đź’” Philly is so single | Morning Newsletter
And trial starts for former Philly cop
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 and welcome to Wednesday.
How about that snow yesterday? Parts of the Philadelphia region have just experienced what was by far their biggest snowfall this winter, but in much of the city, Tuesday marked the case of the missing snow. Temps won’t be getting out of the 30s today as whatever is left of the white stuff (hopefully) melts away with the sunshine.
It’s Valentine’s Day and love is on the brain — even in Philly, which is apparently the most single big city in America. Ouch. Why are we so dang single? Or, what makes Philadelphians so noncommittal? Our lead story dives into the data.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
It’s hard out here for Philadelphians looking for serious love. If it’s not a situationship breaking our hearts, it’s whatever a long-term, long-distance, low commitment casual girlfriend is, or something else altogether.
Philly is the most single (unmarried) big city in the United States, according to data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
This fact may be nothing new to anyone who’s been done wrong by a Philly guy or gal, but there are more interesting tidbits about our dating habits:
đź’” Philadelphians of all ages and races are less likely to be married than in any of the 10 most populous U.S. cities.
đź’” Philly men are among the least likely to be married, and for Philly women, the gaps are even starker.
đź’” Only Philly proper is an outlier. The larger metro area has a marriage rate in line with its peers.
What’s driving these figures? There’s no one answer, but the explanations range from income inequality (Philly is also dubbed “America’s poorest big city”) to the refusal to date across Broad Street.
Notable quote: “The things that make [Philly] a great place for singles to live are also what makes it challenging,” said Tatyannah King, 28, who moved to Southwest Philly in 2020 from Durham, N.C. She said Philly has more options, but that she found that potential partners might not want long-term relationships.
We talked to 11 Philadelphia singles, two matchmakers, and three social scientists to learn about Philly’s statistical single-dom. Keep reading to hear from them and look closer at the data.
What you should know today
People hoping to get an Uber or Lyft to or from the Philadelphia International Airport today may want to find other transportation plans. Rideshare and delivery drivers who belong to Justice for App Workers are planning to strike and rally on Wednesday at PHL and 9 other airports throughout the United States.
Democrats will again hold onto their majority in the Pennsylvania House, according to early returns in a special election in Lower Bucks County.
A 29-year-old police officer has been charged with sexual assault and related offenses involving a student at Abington High School, where the officer was assigned, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Tuesday.
The son of Pennsylvania State Sen. Sharif Street has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that injured a 14-year-old girl in Hunting Park last year.
Fourteen students were injured after a school bus was hit by a work truck Tuesday afternoon in Medford Township. No serious injuries occurred, the district’s superintendent said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro accepted $1,650 worth of “event tickets and catering” from a powerful Harrisburg lobbyist last year, a perk his campaign insists was a political contribution, according to a new Spotlight PA report.
A former Delaware County police chief’s claims of racial discrimination are heading to trial in federal court. Anthony Paparo claims he was fired by the Yeadon Borough Council in 2022 because he is white, but councilmembers say it was based on his performance.
The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a historic rebuke of a sitting Cabinet member by the Republican majority.
Do you want to apply to help run the Philadelphia school district? The application deadline was extended, so you now have one more week to apply for a seat on the city school board.
Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday this year, so some of the 1.8 million Catholics who live in the Philadelphia region won’t be out on the town.
On Tuesday, Philadelphia prosecutors opened their case against former Philadelphia Police Inspector Joseph Bologna, who faces charges of simple assault and possessing an instrument of crime for allegedly beating a Temple University student during a 2020 protest following George Floyd’s killing.
Catch up quick: Bologna, 57, is accused of striking Evan Gorski, then 21, in his head area with a baton. Video of the incident was widely circulated on social media. Gorski was later treated at a hospital for a head injury, and Bologna was suspended and ultimately fired from the police department.
The incident happened during protests over racial justice and aggressive policing, when the city’s police department was heavily scrutinized for its use of force against participants.
What’s at stake: Prosecutors are asking jurors to consider if Bologna’s use force was unnecessary. If the jury finds Bologna guilty, it would be the first criminal conviction of a Philadelphia law enforcement officer who responded to that summer’s protests.
The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning. Read on for more on what happened in the courtroom and look out for new developments at inquirer.com.
🧠Trivia time
The city’s tourist organizers are planning a major celebration of which classic Philly film later this year?
A) The Sixth Sense
B) The Young Philadelphians
C) Rocky
D) Creed
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
❤️ Taking: Dating tips from OG heartthrob Billy Dee Williams.
âšľ Asking: 9 questions for the Phillies as spring training opens.
🥶 Keeping: Our skin moisturized throughout the rest of winter.
🥍 Greeting: The Waterdogs, our new Premier Lacrosse League team.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: One of Philadelphia’s biggest annual attractions and fundraisers for the conservation, sustainability, and beautification of the city’s green spaces 🌷
HALLOWED HAPPIER WOLFISH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Kathleen Henry who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Wanamaker Building.
Photo of the day
That’s all for now. Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.