Philly can clear out homeless encampments, judge rules | Morning Newsletter
And, Philly restaurant owners wonder about the financial impact of indoor dining.
The Morning Newsletter
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The future of the homeless encampments in Philadelphia is in jeopardy as a federal judge ruled yesterday that the city can clear them after three days’ notice. Also yesterday, Pennsylvania’s governor said he wants the state to legalize recreational marijuana, and Philadelphia reported that the average daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases dropped last week to the lowest mark since mid-March.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
A federal judge’s ruling yesterday that Philadelphia can clear the encampment of roughly 150 people living along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway has established what could become a controversial removal process. For the Parkway encampment and two smaller ones, the judge required the city to give occupants at least 72 hours’ notice before vacating the sites.
Though it wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the city intended to act, the decision has come after months-long debates over the encampments that led to fruitless negotiations and a court fight.
The first thing someone might notice about the virtual Pennsylvania Farm Show is the smell — or, rather, the lack of smell. The odor of manure won’t pack the same punch in 2021, my colleague Jason Nark writes. Last week, it was announced the show was going virtual in 2021, meaning that the event that plays so many roles in the lives of so many won’t go on as normal. For one particular family, the news comes as a major disappointment.
The event began in 1917 and is typically the largest indoor agricultural event in the U.S. with almost 6,000 animals competing in 10,000 judging events and exhibits.
If recent coronavirus trends hold, Philadelphia restaurants could open for indoor dining on Sept. 8. But that might not necessarily mean good things for the struggling restaurant industry, my colleague Michael Klein writes.
Restauranteurs in the suburbs, where indoor dining was restored two months ago, have said that it hasn’t really helped the bottom line. In short, said one owner, it “makes things less terrible, but it’s still not good.”
What you need to know today
To pay for coronavirus relief efforts, Gov. Tom Wolf wants Pennsylvania to legalize recreational marijuana this fall. Meanwhile, the state’s GOP lawmakers have a new plan to undermine Wolf’s emergency powers.
A group of peaceful civil rights marchers was shot at by a man in Bedford County, Pa., while on a trek from Milwaukee to Washington.
School districts in the region are looking to furlough support staff as learning goes virtual to start the year, saying they don’t have enough work for building aides, part-time nurses, and crossing guards.
Here are some tips from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctors about going back to school safely.
Philadelphia police said that the woman who punched a lector during Sunday Mass will not be charged with a crime.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
🏒After a blowout Game 1 loss, the Flyers say they know how to respond in Game 2 tomorrow.
🌽Would you eat a corn pop? Well, corn is in season right now and that’s not the only way Philly cooks are using it.
🍷When her fellowship at a South American vineyard was cut short, this Elkins Park native and Princeton grad began doing at-home wine tastings.
🏀In 2016, Sam Hinkie, the engineer of the Process, stepped down from his position with the 76ers. The franchise still hasn’t replaced him, writes columnist David Murphy. And, as far as Brett Brown’s future is concerned, could he look to the college ranks for his next job?
👻The historic Eastern State Penitentiary will not be hosting Terror Behind the Walls during Halloween this year. Instead, it will have a timed, self-guided visit with lighting effects.
Opinions
“It actually makes me shake with anger. The nerve of someone to walk into a church, of all places, and sucker punch a female lector in the face like that, and then stroll off as if the assault had not taken place. I can’t stand a bully. The assailant’s target was considerably smaller and clearly caught off guard.” — writes columnist Jenice Armstrong about the “unnerving” attack during Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.
Columnist Will Bunch writes about the opening of the virtual Republican National Convention.
The National School Lunch Program has to be extended, writes Barbara Flanagan, the president of Aramark’s K-12 Education division.
What we’re reading
With some students back on campus, the Temple News reports on community members who are worried about off-campus students spreading COVID-19 at parties.
People has a article on Rep. Madeleine Dean and her son, who are releasing a joint memoir next year about his personal journey with addiction and the larger national addiction crisis.
This article is about a professor who spent six months binging MasterClass sessions, the celebrity-led online courses that claim to teach you how to do “everything.”
Your Daily Dose of | A new heart
The last year has brought little, if any, good news for the Reesey family, who live in a small town in southern York County. In June 2019, now-4-year-old Zach was diagnosed with a rare disease that can lead to heart problems and be resolved only with a heart transplant. In March, he had a stroke and was recovering at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Then, after a year of waiting, Zach got a new heart that was a perfect match.