Kenney rallies for Philly Haitians, Francisville seeks fresh food, Eagles prep for Bears | Morning Newsletter
Happy Friday. I hope you’re waking up today to family and leftovers, or at least doing some shopping. Either way, we’ll catch you up on what you may have missed over the holiday.
If you like what you’re reading, 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.
— Aubrey Nagle
Black Friday survival guide
If you’re heading out to the stores this morning (or already out the door) you’ll want to hear these Black Friday shopping tips from retail experts.
In the Philly region and beyond, retailers have expectations of big spending online and off.
Things you might want to shop for? The Instant Pot (it’s definitely worth the hype), high-tech goodies, the season’s hottest reads, a Questlove Christmas sweater, and key classical recordings.
Kenney says Trump should get out, not immigrants
Mayor Kenney joined council members and immigration advocates Wednesday in a rally against the Trump administration’s removal of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants and the DACA program.
The end of TPS means thousands of Haitians must leave the United States by July 2019 or face deportation. Speakers at Wednesday’s gathering vowed to restore TPS and Kenney candidly said of Trump, “He should get out, actually.”
Kenny has fought the administration in court before, and won, to keep the administration from withholding funds from “sanctuary cities” like Philly.
Francisville residents bring fresh food to the neighborhood
In North Philly’s Francisville neighborhood, a volunteer-run food distribution network is bringing fresh food to residents. Each week, volunteers pick up donated food from Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market in West Philly and hand it out to those in need.
The project is heartwarming, but also desperately needed. For some residents, this network is the only way they can get fresh produce. Across the country, healthier perishable foods are often nearly twice as expensive as unhealthy pre-packaged foods.
One in four North Philly homes struggles with hunger, the food insecurity rate of children there has nearly tripled in the past ten years, and a new report says the poverty rate for working-age adults has risen in the past decade.
What you need to know today
Philly has lost 26 teens to gun violence this year; last year 27 were killed. Yet, as columnist Helen Ubiñas writes, the city continues to turn a blind eye to the epidemic claiming the lives of black and brown children.
The remains of the last two missing residents have been found at the scene of the Barclay Friends nursing home fire.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s lawyer will no longer discuss the investigation Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election with President Trump’s attorneys, a sign Flynn might be preparing to cooperate in the probe.
Are the Eagles desperate as they gear up to face the Bears Sunday? Tight end Zach Ertz thinks so, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Uber and Lyft have changed the way we get around and reshaped the city, but how? We asked four local transportation experts for their thoughts.
“I think I’m the best defensive player in the league right now,” the Sixers’ lovably humble Joel Embiid after Wednesday’s win over the Trail Blazers.
Beware, it’s that time of year: deer mating season. Pennsylvania drivers have a much higher chance of hitting a deer than their neighbors in New Jersey.
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 to build those followers!
That’s Interesting
When a homeless man spent his last $20 helping a N.J. woman stranded on the side of the road, she and her boyfriend raised money to get him on his feet. They’ve raised a whopping $289,000 in 13 days.
Family in town? Try these weekend activities, like the kid-friendly Wild Wizarding Weekend at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Movies more your speed? Critic Gary Thompson has seen all the flicks you may want to see this weekend. Check out his recommendations before you do.
The Delaware County teen who scored a half-court shot at last Saturday’s Sixers game knows a bit about overcoming the odds. Before hitting the trick shot, he beat cancer and recently weathered his brother’s death.
Two years ago the Somers family moved from Philadelphia to Israel for a more spiritually fulfilling life. Today they say they’ve certainly found it.
Geechee Girl Cafe fans may have seen a familiar face around West Philly’s Eat Cafe: chef Valerie Erwin is managing the pay-what-you-can eatery.
There’s a small group of people fighting to keep the Pennsylvania Dutch language alive, though, for its size, the small-minority language is actually growing.
Candidate for coolest job ever: Rutgers meteorite-hunter Juliane Gross is heading to Antarctica for eight weeks.
Opinions
“I am an Eagles fan, and that is something that trumps the Bill of Rights, the Code of Military Conduct, the Letter from a Birmingham Jail and tweets from both the president and that woman who works for ESPN.“ — Columnist Christine Flowers writes about what it’s like to be an Eagles fan in the age of NFL boycotts.
As Trump supports Republican senate candidate Roy Moore, columnist Will Bunch asks if the nation’s so polarized that voters would rather choose a man accused of sexual misconduct than a Democrat.
West Chester soccer mom Noel Dolan has cheered through her last game. As the season ends, she reflects on what being a “soccer mom” is really about.
What we’re reading
You think your Thanksgiving Day was hectic? NJ.com writes about a local bakery that made 3,000 pies for the holiday, in one weekend.
I love this profile on Jeff Michaud, chef-owner of award-winning Philly restaurant Osteria. He relieves his stress in the MMA gym—and on Philly Weekly editor Kerith Gabriel!
This Philadelphia Citizen report on a new mapping app helping police track overdosing caught my eye. It’s helping predict the epidemic’s spread.
If you enjoy the internet, you should read up on net neutrality. WIRED explains what the FCC’s intention to nix Obama-era protections would mean.
Generation Z is having a hard time understanding and finding healthy romantic relationships. So, as NPR reports, some schools are giving lessons in love. Not a bad idea.
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