Harrisburg, Trenton prep for far-right threats | Morning Newsletter
And, inside COVID-19′s impact on college sports recruiting.
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. Here’s what you should know to start your day.
First: Threats of far-right violence are leading Harrisburg, Trenton, and other state capitals to prep for unrest while residents are reminded of anti-quarantine protests from the spring.
Then: COVID-19 has canceled high school sports seasons, leading athletes to miss out on potential college opportunities.
And: Philadelphia’s second casino is finally ready to open.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Following an FBI notice issued Monday, law enforcement, both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are bracing for violence. The bulletin warned of demonstrations this weekend through President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. The FBI specifically mentioned that “at least one group was calling for supporters to ‘storm’ government buildings, and far-right extremists are threatening a repeat of last week’s insurrection that left five dead,” my colleague Anna Orso writes.
But, state capitals including Harrisburg and Trenton aren’t configured the same way Washington is. There’s no National Mall in Harrisburg. Instead, hundreds of people live close and shops and cafes populate the blocks nearby. For some residents, the images of the insurrection in D.C. brought up memories from anti-quarantine demonstrators, some with guns, that descended upon their cities in April.
The high school sports landscape in the Philadelphia area is all over the place in terms of who’s allowed to play and who can’t. And as teams and athletes continue to wait for their seasons, coaches are worried that those who need exposure to college recruiters won’t have those opportunities.
My colleague Aaron Carter spoke to students, coaches, city councilmembers, and more about the complex factors that are limiting future opportunities.
Helpful COVID-19 Resources
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Here are the updated coronavirus case numbers as COVID-19 continues to spread across the region.
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What you need to know today
Federal authorities said that a recently retired firefighter from Delco was arrested yesterday for throwing a fire extinguisher that injured three police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week.
U.S. Attorney William McSwain resigned yesterday. His tenure as the top prosecutor in Philadelphia and the surrounding region was marked by major cases and a public feud with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
The head of Pennsylvania’s public university system admitted that he hasn’t studied how the university system itself has perpetuated inequity, according to reporting from Spotlight PA.
In mid-December the Philadelphia Department of Prisons announced a strict coronavirus-related lockdown, allowing just 15 minutes per day for people to be allowed to be out of their cells. A federal judge has ordered the department to relax its measures because of mental health.
Philadelphia’s youngest public school students will likely return to in-person learning next month, the city’s superintendent said yesterday.
President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan that would include an additional $1,400 stimulus check for most Americans.
My colleague Samantha Melamed reported on wrongful arrests by a rogue Philly police force and the fight that still’s going on for victims to get compensation.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Who else just got hungry? Thanks for sharing, @karenbenson.eyeful.
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
🎰 Philadelphia’s second casino is ready to open its doors more than 16 years after state authorization.
📘 For the first time, OneBook, One Philadelphia has chosen a book of poetry. Jericho Brown’s The Tradition won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
🏀 The Sixers ultimately passed on trading for James Harden. Even though Harden has joined the star-studded rival Nets, columnist David Murphy writes about why the Sixers made the right choice.
🌟 He’s not one to brag, but Philly’s Leslie Odom Jr. steals the show playing Sam Cooke in the new movie One Night in Miami.
⚾ These former Phillies could return — and actually boost the 2021 roster.
🗓️ We’ve updated our calendar featuring the best things to do in Philly this weekend and next week. One highlight: the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service.
Opinions
“The lack of attention given to the Latino community will only continue to breed a culture where our minority communities feel marginalized and uninformed. That is, unless some major and immediate actions are taken to more effectively distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to people of color, and accurately track those who receive it.” — writes George Fernandez, the founder and CEO of Latino Connection, about the hurdles the COVID-19 vaccine faces in reaching Philadelphia’s Latino communities.
Columnist Jenice Armstrong had plans to celebrate the inauguration of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in D.C. on the campus of Howard University — the alma mater they share. Now, Armstrong is not going and writes about why you shouldn’t either.
Columnist Elizabeth Wellington writes about why waiting is so hard right now.
What we’re reading
Technical.ly Philly spoke with 10 founders of color in the Philly area about things that would help them succeed, including resources, mentorship, and better representation.
GQ checked in on Sixers friend-turned-foe friend Jimmy Butler. While he doesn’t discuss his time in Philly much, he discusses wine, his scheme to take advantage of his fellow NBA players’ per diems, and what he wants to do when he’s done playing basketball.
WIRED is busy covering the virtual Consumer Electronics Show. Here’s a dispatch on the future of the phone.
Your Daily Dose of | Bikes
Back in 2011, Chris Guinan and his family fixed up and donated five bicycles from their garage. They never expected that after nine years it would become a charity project that has donated 1,000 bicycles to Philadelphia-area kids in need.