Philly announces first coronavirus case; first patient dies in New Jersey | Morning Newsletter
Plus, how Philly-area businesses were scammed out of millions
The Morning Newsletter
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In the Philadelphia region, in New Jersey, and across the country, the spread of the coronavirus continued yesterday, affecting local schools, businesses, and forcing the leading Democratic presidential candidates to cancel their post-primary day rallies.
For more reporting on the coronavirus, visit Inquirer.com/Coronavirus, where our digital coverage is free as a public benefit. Also, if you want our latest stories sent to your inbox every evening, you can sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
In Philadelphia, officials announced the city’s first presumed case of the coronavirus and cancelled the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
In the Pennsylvania suburbs outside of Philly, Montgomery County became the first local municipality to confront a case in which officials haven’t been able to trace how the patient became infected. This could represent the state’s first instance of community spread. Pennsylvania’s state total is at 14, with all but two cases concentrated in the southeast.
In New Jersey, three more people tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus, bringing the state total to 15. That includes a married couple in Burlington County. The North Jersey man who passed away had a history of health problems, officials said, and regularly traveled back and forth to New York for work.
Across the country, the stock market rebounded, but testing might not be expanding fast enough to contain an undetected spread.
Payroll Professionals Inc. and its owner, Myles Hannigan, stole from dozens of small businesses, nonprofits, and corporations across the Philly region between 2009 and 2015. The thefts left them stuck with millions in sudden tax debts they quietly amassed over the years. One federal prosecutor described the scam as “one of the most extreme abuses of trust” he has ever seen.
The victims include a Philadelphia animal shelter, a food bank in Chester, a suburban Roman Catholic parish, and the Philadelphia Mural Arts program. And those are all alongside scores of small, family-run businesses whose owners are now struggling with the devastating financial consequences.
What you need to know today
Joe Biden adds Michigan to total, delivering a blow to Bernie Sanders. With rally in Cleveland cancelled, Biden celebrated win in Philly.
Stocks yesterday recouped most of their historic losses from Monday.
Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections can’t fill open building and code inspector jobs as a construction boom has come with a growing number of accidents, including building collapses and property damage.
A Camden County jury will decide if a police officer was justified in slapping a 13-year-old girl in the face while she was lying on the ground.
A New Jersey woman who forced a Sri Lankan woman to work as a nanny and housekeeper for no pay is sentenced to nearly six years in prison
Philly accountants lay out how much could be added to your paycheck if Congress passes an emergency payroll tax cut.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
A sign that spring is nearly here. Thanks for the shot, @westofbroad.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s interesting
🏒The Flyers’ win streak was snapped at nine last night as they fell 2-0 to the Bruins.
🌴The restaurant once known as Philadelphia’s power-lunch hub has closed.
🌸Meteorologists aren’t seeing anything that’ll stop the buds and blossoms that signal an early-arriving spring.
📺What impact will the NHL’s first all-women telecast have on the future of women in sports?
🍽️A Philadelphia Top Chef alum (who’s also appearing in an all-star season of the show later this month) has been hosting pop-up dinners inspired by Top Chef’s Restaurant Wars episodes.
🍋South Philly has a “wizard of limoncello.”
Opinions
“However, I strongly believe that local governments should immediately and decisively make some likely unpopular moves. We haven’t paid attention to the lessons from the catastrophe unfolding in other countries. We need politicians with the guts to close all schools, mandate that sporting and entertainment events are canceled, and coordinate a response with neighboring areas.” — writes Varun Verma, M.D., the medical director of hospitalists at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital, about our politicians’ responses to the spread of coronavirus.
Don’t believe the myth that black people can’t get coronavirus, writes columnist Jenice Armstrong.
Coronavirus is making the case for universal health-care coverage, writes Robert Doherty, the senior vice president of governmental affairs and public policy for the American College of Physicians.
What we’re reading
Billy Penn surveyed hospitality workers, with many of them citing issues with restaurant managers as a reason why there are so many vacancies and such high turnover in the industry.
Why is the U.S. notoriously bad at building public transit? VICE writes about the transportation crisis hitting American cities.
Fast Company reports on Wikipedia’s volunteers, whom they call “the web’s best weapon against misinformation.”
Your Daily Dose of | The Log
At a time like this, the world needs “The Log” and its sequel, “The Log 2: Another Year," writes reporter Jason Nark about a pair of “no-budget, meditative nature films made in the wilds of Pennsylvania’s vast forest.” There’s no plot. The main character is a tree trunk that fell across a creek. And its supporting actors include a chubby bear who slips off the makeshift bridge, a great blue heron hunting, and a bobcat using the log as its scratching post.