Could tiny homes help solve homelessness? | Morning Newsletter
Plus, an incident in New Jersey stirs up a bear-hunting debate.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s been a particularly violent year in Philadelphia, with over 1,100 shootings since the start of the year. The violence has reached levels not seen in more than a decade. Yesterday afternoon, nearly 100 residents, activists, and city officials gathered for a rally and called for change.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
This past weekend’s spike was the latest in a series of violent outbursts in Philadelphia in 2020, coming just days before City Council plans emergency hearings about why shootings keep increasing. So far, it’s the city’s most violent year in more than a decade.
Through Sunday, shootings are up 36% over the same span last year. And among the victims have been at least 102 children, according to an Inquirer analysis.
Black bears are the most controversial animals in New Jersey. An incident on July 24 that left an 82-year-old man with 30 stitches in his face has revived the state’s debate on bear hunting.
Shortly before Gov. Phil Murphy took office in 2018, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Division claimed that if hunting stopped, the black bear population could “rebound to unacceptable levels.” In August of that year, Murphy signed an executive order that banned the killing of black bears on state land.
Philadelphia officials and organizers of the homeless encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway have discussed using tiny homes to house many of the people currently living in tents on a field. So how did 12 Lancaster County craftsmen get involved in a potential solution to one of Philadelphia’s most complicated problems?
The connection starts with Stephanie Sena, a Villanova law professor, who has spent years helping the fight against homelessness, which she considers a human-rights violation. Soon, Sena expects to start a pilot program that would create a village of tiny homes on city property, my colleague Alfred Lubrano reports.
What you need to know today
The Philadelphia Public League has suspended all high school sports until 2021, following Gov. Tom Wolf’s recommendations.
With trash collection delayed again, Philly’s garbage drop-off centers are getting overloaded.
After having COVID-19, some people may never be the same. The road to recovery can be long and difficult.
Early mail voting is changing the way campaigns typically operate.
President Donald Trump might go to Gettysburg to give his Republican renomination speech this month.
Pro-Biden groups have spent twice as much on TV ads in Pennsylvania than pro-Trump groups.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
🖼️The Philadelphia Museum of Art will open next month. Here’s what you will (and won’t) see.
🏞️Some parks in Pennsylvania have become so overcrowded that officials are asking people to go somewhere else, my colleague Frank Kummer writes. And there are alternatives.
🤔Why do highway signs on the way to Philly only point people to New York City?
🏒Philadelphia’s best chance for a sports title? It’s clearly the Flyers, my colleague Sam Carchidi writes.
🌐What’s Blasebell? I can’t explain it nearly as well as my colleague Stephanie Farr can. But what I do know is that the Philadelphia Pies, coached by Hoagie Schuylkill, are back-to-back champs. So, it’s awesome.
🏈College football is in chaos and the 2020 season is in serious jeopardy. Makes sense, considering the state of America, columnist Mike Jensen writes.
Opinions
“I might not know from nimble, but, yes, I’ll miss the clickities. At the subconscious level, where things truly matter, they were reassuring. All or most was right with the universe, no matter what was or wasn’t happening.” — writes staff writer Anthony R. Wood about how KYW has ditched one of Philly’s signature soundtracks.
It’s not just the Columbus statue. Philly should review all of its monuments, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.
You shouldn’t delay your child’s vaccines because of COVID-19, Katie Lockwood writes. Lockwood is a primary care pediatrician in Philadelphia.
What we’re reading
Yesterday’s edition of WHYY’s “The Why” is focused on the city’s missing monuments to Native American history.
A city in New Zealand pays a man to be its official wizard. CNN has the story.
New York City subways’ ventilation system is more efficient at moving air within its cars than restaurants, schools, and other indoor places, the New York Times reports.
Your Daily Dose of | Meteors
Tonight could be your best shot to see the Perseid meteor shower in the Philadelphia region. The Perseid is typically the best meteor shower for viewing in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs from July to August. At its peak, there can be up to 60 meteors an hour.