Democrats wait for results as Iowa caucuses are hit by tech problems; Philly’s international students face barriers to mental health services | Morning Newsletter
Plus, will winter make a comeback?
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Winter, where are you? Yesterday’s high in Philly hit 60. Today, despite the rain, will be yet another warm-for-January day. Was Punxsutawney Phil right?
In other news, the Iowa caucuses have been thrown into chaos, the fear about the coronavirus may be more damaging than the virus itself, and Gritty is cleared after a police investigation.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
In 2019, Pennsylvania had nearly 52,000 international students enrolled at universities across the commonwealth. That’s the sixth-highest international student population in the country. And for many of these students, adjustments on all levels can be a struggle, making students more susceptible to anxiety and depression.
My colleague spoke with students about the challenge to open up due to cultural stigma while working with mental health professionals who may have too little understanding of their cultures to be truly helpful.
The current panic over coronavirus reminds social scientists of the 2002 outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in China. That’s because both incidents fed anxieties regarding globalization, immigration, economic disruption, national security, bioterrorism, and more. But now, digital and social media are making it worse.
While unknowns can be unnerving, the fear of a pandemic can be more dangerous than the actual virus. For example, governments, companies, and airlines have restricted travel and trade with China, despite the World Health Organization saying it’s unnecessary. And that fear, my colleague reports, often comes with persecution and prejudice.
What you need to know today
The Iowa caucuses are in chaos after a technical problem delayed the results until later today. My colleague Jonathan Tamari was in Iowa last night, observing the caucus of a small town that mirrors places in Pennsylvania that helped decide the 2016 race. Here’s what happened. (Also, in Iowans in Philadelphia had their own caucus at Penn.) Check Inquirer.com for more updates.
The official high in Philly yesterday was 60, which, while falling short of the daily record, did give us April-like weather. With a warm but soggy week ahead of us, will winter have a chance to make a comeback?
Philly’s next mayoral race is in 2023. But the money race has already started.
Gov. Tom Wolf is pushing significant changes to Pennsylvania’s charter school law. His office says the changes could save school districts $280 million a year. It would leave the existing charters less funding each year.
A man from Norristown has been convicted and sentenced to death three times for the same murder. Now, Montgomery County prosecutors are poised to try him for the fourth time in the nearly 40-year-old crime.
The heart of the Philadelphia region’s Ukrainian community for nearly 70 years has been the Ukrainian Selfreliance Credit Union. And it has stood strong from its founding by postwar refugees to today, as President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial has propelled Ukraine to the front of the national conversation.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
It looks like we’ll be getting some showers this morning 🌧️, but it’ll be rain, not snow. Sorry about that, @aimeebsiegel. Any other winter-lovers out there?
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
🏆As the clock struck zero and Andy Reid secured his first Super Bowl win, the memory of his son, who died 7½ years ago, lingered. My colleague Jeff McLane spoke with Reid and his family about what that moment was like.
💬When it comes to Spanish accent marks, they can be loaded. Especially in América.
🚓Gritty will not be charged following a Philadelphia police investigation into whether the Flyers mascot punched a 13-year-old.
🏀All the basketballs, sneakers, jerseys, and hats left outside Lower Merion High School in makeshift memorials to Kobe Bryant were cleared from the school this weekend. But they may be getting second lives elsewhere.
🐁Rodents and other animals were again problematic for the Philadelphia restaurants and food establishments that had to close due to health code violations in the second half of January. That includes one place where dead baby roaches were in popsicles.
🍻Why does Philly drink more Twisted Tea Light than anywhere else in the country?
Opinions
“The party’s bylaws do not currently prevent a person convicted of a crime related to their elected duties from holding a ward leader position, so unless something changes, Bobby Henon and Kenyatta Johnson could hypothetically have a direct vote on their replacements depending on the nature of their sentences.” — writes Jon Geeting, the director of engagement at the political organization Philadelphia 3.0, about why Democratic leaders should change the rules regarding their two indicted City Councilmembers.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen writes for The Inquirer that “safe injection sites” have nothing “safe” about them.
So many of Philly’s Indego e-bikes that use electric motors to boost pedaling power have gone missing that the city has temporarily taken the fleet out of service. The Inquirer Editorial Board writes that the e-bikes are a welcome addition, but not until the city can properly protect the public’s investment.
What we’re reading
The School District of Philadelphia is changing its lockdowns in order to make them less traumatic, Billy Penn reports.
Outside did a story on an Arctic explorer who was one tent pole away from dying.
What’d you think about Sunday night’s halftime show? Shakira and J-Lo crushed it, in my opinion. But I found myself also really enjoying the Ringer’s oral history of Prince’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2007.
Your Daily Dose of | A Heroic Pup
Billy is a Philly wonder dog. The 5-year-old bull terrier and his humans were walking earlier this month near their West Philadelphia home when two armed men confronted them. Sensing danger, Billy began to bark. The gunman opened fire, hitting Billy in the chest. Billy was then rushed to an animal hospital, where he had two surgeries and nearly three weeks of intensive care. "I belong to him,” Felipe Sinisterra, one of Billy’s owners, said, chuckling. “He rescued me.”