The Morning Newsletter
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Morning, Philly. How about those storms yesterday?
How do you unwind a transit system when you’re not yet sure you must? In the case of SEPTA, which is awaiting its fate from Harrisburg, some things can’t wait.
And how you feel about the District Council 33 strike, which was continuing as of Tuesday evening, might depend on where you live. As trash piles up in some neighborhoods, residents are forced to get creative with their garbage management.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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While Pennsylvania legislators debate whether the state budget should include $213 million for SEPTA, the beleaguered transit agency is preparing two transit schedules — one with current levels of service, and one with steep cuts, if funding doesn’t come through.
🚆 In the latter case, SEPTA will implement a 20% decrease in service that would start Aug. 24, plus a one-way base fare increase to $2.90 on Sept. 1. A second round of service cuts would be triggered Jan. 1 if needed.
🚆 The agency would aim to publicize changes by the end of July, with signage at bus stops and data sent to Google Maps so riders know what’s coming.
🚆 The uncertainty makes planning tricky, though. The state is already more than a week past its budget deadline, so it’s not clear when SEPTA will know how much it needs to cut.
Transportation reporter Tom Fitzgerald details what SEPTA is doing to prepare.
In other state policy news: Pennsylvania House Republicans tried to force a vote on a bill to ban transgender students from playing girls’ sports. Democrats maneuvered to avoid it.
Contract negotiations between DC 33 and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration resumed Tuesday as the municipal workers strike entered its second week. Meanwhile, the trash piles grow.
By the numbers: About 950,000 of Philly’s 1.57 million residents live more than a half-mile from the nearest city-designated trash drop-off site, according to an Inquirer analysis.
Uneven impact: That could be a good thing, if your top priority is avoiding the smell — or a bad thing, if you want to deposit your waste but don’t have a way to get it there. Nearly a third of Philly households don’t have access to a car.
How to cope: Some Philadelphians are storing garbage in freezers or in abandoned lots, while worrying about attracting rats and flies.
Reporters Ximena Conde and Nate File have the story on how residents are managing their trash.
More strike updates:
A judge on Tuesday ordered eight striking dispatchers who staff the Philadelphia airports’ emergency response system to return to work.
Parker has turned to non-union city workers and sanitation trainees — some of whom are future DC 33 members — to help with trash removal during the strike.
More than 100 supervisors are working around the clock, sleeping on cots, and being paid double time to keep Philly’s water clean during the strike.
See Inquirer.com for the latest.
What you should know today
A gas fire “of uncertain origin” caused the June 29 explosion that killed one person, hospitalized two others and displaced nearby residents in Nicetown, the Fire Department said Tuesday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which employs more people in Pennsylvania than any other agency, may not follow through with expected plans to lay off thousands of workers.
President Donald Trump’s administration is withholding $230 million in education funding from Pennsylvania schools, leaving local districts in limbo.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has sided with progressive Democrats in the fight over who gets to run the county party committee in Cherry Hill.
State Sen. Sharif Street, who is vying to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, announced early endorsements from 10 Philly unions — surprising one of them.
Nemours Children’s Hospital will no longer provide gender-affirming care beyond behavioral health services to new patients amid pressure from the Trump administration.
Temple University is projecting its first overall enrollment increase since 2017, as the board approves an average 3.6% tuition hike.
A fired South Jersey administrator spoke out Monday, alleging he was retaliated against for raising concerns about administrative shortcomings at Cherry Hill High School East.
Quote of the day
Brennan cited tariffs, high rents, and rising brick and mortar costs as reasons for the closure.
🧠 Trivia time
Owners of the 76ers and Comcast spent $56 million to purchase a string of properties for redevelopment where?
A) Broad Street near the South Philadelphia Sports Complex
B) Walnut Street in University City
C) Front Street in Kensington
D) Along East Market Street
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
💊 Saying bye to: The last Philly Rite Aids, set to close at the end of August.
📸 Touched by: This South Philly resident’s memories of Camp Mystic, devastated by the Texas flood.
🎙️ Tuning in to: The embattled World Cafe Live’s town hall meeting Thursday.
🍞 Anticipating: Ellen Yin’s Bread Room, a bakery, workshop, and event space in Center City.
🤝 Considering: These suburban immigrant-serving nonprofits’ reasons for merging now.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Murdered robot
BOTCH HIT
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Richard Smith, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Hip Hop. From 1998 to 2011, Bill Roth played the rabble-rousing rabbit at Sixers games. Now he is back in the gym, training gymnasts with lessons he learned from his alter ego.
Photo of the day
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