Which Pa. officials supported challenges to Biden's certification?

Seven SEPTA transit cops are under investigation for attending last week's Capitol riot, according to PlanPhilly. Meanwhile, per the Inquirer, the PPD took away the gun from their detective suspected of involvement. A preview of the chaos in DC erupted earlier this month at the Pa. State House when Republicans refused to seat Democrat Sen. Brewster, whose election had already been certified — but yesterday a federal court ruled he should be seated, WHYY reports. Who in government is behind these antigovernmental maneuvers? We made a list of the 90+ elected officials from Pa. who supported challenges to the Electoral College vote.

‘Draw to Action’ coloring book funds social justice through art

A group of artists and designers teamed up on a project to help ease the winter quarantine blues: a Philly-themed coloring book. Called “Draw to Action,” the publication’s proceeds will be split among contributing artists and15 organizations focused on social justice issues, including criminal justice reform, racial equity, trans rights and mental health advocacy. When you buy a copy of the 44-page book for $20, you can choose which org gets a share of the proceeds.

Weekly gun violence tracker (with PCGVR)

We publish this tracker every week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting at the Community College of Philadelphia.

There were 37 people reported shot last week in Philly, up from 32 week prior. Many were wounded over the weekend: data shows 24 shooting victims between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. [PPD Google Drive/@PPD18Dist]
Police have recorded 13 homicides during the first 11 days of 2021, the worst start to a new year since 2007. [Philly Police]
The DA's Office announced $1.2 million in funding to continue the Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement for Survivors (CARES) program, which supports people affected by homicides. [Medium]
Nationwide gun sales are rising in the wake of violence at the U.S. Capitol. [CBS8]
Feel for St. Louis: Last year the Missouri metropolis suffered a murder rate of 87.2 per 100k, the highest ever recorded for a city of more than 250,000 people. [@Crimealytics]
PCGVR founder Jim MacMillan's Solution of the Week: A Louisiana domestic violence prevention program works to remove firearms from the equation, and it seems to be working so far. [Tennessean]
Here's our list of resources and help hotlines for people affected by gun violence. [Google Docs]

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Philly Quizzo Question of the Day 🎲

In what year did the Academy of Music on South Broad Street first open its doors to audiences?
(Answer below; take the most recent online quiz here)

Philly's COVID curves since March, updated daily
Left: 7-day totals for cases, hospitalizations, fatalities; Right: % positive, total tests
View interactive versions of the charts above; view cases by Philly ZIP; track COVID patients in Philly hospitals
Data: Phila Dept. of Public Health; Graphs: Kindhearted city resident

Tracking COVID-19

At a glance (vs. a week ago)
Pennsylvania: cases ↑, positivity ↓
Philadelphia: cases ↑, positivity ↑

Summary: The city announced its formal priority order for vaccine rollout, which Health Commissioner Farley said will be distributed at hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, pharmacies, congregate care settings, and, very likely, additional mass vaccination sites like the one that popped up at the Convention Center last weekend.

Philly has used 55% of its available vaccine, giving an average of 2,867 first doses/day over the past week, for 50,532 partial vaccinations, plus second doses for 9,061 total vaccinations. Pa. is averaging 14,994 first doses/day, for 281,305 partial vaccinations outside the city, plus second doses for 21,291 total vaccinations. [phila.gov/pa.gov]
Pennsylvania's rolling average is 8,502 new COVID cases/day, 15% higher than a week ago. • There have been 733k total positives out of 4.14M people tested. • Last week, statewide positivity rate averaged 14.4%, six-tenths of a point down from the week prior. [pa.gov]
Philadelphia's rolling average is 606 new cases/day (16% higher than a week ago) out of an average of 6,800 daily tests. • The city has recorded 101k positives out of 1.19M tests given. • Positivity rate in Philly is averaging 9.0%, three-tenths of a point up from a week ago. [phila.gov]
In the city, 616 people are hospitalized with COVID, with 91 on ventilators. • Since March, 2,645 Philadelphians are known to have died of the disease. • The city reported 156 deaths over the past seven days. [phila.gov]
Statewide, 5,204 people are hospitalized with COVID, including 1,060 in the ICU. • Since March, 18,080 Pennsylvanians are known to have died of the disease. • The state reported 1,534 deaths over the past seven days, 29% higher than a week ago. [pa.gov]

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RECAP: What else happened?

Hundreds of Republicans across the country and in Pa. switched their voter registration in the days after the Capitol insurrection. [AP]
Federal appeals court judges dealt a major blow to Safehouse by ruling that the proposed supervised injection site would violate federal law. [WHYY]
Applications are open for the new round of PPP loans, and community banks are included in this edition. [Technical.ly]
A North Philly native turned four shipping containers into a tire shop in Fairhill after the pandemic forced him to close his building. [Grid]
WURD is hosting an on-air book club the first Tuesday of each month. The series kicked off with "Deacon King Kong" by James McBride. [WURD]
Handy for cyclists: a map of MLK Drive between East Falls and the Art Museum, featuring Indego stations and other amenities. [Bicycle Coalition]
A look at how the Sixers turned their schedule into a tribute to Philly's small businesses. During each game this season, the team will feature another small biz on social media. [PhillyVoice]

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Philly Quizzo answer: In 1857, first for an inaugural ball, then for a concert featuring Verdi’s Il trovatore.

MAYOR WATCH: Jan. 13, 2021

Nothing on Mayor Kenney's public schedule today. At yesterday's virtual press conference he was notably alert, well-dressed and quick to provide answers, apparently rested from the holiday break.

ON THE CALENDAR

🎲 Billy Penn event: How well do you know this city? Join us live on Zoom at our monthly news and history quiz — winning team gets a prize. Philly Quizzo is free to play, but RSVP is required. (6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27)

🚥 After decades of collecting, the founder of the Neon Museum of Philadelphia finally found a home last year. Instead of waiting any longer, the space launches with a virtual grand opening that's free to attend. (7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15)

👩‍🎤 Partner event: Drag cabaret Martha Graham Cracker is back with another virtual show. Tickets are pay what you wish. (8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23)

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