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Sunoco cited by DEP again, State seeks IRS review of DNC bonuses, Charlie Rose latest accused of sexual misconduct | Morning Newsletter

All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.

Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline being installed in front of the Bow Tree neighborhood in East Goshen Township, Chester County.
Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline being installed in front of the Bow Tree neighborhood in East Goshen Township, Chester County.Read moreCLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer

Good morning, Philly. I've got some good news for you: the weather's looking good for Thursday's Thanksgiving Day parade. In the meantime, we've got updates on the West Chester nursing home fire, a White House decision set to affect thousands of Philadelphians, and much more.

If you like what you're reading, it's free to sign up to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and feedback, so please email me, tweet me @aubsn, or reach our social team on Facebook.

— Aubrey Nagle

» READ MORE: Sunoco cited again over pipeline construction

Sinkholes, unauthorized installations—Sunoco Pipeline is in big trouble with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Last week, the DEP issued three different citations for incidents in Chester, Berks and Dauphin counties.

They're all related to the $2.5 billion Mariner East project that Sunoco is building to convey Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids to a terminal in Marcus Hook. The project has met much resistance, especially in Delaware and Chester counties where four Democratic opponents of the pipeline just won historic races for township supervisor to combat it.

Just this summer Sunoco agreed to more stringent oversight of the project after it muddied homeowners' water wells in Chester County. Life comes at you fast.

» READ MORE: Auditor General asks IRS to examine DNC Host Committee bonuses

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale just spent six months reviewing the $10 million the state gave to the Democratic National Committee to host its convention in Philadelphia last year. The result? He's asking the IRS to investigate whether two bonuses the committee gave to staff members were legal.

It was revealed in May that the DNC Host Committee gave out $1 million in bonuses to staff and volunteers, despite declaring they'd give their $4 million surplus to charity. The controversial move prompted Gov. Tom Wolf to order the audit and Democratic powerbroker David L. Cohen even parted ways with colleague Ed Rendell over the issue. Rendell claimed there had been no "double dipping."

» READ MORE: TV host Charlie Rose latest accused of sexual misconduct

Another day, another abuse of power? Yesterday, a second woman accused Sen. Al Franken of groping her at a state fair in 2010. Prominent New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush was suspended pending an investigation into multiple accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Michigan Rep. John Conyers settled a complaint from a female staffer who claims she was fired for rejecting his sexual advances.

Roy Moore accuser Leigh Corfman came forward to say she was not paid to tell her story, as Moore's supporters have alleged. And finally (for yesterday, at least), The Washington Post published a scathing report on longtime television host Charlie Rose, in which eight women allege he sexually harassed them. He has since been suspended by CBS News and PBS.

In light of continued revelations of sexual misconduct by public figures, our vocabulary on the topic is shifting. What's the difference between a "womanizer," a "harasser," and a "creep"? We asked and you answered.

What you need to know today

  1. Four people are missing and presumed dead after last Thursday's five-alarm fire at West Chester's Barclay Friends nursing home. Of the building's 137 residents, 27 were injured with eight still in the hospital.

  2. The Trump administration is ending the temporary residency program that allowed nearly 60,000 Haitians to live and work in the U.S.including thousands of Philadelphiansafter a 2010 earthquake devastated their nation. They'll have until July 2019 to return home.

  3. Zimbabwe's longtime President Robert Mugabe refused calls to resign Monday, instead calling a cabinet meeting for this morning. The country's ruling party has ordered impeachment proceedings to begin in response.

  4. Hahnemann Hospital is launching the nation's second medical fellowship to train physicians in transgender surgeries. They hope to meet the demand for gender affirmation surgeries with more qualified specialists.

  5. The Justice Department is suing AT&T to stop its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner, and some suspect President Trump interfered with their decision.

  6. It may have been an ugly victory, but the Sixers did beat the Utah Jazz 107-86 last night.

  7. The Eagles' win wasn't so ugly; Sunday's game pulled in monster ratings. The team said they want kicker Jake Elliott, who left the game due to a concussion, back on the field when he's healthy.

» READ MORE: #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 to build those followers!

That’s Interesting

  1. Let the holiday season begin! Thanksgiving week means there are plenty of seasonal activities kicking off across the area.

  2. The upcoming 13th season of FX hit "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will go on with or without one of its stars when it premieres next fall.

  3. Turns out a Bella Vista church that received historic designation protecting it from demolition last week actually, well, didn't. Developer Ori Feibush will knock it down as planned.

  4. If you've never heard of j-setting, don't worry—you're about to. University of the Arts students are bringing the dance style, popular at Southern historically black colleges, up the coast.

  5. It only took half a dozen years, but the Pennsylvania Convention Center's Broad Street entrance is finally getting a sign.

  6. Educate, don't advertise. Medical marijuana dispensaries and doctors can't publicize their services, but they've found another way to get the word out.

Opinions

"Nearly half of all of New Jersey's black students and 40 percent of its Latino students attend 'intensely segregated' schools."
— In New Jersey, “apartheid schools” are all too common, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board in a plea to end school segregation.
  1. Professor Marybeth Gasman, the founding director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, says if Cheyney University wants to survive, its leaders are going to have to be ok with making people angry.

  2. Philly lawyer Bryan R. Lentz writes that the criminal justice system does indeed need dramatic reform — but Meek Mill should not be its poster child. 

What we’re reading

  1. About 245,000 Philadelphia adults lack basic literacy skills, yet adult education here has yet to be truly systematized. WHYY News sheds light on the students trying to escape the "educational basement."

  2. Neighbors and business owners want to preserve the sense of community and improve the business prospects of West Philly's Lower Lancaster Avenue. But as NextCity explains, it's quite a difficult balancing act.

  3. Bookmark this for your next vacation: Curbed Philly put together a guide to Philadelphia International Airport, including fun facts to bug your travel companions with while you're there.

  4. There just aren't enough hours in the day to listen to all our favorite podcasts, so some listeners are tuning in at hyperspeed. This Buzzfeed exploration of "podfasters" makes me want to throw my earbuds into the sea.

  5. I didn't know I needed an in-depth history of the pie as political protest tool, but I couldn't help reading Fast Company's explanation of the phenomenon.

Your Daily Dose of | Jealousy

Developer Bart Blatstein's Rittenhouse mansion is predictably over-the-top, but that doesn't make the details any less envy-inducing. It has a pool and a tennis court.

Correction: This newsletter has been updated to reflect that Sunoco Pipeline was issued citations over leaking drilling fluid related to construction of its Mariner East 2 project; the leak was not from the pipeline itself.