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 a new day, Philly, but the clouds stuck around. If you’re near the Shore, watch out for dangerous surf conditions, which will only get worse as Hurricane Erin passes by.
Why is Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky statue still on top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, months after it was supposed to be removed? For that matter, columnist Stephanie Farr asks: How many Rocky statues is too many Rocky statues?
And the historic Frankford High School, closed for two years because of asbestos, has reopened after a $30 million refresh. Take a tour of the upgraded, much-brighter building.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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How many Rocky statues does Philly need?
🥊 If that question sounds blasphemous, consider that we might soon have three of the exact same artwork: one at the base of the PMA steps, one coming to the airport, and ... another at the top of the PMA steps.
🥊 That last casting belongs to Sylvester Stallone, the nonfictional person who portrays the character Rocky Balboa, who left it there after December’s Rockyfest. Now, no one will say how long it’s going to stay.
🥊 Meanwhile, Philadelphia only has one statue of one of its real-life, homegrown boxing legends. And as columnist Stephanie Farr notes, Stallone is an increasingly polarizing figure.
Frankford High officially reopened Monday, more than two years after asbestos damage shuttered the 113-year-old Gothic Revival building.
Back under one roof: The school’s 900 students had been spread across the Frankford annex and a satellite campus for two full school years after its sudden closure in April 2023.
Extensive repairs: The Philadelphia School District spent $30 million on abatement and upgrading the property. Improvements include protective wall paneling, fresh paint, 83 new air-conditioning units, and refinished wooden floors.
Notable quote: “Students are actually getting facilities that they truly deserve,” said Michael Calderone, Frankford’s longtime principal. “It’s not perfect, but compared to how it was when we left, it’s night and day.”
In other education news: A Medford educator has been named national high school principal of the year. He’s the first New Jersey educator to receive the award in at least a decade.
What you should know today
A 42-year-old man was fatally shot by his girlfriend’s 23-year-old son during a domestic altercation Sunday in North Philadelphia, police said.
The District Attorney’s Office has dropped criminal charges against a gun owner whose firearm injured a 5-year-old in Feltonville.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is leading a coalition of states suing the Trump administration over immigration-related conditions they’ve placed on funds for victims of violent crime.
Months after Philly-based Par Funding’s leaders were sentenced to prison, cash and blame stemming from the Ponzi scheme are still being sorted out in court.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, announced Monday that she is running for governor, setting the stage for a challenge to Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026.
President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics once attended both a high school and a Catholic seminary in Montgomery County.
Planned SEPTA cuts could force Amtrak to cut the Keystone Service line from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle warned Monday. Plus, about 20 SEPTA riders protested service cuts from inside State Sen. Joe Picozzi’s Northeast Philly office for hours on Monday. He never showed, but they vowed to return.
🧠 Trivia time
South Jersey native Tim Lopez spent more than a decade cooking for the Eagles. What is the former team chef’s latest professional move?
A) He’s now a sports broadcaster
B) He has his own cooking show
C) He’s Brandon Graham’s personal chef
D) He authored a football-themed cookbook
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
⚖️ Noting: Pennsylvanians seeking to clear their record of a criminal conviction can now do so online.
🧢 Following: Parks and Rec and the Phillies’ push for a baseball revival among Philly youth.
🪖 Considering: This South Jersey veteran’s take on Trump’s deployment of troops in D.C.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A cheese with a Philly origin story
PROPER CHAOS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Steve Appel, who solved Monday’s anagram: Newtown. A wound-care company set up in the Bucks County town, Gentell, now employs around 1,000 and expects to sell around $300 million in wound dressings and services this year.
Photo of the day
Now we know deer are Birds fans, too. Have a good one.
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