Remembering Kobe Bryant; stories about Philly’s new archbishop from his time in Lawncrest | Morning Newsletter

From sports columnist Mike Jensen: "There was always that love-hate local relationship. Kobe knew it himself. ... ‘I think if I put on a Sixer jersey it would be a little different story,' Bryant said ...’

"I pass [Lower Merion High School] all the time. I always think to myself, ‘Wow, Kobe went here. One of the greats of all time came here,’” said Romiere Brown, who grew up in Lansdowne. “When I heard the news, I was just in a state of shock.” Brown was one of many who flocked to the school yesterday to honor Bryant.

Sixers star Joel Embiid tweeted: “... I started playing ball because of KOBE after watching the 2010 finals. I had never watched ball before that and that finals was the turning point of my life. I WANTED TO BE LIKE KOBE. I’m so FREAKING SAD right now!!!!” My colleague Keith Pompey talked to Sixers head coach Brett Brown about what Bryant meant to him.

“Don’t try to make sense of Kobe Bryant’s death,” sports columnist Mike Sielski wrote. “Just remember his greatness, and hug your loved ones.”

When you download Uber, you apparently agree that you won’t seek a jury trial against the ride-share giant. But a Philadelphia judge ruled against the company in the case of a woman who fractured her spine after her Uber driver ran a red light, saying that Uber can’t prove that she actually read the company’s terms and conditions.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats tend to add more votes to their totals after election night due to absentee and provisional ballots that are counted in the days after the election. It’s called the “blue shift,” and it could further complicate the task of calling winners in tight races.

The new class of members at the Philadelphia Police Training Center is just a third the size of the last graduating class of new officers in December. At an LA Fitness in Northeast Philly, where the department hosts frequent recruitment drives, members talked about their interactions with the cops.

In a voicemail left for a constituent, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew said, “I will not vote” for Trump. Then, three weeks later, Van Drew became a Republican and pledged “undying support” for the president.

There are just seven certified school librarians left in Philadelphia’s public schools, according to the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. And a group that includes students is rallying in support of libraries and librarians.

Volunteers got together to spruce up their neighborhood school for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service project. Then, the school district billed them $700 to cover costs for staff and utilities.

🏀The shorthanded Sixers beat the Lakers last night in their only visit to the Wells Fargo Center this season. And the matchup between Ben Simmons and LeBron James might have given us a glimpse of how good Simmons could become.

📚A third-generation teacher has turned his passion for books into a warehouse in South Jersey where fellow teachers share books with students who might not have many at home.

💸Fleeing higher taxes, Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents are relocating to South Florida.

⚽Two sod farms in South Jersey see an opportunity in hosting youth soccer tournaments. But the two South Jersey towns are reacting in very different ways.

✉️After a lengthy investigation, U.S. officials in Delaware said they recovered and authenticated a rare copy of a letter Christopher Columbus sent that described the Americas. It will be returned to Venice eventually and is estimated to be worth $1.3 million.

📖A Temple professor and novelist has a new book that she calls her first “Philadelphia book.” It’s set amidst Kensington’s opioid crisis.

What’s missing from Philadelphia’s approach to combating the opioid crisis? Experts on a number of fields from outside Philly offer their opinions.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey don’t have laws protecting against “rogue electors.” Could they swing an election? Adam Bonin, a political law lawyer in Philadelphia, writes about the quirk in the U.S. presidential election.

Philadelphia’s tourism board has a clear target for 2020. The city wants to get more boomers — not millenials — to visit Philly, according to Philadelphia magazine.

Wired magazine has an interesting story on the “secret history of facial recognition” software.

Google has been charging U.S. law enforcement for responses to search warrants and subpoenas for such things as search data, the New York Times reports.