The confessions of a killer | Morning Newsletter
And Philly-made recycling carts grow in popularity.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly! Happy Monday.
Kenneth Houseknecht, who murdered his 12-year-old Deptford neighbor 38 years ago, recently spoke out extensively for the first time since the 1988 killing.
Philadelphia’s Burns Services invented the TommyCart as a better way to sort, save, and sell recyclable materials from construction sites. Now, they’re in construction sites around the United States.
Plus, two French creators fell in love with Philadelphia, and more news of the day.
— Sam Stewart (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Nearly four decades after a 14-year-old boy killed his 12-year-old neighbor by stabbing her 95 times in one of South Jersey’s most infamous crimes, the killer spoke extensively for the first time about that day, according to a newly released recording.
“I am truly sorry,” Kenneth Houseknecht, now 53, said of the events in April 1988, when he attacked Kim Marie Anderson as she was getting ready for school in her family’s home in Deptford.
Houseknecht’s comments came during an unusual hearing in Gloucester County Superior Court. After serving 38 years, Houseknecht was seeking a reprieve from a life sentence. Describing it as “the most gruesome homicide of my time,” Superior Court Judge Kevin T. Smith ultimately affirmed the original sentence.
An audio recording of the proceeding, obtained through an open public records request, offers a compelling window into Houseknecht’s imprisonment since he was a student in junior high school, his family’s pledge of support for his potential release, and the continued anguish and anger of Anderson’s parents, Stephen and Esther.
The TommyCart, a durable, bar-coded, welded-steel recycling wagon made in Philadelphia, is popping up at U.S. construction sites from the Wanamaker Building’s apartment conversion in Center City to the Tennessee Titans’ new stadium in Nashville.
The carts, specialized for recycling, were developed by Richard S. Burns & Co. at its 13-acre Hunting Park complex, where demolition debris is sorted for resale to steel mills, building-materials makers, plastics plants, and other reusers.
The family-led team invented and patented a heavy-duty cart, more nimble than the heavy dumpsters used to collect industrial waste. With the carts, they could more easily weigh, measure, and handle materials at crowded building sites. The process was efficient enough to resume hand-sorting and recover far more material to resell.
Using the TommyCarts, the company can sell about 80% of the recyclables it collects for reuse.
What you should know today
Experts say the ongoing wildfires will threaten air quality in the region, while the longer dry seasons, droughts, and high winds associated with climate change mean that such fires — and the smoke they send downwind — may become more common.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani says his administration is still weighing whether to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he arrives in the city in September for the U.N. General Assembly.
Federal agents around the country were told in recent days that the FBI would no longer investigate confrontations with immigration agents — cases that sometimes yield evidence that could be used to prosecute Department of Homeland Security agents implicated in violent encounters, according to people briefed on the decision.
The Trump administration has filed a first-ever petition to a secretive and dormant court created 30 years ago to consider government requests to deport so-called “alien terrorists” from the United States.
As part of its full-court press on immigration, the Trump administration has increasingly sought to punish Democratic-led states that have tried to curtail their cooperation with federal immigration agencies.
Quote of the day
French social media creators Alex Durand and Tom Carles visited Philadelphia for the World Cup and left captivated by the city’s sports fans, honesty, Wawa, and unmistakable spirit. Philadelphia’s unpolished authenticity is what made the pair fall in love with the city, they said.
🧠 Trivia time
Abington Township is paying the U.S. Department of Agriculture to evict what bird from a local park?
(The birds are attacking locals and dropping bacteria-laden feces, authorities say.)
A) Geese 🪿
B) Ducks 🦆
C) Turkey 🦃
D) Owls 🦉
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
📚 Reading: A thriller, a memoir, and a love story. These books are perfect for a beach day read.
🧡 Loving: The new Nike Air Force 1 shoes, which bear a striking resemblance to our favorite orange menace: Gritty.
🥘 Wanting to try: Chibanos, Washington Square West’s latest restaurant, brings Chinese flavors to Cuban classics.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: One of the world’s premier botanical display gardens
GONDOLAS WRONGED
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Kenneth Grubb, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Frog Commissary. Filled with unique recipes, the cookbook remains a must-read for Philadelphia home chefs more than 40 years after its debut.
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 Shirley Hill, who describes how she fell in love with Philly:
I fell in love with Philly when I first went to the Plateau back in the ’70s. I was in high school and amazed at how friendly everyone was.
We were invited to eat with people we didn’t know, asked to sit down and play various games. And we sure did dance our booties off. No fighting, everyone just enjoying being alive.
I’m from Jersey, and my friends would always ask: “Are we going to the Plat next weekend?” The Spectrum and South Street was another eye-opening experience.
👋 Have a good day, folks! Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer.
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