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 Saturday.
Today, I’m talking about the sensational finale of a TV series that drove people to watch parties across the region, and to debate the main character’s “Philly-area” roots (don’t worry, we won’t spoil the ending).
But first, we’ve got news on a reportedly tense confrontation at City Hall, a Drexel student arrested for terroristic threats related to Charlie Kirk, and Philly Music Fest’s mystery headliner.
Scroll along for these stories and more.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
What you should know today
Philadelphia City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas alleges two members of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s staff accosted him at his City Hall parking spot in a “disturbing” encounter, according to an email obtained by The Inquirer.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in connection with the mass shooting in Grays Ferry that left three people dead and 10 others wounded, police said Friday.
A Drexel University student was arrested for threatening to attack the Utah university where Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The student told police it was intended to be a joke.
The Philadelphia School District’s safety officers have a tentative three-year contract. Terms were not immediately available, but the association had asked for better pay, more training and bulletproof vests.
Two of President Trump’s cabinet secretaries visited Independence Park Friday as protesters honored the enslaved people who may be erased from sites.
Sen. John Fetterman voted for Republican and Democratic proposals to avert a government shutdown. Both plans failed.
The once-elite Valley Forge Military Academy has been on the brink for years. It even took loans from board members. Critics say its demise was avoidable.
In response to a slowing housing market, Toll Brothers is exiting the apartment business and home-mortgage insurer Radian is diversifying its company away from mortgages.
We finally know Dr. Dog will headline Philly Music Fest. Organizers have hoped to book the band since 2017.
Chef Cary Neff opened another location of Philly’s quirkiest kitchen shop, but it offers something different from the old-fashioned cooking-supply store.
Every Saturday, I’ll highlight something happening around Philly that’s stuck in my mind. Today, it’s the conclusion of the TV show The Summer I Turned Pretty, and how Philly turned out to watch parties to experience the love-triangle drama together.
Watch parties are nothing new, but the frenzy surrounding this particular series is hard to ignore. The coming-of-age tale has captured the hearts and attention of tens of millions of people wondering: Who will Isabel “Belly” Conklin choose in the end? And closer to Philly, the detail-oriented have debated: Does she really even go here? “Resounding no. She has never said Go Birds,” said one funny commenter on The Inquirer’s Instagram. Others have hilarious theories on where she’s really from.
When the show returned for its third and last season this summer, Wednesdays became an equally exciting and frustrating ritual for fans. The yearning and the arguments between characters became a weekly staple of group chats and social media posts. So this week, places across the city decided to join in on the fun. Spots like Rosy’s Taco Bar, Strangeloves, and Franzone’s Pizzeria tuned their TVs to Amazon Prime and welcomed TSITP fans to revel in the long-awaited conclusion together, all while enjoying drink and meal specials inspired by the show like “The Summer I Turned (Aperol) Spritzy” and “Belly flop cheese fries” at Franzone’s. The message was clear: You had to be there “or be Jere.”
While some were organized by bars and restaurants, others were homegrown efforts. For instance, an event at Topside Tavern was spearheaded by Manisha Yarlagadda, a TSITP viewer who told me she noticed similar events making the rounds in New York, and online chatter of local people looking for gatherings.
“When there is something that a lot of people are into, it’s nice to get people together to watch something at the same time,” Yarlagadda said. She hit the nail on the head. I caught the action at The Brass Tap, and the energy there was electric from start to finish. The way people were cheering in disbelief and relief, you’d think we were watching the Eagles crush the Cowboys.
In the streaming era, TV shows sometimes drop entire seasons all at once, tempting people to binge-watch in one go. “Event television” is not as common anymore, but it’s still a special way to connect with others. I personally enjoyed watching TSITP in community — and others seemed to love it, too.
Violent crime rates have dropped in Philadelphia, but it remains a reality that impacts many neighborhoods across the city.
In a column for The Inquirer, Raymond Alvarez discusses the matter of keeping kids safe, and how La Liga del Barrio, the city’s longest-running Latino youth sports league, plays a significant role.
“Basketball is the hook, but education and safety are the mission,” writes Alvarez, president of La Liga.
Get Alvarez’s perspective on the wider generational impact of this program.
🧠 Trivia time
The Philadelphia Orchestra will send a group of 10 musicians to this country in October for concerts and other activities.
A) France
B) China
C) England
D) Germany
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Pop star from Bucks County
BRIAN CASE PARTNER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Liz Kincaid who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Society Hill. The neighborhood’s eponymous civic association voted to donate $25,000 to lawyers helping a group of residents fight to block the city’s proposed safety changes to bike lanes on Pine and Spruce Streets.
From the Wanamaker Building to a Mantua rowhouse, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival is everywhere this month. Hundreds of shows across the city are spotlighting theater, dance, circus arts, and more.
Our team of reporters has been scouring the scene for some early favorites. Here are the best we’ve seen so far.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
Over on Reddit, a brave person is shouldering blame on behalf of the city: “Just a heads up I put my AC unit away, so if we get a September heat wave it’s entirely my fault.”
To say people are happy about SEPTA service being restored is an understatement. We’re romanticizing the sounds of “Caution: Bus is turning” echoing through our streets. (So real.) And speaking of SEPTA, I’m catching up on transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald’s AMA on the transit agency’s funding saga.
Someone recently brought their oil painting kit into Citizens Bank Park and documented the journey, from the security gates to their completed artwork.
And Roxborough is raving over Kismet Bagels, now open on Main Street in Manayunk. Have you tried it yet?
👋🏽 That’s it for now. Let’s catch up on the news again tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.