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.
The first measurable snowfall of the winter seems a certainty this weekend with about 3 inches expected in the region.
Today, we’re discussing train etiquette when it comes to playing music loudly.
But first, let’s go over the latest broadside against the board of the Philadelphia Art Museum by ousted director and CEO Sasha Suda, what we know about Philly’s first-ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
Police are looking for a suspect wanted in connection with the killing of a 93-year-old man in the city’s Logan neighborhood last week.
A flier showing the KKK was posted in Southwest Philly. A ward leader, wanting to calm community fears, said he believes this all may be some kind of misunderstanding.
A Southwest Philadelphia woman was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison for the October 2024 killing of a pregnant woman during a fight.
Dismissed Art Museum chief Sasha Suda is arguing for a trial with a jury, rather than settling her dispute with the museum through arbitration, in a new court filing.
Pennsylvania’s political elite will return this weekend for the first time in seven years to where the annual out-of-state glitzy gathering all began: the Waldorf Astoria New York.
Philly’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday kicks off on New Year’s Eve with a free outdoor concert featuring LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more.
The Philadelphia Portal art installment at City Hall is offline. The cause of the blackout was unclear as of Friday.
After Lincoln University’s homecoming in October ended with seven people shot, including one killed, the surrounding rural Chester County township plans to pass new regulations on large events.
It’s a buyer’s market around Temple. But an Old City real estate agent’s clients were paying about double the original asking price for properties.
What, exactly, is the Eagles “positivity bunny”? We explain in our roundup of the good, bad, and weird in the latest stories out of Philly.
It happens every so often, even in the quiet car: I get on the train, and somebody’s loudspeaker starts blaring music or even TikTok videos. A quick look around, and a shared discomfort is obvious on other riders’ faces. What do you do in this situation? Do you speak up, or suffer on your morning commute?
To answer this reader question, Inquirer editor Evan Weiss recruited reporters Beatrice Forman and Henry Savage. Their chat touched on whether there is a “right way” to ask someone to quit blasting their playlist or other disruptive behaviors like smoking.
Forman shared a solution-oriented anecdote: “I was recently on the BSL home from an assignment in South Philly around the time classes let out, and this kid was blasting Kendrick Lamar loud enough for all the train car to hear, so I ended up politely offering him a pair of corded earbuds to use to see if he’d take the hint.”
Personally, I opt for drowning it out with my own music — in my headphones, of course. But I’ve definitely been stuck on SEPTA without that option because said headphones also run out of battery.
Read along for my colleagues’ full verdict. And if you have a pressing question you need advice on, we’re all ears. Send it in here.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s H.O.M.E. initiative — a $2 billion proposal to build or restore 30,000 homes across the city — has proved to be a sticking point between Parker’s administration and City Hall. On Wednesday, City Council voted against Parker’s vision.
In the latest edition of “Shackamaxon,” Inquirer columnist Daniel Pearson unpacks the mayor’s housing plan and more.
đź“Ť Find the location
Somewhere in Philly, there’s a bright yellow pop-art inspired sculpture that reads “OY/YO” (depending on your vantage point).
Where is it?
A) City Hall
B) Independence Mall
C) Penn’s Landing
D) None of the above
Think you know? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Philly’s streets to the test. Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Gilded Age property in Montco
LEAKIEST NEST
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Ken Schwartz, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Baby KJ. The Philadelphia-area infant, who made international headlines this year after a successful gene-editing treatment at CHOP, has been named by Nature as one of 10 people who helped shape medicine in 2025.
This is Olga Sorzano, owner of Baba’s Brew of Phoenixville, holding a scoby.
Sorzano’s kombucha company generates large amounts of scoby, the mother culture used as a kombucha starter, so she found a new way to use leftover supply: in skincare products.
Food writer Kiki Aranita and photographer Alejandro A. Alvarez went inside the brewing room to learn how the fermenter transforms her bubbly brew into toners, masks, and more.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
Redditors are nostalgic for these SEPTA bus designs from the ’80s.
Jake Beckman, “the Eagles guy” for FanSided and a stand-up comic, shared a video of what appears to be a police officer conducting a wellness check on Monday night. Their exchange says it all: “The Eagles lost.” “I know.” I wonder how Beckman feels about the positivity bunny.
And another passionate Birds fan is keeping the holiday spirit alive by belting out a Jalen Hurts serenade to the tune of “All I Want for Christmas is You” — at 3 in the morning, no less.
👋🏽 That’s it for now. Let’s catch up again tomorrow.
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