Blatant illegal parking goes unpunished; Eagles legend finally gets hall-of-fame nod | Morning Newsletter
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Brace yourselves, real winter might be approaching. Tonight’s and tomorrow’s forecasts call for cold temperatures, and we could get some snow this weekend.
In other news, yesterday was a happy, happy day for one of the greatest Eagles in franchise history, as Harold Carmichael got the news of being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a long wait. We also have a story about the lack of parking enforcement in Philadelphia’s residential neighborhoods, which is causing problems for pedestrians. And last but not least, you’ll find a story about someone who could be the region’s foremost expert on cheesesteaks.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If you’ve taken a walk or a drive through a South Philly neighborhood, you’ll notice the cars. They’re parked on sidewalks and in crosswalks. They’re blocking fire hydrants, too, one restaurant manager said. Blatantly illegal parking is not new, but it might be getting worse.
Advocacy groups for people with disabilities are suing the city in federal court over the state of its sidewalks. Neither the Police Department nor the Parking Authority seem willing to take on the task. "I honestly don’t know what the solution is,” said Scott Petri, PPA executive director. “I guess we should have thought about that 100 years ago.”
The Pennsylvania legislature passed changes that as of 2015 required anyone working with children to undergo a series of background checks. It was in response to the devastating Penn State sexual abuse scandal. The goal of the checks was to prevent people with certain criminal records or a history of abuse from gaining access to children through youth programs.
But the laws might not be working as intended. For example, reporting by my colleagues at Spotlight PA reveals that organizations are able to skirt the rules without facing many consequences.
What you need to know today
The U.S. House voted yesterday to send two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate. It’ll be the third impeachment trial in American history.
Former Philadelphia Museum of Art exec Joshua Helmer reportedly told a 19-year-old student at the Erie Art Museum, while he was director, there that she was “the most useless intern we have” after she rebuffed an invitation to go to his house. And Mayor Jim Kenney said yesterday that he wants the Philadelphia museum to revamp its sexual harassment policies.
Two court appeals and 27 township hearings later, the saga over four billboards proposed in Haverford Township has been reborn with a trial to address whether it must let a company proceed with alternative or modified billboards.
Michael Bloomberg is employing an unusual strategy by focusing on later states in the Democratic presidential nominating contest. And he’ll also be employing a nearly 100-person campaign staff in Pennsylvania.
Meet Cynthia Figueroa, the first person to lead Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families.
Activists crowded into a Delaware River Port Authority conference room yesterday morning to call on the governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania to investigate the agency’s dealings.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
🌇Morning golden hour makes for some beautiful pics. Great shot, @crackd_lens.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s interesting
🌨️Technically speaking, winter is about half over. But starting this weekend, we might actually feel it. Snow is in the forecast.
🏈He caught his last NFL pass 35 years ago. After a long wait, Harold Carmichael is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former Eagles wide receiver still holds the franchise record for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches. You can listen to the moment he found out here. (Pro tip: keep tissues nearby 😭.)
🎬Temple grad Chinonye Chukwu credits her life-changing time working with elementary school students at a now-defunct North Philly school for helping her develop her craft. The filmmaker is in town for a screening of her new movie, Clemency, which opens tomorrow.
🏳️🌈In the world of live adult entertainment for the LGBTQ community, events for queer women have traditionally flown under the radar. And in Philadelphia, there are few safe spaces for exotic LGBTQ dancers to perform.
🍷Philly’s quirkiest wine shop is ...
💔Valentine’s Day is a day for passion, and some people are passionately anti-Valentine’s Day. Do you have an anti-Valentine’s Day tradition? Please let us know.
Opinions
“A Band-Aid will not close this gap. We are playing Whack-a-mole with a life-threatening issue when we need a complete overhaul. This is not a time for slow, gradual change — it’s a time for immediate, massive action.” — Andrew Knips writes about being fed up with the asbestos in Philly schools. Knips has worked with Philadelphia students and school leaders for over a decade and is a teacher leadership coach in the city.
Columnist Jenice Armstrong writes about an elementary school principal who will do anything for his students. And that includes cutting their hair.
Solving Philly’s homeless problem is a burden no one department or agency can solve alone, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.
What we’re reading
WHYY looked at three different maps of the city that show the present state of urban farming and gardening and what they could look like in the future.
If you’re starting your career today, the conventional wisdom about saving for retirement won’t work, according to a Wall Street Journal column.
Scientists estimate that the fires in Australia have killed anywhere from hundreds of millions to more than a billion animals so far. And that could be a preview of what California could experience in future fire seasons, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Your Daily Dose of | 500 cheesesteaks in 20 months
Who is Philly’s cheesesteak authority? It might be this guy. Jim Pappas is a 56-year-old Delaware County native who just consumed his 500th cheesesteak in 20 months’ time. “When I started," he told my colleague Jenn Ladd, "my friends were like, ‘What are you doing? You’re an idiot. Everybody knows where to get a good cheesesteak.’”