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Recovery on Cottman Avenue | Morning Newsletter

💰 And Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget pitch.

Penelope Camarata, who works at R & R Produce at Bustleton and Cottman Avenues, said she thought customers didn't know they were open. Manager Alan Stevenson said business has been way down since Friday's plane crash.
Penelope Camarata, who works at R & R Produce at Bustleton and Cottman Avenues, said she thought customers didn't know they were open. Manager Alan Stevenson said business has been way down since Friday's plane crash.Read moreErin McCarthy/Staff

    The Morning Newsletter

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

Hi, Philly. Be careful while traveling: Snow and ice are possible today, and may affect Thursday morning commutes.

Businesses near the site of the deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia are inching back toward normal this week amid road closures and increased traffic. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has completed the on-site phase of its crash investigation.

And Gov. Josh Shapiro gave his budget address for 2025-26 to a joint session of Pennsylvania lawmakers. His $51.5 billion proposal includes major investments in health care and education — and faces Republican pushback.

Plus, check out our interactive explainer on Saquon Barkley’s race to break the all-time rushing yards record, and a quiz on Eagles facts, past and present.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Life may never feel normal on Cottman Avenue near Roosevelt and Bustleton Avenues, the site of Friday’s devastating plane crash that killed at least seven people and injured dozens. But for businesses in the area, four days later, things are steadily getting closer to something like it.

Business owners said customers had been slow to return as the crash investigation continued. By Tuesday, they were starting to see an uptick of foot traffic as people bought groceries and cheesesteaks.

They feel lucky they’ve lost only revenue. “It’s been bringing the community together,” a pizza shop owner told The Inquirer. “Just like the Eagles.”

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy has the story of recovery on Cottman.

In other crash news:

  1. The NTSB has completed the on-site phase of its investigation of the crash, and the area may soon reopen to the public. Roosevelt Mall is also set to reopen today. Here’s what officials said yesterday.

  2. Artist Roberto Marquez set up a memorial at the crash site and is planning a mural for the victims to send a “message of hope.”

Shapiro’s address on Tuesday was just the start of budget negotiations between the governor, the GOP-controlled Senate, and a narrow Democratic majority in the state House, and spelled out his priorities for how Pennsylvania should allocate its resources over the next year.

In his third annual budget address, Shapiro proposed a $51.5 billion budget with major investments in health care and education. The Democrat also pitched that the state should tap into $1.6 billion in savings as well as create new revenue streams, including recreational marijuana and so-called skill games.

GOP leaders quickly slammed the proposal for increased spending in the face of an oncoming $4.5 billion budget gap. “We don’t have the money,” Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward said.

Next up: Legislators will analyze Shapiro’s budget proposal in detail in appropriations hearings, though the closed-door negotiations that actually produce a budget deal won’t take place until the summer, ahead of their June 30 deadline.

Dive deeper into the details:

🎓 Higher ed: Shapiro wants funding increases for Temple University, Penn State, and University of Pittsburgh — their first in several years, if approved — distributed through yet-to-be-developed performance-based funding criteria.

🎒 K-12 schools: The budget plan continues to ramp up investment in Pennsylvania’s underfunded K-12 schools, adding more than $500 million to a formula unveiled last year that gives big boosts to poorer communities.

🔋 Energy: Shapiro hopes to achieve 35% “clean” energy by 2035 by modernizing the state grid with more solar and wind.

🚎 SEPTA: The regional transit agency estimates it would initially receive about $165 million in new state money for operating expenses, allowing it to avoid service cuts.

🔔 The 250th: Shapiro proposed nearly $65 million for state Semiquincentennial celebrations and other major tourism events hosted by Philadelphia in 2026, including World Cup matches and the MLB All-Star Game.

Read the full transcript of his speech here.

What you should know today

  1. A man shot another man dead late Monday during an attempted home invasion in Southwest Philly, officials said. Earlier that night, two teens delivering food for DoorDash were struck by stray bullets in a triple shooting that left a man dead in Fairhill, police said.

  2. The nephew of former labor leader John Dougherty was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation for violently berating a boss over a 2020 pay dispute at a construction site in South Philadelphia.

  3. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which employs the largest share of federal workers in Pennsylvania, shared new details on how it will return to full-time, in-person work — but confusion remains for many. Plus, Democratic attorneys general from New Jersey and 11 other states are urging federal employees to “closely scrutinize” the Trump administration’s resignation offer.

  4. A mass text in at least four languages falsely warned of ICE “blitzes” that included drones with “infrared sensors.” It’s part of a mix of rumors and disinformation flooding Philly’s immigrant communities.

  5. In her first year in office, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker showed she’s a formidable fundraiser, building a $1.4 million political war chest years before a theoretical run for reelection. Here’s where the money came from.

  6. A proposed $14 million project called the Wissahickon Gateway would connect the Schuylkill River Trail to Manayunk and Passyunk Avenue.

  7. Bids totaling more than $20 million have come in for three more University of the Arts buildings, including the iconic Hamilton Hall.

  8. The Mann Center is hiring the Philly School District’s arts chief and launching a new institute to focus on community outreach and workforce development.

Can Saquon Barkley break the all-time rushing yards record?

The Birds’ star running back has the chance this Sunday — and could become the first player to ever reach 2,500 rushing yards in a season, too. He’s in the company of some greats.

See how far Barkley has to go in the race to 2,477.

In other Eagles fandom news:

💚 How well do you really know the Birds, past and present? Take our quiz to find out.

💚 Not all Eagles-themed food and drinks are worth the hype. But Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan says these are.

💚 Want to avoid losing your voice while cheering on Sunday? This Drexel doctor has some tips.

💚 Nihonbashi Philly, Tokyo’s Philadelphia-themed bar, is throwing a Super Bowl watch party — and it’s for Eagles fans only, complete with a Birds trivia question to enter.

🧠 Trivia time

Who designed the Eagles cheerleaders’ uniforms?

A) Tom Ford

B) Paula Van Wagoner

C) Vera Wang

D) Jeffrey Lurie

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re...

🗓️ Celebrating: Black History Month in Philly with these February events, including with the Black Women’s Basketball Museum.

🏈 Impressed by: This South Philly basement shrine to sports fandom.

🍝 Dining at: These seven great Italian restaurants in the ‘burbs.

💻 Considering: Why Americans no longer trust institutions.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Delco home to a Kelce-themed cake controversy

WORT HAVEN

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Joyce Burd, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Terra Hall. Temple University will purchase the Center City building formerly owned by the shuttered University of the Arts for $18 million after a bankruptcy judge approved the sale Monday.

Photo of the day

One last spring thing: Believe it or not, baseball season is right around the corner. Our Phillies beat reporters have everything you need to know about spring training, from key dates to storylines to watch. Plus, what did the Bat Birds pack for Clearwater? A hot dog launcher, for one.

Back at it tomorrow. See you then!

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