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How N.J. and Pa. handle distracted driving; Main Line Wawa killing prompts push for stricter gun laws | Morning Newsletter

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Commuters head nowhere quickly on Route 202 just south of Route 29. The Philadelphia region is plagued by transportation networks designed when the city was the residential and jobs hub.
Commuters head nowhere quickly on Route 202 just south of Route 29. The Philadelphia region is plagued by transportation networks designed when the city was the residential and jobs hub.Read moreClem Murray / File Photograph

    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, Philly. I hope you enjoyed the nice weather this weekend and I hope you’re ready for some more. It’s going to be a warm April day. If you’re behind the wheel this morning, be sure to put down your phone and save this for later. After all, we’re talking about distracted driving (and how New Jersey and Pennsylvania are handling the scourge differently) today. In other news, the tragic killing of a woman in a Radnor Wawa on March 28 is prompting lawmakers to push for stricter gun laws that could have prevented her death. We’ve got the details below.

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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

This month, police officers and advocates nationwide are trying to spread awareness about distracted driving. New Jersey is in the middle of an annual three-week police crackdown while Pennsylvania is reporting a 5 percent drop in tickets for distracted driving in 2018.

The two states have responded to the dangerous habit differently. New Jersey’s anti-texting blitz caught 28,000 cell-phone-using drivers in April 2017 and 2018.

That’s triple the number of total distracted-driving citations written in Pennsylvania in those entire two years.

On March 28, Brian Kennedy walked into a Radnor Wawa and gunned down Stephanie Miller, his ex-wife and the mother of his child, with a semiautomatic military-style rifle, police said.

It was the end of a years-long custody battle between Kennedy and Miller. Police knew of the volatile relationship between the two; he had threatened to kill her three years earlier at the same Wawa.

Now local legislators are pushing for a “red flag” protection law that could have prevented Kennedy from purchasing the gun he used to take Miller’s life.

Malnutrition may be on the rise among the elderly in our region and around the country as hunger increases, according to health professionals.

And it can lead to weight loss, reduced immunity to disease, and more health problems.

Hunger among seniors is a big problem for Philadelphia in particular. Its senior poverty rate is the highest among the biggest cities in the U.S.

What you need to know today

  1. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities have agreed to halt arrests of migrants inside Philadelphia courthouses, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

  2. SEPTA has decriminalized fare dodging, fining evaders $25 instead of up to $300 with a court hearing.

  3. This year a record number of Latino candidates are running for City Council in Philadelphia. It will also be the first year all their names will be spelled correctly.

  4. Rowan College in Burlington County is closing its public pool in Pemberton and community residents are not happy.

  5. The Philadelphia School District is mandating the use of metal detectors in all of its high schools, but the city’s charter high schools don’t have to scan students.

  6. The Free Library’s Parkway building has been revamped with new event spaces, a business hub, a teen center, and more. The expansion opens to the public on Friday.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

What a view, @stardronesusa!

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

  1. The Sixers have officially clinched the Eastern Conference’s third seed for the playoffs, thanks to a Boston Celtics loss Sunday night. Now they have one week to get Joel Embiid in shape.

  2. A new documentary about Philadelphia history is turning its lens on figures whose stories are rarely told: the city’s black and white women abolitionists.

  3. Nicer weather means more opportunities to get outside and get moving. Tips for spring cleaning from a dietitian can help you jump start a new routine.

  4. Think dancing and coding are fundamentally different skills? A Philly nonprofit teaching girls of color to do both wants you to think again.

  5. The Flyers season is officially over. Now the team is rallying around interim coach Scott Gordon in hopes he’ll stay.

  6. Like true crime TV? Well, to Investigation Discover, Philly is Homicide City and its second season premieres this week.

Opinions

“Using national security as an excuse for economic foolishness, in the service of cupidity, is nothing new. What is novel nowadays is a legislator standing athwart foolishness, yelling ‘Stop!’” — Columnist George Will on why America’s waterways policy is crony capitalism disguised as patriotism.

  1. The only thing we’ve learned from the still-secret report by special counsel Robert Mueller is that our democracy is broken, writes columnist Will Bunch.

  2. The killing of rapper Nipsey Hussle is a reminder of the everyday horrors of gun violence, writes Michael Cogbill, former policy organizer for CeasefirePA and founder of North Philadelphia Policy Institute.

What we’re reading

  1. Fair warning, the New York Times’ must-read report on drug-resistant fungi and their impact on global health is a bit frightening.

  2. Another important look at the health problems around us: NJ.com has examined the places in New Jersey that are dealing with high levels of lead in drinking water.

  3. The Temple News just took a deep dive into the creation of the North Central Special Services District in response to community relations around Temple’s campus. It’s an interesting read, especially for those living near local universities.

  4. Speaking of local universities, the University of Pennsylvania wants your help cataloging their collection of photos from Philly city planner Ed Bacon. Hidden City has the details on the project.

  5. You’re going to feel like shaking a tail feather after checking out NPR’s look at the 50-and-older dance squads of the NBA.

A Daily Dose of | Memory

About 100 Muslim students, ages 7 to 25, from all over the Philadelphia region recited parts of the Quran from memory in an annual competition Sunday.