A Philly politics Hall of Shame | Morning Newsletter
And the cops that shot Fanta were fired
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to a frigid Friday, with highs not expected to escape the 20s under partly cloudy skies.
Today we bring you a list of disgraced Philly politicians — a list that convicted and now former City Councilmember Bobby Henon joins after resigning ahead of his sentencing.
Also, the Delco cops charged with killing 8-year-old Fanta Bility have been fired.
— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
There’s a newly vacant seat in City Council — specifically one in Northeast Philly, where the disgraced Bobby Henon sat for three terms.
Henon, who alongside former labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty was convicted on federal bribery charges in November, resigned yesterday, a month before his sentencing. Henon joins a long list of Philly politicos who were involved in corruption cases and were convicted or pleaded guilty or no contest.
Remember former District Attorney Seth Williams?
What about former State Sen. Vince Fumo?
And if you’re looking for a history lesson in Philly corruption, a personal favorite is the one and only James “Jimmy” Tayoun.
Check out more tales of Philly corruption.
What you should know today
Police charged a 48-year-old man in the bludgeoning death of 31-year-old Samantha Maag inside her Old City office building.
A reporter from Philly was hit by a car on live TV. It went viral but highlighted safety risks.
A 40-year-old drug that costs a fraction of pricey new COVID-19 treatments has showed signs of being effective.
The North Penn School District has called the actions of a teacher who taped a mask to a student’s face “unacceptable.”
Fire safety, redistricting, and more were on the agenda for City Council’s first meeting of 2022.
Another Penn professor is feeling the heat after she made remarks that caused a social media firestorm.
It’s looking less likely that the Sixers will offload troubled point guard Ben Simmons before the NBA trade deadline.
And Gopuff is getting into the bottled water game — and it will deliver it.
Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
The Sharon Hill Borough Council voted last night to fire the three police officers charged with shooting and killing 8-year-old Fanta Bility at a football game.
The vote came during a standing-room-only meeting in which some expressed support for the officers, while others voiced their outrage and called for reforms.
The officers fired their weapons at a vehicle they mistakenly believed was involved in a nearby shooting in August, wounding the car’s occupants, as well as four other people, including Fanta. She died in her mother’s arms.
Our reporter Vinny Vella has the latest.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
After a pandemic hiatus, the Philadelphia Orchestra is getting ready to resume touring the country — and you might be surprised by the state where our hometown orchestra has developed quite the following over the last 50 years. Today’s question: What state is a home away from home for the Philadelphia Orchestra? Find the answer here.
a. New York
b. Massachusetts
c. Michigan
What we’re …
🤔 Wondering: Should sports betting ads be banned during games? It’s an interesting take explored in our latest Pro/Con.
🍗 Reading: About how getting food poisoning could put you into massive medical debt.
🎧 Learning: All about “body neutrality,” courtesy of this podcast.
Photo of the day
That’s my week. As always, my colleague Ashley Hoffman will deliver your Sunday Morning Newsletter. And get ready to meet my new colleague Felicia Gans Sobey, who’s holding down Monday. I’m back Tuesday, and I’m excited to share a phenomenal story our sports team is finishing up.
Have a great weekend, Philly. 👋