✈️ Is Philly’s airport really the worst?

🏉 Philly’s Rugby Team Upholds Tradition While Welcoming All

Philadelphia Rugby Football Club has been dominating the field since 1976. One of the oldest clubs in the nation, it isn’t afraid to evolve with the times. As the Supreme Court considers allowing states to ban trans athletes from scholastic sports, RPFC is making its club accessible to everyone who wants to play. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

• Related: If you’re looking for more sporty spaces promoting inclusivity, Marsha’s South Street officially opens tomorrow! We talked to the owner behind Philly’s first queer women’s sports bar. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

⚖️ ICE Arrests 7 in South Philly

Mifflin Square Park is usually a bustling hub of activity for immigrants and refugees in South Philly’s Whitman neighborhood. But the park was jolted Monday morning by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid that ended with seven men taken into custody, one of the larger immigration enforcement operations in Philly this year. [🔒 The Inquirer]

• Related: Here’s what to do if you encounter ICE y puedes leer en español. [📝 Hey Philly]

🛫 PHL Airport Still Ranks Unsatisfactory Ahead of Next Year’s Travel Surge

The city’s Department of Aviation boasted of improvements ahead of 2026, including new restrooms and expanded non-stop service to European countries, but the Philadelphia International Airport is still leaving travelers unimpressed. The travel hub ranked dead last in customer satisfaction for the fifth consecutive year. [PHL International Airport, 🔒Philadelphia Business Journal]

• Related: Is traveling through the airport really that bad? Let us know your experiences. And if you have upcoming travels, we have some tips to help you navigate. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

🏛️ Artistic Oasis Opens in Philly This Sunday

The highly anticipated opening for Calder Gardens is set for this weekend. The new addition to the Ben Franklin Parkway is intended to be an introspective experience that merges art, nature, and architecture in one space. [WHYY]

How much food waste do you generate at home? Even if it doesn’t feel like a lot, waste in a big city can add up. In 2019, the city estimated that Philadelphia generated 214,000 tons of food waste each year. Composting is one way to help reduce the waste we send to our landfills.

Why Compost

The benefits go beyond having less trash to haul out each week. Adding compost to your soil can balance soil density (if it’s too loose or too tight), enrich it with nutrients like nitrogen and potassium, absorb water, and prevent pests and weeds from encroaching. This can help your plants and veggies grow healthier.

When To Compost

What to do with your compost depends on the season you’re working in. The fall is a good time to start your compost due to the abundance of organic materials such as fallen leaves, dead plants, and leftovers from the end of the harvest season. So instead of bagging up those leaves after raking them, consider giving those leaves a second purpose!

By starting in the fall, the compost can mature over the winter and be ready to be added to your garden right before planting begins in the spring. If the compost is good to go by the autumn season, it doesn’t hurt to add some to your soil as the soil recovers over the winter.

If you start your compost during the warmer months, the heat will help the materials break down – but be careful not to let your compost dry out.

Every Thursday we highlight shoutouts from our City Cast Philly Neighbors telling us what they love about Philly.

📣 Michal G. wants to show love to Friends of Laurel Hill, in addition to the cemetery’s groundskeepers and the organizers who set up “creative and meaningful programs.” She thinks Laurel Hill is a “great place for time with friends or solo, with the gates open 7-7. Thanks especially to the volunteers!”

If you haven’t visited the grounds before, be sure to check out the Market of the Macabre at Laurel Hill East this Saturday!