Tile repairs prep Please Touch Museum for 2026 celebration
The Please Touch Museum is giving its palatial home in West Philly a $4 million upgrade ahead of a set of historic anniversaries in 2026. First built for the 1876 Centennial World Expo, Memorial Hall’s colorful marble floors have suffered from wear and tear and patchwork tile fixes over the years.
The upcoming 15-month project will feature replacements from Italian quarries — where the original marble is thought to have come from — as well as quarries in France and Spain. Continue reading…
Philly-trained judo star aiming for gold at Paris Paralympics
Maria Liana Mutia has time management skills to die for. She’s a two-time Pan American champion, a two-time world medalist, a Tokyo 2020 Paralympian and a full-time Paralympian on Team USA — plus she’s balancing a full-time software analyst gig at Comcast.
Now, she’s training for the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games with support from the judo community at Philly’s El Idrissi Judo Academy. BP interns Nathaly Suquinagua and Sarah Frasca spoke with the star athlete about her journey, training, and goals. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Gov. Shapiro increased paid parental leave to eight weeks, up from six weeks, for commonwealth employees. [PA.gov]
• Pa.’s state courts agency said it never received a ransom demand as part of a cyberattack that briefly shut down some online services this month. [ABC]
• Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s decision to invest an additional $20 million in taxpayer money in Israel Bonds has drawn protest and Democratic criticism ahead of this year’s election. [Spotlight PA]
• The Levittown man charged with beheading his father last month carried photos of federal buildings, bomb plans, DA says. He’s facing a dozen new charges, including terrorism. [AP]
• Get ready for another round of snow, forecast to arrive as we head into the President’s Day weekend. [6ABC]
• The city controller is investigating L&I’s electric vehicle policy after an audit found inadequate charging infrastructure. Mayor Parker announced the struggling department would be split in two as part of her larger Clean & Green focus and as the city launches a training program for aspiring electric vehicle electricians. [NBC10/Billy Pennx2/WHYY’s PlanPhilly]
• Another change to Phillies jerseys are raising some eyebrows, but causing less alarming than the possibly leaked City Connect unis last month. [Crossing Broad/Billy Penn]
• The Free Library’s 2024 One Book, One Philadelphia selection is “True Biz” by Sara Nović, while Pa. announced picture book “Slug In Love” by Rachel Bright as their selection. [WHYY/PA.gov]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker will join Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon at Philadelphia International Airport this morning to announce $20 million in new infrastructure funding for capital improvements at the airport via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
ON THE CALENDAR
🎟️ Grab a ticket for the final guided walking tour of Philly’s historic 7th Ward, which takes you on a journey through Black Philadelphia of the 19th century. RSVP required; donations encouraged. (11 a.m. to.1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17)
📜 Go beyond the classroom to brush up on U.S. history at the National Constitution Center, which offers free admission and activities this holiday weekend, like presidential trivia, making campaign posters, seeing voting artifacts, and more. (Saturday through Monday, Feb. 17-19)
🎥 Learn about Philly Chinatown’s history of activism at a free screening of the 1973 documentary “Save Chinatown” about the successful fight to save a church and school from the Vine Street Expressway. (5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18)
🐕 The PSPCA’s Lonely Hearts Club is hosting a free pet adoption event on President’s Day for long-term shelter dogs. (12 to 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19)
Catch up on the previous week
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