Philadelphia mail ballot drop boxes are open
This is the third year of no-excuse mail voting in Pa., and though its popularity has declined significantly since its rollout during COVID lockdowns, it still made up about 9% of all voters in the May primary. In Philly, mail voting is most prevalent in Northwest and Center City neighborhoods, per a Billy Penn analysis.
If you’re using the option, drop boxes are now open to collect your voted ballot. You can go to any of them — they’re all monitored 24/7 by security cam — but remember that you can’t deliver anyone else’s ballot, just your own. Here’s our map of the drop box locations.
A look at the Phillies-Diamondback rivalry, before the NLCS
Prior to 1998, the proper response to a diamondback in Arizona was to kill it, or at least use it to kill someone else. (Seriously, we found articles going back to 1936 about this.) But since the MLB started a franchise there, the poisonous snake has been associated with baseball — and the team has met up with the Phillies several times.
The #GoDbacks debacle is probably the most famous clash, when Phils fans took over the hashtag feed on the Chase Field screen. In advance of the start of the best-of-7 NLCS tonight, Hittin’ Season’s Justin Klugh looks at the history of the rivalry. Continue reading…
How Philadelphia can retain more college graduates | Sponsored
Over the last two decades, the retention rate of college graduates in the Philadelphia region has soared to an impressive 50%. While this momentum is remarkable, it might not continue. Campus Philly is working to sustain it, with a strategy that includes building, retaining, and attracting local talent — which will require coordination and collaboration. Are you in? Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Despite a recent uptick in recruitment, the Philly Police Department is still hugely understaffed. Apparently many recruits fail reading and fitness standards, so local officials wrote a letter to Pa. House and Senate leaders asking them to allow the city to soften those requirements. [Billy Penn/Inquirer$]
• Primary elections in Pennsylvania are “closed,” which means people who aren’t registered to one of the two big political parties don’t have a say. This week a Pa. House committee will consider legislation to change that. [BP 2022/Capital-Star]
• Dismantling of the Zagar mosaic mural on the Painted Bride in Old City begins today, the result of a long saga over the building. A developer proposed a design that would preserve the artwork, but neighborhood groups shot it down. [NYT$/Billy Penn]
• Mural Arts is launching a new project to celebrate Philadelphia’s legacy of film, starting with a survey asking what you treasure about the city’s film scene. [Mural Arts]
• The Philly Zoo’s annual Luminature light show is set to return next month, with more than a million LEDs creating a multicolored fantasyland great for families or date nights. [PhillyVoice/BP 2022]
• It was a rough Sunday for Eagles fans, as the lowly Jets embarrassed what had been one of the NFL’s only undefeated teams. Travis Kelce was there to see his brother, btw, but despite speculation, it doesn’t look like he brought Taylor Swift along. [NFL/People]
MAYOR WATCH
The Bellwether District is breaking ground on its first buildings on the 1,300-acre former refinery site, and Mayor Kenney joins other elected officials and stakeholders for the ceremony (10:45 a.m.).
He’s back in Center City at lunchtime for a roundtable discussion at the AFL-CIO on career apprenticeship programs, hosting U.S. Education Secretary Cardona along with Philly School Supt. Watlington and CCP President Generals (1 p.m.).
Evening brings Kenney to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s rally at Independence Mall, calling for peace in Israel and Gaza and support for communities around the world feeling the pain of loss and hardship from the violence (5 p.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
📚 Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron is at the Free Library for a talk on his book, “Collusion of Power,” on Trump, Bezos, and doing journalism leading up to the 2020 election. Tickets are $17.50. (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17)
🩰 Alternative-meets-classical dance troupe Ballet X brings their fall season to the Wilma Theater, with premieres and unique pieces. Tickets start at $30. (Oct. 18-29)
🎭 A new philanthropic theater group called Love City Cabaret hosts it first show, this time at the Queen Studios Building in West Philly. Suggested donation is $10 at the door, benefitting La Puerta Abierta. (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19)
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