1st candidate declares for Philly mayor; Barnes & Noble moving out; Ben Franklin Bridge climber | Morning roundup

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First to declare: Quiñones Sánchez is running for mayor

District 7 Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez this morning announced she is resigning her seat and running for Philadelphia mayor.

• Quiñones Sánchez is the first candidate to officially declare for what’s expected to be a crowded 2023 mayoral race, though former colleague Allan Domb beat her to resigning, in advance of his likely run.

Lizzy McLellan Ravitch has the rundown on the four-term councilmember, who was Philly’s first Latina legislator and never won any party backing.

Someone climbed up the Ben Franklin Bridge on Sunday

A person scaled the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over Labor Day weekend, according to reports and images on social media.

• Photos show the climber almost casually strolling along the 30-inch cables that hold together what was, when it opened in 1926, the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Why’d the climber go up? It may have been to distribute the ashes of a friend. DRPA didn’t get back to us yet, but here’s everything we know.

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• The Philadelphia Health Department is awarding grants up to $50k to expand monkeypox vaccination efforts to underserved populations. The majority of vaccines in the city have gone to white people, but the majority of cases are in people of color. [WHYY/Billy Penn]
• A new 18-story tower is in planning for 20th and Arch, on a site that’s currently a surface parking lot. It would be used by Chubb, the publicly-traded insurance giant that currently maintains offices along Walnut Street. [Biz Journal$]
• Barnes & Noble is moving from its location across from Rittenhouse Square to the former Forever 21 at 17th and Chestnut. Yeah, that’ll take away one of Center City’s best public bathrooms — but fear not, there are a few others. [Inquirer$/BP 2021]
• Temple Emergency Action Corps is hosting a community health fair on Saturday, Sept. 17 in North Philly, with info on nutrition, exercise, housing, maternal care, and sexual health. [@billy_penn]
• Puerto Rican joint Boricua Restaurant #1 reopens Sunday in Northern Liberties after two years closed. Expect pernil, plantains, empanadas, and more. [Wooder Ice]
• The basketball court at Overbook’s Tustin Rec Center now features a giant mural of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. [Tribune$]
• Joel Embiid has fans on the tennis circuit. Before rising star Frances Tiafoe stunned everyone by eliminating Rafael Nadal to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, he practiced in a Sixers No. 21 jersey. [ESPN/@usopen]

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Kenney is out of town all week, traveling to Quebec for the 16th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities.

ON THE CALENDAR