Philly sanitation workers are leading a movement | Morning Newsletter
Plus, expect heavy rain and powerful wind today.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
The Philadelphia region went under a tropical storm warning yesterday, with Isaias expected to bring wind gusts and rain. Those gusts could be in the neighborhood of about 50 mph in some areas and there could be three to five inches of rain in Philly, with more falling in some suburban counties. Stay safe out there.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Filled trash bags have been on Philly’s streets for days as pickups have been delayed and Philadelphians complain about the pileup. The workers, though, aren’t to blame, at least according to some in the city.
My colleague Juliana Feliciano Reyes reports on “how the narrative around work has shifted, especially during the pandemic.” Sanitation workers, Reyes writes, have been leaders in a movement for hazard pay and better protective equipment since before the pandemic.
Convention centers, like schools, sports, and more, are wrestling with their paths forward. How can you get large groups of people together with air circulating indoors? When conventions support a $100 billion economy, my colleague Inga Saffron reports, their comeback might determine when cities can get back on their feet.
For example in Philly, the hospitality industry pumps $600 million a year into the economy, supplying 77,000 jobs. But since the Philadelphia Flower Show closed March 8, there hasn’t been a single event held at the Convention Center. Nearly 60% of the city’s hospitality workers are now unemployed. And the tax revenue? That’s another huge loss.
Some Republicans don’t think that voters will buy the fear that President Donald Trump is trying to sell to America’s suburbs. In speeches and on Twitter, Trump is saying that a Joe Biden presidency would “destroy your neighborhood” with of low-income housing and increasing crime.
“I do not think that type of messaging is going to help Republican candidates,” said Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican who served in the state legislature for 25 years. DiGirolamo and other Republican and independent analysts suggest that Trump’s campaign has misread a more diverse and progressive suburban electorate.
What you need to know today
If your recycling is picked up in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, you should expect another round of delays because of Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to bring heavy rain and wind to the region.
Zamar Jones, a 7-year-old boy shot in the head this weekend as three men traded shots on his West Philadelphia block, died yesterday afternoon.
Late last month, Pennsylvania’s health department temporarily suspended immunization requirements for children. Some doctors fear that it could mark a return for vaccine-preventable diseases.
When Philadelphia police lobbed tear gas into the West Philadelphia neighborhood along 52nd Street, officers from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University assisted city officers. That’s renewing calls to defund campus police.
My colleague Tom Avril recapped an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Here’s what the nation’s chief infectious-disease expert had to say.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
These are great Shore shots. Thanks for sharing, @seandergen.
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
🌡️Mosquitos are hanging around weeks longer than in previous decades. The culprit? Climate change, data suggest.
🏈Doug Pederson’s positive COVID-19 test shows that the NFL and MLB have to isolate for their seasons to be playable, columnist Marcus Hayes writes. Pederson did say yesterday that he feels fine and is optimistic about the upcoming season.
🤼A former Pennsylvania Olympic-hopeful wrestler is suing the U.S. Marine Corps after he suffered a bizarre traumatic injury at a California base, my colleague Jason Nark reports.
🏀What goes into Brett Brown’s lineup changes?
⚽The Union are now a team the rest of MLS respects. My colleague Jonathan Tannenwald wrote about how that happened.
Opinions
“Truth be told, no matter the strength of our governmental response, our ability to defeat COVID-19 was always going to be about our collective individual sacrifice for the good of our country. Past tragedies ... have been punctuated by the American spirit to lift communities up together. In that spirit of patriotism lies the foundation of unity that defines us as Americans and help us regain our liberty.” — writes David Rubin, the director of the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, about why America’s individualistic culture is key to turning the coronavirus pandemic around.
It’s been a bumpy road, but a better Washington Avenue could be getting closer with community input leading the way, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.
Critics are slamming Beyoncé for being political with Black Is King. She’s been doing that all along, writes Samantha Pinto, author of the upcoming book Infamous Bodies: Early Black Women’s Celebrity and the Afterlives of Rights.
What we’re reading
Billy Penn surveyed all 56 COVID-19 test sites in Philadelphia to see which get the fastest results.
Gymnasts from around the world are pushing back on their sport’s abusive culture, the New York Times reports.
This is what an Arizona school superintendent told the Washington Post about trying to reopen his schools safely: “If you think anything else, I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy. Kids will get sick, or worse. Family members will die. Teachers will die.”
Your Daily Dose of | Flag design
Stephen Galiczynski is a New York artist who grew up in Philly’s Ludlow neighborhood. He designed a flag named “More Modern Madonnas,” which was selected from more than a thousand entries to fly on a flagpole around the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. It’s up until Aug. 16.