More courtesy tows, more lawsuits | Morning Newsletter
And Krasner’s impeachment trial is indefinitely postponed
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Expect a chance of rain and temps to reach the high 50s.
“Courtesy tows” can range from being mildly annoying to life-altering. There doesn’t seem to be a solution on the horizon for the notorious Philly problem, and in the long run, taxpayers could foot the bill.
Months after the city paid two courtesy tow victims $15,000 each as part of an ongoing lawsuit, our lead story follows five more victims who filed a second class-action suit.
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— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Courtesy towing is a Philly euphemism for when the city authorizes the relocation of legally parked vehicles in areas that subsequently became temporary no-parking zone. However, the city often doesn’t track who moved the vehicles and to where.
The result: Victims can end up paying hundreds of dollars in fines and fees since they’re often unable to prove they didn’t park in an illegal spot.
Drivers have also been pulled over in other states months after their cars were courtesy towed because Philadelphia police, after putting the license plates in the stolen-vehicle database so patrol officers might spot them, then failed to remove the cars from the database after they were found.
The latest lawsuit from five victims claim their cars were towed and lost. In that lawsuit and another, lawyers are seeking class-action status on behalf of potentially thousands of victims.
The reason: “We filed this new case in the interest of keeping pressure on the city to address the issue and make substantive changes,” said Aarthi Manohar, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in both cases.
But there’s been no progress despite years of complaints about the dysfunctional process. No city agency appears to have made an effort to address the issue.
Continue reading to read the latest “courtesy tow” horror stories and the fight for solutions. 🔑
The Pennsylvania Senate voted Wednesday to indefinitely postpone the impeachment trial of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Reminders: The trial was set to begin next week after the Republican-led House voted mostly along party lines to impeach Krasner, a Democrat, for what they called his dereliction of duty.
But a Commonwealth Court decision last month sided with Krasner and said none of the articles of impeachment filed against him met the legal standard of “misbehavior of office.”
The future of the trial is now uncertain, but Republicans said they will likely appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Keep reading for the latest updates on the Krasner impeachment saga.
What you should know today
Penn Museum identified 20 skulls of Black Philadelphians from its collection of 1,300 remains.
The Central Bucks school board voted to ban teachers from displaying Pride flags and other staff “advocacy” amid a federal investigation into treatment of LGBTQ students.
Philly Mayor Jim Kenney vowed his administration is “still dedicated” to steering the city through challenges during his final year in office.
Center City Restaurant Week starts Sunday, with 88 restaurants on board.
The future of Pep Bowl, the South Philly bowling alley, is unclear as its building is up for sale.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Which former Sixer has dreams to open a restaurant in Philadelphia?
A. Allen Iverson
B. Charles Barkley
C. Paul Reed
D. None of the above
Find out if you know the answer.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A South Jersey roadside attraction
CHUTPATTY HELLENE
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 Mazie Contreras, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Philly Elmo. Email us if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🎉 Congratulating: Abbott Elementary in light of its Golden Globe wins and getting renewed for a third season.
🏠 Sharing: How to apply to Philadelphia’s Housing Voucher Program. It reopened for the first time in 12 years.
👀 Watching: Cherry Hill may lose a diner, following a trend of New Jersey diners struggling and disappearing.
Photo of the Day
And that’s it from me. I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow ☀️.
