Living next door to danger | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to a new week, Philly.

Hundreds of Philadelphians live next to dangerous abandoned buildings. The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections stopped using a tool meant to track vacant properties.

And in other housing news, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker visited pulpits across West and North Philadelphia on Sunday, promoting her vision for her signature H.O.M.E. initiative that’s heightening tensions in City Hall.

Plus, as of Sunday evening, union leaders representing SEPTA’s bus, subway, and trolley operators were still negotiating to avoid a strike. In the case of a SEPTA work stoppage, Philadelphia School District’s contingency plans may include some virtual classes. See the latest updates at Inquirer.com.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Across Philadelphia, scores of families live next to vacant properties that are or could become dangerous — houses with collapsing porches, flooded basements, foundation-cracking weeds, and the like.

Many of those empty and imminently dangerous buildings are rowhouses, which share walls with neighboring homes. Disproportionately, they are based in the city’s poorest zip codes.

The total amount, though, is unclear. L&I’s methods of tracking vacant properties have shifted in recent years, including the discontinuation of an algorithmic tool to predict whether a property is likely to be vacant.

In the meantime, concerned residents and community activists want L&I to do more to ensure their safety, in some cases organizing to get the city to deal with abandoned properties more quickly.

Real estate reporter Michaelle Bond and data reporter Joe Yerardi have the story.

Further reading: Worried about the vacant building next door? An expert explains what do, from taking pictures to logging formal complaints with the city.

Amid City Hall tensions, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker spent the weekend seeking public support for her signature housing initiative, the Housing Opportunities Made Easy program, aka H.O.M.E.

🏠 Parker on Sunday promoted the $800 million program to congregants at 10 churches, emphasizing that she wants to ensure the funding helps Philadelphians of varying incomes.

🏠 The speaking tour followed City Council’s changes last week to H.O.M.E.’s initial budget and eligibility requirements to prioritize Philly’s lowest-income households.

🏠 “We’ve got to take care of the people who are most in need, but we can’t penalize the people who are going to work every day, pay their taxes, contribute to the city, and they can’t benefit from home improvement programs,” Parker said during a stop at Cobbs Creek’s Church of Christian Compassion.

Reporter Maggie Prosser has more from the tour.

In other local funding news: A bilingual credit union, Finanta Credit Union, is now open in Port Richmond. It’s seeking “unbanked” customers who want to buy homes and build businesses.

The students of Room 221 at Fanny Jackson Coppin Elementary in South Philly watched a massive construction project rise for months outside their classroom window. At teacher Kate Atkins’ request, the builders came to class last week and answered their questions about the project.

Among them: “Why did you decide to make the house bigger by making it taller instead of making it wider?” and “Will it be done by Christmas?” (The latter answer is no — and not by Hanukkah, either.)

Tony Award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard died last week at 88. To which Philadelphia theater did the Czech writer have a close connection?

A) Wilma Theater

B) Miller Theater

C) Forrest Theatre

D) Academy of Music

Think you know? Check your answer.

🦅 Congratulating: Jordan Mailata, the Eagles’ 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

⚽ Just as excited as: These soccer fans ready to host a World Cup in their hometown.

🖌️ Following: This graphic designer creating a new art piece after all 82 Sixers games.

🌊 Taking: A holiday field trip to Lewes and the Delaware Beaches.

🎤 Considering: How KPop Demon Hunters explains OpenAI becoming a public benefit corporation.

Hint: University City music venue

LOW CARVED LIFE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Nick Petryszyn, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Not for Nothing. The South Philly crime drama debuted on Amazon Prime this week.

Beep beep, the Care Bears bus is here: SEPTA workers displayed eight of their holiday-themed buses during the annual Festibus celebration in LOVE Park on Saturday.

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Jack Kapp, who describes a perfect game — and afternoon — from his youth in Northeast Philadelphia:

I was 10 in the summer of 1964. My father started letting me handle the lawn mower. We didn’t have much of a lawn, but it needed to be done. I did a fairly good job, and he proposed that my twin and I start a small business mowing the neighbors’ lawns. We agreed, enticed by the idea of making money.

I clearly remember mowing lawns the day of Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning’s perfect game on Father’s Day, June 21, 1964. This was to become a seminal event in Philadelphia sports history — one of the greatest games ever pitched. It was a doubleheader. His game was first. It was a hot day, and we rushed to get our work done. My father didn’t watch too much TV or baseball, but I guess because it was Father’s Day, he watched it with us.

It was the first perfect game in the National League since 1880, the first in regular-season baseball since 1922, and only the seventh in the history of the majors. Quite the achievement. Bunning, the father of seven children at that time (he would have two more after that), threw only 90 pitches, and struck out 10 batters.

It was also one of the best days that I ever spent with my father. Bunning would go on, after a fabulous Hall of Fame career, to become a U.S. senator from Kentucky for many years. I met him once, and told him this story. He thanked me politely.

Wishing you a smooth start to your week. See you back here tomorrow.

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.