The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly. We made it to the weekend.
Today, we start with some good news: Spring has finally arrived. But it’s immediately followed by some bad news: Winter weather may try to linger a little longer.
Our main story deals with a century-old conundrum: Should people pretend to be sick so they can go to the Phillies’ home opener? The Inquirer group chat tries to help a reader decide whether to play hooky.
Plus, audits show a Philly nonprofit lost $426,000 meant for small neighborhood organizations, FIFA canceled thousands of hotel room reservations in Philadelphia three months before the World Cup, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
— Tommy Rowan (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
Facing a $300 million structural deficit, the Philadelphia School District is now braced for the most significant financial pain it’s had to endure in years. Philly principals laid out in detail what these cuts could mean to their schools.
A nonprofit that was supposed to help community groups manage grants lost more than $426,000 belonging to 24 neighborhood organizations, according to a third-party audit.
FIFA canceled 2,000 of their 10,000 hotel room reservations in Philadelphia last week, and hundreds in Mexico City, just three months before the 2026 World Cup.
One of five teenagers charged with aggravated assault after a February confrontation with Quakertown’s police chief amid a protest over ICE enforcement will avoid a felony conviction.
A 22-year-old Chester County man pleaded guilty to third-degree murder after killing a close friend over a Fortnite game.
Two pizzerias with ties to the Charlie’s Pizza family are closing within weeks of each other: the original in Far Northeast and Vince’s in Fishtown.
How much does it cost to buy a post office? On the edge of Fishtown, on property that sits near popular restaurants Kalaya and Suraya, it’s $5.5 million.
Val’s, now Philadelphia’s only lesbian bar, finally opened.
A reader asked: I was just gifted tickets to the Phillies’ home opener. It’s too late for me to request the day off from work. Do I fake sick or come clean and hope my usually cool boss is cool with it?
To help, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss looped in features editor Sam Ruland and health reporter Aubrey Whelan. “There is no version of this story where you don’t go to the Phillies’ home opener,” Ruland wrote. Because, let’s face it, you only live once. Go enjoy the game.
[Read their full conversation here]. Need advice, or want to share your thoughts? We want to hear it. Email us here.
You might think that building rowhouses would be less controversial in 21st century Philadelphia than it was in early 20th century Narberth. You’d be wrong, Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson writes.
In this week’s Shackamaxon, Pearson covers local housing debates, the city’s struggle to “turn the key” on Land Bank projects, SEPTA’s new quality of life initiative, and the mayor’s budget address.
📍 Find the location
Think you know where this pub is located? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets and places to the test. Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Joining Jaÿ-Z as a headliner at the Roots Picnic
AD BURK YEAH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Sarah Milton who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: West Goshen. A home at the center of a preservation fight in the Chester County township will be demolished, a judge ruled this week.
Staff Photographer Tom Gralish was on hand for the first day of spring — or better known in the Philadelphia region as a far more important unofficial holiday: Free Rita’s Italian Ice Day. The beginning of water ice season is finally here, and reporter Beatrice Forman has the full report from the (long) front lines.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
This week, travelers at Philadelphia International Airport faced a few additional delays, and people seemed to deal with the added stress in their own unique ways. Even still, I don’t think many people saw an airport hammock as an available option to help reduce anxiety, captured by @HughE_Dillon. That’s a new one.
And finally, I always had a feeling Gritty was Irish.
👋 Thanks for spending some time with us, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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