☎️ Return of the landline | Morning Newsletter
And charges for alleged NBA bet fixer.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hi, Philly. This Halloweek may be a wet one, with a potent storm expected to affect the region Wednesday night into Thursday.
Some area residents are yearning for landlines as smartphones dominate. Below, we have the story on the home phone’s resurgence, especially among parents of young kids.
And we explain how casinos in the city catapulted a Pennsylvania-born sports gambler into an alleged NBA bet fixer.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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“Hello? ... Sure, one sec. ... Mom, it’s for you.”
If that sounds familiar, you might be a millennial or older.
☎️ Home phones are hard to come by these days in the Philadelphia region and beyond. But there’s a small yet growing number of consumers who want to bring back the old-school tech — or who never gave it up.
☎️ Many are parents who think their kids are too young for smartphones, but still want them to be able to call loved ones and practice good phone etiquette. Some want a backup line in case of emergency.
☎️ It’s increasingly difficult to get a true landline, since carriers are no longer required to offer copper-wired service. Other options include Voice over Internet Protocol, which allows calls to be made over the internet, and subscription-based services like Tin Can, which comes with a corded, retro-looking phone.
Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy has more.
News broke last week that 34 people had been charged in NBA betting schemes to defraud sports gamblers and run rigged poker games with New York City mafia families.
Among those said to be involved was Shane “Sugar” Hennen, a professional gambler originally from the Pittsburgh suburbs who allegedly handed off cash to his co-conspirators in Philadelphia.
Hennen is accused of placing fraudulent prop bets on four NBA games between 2023 and 2024, which prosecutors said he did using a whisper network of nonpublic intel about players. Federal authorities also accuse Hennen of providing rigged card-shuffling machines and other tech that was used to fix the backroom poker games.
Reporters Max Marin and Ryan Briggs dig in to the case of the local “betfluencer” who flaunted his lavish lifestyle on social media, sat courtside at 76ers games, and held court at Rivers Casino in Fishtown.
In other illegal betting news: A former Philadelphia probation officer and a former city police officer have been charged with illegally connecting bettors to an overseas sports gambling website that allowed them to place hundreds of thousands of dollars in bets over nearly a decade, according to federal authorities.
What you should know today
Chester County prosecutors are still trying to determine a motive and identify suspects in Saturday’s Lincoln University shooting.
Gov. Josh Shapiro told the New York Times that his opinion that a Jewish person could become president hasn’t changed since he first voiced it a year ago.
One week until election day, incumbent Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is barely campaigning. His challenger, former Judge Patrick Dugan, is doing what he can to make it a race.
Philly has had a “soda tax” since 2017. Councilmember Jimmy Harrity wants the city to consider repealing it.
Endorsements from a conservative political action committee have sparked controversy in suburban school board races. Meet the 1776 Project PAC.
Camden-based American Water has agreed to buy its Bryn Mawr rival. The deal combines the country’s two largest municipal water and sewage system companies.
Philadelphia discharges billions of gallons of raw, diluted sewage into the Delaware River’s watershed each year, according to a new report.
Fewer children are developing peanut allergies following an update to U.S. prevention guidelines, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers found.
SEPTA must inspect 225 Silverliner IV Regional Rail trains by the end of October. As of midday Monday, the transit agency had inspected 95.
Three local schools have won recognition as Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools, honored for their academics and work to close achievement gaps.
🦅 Heads up, Eagles fans: Tune into beat reporter Jeff Neiburg’s Reddit AMA today. He’ll be answering your burning questions about the Birds as they head into the bye week. Join the conversation at noon.
🧠 Trivia time
Sunday was the final night of sit-down service at Pica’s Restaurant in Upper Darby. Where was Pica’s original location?
A) West Chester
B) Broomall
C) West Philadelphia
D) Upper Darby
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🩰 Congratulating: BalletX on 20 years of bringing exciting new choreography to Philly.
🫑 Supporting: CHOP’s Food Pharmacy program next month.
🍴 Curious about: This reality TV-driven Center City restaurant built around home cooks’ recipes.
🍷 Visiting: The South Street wine bar revived in Center City.
⚖️ Considering: What happens when public defense leaves the courthouse and enters the classroom.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
JESSA JAMMIE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Leah Franqui, who solved Monday’s anagram: Please Touch Museum. The kid-friendly cultural institution will reduce hours but programming will remain unaffected.
Photo of the day
🚽 One last “phirst” thing: Clark Park’s new Philly Phlush is live, two years after it was initially slated to be set up. The stall’s inaugural user gave it a thumbs-up and deemed it “a for-real bathroom.” I’m sure I speak for all who frequent the West Philadelphia park when I say: finally.
That’s it from me today. See ya back here tomorrow.
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