Tracking teens by GPS | Morning Newsletter
🏀 And Dadballers fight to save their gym.
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s set to be a hot and partly sunny Thursday, Philly. That Canadian wildfire smoke is likely to persist in regional skies today, but air quality should improve.
Philadelphia is monitoring more kids by GPS than ever, and it’s turning over the geolocation data to law enforcement — no warrant required. The latest in The Inquirer’s series on youth justice examines the expanded use of surveillance for teens in the juvenile justice system.
And after one of its most beloved players suddenly died, the “Dadball” pickup basketball group is fighting to save the Germantown gym where they play.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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In Philadelphia’s juvenile justice system, the use of GPS electronic monitors has trended upward in recent years, with the number of Philly teens being tracked increasing by about 30% since 2019.
Court officials say the ankle monitors are a good thing, keeping more teens out of institutions and allowing them to stay in their communities while under curfew or house arrest.
Yet an Inquirer investigation found that the city’s GPS monitoring has evolved into an aggressive surveillance program through which location data are turned over to law enforcement agencies without a warrant and used in investigations unrelated to the teens’ juvenile cases.
Youth advocates call the practice “an excessive invasion of privacy” and say monitoring is being used excessively for first-time offenders and teens charged with nonviolent offenses.
For the past decade, a group of Philly fathers have organized regular games of pickup basketball at the Germantown Life Enrichment Center.
🏀 They call it Dadball. Now, like the dads, the GLEC is showing its age.
🏀 The century-old building holds both a gym and a community center that provides transitional housing and resources for formerly homeless men. It needs repairs, new heating and cooling systems, and money for Peco — and it’s in danger of closing if its parent nonprofit doesn’t raise funds soon.
🏀 The Dadballers don’t want to let that happen. The group is now rallying to save the GLEC, while honoring a beloved member who died during one of their pickup games there.
Reporter Nate File has their inspiring story.
In other athletic news: In 1954, a tiny town handed Wilt Chamberlain one of his three high school losses. This signed syllabus shows he never forgot it.
What you should know today
A North Philadelphia man who killed his childhood friend and dumped his body in Lower Merion was sentenced to decades in prison.
Federal agents have arrested nearly 20 immigrants in Norristown during the last two weeks, advocates say.
Elon Musk wants Congress to “kill” President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, the president’s preferred choice for Pennsylvania governor, disagrees.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing the Trump administration over $13 million in funds for Pennsylvania food banks and farmers it cut earlier this year. He also mocked federal leaders for the confusion caused by the sudden disappearance of their “sanctuary jurisdictions” list.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said he “fundamentally” disagrees with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s signature housing plan on Wednesday as Council discussed the final details of the city budget. Plus, lawmakers advanced a bill that would give financial help to renters forced to move out of their homes because of unsafe or unhealthy conditions.
The future of the Philly Book Bank is imperiled as it may lose its space at Martin Luther King High.
Camden schools are laying off 117 employees to close a $91 million budget deficit. Here are three of their stories.
Who was the Public Universal Friend? Meet the revolutionary nonbinary leader who preached in Philly during the 1780s.
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🧠 Trivia time
The Friends of the Wissahickon is reminding Wissahickon Valley Park users that the gorge and its surroundings are “a wild place” after which animals have been sighted there?
A) Black bears
B) Moose
C) Badgers
D) Coyotes
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🚆 Debunking: A persistent rumor about why certain Regional Rail lines are on SEPTA’s chopping block.
🍺 Marking the calendar for: Jason Kelce’s 2025 bartending event and Beer Bowl in Sea Isle.
🍿 Watching: Free outdoor movies in Philly this summer.
🐕 Cheering on: Travis K9ecny, the Flyers’ representation at Friday’s Stanley Pup.
📱 Considering: How much Siri really knows about us.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Philadelphia _ _ _, an institution known for its stairs as well as what’s inside
AMMO FUTURES
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Ed Rivkin, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Del Frisco’s Grille. The sprawling steakhouse on South Broad Street is closing. More than 50 employees are impacted.
P.S. Our food team mapped the best places to get a steak in Philly.
Photo of the day
🐟 One last splashy thing: Is the reopened Atlantic City Aquarium worth the trip? Shore reporter Amy S. Rosenberg visits to see what’s new after the kid-friendly attraction’s $4.5 million renovation.
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. I’ll be back with more news tomorrow.
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