🏛️ Mayor Parker’s first week

Philly Police Fire DEI Officer

Just before new commissioner Kevin Bethel took the reins at the Philadelphia Police Department, the department dismissed Leslie Marant, its first ever officer directing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. A police spokesperson said it was part of a “restructuring and realignment” of the department as leadership changed hands, and that there was no intention to disband its DEI office. Marant had no previous law enforcement experience before taking the job. [Inquirer]

Reporter Fired for Standup Act Wins Job Back

Public radio station WHYY fired Jad Sleiman, a reporter for the show “The Pulse,” last January, citing social media clips of his off-hours standup comedy routine where he made jokes about race, religion, and sex. An arbitrator who reviewed the decision after Sleiman filed a grievance with his union, SAG-AFTRA, found that the jokes did not give WHYY just cause to fire him and ordered that he be reinstated. The arbitrator did, however, order Sleiman to remove content the station deemed inappropriate. [Philly Mag]

Mask Mandate Back in Local Health System

Main Line Health, which serves parts of Philadelphia and its western suburbs, joins a growing list of hospitals and medical facilities across the country that are requiring masks amid a surge in flu, RSV, and COVID-19 cases. The health care system says its data tracking shows a local rise in these respiratory infections over the past few weeks that is expected to continue as a result of holiday gatherings. The mandate will be in place for at least two weeks. [6ABC/NBC10]

This mosaic posed quite a challenge when we shared it late last month. It’s located on a tiny side street called Butchie Alley, near the corner of 13th and Federal Streets in South Philly.

Lauren S.-W. was the only Hey Philly reader who correctly guessed where it is, although many of you shared the locations of other cool mosaics. We definitely want to check them all out!

This week’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, comes from Hey Philly reader Emily M. Send us your guess (no Googling, please) for where this Phillies mural lives and we’ll give you a shoutout next week!

Trump Flag Fight, Parker’s Executive Orders, N. Philly School Reopens

It’s the Friday News Roundup! Today’s topics include: Mayor Cherelle Parker’s 100-day Action Plan and first executive orders, how T.M. Peirce Elementary School got a multimillion dollar makeover, and the scuffle over a Trump flag at the annual Mummers Parade. Host Trenae Nuri is joined by Anna Orso, City Hall reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Dale Mezzacappa, senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia.