Philly’s strangest stories of 2024 | Morning Newsletter
And sewing pads for women worldwide
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to Sunday. It’s a cloudy day with a chance of showers, and the high will approach 63.
2024 was wild in many ways. Today’s main read recaps the weirdest stories out of the Philadelphia area.
Farther down, learn about an initiative in North Philly fueled by Black women, sewing machines, and a mission to sew pads for girls in Africa and the Caribbean.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Remember that earthquake that rattled windows and nerves in our region? Yeah, that happened this year.
“As 2024 comes to a close and we await the many unknowns 2025 will bring, it’s time to look back on another strange year in Philly, a year so weird I forgot it included an earthquake until I checked my notes,” columnist Stephanie Farr writes in her compilation of 10 of the wackiest, head-scratching stories from our region.
We can’t blame Stephanie, considering this was also the year we witnessed multiple animals on the lam (one that even turned into an Inquirer computer game), a “scream test” stunt in South Philly, and a mysterious delivery to the Mütter Museum which remains under investigation.
From bizarre billboards to scrappy sculptures, explore the people and events that shaped Philly in weird ways.
Meet the Pan-African Sisterhood Health Initiative, or P.A.S.H.I.
These volunteers gather every Wednesday at the Ujima Friends Peace Center to make reusable, washable, cotton menstruation pads for girls and women in Africa and the Caribbean. Their pads have been delivered to 51 countries.
Notable quote: “We don’t call it period poverty, we call it menstrual hygiene management,” Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza, one of the founders, said about the project.
Many members are retired, and some are already skilled quilters and artists. Along the way, the members have also built a sisterhood here. And in this season of Kwanzaa, Sullivan-Ongoza said the work of the people in P.A.S.H.I. embodies the spirit and principles of that celebration every week of the year.
Read on with Valerie Russ to get to know the P.A.S.H.I. volunteers, and their impact on the community and across the globe.
What you should know today
Police confirmed that actor and model Dayle Haddon died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty flue and exhaust pipe in the residence where she was staying. Here are ways to keep your home safe.
Holiday shoppers shelled out more on gifts, restaurant meals, and decor than they did last year, according to reports from major credit card companies.
PSARC is Philly’s only dedicated center for conducting adult rape exams. Demand is high, its leader says, and so is the need for funding.
Since losing his 2022 Senate bid to Democrat John Fetterman, Mehmet Oz has largely been off the political radar. Now he’s back in the spotlight as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to become the man in charge of health care for 160 million Americans.
The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday.
A Moorestown mansion that was at risk of demolition eight months ago will be preserved as a private residence. But advocates say other vintage homes in the township could be lost.
For cigarette smokers trying to quit tobacco as their New Year’s resolution, one Penn Medicine program strives to help in a way that feels manageable, supportive, and free of guilt and pressure.
Elon Musk has proposed eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding that’s allocated to PBS and NPR stations, a goal that Republicans, including one Pennsylvania congressman, have been aching to achieve.
The Eagles will host the rival Cowboys today at Lincoln Financial Field. Can the Birds complete their first sweep of Dallas since 2011? Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 17.
❓Pop quiz
The Pennsylvanian Paradocx Winery is now offering their Barn Red wine in a very ... interesting container. What is it?
A) Dutch oven
B) a one-of-a-kind Eagles cup
C) paint can
D) traffic cone
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This Philly jazz saxophonist released his third studio record Blues Blood this year, and also played sax on A Philly Special Christmas Party.
ALUMNI SMILE WINK
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Jerry Czech Jr. who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: American Swedish Historical Museum. For $100 and up, folks can sweat in wooden barrels outside the museum in FDR Park with a new pop-up experience.
Photo of the day
What you’re saying about...
Last Sunday, I shared a few of my favorite holiday tunes with you, and asked you to send some back. Here’s a sample of your responses:
Ed Osifchin: “Christmas Time (Is Coming Round Again)” by the Mavericks.
Vince Ceniccola: Philadelphia area’s own (late) Jim Croce’s “It Doesn’t Have to be That Way.” It starts ... “Snowy nights and Christmas Lights Tinsel afternoon ...”
Debra Olsen: “White Wine In The Sun” by Tim Minchin.
Peter Blair: “Christmas Must Be Tonight” by The Band, “The Virgin Mary Had One Son” by the Staple Singers, and “Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Thanks for sharing. My inbox is always open to song recommendations.
🎶 Today’s track goes like this: “Because the hardest of the game isn’t even playing the game / It’s caring enough to care about playin’ the game.”
👋🏽 Julie has you covered tomorrow. I’ll be back in your inbox in 2025, so allow me to wish you a very happy and prosperous new year! Take care.