The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Wednesday, Philly. Today may bring some rain ahead of what’s expected to be a dry, breezy Thanksgiving.
One of the city’s beloved holiday traditions returns to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this Thursday. Below, we recall the year Philadelphia almost lost its Thanksgiving Day parade.
And Elfreth’s Alley is getting a pocket park to honor the woman who saved it from demolition. Read on for plans for Dolly Ottey Park.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. This newsletter is taking some time off for the holiday. Look for its return to your inbox on Sunday.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Thousands of Philadelphians will gather in Center City this Thursday morning for the 106th annual march down the Parkway — officially, the 2025 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade.
🦃 But one terrible year nearly four decades ago, the legendary holiday event almost died. The city struggled to find a lead sponsor after the liquidation of Gimbel Brothers Department Store, which had funded the parade since its inception.
🦃 Philadelphia was soon wrapped up in a drawn-out corporate sponsorship saga that prompted angry newspaper columns, pleading editorials, and cheeky poetry published in the Daily News.
🦃 In the end, the 1986 Thanksgiving parade was bigger and better than it had ever been, thanks to the heroics of a different kind of local media — a TV station.
Reporter Nick Vadala digs through the archives for this very Philly throwback.
P.S. Check out The Inquirer’s 2025 guide on how to navigate the parade IRL or watch at home.
In other November traditions: The trophy is falling apart and attendance is down — but Northeast and Central refuse to stop playing their historic Thanksgiving game.
What’s now a vacant lot at the end of the country’s oldest residential street will soon become Dolly Ottey Park.
Ottey was an Elfreth’s Alley resident and restaurateur who championed preservation of the narrow cobblestone passage starting in the 1930s. Her advocacy continued through the ’60s, when construction of I-95 threatened demolition of at least half the street.
After years of effort from Old City organizations, the pocket park in Ottey’s honor will come to life in 2026 — just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed just blocks away.
Reporter Frank Kummer has the details.
What you should know today
After a 3-year-old was starved and killed, a lawsuit accuses community health nonprofit Philadelphia FIGHT of failing to report ongoing abuse.
The FBI has requested interviews with Democratic lawmakers, including two from Pennsylvania, who told troops to “refuse illegal orders.” And as Trump’s administration escalates the issue, can lawmakers actually face repercussions?
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the CROWN Act into law Tuesday. The landmark bill prohibits discrimination based on a person’s hair type, texture, or style.
SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered buses with cleaner diesel-electric hybrid buses.
The Pennsylvania attorney general issued a six-figure fine to the former CEO behind an $82 million real estate scheme that impacted Philly’s poorest neighborhoods.
The Philadelphia School District is among three being investigated by a Republican-led congressional committee over allegations of antisemitism.
Days after Philly principals took to City Council and the school board to blast their lack of a contract, their union and the district have a tentative deal.
William Way LGBT Community Center will permanently close its historic Center City building in December. Services will continue elsewhere.
HBO crime drama Task received a nearly $50 million tax credit to film in Pennsylvania, the largest amount the state has granted to a single production.
Quote of the day
A growing number of college professors are banning laptops from the classroom, including some who noticed students were spending class time surfing the web or online gambling. They say it encourages participation and better learning. Students don’t seem to mind.
🧠 Trivia time
The holiday pop-up bars have arrived in Philadelphia. Which is not the themed name of one of them?
A) Miracle on 8th Street
B) Reindeer Gone Wild
C) North Pole on South Street
D) Uptown’s Little Workshop
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re...
🩹 Following: Medical staffers of a Kensington wound care clinic.
🍽️ Answering: Readers’ questions about where Philly’s restaurant scene is going.
⚽ Swiping to decide: which Union players should stay or go.
🏈 Meeting: Eagles Hall of Fame inductee Bucko Kilroy, once called the NFL’s dirtiest player.
💸 Considering: What the plans to scrap diversity goals for city contracts will mean for Black Philadelphians.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Acclaimed Philly bread maker, now closing
KEENER ABYSS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Rob Jefferson, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Cherry Hill. Five elementary schools in the South Jersey suburb will be overcrowded by 2028. The district is considering how to redistribute students.
Plus: Say Yes to the Dress star Randy Fenoli visited Cherry Hill on Saturday for the grand opening of a bridal boutique.
Photo of the day
🧹 One last neighborly thing: These South Philly dads bought personal street sweepers — a German device that’s “like a little Zamboni” — for their block. They’ve led to not only a cleaner street, but a stronger sense of community, too.
Wishing you a cozy, communal week. Paola will be back with you on Sunday.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.