🎉 ‘In Philly, we don’t quit’ | Morning Newsletter

Good morning. The latest forecasts call for a wintry mix of snow, sleet and then heavy rain for the Philly region.

Today, we’re highlighting all the best moments from our Eagles’ triumphant parade. Plus, there’s news about a hazardous pipeline that leaked in Bucks County for over a year, why the Philadelphia mint’s future hangs in the balance, and another Vietnamese breakfast spot opening soon in Philly.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Every Saturday, we’ll talk about something happening around Philly that’s stuck in our minds. Today, is anyone surprised we’re reliving the parade that just took over the city?

It was an unforgettable day for people of all ages on the ground or watching from home. The green gear, the screams, the fight song chants, and the energetic vibes were inescapable. The players interacted with and high-fived excited fans. People cooked up cheesesteaks — and a crispy hog — as a tribute to the Eagles’ “smoking” of the Chiefs’ offense. Crowds broke out in dance on Pennsylvania Avenue. They brought their best signs and very Philly flair (players included). Some even tied the knot amid the celebrations. Most parade-goers were well-behaved, though some did get unruly, including a porta-potty fight that unfortunately escalated to gunfire. And while getting around or making it back home took a lot of patience, most didn’t mind. One fan, who posted up on the Parkway at 5 a.m. ahead of the event, described the whole thing as “a biblical experience.”

Still, we closed out this victorious season with a great occasion. And we can look back at our visuall captures of history, reflect on the passionate speeches, and keep cheering for the heart, grit, and resilience of our team, our city, and its people. In a moving column for the Inquirer, Sheryl Oring put it perfectly: “In this city, we don’t just watch football. We stitch it into our lives, we carry it with us, and no matter what, we rise again.”

🎤 Allow me now to pass the mic to my colleagues Tony Wood, Jesse Bunch, Rodrigo Torrejón, and Erin McCarthy, just to name a few, with an incredible dispatch from the daylong party:

“On a day set aside to honor the patron saint of love, it would be only too obvious to observe that the city and jubilant sports fans in Philadelphia delivered a four-hour adulatory Valentine to the Super Bowl champion Eagles. But if anything, what transpired Friday from the depths of South Philadelphia to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art affirmed that even the obvious can be true.” Keep reading here.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health indicate a decrease in overdose deaths across the country and the city. This spring, the city of Philadelphia is expected to release a report on overdose death trends from 2024.

In a piece for The Conversation, Ben Cocchiaro, an assistant clinical professor of family medicine and community health at Drexel University, says the tide may be turning for Philly as it combats what policymakers call a “wicked problem.”

“Still, if 2024 numbers confirm the downward trend, it allows a little hope into an otherwise bleak epidemic that is killing more Philadelphians than homicides, car accidents, and diabetes combined,” Cocchiario writes.

Read on for Cocchiaro’s expert opinion on what may be behind the welcomed decrease in overdose deaths.

North Philly’s Divine Lorraine is undergoing a transformation from a hotel back to apartments. When did the Divine Lorraine first open as a hotel?

A) the 1960s

B) the 1890s

C) the 1860s

D) the 1990s

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: South Philly rock and roll band

COCONUT ELWIN

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Becky Bowlby who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Presidents' Day. Check out our guide to what’s open and closed in Philly on the Monday holiday, including trash pickup, mail, and grocery stores.

Ahead of Friday’s parade, the Birds cleaned out their lockers at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia on Thursday. Get a peek at the belongings players pulled off the shelves through staff photographer Monica Herndon’s gallery.

A pair of beavers were spotted swimming in the Delaware River by a Philadelphian on a late walk. My favorite reply: “They’re in town for the parade.”

A Good Samaritan is looking for the owner of these car keys lost during the parade.

And you can’t tell me this sweet moment caught on video of Saquon Barkley and a young fan celebrating her birthday didn’t make you smile. If not, then Zack Baun literally signing a baby should do it.

👋🏽 See you again tomorrow.

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