Life after prison for corruption | Morning Newsletter
And a very Philly Friendsgiving
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Expect sunny skies and a high of 44.
If you haven’t figured out what you’re cooking for Thanksgiving, now is the time. We are one week away.
Three years ago, Julia Keleher was Puerto Rico’s most powerful education official. Today, she’s on house arrest at her parents home in Delaware County after six months in federal prison.
Our lead story explores the South Philly native’s attempt to reinvent herself.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Julia Keleher’s original rise was a sight to see.
Originally from South Philly, she went to Philly’s most prestigious university to the U.S. Department of Education to her own consultancy before her most infamous role, the Secretary of Puerto Rico Department of Education.
During her year and a half tenure, she closed hundreds of schools (even after the fallout from Hurricane Maria) and pushed to bring charters and private schools to the island.
Families and teachers accused her of privatizing their public school system. It earned her names like the “Betsy DeVos of Puerto Rico” and “Hurricane Keleher.”
But then three months after she resigned in 2019, federal agents arrested her on corruption charges. She originally said she was innocent but ultimately plead guilty for two felonies involving conspiracy to commit fraud.
Keep reading to learn how she is trying to remake herself into a criminal justice activist.
What you should know today
Most or all of the immigrants who got off a bus from Texas at 30th Street Station yesterday morning are seeking asylum. Here is an explanation of how that works.
The Pennsylvania state House impeached District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Philly grocer Jeff Brown launched a mayoral run.
Local James Beard award winner Guillermo Pernot, pioneer of ‘Nuevo Latino’ cooking, has retired.
Calder Gardens broke ground on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and is expected to finish by late 2024. 🔑
The federal government told New Jersey to stop using many of the state’s creative safety messages such as “Get your head out of your apps.”
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
The Inquirer invited six Philly notable figures to tell us what they would bring to a Friendsgiving and they did not disappoint.
Sheryl Lee Ralph from Abbott Elementary is bringing the main event, the brown sugar and all spice turkey.
Our beloved mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, is whipping up a buffalo chicken dip.
Emily Riddell, who was recently named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine, is satisfying our sweet tooth with an apple crisp.
Keep reading to snag their recipes.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
A Philadelphia-area researcher has some warnings for home chefs before the holidays.
Question: What’s the most contaminated surface in your kitchen?
A) The kitchen sink
B) Trash can
C) Cutting board
D) Spice containers
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🍪 Reading: A piece that will probably ruin a guilty pleasure (sorry). A South Philly woman has dealt with years of E. coli side effects after eating a bite of raw cookie dough.
🎉 Anticipating: The Franklin Institute’s upcoming “Disney100: The Exhibition” next year.
👀 Watching: What’s next at Twitter after Elon Musk gave his employees a deadline to decide if they want to stay with the business.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: concerts
FRESNO UNTRAIN
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Carol Barry, who correctly guessed Christmas Village Wednesday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
Yesterday, I misspelled former councilmember Allan Domb’s name in an unfortunate way. My bad.
...And that’s it from me. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow.