The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We made it to Sunday.
Is your body feeling the spring forward in time? It should be a mostly sunny day hovering around the 50s.
While Philadelphia has aged alongside millennials who make up the largest portion of city residents, some areas are getting younger — and less affordable. Our main read explores the data and what’s driving it in one West Philly neighborhood.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
In the time that the city has grown overall older, Mantua, which borders Drexel University, has gotten younger.
As demographics shift, Mantua has become one of the youngest neighborhoods in the city. And as family homes were replaced by vacant lots that eventually became student apartments, it has become increasingly unaffordable for long-term residents.
The data: The median age of a Mantua resident was 29.9 in 2023, more than two years younger than in 2010, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent American Community Survey.
The takeaway: This marks one of the sharpest declines in age among any neighborhood and occurred during a period when the city’s median age rose 1.4 years, to 35.1.
What’s happening: The area is experiencing “studentification,” or when the age of a neighborhood drops as a nearby university’s presence sprawls beyond its campus, according to Emily Dowdall, president of policy solutions at the Reinvestment Fund, a community development nonprofit. An Inquirer analysis of their figures shows Mantua is Philly’s sixth-most-unaffordable neighborhood for long-term residents.
What experts are saying: “The community can actually feel like a sandwich” as anchoring institutions close in, said Mantua Civic Association president De’Wayne Drummond.
Go deeper with reporters Beatrice Forman and Joe Yerardi to learn how Drexel’s expansion created a perfect storm for real estate developers, and why experts say Mantua has been slow to completely “studentify.”
What you should know today
Marie Scott, who has served 51 years behind bars for murder, has been granted a public hearing. It’s a critical step in her quest to be considered for an early release from prison.
A judge said the Philly man who killed trans activist Mar’Quis Jackson showed “exceptional callousness” in sentencing him to 2½ to 5 years in prison for Jackson’s death, followed by two years of probation.
A family counselor who works in Bucks and Berks Counties was arrested Thursday after authorities found evidence that he installed a spy camera to secretly record patients and staff on the toilet at his Quakertown office.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wasn’t one of the Democratic mayors called before Congress last week to defend their sanctuary city policies, but questions could be looming.
An emergency medical services crew couldn’t enter the South Philly building of a woman in medical distress. After her death, her son is suing for answers.
District Attorney Larry Krasner has the support of some of Philly’s top Black Democrats in his bid for a third term in office. The support comes at a critical juncture.
Text messages from the night four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed more than two years ago provide new details about a gruesome case with a Pennsylvania man at the center.
Pennsylvania House Democrats may be on board with voter identification expansion if it is part of larger election reforms, House Speaker Joanna McClinton said.
Montgomery County nonprofits are building contingency plans after the federal government missed a March 1 deadline to confirm $5 million in grant money that covers leases for hundreds of residents in rehousing programs.
A pilot initiative in Chester’s state prison modeled after the jail system in Scandinavian countries will be expanded to three other state prisons, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections announced last week.
The Philadelphia region is represented among the tens of thousands of images and internet postings marked for removal by the Department of Defense as part of its mandated push to clear content related to diversity, equity, and inclusion from its online footprint.
What does the tooth fairy pay these days? For some Philly-area kids, it means waking up to as much as $20 or $50.
Parents face tough tooth fairy choices as the value of a lost tooth goes up nationwide. In Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, tooth fairies seem to be giving more than the sprites of other states. And while cash remains king for some, others are opting for gift cards or other forms of payment.
One local dentist says there’s also added pressure to “keep up with the Joneses” due to social media.
Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy talked to parents and dentists in the region about these traditions, the incentives, and lessons to be learned.
❓Pop quiz
The Wings, a team that played at the Spectrum in the summers of 1974 and ‘75, were considered the Broad Street Bullies of what sport?
A) hurling
B) lacrosse
C) rugby
D) field hockey
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Former governor of Pennsylvania
LOFT MOW
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Joseph McWilliams who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Scott Laughton. The Flyers have traded the veteran forward to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Get a closer look at the deal and how our sports reporters grade it from a Flyers perspective.
🎶 Today’s track goes like this: “I don’t wanna feel, I don’t wanna cry / So I’m gonna dance until I feel alright.” In addition to Lady Gaga’s new record, I’ve been enjoying The 1975′s latest live album, and a new volume of live sessions from Men I Trust.
On another musical note, how does a new limited edition LP of Bon Jovi’s best-selling album sound? What if it features actual “watery liquid”? The era of seemingly limitless variants truly makes people go wild in the streets.
👋🏽 That’s it for now. Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.