Philly police raid Occupy ICE camp, Atlantic City’s culinary energy on the rise | Morning Newsletter
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We've made it to the end of another week, Philly, and (what looks to be) the end of the heat wave. Heading into the weekend, bring your beach umbrella and appetite to Atlantic City, where Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan says there's renewed energy in the food scene. In Philadelphia's Center City, a different kind of energy and tension escalated between police and protesters camped outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office yesterday afternoon, as police used bicycles to push through tents to abruptly end the encampment on the corner of Cherry and Eighth Streets.
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— Oona Goodin-Smith (@oonagoodinsmith, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
» READ MORE: Atlantic City restaurants: New casinos, diverse independent spots create rising culinary energy
With nearly 40 eating venues scattered between Atlantic City's two new casinos, restaurants are on the rise in America's Playground.
But beyond the boardwalk and in the independent restaurants is where the dining scene sparkles, says Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan.
From cornbread to catfish, tuna tartare to tamales, LaBan dishes on the decided optimism of A.C.'s culinary landscape.
» READ MORE: Inside the Philadelphia Occupy ICE camp that police raided Thursday
Using bicycles to push through people and tents, Philadelphia police abruptly raided and destroyed the "Occupy ICE" encampment set up by protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Center City on Thursday afternoon.
"Stay calm! Stay calm!" a protester shouted as police pushed through the encampment and knock down the protesters' tents and canopies, which had been set up in the area since Monday evening as part of a national movement calling for the abolition of ICE. Local demonstrators also have called for the closure of the federal detention center in Berks County and an end to Philadelphia's collaboration with federal immigration officials.
Mayor Jim Kenney and Philly police said that protesters were given "numerous warnings" to clear the areas blocking doors and bays to the office building before officers took action against the socialist-organized demonstration. The response to the protest may put Kenney, who has enjoyed darling status from both police and progressive groups who supported his sanctuary city policy, in a politically precarious position come election time.
» READ MORE: As Philly neighborhoods gentrify, black churches lose their base and leave
Until a few years ago, the greatest threat to the future of 99-year-old New Light Beulah Baptist Church in Philadelphia's Graduate Hospital neighborhood was a thunderstorm that barreled through on a Thursday evening, ripping off part of the roof.
But the vicissitudes of nature paled next to another looming threat: the pressures of gentrification on an urban pocket where housing prices have increased more than 400 percent since 2000.
With long-time black residents moving out and mostly younger, mostly white newcomers moving in, the community's transition sapped the church of its membership, forcing leaders to sell its 61-year-old home, which was quickly razed and re-built into condos.
New Light Beaulah's story is that of many longstanding Philadelphia African American churches being forced to move, and the ripple effect is being felt in both the neighborhoods where they relocate and those they vacate.
What you need to know today
A deluge of rain is expected to douse Philly today, cooling the nearly week long heat wave that officials say killed at least one person in Philadelphia.
One man was killed and two other people were injured after a SEPTA bus ran a red light, struck two vehicles and crashed into a home in Northeast Philadelphia early Thursday evening.
The damage caused by a massive water main break in Center City this week could take months to repair, officials say.
In a span of just over 12 hours Wednesday and Thursday, at least 11 people were shot across Philadelphia, with two killed and nine injured.
Embattled EPA Chief Scott Pruitt stepped down from the Trump administration yesterday following a litany of federal probes and allegations of ethics violations. Deputy administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, will take his place.
Starbucks says it has fired an employee at its 34th and Walnut location who reportedly mocked a customer with a stutter. The incident came a month after the coffee chain held anti-racial bias training for thousands of U.S. employees after a worker at another Philadelphia store called police on two black men waiting for a friend.
Nearly two dozen current and former members of the clergy are among those seeking to block the release of a highly anticipated grand jury report outlining decades of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in Catholic dioceses across the Pennsylvania, new documents show.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Hold on to your powdered wigs! The winner of this week's #OurPhilly reader poll is @bhalda with a float full of Founding Fathers.
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
A Newtown Square cafe is taking an outside-the-box approach to good ol' milk and cereal, with everything from breakfast food-flavored ice cream to bowls, parfaits and shakes.
Without rights to game footage, ESPN is being forced to get creative with its coverage of the World Cup, using crayon drawings to Legos to break down plays in the men's tournament.
It's now or never (for the next four to six years) to pay a visit to the largest Sphinx in North America at the Penn Museum this weekend before it undergoes a massive makeover.
Residents of a Bucks County township received some welcome mail last week after the municipality divvied its surplus by sending $68 checks to property owners.
The only African American-owned and -operated bed-and-breakfast in Philadelphia is open for business in a three-story mansion and its decor is paying homage to local musicians.
Think you know cheesesteaks? We've got the lowdown on Philly's bread and (meat) butter, recipes and ordering instructions so you can sound like a convincing local — wit or witout.
The Elmwood Park Zoo is taking steps to become more inclusive to kids with autism, opening quiet space and special hours for the sensory-aware to visit the zoo in peace.
Opinions
Don't bet on Atlantic City's new casinos serving as the magic bullet to save the struggling Shore town, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board.
Abolishing ICE and replacing it with a more humane approach to immigration control is sound public policy, says columnist Will Bunch.
What we’re reading
Thirteen kids — one for each of the original 13 colonies — were officially welcomed to the United States at Betsy Ross' historic home on Independence Day, reflecting on their definitions of patriotism at a time when Americans are increasingly conflicted about the direction the country is headed. WHYY has the story.
Dinner theater is on the rise in Philly, and don't knock it till you try it, says Billy Penn.
What was the basis behind the Supreme Court upholding President Trump's controversial travel ban? The Washington Post dives into how a 1944 contentious court decision affected the high court's ruling.
In western Colorado, a meteorite fanatic's hunt for the space rocks took him from the mountains to an anti-government ranch to jail. The Verge tells the story of Steve Curry.
Your Daily Dose of | Robo-farming
Old McDonald had a…drone? Between milking robots, drones, and GPS-guided planters and pesticide machines, the digital age is making its way onto America's farms.