Medicaid looms over Pa. budget talks | Morning Newsletter
🌡️ And why heat delays SEPTA trains.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We’re finally back to highs in the 80s, Philly, after three days of even our lowest nighttime temps setting records.
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants $2.5 billion more to keep Pennsylvania’s massive Medicaid programs afloat in this year’s budget. It’s become a major sticking point in negotiations.
And for SEPTA, extreme heat means wobbly train tracks and sagging power lines, which is why your commutes might be a little longer this week.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Ballooning Medicaid programs in Pennsylvania are looming over state budget talks — no matter if cuts to Medicaid are enacted by the federal government in the coming weeks.
What’s at stake: Gov. Shapiro has requested to increase state spending for the Department of Human Services by $2.5 billion to cover the rising costs of caring for an aging and sicker population. The amount would represent a 10% increase spent on the programs over the fiscal year that ends on Monday.
GOP opposition: Republican legislators say if that funding is granted, other investments in the state — including mass transit — will be limited. Yet state health officials say the proposed increase is needed just to keep the programs afloat.
Ticking clock: Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 budget is supposed to be set by June 30. Lawmakers have already said they expect to miss that deadline.
In other government funding news:
Philadelphia universities have weathered nearly $50 million worth of cuts to scientific research since President Donald Trump returned to office. Drexel University has been hit hardest.
After winning a landmark lawsuit over underfunding by the state, the William Penn School District says it may now be forced to cut its arts and athletic programs to fill a multimillion budget hole.
The Philly School District and its biggest union made an unprecedented show of unity at the state Capitol on Wednesday to advocate for increased school funding and cyber charter school reform.
You’re not the only one who gets sluggish in extreme heat.
🌡️ SEPTA slows its Regional Rail trains by 5 to 10 mph when the thermometer hits 90.
🌡️ Why? Overhead wires sag and railroad tracks warp when it’s so hot out, which puts more stress on the system and could lead to a major breakdown.
🌡️ Amtrak throttles its trains, too, which can cause delays — and did, on Wednesday.
Transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald has the details.
Plus: High temperatures plus this weekend’s power outage are to blame for the deaths of 100 koi fish, according to a Haverford Township man who spent 20 years caring for them.
What you should know today
Miles Pfeffer was found guilty of fatally shooting a Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald in 2023. The verdict will send the Bucks County man to prison for the rest of his life.
Philadelphia has agreed to pay $3 million to the family of 12-year-old TJ Siderio, who was shot by an on-duty city police officer in 2022.
Two more patients say they were asked questions around their citizenship at Philly-area hospitals, stoking concerns as mass deportations ramp up nationally.
Emil Bove, Trump’s pick for a federal appeals judgeship in Philadelphia, on Wednesday went before the Senate Judiciary Committee, including a demanding New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
A Philly man who was exonerated in a murder case after he spent 17 years in prison has filed a federal lawsuit alleging misconduct by police that led to him being convicted as a teen.
Who is Kevin Krebs, the Malvern man who went heavily armed to the West Chester “No Kings” rally? Here’s what we found.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that a ban on openly carrying a firearm without a permit in Philadelphia is unconstitutional, but stopped short of repealing the law.
Three Mile Island’s last working reactor is set to reopen in 2027, a year ahead of schedule.
The 76ers selected guard VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft.
Quote of the day
Heat-related anxiety is real, the Center City-based counselor says. Here are some ways to cope.
🧠 Trivia time
The Philadelphia School District recently revealed it has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for what?
A) Diversity-focused hiring practices
B) “Rubber rooms” that hold teachers accused of wrongdoing
C) Asbestos management in school buildings
D) School drinking water quality
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎲 Planning: A killer game night with these tips from the woman who plans Questlove’s star-studded ones.
⚽ Asking: Are soccer fans more unhinged than Philly sports fans?
🍴 Anticipating: These five new restaurants coming to Lower Merion.
🎤 Expecting: Some Philly sports jokes when comedian Shane Gillis hosts the ESPYs this summer.
🗳️ Considering: What Zohran Mamdani’s win in NYC means for us in Philly.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Cape May County borough
AN OVAL
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Meredith Goldsmith, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: PhilaMOCA. The concert and arts venue canceled a show with the former Paul Green Rock Academy following misconduct allegations against its founder.
P.S. Amid show cancellations and employee departures, the CEO of another Philly venue, World Cafe Live, says there is “zero probability” of closing.
Photo of the day
Anyway! Have a great Thursday. I’ll be back with you tomorrow to close out the week of news.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
