🏭 Steam workers may strike | Morning Newsletter

Happy Friday, Philly. It’s looking like a mostly sunny day with a high around 88.

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Two Liberty Place, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and hundreds of other buildings rely on Vicinity Energy’s steam plants for heat, air-conditioning, and chilled water. Its workers are bargaining for better pay and safer facilities — and they’re prepared to walk off the job.

And if you’ve ever wondered what a black hole sounds like, a Villanova professor enlisted the help of a composer to make that a reality.

Plus, Pennsylvania won’t change its childhood vaccine guidelines, despite President Donald Trump’s latest executive order, and more news of the day.

— Paola Pérez and Laura Benshoff ([email protected])

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Philadelphia’s steam system was originally built by Peco at the start of the 20th century. Run by Vicinity Energy today, its employees manage some 41 miles of underground pipe infrastructure and services 400 buildings in the city.

Those workers, represented by IBEW Local 614, could launch a strike if they do not reach a deal as they negotiate a new contract with the company. They voted to authorize a strike on Saturday if the union calls for it.

Among their asks, workers want:

💰 More money. That includes raises on “substandard” wages, better short-term disability pay, and adequate compensation for time spent training new hires.

⚠️ Workplace safety. Some plants are in need of repair, leading to unsafe conditions, such as asbestos and standing water in work areas.

Ariana Perez-Castells reports on what a day on the job looks like for Philly’s steam workers, as well as allegations of threats to “discharge” employees who strike.

Most of space is empty and “deathly silent,” said Villanova physics professor Becka Phillipson. So Phillipson, who researches black holes, gave herself an astronomical challenge: translating these remote cosmic objects into sound.

That took some creative license. While black holes are invisible, the environment around them brightens or dims depending on the material interacting with them.

Phillipson decided that brighter light near a black hole would equal a higher pitch, and in that way turned data she was collecting into sounds.

Composer LJ White then layered those sounds with singing, percussion, and recordings of Phillipson talking about black holes. The resulting 13-minute piece debuted during a sold out concert at the Chestnut Hill Skyspace last weekend.

But you can still hear it, and learn more about the process of turning distant celestial bodies into music, by reading on.

Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.

This week, we have an explainer from Michelle Myers on the future of the 10-foot bronze statue of Frank Rizzo, the former mayor and police commissioner.

The monument of Rizzo, who died 35 years ago, was removed from public display following civil rights protests in 2020. Reader JJ Cutuli wanted to know: “Where is the Frank Rizzo statue, right now?”

In short, it has undergone expensive repairs, and now it’s looking for a new home. Here’s what Myers discovered.

Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.

Philadelphia is the latest locale for vigilante Jack Reacher’s shadowy dealings in season four of Reacher, streaming now on Amazon Video. What location has NOT been spotted in a season four episode?

A) Pat’s King of Steaks

B) City Hall

C) Parc

D) LOVE Park

Think you know? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.

🗓️ Tracking: A timeline of the police investigation into Eugene Horsch and missing women in Olney.

⚾ Rooting for: ThisPhilly-area Little League team is just one win away from stamping its ticket to Williamsport.

🪕 Attending: Philly Folk Festival, Foo Fighters, a free Snacktime show, and more concerts this week.

🥊 Prepping you for: UFC 330 in Philly this weekend. Get the match schedule, hometown competitors, and more.

☕ Sipping: Coffee from a new Yemeni- and Saudi-inspired cafe in Willow Grove.

Hint: The beloved artist _ a.k.a. Martha Graham Cracker

REGARDING OVERBITES

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

Cheers to Bobbi Harris, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Ross Tucker. He’s jumping to the No. 2 booth at CBS alongside veteran play-by-play voice Ian Eagle. The big promotion stems from Tony Romo’s arrest.

Here’s what one reader said about the situation:

As a longtime Eagles fan, I would not miss Tony Romo at all, if he’s out of the broadcast booth that long. It’s funny, but Romo, just like Dak Prescott today, is the “greatest quarterback who never won anything.” Ten seasons (I believe) with the “elite” Dallas Cowboys and he won all of two playoff games. But he was able to leverage that into being one of the highest paid football announcers working today. (Or not working…)

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake devastated Colombia earlier this week. Community nonprofit Acción Colombia will be holding multiple events Saturday and Sunday in and around Philly to collect donations.

👋 Thanks, as always, for reading. Have a wonderful weekend when you get there.

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