🌿 A Wild West of unregulated weed | Morning Newsletter
And slavery exhibits flagged for review.
The Morning Newsletter
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Hi, Philly. It’s hot and humid once again, but a break is on the horizon.
Today, we’re digging into Pennsylvania’s unregulated hemp industry. The stores are booming — but tests show products are rife with toxic and illicit chemicals.
And at Independence National Historical Park and other historical sites, exhibits on slavery have been flagged for review and possible removal in connection with an order from President Donald Trump.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Recreational cannabis remains illegal in Pennsylvania. But it’s not hard to find stores that sell hemp products with THC, a psychoactive cannabinoid that can get you high.
🌿 Legal limbo: An apparent loophole in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill has created a multi-billion dollar industry nationwide that is largely free from regulation and oversight.
🌿 Safety concerns: The Inquirer sent 10 hemp products bought from stores around the region to be tested by a lab, and found that almost every sample was over the legal potency or contained mold or pesticides. That’s despite language on product packaging describing them as legal and free from toxins.
🌿 Gray area: “What they’re selling is straight weed, because the market is so gray,” a former state legislator who now works in the cannabis industry said. “There’s no enforcement.”
Thirteen displays at Independence National Historical Park that share historical information about slavery during the founding of United States have been flagged for a content review in response to a Trump executive order to revise or remove any material that “inappropriately disparages Americans.”
Flagged displays include panels at the President’s House Site at Sixth and Market Streets that describe the brutality and abuse enslaved people experienced there. Under review, too, is an interactive touchscreen exhibit at the nearby Benjamin Franklin Museum about the evolution of Franklin’s perspective on slavery.
Local experts are concerned about the federal push to reframe history — “the good, the bad, and the ugly” — as well as the use of park employees to execute Trump’s order.
Reporter Fallon Roth has more details on the exhibits under review, and the response.
What you should know today
Two Philadelphia men police say shot at officers after an attempted traffic stop have been charged with multiple crimes, authorities said. Plus, one of two gunmen who police say opened fire at a birthday party in Nicetown was charged with murder and related crimes. And a man was arrested Monday for the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old woman in front of a North Philly church.
Family members have identified the 9-year-old girl who died after an incident at Hersheypark’s waterpark last week.
New whistleblowers are expressing concerns about Emil Bove, Trump’s controversial pick to be a Philly-based federal appeals judge.
The House Ethics Committee concluded there was evidence that U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania violated a code of conduct during the investigation into his wife’s stock trades.
Pennsylvania Democrats mistakenly referred to Treasurer Stacy Garrity as a member of Congress in a fundraising email. She called them clowns.
A state board that oversees Philly’s finances approved Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s budget plans despite concerns about the city’s increasing reliance on debt-financing, as well as Trump’s threats to cut federal funds for cities.
Prospect Medical Holdings wants to jettison from its bankruptcy case two Crozer Health hospitals the for-profit company shuttered in Delaware County.
Camden police are now deploying social workers to city streets to address mental and social service needs.
Quote of the day
After staging a high-profile boycott in the capital, the would-be unionized employees of Philly’s most famous restaurateur have taken their campaign for recognition on the road.
🧠 Trivia time
Starting in October and running through next July, which of these will become the site of Philly’s 2026 World Cup volunteer center for an expected 4,500 volunteers?
A) Fashion District
B) Lemon Hill
C) NovaCare Complex
D) FDR Park
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re...
🎙️ Reflecting on: The Philly legacy of Terry Gross’ Fresh Air.
☀️ Asking: Has Always Sunny aged well over its 20 years?
🥤 Chuckling at: The very-Jalen-Hurts attitude exhibited in his new commercial.
🎹 Inspired by: The Main Line voice teacher who spent 50 years training EGOTs and opera stars.
🐕 Considering: The benefits of rescuing a dog, even a naughty one like Superman’s Krypto.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Annual event returning this weekend 🎥
MISFIT TRAVELS FALLBACK
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Lenny Schnier, who solved Monday’s anagram: University City. Italian-ish restaurant Corio has finally fully opened — liquor license and all — in the West Philly neighborhood.
Photo of the day
Mentally, I am here — and physically I am also here. Paola has you covered tomorrow, then I’ll be back with the latest news on Thursday. Wishing you a momentary vacation wherever you find yourself today.
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