The ‘millions’ owed to Philadelphians | Morning Newsletter
❌ Offshore wind company Orsted is out
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’ll be sunny, but not that warm.☀️ We’re in for a high of 51.
Before we get to today’s headlines, I want to remind you to sign up for Inside Johnny Doc’s Trial. It’s a weekly briefing from The Inquirer’s Jeremy Roebuck and Oona Goodin-Smith. Starting Monday morning, expect in-depth analysis and key courtroom details about the former union leader’s second federal trial in two years.
Under the Pennsylvania Code, sheriffs are supposed to distribute the proceeds from home sales within 40 days. The former homeowner is due any excess money when the property is auctioned off for an amount larger than their past-due mortgage, and any unpaid taxes and utilities.
Our main story explains how former homeowners in Philly get stonewalled while trying to claim what’s owed to them.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Phyllis West had her North Philly home auctioned off at a sheriff’s sale in 2019.
But it wasn’t until last month she finally got a check for $23,111 in excess funds from when it was originally sold. It’s the amount left over after paying back taxes, utility bills and other expenses.
The process was like pulling teeth. The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office stopped responding to West in February of this year and her lawyer had to file a motion in Common Pleas Court just to see the financial records from the sale. In court, the city relented and she got the money she was owed.
In her own words: “It’s almost like it’s not real to the sheriff, people finding out they are entitled to money,” said West, a former unit director at JFK Behavioral Health Center, who lost her home after a bout of severe depression left her unable to pay her bills.
David Denenberg, West’s lawyer, said his office is full of hundreds of case files from former homeowners who were never paid. The average payout in the cases he’s pursued is between $25,000 and $30,000 and the process can take up to two years. He contends the unclaimed funds total in the millions of dollars.
Read more to understand the scope of the pervasive problem.
What you should know today
A Downingtown school board Republican candidate who is not a physician pretended to be the “Society of College Medicine” to challenge books.
Under pressure from the Jewish community, University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill unveiled an antisemitism action plan. The plan also calls for combating Islamophobia and other forms of hate.
According to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, the two men who escaped from a Philadelphia jail earlier this year went unnoticed for 19 hours because a guard was sleeping on the job.
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy has plans to run for Bob Menendez’s N.J. Senate seat.
Five years after SEPTA started phasing out tokens, the transit agency won’t accept them after Dec. 31.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince will reunite for a hip-hop anniversary special. They will be joined by Black Thought, Quest Love, Common, and other notable hip-hop acts.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy went to a Taylor Swift concert at MetLife Stadium, and he spent nearly $1,000 on concessions.
Global offshore wind developer Orsted said Tuesday night that it’s scrapping both of its projects planned off the coast of New Jersey.
The decision that enraged Gov. Phil Murphy could be a huge blow to the state’s renewable energy ambitions. Both Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects would have had the capacity to produce 2.2 gigawatts of renewable energy that would have powered 1.1 million homes.
The state still has the arrangement with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, which has proposed to install an array of turbines about 10.5 miles off the coast between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light, and as of now, says that it’s moving ahead. Atlantic Shores Project 1 is expected to have the capacity to power 700,000 homes.
Keep in mind: Orsted cited economic headwinds as the reason for its decision to abandon the project. Atlantic Shores acknowledged it would face some of the same challenges like inflation and supply chain constraints but intends to push ahead.
Continue reading to learn how Orsted’s withdrawal is a blow to the New Jersey Wind Port in Salem County.
🧠 Trivia time
What’s the name of the puppy that is the first therapy dog for Vineland’s first responders?
A) Monday
B) Wednesday
C) Morticia
D) Autumn
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Perusing: What Johnny Doc allegedly bought with the money he’s accused of embezzling from his union.
🍿Reading: Delco native Susan Noles of The Golden Bachelor sat down with The Inquirer to dish about her experience on the show.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint:🏠 South Philly neighborhood
BIZET REOPEN
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Kareemah Cobbs, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Bob Kelly.
Photo of the day
That’s it from me. I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow. 📧