A historic first at Penn | Morning Newsletter
And Philly people to watch at the Grammys.
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The weather is delightful ... to ducks. Rain is expected to dominate this morning, continuing throughout the day as on-and-off showers, with temperatures not getting past the chilly mid-50s.
In today’s newsletter:
📗 Historic: A major milestone for Penn.
🎸 Award-worthy: The Philly contenders who should nab Grammy awards.
🍲 Anticipated: Craig LaBan’s in-depth review of the Korean makeover of Stephen Starr’s Pod restaurant with chef Peter Serpico at the helm.
🧩 Playful: Our regular fun and games, with a Jersey Shore twist.
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. Please send me feedback about this by writing back.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
🎤 And now I’m passing the mic to Susan Snyder, who wrote today’s top story.
It started with an email from a student’s parent at the University of Pennsylvania Law School: “For the first time in history, there will be three African American female law students serving as editor in chiefs of their prestigious law journals.” And it comes at a time when the university is conducting a review of ongoing, incendiary racial comments made by one of its law professors, Amy Wax.
I confirmed the parent’s statement with Law School Dean Ted Ruger and the result is this story about three Black women whose simultaneous leadership is indeed historic, but also explores their assertion that the school must work harder to diversify its curriculum and hire more faculty of color. “(Wax) is one individual actor in a larger systemic problem and I would love to see both fronts addressed with the same amount of short- and long-term attention or urgency,” Layla June West said.
Keep reading for more on this historic first.
What you should know today
Last year’s COVID surge dealt Philly-area health systems a heavy financial blow.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Branden T. Sisca, just 29 when he was killed last month on I-95, “achieved so much in so little time.”
Philly students’ teasing about their teacher’s footwear goes viral.
Drexel’s squash player and her parents and grandparents have no plans to leave Kyiv due to restrictions and health-related issues. 🔒
Get to know Philly’s new superintendent, Tony B. Watlington Sr., with seven interesting things about him.
Former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins soared to have outsize impact on the Philly community and social justice issues and at large.
Conor Lamb targeted John Fetterman for giving the first debate the slip.
Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
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❓ Pop Quiz ❓
What did fans of the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals soccer team mean when they called them “Nasha Druzhyna?”
A) Our Team
B) America’s best team
C) The Ukrainian coat of arms
D) The champions
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Born in Sea Isle, this phenomenon in which beachgoers use tents, canopies, and other devices to take up way more space than they need.
Hint: 🏖️ + 🖐️
BANDAGE CIPHERS
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer.
Toon of the Day
Today’s Sunday track: 🎶 Maybe I didn’t love you quite as often as I could have. And maybe I didn’t treat you quite as good as I should have. If I made you feel second best, girl I’m sorry I was blind. You were always on my mind. 🎶
👋🏽 Summer’s coming. There are just 56 days left until Memorial Day.