🎧 What Philly listened to this year | Morning Newsletter
And today’s top stories
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. Traces of snow coated parts of the region Friday, but Saturday should be mostly cloudy.
Today, we’re chatting about Philly’s year in music and our top Google searches.
But first, let’s cover why SEPTA’s largest union appears to be on the verge of a strike, how Amazon delivery could pick up speed in Philly, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
What you should know today
Union leaders representing SEPTA’s bus, subway, and trolley operators have grown frustrated with contract negotiations and are preparing members to walk off the job. Visit Inquirer.com for the latest updates.
Experts in Philadelphia sharply criticized a CDC panel’s decision to end a long-standing recommendation to immunize all infants at birth against hepatitis B. The vaccine was first developed in the city.
A judge vacated more than 130 drug cases after prosecutors said three Philadelphia narcotics officers repeatedly gave false testimony in court. Hundreds more cases may see the same fate in the coming months.
Wonderland Pier will undergo a review for possible redevelopment after officials voted to move forward this week.
A former top Philadelphia labor official claims in a lawsuit that she was passed over for a promotion because she’s a woman, and was later fired after raising concerns about gender-based discrimination spanning two mayoral administrations.
Amazon is testing out a new delivery model that would get items to customers in 30 minutes or less.
The celebrated architect Frank Gehry died Friday at the age of 96. His acclaimed signature can be found from the audacious Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, to the 2021 renovation of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Delaware County is now the third of Philadelphia’s collar counties to enact a local policy protecting LGBTQ+ residents from discrimination.
Would you be a Grinch if you’re bothered by a neighbor’s Christmas lights shining brightly into your bedroom? Inquirer reporters discuss the holiday question.
From Delco Donny turning Wawa parking lots into concert venues to Eagles fans egging Kevin Patullo’s house, catch up on the good, bad, and weird in the latest Philly news.
By now, you may have already seen your personalized music-listening habits courtesy of Spotify Wrapped and other streaming services, or swiped past countless social media posts of people sharing theirs. As far as Spotify goes, things are slightly different in the city this year.
Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake stood strong in our streams, so Taylor Swift is no longer Philly’s top artist of the year (the Reading-born singer dropped to No. 2). Newtown native Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” ranked No. 4 among Philadelphia’s top podcasts. Personally, my favorite feature of Spotify Wrapped 2025 was “listening age.” With “Who’s Crying Now” playing in the background, mine said I’m actually 60 years old with “an old soul” because I enjoyed a lot of early ’80s tunes.
But music isn’t the only data dump we have to contend with. Just one look at Google’s 2025 “Year in Search” report tells you everything you need to know about Philadelphia’s psyche. It turns out we couldn’t stop searching slang terms like “clock it” and “6-7” (which was born here, IYKYK), Eagles players DeVonta Smith and Cooper DeJean (to cop kelly green jerseys), and two songs by Swift: “Wood” and “Father Figure.”
These behaviors are a lot more algorithmically curated and influenced than, say, the number of cheesesteaks we ate or times we hollered “Go Birds.” Still, it’s been fun to see Philly make other creative end-of-year recaps, like Fillmore Philly crunching venue numbers, the Phillies’ “John Kruk Wrapped” video, and the Brass Tap highlighting its most popular karaoke track — which just so happens to be Philly’s No. 5 song of the year.
This week, Marra’s in South Philadelphia shut its doors for good. The classic Italian restaurant, just two years shy of a century in operation, cited parking challenges along the renowned dining corridor as a contributing factor.
Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson argues that the neighborhood fixture and South Philly aren’t alone in managing a process Pearson calls “suburbanization.”
In the latest edition of “Shackamaxon,” Pearson unpacks ways in which cities change, whether some like it or not.
🧠Trivia time
Somewhere in Philly, there’s a pond garden near a traditional tea house.
Where is it?
A) Calder Gardens
B) Morris Arboretum & Gardens
C) Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center
D) Bartram’s Garden
Think you know? Our weekly Citywide Quest game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets to the test. Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Penn State’s next head coach
CLAM TEMPT LAB
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Rick Eisenberg, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: High Note Caffe. The classic South Philadelphia restaurant has a new life as an old-time nightclub.
It’s lit (literally). The Philly Holiday Tree shone its 6,000 lights bright for the lighting ceremony at City Hall on Thursday. Grammy-winning artists Ashanti and Lalah Hathaway performed for attendees.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
A Redditor wants to know who is feeding the city’s feral cones and road barrels: “Now we’re dealing with a full-on colony at 31st and Girard,” they wrote. The comments are a gold mine.
Over on Facebook, people are raving about the vegan-style Puerto Rican dishes at Casa Borinqueña. Earlier this year, we listed it among the best places serving vegan comfort food.
I can’t be the only one trying to wrap my mind around the way Gritty described his perfect day in Philadelphia. Unfortunately for us, he’s gatekeeping the dumpster he eats “delicious half-eaten burritos” out of.
And The Inquirer wants to hear from you: What’s your favorite dive bar in the city? Fill out this form to tell us what makes your spot special.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day here. Take care.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.