‘Our children did not come here on their own’ | Morning Newsletter

Good Sunday morning, readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter.

In 1879, dozens of children were brought from South Dakota to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Like the thousands who came later, they were quickly shorn of their hair, their heritage, and their names. Many died at the school and were never returned to their families. More than a century later, the Rosebud Sioux will receive the remains of their children.

— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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During June, we’re celebrating Pride Month by highlighting the lives and experiences of LGBTQ people in the Philly region.

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with Philadelphia City Hall reporter Laura McCrystal about her work covering city government.

How would you describe your coverage area?

I cover Philadelphia City Hall with a focus on government policies and agencies — and how they affect city residents.

What does an average day look like for you?

No two days are the same. Pre-pandemic, I worked from the City Hall bureau and enjoyed walking the hallways to track down sources or cover Council meetings. These days, I cover virtual news conferences or hearings and make phone calls from my home office.

What are a few big takeaways from the city’s new budget?

The budget included a deal to increase spending on anti-violence programs, of which the biggest piece of new spending is $20 million for community grants for groups that work on youth programming or other anti-violence related initiatives. City Council also did not support Mayor Jim Kenney’s business tax cuts, but passed a scaled-down version of Kenney’s wage tax cuts.

What are you looking out for in covering city government in the coming months?

I’ll be following how the city returns to post-pandemic life and reopens city government. I’ll also follow how the city spends its new violence-prevention funding.

What’s something you’ve learned through your reporting that you didn’t know before?

That’s a tough question to answer because I learn something new every day. That’s a huge part of being a reporter, because I’m always writing about different topics and becoming an expert in areas that I previously knew nothing about.

What do you do for fun in your free time? What are you looking forward to this year?

I enjoy taking long walks and playing with my golden retriever puppy, Ziggy. I’m most looking forward to seeing friends, colleagues and sources in person again this summer!

Email Laura McCrystal at lmccrystal@inquirer.com and follower her on Twitter at @LMcCrystal.

Enjoy the last four days of Pride Month, Philly!

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!

No one loves the smell of trash wafting through the air. But when there’s been a delay in trash pickup, what are you supposed to do about it? If you just want to know when to put your trash out, check the Streets Department website’s service updates section. You can call 311 when your garbage or recycling is still there more than 48 hours after it was supposed to be picked up. If you need to, there are city centers where you can drop off your trash. Here’s your guide to trash delays in Philly.

What’s your favorite Shore memory? Summer is well underway, so we asked our Instagram followers to share their favorite stories from visiting the Shore. Here’s what a couple of them said:

🧘 “Yoga on the beach.”

🌊 “The water slide park in OCNJ!”

Follow us at @PhillyInquirer on Instagram to join in next time.

Shark sightings at the Jersey Shore aren’t unusual. In fact, a white shark nursery isn’t far off the coast of the New Jersey-New York border. But you’re not on the menu. Here’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of sharks.