🚎 Transforming a historic trolley depot | Morning Newsletter
And lessons from 1991’s measles outbreak.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Thursday, or as I like to call it, Friday Jr. It’s set to be a breezy, sunny day with temps topping out in the mid-70s.
Further out, we’re monitoring Tropical Storm Isaias. It’s expected to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and could bring rains to the Philly area over the weekend.
Today’s main story highlights SEPTA’s hopes of transforming an industrial relic into something new.
And as Pennsylvania contends with the nation’s worst measles outbreak, physicians who lived through Philadelphia’s deadly epidemic in 1991 can hardly believe it’s happening again.
Plus, a sweeping state ban on vape products will soon take hold, and more news of the day.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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While the 200-year-old Shawmont Station in Roxborough is poised to be converted into a train museum, SEPTA is looking to breathe new life into another depot.
The Mifflin Substation, located in East Passyunk, was built in 1914 and delivered electric power to trolleys for generations. Operations stopped when the Route 79 trackless trolley converted to buses.
With its 35-foot ceilings, massive windows, and industrial brick-and-steel-aesthetic, some have suggested it could be a brewpub, a climbing gym, or even a concert venue. Ultimately, it will depend on resident feedback and the imaginations of real estate developers.
Transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald has details on how the public can participate in shaping the station’s future.
Three decades ago, a measles outbreak ravaged the city of Philadelphia, sickening 1,400 people and killing nine children. The city went on to pursue the nation’s first and only court-compelled vaccinations.
As is the case today, the highly contagious virus spread in communities with low vaccination rates. However, the reasons for the reluctance have changed.
Vaccines were rejected then by some people, but remained inaccessible even to many of those who wanted them. Today, they’re easier to obtain, but people are increasingly opting out. An Inquirer analysis found a 15% increase in the use of these exemptions in the last two years.
Inquirer public health reporter Aubrey Whelan spoke with Robert Ross, pictured above in 1991, a doctor who treated kids during that outbreak. He and other physicians told Whelan they lament the return of the highly contagious disease.
Notable quote: “I would have said there was no chance this would ever happen again,” said Ross.
Read on with public health reporter Aubrey Whelan.
What you should know today
Authorities are looking for a group of young men who committed a string of gunpoint robberies in Center City and North Philadelphia.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Republican challenger, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, met Wednesday night for the first and only debate in the Pennsylvania governor’s race. Here are our key takeaways.
Federal prosecutors say a Haverford College professor sent antisemitic threats to a colleague for months, forcing their family to flee twice.
Two prosecutors who clashed with Philly DA Larry Krasner over the handling of a controversial post-conviction case have resigned. They accused Krasner of seeking to “discredit” them in court.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s new state-of-the-art crime lab could open as early as next year.
Three Philly schools just won $600,000 in prize money from Pennsylvania billionaires Janine and Jeffrey Yass.
Most disposable vaporizers, vape juice, and electronic cigarette products will soon be illegal to sell in Pennsylvania. The move will affect more than 10,000 local businesses and limit consumers to six manufacturers’ products.
New Jersey’s Atlantic white cedar trees are decaying at an alarming rate. Environmentalists are challenging the state’s plans to restore them.
Three of Philly’s marquee sports teams have been disappointing this year, writes Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski. He argues that teams that lose can still be fun to watch — if they take interesting risks and put up a fight.
🧠 Trivia time
The Eagles are headed to London, where Philly has a culinary foothold.
The city is home to a series of Philadelphia-themed dive bars called:
A) Ring the Bell
B) Passyunk Avenue
C) Broad Street
D) Brotherly Love
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re …
🏫 Explaining: How digital hall passes that track students’ locations work. They are now in use in 37 Philly schools.
⚾ Picking: Who should stay or go from the Phillies’ roster in 2027?
🎸 Excited for: These nine acts on this year’s Philly Music Fest lineup.
🚁 Mapping: LeBron James’ helicopter flights between NYC and Philly.
📼 Nostalgic for: Analog-heads, rejoice. A vintage store in Collingswood is renting DVD, Blu-ray, and VHS videos.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Montgomery County township
MERLIN WOOER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Dr. Raymond J. Boccuti, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum and his band, the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, will be playing at the Miller Theater to kick off Ensemble Arts Philly’s jazz season tonight.
I wanted to end by highlighting a new video from The Inquirer, taking us inside Philly’s thriving music scene. This one chronicles how a 140-year-old church in Center City became a haven for punk shows. Which venue should we profile next? Let us know.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day here. Laura will bring you tomorrow’s news to wrap up the week.
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