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City set to clear Kensington camps, Year of the Woman gets test in primaries | Morning Newsletter

All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.

Salvatore Gonzalez lives under the bridge at Kensington and Lehigh. He said he would try to find another place to live after the city has given the homeless living under the bridge until May 30 to leave.
Salvatore Gonzalez lives under the bridge at Kensington and Lehigh. He said he would try to find another place to live after the city has given the homeless living under the bridge until May 30 to leave.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

Welcome to Wednesday, Philadelphia. As the city plans to clear drug encampments plaguing Kensington, residents — of both the neighborhood and the camps — are not so sure the city is making the right moves. Officials, on the other hand, say they've learned some valuable lessons and are ready to make a positive change. There's a healthy dose of skepticism involved. Same goes for protesters looking to reduce the city's budget for criminal justice. Philly's jail populations have dropped but their budgets haven't. Understandably, many inside and outside City Hall are asking why. There's a lot to discuss today, folks, let's get started.

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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

» READ MORE: Plan to clear Kensington drug camps draws skepticism from neighbors

The city said last week it plans to clear two of the four Kensington drug encampments that have steadily grown alongside the opioid epidemic by the end of the month.

City officials have stressed that there will be places for people to go and hope to move those in addiction to two new shelters opening nearby.

But both neighbors and residents of the encampment are skeptical. When the city cleared a train gulch at Gurney Street last year, residents said drug use that took place in the secluded area just moved out into the open.

» READ MORE: Year of the Woman? Maybe not in Philly-area congressional races

A record number of women are running for Congress this year across the country, fueled by a backlash to both Trump and abuses of power by men, many exemplified by the #MeToo era.

Pennsylvania's redistricting earlier this year created an unusual number of open seats in our region, which women jumped to fill. But many are first-time candidates facing career politicians with name recognition.

Keep an eye on the upcoming primaries. The "Year of the Woman" narrative will get a test as competitive races leave no easy avenues for women.

» READ MORE: As Philly jail population declines, where are the savings?

Philadelphia leaders have reduced the city's jail population by a striking 28 percent in two years. So many are asking, why haven't costs fallen accordingly?

Yesterday a hearing on the Department of Prisons' budget request for more than $256 million showed the budget had been reduced just 1.7 percent over the last two years. In fact, the cost per inmate has ballooned in the same time.

While City Council debated inside, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside City Hall to protest what they consider to be an excessive level of spending.

What you need to know today

  1. One of Philly's most iconic spaces, Graffiti Pier, has technically been closed for years, though tourists and locals alike have easily found their way out among the colorful columns. Now police say safety concerns are forcing them to enforce a no-trespassing ordinance at the site. 

  2. Franklin Field won't welcome the Allentown Cadets this summer. Penn has nixed several upcoming events with the renowned drum corps after the firing of its longtime director amid sexual misconduct allegations.

  3. Police are probing allegations of sexual assault and drugging at a since-suspended Temple fraternity, but, sadly, researchers say such cases are all too common on campus.

  4. Abington residents grew alarmed Monday after a man was seen walking through town carrying an AR-15 rifle. Police say the man was trying to draw officers into debate over the Second Amendment.

  5. Football coach Nick Strom says he was ousted from Camden Catholic High School over putting more white players on the team. But other coaches and administrators who've gone through this before just see a classic a clash of priorities.

  6. Not what you want to read before a commute: Amtrak has found that security weaknesses at 30th Street Station are putting passengers and employees at risk.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Everyone loves a nice skyline shot, but this photo by @wickedawesometravels shows off an often overlooked angle of the Delaware.

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!

That’s Interesting

  1. Now that it's May and summer is right around the corner, don't forget to head outside for some of this month's best events. Yes, there are greased poles involved.

  2. Well, we may have reached peak Wawa. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots played a song called "Wawa Hoagies" on The Tonight Show.

  3. How did tiny Evans City in Butler County, Pa., become the zombie capital of the world? Its residents are fondly looking back on becoming ghouls to star in Night of the Living Dead, a horror classic celebrating its 50th birthday this year.

  4. Getting catcalled on the street? A UArts student has come up with a quick clapback — and it starts with a phone number.

  5. If you've got a few million dollars to spare and a penchant for emerald-cut diamonds and fine jewelry,  the estate of Dorrance H. "Dodo" Hamilton, the late billionaire Campbell Soup heiress, is up for auction.

  6. Major League Baseball is struggling with weak attendance across the league, but a few teams are actually seeing growth. Go ahead, pat yourselves on the back, Phillies fans. 

Opinions

"Perhaps just like the two men at Starbucks, black service employees are assumed to have hostile intentions unless they put in extra effort to put forth a smile and show they are not a threat."
— Penn State psychology professor Alicia Grandey on the emotional tax paid by black service industry employees.

  1. In the first of several primary election endorsements on the way from our Editorial Board, the Inquirer is endorsing State Rep. Madeleine Dean as the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District.

  2. Would you go for a walk with strangers just to talk about Philly? Ashley Hahn, organizer of Jane's Walk Philadelphia, writes that the walks "chip away at the divisions and indifference that can separate us." 

What we’re reading

  1. A real estate power couple just casually gifted $140,000 to a Sharswood resident to save a community hub, Billy Penn reports. Talk about paying it forward.

  2. In wake of the now infamous Starbucks arrests, PlanPhilly has published a thought-provoking essay on black-owned businesses — or the lack thereof — in Center City.

  3. How would a wooden skyscraper look among Philly's sleek, glass-filled skyline? As Curbed Philly writes, a group of architects is proposing a timber high-rise for Center City and, turns out, it's not as crazy as it sounds.

  4. It's taken nearly 90 years for Zora Neale Hurston's interviews with America's last slave-ship survivor to be published. But before the book arrives in stores, New York Magazine has an excerpt and it's an absolutely stunning read.

  5. The tale of Collin Ishaq, a migrant worker in Dubai who hoped to find fame after winning singing competitions, is a reality check to rags-to-riches tales. The Atlantic's retelling may make you rethink your American Idol habit.

Your Daily Dose of | Cards

Carl's Cards and Collectibles in Havertown isn't any old hobby haven. More than 600 local sports stars, from Jacon Kelce to Charlie Manuel, have dropped by.