Education cuts’ local impact | Morning Newsletter
📈 And Philly population grows.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly. Heads up: A total lunar eclipse will occur early Friday when a “blood Moon” may appear over the region.
The same week the U.S. Department of Education laid off half its staff, the federal office in Philadelphia is among seven to be shut nationally. Today’s lead stories examine what the cuts could mean for local schools and students.
And the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates are out — with good news for the city. Here’s what to know today.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The Trump administration laid off about half of the federal education department’s (DOE) staff on Tuesday.
DOE primarily provides oversight and distributes billions of dollars via student loans and aid to colleges and schools. The more than 1,000 layoffs affected the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates discrimination cases related to sexual and racial harassment, disability services, and more.
DOE’s Office for Civil Rights in Philadelphia, based in the historic Wanamaker building, was also shut down this week. Former employees are worried that a large backlog of cases will now go unaddressed.
“I anticipate that’s going to get worse and the people who are being harmed are the children who those cases are about,” one longtime employee told The Inquirer.
❌ Here’s what other education experts and former staffers are saying about the closure’s impact.
In other education news: Radnor school officials pledged to review their library selection policy amid community backlash over the district’s recent decision to ban three graphic novels. And Temple University has joined a national group trying to graduate more students from low-income families.
Philadelphia is starting to reverse its pandemic decline, according to the latest census report.
📈 The big picture: Philly added about 10,500 residents in 2024, for an estimated population of 1,573,916. The rise follows three years of decreases, which had come after a decade of growth.
📈 What experts say: Growth over the past 20 years or so has largely been a result of foreign-born residents moving into the city. Between July 2023 and July 2024, about 21,000 immigrants moved to Philadelphia.
📈 Suburbs, too: Every county in the region grew some, as they have each year since the pandemic’s start — an inverse of Philly.
The Inquirer’s Nick Vadala and John Duchneskie dig into the data.
What you should know today
Emine Emanet, the Jersey Kebab owner arrested by ICE, was released Wednesday from an immigrant detention center.
A patient who recently visited two Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia sites has been diagnosed with measles, health officials said Wednesday.
A pregnant Delaware County woman’s boyfriend has been arrested in her killing after four years on the run.
Federal workers in Philadelphia faced layoffs last month. As a government shutdown now looms, those still employed face the reality of having to work through it. Plus, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says he’ll back a GOP spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Will other Democrats follow?
A foreign affairs subcommittee meeting was cut short on Tuesday when a House Republican repeatedly misgendered U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware and a Democratic colleague came to her defense.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s proposal for the next city budget is expected to include cutting Philadelphia’s business tax and borrowing $800 million for housing.
Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner and his Democratic primary challenger, former Judge Patrick Dugan, met in front of an audience for the first time and sparred over their records.
Neighbors shouted down Councilmember Jeffery Young’s proposal to demolish the now-closed North Philly Free Library branch and replace it with a new library with affordable housing on top.
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his family donated $125 million for a new patient tower at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, its largest gift ever.
🧠 Trivia time
2SP Brewing Company in Aston used art from local museums on its cans. Which famous work has not been featured?
A) Vincent van Gogh’s “The Postman,” seen at the Barnes Foundation
B) Édouard Manet’s “Le Bon Bock,” seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
C) Several John James Audubon images, seen at the John James Audubon Center
D) Marcel Duchamp’s “Étant donnés,” seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🥖 Learning about: Great steaks at what was one of Philly’s only woman-owned cheesesteak shops.
🍝 Making: Fresh pasta at a Midnight Pasta Co. party.
🩰 Anticipating: Philadelphia Ballet’s new North Broad Street building.
🦉 Meeting: Temple University’s new football coach, who has “no interest” in being average.
☀️ Recognizing: Sunshine Week and the importance of right-to-know laws.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Emmy-winning Allentown native
MAYFAIR DEADENS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Candice Richardson, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. The annual fest will return to Franklin Square this June.
Photo of the day
🤼♀️ One last competitive thing: The local girls’ wrestling community is excited about National Collegiate Athletic Association adding women’s wrestling as a championship sport — but the news “wasn’t shocking,” according to Mariana Bracetti Academy junior Julissa Ortiz. “I knew wrestling was growing as a sport for women,” she said. “I was more just really happy because the time had finally come.”
Enjoy your Thursday. See you back here tomorrow.
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