From beloved church to empty lot | Morning Newsletter
🎓 And a Gates Scholar’s remarkable path.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s Thursday, Philly, and another day with rain in the forecast.
The saga of St. Laurentius Roman Catholic Church in Fishtown is entering its next phase, as the vacant lot that once held the beloved Polish church is pitched to become eight townhouses. See our timeline of the battle for a Fishtown corner.
And a Philadelphia student earned a full ride to college and beyond, thanks to a prestigious award. He could go anywhere. Here’s why he’s choosing to stay close to home.
— Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
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For well over a century, the corner of Berks and Memphis Streets was home to a Polish Catholic congregation who celebrated Mass in an ornate church topped with two Gothic spires. Yet by the 2010s, the building’s stone structure was deteriorating. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia shuttered and deconsecrated St. Laurentius in 2014.
The decade that followed brought several new owners with plans to redevelop the building into apartments, along with dueling groups of former parishioners who fought to preserve the structure but disagreed on how.
In 2021, the building was deemed in danger of collapse, and demolished the following summer. The site owner at the time agreed to save materials from the razed church for use in any future construction project. That didn’t happen.
The Historical Commission on Friday approved eight townhouses to be built on the site, possibly — finally — putting an end to a painful community saga.
The Inquirer’s Erica Palan and Jake Blumgart outline the church’s contentious history through today.
George Lane got into Harvard University, Morehouse College, and many more. But the North Philadelphia teen is choosing to stay close to home, taking a prestigious scholarship with him to Temple University.
🎓 Lane, an anti-violence advocate and aspiring oncologist, is a winner of a Gates Millennium Scholarship, which offers a full ride through graduate school. He’s one of three Gates Scholars from Academy at Palumbo’s 2025 class, a remarkable rate.
🎓 His success isn’t the result of talent and hard work alone. He’s motivated by the loss of two older brothers to separate tragedies — violence and cancer. Attending Temple, he says, will allow him to continue his advocacy and be the type of role model he wishes he had growing up.
🎓 “The reason I got my accomplishments was helping out my community, and I don’t want to leave — I want to finish what I start,” Lane told The Inquirer. “I don’t believe you have to leave Philadelphia to be successful.”
Education reporter Kristen A. Graham has the story.
Further reading: Beyond Palumbo’s three Gates Scholars, the South Philadelphia magnet school has produced a slew of soon-to-be grads heading to the Ivy League. Here’s how its leaders describe the Palumbo effect.
What you should know today
A Philly man who police say shot four people, including three teens, on a SEPTA bus in Fairmount Park on Saturday has been arrested.
A Gloucester Township couple have been charged with confining and abusing a teenage girl in their home for years.
Jefferson Abington Hospital was cited for a security guard’s excessive use of force. A patient was told she was to blame. Newly released security footage is raising questions.
A proposed federal budget eliminates funding for an anti-hunger program that provides boxes of food to low-income senior citizens, including thousands of Pennsylvanians.
Bucks County-born U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, who now represents Silicon Valley, is one of several national Democrats flocking to Pennsylvania for town halls in an early midterms offensive.
District Attorney Larry Krasner has a fundraising advantage among Philly residents, while challenger Patrick Dugan is dominating the suburbs. On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court heard a Krasner attorney’s arguments over whether a special prosecutor for SEPTA crimes is unconstitutional.
Regulators accused Philly’s Department of Human Services of spying on an investigation into abuse allegations at the city’s juvenile detention center, and downgraded the agency’s license.
A Pennsylvania Senate committee rejected House Democrats’ pitch to legalize recreational marijuana through state-owned stores.
Amid financial crisis, SEPTA is pushing ahead with a money-saving efficiency effort. Plus: NJ Transit engineers could walk off the job Friday, leaving some 350,000 commuters in a lurch.
Philly remains the nation’s sixth-largest city, according to new census data. But its lead over San Antonio is narrowing.
🧠 Trivia time
The National Constitution Center’s newly received $15 million donation — its largest ever — also came with a rare loaned copy of which document?
A) Petition to the King
B) Bill of Rights
C) “The Star Spangled Banner” manuscript
D) Declaration of Independence
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🦅 Clicking to predict: How each Eagles game this season will turn out. (Psst, here’s the full schedule.)
🏒 Side-eyeing: Fan reactions to the Flyers hiring former player Rick Tocchet as their next head coach.
🥊 Anticipating: The Creed TV spin-off, set in LA instead of Philadelphia.
🏀 Preparing for: The start of the WNBA season, starring a North Philly native.
🏰 Ogling: This ex-Phillies owner’s estate, once owned by DuPont’s founder and now for sale for $3.5 million.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Now connected to Grays Ferry via pedestrian bridge
BULLISHLY KNACKS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Carol Basile, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Making Time. The DJ-driven music fest — stylized with the symbol ∞ pronounced “forever” — returns for its 25th year this September, and its fifth at Fort Mifflin.
Photo of the day
Personally, I’m ready for the sun to return, but this rain-soaked photo does make me smile. Wishing you a cheerful day, no matter the weather.
Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter said the Barefoot Country Music Fest would be returning to Wildwood for its 15th year. This will be its fifth year.
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