Lyft Shooting + School Schedule Changes + Happy Birthday, Gritty!

Happy Saturday, Philadelphia! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening today.

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First, today's weather:

Partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 75 Low: 58.

Here are the top stories today in Philadelphia:

1. An investigation is underway after a Lyft driver was shot and killed in Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood during another night of violence in the city. Terrell Harris, 29, was inside a silver Toyota Camry on the 3500 block of North 21st Street around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when a gunman opened fire, police said. Harris was shot once in the left hip and once in the left buttocks. He was later found slumped over in the driver's seat and his car had been shot at least 10 times by gunfire. (NBC 10 Philadelphia)
2. Schedule changes are coming to the School District of Philadelphia School. Officials announced they have decided to switch six Fridays this school year to half days to give teachers professional development time. The adjustments were made after more drastic calendar changes were proposed but ultimately pulled from Thursday night's school board meeting agenda. (WPVI-TV)
3. Johnson & Johnson isn’t responsible for a Pennsylvania woman’s cancer that she blamed on the company’s talc-based powders, a jury ruled. Jurors in the state court in Philadelphia concluded Friday that J&J’s talc-based baby powder didn’t contribute to the onset of Ellen Kleiner’s ovarian cancer and the company doesn’t have to pay the damage. It’s J&J’s first win this year in a slew of nationwide cases targeting its well-known baby powder. (Free: Bloomberg Law Paid: Law.com)
4. Nurses at hospitals across southeastern Pennsylvania came out Thursday afternoon to protest what they call unacceptable and unsafe working conditions. Concerns about safe staff-to-patient ratios predated the pandemic for nurses in Philadelphia and across the country. But the high-intensity needs of COVID-19 patients have made the crisis worse. And nurses say the relentlessly chaotic conditions are causing career professionals to seek jobs at hospitals with better staffing ratios, or leave the field altogether. (NBC 10 Philadelphia)
5. Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty hit the road on a motorcycle Friday as part of his third birthday celebration! Chopper 6 was overhead as the furry orange biker revved up his engines and began the journey from the Wells Fargo Center. In what was surely a bewildering sight for motorists, Gritty rode along the fast lane of Interstate 95 with a group of fellow riders and a Philadelphia police escort. (WPVI-TV)

Today in Philadelphia:

• The Federation of Black and Minority Businesses Pop-up Community Event (10:00 AM)
• Fee-Free Day at the Benjamin Franklin Museum (9:00 AM)
• 5th Annual Flea Market - East Passyunk Community Recreation Center (9:00 AM)
• Member Appreciation Day - Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (10:30 AM)
• Silver Sneakers Boom - Community YMCA of Eastern Delaware County (12:00 PM)
• Slide Program: "With the British in Philadelphia" (12:00 PM)
• Community Concert Series - Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (1:00 PM)
• Wellness Market presented by Black Dragon Breakfast Club (1:00 PM)
• Walking Tour: "The British Occupation in Philadelphia" (2:00 PM)

Philadelphia Patch Notebook

• US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly: "Just in case anyone was thinking about going to the beach tomorrow for a last hurrah of the year, remember that the rip current risk will still be high for the New Jersey coast (and moderate for Delaware)." (Facebook)
• Free Library of Philadelphia: "You already know Gritty, now it's time to meet Flippy! Join us today for an inside look at a week in the life of a Free Library card" (Facebook)
• Philadelphia Parks & Recreation: "After school programs with Parks & Rec mean fun, food, and friends! You can still register your child for an afterschool program at one of our rec centers." (Facebook)
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health: "Fungal diseases are a serious public health concern. For personal stories of how fungal diseases have affected the lives of many people, visit https://bit.ly/35jC5F9." (Facebook)
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health: "Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful weekend, in spite of the stubborn obstacles prolonging the COVID pandemic." (Facebook)
• City of Philadelphia Government: "September is Recovery Month. Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services believes recovery is for everyone — every person, every family, every community. You're not alone. We are here to help🤝" (Facebook)
• Free Library of Philadelphia: "Hispanic Heritage Month spans two months, taking place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Here, we're sharing recent works by the many talented Latinx authors and illustrators of picture books." (Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you Monday for another update. If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe. Have a great weekend!

— Dan Casarella