Morning roundup
Who’s behind the Sixers arena; Kensington kids’ safer summer; Center City Starbucks strike | Morning roundup
The rainbow crosswalk is back ๐

๐ Want this daily digest emailed to you? Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and it’ll land in your inbox every morning.
TK
What we know aboutย the Sixers’ $1.3B plan for a newย arena
The Sixers are gunning for a new arena in the middle of Center City, with a new development corp chaired by local billionaire David Adelman.
- The $1.3 billion project, dubbed “76 Place” and set to open by 2031,ย would take over a block of the Fashion District, demolishing the former Galleryย replacing it with aย stadium that could also host concerts.
It would be a game-changer for Philly — in a positive or negative way, depending on opinion. The plan will be discussed and debated for years, soย start with Asha Prihar’s rundown of who’s behind it and all the details we know.
Philadelphia kids feel safer with Kensington’sย summer programs
Kensington’s McPherson Square has transformed into a free youth day camp this summer, with help from the library and the city’s Playstreets program.
- All programming is freeย and includes cooking classes, sewing, gardening, lunches, and a fenced-off playground. Parents and kids both say it makes the neighborhood feel safer.
“They should put a fence around the whole park and giveย usย the keys,”ย one fourth grader told Billy Penn contributor Daisie Cardona.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- May primary results still haven’t been certified in 3 Pennsylvania counties, withย Berks, Fayette, and Lancasterย on holdย amid a court battle overย mailย ballots lackingย a handwritten date. [WHYY]
- The Philadelphia Police areย firing Anthony McFadden, a 32-year veteran of the force who was, allegedly, heard using racial slurs against Black people on police radio last month. [Inquirer$]
- A man who set fire to a state police SUV in Center City during the 2020 protests against police violence wasย sentenced to 364 daysย in federal prison. [PhillyVoice]
- Workers at the 12th and Walnut Starbucksย are on a 24-hour strike, sayingย they’ve been retaliated against for unionizing. [6ABC]
- The new COVID variant inspiredย Kensington resident Darlene Burtonย to restart her “mask tree,”ย offering easy, free face-coveringsย to neighbors. [@Darlene15292071/BP 2020]
- How a little-known novel set on the Main Lineย inspired the career of James A. Michener, one of the 20th century’s most prolific authors. [Billy Penn]
- The rainbowย crosswalk at 13th and Locustย in the Gayborhood has a fresh coat of paint. [@visitphilly]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney is in Germany, but debate continuesย over his comments earlier this week about never having met with any families of homicide victims in his 7 years in office. His administration later tried to walk backย the statement, but Inquirer columnistย Helen Ubiรฑas called itย a “glaring disconnect.”
ON THE CALENDAR
๐๏ธ Theย Philly Queer Fleaย heads to Mural City’s new wine garden in Kensington, where attendees can shop for cottagecore-inspired dream catchers, whimsical prints, and plenty of handmade jewelry from localย LGBTQ artisans. (1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23) ๐ข Theย Southeast Asian Market in FDR Parkย hosts the annual Village Festival, with monk blessings from Lao and Khmer Buddhist temples, live music, dance performances, and lots of food. (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
๐ค ย It’s giving Hannah Montana: Head to Fishtown’s Evil Genius Beer Company forย Hoedown Throwdown: A Country Drag Brunch Specialย that promises a mix of Dolly, Carrie, and Kacey. Event is 21+, and tix start at $75. (12 to p.m. Sunday, July 24)