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Booming streets in the burbs | Morning Newsletter

And the ‘supermoon’ is near.

Bridge Street in downtown Phoenixville, Pa. is closed to car traffic every week end and open to foot traffic allowing for outdoor venues of dining, shopping, frequenting restaurants, bars, and people watching. Hundreds of people drawn to Bridge Street checking out the summer scene Friday July 1, 2022 in Phoenixville, Pa.
Bridge Street in downtown Phoenixville, Pa. is closed to car traffic every week end and open to foot traffic allowing for outdoor venues of dining, shopping, frequenting restaurants, bars, and people watching. Hundreds of people drawn to Bridge Street checking out the summer scene Friday July 1, 2022 in Phoenixville, Pa.Read moreBRADLEY C BOWER
    by Evan Weiss
    Published 

    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 looks as if it’ll be a bit hotter today, with highs in the upper 80s and lows around 70.

Today, we’ll look at how some suburbs closed their streets to encourage business during the pandemic — and now they’re looking to keep things that way.

Then, we’ll take a look at how the “supermoon” is about to make its closest approach to Earth.

If you see this 🔒 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Evan Weiss (@eaweiss, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

These Philly suburbs started closing their streets on weekends during the pandemic, and they might never stop

Crowds now flock to Phoenixville on weekend nights. West Chester is still closing Gay Street to cars on weekends this summer. Why? Well, it started so that people could safely socially distance during the pandemic and still be able to patronize local establishments. “If it wasn’t for the street closure, we would be out of business,” said one restaurant owner.

But both West Chester and Phoenixville are now looking to keep that boom as people are flocking to their downtowns for the walkable, vibrant nightlife. ”If you come down on a Friday or Saturday night, there are bands everywhere, musicians in the street, kids playing, adults walking around and talking to each other,” Phoenixville Mayor Peter Urscheler said. “It’s not Mardi Gras by any means. But it’s this community, jovial atmosphere.”

He added, “We are looking at it as a way to make Phoenixville a destination.”

My colleague Erin McCarthy has more on how some burbs may be changing for good.

What you should know today

  1. Ukraine: 15 people are dead from a rocket attack on an apartment building.

  2. Gas prices are finally coming down in the Philly area. But will the trend last?

  3. Wilder, the glamorous Rittenhouse newcomer, has room for improvement.🔒

  4. From Parkland to Philadelphia: Venezuelans demand an end to gun violence in U.S.

  5. Our columnist Trudy Rubin is heading for Ukraine to learn whether it can survive Putin’s aggression.

  6. Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.

A ‘supermoon’ is about to make its closest approach to Earth of 2022. Here’s what to know.

A story in numbers:

  1. The moon’s distance from Earth varies by roughly 25,000 miles.

  2. This time around, it will come within 223,000 miles of Earth, the closest approach of the year.

  3. That moment will occur at 5:06 a.m. Wednesday, and the moon will reach fullness about 9½ hours later.

  4. The moon will appear about 14% larger than it would when it’s farthest from Earth.

  5. It will be 30% brighter.

And there’s more. My colleague Anthony R. Wood, or “AccuTony” to many of us, dives deep into the lunar phenomenon.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

What artist is performing in Philadelphia this week? Take a guess and find the answer here.

  1. The Weeknd

  2. Big Boi

  3. Dr. Dog

  4. Johnny Flynn

What we’re…

🤔Learning: Here’s how Pennsylvania plans to spend its billions in federal stimulus money.

🐜Reading: New Yorkers in high-rises are suddenly finding that ants aren’t just other people’s problems.

🤔Wondering: What happened to the buildings from the 1876 Centennial in Fairmount Park?

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

This Phoenixville business makes kombucha, using locally sourced ingredients.

REBBA’S WAB

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Kevin Keene of Fraser, who correctly guessed Freedom Mortgage Pavilion as yesterday’s answer.

Photo of the day

Thanks for joining me. My colleague Felicia Gans Sobey will take it tomorrow. 👋