Max M. Marin

Reporters Max Marin and Ryan Briggs spent the last few months buying “legal” weed... for work.

Their investigation revealed it's full of harmful contaminants that some companies are intentionally hiding from consumers.

🔗 Ask us anything: www.reddit.com/r/philadelph...

Pennsylvania’s unregulated weed stores are booming — but tests show products are rife with toxic and illicit chemicals Almost every sample The Inquirer had tested was over the legal potency or contained mold or pesticides.

My colleagues @maxmmarin.bsky.social and @ryanbriggs.bsky.social tested hemp products from smoke shops around the Philly area -- and found mold, fungus, pesticides, and THC levels as potent as dispensary-grade pot. An important read about an unregulated industry: www.inquirer.com/news/a/penns...

Pennsylvania’s unregulated weed stores are booming — but tests show products are rife with toxic and illicit chemicals Almost every sample The Inquirer had tested was over the legal potency or contained mold or pesticides.

Unregulated hemp stores in Pa. are booming, but products are rife with toxic and illicit chemicals. Almost every sample The Inquirer tested was over the legal potency or contained mold or pesticides. Story by @maxmmarin.bsky.social and @ryanbriggs.bsky.social: www.inquirer.com/news/a/penns...

Five charts that show the impact of Trump’s immigration policy in Pa. and N.J. Here is who is being targeted by deportation orders in Pennsylvania and New Jersey under Trump.

A deeper look at the data from @sstirling.bsky.social & Evgenia Anastasakos:

- Denials of asylum cases more than doubled in April
- Young people 18-35 make up the bulk of PA deportation cases
- About one in four people with new cases have an attorney
www.inquirer.com/politics/dep...

Deportations are up 80% in Pennsylvania and Jersey amid Trump’s aggressive tactics ICE has detained many who had been complying with rules, picking up immigrants in court and at check-ins. And judges are denying more asylum cases.

The Trump admin is employing aggressive tactics to short-circuit immigration court and fast-track immigrants for deportation.

The result: Deportations in PA and NJ are up 80% over last year.

w/ @samanthamelamed.bsky.social & @sstirling.bsky.social
www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Five neighbors, four months later: How the Northeast Philly plane crash changed one street forever On Jan. 31, a medical transport plane took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. It crashed 42 seconds later, killing six passengers and spreading debris and fire across Cottman Avenue.

Out of nowhere, a January night turned into chaos. Five neighbors share what they saw and how their lives were changed by the Northeast Philly plane crash.

By @wendyruderman.bsky.social, Astrid Rodrigues, and I on @inquirer.com

share.inquirer.com/1eBFT4

Inside Villanova in the 1970s, when the future Pope Leo XIV arrived on campus When Bob Prevost arrived from South Side Chicago, Villanova found itself at a crossroads.

For this piece, we take you back to the 1970s Villanova University of Pope Leo's youth - a time when budding social changes clashed with the Catholic school's conservative ethos.

w/ @maxmmarin.bsky.social @beaforman.bsky.social @njvadala.bsky.social

www.inquirer.com/news/villano...

The long, tragic journey of the MOVE bombing’s youngest victims Depositions in legal cases shed new light on the way Philly and Penn treated bones pulled from the rubble 40 years ago.

Next week is the 40th anniversary of the MOVE bombing, one of the most painful events in Philadelphia history. With
@allisonmp5.bsky.social, I wrote about two children killed in the bombing and lingering questions about the handling of their remains. www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Judge almost shuts down the city’s Kensington wellness court over mounting frustration with Parker administration, sources say Wellness court is on pause amid a months-long frustration between the courts and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's team over how the program was launched. One judge called city leaders "fake."

The city’s Kensington Wellness Court has been placed on hold amid judges’ mounting frustration with the city officials tasked with overseeing the program. A supervising judge nearly shut it down, and the judge who presides over the cases called city leaders "fake." www.inquirer.com/crime/kensin...

Amputations are soaring as a tranq crisis takes hold in the Philly region To amputate or save a limb? Philly’s tranq crisis is forcing doctors to make difficult choices amid a slow public health response to the latest threat in the drug epidemic.

A harrowing must-read about an epidemic of lost limbs -- and those on the frontlines trying to do something about it.

By @aubreywhelan.bsky.social @maxmmarin.bsky.social @dylancpurcell.bsky.social

Amputations are soaring as a tranq crisis takes hold in the Philly region To amputate or save a limb? Philly’s tranq crisis is forcing doctors to make difficult choices amid a slow public health response to the latest threat in the drug epidemic.

Amputations among people addicted to opioids have doubled in five years in Philadelphia.

To learn why, @maxmmarin.bsky.social, @dylancpurcell.bsky.social and I spent more than six months digging into medical data and interviewing doctors and patients: www.inquirer.com/health/a/tra...

MOVE Bombing in Philadelphia Police dropped a bomb on a West Philly house in 1985. The fire caused by the explosion killed 11 people, an atrocity that Philadelphia still grapples with today.

First episode is up - our podcast with Temple's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, digging into what led Philadelphia to bomb its own people 40 years ago next month.

Every Tuesday a new chapter posts:

MOVE: Untangling the Tragedy.

www.inquirer.com/move-bombing/

Amputations are soaring as a tranq crisis takes hold in the Philly region To amputate or save a limb? Philly’s tranq crisis is forcing doctors to make difficult choices amid a slow public health response to the latest threat in the drug epidemic.

With hope that better tracking will lead to better outcomes, @maxmmarin.bsky.social, @aubreywhelan.bsky.social and I wrote about drug-related amputations in Philly.

www.inquirer.com/health/a/tra...

From infrastructure to playgrounds, $264M for Pa. projects this year vanished in Congress’ budget battle When Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government last month, it didn’t include earmarks for hundreds of projects across Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania lost $264M in projects during Congress' latest budget battle, from new fire stations to SEPTA station upgrades.

Julia Terruso and @joeyerardi.bsky.social dig into what was cut.

Readers can also look through a full list of every project that lost funding.

DOGE slashed dozens of federal contracts in Pennsylvania — and businesses are feeling the pain An Inquirer review of DOGE's Pa. contracts shows terminated work for recruiting people to work in the dairy industry at UDSA, for mental health support at USAID, and public housing programs.

"In one case in Pennsylvania, DOGE appeared to take credit for cancelling a $34 million contract that was nullified by the Biden administration in November — adding to a pattern of errors that appear to have inflated the department’s success." www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...

DOGE slashed dozens of federal contracts in Pennsylvania — and businesses are feeling the pain An Inquirer review of DOGE's Pa. contracts shows terminated work for recruiting people to work in the dairy industry at UDSA, for mental health support at USAID, and public housing programs.

New deep dive into the DOGE federal contract cuts in Pennsylvania:

- HUD and CFPB contracts were hit hardest
- Over half of the cuts hit minority & women-owned biz
- DOGE took credit for axing a $34 million USAID contract that the Biden admin ended last year
www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...

The Inquirer is doing its part to shed light on DOGE. Latest from @maxmmarin.bsky.social and Julia Terruso. Have any tips, let them know.

www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...

Trump administration proposes sale of federal buildings all over Pa. — with three in Philly A list of hundreds of federal office buildings to be put up for sale was published by the General Services Administration Tuesday, stunning observers.

I spent yesterday afternoon trying to figure out why the Trump administration wants to sell off a bunch of federal buildings in Philly--and then they took the whole list down today without warning. www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...

Philadelphia owns more than 1,000 public artworks. Scores are missing. Known for its outdoor art, Philadelphia has twice gutted its public arts office, and officials have not inventoried the collection in decades. At least 85 works are recorded as missing.

Philly is widely known for its outdoor art, but the 1000-piece collection is a mystery to the city itself.

Records show officials have not inventoried the collection in decades. 80+ pieces are flagged missing. We found others that have moved or vanished.
www.inquirer.com/news/public-...

Despite high-profile QB concussions, NFL says the brain injuries dropped 17% during the 2024 season NFL players were found to have sustained 182 brain injuries during the season, including practices, and preseason and regular season games.

Jalen Hurts was among nine Eagles who suffered concussions during the 2024 season.

But the overall number of player concussions in the NFL fell 17% during the season — the lowest figure during the last decade of record keeping.

www.inquirer.com/eagles/nfl-c...

Philly FOP seeks to restore secrecy around police shootings and disciplinary records in upcoming contract The police union, in its opening contract proposals, wants to clamp down on what the public knows about how the department operates. It may have leverage, due to a shortage of cops.

it's a big news day so ICYMI:

The union representing Philly police officers is quietly seeking to block public from knowing how PPD operates. Info currently available would become confidential

latest in @inquirer.com w @maxmmarin.bsky.social and Rodrigo Torrejón

www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Here’s how much the plan to build a Center City arena actually cost the city The new arena was promised "at no cost to city taxpayers." Here's what it cost.

“This gives us a conservative total of $469,095 of taxpayer money spent on a Center City arena that won’t happen.”

From @maxmmarin.bsky.social @ryanbriggs.bsky.social @jasen.bsky.social & Charmaine Runes:

www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Euthanasia, understaffing, and broken kennels are rampant at Montco’s ultra-wealthy SPCA Carmen Ronio, 79, its decades-long executive director, and board members spend comparatively little on animal welfare operations, given the nonprofit's $67 million in assets.

Since this story came to light in September, the shelter's top veterinarian has quit, the long-time executive director retired, the state Attorney General launched an audit, and the SPCA has committed a raft of other reform measures.
www.inquirer.com/news/pennsyl...

Embattled Montco SPCA replaces its board president amid ongoing turmoil at the $67 million nonprofit April Lownes-Hostler, 57, resigned as the leader of the shelter’s board of directors in November, ending a 20-year run on the shelter’s oversight board.

Another shakeup at the Montgomery County SPCA in the wake of our @inquirer.com investigation: The board president has resigned amid ongoing leadership overhaul at the $67 million animal shelter.
www.inquirer.com/news/montco-...

Gonna start posting into the bluesky ether. For my new followers, I'm a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer investigations team. Interests include government accountability, nonprofits, criminal justice, drug policy, and quality-of-life issues. Send tips!