No solace for MOVE mothers | Morning Newsletter

Hello, dedicated readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter. Here’s what you need to know today.

Mothers of children who died in the MOVE bombing find no comfort in the city’s discovery that human remains were not destroyed. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney acknowledged late Friday night that remains of MOVE bombing victims the city had thought it had cremated and discarded without notifying relatives had been found.

And Pennsylvania’s municipal primary is this week, including the race for Philadelphia’s district attorney between incumbent Larry Krasner and challenger Carlos Vega on the Democratic ticket.

— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Some Americans are awakening to the ugly reality of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic. But violence against Asian Americans is not a sudden phenomenon. In Philly, it’s a cycle that goes back decades, leaving adults and children traumatized, hospitalized, and dead, reporter Jeff Gammage writes. This is often followed by a second cycle of forgetting in which many see each eruption of violence and harassment as shocking and new. “We have history of Asian American lives not being respected as fully human,” said university professor Scott Kurashige.

If you need help:

On names and culture: Cheltenham High School senior Zhao Gu Gammage, who is Jeff Gammage’s daughter, wrote about refusing to Americanize her Chinese name and how keeping it and its proper pronunciation connects her to her heritage.

Ways to celebrate:

During May, we’re highlighting the lives and experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Philadelphia region. Please reply to this email if you have an event or story you’d like to share here.

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with opinion editor Elena Gooray about her work and what she looks for in op-ed

Can you describe your work and what you do on an average day?

On a typical day, I’m reviewing pitches for op-eds — opinion pieces written by contributors outside The Inquirer — and editing them, including workshopping ideas, fact-checking, and editing text. I’m also reaching out to writers for potential collaborations, talking to my team on the editorial board about editorials and projects, helping to edit our print pages including letters to the editor, and often working with newsroom colleagues on initiatives to make our coverage more representative of the communities we serve.

What are the main or biggest differences between an opinion editor and a news editor?

Rather than covering the news as it unfolds, typically my team is looking for perspectives to help readers think through the news and decide how they feel about it. We also look for strong points of view on changes that could improve our city.

What do you look for in new voices or writers?

We want deep investment in Philadelphia and the region, fresh perspectives on how to tackle issues new and old, plus lived experience and expertise around those issues.

What are some opinion pieces you’ve worked on recently that you’re proud of?

Recently I’ve been proud to tackle the environmental costs of fossil fuels via op-eds and my colleagues’ editorials, and to work with writers critically examining the legacy of the May 1985 MOVE bombing and the broken chain of custody around the remains of children who were killed that day.

Any advice for someone who wants to write an op-ed for The Inquirer?

Read our opinion pieces to get a sense of what we publish, check out our guidelines for submitting op-eds, and don’t be afraid to ask questions: egooray@inquirer.com.

What is something you’re looking forward to (work-related or not)?

I think I’m making it to Atlantic City for the first time, which is a life achievement for me.

Email Elena Gooray at egooray@inquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @elenagooray.

Those bay view windows definitely are goals. Thanks for sharing!

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!

Here’s a simple flowchart to help make sense of the latest advice from the CDC. The headlines: If you’re vaccinated, you only have to wear a mask in a few circumstances. If you’re not vaccinated, you should keep wearing a mask, except for a small number of situations.

Where’s the best hoagie in the region? Philly loves cheesesteaks, but we love our hoagies, too, so we asked our Instagram followers to share their favorite shops. Here’s what a few of them said, and check our list of the best hoagies in Philly, too.

🍪 “Liberty Kitchen! Come for the hoagies, stay for the cookies.”

✨ “Primo’s. No doubt about it.”

❤️ “Little Nicks in South Philly or Chubby’s in Fox Chase.”

💫 “Still dreaming of Chickie’s at 10th and Federal. Haven’t found anything better.”

💎 “Kovac’s Market in Media... Hidden gem!”

🌟 “Lee’s Hoagies, Abington Willow Grove 🥰🤩🤤😋”

Remember to follow @PhillyInquirer on Instagram so you can see the next question.

Who taught Kate Winslet about detective work for Mare of Easttown? This Chester County detective. Christine Bleiler is credited as one of the show’s police technical advisers, and Winslet describes her as her “go-to person” for questions. We spoke with Bleiler about her experience advising a Hollywood A-lister.