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! It looks like the start of a beautiful weekend.
It’s also a beautiful time to be a Sixers fan, since LeBron James announced he would be bringing his talents to South Broad Street. It’s an exclamation point to what has been a transformational summer for the team.
Also, a reader asked us what to do about a neighbor’s doorbell camera that shows both of their porches.
Plus, we have cyclosporiasis in Pennsylvania, curious results of forensic testing in an Olney home, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
— Ellen Dunkel (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
The cyclosporiasis outbreak that causes explosive diarrhea has been identified in nine states, including Pennsylvania.
The “blood” found in the Olney house during an investigation into missing women, law enforcement sources say, was not real blood.
The Eagles will receive $4 million in state funding to assist with expansion of the Jefferson Health Training Complex.
A Nigerian man who laundered money in a “sextortion” scheme targeting a Kutztown student has been sentenced.
Philly’s World Cup fan festival was among the most popular in the country and set a record for the highest single-day crowd attendance.
The 8 Seconds Rodeo attracted 6,000 people last year and is coming back for a second run in North Philly.
LeBron James first played in Philly as a teen and had no interest in seeing the Liberty Bell. He quickly changed his mind.
It’s not just the Sixers. The Phillies signed top 2026 draft choice Tyler Spangler.
From a new $5 ride to the Shore to a professional food critic meeting professional critics, catch up on the good, bad, and weird from recent stories out of Philly.
The 76ers signing LeBron James is an exclamation point on the Sixers’ transformational summer.
It is gargantuan. For the NBA. And for Philly.
Now LeBron is a Sixer. So is Jaylen Brown. And Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, for that matter. And it all brings together arguably the most improbable-yet-transformative offseason in franchise history under new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey.
Reporter Gina Mizell explains how everything has changed for the Sixers.
In case you missed the basics, James, a legendary player and one of the most famous humans on planet Earth, will join the team on a two-year, $8 million contract.
Mizell has these details as well.
This week’s question is: My neighbor installed a camera doorbell that can see my entire porch. We do have packages taken occasionally, so I get the desire to have one, but I don’t want to be constantly filmed when I’m on my steps. Our houses are so narrow that I don’t know if it would be possible for him to have one of those doorbells without filming my steps. How do I approach this with him?
To help, Inquirer reporters Mike Newall and Earl Hopkins talked about the neighborhood, the dimensions of the porch, and whether the camera can be repositioned. They agreed it’s worth having a conversation with the neighbor.
“At worst, there will be clarity from both sides,” Hopkins wrote.
Worth noting regardless of outcome, Newall wrote, “if you live in the city, you’re on tape.”
Read their full conversation here. Need advice, or want to share your thoughts? We want to hear it. Email us here.
One viewpoint
In this week’s Shackamaxon, Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson unpacks a case going extremely slowly through the system about making bike lanes safer two years after a physician specializing in children’s cancer was killed riding her bicycle in Rittenhouse Square.
“The blame for the holdup does not lie with City Hall,” Pearson writes. “Instead, it has been the courts that have stymied the proposal.”
Read on for Pearson’s take, along with his perspectives on restrictions in a historic district vs. residents’ wishes to design their own homes, a series of housing projects in North Philadelphia, and the battle over the President’s House.
đź“Ť Find the location
Think you know where to find this movie location? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets and places to the test. Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This family-owned store is moving to the Main Line after decades in Center City.
ARM HORN SHERBETS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Alexander Englert, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: HEIRLOOM TOMATO. Middle Child’s BLT season has arrived. This is how they prepare for the frenzy.
We were there
John Coltrane wasn’t born in Philadelphia, but we can claim him as the city where his musical identity was forged. His son, Ravi, performed Wednesday night in the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Coltrane 100: Legacy″ concert at the Highmark Mann Center. Photographer Jose F. Moreno was there to capture the moment.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
🏀 The King has spoken: It’s TIME, @lebron wrote.
🇺🇸 Betsy Ross doesn’t usually welcome kings to Philly. But she’ll make an exception.
🎶 Concert venues have set aside seats for the king.
👋🏽 Enjoy your Saturday!
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