Surprise sweeps in Kensington | Morning Newsletter
And Trump rally shooting aftermath.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to Monday. Today is the start of the city’s heat health emergency, with temps expected to reach the high 90s and feel like 100-plus.
Kensington could see surprise quality-of-life cleanups every month — with zero notice, ID checks, and towed cars. The latest effort caused confusion, even as residents applauded the results.
And we have updates on the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump in Western Pennsylvania, including details on the gunman and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s call for “moral clarity.”
Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Enforcement of quality-of-life laws is ramping up in Kensington, where the Parker administration has declared war on the open drug market. So far, two major sweeps have come without warning.
Police shut down more than a dozen blocks around the East Somerset Street corridor on Wednesday morning. Over several hours, they towed unregistered vehicles, took stolen cars into custody, seized dirt bikes, and recovered a firearm, officials said.
Residents told The Inquirer they appreciated the cleanup efforts, but were confused by the lack of communication from the city. Some were subjected to ID checks to travel to their blocks. The effort also displaced large crowds of people experiencing homelessness and left social services providers alarmed.
“We were given zero prior notice about the day’s actions,” one said. “We are sorry we couldn’t do more, but are limited when things are done to the community rather than with the community.”
Reporter Max Marin has the story.
After the deadly shooting at a Trump rally in Butler County, authorities are still working to unearth information about the harrowing act of violence. Here’s what we know so far.
Political reactions: Leaders from both major parties called for Americans to cool the nation’s heated political rhetoric, including Gov. Josh Shapiro. The governor also called for flags to fly at half mast in honor of 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his wife and daughters after shots were fired at Trump.
Motives unknown: The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was described by his former classmates as a quiet student with conservative beliefs. His motives are still unclear.
Misinformation abounds: Conspiracy theories spread wildly online after the shooting — including by members of Congress.
Looking forward: GOP delegates from Pennsylvania are prepared to give Trump a “hero’s welcome” at the Republican National Convention, which starts today. In Milwaukee and in Philadelphia, churchgoers called for prayers for the victims, and for an end to political violence.
Visit Inquirer.com for ongoing updates. Plus, look to our guide on how to talk to kids about the weekend’s events — and help yourself cope.
What you should know today
How did different causes make out in the new state budget? Winners include underfunded schools and bipartisanship, while losers are legal weed and residents earning minimum wage.
After years of advocacy from hair braiders and supporters, Pennsylvania legislators agreed to exempt their industry from regulatory oversight that mandated 300 hours of formal instruction.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art and its unionized staff are locked in yet another labor dispute — this time, over remote work.
Temple University Health System has adopted a new way of watching costs that allows it to tap into patients’ electronic medical records and track each drug and supply used in their care.
Almost four decades after residents and preservationists first nominated West Philadelphia’s Spruce Hill neighborhood for historic designation, the area has its first historic district.
A month after University of the Arts’ sudden closing, no one seems to know if plans to establish a Walter Dallas Theater will go forward. Artists, advocates, and family members are also rushing to save artworks inside UArts buildings.
A Goodwill Industries program gives local adults a pathway to earning high school credentials — for some, 40 years after they dropped out.
Surprising consumer trends are emerging in the worlds of love and leisure: Philly couples are hiring wedding content creators, and Gen Zers and millennials are hiring travel agents.
🧠 Trivia time
The Museum of the American Revolution is displaying a fragment of a historical artifact that a Virginia man bought for auction from Goodwill for $1,300. What is it?
A) A tin-glazed punch bowl
B) A handwritten page of Phillis Wheatley’s poetry
C) The first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence
D) Washington’s tent
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
❤️ Touched by: This writer’s recollections of his parents who died in the Bucks County floods one year ago today.
🍳 Glad to see: South Jersey diners seemingly bouncing back after sudden closures.
🥾 Hiking: These five kid-friendly hikes near Philadelphia.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
This iconic Flyers broadcaster who died 25 years ago this month pulled double duty as a high school teacher in South Jersey.
THE ANGER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Susan Brotherton, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Bryce Harper. The Phillies hitter’s jersey is the second-highest selling MLB jersey so far this year.
Photo of the day
Your “only in Philly” story
📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Geoff Scowcroft, who recalls a quaint moment involving several long-gone staples:
One morning in the mid-50s, my father and I were having breakfast downstairs from the Reading Terminal at the Horn & Hardart Automat. He was drinking coffee; I no doubt was eating home fries. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a horse-drawn milk wagon out front — Harbisons Dairy. My father encouraged me to take a sugar cube and go feed the poor old nag and with some trepidation I did.
A horse cart on Market Street in Center City Philly? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Nope. I can still feel the humid breath of the horse as it nuzzled my hand and accepted the treat.
Stay safe in this heat. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow.
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