Emily Babay

Eagles’ toughest playoff opponent will be themselves | Mike Sielski The Eagles are the defending champions and have a chance to win another Super Bowl, but this season often has seemed like a joyless slog. Nick Sirianni has tried to combat that feeling.

"Here, winning is the most addictive of drugs, and when it doesn’t happen, or when it doesn’t happen in the most satisfying manner, the entire region goes into a collective withdrawal, and a more powerful hit — a higher high — is required for everyone to level off." www.inquirer.com/sports/eagle...

Philly street festivals are shutting down over rising police overtime costs. But some groups don’t have to pay. Philly elected officials, police-connected groups, and street festival organizers who cut special deals are exempt from tens of thousands dollars in city event fees inked to street festivals.

An unwritten city policy means some VIP groups don't have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in fees to host events. Meanwhile, other festivals are shutting down due to the high police OT and other costs. www.inquirer.com/news/philly-...

Philly, Porch Pirate City Philadelphia has the country’s second-highest rate of package theft. Whose fault is it — and what is the solution?

We all complain about Philly package thieves. But is our general failure to report it part of the problem? "Any solution to package theft has to start with data showing it’s a problem, and that means that no matter how small, citizens must report it." thephiladelphiacitizen.org/philly-porch...

Looking back on the Halloween 1989 assassination attempt on Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. The mafia shooting at Dante & Luigi’s shocked the city, and hinted at the brewing mob war that would follow over the next decade.

"But as the investigation wore on, the attempted hit began to look more and more amateurish — and, therefore, more and more local." Some Halloween Philly mob history: www.inquirer.com/history/nico...

‘You could park a car down there’: Sinkhole closes part of Schuylkill Trail in Center City The trail has been closed between Race Street and JFK Boulevard, just north of the SEPTA Bridge.

Part of the SRT is closed indefinitely due to a sinkhole www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Those ‘two moons’ reports aside, we still have only one No, NASA did not confirm that we now have two moons.

"Those social media and other reports that the Earth now has two moons appear to be off the mark by about a moon." www.inquirer.com/news/two-moo...

Michael Days, pioneering journalist who led the Philadelphia Daily News during its 2010 Pulitzer Prize win for investigative reporting, has died at 72 Days was a mentor to countless young journalists and was president of the National Association of Black Journalists-Philadelphia.

What always stood out to me about Mike, maybe more than anything he did, was how others talked about what he did. And if you’re a leader in any capacity, you want your people to talk about you the way Mike’s former staffers talk about him. www.inquirer.com/obituaries/m...

E-bikes have evolved into e-motorcycles. Law enforcement is lagging behind. Serious injuries are on the rise in emergency rooms around the country, as electric cycles become bigger and faster. Lawmakers and police departments are scrambling to address the problem.

I regularly encounter (ie, am nearly hit by) e-motos on the Schuylkill and Delaware river trails and am not at all surprised the apparent rise in serious injuries www.inquirer.com/news/electri...

Pennsylvania could be on the cusp of a ‘double-whammy’ government shutdown Funding fights in Washington and Harrisburg are creating uncertainty for Pennsylvanians from two levels of government and further eroding trust in institutions.

"Welcome to the swing state of dual governmental dysfunction" is perhaps not the marketing slogan Pennsylvania wanted, but it's the one we have www.inquirer.com/politics/fed...

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic will return next summer after a 10-year hiatus The race ran every summer after launching in 1985 but has not been held since 2016 due to a lack of sponsorship. It will officially return on Aug. 30, 2026 with a men’s and women’s race.

The Philly Cycling Classic and its Manayunk Wall are coming back www.inquirer.com/sports/phila...

SEPTA shifts into reverse to get full transit service restored by Sunday SEPTA is scrambling to bring reduced transit service to normal levels with days to spare.

You, too, can help SEPTA take down service-cut signs as regular schedules resume next week: "If anybody from the public wants to remove one and take it home or dispose of it properly, they are welcome." www.inquirer.com/transportati...

Eagles are better positioned to repeat than they were in 2018 | Mike Sielski For one thing, Carson Wentz is not part of the equation anymore. For another, this team is far deeper and more talented than the 2018 squad under Doug Pederson.

How to hook even the biggest nerd into a football column: Start with a (justified) rant against the word "unprecedented" www.inquirer.com/sports/eagle...

Where are the happiest places in Philly? This Drexel professor asked his students to map them Eric Zillmer put together the map with his 243 Psych 101 students, who nominated Rittenhouse Square, a Mantua park filled with cats, and Johnny Brenda's, among other places.

SRT for sure www.inquirer.com/life/happies...

How popular is your dog’s name? Find out in our breakdown of top names and breeds in Philly. Inquirer analysis of Philly dog licenses counts: 82 Rockys, 17 Harpers, and 13 Hoagies.

"All dogs are good dogs, but Philly dogs are the best." And many of them have predictable-but-fun names. www.inquirer.com/health/pets/...

DC 33 made concessions in 1992. Decades of resentment since led to Philadelphia’s current city worker strike. Many AFSCME DC 33 members have been itching for the union to take a dramatic stand against the city ever since then-Mayor Rendell won concessions in a 1992 contract. On Tuesday, they got their wish.

I highly recommend this story on the history behind DC 33’s strike: www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Philly’s pools start opening this week. Here’s what you need to know, from the full schedule to pool hours Philadelphia will begin opening public pools on June 13. Find out which pools are opening and which will stay closed this summer due to construction.

One piece of bright news this week: It's pool season! www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Between ⁦‪Grand Slam Track‬⁩ and ⁦‪Philly Run Fest, this is making a strong case for best running weekend in Philly. Though I should probably see how my own race goes tomorrow before making such statements.

40 years ago today a rare and deadly tornado outbreak struck Pennsylvania. Are more in our future? It was “one of rarest” tornado outbreaks on record, says a tornado expert, but “things like that are possible.”

Come for the Pennsylvania tornado history, stay for the very dark kicker:
"What I expect people to do, and this includes myself," Brooks said, "is to pay enough attention to the forecast to know that today is the day that the weather might kill me."

www.inquirer.com/science/clim...

Grand Slam Track cuts its Philadelphia event schedule to two days After running three-day events at the circuit's first three stops, the event here will be just two days. Fans and athletes had complained that the races were too spread out.

The Philly edition of Grand Slam Track will be two days instead of three: www.inquirer.com/sports/grand...

Could the new pope, a Villanova alumnus, speak at graduation next year? ‘Very funny,’ the pope responded. When Villanova President Peter M. Donohue asked the Pope if he would be commencement speaker, the Pope replied, "Very funny."

"Asked if the university will begin touting a pope alum in marketing materials, he responded: 'Why not!'" www.inquirer.com/education/vi...

It's May 3 and the drinking fountains at Chaminoux tennis courts, MLK/Montgomery, and Lloyd Hall are all turned on. Miracles do happen.

Why the Democratic nominee for N.J. governor might only get 20% of the vote All six candidates in the primary race have a path toward victory.

The N.J. governor primary in one sentence: "Undecided is in first place" www.inquirer.com/politics/new...

What does your neighborhood drink? Find out with Pennsylvania Uncorked, our breakdown of the most popular wine and spirits Analysis of a year's worth of Fine Wine and Good Spirits sales data.

This lookup by zip code of what booze your Pennsylvania neighborhood drinks is very fun: www.inquirer.com/food/drink/i...

This year’s Penn Relays have a new neighbor: Grand Slam Track’s arrival in a few weeks The Relays won't have as many big names as in the past, but the Grand Slam meet at the end of May will ensure that track stars still come to Franklin Field.

Is there a more evergreen subhead in a story about track and field than "The sport has bigger issues"? www.inquirer.com/sports/penn-...

Philly will study its aging libraries and rec centers following HVAC-related closures Officials from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration outlined the plan to City Council Wednesday, saying the facilities assessment would help agencies prioritize infrastructure needs.

Philly will study its aging libraries (and rec centers) and come up with a plan to address needed repairs: www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Will say one of the best things about running is we get to do a version of this all the time. Running a major marathon or other big race same day, same course, same fans as the pros is really awesome.

A Philly-area finance CEO played in the Masters, but he wasn’t competing The Kathmere Capital Management chief executive appeared in the Augusta tournament as a "marker."

My favorite sports story of the week has become the Philly-area golfer who played in the Masters to keep things normal for a competitor who otherwise would have played alone www.inquirer.com/news/pennsyl...

After a close call during the Northeast Philly crash, these two septuagenarians are living life to the fullest. Harvey Garmeder and Miriam Roth were at the Four Seasons Diner on Cottman Avenue when a small jet crashed near the Roosevelt Mall on Jan. 31.

A really lovely story from @wendyruderman.bsky.social @dgambacorta.bsky.social on appreciating life after a close call: "This is not a dress rehearsal, life. If your parents are still around, I would cherish them. If you have siblings, spend more time with them." www.inquirer.com/health/a/nor...

Galapagos tortoise hatchlings arrive at the Philadelphia Zoo, and their mom sets a record The hatchlings began emerging in late February and will make their public debut April 23.

For the first 100 years of her life, Mommy was not, in fact, a mom. Now she's the oldest-known first-time Galapagos tortoise mother. www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Sen. Cory Booker on how he pulled off his marathon speech: fasting, Hokas, and a record to break Booker, who is vegan, had his first food in more than a day when he got back to the office: some pineapple and watermelon, according to staff.

There's always a running angle: Cory Booker wore Hoka Cliftons for his Senate floor speech marathon, @jterruso.bsky.social reports: www.inquirer.com/politics/cor...