City Pays Assault Victim + COVID Deaths + Clarke's Zoning Plan

Happy Thursday, neighbors! Let's get you all caught up on what's happening locally to start today off on an informed note.

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First, today's weather:

Possible light rain in the afternoon. High: 79 Low: 71.

Here are the top stories in Philadelphia today:

1. The city of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $2 million to a young Black mother after police officers smashed the windows of the sport utility vehicle she was in, yanked her out and beat her after she inadvertently found herself in a police barricade last fall, the woman’s lawyers said on Tuesday. The encounter happened as the woman, Rickia Young, was in the presence of her toddler and the 16-year-old son of a family friend, who were also in the vehicle. The episode occurred amid protests in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man who the police said was armed with a knife. (The New York Times)
2. Philadelphia health officials said Wednesday nearly all of the city’s deaths and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in 2021 are among the city’s unvaccinated population. As COVID cases continue to rise in the area, the pace has slowed in recent weeks and daily case counts have started to drop in Philadelphia. The vaccines are working and Philadelphia now has almost 68% of adults fully vaccinated.(CBS Philly)
3. Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke wants to radically restructure the city’s zoning board over what he described as a series of decisions favoring developers and plans to introduce legislation to do so. In a Sept. 9 letter, Clarke laid out a plan to change the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, a five-appointee commission that hears appeals from developers and others seeking to build in ways that don’t comply with the city zoning rules governing building size, scale, and relationship to the urban environment. The board is theoretically designed to grant relief for hardships linked to zoning restrictions but has courted controversy for sometimes appearing to override community or councilmanic opposition to development. (WHYY)
4. Members of the City Council announced Wednesday morning plans for their $400 million Neighborhood Preservation Initiative. The plan, approved in concept last year, will focus on bolstering and revitalizing Philadelphia’s neighborhoods through affordable housing programs and supporting small businesses. City officials hope that the investment will result in $2.5 billion in economic activity and $71.7 million in local tax revenue over the next four years (Philadelphia Business Journal)
5. The City of Philadelphia announced that the interest arbitration panel issued an award that will govern the terms and conditions of employment for Philadelphia police officers over a three-year term. In addition to annual wage increases that acknowledge officers' dedication and service in the face of adversity, the award achieves several of the city's priorities to make the police discipline process more transparent and accountable. The award revises the discipline code and process for officers who are alleged to have engaged in misconduct, increasing accountability and transparency. (Press Release Desk)

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Today in Philadelphia:

• Breakfast with Boyle - Science Leadership Academy (9:30 AM)
• Nothing But Networking - September Zoom (11:30 AM)
• Children & Family - The Alliance of Community Service Providers (2:00 PM)
• Palumbo Football AT Fels - Carver Engineering & Science (3:00 PM)
• We Kids Rock - Northern Liberties Community Center (4:00 PM)
• PhilaLandmarks Early Music Series presents Franklin Quartet (6:00 PM)

Philadelphia Patch Notebook

• City of Philadelphia Government: "City officials provide the latest updates on the City's response to the gun violence epidemic in Philadelphia." (Facebook)
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health: "NEW DATA: Vaccines remain highly effective in reducing the overall volume of serious infections in Philadelphia. #VaxUpPhilly" (Facebook)
• City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs: "Welcoming Week is a national initiative led by Welcoming America that showcases the growing movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including immigrants." (Facebook)
• Philadelphia Youth Orchestra: "Meet Sieara and Tina! These sisters are practicing their "Musical Spelling Bee" for our new plucked string ensemble, Pizzicato Players. We are accepting auditions on a rolling basis. Visit https://bit.ly/3xiSvrO for more details." (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Dan Casarella