In Bucks race, ‘FBI files’ claim draws scrutiny | Morning Newsletter
And schools mum on measles plan.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Monday, Philly. It’s a great day to pack sunglasses and a fall jacket. We’ve got clear skies and highs in the mid-60s ahead.
Today, as the midterms grow closer and the airwaves become saturated with political ads, we’re starting with an important fact check: What’s true and what’s not in ads accusing Bucks County congressional candidate Bob Harvie of being investigated by the FBI?
And, we check in with the measles outbreak in Chester County, where schools are hesitant to talk about what they’re planning to do if a case is reported in one of their buildings.
Plus, SEPTA has new Regional Rail schedules, and more news of the day.
— Laura Benshoff (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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In ad after ad, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s campaign has been making an inflammatory claim: His opponent was the subject of an FBI investigation.
Some ads even call on Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner, to “release the Bob Harvie FBI Files,” echoing language relating to the Epstein files.
Inquirer political reporter Fallon Roth writes that this attack line is everywhere during the toughest election cycle that Fitzpatrick, a five-time incumbent, has faced. Republicans fear a blue wave could wipe out their majority in the House. Fitzpatrick and Harvie are competing for the Bucks County-based 1st Congressional District, one of four seats in Pennsylvania that could determine which party controls the chamber.
Harvie has hit back. In an interview, he told The Inquirer he has never been under investigation. He has also fought use of the “FBI Files” line, sending a cease-and-desist letter to Fitzpatrick’s campaign and filing a defamation suit against a super PAC.
Roth reports on where this attack line comes from, and why experts say it’s unlikely any files exist.
Earlier this month, a reported measles case shut down a Chester County high school for a day.
Yet, as the county’s case numbers continue to grow, schools appear reluctant to talk about their measles planning, write Inquirer suburban education reporter Maddie Hanna and health reporter Sarah Gantz.
Of 12 Chester County school districts contacted by The Inquirer to talk about their approach to the ongoing measles outbreak, only one agreed to talk.
Hanna and Gantz break down what we know.
What you should know today
SEPTA introduced a modified Regional Rail schedule this week for several of its lines.
A lawyer for Bob Brooks, a Lehigh Valley Democrat running for U.S. House, told the U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s campaign to take down an ad it said was false and defamatory.
A lack of communication from the federal government around temporary immigration status for displaced Ukrainians until right before that status was set to expire sparked concern and confusion in Philadelphia’s Ukrainian community.
Chester County residents have a playbook they’ve used to resist development. Now, they’re using it on data centers.
A North Philly nonprofit is offering trainings for in-demand trades jobs — for free.
She’s 27. He’s 64. Go inside their age gap relationship with the latest installment of The Inquirer’s Life Partners series.
🧠 Trivia time
After a historically bad start to the season, the Philadelphia Flyers finally notched a win against what team?
A) Carolina Hurricanes
B) Ottawa Senators
C) New Jersey Devils
D) Boston Bruins
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
💸 Calculating. With Sixers ticket prices skyrocketing, data reporter Jason Lo ran the numbers on which games are more affordable — and which ones break the bank.
🥊 Planning. Good news if you’ve got some aggression to work out: You can punch a side of beef, Rocky Balboa-style, at Reading Terminal Market in honor of the distinctly Philly movie’s 50th anniversary.
🚗 Shaking our fist at. Philly was recently named the the worst big city for drivers. So features columnist Stephanie Farr solicited readers’ input on our worst driving habits and it doesn’t disappoint.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Cunningham Piano, which recently closed its historic factory in Germantown, has reopened a new factory in this suburb.
FAIR KING SOUPS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Susan Walton who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Ridley Township. Boeing is weighing whether to close its plant in the Delaware County municipality as helicopter factories face military funding cuts.
This emu was ready for his or her close-up.
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
For the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing from readers who shared a fall Philly memory. Keep them coming for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
Today’s fall-themed “only in Philly” story is a short and sweet one from Tom Lamont:
When I was a student at Penn in the mid-sixties, each fall I’d walk through the campus to Franklin Field to watch Penn play on Saturday and the Eagles on Sunday. The trees were turning color and falling under our feet as we walked. It was the closest thing to bucolic that I can remember from my four years in Philly.
I can hear the leaves crunch-crunch-crunch underfoot when I read this.
👋 See ya tomorrow.
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