Good morning. Saturday will be another hot day, with a chance of hit-and-miss showers in the evening.
Should you surrender your favorite neighborhood haunts just to avoid running into an old flame? Inquirer staffers offer some tips.
Plus, thereās a new supermarket coming to Northwest Philly, widespread support for a South Jersey child hurt in a baseball accident, and our report card for this week in Philly news.
ā Paola PĆ©rez ([email protected])
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What you should know today
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Officials were searching for a man who jumped into the Delaware River early Friday morning, but shifted the focus to a recovery effort. Over in Wildwood, officials called off the search for a Philadelphia teen who went missing after entering the Atlantic Ocean.
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Sen. John Fetterman has reportedly decided against blocking the nomination of President Donald Trumpās pick for a federal judge in Pennsylvania. The nominee, Antonio Pozos, is a Philly law firm partner and former federal prosecutor.
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Philadelphia City Council passed a pair of bills aiming to further tighten rules on smoke shops selling unregulated drugs. Next week, Council plans to vote on legislation that would ban horse-drawn carriages.
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The downfall of Mayor Cherelle L. Parkerās tax proposals on big tech is her biggest legislative defeat yet. Her primary obstacle was close to home.
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Members of Phillyās teachers union and education advocates implored school officials to restore 340 classroom positions on the chopping block.
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Veteran Philadelphia State Sen. Anthony Williams says his bid for reelection in November will be his last, and he didnāt commit to completing another four-year term.
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A Giant supermarket will open at the Andorra Shopping Center on June 19.
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Support for Xavier Taylor, a 12-year-old boy from Maple Shade who was critically injured after being struck with a baseball, has grown nationwide.
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Between remembering Martha Graham Cracker and Cristopher SƔnchez making more baseball history, catch up on the good, bad, and weird from recent stories out of Philly.
Awkward, party of two
A reader asked: I keep running into my ex at the same bars. We both live in the same small town outside Philly and there isnāt much else around unless you drive for a while, so I knew it was inevitable, but itās uncomfortable every time. How many favorite spots am I expected to surrender? Or do we just keep running into each other and let time heal the awkwardness?
Inquirer reporters Dugan Arnett and Beatrice Forman tackled this question with straightforward solutions. For instance, they suggest self-reflection (consider if the happy hour is truly worth the ex cameo) and confidence (live your life freely and donāt mess up your routine!). Besides, as Forman put it, āWho says it has to keep being awkward?ā
That is, of course, all under the assumption that the breakup wasnāt wildly toxic.
Read more Capturing a competitive business
āI think a lot of the awkwardness around seeing our exes is very manufactured because you donāt want to be perceived as being cold or hurting their feelings,ā Forman said. āBut, now the only thing tying you together is that you both live in the same town.ā
Read their full verdict here. Need advice, or want to share your thoughts? We want to hear it. Email us here.
One viewpoint
The University Avenue Bridge, designed by the esteemed French-born Philadelphia architect Paul Philippe Cret, is nearly a century old.
In a column, culture writer Peter Dobrin calls the Philly gem that connects West Philadelphia and Grays Ferry āa monument to decrepitude.ā
āThe bridge may have newfound prominence, but a rescue is not on the way anytime soon,ā Dobrin writes.
Get Dobrinās perspective on why he believes itās embarrassing how the bridge remains neglected.
š Find the location
Think you know where these paraders are marching? Our weekly game puts your knowledge of Phillyās streets and places to the test. Check your answer.
š§© Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Burlington County township
ROILING BOWL
Email us if you know the answer. Weāll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Anne Mackin, who correctly guessed Fridayās answer: Toll Brothers. The Fort Washington-based luxury homebuilder was one of nine Philly-area companies that made this yearās Fortune 500.
We were there
Harlem-bred rapper A$AP Rocky brought his āDonāt Be Dumbā tour to South Philly on Thursday. The two-hour show was āa Hollywood-style production with Rocky in the directorās chair,ā writes arts and culture reporter Earl Hopkins. Get the full recap here.
Somewhere on the internet in Philly
š Chowder is canonically a Flyers fan.
š§ Dean Norris (of Breaking Bad fame) weighed in on the never-ending Philly cheesesteak debate.
š± Before she headlined the Roots Picnic, Erykah Badu spent some time āchecking out some Philly electrons.ā She said we have the softest grass in the world. (I wonder if sheād like Outdoorsy.)
šØ Check out this awesome basement mural of Citizens Bank Park.
šš½ Thatās it for now. Go Phils.
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