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Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
Mayoral candidates meet in North Philly at first major forum
Democratic contenders participated Sunday in DiverseForce’s mayoral forum, which focused on Philly’s Black business community. A few takeaways:
- No candidate emerged a clear winner. (You can watch on YouTube.)
- Cherelle Parker described her intergovernmental experience and noted the “white privilege wealth” of Allan Domb and Jeff Brown, who stressed their self-made backgrounds and pledged to reduce bureaucracy.
- Maria Quiñones Sánchez said voters needed to choose a “CEO” who values opportunity, while Derek Green cited Philly’s in-limbo public bank.
- Rebecca Rhynhart referenced her executive skills and pragmatism, and Helen Gym called Philly the “most exploited” city in the nation.
Jimmy DeLeon was also in the lineup, but Amen Brown was not present. Crashing the stage at the end with a meandering speech was Warren Bloom, a perennial campaigner who brings a dubious past.
Brunch and jazz favorite Relish is closing in Northwest Philly
Northwest Philadelphia will lose one of its most celebrated restaurants when Relish closes for good after service this weekend
- The brunch destination in West Oak Lane flourished for over a decade under the Bynum brothers, who also run South Kitchen + Jazz. It also became a politico hot spot, the place to find candidates on Election Day.
Customers and fans lamented the closure, including U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who spoke with Billy Penn about the pending shutdown.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- Gov. Shapiro made everyone on his transition team sign an NDA, and isn’t releasing info about who’s funding today’s inauguration party. [Spotlight PA]
- After a delay, Philly public school students should find out if they got into one of 22 selective schools by the end of January, the district says. [WHYY]
- What’ll happen to the Roundhouse, aka the former PPD headquarters? The original architect hopes it’s “transformed” into a home for nonprofits — potentially with an apartment tower behind it. [Hidden City]
- The latest Headlines of Yore thread tells the story of Libby Holman, a 1920s Broadway star who romanced a DuPont heiress, married into a tobacco fortune, and had a son in Philadelphia. [Billy Penn]
- A deep dive into Fishadelphia, the community-minded CSA that manages to provide inexpensive fresh seafood to customers, stable business to small producers, and hands-on learning to students. [Hakai Mag]
- The Eagles have a playoff matchup: they face the Giants on Saturday night. How do players maintain weight during the season? Custom smoothies, variety in the cafeteria, and Thursday morning scale checks. [Bleeding Green/Inquirer$]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney is in Harrisburg today for the swearing-in of Josh Shapiro as Pa.’s 48th governor. Then Kenney heads to DC for the 91st winter meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, where he’ll be through Friday.
ON THE CALENDAR
⚕️MRI is now a standard medical tool, but its development included an “Emotional Crisis Detector” and a coconut, both artifacts you can see at the Science History Institute’s dive into the technique’s history. (4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19)
🍝 Center City Restaurant Week is underway, with 90 venues offering $40 multicourse dinners and $25 lunches. Reservations recommended, and don’t forget to tip. (daily through Saturday, Jan. 28)
❄️ If you know a princess-obsessed young one, this is the weekend to hit up Franklin Square, which hosts Disney favorites waltzing through special ice sculptures at a free exhibition. (5 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20-21)