West Philly Fright Tool; Afternoon tea options; Heating oil costs

#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY

Sunbeams, deconstructed
(Photo by @thetinybun)

You can see (or share) West Philly spooky spots with this new tool

For West Philly resident Dyresha Harris, Halloween is “her thing.” For a decade, she and her partner have been decking out their house with decorations each spooky season.

Now, with community support and motivation, she has created her own Halloween tool. From trick-or-treat spots to Halloween decoration spots and events, the West Philly Fright Registry shows Philadelphians where they can find spookiness past 30th and Market streets. Continue reading…

You can check out Halloween homes and decorations in West Philly through the West Philly Fright Registry (Photo courtesy of Dyresha Harris)

Steeped in good company: Philly’s afternoon tea guide

The Mary Cassatt Tea Room in the Rittenhouse Hotel may be closing as of Nov. 15, but the city is not without delicious and innovative options elsewhere. We’ve collected – and visited – as many Philly-based afternoon teas as we could find.

Indonesian snacks, Southern favorites and Pennsylvania Dutch treats join scones and finger sandwiches at tea tables across the city. Continue reading…

Indonesian afternoon tea at Rice and Sambal. (Heather J. Chin/Billy Penn)

BP Quizzo Question of the Day

Philadelphia’s Merchant Exchange building once served as the city’s commercial and financial center, housing a post office, stock exchange, and more. What agency is now located there?

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• Pa., N.J. and Del. to kick off 2027 ACA health insurance open enrollment on Nov. 1 as health costs rise: What you should know. [WHYY]

• The cost of heating oil in Pennsylvania nearly doubled since last fall. A release of fuel from the federal oil reserve may be too small to solve the issue. [WHYY]

• Hundreds of rain gardens and ‘green’ projects later, what is Philly’s next plan to stop raw sewage from spilling into local waterways? [WHYY]

• Beyond the big screen: What it takes to run the Philadelphia Film Festival. [WHYY]

• The Philadelphia Museum of Art will build a new education center with a $20 million donation from Comcast’s co-founder. [Inq$]

• Mural of LeBron James replaces painting of Phillies’ ‘Daycare’ trio in Fishtown. [PhillyVoice]

• Pumpkins take flight as Jefferson University students put engineering skills to the test. [WHYY]

When you donate to Billy Penn, you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a pair of 76ers tickets to the Monday, Nov. 23 home game against the Portland Trail Blazers!

No donation is necessary, though. For details on how to enter and the eligibility requirements, see the official rules online here.

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Parker attends a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 63-unit senior housing development in North Philadelphia. (11 a.m.)

Parker later speaks at the Clergy Appreciation Awards, kicking off One Philly HBCU Week 2026. (5 p.m.)

Highlights from Billy Penn’s City Guide

How to get a library card in Philly (and everything you can do if you get one)
From banjos to virtual homework help — and getting a library card is the first step to being able to use all of them.
Philly’s Navy Yard is becoming a neighborhood. Here’s what it’s like now
Once a sprawling military shipyard, the Navy Yard is adding homes, transit and more while holding onto its industrial past.