‘They snatched everything from me’ | Morning Newsletter

It’s a hot one out there, with a high temperature near 92 degrees. And showers and thunderstorms are likely later today.

First, a rising number of Philly’s gun violence victims are women and girls, with hundreds killed or wounded in the city since 2020.

Plus, SEPTA is getting rid of a piece of Philly’s history to make room for modern concrete.

— Felicia Gans Sobey (@FeliciaGans, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

More than 650 women have been shot in Philadelphia since 2020, demonstrating a troubling trend in which an increasing number of Philly’s gun violence victims are women. In 2015, women were 8% of the city’s shooting victims; that portion is now up to 13%, according to data from the Philadelphia Police Department.

At least a dozen of the women shot since 2020 have been pregnant, according to an Inquirer analysis of hospital records and news accounts.

“Seeing the traditionally vulnerable population of children and women becoming victims tells you the sense of security is just totally lost,” said Chidinma Nwakanma, an emergency medicine doctor at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, pictured above. ⬆️ “That loss of safety and security is debilitating in a community — even the ones among us who are supposed to be protected are not.”

My colleague Marina Affo tells us more.

SEPTA has been digging up granite paving stones known as Belgian blocks to make room for concrete that will anchor new rails. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Street Railway Historical Society is scrambling to save what they say is an important piece of Philly’s history.

What are Belgian blocks?

The stones were created in the post-Civil War era as a more-stable alternative to cobblestone. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were key to the electric streetcar industry, which linked Center City to West Philadelphia.

Why is SEPTA digging them up?

Safety. SEPTA says the Belgian blocks can loosen over time, which could put trolleys at risk of derailment.

“Technology improves,” said David Montvydas, chief engineer of the authority’s engineering, construction, and maintenance division. “We’ve got a better, more resilient way of building our track now and that’s where we should be.”

Why should you care?

Amy Lambert, preservation architect and president of the University City Historical Society, says we have a “lack of a real embrace of our history and historical resources — in a city that’s an actual treasure trove of them.”

My colleague Thomas Fitzgerald takes a closer look at the history.

What is believed to be the world’s largest collection of Nolan Ryan memorabilia has found a new home at Stockton University. Today’s Question: Approximately how many items are in the collection? Take a guess, and find the answer here.

a. 12,000

b. 15,000

c. 17,000

d. 21,000

🏠 Looking at on Zillow: Muhammad Ali’s Cherry Hill home, which is up for sale.

🦒 Loving: The Philadelphia Zoo’s newest exhibit, Giraffe Encounter, where you can feed the giraffes.

🛒 Using: These 10 tips for saving money at the grocery store.

The Philadelphia Historical Commission has voted to designate this area of Christian Street a local historic district.

ALCOCK DB WORSTOR

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 Missy Gurmankin, who correctly guessed Baba’s Brew as Monday’s answer.

That’s all for today. 👋 My colleague Katie Krzaczek will be here tomorrow.