🥩 Well done | Morning Newsletter
And UArts-Temple deal falls apart.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/UTAM5CIODJFLHNUY4DL6V7NLB4.jpg)
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s Friday, Philly. Today’s forecast is mostly cloudy, with a high in the mid-70s.
More than two months of negotiations between Temple University and the shuttered University of the Arts on a potential merger or acquisition appear to be headed for an end without a deal in place.
But first, with Labor Day upon us, there’s no better time to review meat prep safety. Test your knowledge with our well-done quiz.
Read on to start your long weekend with these stories and more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Yes, meat prices are way up. But classic cookout foods like burgers and sausages are sure to appear on grills across the region all the same this Labor Day weekend.
🥩 Though it’s a marker of a casual meal, meat prep is serious business, if you want to avoid foodborne illnesses.
🍔 Think you know when your burger is done? What should fish look like when it’s safe to eat? Do you need to wash raw chicken before cooking?
🍗 Get that meat thermometer ready and take our quiz before lighting up the grill this Labor Day.
Since University of the Arts’ abrupt June shutdown, nearly 750 former students have enrolled at “teach-out” partner schools, including more than 300 who headed to Temple University — more than any other school.
The North Philadelphia university until recently was in negotiations with the UArts board about a potential merger. Now, that deal appears to be dead.
Negotiations soured after a major UArts donor, Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, was not in favor of the deal, multiple sources told The Inquirer. The short timeframe was also a challenge.
Philly arts and education leaders still hope the school can be preserved in some way. But few options remain, and bankruptcy is likely. UArts also faces several lawsuits from former staffers and students.
Reporters Susan Snyder, Peter Dobrin, and Kristen A. Graham have the latest.
P.S. Catch up on the region’s biggest higher ed story of the year: Here’s a recap of UArts’ chaotic final week, where former students have landed, and art made by the UArts community.
What you should know today
A defiant Bill Formica rejected calls to resign from the Souderton Area School District board during a raucous meeting Thursday, casting the outcry over his social media post that Kamala Harris “blew a lot of dudes” as the product of partisan politics.
Temple University said it is investigating for possible disciplinary action a pro-Palestinian march by students and non-students who demonstrated outside a Jewish center on campus Thursday.
A woman who says she was raped two years ago while a student at Villanova University filed a lawsuit accusing the school of turning a blind eye toward underaged drinking and sexual abuse.
The lawyer for Camden school advisory board president Wasim Muhammad has billed the district $221,236.50 for his legal fees to defend him in a civil sex abuse case.
A judge has handed Franklin Towne Charter High School a victory in the battle over its charter revocation hearing, representing a milestone in a lengthy and unusual case.
Pennsylvania is offering a grant program for schools to get funding for lockable student phone pouches. But administrators of several Philly-area districts say they’re not interested.
Pennsylvania’s waterway conservation officers do everything from stocking trout to uncovering the odd meth lab. But low pay is driving many to jump ship.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis visited Roxborough to hear from Philly parents on how to better address the cost and accessibility of childcare.
Wawa is giving free coffee to local teachers this September.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we have an explainer from reporter Michelle Myers on how all those blue-and-yellow signs denoting impactful people, places and events got there.
Philadelphia’s main cultural attraction is our history, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the city has more than 300 historical markers. But if you notice that someone who deserves recognition is missing a marker, you can nominate them yourself — unless the person in question is still living, or does not have a close connection to Pennsylvania. Here’s the full explanation.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
Former Eagles star Jason Kelce will be hitting some familiar spots via his new Monday Night Football gig. Where will he and his ESPN cohosts do their pregame show when the Birds take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2?
A) Chickie’s and Pete’s
B) City Hall
C) Xfinity Live!
D) On the field at the Linc
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🐉 Ordering: The oxtail lo mein from West Philly’s new Black Dragon.
🧢 Watching: The short doc on the standing ovation that changed Trea Turner’s 2023 season.
🍏 Drinking: Chestnut Hill-based Cider Belly’s award-winning hard cider.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The Jersey-set series that’s often considered one of the best television shows of all time.
PROTON ASHES
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Fred Turoff, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Paralympics. The international sporting event kicked off this week in Paris and will feature a handful of Philly-area athletes, including Temple rower Gemma Wollenschlaeger.
Photo of the day
👋 Have a great long weekend, folks. You can find me celebrating the holiday with a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat at a Jimmy Buffett-themed barbecue. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to test my family’s meat prep knowledge first.
I’ll be back in your inbox this Sunday, then again on Wednesday after the holiday. Thanks, as always, for starting your day with The Inquirer.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.