Waterproofing SEPTA | Morning Newsletter
And the arena advances.
The Morning Newsletter
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TGIF, Philly! Today is going to be sunny and crisp, with a high in the mid-30s.
SEPTA’s Eighth Street Station is old and leaky, but a $20 million waterproofing project is almost complete. That means dodging fewer drips, puddles, and buckets on your next commute.
Plus, we unpack the Sixers arena agreement after Council members gave initial approval to the controversial proposal.
— Erin Reynolds (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday = new games! Test your Eagles players know-how with a new Bird Box, then take our latest news quiz, including questions on look-a-like contests, drones, and much more.
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SEPTA is nearing the end of a $20 million project to plug leaks at Eighth Street Station.
The transit agency moved to do the waterproofing project as water infiltration increased over the years and it became harder to keep up with spot repairs. (Picking your way around puddles there is likely a familiar dance.)
To complete the work, crews used sealant and other industrial-strength waterproofing goops, meant to coat the top of the tunnels. Workers poured the stuff through trenches cut in the streets and sidewalks.
Keep reading to learn about a surprising discovery workers made deep in the bowels of the multilevel subway complex.
City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted Thursday to give preliminary approval to the 76ers’ arena proposal. A final vote is slated for next week, and the project is all but certain to clear that final hurdle. The vote was 12-4, with one member absent. Here’s a breakdown of how every member voted.
Intense negotiations: The final sticking point was how much the 76ers would pay as part of the project’s community benefits agreement. City Council President Kenyatta Johnson pushed for the 76ers to dramatically increase the amount, which is meant to offset impacts on neighboring communities and fund some citywide programs. The final deal involves a $60 million contribution to the CBA.
The finish line: In a last-ditch effort to close the deal, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker offered to set aside $20 million in city resources to support affordable housing in Chinatown. Councilmember Mark Squilla called Parker’s commitment critical to reaching a deal, but several members who voted against the project panned her offer. “I didn’t even understand where the money was coming from,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
The response: Chinatown activists described the vote as a “betrayal,” saying the arena project will usher in a wave of gentrification and disrupt businesses. “We will not survive,” Xu Lin, the owner of Bubblefish, at Ninth and Arch streets, told reporters after the vote. Others see economic opportunity. North Philadelphia Pastor Carl Day came out early in support of the arena, and called the passage of the bills “the right thing.”
The Sixers have said the new arena could open for the 2031 season if City Council approves the legislation needed to begin the project by the end of this year. We share more details on the agreement here.
Plus, columnist Inga Saffron considers the arena’s potential impact on Jefferson Station, and public transit use in general.
What you should know today
President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement, and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
President-elect Donald Trump is Time’s Person of the Year. Here are some key takeaways from his interview with the magazine.
The first federal anti-hazing bill has passed the Senate. It’s the result of a years-long effort by families who lost their children.
A Penn deputy dean has condemned comments made by an assistant professor in support of Luigi Mangione. The professor has since retracted the comments.
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are the nation’s top “judicial hellholes,” according to a report from the American Tort Reform Foundation. Some trial lawyers aren’t pleased with the honorific.
Upper Darby’s high school and middle schools have begun using weapons detection systems. On their first day in operation, a high school student was caught with brass knuckles and a knife.
Residents of The Embassy Apartments at 2100 Walnut St. say they haven’t had heat this winter. The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections has issued two sets of violations to the building.
24-year-old Philly native Na’Zir McFadden joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2021. This holiday season, he’s returning home to conduct the No Name Pops at the Kimmel Center.
Questlove is headed to Sundance in 2025 with a new doc. Sly Lives! will premiere at the festival.
🧠 Trivia time
Who was Philadelphia’s most popular presidential write-in candidate in the 2024 general election?
A) Former Republican primary candidate Nikki Haley
B) “Uncommitted”
C) Socialist candidate Claudia De la Cruz
D) Gritty
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🪙 Remembering: When the first Susan B. Anthony coins were minted in Philadelphia.
🌟 Visiting: The best holiday light shows in the region (yes, Macy’s is on the list).
⛸ Watching: A Canadian figure skating company is performing in Philly, and it’s nothing like the figure skating you see on TV.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: After 15 years, this staple of South Philly’s brunch scene is closing.
EARTH SHOWN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Collen Brook who solved Thursday’s anagram: A Man Full of Trouble. Philly’s oldest surviving Revolutionary-era bar is now open for the first time in over a century.
Photo of the day
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