Is Pa. in the Midwest? | Morning Newsletter
🦅 And cream cheesehead man.
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The Morning Newsletter
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Morning, Philly. It’s another sunny Thursday, with high temps near 85.
Is Pennsylvania in the Midwest? To Philadelphians, the question likely sounds absurd. Yet the debate has political repercussions far beyond those of Wawa vs. Sheetz.
And we catch up with the Brazilian Eagles fan who went viral for his Philadelphia Cream Cheesehead. Read on for these stories and many more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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By this stage in the presidential election run-up, you know that national eyes are on purple Pennsylvania, where urban Democrats live alongside rural Republicans (though there’s plenty happening in between to blur that narrative).
At the same time, a strange characterization has emerged: People keep referring to the state as the Midwest. They’re wrong. ... Right?
It’s an election thing: The debate pops up especially around voting time, when this “swingiest of all swing states” gets lumped into the also electorally important, solidly Midwestern Wisconsin and Michigan.
Pittsburgh vs. Philly: For a sliver of the electorate, it makes sense. Western Pennsylvanians feel culturally closer to Youngstown, Ohio, than they do the Jersey Shore. Some Pittsburghers even prefer the distinction “Appalachian” as a nod to the mountain range that stretches through the region.
Is Pennsylvania in the Midwest? Not to most official federal entities, which define it as Mid-Atlantic. (That’s a whole thing, too.) Yet to some, “Midwest” has become shorthand for “battleground” — which the state undeniably is.
Reporter Alfred Lubrano spoke to expert yinzers to bridge the terminological divide.
What you should know today
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump both visited Shanksville, Pa., Wednesday to honor the anniversary of 9/11. Harris will be back in the state Friday for a rally in Wilkes-Barre. Meanwhile, following the presidential debate, some Republicans worry Trump’s debate performance could hurt his chances of winning Pennsylvania.
New census data shows the largest drop in Philadelphia’s poverty rate in 10 years occurred between 2022 and 2023 — but its rate of 20.3% remains the highest among the largest U.S. cities.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s town hall on the Sixers arena Wednesday night drew conflicting views, while she took no stance.
A former teacher at Harriton High School was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for soliciting sexually explicit photos from young girls, including a student.
Amid Philip C. Pulley’s building legal and financial troubles, real estate companies affiliated with the notorious Philly-area landlord have been hit with a $60 million lawsuit over seven defaulted mortgages.
University of the Arts asked a Philadelphia judge to approve the distribution of its $63 million endowment to a dozen institutions that enrolled its former students.
Drexel University has asked several deans to step down as part of a consolidation of two STEM-focused colleges and one of its schools into a new entity.
Center City’s new Barnes and Noble is doing more sales with less space than its old Rittenhouse Square location. But is it also filling an indie bookstore void?
We can thank Vince Papale for sparking an Eagles fandom so strong that one Brazilian man felt inspired to wear a Philadelphia Cream Cheesehead on international television.
🦅 São Paulo resident Lucas Paiva modeled the giant, tinfoil hat after the yellow cheeseheads worn by followers of his team’s season-opener rivals.
🦅 Americans at the game loved it. Then it went viral. But to Paiva, having the opportunity to watch the Eagles beat the Packers in his home country was the real highlight.
🦅 “After the birth of my son, this was the most important thing that happened in my life,” said Paiva, who also has a tattoo of the Philly Special play design.
Sports reporter Gabriela Carroll spoke to the fan behind the cream cheesehead.
P.S. Ahead of their Monday game against the Atlanta Falcons, play the second edition of our weekly Eagles game, Bird Box.
🧠 Trivia time
VP Harris gave Polish Americans in Pennsylvania a rare moment in the spotlight during Tuesday’s debate. What percentage of the state’s population has Polish roots?
A) 0.5%
B) 5%
C) 15%
D) 50%
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
📖 Reading: 1/6: A Graphic Novel, which its creators are sending to every public high school in Pennsylvania.
🏠 Asking: Can Philly do more to preserve Black heritage historical sites?
❤️ Mourning: Frankie Beverly, the beloved Philadelphia soul singer who died Tuesday at 77.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The Delaware state senator who had a historic win this week
BACH ADMIRERS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Dustin Flay, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Fitler Square. A would-be cafe owner in the leafy Center City neighborhood is facing unexpected community blowback.
Photo of the day
🚢 One last ongoing thing: It’s deadline day for the SS United States to leave Pier 82 in front of the South Philadelphia Ikea, but the boat’s stewards again want more time to come up with a plan.
Back at it tomorrow. Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.
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