Four-day workweek, Philly style | Morning Newsletter
And a deadly shooting spree in Bucks
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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
Welcome to Sunday. Partly sunny skies are in store, with a high near 62.
Looking forward to Friday? The Cure really nailed that feeling. The idea of working fewer days and hours has been gaining traction in pockets of the corporate world. Some Philly-area employers are experimenting with it, so we’re checking in with them to learn why they did it, and if making the switch had any impact.
We’ll also bring you up to speed on the timeline of events that led to the capture of Andre Gordon, the man police say went on a deadly shooting spree in a Philadelphia suburb on Saturday. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get into it.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Software engineer Julian Plotnick, pictured above, likes to use his extra day off to practice juggling.
Six months ago, Plotnick asked his company, Metropolitan Acoustics, to let him work one less day per week, 32 hours total, without a cut in pay. The consulting firm gave Plotnick the green light, and now it plans to transition its entire 12-person staff to a four-day workweek.
Metropolitan is among a few local companies that have been trying out the four-day workweek, and dozens more across the globe are following suit. And just last week, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to slash the standard U.S. workweek down to the same length.
Catch up quick: Philly-based Insomnia Cookies started giving Fridays off to all 100 full-time corporate employees. And Philly Marketing Labs, which designs digital campaigns for consumer brands, switched to a four-day week in 2021 and never looked back.
Why it’s working: Insomnia cites mental health and work-life balance benefits, and says feedback from employees has been positive and “productivity is doing great” since the change. Philly Marketing Labs says the arrangement allows some flexibility so client service doesn’t suffer.
Notable quote: “It’s been so great for my life,” Plotnick said. “Everyone I talk to is a little bit jealous.”
Keep reading for a closer look inside how the companies are faring after cutting the workweek by one day.
A man armed with an assault rifle shot and killed three people — including his stepmother and sister — Saturday morning at two homes in Falls Township, Bucks County, then fled in a stolen car and was captured several hours later in Trenton, police said.
The victims were identified as Karen Gordon, 52; Kera Gordon, 13; and Taylor Daniel, 25. The suspect, identified as Andre Gordon, 26, surrendered to police without incident around 5:15 p.m.
It was at least the third violent incident involving the slaying of family members in the Philadelphia suburbs in the last two months.
Prior to Gordon’s capture, police believed he had barricaded himself in a home with hostages, but later said he was able to escape before officers surrounded the home, according to Trenton Police Detective Lt. Lisette Rios.
The shootings were a shock to the Falls neighborhood. “I’ve been here 20 some years and I don’t think we ever had a cop sitting in front of anybody’s house for more than a minute,” said Charles Flanagan, who lived near the Viewpoint Lane house. “It’s a very quiet neighborhood.”
Keep reading for our latest coverage and visit inquirer.com for more updates.
What you should know today
The parents of Anthony Allegrini Jr., who was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania state trooper on I-95 last year, have filed a lawsuit alleging the trooper used excessive force and didn’t apply livesaving measures, leaving the 18-year-old bleeding to death on the highway.
Three young children were injured, one critically, after a driver struck them in Southwest Philadelphia on Thursday.
What can best be described as a giant crater was discovered Friday on a road in Mullica Hill. A backed-up ravine created the hole, leading to a “torrent of water” washing through residents’ properties.
A Central Bucks West High School teacher did not break district rules with his anti-Israel advocacy, district officials said last week after reviewing complaints by parents that his social media posts spread antisemitic content and inspired a Muslim student group to do the same.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker vowed “not one city dollar” will be used to fund the distribution of sterile syringes to people who use drugs. The policy would be a departure from her predecessors and could impact the largest and oldest syringe exchange program in Philly.
The Pennsylvania Board of Medicine suspended a weight loss doctor who performed intimate exams on women. It took six years for him to face discipline after an undercover investigation, and he still sees patients in Brooklyn.
Faced with a decrease in state aid for the 2024-25 school year, some New Jersey school systems are bracing for possible budget cuts that could upend education in those districts.
The Chestnut Hill West train is a lifeline for Germantown seniors, and they are all-in to fight to Save the Train.
Cloud Cups, the Philly gelato maker, will soon open a flagship shop and production facility in Kensington.
❓Pop quiz
Philadelphia Whiskey is neither made nor sold in Philly. Our columnist Stephanie Farr calls it “a plastic bottle of lies.”
Where is the whiskey actually manufactured?
A) Texas
B) Kentucky
C) New York
D) Tennessee
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Never iron one of these. You don’t want to press your luck.
ALOOF CLEVER FUR
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Christina Ludwig who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: The Fillmore, the latest Philly music venue to go “cashless.”
Photo of the day
The National Resident Matching Program pairs medical students with the hospitals where they will spend their first years as doctors. Inquirer reporter Aubrey Whelan’s dispatch from Match Day at Drexel is worth a read.
🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re still listening to “World Wide Whack.” One song goes like this: “Used to have dreams of escaping / Now I make the best of every situation.”
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer, especially on days when the news is a lot to take in. Take care, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.