Penn’s tumultuous year | Morning Newsletter
🍎 And Philly teachers get kudos.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly. You’re reading this on what’s expected to be a sunny day in the mid-80s.
A tumultuous school year for the University of Pennsylvania came to a relatively calm close with Monday’s commencement. Meanwhile, from the resignation of former president Liz Magill to a 16-day encampment on College Green that led to dozens of arrests, the student journalists of The Daily Pennsylvanian have covered it all.
And the annual Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award honors the city’s best educators. The Inquirer’s Kristen A. Graham takes us into the classroom of three of this year’s winners.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
The 2023-2024 school year will go down as one of the University of Pennsylvania’s most notable, as tensions over the war in Gaza simmered on campus.
Calm commencement after tense weeks: Though graduation ceremonies at other schools around the country saw pro-Palestinian supporters walk out in protest, Monday’s big event at Penn went off without much disruption. And later on Monday, District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office declined to file charges against four protesters who were arrested Friday night for allegedly attempting to occupy a campus building.
On the scene: Throughout this year, the young journalists of the student paper The Daily Pennsylvanian have been on the ground, reporting as their university’s president resigned and their peers were arrested. They worked from their own war room in the library near the now-disbanded pro-Palestinian encampment, finishing their own school assignments when time allowed. Their doggedness earned them national attention and several scoops.
In their words: “This is going to matter. This is going to mean something,” said one freshman reporter, looking forward while reflecting on the intensity of the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, at nearby universities: Swarthmore College is moving its commencement off campus to the Mann Center because of its students’ ongoing encampment at Parrish Lawn. And at Drexel University, just a few blocks from Penn, president John Fry called on the school’s own days-old encampment to disband “immediately” in a letter emailed to students and staff Monday evening.
What you should know today
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced Monday that city workers will be expected to work from the office five days a week, beginning July 15. Municipal unions are not pleased.
Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to Philly today to deliver the keynote address at a union convention in Center City. Expect rolling closures on I-95.
Wrong date, no signature, late return: Four years into mail voting in Pennsylvania, election officials are still tossing ballots because of errors. Election officials and advocates are working to minimize the problem before November.
The family of a Black teen who was executed decades ago for a murder prosecutors now say he did not commit has filed a federal lawsuit, saying Delaware County authorities coerced him to falsely confess.
The EPA will spend $2 million to clean up a former oil terminal that local officials call the “last piece of the puzzle” to a large redevelopment project along the Schuylkill waterfront.
As a grassroots group campaigns to save a long-vacant Moorestown mansion, the township council is revisiting the creation of a municipal historic district.
Ambler firm Phenom counts 700 of the 2,000 biggest companies in the world as clients. We explain why Southwest, DHL and United do their hiring with its automation software.
The former power plant on the Delaware River now known as The Battery will be further renovated to include a sporting facility with a turf field, sports bar, golf simulators, and racket games.
The Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award is the Philadelphia School District’s top teaching prize, honoring educators for their dedication to students while doing a demanding job. This year’s winners include:
🍏 Shakeera Blair, a second-grade teacher at W.D. Kelley Elementary and the North Philadelphia school’s “trauma ambassador” who says she admires her students’ resilience.
🍏 Tyriese Holloway, an English teacher at Overbrook High School who aims to be the mentor he needed during his own difficult childhood.
🍏 Rosemary Jacob, a reading specialist at Jay Cooke Elementary School in Logan whose principal called her “the fairy godmother of reading.”
“The three are emblematic of the kind of educational excellence that inspires students around the city, work that will echo for years to come,” education reporter Kristen A. Graham writes.
Each of this year’s Lindback honorees will receive $3,500 along with their award. Meet all 60 here.
🧠 Trivia time
Under new owner Teddy Sourias, Memories night club is back with a dinner menu, brunch, and eight disco balls. Which entertainer founded and ran the Margate staple for 50 years?
A) Jerry Blavat
B) Bobby Rydell
C) Frankie Avalon
D) Georgie Woods
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🍨 Dying to see: The hundred-seat Italian restaurant hidden behind a secret door at a tiny Rittenhouse gelato parlor.
🎮 Borrowing: Video games from the Free Library of Philadelphia.
🏆 Wondering: What happened to the Broad Street Bullies’ iconic, original Stanley Cup banners.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
A Jersey Shore town, and the name of a Bruce Springsteen song.
CACTI NATTILY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Christopher Downing, who solved Monday’s anagram: LeBron James. The four-time MVP — whose son just made a name for himself at the NBA Draft Combine — doesn’t play for the Sixers, but they’d like him to.
Photo of the day
🍎 One more fun thing before you go: The Philly-centric Abbott Elementary has featured a slew of notable guest stars. How many can you name? Ahead of the third season’s finale on Wednesday, take our quiz to find out.
Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday. See you back in your inbox tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.