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Toxins found in sick Philly schools, Garces files for bankruptcy | Morning Newsletter

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Cristine Gonzalez, left, and her six-year-old son Dean Pagan, right, shown here as Cristine picks up Dean from the school bus stop, in Philadelphia, Monday, February 26, 2018. Dean was severely lead poisoned at Comly Elementary School.
Cristine Gonzalez, left, and her six-year-old son Dean Pagan, right, shown here as Cristine picks up Dean from the school bus stop, in Philadelphia, Monday, February 26, 2018. Dean was severely lead poisoned at Comly Elementary School.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

Happy Thursday, Philly, it's another warm, sunny day. Before you head out into the potentially record setting heat, set aside some time to dive into the latest installment of our Toxic City series. It's a heartbreaking look at the state of environmental hazards in Philadelphia schools and why the city hasn't stemmed the tide of toxins. You'll also want to catch up on the latest from the two black men arrested at a Center City Starbucks last month. They're making big moves to help entrepreneurs like them. And heads up, SEPTA and Amtrak riders: there's been a freight derailment (with no injuries reported) that's affecting the Wilmington/Newark Regional Rail line, so check your schedules.

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

» READ MORE: Investigation reveals dangerous levels of lead, mold, asbestos in Philly schools

Every school day in Philadelphia, children are exposed to environmental hazards, both visible and invisible. Is your school safe?

The next installment in the Inquirer and Daily News' "Toxic City" series reveals how asbestos, lead, and mold have made their way into Philly's public schools and what the district has — and often hasn't — done about it. The school district doesn't routinely test classrooms for lead contamination, so our reporters did their own. The results are startling.

Concerned about your local school? Use our new checkup tool to see how healthy your classrooms are.

Catch up on Toxic City:

  1. Part 1: Philly ignores thousands of kids poisoned by lead paint

  2. Part 2: 'The yard was poisoning my daughter. It's just so horrifying'

» READ MORE: Celebrity chef Jose Garces files for bankruptcy, will sell restaurant company

The financial trials and tribulations of Philly's star chef Jose Garces continue. Yesterday, Garces for filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced he's selling his multi-restaurant operation to a Louisiana hospitality company for $5 million.

Good news for the eateries: he expects the restaurants (which include J. G. Domestic, Distrito, Amada and more) to operate as usual post-sale.

But it's not great news for the investors who have filed lawsuits against him in recent months; they're expected to fight back with a legal filing to block the bankruptcy. This story is far from over.

» READ MORE: Black men arrested at Starbucks settle with city for $1 and a promise

Remember when two men were arrested at a Center City Starbucks for not ordering anything, sparking national outcry, days of protests and public apologies from the coffee giant's CEO and the Philly police commissioner? Of course you do.

Well, the two men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, have decided not to pursue a lawsuit against the city. Instead they settled for a symbolic $1 with a promise from officials to set up a program for young entrepreneurs like themselves to the tune of $200,000. They also reached an agreement with Starbucks including an undisclosed financial settlement and "continued listening and dialogue between the parties."

What you need to know today

  1. The suspect in the slaying of a young couple in their Bucks County home earlier this week has been found dead of an apparent overdose. The exact motive is still unclear.

  2. President Trump's legal team is getting another shakeup. White House lawyer Ty Cobb is retiring and will be replaced by the lawyer who represented President Bill Clinton during House impeachment proceedings.

  3. The Sixers take on the Celtics again tonight at 8:30 p.m. for Game 2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Injured Celtics star Jaylen Brown probably won't be playing. It's still maybe possible Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz will make a postseason appearance, though.

  4. After drawing much outrage and opposition, Bensalem has dropped its plans to have township police officers help out ICE agents to enforce immigration laws.

  5. So far, 19 people have pleaded guilty to participating in a $28 million Jersey Shore prescription scheme. But there's at least one bigger fish left to catch: a salesman who worked directly with Dr. James Kauffman, who was charged with arranging the murder of his wife before killing himself in jail.

  6. Michelle Obama, Questlove, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and even an Eagle joined a huge celebration of high school students headed to college over on Temple's campus Wednesday. Sign us up for that group chat.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Just wait until all of those cherry blossoms turn into pink confetti, @melise.romero!

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. Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, which means plenty of local restaurants will be hosting events and serving up specials. Looking for an authentic culinary experience? Don't miss restaurant critic Craig LaBan's guide to Mexican South Philly.  

  2. Philly's favorite rapper Meek Mill says he misses "the old Kanye." (Don't we all.) Music critic Dan DeLuca writes that, after his recent antics, it might be too late for West to save his rep.

  3. If you believe in soulmates, you're more likely to "ghost" someone, i.e. end a relationship by just cutting off contact. Though that's surely no consolation to the ghosted.

  4. Speaking of ghosts, Man v. Food is headed to the Jersey Shore this month and host Casey Webb is taking on some scary challenges. Like, ghost-pepper-pizza scary.

  5. Back in February, columnist Dick Jerardi bet on a horse to win the Kentucky Derby at 40-1. Well, now that horse is the 3-1 favorite this weekend.

  6. In drama class at East Jersey State Prison, 28 men put their heads together to write a play encompassing their lives of brutality, poverty, loneliness and more. After nearly five years, that play premieres tonight.

Opinions

"Like nearly all states' voter registration systems, our own is at risk. Hackers could target our voter rolls to alter them; or to create chaos and confusion among poll workers and voters, leading to a loss of faith in the election results."
— David Hickton and Paul McNulty, co-chairs of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security, on why

  1. Summer jobs can change the lives of young people, so Sharmain Matlock-Turner, president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition, is calling on local businesses to start hiring.

  2. Puerto Rican evacuees who came to Philadelphia to escape the aftermath of Hurricane Maria still need support, and there are many ways the average Philadelphian can help, writes Puerto Rican journalist Syra Ortiz-Blanes.

What we’re reading

  1. Local pastry chef Becca Craig — reality TV competitor and creator of Beyoncé's famed geode birthday cake — just did a delicious interview with Philadelphia Magazine. Her life is just as interesting as you'd expect the person who baked Beyoncé's birthday cake to be.

  2. Billy Penn includes a dumpster pool on their list of everything you need to throw a block party in Philly and, I mean, you just can't really argue with that.

  3. Philadelphia is behind its peers in owning electric vehicles, reports the Philadelphia Citizen. They have a nifty idea to help charge us up: make city departments adopt them, too.

  4. A damning new report from The Guardian paints a grisly picture of 97 deaths under the watch of U.S. border patrol agents from the last 15 years. Many were shot, some in the back, and others were killed in car crashes.

  5. Two Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Georgia are in an uneasy race, made stranger by the fact that they have the same first name, writes New York Magazine. And you thought the Pennsylvania primaries were confusing.

Your Daily Dose of | Cheese*

*Vegan cheese, the kind made from plants and nut milks, is having a bit of a moment in Philly. It's so good even non-vegans are taking a bite.