South Philly feels slighted by PennDot | Morning Newsletter
And genre blending at Philly Folk Fest
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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
Good morning, Philly.
Winds howled and heavy rains doused the region, but we managed to escape the worst of Debby. The rest of the weekend should be gorgeous and sunny with a high near 84.
Plus, the Perseid meteor showers are making their mark across the sky late tonight and into the early hours of Monday. Our Tony Wood explains why you won’t want to miss this year’s display.
PennDot pledged to hear concerns from South Philadelphia residents over a planned I-95 expansion that jeopardized beloved fields where thousands of kids play sports year-round. Our main story explores why opponents of the project now say they were misled, and accuse the state agency of overstating public engagement and downplaying their frustrations.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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To attempt to prove they listened to South Philly residents’ concerns about a decades-long interstate reconstruction project, PennDot officials pointed to a survey they conducted last year to gauge public sentiment.
The proposal would wind I-95 access roads through the heart of their ballfields, a space that some South Philly families say they do not want to lose.
Upon presenting the findings, PennDot officials said the results indicated hundreds of residents favored the most high-impact design, an option that would least affect the fields out of all other plans.
But a concerned blogger uncovered the raw survey data and found a different story: The presentation claimed there were 1,025 survey “responses recorded,” but the new data shows that only 129 people took the survey. And an overwhelming majority were actually against any proposal that endangered the fields at all.
Now, residents and local officials are crying foul, saying PennDot inflated study engagement and overlooked the community’s frustrations.
What PennDot is saying: Brad Rudolph, a deputy communications director for the transportation department, said the agency had not intended to mislead anybody, and had accurately noted the overall takeaway of the study — that the neighborhood did not want to lose the fields.
Take a look at the survey results and see why residents and state and city officials are calling on PennDot to scrap the study and start fresh.
What you should know today
New surveys of likely voters put Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and two other critical battleground states that previously seemed to be slipping out of reach for Democrats.
To resounding boos from the French in the crowd, Sixers big man Joel Embiid won a gold medal along with the U.S. men’s basketball team Sunday in a tight Olympics final against France.
A former Philadelphia jail guard has been charged with violating a prisoner’s rights for locking him inside his cell while he was injured, pepper-spraying him, then allowing another prisoner to rob his cell, prosecutors said Friday.
A top Philadelphia election official resigned last month to take a job in Montgomery County, but she abruptly changed course after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker intervened as November’s critically important election approaches, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has rejected the idea that his Jewish faith played a role in Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over him as a running mate.
A Delaware County man who shot and killed his uncle during an argument over car repairs was sentenced to 5½ to 11 years in state prison.
A Delco creek became the focus of an anti-immigrant conspiracy as unfounded rumors spread across social media and in public meetings that undocumented immigrants were supposedly swimming naked in it.
Veteran meteorologist Chris Sowers is leaving 6abc after 13 years for a position in West Palm Beach.
The infamous “Boner 4ever” and “Forever Boner” graffiti tags that adorn the North Philadelphia Beury Building will live — for now — after lenders involved in a redevelopment project backed out at the eleventh hour.
The Carnival of Collectables antiques mall, a 12,000-square-foot funhouse of nostalgia that is home to more than 130 vendors, is closing.
The Sixers have been unable to lock in the future for their desired Center City arena in Philly. Could Delaware be an alternative? “We’re all in,” said the state’s Gov. John Carney.
“People are still like, ‘Wait: What? Hip-hop and bluegrass? That’s not a thing, is it?” said Randy Owen, known artistically as Philly rapper R-Son.
R-Son is a member of the Brooklyn- and Philly-based hip-hop-meets-bluegrass band Gangstagrass, along with Dolio the Sleuth (Durant Lawrence) and band founder Rench (Oscar Owens). They will headline the Philadelphia Folk Festival on Friday.
The concept behind Gangstagrass might sound like a novel combination, but the country-rap mash-up makes musical sense to Rench across their records. Despite long-standing traditions of Black and white artists mixing country and rap, the band’s blend still gives pause to industry gatekeepers.
Join the conversation between pop critic Dan DeLuca and the members of Gangstagrass ahead of their festival performance.
❓Pop quiz
Which generation makes up the largest portion of Philadelphia’s population?
A) Baby boomers
B) Gen Z
C) Millennials
D) Gen X
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The mall pretzel maker with Pennsylvania roots
TANIA UNSEEN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Nicholas DeStefano who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Bartram’s Mile. Several hundred feet of this trail have been closed since July 15 because of contamination.
Photo of the day
🎶 Today’s Sunday track goes like this: “Good luck movin’ up / ‘Cause I’m moving out.”
Zach Bryan’s Tuesday night concert at Lincoln Financial Field started late and was rather soggy due to torrential downpours. What does it take for a Philly concert to get shut down when bad weather strikes? The decision to cancel or postpone major events involves a lot of moving parts, so Henry Savage tracked down some answers.
👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Take care, and enjoy your day.