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A record 21 people could get their life sentences commuted; Meet ‘the other Joe’ running for president | Morning Newsletter

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Lt. Gov. John Fetterman wants to rethink how pardons are handled in Pennsylvania.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman wants to rethink how pardons are handled in Pennsylvania.Read moreJose F. Moreno / File Photograph

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There’s another Joe with Pennsylvania ties running for president. Aside from Biden, there’s Sestak, a former congressperson from Delaware County. Despite his low polling numbers (he recently celebrated getting 1% in a poll), his consistent grassroots campaigning has made an impression on some Iowa Democrats. Also, the way Pennsylvania handles commuting life sentences could be headed for a change that’s being led by the state’s lieutenant governor.

— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman is set on restoring second chances for those sentenced to life in prison who did not actually take a life themselves. “I think it’s critical that we examine that and, when it merits it, make sure we give them another chance to rebuild their lives and contribute to society,” he said in an interview.

That sentiment will be showcased during public hearings set to begin tomorrow for the largest number of lifers up for commutation that anyone can remember: 21 men and women. They’ve all served decades in prison and are recommended by the state’s Department of Corrections for release. Fetterman is also looking to usher in a change in the commutation process through backing a potential constitutional amendment.

When the top-polling Democrats running for president take the stage for a debate on Thursday, Joe Sestak will not be one of them. He’ll be on his way to Iowa, to the Econo Lodge in Des Moines where he spent most of his summer campaigning.

“Every time I turned around, he was at the same event,” said one county Democratic chair. “He shows up everywhere." The retired Navy admiral and former congressman from Delaware County just celebrated earning 1% in a recent poll, crediting his grassroots approach.

What you need to know today

  1. Haverford officials reinstated the Bon Air Fire Company after it changed course and accepted the resignation of a member who admitted he tried to join the extremist organization Proud Boys. Haverford Township shuttered the 37-member fire company last week.

  2. Mayor Kenney wants to have a permanent police commissioner by the end of the year.

  3. Gregory Eells, the head of counseling and psychological services at Penn, died by suicide yesterday at a Center City building. He was 52.

  4. Last year, around 14 million U.S. households were food insecure, meaning that they didn’t have enough food during the year to foster active, healthy living for a family. That figure is actually decreasing, but some are scared that the Trump administration’s proposals could reverse the trend.

  5. Starting next week, Pennsylvania will let you request an absentee ballot online.

  6. A city department that has been plagued by scandal has a new executive director.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

The weather is still more than nice enough to get outside for a bike ride. Thanks for sharing, @mcjw13.

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

  1. Center City District Restaurant Week starts Sept. 15. We laid out the best deals.

  2. Music therapy has helped people speak again and soothed those who are stressed. Now it’s being employed to help people with dementia.

  3. Generation Z — the most digitally connected generation ever — is starting to enter the U.S. workforce. They’re looking for cities to live in, but they might not get what they’re looking for in Philadelphia, according to a new study.

  4. Are e-cigarettes safer than traditional cigarettes? The FDA just warned Juul about making such a claim.

  5. Mel Brooks talks to The Inquirer ahead of Young Frankenstein: The Musical making its U.S. debut at Walnut Street Theatre.

  6. An area university is no longer requiring SAT or ACT test scores from applicants in most of the programs it offers.

Opinions

“People have gotten so caught up in virtual worlds that they’ve lost jobs, money, and loved ones in the real world. Reports from South Korea and Alabama tell stories of parents so engrossed in gaming that they neglected and even starved their own children.” — Petros Levounis, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and James Sherer, a third-year-psychiatry resident, write about the severity of internet addiction.

  1. A new media access policy installed by the Kenney administration is “Trump-like” and bad for Philly, writes Muira McCammon, a doctoral and law student at Penn who studies public records laws and investigative journalism in Philadelphia.

  2. Walmart’s move on guns and ammunition can send a message to Congress, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.

What we’re reading

  1. Philadelphia cracked down on street creatives who didn’t have licenses during Made in America, Billy Penn reports.

  2. Phoenix could face a heat wave that could reach about 120 degrees Fahrenheit on four consecutive days. Vox puts this scorchingly dangerous period in the context of how summers are getting hotter overall.

  3. Mother Jones reports on how the threat of a post-Roe America is changing the way women get abortions.

Your Daily Dose of | A Mystery Sign

A “Historic Tree” sign on City Avenue in Overbrook leads to nowhere. While the arrow on the sign points down 71st Street, there are no further directions or markers. The tree referenced on the sign has since disappeared and no one knows what happened to it.