There’s a ‘critical shortage’ of election poll workers; Trump to rally in Pa. | Morning Newsletter
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The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to the week, Philly. Temperatures are heating up, and so are local campaigns going into the final hours before tomorrow’s primary election. You may already have your Tuesday voting plan in place, but those running the polls may be scrambling in response to a shortage of poll workers needed to staff the stations. My colleague Jonathan Lai explains what this deficit could mean for voter participation going forward. And, President Donald Trump is expected to rally in Montoursville today.
Have questions about the Philadelphia primary election on Tuesday, May 21? Text us here.
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— Oona Goodin-Smith (@oonagoodinsmith, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
Thousands of poll workers are needed to fully staff the hundreds of polling places across Philly open tomorrow for the primary election. But until election day, there’s no telling whom among those workers will show up.
Expected to put in long hours and attend training for little or no money, poll workers in Philadelphia and across the country are in short supply — and experts say that could have long-term effects on voter participation.
To combat the shortage, places like Bucks County and Philadelphia are testing recruitment programs and training high school students to facilitate elections.
With the Pennsylvania primary tomorrow and the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, campaign season is upon the Keystone State.
On Saturday, former vice president Joe Biden rallied in Eakins Oval, offering a "a different path” of unity in lieu of “hatred” from President Donald Trump. His visit came just days after Sen. Elizabeth Warren stopped by a Northeast Philadelphia union hall to take questions from teachers and students.
Meanwhile, Trump is slated to hold a rally today in Montoursville, Pa., near Williamsport, ostensibly in support of State Rep. Fred Keller.
And in Philadelphia, local candidates are going strong in the days before Tuesday’s election, spotted canvassing in church pews and diner booths ahead of the vote.
Guardians of the gravel and orange protectors of the potholes, they stand watch over road hazards and construction sites alike. That is, until they find themselves in the wrong hands and starting anew as savesies markers, avante-garde headwear and bright orange beer bongs.
Traffic cones, everybody’s stealing them.
Cone theft or damage is so common, in fact, that a traffic cone is deployed fewer than three times before it becomes a casualty or MIA, one purveyor estimated.
Reporter Andy Maykuth constructs the tale of life as utility cone on the open road.
What you need to know today
In a little more than six hours Sunday morning, one person was killed and seven others injured in a series of shootings and stabbings in Philadelphia.
Police in South Jersey arrested two men on Sunday after a video circulated on social media showing a man urinating on the memorial of a boy who died from an inoperable brain tumor.
Should Philadelphia create a new class of law officer dedicated to traffic enforcement? Voters can weigh in on Tuesday.
Scores of LGBTQ+ Latinx people traveled from across the country to Philadelphia Saturday for the first national conference of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement. The group discussed, unified and strategized as the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community has become an emerging issue in the national debate over immigration.
Martin Tower, the 21-story former headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, was demolished Saturday. The building stood vacant for a dozen years after America’s second-largest steelmaker went out of business.
After 11 seasons in the NFL, Eagles defensive end Chris Long is retiring.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
A good reminder to look on the bright side today. Thanks, @globalsal.
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
Tired of wondering when the city’s going to pick up your trash, plow or pave your Philly street? There’s a map for that.
Let them get a “Hell yeah.” Eagles center Jason Kelce and his wife, Kylie, are adding to their nest and expecting their first child in September.
(Warning: spoilers are coming.) If you like your finale series tied up with a bow, you were in luck with last night’s Game of Thrones. But was it the show you thought you were watching?
When Wawa took over The Public Ledger building at Sixth and Chestnut to make way for the world’s largest Sizzli stop, a piece of Philly history was stripped away.
Opinions
“First, this city west of Philadelphia lost its railroad. Then, much of the rest of its once-dynamite economy. Then, two years ago, it lost its heroic savior, department store legend Al Boscov, who even at age 87 was trying to rebuild this town one new Hilton hotel, one Santander Arena, at a time. Today, it is the 10th-poorest city in the United States by household median income, census estimates say. It used to be the poorest, to which locals desperately declare: ‘Hey, at least we’ve moved up!'” - Columnist Maria Panaritis on what The Reading Eagle’s recent bankruptcy may mean for the struggling town.
At the Boardroom Barber Shop in South Jersey, owner Donna Brosious masters men’s grooming in a “man cave for the whole family." Columnist Kevin Riordan tells her story.
Supporters at Joe Biden’s Saturday campaign rally in Philly partied like it was 2015, and a lot of their desire for a Biden presidency is likely a desire to return to a world where, for the most part, people didn’t think about politics at all, writes columnist Will Bunch.
What we’re reading
In 1908, The Met was built for opera performances. But these days, it’s showcasing everything from boxing matches to electronic festival artists, and, as Technical.ly Philly reports, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems are to thank.
Using a broomstick, three-story building, and half of a squishy ball, the game of half-ball is alive and well in South Philly. WHYY gives the how-to on trying your hand at the storied sport.
Officials have blamed Uber and Lyft for the 950 New York City taxi drivers who filed bankruptcy since 2016 and others who have taken their own lives, but a New York Times investigation shows that taxi industry leaders pushed the drivers toward risky loans and massive debt, stripping immigrant families of their life savings while the leaders profited.
A Daily Dose of | Camping ⛺️
Looking to spend some quality time with Mother Nature this summer? Check out these Pennsylvania campgrounds, to start.