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New Pa. congressional map revealed, warmer weather sneaks in, Old City building 'total loss' after fire | Morning Newsletter

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The new congressional map released Monday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The new congressional map released Monday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.Read moreJared Whalen

Good morning, friends. It will be a strangely warm (for February) day today, so enjoy the nicer weather while you can. But before you do, join us for a deep dive into the new congressional map imposed on Pennsylvania, released yesterday, and a check in with the historic Old City buildings damaged by this weekend's fire. There's lots to discuss.

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

» READ MORE: New congressional map for 2018 elections released; big changes ahead

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court revealed a new congressional district map for the state Monday. The new map renumbers districts across the state and gives a potential boost to Democrats in the 2018 elections.

The number of Republicans and Democrats sent to Congress would likely be close to an even split with this new map. There will also be newly competitive districts all over the state, and Philadelphia, Delaware County and Montgomery County will all see major changes.

But that's not all: the race to succeed Philadelphia's longtime Democratic Party boss Bob Brady in the U.S. House was thrown into chaos by the update.

» READ MORE: Building damaged by Old City fire, city hopes to save facade

An apartment building which caught fire in Old City Sunday has officially been declared "imminently dangerous" by city officials.

The commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections said the building appears to be a "total loss" but that they hope to save its first floor cast iron facade.

The apartment building is one of the beautiful mid-19th century structures that define the look of Old City, writes architecture critic Inga Saffron. Yet, like many other nearby structures, the building lacked protection from preventable, damaging fires.

» READ MORE: How Russian trolls sought to influence Pennsylvania voters

An unknown number of Pennsylvanians were the targets of Russia's campaign to influence American voters via social media, according to an indictment filed Friday by the Justice Department's special counsel.

Thirteen individuals and three companies were charged with criminally interfering with the 2016 presidential election —  including planning one October 2016 protest in Philadelphia from 4,300 miles away.

Fake accounts began to hone in on Philadelphia in July 2016 as the Democratic National Convention began. You can see some of their social media posts here.

What you need to know today

  1. Temperatures in the region will zoom into the 70s today and tomorrow. Here's why the weird (if wonderful) weather is happening.

  2. A fire in Salem County, New Jersey, has gutted a local ambulance squad station, destroying practically all of its equipment and decades of community memories. 

  3. Shortly after raging at the FBI via Twitter and five days after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 people dead, President Trump signaled support for one piece of gun control legislation: a limited strengthening of federal background checks.

  4. Millions of Americans have the irregular heart rhythm nicknamed a-fib, increasing their risk of stroke. But a new Penn study has found the risk is higher in black patients.

  5. Ivan Nunez and his husband Paul, married for almost two years, were seeking legal status for Nunez last month when ICE showed up to detain him. Monday at the William Way LGBT Community Center in Center City, advocates demanded his release.

  6. An Asian American Penn student was shocked to hear a Center City Taco Bell cashier use a racial slur to describe him Saturday. The franchisee is investigating the incident.

  7. Bucks County's own Jamie Greubel-Poser will join today's Olympic women's bobsled competition, but before she does, you need to see the video where she predicts the Eagles would win Super Bowl LII — from last April. (Here's Tuesday's full Olympics TV schedule, so you can cheer her on.)

  8. An 11-year-old Boy Scout was summoned for jury duty in West Chester and, yes, there is photographic evidence.

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. Students at Pennridge High School are working on a seemingly low-tech project to present at a STEM competition this spring: making their own acoustic guitars.

  2. Indeblue, the Indian restaurant that's been a staple of Collingswood since 2009, is closing this week. But it's not all bad news; they're seeking new locations in Philly and South Jersey, and Collingswood's mayor hopes to convince them to reopen.

  3. The Kensington-based Sunday Suppers program has helped families commit to healthy, affordable eating and meet their neighbors for eight years. Now they're expanding to Germantown, too.

  4. The Slovenian Olympic athlete who wrote "Free Meek Mill" on his snowboard has finally explained his support for the Philly rapper.

  5. Sixers fans are still waiting to see rookie Markelle Fultz back on the court. But, columnist Bob Ford writes, they're handing the team too much criticism in the meantime.

  6. The Academy of Natural Sciences is renovating its dioramas for the first time since the 1930s, some of which haven't even been opened for 80 to 90 years.

  7. Opera Philadelphia premieres a new song cycle tonight prompted by police brutality against African Americans and starring tenor Lawrence Brownlee. But so far, details on the cycle's content are scant.

Opinions

"I grew up as a hungry kid, and it was traumatic. I know that any cut like this will only traumatize people further." — Sherita Mouzon of Witnesses to Hunger explains how the SNAP program, which President Trump's proposed budget would cut funding from, helped save her daughter.

  1. Black History Month has failed its mission, writes Inquirer Editorial Page Editor Harold Jackson, and it's time for schools to make African American history part of their core curricula.

  2. On the other hand, educator and entrepreneur Hakim Pitts writes that he has Black History Month to thank for fueling his life's work in activism and education.

What we’re reading

  1. Philadelphia Magazine's Liz Spikol has written a stunning account of what the past months of sexual harassment and assault allegations in the news have meant to her as a rape survivor. It's a must-read.

  2. Jabari K. Jones, president of the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative, has shared what he's learned from founding the group as a Drexel undergrad with the Philadelphia Citizen. Among his top advice: listen to young people.

  3. A group of Penn graduates are hoping to crowdfund scholarships to the school's midwifery program for women of color, Billy Penn writes. Diversity in the field, they say, is a matter of life and death. 

  4. Excited to finally see Black Panther? Check out this Mashable primer on the Afrofuturist aesthetic seen and felt throughout the film — including where to find more of it.

  5. Vulture has put together an oral history of Bob Costas having pink eye at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. It's as ridiculous as it sounds.

Your Daily Dose of | Downward Dog

Ever do cat pose with a real cat? Local yoga classes with puppies and cats wandering between the mats are bringing relaxation to a whole new level.