Philly’s most dangerous roads, Sixers rookie gets injured, national primary results | 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/VB3RBHUGKRB3BOQE23JOKKBH7I.jpg)
I hope you're not reading this while walking around on your phone. Advocates are organizing to make Philly's streets safer, but there are still plenty of neighborhoods where pedestrians and cyclists are often in danger — they're just not the neighborhoods you might expect. If you see a Sixers fan this morning, be extra nice. They're probably a little down after learning rookie Zhaire Smith is injured. The Process works in mysterious ways, it seems. Speaking of injured athletes, the quarterback lineup for the Eagles' preseason opener tomorrow is clearing up, and you may not like it.
Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.
— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
» READ MORE: Where are you most likely to be killed by a car in Philly?
In recent months, human bike lanes lined with cycling advocates have sought to raise awareness of cyclist deaths and demand safer streets.
What do the protests have in common? The demonstrators are often overwhelmingly white, and their locations tend to focus on the city's wealthier, central neighborhoods.
But the Philly neighborhoods with the most dangerous roads are outside of Center City, and often in low-income communities.
» READ MORE: Sixers rookie Zhaire Smith joins an unfortunate club
Zhaire Smith, one of the Sixers' 2018 draft picks, is just like teammates Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid in at least one way. He's yet another rookie to suffer an injury shortly after joining the team.
News that Smith had been injured at a development camp in Las Vegas broke Tuesday and it was later confirmed he fractured his left foot and will need surgery.
What was that noise? Oh, just the collective, exasperated sigh of the Sixers' fandom.
» READ MORE: Chestnut Hill Hospital workers ask: You want us to travel how far for health care?
Health care is often a pain to navigate, and for employees at Chestnut Hill Hospital, it may be getting worse. The hospital was acquired by Tower Health last fall and the company is proposing a new health care plan.
But the plan doesn't appear to have any "in-network" doctors in Philadelphia. The biggest in-network hospital with the most extensive services and in-network doctors is Reading Hospital, an hour away. The whole ordeal is a window into just some of the effects of the health care consolidation frenzy.
What you need to know today
Voters in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington went to the polls yesterday to vote for their party nominees ahead of November's midterm elections. The day also included a shocking result in an Ohio special election and a big victory for labor unions in Missouri.
A relative of the 7-year-old killed over the weekend by her father in a Manayunk murder-suicide has spoken out about the tragedy, saying a family court judge knew about the father's violent past and granted him weekend visits with his daughter anyway.
Two Camden detectives were shot in an unprovoked attack last night in what police called an "ambush." Both detectives suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Abortion "abolitionists" have dropped cards expressing anti-abortion sentiments with graphic imagery in products at Wegmans in King of Prussia. The chain is investigating.
The accused killer of Blaze Bernstein, the Penn student slain earlier this year in California, has been charged with a hate crime. Authorities say Samuel Lincoln Woodward, a member of a neo-Nazi group, killed Bernstein for being gay.
While Carson Wentz is eying the Eagles' season opener for a comeback, it's likely backup quarterbacks Nate Sudfeld and Joe Callahan will play Thursday's preseason opener while Nick Foles deals with some neck pain.
Philadelphia officials tried to update the Department of Prisons' data management system and spent $5 million on a software contract. Officials now admit the project has failed and almost all of that money is, well, gone. (Corrected link: in our Friday, Aug. 3 issue, the link to this story was incorrect. I apologize for the error.)
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Looks like a nice spot for a run, @nickjmalf.
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
You've heard of cryptocurrency, but have you heard of Art Units? They're a new coin-based form of currency created by a famous glassmaker working in Philly. Bitcoin, schmitcoin.
Don't take pain relief lightly after having your wisdom teeth removed. A new study says taking opioids after the surgery could set patients up for long-term drug use.
Children who've moved to Philly from rural villages of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria have experienced a bit of a culture shock, so a community center in Fairhill is helping them bridge the gaps. And it all starts with a giant, craft paper map.
New Eagles teammates Chris Long and Michael Bennett are both known for their social activism and political leanings. Soon they'll be known as a comedy duo, too, if their fast friendship at training camp is any indication.
Want a free cup of coffee? A New York-based startup is giving some away at Sister Cities Park today and tomorrow.
A real estate firm just released a report ranking the best cities to raise a family and Philadelphia's low, low ranking is disappointing, to say the least.
Opinions
Michael Coard, a Philadelphia lawyer and Cheyney University graduate, writes that the nation's oldest historically black college rising like a phoenix reminds him of Maya Angelou's poetry.
Exactly 44 years ago today, then-president Richard Nixon resigned. Columnist Will Bunch isn't getting bogged down in nostalgia, though. It's unlikely history will repeat itself with Trump, he writes.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia's "Philly" nickname has been used in speech since before the 1890's, but Philadelphia Weekly's exploration of how it first ended up in the Inquirer is an odd tale.
The city has a litter problem. You know it, I know it, we all know it. So the Philadelphia Citizen has rounded up some actionable ideas for cleaning it up, besides oft-postponed (and, they argue, much-needed) street-cleaning.
The Frankford Arsenal in Bridesburg was once a symbol of Philly's ties to U.S. military history. As Philadelphia Magazine reports, it's about to undergo another change as a new owner re-envisions the historic space.
If you love sugar you won't be able to resist this long read on how sweetness became a cultural avatar for both good and evil, written by Great British Bake Off runner-up Ruby Tandoh complete with illustrations by Philly-based artist Loveis Wise.
Getting sand in your phone is one of the many perils of a summer beach trip. But there's probably already sand in your phone that's supposed to be there. Let Wired explain how the grainy stuff makes all that scrolling possible.
Your Daily Dose of | Goats
Need your lawn trimmed or some peace of mind? A new North Philly nonprofit is training goats to be therapy animals and landscapers. The kids are all right.