COVID-19 misinformation super-spreaders | Morning Newsletter
And, the effort to fix a historic cemetery.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning.
Philly preservationists are trying to revitalize the historic Mount Vernon Cemetery after it became so overgrown that a judge ousted the absentee owner.
We’re also talking about how despite all the health-care professionals who powered through on the front lines to help people through the pandemic, there are doctors and nurses who spread misinformation about COVID-19. And did you see the Eagles absolutely devastate the Falcons yesterday?
OK, let’s get into it.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
These are the trained medical professionals touting misinformation about COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Many fear that they are discouraging vaccination and even possibly leading the pandemic to drag on.
One example? The medical professional warning that masking up kids could cause developmental delays, psychological and true physiological harm, despite the evidence that shows otherwise.
Experts fear that a deepening distrust of expertise among Americans, the way misinformation can spread on the wings of social media — not to mention the politicians who promote false 2020 election theories — is giving doctors and nurses who traffic in dangerous falsehoods the keys to active listeners.
Keep reading for Jason Laughlin and Maddie Hanna’s report on these doctors and nurses becoming the falsehood super-spreaders.
Nature has reclaimed Mount Vernon Cemetery, the final resting places of 19th-century Philadelphia beer barons, the Drew and Barrymore acting dynasties, and two delegates to the Continental Congress.
Aggressive flora swallow sections of the fences, creating the impression of an unruly forest threatening to spill onto the sidewalk of West Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia. As one local historian put it, it’s “one of Philadelphia’s most interesting yet underappreciated pieces of land.” Not only is it overgrown and inaccessible, but some people who purchased plots there were no longer being buried in accordance with their wishes.
Better days, however, could lie ahead for the 165-year-old cemetery. Preservationists and volunteers are focused on large-scale landscaping and repairs. That cleanup process could involve a determined battalion of … hungry goats helping the effort.
Keep reading for reporter William Bender’s story on the dramatic cemetery situation.
Reopening resources
Here’s our latest list of restaurants, large performance venues, universities, and gyms in the Philly region where you need to show proof of vaccination.
Should you laminate your vaccination card? What if you lose it? Here are the dos and don’ts.
Here’s what you need to know about medical exemptions.
It could be time to upgrade your face gear. Which masks work best?
What you need to know today
How much more did women and low-wage worker bear the brunt of the pandemic than everyone else? The picture is grim when you look at the data.
People are still displaced after the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through. Ten days later, they left behind more than $100 million in damage in Pennsylvania, and people on the region’s hardest-hit blocks had nowhere to live.
Jonathan Valania, a writer and Philadelphia music and cultural scene fixture, died at 55.
Climate change is straining Philly’s 19th-century sewage system. Ida was a ”wake-up call.”
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Where else in the world could this be besides Philly?
Tag your Instagram posts with #OurPhilly, and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature here and give you a shout-out.
That's interesting
📚 A co-worker makes a racist or sexist comment. Here’s what to do, according to a buzzy new book.
🏈 This is what makes Penn State’s Jesse Luketa such a tremendous utility player.
🦅 The Eagles brought home the win we needed! Take a look at our analysis from Week 1 and some 🔥pictures from Atlanta.
🎸 Willie Nelson has still got it, and Saturday’s concert was proof.
🇺🇸 Sept. 11 brought America together and today’s crises are driving us apart.
🍒 “A Wawa would create a whole different atmosphere.” These Cherry Hill residents would very much not like to have a Wawa.
Opinions
“This is the wider truth, that the ‘forever war’ sparked by 9/11 was making America look weak — both morally and as a driver of world events — and, in creating new enmity in the multiple nations where we conducted drone strikes or other military actions, undermined our position in global affairs instead of strengthening it.” —Columnist Will Bunch writes of a tragedy that marks continued proof of America’s craving to project military power. Want a Bunch column in your inbox weekly? Sign up for the Will Bunch newsletter.
Columnist Helen Ubiñas writes about the missions of mothers of homicide victims turning to billboards in an effort to get answers.
We need a fairer, more equal car insurance marketplace for all, NCAAP leaders John Harmon Sr. and Richard T. Smith write.
What we’re reading
Hop aboard a milky mission with Billy Penn, which went in on making the real Philadelphia cream cheese inside of a Kensington shipping container.
And we’re also scrolling through our Twitter feed for the ”yikes, unfollowing now” memes.