Top cop’s year in review | Morning Newsletter
🎡 And 2024′s Jersey-est Shore stories.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hi, Philly. Get ready to end 2024 with an umbrella: New Year’s Eve tomorrow will be a wet one, but fireworks at the Delaware River waterfront are still on.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has spent his first year trying to bring change to a stubborn department. Our lead story digs into his tenure so far, which has brought both a striking decline in gun violence and battles with age-old issues.
And the Shore “felt especially Jersey this year,” as described in our rundown of the most memorable beach-adjacent stories of 2024.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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In his first year as top cop, Commissioner Bethel has had change in mind — more than 300 changes, actually. That’s how many to-do items were on the list he made at the start of his tenure as head of a long-challenged police department.
“I want to shake it up. I want to try different things,” Bethel, who oversees 5,600 officers and a $900 million annual budget, told The Inquirer. “And so I’m pushing the department probably harder than they’ve had in a long time.”
Still, change doesn’t always follow a clear path. Gun violence is down dramatically, but that’s true across the country, and there’s no easy reason why. Homicide and nonfatal shooting cases in Philly were solved at higher rates this year — partly because there were fewer. And then there’s the formidable quest to raise community trust.
Reporters Chris Palmer, Ryan Briggs, and Ellie Rushing examine Bethel’s impact, one year in.
What you should know today
Jimmy Carter, the former president who came to be known as a tireless humanitarian, died Sunday at 100.
After three decades in “distressed” status and over $30 million in state aid, 2025 will be a watershed year for Chester as the city looks to sell its water assets to rescue itself from a historic municipal bankruptcy.
The Parker apartment complex, which opened in October with a third of its 45 units earmarked for affordable housing, could be a model for future affordable housing projects in the city.
Dozens of Philly-area eateries closed in 2024, with many restaurateurs citing burnout. Here’s a rundown of the most notable.
The Eagles clinched the NFC East title and at least the second seed in the NFC playoffs after routing the Cowboys Sunday. Plus, running back Saquon Barkley surpassed 2,000 rushing yards, putting him just about 100 yards shy of the NFL’s single-season rushing record.
Philly’s gay archives weren’t very funny. So some artists made their own, called the Lesbian Mapping Project.
94.1 WIP picked Devan Kaney as Howard Eskin’s Eagles sideline reporting replacement.
Ah, the Jersey Shore. A serene place filled with demure beachgoers and politicians who have never been accused of wrongdoing.
Just kidding! This year was as dramatic and memorable as ever. Among the standout moments:
👱♀️ A Margate fan got into it with Kylie Kelce, and lost.
🗣️ The woman who voiced “Watch the tram car, please” is suing Wildwood.
🎡 The beloved Wonderland Pier shut down to be replaced by a luxury hotel resort.
Reporter Amy S. Rosenberg has the full rundown of the Jersey-est Shore stories of 2024.
🧠 Trivia time
Baldwin’s, operating out of a cavernous, centuries-old barn in West Chester, may be the United States’ largest what?
A) Used book shop
B) Meadery
C) Milking house
D) Christmas decor store
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🏅 Reviewing: The year in Philadelphia sports, from Jason Kelce’s retirement to several playoff flops.
🎥 Rewatching: Philly’s biggest film moments of 2024.
🍽️ Reserving: Rooms at these seven great restaurants for group dining in the ‘burbs.
🕊️ Re-energized by: What these Philadelphians hope 2025 brings.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This 30-year-old Muppet — created by a Bucks County native — is now going viral via TikTok meme.
KNIGHT PEPPER ANEW
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Russell Woessner, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Immanuel Wilkins. The jazz saxophonist landed a spot in Dan DeLuca’s top albums released by Philly artists in 2024.
Photo of the day
Your “only in Philly” story
📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Jocelynn Wiernicki, who describes teenage mischief on an iconic commercial strip:
I am a lifelong resident of the Philly suburbs in Bucks County. When I was in high school in the mid-80s, South Street was THE destination for all of the “cool” teenagers.
My fondest South Street memory is the day my friends and I skipped school and walked to the train station and took the SEPTA train to Center City. From there, we proceeded on foot to South Street. We stopped at all the coolest stores: Skinz, Zipperhead, Tower Records, to name a few. Theater of the Living Arts — TLA as it was known — was another great destination to see the latest punk band shows such as Dead Milkmen or Violent Femmes.
The day we ditched school for South Street was truly sublime. We returned home in the afternoon on the SEPTA train and our parents were none the wiser! Unfortunately for us, a teacher driving to school that morning saw us walking to the train station that morning. Busted! And we ended up with one day of in-school suspension. But it was well worth it for the iconic Philly day we had on South Street!
👋 See you back here tomorrow morning. ‘Til then, be well.
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