Category: Newsletters

The atmosphere may feel like an obnoxious broth, but at least we made it to Friday, Philly.

With thousands of travelers trying to navigate the city during the World Cup, SEPTA has recruited workers and volunteers to help show them the way. Transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald took us along for the training class.

Two Philadelphia police officers stopped and searched hundreds of Black men on the street. Defense lawyers say the stops were illegal and racially biased.

Plus, City Council plans to investigate the police response at Pride celebrations, and more news of the day.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Translating SEPTA speak

To become a SEPTA ambassador, Tom Fitzgerald went through a bit of boot camp.

From June 13 through July 19, employees and volunteers will be posted at critical transit and Regional Rail stations as the city plays host to a handful of big summer events. As ambassadors, Fitzgerald and others would offer information, directions, and crowd control — baked in with a friendly Philly welcome.

His training included:

Cultural diplomacy: For instance, you should never flash the “OK” hand gesture to a Brazilian. It’s offensive, like flipping the bird.

Emergency scenarios: How to “bring the temperature down” if and when tensions rise or conflicts break out, or handle a more serious situation.

In Tom’s own words: “It’s a lot, which is why up to 1,000 employees have spent half a day in training with a detailed curriculum that feels like cramming for finals.”

Join Fitzgerald’s journey to get certified and help newcomers navigate SEPTA.

🚌 In other SEPTA news: SEPTA is extending Route 45 to provide direct daily bus service to the Navy Yard for the first time in more than a decade.

Police stops face bias claims

Over the course of two years, two Philadelphia police officers systematically targeted hundreds of Black men for unlawful searches, according to lawyers with the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

Since the lawyers challenged the legal justification for the stops, prosecutors have dropped firearms charges against 24 men the officers arrested.

In recent court filings, the lawyers said their review found that the officers mislabeled stops as voluntary encounters, delayed body-camera activation, and avoided required documentation of the stops.

The allegations raise questions about the city’s compliance with a federal consent decree meant to curb unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices. Philadelphia entered that agreement more than a decade ago.

Criminal justice reporter Jillian Kramer has the story.

What you should know today

• Philadelphia City Council will hold public hearings to examine the police department’s crowd-control tactics used during last Sunday’s Pride festivities in the city’s Gayborhood, a response that drew criticism from LGBTQ+ community leaders who have called the display of force unacceptable.
• City Council approved a bill Thursday to encourage denser and taller development around Philadelphia’s transit stations. The law comes with a caveat: the council must opt stations into it. City Council also voted to ban noncommercial and commercial horse carriages, with exceptions that will be regulated by animal control.
• A new public safety hub is opening on Market Street to coordinate police responses in the area.
• The body of a Philadelphia teenager who vanished earlier this month while swimming in the ocean at the Jersey Shore has been recovered, the Wildwood Police Department said.
• A Chesco judge quashed a land use appeal seeking to halt the construction of a 1.5 million-square-foot data center proposed for East Whiteland Township.
• A Delco-based medical logistics company ceased operations last week, eliminating dozens of workers.
• New Jersey secured a federal disaster declaration for the crops damaged in April’s rare heat-freeze sequence.
• Drexel University received a historic $112.6 million gift to establish its new college of engineering and computing, renovate space in two buildings to foster programs within it, and provide more scholarships.
• Philly artisan brewery Punch Buggy Brewing Company is opening a second location in the suburbs on Saturday.

Plus: What are those colorful markings on the ground?

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 Michelle Myers on some mysterious-looking symbols and writings on Philly-area streets and sidewalks.

It might look like a bunch of nonsense, but they all mean something. It’s a language by which utility companies communicate what’s happening underground. 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

Philly is opening a “hospitality hub” for visitors this summer along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. What is the hub’s main feature?

A) Misting fans

B) Public restrooms

C) Branded sunglasses

D) Water ice

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

What (and whom) we’re …

👟 Rooting for: This 90-year-old Havertown man competing for track and field medals.

🧤 Testing: How hard can it be to stop a penalty kick?

⚽ Recapping: The first jam-packed day of Fan Fest at Lemon Hill (see all the pics here!) and our full guide to the World Cup in Philly.

🥨 Revealing: The final top 10 in our full list of the 76 most iconic Philly foods.

🍧 Asking Philadelphians: What’s the best water ice in Philly? The most popular response might surprise you.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: If you ask some Philadelphia 🏀 fans, this pop star’s claim to the city should be revoked for repping the Knicks.

FLOATY WRIST

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

Cheers to Clare Cosenza, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Reading Terminal Market. The market will be part of a new expansion by the Philadelphia Visitor Center ahead of the large influx of tourists expected this summer.

Photo of the day

🎨 One more artsy thing: Roughly 1,000 of Philly’s murals are on private homes. The Inquirer asked six homeowners why they wanted their properties to join the city’s rich tapestry of murals.

👋🏽 Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend when you get there, and I’ll catch up with you 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.

Good morning, Philly! Get ready for a hot one today, with highs expected to hit the 90s. The city’s even declared a heat health emergency.

More than a decade ago, the Fraternal Order of Police was able to persuade the city to significantly boost how much it would pay to cover funeral expenses for fallen officers. But an Inquirer investigation found the union has billed taxpayers for questionable expenses.

City officials encouraged local organizers to have neighborhood parties this summer in honor of the nation’s 250th, the World Cup, and more. But now permit requests are being denied, and confusion is mounting as to why.

Plus, the Philly School District will not make 340 classroom job cuts after all, and more news of the day.

— Sam Stewart (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Funeral bar tabs on taxpayer dime

After a tragic and unprecedented spike in officer deaths, Philadelphia’s police union made an emotional plea for help: Its charitable organization was running low on funds and struggling to give fallen officers the respectful burials they deserved.

City officials stepped up, agreeing in 2014 to significantly boost how much they would pay to cover funeral expenses. Since then, for each officer who died in the line of duty, the city has contributed up to $75,000 in tax dollars.

But an Inquirer investigation found that the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 has billed the city for an array of expenses that are far outside the scope of funeral home and cemetery costs. The union has asked to be reimbursed tens of thousands of dollars for bar and restaurant tabs, alcohol, catering costs, car repairs, carpet and upholstery cleaning, socks and underwear, garbage bags, and paper towels.

The city’s $75,000 contributions for officer funeral expenses, which had not been previously reported, prompt new questions about the FOP’s Survivors’ Fund, the union’s own charitable organization that raises money to pay for funerals and support the families of officers who were killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

The Inquirer’s Barbara Laker has the full story.

There goes the neighborhood (party)

Philadelphia is slated to have an abundance of block parties and street festivals this summer after the city encouraged neighborhoods to join in celebrating the nation’s 250th with their own events, even offering financial support for hosting through various grants.

But some organizers who responded to the calls are now learning there’s a limit on so-called festival street closure permits for events between June 11 and July 18. That’s essentially the duration of World Cup, July Fourth, and MLB All-Star events. The Office of Special Events did not immediately say how many street closure applications were denied for that period of time.

Notable quote: “The city government, in this case the Commerce Department, is literally trying to give communities money to host events and yet the city is also, on the other hand, denying the ability to host events.”

Though some of these events plan to move forward as “sidewalk activations” that organizers say will still be fun, frustration remains over an already complicated permitting process, made more difficult by what organizers argue has been confusing messaging from the city.

What you should know today

• Philadelphia School District officials will move to restore 340 classroom-based jobs that were slated to be cut, despite district leaders saying last week that they did not have the recurring funding needed to keep the positions.
• It’s the eve of the World Cup and the night before Philly bars can remain open until 4 a.m. But many are still waiting to see if they’ll qualify.
• Today is the last day of classes for the Philadelphia School District’s 216 schools. A quarter of them will dismiss early because of hot temperatures.
• Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee is likely to take the rare step of ordering a redo of Monday’s controversial 22nd Ward leader election, in which City Councilmember Cindy Bass declared herself the victor after a closely divided voice vote.
• A race for a key swing district in Northeastern Pennsylvania has caught the eye of a major Democratic super PAC that plans to spend around $50 million on advertising targeting Republican-held seats, according to the New York Times.
• Christen “Chris” Woods, the former leader of one of Philadelphia’s largest labor unions, was acquitted of theft and conspiracy charges by a judge who rejected prosecutors’ allegations that he used a union-funded renovation project to secretly funnel money into local political campaigns.
• Johan Rojas will not play for the Phillies in 2026 after suffering an elbow injury. Rojas is already serving an 80-game suspension without pay for testing positive for boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.

Quote of the day

After 15 people were arrested on Sunday during Pride celebrations, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said she is investigating and meeting with community leaders.

🧠 Trivia time

Who is the comedian and actress who was once cursed out at Philadelphia International Airport? (Hint: She’s talked about it on her hit podcast.)

A) Tina Fey

B) Nikki Glaser

C) Amy Poehler

D) None of the above

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re …

😋 Craving: The most iconic dishes in Philly! Check out The 76 list for must-try bites around the city.

🗓️ Planning for: The 2026 Odunde Festival, Philly’s annual African cultural celebration. We have everything you’ll need to know.

🎉 Celebrating: Time magazine dropped its inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in sports, and it’s loaded with Philly faves!

🧠 Learning: Did you know Philadelphia is the birthplace of the Continental Army, the first branch of the American military? It all began in 1775.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: This iconic Philly food spot was recently voted Best Public Market in the country.

ADMIRER MENTAL RETAKING

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

Cheers to Kate Hetherington, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Jamie Apody, who’s getting an expanded role at Fox 29. “I’m so thrilled to be doing what I love again,” Apody said.

Photo of the day

FloatLab, a public art feature that will offer an eye-level view of the Schuylkill, finished its voyage up the East Coast from North Carolina to Southwest Philly.

👋 That’s it from me, folks! Have a great day!

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.