🏨 Hotel workers want better pay | Morning Newsletter
And Montco farm charged with abuse.
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, and welcome to a new month. August begins with the possibility of more rain this morning before a likely sunny weekend.
Hotel workers in Center City and University City are asking for better pay and working conditions ahead of the region’s big tourism year. Here’s what they’re saying on the picket line.
And a Montgomery County goat rescuer raised thousands to rebuild her sanctuary after a fire. Now she’s being charged with animal torture. Below, we dig into the House of Wiggle case.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on an Italian Market departure, a dating reality show entrance, and more.
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2026 is set to be a busy year for Philadelphia. With the country’s 250th anniversary, FIFA World Cup, and other major events expected to draw thousands, the region could bring in as much as $1.3 billion in revenue — which in turn could mean big profits for local hotels.
🏨 Before international eyes settle on Philly, unionized workers across eight hotels in Center City and University City are pushing for better contracts. Their concerns include stagnant wages and understaffing.
🏨 Around 1,000 room attendants, cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, and banquet staff represented by Unite Here Local 274 could go on strike if their demands aren’t met during contract negotiations.
🏨 “These hotels are going to be completely full to capacity,” the president of the union local said. “Massive, massive profits are gonna be made in 2026 and these guys have the money, and they owe it to their employees, and they owe it to our city to pay people, pay Philadelphians, what they are demanding.”
In other protest news: As state budget talks drag on, union leaders rallied in Philadelphia on Thursday with a message for Harrisburg lawmakers: “Do your job!”
The story seemed, at first, to be one of hope: After a devastating fire at the House of Wiggle farm in Lansdale killed dozens of animals, donations poured in to support the survivors’ care, and to help the sanctuary’s owner rebuild.
A different reality soon emerged. Volunteers who tended to the livestock after the fire had found sick and emaciated goats and pigs, and rotting carcasses scattered throughout the property. Some appeared to have died well before the fire.
Erin Wiggle and her husband now face more than a dozen felony and misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and other crimes from Montgomery County prosecutors.
Reporters Jesse Bunch and Ximena Conde have the details.
What you should know today
A Philadelphia judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city for banning rapid-fire gun devices known as “bump stocks.” Lawyers for the plaintiffs immediately filed an appeal.
A legal battle over the founding of TikTok and GOP megadonor Jeff Yass’ investment firm is playing out in a Norristown courtroom.
Regional Rail riders would face two-hour waits between midday trains amid SEPTA’s August cuts, if state funding doesn’t emerge.
Trailer classrooms with an $11 million price tag will relieve crowding at Lincoln High. But some Mayfair neighbors are fighting them.
North Wildwood plans to extend its wildly popular, concrete-capped seawall from Third to Seventh Avenues.
Media and its neighbors are growing slowly. Experts say that “doesn’t mean there isn’t demand in Delco.”
Facing massive debt, escalating fines, and harassment from neighbors, Center City brunch spot Chubby Chicks 1111 plans to close.
The Phillies are acquiring outfielder Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins.
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 have an explainer from reporter Nate File on why it’s so hard to find out when your favorite public pool is open.
General hours for every Philly pool are 1 to 4 p.m. That’s noted on the city’s Parks and Rec website. But at my preferred spot, Kelly Pool, for instance, timing for open swim depends on the day. Sometimes it starts at 1 p.m., sometimes noon — and you wouldn’t know which unless you checked the handwritten schedule on a whiteboard at the entrance.
Why is that the case in 2025, when we have the technology to share information instantly and widely? 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
Pirates prospect Iverson Allen models his game after the Sixers legend, and goes by which AI-inspired nickname?
A) Mr. Hall of Fame
B) The Point Guard
C) Practice
D) The Question
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎨 Meeting: The artist behind the forthcoming Sadie T.M. Mossell Alexander statue.
🎹 Watching: The new doc on Germantown Afrofuturist Sun Ra.
🌿 Learning: The rules of buying now-legal recreational weed in Delaware.
💸 Paying, again: Interest accruing on federal student loans, starting today.
🦴 Remembering when: Cody the dachshund mix faced a court-ordered death on this week in Philly history.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Coffee shop, etc. from the team behind Down North Pizza
SEW TOUT
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Laura Carpenter Myers, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Unfettered. John Fetterman’s memoir detailing stroke and depression is set to go on sale this fall.
Photo of the day
Be well as you swim into the weekend. I’ll be back with you Monday morning to kick off a new week of news.
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