You’re waking up to a 😷-free Philly | Morning Newsletter
And the child Philly ‘failed’
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
The tail end of this week sees a return to winter weather, with temperatures in the 40s today and tomorrow.
With the city announcing the lifting of indoor mask requirements, we take a look at what that fully means and the big step toward normalcy after nearly two years of restrictions.
Also, what we know of the fatal police shooting of a 12-year-old boy in South Philly.
And with the midterm election a little more than two months away, subscribe to our PA 2022 Election newsletter to stay informed on the candidates in key races across our region and the state.
— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole isn’t ready to say COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror, but yesterday’s sweeping announcement of the city lifting all indoor mask mandates signaled a move closer to an endemic stage.
“I think talking about regaining as much normal life as we can ... is better framing for me,” she said. “I’m hoping we have enough immunity in the city that we really are at an endpoint.”
Yesterday’s announcement also arrived with a plan to ease restrictions in schools by March 9 should the city’s new conservative alert system continue to show declining metrics.
In addition to schools, you’ll still need a mask inside the following spaces:
🏥 Health-care settings
🥨 City-owned buildings (until March 7)
🚍 Public transit
👔 Private businesses
It’s a major change that allows businesses to relax enforcement rules while aligning Philadelphia with the remaining counties in the state that have relaxed mask guidelines. Our reporter Jason Laughlin dives deeper into the move and why, for some, change isn’t welcome.
What you should know today
The Philly company shuffling workers in Ukraine from house to house in an effort to get them out of harm’s way.
The Kimmel Center has announced that masks will remain on for now for all events
Relief is on the way from some of those high energy bills that have Philly residents perturbed.
James Harden was a rebound and an assist shy of a triple-double performance in his home debut with the Sixers, who defeated the New York Knicks, 123-108.
Residents living in communities designated as a potential for Philly’s first-ever safe injection site want a say in discussions.
The growing list of brands boycotting Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
Neighbors say the 1800 block of Barbara Street is normally a quiet South Philly strip. But that wasn’t the case when a police sting operation erupted into gunfire that ended with a 12-year-old shot in the back.
Police say the boy, identified as Thomas Siderio, had a semi-automatic handgun in his hand as he ran from police and said the fact that he was fleeing “doesn’t mean he wasn’t continuing to be a threat to the officers,” according to Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Naish.
An officer was injured in the eye after a bullet that was fired toward police shattered car glass. The cops who fired the fatal shot have been placed on administrative leave.
In the case of Thomas, a seventh grader at George W. Sharswood Elementary, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement that “the life of a young man was cut tragically short, and we should all be questioning how we as a society have failed him and so many other young people like him.”
Our reporters Anna Orso and Rodrigo Torrejón have more on what transpired and a look at what could happen next.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Gwynedd-Mercy University received one heck of a return on investment for land it purchased in 2018 for $12.1 million. This week, the school sold the same plot it purchased less than five years ago. Today’s question: How much did Gwynedd Mercy sell for? Take a guess and find the answer here.
a. $28.6 million
b. $30.2 million
c. $31.5 million
d. $35.8 million
What we’re…
⚾ Watching: The fallout from Major League Baseball’s decision to delay the start of the season. We’re guessing a lack of fan appreciation.
💰 Reading: We’re about the see the power of sanctions in the form of a dwindling Russian economy.
👏🏾 Applauding: It took 91 years, but there will be a Dr. Seuss book written for and by diverse audiences. That first-ever book from Seuss? It was called The Pocket Book of Boners (1931).
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Designed for a lazy day along the Delaware River but some days it’s anything but.
KARP BORSPR USE HAT TREETR
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. And shoutout to Daniela Connolly from Jenkintown, who correctly guessed GRAFFITI PIER as Wednesday’s answer.
Photo of the day
Here’s hoping we got your day off on the right foot. Catch you tomorrow, Philly. 💯