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Philly embraces safe-injection sites, Meehan calls aide his 'soul mate' | Morning Newsletter

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Friends hug of an unidentified man, bottom right, after he was revived from a heroin overdose along Kensington Avenue. The city is now supporting the opening of safe-injection sites, which would save lives and usher more people into treatment.
Friends hug of an unidentified man, bottom right, after he was revived from a heroin overdose along Kensington Avenue. The city is now supporting the opening of safe-injection sites, which would save lives and usher more people into treatment.Read more / File Photograph

Good morning, Philadelphia. Today we're focused on a step forward in Philly's fight against the opioid epidemic, plus new statements from U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan about his sexual harassment settlement. Of course, as will be the trend for the next few weeks, there's plenty of Eagles news, too.

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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

» READ MORE: Philadelphia could be first in nation with safe-injection sites

Philadelphia, desperate for solutions to the opioid crisis, is embracing a controversial policy by encouraging the opening of safe-injection sites where people can inject drugs under medical supervision.

No locations for sites have been announced, but Philly could be the first American city to open one. Columnist Mike Newall writes that the city's announcement demonstrates a bold kind of leadership. The move might also politicize the epidemic, as no one's quite sure how the Trump administration will react.

In Philadelphia approximately 1,200 people died last year of overdoses, most of them from opioids, and Kensington has become the epicenter of the crisis. How would this plan help? Here's everything you need to know about safe-injection sites.

» READ MORE: Pat Meehan says he saw younger aide as ‘a soul mate,’ denies harassment

U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan responded Tuesday to a report that the Delaware County Republican quietly used thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual-harassment claim from a former aide. He said he had a deep "affection" for the woman and told her last year he saw her as "a soul mate."

Despite this, and the settlement, he denied the harassment claim as he did over the weekend. Gov. Tom Wolf asked him to resign in the wake of the allegations and Speaker Paul Ryan removed him from the House Ethics Committee.

Regardless, Meehan will continue his bid for reelection. Top Pennsylvania Republicans have hope he can ride out the political furor.

» READ MORE: Eagles convince NFL to donate ‘underdog’ proceeds to Philly schools

After donning his now-iconic dog mask, Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson raised $100,000 for the School District of Philadelphia by selling "underdog" themed t-shirts.

Now the NFL is selling their own underdog merch, and Johnson and fellow Eagle Chris Long called on them to donate all proceeds to Philly schools, too. Just a day later, the NFL agreed.

Despite their loss Sunday, Vikings fans have also embraced the giving spirit: they're raising money for the Eagles Charitable Foundation. What good sports, huh?

What you need to know today

  1. Two high school students were killed and 17 more were injured at a school shooting in Kentucky Tuesday. The suspect, a 15-year-old student, has been held.

  2. City Hall joins the #MeToo movement? Philly's new controller Rebecca Rhynhart is examining the city's sexual harassment investigations and payouts.

  3. A chunk of Jeweler's Row is going to be demolished in favor of a new high-rise condo building. Now we know what it'll look like.

  4. On Monday the state Supreme Court ruled that Pennsylvania's congressional map was unconstitutional and on Tuesday state Republicans asked the court to stay its order. Here's what the ruling means for local politics.

  5. The mother of Blaze Bernstein, the Penn sophomore murdered this month by a high school classmate, remembers his tenacity in the face of difficulty, saying he was "raised to be an activist."

  6. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signaled his support for expanding the state's medical marijuana program, including adding more dispensaries, selling edible cannabis products, or even allowing home delivery.

  7. New tariffs on imported solar panels imposed by the Trump administration are rocking the renewable energy industry and local businesses.

» READ MORE: #OurPhilly

We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.

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 to build those followers!

That’s Interesting

  1. The Inquirer sat down with longtime Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling ahead of tonight's Baseball Hall of Fame inductee announcement, where he'll likely once again be snubbed. Spoiler alert: he still doesn't care what you think of him.

  2. This year's Oscar nominees are record-breaking in more ways than one and they also feature three local nominees including…Kobe Bryant.

  3. The Philadelphia Flower Show is on its way, and it's going to be lavishly tropical. Like, indoor-rain-curtains-and-waterfalls lavish.

  4. You won't believe all the ways Eagles fans are trying to crowdfund money for Super Bowl tickets. Ok, maybe you will.

  5. The sounds of "Fly, Eagles, Fly" are still wafting through the city, but did you know the song originally lasted five whole minutes? 

  6. The Sixers' Joel Embiid is a big player with a big personality. But science says his stature may put him at higher risk for injury.

  7. The WWE Royal Rumble celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend at the Wells Fargo Center. Here's everything you need to know about the event.

Opinions

"When confronting the problematic nature of white feminists, I've often been told to ignore the differences that separate our experiences for the 'greater good' of unity. I am reduced to being 'divisive,' when in fact I am trying to be inclusive." Activist and executive director of Galaei Nikki López
— explains how, as a queer Latinx woman, Philly’s Women’s march didn’t

  1. As every angry driver can attest, former CBS3 investigative reporter Walt Hunter writes, we're losing the war against potholes.

  2. Not everyone was cheering on the Eagles Sunday night, writes columnist Jenice Armstrong. A number of fans have boycotted the season in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

What we’re reading

  1. Want to know what Jason Kelce would bring to a desert island, or Halapoulivaati Vaitai's brothers' names? NJ.com put together a list of fun facts about each Eagles player that are thoroughly entertaining.

  2. Start passing this one around now: Philadelphia Magazine talked to a cardiologist about keeping calm during the Super Bowl so you don't have a heart attack.

  3. The Ringer makes a compelling case for why the NFL needs the Patriots: because they keep it fun. Feel free to respectfully disagree.

  4. Wired has published an excerpt from an upcoming book all about the amateur scientist who discovered climate change. It puts the "long" in "longread," but it's worth it.

  5. A damning report from the New Yorker explains how, thanks to racial profiling and heightened anxiety around immigration, victims of a violent New York gang are being labeled as gang members themselves.

Your Daily Dose of | Sunny

Sunny Bear, that is. This local pup has more Twitter followers than the Philadelphia Zoo and loves to quote Sun-Tzu's The Art of War. Yes, really.