Are North Philly politicians after the same seat? | Morning Newsletter

Hello, ardent readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter.

First: It looks as if Malcolm Kenyatta and Sharif Street want the same job.

Then: Vaccine rates are up locally, just as the delta variant causes outbreaks.

And: A North Philadelphia man was sentenced in the 2019 death of a transgender woman and LGBTQ advocate.

— Olayemi Falodun (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

North Philadelphia Democratic politics are heating up as colleagues could square off in the 2022 U.S. Senate race.

State Sen. Sharif Street and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta once worked alongside each other, when Street hired Kenyatta for three months as a constituent-relations aide. But the two Democrats who share more than 30,000 voters are now the subject of growing chatter about Kenyatta’s announcement earlier this year to run for the U.S. Senate.

Some perceive Kenyatta declaring his candidacy as jumping the gun ahead of his senior and someone who some view as kick-starting Kenyatta’s career in Street, who has only hired a committee to explore a possible run for the Senate seat.

Reporter Chris Brennan takes you inside the rising tension between Kenyatta’s and Street’s camps.

The daily number of Pennsylvanians getting their first vaccine dose has steadily increased in the last two weeks.

The CDC reports that Pennsylvania and New Jersey now have 65% of their populations vaccinated, as daily shots administered on average are trending upward.

Since the number of vaccinations dropped during spring and the first few weeks of summer in Pennsylvania, this marks a vital shift, especially with the delta variant, a more contagious strain of COVID-19, spreading more rapidly throughout the nation.

What’s behind the uptick, though?

A steady dose of unrelenting volunteers and public health officials, as well as community advocates doing tailored neighborhood outreach, has helped in getting the word out.

Reporters Justine McDaniel and Chris A. Williams lay out the COVID-19 vaccination progress of neighboring states.

Never too late for the glow up. Thanks for sharing.

Tag your Instagram posts with #OurPhilly, and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature here and give you a shout-out.

🖥️ Hackers accessed patient information at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Temple University Hospital in a cybersecurity breach.

🚰 A massive water main break highlights the importance of flood insurance for business owners and residents.

🚨 Federal officials say a Philly drug dealer planned to kill the hitman he recruited in a murder-for-hire targeting his rival.

🍻 Here’s your guide to some of the best after-hours eats in Philly.

“The lesson is to make sure elder abuse is no longer a silent crime — and to preserve the dignity of elders and recognize the strength it takes to say, “I need help,” writes PAVE supervisor Mariel Lorenz, advocating for a program to fight against elderly abuse, especially during the pandemic.

Mahoning Drive-In has been a Carbon County staple for decades, but the 72-year-old landmark faced becoming a solar-panel farm, until local residents convinced a Connecticut solar-energy company to pivot on its plans. Here’s how a community rallied to save a movie theater.