Welcome to Friday!<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve all heard heaps about Trashadelphia. A multigroup initiative is pinning its cleanup efforts on first mapping illegal dumping throughout the city<\/a>.<\/p>\n Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel wants the department to work on the less-glamorous side of policing \u2014 like customer service<\/a>.<\/p>\n Plus, surely not everyone was pro-Revolution. What happened to Philadelphians who supported the British<\/a>? <\/p>\n \u2014 Ellen Dunkel (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n About 75 Philadelphia residents representing neighborhood groups and nonprofits gathered Thursday to map by hand illegal legacy dumps scattered throughout the city.<\/p>\n The Clean Philadelphia NOW initiative, made up of multiple neighborhood organizations and nonprofits, wants to tackle the dump sites comprehensively and coordinate with city officials, the residents said.<\/p>\n Legacy dumps are one of the biggest issues impacting the quality of life in Philadelphia, they said, and they want to find solutions.<\/p>\n While the city has heavily invested in abatement, that falls short of addressing the root causes of the persistent \u201cclean-dump-clean cycle,\u201d said Shari Hersh, a codirector of Trash Academy, one of the groups collaborating with Clean Philadelphia NOW.<\/p>\n Reporter Frank Kummer explains how they plan to do it<\/a>.<\/p>\n When someone reports a minor crime, it can take hours for police to respond \u2014 if they do at all. Much of their paperwork is done by hand.<\/p>\n To Bethel, those details capture something bigger: a department in need of a systems upgrade.<\/p>\n In a new five-year strategic plan released Thursday, Bethel chose to treat the police department and its nearly $900 million budget like a business in need of modernizing. He plans to put an eye toward better \u201ccustomer service\u201d for residents.<\/p>\n Reporter Ellie Rushing explains how Bethel plans to do it<\/a>.<\/p>\n What you should know today<\/p>\n Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We\u2019ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city\u2019s quirks<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, we\u2019re resurfacing an explainer on the Philly people who were loyal to the British crown in Revolutionary days.<\/p>\n It might seem like Philly was always pro-Revolutionary, but \u201ctons of people were against the Revolution, very lukewarm, or their opinions changed,\u201d said Tyler Putman, senior manager of gallery interpretation at the Museum of the American Revolution. <\/p>\n Ultimately you were either all in or you were out. Here\u2019s the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udde0 Trivia time<\/p>\n Nike calls its new Air Force 1 shoes \u201cHorse of a Different Color.\u201d The company says they contain pony hair. We suspect someone else\u2019s fur. Which Philly mascot do they resemble?<\/p>\n A) Swoop<\/p>\n B) Gritty<\/p>\n C) Philly Elmo<\/p>\n D) Philly Phanatic<\/p>\n Think you know? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz<\/a>.<\/p>\n What we\u2019re …<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf77 Drinking: Garnacha, a wine made from grapes native to Spain, although many think they\u2019re French<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd14 Wondering: Is buying a home still the way to wealth? Some young Americans aren\u2019t sure<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc0 Getting ready to watch: This weekend\u2019s WNBA All-Star Game, with North Philly\u2019s Kahleah Copper, who is a last-minute replacement. It\u2019ll be her fifth WNBA All-Star Game<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udde9 Unscramble the anagram<\/p>\n Hint: This delicious reason this month is Middle Child\u2019s \u201cSuper Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n HOME MOLTO RATIO<\/p>\n Email us if you know the answer<\/a>. We\u2019ll select a reader at random to shout out here. <\/p>\n Cheers to Paula N., who solved Thursday\u2019s anagram: Baltimore. Southwest Airlines will offer the one-hour flight twice daily next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Photo of the day<\/p>\n Nearly 400 Philadelphia high school students almost didn\u2019t make it to the finish line. But they completed their last credits and crossed the stage in joy and celebration at the district\u2019s summer graduation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have a great day. Hope you\u2019re looking forward to some fun weekend plans.<\/p>\n