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Student loan payments resume | Morning Newsletter

And trying to change a NJ medical law

Lindsay Wood, (from left), Muriel Movida and Debora Charmelus.
Lindsay Wood, (from left), Muriel Movida and Debora Charmelus.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer, Courtesy of Muriel Movida, Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    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 in for a mostly sunny Monday. Expect mild temperatures with a high of 62.

Millions of borrowers are rearranging their budgets now that student loans payments have resumed. The restart comes after the promise that $10,000 or $20,000 of their debt would be wiped under President Joe Biden’s plan, only to see the plan get struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

I’m one of them and paid my first in a while this past weekend. I won’t lie, it stung.

We spoke to Philly-area residents about what this means for their pockets and how they plan to cut back.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Deferring savings, canceling subscriptions, and eating out less

The student loan payment pause is really over.

Philly-area borrowers spoke to The Inquirer about what the resumption of student loan payments will mean for them.

Most said they plan on cutting back on the fun stuff like eating out and going to concerts. Some have already canceled streaming and gym memberships.

Others expressed regret, wishing they chose a less expensive option like community college. One man admitted he didn’t know how he’ll be able to pay.

Read how five Philadelphians are planning to find the funds to repay their loans.

On her own terms

Since getting a breast cancer diagnosis, Andy Sealy has hosted various parties including fundraisers and a mastectomy farewell party with a “tatas” cake that had the slogan “thanks for the mammories.”

The celebrations help her enjoy life, even much of it seems out of her control.

The 41-year-old from South Philly learned in 2017 that the cancer had spread to her bones and is terminal. Before sending out her last invitations to her final party, she needs to know when she’ll die. She wants to host a funeral for herself, where friends and family share what they love most about her. After that, she plans on retiring somewhere quiet to take medications that will allow her to die, with loved ones and a faith leader by her side.

Her plan is legal in New Jersey, but not in Pennsylvania.

It’s why she is among a group of patients and doctors who are suing New Jersey in an effort to expand access for those out-of-state to its medical aid-in-dying law.

Read more to learn why there’s an intense debate on whether the residency requirement is a safeguard or a barrier.

What you should know today

  1. Israel formally declared war on Sunday and battled Hamas for a second day after Saturday’s mass incursion.

  2. A father went on a mission that included seven record requests, countless card catalog searches, and one court case to find out if Pennridge School District is secretly banning books.

  3. The nurses who staff Temple University Hospital’s outpatient clinics filed a class action lawsuit over alleged unpaid overtime. It suggests tensions are escalating as their union and the health system’s management negotiate a new contract.

  4. The University of Pennsylvania rejected Katalin Karikó for a tenure-track position, telling her she didn’t measure up. Her work there helped pave the way to COVID-19 vaccines and just won a Nobel Prize.

  5. New moms in Philly ask for everything from hoagies to breast implants as so-called “push presents,” or gifts given to commemorate the birth of a child.

  6. The Eagles are in the booze business with Birds Gang Spirit’s vodka and bourbon.

🧠 Trivia time 🧠

How old was Ben Franklin when he first arrived in Philadelphia 300 years ago?

A) 17

B) 20

C) 23

D) 25

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re...

🎧 Listening to: Sam Smith’s Tiny Desk Concert.

🍕Craving: The borrego pizza at Tonalli Philly.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩

Hint: Hayrides in Langhorne

STORY CHARRED

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Rick Eynon, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Kyle Schwarber.

Photo of the day

That should get you started for the day. I’m starting my morning figuring out my Halloween costume. Thanks for starting yours with The Inquirer. ☀️