Morning Headlines: Girl Arrested for Racist School Threat

Good morning Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know today.

A 17-year-old girl has been arrested after posting an online threat: “All blacks must die.” Chester Upland schools remain open today.

CBS3 says the girl’s threat, posted on Instagram, threatened shootings at Chester Upland District schools, Chester Community Charter and Chichester High School. The post included emoji images of of guns, a casket, a knife and horned-faces. “Local law enforcement has worked diligently and the individual who posted the threatening social media message was apprehended and therefore, there is no longer a threat,” Superintendent Gregory Shannon said in a Facebook posting this morning. “Therefore, all Chester Upland School District schools will open on time for normal operations on Wednesday, January 27, 2016.”

The PPA has decided to spend $300K on snow-removing Bobcats.

Philly Mag reports: The Philadelphia Parking Authority approved an emergency resolution Tuesday afternoon to throw a little more of its own muscle at clearing the city’s streets. The resolution, passed at the PPA board’s regular monthly meeting, authorizes the immediate purchase of six Bobcat front-end loaders to clear snow from city streets at a cost of $50,000 per vehicle. “We have been working in cooperation with Mayor Jim Kenney to assist the city in its massive snow removal effort,” said PPA Chairman Vince Fenerty in a news release announcing the decision. The Bobcats will join a fleet of 21 PPA-owned vehicles that have been largely clearing streets too narrow for city plows or contractors’ trucks to negotiate. [Editor’s Note: An earlier version of the source article for this item erroneously overstated the cost of Bobcat front-end loaders. Philadelphia magazine apologizes for the error.]

A Pa. Senate committee is expected to recommend today if Attorney General Kathleen Kane should be removed from office.

The recommendations are expected one day after a Pa. House committee launched an impeachment investigation against Kane. KYW reports that the Senate committee — which has been trying to determine if Kane can run her office while her law license is suspended while she awaits trial on criminal charges — could set in motion a process that would remove the embattled attorney general within weeks: The full Senate would vote, and if it approves, Gov. Tom Wolf would make the final decision. Impeachment, on the other hand, is a process that might take months.

A judge has warned Congressman Chaka Fattah to get his priorities in order.

NBC10 reports the judge was angered by reports that suggested Fattah was prioritizing political fundraising over making sure he pays his defense lawyers, who are asking off the case because they haven’t been paid. “You need to take this matter seriously and think long and hard about your priorities,” U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III told Fattah, who is accused of accepting bribes and misusing nonprofit funds. Fattah said he is trying to find a law firm that can take delayed payments. “As I stand here, I’m innocent,” Fattah said. “I’m not seeking any delay. … But I have to get past a couple challenges, including my re-election.”

The Sixers were favored to beat the Suns on Tuesday. And they did.

Philly Mag reports: The Philadelphia 76ers swept the season series over the Phoenix Suns, defeating Jerry Colangelo and Mike D’Antoni‘s former team by a score of 113-103 Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. They also remain undefeated (2-0) on the season when entering a game favored to win, with the only other such occasion a 103-91 victory over the Lakers to snap their 0-18 start to the season. The Suns cut it to a seven-point margin late, but where the Sixers were unable to hold onto this fourth quarter leads against adversity earlier in the year, the addition of Ish Smith has plugged some of the leaks that sank them in the past.

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