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Acres of empty parking lots | Morning Newsletter

And abuse allegations against a state mental hospital.

Velocity Venture founding partners Zach Moore (left) and Tony Grelli outside the former Harleysville Insurance Co., in Harleysville in October. That business, at the now unoccupied site, once employed 1,000-2,000 people.
Velocity Venture founding partners Zach Moore (left) and Tony Grelli outside the former Harleysville Insurance Co., in Harleysville in October. That business, at the now unoccupied site, once employed 1,000-2,000 people.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

The weather is a little all over the place today. Expect some showers, a bit of fog, and then sunny skies in the afternoon.

More than two years after the beginning of the COVID shutdowns, a lot of us are still not in an office. Flexible work schedules have become more commonplace.

I wrote this newsletter from my kitchen counter (despite making a dedicated work station over a year ago). Although I like the option of an office, I don’t miss going every day. And I know I’m not alone.

Our lead story focuses on one of COVID-19′s lasting effects, vacant office buildings in the Philadelphia suburbs.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Suburban office parks now have millions of square feet of new vacant offices — enough to fill more than two Comcast Centers 🔑

Almost a quarter of the Pennsylvania suburban office market is vacant, with more than 1 million square feet in the Pennsylvania suburbs emptied this year so far.

  1. Since early 2020, the total vacated has been 3 million square feet. For context, that’s more than two Comcast Center towers.

Important note: The suburban office market is larger than downtown Philly’s — bigger than the metro office markets of Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Charlotte, or Tampa — and has a substantially higher vacancy rate.

Suburban offices also have stiffer challenges compared to their city counterparts. The buildings are older, which is unpopular in a tight labor market with corporate bosses and younger employees looking for amenities.

The result: Townships that banked their economics on white-collar workforces will now have to answer public policy questions on whether or how to redevelop office buildings for apartments or homes, distribution centers, or industrial sites.

  1. The rise of online shopping and a modest resurgence in U.S manufacturing — thanks to global supply chain issues — put more demand on distribution centers and industrial buildings.

Continue reading to understand the struggles of suburban offices’ pandemic recovery.

They accused staff at a state mental hospital of abuse. But who would believe them? 🔑

Three people who have been incarcerated at Norristown State Hospital said they felt far safer in jail or state prison.

  1. “I thought I was going to die there,” said Elvis Rojas.

Necessary context: Norristown State Hospital is a secure facility that treats incarcerated people with mental illness. Its forensic unit is one of two in Pennsylvania that evaluates and treats people who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial.

Seven current and former employees who spoke with The Inquirer said there was an environment where violence was routine and misconduct was largely met with impunity. They alleged that the guards routinely brutally assaulted patients in video surveillance blind spots. They also mentioned patterns of nepotism in which relatives were able to get each other hired and then protect one another from discipline.

  1. Two said security staff would intentionally provoke patients, then demand that nurses sedate them.

  2. Three said it was common for staff to work double-shifts for overtime, and then sleep on the job.

  3. Four said they were threatened with retaliation if they reported misconduct.

Continue reading for personal accounts and the stakes of speaking out.

What you should know today

  1. Former labor leader Johnny Doc is struggling to find and pay for new lawyers for his remaining criminal trials.

  2. Former president Barack Obama and President Joe Biden will campaign for John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro in Philadelphia on Saturday.

  3. The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday that could determine the future of affirmative action at colleges across the country.

  4. The excitement around the Phillies’ World Series has taken over the typically festive Halloween season for Philadelphia bar owners.

  5. The Moorestown teacher who wore the same dress for 100 days left the profession to run a fair trade boutique.

  6. Umpires found no evidence of Framber Valdez illegally doctoring a baseball after he helped the Astros beat the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series. Still, it’s a good opportunity to learn how the illegal practice works and the physics behind it.

  7. Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

Which Meek Mill song will mark a decade this year?

A. Dreams and Nightmares

B. Dangerous

C. Going Bad

D. None of the above

Find out if you know the answer.

What we’re ...

👀 Watching: Whom Jim Kenney will choose to give mayor’s box seat tickets for the Phillies’ World Series games.

📚 Sharing: Your next date night idea at H&H Books.

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

Hint: A Philly neighborhood

ANGELLE IVQUE

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Carole Basile, who correctly guessed Fright Factor as Monday’s answer.

Photo of the Day

And that’s it from me. I’m starting my day with a hot chocolate. Thanks for starting yours with The Inquirer.