Will Philly Mayor Jim Kenney run for governor?; How health insurance brokers trick buyers | Morning Newsletter
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Mayor may not? Skepticism is running high at City Hall over whether Mayor Jim Kenney will campaign for Pennsylvania governor in 2022. And an extra dose of skepticism might just be healthy when considering your insurance options, as websites mimicking government-regulated marketplaces are tricking consumers into buying lesser coverage.
In other news, the Trump impeachment hearings will continue in Washington today, while Giant Heirloom Market opens its first “underground taproom” in Philly.
— Oona Goodin-Smith (@oonagoodinsmith, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Will Jim Kenney really campaign for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion in 2022? It could all hinge on the state of national politics.
Reporter Sean Collins Walsh talks to City Hall insiders about the factors that may shape Kenney’s decision on a gubernatorial run.
Under looser Affordable Care Act regulations, websites selling limited-benefit insurance plans are increasingly resembling the government-regulated healthcare.gov marketplace, and insurance brokers are using carefully worded scripts to push consumers to act quickly before doing more research.
Ultimately, buyers like Trish Martin — saddled with $36,000 in hospital bills — are paying the price.
Health-care reporter Sarah Gantz breaks down the sales pitch brokers use to pressure consumers into buying the minimal coverage plans, and explains what Google is doing to improve the online search for insurance.
A beer while you grocery shop? It’s possible at the Giant Heirloom Market opening in Northern Liberties today.
Take an early peek inside the two-level store featuring the company’s first “underground taproom,” where customers can open a tab to drink beer, wine, and hard seltzer on tap, eat chicken wings, dim sum, and pizza, and play Nintendo 64.
What you need to know today
As the impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump continue this morning, you can follow along with us here. On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said testimony presented on Day One “corroborated evidence of bribery” by the president in his relations with Ukraine.
The University of Pennsylvania athletic department has canceled the remainder of its women’s volleyball team’s season after announcing the discovery of “vulgar, offensive and disrespectful" signs in the team locker room.
Philadelphia City Council passed a bill that will provide free legal representation to low-income tenants facing eviction, all but cementing Philly on a list of cities that have strengthened renters’ rights amid what many say is a growing national eviction problem.
Jury deliberations in the murder trial of Sean Kratz, accused of killing a man and acting as a lookout as his cousin killed and buried two more men on his family’s Bucks County farm, will continue for a third day today in Doylestown.
Pennsylvania officials say the Keystone State has a big litter problem, with an estimated 500 million pieces of trash on roadways, costing more than $14 million annually to clean up.
After revealing that only 30% of Philly’s $193.8 million soda tax revenue has been spent, the city controller is calling for greater transparency around the money.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
The weekend is on the horizon. 🙌Thanks for the photo, @skinniry.
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That’s interesting
Ford v Ferrari, starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, opens in theaters today. You can catch the real cars from the movie at the Simeone Museum in South Philly, and read how a Ford exec’s Philadelphia-area friends say the film got him all wrong.
If you’re headed to the Eagles-Pats pre-game this chilly weekend, let the seasoned pros be your guide to surviving a tailgate in the cold.
No, “the Rock” isn’t dead. Bethlehem’s own Dwayne Johnson is still alive and kicking, despite another hoax circulating on the internet.
Columnist Inga Saffron explains how Philadelphia’s legacy art museums are working to attract a new, woke generation by focusing on diversity and inclusion, addressing bias, and offering better amenities.
Opinions
“We’re ‘Carey Law’ now, and ‘Penn Law’ is no more. We’re Carey Law despite the fact that the name’s been taken by the law school at the University of Maryland, and we’re Carey Law even though we can safely assume that no one without the last name Carey prefers the change.” — University of Pennsylvania Law School alum Reid Hopkins on his former college’s new name.
The giant interactive cocoon in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard may be fun and beautiful, but it’s also a spectacle of environmental contamination, writes this designer, photographer, and street-art journalist.
President Trump’s worst moral crimes aren’t the ones he’s getting impeached for, writes columnist Will Bunch.
What we’re reading
We still may have weeks until Thanksgiving, but it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Philadelphia. Curbed Philly maps the city’s best light shows this holiday season.
A Roxborough father and daughter are making history in the Philadelphia Fire Department, the Philadelphia Tribune reports.
In 2003, Charles Rogers was the second overall pick in the NFL draft with a bright future and a multimillion-dollar contract. By 2017, he was working in a Florida auto repair shop, hanging out at a pizza shop on his breaks, and mourning a career cut short. This week, he died at 38. The Lansing (Mich.) State Journal looks back at his story.
Your Daily Dose of | Happy ending
In April, a New Jersey mom-to-be made medical history for receiving a heart transplant while pregnant. Last month, she underwent a second surgery for the birth of her son. Now, both she and the baby are happy, healthy, and doing just fine.