Skip to content
Newsletters
Link copied to clipboard

New Temple stadium talks and protests. Joel Embiid gets an extension. Arrest in activist's killing. | Morning Newsletter

All the local news you need to know to start your day, delivered straight to your email.

A Stadium Stompers protest disrupted a pep rally for Temple’s 2016 homecoming weekend.
A Stadium Stompers protest disrupted a pep rally for Temple’s 2016 homecoming weekend.Read moreMARGO REED / Staff Photographer

The remnants of Hurricane Nate have passed, but more unseasonably warm weather is in store for Philly today. If you like what you're reading, it's free to sign up to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and feedback, so please email me, tweet me @emilybabay, or reach our social team on Facebook.

— Emily Babay

» READ MORE: Talks for Temple stadium revived, with a new round of protests

Temple University is continuing to discuss options for a new, on-campus football stadium. And protesters are also moving ahead. The group of students, faculty and community activists known as the "Stadium Stompers" is planning to rally today at a meeting of the university's board of trustees.

Controversy over the plans for the proposed $135 million, 35,000-seat venue have been brewing for years. Last month, university President Richard Englert said the school would move ahead in its planning process (his predecessor had put the plans on hold indefinitely amid turmoil over the stadium proposal). The idea has garnered skepticism from city officials, and criticism from the school's North Philadelphia neighbors.

The Stompers plan to caricature board members by wearing suits and large paper masks in an effort to draw attention to what they say are conflicts of interest.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, Sixers agree to 5-year, $148 million extension

The 76ers and Joel Embiid have agreed to a five-year, $148 million extension, showing the team's faith in the center's potential, despite his extensive injury history. As 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey writes: "no other Sixer possesses Embiid's total package of size, toughness, shot-blocking ability, strength, athleticism, quickness and competitiveness."

Still, he continues to recover from a season-ending knee injury. Embiid's last game was Jan. 27; he had surgery six months ago to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

But, while the Sixers are clearly taking a risk with Embiid, it would be even riskier to let him go, columnist David Murphy writes.

» READ MORE: Man arrested in slaying of West Philly activist

A man has been arrested in the slaying of Winnie Harris, a beloved West Philadelphia activist who was shot to death in her home in February. Nelson Giddings, 39, of North Philadelphia, was arrested in the case that has stymied investigators and frustrated Harris' family and friends for months. Since her death, friends have posted and handed out hundreds of fliers encouraging tipsters to contact police.

In the end, police said, Harris' death was a tragic case of mistaken identity.

Giddings and another suspect, whom police are still seeking, "broke into the wrong house," Capt. John Ryan said. "She was not the target. They apparently killed Ms. Harris in cold blood. It was completely unnecessary."

 What you need to know today

  1. The political battleground state of Pennsylvania has become another battleground, in the growing debate over gerrymandering.

  2. A Temple University student was fatally shot by a police officer in Miami Beach after striking another officer during an apparent attempt to flee the scene of an accident.

  3. All schools in a South Jersey district will be closed for a week so inspectors can test for mold.

  4. New Jersey's medical marijuana program is considered one of the most stringent in the country, and it's taking a long time for patients with chronic pain to be permitted to seek the treatment.

  5. Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai's latest Facebook video looks and feels a lot like a campaign ad, but the Republican is staying mum on whether he plans to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in next year's election.

  6. Authorities are investigating a head-on car crash in South Jersey that left four people dead.

  7. Philly-area refinery workers are pressing President Trump to protect their struggling industry.

» READ MORE: #OurPhilly

We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.

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 to build those followers!

That’s Interesting

  1. Newsworks.org, the news website of WHYY, is no more. The local NPR affiliate has moved all of its digital offerings — news, radio, television and members' events — to WHYY.org.

  2. This should go without saying, but: Don't check your phone in the bathroom. Toilets, handles and sinks are covered in germs.

  3. Twenty-five years ago, Denise Gause started a baking business to share her cakes with friends and neighbors. Now, Denise's Delicacies has grown into an institution in its Allegheny West neighborhood, churning out pound cakes, cookies, pastries and other goodies, and inspiring fierce loyalty among customers.

  4. We get tired of saying this, but Rocky isn't Philly's only claim to fame.

  5. The latest sports radio ratings figures showed a great quarter for WIP.

  6. In the aisles at the new MOM's Organic Market in Center City: crickets and mealworms. Columnist Stu Bykofsky samples the insect selection.

Opinions

"If we want to live in a society where we talk with one another instead of past one another we need to teach the next generation of citizens how to do it. And they certainly won't learn that if our schools shy away from controversial issues." Jonathan Zimmerman,
— an education and history professor at the University of Pennsylvania, on why we should teach and debate gun issues in schools after the Las Vegas massacre
  1. Breaking off the Iran nuclear deal would have severe military and economic consequences, writes Joe Sestak, a former Navy admiral and U.S. congressman

  2. The Trump administration's move to make it easier for employers and insurers to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage is yet another attempt to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, our editorial board writes.

What we’re reading

  1. It's common for colleges to employ their own police officers — but the University of Pennsylvania's department is the largest private police force in the state, and the second-largest for any university force in the country, the Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

  2. CBS News highlights our own Toxic City series, talking to riverwards parents who are concerned about high levels of lead in the soil near construction sites.

  3. You might not think of winter as prime produce time, but if you want to make sure you're still getting your fill of fruits and veggies, Philadelphia Magazine has a guide to the season's community-supported-agriculture programs.

  4. How selfies are creating tourist hotspots: Billy Penn takes a look at how social media is making some formerly obscure places in Philly big draws for visitors.

Your Daily Dose of | Family

It's challenging for most people to tell Casey, Kelly, Rachel, and Erin Murphy apart. But the 18-year-old quadruplets from South Jersey have something else in common: All four are pursuing careers in medicine, following the path of their late mother, who died when the teens were 2. Casey, Kelly, and Rachel are studying nursing, while Erin is training to be a vet.