The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Rise and shine, Philly. It’s August, and we’re promised a warm, partly sunny day.
A reader feels torn on wanting to tear up the 1950s-style bathroom in their new South Philly home. Inquirer staffers debate the dilemma.
Plus, we’re talking about a developer’s plans for Manayunk’s Venice Island, a sit-down with Cecily Tynan, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
A developer wants to build on 30 acres of flood-prone Venice Island in Manayunk, sparking community pushback about suburbanization.
Philly residents left traumatized by the Northeast plane crash in January 2025 are suing the Mexican jet company.
A doctor and Bangladesh native was driving for DoorDash to support his wife’s medical career when police say he was killed during a robbery this month. It was one of at least three shootings involving delivery drivers in the city this summer.
West Oak Lane tenants who sued one of Philadelphia’s biggest landlords over unsafe conditions will get rent forgiveness and refunds if their class-action settlement is approved.
More than a dozen Philadelphia-area contractors have sued apartment developer Post Brothers, alleging the company failed to fully pay for completed work.
Federal prosecutors have charged a Montco rail parts supplier and its owner for their part in a bid-rigging conspiracy involving SEPTA contracts.
Construction on Philly’s new cruise terminal is behind schedule and will cost millions more than expected.
Federal funding for a teen pregnancy prevention program in Philadelphia was abruptly cut last month. Leaders said the program’s curriculum had already been approved.
Cecily Tynan’s retirement surprised viewers, but it had been coming for years. A brief bout with vertigo sealed the longtime 6abc meteorologist’s decision.
From John Kruk stealing the show with his clip-on ties to a new Wildwood-set comedy, catch up on the good, bad, and weird from recent stories out of Philly.
This week’s question is: I just bought a South Philly house with a pristine 1950s bathroom. Everyone who sees it says I MUST keep it, pink toilet and all. But I want radiant heat flooring, marble, and a moody paint scheme. Am I a monster?
Inquirer reporters Earl Hopkins and Stephanie Farr joined forces to tackle this one, discussing ways to pay respects to the house’s roots, while also honoring one’s free will and individuality.
Farr, who grew to love the anachronistic feel of pink tile in her bathroom, suggested our reader soak it in a little bit longer before taking a hammer to it. “I’m in the modern era in the rest of my house, but when I go to the bathroom I’m transported back to the 1950s,” Farr said. ”It’s a bathroom time machine!"
Read their full chat here. And if you’re looking for advice, or want to share your thoughts, we want to hear it. Email us here.
A quaint Pennsylvania borough has become a “speed trap” for detaining immigrants through a partnership with ICE, Inquirer columnist Will Bunch writes, with police having turned over 32 immigrants since March.
“Some longtime residents of Mount Holly Springs are worried that things will never be the same,” Bunch writes. Read more here.
đź“Ť Find the location
This photo was our very first Citywide Quest question. Think you know where it was taken? Check your answer.
P.S. Thanks for playing Citywide Quest with us over the last year. This is the last edition of the game. Rest assured, we’re making new experiences for you to enjoy, including Pillars, a new word game built specifically for Philly.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: In Bucks County (one word)
QUART WOKEN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Mary Keeley, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Brio Italian Grille. The Cherry Hill restaurant permanently shut its doors — for real this time. The nearest location is now 200 miles from South Jersey.
The FBI conducted a search of Dane Fine Art in Haverford Township on Wednesday.
A “premier dealer of limited edition and unique works of art,” the gallery buys, sells, and auctions prints and original works from a variety of artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, according to its site.
Here’s what staff photographer Jose F. Moreno and reporter Denali Sagner heard and saw at the scene after the gallery reopened Thursday.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
🏙️ LeBron James made his NBA debut in 2003. A Philly real estate agent showcases just how much the city has changed since then.
🗺️ Waze? Apple Maps? Nah, let me hear that Delco GPS.
🏀 Even “Dr. Seuss” can’t help but trust the process.
👋🏽 Thanks for reading. Have a good one, and I’ll catch up with you again tomorrow.
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