The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Sunday. Showers and thunderstorms are likely throughout the day.
Our main read examines a riverside neighborhood in Northwest Philly as it embarks on another new era.
And a new tool has forged a faster path to fill the ranks of Philadelphia’s police force.
Scroll along for these stories and more.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Manayunk has taken different shapes from its textile mill days in the 19th century to chain retailers in the 1990s. Today, you’ll find a collection of local upstarts scattered across its main corridor.
More changes are coming, including:
🏠 More housing. An apartment boom promises to add more than 1,800 residential units, though neighbors have concerns about traffic and parking.
🛍️ New commerce. In the last two years, 12 new businesses have opened along Main Street, and others are on the way. Retailers have hopes that the ongoing residential development will be good for business.
One thing is for certain: Manayunk’s future depends on neighborhood support.
Olivia Prusky and Jake Blumgart report on what’s next for the community.
A software called Guardian is helping the Philadelphia Police Department expedite a hiring process that once took nearly a year. Now, it can be done in less than two months.
The department has scrapped paper applications in exchange for the system. In turn, officials are beginning to see something of a reversal from yearslong staffing deficits, according to Capt. John Walker, who oversees the police academy’s recruiting efforts.
Justin Biedinger, a former California officer who founded Guardian Alliance Technologies, said Philadelphia is one of its largest clients. He said the service quickens hiring timelines, and provides increased scrutiny of potential candidates.
In his own words: “With Guardian, these applicants can’t lie.”
Jesse Bunch has the story on the technology and its impact.
What you should know today
A newly formed nonprofit is trying to shut down the decade-old Bar X in the Gayborhood, alleging it is a public nuisance.
The sprawling missing persons investigation in Olney has evolved into something even more complex — a death investigation without any dead bodies.
Pennsylvania ended mandatory life sentences for felony murder, leaving lawmakers to determine what comes next.
A production company is making a TV docuseries on the work of SEPTA’s transit police, shadowing officers in Philadelphia as they patrol trains, buses, and streets.
After the FIFA Fan Festival, Lemon Hill’s caretakers fear the coming $4M in park upgrades won’t include the long-term maintenance funding they’ve long asked for.
Lower Merion banned two parents from school board meetings for “disruptive” behavior. First Amendment lawyers said it could be a violation of residents’ constitutional rights.
Cheltenham has a new police chief. He’s a longtime crisis negotiator and community policing advocate who led one of the township’s most famous criminal investigations.
🎤 Here’s Tommy Rowan with a look back at the work of a local “Monuments Man.”
Not all Philadelphians who answered President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call to action were soldiers and civilians.
There were also artists.
Local legends like Walker Kirtland Hancock — who would become one of the United States’ most distinguished sculptors — headed for World War II’s battlefields to try and pry Europe’s cultural treasures from the grip of the Gestapo.
❓Pop quiz
Eagles fans are freaking out after the team teased the return of a vintage white and kelly green helmet the Birds haven’t used in decades.
In what year did the Eagles last wear the helmet?
A) 1991
B) 1983
C) 1973
D) 1965
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🏐 Intrigued by: The tradition of competitive Amish volleyball.
☀️ Basking in: The abundance of the Italian Market with cookbook shop owner Catie Gainor on her perfect day in Philly.
🍗 Savoring: Chicken roulade at the Academy Grill in Fort Washington.
🤩 Gawking at: The inside of the iconic “Mondrian” house in Queen Village, thanks to a rare antique sale.
🌳 Considering: The pros and cons of new planters on South Broad Street.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A Delco kid is reeling with fame after catching a piranha in a lake in this borough
DIRK REPLAY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Rick Brash and Jim Diamond, who were the only readers to correctly guess Saturday’s answer: Knight Foundation. 45 affordable apartments for artists on Broad Street will be partly funded by the philanthropic organization.
🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “To get the good vibe, I need snow and sunshine.” Shoutout to Born at Midnite for making my week with their incredibly groovy set at Johnny Brenda’s.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Have a good one!
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