🪶 A pigeon’s perspective | Morning Newsletter
And Johnny Doc’s election connection.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s Friday, Philly. It’s also time to bring your plants inside, with frost advisories possible through the weekend.
A local couple is asking you to reconsider the rock dove with their Philly Pigeon Tours.
And Johnny Doc played a pivotal role electing his brother to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Ten years later, things are different.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on an art theft, a “No Kings” cameo, and more.
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Pigeons once enjoyed high status across ancient cultures as symbols of love, safety, and war. Today, they’re more likely to be viewed as another urban annoyance. You might even know them as “rats with wings.”
🪶 But modern pigeons, aka rock doves, are just misunderstood, according to Hannah Michelle Brower and Aspen Simone. The couple came to appreciate the birds after caring for an ailing one, now named Primrose.
🪶 Their love for their adopted pet has grown into a popular weekly birding tour in the Italian Market (and soon, West Philly), plus a podcast. “We debunk a lot of pigeon misinformation and replace it with facts,” Brower said.
🪶 Their story might just give you a new perspective on the city’s winged — and, in two enthusiasts’ telling, surprisingly cuddly — residents.
Culture reporter Mike Newall has the bird’s-eye view of South Philadelphia.
Though it’s been a year since former Philly labor leader John Dougherty reported to federal prison on embezzlement and bribery convictions, his name still looms over Pennsylvania’s elections.
His brother, Kevin Dougherty, is one of three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices up for retention this November. A decade ago, John helped get Kevin elected through the backing of his union, Local 98.
This time around, labor is still spending big on the justice’s retention, though Kevin says his brother is not involved. Republicans have still sought to tie the judge to John’s misdeeds.
Politics reporters Gillian McGoldrick and Katie Bernard explain.
What you should know today
Failures in the domestic assault and kidnapping cases of Keon King, who is accused of killing Kada Scott, go beyond prosecutors withdrawing earlier charges, a review of police and court records shows. Plus, Scott’s death has prompted City Council to probe the Philadelphia justice system’s handling of domestic violence cases.
A sixth person will go to trial over the September 2022 shooting outside Roxborough High School that killed 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde and wounded four others.
A masonry company executive who bribed an Amtrak manager over lucrative 30th Street Station contracts was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison.
The wife of Par Funding’s founder was sentenced to one day in prison — the last prosecution of people tied to the fraudulent firm.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Thursday announced a task force to crack down on illegal dumping, the work of which will include hefty violation notices and monitoring common dump sites.
Ursinus College president Robyn E. Hannigan, who is in her fourth year at the small liberal arts school in Collegeville, was abruptly removed from the job Thursday.
More than 300,000 Pennsylvanians need help heating their homes. The federal shutdown has delayed that assistance.
Philadelphia played host to several cash handoffs tied to a national sports betting scandal involving the NBA, poker games, and the mafia.
Construction of a new bridge connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes could begin in 2031. One of two options will be chosen next spring.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer from 2019 on the fate of Allow Me, the lifelike, 6-foot-10 sculpture colloquially known as “Umbrella Man.” He disappeared after the former Prince Theater — now owned by the Philadelphia Film Society, hosting its 34th annual Philadelphia Film Festival this week — declared bankruptcy in 2010.
But he didn’t go far. Here’s the full story.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
The owners of Surfside, the popular Philly-made canned cocktail, are suing Anheuser-Busch over what?
A) Pretending to own Surfside
B) The packaging of its own hard teas
C) Calling Surfside “disgusting”
D) Stealing its secret recipe
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
✈️ Remembering: That time Charles Lindbergh criticized Philly’s airport.
🇺🇸 Celebrating: “52 Weeks of Firsts” in 2026.
👻 Buying: Tickets to the Wanamaker Building’s spooky film series.
🥙 Following: Jersey Kebab from Haddon Township to Collingswood.
🥫 Considering: How work requirements impact Philadelphians’ SNAP benefits.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: West Philly rec center closed in 2021
SCOUR ALEHOUSE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Eileen Weigand, who solved Thursday’s anagram: city controller. Christy Brady, seeking her first full term as Philly’s fiscal watchdog, is being challenged by Republican Ari Patrinos in the Nov. 4 general election.
Photo of the day
🏓 One last squeaky thing: The biggest squash event in the United States is at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in University City this week. Now is a great time to get into the sport, with the 2028 Olympic Games set to include it for the first time.
Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. Enjoy the weekend.
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