Mystery project on Manayunk’s island | Morning Newsletter

Morning, Philly.

What’s planned for 30 acres of Manayunk’s Venice Island? Still reeling from Hurricane Ida’s damage, locals fear a mystery development could worsen future flooding and trap residents on the island.

And Pennsylvania state and local officials were sent scrambling after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a temporary pause on federal financial assistance, a halt that could disrupt trillions of dollars and hundreds of programs.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Flooding is a major concern in Manayunk. The Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood was hit hard by Hurricane Ida in 2021, and its narrow Venice Island, nestled between the Schuylkill and Manayunk Canal, is one of the lowest lying areas of the city.

Now, Venice Island residents are worried that an uptick in development activity on a long-dormant property could bring danger to an already vulnerable site.

It’s not clear what’s planned for the property, which makes up nearly half of the island’s land mass and was once home to a paper mill. Even Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., who oversees the district, doesn’t know. But trucks and other heavy equipment have been seen hauling in and piling hills of soil across its 30 acres.

Environment reporter Frank Kummer has the story on neighbors’ quest for information, and why they fear the possibility of more residential construction.

The late-Monday memo from the Trump administration announcing a pause in federal grants could have massive implications for the region.

Panic over the intended funding freeze led a federal judge to pause the order shortly before it would have gone into effect Tuesday evening. The constitutionality of Trump’s order was also questioned by Democrats in Washington and several state attorneys general, including in New Jersey and Delaware, which joined a multistate lawsuit seeking an injunction against the order.

Here’s what we know so far about how the funding freeze could impact services in Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Effect on research and health care: Philadelphia medical researchers scrambled Tuesday to understand how the freeze would affect thousands of research projects that are supported by more than $1 billion in federal funding. Health providers, too, said widespread confusion about the pause and its potential impact on patients was already making it harder for health-care workers to concentrate on their day-to-day work.

In other federal policy news: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested seven migrants during a Tuesday morning raid on a Juniata Park car wash. A lawsuit by several Quaker groups claims the threat of homeland security agents around houses of worship violates their First Amendment rights. And a medical journal article stemming from a national symposium on research standards held at the University of Pennsylvania will not be published as planned, pending a review by the Trump administration, its editors said.

Plus: The mysterious drone sightings that cropped up in Jersey late last year were “not the enemy,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

Regarding his Philly-set Apple TV+ series Servant, a federal jury’s unanimous ruling cleared M. Night Shyamalan of charges accusing the Montgomery County-raised filmmaker of doing what?

A) Not paying local extras

B) Plagiarizing plot points

C) Not securing permits from the city

D) Writing a bad script

Think you know? Check your answer.

🎟️ Anticipating: Bucks County, USA, a docuseries about teens finding common ground in a politically split community.

🏀 Tracking: Sixers star Joel Embiid’s injury status and (lengthy) history record.

📺 Excited to see: Kevin Hart’s new adult-animated comedy series is set in ‘90s Philly.

🏆 Wondering: When the hypothetical Eagles’ Super Bowl parade will take place.

Hint: Philly workers at this grocery chain have voted to unionize

HOOFED OWLS

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Gary Bolton, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Ultimo Coffee. The local coffee chain announced it would close its Rittenhouse location permanently due to ongoing plumbing issues.

🧡 One last monstrous thing: Gritty’s Chaos Factory is now open at the Wells Fargo Center, where you can build your own Itty Bitty Gritty. I’ll let columnist Stephanie Farr’s headline speak for itself.

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday. Back at it tomorrow morning.

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