🦃 Does buying a pie still count? | Morning Newsletter
And the Art Museum has a new leader.
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, and happy (almost) Thanksgiving week. The most trusted name in Philadelphia weather, my colleague Tony Wood, ruled out snow showers for the holiday week. He did note, however, that a taste of winter is coming.
Today, we’re reflecting on a seemingly common issue: As gobble-gobble time quickly approaches, many dinner guests start feeling pangs of anxiety about what they volunteered to bring to their sprawling feast, what’s reality, and whether or not to pass off a store-bought item as homemade.
But first, we’ve got: news on the Philadelphia Art Museum naming a new director (and suing its old one), an update on the final defendant to face sentencing in a sprawling Amtrak corruption case, and info on the first Pennsylvania town to ban gas-powered leaf blowers.
Scroll along for these stories and more.
— Tommy Rowan (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
The Philadelphia Art Museum surprisingly named a new CEO and director weeks after firing its last one. And now the museum is suing the last one, Sasha Suda, for an alleged theft.
The final defendant in a sweeping corruption probe that uncovered a series of bribes being lavished upon an Amtrak manager during a renovation project at 30th Street Station was sentenced Friday to two months in prison.
Philadelphia can now write a law to offer developers a 20-year pass on property taxes if they convert large, underutilized properties into residences.
Homeless shelters in Delaware County are preparing to reopen after the state budget impasse forced service reductions.
Two new studies on New Jersey’s rising sea levels predict potentially serious environmental outcomes in the Garden State, from the flooding of numerous toxic sites to significant erosion.
Lower Merion on Wednesday became the first in Pennsylvania to ban gas-powered leaf blowers.
The Flyers once inducted fans into a secret club if they got hit by a puck during a game. Being a member of “The Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck” meant so much to its members that some mention it in their obituaries.
Temple University’s marching band is one of only 11 that have been selected to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It’s a first for Temple.
Every Saturday, we’ll talk about something happening around Philly, or to Philadelphians, that’s stuck in our minds. Today, it’s what to bring for Thanksgiving.
This year, I’m on pie duty. The only problem? I have never baked a pie in my entire life. Why did I volunteer for this? Your guess is as good as mine. The silver lining in all this is I’ve learned that pie crusts can be purchased separately, and some fillings come right out of a can. This is proof that sometimes America can get it right.
In this vein, three of my stellar colleagues — editors Sam Ruland, Margaret Eby, and Evan Weiss — debated in this week’s advice chat about whether or not it’s rude to bring a store-bought Thanksgiving dish when everyone else (seemingly) cooked their dishes from scratch.
And we’re all in agreement: Of course not. As only Ruland can say it: “I think it comes down to how much you like these people.”
You’ll want to read to the end.
And as a bonus, if of course you’ve decided to go the passing-it-off-as-your-own route, our colleagues in the food department compiled a handy list of the best places to buy pie in the region.
One viewpoint
Senior editorial writer Paul Davies wrote that he wasn’t shocked by the latest investigation into sports gambling, “since the heedless race into legalized sports gambling is ruining the games — and some lives — all in the name of money.”
Davies says this was not the first investigation, and it won’t be the last.
Read his dissection of the state of sports gambling, and why he feels that betting on sports has become so pervasive that the integrity of the games can no longer be trusted.
🧠 Trivia time
This comedian with Philly ties mocked President Donald Trump on a recent podcast episode for hurling a “piggy” insult at a former Philadelphia Daily News reporter.
Who was the comedian?
A) Kevin Hart
B) Shane Gillis
C) Tina Fey
D) Will Smith
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Sloomoo Institute, an immersive slime playground, is a new addition to this mall’s store lineup this holiday season.
AFR GUSSI PINKO
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Kathy Paulmier who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Plymouth Meeting.
We were there
The old waiting room at 30th Street Station, the one that most people only pass through on their way to the restrooms, has been spiffed up with benches — and a Christmas tree, writes staff photographer Tom Gralish.
“The tree was added this year in front of the 30-foot frieze, The Spirit of Transportation, while the lobby of Amtrak’s $550 million station restoration is underway,” he added. “The 1895 relief sculpture by Karl Bitter was originally hung in the Broad Street Station by City Hall, but was moved in 1933. It depicts travel from ancient to modern and even futuristic times.”
More of Gralish’s visual exploration of our region can be seen in his blog at Inquirer.com/sceneontheroad.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
If you see chickens huddling together during a rainstorm, do not be alarmed. They’re just like us. (P.S. It’s turkey week, my friends, so let’s give those cluckers a break.)
👋 My colleague Erin Reynolds will take over newsletter duties tomorrow. If I don’t see ya, have a happy Thanksgiving.
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