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Shooting claims life inside California synagogue; Kawhi Leonard dominates Sixers | Morning Newsletter

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A woman leaves flowers at small memorial near Chabad of Poway, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, on Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. (Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)
A woman leaves flowers at small memorial near Chabad of Poway, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, on Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. (Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)Read moreHayne Palmour IV / MCT
    by Tauhid Chappell and Ray Boyd
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

On Saturday, exactly six months after 11 people were killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue, authorities say a 19-year-old gunman opened fire inside a synagogue near San Diego, killing a woman while wounding the rabbi and two others. President Donald Trump and other leaders condemned what they called an anti-Semitic attack. The Sixers dropped game one of their playoff series with the Raptors in disappointing fashion last night. In today’s Q&A, we chat with Sixers beat reporter Keith Pompey to get his take on the matchup.

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— Tauhid Chappell, Ray Boyd (morningnewsletter@philly.com)

The week ahead

  1. Attention, Game of Thrones fans. Make sure you get those Sunday chores and Monday preparations done early. The third episode airs tonight and is expected to be the longest of the season.

  2. If the Sixers want to keep their season alive much longer, containing Kawhi Leonard will be a major point of emphasis. After a lackluster game one showing, they will also hope for a more dominant version of Joel Embiid in game two on Monday night.

  3. Also on Monday, keep an eye out for the Inquirer’s poll of Philadelphians. Heading into the May primary we asked voters how they feel about a wide range of issues including crime, poverty, and education.

  4. If you want to learn what it’s like to be a scientist, you’re in luck. The Philadelphia Science Festival continues this week and today’s Be a Scientist event offers the chance to step into labs at Philly’s premier research institutions.

  5. We’re now officially less than a week away from Philly’s Broad Street Run. Good luck to all the runners out there wrapping up their training.

This week’s most popular stories

  1. What’s the story behind those Kate Smith songs with racist lyrics?

  2. 24 hours in Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic at Episcopal Hospital

  3. In the basement of CHOP, warehouse workers say they’re held to impossible quotas

  4. First their school closed. Then its redeveloper ghosted. Now, Germantown residents say they’ve had enough.

  5. Philly cop reassigned after Roxborough man claims officer held him at gunpoint for putting trash in his curbside recycling bin

Behind the story with Keith Pompey

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 Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey about the Sixers’ next challenge: overcoming the Toronto Raptors in their run for an NBA title.

What’s the biggest difference you notice in covering this year’s playoff run compared to last?

The 76ers were overconfident last season due to winning their final 16 games of the regular season. That overconfidence combined with being, in large part, post-season novices didn’t prepare them for the second round. This season the Sixers are more locked-in and prepared for the playoffs. They realize how they perform during this playoff run will define their entire season.

Who’s a player that you think fans should be talking about more?

James Ennis III is the player fans should be talking about more, but aren’t. With the uncertainty of Mike Scott (heel bruise), Ennis III is going to be the focal point of the Sixers’ bench. He’s actually given the team a lift since returning from a quad injury in Game 2 of their opening-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.

Will this series be anything like the regular season series, where the Raptors came out on top?

No one really knows the answer to this question just because the Sixers starters have only played together 14 times. So there are a lot of unknowns heading into this playoff series. They looked great against the Nets. However, the Raptors are a stiffer opponent. On paper, the Sixers have the second-best starting lineup behind the Golden State Warriors. Yet, this will be the first time they square off against the Toronto Raptors.

Which player on the Sixers needs to have the most consistent performance?

Tobias Harris must have the most consistent performance each game to help the Sixers win the series. It’s vital for the power forward to make shots in order to open up space for two-time All-Star Joel Embiid. He’s played well in the first round, complimenting Embiid. Harris must keep it up.

What’s one thing you’ll be looking out for throughout the entire series? Is it a particular matchup between two players, the schemes that are run or something else?

The one thing to pay attention to throughout the series is how Ben Simmons plays while guarded by Raptors All-Star Kawhi Leonard. The Sixers All-Star was a turnover machine in three games against Leonard this regular season. If he struggles again, look for Jimmy Butler to do a lot of the ball handling.

You can contact Keith Pompey via email at kpompey@phillynews.com or on Twitter at @PompeyOnSixers.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

We hope your weekend has been this calm and serene 😌. Thanks for sharing this wonderful photo, @jasoncoopman.

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!

#CuriousPhilly: Have a question about your community? Ask us!

Have you submitted a question to Curious Philly yet? Try us. We’re listening to our readers and doing our best to find answers to the things you’re curious about.

Our readers’ latest question: What can Philly’s elected officials actually do about your property assessments and taxes?

The answer: Council sets the tax rate, and they can reconsider it every year. They also have the power to lower the tax rate.

What we’re…

  1. Eating: Razor clams, splashed in smoked buttermilk and dill, at Aether, the new seafood restaurant-wine bar in Fishtown.

  2. Drinking: Aw Snap at Abe Fisher, a green mixed drink, perfect for this spring weather, that blends two kinds of rum with a bright syrup of English snap peas perked with dill and a spark of white pepper.

  3. Watching: The Red Line, an eight-episode event series which premieres tonight and documents the stories of three Chicago families coping with the aftermath of a tragedy.

  4. Listening to: BTS’ Map of the Soul: Persona, which is the boy band juggernaut’s third number-one album in 52 weeks. It’s the first time that’s happened since the Beatles.

Comment of the week

Thank you for covering this story. You captured well the frustration and helplessness that the Germantown community has felt since the school’s closure. The very idea of a public school being closed and sold into the private market is crass, but is even more so when the buildings are left to rot because of, well, whatever the hell is going on in city council and the Philly development world. It is just maddening. — Coreydstauffer, on First their school closed. Then its redeveloper ghosted. Now, Germantown residents say they’ve had enough.

A Daily Dose of | The UpSide

In a loud world where conversations routinely devolve and civility is severed, radio host Krista Tippett is an anomaly with a soft voice and calm, steady, cadence. That doesn’t mean she asks easy questions, though.