🚢 Pier pressure | Morning Newsletter
And the Phillies’ historic start, by the numbers.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Greetings, Philly. It’s looking like a mostly sunny Thursday, with high temps in the mid-70s.
After shifting leadership and legal challenges, Delaware’s port expansion plan is back on track — and rekindling a regional rivalry with Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, it’s a heck of a fun time to be a Phillies fan. But will the team’s hot start lead to a World Series title? We broke down the numbers to find out.
Here’s what you need to know today.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The Port of Philadelphia is an economic powerhouse, last year processing 743,000 container cargo units holding goods like produce and meats from around the world. Hundreds of millions in state investments have contributed to substantial growth in recent years.
Now, just 25 miles south on the Delaware River, it’s facing competition as the Port of Wilmington’s years-in-the-making expansion moves forward. The Inquirer’s business and power reporter, Andrew Seidman, has the full story on why Pennsylvania officials and businesses see the expansion as a threat to Philly.
For further background, here’s what Seidman told me about why this development is so notable:
Anyone who likes to shop online has probably noticed when they’ve faced shipping delays or shortages of certain goods. This was a big deal early during the pandemic. Ports play a big role in supply chains, so it’s worth paying attention when there’s a big proposal like this. Also, the public has invested a lot of money in this area: The deepening of the Delaware River, completed in 2021, cost federal and Pennsylvania taxpayers about $500 million. Politicians in Harrisburg allocated another $500 million-plus to Philadelphia ports in recent years.
Could Delaware’s new project effectively threaten some of that investment by taking cargo from Philadelphia? Or will it make our region more competitive as a whole? These are some of the questions I wanted to explore in this piece.
Red October, here we come?
⚾ Our Phils have posted the best early-season stats in franchise history, leading the National League now with a 39-18 record after yesterday’s win against the San Francisco Giants. But a third of the way through the season, it’s too early to tell if all these wins will lead to a World Series title ... right?
⚾ Phillies reporter Scott Lauber dug into the stats and found that, indeed, a hot start has not always carried this team into the playoffs, and more wins has not guaranteed they’d be World Series Champs. It’s the very end of the season that really matters for those.
⚾ And yet, statistically, the Phillies are in good company, in terms of the history of the league.
Check out Lauber’s full breakdown on what should and should not inspire optimism, with lots of charts to put this streak into context.
P.S. This week, Major League Baseball announced that it would recognize the statistics of more than 2,300 who played in the Negro Leagues in the early 20th century. Columnist Marcus Hayes wrote about Josh Gibson, now (officially) known as the best hitter in history.
What you should know today
President Joe Biden came to the Philadelphia area Wednesday for the fifth time this year to lay out his case for why Black voters should support his reelection bid.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Medicaid provider Keystone First have reached a deal for a new, multiyear contract, ending months of negotiations.
A former preacher admitted to killing an 8-year-old Delaware County girl in 1975. His lawyer says last summer’s confession was coerced.
Twenty years ago, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked CHOP’s Paul Offit to educate him on vaccines. The now-presidential candidate went on to misrepresent what the vaccine expert told him in a dangerous misinformation campaign.
Under a bill that has advanced in the state Legislature, New Jersey cosmetology schools would be required to teach stylists, barbers, and braiders seeking a state license how to work on textured hair.
Washington Square West could host one of Philly’s largest historic districts, over the objections of some residents.
Campbell Soup Co. is investing $230 million in its supply chain, which translates to 20 million more pounds of potato chips produced in Pennsylvania annually. In other snack news, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages invested $3.5 million to transition to a recyclable paperboard carrier at its Philadelphia plant.
Catch Nicholas Ducos, a partner in Fishtown’s Mural City Cellars, on the Shark Tank-like Fox series Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.
We asked, you answered: Where, exactly, does South Philly start?
The deceptively not-so-straightforward question garnered a ton of responses. After readers marked their picks on The Inquirer’s interactive map, Washington Avenue won the popular vote — but the average showed a new boundary.
Check out the full results, as well as what folks had to say about what the true South Philly *feels* like.
🧠 Trivia time
You may be owed money from last year’s chemical spill in the Delaware. How much is each payout worth, according to the settlement from a class-action lawsuit?
A) $25
B) $100
C) $2,500
D) $10,000
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and who) we’re...
🎶 Jealous of: Anyone who gets to hear André 3000′s flute stylings live at this weekend’s Roots Picnic.
🚗 Empathizing with: The local car shoppers facing these high interest rates.
🥪 Ranking: The region’s best pastrami, including from Philly’s Jewish deli king.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
What does the new mascot called the Keystone Kid represent?
NAVAL SPINNEY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Elsa Newman, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Wiffle ball. A Ridley Park league is keeping a childhood favorite alive for Delco adults.
Photo of the day
The outfits — especially the hats — at the Devon Horse Show’s Ladies Day did not disappoint.
Enjoy the rest of your Thursday! Back at it tomorrow.
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