🎁 A very Harry Kalas Christmas | Morning Newsletter
And cracking down on Pa.’s smoke shops.
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. Flying during this holiday week? Be sure to check our travel tracker for delays.
Harry Kalas’ rendition of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas still resonates. Below, learn how the annual CBS3 tradition came to be.
And we go inside the haphazard crackdown on Pennsylvania’s smoke shops, from undercover stings to a marijuana museum.
Plus, an explosion rocked a nursing home in Bucks County on Tuesday killing at least two people. Read on for the latest.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. This newsletter is taking some time off for the holiday. Look for its return to your inbox on Saturday.
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Phillies announcer Harry Kalas died in 2009, but his iconic voice lives on at Citizens Bank Park, where his cover of “High Hopes” plays after each home game win.
🎁 Kalas’ voice echoes at Christmastime, too: Philadelphia’s CBS3 has been airing his reading of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas almost every Dec. 24 since 2005. Viewers can expect to see it again tonight.
🎁 To the producer who first put him on the air, the tradition still makes sense, 20 years on.
🎁 “Obviously, people love Christmas and people love Harry Kalas,” Andy Wheeler told The Inquirer. “And having him read that story, with his voice that everybody is so used to … it’s almost like watching a home movie of Christmases past.”
Sports reporter Alex Coffey has the story on the origins of this decades-old tradition.
In other sporty news: Bryce Harper plans to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this March. The Phillies first baseman also hopes to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.
Confusion over federal hemp law coupled with Harrisburg lawmakers’ inability to pass regulations has led to a smoke shop frenzy in Pennsylvania. But the emerging effort to police these shops has so far been inconsistent and haphazard, an Inquirer investigation found.
Philadelphia is making an effort to crack down on scofflaw operators with new legislation, and investigators have doubled violations for improper licensing over the last two years.
Yet many smoke shops remain open and continue to operate with relative impunity — sometimes within view of a similar shop that authorities have closed down.
Reporters Max Marin and Ryan W. Briggs explain ahead of a possible THC hemp ban.
What you should know today
Two people were reported killed and several others injured or missing in an explosion that rocked the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township Tuesday afternoon.
A Delaware State Police trooper was shot and killed while responding to a report of an active shooter on Tuesday in Wilmington.
June Rodriguez, 54, was killed in a hit-and-run early Saturday while riding his bike home after a shift at Bob & Barbara’s Lounge. The DJ is remembered for creating “a sanctuary on the dance floor.”
President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday that it will begin garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers who are in default early next year.
Officials in Bucks and Montgomery Counties say millions of dollars for homeless services are at risk under a Trump administration plan.
Philadelphia is suing a host of drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers over high insulin costs.
The founder of a now-defunct South Philly Bitcoin mining company is accused of misappropriating more than $48 million of investor funds.
Lower Merion residents will see an 8% increase on their property tax bill in 2026, as commissioners cite a “looming cliff” after 13 years of no increase.
Some of Amtrak’s fleet of next-generation Acela and Airo trains will likely sit idle in 2026 as the national railroad company faces delays in upgrading maintenance facilities.
Quote of the day
Nashville band Old Crow Medicine Show’s OCMS XMAS album features a song that imagines a “little baby born in the Keystone State” in Lehigh County and references the Phillies. Check out pop critic Dan DeLuca’s 2025 holiday music playlist to hear more new originals, reimagined seasonal classics, and more holiday songs with local ties.
🧠 Trivia time
Ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, the Wall Street Journal has named Philadelphia the world’s what?
A) Best destination for cheese lovers
B) Cutest sports fan base
C) Top place to visit in 2026
D) Smelliest city
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🐧 Welcoming: Baby penguins Duffy and Oscar to Camden’s Adventure Aquarium.
🚣 Voting for: The lower Schuylkill, up for Pennsylvania’s River of the Year.
🎉 Ringing in: The new year with these events in and around Media, Cherry Hill, Lower Merion, and Chester County.
🍝 Visiting: Red Gravy Goods, East Passyunk Avenue’s new food and Philly-centric gift shop.
🥟 Appreciating: How Philly’s Polish community keeps a Christmas Eve tradition alive.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A Berks County native’s new docuseries (five words)
FEATHERED NONA
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Christopher Jungers, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Parkway Central Library. The Philly branch is one of the stops on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026 book tour, which kicks off Jan. 24.
Photo of the day
Wishing you a cozy few days. Paola will be bringing you the holiday weekend news on Saturday. ’Til we meet again in your inbox, be well.
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