A West Philly park fire mystery | Morning Newsletter
💰 And inside Mayor Parker’s budget
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s finally Friday. Look out for some rain, but expect mostly cloudy skies and a high near 72.
Got spring fever? Thousands of allergy sufferers out there might feel a little bit different with those bud-swollen trees getting the jump on pollen season. Pollen counts hit the “extreme” level Thursday, Tony Wood reports, but the good news is conditions should improve today.
On March 2, a fire ripped through a building at a West Philly park, causing significant damage to the structure and a mural dedicated to a civil rights icon. Some are concerned a crime may have occurred.
We’ll also give you the rundown on Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s first budget from her historic address to City Council.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Questions remain and speculations abound nearly two weeks after a blaze erupted in the central bathroom and storage facility at West Philly’s Malcom X Park.
The building and its electrical system were seriously damaged, along with its mural of Malcom X.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and the Philadelphia Fire Department is currently conducting an investigation.
Some community members worry that arson may have been to blame. But Carmela Dow, a member of the Friends of Malcolm X Park group, stressed the importance of waiting for the investigation to be complete. “We really have no idea,” Dow said.
This Saturday, Friends of Malcom X is hosting a park cleanup and the community is invited to help pick up litter and trash.
Read on for details on how local leaders are getting involved with repairs.
On Thursday morning, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker delivered a rousing 75-minute speech to City Council outlining her “big and bold” $6.29 billion budget proposal.
The address — which is basically Philly’s version of the State of the Union — represented a milestone for both Parker and Philadelphia, with Parker as the city’s 100th mayor and the only woman to hold that office.
Parker led with the issue that was central to her campaign: public safety.
Notable quote: “We will enforce the law right here in the city of Philadelphia,” Parker said.
Here are other notable topics, goals and initiatives the mayor covered:
🗑️ Cleaning up “Filthadelphia” under a $246 million plan that includes twice weekly trash pickup and crews to tackle illegal dumping
💰 Working with Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to resume auctions of tax-delinquent properties, which would end a stalemate that has cost the city an estimated $35 million in tax revenue
🚓 A police budget that includes new staff, equipment, and $50 million for forensics
What’s next: In the coming months, Parker will negotiate with Council members over the budget. It must be approved before the next fiscal year begins on July 1.
Get a closer look at the budget and more from Parker’s address, including moments when she went off script and one key education item that she called “my baby.”
What you should know today
A federal judge voided a $15 million jury award to former Rothman Orthopaedic Institute surgeon John Abraham on Thursday and ordered a new trial at the request of Thomas Jefferson University in a nationally watched gender discrimination case.
Police announced murder charges Thursday against a couple who they say carried out the execution-style killings of two people who were found dead in East Fairmount Park last month.
A Philly Municipal Court judge violated state law and judicial canons when she made it appear that she had ruled on 95 traffic citations ahead of a trip to Florida, the state Court of Judicial Discipline has ruled.
Philadelphia School District and the Pennsylvania Department of Education are denying access to education to students with disabilities at the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center in defiance of federal law, according to a complaint filed this week.
Three of Pennsylvania’s 17 representatives in Congress — who don’t usually vote on the same side of a contested issue — voted against a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. Here’s why they all opposed it.
Resident assistants at Drexel University could be the next group of Philadelphia student employees to unionize, following in the footsteps of RAs at the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College.
The NFL is looking into the Eagles’ negotiation process with Saquon Barkley for potential tampering.
On the western edge of South Philly, what was once the East Coast’s largest oil refinery is no more. Now, construction work is underway in the opening phase of a very long transformation into industrial space and life sciences labs.
Back by popular demand, The Inquirer is commemorating the start of baseball season with new and improved Phillies coloring pages. Download yours here.
🧠 Trivia time
Jefferson Health has a new building on the corner of Chestnut and 11th Streets in Center City.
How tall is it?
A) 8 stories
B) 19 stories
C) 25 stories
D) 30 stories
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🧽 Deep cleaning: Our homes, with the help of these spring maintenance tips.
🏈 Quizzing: Your knowledge on which Eagles played the most games in franchise history.
👀 Watching: Lionel Messi might miss next Friday’s Argentina friendly at the Linc. Also, the July 31 Arsenal-Liverpool game is sold out.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The latest Philly music venue to go “cashless”
HELM TREFOIL
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Sandy Horrocks who correctly solved Thursday’s anagram: Rodin Museum.
Photo of the day
After you listen to “World Wide Whack,” be sure to give a read to Tierra Whack’s interview with The Inquirer’s pop critic Dan DeLuca.
👋🏽 That’s it for now. Have a great weekend, and I’ll catch up with you again on Sunday.
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