‘Abandoned’ by cut flooding grants | Morning Newsletter
And FOP official accused of swindling police widow.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. Gesundheit! Ragweed season is nearing its annual peak in the region.
Southwest Philadelphia and Delaware County residents say they feel “abandoned” as President Donald Trump’s administration cuts grants meant to protect the area from flooding.
And a former Fraternal Order of Police official was accused of swindling a police widow out of thousands of dollars. The widow’s daughter filed a complaint more than two years ago. What happened as a result is a mystery.
Plus, see the latest on the SEPTA cuts’ local impact and the maybe-advancing state budget, and more below.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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When Brenda Whitfield moved to Eastwick half a century ago, she was living her dream — a tight-knit neighborhood, with a home close to the water and a park where her kids could play. Then came Hurricanes Floyd, Sandy, and Ida, to name a few, and their harrowing rains and damage.
She’s been fighting for years alongside neighbors to address persistent flooding issues in the area. The Southwest Philadelphia residents got the attention of the Biden administration and secured funding meant to provide solutions.
But in April, the Trump administration canceled flood mitigation programs in Eastwick, nearby Delaware County, and elsewhere as part of a drastic slashing of federal grants focused on enviromental justice. Now, the projects’ completion could be complicated by the lost resources.
Further viewing: Watch Whitfield’s interview about Eastwick residents’ challenges and ongoing advocacy efforts.
In other federal news: The Woodmere Art Museum has sued the Trump administration after a $750,000 grant was canceled. “We had exhausted all polite options,” the Chestnut Hill museum’s director said.
🎤 Now I’m passing the mic to reporters Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta.
Week after week, Terry Reid, a key member of the Philadelphia police union’s executive board, would ask the widow of a fallen officer for cash. Lots of it.
And from late summer of 2022 through early 2023, Meagan Diaz repeatedly agreed to help a woman she thought had been on her side. Reid, a disability coordinator for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, had been a steady, supportive presence in Diaz’s life since 2016, when her husband, Officer Raymond Diaz, died at age 47.
But after lending Reid at least $20,000, Diaz pleaded to be repaid — and Reid responded with silence, or shoulder-shrug excuses. In February 2023, Meagan Diaz died, and her relatives discovered text messages on her phone that revealed the scope of Reid’s alleged swindle.
A month later, Diaz’s eldest daughter, Marissa Zito, filed a complaint against Reid with the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau. But nearly two-and-a-half years later, the Internal Affairs investigation has yet to be resolved, leaving Zito angry and disillusioned. — Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta
Read on for details of the ongoing case and the “big can of worms” it may have opened at the FOP.
What you should know today
Anti-extremism researchers say they’ve identified a group claiming responsibility for the hoax active-shooter calls at Villanova University and other colleges last week.
A federal jury awarded $3 million to a Philadelphia man whose rape conviction was overturned five years ago, finding that police had built a faulty case against him after shooting him in the back.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit in which a mother whose son was killed outside Roxborough High in 2022 asserted that the Philly School District failed to protect students from gun violence.
A Bucks County 20-year-old died after taking “gas station heroin.” Her mother is suing the manufacturer. And a Pennsylvania medical cannabis company is suing “gas station weed” sellers, citing an Inquirer investigation.
Four men were hospitalized after a tree fell on them Wednesday in Fairmount Park near the Please Touch Museum, police said.
The college application process can be complicated. A University of Pennsylvania-developed course seeks to make it easier for Philly kids.
U.S. homebuyers are walking away from contracts at a record rate. But in this region, home sellers are still favored, and buyers are competing over a short supply of homes for sale.
Will any local restaurants make the new Michelin Guide? The 2025 Northeast Cities edition will be revealed at an invitation-only event on Nov. 18 at the Kimmel Center.
Quote of the day
A consumer advocate and two SEPTA riders sued the transit agency on Wednesday seeking to stop service reductions, arguing that the cuts unlawfully place a greater burden on people of color and low-income communities.
More SEPTA updates:
A Democratic leader in the Pennsylvania House says he’s open to using a transit account to help fund SEPTA — with conditions. Could it be the beginnings of a transit deal?
Philadelphia seniors will soon be eligible for free Uber rides as the rideshare service seeks to “fill in transit gaps.”
FDR Park will host paid parking for Eagles home games — but this isn’t new, despite SEPTA’s recent woes.
And Regional Rail has had a tough couple of weeks of canceled trains and delays, but SEPTA says service problems are beginning to decline as safety inspections wrap up.
🧠 Trivia time
Which Philly-area borough is debating whether to impose criminal penalties for sleeping outdoors in public at night?
A) Haddonfield
B) Phoenixville
C) Collingswood
D) Bensalem
Think you know? Check your answer.
What (and whom) we’re...
📱 Welcoming: The Inquirer’s new social video host, Ariane Datil.
📺 Auditioning for: Wheel of Fortune in Philly next month.
🍺 Drinking: Dogfish Head Brewery’s beer with Flyers Charities, Engine 19 IPA.
🏀 Making: Five predictions for the Sixers’ 2025-26 season.
🤖 Considering: How AI models may humanize doctors.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Amazon show with a lead character from, supposedly, a Philadelphia suburb
STRUMMER DEPUTY THIRTEEN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Charlie Seymour Jr., who solved Wednesday’s anagram: One Penn Center.
The Securities and Exchange Commission will stay in the Center City skyscraper — though six months ago, SEC employees were told that their regional HQ would be shuttered as part of Trump’s cutbacks to federal spending.
Illustration of the day
💍 One last lovey-dovey thing: Berks County native Taylor Swift’s engagement has us dreaming up the most Philly wedding possible. May we suggest shutting down Broad Street for their nuptials? Or perhaps the more private Bok, with its stunning skyline views? Hopefully they’ll consider these local venues and more.
Wishing you a romantic Thursday, if you’re into that sort of thing. See ya again tomorrow.
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