The secret life of a football star; Nurses in Pa. are fed up | Morning Newsletter
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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
It feels like summer again. Not only is it heating up, but the humidity is very much back, too. In Pennsylvania, our new and enlarged Harrisburg team looked into why nurses are getting fed up with the state’s process of getting licensed, even as a new program was supposed to make it better. And, over in Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order that calls on companies that want to do business with the state to get behind gun control measures.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
He was a star football player, until he wasn’t. He was a world-famous wrestler, until he wasn’t. He was a secret agent, until he wasn’t. Who was Joe Savoldi?
His grandson Jim has spent more than 30 years researching his grandfather’s life. And the mystery all started after the Notre Dame star played a football game against Penn at Franklin Field in 1930.
In late 2016, Pennsylvania started rolling out a new, centralized electronic system to license nurses. It went to the state’s 29 licensing boards. They oversee everything from nurses to barbers to funeral directors, and said it would help with piles of paperwork and long wait times.
Nurses, lawmakers and state officials are getting frustrated that the rollout has taken longer than anticipated. It also hasn’t fixed known problems, they say. And, licensing fees for nurses are going up. One nurse who waited months to be able to register for a nursing license exam called it a “truly terrible” process.
Attention gun makers, dealers and financial institutions. The state of New Jersey is putting you on notice. Measure up to New Jersey’s strict gun-control standards, or you won’t be able to do business with the state.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order yesterday that will essentially allow N.J. to use its purchasing power to hold the gun industry accountable, according to state officials.
What you need to know today
Philadelphia’s acting police commissioner, Christine Coulter, apologized yesterday during a packed City Council meeting for wearing a controversial T-shirt in a photograph taken years ago. One Councilperson called on her to step down immediately because of the T-shirt Coulter wore. It included an apparent reference to Rodney King’s beating by officers in the Los Angeles Police Department. Coulter said that she did not realize that the slogan on her shirt was a reference to what happened to King.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is weighing a philosophical question: How many years in prison constitute a life sentence? And, more specifically, is the answer 50 years?
Elizabeth Warren has built a ton of momentum leading up to Thursday’s debate. Her rise has put her squarely in the “frontrunner” tier with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
For the first time in a decade, the number of Americans without health insurance increased. And children are being hit the hardest.
Illegal cigarette sales to Philadelphia kids doubled in 2018. Why? “We don’t actually understand this,” said the director of chronic disease and injury prevention at the city’s health department.
Negotiations are continuing in Congress over a bill that could provide some federal cleanup and regulation of PFAS — manmade chemicals that have seeped into drinking water in the region and in other areas across the country. They’ve been linked with numerous health issues, including cancers, thyroid problems, fertility issues and high cholesterol.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
A nice reminder about seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for the cool shot, @westofbroad.
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
An ex-mob enforcer says he has left crime behind. He was in federal court for his sentencing in a loan-sharking case that featured claims of Mafia-style threats and a violent encounter.
After the fire, the damaged Philadelphia refinery paid execs over $4.5 million in bonuses. Meanwhile, hundreds of workers were laid off.
Thanks to a 6-year-old girl’s letter to a Scranton company, little green women toy soldiers are on their way.
Here’s what $500 buys you in Pizzeria Beddia’s private hoagie room.
Comcast’s strategy for improving its customer service: a new, sleek call center in Delaware meant to boost workers’ experiences.
Opinions
“The chipped paint. The dusty carpets. The lack of foreign-language guides in Independence Hall. And don’t even start with the First Bank of the United States down the street — Alexander Hamilton’s pride and joy — which has been shuttered for 30 years and needs a complete overhaul, including a fire suppression system. You know, little things.” — Columnist Mike Newall writes about efforts to give Independence National Park a facelift, including a new GoFundMe campaign.
Ajay Nair, the president of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa., writes about how important it is for colleges to close their leadership diversity gaps.
“It is time for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to start participating in the Philadelphia community instead of battling it,” The Inquirer Editorial Board writes about the lawsuit against a potential supervised injection site.
What we’re reading
City Council is expected to debate banning hookah bars in Philly, WHYY reports.
The New York Times writes about how cheating for American college students has become a big-time business overseas.
Hey college football fans, have fun arguing over ESPN’s list of the 150 greatest teams ever.
Your Daily Dose of | 'Mutant Corn’
A stray cornstalk in South Jersey set a Guinness World Record for the number of cobs on a cornstalk. “It was a mutant corn plant,” said the agent who certified the number of ears on the stalk.