The rural conservatives in no rush to get vaccinated | Morning Newsletter

As Americans scramble to get vaccinated, these rural, conservative Pennsylvanians feel no urgency. Almost 72% of the state is considered rural, and our analysis showed that those counties with more robust support for Trump also tend to have a higher percentage of unvaccinated people.

And this week, I spoke with business reporter Christian Hetrick about how his coverage contributes to the Future of Work project.

— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

This year, Philly’s Latino communities have lost their jobs, their savings, their homes, and their friends and family. They also lost the people who embraced them and helped them improve their lives: grassroots community leaders. To preserve their legacy, community members say now is the moment to step up.

These are the legacies of the leaders we’ve lost this year.

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with business reporter Christian Hetrick, who focuses on consumer issues, Comcast, and how Philly could emerge from decades of struggle and adapt to a changing economy through our Future of Work project.

Last time we talked to you, you were covering Comcast. What are you working on now?

These days I’m reporting for the Future of Work project. It’s a series looking at why Philly is America’s poorest big city and how leaders can create more family-sustaining jobs. I’ve also written a lot about how the coronavirus has crushed the economy, from store closures to problems at Pennsylvania’s unemployment office. I still cover Comcast and consumer issues, too.

What are you most excited about for the Future of Work project?

I’m most interested in exploring how technology is disrupting the economy. There are fears that automation could wipe out thousands of jobs. The concern that machines will replace humans at work is an old one, but artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, and there are efforts to equip Philadelphians with tech skills to adapt. I find that all fascinating.

What’s a story you worked on recently that you’re particularly proud of?

For the Future of Work project, I wrote about a novel effort to get the city’s biggest companies and universities to buy more goods from Black- and brown-owned businesses. I feel like I often write about problems plaguing the city, but not enough about proposed solutions. It was neat to get inside a real idea to boost the local economy.

What are you keeping an eye on in your coverage going forward?

I’ve talked to workers who feel they must switch careers midway through life. These are mostly laid-off workers in the hospitality and entertainment industries who think their jobs will be the last to come back when this crisis ends, if they come back at all. So I’m keeping an eye on how these workers adapt as they enter new fields later in life and learn different skills.

Why did you become a journalist? What is something you wish more people better understood about your work?

Growing up at the Jersey Shore, I spent my summers working at a miniature golf course. This job could be quite boring, especially when everyone is at the beach, so I read the newspaper a lot. At some point it dawned on me that writing these articles was someone’s job. I wanted that job, too.

I have a few friends and family members who generally distrust the media, so I wish people better understood how thorough and careful journalists are when reporting and writing stories. There’s a perception that we can be reckless or do things by the seats of our pants, but that’s totally disconnected from the reality of me obsessively quadruple-checking each sentence in my story.

Email Christian Hetrick at chetrick@inquirer.com and follow him on Twitter at @_Hetrick.

I’m obsessed with this beautiful tree, and also it has been a little unseasonably warm. Philly just broke a 100-year-old temperature record. Thanks for sharing, @farrylfindsphilly!

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!

The kind of exhaustion you might be feeling from the pandemic goes beyond just feeling tired, and you’re not alone. (I’m there with you.) Never before have Americans been so physically and emotionally tired at the same time. Together this creates an endless loop of fatigue. And my colleague Elizabeth Wellington has been feeling it, too. She lays out how to tell the difference between being tired, exhausted, and fatigued, and what you can do about it right here.

What’s your favorite place to get a cheesesteak and why? This past Wednesday was National Cheesesteak Day, so we asked our Instagram followers where they get Philly’s favorite sandwich. Here are a few of their answers:

🥩 “Dalessandros is just the best but if in the city, Jim’s is the juiciest 😋”

🧀 “Mike’s BBQ ... the meat is so tender and the cheese is out of this world.”

🍳 “The Breakfast Den on South St. They do a cheesesteak banh mi that is delicious!”

✡️ “Saad’s in University City. 100% Halal/Kosher.”

🥗 “Secret Sauce BBQ for the impossible vegan cheesesteak.”

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @PhillyInquirer so you can answer the next time we ask a question.

The pandemic has been an isolating time for a lot of us. And some are turning to ... cow cuddling. “It was my first real hug of the year. I really didn’t want to let her go,” said Renee Behinfar, a psychologist who sought out bovine comfort with a friend.