📸 Cameras are clearing SEPTA’s way | Morning Newsletter
And the seasonal creep phenomenon.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Let’s start with the good news: It’s Friday.
Unless stifling humidity is your thing, the unpleasant news is that Philly feels more like South Beach, Miami, right now. (As a former Florida girl, I’m ambivalent.) Random showers are possible, and a heat advisory is in effect through Saturday night. The silver lining? Our drought conditions are improving.
While it may be the dog days of summer, some Philly chains are already ringing in the Halloween season. The so-called seasonal creep is real, and it’s only picking up speed.
But first, our main story looks into how SEPTA’s bus lane crackdown is going.
Scroll along for these stories and more news to start your weekend.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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If the results of AI-powered camera enforcement on SEPTA buses and trolleys are any indicator, people are less likely to illegally stop in bus lanes these days.
👁️ More than 210,000 illegally parked vehicles were caught blocking bus lanes since the cameras were first deployed in May 2025. Violations have seen a downtown trend since enforcement began.
💸 Parking perps have been charged $14.5 million in fines as of June 30. The hefty fines seem to be motivating drivers to avoid adding to congestion.
🚍 Travel time has dropped, too. Buses along the enforcement routes are spending less time stuck in traffic.
🎤 Allow me to pass the mic to my colleague Tony Wood for a look into a long-accelerating movement.
A certain seasonal disorientation is understandable these days, and we’re not talking about whatever is going on with the planet’s climate.
The Philly-born La Colombe coffee chain began offering its pumpkin spice drinks this week, and while that may seem early for evoking the spirit of Halloween, even among its rivals — Starbucks doesn’t turn to pumpkin until Aug. 25 — La Colombe is miles behind the candy industry, which has been at it for months.
In early May, as part of its “Halfway to Halloween” promotion, Mars Inc. was offering a “Creepy Crunch” variant of Skittles, Twix “skulls,” and pumpkin-shaped Snickers.
Over the weekend, as many as 3,000 people showed up for the seasonal grand opening of the Spirit Halloween store in Egg Harbor Township — 37 days before Labor Day, and in an era when summery weather appears to be lingering longer. (Philly’s average temperatures were above normal the last five Septembers.) — Tony Wood
What you should know today
Cheltenham Superintendent Brian Scriven stepped down after the district was accused of failing to adequately investigate assaults in a locker room.
Federal prosecutors will take over the criminal case against the Olney man whose house is at the center of a sprawling investigation into the disappearance of two women.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is planning an 85-unit mix of affordable rental and homeownership units in Strawberry Mansion.
The parent organization of a Philadelphia-based painters union has taken control of the local entity after alleging “widespread financial malpractice” and a “lack of democratic controls.”
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has reinstated the murder convictions of three men who were granted new trials after being imprisoned for nearly 25 years for a crime they say they did not commit.
A man who previously got in trouble for leaving lewd and threatening voicemails for U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean pleaded guilty this week to stalking a Philadelphia TV news personality.
A Delco police chief had her duties of office stripped away by officials in what her lawyer described in a federal civil rights lawsuit as a racist, sexist plot to force her out of her position.
Philadelphia’s fiscal watchdog said this week that a recent city review identifying thousands of property owners cashing in on tax relief programs they are ineligible for may have only scratched the surface of the problem.
The guidelines for how students are admitted to Philadelphia’s magnet schools are changing. The school district is also about to face significant new scrutiny, with City Council President Kenyatta Johnson asking for a sweeping audit of the system’s management and operations.
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 2024 about the color choice of the Phillies ballpark seats.
Why are they blue — sapphire blue, to be exact — and not red to match the team? The reason can be traced back to the 1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Here’s the full explanation.
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
Employees at this Philly museum adopted their first union contract this month:
A) Fabric Workshop and Museum
B) Woodmere Art Museum
C) Museum of Illusions
D) Magic Gardens
Think you know? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.
What (and whom) we’re...
❤️ Remembering: Chris DiJulia, a legend and dedicated part of the city’s sports scene.
🧁 Discovering: Philadelphia is the birthplace of all-American cupcakes.
🍃 Inspired by: A lawyer and a teacher sprucing up Camden, one free lawn cut at a time.
🎤 Catching: A free Iron Chic show and Hilary Duff’s concert, among the best live music happenings this week.
🍸 Intrigued by: A new vinyl listening room and bar concept coming to Kennett Square and Fishtown.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A Philly film festival happening now through Sunday
SLABTRACK
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Chris Campolucci, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Donkey’s Place Steaks. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the Camden spot has better cheesesteaks than the “millions” she has tried in Philadelphia.
Here are some of your thoughts:
“Also recommended by the late Anthony Bourdain.”
“No offense to the governor, but did you see that hers was on a poppy seed kaiser roll? Heresy!”
“As a proud Philadelphian I dispute this.”
I asked The Inquirer’s cheesesteak connoisseur Tommy Rowan for his two cents. Here’s what he had to say: “It’s a good steak sandwich. It’s not a great cheesesteak.” Mic drop.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your weekend with us. Have a great one, and take care.
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