The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Let’s start with some good news: It’s Friday.
Unfortunately, our dreary forecast didn’t get the memo. Beyond Memorial Day, resident weather expert Tony Wood has some important knowledge to share on the Atlantic hurricane season ahead.
Before the long weekend hits, visit and chat with some of the workers who help keep the Jersey Shore alive.
And the U.S. Department of Justice wants to talk to a former patient who sued Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia over gender-affirming care.
Plus, Sen. John Fetterman has lost his third chief of staff, and more news of the day.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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To celebrate the dawn of a new season, we built a new virtual experience to visit and talk to the folks who help make Wildwood’s boardwalk a special place.
Charmaine Runes wanted to know how they got their start and hear their favorite Shore memories, so she stopped by places like:
🎯 Bobby Dee’s Arcade Casino, where Bobby has been working for 74 years.
🎨 Love Rock Tattoo, where we learn a bit of Wildwood history.
🕹️ Pro tip: If you’re on desktop, try using the up and down arrow keys to move. It feels even more immersive!
Scroll to stroll along the boardwalk and meet the vendors.
🎤 Here’s senior health reporter Wendy Ruderman:
Earlier this year, Miles Shore filed a lawsuit claiming he suffered irreversible harm after receiving gender-affirming care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia roughly a decade ago.
Then his lawyer received an email from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The feds wanted to know if Shore would be a potential witness in its investigation into how CHOP’s medical providers are prescribing puberty blockers and hormones.
“It was two or three sentences, basically saying, ‘Would Miles be willing to undergo an interview with us in connection with an investigation we’re pursuing relating to these types of treatments?’” the lawyer, Tim Wojton, said earlier this month.
The DOJ says it’s investigating off-label medication use and possible fraudulent billing by doctors. Advocates of transgender youth say the investigation is a pretext to fulfill President Donald Trump’s mandate to prohibit gender-affirming treatment for children and teens.
Shore could be a crucial witness to reinvigorate the DOJ’s unsuccessful attempts to force CHOP to hand over private patient records, legal experts said. — Wendy Ruderman
Ruderman explains how this case could become a key asset to the federal government, and why privacy-concerned advocates are critical of the DOJ’s investigation.
What you should know today
Health officials are urging anyone who received dental care at Smiles at Rittenhouse Square to be tested for diseases like hepatitis and HIV. The license of a dentist at the practice was temporarily suspended for unsafe sterilization practices.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s chief of staff resigned Wednesday, the latest departure in the office of the controversial Democrat with a high turnover rate.
Civic leaders clashed Thursday with kratom and hemp industry advocates in City Hall over two bills that would make it more difficult for smoke shops to sell unregulated drugs across the city.
A Chester County bridge that crosses the Brandywine Creek has closed after inspections revealed deterioration of steel beams under the bridge.
A judge ruled that the case against the men accused of killing American Airlines flight attendant Amadou Thiam in South Philadelphia last year can proceed to trial.
Five men posing as utility workers targeted elderly Philadelphians in a sprawling fraud scheme that siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims who believed they were settling overdue bills, authorities said Thursday.
Workers employed at five Philadelphia hotels could go on strike next month if their union and employers can’t agree on a new contract.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority plans to open a 61-unit apartment building providing affordable housing for seniors in Kensington, its first in the neighborhood.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we have an explainer from Michelle Myers on what it’s like to be one of 6,500 registered block captains in Philadelphia.
Serving as liaisons between neighbors and city resources across 25,000 blocks, their job typically entails a mix of responsibilities. “Sometimes you are a counselor, sometimes a babysitter, or the police, or a social worker,” one told Myers. Here’s the full story.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
A California judge banned this earworm ad jingle for “false advertising”:
A) Stanley Steemer
B) Liberty Mutual Insurance
C) Kars4Kids
D) J.G. Wentworth
Think you know? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.
What we’re …
🏀 Deciding: Which Sixers should stay or go next season.
🗳️ Examining: Chris Rabb’s path to victory in Philly.
🐝 Learning: Why it seems like more bees are swarming around.
🎆 Hyped for: Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, and The Roots will headline the free July 4 concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
🏖️ Launching: Our new text chat The Shore Line.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Philly treasure hunters find gems in university students’ garbage during this colloquially named time period.
MATCH SPINNERS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Leo Henrysen, who solved Thursday’s anagram: President’s House. It has been named an endangered historic site, but there is an effort to keep it alive.
👋🏽 Have a great start to your weekend. I’ll catch up with you again tomorrow.
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