🐟 A threat in Philly waters | Morning Newsletter

Good morning.

Our top Sunday reads explore the spread of an invasive species in Philadephia-area waterways, and the growing number of Pennsylvania police agencies partnering with ICE.

Today also marks the restoration of SEPTA service — and fare increases are now in effect.

Read on for these stories and more.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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The Northern snakehead was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2004. Today, the “voracious predator” now dominates many local rivers and creeks and is considered a threat to the environment.

A collaborative study by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) hopes to better understand the ramifications of its invasion.

🐟 “A prized food fish”: Snakeheads are native to China, Russia, and Korea. They are so big that they have become a sport fish for anglers. Some enjoy their white meat filets.

🐟 The PFBC’s goal: To determine contaminant levels of “forever chemicals” in snakeheads, and the species’ broader ecological impact.

🐟 Not just Philly: Darby Creek has the highest concentration of Northern snakeheads in the region. They have also reportedly been found in the Rancocas, Woodbury, and Raccoon Creeks in South Jersey.

Environmental reporter Frank Kummer has the story on snakeheads’ impact on the Philly region’s waters, including what’s happening to frogs at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Police agencies in New Jersey and Delaware are barred from signing agreements to help ICE enforce immigration laws.

But in Pennsylvania, it’s a different story. Dozens of departments have partnered with the federal agency. In recent months, the number has grown from 10 to 39.

At the heart of this effort is a controversial ICE initiative known as 287(g), where state and municipal departments help the agency identify, arrest, and deport immigrants.

Almost every day, a new partnership agreement is established in the United States. In the Keystone State, some local departments and governments — including in Philadelphia — avoid them or limit their cooperation with ICE altogether.

While ICE says the program helps protect people, critics are concerned that turning local officers into immigration agents erodes community trust in police.

Immigration reporter Jeff Gammage and data reporter Joe Yerardi analyze the uptick in partnerships, the specific types of agreements at play, and the costs involved.

Tokyo’s cheesesteak aficionados Kosuke and Tomomi Chujo recently walked us through their perfect day in Philly: They start it like Rocky, and end it like Gamble & Huff.

When did the Japanese restaurant owners open “Philly” in Nihonbashi?

A) 2000

B) 2022

C) 2011

D) 2015

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: The “Patriarch of Pop Art”

HOLY RWANDA

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Jackie Zucker who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Billie Holiday. Rare images of the Philadelphia-born entertainer and other local icons are now displayed in an art gallery in a Jefferson Einstein Hospital corridor.

Handball is a cornerstone of the Latino community in Philadelphia. Photographer Jose F. Moreno’s new visual project highlights a crew keeping the legacy alive in Hunting Park.

🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “Only love can make it rain / The way the beach is kissed by the sea.” I recently watched Quadrophenia, a 1979 film based on The Who’s rock opera of the same name. It’s a gritty coming-of-age tale embedded in the Mod subculture that informed the band’s early days.

One more thing: Thanks for writing in to share what made you smile this week. I posted two of your responses here. And as a bonus, here’s one from my editor, Diane Mastrull: “Spending a fun-filled evening with my generous friend Paola, including digging into helmets piled with soft serve.”

There’s nothing like helmet bowl ice cream! I still really want the Phanatic one.

👋🏽 Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Have a good one.