A road to recovery leads to Philly; the Johnny Bobbitt saga continues | Morning Newsletter
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Two very personal stories are our focus this morning. The first follows Ryan Straschnitzki, the hockey player whose life was changed forever by a deadly April bus crash. His recovery journey has taken him from Canada to Philadelphia. The second is that of Johnny Bobbitt, whose feel-good story of new beginnings has been torn asunder by battles over the money raised for him — a battle that still isn't over. And, in case you forgot, (how could you?) tonight the Eagles start their drive for another world championship. Go Birds.
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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
On April 6, a bus carrying the Humboldt Bronco Canadian junior hockey team was traveling to a playoff game when it collided with a semi-trailer truck.
Sixteen people on the bus died. Ryan Straschnitzki, 19, miraculously survived but suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the arms down.
His road to recovery brought him from Saskatchewan all the way to Philadelphia, where, thanks to Shriners Hospital for Children, he's defined his new normal.
The story of Johnny Bobbitt is a cautionary tale. Late last year the homeless man’s act of kindness inspired $400,000 in crowdfunding.
Now the couple who organized the GoFundMe campaign in his name is invoking the Fifth Amendment and no-showing court hearings over where all that money has gone.
Why the campaign for Bobbitt went viral when so many others don't is anybody's guess. But there are ways to donate to charity without being taken for a ride.
Limerick Township recently closed the sale of its municipal sewer system to a private operator, generating $75.1 million for the town. There’s a catch: Limerick’s 5,400 customers are facing an 84 percent bill increase in a few years.
But Limerick is not alone. Throughout Philly's suburbs, private operators and local governments are battling over who will own public water systems and who will foot the bill.
What you need to know today
Police say Shantee Tucker, a 30-year-old trans woman, was shot to death in Hunting Park early Wednesday. They're seeking help identifying the shooter and say the motive for the killing is still unknown.
A Sunoco pipeline spilled more than 33,500 gallons of gasoline along Darby Creek in June, according to recently released federal data. The spill is under investigation as Sunoco continues remediation.
Tonight's the night! The Eagles open the NFL season at 8:20 p.m. Bud Light has unveiled a new "Philly Special" statue at the Linc in celebration and our writers have weighed in on whether the Birds can snag a repeat Super Bowl win.
Yesterday the New York Times published an anonymous opinion piece by a senior administration official claiming to be working against President Trump from within, setting off a wild guessing game on the author's identity.
Nationally, 18 percent of urban teachers leave their schools each year, but in the Philadelphia School District, 27 percent do. The high mobility has negative implications for students, inequality, and budgets.
New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory Booker started out in Washington as a champion of common ground. But the Booker seen at confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has a newly confrontational approach.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
What a colorful way to beat the heat, @anthony.pezzotti!
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
Consider this a win, August-start haters: weather data shows extending the school year into June is a far safer bet for students in summer heat than starting before Labor Day. Though, to be fair, Philadelphia also set a record for heat Wednesday.
Philly has a "trash cop" program (with the on-the-nose name SWEEP) for educating and enforcing sanitation codes. Readers wanted to know how much it costs, and reporter Tommy Rowan answered.
Frequenters of Wissahickon's historic Thomas Mill Red Covered Bridge are writing letters to it about how much the location means to them. Columnist Helen Ubiñas's story on the trend is a touching tearjerker.
McCormick & Schmick's and Joy Tsin Lau, which was once sued by the city over health code violations, are among the Philadelphia eateries to be closed by the health department last month.
Famed Chadds Ford artist Andrew Wyeth was a hit with the public, if not with art critics, while he was alive. It's the public that got it right, according to a new PBS special airing Friday.
Think you don't have the guts for this weekend's Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride? There are ways to rock your birthday suit and feel comfortable doing it.
Opinions
The overheated, air conditioning-less classrooms in Philadelphia schools wouldn't be tolerated in the suburbs, and we're right to call it a public health crisis, writes columnist Mike Newall.
Columnist Trudy Rubin recently took a trip to London to escape the political theater in Washington — only to find American political drama was all over British theater.
What we’re reading
Generocity's story on a group of incarcerated men who make just 19 cents an hour and yet funded a backpack drive for Philly kids is an emotional read.
NextCity has created an interactive and visually engaging timeline of gentrification, from the term's emergence in 1964 to today. It's a must-read for city dwellers.
Long before it held a rooftop bar, Bok Technical High School in South Philly held classes on welding, sewing and…chemical warfare preparedness. Hidden City's latest photo-filled retrospective is like a trip back in time.
If you spend any time following beauty influencers on social media, you'll want to read Vox's dive into the sometimes shady ways they make money on your likes.
Your Daily Dose of | Fandom
Thanks to years of passion and decoration, plus some newly minted Super Bowl memorabilia, Philly’s biggest Eagles fans are ready for kickoff in their incredible fan caves.