The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. While it’s a new week, you’d be forgiven for feeling some weather-related deja vu, as Sunday snow has turned into a messy Monday.
More than a foot of snow was predicted to fall on the region overnight through this afternoon. Below, find a rundown on what to know about schools, city services, and more.
And amid the Trump administration’s anti-labor push, how did union membership fare in Pennsylvania and New Jersey last year? Take a look at the local and national data.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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A rare blizzard warning has led to disruption in Philadelphia and around the region. Here’s what to expect today:
❄️ City schools will be virtual, while Camden and several suburban districts are closed.
❄️ Trash and recycling collection in Philly has been suspended Monday and Tuesday. A two-day delay will remain through the week.
❄️ SEPTA, PATCO, NJ Transit, and Amtrak have all planned service disruptions or suspensions. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport for Sunday and Monday.
❄️ The city’s Code Blue designation, set to last until 9 a.m. Tuesday, means additional shelter beds are available. The city also opened several warming centers, including at Prevention Point in Kensington and Hub of Hope in Suburban Station.
Plus: See how much snow is forecast across the region with our weather data map, updated every six hours. For the latest storm updates, visit Inquirer.com.
Despite President Donald Trump’s administration moving to end union contracts and cut positions for federal workers, union membership remained fairly steady across the United States in the last year.
Union rates over time: The percentage of U.S. workers who belong to unions has halved since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started collecting this data in 1983, from 20.1% to 10% in 2025.
Local membership: Workers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are slightly more likely to be unionized compared to the national rate, at 14.7% and 10.9%, respectively. Still, both states saw a decline of around one percentage point from 2024.
Recent labor action: Philly-area labor moves in the past year have included an eight-day municipal workers strike, a threatened SEPTA strike, and a Whole Foods unionization.
Business reporter Ariana Perez-Castells has the story.
More union news: University of Pennsylvania’s graduate student workers last week reached a tentative agreement on a first union contract, averting a strike.
What you should know today
Petitioners are calling for the longtime Quakertown Borough police chief to resign, days after videos emerged that appear to show him barreling into a crowd of teenagers, sustaining a barrage of punches, and grappling with a girl on the ground.
Lincoln University announced new safety plans for large events after the on-campus shooting at homecoming last October that left one dead and six others shot.
Nearly a year after Crozer-Chester Medical Center closed, Chester residents say they are still struggling to access healthcare.
Of the 20 schools the Philadelphia School District has recommended closing, six are middle schools — though others will stay open, or even grow. The district says it’s “an efficiency issue.”
A Penn OB-GYN who studied antidepressant use during pregnancy saw that patients often get mixed messaging from providers. Here’s what her research found.
Jessica Chopin Roney will take over the Library Company of Philadelphia after it merges with Temple University. She has ties to both institutions and will be the first woman to lead the group in 295 years.
Team USA men’s hockey team honored Johnny Gaudreau, the late hockey star from Salem County, after winning Olympic gold in Milan on Sunday. South Jersey fans were “proud they remembered him for how great he was."
Quote of the day
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity has picked up nationally and in the Philadelphia region, volunteers such as Hernández aim to help undocumented people afraid to leave home.
In other ICE news: Philadelphia’s federal courthouse is managing hundreds of lawsuits filed by undocumented immigrants challenging the government’s attempts to detain them, an Inquirer review found. That includes 168 filed in the first six weeks of 2026 alone, compared to eight total from 2020 through 2024.
🧠 Trivia time
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper has previously donned cleats that give a nod to Wawa and the Phanatic. What do his latest themed spikes represent?
A) Roy Rogers
B) Gritty
C) East Falls native Grace Kelly
D) Jersey Shore boardwalk funhouses
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🗺️ Mapping: The late Isaiah Zagar’s mosaics around Philly.
📷 Documenting: The President’s House saga through Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish’s lens.
⚽ Anticipating: Delran native Carli Lloyd’s return to Fox coverage of the World Cup.
🏀 Bidding on: A rare Wilt Chamberlain rookie uniform.
🦅 Wondering: Why do NFL players keep professing their love for Eagles fans?
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Longtime Thomas Jefferson University women’s basketball coach
MILTY SHORE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Aaron Thomas, who solved Sunday anagram: Colman Domingo. The West Philly native and Temple alum is up for three NAACP Image Awards, including the President’s Award.
Photo of the day
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Deb Olsen, who recalls how her love of a certain annual event bloomed:
I attended Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in the late ‘70s. As a horticulture major, I was chosen among a dozen other students to help out in the set up of the Philadelphia Flower Show for each of my high school years. This was a great honor because we got to take off two weeks of school and see how all the exhibits were put together.
About three days before the show opened, we worked a late night when a giant tractor trailer pulled in with a hundred flats of flowering bulbs. We had to unload them and place them around the showroom floors. The first year I did this, it seemed a monumental task. There were no hand trucks or trolleys. We just all lined up on the loading dock and formed a chain into the building, passing heavy wood flats filled with soil and fragrant hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils into the Convention Center, one after the other.
It took four hours. Our arm muscles were screaming; we were cold and covered in dirt. But when it was done, the place looked fantastic.
It really is a wonder to see a huge hall converted into a garden wonderland in the middle of winter. I hope everyone plans to come and enjoy it. Stop by Saul High School’s exhibit. The kids worked hard to design and put it together. Show them your appreciation.
🌱 Want to plant your own roots of appreciation? Before the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show begins on Saturday, check out our guide for info on the schedule, tickets, exhibits on display, and more.
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.
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