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Kenney needs more school board candidates, Philly's trashy highways, justice for Meek Mill event announced | Morning Newsletter

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Wendell Pritchett (center) speaks to fellow members of the Philadelphia School Board nominating panel on Feb. 26.
Wendell Pritchett (center) speaks to fellow members of the Philadelphia School Board nominating panel on Feb. 26.Read moreSYDNEY SCHAEFER / Staff Photographer

Good morning, Philly. Hopefully you're all thawed out as we head into the weekend — one that will sadly include one less hour of sleep. Drivers in our region, and PennDot, have been losing quite a bit over the litter on our highways and Mayor Kenney has called for more school board nominees before he can put that matter to bed. So, now that you're awake, let's get to it.

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— Ray Boyd (@RayBoydDigital, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

» READ MORE: Mayor Kenney wants to see more candidates for Philly’s school board seats

Last week, a nominating panel presented Mayor Kenney with 27 candidates to fill nine school board seats. On Thursday, the mayor asked for more.

Kenney told the 13-member panel that he needs two more things from them. He wants a more diverse pool to choose from and he wants more educators in the mix.  

The new board will take over leading the School District of Philadelphia, which includes 216 schools and a $3 million budget, after the School Reform Commission did so for 16 years.

» READ MORE: Event to feature calls for justice for Meek Mill and reform

REFORM: Bringing Injustice to Light is set for later this month at the University of Pennsylvania and will feature Reverend Al Sharpton and Kathy Williams, Meek Mill's mother.

Sharpton visited Mill in prison last year and will be joined by a number of fellow panelists that will discuss Mill's prison sentence and the need for criminal justice reform.   

The event follows an Inquirer report that included Reginald V. Graham, a retired officer who testified against Mill in court, on a list of police the District Attorney's office has deemed unfit to testify in court.

» READ MORE: Philly’s trashy highways have PennDot spending big

Trash isn't just a problem that plagues your Philadelphia street. PennDot has seen a rise in driver complaints about the water bottles, food wrappers, and other trash along the highways in our five-county region.

PennDot spends millions — we're talking about half its cleanup budget for the state — on removing litter from highways in and near Philly. From 2016 to 2017, that total was four times what was spent in the Pittsburgh area.

Here's how you can point out the trash on your block, or the mess on the other side of the guard rails.

What you need to know today

  1. Don't forget Sunday marks the start of daylight saving time. While some of us will welcome the extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day, experts warn about the forgotten dangers of springing ahead.

  2. A time and location have not been set, but details have emerged for Philly's "March for Our Lives" student-led rally for gun control. We broke down everything you need to know about the Philadelphia rally and the hundreds of others planned for later this month.

  3. For the first time in a decade, in an effort to find more families, Philadelphia's Department of Human Services has urged residents to ask themselves this question when it comes to fostering: "Can I handle it?"

  4. Becky MacDicken has visited every prison or correctional facility in Pennsylvania at least once in the past year. Her mission: to teach inmates what they need to know about re-entering a world driven by money.

  5. Since the statue went up outside of Philadelphia City Hall last year, those who have never heard of black activist Octavius Catto have gotten an education. Now, historians have a plan to introduce Catto to a younger demographic.

  6. This Women's History Month, a group of Philly women have shared with us their hopes for women in 2018.

  7. A former Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections deputy commissioner claims that his 2011 resignation in the midst of an FBI probe stemmed from pay back from higher-ups.

  8. According to officials, President Trump has agreed to an unprecedented sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and will do so by the end of May.

  9. The city's best guess is that 90,000 Uber and Lyft trips happen in Philadelphia each day. It's a guess because the Philadelphia Parking Authority claims the companies won't hand over adequate data.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

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!

That’s Interesting

  1. Green beer. Green clothes. Green everything. If you're still trying to figure out how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Philly, we've got you covered.

  2. There's cheesesteaks and there's interpretations that we'll call "cheesesteaks." The vegetarian version at Gin & Pop in Francisville has done plenty to earn those quotation marks.

  3. Drake night. Kanye night. We've all been … right? Reporter Bethany Ao decided to find out which – if any – of Philly's most popular single artist parties are worth the price.

  4. Less hazelnuts means less Nutella — a fate some couldn't bare to think about. Researchers at Rutgers are spreading joy to Nutella lovers everywhere.

  5. Makeup artist Jacen Bowman helps big names like Lupita Nyong'o and others get ready for their close up. He never pictured this new reality when he was serving time in a Philadelphia jail.

  6. Let's be honest guys. We all wouldn't mind being a little taller, right? Well, a study at the University of North Carolina found that it might be good to be a tall man, unless you're black.

  7. Philadelphia author Shantrelle Lewis' book Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style has caught the eye of Viola Davis and could be optioned into a documentary.

  8. As the Sixers continue to fight for a playoff spot, they let a golden opportunity slip through their hands in Miami last night.

  9. The Flyers slide continued last night with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Bruins on a goal in the final seconds.

  10. Attention Sopranos fans. Your favorite fictional crime family is back and headed to the big screen. Reports say The Many Saints of Newark will set the scene for what took place on the hit show.

Opinions

"The fact that Philadelphia prosecutors kept a secret list of police officers suspected of lying about arrests and other misconduct is a sad indictment of the city's criminal justice system."
— — The Inquirer Editorial Board writes that getting rid of “bad cops” in Philadelphia would erase the need for the list of those deemed untrustworthy by District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office.
  1. Columnist Will Bunch writes that it's no coincidence that a labor movement, powered by women, coincides with the #MeToo movement's impact on workplace dynamics.

  2. Opinion coverage editor Erica Palan explains that she's seen a troubling pattern. The majority of submissions she gets come from white men. Women of the Philadelphia region, she wants to hear from you.

What we’re reading

  1. Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan will adopt "inclusion riders" after Frances McDormand's plea for top celebrities to push for more diversity on set. The Guardian examines what it means for diversity in films and for Jordan's production company.

  2. For International Women's Day on Thursday, The New York Times looked inward, realizing their obituaries have leaned heavily toward men. They flipped the script by honoring these 15 remarkable women who were overlooked.

  3. NPR surveyed dozens of transgender and gender-nonconforming teachers in the U.S. and Canada and found that more than half face workplace harassment. Some pointed out noticeable differences in how they are treated by their students compared to other adults.

  4. Cavaliers forward Kevin Love opened up this week about how he deals with anxiety and depression as an NBA player, inspiring others to discuss their struggles. Bleacher Report looked at the response of the Wizards' Kelly Oubre who said he's "going through a lot."

  5. On Thursday, McDonald's turned its arches upside down to make a "W" in honor of International Women's Day. HuffPost's Willa Frej explains why she believes the gesture missed the mark.

Your Daily Dose of | Art

Artist Myrna Bloom is sharing her works with fellow residents at the Watermark at Logan Square by turning her apartment into an art gallery.