Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Orders Flags at Half-Staff for Charlie Kirk
He said the directive was "a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk."
Left: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at a press conference shortly after his official residence was targeted by an arsonist. Right: Charlie Kirk moments before he was shot in Utah. (Both photos via Getty Images)
Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Orders Flags at Half-Staff for Charlie Kirk
On Wednesday evening, hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ordered that all United States flags and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania flags be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk.”
This followed President Trump’s proclamation making the order regarding United States flags. Here’s part of what Trump wrote:
As a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025.
If you’re wondering, there’s nothing in the United States Flag Code requiring state governors to fly United States flags at half-staff. The code is a list of protocols. As for the order to fly the Commonwealth flags at half-staff, state flags cannot legally be flown above the United States flag, so anytime the United States flag is flown at half-staff, so too is the Commonwealth flag.
It turns out that Shapiro was already planning on ordering all flags to fly at half-staff — for Thursday only — in remembrance of 9/11.
On Thursday morning, the office of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker issued the following statement:
All flags on city buildings will immediately go to half-staff today, to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Additionally, per the directive of Governor Shapiro, all U.S. and Commonwealth flags will remain at half-staff until Sunset on Sunday, as a mark of respect for Charlie Kirk.
By the Numbers
3rd: Ranking of the Philadelphia-area housing market in terms of its growth over the last year, behind New York and Chicago. According to this new Zillow report, the region has seen a boost of $41 billion in housing value gains, whereas San Francisco just saw a decline of $52 billion. The total value of our housing market is $932 billion, getting us mighty close to joining the trillion-dollar club
2nd: Ranking of Philadelphia on the list of the poorest big cities in the United States. We held the number one spot for many years, but Houston just replaced us. Yay us.
19th: Ranking of mysterious Main Line resident Jeff Yass on the new Forbes list of the 400 richest people in America. Forbes pegs his net worth at $65.7 billion, meaning Elon Musk could buy him six times over and still have plenty of money to live like a king. But don’t feel too bad for Yass. He could buy Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie (#191) eight times over. The “poorest” Pennsylvanian on the list is Phillies owner John Middleton, whose measly $4.3 billion lands him in 347th place. Gotta hurt just a little bit.
Local Talent
If you’re a fan of Waxahatchee, the critically-acclaimed musical project of former West Philadelphia resident Katie Crutchfield, get to Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden on Friday night for the Outlaw Music Festival. In addition to Waxahatchee, the lineup includes none other than Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Madeline Edwards. You can pick up tickets for as little as $25, which is a pretty swell deal for all that talent.
