🏀 Ben Simmons out? James Harden in? | Morning Newsletter
And let’s talk supervised injection sites, again
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s forecast to be a fantastic day, with temperatures in the mid-50s. Not bad for February. 😎
Today is the NBA trade deadline, and the last 48 hours saw a lot of wheeling and dealing between the Sixers and a number of teams.
And after Philly residents and the Department of Justice fought to keep a supervised injection site out, the DOJ is reevaluating a reason to bring one in.
— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
For months, the question has been whether the Sixers would trade disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons before the deadline. But as of the last month or so, another question has surfaced: Is the team eyeing a trade for Brooklyn Nets star James Harden?
Multiple sources have confirmed to us that the Sixers have been locked in discussions with the Nets to bring Harden to Philly — and have even floated the idea of moving players like Matisse Thybulle, Seth Curry, and Simmons in exchange for Harden.
Thankfully our reporter Keith Pompey has been all over the latest in this anxiety-ridden soap opera.
In addition to Keith, our sports team is delivering up-to-the-minute news of everything we know as soon as we know it.
What you should know today
Philly lost 19,000 commuters and roughly 7% of its Center City workforce in a move to remote work due to the pandemic, according to a Pew report.
We could be looking at springlike temperatures – oh, and snow – next week.
The family of actor-comedian Bob Saget revealed that it was a head trauma that felled the Philly native.
Cherry Hill residents want answers after acres of trees they believed would be saved were removed for development.
Here’s what it looks like to ride a bicycle down a rapidly changing section of Washington Avenue.
Three members of Villanova’s track team ran sub-4-minute-mile times in the same race, setting an NCAA record.
Our resident wellness contributor provides a few steps you can take to get back to 100% after a serious fall.
Vaccines are readily available, but the immunocompromised still have real fears when it comes to COVID-19.
Local Coronavirus Numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
After vigorously fighting Philadelphia’s attempt to open the nation’s first supervised injection site for people suffering from drug addiction, the Department of Justice is considering changing its position.
DOJ officials say they’re “evaluating” facilities like Safehouse, originally pitched to open in South Philly in 2020 and aimed at stemming a rise in overdose deaths.
That’s not a green light, but it does mark a significant shift from the DOJ’s stance under the Trump administration, which fought hard to keep Safehouse out of Philadelphia.
In fact, two supervised injection sites opened recently in New York, which didn’t see the same kind of threats the feds brought to bear against the Safehouse plan a few years earlier.
Our reporters Jeremy Roebuck and Aubrey Whelan have more on what it could all mean for Philly.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
In its heyday, this particular South Philly street, its homes, and storefronts were a sign of Black prosperity and upward mobility in Philadelphia. Today’s question: Do you know what street? Take a guess and find the answer here.
a. Packer Avenue
b. Christian Street
c. South Street
What we’re…
🚴 Wondering: About the 2,800 Peloton workers who were laid off but received free memberships for their troubles.
👀 Watching: This video of the devastation from yesterday’s water-main break in Kingsessing.
🍕 Wishing: For the person Yelp eventually hires as its Chief Pizza Officer to really know their stuff.
Photo of the day
Here’s my soundtrack for Thursday. Hope it helps in getting your day started. ✌️