🥛 Raw regulation | Morning Newsletter

Good morning. It should be a partly sunny Sunday with a high near 82, but look out for a slight chance of mid-afternoon showers.

Raw milk is a controversial commodity. Enthusiasts say it’s “grassy” and “creamier” than pasteurized milk, but health officials warn that consuming it is seriously risky. Still, Pennsylvania and nearby states are considering pulling back on some rules. Our main read weighs the options.

— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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The U.S. Food & Drug Administration warns of “serious health risks” associated with the consumption of unpasteurized milk. Only three states in the country have outright banned raw products.

But more states are considering loosening some rules on the production or sale of raw milk, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

🐄 Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to destroy potentially harmful microbes.

🐄 Devotees and detractors are divided on its merits, but both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are firmly against recommending drinking raw milk.

🐄 Pennsylvania is home to nearly 5,000 dairy farms, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture; 115 are licensed to handle raw milk.

🐄 Licensees in Pa. and other states say tight restrictions are from a much different, more dangerous time in the dairy world. And some farm owners like Layne Klein in Easton (pictured above) credit the transition to raw milk with saving their operations. “We’ve lost so many small dairies in this state because of the rules and regulations pasteurization requires,” Bill Simmerman told our Jason Nark.

Get a closer look at existing laws on raw milk and what could change.

Chef Dionicio Jiménez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez, Jiménez’s wife and co-owner of Cantina La Martina on Kensington Avenue, were hopeful about Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s plan to clean up Kensington.

But while some areas of the troubled neighborhood seem to have benefited from the city’s effort to root out the neighborhood’s heavy narcotics trade, longtime residents and business owners say it’s not long before they see problems intensify in others.

This became evident following last month’s clearing of a homeless encampment, which they say did little more than shuffle the neighborhood’s problems.

The result: “a cycle of short-lived reprieves, where one block’s peace spells another block’s chaos,” report Max Marin and Michelle Myers.

In their own words: “We were finally reaching a point where one could feel the progress, see the difference,” Jiménez, 48, said in Spanish. “Then the cleanup began with what seems like no concrete action plan.”

This is all happening as dozens of new police officers are soon expected to more strictly enforce drug laws in the neighborhood at the center of a billion-dollar heroin industry.

Go deeper into the chaos and confusion impacting the latest efforts to stabilize Kensington.

Earlier this week, Julie brought you the good news that a raptor made a remarkable recovery and is no longer considered an endangered species in New Jersey.

Which bird bounced back?

A) osprey

B) bald eagle

C) peregrine falcon

D) red-shouldered hawk

Maybe you caught it in the latest Outdoorsy newsletter. Think you know it? Check your answer here.

Hint: The host of Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running gameshow in American TV history, is officially retired after hosting his final episode on Friday.

KAJA PAST

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Helen Duncan who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Phanatic.

The beloved Phillies mascot is thrilled to be in London, and fans at home and abroad are equally ecstatic after Saturday’s red-hot victory across the pond. For those tuning in from a comfy couch or at a local watch party, be advised: Sunday’s game starts early.

🎶 Today’s Sunday track goes like this: “You can feel it in the streets / On a day like this, the heat / It feel like summer.” Childish Gambino is among some of the biggest and best pop concerts coming to the Philly area this season.

Also enjoying two very green things: the Phanatic’s fun cameo in Tierra Whack’s Tiny Desk Concert, and Charli XCX’s bombastic return with BRAT.

👋🏽 That’s it for now. Thanks for starting your day with us. Have a great one.