What renters really want | Morning Newsletter

We’re expecting temperatures in the 60s today, similar to last week when temps made a run for an all-time high. It’s the start of what’s expected to be quite the weather roller coaster over the next several days.

Today we start off with the amenities Philly-area renters say they’re willing to pay extra for.

And in a letter from our publisher, The Inquirer apologizes to Black Philadelphians and journalists.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Looking for an apartment? Are you willing to shell out an extra $46 per month for soundproof walls? What about an extra $40 for a doorman or front desk? $35 for secure property access?

If you said yes, then you’re in line with roughly 1,500 tenants in Philly and the surrounding counties who took part in a recent survey.

Some facts about the survey respondents:

Rising rents continue to squeeze Americans. A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that rental prices rose by 14% in 2021, forcing millions to reassess their living situations.

Our reporter Michaelle Bond has more on what renters are looking for in their ideal place – assuming they can find it at their price point.

“We must recognize that The Philadelphia Inquirer has historically failed in its coverage of the Black community — in a city where Black people have been integral since before the founding of the republic.”

That’s what our publisher Elizabeth H. Hughes writes, following publication of the first installment of A More Perfect Union. Chapter One in the series about Philadelphia institutions and their roles in perpetuating systemic racism examined The Inquirer itself.

“An acknowledgment of our failings is not sufficient,” she writes. “We also apologize — to the Black residents and communities of Philadelphia, to the Black journalists of The Inquirer past and present, and to other communities and people whom we have also neglected or harmed. We recommit ourselves to the anti-racist mission we set in the summer of 2020, which has already yielded important changes. If there is skepticism of what we have done, or what we can or will do, we have earned that as well. We recognize that the judgment of our efforts will not be based on the promises we make, but on the actions we take, and the policies and practices we put in place to improve our journalism.”

Read her full letter.

It’s been an interesting winter. And now the next several days of mid-February are going to feel like spring.

The remnants of weekend snowfall will disappear with temperatures heading into the mid-60s, in what our resident weather expert Anthony R. Wood — “AccuTony” to us — describes as the atmosphere “having a seasonal identity crisis.”

We could see rain with gusts approaching 45 miles per hour Friday, and potential gale-force winds down the Shore.

AccuTony looks deeper into next week.

There’s a South Jersey elementary school many say is setting the standard for how to teach Black history to students year-round. Today’s question: Which school is it? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. Leeds Avenue Elementary, Pleasantville

b. Kingston Elementary, Cherry Hill

c. Stoy Elementary School, Haddonfield

🤔 Wondering: Are term limits on City Council members the right way to go?

🌎 Reading: The plan to make the Bellwether District, which sits on the old South Philly refinery site, environmentally friendly.

❤️ Sharing: The numerous venues across the region tailor-made to get a first, second, or forever date off to a promising start.

As always thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer. I’ll catch you tomorrow. ✌️