🌸 Blossoms, baseball, and beef sticks | Morning Newsletter
And data center pushback in Chester County.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. Today is set to be sunny with a high in the 50s — a reminder that spring is, indeed, here.
We rounded up five Philadelphia activities to look forward to as temps continue to rise in the coming weeks.
And several data centers are proposed for the Philly suburbs. They’re drawing pushback from residents across the region, especially from those who could end up living nearby.
Plus, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel will be deployed at Philadelphia International Airport, and more news of the day.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Temperatures are still seesawing, but spring in Philly offers plenty of reasons to get out of the house, enjoy the season, and feel some hope for a better tomorrow. Among them:
🌸 Cherry blossoms are already budding in some parts of the city. The bright-pink trees will reach peak bloom in early April.
🍙 The Southeast Asian Market returns to FDR Park on April 4, bringing a feast for the senses by way of more than 70 vendors.
⚾ Phillies season begins at Citizens Bank Park this Thursday. You already know how we feel about skipping work to attend the home opener.
Reporter Emily Bloch has more Philadelphia activities to look forward to this spring.
Further reading: See the 20 Phillies storylines to follow before the start of the 2026 season.
Data center developers are eyeing Philadelphia’s collar counties, including in Chester County’s East Whiteland Township and East Vincent Township.
The proposals are prompting pushback from nearby residents concerned about the potential for higher energy bills, negative environmental impacts, and more.
Scores have shown up at council meetings to voice their displeasure in the municipalities where the centers have been pitched.
Notable quote: “Night after night across Pennsylvania, we’re seeing township meetings packed to overflowing, to the point where they have to be stopped and rescheduled, because people care that much,” one longtime community organizer said.
Reporter Brooke Schultz has the story.
What you should know today
ICE agents will be deployed at PHL amid delays at security checkpoints.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer was selected to serve as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, the latest twist in an ongoing leadership saga.
A California jury sided with a woman who accused Philadelphia native Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting her in 1972 and awarded her $19.25 million in damages.
A New Jersey man who sexually assaulted his seatmate on a flight from Los Angeles to Philly was sentenced to 2½ years in prison.
Kermit Gosnell, the infamous West Philadelphia abortion doctor who was sentenced to life in prison on murder and manslaughter convictions in 2013, has died.
A Haverford College student resolution could start a process to consider stripping megadonor and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s name from the library.
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is hoping a counterproposal announced Monday would help spare three West Philly schools the school district has slated for closure. Plus, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker now wants a $1-per-ride tax for Ubers and Lyfts to lessen district classroom cuts.
World Cup host cities in the United States, including Philadelphia, will receive their share of the $625 million in federal security funding previously held up by the partial government shutdown.
A majority of the approximately 275 prosecutors in District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office are backing a plan to unionize and be represented by the city’s white-collar municipal workers’ union.
Quote of the day
A 16-year-old in Huntsville, Ala., shares a name with the former Phillies great, though the two are not related. Chase the younger is working hard to make his own way in the sport, while Chase the elder has some advice for him.
In other athletic news: Upper Merion High School alumna Ariana Ramsey hopes to grow rugby’s popularity since winning her historic Olympic bronze medal.
🧠 Trivia time
More than 70% of new jobs in the Philadelphia area were in which field over the last 10 years?
A) Education
B) Hospitality
C) Technology
D) Healthcare
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re …
💰 Remembering: When a South Philadelphia man was convicted in a prolific arsenic-murder ring on this week in Philly history.
🚎 Learning: Why trolleys have been stopping before they enter the 40th Street tunnel.
🏡 Ogling: Margate’s most expensive home, on the market for nearly $11 million.
🍷 Riding: A new shuttle to wineries and breweries in lower Cape May County.
🩺 Considering: The case for letting experienced international doctors practice in Pennsylvania.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Reality show spotted filming in the city
BLED VIOLINS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Darren Nyce, who solved Monday’s anagram: Bryn Mawr Hospital. The healthcare institution announced this week that it has received $1 million from an anonymous donor to help its nurses pay off student loans — the fourth hospital in the nonprofit Main Line Health system to receive such a donation in the last year.
Photo of the day
Enjoy your Tuesday. Back at it tomorrow.
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