🎾 A bet gone wrong | Morning Newsletter
And affordability takes center stage in Pa.’s governor’s race.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly! Happy Sunday. 👋 Good news: Today and Labor Day are shaping up to be beautiful, with sunny skies and temps near 80.
Back in 2024, a man from Amish country bet on the U.S. Open, then sent the U.S. Tennis Association a bomb threat. His goal was to disrupt a match and stop himself from losing money. The Inquirer took a look back at the incident, digging deeper into the story of what happened that day.
Pennsylvania’s governor’s race is around the corner, and voters say they most want the candidates — Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity — to address cost-of-living concerns, according to a recent poll.
— Sam Stewart (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
It was Sept. 2, 2024, the U.S. Open was in full swing, clouds dimming the early afternoon sun. Inside Louis Armstrong Stadium, a surprise was brewing.
Brian Maguire, the USTA’s director of security, answered a call from one of his staff members. Someone had sent a direct message to the USTA’s Twitter/X account: “I’m inside Louis Armstrong with a bomb that will go off at 1 pm est.”
Maguire requested that the FBI open a guardian — that is, begin gathering evidence for a federal case — against the person who had made the threat. Within 20 minutes, the officers and agents were radioing back from their search to tell Maguire, We’re clear. Louis Armstrong Stadium was never evacuated.
Cut to May 2026. Aidan Getchius trudged into a courtroom with his lawyer and his mother. He has admitted he used a gambling app to place a $100 wager on a match, but when it became clear that he would lose out, he panicked. From 160 miles away, he had thumb-typed and sent the bomb threat.
For most voters in Pennsylvania, the economy and cost-of-living concerns are the most important issues in the governor’s race between incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, according to a recent poll from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Times, and Siena University.
As Election Day draws nearer, both campaigns are focusing their messaging on these kitchen table issues.
While mounting his reelection campaign, Shapiro is highlighting his accomplishments during his first term that his campaign says has given Pennsylvanians more money back through tax cuts and wage increases for childcare workers.
Meanwhile, Garrity has recently shared her own plan, called “Turnaround PA,” to make living more affordable with an outline of how she’d lower prescription drug costs, reduce property taxes, and aim to cut energy bills to get there.
What you should know today
Last week William F. Dunbar Sr., a lobbyist and former informal adviser to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud charges. The Inquirer broke down everything you need to know.
Weeks after thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants saw the end of their protected status in the U.S., exposing them to ICE arrest and deportation, more than 170,000 people from El Salvador now face the same fate.
An executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill blocking federal immigration agents from using nonpublic state property does not violate the constitution, a federal judge ruled.
Michael Fanning, the Philadelphia Family Court judge who faced domestic violence charges earlier this year on allegations he assaulted his wife and adult daughter, resigned from the bench, a source said.
Only one applicant has been prequalified to bid on Haddon Heights’ first retail liquor license — a Philadelphia-based developer with plans for a restaurant and luxury apartments on the corner of Station Avenue and the White Horse Pike.
🎤 Here’s Tommy Rowan with a look back at the Beatles sneaking into a Philly concert hall in a fish truck.
The Beatles needed to get to Philadelphia and into Convention Hall to put on a show, but Beatlemania had fully taken hold of youth in the United States.
Of all people, not-yet-commish Frank Rizzo had a plan.
He just needed a diversion, and an inconspicuous mode of transportation.
❓Pop quiz
The Philadelphia metro area’s top out-of-town market for rental searches was from which area?
A) Maryland
B) New Jersey
C) New York
D) Rhode Island
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re ...
💑 Admiring: A couple who used to date are now best friends, and they’re raising a baby together.
🧠 Playing: This week’s Pillars, The Inquirer’s new word game, built specifically for Philly.
🦅 Proud of: Dolan’s Bar in Ridley Park, for organizing a surprise party for Uar Bernard. They showed support from Eagles fans to the seventh-round draft pick, who is now a member of the Eagles’ practice squad.
🍽️ Craving: A South Philly restaurant’s Vietnamese fried chicken and phở, which are some of the best things Craig LaBan ate this week.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Luxury hospitality brand with boutique beachfront hotels along the Jersey Shore
ASCOT IRONERS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Rick Eisenberg, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Rite Aid. A former location of this now-defunct chain on Walnut Street could become an apartment tower.
Photo of the day
🦇 One more fun thing: A couple was spotted in Center City over the weekend taking wedding photos with an iconic ride: the Batmobile.
🎶 Today’s song goes a little like this: “When you decide that your life is a prize / Renew, revive.”
👋 That’s all from me, folks. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
And speaking of the holiday, a friendly reminder that our next Morning Newsletter is coming to you on Wednesday. Talk to you soon!
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.
