Fight over supervised injection site gets day in court; Ardmore grapples with the potential loss of a local landmark | Morning Newsletter
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The Morning Newsletter
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A potentially pivotal moment in the nation’s opioid crisis is taking place in Philadelphia. Yesterday, the Justice Department and the nonprofit that wants to make Philadelphia the home of the nation’s first supervised injection site squared off in court. Also, the investigation into the police shooting that occurred last week “could take months” to complete, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner. And in the suburbs, some Ardmore residents are fighting against another new luxury apartment complex that would replace a historic landmark.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The push to open the nation’s first supervised injection site in Philadelphia entered federal court Monday. U.S. vs. Safehouse pits the region’s top law enforcement official against the president of a nonprofit founded to help stem the opioid crisis.
The case is expected to set a precedent on the legality of sites intended to give drug users a safe place to use, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment.
The Justice Department originally sued Safehouse in February, claiming that the idea of a supervised injection site was illegal. Safehouse countered by contending that the law in question was never intended to prevent what its officials say is a legitimate public health measure aimed at saving lives.
Developers have proposed yet another luxury apartment building in rapidly changing Ardmore, Pa. It’ll be built on the site of the old Ardmore Theater, which is now a furniture store, but still uses the old marquee from the original building.
The plans were unveiled last month, and have sparked intense reaction from residents groaning at another new development and from those who will miss the theater’s old-fashioned charm.
It’s a charm, residents told The Inquirer, that they don’t want to leave Ardmore.
The probe covering the largest mass shooting of Philadelphia police in decades may not be completed for months, District Attorney Larry Krasner said yesterday.
He and a top deputy said that authorities still needed to process and review hundreds of hours of video footage from various sources — officers’ bodycams, videos from doorbell cameras, and other videos from the block in Tioga.
Krasner did not elaborate on a number of other potential issues regarding the case, including whether there would be a conflict in prosecuting a case in which he personally negotiated with the defendant during the standoff.
What you need to know today
A Philadelphia judge allowed a gunman who used an AK-47 to withdraw a guilty plea in the shooting of a beer deli owner because federal authorities subsequently charged him with the same offense.
Labor and political leaders called for a safe and secure closure of the bankrupt Philadelphia refinery following the devastating June 21st explosion.
A new study about the impact of fluoride on developing brains is likely to fire up the debate over adding the tooth-protecting mineral to public drinking water.
Almost three-quarters of economists in a survey expect a recession the United States in the next couple years.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Have you made it over to Summerfest yet? Nice shot, @abelcastilla89.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s Interesting
Bryce Harper left the Phillies game Sunday because of blurred vision. The culprit was something that could happen to any of us.
The Barrymore nominations are in for Philadelphia theater’s best shows. We’ve got the entire list.
Did you know that the Wells Fargo Building on Broad Street between Sansom and Walnut has its own zip code?
At least one person a year dies in Pennsylvania at the places where train tracks and roads intersect. Navigation apps aren’t helping those locations become any less dangerous.
Two generations of boy bands hit Philadelphia over the weekend. The Wells Fargo Center sold out for both the Backstreet Boys and the Jonas Brothers.
Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan shares his favorite vegan cheese. It’s like brie, but not really.
Opinions
“While learning more about a problem is always a good thing, learning is no substitute for the political will to take action on gun laws that we know could make a real difference. Gov. Wolf ended his remarks reaffirming his support to multiple gun control laws that are stuck in the General Assembly.” — The Inquirer Editorial Board gives credit to Gov. Tom Wolf for doing something on gun violence, but is looking for Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to do more.
Ronsha Dickerson, the cofounder of the Camden Parent Union, and Camden City Public Schools alum Joshua Sims write about the city’s “supermarket disaster.”
The most dangerous predator in the water might not be what you think it is, writes Paula Moore, a senior writer for the PETA Foundation.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia has convinced business leaders to be part of a homelessness solution. Billy Penn reports on the Shared Public Spaces program.
Insurance companies pay cops to investigate customers, according to a Buzzfeed News report. Pennsylvania is apparently one of the states where police and the insurance companies have a particularly cozy relationship.
The New York Times compares an economic concept that could forecast a recession to betting on the New England Patriots.
A Daily Dose of | Comic Con
Tom Holland, the 23-year-old actor who plays Spider Man, is coming to Comic Con in Philly this week. It was something he did when he wasn’t playing a superhero that changed a 48-year-old English professor’s life.