🪧 Rooting on the Philly Marathon | Morning Newsletter
And the SEPTA cost for a new Sixers arena
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.
More showers are possible Friday, with wet snowflakes possible.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend. Our spectator’s guide helps you navigate the 26.2 miles of crowds and road closures — plus fun things to put on your motivational signs.
Let’s get into the news to start your weekend.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means new games! Test your Eagles players know-how with a new Bird Box, then take our latest news quiz, including questions on the SS United States, local holiday festivities, and much more.
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This year’s Philadelphia Marathon is sold out, with 37,000 people taking part, making it the largest anticipated attendance in race history. Marathoners will start from 7 a.m. in waves.
Whether you’re supporting someone in the race or want to watch from the sidelines, here’s everything you need to know:
🚌 Getting around the city might be tricky due to road closures. You can get around on a bike, or take SEPTA or the Regional Rail to the start line.
🪑 Popular places to watch include Chestnut Street (at Mile 1) and Manayunk’s Main Street (between Miles 19 and 21). Kelly Drive (Miles 22 to 24) is usually a more quiet stretch of the course.
🥶 Besides the party, bring layers, snacks, noisemakers (like a cowbell), and a sign!
🪧 Speaking of signs, they are the best part of running and watching a race. Use our sign generator to get ideas for yours. My personal favorites: “You’re looking H-O-T-T-O-G-O,” “Don’t block the box,” and “Proud of you, perfect stranger.”
Explore the route, get parking suggestions, and much more in our full spectator’s guide to marathon weekend.
The Sixers’ proposal to build an arena above SEPTA’s Jefferson Station could cost the transit agency millions of dollars. A key lawmaker says City Council may approve the plan anyway.
The likelihood that the arena would add costs to SEPTA undermines the team’s repeated contention that the project will cost local taxpayers nothing.
Notable quote: “I’m not sure that we are going to ask every developer who comes and would add more transit riders ... to pay for it because our goal is to get everybody on to public transit,” said Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes the proposed arena site and who introduced the legislation to authorize the project. “I don’t think that particular operating cost is going to be a sticking point.”
There are concerns that the 76ers’ project could be another burden to SEPTA as the beleaguered transit agency faces a $240 million annual deficit projected for next year. Agency leaders have called it a “death spiral.”
Sean Collins Walsh and Jake Blumgart explain why SEPTA is key to the Sixers’ plan for a new Center City arena.
What you should know today
A Fairhill landlord faces the potential of life in prison after a federal jury on Thursday found him guilty of setting a 2022 blaze that caused the death of a Philadelphia Fire Department lieutenant and injuries to five others.
Police identified the three people killed in West Oak Lane Wednesday afternoon in what authorities say appears to be a murder-suicide sparked by a dispute among neighbors.
A Croydon man admitted to driving more than twice the speed limit on Veterans Highway in Bristol Township while high on methamphetamine in February, causing a crash that killed two people and seriously injured a third.
Newly graduated doctors completing their medical training at several of Philadelphia’s major health systems said Thursday that they plan to unionize.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey conceded to Republican Dave McCormick Thursday. This formally ends his reelection bid two weeks after the Associated Press declared McCormick’s victory and after a statewide recount of the race had already been triggered.
With winter approaching and Philadelphia suffering from dry conditions caused by an ongoing drought, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced the creation of a special team that will patrol Kensington looking for nuisance fires that can turn dangerous.
The student who stabbed two staffers at Castor Gardens Middle School this week was able to pass through the school’s weapons detection system without being flagged because it does not detect most knives.
A new study found “limited evidence” that Philly’s soda tax decreased the rise of obesity in the city since its implementation in 2017.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Pennsylvania for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act by requiring automatic sprinklers in community homes for people with intellectual disabilities or autism, while not having a similar requirement for other types of housing.
Two weeks out from a red wave election that sent former President Donald Trump back to the White House, we now have a fuller picture of voter turnout in Philly.
Community groups are skeptical of a proposed eight-story apartment in North Philadelphia due to its size and limited parking. The project still needs permission to move forward.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer from Patricia Madej on why some street signs across Philadelphia have a Liberty Bell symbol, but others don’t.
The formula is simple: It’s determined by how many letters the name of the street has. Here’s the full explanation.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠Trivia time
Which pop star may have been the catalyst for getting a Brooklyn priest demoted?
A) Olivia Rodrigo
B) Taylor Swift
C) Sabrina Carpenter
D) Charli XCX
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍺 Hopping into: A Philadelphia sports bar on wheels.
👀 Watching: What’s next for Matt Gaetz after withdrawing as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.
🫀 Exploring: The Franklin Institute’s new permanent exhibits ahead of Saturday’s reopening.
📰 Reading: Columnist Devi Lockwood’s latest on what third-party voters in Pa. might tell us about the future of close elections.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Pennsylvania-born pop artist whose distinctive style became known worldwide
HEART HIKING
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Terry Dzelzgalvis who solved Thursday’s anagram: Miles Teller. A look-a-like contest for the Chester County-born actor will be held in Rittenhouse Square on Sunday.
Photo of the day
👋🏽 Thanks for spending some time with The Inquirer this morning. Have a great weekend when you get there.
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