Why Philly teachers ❤️ Walz | Morning Newsletter
And Foles retires an Eagle.
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 Friday, Philly. Yes, that was a tornado in Delaware. Today’s forecast is rainy, again, before what’s expected to be a warm and sunny weekend.
Teachers see themselves in the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, thanks to his 20 years in the classroom — so much so, it’s energizing some in Philly to volunteer for his campaign with VP Kamala Harris.
And Nick Foles will officially retire as a Philadelphia Eagle. We dig into why this city loves the quarterback, beyond his Super Bowl win for us. Find those stories and many more below.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Teachers in Philly and beyond are all in for Tim Walz.
🍎 Why the enthusiasm? Teachers’ unions traditionally support Democratic candidates. But in Walz’s case, especially, they appreciate that he gets what it’s like to be them.
📏 Harris’ running mate worked as a social studies teacher at public schools for two decades before he entered politics. Educators hope that means he’ll further policies that benefit their students, citing his past work such as bringing free lunch to all Minnesota students.
🏫 The embrace is a contrast from the criticism directed at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Harris’ almost-pick, who supports school vouchers — an issue some educators see as hostile to public schools.
✏️ It’s also motivating some to volunteer. “When teachers are excited about something, we make a difference,” a Science Leadership Academy teacher who now plans to make calls for the Harris-Walz campaign told The Inquirer.
Education reporter Kristen A. Graham has the story.
P.S. Elsewhere in election world, Harris and former President Donald Trump have agreed to appear at a previously scheduled debate on ABC on Sept. 10. Read on for the highlights from Trump’s news conference and Harris’ Detroit rally, both on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Republican VP nominee Sen. JD Vance has tied himself to Project 2025, and a Democrat-aligned PAC aims to block independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from appearing on Pennsylvania’s ballot in November.
Saint Nick will retire an Eagle.
🦅 The Super Bowl LII MVP, who spent five seasons in Philadelphia, will officially end his career at the team’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons next month.
🦅 The quarterback left us in 2019, then suffered a string of injuries and less successful seasons. But he’ll always be loved here for delivering that 41-33 win over the New England Patriots in 2018.
🦅 Columnist Marcus Hayes thinks it goes beyond that: “Nick Foles is emblematic of what Philadelphia, in its most honest moments of reflection, considers itself to be.”
Read Hayes’ take on why No. 9 isn’t a Philly legend — but he is Philly Special.
Plus, swipe to check out these nine memorable Foles moments.
What you should know today
Philadelphia law enforcement officials asked for tips to help find 47 homicide suspects. Nearly 18 months later, they can’t say how many tips came in or if anyone was caught.
Fired Philly police officer Mark Dial will no longer face first-degree murder charges over the deadly shooting of Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop.
The Rev. Mark Hatcher, a prominent pastor at Holy Ghost Headquarters in North Philadelphia, was sentenced to up to 12 years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault.
Camden School Advisory Board’s president plans to resume his duties nearly two months after the district reached a $2 million settlement in a civil sex abuse case brought against him.
Bereaved, incredulous, angry members of the University of the Arts community discussed the fallout of the university’s June shutdown during a City Council hearing Thursday.
Under pressure for weeks from bike safety advocates, Tenth Presbyterian Church said it will relinquish permits that allow congregants to park in nearby bike lanes.
Low-income neighborhoods close to gentrified areas of West Philly are seeing the biggest spikes in property assessments. The city’s new property tax freeze program aims to help.
Alas, The Inquirer’s Olympics coverage ends with this weekend’s closing ceremony, when Chester County rower Nick Mead will serve as one of Team USA’s flag bearers.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we have an explainer from reporter Milan Varia on why Philadelphians don’t call our favorite sandwich a “sub” (gross) or a “hero” (blasphemous).
To find the origin of “hoagie” (good, correct, perfect) we went back through The Inquirer’s archives and found a few different explanations. One of the more prevailing tales pins the name to Italian immigrants who once worked at the Hog Island shipyard, where the Philly airport now sits. Here’s the full explanation.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
SEPTA is treating which behavior as a criminal offense for the first time in five years?
A) Smoking
B) Public urination
C) Loud talking
D) Fare evasion
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🐦 Looking for: Birds of a feather with Philly Queer Birders.
🍕 Scoping out: The cheapest still-tasty pizza at the Shore.
🏊♂️ Watching: Chester County marathon swimmer Ivan Puskovitch compete in the men’s 10km race, plus a handful of other Philly-area Olympians.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Several hundred feet of this trail have been closed since July 15 because of contamination.
BALMIER TRAMS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Amanda Falcone, who solved Thursday’s anagram: University of Delaware. The college — the largest in its state — is using artificial intelligence to transform text into interactive study tools.
Photo of the day
☔ Yep, it’s still pretty wet out there. Remember that you can follow Debby’s impact all weekend with The Inquirer’s live tracker. Have a good one!
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