Franklin Towne under fire, again | Morning Newsletter
And the business of love.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s going to be a warm one, folks, with temps in the high 60s.
Today we’re taking another look a Northeast charter school that is being criticized by parents of Black students who face what they call an unfair choice: expulsion for minor disciplinary infractions, or withdrawal.
And our business team digs into Cescaphe’s dominance of the local wedding market. The event company hosted 750 weddings last year and is opening an eighth venue this spring.
— Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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When fights occur, the students are given two options: Accept expulsion, or voluntarily withdraw with no record. But to their parents, it’s not much of a choice.
Franklin Towne Charter in the Northeast is a predominantly white high school is a majority-Black district, and has been under fire for alleged lottery manipulation designed to keep out kids from certain zip codes and elementary schools. Now, parents of several Black students are claiming that their kids were pressured to leave the school because of minor disciplinary infractions, such as fighting — even when they never threw a punch.
“It’s always Black and brown students that we’re hearing from, and a lot of times they are students with disabilities,” a lawyer at the nonprofit Education Law Center said of the cases. “It’s a big problem, particularly at Franklin Towne, but it’s not exclusive to Franklin Towne.”
Kristen A. Graham has the story.
Buckle up: It’s nearly wedding season. And if you’re attending a wedding in Philly, there’s a not-small chance you’ll end up at one of Cescaphe’s venues.
Cescaphe just celebrated 20 years in business, and in that time it’s expanded from one ballroom in Northern Liberties to eight venues across the city. That includes the new Switch House at the Battery, the former site of a PECO power plant in Fishtown and the company’s first venue with a hotel attached.
Make weddings fun again: For what’s meant to be the best day of your life, planning a wedding can be hellish. Brides who hosted their big days at Cescaphe venues said the company’s comprehensive packages and attention to detail made it easy. If you can afford it, that is.
The business of love: Around 750 couples tied the knot at the company’s venues in 2023. Its average wedding costs $35,000, but a Saturday event at its brand-new space in the Bellevue Hotel could cost nearly $100,000.
Notable quote: ”There are no redos in weddings. We have to earn our stripes for every single couple,” CEO Joe Volpe — who cofounded the company with his own wife, Andrea, in 2003 — said about keeping Cescaphe’s offerings fresh. “You don’t get by on what you’ve done in the past.”
Ariana Perez-Castells has the scoop on how Philadelphia’s premier wedding business has grown over two decades.
What you should know today
A third person has been arrested in relation to last week’s shooting in Burholme that wounded eight teens. Records show police zeroed in on the suspects using video surveillance, home searches, and a recorded prison call.
The 19-year-old accused of killing journalist and advocate Josh Kruger is expected to plead guilty to murder.
City Council voted to postpone legislation that would require the city to collect and share data on homeless encampments and overdose reversals.
More than two dozen finalists have been named to potentially serve on the next Philadelphia school board.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Bridge on Tuesday as the bridge undergoes a $20 million upgrade.
An HIV-positive inmate at George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delco sued after he was denied a prison kitchen job. He won the case.
A Penn faculty group is suing the university to stop the transfer of documents about faculty and students to a congressional committee investigating complaints of antisemitism on campus.
Cpl. Benjamin Berry, a 100-year-old World War II veteran who lives in Germantown, will receive France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor.
Ramadan started this week. Philly Muslims — who call the month both “a time to pause and reflect” and “Coachella for Muslims” — discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic and new remote work norms have changed their practices.
The city’s historical commission will allow Nike to move forward with plans for a store focused on its Jordan brand at 1617 Walnut St.
After this summer, you’ll no longer be able to grab a Wawa hoagie immediately after pacing the Rodin Museum: The chain lost the lease at its 20th and Hamilton location.
You know Gritty, the Phanatic, Swoop, and Franklin. But what about the amateur mascots, the ones working at the high school and college level?
The Inquirer is looking for the best amateur mascot in the region — and awarding that school with a $1,000 donation. From the hundreds in the area, we’ve narrowed the list down to 16 finalists.
Now, this Temple Owl has her own opinions. So does City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (he’s on my side) and Gov. Josh Shapiro, who both shared their picks with The Inquirer. And delightfully, the Union’s Phang chose the Penn Quakers for the “strong chin, cool hat, and oatmeal for days.”
It’s your turn: Fill out a bracket by April 5 at 4 p.m. and we’ll reveal the winner on April 16.
🧠 Trivia time
This recently sold coffee shop is believed to be Philadelphia’s earliest microroaster when it opened in 1985 on an alley in the shadow of Christ Church.
A) La Colombe Coffee Roasters
B) Old City Coffee
C) Menagerie Coffee
D) Chapterhouse Cafe & Gallery
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🚙 Parking: Our cars near the PMA and more Philly attractions — only when SEPTA is off peak hours, of course — thanks to The Inquirer’s newest guide.
🃏 Buying: A replica of Jason Kelce’s iconic Mummers hat from the 2018 Super Bowl parade (while we still can).
🐿️ Squealing over: The baby squirrels and owls in this story about the Pocono wildlife rehab center.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The nonprofit West Philadelphia Skills Initiative just received $4 million from this philanthropist, who has donated billions to charities since her divorce from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
AZTEC COMET INKS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Karen Clarkson, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Saquon Barkley, the Penn State grad and running back just signed to the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year deal.
Photo of the day
Enjoy your Wednesday. I’ll see you again tomorrow morning.
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