Is the DA race really over? | Morning Newsletter
🚲 And dangerous intersection sees change.
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s Friday, Philly, and still hot.
Is Philadelphia’s district attorney race over? Republicans are polling Democrat Pat Dugan’s chances if he became the GOP nominee this fall. The strategy has worked elsewhere.
And the city agreed to change the direction of traffic at a crash-prone intersection after several bicyclists and pedestrians were struck by cars there in recent weeks. Residents who have been agitating for a year want to see safety improvements come much faster.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on Labubus, Free Library perks, and more.
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In dark-blue Philadelphia, May’s primary all but decided that progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner will be reelected in the general election. Right?
Yes, Krasner beat his Democratic opponent, former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan, by 29 percentage points. But two months after a successful primary write-in campaign for Dugan, the Republican City Committee is now polling residents to see if they would vote for Dugan this November, if he ran as the GOP nominee.
Dugan has previously said he wouldn’t accept the Republican nomination. But this exact strategy has worked elsewhere — just look to Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County.
City Hall reporter Sean Collins Walsh has the story.
The direction of traffic has been reversed on the 600 block of South LeCount Street, at the eastern base of the South Street Bridge. It’s a safety win a year in the making — and a political win, too.
🚲 In the past month alone, neighbors have seen at least three injury-causing incidents at the tiny intersection, where cars cross a bike lane to turn south onto their block.
🚲 The traffic-calming change is temporary, but could become permanent if legislation is passed by City Council. Though residents welcome the effort, they wish the city had moved much faster.
🚲 “They only actually did something because they were shamed” following public pressure, one neighbor and organizer told The Inquirer.
What you should know today
A Burlington County man was killed in a lightning strike Wednesday, officials said — the second such death in New Jersey this month.
Former Philly police officer Mark Dial was granted immediate parole after being sentenced to up to two years in jail for killing Eddie Irizarry in 2023.
Postdoctoral researchers and fellows as well as research associates at the University of Pennsylvania have voted to unionize.
Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the gunman they say shot and killed a man in North Philadelphia over the Fourth of July weekend.
President Donald Trump’s former attorney, Emil Bove, is one step closer to becoming a Philly-based federal judge, despite significant opposition from former judges and prosecutors.
In a lawsuit, a transgender athlete is accusing Princeton University of discrimination for excluding her from a race hosted at the school.
City health officials caution residents to protect against West Nile virus after detecting the disease in mosquitoes near Pennypack Park.
A bill introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate would ban fluoride in the state’s public drinking water.
Former Eagles linebacker and Super Bowl champion Bryan Braman died Thursday at age 38 after receiving intensive treatment for a rare cancer.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we have an explainer from reporter Abraham Gutman on whether there can possibly be enough business for personal-injury firms to justify all those billboards and bus ads. You know the ones — “CALL TOP DOG” or “Jawn Morgan.” And they’re becoming more prevalent, with SEPTA’s legal advertising revenue increasing by 400% in the past five years.
The reason why has to do with the many thousands of personal-injury and medical-malpractice lawsuits filed in Philadelphia each year, plus an ad strategy originated by Mr. Morgan himself. Here’s the full explanation.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
After Trump cut arts funding, Germantown Historical Society’s ambitious preservation project for its 5,000-piece collection of what is in limbo?
A) Costumes
B) Toys
C) Letters
D) Paintings
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎸 Remembering: When Live Aid rocked the world from JFK Stadium.
🩰 Seeing: BalletX’s surprising summer series.
🍕 Anticipating: The return of Angelo’s Pizzeria to South Jersey.
⚾ Ready for: The second half of the Phillies season.
❤️🩹 Considering: How to support the sanitation worker injured during the DC 33 strike.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: _ H. _ III 30th Street Station
GLIM RAILWAY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Mark Taplinger, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Montgomery. The county’s lowest-paid county workers got a roughly 25% raise Wednesday after the board of commissioners bumped its minimum wage by $4 to $20.52.
P.S. In other Montco news, Northwest Philly’s biggest brewery is opening a location soon in Maple Glen.
Photo of the day
🌭 One last lip-smacking thing: The owners of Germantown’s Attic Brewing Co. have opened a hot dog truck next to the brewery. Nina’s eyes say it all.
Thanks for ending your week with The Inquirer. Paola has you covered with the news this weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
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