🔌 What it takes to solve a power outage | Morning Newsletter
And take a look inside SEPTA’s classic trolleys
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Be prepared for another hot day. Temps will reach a high of 96.
An early August summertime thunderstorm ripped through the region with high winds and pounding rain, setting off tornado alarms and flood advisories.
Just as quickly as the storm came, it cleared. But it left 139,000 homes across the region without their lights on.
Our lead story follows what it took to get the power back on.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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During the early afternoon on Aug. 7, lineworker Nicholas Gualberti got a text from his boss: Level 3. Mandatory overtime.
That meant his shift was going from eight to 16 hours. Gualberti and his fellow lineworkers let their families know it would be a long night for them.
All scheduled work was canceled. They prepared and waited, knowing there would be a lot of work in the evening.
The storm arrived around 6:30 p.m. Gualberti and his crew watched their phones and computer light up with the number of customer outages skyrocketing.
In his own words: “It was worse than we thought. We thought it was just going to be a little bit of rain,” Gualberti said. “We all say, ‘OK, we’re going to be on mandatory 16-hour shifts for the next five days. … We’re going to be busy.’”
Keep reading to follow along as Peco employees race to respond to power outages.
What you should know today
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is endorsing third-party progressive candidate Kendra Brooks for Philadelphia City Council.
Work is officially underway on the nearly 12-acre park to be built over I-95 in Philadelphia that will be known as the Park at Penn’s Landing.
Eighty-six Philly schools that lack air-conditioning will have early dismissals the rest of the week because of the region’s heat wave.
SEPTA might lose the $24 million it spent on Proterra electric battery buses now that the manufacturer filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.
Officials confirmed that the escaped killer from Chester County Prison, Danelo Cavalcante, fled the facility the same way as another inmate in May. Officials publicly shared video that shows Cavalcante scaling two walls during his escape.
Take a look at the new proposals for the Chinatown Stitch Project. It would reconnect the neighborhood that is currently split by the Vine Street Expressway.
The Franklin Institute partygoer from Delaware who stole a finger from an ancient Chinese terra-cotta warrior statue was sentenced to five years’ probation.
Take a look inside the vintage SEPTA trolleys from 1947 before they hit the streets.
For the last three years, SEPTA craftspeople have been rebuilding 18 trolleys, the final links to a time when streetcars packed Philadelphia roads.
Fun fact: The 1947 models are 20,000 pounds lighter than most of SEPTA’s trolleys.
In the weeks ahead, they’ll carry passengers along Girard Avenue’s Route 15.
Click here to take a virtual tour.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Sting and Shaggy’s One Fine Day festival is only happening in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Where will it be?
A) The Mann Center
B) The Fillmore
C) Union Transfer
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio got 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy. It’s the stiffest punishment so far in the U.S. Capitol attack.
🏈 Playing: Birdle, our Eagles twist on the popular word game.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: This city-wide celebration begins today
REVEAL STIFFING
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Duke Doblick, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Wiggins Park. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the day
Stay hydrated out there. I’ll be back tomorrow. 👋🏽