No safe haven for cyclists | Morning Newsletter
And the electoral ‘diploma divide.’
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The Morning Newsletter
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Happy Friday, Philly, and go Birds to all who celebrate. Expect a partly sunny day with high temps near 80 — a forecast that’s similar to that of São Paulo, where our Eagles kick off their season.
In more sober news, cycling destination Salem County, N.J., is grappling with safety issues after brothers Johnny and Matty Gaudreau were killed while riding on a rural road. The hockey players’ deaths came just weeks after another cyclist was killed nearby.
And 59 days before the election, we take a look at why Pennsylvania voters without college degrees are souring on Democrats.
Read on for these stories and many more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. We’ve been working on something exciting: Tomorrow morning, you’ll receive the first Saturday edition of this newsletter. Expect a rundown of the latest weekend news mixed with fun stuff like our obsession of the week, a timely opinion piece, and the beloved anagram, compiled by my colleague Paola Pérez. This is an experiment, so reply and let us know what you think.
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On weekends in a rural New Jersey county about 30 miles south of Philadelphia, hundreds of cyclists can be found enjoying the winding roads and bucolic views.
But the deaths of the hockey-playing Gaudreau brothers, who were hit by an alleged drunken driver while riding last Thursday, as well as the death of a 62-year-old cyclist in July, are now giving those cyclists pause.
Can Salem County still be considered a haven for cycling? Local advocates say changes such as dedicated bike lanes, wider shoulders, and connection to a larger network of state rail trails could save lives. But as long as distracted drivers are on the road, improved infrastructure will have limited effect.
Rural reporter Jason Nark has the story.
Like-minded riders: The attention comes as activists in Philly are raising awareness about urban bike safety following a spate of high-profile traffic deaths. On Thursday, City Council members introduced legislation to ban drivers from stopping their cars in bike lanes.
Mourning the Gaudreaus: Thousands showed up to vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, the NHL cities where Johnny Gaudreau played, on Wednesday to remember the brothers. Their funeral is scheduled to take place at a Catholic church in Media on Monday.
Meanwhile: The Woodstown man charged with killing them will remain in custody for at least another week.
Call it the “diploma divide.” In Pennsylvania, there’s a direct correlation between how many people in a voting precinct have a college education and its electoral trajectory.
🎓 Between 2016 and 2020, the precincts with the highest proportion of adults with bachelor’s degrees shifted furthest to the left. Precincts with the lowest shares shifted furthest right.
🎓 “I don’t think it’s overstated to say that education, beyond any other demographic factor, has impacted American politics and polarization,” a Muhlenberg College expert said.
🎓 But education isn’t everything, as explained in this latest installment of The Inquirer’s series on the trends and places to watch in the battleground state.
Data reporter Aseem Shukla has the details.
What you should know today
Philadelphia City Council spent much of the 2024-25 session’s first day in debate over the proposed Sixers arena. Council members also advanced legislation that would restrict mobile addiction services in Kensington and indicated that a law overhauling how the city contracts with nonprofits will take effect, despite opposition from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s “greedflation” plan has been embraced by national Democrats. Here’s what he’s proposing.
A new state law is designed to keep Pennsylvania colleges from collapsing without warning like University of the Arts did.
A jury awarded $9.1 million to the family of a golf professional who was killed by a fallen tree at the Montgomery County country club where he worked.
The University of Pennsylvania plans to create an office of religious and ethnic inclusion, following concerns about antisemitism that roiled the Ivy League campus last year.
A Philadelphia Jewish group has filed a complaint against a district teacher, who in turn says she’s been the target of Islamophobic attacks.
There are more than 20 vacant special education assistant jobs at one Point Breeze school. Staffers say it’s created an “unsafe” situation.
SEPTA passengers who pay with Key passes, credit or debit cards will see a 50-cent fare hike soon. The announcement came as the agency’s fare system experienced its 10th outage in less than a month.
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’re resurfacing an explainer on whether fighting a traffic ticket is ever worth it. Short answer — yes. The process can be confusing, and you’ll need to do it quickly to avoid late fees. But a successful contest may get your ticket withdrawn or reduced.
To start, determine if you got a parking or a moving violation. 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
Known as the “Little Street of Clubs” and “Philadelphia’s Greenwich Village,” which historic thoroughfare will — once again — be the city’s only wood-paved street?
A) Elfreth’s Alley
B) St. James Street
C) Camac Street
D) Broad Street
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎭 Building: Our schedules for the 2024 Fringe Festival.
🥟 Hungry for: Empanadas, thanks to this Philly-made app for immigrant-owned restaurants.
🏗️ Learning about: The Pennsylvania steel deal at the center of the presidential election.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
North Philadelphia university’s _ _ of Art and Architecture
CLEO SHORTLY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jake McGovern, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Dancing with the Stars. Collegeville native and recent Bachelor star Joey Graziadei is joining the reality show’s upcoming season.
Photo of the day
🪩 One last sparkling thing: Mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar’s South Philly studio is becoming an artist workshop. “There’s nothing like this anywhere else in the world,” Magic Gardens’ executive director said. Watch our walk-through of the multicolored, magical-looking space.
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Have a great weekend.
P.S. Yesterday’s newsletter contained an error. Sean Hannity is a current, not former, Fox anchor.
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