Dance, drink, and get vaxxed | Morning Newsletter
And Philly’s ‘Girl in the Box’
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s a good day for a walk outside. The sun should be out all day, but bundle up. The temps are only going to hit the high 40s.
Monkeypox cases have plummeted since the summer and the federal government may be considering ending the health emergency declaration. Still, the Philadelphia Health Department is pushing people to get vaccinated.
Monkeypox may be in retreat, but it’s not yet under control.
Our lead story follows the health department’s latest push.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Level Up, Center City’s only Black-owned gay club, offers monkeypox vaccinations that come with a voucher for free drinks or food.
It’s part of a city initiative to encourage vaccinations for those most at-risk of getting mpox, as the Centers for Disease Control has renamed the virus to reduce stigma associated with the name.
Important figures: An estimated 12,000 Philadelphians are at high risk of contracting mpox, largely gay bisexual, and nonbinary men who have sex with other men.
Black Philadelphians are the most at risk and the least vaccinated. They account for 60% of all reported cases but received 26% of vaccine doses.
The city has administered about 7,000 first doses of the vaccine and fewer than half as many second doses, despite recommendations that two are needed.
Necessary context: Black Philadelphians are less vaccinated than white residents, with a lack of vaccine providers in some neighborhoods and limited flexibility in people’s work schedules contributing to those disparities.
Keep reading to see how Philly’s initiative could help prevent mpox from becoming endemic.
We don’t know much about the “Girl in the Box”, a Philadelphia Jane Doe who was found in a wooden milk box in the Schuylkill River in 1962.
Medical examiners determined she was a young Black girl, around four to six years old, 40 inches tall, and about 45 pounds. Her body was stuffed in the crate and set adrift between five days and two months before she was found.
There are some similarities compared to the 1957 “Boy in the Box” case, but the nation’s reaction couldn’t have been more different. There was a massive hunt to identify the “Boy in the Box,” whom police finally named this week as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, while this young girl’s story faded into obscurity.
The “Girl in the Box” didn’t have an advocate to keep her memory alive. But her story was no less tragic.
Keep reading for more about the differences of treatment for these two dead children.
What you should know today
Staff at Philly schools say the district’s policies are partly to blame for widespread safety concerns. 🔑
Russia freed Brittney Griner from captivity in exchange for an arms dealer.
Philadelphia Orchestra donated its entire archive to the University of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s marijuana project was supposed to benefit thousands, but far fewer are getting relief.
New census findings showcase how Fishtown and Point Breeze have become far wealthier in the last decade.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Who will perform with Billy Joel at Lincoln Financial Field next year to mark the 50th anniversary of Piano Man?
A. Stevie Nicks
B. Elton John
C. Morgan Wallen
D. Bailey Zimmerman
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🎄Reading: A reflection about gratitude, a male revue, and friendship — complete with holiday flair.
🦠 Watching: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have increased in the two weeks after Thanksgiving.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: Philly’s oldest Black-owned bookstore
MOTORBIKE SHAKOS
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Krista Pinola, who correctly guessed Philly Pops as Thursday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
And that wraps up your week. My colleague Ashley Hoffman has you covered on Sunday.