5 stories to follow: March 20
Here at PhillyLists, we know you're busy. That's why we're here with a round-up of the five stories you need to have on your radar. Here are your five stories to follow for today:
1. Drones coming to Horsham: A military drone command center will open this fall at Horsham Air Guard Base in Montgomery County. Actual drones won't be located at the base; instead, pilots and operators will control drones that are flying overseas. The center is expected to create about 250 jobs.
2. PhillyMag race article debate continues: For the second night in a row, PhillyMag editor Tom McGrath and "Being White in Philly" cover story author Robert Huber faced critics of the piece. A day after addressing a crowd at the National Constitution Center, the pair spoke to the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. The two were accused of being racist, the Inquirer reports, and audience members told them to hire more minorities. More diversity on the all-white editorial staff "would bring a richer experience to the magazine," McGrath said.
3. Gosnell trial: The capital murder trial for West Philly abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell continues today. On Tuesday, a former clinic worker and patient offered the jury a grisly view into his practice. Adrienne Moton told jurors how newborn babies' spines were snipped with scissors after late-term abortions. "I could remember a good 10 times that I did it," Moton testified. More on her testimony, from the Inquirer and Daily News.
4. Lewd photos on D.A.'s Twitter account: Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Wiliams is a pretty prolific Twitter user. (As of this morning, he's sent 2,870 messages from his account, @DASethWilliams) But the Daily News finds that, for at least a couple weeks, he was following two women who regularly posted photos of nude and seminude women. The prosecutor's spokeswoman says Williams had "no idea" how he ended up following @RateMyLatin and @RateMyEbony and didn't see the pornographic content.
5. Today is the first day of spring: That means you can get free Rita's Italian Ice. But the weather doesn't feel quite like spring yet. As our Weather or Not blog notes, temperatures are expected to be below normal for the next two weeks: "Temperatures for the next week aren't expected to reach 50 at a time when they should be hitting at least the mid-50s."