Reburied and remembered | Morning Newsletter
And the debate over Temple football.
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s the Tuesday before Turkey Day, and rain is looking likely, with a high near 60. I’m on pie duty this year. Luckily, Philly has no shortage of options.
Nearly 500 Colonial-era Philadelphians were reburied this summer after their remains were unearthed during the construction of a luxury apartment building seven years ago. This weekend, their descendants gathered to honor them.
Plus, Temple’s plans to build a football stadium are “dead,” even as President John Fry says he has no plans to end the program.
— Erin Reynolds (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The first time Benjamin Britton was buried, it was 242 years ago in the First Baptist cemetery at Second and Arch Streets.
The second time was in July, at Mount Moriah off Cobbs Creek Parkway.
Britton’s remains and those of nearly 500 other Colonial-era Philadelphians were unearthed in 2017 during the construction of a luxury apartment building.
Then, for several years, scientists at Rutgers University-Camden and the Mütter Research Institute studied them to learn more about diseases and other ailments that affected them.
Finally at rest again, Britton, a baker; Matthew Cornelius, a bricklayer; Samuel Miles, a judge; and many others were honored at a memorial ceremony over the weekend. Many of their descendants traveled from across America to attend.
Reporter Valerie Russ documents the closing chapter here.
Should Temple football stay or go?
University president John Fry released a statement Monday reaffirming the school’s commitment to the sport. In a follow-up interview with reporter Susan Snyder, he made clear that the university wants to improve its football program and has already interviewed several candidates for its recently vacated head coach position.
But that doesn’t mean some people aren’t worried Temple could still potentially drop the program.
As president of Drexel University, Fry was outspoken about not reviving football there, writing a 2016 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining why the decision was in the school’s best interests. It’s expensive, and “sports are only a part of a school’s educational mission,” Fry wrote.
And last week, Fry told the Philadelphia Business Journal that Temple football will “step back and assess” its future. He was referring to the difficulties competing in the new landscape under NIL, or “name, image, and likeness,” which enables college athletes to profit from their fame outside of scholarships. Since NIL became a major factor in football recruiting, the college football world has changed drastically, and it’s been hard for mid-level programs like Temple to remain competitive.
Temple, like many other schools, loses millions of dollars on athletics. And with its recent firing of head football coach Stan Drayton, “a football purge” could make sense — at least according to columnist Marcus Hayes.
“It says something about your football program when you fire the head coach after a win,” Hayes wrote. “It says the program probably needs to go away.”
One thing is for certain, according to Fry: Temple’s plans to build a football stadium are “dead.”
Read our full conversation with Temple president John Fry here.
What you should know today
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has tapped two officials to oversee the city budget and human resources following a pair of departures. Sabrina Maynard will be the administration’s new budget director, and Candi Jones will serve as the city’s director of human resources.
Philadelphia election officials certified the 2024 general election Monday. The low-key meeting was a stark contrast to what many feared and prepared for in the aftermath of 2020.
Celena Morrison, who was the first openly transgender person to lead a Philadelphia city office, is no longer the city’s head of LGBTQ affairs. She made national news in March when she was temporarily detained after an attempted traffic stop escalated.
Philadelphia police have arrested six teens in connection with a series of Center City assaults last week that left at least four people injured.
ICE is exploring proposals to expand its capacity in New Jersey, potentially adding 600 beds in at least two facilities.
A Penn professor was awarded $11 million to study the link between chemical exposures and dementia. Here’s what researchers are looking for.
This Philadelphia-area nonprofit is creating a retreat for families coping with late-stage cancer. The goal is to provide people with a break that they may otherwise not be able to take.
Harriett’s Bookshop’s Jeannine A. Cook raised $60,000 to send 11 young scholars to Paris. For many, the trip will be their first time abroad.
Brandon Graham may have just played his final game in an Eagles uniform. Players and fans are paying tribute.
Koch’s Deli has reopened in West Philly, but the Koch name is still the subject of a court battle.
🧠 Trivia time
After years of declining enrollment, the School District of Philadelphia has grown. What’s the school system’s official student count for 2024-25?
A) 240,045
B) 117,956
C) 140,890
D) 95,265
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
😍 Loving: This DIY SEPTA bus clock, which tells riders when the next bus will arrive from a South Philly window.
🏃♀️ Training for: Thanksgiving Day turkey trots. (There’s something for everyone this holiday.)
🍸 Drinking: A frothy matcha martini at Old City’s Almanac, a destination cocktail bar serving seasonal, Japanese-inspired drinks.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This member of Philly’s royal family is launching a podcast (and has another baby on the way).
EEL KICK LYE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Christina Ludwig who solved Monday’s anagram: Jacquin’s. Philly’s biggest booze producer hosted The Inquirer for a tour of its plant and a dive into its little-known past.
Photo of the day
Correction: A summary of a story included in Monday’s edition of this newsletter misstated the amount of fish lost in the Lehigh Valley watershed. The watershed has lost about half of the fish that were stocked by the Lehigh River Stocking Association.
👋 Have a happy Tuesday!
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