Are turf fields making kids sick? | Morning Newsletter
And, Johnny Doc allies prepare for sentencing.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning, and happy 61st birthday, Sir Charles Barkley.
Our top story comes from reporters Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta, and looks into whether slews of toxic chemicals that lurk in artificial turf could be harmful to young athletes.
Also, sentencing hearings are expected this week for some of Johnny Doc’s top allies.
Let’s dive in.
— Tommy Rowan (@tommyrowan, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Across the United States, parents, youth coaches, and medical experts worry that a melange of dangerous chemicals, lurking unseen in an estimated 13,000 artificial turf fields, has made youth athletes sick.
It is a vexing dilemma, particularly in municipalities that still regard turf as a cheap and effective way to create safe outdoor spaces for children.
And in Philadelphia, a new turf soccer and baseball field is the centerpiece of a $7.5 million overhaul of South Philly’s Lawrence E. Murphy Recreation Center, and city officials are seeking to include more than a dozen turf fields as part of a controversial $250 million renovation of sprawling Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park.
Important context: Researchers determined only in 2019 that artificial turf contains PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The so-called forever chemicals, which are used in a wide range of consumer products, and linked to cancer, liver damage, and other illnesses.
Read the full report from reporters Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta.
Starting today, sentencing hearings will be held this week for some of the top allies of former union chief John Dougherty, all of whom are now facing potential prison sentences for their roles in helping him embezzle more than $600,000 from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union he led for nearly 30 years.
Those set to be sentenced this week include:
⚖️Michael Neill, the former head of the union’s apprentice training program.
⚖️Marita Crawford, Local 98′s former political director.
⚖️And Niko Rodriguez, a Local 98 employee that prosecutors said ran personal errands for Dougherty while on the union’s payroll.
The sentences U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Schmehl hands down this week could give us our first indicator of how much prison time Dougherty could be facing, when it’s his turn to be sentenced in May.
Reporters Jeremy Roebuck and Oona Goodin-Smith take a look at the week ahead in court.
What you should know today
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker spent nearly a million dollars in campaign funds on salaries and benefits for the staffers who helped her clinch the mayoral election last year. But it’s not clear who received that pay.
A Chester Police detective was shot by a suspect whom the detective was investigating for his involvement hours earlier in a drive-by shooting in the city.
Rilling’s Bakery will close its doors after three generations of family business. The local gem once had eight Philly locations.
New Jersey expects to start prep work this month on a new $14 million visitor center for Washington Crossing State Park.
Homeowners in the Philadelphia area are staying in their homes longer than owners in other cities and the country as a whole.
Former President Donald Trump’s sneakers sold out in a day, but are they landing with sneakerheads? In Philadelphia, the response to the shoes was tepid at best and hateful at worst.
The Philadelphia Water Department says that a proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule to increase a clean water standard in the Delaware River would cost $3 billion — a cost customers would bear to the tune of about $265 a year.
And some good news: potholes in the Philadelphia region are getting fixed this week.
🧠 Trivia time
The first Roots Picnic was held in which year?
A) 2010
B) 2008
C) 1999
D) 2005
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This pro boxer from South Philly recently starred in a popular HBO show.
ARIE ILKS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Chayim Stern who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Rising Sun.🌅
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