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Phillies sign Bryce Harper to record-setting deal; Philly bans cashless stores | Morning Newsletter

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The Philadelphia Phillies, and about all the other MLB teams, want Bryce Harper to sign with them. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys.
The Philadelphia Phillies, and about all the other MLB teams, want Bryce Harper to sign with them. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys.Read moreToni L. Sandys

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Be careful during your commute today. We’re off to a snowy start to March and Friday could just be the beginning of a very messy weekend. Despite the cold outside, Phillies Fever is heating up. That’s because the club put fans’ minds to rest by agreeing to a historic 13-year deal with baseball star Bryce Harper. It turns out Philly can have nice things. And you can pay for nice things in cash. Despite some pushback from Amazon, Mayor Jim Kenney has moved to ban cashless stores in Philly.

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— Ray Boyd (@RayBoydDigital, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Breathe, Phillies fans. It’s been a long, difficult wait but it’s over. The Phillies reached an agreement Thursday with free agent slugger Bryce Harper. The deal is reportedly worth a record-setting $330 million over 13 years.

Harper made a habit of visiting Citizens Bank Park and feasting on Phillies pitchers over the years, sending home run after home run over the outfield walls. His 14 homers in Philly are more than any opposing park he’s played in, something Harper apparently took into consideration.

As they waited for Harper, the Phillies were busy improving, adding All-Stars in Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto. But the addition of Harper to the lineup is a dream realized for Phillies ownership — as well as the fans — and immediately changes expectations for the squad.

Mayor Jim Kenney signed legislation Thursday that will require Philly retailers to take cash. Advocates say the move protects the poor and those without access to banking services. However, some businesses will be exempt.

Amazon raised concerns over the so called cashless store ban and warned that it may rethink plans to bring an Amazon Go to Philly. Emails reviewed by the Inquirer show some Philly officials took that warning seriously and tried to help the retail giant escape the measure.

The new law will prohibit retailers from refusing cash and charging more for cash transactions. It will take effect this summer.

It appears that a painting believed to be of Hercules, George Washington’s celebrated and enslaved chef in Philadelphia, might be just a false clue in the mystery of his life.

Experts say the painting has been misidentified as Hercules and perhaps was not even painted by the presumed artist. They cite several clues for why including reasons to believe that the regal black man depicted in the portrait isn’t even a chef.

The painting has long been attributed to American master Gilbert Stuart and has been represented in museums across the world, including in the Liberty Bell Pavilion here in Philadelphia. Now, it seems the painting is just another myth in a Washington universe full of them.

What you need to know today

  1. Protests, police presence, and a social media threat were sparked by racial tension at a Northeast Philly magnet school this week. It all stemmed from a display of hate at a Black History Month assembly, students say.

  2. The Glen Mills Schools in Delaware County will no longer be run by executive director Randy Ireson. The leader of the country’s oldest reform school is stepping aside after an Inquirer investigation revealed decades of child abuse at the school.

  3. Critics of District Attorney Larry Krasner accused him of giving a lenient plea deal to a man who shot and nearly killed a Philadelphia store owner with an assault-style rifle last year. Now, for the first time in Krasner’s tenure, federal prosecutors are stepping in to also charge a defendant — a move Krasner believes stems from “political grandstanding.”

  4. We’ve come a long way from “I didn’t inhale.” Twenty five years ago, Bill Clinton tried to downplay his own marijuana use. Now, New Jersey senator and presidential hopeful Cory Booker has introduced a bill to legalize it nationwide.

  5. This week, a 25-year-old woman was found dead alongside four other members of her family in Bucks County. Her father says just weeks before her death, he noticed a drastic change in his daughter.

  6. A small New Jersey borough scored a big victory against Verizon over local business taxes the company believed it didn’t have to pay. Hopewell’s win could have major implications for hundreds of municipalities in the state that deal with Verizon.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

That child is all of us, today. Thanks for sharing, @denisewalksphilly.

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. Philly’s Mutter Museum is honoring a woman’s final wish while adding to its collection of anatomical anomalies. Even in death, Carol Orzel hoped to be a testament to human resilience by teaching others about a rare condition that turns tissue into bone.

  2. The Fresh Prince is back with a new TV series — sort of. Jada Pinkett Smith has found great success with her Facebook Watch show, Red Table Talk. Now, her husband Will is bringing his star power to the platform as well.

  3. Speaking of comebacks, after a much-criticized year as an analyst for Monday Night Football, former NFL tight end Jason Witten is returning to play for the Dallas Cowboys. See you in Philly, Jason.

  4. Bam Margera says Pocopson Township officials sent him a cease-and-desist letter to keep him from holding another massive party at his Castle Bam property this spring. But as far as Margera is concerned, the party must go on.

  5. Hip hop legend and choreographer Rennie Harris’ latest work, Lazarus, is the talk of the dance world and debuts in Philly tonight. In many ways, it’s the culmination of Harris’ career in dance. In other ways, it’s just the beginning.

  6. Last night, without the services of Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic, the Sixers took down the Oklahoma City Thunder, accomplishing something they haven’t done in over a decade.

Opinions

“'We fell in love,' [President Trump] said of the half-dozen or so ‘beautiful letters’ he received from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Clearly, love was insufficient.” — Columnist Trudy Rubin on President Trump’s failure to reach a deal with Kim Jong Un.

  1. Broadway veteran and Pose star Billy Porter “killed it," when he wore a gown to the Oscars writes columnist Elizabeth Wellington — praising his fashion choice for challenging longstanding gender norms.

  2. The defeat of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in congress this week represents a sad fate for the rights of infants in America writes columnist Christine Flowers.

What we’re reading

  1. Relying on internet reviews has become second nature as more consumers take their business online. Vox details the Federal Trade Commission’s first successful case involving fake Amazon reviews — a practice that is more common than you probably imagined.

  2. Dance is art. But is it a sport? The International Olympic Committee will weigh that after organizers for the 2024 games proposed adding breakdancing. The Undefeated explains why hip hop’s original dance is a natural fit for the Olympics.

  3. Since 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has had no issue fitting into the primetime lineup. Last night, it made history, becoming TV’s longest running medical drama (sorry ER fans). Hollywood Reporter examines the show’s long-lasting impact.

  4. Public spaces sometimes miss the mark and just don’t work for their surrounding community. PlanPhilly outlines six ways Philly can engage residents to create better public spaces for all in 2019.

  5. To mark National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, The Temple News and REFINE Magazine teamed up to deliver a powerful series of stories that highlight the struggles of eating disorders and show how people found strength in recovery.

A Daily Dose of | Carnivores

University of Pennsylvania medical student Kevin Zhang’s apartment resembles something out of Little Shop of Horrors. That’s because he’s getting his collection of bug-eating plants ready for this weekend’s Philadelphia Flower Show.