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 Friday, Philly. If you saw aliens earlier this week, no you didn’t: That mysterious light was likely a frozen fuel dump.
Is there actually $1 billion sitting in a fund for SEPTA? Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate are touting the Public Transportation Trust Fund as a solution to budget woes, but Democrats, transit advocates, and SEPTA itself disagree.
And state lawmakers are pitching a bill to prohibit facial coverings for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on an Embiid reference, the Rizzo statue, and more.
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SEPTA is planning to cut service by 20% on Aug. 24 in lieu of dedicated funding in the state budget. But is there money already set aside for the transit agency?
🚎 The 18-year-old Public Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for transit system capital projects, has about $1.1 billion available for emergencies. Senate Republicans this week pitched it as a funding source for SEPTA, against objections that the fund is meant to be used for future repair projects.
🚎 Also causing discord: Republicans want to reallocate half of the fund to rural roads and bridges.
🚎 “It’s robbing already underfunded transit capital projects,” a Transit for All PA advocate said of the proposal. “This is a false solution.”
Democratic elected officials and immigration activists are calling for more accountability from ICE as the agency carries out President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportation.
Legislation pending: A new bill from State Sens. Nikil Saval and Amanda Cappelletti would prohibit any law enforcement officer or ICE agent from wearing facial coverings, the Philly-area lawmakers announced Thursday outside the ICE field office in Center City. Rep. Rick Krajewski is a sponsor of companion legislation in the state House.
Prioritizing transparency: They argue the ban would promote safety and deter people from impersonating an officer or agent, which District Attorney Larry Krasner said has happened in Philadelphia. In June, for instance, police arrested a man who allegedly impersonated an ICE agent and zip-tied a woman during a robbery in Mayfair.
National attention: The legislation — one of many such efforts nationwide — comes as ICE raids have ramped up since Trump began his second term in January.
Politics reporter Fallon Roth has more details.
In other Trump-adjacent news: A conservative group ran ads mistakenly thanking Philly Democrat Dwight Evans for backing the president’s tax cuts. The ads ran in Colorado, home to U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who did vote for the bill.
What you should know today
One person is dead and two are critically injured, police said, after a car reported stolen crashed into a hotel van near Philadelphia International Airport.
The mother of the 3-year-old Havertown girl found dead in her car Saturday in Maine was charged with manslaughter. Authorities said the girl’s death was likely heat-related.
Millions of federal dollars are returning to Philly-area sexual health clinics whose funding was frozen four months ago by the Trump administration.
Several federal agencies have canceled union contracts for workers in recent days, but union reps say they’re not backing down from supporting local workers.
A grand jury has indicted current and former South Jersey transit officials after they allegedly used their public office to retaliate against a political foe, prosecutors said Thursday.
A judge has preliminarily ordered Philadelphia to stop taking parking spaces to create bike-friendly loading zones along Pine and Spruce Streets in Center City.
A group of South Philly residents who want to stop all work related to FDR Park’s $250 million overhaul is getting another day in court.
An archaeology project excavated bricks, bones, and jewelry from the Black Bottom neighborhood. Now, you’re invited to see them.
Could alligators live in the Schuylkill? Not year round, experts say — but they have been found around Philly.
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 have an explainer from reporter Michelle Myers on the city’s new LED lights, which some residents have noted are incredibly effective — like, can’t-sleep-because-they’re-shining-through-curtains-in-the-dead-of-night effective.
That brightness is meant to improve street visibility, and thus safety. But if the cool beams are unbearable, you can always ask 311 to dim them on your block. 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
One of the three original Rocky statues will soon be installed at which public location?
A) FDR Park
B) Italian Market
C) Philadelphia International Airport
D) South Broad Street median
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re...
🥊 Remembering: When a promising boxing prospect was killed in a hit-and-run on this week in Philly history.
🦷 Attending: This free pop-up medical clinic coming to West Philadelphia this weekend.
🎭 Congratulating: The nominees of the 2025 Barrymore Awards.
🧡 Kinda loving: The friendship between Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce.
📚 Considering: The benefits of learning English for speakers of other languages, beyond job training.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Retiring from NBC10
DACRYON DAVITS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Inez Recupido, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Renaissance Faire. The Lancaster County celebration of Renaissance arts, medieval sports, and fantasy returns this weekend and lasts through October.
Photo of the day
✖️ One last rebranded thing: RIP, Wells Fargo Center. Welcome, Xfinity Mobile Arena. Signs for the venue’s new name went up Thursday, a few weeks earlier than expected.
I’ll be sure to scope out the new signs when I’m at Citizens Bank Park tonight reliving my teens seeing My Chemical Romance. Whatever you’re doing with your weekend, have a good one.
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