1,428 years of wisdom | Morning Newsletter
🤳 And GOTV influencers visit the Main Line.
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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 a cloudy Wednesday, Philly.
Aging is not a destination, nor is it a privilege we’re guaranteed. The Inquirer’s opinion team asked a panel of Pennsylvanians over 100 years old for advice, wisdom, and insights on what matters most.
And TikTok influencers were recruited to a “content house” on the Main Line to strategize ahead of the 2024 election. Read on for these stories and more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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What makes a life well-lived?
Fourteen Philly-area centenarians sat for video interviews with The Inquirer to share what they’ve learned in 100 years. We asked about their proudest accomplishments, the nature of love, the biggest changes they have seen in their lifetimes, and more.
Here’s a sample of their responses:
💯 What is the secret to living to 100 years old? Eat salad, drink water, exercise, don’t worry so much, and “keep breathing.”
💯 What advice would you give to younger people? Touch grass, stay in school, belong to something, and be kind to others — after all, “that’s the whole point of living.”
💯 What dating advice do you have to share? “Not much!” “Go slowly.” “Just act normal.”
Pair these interviews with a must-read essay by opinion editor Devi Lockwood, the brain behind this project, who explains how speaking with some of the oldest living Pennsylvanians changed her — and why age is the sum of a life’s small moments.
Memes are shaping public discourse about the presidential election. Some of them are coming from inside an extravagant Gladwyne residence-turned-election-themed content house.
Backed by a Democratic donor hub, 20 influencers from around the country spent a recent weekend making social media content about the importance of voting in Pennsylvania. The goal was to reach young people where they are — the internet — and encourage them to learn about, and ultimately vote for, Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.
“There are ways to be authentic about messaging,” said A.B. Burns-Tucker, the California-based lawyer known as iamlegallyhype who joined the Montgomery County weekend. “How would you talk about this issue in your group text with your friends?”
What you should know today
Police and forensic experts will exhume the bodies of eight unidentified homicide victims from a Northeast Philadelphia potter’s field for DNA tests.
A third member of the Proud Boys was sentenced to time behind bars for playing a role in the historic 2021 attack on the Capitol building.
The city has appealed a state decision that it shouldn’t have spent opioid settlement funds on revitalizing homes, schools, and parks in Kensington.
South Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III urged a judge Tuesday to throw out racketeering charges filed against him and five allies, deriding state prosecutors’ case as “a crime thriller with no crime.”
Democratic State Sen. Jimmy Dillon, who represents parts of the Northeast, is under fire for past racist and homophobic social media posts from his basketball business account.
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick led the world’s largest hedge fund before pursuing Pennsylvania politics. It’s both a major resume line and a source of scrutiny.
The Upper Darby school board voted Tuesday to implement a $1.1 million weapons detection system following the discoveries of a loaded gun and AR-style magazine at the high school.
Philadelphia is shifting back to in-person meetings for land use and planning decisions after several years of operating remotely.
“Goliath has won”: After a court battle with the city, Bob & Barbara’s Lounge must take down its new streetery for South Street repaving.
🧠 Trivia time
South Philadelphia musician Dave Peterson is blitzing the city with stickers in hopes he’ll find what?
A) A drummer
B) A lost pet squirrel
C) A kidney donor
D) A romantic partner
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and who) we’re...
🕺 Jamming to: The Phillies’ new post-win mix, thanks to three brothers from Northeast Philly.
⚡ A fan of: Dhwani Saraiya’s artwork turning Philly athletes into superheroes.
🏈 Watching: Michael Vick in Prime Video’s new docuseries, The Evolution of the Black Quarterback.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A rebelliously decorated Port Richmond landmark
PIG RIFT AFIRE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Rosalind Holtzman, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Fanatics. The company’s Philly-area founder, Michael Rubin, and his business partner, the media mogul Jay-Z, just launched the new Fanatics sportsbook at Ocean Casino Resort.
Photo of the day
Now it’s time to get that first-round bye, fellas.
👋 See you tomorrow. ‘Til then, be well.
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