When an ancient bakery oven breaks | Morning Newsletter
And Philly area is a “hot spot” for rare illness
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/WKK26B4XUVB2TDSP7QQKOSH2O4.jpg)
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Sunday. It’s sunny, and we’re warming up to highs near 73. Expect some gusty winds in the afternoon.
A venerable bakery in South Philadelphia is at risk of closing for good after its colossal, ancient oven was damaged. Our main story explores the uncertain future for Faragalli’s Bakery.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Faragalli’s Bakery has served South Philadelphia for generations and is thought to be the only wood-fired hearth production bakery in the city. It’s known for its distinctive, old-world bread, and the 110-year-old oven that bakes it.
Back in December, the oven was damaged. The bakery says portions of the oven collapsed when water department workers jackhammered too close to the 13th Street institution.
The Faragallis have since struggled to keep their business going despite the disruption. Unable to find anyone to fix the relic — or even willing to crawl into the cavernous oven — Phil Faragalli, 72, recently decided to close his family’s shop. He doesn’t know if it’ll ever reopen.
Who is liable? According to city policy, a claim must be filed within six months from when they say the damage occurred. The Faragallis have yet to file one, but said they plan to.
Still, the damage is about much more than the cost of a piece of equipment. It’s the cost of their family’s heritage.
In his own words: “It’s killing us,” Phil Faragalli said.
Go deeper into the tiny bakery that has preserved a timeless style of breadmaking in South Philly.
What you should know today
Three men were killed in separate shootings across Philadelphia Friday that left three other people wounded, police said. And just after noon Saturday, a 1-year-old boy was stabbed near Rittenhouse Square, less than five hours after a woman was stabbed by the same attacker, police said.
Donald Trump visited Bucks and Lehigh Counties Saturday, just four days before jury selection begins in Manhattan for his first of four criminal prosecutions.
A city jury has awarded $4.1 million to a West Philadelphia child-care center operator who said she was brutalized by police while trying to protect her business during a night of civil unrest a day after the fatal 2020 police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a mentally distressed man.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s plan to “remove the presence of drug users” from Kensington raises new questions. The mayor acknowledges that her approach is controversial. Some say the criminal justice and drug treatment systems can’t handle more.
SEPTA has terminated a contract with the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. for 45 double-decker passenger cars. The project was about four years behind schedule, and the first vehicles, intended for Regional Rail, were long overdue.
After years of fighting for solutions with ever-changing building management, residents of Brith Sholom House in West Philly gathered outside the building Friday to demand safe and dignified housing.
A project slated to be the largest apartment building in Ardmore will have to move forward without Fort Washington-area-based mega-developer Toll Brothers.
In a last-minute truce of sorts, attorneys for Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Conservancy agreed to hold off on plans to cut down 48 heritage trees in the park.
Many students, staff and alumnae of Philly’s storied High School for Girls, the nation’s oldest public high school for young women, worry about its future especially in light of proposed cuts to its budget.
Say goodbye to the champagne glass hot tubs at this adults-only Poconos hotel. The honeymoon destination is closing for good.
Infant botulism is a rare and potentially deadly infection that affects the nervous system and can lead to paralysis. The Philadelphia area, and in particular Montgomery County, is a “hot spot” for this uncommon ailment.
Pennsylvania has the second-highest rate of infant botulism cases in the country, following California.
Most cases of infant botulism are related to contaminated soil. Researchers aren’t sure what makes the soil in some areas more susceptible to the bacteria.
There’s little families can do to avoid the risk of this uncommon ailment, so doctors say it’s important for parents here to know the signs of an infection.
Continue reading to learn more about the illness and hear one Montgomery County family’s experience.
❓Pop quiz
Which fried chicken joint is expanding its presence in Philadelphia’s suburbs this year with three franchise locations?
A) Chick-A-Boom
B) Federal Donuts & Chicken
C) Asad’s Hot Chicken
D) Love & Honey Fried Chicken
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This former team manager is one of 20 big leaguers to invest in a youth baseball company. He told The Inquirer’s Matt Breen that he wants to “hang around baseball forever.”
EMAIL RELAUNCH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Joan Hauger who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Folk Festival. The Philadelphia music fest returns this summer, with John Oates and Gangstagrass as headliners.
Photo of the day
Why is the Allen Iverson statue so tiny? Fans were shocked by the size, but The Inquirer’s Gabriela Carroll explains the reason for its stature.
🎶 Today’s Sunday track goes like this: “They say that the world was built for two / Only worth living if somebody is loving you.” Don’t mind me, just casually obsessed with this epic collab live at Coachella over the weekend.
👋🏽 Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Inquirer. Take care, and have a great day.