The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Friday, Philly. Be careful in that wind today, and remember: Daylight saving time returns this weekend, as does the clock-change debate.
If a money-making opportunity seems to be too good to be true, proceed with caution. Our top story explains how a store at the Moorestown Mall grew out of what investors call a massive e-commerce scam.
And Stephen Starr’s splashiest Philadelphia restaurant since Parc will have dishes designed by a highly acclaimed New York chef. Read on for the latest details on the forthcoming Borromini.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia: Our latest news quiz includes questions on Deli Boys, a Questlove doc, and more.
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Value Vault sold goods like housewares and electronics out of a storefront at the Moorestown Mall for months before it abruptly shut down in February, shortly after a visit from Inquirer reporters.
📦 The discount store turned out to be tied to what angry investors across the country call a massive e-commerce scam that cost them tens of thousands of dollars. They had been promised passive income through Amazon stores or “fractional retail ownership”: Hand over your cash, they were told, and make huge profits — up to 40% returns with a 100% money-back guarantee — for next to no effort.
📦 Instead, they got account-suspension notices from Amazon, and few answers from a Philly-area serial entrepreneur who is now courting investors with new companies.
📦 “At no point was it legitimate,” one former associate told The Inquirer. “What’s crazy is, the business model is great. It’s just too good to be true, because the promises they were making were outlandish.”
Reporters Samantha Melamed and Ryan Briggs dig into the case.
The Rittenhouse food scene is expanding this spring, and among the most anticipated openings is Borromini, the latest entrée from restaurateur Stephen Starr.
The multilevel Italian spot is set to open in the former Barnes & Noble bookstore next to Rittenhouse Square in the coming months. In the meantime, menu development is being led by Michelin star-winning, James Beard-awarded chef Mark Ladner.
Just a taste of what’s to come? “A really rich and decadent version of carbonara” and a paccheri with sea bass ragout, Ladner said. Food reporter Mike Klein has the details.
In other food news: A South Philly produce distributor who employs 90 is girding for pain from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Mexico.
What you should know today
The voice recorder that could have solved the mystery in the fatal Northeast Philly medical jet crash likely hadn’t worked for several years, investigators say.
Montgomery County detectives are investigating after police fatally shot a man in Glenside Thursday.
Four undocumented Brazilian immigrants were detained by federal agents during an operation at a Northeast Philadelphia grocery store last week.
A former Mount Laurel police officer has pleaded guilty to hacking social media accounts of multiple women to obtain and then publicly post their nude photos, prosecutors said Thursday.
With Trump preparing to issue an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, local educational institutions are bracing for potential “devastating” impacts.
The bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings is poised to begin closing Crozer Health’s Delaware County hospitals.
Pennsylvania’s interscholastic athletic group’s revised position on transgender athletes is “unnecessary and unlawful,” advocates say.
The Turkish wife and mother arrested by federal agents at her family’s Jersey Kebab restaurant will face an immigration judge on Tuesday to determine if she should be freed from custody.
State regulators ordered Sunoco’s parent company to supply residents of a Bucks County neighborhood with bottled water and install well filters after a January pipeline spill.
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’re resurfacing an explainer on whether it’s intentional when the lights on Philly’s skyscrapers match. The Ben Franklin Bridge and other buildings in the skyline were illuminated in “Laker Purple” back in January 2020 to acknowledge Kobe Bryant’s passing, for instance.
Indeed, the coordination is no accident. But it’s not the city’s doing — it’s the Building Owners and Managers Association Philadelphia. Here’s the full explanation.
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
Which local congressperson was one of 10 Democrats who voted to censure U.S. Rep. Al Green for protesting during Trump’s address Tuesday?
A) U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle
B) U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
C) U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean
D) U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🚇 Remembering: This week in Philly history, when a subway derailment killed four and injured hundreds in SEPTA’s deadliest disaster.
🏛️ Learning: What’s different about the latest looming government shutdown.
🗓️ Recognizing: National Day of Rest for Black Women on March 10.
👀 Rereading: George Orwell’s 1984.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Vintage sports apparel company (_ & _)
CEMENT SHILLS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jerome Santoro, who solved Thursday’s anagram: The Rock School for Dance Education. The South Broad Street institution is diversifying its revenue sources with a new dance shop and keeping an eye on the future of government funding.
Photo of the day
🏀 One last brotherly thing: Ciarlo Liples is paralyzed below his hips. In the past few years, the Doylestown teen has attended most of La Salle University’s men’s basketball games and become close with both coaches and players — so much so, he’s become a “lil’ bro” to them. “He’s like our 17th man,” assistant coach Mike Doyle said.
Paola has you covered tomorrow morning. Have a good weekend, OK?
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