Delco state rep. accused of sexual assault, Kenney proposes property tax hike, Trump backs Toomey bill | Morning Newsletter
All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.
Welcome to March and happy Women's History Month, folks. We've got plenty to discuss this morning. Mayor Kenney will propose a new city budget today, Delco State Rep. Nick Miccarelli has been accused of sexual assault, and Trump seems to have backed Sen. Pat Toomey's background-check bill. Like I said, there's a lot going on. Let's dig in.
If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up for this newsletter here.
— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
» READ MORE: Rep. Nick Miccarelli accused of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct
Two women have accused Delaware County Republican State Rep. Nick Miccarelli of sexually or physically assaulting them in separate incidents over the last six years.
Miccarelli has strongly denied the accusations and said in a statement Wednesday, "I will fight these lies against me and my family as hard as I have fought for my constituents in Harrisburg and my country in Iraq."
The women allege Miccarelli threatened, stalked, intimidated, or sexually assaulted them. One is a state official and the other is a political consultant. The accusers and Gov. Tom Wolf have called on Miccarelli to resign.
» READ MORE: Mayor Kenney’s new budget proposal: what you need to know
Mayor Jim Kenney is set to unveil his latest budget proposal this morning and there are many potential changes afoot.
He proposes to direct an extra $980 million to city schools over the next five years. To cover that, he's proposing to increase the property tax rate and the real estate transfer tax. The projected revenues for Philly's controversial soda tax are also lowered in the proposal since it brought in much less than the city had planned in its current budget.
What does the proposal mean for those who pay the city wage tax? Could the 10-year tax abatement be changed? Here's everything you need to know about the proposed changes.
» READ MORE: Trump backs Toomey background-check bill, accuses him of being ‘afraid of the NRA’
During a bipartisan meeting at the White House on gun control Wednesday, President Trump veered among topics and contradicted some GOP positions on guns. At one point, he even suggested law enforcement should "take the guns first, go through due process second" to prevent mass shootings.
But he did seem to support Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey's bill to strengthen background checks for gun purchases. He suggested amending the bill with other gun control measures and told Toomey, "you're afraid of the NRA."
Gun legislation has lost momentum in Congress as Republican leaders showed little interest in stricter gun control laws. So, whether Trump's endorsement will stand conservative opposition remains to be seen.
What you need to know today
Pennsylvania's commutation process appeared to be slowly churning back to life thanks to advocates in the Department of Corrections and Lt. Gov. Stack. But Attorney General Josh Shapiro has been a consistent roadblock.
Scores of couples carrying AR-15 rifles and wearing crowns turned out to have their marriages blessed at a church in the Poconos Wednesday. Yes, some of those crowns were made of bullets.
Words are never just words. A new study shows that anti-immigrant rhetoric can threaten the future mental health of the children of immigrants.
Despite the opioid epidemic sweeping America's streets, there's actually a shortage of the drugs where they're need most: in hospitals.
Center City District just released a new report on their big traffic problems, and they've got a few solutions in mind. Some people just won't be happy about them.
Good and bad news for New Jersey beach goers: Trump administration plans for offshore drilling there may be dead, and the state is limiting Brigantine's beach driving permits to fishermen.
A tax season reminder: December's sweeping reform bill didn't repeal the Affordable Care Act's tax penalty for 2018. (Join Business Editor Karl Stark for an expert panel discussion on March 8 to get to the bottom of all the new tax laws.)
It's a cinch to discover how much a Lasik or Botox procedure will cost, and health economists say all health care prices could be just as transparent.
Some good news on the flu season: it may have peaked in Pennsylvania.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.
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
It's Women's History Month! Celebrate across the city with Philly's top comedians, a women's film festival, and more.
Is it possible St. Nick Foles won't be a Bird for long? Eagles brass said Wednesday they are open to the possibility of trading the Super Bowl MVP.
Rumors are swirling that Fresh Prince of Bel-Air could get a reboot with a Fresh Princess at its center. She better be West Philadelphia born and raised.
SEPTA tokens may be on their way out of service but, as local jewelers have shown, they make for great memorabilia.
Say bye-bye to audio tours at The Barnes Foundation. The gallery is replacing its headphones with — brace yourselves — people you must talk to. In person.
Want beer for breakfast? You won't be judged at the Black Sheep, Philly's go-to bar for Manchester United fans. You should probably be watching the match, though.
West Chester University's nationally renowned annual poetry conference was suspended in 2015 due to internal drama, but returned to prominence in the past two years. Now drama has overtaken conference plans yet again.
Patriots linebacker Marquis Flowers is still upset that Corey Clement's touchdown catch during Super Bowl LII was ruled complete.
As expected, the 76ers parted ways with Trevor Booker Wednesday, buying out his contract to make room for forward Ersan Ilyasova.
Opinions
Columnist Solomon Jones digs into a new report examining the 50 years since the Kerner Commission, which shows racial equality in America still has a long, long way to go.
A local community organizer wants to rename a portion of Ninth Street "Nick Foles Way," and columnist Jenice Armstrong is totally on board.
What we’re reading
The Philadelphia Citizen took a trip to Philadelphia's own "Trump Country" — South Philly's 26th Ward — to talk with residents who feel like they're being left behind.
Fans of Bridget Foy's will want to read this Hidden City article on what demolishing the restaurant means for Philly history. It's a grim picture.
An upcoming documentary has captured skateboarding culture in LOVE Park and PhillyVoice's interview with the filmmaker gives a sneak peek at what he found along the way.
The Los Angeles Times has detailed how Los Angeles is treating and housing the mentally ill instead of jailing them, food for thought for any city struggling to help a vulnerable population.
Wow: this story on the Earth Bank of Codes, which wants to help countries can make money from genetic codes instead of selling natural resources, via Fast Company is fascinating.
Your Daily Dose of | Artificial Intelligence
Students at Germantown Friends School spend January exploring new topics and experimenting in class. Among other things, this year they built a rock-paper-scissors-playing robotic claw.