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Young immigrants await DACA decision, Eagles will face Falcons, Krasner cleans house | Morning Newsletter

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Carlos Castro Miranda, a DACA enrollee who grew up in the U.S. and graduated from college here, outside Philadelphia City Hall on Friday.
Carlos Castro Miranda, a DACA enrollee who grew up in the U.S. and graduated from college here, outside Philadelphia City Hall on Friday.Read moreTIM TAI

Good morning, neighbors. No, you didn't imagine it: Philly and Atlantic City set cold weather records over the weekend. Temperatures should be looking up this week…but we could see some snow and ice this afternoon. And you might need extra cash if you're taking the Pennsylvania turnpike today: rates just went up. Don't kill the messenger, folks.

If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and feedback, so please email me, tweet me @aubsn, or reach our social team on Facebook. Thank you for reading.

— Aubrey Nagle

» READ MORE: Young immigrants watch and worry as DACA deadline looms

In September, President Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows immigrants brought here illegally as children to live in the United States. But he delayed implementing his decision for six months, giving Congress until March 5 to craft a legislative solution.

Now DACA's fate is caught up in Congressional budget talks, and young immigrants — 22,024 from New Jersey and 5,889 from Pennsylvania — must wait, watch and worry. As one local DACA recipient puts it, "They're playing Russian roulette with our lives."

Trump has said he'd love to keep DACA — in exchange for his $18 billion border wall. Despite the back and forth between parties, both he and GOP senators seem hopeful they'll find a solution.

» READ MORE: Krasner dismisses 31 from Philly DA’s Office

Well, Larry Krasner's first week as Philadelphia District Attorney sure was memorable. Just days after he was sworn in, Krasner dismissed 31 members of the office Friday.

Names were not released, but sources say the group included trial attorneys, some supervisor-level staff, and as many as a third of the office's homicide prosecutors. Though turnover like this is not unusual, some of those ousted Friday expressed surprise and even devastation at their dismissal.

The clean sweep follows a campaign during which Krasner did not hold back in his criticisms of the office. Just last month, the Inquirer spoke to Krasner's supporters about what changes were ahead for the office as he pledges criminal justice reform.

» READ MORE: It’s official: Eagles will play the Falcons Saturday

It's playoff time, folks. The Atlanta Falcons' upset of the Los Angeles Rams Saturday means the Eagles will face the Falcons in the Divisional Round next Saturday at 4:35 p.m. at home. (Though they are the first No. 1 seed ever to be a betting line underdog.)

Reporter Les Bowen writes that the Atlanta matchup is far from hopeless, and Eagles' rookie placekicker Jake Elliot say he's prepared if it all comes down to him this weekend. Reporter Zach Berman takes a wistful look back at how the Eagles went from 7-9 to 13-3 (and then some) in one season.

Instead of wallowing in suspense all week, peer back into history at the last time the Eagles won an NFL championship: Dec. 26, 1960.

What you need to know today

  1. Skip the Golden Globes? Here's what you missed: everyone was wearing black on the red carpet to support speaking out against sexual abuse and harassment, Oprah gave a scene-stealing speech, and Ardmore native Benj Pasek won a Golden Globe for Best Song.

  2. A firefighter and one resident were killed Saturday in a North Philadelphia rowhouse blaze that caused part of the structure to collapse. The firefighter's colleagues said, "He was one of the good ones."

  3. For the first time in at least a decade, Philadelphia went five days into a new a year without recording any homicides.

  4. Congratulations are in order: Raquel Salas Rivera is Philadelphia's new Poet Laureate. Find out why the Puerto Rican migrant identifies as a Philadelphian, but not as an American.

  5. A profitable Point Breeze property flip that was supposed to turn two plots into low-income housing is raising questions about Philadelphia land policy and "councilmanic prerogative."

  6. Across the country, more than one million people are waiting to find out if they qualify for federal disability benefits. And Philadelphia has the longest average wait time in the nation.

  7. After former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was abandoned by a key backer over quotes disparaging Trump, he issued a statement yesterday affirming his support for the president.

  8. New Jersey officials, including Gov.-elect Phil Murphy, are already planning to fight a proposal from the Trump administration to open most of the U.S. coast to fossil fuel exploration and drilling, announced last week.

  9. The future of the 12th Street Gym, a staple of the Gayborhood, may come down to the cost of fire doors. If it closes, Philly's LGBT community would lose more than a fitness center.

» READ MORE: #OurPhilly

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We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out to build those followers!

That’s Interesting

  1. Yes, it was cold yesterday, but that didn't stop many Philadelphians from riding the subway without pants for a good cause.

  2. Stephen Colbert is producing a new animated series called Our Cartoon President and a Bucks County-raised voice actor will portray President Trump.

  3. That's a lot of W's: Villanova men's basketball coach Jay Wright scored his 400th win with the team over the weekend.

  4. To find their stolen bikes, cyclists aren't turning to police. Their first stop is a special Facebook group where they hope fellow cyclists will help return their rides.

  5. Younger players may be getting the attention lately, but veteran power forward Amir Johnson plays a crucial role with the Sixers: sharing wisdom and skills with his teammates.

  6. This weekend scores of brewers will gather for the Fourth Annual Big Philly Beer Fest. But did you know they have William Penn, a founding father of Philly's beer scene, to thank?

  7. You'll never believe the latest health craze: people are drinking untreated water (and calling it "raw water") for "health benefits," despite its serious risks.

  8. When selling a house, homeowners tend to renovate in hopes of impressing and up-selling buyers. But only certain types of home renovations make back their money.

  9. Ever heard of Chinatown West? Restaurant critic Craig Laban is seeing a boom in authentic, regionally inspired Chinese restaurants in University City.

Opinions

"I was under an incorrect assumption that anyone who had an issue with me would feel free to address me directly. I now understand that people, especially young women, might be reluctant to approach me with concerns about humor they aren't comfortable with."
— —

  1. With Gov.-elect Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov.-Elect Sheila Oliver soon to be sworn in, president of the Latino Action Network Christian Estevez and president of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference Richard Smith hope both officials will help fight against exclusionary zoning practices that have made New Jersey one of the country's most racially segregated states.

  2. There are 14 sites in the Philly region which are so toxic that they are on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of sites to clean up. But they are also in flood zones, so the EPA needs to start considering flood potential when prioritizing that list, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board.

What we’re reading

  1. Trademark is the South Philly rapper who you've probably never heard of (until now, thanks to Philadelphia Weekly's new profile) and who hates popular mumble rap artists like Philly's own Lil Uzi Vert.

  2. City Council is trying to pass an inclusionary housing bill for Philadelphia, but they've reached a stalemate. PlanPhilly explains exactly what's going on. 

  3. Last week University City Science Center CEO and president Stephen Tang stepped down after 10 years, and he sent a goodbye message to local entrepreneurs via Philadelphia Magazine.

  4. If you refuse to give up your paper books and magazines, you'll love this dig into why a paperless world has yet to happen over at The Guardian. (I mean, it's called "American reams," guys.)

  5. How did the turtleneck become a symbol of power, resistance, and fashion? As a turtleneck hater myself, I had to let SSense explain this one.

Your Daily Dose of | Bookworms

Research shows that the number of books at home can be the best predictor of educational success. So these local organizations want to put books in every child's home.