Survivor helps black women talk about sexual violence; saving Pa.’s nuclear reactors | Morning Newsletter
All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RQSCF7T2YZF6RIZNLQD6BC55RI.jpg)
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Sexual violence can lead to a lonely experience for black women. Research shows they are less likely to speak out about abuse. One Philadelphia woman is on a mission to change that. Lawmakers in Harrisburg want to change Pennsylvania’s push toward alternative energy sources by sending additional funds to the state’s nuclear reactors. But critics worry about what it will cost customers. Concerns over costs might also stand in New Jersey’s way when it comes to more secure elections.
Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.
— Ray Boyd (@RayBoydDigital, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
When LaQuisha Anthony was raped in college, she didn’t tell anyone. In 2001, she hadn’t seen someone get through those circumstances and go on to a better life to give her a sense of hope.
Now, she’s become that hope for others through her nonprofit V.O.I.C.E (Victory Over Inconceivable Cowardly Experiences).
Anthony’s mission is to elevate the stories of black women and girls, who are more likely to face sexual violence, research shows, but who are less likely to speak out or be believed when they do.
A bill is circulating in Harrisburg that could cause your electric bill to increase. If passed, customers in Pennsylvania would pay millions of dollars a year to save the state’s nuclear power industry.
Supporters say the nuclear industry needs a lifeline to keep the state’s reactors open. They also argue that it will correct a “market flaw” by including nuclear energy into a piece of legislation that guaranteed 18 percent of the state’s power sales to alternative energy sources by 2021.
But not all of the state’s reactors are in immediate danger of closing. Opponents call the bill a “bailout” that will increase costs and enrich most of the state’s nuclear plants.
New Jersey was once on track to become a national leader in election security. Now, experts say its paperless voting machines leave New Jersey elections vulnerable to attacks because there is no paper trail to back up electronically stored votes.
That grim warning hasn’t caused New Jersey officials to take action like their counterparts in Pennsylvania. The head of the state’s Division of Elections points to one major factor that stands in the way of ordering new machines statewide.
With the state unable to act, a number of counties are taking matters into their own hands as the 2020 elections draw nearer.
What you need to know today
A new twist to an old Social Security scam is bilking victims out of thousands of dollars, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned. Scammers are calling people with erroneous claims about their Social Security numbers and, in some cases, impersonating government agencies and threatening an arrest if immediate payment is not made.
President Donald Trump is planning to request another $8.6 billion in new funding to build a wall along the Mexico border, setting up yet another showdown with Congress.
Hundreds of SEPTA transit officers are expected to remain on strike today after talks ended Sunday at 9 p.m. Wages and body-camera use continue to be sticking points.
Vanguard is trying, again, to get socially responsible investing right. A new fund is designed to help investors focused on environmental, social, and governance issues better understand whether the mutual funds or exchange-traded funds they’re investing in reflect their values.
Binge drinking changes your DNA, researches from Rutgers University have found. It’s the latest in a growing body of evidence that alcohol and drug use causes genetic changes that may reinforce addiction.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Farewell, Flower Show. Best of luck with that souvenir, @daniclaire93 💐
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
Joel Embiid was back on the court Sunday after missing eight games due to injury. The Sixers’ blowout of the Pacers could have a major impact on playoff positioning and showed just how important a healthy Embiid is to the team’s success.
Philabundance helps feed hundreds of thousands of people in need of food across the Philly region. But now the agency is rethinking its strategy a bit as it embarks on an ambitious plan to end hunger “For Good.”
Just like your clocks at home, the clock atop Philadelphia’s City Hall doesn’t change for daylight saving time on its own. We spent a night with Joe Brasky, the man who’s done the job twice a year for the past decade.
Some high profile Philadelphians brought our city’s spirit to Austin, Texas, over the weekend for the annual South by Southwest festival (SXSW). Yes, obviously, Gritty was there.
A Berks County man known for his classic cast-iron fireplace designs says knockoffs from China are killing his business. His firebacks — large plates that are propped up inside fireplaces to protect the bricks and radiate heat — aren’t the only uniquely-Pennsylvania products counterfeited in China.
Opinions
“The real source of angst over the Manafort sentence is this: A growing fear that an American criminal justice system that is so badly broken, and fundamentally unfair, simply isn’t up to the task of handling the massive gold toilet seat of corruption and dishonesty that is Donald J. Trump and the rogues’ gallery surrounding him.” — Columnist Will Bunch on the American justice system’s ability to handle massive corruption.
Mayor Kenney’s budget address was imaginative and put a positive spin on many aspects of the city. But the full truth is more complicated, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.
Bianca Roberson was just 18 when she was shot and killed during a road rage incident in Exton. Now, her parents are raising funds to memorialize her through art — a plan columnist Jenice Armstrong believes people should get behind.
What we’re reading
The NFL scouting combine, where outgoing college players hopeful of having a career playing professional football gather every year in Indianapolis, is … pointless. At least that’s the depiction in this ESPN The Magazine piece that pulls back the curtain on a week of steak, booze, and glad-handing among the NFL’s elite.
Jay Rayner, The Guardian’s restaurant critic based in the U.K., has weighed in on Passyunk Avenue — not the street, but the newish Philly-themed diner serving up its idea of cheesesteaks (with “cheddar fondue?”) in London. He didn’t hate it.
Speaking of spins on the cheesesteak, Joe’s Steaks has been under a lot of scrutiny for their latest — a classic Joe’s cheesesteak served beneath two slices of Stock’s pound cake. Laugh all you want, but Billy Penn’s taste test shows this hybrid might surprise you.
The Associated Press has a grim look at a small Missouri town that recently lost its last local newspaper. It’s part of a growing trend in which more than 1,400 newspapers in cities and towns across the U.S. have closed over the past 15 years, often leaving residents without a reliable source of local news.
A Daily Dose of | Victory
Temple’s Fran Dunphy coached his final home game on North Broad Saturday and lifted the Owls to a major win over UCF — a victory that might’ve earned the legendary Big 5 coach one final dance.