Letters to the Editor | Oct. 5, 2026

While it’s admirable that the William Penn Foundation has offered to pony up millions of dollars to — at least temporarily — keep the Academy of Natural Sciences museum open, I’m struck by the silence from other potential financial saviors, not the least of which are multimillionaire Sen. Dave McCormick (if he helped, he might actually get votes from Philadelphians!) and billionaire Jeff Yass, whom The Inquirer describes as the richest man in the state. Mr. Yass’ stated goal is to improve education for Pennsylvania’s children, albeit through the misguided idea of having taxpayer money go to families who could use the funds to send their children to private schools. A better way for him to enhance childhood education in the state would be to help keep the museum open by spending a tiny fraction of his fortune on that endeavor.

Scott Chelemer, Mount Laurel

Before dismissing the following solution to save the Academy of Natural Sciences as absurd, consider for a second that it just might work: Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (who’s not on Donald Trump’s enemy list, so far) should propose that Philadelphia (a city that never voted for Trump but one day could … wink wink) would be honored to bestow upon him the renaming of the oldest science museum in America as the Trump Academy of Natural Sciences. That this proposal came from the city as opposed to being initiated by him (and would be at taxpayers’ expense) could be an inducement. If that should fail, ask Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and/or Elon Musk for their money. Mayor Parker, are you listening? You would always be remembered as the savior of this great institution. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Diane Soifer and L. David Wise, Haddon Township

Regarding your recent article on Hannah Gann — who falsely claimed to be Palestinian and Black — I remain baffled as to why she concealed being a “white woman of significant privilege and wealth.”

If she was truly searching for a way to support Palestinians — rather than reinventing her heritage — she needed to look no further than her own roots. As a former classmate noted, Gann once identified as a white Jewish woman. Had she opened the Book of Deuteronomy — found in both the Torah and the Bible — she would have discovered clear instructions for the wealthy: leave part of your harvest for the poor, tithe to the needy, cancel debts, and lend interest-free.

Surely, the people of Gaza and Palestine would have far preferred her simply giving her time, talent, and treasure without the “Palestinian Blackface.”

Rosamond Kay, Philadelphia

As I aged, I expected I would find the world more and more understandable, homey, and sensible. Instead, it appears to me more and more strange, eerie, and weird. A young woman tells people she is Black and Palestinian, and everyone jumps on this, after it turns out she was born white and Jewish. The pro-Palestinian groups she belongs to expel her, and there is some curious sense that she has done something violent, horrible, terribly wrong, and indefensible.

I don’t claim to understand why she chose this identity, or why any of these responses occurred, but why the fuss? Why do news organizations add to this young woman’s pains by publicly shaming her? What is it about us that seeks pleasure in someone else’s pain and shame? I remember having similar thoughts about the way a young Monica Lewinsky was exposed and mocked. At the time, I had a daughter about Lewinsky’s age. I can still feel my eyes warm over the treatment that young woman received, the public shaming. After practicing psychoanalytic therapies for some 50 years, I have no simple answer; it leaves me scratching my balding head and wondering: Why, dear God, why do we seem to revel in another’s distress and embarrassment? I have no answer. Just sadness — for her and for us.

Howard Covitz, psychoanalyst, Elkins Park

Your recent article on spikes in pollution after Donald Trump halted global air-monitoring efforts thoroughly explains the rising temperatures across Philadelphia. With the future looking hotter, we have to prioritize solutions that reduce climate pollution and the rate of global warming.

One of Pennsylvania’s most dangerous climate pollutants is methane, which makes up roughly 11% of our global warming pollution and is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Pennsylvania emits more than a million tons of methane into the atmosphere every year through leaks that occur during fracking and oil and gas drilling, transportation, and storage. We need proper safeguards to prevent this massive amount of methane from entering the atmosphere.

The state Department of Environmental Protection recently committed to implementing new protections to reduce pollution from oil and gas operations. I urge them to make these protections as strong as possible to ensure a cooler future for Philadelphia.

Jason Kimelman, Philadelphia

The recent tragic death of Joey Shevenock at a group home run by Supportive Concepts highlights a systemic crisis that Pennsylvania can no longer ignore. Group homes are meant to be safe havens for our community’s most vulnerable citizens, yet severe underfunding and chronic understaffing continue to put lives at risk.

When large national companies buy smaller agencies, they often struggle to provide adequate services. They sometimes seem more concerned with profits than people.

Rather than allowing provisional licenses to become the norm, we need to see appropriate sanctions, including final revocation of licenses for repeat offenders for in-state and out-of-state providers, sooner rather than later.

When facilities lack the resources to recruit, train, and retain qualified caregivers, oversight suffers, and tragedies become inevitable. This is not just an administrative failure; it is a moral one.

Our city and state leaders must enforce stricter oversight, mandate transparent investigations, and drastically increase funding for community-based care. We owe it to the victim, their family, and every vulnerable resident still in the system to turn our outrage into immediate, structural reform.

Audrey Coccia, CEO and cofounder, Vision for Equality Somerton, acoccia@visionforequality.org

Thank goodness for some sanity being injected into the parking situation at Eagles games. I have been a season-ticket holder for 45 years. I have seen parking problems deteriorate over that time in large part due to the unchecked behavior of some tailgaters. Individuals seeking a parking space are usually left searching the aisles to find a spot. Tailgaters have spread themselves across more and more parking spaces and into the parking lanes. They rarely move out of the way of vehicles looking to park, let alone move their grills, games, coolers, heaters, tables, lawn chairs, and whatever from the parking spaces they take up. Their behavior has become more and more belligerent toward anyone attempting to even drive by looking for parking.

The recently announced changes are long overdue. Those with RVs, buses, and other oversized vehicles will still have a location to continue their traditions. Because of their inability to act in a civilized and sober manner, new rules had to be enacted. They brought these changes upon themselves. It will make the game-day experience more enjoyable for the overwhelming majority of those attending the games. After all, even people who aren’t tailgating have paid a considerable amount of money for parking and their ticket to the game. Parking lots are first supposed to be for those attending the game. If you don’t have a ticket to the game but wish to tailgate, round up your crew and park in a neighborhood close to one of your homes. Perhaps your neighbors will appreciate such a party and join you. If they don’t appreciate the opportunity, shift it to another neighborhood.

If folks showed more consideration for one another, rules such as the recently announced guidelines for parking wouldn’t be necessary.

Joe Kimsal, Levittown, eaglesjfk@msn.com

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