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City paints Italian flag on box of controversial Columbus statue
On Indigenous Peoples Day in Philly, the Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza remains sealed in a box — with a fresh coat of paint.
- City workers striped Italian flag colors onto the plywood container surrounding the South Philly monument, reportedly at the behest of Councilmember Squilla.
Squilla has backed the group that sued when Philadelphia tried to relocate the statue, Emily Neil reports, which has been boxed up for nearly 3 years.
Meet the former attorney mapping Philly on her nails
With illustrations as tiny as the tip of your finger, budding manicurist Melissa Pang puts her life story on her nails.
- Documenting milestones on her hands is something Pang’s been doing since her teens, and she consciously decided not to give it up — first as an attorney, then as a legal DEI specialist.
Her latest project is repping different Philly neighborhoods with nail sets, BP intern Kira Wang reports.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- Eight Philly schools have implemented a “Safe Path” program that pays community members as monitors to help ensure kids get home safely. [Fox29]
- Nearly 25% of Philadelphians worked remotely last year, vs. 5% in 2019. The shift mostly happened with people earning $65k and up, and was much more prevalent among white workers. [Economy League]
- Update on the DeSantis award dinner at the Union League: It’s reportedly been postponed to Jan. 24 so the Florida governor can focus on storm recovery. [Billy Penn/Inquirer$]
- FMC is the latest company to sign up for SEPTA Key Advantage, which lets workers buy deeply-discounted transit passes. The program opens in January to medium-size orgs with 50+ employees. [KYW]
- Food truck favorite Bake’N Bacon is moving into the former home of Devil’s Den at 11th and Ellsworth. Chef-owner Justin Coleman said he aims to “bring Black excellence to fruition.” [Bake’N Bacon/Inquirer$]
- Good weekend for Philly sports, not so good if you were a team named the Cardinals. Following the Phillies’ sweep of the St. Louis Cards, the Eagles held off the Arizona Cardinals and are now undefeated at 5-0. Oh, and the Union clinched the Eastern Conference title. [6ABC/WHYY]
The story you didn’t read
? Highlighting good articles few people clicked on ?
- From blocking Kenney’s rec center ban to suing to keep ghost guns legal, Lizzy McClellan Ravith looks at how Gun Owners of America is stopping firearms regulation in Philadelphia.
MAYOR WATCH
Nothing public for Mayor Kenney today, he’s on personal travel for the holiday weekend, per his office.
There’s an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Shackamaxon (aka Penn Treaty Park) starting at 11 a.m. with art, culture, and performances by different communities to “increase awareness and encourage dialogue about Indigenous history, resilience, and strength from 500+ years of Indigenous resistance in the Americas,” per IPD Philly.
ON THE CALENDAR
? BP Quizzo is sponsored by Mighty Writers this month! Join us for a night of Philly trivia at Hawthornes in Bella Vista. Win prizes and enjoy happy hour specials as we welcome the literacy nonprofit and its NEA Big Read program. RSVP to play Quizzo for free. (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18)
? Science writer Ed Yong joins WHYY’s Maiken Scott at the Academy of Natural Sciences for a conversation about his book “An Immense World.” Tix start at $15. (6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12)
? The inaugural Philadelphia Street Food Festival lands at Xfinity Live with pay-as-you-go snacks from 20+ vendors. Admission is $20. (2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15)
