Sixers want an arena at Penn’s Landing | Morning Newsletter
Plus, parents are scrambling for day-care options.
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 76ers want to make a move that’s bigger than just deciding to bring in a new head coach. They literally want to move. My colleagues reported yesterday that the franchise is looking to leave the Wells Fargo Center for the west shore of the Delaware River. Also in today’s newsletter, you’ll find out who will receive this year’s Liberty Medal, get another update on Philly’s trash delay woes, and learn the “scoop” on Philly spots serving up an old-school summer treat.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The 76ers want to move out of the Wells Fargo Center and are exploring the possibility of building a new basketball arena at Penn’s Landing, my colleagues reported yesterday. The franchise has already launched a lobbying campaign to get local officials on board with a financial plan that would include taxpayer support.
The proposal will be controversial and the latest in a long history of debates about how to revitalize the Delaware River waterfront. The Delaware River Waterfront Corp. put out a call late last year for developers to propose residential buildings on the northern and southern tips of Penn Landing’s central strip. But the Sixers appear to be courting officials in Philly and Harrisburg to support the team’s proposal instead.
In the last few years, there’s been a concerning trend of rising overdoses among people of color in Philadelphia. During the first three months of the COVID-19 lockdown, more Black Philadelphians died of overdoses than white Philadelphians, my colleague Aubrey Whelan reports. Non-fatal overdoses have also increased among Black people in the city, according to health officials.
And, faced with the financial burden presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, drug and alcohol treatment facilities in Pennsylvania could begin closing at an alarming rate, Spotlight PA’s Aneri Pattani and Ed Mahon report.
Morgan McCaffery, 18, was killed at an Abington Township SEPTA station in July. McCaffery’s ex-boyfriend has been charged with her murder. “Dating violence is not a trauma reserved for adults,” my colleague Erin McCarthy writes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 26% of women and 15% of men who have survived dating violence first experienced it before the age of 18. And, young women between 16 and 24 experience intimate partner violence at nearly triple the national average, according to data from a teen dating violence prevention project.
What you need to know today
The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their NBA playoff game after the recent shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by police in Kenosha, Wis. Other NBA teams also decided to boycott their games and the NBA announced it was postponing all three games that were scheduled for yesterday. Players in the WNBA, MLS, and MLB also did not play games yesterday.
Parents across the region are scrambling to find day-care options for their kids.
To run November’s election, Philadelphia officials are about to receive a $10 million grant to open at least 800 polling places across the city, among other things.
Can you quarantine with your friends if you were all exposed to COVID-19 by the same person? The short answer: no. The longer answer: “No, no. No, no, no. No, no. No,” a doctor says.
The NAACP has taken over the Philly chapter of the organization after replacing its leadership, including president Minister Rodney Muhammad, after outcry following his posting of an anti-Semitic image on Facebook last month.
Yes, Philly’s hiring workers to help with the late trash pickup. Unfortunately, that’s delayed, too.
The recipient of this year’s Liberty Medal will be Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the National Constitution Center announced yesterday.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
🐶Someone seems to have had a good National Dog Day. Thanks for sharing, @levon_the_bully.
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
🏒After taking a 3-0 lead early in yesterday’s game, the Islanders forced the Flyers into overtime, where a deflected goal allowed them to even the series at a game each. It’s a quick turnaround for a pivotal Game 3 as the teams will play again tonight.
🗳️My colleague Stephan Salisbury spoke with Elena Popchock about the powerful stories of the suffrage movement that she discovered while putting together the National Constitution Center’s new exhibition.
🍕Remember old-school pizza delivery? The rise of delivery during the pandemic has made restaurants realize that it’s not as simple as it once was.
🎭Philly’s Black Theatre Alliance is offering micro-grants to Black artists within the Philadelphia area.
🏀Kahleah Copper is becoming a star in the WNBA bubble. The Prep Charter grad carries her Philly pride with her, my colleague Damichael Cole writes.
🎶This new Elkins Park cantor traded the opera stage for a synagogue.
Opinions
“The board’s response to the incompetence, the deception, the deliberate endangering of students and staff, and the sustained cover-up appears to be little more than a desire to put the whole thing in its rear-view mirror. Some expressed their concerns to Dr. Hite, and some wondered whether they would be able to trust the administration in the future. But members of the public who watched and testified at the August remote meeting listened in vain for one word: accountability.” — writes Lisa Haver, a retired Philadelphia teacher and co-founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, about Philly schools needing a new leader.
John Longstreet, the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, writes for The Inquirer about why restaurants in the state need 50% capacity to reopen.
A group text helped a Philly doctor survive the “battlefield” of COVID-19 cases. Kiran Sury, a third-year urology resident at Penn, writes about the experience.
What we’re reading
We all need this pep talk from the Reading School District’s Kid Superintendent.
CNN writes about why police shoot so many times to bring down a suspect.
Florida has a plan to release 750 million mosquitoes that are genetically engineered to destroy the mosquito population, Fast Company reports.
Your Daily Dose of | Ice cream sodas
A throwback treat invented in Philly, ice cream sodas still are a summertime delight. My colleague Jenn Ladd writes about four spots where you can find them.