Missing in plain sight | Morning Newsletter
And auto shop owners want change
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We’re in for more rain and fog today, and a high of 64. Although Ophelia got downgraded from a tropical storm, be prepared for the wet weather to linger through Tuesday.
Philadelphia’s gun violence impacts the city’s children at a higher rate than ever before. Our focus today is on the youngest person to be targeted in a Philadelphia shooting this year.
Our lead follows the life of Hezekiah Bernard, the 12-year-old who was killed and left in a dumpster.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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At 12 years old, Hezekiah Bernard spent the last few months of his life drifting through the streets of Philadelphia before he was killed and then thrown in a dumpster.
Bernard’s friends and relatives remember him as a loving, outgoing child who loved to dance. But as his childhood unraveled in recent years, a weak social support system failed him.
Notable quote: “He had a hard life, but he was a good person,” his friend, Harmony Wright, 12, said.
He ran away from home four months before he died, but his location wasn’t much of a secret.
This story is an example of how trauma, poverty, social media, and broken support systems put children at risk.
Continue reading to follow the last few months of Bernard’s short and difficult life.
What you should know today
SNAP recipients are denied hot food, so two recent University of Pennsylvania grads created a new kind of corner store that legally skirts the federal rule.
More than 300 female teachers say Central Bucks School District paid them less compared to men.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a Philly institution devoted entirely devoted to studying the senses of taste and smell. We sat down with its new director Benjamin P.C. Smith to discuss his research on nutrition, the loss of smell, and so much more.
Widener University has its largest first-year class in history. Its 891 freshmen represent a 67% increase over last year.
We broke down how much Philly-area homebuyers are paying per square foot for a new house.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans braved the weather and flocked to the Mann Center for a live taping of The Always Sunny podcast. Columnist Stephanie Farr compiled the highlights.
Pennsylvania has required mechanics to test heavier vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks for harmful pollutants since the 1990s.
The issue, according to shops, is that those tools are now decades old and many of theirs are beginning to fail and can’t be replaced. It doesn’t help that manufacturers have stopped repairing old testing tools or have gone defunct because of the lack of demand.
It’s why a group of auto shop representatives gathered in Norristown to warn Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection last week about a problem that’s getting bigger in the state’s emission testing program.
In their own words: “We do not have enough equipment to do our job in our industry,” said Dave Preston, a garage owner and member of the Mid-Atlantic Auto Alliance. “What do you tell a customer that needs a test? ‘We have no equipment to test your vehicle?’”
The problem leaves garages with an uncomfortable choice: either scramble to find rare parts or don’t do an inspection and send a potential polluter back on the road, which harms the region’s air quality.
Continue reading to learn what auto shop owners want to see change.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Who is the Grammy winner that will headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas?
A) Taylor Swift
B) Usher
C) Beyoncé
D) Lady Gaga
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
📰Reading: A professor who recently moved to Point Breeze reflects on recent gun violence and the impact of gentrification.
❄️Watching: A “strong” El Niño may mean a stormy winter in the Philly area.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Adam Weiner
COW ION LUCENT
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Rebecca Bonner, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Cirque du Soleil.
Photo of the day
Have a wonderful start to your week. Good luck dodging the rain and I’ll catch you tomorrow. 👋🏽