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Pa. death penalty report released, Philly archdiocese settles sex abuse claim | Morning Newsletter

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Award-winning ceramic artist Roberto Lugo points to an area where he use to graffiti as he does a pottery demonstration at E. Tusculum and Somerset streets in Philadelphia, PA on June 19, 2018.
Award-winning ceramic artist Roberto Lugo points to an area where he use to graffiti as he does a pottery demonstration at E. Tusculum and Somerset streets in Philadelphia, PA on June 19, 2018.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

Happy Tuesday, Philadelphia. We're kicking off the day with a heart-warming story on ceramist Roberto Lugo, who you may have seen throwing pottery on the street — and I mean "throwing" in the molding-clay-on-a-spinning-wheel à la Ghost way. I hope if I were to find Lugo on my corner I'd be brave enough to try the delicate art. It looks so difficult! In other news this morning, a huge report on capital punishment in Pennsylvania was released yesterday after quite a long wait. It's sure to have an impact on the state, though politics will likely determine what kind. Prosecutors and advocates are watching closely. Let's get the day started.

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

» READ MORE: Throwing down: How this potter from Kensington found fine art success

Last week, drivers crept by the corner of Tusculum and Somerset in Kensington, maybe a bit perplexed by what they were seeing: a man was sitting a pottery wheel on the sidewalk, just spinning clay.

The man was Roberto Lugo. He grew up in the neighborhood; years ago he was a graffiti artist looking for a way out.

Now he's an award-winning ceramist known for work which blends traditional forms of fine china and urban aesthetics. And he's on a mission to bring pottery to the public.

» READ MORE: Pennsylvania’s death penalty needs a radical rethinking, long-awaited report finds

Seven years in the making, a 280-page Joint State Government Commission report on capital punishment in Pennsylvania was finally released Monday.

It found the punishment had been unevenly applied, affected by factors like the race of the victim and the county where the crime occurred, and that the process of sentencing people to death is extremely costly and largely ineffective.

The report came on the same day that two brothers accused of fatally shooting Philly Police Officer Sgt. Robert Wilson III during a 2015 robbery in a video game store pleaded guilty to their crimes. They'll spend the rest of their lives behind bars instead of facing the death penalty, and Wilson's family isn't happy with District Attorney Larry Krasner.

» READ MORE: In largest reported payout yet, Philadelphia Archdiocese settles abuse lawsuit

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has settled a claim of sex abuse brought by the family of a 26-year-old man who died in 2013. The payment amount is secret, but it's said to be the largest yet paid by the archdiocese in such a case, the only sixth known sex abuse settlement by the archdiocese.

Meanwhile, on Monday the Pennsylvania Supreme Court revealed it had agreed to stay the release of a long-awaited grand jury report on clergy sex abuse in six Catholic dioceses elsewhere in the state. The reason? Challenges have been filed by "many individuals" named in the report.

What you need to know today

  1. Local politicians stepped out Monday to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies. In Philly, Sen. Bob Casey demanded a plan to reunite parents and children separated at the southern border while in Collingswood, Mayor Jim Maley held a rally against border separations, telling attendees, "You're fighting for a neighbor."

  2. Just as Philadelphia and District Attorney Larry Krasner work to reduce prison populations, mass incarceration is moving to the suburbs. Since 2000, state prison admissions in Bucks County have risen by an eye-catching 455 percent.

  3. The search is on for a pilot who disappeared Sunday after illegally landing a single-engine plane on a restricted Coast Guard beach in Cape May. Surveillance video indicated the suspect had left the area.

  4. Sad news for Montgomery County: the 92-year-old Zerns Farmer's Market in Gilbertsville is shutting down.

  5. Billionaire Phillies co-owner John Middleton's sister, Anna Nupson, has reignited their feud over the family fortune, this time suing her former lawyers.

  6. As viral videos in which white people call the police on black people for seemingly minor issue continue to spark outrage, a black family says a West Philly movie theater manager called the police on them for attempting to retrieve their kids from the theater.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Now that's just magical, @sepoulton.

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

  1. The Sixers had quite a Monday night: Ben Simmons took home the Rookie of the Year award at the NBA Awards and fan favorite Joel Embiid revealed he'll be on the cover of NBA Live 19.

  2. History buffs might want to book a ticket to the Museum of the American Revolution this Fourth of July. They've just put a rare (possibly the rarest) early printing of the Declaration of Independence on display.

  3. Meek Mill took the stage for his first new song since his release from prison at the BET Awards. During the performance actors played out tragic scenes behind Mill, including the police shooting of a black child.

  4. Philly isn't quite the city that never sleeps, but a new photography exhibit is showing off the varied laborers who make their money in the wee hours of the morning, from SEPTA night managers to dancers.

  5. It was a loud night at Citizens Bank Park as Yankee fans poured in to start off their three-game series against the Phillies. The extra noise didn't seem to help: the Phillies lost 4-2.

  6. Hate running but want to get your heart pumping? A fat-frying, five-move cardio routine could be the alternative you're looking for.

Opinions

"Given the reality of child sexual abuse and exploitation, there are without a doubt predatory adults looking to infiltrate the now burgeoning system of child care that is taking place along the U.S.-Mexico border." — Roger A. Canaff, a child protection and special victims advocate, on the inevitable risks of child sexual abuse in immigration custody.
  1. Six years ago, a Pittsburgh police officer pulled 19-year-old Leon Ford over for a traffic stop and shot him five times in the chest, paralyzing him. To Ford, the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. in East Pittsburgh is a tragic reminder that we can and should do more to change our communities.

  2. Jimmy Clark, director emeritus of the Clay Studio and former president of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, calls the Painted Bride Arts Center's plan to sell its historic building "organizational suicide."

What we’re reading

  1. A year after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a Chester County mushroom farm to arrest 12 workers, WHYY looked into where the workers went. Months later, questions about the arrests remain unanswered and some of the workers have been deported.

  2. Love it or hate it, new construction is popping up all over Philadelphia. But, as Billy Penn reports, there's a surprising consequence to the building boom: murals around the city are now under threat.

  3. The Intercept's startling new report on the location of eight AT&T facilities, located in major U.S. cities, that are part of a controversial National Security Agency internet surveillance program is well worth the (very) long read.

  4. More women are living alone in America than ever before and Curbed's report on the (sometimes crazy) advice the world has given women living solo is part personal essay, part serious social examination.

  5. Get ready to jam out: NPR has compiled a list of its 35 favorite songs of the year so far, and you're bound to find one you like.

Your Daily Dose of | Glory

A celebratory exhibit on the Super Bowl LII champion Eagles (never gets old, does it?) is popping up where everyone else goes to fly: the airport.