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‘Shock’ and ‘disbelief’ hit South Street | Morning Newsletter

And the parents pressing pause on COVID vaccine

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Weather-wise, enjoy another fantastic day with sunny skies and temperatures once again in the 80s for much of our region.

Today, we deliver the latest on Saturday’s deadly shooting on South Street, and share context on other recent shootings in Philadelphia and mass shootings across the country.

And, the COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for children younger than 5. However, parents tell us they aren’t sure they want their toddlers to have it.

😊 Finally, a feel-good story for your Monday. You have to check out these cops who stepped up to save the music program at this Philly school after the teacher abruptly quit.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

At 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Philadelphia became one more place in the country to join the recent spate of deadly shootings plaguing the country.

After gunfire erupted on South Street, leaving three people dead and at least 11 others injured, officials, advocates, and victims continue to search for answers, as there seems to be little calm heading into the summer months.

These stats should bring pause:

  1. In Philadelphia, 94 people have been shot in the last 10 days as of late Sunday night.

  2. With 14 people hit by gunfire, the South Street shooting left more people wounded or killed than any other episode of gun violence in Philadelphia since at least 2015, when 11 people were shot during a barbecue in the city’s Mantua neighborhood.

  3. It was the first shooting on South Street in which multiple people were killed since 2015, when the police began regularly publishing gun-violence statistics.

  4. Saturday into Sunday, there were two similar shootings near a nightclub and a strip mall in Tennessee and Arizona.

So where do we go from here? It remains to be seen, but:

  1. Our reporters who have been on the South Street mass shooting since early Sunday morning set the scene following a night of carnage.

  2. Our columnist Will Bunch says right-leaning politicians are resistant to change, and that’s a big part of the problem.

  3. For those whom the gun epidemic has truly affected, our reporter Abraham Gutman offers this mental health support guide.

What you should know today

  1. Here’s how property assessments, progressives, and the pandemic have fueled debate over Philly taxes.

  2. We describe the scene as the Philly Pride Festival and March celebrated 50 years.

  3. This UPS facility threatens to dominate a large section of Northeast Philly.

  4. Here are races to keep an eye on in the New Jersey primary elections in the First, Second, and Third Congressional Districts.

  5. The Phillies are 2-0 under their interim manager, following a walk-off win over the Angels on Sunday.

  6. The $6 million infusion this Philly trail system received to push further expansion.

  7. Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.

Later this month, it’s expected that vaccines will be approved for kids 5 and under. The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled meetings next week to review the evidence on the pediatric vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna, and White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said last week that the first 10 million doses could be available as soon as June 21.

But according to a national survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation last month, a number of parents aren’t sure whether they want their toddlers to get the vaccine.

🧒🏻 More than a third wanted to wait and see how other children responded before getting doses.

🧒🏻 About 40% are reluctant to get children under 5 vaccinated at all.

🧒🏻 More than a quarter said they would “definitely not” get their children vaccinated at all.

“I don’t feel comfortable,” said Joshua Williams, of Philadelphia, as he watched 4-year-old Lovely and 2-year-old Josh Jr. clamber through a playground clubhouse at Penn Treaty Park. “It’s not like they did a lot of research on the vaccine yet.”

It’s a situation that leaves both pediatricians and public health authorities in the Philadelphia region with some persuading to do. Our reporter Jason Laughin explores that effort.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

The Philadelphia Orchestra made history earlier this month by holding its first-ever Pride concert, a free event that packed Verizon Hall and was comprised of (mostly) gay composers. Today’s question: Do you know what night this historic event was held? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. Thursday, June 2

b. Friday, June 3

c. Saturday, June 4

What we’re…

🤔 Wondering: Why New Jersey gaming officials are being cagey when it comes to casino tax breaks.

✊🏽 Sharing: What Juneteenth should mean to us all.

🌈 Learning: How to lend support to Philly’s trans community, as told by trans Philadelphians.

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

Headquartered in Hunting Park. 🚗

POP YEBS

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.

Photo of the day

Here’s hoping we helped your week get off to a great start ... or, at minimum, an informative one. Catch you tomorrow, Philly. ✌️