The Shore’s ‘new locals’ may never leave | Morning Newsletter
And, the at-risk people advocates say the vaccine rollout overlooks.
The Morning Newsletter
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First: Philadelphia parents of kids with disabilities aren’t eligible for the vaccine. They would be if they lived anywhere else in Pa.
Then: During the pandemic, the Shore’s “new locals” staged a mini-exodus to make it their only home for the foreseeable future. Now, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be moving “offshore” anytime soon.
And: A Free Library diversity training told its workers: “White privilege is a myth.”
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Parents of people with disabilities are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines across Pennsylvania except in Philly, which has its own guidelines.
Advocates want Philadelphia to follow the state’s lead and prioritize unpaid caregivers like parents of people with disabilities. Just last week, the city recognized that people with intellectual disabilities need to be prioritized for the vaccine, referencing a study that showed how they face greater risks in the coronavirus era. But advocates insist that’s not enough, saying that the vaccine rollout reflects back the reality of the how marginalized this group comprising 16% of the city’s population can be.
What’s more, they fear expanding eligibility could worsen competition for those precious appointments. Reporter Ellie Silverman has the story.
The pandemic brought a friendly invasion of new Jersey Shore locals and they’re not looking back.
Pleasantly off the “hamster wheels” of the cities they fled, the more relaxing lifestyle is sticking to their ribs, so they’ve kept local business humming louder than usual in the offseason. There was a real estate bidding frenzy over the Shore properties, and mortgage brokers and real estate agents enjoyed business action during the pandemic along with construction workers, plumbers, and mechanics. Now, they’re bracing for a potentially busy summer, even as cases are rising.
Just don’t call them shoobies. Reporter Amy S. Rosenberg has the whole story.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
Track the spread of the coronavirus in the region.
What to know about traveling for summer vacation this year.
Here’s what we know about whether temperature checks are still worth doing.
Find out whether you’re eligible for the vaccine if you’re in Philly, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
What you can do safely once you’re fully vaccinated.
What you need to know today
In a recent diversity and inclusion training session, Free Library of Philadelphia staff were asked: “Are all the inequities you experience at the hands of white people?” It did not land with the audience — workers who have been fighting for racial justice for years.
COVID-19 is again rising fast in North Jersey, the Shore, and the Poconos.
Kensington residents are protesting the closing of SEPTA’s Somerset El station, which helped many get jobs.
Antique doors have been stolen off their hinges.
Pa. had more poll workers than it could possibly handle last year. Where’d they all go?
With ballot questions, every single word counts, and two written by the Wolf administration have raised questions about “problematic” language.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
🧀 🥩 🥖 Comp yourself onto a free big cheesesteak on National Cheesesteak Day today.
🧵 This 24-year old based South Philly-based fashion designer is headed to Paris. Ooh la la.
🐛 This spring, millions of chatty cicadas will be emerging from 17 years underground, just as millions of spotted lanternflies hatch. We could be in for a noisy spring.
🤼♀️ Pa. high school girls compete in wrestling championship as efforts to sanction their sport continue.
🍗 Here’s where to get vegan wings from Buffalo-sauce smothered and double-fried seitan offerings.
Opinions
“It’s been nearly three years to the day that I walked into Philadelphia’s Parkway Center City Middle College to meet students who stood in solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooter walked into that Florida school on Valentine’s Day and killed 17 of their classmates and teachers. But, they also wondered when some of the fleeting national focus might turn to them and the violence that affects them every day.” —columnist Helen Ubiñas writes that another mass shooting just proves how enough is never enough in this country, where we continually choose guns over people
Text messaging may help to bridge our digital divide in virtual health care, physician Jeffrey Millstein writes of the COVID Watch service.
What we’re reading
There are 25 wooden eggs hidden along South Street in a free Easter egg hunt, PhillyVoice reports.
Parosmia, the condition that causes phantom odors and a residual symptom of COVID-19 for some people, has had an effect on relationships, the New York Times reports.
Sharks are key players in restoring damaged habitats, a new study found via The Hill.
Get a load of this guy’s collection of over 24,000 marching band and drum and bugle corps memorabilia. The oldest one is from 1924. The collector, Bill Ives, was inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2018. And drumroll, please ... to the collection!