N.J. data show kids make up growing share of COVID-19 cases | Morning Newsletter
Plus, Biden and Harris launched their ticket in Wilmington yesterday.
The Morning Newsletter
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Another band of downpours and thunderstorms swept across the Philadelphia region yesterday, taking down trees and wires, causing flooding, and prompting several water rescues, my colleague Anthony R. Wood reported. The storms hit areas that were still recovering from powerful storms late last week. There are more showers possible today and into the weekend. Stay dry out there, Philly.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
It’s a choice families and communities are being forced to make: risk COVID-19 exposure by returning to classrooms or wrestle with another season of virtual learning. Data from two counties in South Jersey have offered a window into the potential hazards of reopening schools fully. Mirroring national trends, children and teenagers are accounting for a growing share of the coronavirus cases in Camden and Gloucester Counties.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reversed course yesterday, saying schools can choose to shift entirely to virtual learning in the fall. Previously he mandated that schools offer some in-person classes.
It’s been almost 10 years since lawyers sued Philadelphia police over unjustified stop and frisks, mostly of Black citizens. And they say the racial disparities are still glaring. Black residents are 50% more likely than white people to be stopped without reasonable suspicion, according to a semiannual monitoring report submitted to a federal judge in July.
And in a moment where the city has acknowledged the need for more reform, advocates are pushing for changes. Included among them are department-wide training and accountability, interventions in problem police districts, and an expanded system to bring non-police responders to address certain complaints.
“Why are you crying, Mommy?” Miriam Smith’s 6-year-old daughter, Peyton, asked her Monday night.
The man who had stolen so much from her and saddled her with survivor’s guilt that led to family struggles, drugs, and prostitution had died, my colleague Ellie Silverman writes.
More than 38 years ago, when Smith was almost as old as her daughter Peyton now is, Louis Giambi killed her parents and 3-year-old sister. Giambi was a drug dealer and hired hit man who murdered the wrong victims in their Camden County home in what became known as the Pine Hill Massacre.
What you need to know today
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden campaigned together for the first time as a ticket in Wilmington yesterday.
“They’re basically saying they cannot guarantee our safety,” said a graduate student and organizer with Penn State’s Coalition of Graduate Employees about students being forced to sign a COVID-19 liability waiver to participate in the fall semester.
Philadelphia will move the Christopher Columbus statue from Marconi Plaza and place it in temporary storage. Besides that one, there are a half-dozen other Columbus statues in the Philadelphia region.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed childbirth in the Philadelphia region, with more women opting for induction when they otherwise might not have, my colleague Sarah Gantz reports.
During the second day of a virtual emergency hearing to address gun violence, Philadelphia councilmembers questioned the independent operations of many agencies that could play a role in reducing violence.
How were Philly investors drawn into an alleged $500 million fraud?
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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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
🎂Invited to weddings? Birthdays? Other parties? It’s OK to say no. Here’s how.
🔬A new coalition is pumping $10 million into Philadelphia education and after-school programs to help Black and Latinx people and women enter STEM careers.
📺If you have Comcast, you’ll get a credit for canceled MLB games.
😷Tom Sparado is an advocate not only for himself but for others with disabilities as he worked to get personal protective equipment.
🍎Pick your own fruits and vegetables at these 12 farms near Philly.
🎤This year’s Philly Folk Fest will have live sets by 169 artists on three stages and a temporary archive of almost 1,000 past performances for streaming starting tomorrow.
Opinions
“Five months into this pandemic, we’ve seen bad behavior only get worse: unmasked men waltzing into big box stores and yelling about liberty, as though having to wear a mask while shopping for beef jerky is akin to being stabbed in the chest with a giant totalitarian sword. Now we’ve got parents acting like toddlers at places that by definition are refuges for childhood joy.” — writes columnist Maria Panaritis about the coronavirus mask resister who punched a Sesame Place employee.
Columnist Helen Ubiñas writes that adults have failed the children of Philadelphia.
Kamala Harris graduated from Howard, just like columnist Jenice Armstrong. She writes about what that means.
What we’re reading
A new Korean BBQ pop-up from the Schulson Collective has sparked debate about cultural appropriation in restaurants. Philadelphia Magazine has the story.
A relatively small soccer club lost in heartbreaking fashion yesterday to one of the world’s richest teams in Europe’s most prestigious club tournament. The team, Atalanta, is based in Bergamo, Italy — a center of the Italian coronavirus outbreak. The New York Times covers what has been a sort of fairy tale, albeit a dark one.
Is the viral study that claims that neck gaiters are worse than wearing no mask at all flawed? Slate digs into what the study was actually hoping to accomplish.
Your Daily Dose of | XO sauce
Philly’s sprawling food scene contains a world of ingredients. You can find XO sauce, a savory, spicy, and salty condiment, if you visit Chinatown, Washington Avenue, or maybe an H Mart. But, if you want a version of XO sauce that’s original to Philly, you’ll have to visit Jacob Trinh at Global Auto Tags & Services, my colleague Jenn Ladd writes.