‘We can’t keep kids safe anymore’ | Morning Newsletter
And Mastriano’s unconventional strategy
The Morning Newsletter
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The weather remains consistent. Expect clear skies with temps reaching the high 60s.
Today is going to be a heavy newsletter. We’re still looking for answers about the Roxborough High School shooting.
The latest: Nicholas Elizalde, 14, was killed in a shooting Tuesday afternoon and four of his teammates were shot after a football scrimmage. They were ambushed by five unidentified shooters.
At least one teen victim was targeted but the shooters remain unidentified.
The tragedy has shaken the city but it’s not that uncommon. So far this year, 178 children have been shot and 23 have died in Philadelphia. The kids, frankly, are not doing well. Students have told The Inquirer how they’re both scared and numb as they process yet another display of violence.
Our lead story follows educators who are trying their best to comfort students, but aren’t quite sure about what’s next.
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)
“We always tell our kids, ‘Stay in school, do an activity, play a sport. These things will help you build a better life and keep you safe,’ but it seems like we can’t keep kids safe anymore,” said Clarice Brazas, a teacher at the U School in North Philadelphia.
Philadelphia educators are at a loss on what to do after four students were shot and one killed immediately after an after-school activity.
Does it make sense to continue and cautiously hope this doesn’t happen again ? Get rid of all after-school activities? How can educators protect the kids?
Well, there’s a quick answer to one of those. Officials said there are no plans to reduce or end athletic or other extra-curricular activities.
The Philadelphia Police said authorities will now focus on practices and scrimmages in addition to football games.
The ongoing trend: School sporting events have been hotspots. Last Friday night, there were four shootings at football games across the country — in Delaware, Minnesota, California, and Philadelphia.
There have been 25 shootings nationally at or after football games so far this season.
Kristen Graham interviewed educators and students on the immediate fallout of the shooting.
Tip: Regardless of whether you’re an educator, here’s a list of tips to talk to the children in your life about the shooting.
What you should know today
Philadelphia mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker became a Harrisburg lobbyist days after resigning from City Council.
The major air pollutant known as fine particulate matter spiked well above healthy levels in North Philadelphia during Tuesday’s massive junkyard fire.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced a $8 million cleanup plan for the Bishop Tube site in Chester County. 🔑
Hurricane Ian has already proven destructive as it made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm. Here in Philly, it’s not clear what we can expect from it, with possibilities ranging from partly cloudy to a rough storm.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
It’s not looking good for Doug Mastriano’s campaign for governor. He’s cash-strapped and losing support among GOP allies.
Only a few dozen supporters joined the Republican state senator at the Capitol building in Harrisburg for his “big rally” last weekend.
Mastriano’s fundraising is minuscule compared to his competitor, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and he hasn’t spent any money on TV ads.
His lack of funds could be partly why he asked U.S. citizens who live abroad to donate while on a conservative podcast.
Regardless, he’s seems adamant on not changing strategies.
Mastriano won’t do interviews with most media outlets and won’t agree to a standard debate format.
Instead of trying to appeal to the general electorate, his campaign is doubling down on his echo chamber of staunch supporters.
A little more than a month away from Nov. 8, Mastriano is looking for a divine intervention, literally. He’s asking his supporters to join him as he fasts and prays for the remaining 40 days until Election Day.
Jonathan Tamari and William Bender detailed Mastriano’s method and the potential effect on his campaign.
What we’re...
🥬 Sharing: Plant-based recipes courtesy of Tabitha Brown
🍅 Reading: How a startup redistributed 11 million pounds of Philly’s surplus produce that would have gone to landfills. 🔑
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: Breakfast tacos in South Philly
ARETHA OCT
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 Adam Estabrook, who correctly guessed Pizza Jawn as Wednesday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
There’s only two more days until the weekend. You got this 💯. Thank you for waking up with The Inquirer.