Philly’s parking nightmare | Morning Newsletter
And, the fallout from the Wawa data breach.
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 from The Inquirer newsroom.
First: The city’s failure to properly track “courtesy tows” has been a longtime problem — and one that could actually be getting worse.
Then: Under a proposed settlement over its 2019 data breach, Wawa would pay customers up to $9 million, mostly in $5 and $15 gift cards. But is that fair for consumers?
And: Pennsylvania still has an issue with its mail ballot deadlines, even if you didn’t notice it in 2020.
— Tommy Rowan (@tommyrowan, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
One year after reporter William Bender’s investigation into Philadelphia’s “courtesy tows” — cars towed and dropped off at random locations — people still tell him horror stories.
In his latest look at the longtime problem, Bender found that the Philadelphia Parking Authority is demanding huge sums of money for drivers to get their cars back.
Read on for the latest installment in the ongoing saga of Philadelphia’s parking nightmare.
Wawa customers who had their payment card numbers stolen in a massive data breach in December 2019 would get gift cards under a proposed settlement, but lawyers would get paid in cash, writes reporter Christian Hetrick.
That’s part of the potential deal to end the class-action case, which claims that Wawa failed to protect consumers’ credit and debit card data from hackers. But the agreement, which is under review by a federal judge, has its critics.
Read on for the full story on the financial fallout from the lawsuit.
Am I eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s who can get it in Philly, PA and N.J.
Where can you get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
Here’s how to prepare for your vaccine appointment once you have one.
Side effects mean your COVID-19 vaccine is working. But what if you don’t have a reaction?
Track the spread of coronavirus in the region.
What you need to know today
Officials say mail-in ballot deadlines are still too tight for voters who risk being disenfranchised — and a logistical nightmare for elections offices.
A 20-year-old man was gunned down at the front gates of the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility shortly after he was released on bail.
The Philadelphia school board listened to hours of impassioned testimony that underscored how COVID-19 has challenged and shaped this school year.
After a vicious attack on a SEPTA track worker in 15th Street Station, the transit workers union says it lacks confidence that SEPTA can protect employees.
Former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine is under pressure from U.S. House Republicans to provide more details about the state’s missing nursing home data ahead of her confirmation to a post in the Biden administration.
After soaking rains and a brief return to winter, expect a warm spring, forecasters say.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
#lukethedog definitely brightened up a rainy day. Unrelated: terrific handle, @philabarkingauthority.
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!
That’s interesting
👀 Carson Wentz and Howie Roseman said the decision to trade Wentz grew out of postseason discussions. Discussions that neither man would detail.
👨🍳 Food critic Craig LaBan profiles a Philadelphia professor who turned his Tex-Mex barbecue passion into a weekly NXTX Tex-Mex BBQ pop-up takeout series at Cadence Restaurant.
⚔️ A long-overlooked Black virtuoso (and swordfighter) is the focus of a walk-through theatrical experience in Spruce Hill.
🏀 No. 5 seed Villanova figures to have a tough first-round matchup Friday night against No. 12 Winthrop in the NCAA Tournament at Indianapolis. Here are ‘Nova’s keys to victory.
Opinions
“No matter what the murderer babbled to sheriff’s deputies about his tangled motive, the lethal targeting of so many Asian-American women and the justifiable fear that the killing spree has spread through that community has prompted a long overdue national conversation about the alarming spike in hate crimes that have targeted the Asian American community after Donald Trump and like-minded pols and pundits branded COVID-19 ‘the China virus’ or even ‘Kung flu’ to cover their own failings,” writes columnist Will Bunch, in response to the mass shooting in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Asian Americans must support each other after the attacks on our community, writes New Hope writer Jobert E. Abueva.
Asking Donald Trump to promote vaccines is a dangerous idea, writes columnist Solomon Jones.
What we’re reading
PhillyMag found a Philly dad who has spent the pandemic tapping North Philadelphia maple trees for syrup.
A callout on a neighborhood app for a game of catch in Dallas drew a varied group of strangers who found escape from society’s turbulence in the most banal ritual, documented beautifully by the New York Times.
In Japan, writes the New Yorker, an artificial intelligence system designed to distinguish croissants from bear claws has turned out to be capable of a whole lot more.
Through his Pleasant Playground Garden Committee, Marine veteran Joe Johnson has brought both gardening and a renewed community spirit to this East Mount Airy area neighborhood.