SEPTA’s toughest job is now even tougher | Morning Newsletter
Plus, Juneteenth will be a Philadelphia city holiday
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
In Pennsylvania, new coronavirus cases are continuing to decline, according to the state’s health secretary. It’s one of three states federal officials have singled out (along with Montana and Hawaii) where cases have declined for more than 42 days. New Jersey’s new cases are also dropping, with the seven-day average in the state now slightly lower than Pennsylvania’s. For more on local COVID-19 cases, including those in your county, visit our page tracking the spread of the coronavirus in our region.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
On Tuesday, city workers covered a Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza in South Philly. Yesterday, the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. boarded up the bottom of a Columbus monument at Penn’s Landing. So, why exactly are these Columbus memorials such an issue right now? My colleague Nick Vadala explains.
Those who have called for the removal of the statue in South Philly have few kind words to say about Columbus, including Mayor Jim Kenney, who said the explorer “enslaved indigenous people and punished those who failed to meet his expected service by severing limbs, or in some cases, murder.” But Columbus does have at least one supporter in city government: an assistant district attorney who referred to Columbus as “the first civil-rights activist of the Americas.”
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, SEPTA workers who clean the transit agency’s vehicles have to take extra precautions with the gobs of spit found on subway car floors. Now, you can’t just sweep over them for fear of spreading viral particles, one SEPTA cleaner told my colleagues Jason Laughlin and Patricia Madej.
Over 500 workers clean and disinfect stations and vehicles each day. It’s a job that’s taken on new importance because of the coronavirus, especially as SEPTA returns to closer-to-normal schedules.
Kenney announced this week that he will designate Juneteenth as an official city holiday, closing city offices and facilities tomorrow. The June 19 holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Here are some recipes to help with your Juneteenth celebrations. And, if you want to grab a bottle (or two), these black-owned wineries ship to Philly.
What you need to know today
Police are seeking a Powelton Village man in the killing of a transgender woman whose dismembered body was found in the Schuylkill last week.
The FBI charged a Philadelphia woman with arson stemming from protests in the city late last month after using Instagram, Etsy, Linkedin, Poshmark, and more to identify her.
A leading advocate for people dealing with homelessness said that the new encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is “a pandemic waiting to happen” and that the people there are being used like “pawns” by activists.
In a Pride month that’s been notably different than ones in other years, Philly’s queer leaders are planning Sunday to march for Black Lives.
Telemedicine can be an effective way to substitute for an in-person visit during the coronavirus pandemic. But a study indicates that it hasn’t been that way for everyone.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Anybody else been finding neighborhood art on their walks? Thanks for sharing these, @frecklesandredhair.
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!
CORRECTION: In yesterday’s newsletter, the caption under the #OurPhilly photo indicated that opera performances at the Victor Cafe were ongoing. Those performances ended, for the time being, on Sunday.
That’s interesting
🏟️As sports leagues look to return, Philly’s pro teams are all on different timelines. The Sixers, Flyers, and Union have all had their seasons delayed, but restarts look to be on the horizon. The Phillies are waiting for MLB and the players to figure out their situation. And the Eagles, for now, are expected to start the NFL season on time.
🔬An emerging threat to coronavirus patients is “superinfections” that could be resistant to most antibiotics.
🌊A Philly pediatrician gives advice on swimming in the summer of COVID-19. While there’s no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted through water, proper social distancing — especially for children — could be hard.
🌳Philadelphia’s plan to add trees could save hundreds of lives, according to a federal study.
🦉A Temple legend has just been named the school’s interim athletic director.
🏢The open office floor plan is going to have to change, thanks to the coronavirus.
Opinions
“If nothing more, we need to remind ourselves that the world is looking at the same images we are and seeing the difference between who we say we are and who we are indeed. Only when we close that gap will the marching and protesting signify that, finally, America has had enough.” — writes former Daily News columnist Elmer Smith about whether the outcry over the death of George Floyd will result in meaningful change.
Is Camden a good model for the future of policing? Theo Spencer, a longtime Camden resident and a two-time candidate for mayor, and Zane Kaleem, a med student at Drexel and an assistant director of the Correctional Health Care Task Force at Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, write about the pros and cons.
Steven Malanga, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the senior editor of City Journal, writes about why big Democratic-led cities continue to struggle with police reform.
What we’re reading
A New Jersey Health Department official claims he was fired because he pushed back on a request to give coronavirus tests to the family of Gov. Phil Murphy’s top aide, N.J. com reports.
Billy Penn reports that the group of Fishtown residents who showed up with bats and other makeshift weapons on the third day of Black Lives Matter protests in Philly did so because officers in the 26th Police District warned them that “looters” were coming to the neighborhood.
The latest episode from NPR’s Code Switch podcast focuses on why now there appears to be a shift “happening with a large cohort of white people” when it comes to race relations.
Your Daily Dose of | Connecting loved ones
Robin Ross is a chaplain at Einstein Medical Center who works with COVID-19 patients. She was a Philadelphia schoolteacher until, after seven years, she felt called to do something else. She enrolled in seminary and has been working over the last few months with COVID-19 patients and families, uniting them through technology.