Pa. to nursing homes: Spend more on patients | Morning Newsletter
And a gallery owner vows to return after destructive fire
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
☀️ Welcome back. I hope your weekend was full of rest, sun, and treats.
Expect clear skies with a high of 90. Stay hydrated and be safe out there. Let’s dive in.
In today’s newsletter:
🎨 A determined gallery: Eye’s Gallery owner Julia Zagar, vows to reopen after the fire at Jim’s Steaks in late July.
🛏️ Bedside care: Numerous nursing homes in Pennsylvania will have to figure out how to put more money toward patient care.
🗳️ Northeast Pa. politics: The Democratic congressman representing President Joe Biden’s hometown is fighting to stay in office. 🔑
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.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
When your loved one must go to a nursing home, you hope for the best possible care. You expect the bulk of the money nursing homes receive to be spent on that care.
Depending on where you live, that might not be the case. It’s why Pennsylvania became the fourth state to require nursing homes to devote a specific percentage of expenditures to resident care.
Lawmakers adopted a rule requiring the state’s 680 nursing homes to dedicate at least 70% of their annual expenditures to resident care in conjunction with a $515 million boost in long-term care funding from this year’s state budget. The 70% rule will take effect next year.
The idea is to bolster financial accountability and to limit the amount of money siphoned away from the bedside.
An Inquirer analysis found that more than half of the 288 homes analyzed will have to increase spending on resident care to comply.
Reporter Harold Brubaker provides a breakdown on how much nursing homes in the state are spending on patient care.
What you should know today
Families at a Philly charter school scramble to find new schools after a closure announcement.
The family of a 17-year-old Pennsylvania National Guard soldier who died after collapsing during routine training says she died from a heart abnormality.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright’s battle for Northeastern Pennsylvania could be a case study to see whether Democrats can hold on to control of the House. 🔑
Relive Bug Fest 2022 through our photojournalism.
A Chester County sports-tech firm, Playfly Sports LCC, now reaches 83% of U.S. sports fans.
The billows of smoke coming out from Jim Steak’s on Fourth and South Streets late last month inspired fans to flock to social media to reminisce about their favorite orders. Some even likened it to watching Notre Dame burn, at the risk of being offensive.
But right next door, there’s been less buzz about Eye’s Gallery which also suffered extensive fire damage and has been closed ever since.
The owner, Julia Zagar, vows to reopen but it may take a year to repair the three-story shop.
The fire, which may have stemmed from the HVAC system at Jim’s, penetrated the gallery’s second floor and caused smoke damage throughout the building.
The mosaic storefront stood out for decades. It’s designed by Isaiah Zagar, the artist behind the famed Painted Bride Art Center and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.
The Zagars opened the gallery more than a half-century ago when there was little on the strip. A 1993 Daily News article described the couple as “pioneers in the South Street renaissance.”
Reporter Ximena Conde wrote what it will take to make Zagar’s goal a reality.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Philly’s Naked Bike Ride returned this past weekend. It’s meant to promote fuel-conscious consumption and cycling safety, and spread body positivity.
Question: What year did the ride first come to the city?
A. 2011
B. 2009
C. 2008.
D. 2000
Think you know? Find out.
What We’re...
🍅 Craving: Aaji’s tomato lonsa.
✏️ Sharing: tips to take advantage of tax-free school supplies in New Jersey.
❤️ Swooning: over this ice-cream themed engagement. I doubt you’ll find a story that’s sweeter.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A staple in Old City for over 50 years before going to Kensington.
ALDOUS CITY
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer
Photo of the day
That’s everything you need for today. I’m off to my first cup of coffee ☕. Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer.