🍧 The case for saving water ice | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to Saturday. We’re promised a nice day out with temps in the 70s.

As summer fades away, a reader decided to stuff his freezer with water ice. Was it a smart move? His wife doesn’t think so. Here’s what Inquirer staffers had to say.

Plus, we cover a rabies warning for South Jersey residents, Eagles fans landing “a seat at the table” to negotiate changes to tailgating, and our report card for this week in Philly news.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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What you should know today

• A former supervisor took bribes to approve $139,000 in fake overtime for a colleague at the Philadelphia Fire Department, federal prosecutors say.
• A section of University City will now officially be called Black Bottom, again.
• Democratic State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta has called for Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine to resign from the Pennsylvania House after he reportedly used a homophobic slur against Kenyatta, who is gay, earlier this week.
• A Philadelphia man was charged with killing his two brothers in 2024. Last week, that case fell apart, and prosecutors dropped the charges, but it’s still unclear who was responsible for the slayings.
• The Gaudreau brothers will be honored on Sunday with the dedication of life-saving equipment made available to the public at Washington Lake Park.
• Three animals in Gloucester County have tested positive for rabies this week. Public health officials are advising residents to avoid contact with wild animals.
• With impending tailgate restrictions on the horizon, a coalition of fans fought to keep Eagles tailgate culture familiar. Some of their complaints were heard Friday, but they say there’s still work to be done.
• From the Phillies’ October run ending earlier than ever to holding out hope in saving the Academy of Natural Sciences, catch up on the good, bad, and weird from recent stories out of Philly.

Water ice hoarding

A reader asked: John’s Water Ice just closed for the season, so I decided to do something smart this year: I stocked up. Almost half our freezer is filled with it.

But, my wife says it’s too much, that we have to have people over soon to eat through it so we actually have freezer space, and that it won’t even taste as good a month from now. But I say: Some John’s is better than no John’s. Did I go too far? Or not far enough?

Life and culture reporters Mike Newall and Abigail Covington duked this one out in the group chat. “It’ll be gone before Halloween,” Newall said, pitching in favor of preserving the seasonal treat.

But Newall got cold feet when Covington reminded him that “freezer burn fuzzies” exist. (I also shuddered at the thought.)

Read their full conversation here. And if you need advice, or want to share your thoughts, we want to hear it. Email us here.

One viewpoint

This week, Cherelle L. Parker capped her 1,000th day as mayor of Philadelphia by breaking ground on a big renovation project at McPherson Square Library in Kensington.

In this week’s Shackamaxon, Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson unpacks this mayoral milestone, and why he considers Kensington to be a microcosm of Parker’s tenure.

“If the mayor intends to reach 2,000 days in office without becoming yet another tired and unpopular chief executive, she’ll have to step up her game,” Pearson writes.

Read on for Pearson’s perspective on Parker’s mixed record, along with thoughts on neighbors fighting historic district designation, and the push for a district Council member to retire.

❓Pop quiz

Abbott Elementary is nearly back in session.

In the new season 6 trailer, it’s revealed that first-grade teacher Gregory, played by Tyler James Williams, will now also serve as what?

A) The school’s assistant principal

B) A custodian apprentice to Mr. Johnson

C) A teachers’ union representative

D) All of the above

Think you know? Check your answer.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: This historic building in Center City will soon be home to a new $4 million event space.

KARMA WANE

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

Cheers to John McKeever, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Philadelphia Museum of Art. Earlier this year, a peregrine falcon with lead poisoning was recovered from the Philly landmark and rehabilitated by the Schuylkill Center.

We were there

Fringe Fest marked its 30th year with more than 338 bold productions across Philly. A variety of delightfully strange shows moved our team of reporters to tears, confusion, and amazement.

From solo shows to interactive experiences, here are some of their favorites from this year’s big, bizarre, and bold festival.

Somewhere on the internet in Philly

🏒 Phoebe Bridgers’ dog Maxine 🧡’s Gritty.

📺 LeBron James’ first photo shoot as a Sixer + the Action News Theme = golden video.

🧀 On Reddit and beyond, people are talking about the influencer who hurled a cheesesteak at the general manager of Pat’s King of Steaks. The suspect turned himself in, but not before his behavior — which police charged as harassment — birthed new clapbacks. That’s how you internet in Philly.

👋🏽 Thanks for reading. Take care, and I’ll catch up with you again tomorrow.

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