đïž Slow down, Broad Street | Morning Newsletter
And feds investigate South Jersey school
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Wednesday, Philly. Weâre warming up near 76 degrees.
The cityâs most dangerous high-speed road will soon have automatic enforcement cameras, and the Philadelphia Parking Authority has new public service announcements reminding drivers to lay off the gas pedal. And over in Mount Holly, a federal civil rights investigation is underway after complaints of discrimination by a school district where a student died.
Read on for those stories and more.
â Paola PĂ©rez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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New ads by the Philadelphia Parking Authority serve as both a warning and plea to drivers: Stop speeding. Please slow down.
The PSAs come ahead of new speed-enforcement cameras, referred to as âthe unblinking eye,â set to debut along Broad Street early next year.
Catch up quick: Roosevelt Boulevard is the only road in the state with automated speed enforcement cameras (aside from work zones on divided highways and interstates). In December, the state passed a law authorizing Philadelphia to put more of these cameras on five more roads.
Why Broad? It was deemed the most dangerous high-speed city roadway, according to analyses of PennDot traffic data. Between 2018 and 2022, the street was the site of 169 collisions where people were killed or seriously hurt, 165 speed-related crashes, and 465 pedestrians who were struck.
Do automatic cameras help? Since their installation, the network of cameras along the Roosevelt Boulevard has been credited with a dramatic drop in crashes, deaths, and average vehicle speeds.
Transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald has more on the crackdown campaign.
Federal authorities are looking into complaints about a South Jersey school districtâs handling of allegations of harassment by students toward their peers, and whether the system violated studentsâ civil rights.
The investigation by the U.S. Attorney Officeâs Civil Rights Division follows accusations that the Mount Holly school system has violated federal laws that protect students from discrimination. This includes Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, an sixth-grade student who died by suicide in 2023 after her family said she was relentlessly bullied by her classmates.
In a wrongful-death lawsuit, Feliciaâs family alleged that the 11-year-old asked for protection from her peers at her school, but officials did nothing about it.
Notable quote: âItâs so obvious that itâs an issue that permeates throughout the district,â said Diane Sammons, a lawyer with Nagel Rice in Roseland who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the childâs mother. âItâs bigger than Felicia.â
New Jersey schools reporter Melanie Burney details the scope of the investigation.
What you should know today
Crozer Health may be placed into state control. The unprecedented move by Pennsylvaniaâs attorney general follows years of financial turmoil for the Delco hospital system.
A man was shot by Philadelphia police in Kensington early Tuesday evening, police said. It was unclear what occurred prior to officers shooting at the man.
Former President Donald Trump tried to win over voters in one of Pennsylvaniaâs largest Puerto Rican communities Tuesday, just two days after a comedian drew national outrage for making crude remarks about the island during a campaign rally.
At a different event in Drexel Hill on Tuesday, Trump repeated false claims about ballots in Lancaster County. His campaign is also reportedly planning to file a lawsuit against Bucks County over long lines and early cut-offs at county election offices for voters requesting and casting mail ballots.
Vice President Kamala Harris will return to Pennsylvania on Wednesday as Trump heads to North Carolina and Wisconsin.
A GOP committeeperson from Marple Township was detained and cited for disorderly conduct at the Delaware County Government Center after officials say she interacted with residents waiting to vote on Monday.
Two senior New Jersey correctional officers were charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting a teen who was being held at a juvenile detention center in Bordentown.
A federal judge has sided with the Pennsylvania state agency that owns Philadelphiaâs seaport facilities in a legal dispute that could affect competition in maritime commerce on the Delaware River.
The Philadelphia School District is spending $2.3 million to support students experiencing homelessness â money officials say is crucial to making sure some 10,000 young people are able to access public education. The district also wants community input on how it should move forward with building closings, new construction, and school relocations on the horizon.
The NBA has fined the 76ers $100,000 for âpublic statements that were inconsistent with Joel Embiidâs health status.â
đ§ Trivia time
Which rapper bought $4,000 worth of cheesesteaks at Shankâs to promote their new album this week?
A) Meek Mill
B) Lil Uzi Vert
C) Tyler, the Creator
D) Jay-Z
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and who) weâre...
đ€ Curious about: Suzy, Phillyâs new robot sushi chef.
đȘČ Visiting: The Beetlejuice house in Hillsborough Township â but not daring to say his name thrice.
đ Meeting: A South Jersey teacher who turned his passion for barbecue into a teaching mission.
𧩠Unscramble the anagram
Hint: A green space in a Philly neighborhood of the same name
CLARK PARLOR
Email us if you know the answer. Weâll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Lorraine Haggerty who solved Tuesdayâs anagram: Nick Nurse. Hereâs how the Sixersâ second-year head coach manages a star-laden roster and its many injuries. And an extra shout out to Mary Beth Pratt for this quote: âIf a âDocâ canât do it, call a Nurse!â
Photo of the day
Sylvain Farrel, pictured above, arrived in the U.S. three years ago. Now 17, heâs already earned a full scholarship to Villanova University. Education reporter Kristen Graham highlights Farrelâs journey from Indonesia to this remarkable achievement.
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