Expect some travel chaos | Morning Newsletter

It’ll be a good day to break out your rain jacket. There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Temps will reach the high 80s.

The big news of the day is, of course, the I-95 bridge collapse. What a way to start the week. It collapsed early Sunday morning and will undoubtedly make travel more of a headache. SEPTA planned to add cars to some already scheduled Regional Rail trains, suspending parking fees at stations, and preparing for more riders on the Market-Frankford Line and bus routes.

Details are still unfolding but our lead story is what we know so far.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

An elevated section of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying gasoline burst into flames beneath it. No injuries or deaths have been reported at this time.

This will cause travel chaos in the region for awhile.

Officials said four northbound lanes fell onto Cottman Avenue in the Tacony neighborhood after the fire weakened steel girders that were supporting the roadway. The interstate was closed in both directions between Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue.

Late Sunday afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board announced it was sending a team to investigate the gasoline tanker fire and I-95 collapse with the Pennsylvania State Police.

What happens next: Gov. Josh Shapiro said he will issue a disaster declaration Monday morning, a step that will allow Pennsylvania to receive federal aid. Officials predict it will take months for a complete recovery.

Keep reading for the latest information about the collapse.

John Suzadail, 73, is searching for Henry, the man who saved his life. He thinks he’s from the Philly area.

Henry was the only Black Marine in an otherwise mostly white unit. The two served together in Vietnam, in Combined Action Program CAP 3-3-6, stationed with about seven other Marines in the bush near the village of Tam Bảo.

On May 15, 1970, Suzadail was scanning the woods for danger when he tripped a wire connected to a grenade. Henry, along with a South Vietnamese soldier, knelt beside Suzadail and patched him as quickly as he could. The last time he saw Henry was when he was lifted into a medical evacuation helicopter.

In his own words: “I want to thank him,” Suzadail said. “I never got to thank him”

Continue reading to learn about Suzadail’s long journey trying to find Henry.

Tahir Johnson, 39, is about to become one of the first Black recreational dispensary owners in New Jersey.

He’ll also be one of the state’s first operating owners with a cannabis-related conviction. Set to open this summer, Johnson is preparing to open Simply Pure Trenton in Ewing Township, his hometown.

Important note: A common criticism of the legal marijuana industry is that while Black people have been disproportionately targeted for cannabis offenses, white business owners are benefiting from legalization. In New Jersey, the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission gives priority to applicants with cannabis-related convictions, as well as those who come from communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs, such as Trenton and Ewing.

Continue reading to learn more of Johnson’s story.

Franklin Fountain is a Philly ice cream favorite in Old City. The throwback appeal makes you feel like you’re in an old-fashioned malt shop.

It’s not that old though. When was it founded?

A) 2000

B) 2010

C) 2004

D) 2006

Think you know? Check your answer.

📷 Viewing: Saturday’s march to protest the plan for a new Sixers arena, in pictures.

🥄 Craving: Gelato from Alice Pizza.

Hint: The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival returns next week.

INFERNAL QUARKS

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Franklin Parker Reserve, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Kristy Schneider.

I asked you last Friday to share your Philly stories and you did not disappoint. Here are a couple:

“One Friday evening, my mother and sister were walking home from Broad Street. They decided to take a shortcut through the Leonetti Funeral Home parking lot during a night when there was a viewing. The attendants stopped both of them and questioned where they were going and my mother said, ‘Don’t mind us, we’re just passing through!’ The attendant responded, ‘Aren’t we all, Ma’am; aren’t we all?’”— Tony Santini from South Philly.

“Every year my partner and I celebrate our anniversary with dinner at Vedge. We left the restaurant and walked down Locust — we had gotten a great spot less than three blocks away. As we approached the car, I saw a couple taking pictures of Quince Street. “Isn’t that like the perfect block?” I asked them. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘It’s so pretty. Do you live here?’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘And we love it.’ ‘You’re so lucky,’ he replied, ‘We live in New York, and it sucks!’” — Melissa Correll from Germantown

And that should have you covered for the morning. Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. See you tomorrow. 👋🏽