Did Mayor Nutter Win the War on Soda?
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Good morning, Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know today.
The FBI has warned Philly-area colleges about a threat of violence today.
Philly Mag’s Victor Fiorillo reports: On the weekend following the deadly campus shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, the FBI has warned Philadelphia-area colleges and universities of a potential for violence on Monday, October 5th, according to an alert from Drexel University.
“The FBI has notified all Philadelphia area colleges and universities about a recent social media posting threatening violence at a Philadelphia area college or university on Monday, October 5,” reads the alert, which was posted on Sunday. “Since the shooting last week at a community college in Oregon, the FBI has seen similar social media postings throughout the country.” Philly.com reports the posting was made at the same site where threats were posted ahead of the Oregon shooting.
Jerry Mondesire, the longtime head of the NAACP in Philadelphia, has died at age 65.
“Born in Harlem, New York in 1949, Mondesire was a journalist and activist,” NBC10 reports. “He was a City Desk Editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer, writer for the Baltimore Sun, and owner of the Philadelphia Sun newspaper. Mondesire took over the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP in 1991 where he remained until his suspension in 2014 for allegedly misusing funds.”
“Mondesire reportedly suffered a brain aneurysm recently while undergoing kidney dialysis,” CBS3 adds. “His family says he died Sunday at Jefferson Hospital surrounded by family and close friends.” No details yet on a memorial service.
State Rep. Brian Sims is thinking about challenging Chaka Fattah for Congress.
Philly Mag’s Holly Otterbein reports: Brian Sims, the 37-year-old Democratic state representative, won’t say whether he’s going to run for Congress. But we’re pretty sure he’s going to run for Congress.
Rumors have been swirling about it for months, Harrisburg insiders have told us he’s already confirmed his plans to run with some people, and Sims recently sent supporters an invitation for an October 6th fundraiser for the “Brian Sims for Congress Exploratory Committee.” Sims would presumably run against U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah.
Does Mayor Nutter get credit for the nationwide decline in soda consumption?
The New York Times seems to think so. Why? Well, remember that big soda tax that Nutter pushed a few years back? Remember how it failed in City Council? Well, the Times thinks Mayor Nutter lost the battle but won the war: Over the last 20 years, soda sales have dropped 25 percent.
“Even as anti-obesity campaigners like Mr. Nutter have failed to pass taxes, they have accomplished something larger,” the paper argues. “In the course of the fight, they have reminded people that soda is not a very healthy product. They have echoed similar messages coming from public health and others — and fundamentally changed the way Americans think about soda.”
Some Eagles fans want Andy Reid back. Some Chiefs fans are probably ready to give him back.
“A funny thing happened Sunday,” the Kansas City Star reports. “While many Chiefs fans were expressing their displeasure with coach Andy Reid, a number of Eagles fans were wishing he was back in Philadelphia.” The paper reeled off a dozen or so tweets from Eagles fans, all to the effect of “Let’s get Andy Reid back,” even though the Chiefs and Eagles have identical 1-3 records. Things could turn around, of course, but: This could be a long season. For both teams.
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