The city’s best wingmen: The Phillies | Morning Newsletter
And a Friday the 13th wedding
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/ULENJYQP2NF2FEZK4E4INZBK2M.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
It’s Friday the 13th. Expect a lot of sun on this spooky day but be prepared for it to be a bit cooler with a high of 66.
Love is in the air at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies games are often the backdrop for local love stories. Earlier this month, the team’s recent wild-card wins against the Miami Marlins helped reunite a missed connection.
We asked readers to reminisce and tell their own Phillies love stories. Our lead story includes seven of your epic romances.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
The Phillies have been the perfect wingmen as couples navigated first dates, proposals, and anniversaries.
Below are two of your love stories:
“My husband Dan proposed to me at a Phillies tailgate with all of my family and friends there in 2019. We were in Lot G playing dizzy bat — which is this game where you spin around a baseball bat for the same number of seconds that you chugged a drink for — when he proposed. When I looked up from spinning around for 10 seconds, I expected him to pitch me the ball but instead he was on one knee! I stumbled, slammed the bat down like Rhys Hoskins, and said yes. We got married in July 2021.” — Danielle DiCiacco, 30, Jenkintown
“Shannon is a Delco girl from a family of diehard Phillies fans and a huge introvert, so when we met on Hinge she wasn’t interested in a dinner or coffee date since she was nervous we wouldn’t have enough to talk about. But when I got Phillies tickets from my Uncle Frank under the guise of taking a friend for our first date, Shannon and I hit it off. We moved in together the day before the Phillies’ first no-hitter since 2015, which happened to be on my birthday. Shannon and I had tickets to the game — again courtesy of Uncle Frank — so we got to canoodle while the Phils clobbered the Washington Nationals and Nick Castellanos hit his 200th career home run. Sunday is our one-year anniversary. So if this makes the paper and the Phils make it to the next round of the playoffs, I’d love The Inquirer almost as much as I love my girlfriend.” — James Tow Jackson, 26, Center City
Continue reading for five more endearing and undeniably Philly love stories.
The chances that Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson could become the next Council president seems to be pretty high.
He has secured commitments from a majority of members who say they intend to vote for him, according to sources familiar with the internal deliberations.
According to three sources, Johnson clinched three signatures from at least nine members on a nomination form he’s circulated to colleagues. That’s enough to represent a majority of the 17-member body.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s chief competitor, Democratic Majority Leader Curtis Jones Jr., said the race is far from over.
Read on to learn why Jones still sees a path forward.
What you should know today
New Jersey U.S. Rep Donald Norcross met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.
More than 200 Palestine supporters in Philly protested media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
As Tracey Gordon prepares to leave her office as register of wills, lawsuits from her former employees keep coming. Gordon is accused of ousting employees for not funding her reelection campaign.
Federal prosecutors filed new charges Thursday against Sen. Bob Menendez accusing him of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.
SEPTA cameras recorded more than 36,000 vehicles blocking bus-only lanes and bus stops.
Temple University paid landlords to install more than 300 cameras and lights for off-campus housing.
The federal auction of South Jersey YouTuber Omi in a Hellcat’s assets includes an Eagles Super Bowl ring and a Power Rangers Lamborghini.
Wawa bid $300,000 in Delco and $170,000 in Bucks County to win liquor licenses.
Yes, I know we’re talking about love again but I have one more couple to introduce.
Meet Nicole Wyglendowski and Dan Barone.
Back when the world was first shutting down in March 2020, the couple had just moved into their first apartment together in Fairmount. They found comfort in each other and in the walks they took together to Corinthian Gardens, a small park next to Eastern State Penitentiary.
Today, the couple will return to the garden for their wedding day.
In their own words: “We planned this all around having a Friday the 13th wedding,” Wyglendowski said. “For no other reason than we think it’s funny.”
The first thing they want to do as a married couple is eat cheesesteaks and pizza delivered on-site from Fairmount Pizza. Instead of a wedding cake, there will be cannoli from Isgro Pastries.
Read on to learn how the transplants carefully incorporated other aspects of their life in Philly for their special day.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Sen. John Fetterman gifted his signature oversized hoodie to which late night show host?
A) Seth Meyers
B) Stephen Colbert
C) Jimmy Fallon
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: How a Fright Factory haunter gets ready to perform.
🌳 Exploring: The newly refurbished Trolley Trail in West Fairmount Park leads to a hidden bridge.
🍽️ Anticipating: Reporter Michael Klein and restaurant critic Craig LaBan will be live today on a Reddit AMA at 11 a.m. to talk about the 2023 Dining Guide.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Go here to check out the city skyline
LAMBENT OUTLEAP
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Shani Ferguson, who correctly guessed Thursday’s answer: Zack Wheeler. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the day
Enjoy your day! Paola will recap the weekend news on Sunday.