Axios Philadelphia

July 09, 2024
Hi, Tuesday!
- 🥵 Sunny and hot with highs topping out near 97. A chance of showers after noon.
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🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Philadelphia member Catherine Norris!
📍 Situational awareness: A heat advisory is in effect from 10am-8pm as the heat index is expected to reach 104 and the high humidity could cause heat illness, per the National Weather Service.
Today's newsletter is 841 words, a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Democracy takes center stage
America's 250th anniversary is two years away, but Philadelphia's massive celebration starts now.
Why it matters: As the cradle of American democracy, Philly is planning for a blowout year in 2026 to mark the Semiquincentennial alongside FIFA World Cup matches and the MLB All-Star Game.
Driving the news: A special TED Talks series tied to the anniversary kicks off today.
- The first TED Democracy fireside chat will explore civic engagement and the opportunities afforded in a democratic society at the National Constitution Center from 5-7pm.
- Baratunde Thurston, a comedian and writer known for his hit podcast "How to Citizen," and NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher are slated to speak at the event.
- A.J. Jacobs, a best-selling author and host of "The Puzzler" podcast, will then lead a group discussion and Q&A with the audience.
🍿 How to watch: The live show, co-organized with Visit Philly, is sold out but you can watch a livestream of the event at The Fallser Club and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- The watch parties are free but registration is required.
The big picture: The event comes as the contentious presidential race between President Biden and former President Trump is at a friction point, with a growing number of Democrats calling for Biden to withdraw in recent days.
- As the largest city in a critical swing state, Philly will play an outsized role in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, fundraising is in full swing for the city's 250th anniversary bash.
- Nonprofit Philadelphia250 has a budget of about $15 million for the events it's helping organize for the 2026 anniversary, per the Philadelphia Business Journal.
- The group has to raise another $8.5 million and is still scouting for sponsorships, according to the Business Journal.
What's next: Two more TED fireside chats are scheduled for September and November, with Gov. Josh Shapiro expected to headline one.
- The other speakers haven't yet been announced.
Plus: The TED Talks will continue next year with a three-part speaker series focused on the state of modern democracy around the world.
- All that will lead up to TED Democracy's daylong symposium event in February 2026.
2. Students target teachers with fake TikTok posts
Middle-school students in a Philadelphia suburb made fake TikTok accounts impersonating teachers and posting disparaging and inflammatory content, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The social media attack at Great Valley Middle School in Malvern — the first of its kind on such a scale in the U.S. — affected at least 20 educators, and led to the suspensions of several students.
- Some teachers say they're now leery of reprimanding students who act out in class because they fear being targeted in future online posts.
Catch up quick: Students culled real photos from teachers' social media profiles and used them to set up fake accounts. They created "low-tech cheapfakes" by cropping, cutting and pasting and superimposing text on photos.
- The messages and memes were "rife with pedophilia innuendo, racist memes, homophobia and made-up sexual hookups among teachers" and viewed by hundreds of students, per the Times.
- The school said it's legally limited in its response due to students' off-campus free speech rights. Mocking and even disparaging educators can be protected free speech as long as the posts don't threaten anyone or substantially disrupt school activities.
The big picture: Several school districts across the U.S. have banned or restricted cellphone use to get students to pay attention in class and become more engaged with their peers.
- Last year, officials in nearby Bucks County sued social media companies, including TikTok and Instagram, over allegations their platforms exploit youth and exacerbate their rates of anxiety and depression.
3. News Market
🥃 The Black-owned Diggs Boys Bourbon hopes to open a distillery and tasting room in Philly next year. (Philadelphia Voice)
📸 Tow truck drivers will soon have to provide photographic evidence of a violation before they can haul away a vehicle.
- Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the legislation yesterday, which takes effect in 60 days. (NBC)
🔎 David McCormick, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, has come under fire for asserting he once led a Pittsburgh-based software company that "created hundreds of jobs."
- McCormick denied reports that the company shed local jobs while growing overseas. (WHYY)
4. 👋 Another Wawa closure
One of the city's oldest Wawas closes its doors today.
Why it matters: The store at 3230 Richmond Street in Port Richmond is among at least eight Wawa closings in Philadelphia in recent years.
Driving the news: The Northeast Philly outpost is open from 5am-11pm before shutting its doors for the last time after 45 years.
What they're saying: Wawa spokesperson Jennifer Wolf said in a statement the store "cannot deliver the experience customers deserve or continue to meet performance expectations."
The big picture: The company, based in Media, Pennsylvania, celebrated its 60th anniversary of operating convenience stores earlier this year.
- Wawa still runs 36 stores in Philly, two fewer than in 2016.
What's next: The convenience chain is closing another location at the corner of 21st and Hamilton streets in September after the property owner didn't renew the lease.
🍨 Isaac will get two cookies-and-cream shakes tonight — thank you very much — to honor the Port Richmond Wawa closing.
🪲 Mike has officially declared war on the June beetles devouring his sunflowers and blackberry bushes. He's set to use nematodes to eliminate them.
Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia and copy edited by Steven Patrick.
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