Affordable housing coming to the Moorestown Mall | Morning Newsletter
And weather-wise, this week makes no sense
The Morning Newsletter
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During a meeting yesterday, one of my colleagues referred to this week’s wild temperatures as having “all four seasons at once.”
And after two days of a winter-like freeze, we warm up to the 50s today and our resident weather expert offers insight into the rest of the week.
But first, let’s take a look at planned development slated to save the Moorestown Mall and offer affordable housing in Burlington County in one fell swoop.
And 🦅 fans, ready for a return to kelly green?
— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
It was referred to as a “mall in a sea of underutilized asphalt.”
The Moorestown Mall has lost three major department stores in the last few years, and PREIT, the region’s largest mall owner, sold four acres of its space.
Now a proposed transformation, including the construction of more than 1,000 apartments, an outpatient medical center, and a hotel, may help the smaller mall survive and emerge from the shadow of the larger and more popular Cherry Hill Mall just a few miles west.
All this development will help affluent Moorestown satisfy the terms of a legally binding agreement to increase affordable housing in the township. The mall site will be required to make 20% of its new apartments affordable units.
Our reporter Kevin Riordan has more on this proposal, which on the surface, sounds like a solution on multiple levels.
What you should know today
Lawyers had different takes yesterday on how much work Dawn Chavous performed for the $67,000 she received from a South Philly nonprofit as she and her husband, City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, stand trial for bribery.
The 1500 block of Sansom Street is reopening to traffic. Restaurant owners hosting streeteries along the stretch want to know why.
Alongside GOP rivals Kathy Barnette and Jeff Bartos, U.S. Senate hopefuls Dave McCormick and Mehmet Oz will square off in a debate today.
Philly was welcoming some of its first refugees from the war in Ukraine overnight, including a pair of women who found refuge inside a McDonald’s in Poland.
Our resident wellness expert offers these four tips to help relieve stress if you’re a caregiver.
This Philly comic is concerned that Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock over his joke at the Oscars could make it open season on comedians.
There’s been a small rise in COVID-19 cases in New Jersey due to a subvariant known as BA.2.
Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
For those of you wearing winter coats on Monday, you might be able to throw on a pair of summer shorts by tomorrow.
OK, maybe the mid-70s isn’t tan-on-the-sidewalk weather – especially considering the forecast calls for rain – but Thursday will be a complete contrast to the snow squalls that kicked off a wild week of weather.
While this week in Philly missed tying an all-time record for low temperatures by a mere degree, the daily average temperature of 31 was just a degree above the record. Atlantic City’s high, 38, set a record, and Wilmington’s, 37, tied one. Tack on wind gusts exceeding 35 miles an hour, and it felt as if we were living in the teens.
But there’s a scientific reason for all of it.
The squalls were set off by a combination of frigid polar air in the upper atmosphere and the ground-heating effects of the late-March sun, according to meteorologists. The warmer air was forced to rise furiously over the colder air, generating snow even though the air was bone dry.
Our reporter and resident weather expert, Anthony R. Wood, known as “AccuTony” in our newsroom, takes a look at the beginning of the week and explains what we can anticipate for the rest of the week.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
As we reported yesterday, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie announced the team’s traditional kelly green uniforms are making a return in 2023. Today’s question: The Birds decided to press pause on kelly green for the more recognizable midnight green in what year? Take a guess and find the answer here.
a. 1994
b. 1995
c. 1996
d. 1997
What we’re …
⛽ Reading: How these gubernatorial hopefuls plan to save Pennsylvania from rising gas prices.
🤔 Wondering: Why are so many people still so obsessed with debating everything about Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars?
💚 Loving: Just how wonderfully transformative blooming cherry blossoms can make the city appear.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
It’s commonly referred to as “sustainable grazing.”
TYPE CHILL RAPTO JOG
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. Today’s shoutout goes to Nicholas Malfitano of East Falls, who correctly guessed CAMPBELL’S SOUP as Tuesday’s answer.
Photo of the day
Seize today. I’ll catch you tomorrow. 💯