Sixers and their landlord battle over arena | Morning Newsletter

Happy Friday. Ophelia isn’t quite done with us yet. The rain is likely back today with a high of 64.

For months, the controversy over the Sixers’ plan for a $1.55 billion downtown arena was mostly between the NBA team and the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, which has a long history of fighting for its survival against outside development.

Now there’s another related clash. Our main story explores the battle between the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor, the owners of the Wells Fargo Center.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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It’s getting heated between two of Philadelphia’s corporate giants and the rich personalities that run them.

The Sixers, owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, are a disgruntled tenant at the Wells Fargo Center.

The local sports and entertainment arm of Comcast — Comcast Spectacor — wants the team to stay. It wants to avoid the loss of its major tenant and having a major competitor for bookings of concerts and shows. It also doesn’t appreciate the team’s harsh — it says false —criticisms of the Wells Fargo Center, which is completing a $400 million renovation.

Meanwhile, the Sixers think it’s unfair that their landlord wants to stop them from leaving at the end of their lease. They say they deserve the right to run their own business in their own building and to gain control over everything from scheduling to selling merchandise.

Two men — Comcast Spectacor’s CEO Daniel Hilferty and developer David Adelman — are at the center of the dispute with potentially billions of dollars on the line.

Read on to learn how the clash becomes more pointed and public by the day.

The family of Eddie Irizarry has sued former Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial, who shot and killed the 27-year-old Irizarry during a traffic stop in Kensington last month. They say the use of lethal force was excessive, unjustified and illegal.

Notable quote: “At this point, the money is not going to bring my nephew back,” said Zoraida Garcia, Irizarry’s aunt. “But they need to feel the pain my family is feeling.”

In the wrongful-death lawsuit filed Wednesday in Common Pleas Court, the family says Dial acted “unlawfully” when he shot Irizarry multiple times as he sat in his car with the windows rolled up. The suit also named Dial’s partner, Michael Morris, who was present at the time of the shooting but did not fire his gun.

A quick recap: The suit was filed a day after a Philadelphia judge dismissed all charges against Dial, including first-degree murder. Irizarry’s family decried the decision and around 100 people rallied outside City Hall Tuesday night in protest. After the peaceful demonstration, groups of young people vandalized and stole from businesses across the city. The District Attorney’s Office appealed the judge’s decision in an attempt to reinstate all charges against Dial.

Read on for more details of the suit.

When will the peak fall foliage likely arrive in Philly?

A) The end of October

B) Mid-October

C) Early November

D) None of the above

Think you know? Check your answer.

⚾ Reminiscing about: The last Phillies game at the Vet was 20 years ago.

📰 Reading: An inside look into the world of Philly’s financial dominatrices.

Hint: Regional folklore

DELVE SLIDE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Mary Kalyna, who correctly guessed Thursday’s answer: Tyler Arboretum.

Stay dry out there. Paola will give you your weekend news on Sunday. Take care and enjoy your Friday.