Photos of overdose victims line the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia during a hearing to determine whether plans for a supervised injection site in Philadelphia can move forward.
Emma Lee / WHYY
Safe injection site goes to court
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Emily Previti/PA Post
Emma Lee / WHYY
Photos of overdose victims line the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia during a hearing to determine whether plans for a supervised injection site in Philadelphia can move forward.
Lemonade stands are technically illegal in the vast majority of states, unless the necessary operating permit is obtained. That could change soon in Pennsylvania, though not before Labor Day. State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Luzerne, wants to change the rules so children (specifically) can sell the summertime staple without running afoul of the law, WNEP reports.
“Lemonade stands,” Mullery writes in the bill memo, “are part of our national fabric. The homemade stand with a hand-painted sign. The shining face handing out cool beverages on a hot day.”
Country Time — a division of the Kraft-Heinz Company — has offered to cover up to $300 in related fines or fees levied against any child whose lemonade stand gets busted, CNN reports. -Emily Previti, Newsletter Producer/Reporter
“Lemonade stands,” Mullery writes in the bill memo, “are part of our national fabric. The homemade stand with a hand-painted sign. The shining face handing out cool beverages on a hot day.”
Country Time — a division of the Kraft-Heinz Company — has offered to cover up to $300 in related fines or fees levied against any child whose lemonade stand gets busted, CNN reports. -Emily Previti, Newsletter Producer/Reporter
‘Every month we wait, other kids die’
Emma Lee / WHYY
Photos of overdose victims line the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia during a hearing to determine whether plans for a supervised injection site in Philadelphia can move forward.
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A Philadelphia case that could have far-reaching effects went to court this week. U.S. Attorney William Swain sued Safehouse, the nonprofit that wants to set up the nation’s first [legal] safe injection site in Philly. WHYY’s Nina Feldman was there as court proceedings kicked off Monday, and did this story about it.
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A state health organization is launching an initiative to optimize care and increase the number of people treated for opioid addiction in the commonwealth via information sharing among providers. Brett Sholtis has this story for WITF on the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania’s program. It’s open (and free) to all hospitals in the state.
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The cost of insulin has doubled in recent years, prompting some working-age diabetics to ration their medication — with fatal consequences, in some cases. This story from the Huffington Postfurther details findings from a recent study on the topic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Preliminary findings from an ongoing research project suggest California’s red flag law has helped reduce gun violence. The UC Davis School of Medicine’s Violence Prevention Research Program looked closely at 21 cases (out of more than 400 they’ll ultimately comb through before the study concludes). According to the L.A. Times, the researchers found 52 guns were confiscated and none of the shooting threats made by plaintiffs occurred. U.C. Davis published the initial findings just as results came out from a related public opinion survey. Public media collaboration Guns & America helped run that poll, and editor Jeremy Bernfeld discussed both studies with 1A host Joshua Johnson earlier this week. They also talked about the effects of similar laws in the 17 states that have them and how the laws differ.
Best of the rest
Ed Mahon / PA Post
The Ephrata Public Library is seen on July 31, 2019.
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The public library in Ephrata, Pa., processes about 4,000 passports each year, and the related fees are one example of how public libraries try to make up for funding cuts ongoing for years in Pennsylvania and other states. Ed Mahon’s story for PA Post delves deeper and includes graphics to illustrate funding patterns.
- Robocalls are on the rise, studies show, and a group of state attorneys general want to crack down on ones that are illegal under existing law. The AG group, which includes Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, recently announced an agreement with a dozen phone companies to address the problem, including enhanced monitoring. More details here, courtesy of WITF Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer.
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State regulators have ordered Sunoco to cough up details on what will happen if one of its Mariner East pipelines fails — but it’s unclear whether the company has obliged. Eighteen months ago, the state Public Utilities Commission demanded evacuation and emergency evacuation procedures, in addition to other information,according to documents reviewed by Jon Hurdle for this StateImpact Pennsylvania story. There wasn’t public knowledge of the PUC’s ask until now, and the agency has ignored Jon’s questions — including whether Sunoco ever complied with the order — for more than a week.
