Boy Scouts sell land under settlement pressure | Morning Newsletter
And a Philly filmmaker’s debut
The Morning Newsletter
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We’re in for another day of rain with a high of 44.
For generations, scouts enjoyed swimming and hiking at Camp Trexler, a 755-acre forested site in the Poconos.
Its days may be numbered because of the Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy resulting from a multibillion-dollar settlement over sex-abuse claims.
Our lead story follows the uncertain future of the land.
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— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Camp Trexler is expected to soon be up for sale.
The crux: Boy Scouts are trying to sell to the highest bidder, while conservationists rally to preserve what they can.
Necessary context: The camp’s owner, the Minsi Trails Council of the Boy Scouts, is one of the 250 local councils across the nation under pressure to pay toward a $2.5 billion national sex-abuse settlement that led to the organization’s bankruptcy.
Some scout groups are cash-poor but land rich, prompting them to put thousands of acres up for sale.
Residents and a nonprofit are grasping to find a way to save the land.
Keep reading to learn about other camp sales in the state.
What you should know today
Citing pandemic missteps, Philly health commissioner seeks stronger community connections in 2023.
As the General Assembly stalled out, the House speaker announced a ‘listening tour’ throughout Pennsylvania.
The candidates in Philly’s mayoral race debated crime, policing, and stop-and-frisk for the first time.
Attorney Bridget Cambria worked at the Berks immigrant detention center and then worked to shut it down. Now, the center is scheduled to close for good at the end of the month.
From classic cars to pickup trucks, the Philadelphia Auto Show has something for every vehicle enthusiast.
Former Philly lawyer turned filmmaker Walé Oyéjidé will premiere his debut feature, Bravo, Burkina!, at the Sundance Film Festival Tuesday.
The story: A Burkinabè boy flees his village to start anew in a small Italian city, later traveling back in time to regain what he lost from his voyage. The film explores themes such as migration, love, loss, and discovery.
In his own words: “It’s an immigrant story. It’s an outsider story. It’s a love story. It’s got time travel. It’s got a bunch of darts thrown at the board, and I think there’s a lot for people to connect with,” Oyéjidé said. “It’s also unabashedly a beautiful African story. As much as you love Martin Scorsese’s fantastic Italian films, there’s room for this, too.”
Continue reading to learn how Oyéjidé incorporated his own story into his art.
Joe L. Bartee, who has farmed South Jersey’s soil for 40 years, will have a fresh consumer base for his sweet peas and butternut squash starting this spring.
Through a community-supported agriculture program, Honeysuckle Provisions owners Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, will curate boxes of Bartee’s produce for CSA members at the Germantown Jewish Centre and other local synagogues.
One interesting fact: Bartee’s crops also include radishes, cabbages, and kale grown on land that was once part of the first Jewish agricultural settlement in America.
Keep reading to learn about the partnership focused on cultivating connections.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Weavers Way is Philadelphia’s largest grocery co-op. How many years has it been operating?
A) 50
B) 30
C) 10
D) 25
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🦅Reliving: Saturday night’s 38-7 Eagles game against the Giants with this photo gallery.
🎧Listening to: A 20-song Jerry Blavat-inspired playlist in memory of the iconic DJ who died Friday.
❄️Anticipating: Some snow that, history shows, probably isn’t likely.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A Philly super fan
PLAGE YANK
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to Heather McConnell, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Philadelphia Veterans Stadium. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the Day
And that’s a wrap. Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer.