Your rundown of 2023 | Morning Newsletter

Happy Friday.

The sun returns with mostly clear skies and a high of 52.

We’re in the last full week before the new year, so it feels like a good time to review the past year in Philly news.

The stories below range from tragic, to hopeful, to sometimes utterly bizarre. But all of it happened here, in the region we love.

This is also the last newsletter from me. I’m leaving this post as your morning newsletter writer. My wonderful colleagues will be jumping in until your next emcee arrives. It’s been an honor telling you the news of the day in your inbox every morning.

Let’s dive in.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

In January, Josh Shapiro was sworn in as Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia was full of joy — complete with fans again climbing greased street poles — as the Eagles were headed to the Super Bowl. That joy was short-lived after they lost to the Chiefs the following month.

In February, Pennsylvania Democrats gained control of the state House and Philly’s Joanna McClinton became Pennsylvania’s first female and second Black speaker of the Pennsylvania House.

Tragically, Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was killed in the line of duty after an 18-year-old Bucks County man shot him.

In March, we were alerted to a water crisis that never actually materialized. A Bucks County plant spilled more than 8,000 gallons of hazardous material into a Delaware River tributary and the city sent an emergency alert telling residents to consider buying bottled water, causing a wave of confusion. Residents panic-bought bottled water, emptying out nearly every shelf as it quickly became the city’s top commodity. The frenzy even hit suburban grocery stories. However, repeated tests showed no evidence of contamination and the city got a lot of flack for its communication strategy.

Temple University president Jason Wingard resigned after a tumultuous tenure that included Fitzgerald’s shooting death, falling enrollment, and a 42-day graduate student strike.

In the world of politics, former Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison for bribery. He went away for selling the powers of his office to ex-labor leader John J. Dougherty in exchange for a $70,000 salary from Dougherty’s politically powerful union.

April saw star quarterback Jalen Hurts sign a five-year, $255 million contract with the Eagles. Also, John Fetterman had his first week back in the U.S. Senate after his six weeks of hospitalization for clinical depression.

In May, the biggest news was Cherelle Parker winning the crowded Democratic primary for mayor. But the most peculiar story came when hundreds of pounds of pasta were found dumped in the woods in New Jersey. The culprit was eventually identified and allegedly cleaned it up, but was not charged with a crime.

The biggest entertainment story in May was, of course, Taylor Swift’s Eras concert. The buzz took over the city. For every three Taylor Swift attendees at her three-day concert at Lincoln Financial Field, one person came out just to sing and dance in the parking lot.

June brought us the I-95 bridge collapse and quick rebuild. It also gave us the story of the two Rhode Island officials who were so rude during a visit to Philly that the ensuing controversy sparked two state investigations. In the world of restaurants, Philadelphians won big in three major categories at the 2023 James Beard Awards.

In July, the month started with tragedy with the Kingsessing mass shooting that took five lives. The shooting led the Philly police to make changes after a botched 911 response, but there’s more work to be done.

In transportation news, Greyhound abandoned its Center City bus station and instead relocated to a tiny office on Market Street. It left travelers sitting outside on suitcases, sidewalks, or other building ledges with no overhead protection. It was a mess and quickly became unpopular. The terminal has since been moved to Spring Garden.

In lighter news, Beyoncé took over the city with her Renaissance World Tour at Lincoln Financial Field. It was the most highly anticipated concert of the summer. Oh, and the kelly green Eagles jerseys returned in July and fans waited in long lines to snag the first batch.

August brought us former President Donald Trump’s third indictment for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, including his effort to subvert Pennsylvania’s results.

Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial fatally shot Eddie Irizarry. The fallout in the following months included community outrage, protests, the firing of Dial, and murder charges that were thrown out and then reinstated in October.

There were also bright spots. Hip-hop’s 50th anniversary was in August and we did a deep-dive into Philly’s influence on the genre over the decades up to today. The month also gifted us the extraordinary moment Phillies fans gave the struggling Trea Turner a standing ovation. This was the start of a massive rebound for his season and bucked the trend of what many expect from Philly’s sports fan base.

The start of September was intense. Convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante, who escaped a Chester County prison the last day of August, was on the run for two weeks. The manhunt required hundreds of Pennsylvania state troopers, U.S. Marshals, and agents from the FBI and U.S. Border Patrol.

Temple University lost beloved acting president JoAnne A. Epps. Hundreds gathered at her vigil and more than 1,500 came together to remember her at a celebration of life at the Liacouras Center. Also, Philly Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw stepped down from her post.

October was also a tumultuous month. The Israel-Hamas war began, sparking demonstrations in Philadelphia and throughout the world in support of Palestinians and Israel, and increased calls for a cease-fire.

University of Pennsylvania mRNA scientists Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work paving the way for COVID-19 vaccines. Before this win, Penn rejected Karikó for a tenure track position because she failed to secure funds for her research. Her success proved the naysayers wrong.

The city ended the month in heartbreak after the Phillies lost Game 7 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks and didn’t make it to the World Series.

November was the general election and Cherelle Parker officially became Philadelphia’s mayor-elect. When she’s sworn in next week as the city’s 100th mayor, she’ll be the first woman to have ever held the position.

We also launched a special project on the history of Philly’s Chinatown and its 150 years of fighting displacement. Personally, it’s one of my favorites of the year.

December is still going, but we’re close to the end.

So far, University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill resigned following the backlash over her congressional committee testimony on antisemitism. It was a tumultuous semester for her marked by protests, complaints from wealthy donors, and widespread accusations of mismanagement.

Also, Dougherty, the fallen labor leader, was found guilty in his union embezzlement trial, his second felony conviction in two years.

That was a lot in one year. It’s been a journey and thank you for riding along with us.

And as always, thanks for supporting The Inquirer.