☕ Meet Philly’s own Breakfast Club | Morning Newsletter
And the search for a missing Camden woman
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/3WY6BUR5Q5AODC3GVPCICE4CHA.jpg)
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.
Some patchy fog will linger early in the day, but mostly sunny skies are expected later with a high near 65.
This Sunday’s main read is a wholesome one. We’re sitting down for breakfast with a group of men in Philly that partake in a tradition that strengthens their camaraderie, brings joy, and acts as something of a prophylactic for loneliness.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
If you arrive at Hymie’s Deli any earlier than 8 a.m., there’s a very slim chance you’ll get to grab a bite before the early morning men’s crowd. But you can bet that the R.O.M.E.O. club got first dibs.
That’s R.O.M.E.O., short for “Retired Old Men Eating Out.”
Every Monday for the past 10 years, before the sun comes up, the crew gets together at the Main Line deli. The dining room is empty and no one is waiting tables (yet).
The first one to slip into a booth is Brad Sinoff, 74; soon, he’s joined by John Makransky, 74, and Larry Finkelstein, 72. That’s after they stopped by the kitchen to place an order for their regular meal.
The owner of Hymie’s, Louis Barson, joins the group with his own mug of coffee before sliding in to eat. Once settled in, they chat over breakfast about mutual friends and their plans for the day. They might bicker, but there’s also plenty of friendly teasing.
Notable quote: “They’re part of the store,” Rodney Richardson, the executive chef who has worked at Hymie’s for 22 years, said. “It’s like part of setting up.”
Grab a seat at the table to get to know R.O.M.E.O. and learn how they came together.
What you should know today
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper detained Philadelphia’s executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs and her husband on Saturday after pulling over their vehicle on the Vine Street Expressway. Mayor Cherelle Parker called a video of the stop posted on social media “very concerning.”
A man and woman killed in an “execution-style” shooting in East Fairmount Park late Thursday night have been identified as Thurston Cooper, 49, and Krystina Chambers, 38, both of Philadelphia. Police have yet to determine a motive.
Walgreens will begin dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone to patients with a prescription in Pennsylvania and a handful of other states as early as next week, the drugstore chain confirmed Friday.
After months of inquiry and debate, the Washington Square West Civic Association has decided not to take a position on the Sixers’ plan to build an arena in Center City.
A key codefendant in the corruption case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty Friday and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, admitting he attempted to bribe the New Jersey Democrat with a Mercedes-Benz.
President Joe Biden’s administration is awarding the Keystone State a $20 million grant to expand Internet access. It’s not yet clear how much will be allocated to Philadelphia.
The CDC issued new guidance saying people with COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses can return to their daily lives if they have improved symptoms and no fever for at least 24 hours.
Philadelphia’s Democratic House delegation in Harrisburg cut checks to each of its members facing primary challengers this year — except State Rep. Kevin Boyle.
Vanguard Group Inc. CEO Tim Buckley will retire by year’s end after more than three decades at the Valley Forge-based investment giant.
A dozen student protesters disrupted the University of Pennsylvania’s board of trustees meeting Friday, ultimately cutting it short and at least momentarily creating angst again at the Ivy League institution.
Just hours after the Phillies confirmed it was ending its popular Dollar Dog Night promotion, a petition dropped to reinstate the 27-year-old tradition. Thousands have signed it and it has picked up attention across social media.
Fishtown’s Amaryllis Rivera-Nassar is set to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant dishing out her fan-favorite pastelillos.
Trinity Jagdeo, 23, grew up knowing next to nothing about her grandmother. Now, she’s on a quest to learn more and hopefully get answers about what happened to her.
Roberta Anne Michels-Hopkins disappeared in 1981 in South Jersey, and no one ever reported her missing. She supposedly walked out into a blizzard to get cigarettes and food stamps, but mysteriously never returned home.
Michels-Hopkins was 29 at the time and had two young children. Rumors swirled about what may have been her fate, but inconsistencies make investigating the case and getting closure all the more confusing.
In Jagdeo’s own words: “The possibilities are endless,” she said at her home in Vineland, N.J., recently. “She could be a murder victim or she could have walked away. It could have been a suicide. I’m open to anything, even the 1% chance she’s still alive somewhere.”
Read on to see what Jagdeo has uncovered so far in the search for her missing grandmother.
❓Pop quiz
You have until Monday to make a bid for the dining booth that this famous fictional mobster once sat in. (Notably, the jukebox is not included.)
A) Michael Corleone
B) Tony Soprano
C) Al Capone
D) Frank Lucas
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: An Emmy-winning HBO limited series about a homicide detective in Philadelphia
FOREWOMAN STATE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Alex Harral who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Shane Gillis.
Don’t miss the gorgeous photo gallery from the Philadelphia Flower Show, as captured by Inquirer staff photographer Jessica Griffin.
🎶 Today’s Sunday track goes like this: “I lost myself in a familiar song / I closed my eyes and I slipped away.” What are you spinning? Feel free to send me song or album recommendations.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day with this news roundup. Have a great one.