Philly sheriff sued by former staffers | Morning Newsletter
Plus, advocates rally for Philly-area immigrant.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning from the Inquirer newsroom.
First: Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal is now being sued by three former staffers who say they lost their jobs after exposing incidents like the wrongdoing she vowed to clean up.
Then: A West African immigrant of Bucks County is living with uncertainty as he faces deportation.
And: The Cherry Hill School District became the first in New Jersey to make an African American history course mandatory for graduation. The requirement starts this year.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Rochelle Bilal ran for Philadelphia sheriff in 2019 with a pledge to deliver on: removing “the dark cloud” by cleaning up an office plagued by allegations of financial impropriety and sexual harassment.
Now, just one year into her term, it’s Bilal who’s being sued by three former senior-level staffers who allege they lost their jobs last year after they exposed serious wrongdoing — including the very culture she vowed to change, specifically, alleged financial impropriety and sexual harassment.
Sommer Miller, Bilal’s former undersheriff and chief legal officer, and Anitra Paris, former human resources manager, each filed whistle-blower lawsuits in federal court in recent weeks.
(Bilal’s spokesperson said yesterday that the office does not comment on pending litigation involving personnel matters.)
This is everything we know about this story so far.
Philadelphia advocates are asking President Joe Biden to assist Christian M’Bagoyi, 42, a West African immigrant of Bucks County facing detention and deportation. He’s been living with uncertainty despite new ICE guidelines intended to direct agents to focus their attention on those who pose serious threats to the public. M’Bagoyi’s lawyer says he doesn’t fit those priorities.
M’Bagoyi now awaits the decision on the possible end of the lifestyle he built in America. For two decades, he’s been working as a carpenter, paying his taxes and making a home out of the U.S., where he married his wife, Sarika, a U.S. citizen. “You can’t prepare your kids, or hold them enough, or hug them tight enough, to prepare them that they may not see their father again,” she told reporter Jeff Gammage.
Read on for the whole story.
A COVID-19 stimulus bill that includes $1,400 stimulus checks is on track for March.
Where can you get a vaccine in the Philly area if you’re eligible? Use our lookup tool and find out.
Here are the updated coronavirus case numbers, as COVID-19 spreads in the region.
What you need to know today
Cherry Hill School District became the first in New Jersey to make an African American history course mandatory for graduation. It starts this school year.
PlayPenn, the new-play development organization that blew up last summer amid charges of racism and sexual misconduct, has slowly begun to make changes starting at the top.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
📓 We want to know. What has living through the COVID-19 pandemic been like for you? Photos and videos of your last pre-pandemic memory welcome.
⚕️ Culturally sensitive, accurate medical information that treats underserved patients like people and self-advocates? That’s what these identical-twin Philly physicians advocate for together.
🥕 If you want restaurant-quality produce, meats, cheese, and pantry items, these wholesale businesses offering delivery in the greater Philly area will help you give the middleman the slip.
🚧 Constructing this luxury Center City condo building hasn’t stopped through the snow in order open by February 2022. Here’s what the construction work looks like.
Opinions
“I’m the primary caretaker for my 11-year old great-granddaughter, who tried desperately to get me a vaccination appointment. She told me, `I don’t want you to die.’ Hearing that breaks my heart,” Mercedes Reyes, an 80-year-old house cleaner and leader with the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, writes, asking to be prioritized for the vital COVID-19 vaccine.
Philly residents shouldn’t have to wait in long lines overnight in the cold to get vaccinated, columnist Jenice Armstrong writes.
Penn has not done enough to atone for Dr. Kligman’s unethical research on incarcerated Black men, and as we examine distrust of the medical community, now’s the time to take action, advocate Adrianne D. Jones-Alston writes.
What we’re reading
BuzzFeed chronicles the latest episode in a long string of narratives around respecting culinary traditions after a recipe drew criticism from Vietnamese Americans.
From rethinking lifts to food service, Pa. ski resorts had to enact countless safety measures for those looking for a snowy escape. But they scored big with a profitable season in a short business window thanks to all the snow that boosted the state’s tourism industry.