Penn graduation; Parker ends hybrid work policy; 76ers arena tax subsidy

Penn’s graduation ceremony proceeded as normal Monday, although with high security and a pre-ceremony warning that any disruptions would lead to people being escorted out.

Still, many of the 6,000 graduates on Franklin Field engaged in silent displays of pro-Palestinian solidarity by wearing black-and-white checkered keffiyehs and writing messages on their mortarboards including “Free Palestine” and “Disclose, Divest, Defend.”

Speakers also made a few oblique references to the controversies related to Palestine and Israel that have rocked the university’s West Philadelphia campus in recent months. BP’s Meir Rinde attended commencement and describes the emotions on campus. Continue reading…

Pro-Palestinian protesters ignored a request by Drexel University’s president to disband their encampment on Monday as arrests linked to campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war surpassed the 3,000 mark nationwide.

Drexel’s campus remained on lockdown, with classes being held virtually as police kept watch over the demonstration on the school’s Korman Quad. Many Drexel employees were told to work from home. Continue reading…

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• An ongoing study shows high levels of PFAS in adults and children who lived near Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, where drinking water is contaminated with harmful chemicals. [NBC10]