Philly students to stay at home at least until November | Morning Newsletter
Plus, more fallout from the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak in Philly.
The Morning Newsletter
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Delaware County has experienced a surge in new coronavirus cases. And Pennsylvania as a whole is continuing to see an upward trend in confirmed cases. The commonwealth has averaged more than 900 new cases a day over the last seven days. That’s more than double the 400 a day it was averaging around the middle of June. In Philadelphia, officials have instructed residents to avoid visits to the Jersey Shore and extended the city’s ban on indoor dining.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The Philadelphia School District had planned for a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction to start this fall. But after the original plan sparked fierce opposition, the city’s public school students will now not return to classrooms until at least Nov. 17.
Under the new plan, the school year would begin fully virtually in September. In contrast, the old plan would have brought most students back to school two days a week. After impassioned calls from principals, parents, and teachers, and a public rally for fully virtual schooling, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. withdrew that plan.
There was more fallout yesterday from the coronavirus outbreak within the Miami Marlins that began with their games in Philadelphia over the weekend. While players on the Marlins have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, the rapid-response tests taken by the Phillies have, at least so far, come back negative, my colleague Scott Lauber reports.
The Phillies were supposed to play the Yankees in Philadelphia this week, but the makeup dates for those games haven’t been determined. The Marlins remained in quarantine at a Center City hotel early this week and won’t play again until Tuesday night, according to MLB. Their scheduled opponent? You guessed it: the Phillies.
In interviews with my colleague William Bender, women at the Air National Guard Station in Horsham described a frat-boy atmosphere where rape jokes are tolerated, the beer steins have images of naked women, and a high-ranking pilot’s “call sign” was a reference to a man ejaculating inside a woman.
Many of those interviewed blame the base’s top officer, Col. William Griffin, who was accused of leading a “vindictive culture of unprofessional retaliation,” according to a congressional memo written by a male officer on the base.
What you need to know today
Philly’s indoor dining ban has been extended another month, at least until Sept. 1.
Though polls indicate President Donald Trump is struggling in Pennsylvania, Keystone State Republicans have an important advantage. Voter registration shifts across the state show the GOP is gaining voters at five times the rate of the Democrats.
Some colleges in the region are starting to acknowledge that taking classes online isn’t quite the same as being on campus. And they’re starting to cut tuition to reflect that.
What’s going on with Philadelphia’s trash and recycling pickups? If you really need to get rid of it, my colleague Grace Dickinson writes about where you can take your garbage.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine denounced a recent series of transphobic attacks against her. She is one of only a handful of high-profile transgender public officials in the United States. “I have no room in my heart for hatred,” she said. “And frankly, I do not have time for intolerance.”
More than 60 police departments in the Philly region are joining the Pennsylvania State Police “in a coordinated aggressive-driving enforcement wave.”
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Couldn’t agree more. Thanks for sharing, @aimeebsiegel.
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
🏒Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault has had success at each of his previous NHL stops. But this team is giving him a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup championship, writes my colleague Ed Barkowitz.
🙌Black Brotherly Love was formed as a movement to emphasize “the upliftment of the Black man,” organizer Taj Murdock said. The group’s goal is to connect with young people in Philly and expose them to better opportunities.
🛶Why is the coronavirus pandemic making kayaks so hard to find?
🦅One Eagles receiver has opted out of the 2020 NFL season because of concerns about the coronavirus. And another is ready to prove his value to the team.
📺Philly’s Kevin Hart, Tina Fey, and Leslie Odom Jr. were among the Emmy nominees announced yesterday. And Temple grad and talk show host Tamron Hall won her first Daytime Emmy Award, accepting it in a can’t-miss speech on Instagram.
Opinions
“There are few prospects more nightmarish than losing one’s home and possessions with a few minutes’ notice. Evictions lead to homelessness and poverty, and break up communities. When the eviction is sudden, the move is more disruptive, and the ripple effects go even further — harming individuals and costing the city.” — writes Abraham Gutman of the Inquirer Editorial Board about Philly’s troubled eviction system.
Chef and restaurant owner Marc Vetri writes about the costs he’s paying for not being able to open his restaurants.
In his weekly newsletter, columnist Will Bunch wrote about Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s ties to the Fraternal Order of Police and how that might impact his status as the favorite to become governor in 2022. To get his newsletter every Tuesday, you can sign up at Inquirer.com/Bunch.
What we’re reading
The Philadelphia Tribune reports that the Kenney administration’s anti-violence strategy could be rolled out “this weekend or next week.” The city originally planned to roll out its strategy this spring.
Three of the brightest young stars in soccer are trying to live up to the hype — and their dads’ legacies, the New York Times reports.
Logic became the latest high-profile rapper to retire. But, this Ringer story goes through the long history of high-profile MCs being unable to leave hip-hop.
Your Daily Dose of | FarmerJawn CSA
Christa Barfield is an urban farmer and owner of FarmerJawn Greenhouses in Elkins Park. This summer, she created a community-supported agriculture (CSA) business called FarmerJawn after experiencing her first CSA during a trip to the Caribbean. “Being from Philly, FarmerJawn was just it for me. Once you hear it you can’t forget it,” Barfield said about the name. “Though sometimes I do have to tell people it’s not Farmer John.”