? Want this daily digest emailed to you? Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and it’ll land in your inbox every morning.
Chinatown pushes back on Sixers arena at raucous meeting
Hundreds packed a town hall last night in Chinatown to voice concerns and ask questions about the plan to build a new Sixers’ arena in Center City.
- Conducted in Mandarin, English, and Cantonese, it was organized by 20+ community orgs — but notably not the recent coalition of Chinatown business groups formed to vet the arena proposal for the neighborhood.
The atmosphere was firmly anti-arena. Before he left, a rep from 76 Devcorp repeatedly received at Ben Simmons levels of boos, Jordan Levy reports.
Cheat sheet: Who’s running for City Council in 2023?
All 17 seats on Philadelphia’s governing body are up for grabs next year, and the field is filling up fast.
- At least a dozen newcomers have announced they’ll seek an at-large position, and at least four non-incumbents are gearing up to challenge at the district level.
It’s still early, though, and the field could get much bigger — Asha Prihar will keep this handy list updated throughout the process.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- State Rep. Amen Brown will officially declare his mayoral candidacy tomorrow, he announced yesterday. Here’s background on the unorthodox Democrat. [Billy Penn]
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts visited Roxborough and W.B. Saul high schools, where Nicholas Elizalde was killed and other students were injured at a shooting after football practice, to grieve and offer solace. [Inquirer$/Billy Penn]
- 45 Philly highschoolers are participating in Launchpad, a multi-year training and apprenticeship program that helps students move into tech careers after graduation. [Technically]
- Temple President Jason Wingard is moving from Chestnut Hill to North Philly, becoming the first university president in recent history to live near the school’s main campus. [Temple]
- Some Philly Swifties are getting another chance at Eras Tour tickets after the Ticketmaster fail, AG Shapiro announced this week. [Billy Penn]
- There will be one more release of Philly Special Christmas vinyl albums, this Friday at 9 a.m. It’s really very good. [Philly Special Xmas/Billy Penn]
MAYOR WATCH
It’s unclear what’s on the mayor’s public schedule today. His office announced this week the departure of Communications Director Kevin Lessard, who’ll be replaced by Sarah Peterson.
ON THE CALENDAR
? Heads up: BP Quizzo tonight is postponed due to inclement weather! Stay safe on the icy, rainy roads, everyone — and stay tuned for the new date.
? Find clothing, records, crafts, art, and “old punk junk” at the holiday edition of the Punk Rock Flea Market at the 23rd Street Armory. $10 tix are good for entry both days. (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18)
