📸 Your favorite city views | Morning Newsletter
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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, and welcome to March.
We’re warming up to near 56 on this Saturday, and it’s looking more like Philadelphia will reach another snowless milestone this season.
Today, I’m highlighting reader-submitted photos and stories of the best views in the city. Plus, we’ll talk about how Philly-area federal employees are coping with mass government layoffs, what the blueprints may hold for a former UArts building, and the fallout of a contentious meeting at the White House on Friday.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What you should know today
More than 200 residents packed an Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday night, casting doubt on Sunoco’s testing results from a pipeline spill detected in January that contaminated at least six Bucks County water wells.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a wild meeting in the Oval Office Friday. Zelensky’s visit to Scranton last year was among the topics of tension. Gov. Josh Shapiro denounced Trump and Vance’s behavior and accused them of having “advanced Russia’s propaganda directly from the White House.”
After a federal judge said the mass firing of probationary employees was likely illegal, terminated workers are uncertain about what’s next for them. We talked to some to learn how they are dealing with the wavering situation.
A Deptford High School student has been charged with stabbing another student during an altercation on a school bus, police said Thursday.
A student at Quakertown Community High School is suing her district and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association after she says she was forced to compete against a transgender student at cross-country and track meets.
Shaurn Thomas was sentenced on Friday to effectively spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing a man over a $1,200 drug debt. Thomas had previously been paid $4.1 million by the city of Philadelphia after serving 24 years in prison for a murder he said he didn’t commit.
Temple University has been part of several recent high-profile crime incidents. Some say they are gratified that president John Fry’s administration has communicated swiftly and thoroughly about security, which wasn’t always the case in the past.
Rich Colli, a fixture of the city’s beer scene and the Washington Square West community, died unexpectedly Monday. And Steve Pellegrino, an artisanal knife maker whose custom knives were a staple in Philadelphia restaurant kitchens, has died after being critically injured in a car crash.
New York-based Dwight City Group plans to transform Anderson Hall, a former University of the Arts academic building, into an apartment building with food-and-beverage retail on the ground floor and “maker spaces” or offices on the second and third floors.
Some city officials and business leaders want to reform or eliminate Philadelphia’s unique business income and receipts tax. Here’s what to know about BIRT.
Joel Embiid’s season is finished. The 76ers determined the All-Star center is medically unable to play and he will remain sidelined to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.
Philly Sports Network’s Jimmy King hit the nail on the head: “I don’t think people truly understand how pretty of a city Philadelphia can be.”
Last week, I told you about online chatter regarding people’s favorite view in the whole city. I asked you to share yours, and a handful of you delivered. Whether you see it on your commute, along a hiking trail, or from the comfort of your home, the scene stays with you. Here’s a preview of what you sent in:
Ryan Hall, South Philly: On I-76 as you come around the curve at Spring Garden, especially in the morning, the city reveals itself, breathtaking every time. Coming from the other direction, I always love the view from the South Street Bridge, even got my engagement pictures there. Another underrated spot is the view from City Hall below Billy Penn’s feet. Feel like it’s a little-known fact you can tour the tower and get one of the best 360 views of the city.
Lisa Jablonski: My favorite view in the city is from high up in Drexel’s “Towers” Residence Hall looking back into Center City at the golden hour. As the sun is setting behind you, the city turns the most delicious shades of golden pinks, oranges and browns and gives you a warm hug.
Gail Delfin, Grays Ferry: The Saquon Barkley view! Sitting high on the Rocky steps, close to the Art Museum doors. With the hum of the city percolating in your ears, you smile at the laughter of the kids and grown-ups panting and stumbling up the last few stairs, falling into loved ones’ arms. Dozens of different languages musically swirl around you. Visitors point and nod, exclaiming as they discover a landmark on the Parkway. People buy ice cream or hang with friends, arms around shoulders or hands clasped into another’s. City Hall gleams in the distance, the heart of our beloved city. And you share this vista with all these folks in the City of Brotherly Love.
Browse our gallery to see more picturesque spots and snippets about your beloved sights around Philly, and thanks again for contributing.
According to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, about 7 in 10 eighth graders in Pennsylvania are failing to read or perform math at grade level. Nearly half of the state’s lowest-achieving schools are in the Philadelphia School District.
In a column for the Inquirer, David Hardy, president of Girard College, says Gov. Josh Shapiro and the General Assembly are throwing money at the problem rather than considering other tactics, some of which are already supported by most Pennsylvanians.
“Pennsylvanians are hungry for alternatives to throwing money at failing schools, and lawmakers have all the ingredients they need to feed everybody,” Hardy writes.
Read on for Hardy’s take on how expanding tax credit scholarship programs and enacting new measures could help the state tackle this academic crisis.
🧠Trivia time
The Portal video art installation at LOVE Park closed on Super Bowl Sunday and will remain closed for renovations. What holiday is its re-opening expected to coincide with?
A) Ramadan
B) Easter
C) St. Patrick’s Day
D) Passover
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This actor from West Philly has two consecutive Oscar nominations
COMMANDO LINGO
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Susan Becker who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Parks and Recreation. A baseball field in Fairmount Park was flooded for a year, illustrating the challenges the department faces when balancing needs across the city.
La Salle University honored head coach Fran Dunphy on Wednesday ahead of his retirement at the end of the season. It was his 1000th coached game as a Division 1 head coach. Unfortunately, the Explorers lost 67-62 to the Duquesne Dukes. See more photos from staff photographer Charles Fox.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
Philadelphians are reminiscing about the SS United States after its departure. It was spotted passing by Florida this week. Redditors shared photos of the vessel from South Beach as it carried on its so-called farewell cruise.
Some people are remembering the time over the fateful day Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies, six years ago on Feb. 28.
Over on Facebook, Clifford Luck shared stunning shots of the city skyline from the Ben Franklin Bridge.
And I just know someone is out there logging into their old Skype account one last time before Microsoft shuts it down for good. Some of my contacts, dust and all, still had links to their MySpace accounts. Who remembers that era?
(P.S. Did you get to catch the cool astronomical linkup in the sky? Experts suggest going outside on clear, cloudless nights after sunset.)
👋🏽 Let’s catch up on the news again tomorrow.
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