Philly’s LGBTQ network looks for monkeypox info | Morning Newsletter

After a record-breaking heat wave, today might actually feel — dare I say it — cool. Today will be partly sunny with a high temperature near 85 and a chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight.

First, we look at the slow public-health response to monkeypox that has sent Philly’s LGBTQ community scrambling to find answers.

Plus, we have a few tips on how to cut costs on your electric bill.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Felicia Gans Sobey (@FeliciaGans, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Monkeypox, which was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization over the weekend, is quickly spreading throughout the country and predominately affecting men who have sex with men. Philadelphia’s case count on Monday rose to 50. (My colleague Jason Laughlin answered some of your most-asked questions about the virus here.)

But LGBTQ advocates in our region say the local public-health response has been lagging, and many worry that the unanswered questions and near-indifference are echoing the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Meanwhile, community LGBTQ organizations are jumping in to fill the information gap.

City health officials “just didn’t have any information out there,” said Philadelphia consultant Jason Evans. “They didn’t have stuff for people to look for, to watch out for, and what to do.”

Read on for more about what the LGBTQ community is doing to help people most at risk of contracting monkeypox — without placing a stigma on them.

There’s nothing like a multi-day heat wave to make you think about how high your electric bill will be next month. And it’s not just this week’s heat that will do you in — the most recent Consumer Price Index data showed energy prices rose 41.6% in the last year.

Here are a few ways to cut the cost:

🔌 Get an energy audit: A professional energy assessment of your house will identify which items in your home need to be repaired or replaced.

🔌 Buy high-efficiency systems: Consider replacing your old or inefficient air-conditioning or heating system.

🔌 Get help paying your repair bills: Most utility companies will offer you a rebate for new energy-efficient appliances or heating systems. And for low-income customers, a host of grants and assistance programs are available.

My colleague Andrew Maykuth has some other tips for keeping your energy bills as low as possible.

At the start of the pandemic, the number of households dramatically decreased across the country, as many young people left behind their apartments with roommates and moved back in with family. Today’s question: According to a new analysis of census data, about how many households were lost in early 2020 in the U.S.?

A) 500,000

B) 1 million

C) 2.5 million

D) 5 million

Take a guess, and find the answer here.

🧠 Reading: This column from my colleague Elizabeth Wellington, who asks: Could the 76ers finally give Market Street the attention it deserves?

🥤 Drinking: The micro-batch cold brew from Remedee Coffee Roasters, a craft roastery operating out of an Atlantic City garage.

💰 Calculating: Your chance of winning Tuesday’s $810 million Mega Millions jackpot.

Actor Paul Sorvino, who died Monday at 83, played this former Philadelphia politician in a made-for-TV movie in 2000.

ARFIZZ OKRN

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Beverly Kates, who correctly guessed Lil Uzi Vert as Sunday’s answer.

That’s all for today. 👋 Enjoy your slightly-less-hot Tuesday.