Good morning. A flood watch is in effect for the Philadelphia region beginning at noon Thursday.
To start, we examine the turnover of top appointees in Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration in comparison to her recent predecessors.
And federal investigators have released new evidence from last year’s fatal medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia.
Plus, our tool can help you navigate changes coming to SEPTA’s bus network, and more news of the day.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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More than half have departed
According to an Inquirer analysis of personnel moves, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has seen higher turnover among her top appointees than other recent mayors.
By this point in their tenures, former Mayors Michael A. Nutter and Jim Kenney saw only a few appointees leave city government.
Parker has lost six of her 11 original top appointees since taking office. The most recent departures, those of Managing Director Adam K. Thiel and City Solicitor Renee Garcia, were announced last month.
The next two tiers of city government leaders under Parker have seen less churn.
See the data in Sean Collins Walsh’s full story.
Potential factors in fatal crash
The National Transportation Safety Board filed documents revealing new details on the medical transport plane that crashed near the Roosevelt Mall just after takeoff in January 2025. All six people onboard and two others on the ground were killed.
While a cause has not yet been determined, the federal agency found that both human and oversight failings preceded the incident.
These include potentially fatigued pilots, training weaknesses, and a lack of safety checks by the Federal Aviation Administration as possible contributing factors.
Henry Savage and Dylan Purcell report on what investigators have pieced together so far.
What you should know today
- Temple University will begin requiring most freshmen to live on campus. It’s a significant change for what was once largely a commuter school.
- Someone vandalized a sculpture at the Weitzman Jewish history museum with antisemitic graffiti on Aug. 13. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission condemned the incident on Tuesday.
- A section of Walnut Street that was most recently a beer garden will become a two-story retail building.
- The Philadelphia School District says it can’t use recent state test scores to judge whether its academics are improving. Officials blamed a delay in Harrisburg.
- After thousands of its license-plate searches leaked online, Abington police are ending contracts with surveillance firm Flock Safety.
- SEPTA will implement phase one of its new bus network this weekend, with changes to 30 lines. Plug your address into our tool and see how your route will be affected.
- The Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System ended a $300 million foreign-stocks investment for poor performance — then gave the same firm a fresh $2 billion to invest in U.S. stocks.
- Thanks to a resolution that passed Wednesday, Collingswood voters will have the final say on the borough’s long-standing liquor license ban.
Quote of the day
The Cannonball Club and its old cars on display are breathing new life into an empty Fishtown factory.
The club will serve as a hangout spot for city-dwelling car enthusiasts, complete with a café and bar, and a social and coworking space. It opens for business on Sept. 10 and already has some members signed up.
🧠 Trivia time
Woodford Cedar Run in South Jersey cares for thousands of animals each year. For the first time, it now has a full-time vet.
What year did the wildlife refuge first open?
A) 1982
B) 1999
C) 1957
D) 2000
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re …
🎤 Stoked to see: The indomitable Motown queen Diana Ross and other acts around Philly this week.
🧀 Flattered by: A small town in Idaho thinks it can beat our “longest cheesesteak” record. (It’s for a good cause, though, so we’re not too pressed about it.)
🏅 ⚽ Highlighting: The Philly area’s 25 best athletes under 25.
🎸 Chatting with: The Bacon Brothers on their Philly childhoods and the secret to eating Tastykake Jelly Krimpets.
☀️ Hyped for: The return of our favorite gang of morally bankrupt misfits on TV.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Historic theater in Collingswood
CHEST TITHE RIOTS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to David Struck, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Taco Heart. The Texas-style taco spot has a new outpost coming to Ardmore in October.
Photo of the day
East Whiteland residents were staunchly opposed to a controversial 1.5 million-square-foot data center project. That scrutiny propelled the community to gather support for a November ballot question that would expand the number of elected officials who represent them.
👋🏽 The weekend is in sight! Thanks for stopping by. Have a good Thursday.
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