Pa.’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expansion race | Morning Newsletter
And, losing faith in government? Look to town councils.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning from The Inquirer newsroom.
Temperatures will be cooler early this week.
First: Pa. has made modest progress in the effort to accelerate the vaccination push. Just how much may depend on where you live, Spotlight reports.
Then: It looks like the town councils of Main Street can rise above the partisan standoffs of Washington.
And: As addiction, lack of affordable housing, and inequity have led people to shelter at Somerset Station, the situation sheds light on the city’s deepest social problems.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
As Pa. moves forward with the mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign currently underway to get more people their shots, Gov. Tom Wolf has embraced President Joe Biden’s May 1 vision to open eligibility up to all adults.
The administration directed the state’s vaccine providers to clear wait lists and schedule appointments for anyone eligible now by the end of this month. With that date approaching this week, Wolf is still confident that the state is on track to make availability of the vaccine better at an urgent time in the pandemic. However, some residents, local officials, state lawmakers, vaccine providers, and volunteers are wary that’s overpromising.
The effort has operated at a slower-than-expected pace for some rural counties, like Fulton and Potter, which had some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, state data show. That’s not the case in other rural counties — like Cameron, Elk, and Sullivan, which had some of the state’s highest vaccination rates as of last week.
The state Health Department released a plan to temporarily scale back the number of vaccine providers and send more doses to sites that could administer them fast on March 18, but some believe taking doses away from small, independent pharmacies could hurt the communities the move was supposed to serve, and inconsistency issues with supply abound.
Read on for reporter Jamie Martines’ whole story of how the modest progress Pa. has made may depend on where you live.
In local town councils across Pa., people from opposing parties are getting along amid our deeply polarized climate.
Beneath the inescapably partisan layers of division that have increasingly defined our recent history, local communities are a surprising example of working together to attack local problems like potholes and repairs despite political differences. While the work of these town councils is not without partisan squabbles, they don’t let anything interfere with addressing the most urgent needs and “party affiliation is checked at the door.”
Not one Republican voted for Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. But the vote by the Bensalem Township Council to install lights on the girls’ softball field this year was unanimous.
Read on for reporter Julia Terruso’s story on how Pa. town councils are keeping business cordial.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
This is a step-by-step process on how the COVID-19 vaccines work.
Is indoor dining safe once you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine? Experts are split on the risk involved.
How to know what’s safe when it comes to summer travel this year.
What you need to know today
As addiction, lack of affordable housing, and inequity have led people to shelter at SEPTA’s Somerset Station, the situation lays bare some of the city’s deepest social problems.
Surprising numbers of people who witnessed the impact of the pandemic firsthand — like hospital staffers and home health aides — still haven’t gotten their shots even though they were given top priority.
One of the most visible faces of Proud Boys on the East Coast, president Zach Rehl, denies inciting the Capitol riot as he fights for pretrial release.
An inmate in one of Philly’s prisons died over the weekend after he was found unresponsive in his prison cell on Saturday, likely the victim of an assault.
A Philly teacher came under scrutiny after giving an assignment asking 10th-grade students to imagine they were enslaved people. It even made the rounds on social media.
Got called in for jury duty? Here’s what you need to know now that jury trials are back on and plenty has changed.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Thanks for sharing this vista, @mattanderson4098. That’s a good one.
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That’s interesting
📰 Here’s what was in a time capsule titled “Seeing Our Future Now” buried in 1992 at The Inquirer Schuylkill Printing Plant.
🏫 Why doesn’t the U.S. value child care? Turns out, it’s nothing new because America has never developed a sensible system, experts say.
🎬 The Godzilla vs. Kong director is dropping hints that the monster smackdown sequel will bring back a showdown between two big names.
⚾ At 21 years old, Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski did a school project that set the stage for the Phillies president of baseball operations he was always wired to become.
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🥘 Craig LaBan interviewed the Palestinian author of the James Beard-nominated cookbook that explores Arab cuisine. Expect flatbreads and grape leaves galore.
🍒 Formerly Lizzy Grant, the true siren Queen of Coney Island, Lana Del Rey “subtly shifts her sound” on her latest album Chemtrails Over the Country Club, writes Dan DeLuca in his album roundup.
Opinions
“In these dark and difficult times, we need a mayor to be an advocate for the whole city, someone who will console us and offer us hope. We need to hear Jim Kenney’s voice,” columnist Inga Saffron writes that Kenney’s invisibility on the Somerset El station closure has become a failure of governance.
Mentors are stepping up to share new opportunities with the participants of the 100 Black Men of Philadelphia program, columnist Jenice Armstrong writes.
Property officer for the federal government, Anntwinette Dupree-Hart, writes about her family’s trauma in the wake of losing two beloved members to gun violence.
What we’re reading
Philly restaurants have started eliminated tipping for servers and rolled out a service fee, and 34th street wrote up the trend.
NPR has ways to tackle spring cleaning and lighten your load.
The hieroglyphics of a Mayan tomb show how an ancient man ascended to power, and then suffered a decline, The Daily Beast reports.
Candy shops in the region are going all out to give people a taste of fun this Easter.
That new basket must-have of debatable value, Peeps-flavored soda? The liquid candy concoction will be tough to find. “Certain things shouldn’t be done,” Lore’s Chocolates owner Tony Walter tells us of the new spin on the de facto treat with a controversial reputation.
But plenty of shops are selling Peeps creations of their own, like chocolate-covered Peeps or Peeps lollipops. The Candy Jar by 1892 in Collingswood, N.J. is offering a Wonka-worthy “smash” Easter egg, complete with a miniature hammer to bust open the chocolate shell like a piñata.
Hop on over to the whole story to take in the sweetness.