🧼 Millennials’ cleaning splurge | Morning Newsletter
And loans for Pa. counties hurt by late budget.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hi, Philly. After a historic lull, the hurricane season may be getting a second wind. A tropical storm could affect this region early next week.
The city’s young professionals are increasingly paying people to clean their houses. Read on to learn why such services are no longer a luxury reserved for the ultra-wealthy.
And Gov. Josh Shapiro’s GOP challenger, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, is offering $500 million in state loans for counties hurting from a late budget. The move has political implications, too.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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For young professionals with expendable income and little free time, home cleaners are increasingly in demand.
🧼 Philly-area home cleaners say they’ve taken on more millennial clients since the pandemic, marking a shift from previous decades. Those clients say the reasons for hiring them include being busy with work and kids, a desire to save time, and peace of mind.
🧹 “People are working so hard,” Fabiana Pons, owner of Fabi’s Cleaning Services, told The Inquirer. “They have no time or energy. And some people just don’t like cleaning.”
🧽 The cost is still out of reach of many, though. A recurring home cleaning once or twice a month can cost anywhere from $150 to $300 per visit, while deep cleans can cost $500 or more.
Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy spoke to cleaning pros and their customers about the trend.
Pennsylvania counties, schools, and social service providers have been suffering without their expected state payouts as the budget remains at an impasse.
Stacy Garrity is stepping in to help: On Wednesday, she announced the state Treasury would offer $500 million in loans to county human service departments and early education programs at a low interest rate, allowing them to access cash more easily as they await budget-dictated funding.
The unilateral move is unprecedented. It also allows her to capitalize politically on the budget crisis over Gov. Shapiro — who, for his part, says it’s the job of the Republicans who just endorsed Garrity for governor to come to an agreement on the long-delayed budget.
Politics reporters Gillian McGoldrick and Katie Bernard have the details.
In other state government news: A criminal group reportedly has taken credit for an August ransomware attack on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office that has put criminal and civil cases on hold.
What you should know today
A group of Colombian nationals used remote cell phone cameras, Wi-Fi jammers, and phony food deliveries to monitor and break into 13 area homes last year, Montgomery County officials said.
Camden had zero homicides this summer with violent crime reaching a 50-year low, and officials are crediting disbandment of the police department.
Chester County commissioners voted to become the first of Philly’s collar counties to approve an ordinance explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
City Council elections already? Jalon Alexander has formed a committee to explore challenging incumbent Jeffery Young in the 5th District.
Philadelphia has sued two companies for deceiving city residents into putting plastics that aren’t recyclable in the blue bin next to their trash cans.
Nurses and technicians at Temple Health plan to strike on Oct. 6 if they cannot reach a contract agreement with the health system, their union said Wednesday.
Following two years of delays and technical difficulties that contributed to lower first-year enrollment at some local universities, the newest federal financial aid forms for college are available online.
The number of Philly-area homes worth at least $1 million has almost quadrupled over the last five years.
The Philadelphia Orchestra has raised $305 million and counting of its $330 million goal. Call it the city’s biggest comeback kid.
Quote of the day
The new ice cream shop-slash-listening room in Kensington brings creative flavors, community vibes, and late-night parties under the El.
🧠 Trivia time
Which state’s only public media TV station will go dark after Republicans and the Trump administration stripped federal funding from NPR and PBS?
A) New Jersey
B) Pennsylvania
C) Delaware
D) Maryland
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍿 Anticipating: Netflix docuseries Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia.
⚾ Buying: Red October merch from these 12 Philly creators.
🏃 Noting: Road closures ahead of the first Delco 10 Miler race Sunday.
🏀 Ranking: The iconic black throwbacks among the best Sixers jerseys.
🏥 Considering: How governments can help Philadelphia better address the fentanyl-xylazine crisis.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: 🏛️
LILY CHAT
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Deborah Solo, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Curtis Institute of Music. The Center City school just hired superstar pianist and alumna Yuja Wang as its “artistic collaborator.”
Photo of the day
📚 One last bookish thing: Jeannine Cook’s debut novel, It’s Me They Follow, is about a woman who looks like her and owns a bookstore called Harriett’s Bookshop — but she swears it’s not her. Catch up on what’s new with the Fishtown shop.
Go forth and write your own story today. Have a good one.
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