Results of a Kensington crackdown | Morning Newsletter
❄️ And your first winter snow photos
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Rise and shine, it’s Sunday.
Bundle up if you must go outside — temps will fall into the teens this morning, and we might not make it to 30 degrees during the day.
When Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker took office in January and vowed to clean up Kensington for good, many residents looked forward to seeing real change. But the crackdown hasn’t panned out as many had hoped. A new Inquirer analysis digs into police department data to see the results so far.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Since January, the Parker administration has responded to Kensington by:
🔴 putting 75 new police officers on the street
🔴 quashing homeless encampments
🔴 increasing narcotics arrests
The results: Kensington saw a steep reduction in gun violence, but quality-of-life crimes and nuisance issues have not improved. Instead, these problems have just been pushed into other areas, according to an Inquirer analysis.
In their own words: Some neighbors say they have watched more problems come to their doorsteps, and often feel alone in their struggle against Kensington’s chaos. “I know what the TV says, I know from my [community] meetings, but they’re not quite telling us,” said Filgia Encarnacion. “It’s like they’re putting out the fire. But not necessarily coming out with a solution.”
What authorities are saying: “[The police] are as frustrated as the neighbors,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Pedro Rosario. “The rest of this [system] hasn’t caught up. We’re not pointing the fingers at anyone. It’s a complicated issue that requires a complicated solution.”
In related news: Parker’s administration will open the first phase of a new city-funded treatment facility for people who use drugs early in the new year. It’s a key part of its plan to address Kensington’s open-air drug market.
Dive into our full analysis with reporters Max Marin and Dylan Purcell to see how Kensington has changed one year into the city’s efforts.
What you should know today
The 14-year-old shot in the face in Dilworth Park lost an eye and barely survived, but is improving each day, his mother said. The teen was trying to defend his brother from bullies.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the package.
Biden also has given federal employees (with some exceptions) off Christmas Eve, saying in an executive order that it would be considered a federal holiday this year.
A week after announcing its indefinite closure, Sang Kee Peking Duck House has reopened. Steam generated by a long-standing water leak had threatened the Chinatown restaurant’s electrical panel.
A troubled Lancaster automated teller machine company financed by more than 2,700 individual investors, including business owners in its home county, has reportedly laid off all staff and shut down.
Montgomery County Controller Karen Sanchez, who was first elected to the role in 2015, will leave her position with the county at the end of the year.
A New Jersey state investigation determined there were “substantiated” claims in the sexual assault allegations made against Wasim Muhammad by a former student in Camden.
The number of large businesses offering fertility benefits seems to be increasing, but IVF coverage isn’t a mainstream benefit — yet. One company in Deptford helping employees start a family saw 65 babies conceived over a period of two years.
The 128-year-old Skew Arch Bridge in West Fairmount Park recently underwent a $100,000 rehabilitation that included brick restoration and graffiti removal.
The Birds look to capture the division title and their 11th straight win Sunday in Washington. Inquirer writers lay out predictions for the matchup.
Two years ago, Hayden Laufgraben began a stretch of weeks-long stays at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He was diagnosed with leukemia and later received a bone marrow transplant.
While living on CHOP’s third floor, Hayden became the unofficial sports resource. Today, he’s the Temple Owls’ basketball manager.
To join the basketball program in this capacity after the cancer cut his high school playing career short is a dream for Laufgraben. He is a childhood Temple superfan and now an aspiring coach.
Sports reporter Gina Mizell tells Laufgraben’s story, including his ties to the university and how he landed the position.
❓ Pop quiz
Donald Trump has floated the idea of privatizing this Philadelphia-born entity:
A) Girl Scout cookies
B) The United States Postal Service
C) Libraries
D) The Thanksgiving parade
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: ____ ______ High School in Fishtown, named after this 1682 agreement
PYRE TENANT
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Nicholas Malfitano, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: David Corenswet. The Philadelphia native breaks the sound barrier in the official teaser trailer for James Gunn’s Superman film. And yes, he is a Birds fan.
I asked you to send in your photos of the first snow of the winter solstice, and you delivered. Thanks for submitting so many gorgeous images. Browse through the gallery here.
🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “Someday at Christmas, there’ll be no wars / When we have learned what Christmas is for.” I’m also listening to our pop critic Dan DeLuca’s fun seasonal playlist, curated with new holiday hits.
What’s your go-to holiday tune? Share one with me. A few of my favorites: Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” The Jackson 5 with “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and a classic Dominican merengue by Jossie Esteban, “Llegó Navidad” (Christmas is here).
👋🏽 Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Inquirer. Stay warm and have a great day.