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Remembering women civil rights leaders on MLK Day; Philly murder case tied to ex-detective tossed | Morning Newsletter

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Jamaal Simmons shown here outside the Inquirer and Daily News building near 801 Market Street, in Philadelphia, December 21, 2018. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer.
Jamaal Simmons shown here outside the Inquirer and Daily News building near 801 Market Street, in Philadelphia, December 21, 2018. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

    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 is shockingly cold this morning, friends. Like, “highs in the mid-teens" cold. We may have dodged the snowstorm that hit other parts of the country, but today’s flash freeze puts the city’s vulnerable at risk. Remember to really bundle up if you’re headed out to local Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. To kick off King Day, we’ve got a look at the women civil rights leaders whose stories often go untold this time of year. Whether you’re off for the day, going to work, or taking some time to give back, it’s a great read to mark the occasion.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Jamaal Simmons, imprisoned in 2012 for a murder in which he always denied involvement, was released from prison last month after a judge threw out his conviction and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office declined to try him again.

And it happened in secret.

Simmons' case marks the fourth time in six months that a prosecution connected to ex-Philadelphia homicide detective Philip Nordo, who was fired in 2017, has either deteriorated or dissolved. And no one will say if there are more to come.

Throughout the country, many will spend today celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and honoring the civil rights leader by participating in acts of service.

But, for all the events and memorials set to remember the civil rights movement each year, little is known about the women at the forefront of the struggle.

Today reporter Valerie Russ is shedding light on the women left out of the spotlight so you can learn their important stories.

If you submitted an absentee ballot in Pennsylvania for the 2018 midterm elections, your vote may not have been counted.

More than 4,600 of would-be voters' ballots arrived too late to be counted in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties, and many of them have no idea.

Blame tight deadlines. The last day to request absentee ballots is the Tuesday before Election Day and the deadline for receipt is that Friday, leaving almost no room for error.

What you need to know today

  1. Thousands flooded the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Saturday for the third annual Women’s March on Philadelphia, despite frigid weather and confusion among two separate branches of the demonstration.

  2. No one likes delays at the airport. If slowdowns stemming from the partial government shutdown start to spread, it could speed up the end to the historic shutdown. 

  3. Those struggling under the weight of the shutdown have a tiny bit of good news: an anonymous donor has made a $500,000 donation for short-term, no-interest loans for federal employees in the Philly region.

  4. Last week, BuzzFeed reported that President Trump ordered his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress. The Special Counsel’s Office has since said the report is inaccurate, though BuzzFeed is standing by its story.

  5. Those waiting to get the hot new reads from the Free Library of Philadelphia could expect to wait a while. Shrunken materials budgets mean libraries have fewer new books to borrow

  6. The Patriots may have been stymied by the Eagles last year, but they’ll get another shot at the Super Bowl after last night’s victory over the Chiefs. Tom Brady and Co. will face the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Thanks for this peek inside the Women’s March, @rebecca___adams.

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

  1. Nick Foles doesn’t love the business side of football. But that’s exactly the side that’s driving his next move, whether the Eagles keep the QB or he ends up a free agent.

  2. If you’re looking for extra insight into the Eagles' quarterback situation, it may help to take a look back at the greatest QB controversy of all. 

  3. Are you getting enough protein in your diet? If you’re an older adult, getting a little more may be beneficial — just don’t overdo it on the protein shakes. 

  4. After the Sixers lost in the final seconds of their Saturday match-up against the Thunder, columnist David Murphy has come to Ben Simmons' defense with a reminder of how good he really is.

  5. Despite lousy weather, fans showed up for Pennsylvania’s own M. Night Shyamalan and his new film Glass, which performed above expectations over the holiday weekend. 

Opinions

“Black women have been leading the fight so that the promise of Roe v. Wade, the ability to make the most personal decisions — whether and when to parent, to say no to sexual advances, to have dominion over our own health and lives — is realized for everyone.” — La’Tasha Mayes, founder and executive director for New Voices for Reproductive Justice, on black women being denied reproductive justice.

  1. Mayor Jim Kenney and City Council should makes sure a city-owned property up for sale in the heart of the Passyunk Square neighborhood is developed into affordable housing, writes Passyunk Square resident Andrew Stober. 

  2. After 16 years as a federal employee, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has Angelia N. Levy rethinking her “good” government job.

What we’re reading

  1. The Washington Post has versions of events from all sides of the confrontation between high school students and a Native American elder at the Lincoln Memorial that was a hot topic over the weekend. It’s an important read this morning. 

  2. Your long read of the day: Philadelphia Magazine has published a thoughtful, intimate look into how Trump administration policies have changed life for legal immigrants. 

  3. The miracles of technology: a team of Thomas Jefferson University doctors is using 3D-printed models to speed up surgeries in Haiti, and WHYY has the impressive story.

  4. The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery want to turn the neglected cemetery into a destination for Southwest Philadelphia, and PlanPhilly has all the details.

  5. If you’ve watched football on Fox, you’ve seen Cleatus, the animated football robot. Fast Company’s quirky investigation into the mascot’s back story is surprisingly in-depth and entertaining.

A Daily Dose of | Support

Despite the punchlines over emotional support peacocks and goats, more college students are turning to therapy dogs and cats to help with mental health disorders.