans recently started collecting shoppers’ biometric data at its New York City stores, but the company won’t say if it’s happening at Philly-area locations, too. And in other grocery store news, more options are coming to Chester County this year.
• Parents and teachers at Southwark School in South Philadelphia are sounding an alarm about building conditions, including mice, graffiti, and broken bathrooms.
• Philadelphia-based telecommunications giant Comcast is one step closer to settling class-action lawsuits for $117.5 million over a data breach that potentially impacted over 30 million customers.
• The abrupt removal of all exhibits about slavery at the President’s House Site on Thursday has rocked the city. Philadelphians are asking: What could happen next?
• The developer behind a massive mixed-use project in South Jersey has filed a lawsuit accusing a “rogue” employee of derailing municipal approvals and plotting to steer the property to Rowan University and a rival firm.
• A Florida fraudster who fooled 60 mostly Philadelphia-area investors into contributing $5 million to develop biometric anti-addiction systems was sentenced to 5½ years in prison.
• Remnants of a 19th-century shipwreck washed up on a New Jersey beach after weeks of erosion from high winds and rough surf.
• How did Philly get dragged into a Palm Beach reality show? Catch up on this and more among the good, bad, and weird from the region’s recent stories.

Spring training vs. peak Shore summer

We’re answering this reader question: What’s a better vacation: a week at the Jersey Shore or spring training in Clearwater? (It’s real chilly out. Of course you’re thinking about warmer environments.)

To reach a verdict, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss recruited regular Shore-goer and past spring training attendee Sam Ruland, as well as Shore resident and correspondent Amy Rosenberg. They get to the core of the decision: the timing, the costs, and what either trip delivers.

For instance, Rosenberg notes that there’s “almost nothing” happening down the Shore in February or March, so maybe baseball is your best bet. Then Ruland points out how one can gain something different from each experience: “Spring training wouldn’t fill the void of missing a week down the Shore in the summer,” she said.

In their chat, Rosenberg also shared an incredible life hack to save money while traveling to Florida.

Read along for my colleagues’ full discussion. 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 a compromise agreement between Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and City Council that would make Parker’s $800 million H.O.M.E. proposal a reality.

Get Pearson’s perspective on the return of City Council and much more.

📍 Find the location

Think you know where this person is waiting for the bus? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets to the test. Check your answer.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: New York Times crossword editor and NPR puzzle master

STROLL WHIZ

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

Cheers to Joann Polk, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Stixers. The Sixers’ drum line provides opportunities for young people in the city, alongside bringing the team’s game-day beat.

We were there

The Sixers beat the Rockets, 128-122, on Thursday night. Between “vintage” Joel Embiid out in full force and Kelly Oubre Jr. showing why he should stay in the starting lineup, it was a thrilling overtime victory.

See more in our roundup of the week’s best Philly sports photos.

Somewhere on the internet in Philly

To the tune of Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” people are paying respects to Drexel’s shuttered Wawa.

A.J. Brown has been low-key since the Eagles’ season came to an end, but a video of him making a kid’s day in Miami is making the rounds on social media.

And I’m not even going to try to describe what happens in this recent chaotic Gritty video, but the caption sums it up pretty well: “shoey? no, leggy.” As my favorite comment put it, this couldn’t be more Philly if you tried.

👋🏽 Time to bundle up. Enjoy your Saturday, and I’ll catch up with you again tomorrow morning.

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