Tragedies in Yeadon police custody | Morning Newsletter
And 1,000 Temple students and faculty walk out.
The Morning Newsletter
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We’re in for a cloudy day and possibly some rain.
Today’s newsletter will get progressively lighter throughout but this is your warning that our main story is a somber one.
It follows two families speaking out after loved ones died in Yeadon police custody while undergoing mental health crises.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Two families called Yeadon police for help because their loved ones were in the midst of mental health crises.
The calls were four months apart by people from different backgrounds and under different circumstances. But they ended with the same bleak ending: They were taken into custody and then left unattended in a holding cell and died by suicide.
What’s happening: After a review of both cases, the mayor and borough council president have called on the Justice Department to investigate. The families of Shawn Morcho and Wendy Spence hired lawyers and are demanding answers about what they say was the department’s failure to protect vulnerable people at a time of distress.
The Morcho family filed a federal lawsuit and the suit warns that if the department’s practices do not change, more people could die. The Spence family is pushing for more police training.
Continue reading to learn the steps borough officials say they’ve taken to address the families’ concerns.
About 1,000 Temple students and faculty, some of whom walked out of class, attended an almost two-hour rally and march on campus Wednesday that briefly halted traffic.
Students gave speeches calling on the administration to pay members of the Temple University Graduate Students Association better salaries.
Notable quote: “They teach us more than the professors do,” said Sadaisa Jordan, a sophomore. “They should get what they deserve.”
But Temple still maintains that although the rally was a nice show of support for TUGSA, it doesn’t change negotiations. The university also began hiring replacement instructors for the graduate students who are striking.
Continue reading for the latest news about the ongoing strike. 🔑
What you should know today
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state will require all cars be zero emission by 2035.
Montgomery County Democrats face backlash over their county commissioner succession plan. 🔑
Labor unions throw their support behind Helen Gym and Jeff Brown in Philly’s mayor’s race.
The Philly region is going through an unusual outbreak of dog flu. We have tips to keep your pets safe.
Despite the Super Bowl loss, Eagles fans are filling a Jalen Hurts mural with “thank you” notes.
Philly singles pay more than $6,000 a year in rent compared to their coupled counterparts.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s “Restless Leg” comedy tour is coming to Atlantic City as part of its four stops.
Which city is not among the other three?
A) Boston
B) Chicago
C) Washington
D) Baltimore
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
💭 Wondering: If my boardwalk game skills are subpar or if the games are rigged. It’s probably the former but one operator in Wildwood got banned for allegedly running games with overinflated basketballs.
🎧 Listening to: Travis and Jason Kelce reflect on the Super Bowl on the recent episode of their New Heights Podcast.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Tina Fey’s hometown
BURPED PRAY
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to George Martin, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Angelo Cataldi. Email us if you know the answer.
📷 Photo from our archives 📷
And that’s your news roundup for the morning. Thank you for starting your day with The Inquirer.