Searching for her dog’s final photo | Morning Newsletter
🥜 And meet CBP’s peanut lady
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning, Philly.
The “sun” in Sunday is doing its job, we’re warming up to near 77 degrees.
A stranger took a photo of a Philadelphia woman and her dog, Weston, while they were on a walk to the vet. None of them knew it at the time, but it would become the last image she had taken with her hound. Our main story follows her quest to find the person who captured those final moments.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Kristina Cusenza says her 13-year-old hound, Weston, rescued her as much as she rescued him.
Last month, they were walking to the vet together in Fairmount when a man asked if he could take their picture. Cusenza agreed, but didn’t think to ask him for his name or a copy of the image.
At the vet, Cusenza hoped to get options to treat Weston, who had been ill with a failing heart. But sadly, her best furry friend had reached the end of the line, and Cusenza made the difficult decision to say goodbye.
Then she thought about the elusive photo, and how much it would mean to have that final memory. Philly is a big place, so to find the observant person who stopped and photographed them on the sidewalk, she tried posting on neighborhood pages and even did an interview with a local TV station.
The odds didn’t seem great, but in time, the photographer saw her pleas on social media and returned the memory to her.
Read Rita Giordano’s touching account and see the cherished picture and hear from Cusenza and the photographer on the lasting impact of their encounter.
What you should know today
Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pa., for an election rally at the site of the July assassination attempt.
Josh Shapiro, Phil Murphy, and other Democratic governors will rally for Kamala Harris in North Philly on Sunday. The rally comes as Harris works to regain ground Democrats have lost among working-class voters.
A 17-year-old was critically wounded in a Friday night shooting on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia. Police said a preliminary investigation indicates an altercation between several males likely led to the shooting.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick made a campaign stop outside Max’s Steaks in North Philly on Friday. It didn’t go smoothly.
Pennsylvania has seen more cases of whooping cough than any other state in the nation this year. Officials said most reported outbreaks took place at middle schools, high schools, and colleges.
Local Republicans faced public backlash after appearing in a Kamala Harris TV ad and saying they refuse to vote for Donald Trump again. Their experiences suggest a deeply divided electorate and the polarization and harassment at play when people publicly cross party lines.
These local college students are headed to Rome for an historic opportunity to influence the Catholic Church.
The IRS is expanding eligibility for the government’s free tax filing software by doubling the number of participating states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Here’s how to find out if you qualify.
With an Earth, Wind & Fire documentary already on the slate, Philly’s own Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is adding another credit to his growing IMDb page.
A free, mentor-led program in New Jersey fuels young people’s interest in aviation by giving them the hands-on experience of building an actual aircraft.
They joked about running into the Sixers while on their honeymoon in the Bahamas, and then guess what happened?
What’s a ball game without the salty snack?
Cheryl Spielvogel, the Phillies’ spunky peanut lady, has seen it all at the Vet and the Bank. And after thousands of games in almost five decades on the job, she’s not planning to stop serving peanuts anytime soon.
🥜 She is the oldest Phillies vendor working today. A lot has changed since Spielvogel started in 1976 — for one, peanuts no longer cost 40 cents.
🥜 She has developed relationships and crossed paths with many players and managers over the years. Spielvogel never shied away from sharing her opinions with them.
🥜 She loves her job, but it’s not easy. It’s taxing on her body, and she’s not a people person by nature, but watching these Phillies makes it all worth it.
“I’m 73, and those 40 rows, they’re getting to me,” Spielvogel told Phillies reporter Alex Coffey. “But I’m gonna have a cane, and I’m still gonna be going up and down those rows.”
Continue reading on Spielvogel’s career slinging peanuts at CBP for 49 years and counting, including a recent encounter with Kyle Schwarber.
❓Pop quiz
Western Pennsylvania and Ohio are hotbeds for competitive pumpkin growing, and one Keystone State farmer thinks he has grown one that weighs more than a ton.
What’s the current state record?
A) 2,195 pounds
B) 2,222 pounds
C) 2,404 pounds
D) 2,515 pounds
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This Boston-born poet and master of the macabre now rests in a Baltimore grave, but some argue Philly was his spiritual home. 🐦⬛
ANGELA LEOPARD
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Beth Brindle who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Red October.
The Phillies blew a gem of a pitching performance by Zack Wheeler to lose Game 1 of the National League Division Series to the Mets, 6-2. So grab your rally towel because we’re just getting started. And check out our picks for the top 10 moments in Citizens Bank Park history, from a World Series win to Banana Ball.
Photo of the day
🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “Standing on the world outside / I’m a shark in a love landslide.”
👋🏽 Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Inquirer. Have a good one.