đď¸ Corruption at 30th Street Station | Morning Newsletter
And Jersey wildfire updates.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. Spring is really here: Expect sun and high temps near 79 today.
Our top story is a deep dive into how the restoration of Phillyâs historic 30th Street Station became a corruption bonanza â one that unraveled after an anonymous tip led to a yearslong investigation and federal charges.
And a forest wildfire in Ocean County just miles from the Shore ballooned to at least 13,250 acres as of Wednesday, according to New Jersey officials. Read on for more details on what could become the stateâs largest fire in 20 years.
â Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Luxury cars. $150,000 in cash. Vacations to India and the GalĂĄpagos Islands. A pure-bred German shepherd puppy named Matcha.
đď¸ Contractors lavished an Amtrak manager with these gifts and more in exchange for his approval of millions of dollars in extra work on a massive, taxpayer-funded project to restore 30th Street Station.
đď¸ Prosecutors now tie these deals to an elaborate bribery scandal spanning more than three years and involving two contractors on the restoration project. Some of those who took part in the scheme are being held accountable, including five people who worked on the project who have pleaded guilty to federal crimes.
On Wednesday evening, the massive Ocean County wildfire was still burning â but its growth had slowed, state officials said.
No injuries have been reported, but about 5,000 people in Lacey and Ocean Townships were evacuated Tuesday night. They have since been allowed to return home.
âI know our residents were terrified,â Lacey Township Mayor Peter Curatolo told The Inquirer.
Plus: Firefighters continued Wednesday to battle a wildfire that broke out over the weekend on the outskirts of Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvaniaâs Carbon County, forcing officials to close part of a well-used trail. The fire had reached about 560 acres and was 66% contained as of Wednesday morning.
What you should know today
A Philadelphia police officer escorted a Dominican national out of a city courthouse and into the custody of U.S. immigration agents last week, shortly after a judge had dismissed all criminal charges against the defendant.
A Montgomery County man has been charged with stealing more than $3.7 million from an older woman who was suffering from dementia and her family, before and after her 2019 death.
University of Pennsylvania president J. Larry Jameson on Tuesday joined hundreds of higher education leaders who penned a statement critical of the Trump administrationâs âundue government intrusion.â And more than 60 local rabbis and cantors have signed a letter condemning the White Houseâs treatment of international college students.
The emergency departments at Crozer Health Systemâs Delaware County hospitals stopped accepting patients by ambulance Wednesday morning, a key step in the systemâs shutdown.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parkerâs team pitched Philly City Council Wednesday on her plan to build or preserve 30,000 units of housing as an essential means to address an affordability crisis.
Thousands of New Jersey public school students began skipping school in record numbers during the pandemic, and some have not returned, according to a new state report.
Customers of a popular bagel shop in Lower Merion tried to get its kosher certification revoked because of a former ownerâs Facebook posts about the war in Gaza.
Whole Foods in Spring Garden became the first unionized store in the Amazon-owned chain. Three months later, workers were fired â and some say they were targeted for their union support.
đ§ Trivia time
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to ban synthetic food dyes. Which Philly snack favorites are not at stake?
A) Tastykakeâs Kandy Kakes
B) Hersheyâs Twizzlers
C) Just Bornâs Peeps
D) Johnâs Water Ice
Think you know? Check your answer.
What weâre...
đ Swiping to decide: Which Flyers players should be retained via our latest Stay or Go fan poll.
đ Learning: More details of SEPTAâs proposed bus cuts from The Inquirerâs transit AMA on Reddit.
đ Predicting: The player most likely to be drafted by the Eagles this year.
đ¸ Grabbing: A meal with happy hour, now that Center City Sips comes with dinner discounts.
đ˘ Considering: How trade tariffs could impact the Port of Philadelphia.
𧊠Unscramble the anagram
Hint: University of _
NAVAL SPINNEY
Email us if you know the answer. Weâll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Ralph Ziegler, who solved Wednesdayâs anagram: Franklin Field. The stadium is home to the Penn Relays â and soon, Grand Slam Track will bring even more track stars. (P.S. We rounded up what to know about watching the 2025 Relays, from tickets to parking.)
Photo of the day
đ˘ One last slow-moving thing: The Philadelphia Zoo moved its four new Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise hatchlings to their public habit this week. Now, the zoo is inviting their fans to name them via popular vote. Aunt Viv, Willie, Jazz, and Avery, perhaps?
Thatâs it from me. See you tomorrow morning, same time, same place.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.