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The Philly area’s own Hollywood | Morning Newsletter

And grieving family sues funeral home

The Hollywood Tavern. The 174-home neighborhood got its start when a builder from California, Gustav Weber, filed plans to build a small subdivision in 1928. The homes were built in pastel colors with flat roofs, similar to Spanish-style homes in the Los Angeles area. Streets were named Los Angeles, San Diego, Pasadena and San Gabriel. One of Weber's problems, however, was that the neighborhood landscaping and hardscaping features were not built to cope with the Northeastern winters. Plants native to Southern California and Moravian tile sidewalks were included in his plans. The plants died in the cold. The tile cracked and was replaced by concrete.
The Hollywood Tavern. The 174-home neighborhood got its start when a builder from California, Gustav Weber, filed plans to build a small subdivision in 1928. The homes were built in pastel colors with flat roofs, similar to Spanish-style homes in the Los Angeles area. Streets were named Los Angeles, San Diego, Pasadena and San Gabriel. One of Weber's problems, however, was that the neighborhood landscaping and hardscaping features were not built to cope with the Northeastern winters. Plants native to Southern California and Moravian tile sidewalks were included in his plans. The plants died in the cold. The tile cracked and was replaced by concrete.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
    by Paola Pérez
    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

Good morning, Philly.

Expect some clouds and a high near 61 this Sunday. There’s still a chance to catch a glimpse of the year’s last supermoon tonight. It will reach 96% fullness at moonrise.

California may be far away on the West Coast, but there is a Hollywood in Montco. Explore the neighborhood with a glittering name and complicated past.

And a West Philadelphia funeral home has been sued by a grieving family seeking answers and accountability regarding the burial of a deceased loved one that has raised many questions.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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No movie stars here

You don’t have to catch a flight or change time zones to see Hollywood.

This charming place in Montgomery County is akin to a traditional urban neighborhood. It’s dense, walkable, and offers ready access to transit.

🏠 The community was designed in the 1920s to offer compact Southern California-style living on Philly’s suburban frontier.

🏠 Its little houses show off a lot of style, lining sunny avenues with names like Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and San Diego.

🏠 No celebrities call this Hollywood home, but there’s a local cast of characters with their own stories to tell.

🏠 Hollywood traces its existence to a lovestruck builder named Gustav Weber, whose ill-starred California dream alone is loaded with romance, drama, bad luck, and unexpected redemption.

Dive into Hollywood’s history with Kevin Riordan.

‘There is no closure at all’

Darryl Bonner’s grieving family was shocked when told that an autopsy had been performed on his body at West Philadelphia’s Terry Funeral Home. No foul play was suspected in his death, and his family did not consent to an autopsy.

After Bonner’s loved ones laid him to rest without viewing his body, they were hit with conflicting narratives: A funeral home employee told them Bonner had significant scars. And a medical examiner told them an autopsy never took place.

While still processing their loss and trying to piece together exactly what happened to Bonner after his death, the family now questions whether it was Bonner who was lowered into the grave in the first place.

Read on for the details of the case and what the funeral home is saying.

What you should know today

  1. A Pottstown man has been charged with attempted murder after shooting a police officer who responded to his home Friday in connection with domestic violence calls, according to authorities.

  2. A shooting incident in Lansdowne on Thursday night left a pregnant woman dead and her baby in critical condition.

  3. A SEPTA transit police officer who, prosecutors say, watched and shared inappropriate images of children for years — sometimes while on the job — has been charged with child sexual exploitation.

  4. A Darby man whose gunfire set off a chain of events that led to the police killing of 8-year-old Fanta Bility was sentenced Friday to 14 to 28 years in state prison.

  5. Fewer than one-third of Philadelphia high school students passed state math exams last year, which is less than in previous years. We unpack this and more from Thursday’s school board meeting.

  6. Eight people were taken to hospitals early Saturday morning after a devastating fire at a duplex in Langhorne.

  7. The state agency that owns Philadelphia’s seaport facilities says it’s assisting a federal regulator’s investigation into allegations that one of the port’s terminal operators is abusing its market power.

  8. As Pennsylvania’s razor-thin U.S. Senate race heads to a recount, allies of President-elect Donald Trump have claimed Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is working to steal an election. Though Casey is not yet conceding, he’s not denying the integrity of the election results.

  9. At least two Pennsylvania voters received a mysterious $100 check with the memo line containing “America PAC,” the name of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC. Neither of the voters are Republicans.

  10. Groups are touring the city via a roofless wagon that’s equipped with speakers, LED lights, and a karaoke machine. Some people want to pull the plug.

❓ Pop quiz

A customer was so unhappy with this sandwich chain’s idea of a “cheesesteak,” he filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against it. (Not all heroes wear capes.)

A) Jersey Mike’s

B) Jimmy John’s

C) Subway

D) Quiznos

Think you know? Check your answer.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

This Phillies pitcher is on course to make his major league debut in 2025

Hint: 🎨

PRAWN RETAINED

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

Cheers to Bob Fles who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Taney Street. Philadelphia lawmakers recently voted to rename the street, bringing to an end years of activism over the street named for a late Supreme Court justice responsible for upholding slavery and denying citizenship to Black people.

Photo of the day

See more photos from Main Street in Manayunk, now decked out in holiday decor.

🎶 Today’s track goes like this: “Reach for the top / And the sun is gonna shine.”

👋🏽 You’re all caught up with the news. Take care now.