Mütter donors left in limbo | Morning Newsletter

Happy Wednesday.

The sun will be out but it’ll be pretty cold. Bundle up, the temps will only reach the high 30s.

Earlier this year, the Mütter Museum underwent new leadership and changes in direction. The new bosses want to focus more on health, not death. It’s in the middle of a comprehensive review of its approach to displaying human remains. Discussions about this usually focus on anonymous people from the past, the majority of whom did not give consent.

But today’s lead story focuses on what these changes mean for the donors who have already planned to leave their remains to the museum.

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

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Barbara Kotzin, 74, has a bond so deep with the Mütter Museum that she wants it to be her final resting place as a skeleton on display.

Kotzin lives with scoliosis. In 1996, she underwent a spinal fusion surgery to repair a 60 degree curve. After her spine was repaired with hooks and rods, she realized her experience could be educational and made an appointment with former Mütter director, the late Gretchen Worden.

The preparation: Kotzin arranged it all. She made sure her doctor was informed and willing to send her body; wrote up a will stating that her estate will cover the costs of the donation; and got a quote from a company that cleans bones and skeletons using beetles instead of chemicals. She even brought along her executor to visit the Mütter’s scoliosis skeletons.

But now those plans seem up in the air. The new museum director Kate Quinn told her there’s no existing paperwork for her donation and therefore her case would be considered a new acquisition and that the museum is not currently reviewing those.

In her own words: “All of the agreements were made verbally,” said Kotzin, who was in contact with the Mütter as recently as 2020 regarding the display of her skeleton. “I was never asked to sign, nor was I presented with anything to sign, nor was it ever a discussion. Everyone was aware that I had made this very explicit in my will.”

Kotzin, along with other past and prospective living donors, say the museum’s changing direction has jeopardized their planned donations or altered how their already-donated organs have been used, contrary to what was promised.

The 14th day of Philly labor leader John J. Dougherty’s embezzlement trial on Tuesday was a tense one.

Back when the the FBI raided his Pennsport home in August 2016 along with more than a dozen other sites associated with his union, he already has suspicions of a mole within his inner circle.

It was clear that those suspicions still ran high when Brian Stevenson, the former Local 98 business agent, arrived to testify as part of the prosecutor’s case.

A small group of older men — mostly former union members and Dougherty allies — grumbled quietly among themselves as Stevenson was sworn in but it only got louder as his testimony began.

“Give me five minutes in the elevator with him,” one of the men muttered.

“Five minutes?” another responded. “Give me an hour.”

“Wanna catch a rat?” one of the men exclaimed. “Put out some cheese.”

Read more to learn more about what it was like in the courtroom.

When Howard Stern asked Bradley Cooper on Monday if he’s rather have an Academy Award or an Eagles Super Bowl right, Cooper chose the latter with no hesitation.

How many times has Cooper been nominated for an Oscar?

A) 2

B) 10

C) 9

D) Trick question. He’s never been nominated.

Think you know? Check your answer.

🎶 Reading: Our pop music critic Dan DeLuca reviewed the Anna Indiana song before knowing it was AI.

👀 Watching: Hunter Biden offered Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off.

Hint: Harriett’s Bookshop

CONJOIN KEANE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Mike Vaupel, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Rite Aid.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Stay warm out there. I’ll catch you tomorrow. 👋🏽