🤖 12 hours with an Uber Eats bot | Morning Newsletter
And Philly teachers puts pressure on Council.
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, Philly.
For the latest N.J. primary election news updates and results, be sure to check Inquirer.com throughout the day.
In an effort to better understand how the new Uber Eats’ delivery bots operate, we sent out two reporters to shadow a bot for the entirety of its 12-hour “shift."
Plus, Philly teachers and advocates push for the proposed rideshare tax to reverse classroom budget cuts, and more news of the day.
— Taylor Allen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Philly is the 12th city to get Uber Eats’ delivery bots.
These machines have been chugging along through Rittenhouse and parts of Center City since March, but residents and lawmakers still don’t know much about the technology.
So, of course, we sent out two reporters to follow the bot, tailing it over the course of 12 hours.
The day revealed that the machines aren’t great at handling crowds or curbs. They also don’t always obey traffic laws.
Find out what else our reporters learned about the bots, as well as people’s reactions to the new technology.
The Inquirer’s Ximena Conde and Jasen Lo guide the journey.
About 75 teachers, education advocates, and labor leaders gathered at City Hall Tuesday to put pressure on City Council.
There’s not a lot of time left to prevent hundreds of school-based job cuts through Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s proposed $1-per-trip rideshare tax that she wants to use to raise $50 million.
City Council must give preliminary approval to a budget plan by tomorrow in order to meet the July 1 deadline for final passage, and some members have voiced some skepticism.
Notable quote: “Put up or shut up,” Laura Boyce, executive director of Teach Plus Pennsylvania said to Council. “Stop talking the talk. Start walking the walk.”
Reporter Kristen A. Graham has the story.
What you should know today
New Jersey’s final primary election turnout figures could fall short of 20%, according to one political analyst. Of those who did show up to the polls, the biggest concerns were gas prices, the economy, and President Donald Trump.
Attorneys for the City of Philadelphia and the Trump administration clashed during a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday over the President’s House slavery exhibit.
Moore College of Art & Design, a historically women’s college, will accept students of all genders, including men, beginning in 2027-28.
Meredith Elementary in South Philly altered its planned Pride celebrations after conservative backlash.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport sued the company that runs Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark on Tuesday, demanding that health inspectors get full access to the facility. Just hours before, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced a separate lawsuit based on health and safety grounds against the same company in an effort to shut down the detention center.
SEPTA reopened the South Broad Concourse, the underground pedestrian walkway linking the 15th/City Hall and Walnut-Locust stations on Tuesday. After six years, the Broad Street Line and the Market-Frankford Line is now connected there after it was closed off in 2020.
For Pride Month, a North Philadelphia gym is using fitness to fundraise for the Attic Youth Center, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth.
Quote of the day
Dito van Reigersberg, the trailblazing drag queen who performed as Martha Graham Cracker, died at 53 after a long battle with multiple forms of cancer. His husband, ballet dancer and choreographer Matthew Neenan, said the performer was surrounded by loved ones and had the “most glorious exit” with people singing and playing music in his hospital room.
🧠 Trivia time
A.J. Brown was traded to the New England Patriots earlier this week. How many seasons did he play for the Eagles?
A) Five
B) Four
C) Two
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎤 Remembering: The wonderful performances of Martha Graham Cracker.
🌺 Ogling: These Berwyn homeowners’ beautiful garden that thrives in every season.
⚽ Sharing: Everything you need to know about Philly’s FIFA Fan Festival.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Let’s go to Fairmount Park
HELLO LIMN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Lea Chisholm, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Morris House. The couple and owners of Sofi Corner Café recently opened Soufiane at the Morris.
Photo of the day
And that’s all I have for you this morning. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. 📧
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