High-tech auto theft on the rise | Morning Newsletter
🖼️ And Paul Robeson museum opens.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s Friday, Philly. We’re in for rains and high winds this weekend as a “hybrid” storm churns up the East Coast.
Key fob cloning is spurring a new kind of auto theft across the region, authorities warn.
And the West Philadelphia house where “American hero” and Renaissance man Paul Robeson lived until 1976 is reopening as a museum.
Plus, the Phillies’ postseason ends in a heartbreaking loss to the Dodgers in the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League division series due to an error. See Inquirer.com for the latest analysis.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on Open Streets, a tequila heist, and more.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Auto theft is evolving with the entrance of a new technology: key fob cloning.
Police departments in the Philadelphia region and beyond have seen a rise in thefts in which keyless cars developed in the last decade are targeted. The practice involves either a diagnostic tool plugged into a port beneath the steering wheel to clone a vehicle’s unique PIN and passcode, or a “relay attack” on a key fob’s signal, which allows thieves to open a car remotely.
Authorities are advising car owners to try to avert attacks with tools like steering wheel locks or “OBD locks” that prevent access to a key fob’s diagnostics port, or to store their key fobs in containers that block wireless signals.
The rise comes as other methods of auto theft are becoming less common.
Reporters Jesse Bunch and Vinny Vella have the details.
More local crime news: A knife-wielding burglar was tracked from the scene of a Bucks County home invasion using stolen AirPods, police said Thursday.
A colorful stained glass image of Paul Robeson greets visitors as they enter the Walnut Hill house where the actor, singer, and activist spent the last decade of his life.
🖼️ The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the building’s owner, aims for the Paul Robeson House and Museum to both tell its famous former tenant’s story and to act as a cultural hub, complete with a new 150-capacity event and artist-in-residence space.
🖼️ The building has been closed to the public for the last year as it underwent extensive renovations. It’s set to reopen today with an event and free admission.
🖼️ Notable quote: “You have to care for your institutions and steward them properly,” the museum’s interim executive director told The Inquirer. “This is a person who played a significant role in American history. He was only living here for a short time, but he had a big impact.”
Music reporter Dan DeLuca has the story on Robeson’s legacy and the museum’s upgrades.
In other cultural news: After some September events were canceled amid code mishaps, concerts and the Wanamaker Light Show will proceed at the former Macy’s Center City store. And ahead of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations next year, Philadelphia is set to open one of the country’s first LGBTQ+ visitor centers.
What you should know today
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration over its use of National Guard soldiers in U.S. cities.
A South Jersey man was arrested in D.C. and charged with possessing a cache of explosives. He was carrying a note targeting the Supreme Court and other groups.
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli says he’ll file a defamation lawsuit against his Democratic opponent Mikie Sherrill.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Bucks County says moderate Republicans are trying to end the government shutdown: “We like to think of ourselves as the adults in the room.”
Lower Merion Township’s effort to limit where guns are sold violates state law, Commonwealth Court ruled Thursday.
City Council’s most progressive members hope to pass several pieces of legislation aimed at what they consider an “affordability crisis” for Philadelphia’s lowest-income residents.
Philly students made progress in math and attendance last year, but posted slightly lower reading scores, according to data released Thursday.
A popular Puerto Rican chef’s South Philly house was vandalized. It may have been a case of mistaken identity.
A federal agency ordered SEPTA to inspect 225 Regional Rail cars from bottom to top by month’s end after cars kept catching fire. Go inside the transit agency’s efforts.
Forget bars — Philly’s favorite new night out is craft night.
Craft-focused social clubs are popping up to bring people together in a low-pressure, friendly environment, from free “bring your own craft” events to creative workshops.
“People are yearning for hobbies that get them out and socializing — especially since so many young people aren’t drinking anymore,” one crafting meetup attendee said. “Crafts are an easy, inexpensive outlet that let you be creative while also meeting new people.”
Is it all part of a citywide renaissance of DIY culture? An arm of Philly’s maker community? A response to Gen Z’s loneliness epidemic?
Here’s what fans say is driving the trend.
👻 Psst: If you do want a more traditional — albeit spookier — night out, check out one of these eight boo-zy Halloween bars and events in the city.
🧠 Trivia time
Which disease was discovered at Fox Chase Cancer Center in the 1960s? (Hint: Its vaccine was recently challenged by the Trump administration.)
A) Influenza
B) Hepatitis B
C) Chickenpox
D) Measles
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🧨 Remembering: That time a firecracker injured Aerosmith stars during a Philly concert.
📪 Noting: What’s open and closed in the city for Monday’s holiday.
📚 Glad to see: The Free Library is adding new Saturday hours at seven branches.
🍌Missing: The Savannah Bananas in Philly next year.
🪧 Explaining: The next No Kings Day protest, happening Oct. 18.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: South Jersey county
GET CLOSURE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Tara Bates, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Yolanda Hadid. The former Real Housewives star is selling her family’s Bucks County farmhouse — including its lavender fields — for $10.8 million.
Photo of the day
🚢 One last nautical thing: A grand parade of ships at the Navy Yard Thursday kicked off a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, both founded in Philadelphia in 1775.
Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. Have a good one.
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.