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Well, that was disappointing | Morning Newsletter

Get a house, pay down student loans ๐Ÿ 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Expect clear skies and a high of 71.

Most of us are probably waking up still reeling from last night. The Phillies lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2, and derailed Philadelphiaโ€™s hopes of a World Series return.

Our lead story follows fans leaving Citizens Bank Park last night, in shock after the loss.

โ€” Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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There was no need to worry about pole-climbing or crowds spilling onto Broad Street last night.

The Arizona Diamondbacks ended up becoming the unlikely National League Champions. While the Diamondbacks celebrated, Phillies fans exited the arena, wiping away tears.

In their own words: โ€œIโ€™m gutted, Iโ€™m sick,โ€ Matt Trate said. Like everyone else, he was mystified by the silence of the bats in Game 6 and 7. โ€œIn the postseason, your best guys have to be your best guys. They werenโ€™t the last two games.โ€

Another fan compared watching the Diamondbacks postgame revelry to seeing a train wreck. She couldnโ€™t look away.

Continue reading to learn why the game felt like a first date and how Phils fans coped with the ensuing heartbreak.

What you should know today

  1. Fallen Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez was laid to rest Tuesday.

  2. Democratic mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker said she may call on the National Guard to help shut down the open-air drug market in Kensington.

  3. A Collegeville restaurant owes more than $268,000 in back wages and damages for not paying overtime, retaliating against staff, and violating child labor laws.

  4. The Wells Fargo Center removed the โ€œimmortalโ€ commemorative bricks. For decades, hundreds of Flyers and Sixers fans bought the stones to own a little piece of the walkway outside the arena. Theyโ€™re now gone and replaced with newly laid cement, as part of the arenaโ€™s ongoing $400 million transformation project.

  5. The Pleasantville Fire Department has its historic bell back after it was stolen last week.

  6. Taco Bell has won the battle to free the โ€œTaco Tuesdayโ€ trademark after a New Jersey restaurant dropped the fight.

  7. The Phillies may be out this season, but the love among the teammates is still there. Itโ€™s stoking a new kind of fandom.

Youโ€™ve heard the standard advice to aspiring homeowners: Pay down debt and build up savings.

Thatโ€™s getting harder to do as owning a home becomes less affordable.

The new Revitalizing Neighborhoods and Increasing Homeownership program is trying to Philadelphians become homeowners by removing common barriers.

What it offers: The program provides homebuyer education, forgivable loans of up to 5% of a homeโ€™s sale price, and grants up to $25,000 for down payments and closing costs.

The perks: Homebuyers can use excess funds from the grants to help pay their student loans. Also, people who donโ€™t have credit scores can show nontraditional sources of credit, like a history of rent payments, to get approved for mortgages. The buyers in the program also donโ€™t have to pay mortgage insurance.

Continue reading to check whether you qualify.

๐Ÿง  Trivia time

In light of the Philliesโ€™ postseason run, we asked famous Philadelphians to share their hypothetical walk-up music.

What song did First Lady Jill Biden choose?

A) โ€œIโ€™m Good (Blue)โ€ by Bebe Rexha and David Guetta

B) โ€œAll the Way Upโ€ by Fat Joe and Remy Ma

C) โ€œSpice Up Your Lifeโ€ by The Spice Girls

D) โ€œGirl on Fireโ€ by Alicia Keys

Think you know? Check your answer.

What weโ€™re...

๐Ÿ‘€ Watching: Dozens of states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are suing Meta claiming that Facebook and Instagram are addictive and harming childrenโ€™s mental health.

๐Ÿ’ญWondering: What are the odds of winning the PLCBโ€™s lottery to buy rare whiskey?

๐Ÿงฉ Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Her Philly concert is postponed until next month

LUNAR HILLY

Weโ€™ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Sharyn Redding, who correctly guessed Tuesdayโ€™s answer: Bradley Cooper.

Photo of the day

We made it to middle of the week. Hereโ€™s to a better day than yesterday and Iโ€™ll catch you tomorrow.