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  • 🔔 Revisiting Philly’s 1976 party | Morning Newsletter

    Good morning and happy Friday, Philly.

    Today’s high temps could break records, and nightfall may not bring much relief. Experts tell us why warmer nights can be more dangerous than daytime heat.

    On the eve of America’s 250th, we’re flashing back five decades for a look at how Philadelphia celebrated the Bicentennial.

    And to the surprise of some Fairmount residents, this year’s fireworks display will start around midnight. They aren’t happy about it.

    Plus, a federal judge ruled that Philly can’t force ICE agents to unmask, and more news to know to kick off your holiday weekend.

    — Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Falling short

    The hype was real for the Bicentennial in Philly.

    With 20 million visitors projected to travel to the city, there were big dreams for projects to mark the major occasion, like a massive suspended platform at 30th Street Station and a flower-focused theme park in Fairmount Park.

    Instead, the birthplace of American democracy hosted an under-attended party, and was then caught in the grips of a disease outbreak.

    It’s an understatement to say reality did not live up expectations of a Bicentennial boom, but it wasn’t a complete bust. In some ways, the nation’s 200th birthday gave us some of the Philadelphia we know today.

    For more on the lasting legacy, dive into the Inquirer archives with Nick Vadala.

    Parkway after dark

    Those who live near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway are used to the sparks and blasts for July Fourth, but some aren’t particularly thrilled about their late start this year.

    🎆 Fireworks will begin closer to midnight. The star-studded lineup for the One City: Unity Concert for America is bigger this year, so the show will also start earlier and end later.

    🎆 The noise is not the problem. Some residents told The Inquirer the nuisance is the events’ timing competing with youngsters’ bedtimes, referring to the move as “not a family-friendly decision.”

    🎆 Traffic will be a headache, too. With 300,000 people expected, there are concerns about how the city is handling traffic leaving the Parkway.

    Henry Savage has the full story.

    Plus: Brush up on road closures and transportation info before heading to the Parkway.

    What you should know today

    Plus: How does SEPTA’s bus numbering system work?

    Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.

    This week, we have an explainer from Michelle Myers on the logic behind SEPTA’s bus route numbers.

    The transit system operates more than 120 routes, but its numbers don’t necessarily indicate where they go or what streets they operate on. It turns out the digits are a relic from the streetcar era. Here’s the full story.

    Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.

    🧠 Trivia time

    A local ceramicist, whose dishware can be seen at restaurants ranging from Provenance to Zahav, is rebuilding following bankruptcy and a kiln disaster. What are they called?

    A) Le Creuset

    B) Fiesta

    C) Felt and Fat

    D) East Fork

    Think you know? Test your local news know-how and check your answer in our weekly quiz.

    What we’re …

    🥵 Avoiding: Exhaustion and dehydration in the heat, and at Philly’s last World Cup game.

    🚂 Excited to see: Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive, as it passes through Philly.

    🏛️ Shocked by: Lawmakers almost demolished Independence Hall in the 1800s.

    📺 Looking out for: Task will start filming its second season next week in Manayunk.

    🌱 Learning: Soil from Revolutionary battlefields was mixed at Independence Hall on this week in Philly history.

    🧩 Unscramble the anagram

    Hint: A destination for Main Line musicians

    ANY DASHING SPROUT

    Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

    Cheers to Tanya O’Neill, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Christina Aguilera. This singer has been recruiting Philly-area “soldiers” for her concert on the Fourth of July.

    Photo of the day

    Participants gather to create the Living Liberty Bell, gathering 250 people to form the shape of the famous bell on Independence Mall on Thursday.

    🔔 One more Semiquincentennial thing: Members of Congress gathered in Philadelphia Thursday to commemorate the vote for independence 250 years ago. Their speeches reflected on historical struggles and present-day tensions.

    👋🏽 This newsletter is taking a break in observance of the Fourth of July. We’ll be back on Monday. Until then, you can find all the latest news and our holiday weekend coverage at Inquirer.com. Take care!

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • I visited the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in D.C. It wasn’t great.

    I visited the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in D.C. It wasn’t great.

    WASHINGTON — It was blisteringly hot when I showed up at President Donald Trump’s much-ballyhooed Great American State Fair on the National Mall in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.

    As I headed off to check in as a member of the media, a friend who’d accompanied me decided to wait at a lemonade stand.

    At first, I was a little concerned, wondering how I was ever going to find her. A lemonade stand on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was bound to be mobbed on a scorcher of a day like the one we had on Monday.

    I needn’t have worried. It wasn’t that kind of party. Crowds were so thin that I quickly spotted her standing alone and eating a snow cone that cost a whopping $8. “Even on a hot day, there was no line at the lemonade stand,” pointed out my friend, Pamela Thomas of Pathfinders Travel, who had taken the train from Philadelphia with me.

    That should give you a pretty good idea of how it was at the so-called Great American State Fair, brought to us by Freedom 250, an organization created by President Donald Trump.

    Low crowds.

    High food prices.

    Lots of walking.

    The Great American State Fair was downright boring.

    Oh, there was an 110-foot Ferris wheel borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution. I watched people stand unsheltered under the blazing sun as they waited for their turn. But that’s the only carnival ride I saw.

    This wasn’t like any state fair I’d ever attended. Where was the merry-go-round? Where was the roller coaster? The cotton candy? The local beauty queens? The fair could use a quilting demonstration and band performances. I saw only one cornhole game.

    A mockup of President Donald Trump’s proposed Triumphal Arch stands at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 29.

    The so-called Great American State Fair needs a whole lot more fun and a whole lot less Trump.

    There wasn’t much for children to do besides have souvenir replicas of their new Trump passports stamped.

    I managed to find some shade while sitting on a folding chair inside an area called David’s Tent. As I cooled off, I listened to a woman onstage sing religious songs. Behind me was an aboveground swimming pool set up, ostensibly, for on-the-spot baptisms. In the spirit of inclusivity, there was also a candle-filled menorah positioned in the front of the tent.

    At one point, we made our way over to the Hawaii booth. Inside, all we saw was a large mural of the Aloha State that included a picture of former President Barack Obama that someone had defaced.

    A smiling woman offered to stamp our “passports.” There was nothing else going on in that booth. Not a flowered lei or macadamia nut in sight. No hula dance demonstration. No ukulele performance.

    Same thing with the neighboring Alaska booth.

    I made a point of checking out the North Carolina booth, which had been criticized for having images of Confederate flags on display on TV monitors. This one was a bit more inviting, with its colorful NASCAR displays. I didn’t see anything resembling a rebel flag — but I did see a bale of cotton just sitting on the floor, which can be seen as offensive because of its slavery connotations. The setup had been organized by private donors. One company, Mt. Olive Pickles, has since pulled out of the fair.

    The D.C. booth had some upbeat music playing, a fake cherry blossom tree, and a giant map of the mall that attendees stuck pins into to represent where they lived. “No go-go music?” I asked an attendant, who assured me that some was in the playlist.

    Pennsylvania’s pavilion showcases state history and memorabilia at the Great American State Fair on June 30 in Washington, D.C.

    Pennsylvania had initially opted out of participating, but its booth opened the day after I was there, funded by private sponsors and pulled together by U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) and John Fetterman (D., Pa.) after Gov. Josh Shapiro passed on participating.

    Cape May County, a Republican stronghold, sponsored the New Jersey booth and brought in an impressive-looking eight-foot sand castle. But I noticed one small red plastic bucket of saltwater taffy that a kid was rummaging through. For an area as rich and diverse as the Garden State, the display felt incomplete.

    Soon, I had had enough.

    We stopped by the media table again on our way out and asked about what was on the schedule for later. The answer? A rodeo demonstration at 7 p.m. That was it.

    I was stunned. America deserved more and better for its 250th birthday celebration.

    So, if you decide to go experience the Great American State Fair before it is dismantled on July 10, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  • Philly’s fireworks won’t start until midnight on July 4th and some residents say that’s too late

    Philly’s fireworks won’t start until midnight on July 4th and some residents say that’s too late

    Fairmount residents are accustomed to annual July Fourth fireworks; it comes with the territory of living near Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where the city stages its major celebrations. With the United States’ 250th birthday, this July Fourth is no different — except that the fireworks will start closer to midnight.

    “We have the whole family coming to our home, all on their way right now,” said Fairmount resident Margo DelliCarpini. “But 11:30, midnight is just too late for some families with children. I understand that it’s the Fourth of July, but the late start for fireworks is decidedly not a family-friendly decision.”

    DelliCarpini will have her children and grandchildren visit to experience the Semiquincentennial in the city where the country began. But with young children in tow, parents along for the trip were hoping to have them in bed by midnight, she said. Instead, the large group is looking to catch one of the fireworks shows at Valley Forge or across Montgomery County, which start around 9 p.m.

    Fans react to the music as the Wawa Welcome America Festival concluded July 4, 2023, with a free concert on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

    Philadelphia’s July Fourth concert and fireworks show, the One City: Unity Concert for America, is expanding its lineup from two to three acts like in years past, to 10 artists, including Christina Aguilera, Will Smith, Meek Mill, and Seal. The show will also start earlier and end later, spanning into July 5 by the time people head home.

    The city did not respond to request for comment.

    Other cities, like New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, are keeping their 9-9:30 p.m. start times, while Washington, D.C. is among the cities pushing back its fireworks show to 10:30 p.m. or even 11 p.m. to allow for its expanded America 250 showcase.

    Mykola Kosyk, 36, a lifelong Fairmount resident, has been witnessing the Parkway fireworks for years. Usually he’ll catch some of the concert with his wife, head back home, have time to set off some fireworks of his own with family, and then all head back to the Parkway for the city’s grand finale. Kosyk said he’ll still likely watch the midnight fireworks on Saturday, but feels disappointed that younger Philadelphians may not get to experience it as children during 1976’s Bicentennial, Kosyk’s father recalled.

    “It is the 250th, so if there is a time to do something big, I’m open to the idea,” Kosyk said of the later show. “But I also feel bad for the youngsters coming out, because 9 p.m. is usually a pretty good time for kids to watch the show. Midnight is pushing it a little for kids.”

    For residents like Kosyk and DelliCarpini, the nuisance is less with the noise of fireworks which most Fairmount residents are used to by now, but how late the show will run, limiting access to younger kids and delaying vehicle and pedestrian traffic later into the morning.

    The Inquirer reported that this year’s event will cost more to operate after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker decided to change the management of the festival from its previous nonprofit partner to a for-profit production company. Parker defended that decision at a news conference Wednesday: Philadelphia needed to meet the moment and host a celebration that is “fitting to and for our historical significance and prominence.”

    Jason Derulo performs during the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert on the Parkway in 2022.

    Moving an expected 300,000 attendees and their vehicles

    Besides the hurdles for parents with younger children, there’s also the headache of moving an expected 300,000 people from the Parkway back home after the show.

    SEPTA has covered most of its bases for getting people home. Regional Rail lines will have extended service on all lines, but the Landsale/Doylestown, Paoli/Thorndale, Manayunk/Norristown, Trenton, and West Trenton lines are the only lines that will run their last train between 1 a.m. and 1:10 a.m. All other Regional Rail lines stop running before 1 a.m., and in some cases before midnight, so people traveling in from the suburbs should plan accordingly.

    Subways and trolleys will run overnight for those heading back home within the city, and bus service will run on a Sunday schedule, which usually stops operating around 2 a.m. for some routes.

    But vehicle and pedestrian traffic could use some city intervention, said Dustin Dove, president of the Fairmount Civic Association, as there is concern among local civic leaders and some residents about how the city is handling traffic leaving the Parkway.

    “It’s usually a bit of a mess near the Parkway after the fireworks and can lead to some reckless driving nearby as people are stuck,” Dove said. “Historically, after the fireworks, there are thousands of pedestrians and cars that come into the neighborhood.”

    A police presence is seen in Eakin’s Oval as people wait for the fireworks to start at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

    Dove and others are hoping to see an increased police presence and traffic direction, as the event will be much later with more people this year, Dove said.

    Additionally, residents hope police manage safety accordingly on Saturday.

    “There’s going to be problems when you live in a city; it’s not like it’s the middle of nowhere with no neighbors, but this week … you’re now having people walk back home at midnight, 12:30 a.m.,” DelliCarpini said. “There needs to be a safe environment after the show.”

  • We asked nurses. Here are the at-home medical items they swear by.

    We asked nurses. Here are the at-home medical items they swear by.

    Peeking inside somebody’s medicine cabinet is a no-no, which is a big part of what makes poking around all those tubes and bottles so tempting. (Still, don’t. It’s not only rude, but also an egregious violation of privacy.) But what if someone were to invite you into their medicine cabinet, and then took it a step further by showing you the items they swear by for every ailment under the sun? Fabulous!

    In service of bringing you that exact experience, we asked nurses — and, truly, who better than nurses? — to tell us what they always keep stocked in their medicine cabinets. And any items you can’t do without? Let us know in the comments.

    (Responses have been edited for length and clarity.)

    Hanna Weitzman-Flanigan, a nurse-practitioner in New York City

    Tylenol is the universal answer. Headache? Tylenol. Sore back after a 12-hour shift? Tylenol. Low-grade fever? You guessed it. It’s the “don’t overthink it” solution — reliable, effective, and always within reach.

    Rubbing alcohol is one of those quiet MVPs. Need to clean a cut? Done. Disinfect something quickly? Easy. Somehow get marker, sticker residue or who knows what on your skin? Rubbing alcohol has entered the chat. I love it because it’s simple and it works without fuss.

    I use Band-Aids for almost everything. Paper cut, kitchen nick, blister from new shoes … it’s getting a Band-Aid. Part comfort, part prevention, all habit.

    Benadryl cream is a favorite for all the annoying things — bug bites, mystery rashes, skin that just suddenly decides to act up. It’s the “Why is this itchy, and how do I make it stop immediately?” solution. And it usually works.

    Vicks VapoRub is basically magic. Congestion? Vicks. Cough? Vicks. Headache, sore muscles, questionable life decisions? Somehow … also Vicks. It’s part remedy, part nostalgia, and 100% a staple in my home.

    Zac Shepherd, an intensive care unit travel nurse

    Electrolytes. I keep these around because they’re useful in a lot more situations than people realize. Travel, stomach bugs, heat, long days, hard workouts, or simply not drinking enough water. As an ICU nurse, I’ve seen firsthand how much electrolyte imbalances can affect the body. That said, more isn’t always better — don’t take them just for the sake of taking them. Electrolytes that are too high can be just as dangerous as electrolytes that are too low.

    Vaseline. It’s not exciting, but I probably use it more than anything else on this list. Dry skin, chapped lips, minor cuts, irritated skin. There’s always a tub of it somewhere in my house.

    A blood pressure cuff. Working in the ICU has made me appreciate having objective information. If something feels off, getting a useful piece of data like your blood pressure can help you decide what to do next. Checking it periodically can also help you understand what’s normal for you, especially if white coat syndrome tends to make you run higher at the doctor’s office or hospital.

    Ibuprofen (Advil). It’s a staple for a reason. Headaches, sore muscles, back pain, minor injuries. It’s one of those things that has a permanent spot in my medicine cabinet. When appropriate, alternating it with Tylenol can be a very effective way to manage pain.

    Jennifer Armendariz, a nurse-practitioner in Texas

    Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic product that I keep on hand at all times. As soon as someone starts to feel a cold coming on, we start taking it.

    Excedrin migraine. My daughter and I both suffer from migraines. I keep this at home and in my purse.

    Magnesium glycinate to help with sleep. I will also pair Excedrin and magnesium when I have a headache.

    Arnica ointment for any bruising to help speed up the healing process.

    Aloe vera gel is especially helpful during the summer if you’re out in the sun too long. The plant is best, but you can get the gel as well.

    Icy Hot or Biofreeze are great for muscle aches or joint pain.

    Bonnie Fecowicz, a registered nurse in New Hampshire

    Aleve, cortisone cream, Band-Aids, and antidiarrheal meds. Nothing impairs you more than having to find a bathroom frequently! I used to host teenagers and young adults for summer vacations, and no matter what they were up to the night before, these things got them through the next day.

    Louis Joseph, a neonatal ICU nurse in Chicago

    Castor oil. It helps with digestion, skin care, hair care, hair growth. I was born in Haiti, and it’s something everyone keeps in their home.

    Vicks VapoRub. When you rub it on your chest or under your nose, all that menthol and the minty smell help to open your sinuses. It warms and cools your skin, and it seems as if it can fix anything, like a headache, a cold, or a stuffy nose. It may be a superstitious thing, but someway, somehow it helps you feel better.

    Baby aspirin. It’s good for treating pain, and it’s an antiplatelet.

    Albuterol inhaler for asthma. Cold and flu medication. Tums.

    Also, in my backpack that I take everywhere, I carry a mini medicine cabinet that has baby aspirin, cough drops, acetaminophen (Tylenol),a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, an ophthalmoscope, and emergency albuterol. There are a lot of kids in the city and in my neighborhood with asthma because of air pollution. So I like to keep things around just in case. Everyone around me knows that I’m the go-to for anything.

    Diane Plas, a family nurse-practitioner in Texas

    Second-generation antihistamines, like loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra), or levocetirizine (Xyzal), are multipurpose medicines. When the weather changes, when a wind storm blows in, or when new flora blooms, they come to the rescue to treat troubling allergies. You can also grab these antihistamines to treat itchy skin and rashes caused by allergies, and they also come in handy for skin breakouts due to new cosmetics and self-care items, irritation from certain fabrics, food allergies, and pet allergies. It’s best to have antihistamines on hand year-round.

    I always have a trio of meds to cover all GI issues: Gaviscon — you want something quick and chewable to help with heartburn, indigestion, and GERD. An antidiarrheal may not be needed very frequently, but when you need it, you need it! No one wants to go out to the pharmacy during a bout of this type of tummy trouble. Stool softeners like Colace or Miralax that pull water into the bowel without a stimulant. You can ensure everything keeps moving without the dramatics of a stimulant. This is also great for travel.

    Antifungal cream for itchy rashes along toes, underarms, and skin folds. They often increase in hot, humid, and sweaty areas and can be very bothersome. Treating these rashes quickly helps prevent them from spreading.

    You can put hydrocortisone on so many trouble spots. It will help with inflammation and itchy areas due to contact dermatitis, allergies, and yeast.

    Jessica Varghese, a registered nurse in New York

    Vicks VapoRub is my go-to solution for everything. From headaches, to chest congestion, to general uneasiness, Vicks is the remedy. When I was pregnant, the smell even helped my nausea. It’s the answer to many ailments.

    I carry Benadryl in my purse and have used it in emergency situations in the community. Benadryl can be used when there is some type of allergic reaction. Having a child with an egg allergy, it has come in handy when certain things you don’t account for have egg, such as brioche or certain ice creams. It can also be used to help with itching, induce sleep, or as a treatment for hay fever.

    Tweezers. Someone is always getting something stuck somewhere. It’s very helpful for splinter removal, ticks, and bee stings, which happen a great deal outdoors.

    Chai calms you from the inside out (I usually store that in my kitchen cabinet, not my medicine cabinet, but it still serves the same medicinal purpose). I make it with ginger and cardamom, and it is very therapeutic for healing.

    Pam Vollmer, a registered nurse in Florida

    Fever reducer. Acetaminophen is the best choice here.

    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory. I prefer ibuprofen for this, but naproxen (Aleve) is another excellent over-the-counter choice. Doses of ibuprofen range from 400 to 800 mg. My rule of thumb is that if the pain I have is not bad enough to need an 800-mg dose, then I don’t take anything at all.

    Antihistamine for severe reactions. My go-to for this is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The antihistamine kept on hand should be something that can treat allergic emergencies, not simply daily or seasonal type allergies.

    Sandra Russo, a registered nurse in New York City

    Two pain relievers: plain acetaminophen and plain ibuprofen, both in one standard strength so nobody has to squint at labels when they don’t feel well. If someone has a low‑grade fever, a headache, or just feels achy, we start with acetaminophen. If it’s something clearly inflamed, like a twisted ankle, a sore back after too much lifting, or dental pain, that’s when I pull out the ibuprofen.

    There’s always a nondrowsy antihistamine (I usually buy cetirizine), a small bottle of diphenhydramine and a tube of 1% hydrocortisone cream. Between those three, we’ve gotten through bug bites, surprise rashes from who‑knows‑what, and random hives that show up right before bed. Aloe gel and a battered bottle of calamine lotion live there, too, because in the summer someone is always coming home sunburned or bitten.

    For stomach and “I knew that second slice was a bad idea” problems, I keep chewable antacids, loperamide (Imodium), and a couple of electrolyte drinks or powder packets.

    If there’s a bug going around, I add honey, throat lozenges, and saline spray to the rotation before I reach for anything stronger.

    And because the nurse part of my brain never fully clocks out, there’s a small first aid box tucked nearby — containing bandages in too many sizes, gauze, tape, antibiotic ointment, alcohol wipes, tweezers, a tiny pair of scissors, gloves — and a reusable ice pack waiting in the freezer.

    A plain digital thermometer is the unsung hero of the whole setup. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the thing I reach for first.

    Veneta Simone Easter, a registered nurse in California

    I find myself always reaching for the following three things again and again that I will always recommend having. Witch hazel should be a staple for everyone because it’s so versatile. It can be used to soothe irritated skin, calm any redness, refresh your skin when needed. It’s also great if you get a bug bite or a minor scrape as it gives you fast relief. This product is inexpensive and simple, and I highly recommend it.

    Medical-grade hyaluronic acid is great in the serum form, and for skin care this is my top recommendation. No better way to get healthy, hydrated skin. A quality serum helps maintain and protect the skin’s barrier, gives you instant hydration and can be used for all skin types. A win-win for everyone.

    Sunscreen is next, and this is nonnegotiable! Go for a mineral sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 for daily sun protection and use. This product will help prevent premature aging, hyperpigmentation and, of course, protect your skin from sun damage.

    Jeff Doucette, a chief nurse officer in Pennsylvania

    The three must-haves in my medicine cabinet are a tub of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for all the handwashing and rehydrating; it’s second to none! Lumify eye drops: With all my travel, something to clear up red eyes from flights and different hotels, no day starts without a couple of drops. SPF 30 light facial moisturizer: No face should leave the house without it.

    Karen Selby, registered nurse and patient advocate in Florida

    I always have a supply of the classic first aid kit essentials: burn cream, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, antacids, and Tylenol. But in addition to those, I always have a supply of Tegaderm transparent dressing. This is a great way to keep wounds clean and dry, especially in the summer months.

    Another must-have is some type of woven sleeve bandage, which is perfect for keeping those scraped knees and elbows clean and covered.

    Jessica Wise, a licensed practical nurse in Pennsylvania

    Burn gel is crucial to stop wounds from continuing to burn and blister.

    Saline wound wash as a “hurt free” rinse for boo-boos. My kiddos think it’s magic! Butterfly dressings to help keep wounds/cuts closed.

    A Dechoker helps remove foreign objects from airways — you will never know when you need it!

    All the Band-Aids: every shape, size, color, and character of Band-Aids, because the kids go through 100 a day, even if they aren’t actually needed.

    Fedline Lysius, a senior nurse clinician in New York City

    A heating pad is one of my go-to recommendations because it can provide soothing relief for muscle tension, menstrual cramps, back pain, and stress-related tightness.

    I keep oral rehydration packets on hand, as they can be especially helpful during illness, after travel, following strenuous activity, or any time dehydration contributes to fatigue, headaches, or dizziness.

    I swear by aromatherapy rollers containing ingredients such as peppermint. Many people find these useful for easing tension headaches, promoting relaxation, and creating a sense of calm during stressful moments.

    Another favorite is a simple stress ball, which can serve as a practical mindfulness tool by helping release nervous energy, improve focus, and encourage grounding during periods of stress and overwhelm.

  • NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent, Select Medical, was sold in $3.9 billion private equity deal

    NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent, Select Medical, was sold in $3.9 billion private equity deal

    NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent company, Select Medical Holdings Corp., was taken private in $3.9 billion private equity deal this week.

    NovaCare has more than 100 physical therapy locations in the Philadelphia region, including some through a partnership with Rothman Orthopaedics.

    For 25 years, NovaCare sponsored the Philadelphia Eagles practice complex in South Philadelphia. Jefferson Health took over the sponsorship this year.

    Top management joined private-equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in the acquisition of Select Medical, which is based in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The sale was completed Wednesday. The price per share was $16.50 per share, an 18% premium to the latest close before the deal was announced in November.

    In addition to outpatient physical therapy through NovaCare and other subsidiaries at 1,850 locations in 36 states, Select Medical operates 104 long-term acute-care hospitals in 28 states and 38 rehabilitation hospitals in 15 states. The company has more than 45,000 employees and had $5.5 billion in revenue last year.

    Select Medical acquired NovaCare in 1999. Publicly traded NovaCare fell on hard times because of Medicare reimbursement changes under the federal Budget Reconciliation Act in 1997. The law capped reimbursement for speech, physical, and occupational therapy in nursing homes.

    The company, then headquartered in King of Prussia, lost $700 million in annual revenue because of those changes, The Inquirer reported at the time.

  • J. Crew Factory and other outlets are often selling worse-quality goods than main stores | Expert opinion

    J. Crew Factory and other outlets are often selling worse-quality goods than main stores | Expert opinion

    The words outlet mall or factory store make many shoppers envision marked-down designer bags, slightly damaged furniture, or last season‘s fashions at steep discounts. But a new study by Consumers’ Checkbook found that many are churning out cheaper merch specifically for their “discount” locations. Checkbook staffers spent three months visiting 40 brand-name outlets, scrutinizing online terms and conditions to learn what exactly off-price stores were selling.

    What we found was that about half the off-price stores we investigated — particularly for mid-priced apparel stores like J. Crew and Banana Republic — are selling made-for-outlet goods, usually with cheaper fabrications and fewer fine details than mainline store merchandise.

    Other factory stores mix made-for-outlet products with clearance items from their original brands. Houseware chains and some high-end designers operate genuine clearance centers with discounted merchandise that once appeared in regular stores: a floor model Pottery Barn dresser; last season’s Burberry trench coat.

    The evolution of outlet shopping

    Outlet stores started as small, manufacturer-run businesses — often near factories — selling past-season, overstock, or slightly damaged products at big discounts. Outlet malls began popping up in the late 20th century, fueled by big name factory stores from the likes of L.L. Bean and Coach. But the rise of fast fashion — and an increasingly bargain-hungry populace — meant shoppers wanted more deals.

    So brands like Ann Taylor, Gap, and J. Crew opened off-price stores. These became so popular that they were impossible to fill with leftovers or older goods. So many retailers started manufacturing completely different, lower-quality, lower-priced merchandise for their “outlet” or “factory” locations.

    Often, these outlet stores have obtuse signage, product labels, and logos. Many outlet stores bear signs with the company name but no mention of outlet, clearance, or factory. Some use different labels and logos on outlet merchandise, but it’s often an if-you-know-you-know secret.

    “Companies are subtle about branding and labels for outlets because they don’t want to lose their magic,” said Gonca Soysal, who led a study on outlet shopping when at the University of Texas in Dallas. “If they say, ‘this is a different product,’ then that illusion vanishes.”

    Another hint that the stuff at outlets may never have been on the floor at your local mall? Many brands now operate more off-price stores than regular price ones. For instance, there are 96 Ann Taylor stores — but 122 Ann Taylor Factory stores — across the U.S., and just 93 Nordstrom department stores compared to 269 Nordstrom Racks.

    Yes, prices at outlet stores are usually lower than those at mainline stores for similar items, but even a casual glance at a fabric composition tag or a look at the stitching on a bag reveals significant quality differences. If you want to do some outlet shopping, arm yourself with a few tips.

    Know which stores offer only made-for-outlet merchandise

    Checkbook made a list of stores that only (or mostly) stock made-for-outlet items. If you shop at them, you’re getting a completely different product than you’ll find at department stores or mainline shops. “A brand you know at full price might have a certain standard of quality that isn’t the same at the outlet,” said Pamela N. Danziger, an outlet mall expert and author of Why People Buy Things They Don’t Need.

    Don’t believe tags with ‘compare at’ prices

    These are outlet and off-price marketing tricks and don’t mean anything. If an item came from an original store or maker, it’ll usually have a price tag reflecting that (i.e. a mainline Nordstrom tag), sometimes with little low-tech stickers planted over original prices.

    Know your brand

    Whether you’re bargain hunting for last-season or overstock stuff at a clearance center or a thrift store, it helps to be familiar with the mainline brand’s styling, fabrication, construction, and quality. This can also help you separate made-for-outlet wares from better-made original items: For instance, the ballet flats we spotted at the Tory Burch outlet have plastic soles and retail for around $120; mainline Tory ballerinas cost $200 or more and usually sport leather soles.

    Expect chaos, limited sizing, restrictive return policies, and slight damage

    True outlets (aka clearance centers) are a mixed bag, stocking things people didn’t buy at regular price in regular stores, floor model furniture, and, in the case of Anthropologie and Free People’s Reclectic outlets, used rental garments. Part of the reason off-price stores started producing made-for-outlet goods was that consumers got tired of this treasure hunt.

    Compare prices

    Check prices of similar items currently for sale at the mainline store. If Banana Republic’s regular store is running 40% off, you’ll probably get a nicer sweater or shirt there than if you buy the made-for-outlet version.

    Similarly, when shopping outlet or factory stores for Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, New Balance, and other brands that also sell stuff in department stores, Amazon, etc., compare what you’ll pay in the brand-operated stores with what you’d pay elsewhere. Our researchers often dug up better deals by buying online, not from outlets.

    Check for coupons

    Outlet malls and stores often have discount coupons, usually digital but occasionally old-school paper.

    Delaware Valley Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers it evaluates. Until Aug. 5, readers can access Checkbook’s full outlets report, and all its ratings and advice free at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/outlets.

  • Some Black and Indigenous people say freedom is unfinished business on the 250th Independence Day

    Some Black and Indigenous people say freedom is unfinished business on the 250th Independence Day

    In 1852 Frederick Douglass famously asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Now on the cusp of the nation’s 250th birthday, some Philadelphians still question if the holiday is meant for them.

    Many Black and Indigenous people say they have complicated feelings about celebrating Independence Day, when the holiday did not represent independence or freedom for their ancestors. And their fight for their rights continues in 2026.

    When the nation declared its independence, “people like me, we not only did not have rights, but we were literally relegated [to] property,” said Timothy Welbeck, professor and director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University. “So much of this nation’s history has been marked by the struggle for Black people to have a modicum of liberty and equity.”

    “I belong here. But I certainly don’t take part in their celebration,” said Donna Fann-Boyle, a Bucks County resident of Choctaw and Cherokee descent who led the fight to change the name of Neshaminy High School’s mascot.

    Donna Fann-Boyle of Langhorne, PA., is a leader in CNA, the Coalition of Natives and Allies, and has been fighting for years to make the Neshaminy school district drop it’s nickname. Photograph taken at her home on Friday morning September 4, 2020.

    She said anytime she hears mention of the semiquincentennial celebration on the TV or radio, she reminds herself that this land and its Indigenous people were here long before 250 years ago.

    “I think it’s very hypocritical … only certain people have those freedoms,” she said of the holiday.

    It took nearly another hundred years after the Declaration of Independence was signed for slavery to end, and another hundred after that for African Americans to have a say in their nation with the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. And when the new nation announced itself July 4, 1776, Native Americans had already been living on the land for hundreds of years, but were still forcibly displaced from their homes and later confined to reservations.

    For some, the holiday is not a day to ignore, but a tool. The Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, the pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church in Society Hill, said the Fourth of July is an opportunity to talk about the nation’s contradictions and to argue that Black people should have always been included in its vision of independence.

    “We have responsibility to lift up these truths,” she said.

    “There is a piece of the brain that says, ‘Well you should sit out.’ But then I also know that when I think about my ancestors, and when I think about the institution that I am called to serve… we have to be out front to show and to celebrate that people of African descent have always been a part of this country,” she said.

    In front of a wall of portraits of former bishops, Rev. Carolyn Cavaness greets members of the congregation during a fellowship reception Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 the day after historic Mother Bethel A.M.E Church appointed her the first woman pastor in its 230-year history.

    Freedom not realized

    When he was growing up in South Dakota, the Fourth of July was mostly just like any other day for Eugene Black Crow. It wasn’t something he or his community ever celebrated, because it wasn’t their holiday. Black Crow, who is of Oglala Lakota descent, learned more about the country’s Independence Day when he was sent off to a boarding school for Native American children.

    “We got beaten into speaking English,” Black Crow, 70, said, having only spoken Lakota before then. At the boarding school, he saw Fourth of July fireworks for the first time. He and his classmates learned to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, though they didn’t really understand what the words meant until years later.

    Black Crow now lives in the Franklinville section, and over the years, he said he’s noticed more Native Americans celebrating the holiday, even in his South Dakota hometown. He used to take his children to watch fireworks when they were young, but there’s been a dissonant feeling to the experience.

    “It was always in the back of my mind — why are we Natives celebrating this?” he said.

    Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, people of color made the Fourth of July into a day of protest, and celebrated alternative independence days from other nations instead, said Morgan Lloyd, programming coordinator for the African American Museum in Philadelphia. She believes today, the holiday is a useful moment to consider and reflect on the whole history of the United States, where Black and Indigenous people have helped shape the country despite their exclusion from its loftiest ideals of freedom.

    “It is for me, a conversation starter around what does independence and what does full recognition look like,” she said.

    A group of native Americans lead a ‘July the Fourth Coalition’ protest parade at 33rd. & Diamond streets in Philadelphia, on July 4, 1976.

    Cavaness thinks about the holiday in a similarly inclusive way, and said she plans to speak with her congregation about the nation’s 250th anniversary, representing how freedom is unfinished business.

    “There is still freedom not realized. And every generation goes through this notion of what does freedom look like, who is left out, who needs to be brought in,” she said.

    From his North Philly home, Black Crow teaches students how to speak Lakota over Zoom. His Lakhota Woglakapo Project is intended to ensure the mostly spoken language doesn’t get lost to time. He plans to visit his old reservation this fall, so he can record other Lakota speakers for posterity.

    He attended a pro-immigration rally in Philadelphia this week, just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump‘s administration could revoke protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. Black Crow spoke to the crowd filled with immigrants, expressing his solidarity.

    “You’re welcome to America,” he told them.

  • Eagles newcomers ‘26: Can journeyman guard Michael Jordan offer Birds an upgrade in the trenches?

    Eagles newcomers ‘26: Can journeyman guard Michael Jordan offer Birds an upgrade in the trenches?

    With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

    Player: Michael Jordan

    Position: G

    Age: 28

    Previous experience: Despite suiting up for four different teams (plus two practice squad stints with the Packers), Jordan actually has a decent NFL resume. A journeyman guard, Jordan has 49 starts in 78 games in his six seasons.

    He most recently played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he started nine games and played in 11 last season. He played in his home state of Ohio in college and NFL, playing two years for Ohio State before being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft (136th overall).

    Path to a roster spot: Jordan’s chances of making the Eagles roster are fairly high. Beyond Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen, who are virtual locks to start, Philadelphia has a fairly inexperienced guard group — made up of names like Micah Morris, Willie Lampkin, Drew Kendall, Jaeden Roberts, and Jake Majors. On paper, Jordan should shine vs. an inexperienced bunch.

    Fun fact: So, let’s talk about that name. Yes, Jordan is well aware that he shares a name with arguably the most famous basketball player ever. In fact, according to a story on Panthers.com, he once got “cursed out” when trying to order a pizza on Super Bowl Sunday, since the restaurant thought it was a prank call. “And he starts cussing me out,” Jordan said with a laugh. “He said ‘This is Super Bowl Sunday; you can’t be playing around with fake names like that.’”

    Quotable: “I’m actually pretty terrible at basketball,” Jordan said. “You can ask the guys in the locker room; they already know that. I’ve been terrible since I was a kid. I have to look at the ball when I dribble.” — Jordan said in an interview with Panthers.com

    Player: Rocco Underwood

    Position: LS

    Age: 23

    Previous experience: The Eagles snagged one of the best long snappers in college football in their undrafted free agent group. Underwood, who played in 50 games over five years at Florida, won the 2024 Patrick Mannelly Award as the top long snapper in college football.

    Path to a roster spot: Underwood is a virtual lock to make the team. The Eagles are still trying to find their long-term replacement for long snapper Rick Lovato, who was with the team from 2016 to 2024. The tandem of Charley Hughlett and Cal Adomitis didn’t quite cut it in 2025, which is why general manager Howie Roseman picked up the highly regarded Underwood.

    Rocco Underwood (42) won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2024 as the top long snapper in college football.

    Fun fact: Trainer Chris Rubio is widely recognized as the best long snapper coach in the nation. Rubio’s camp is the longest-running long-snapping camp in the nation. Underwood was the first ever athlete to earn six-star status as a long snapping prospect at the camp.

    Quotable: “He’s jelled really well with the veteran guys. [He’s an] athletic individual,” Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “It’s nice [that] he played under [Florida senior special teams analyst] Joe Houston, who had coached in the NFL. He knows the rigors of the NFL probably from talking to Joe, but he’s doing a really good job. Obviously, once the pads come on, he gets an actual real rush, but he’s taking it stride for stride, and he and [special teams assistant] Tyler Brown meet every day. I’m in there poking fun at him still. I’ll rush him a couple times, [but] he’s going to get rushed by a far better athlete in game situations.”

  • America emerging

    America emerging

    When the people drafting the U.S. founding documents got to work in the mid-1700s, they made unprecedented progress on the ills plaguing the preceding era, while failing to meet the fullest expression of their ideals. They would leave those moral aspirations to us — their inheritors.

    Their impact is all around us. When any person, anywhere in the world, claims, “I have rights,” they are nodding toward the Enlightenment ideals at the heart of the U.S. founding. Today, it is difficult to appreciate the extent to which those founding principles were revolutionary for simply quelling religious violence.

    In the era preceding the founding, millions of Europeans died in warfare couched within differences of faith. On this side of the Atlantic, institutions reflected the certainty of one, true God. Harvard was founded in 1636 to train Puritan clergymen; William and Mary was established six decades later to train Anglican clergy. In the colony of Maryland, Catholics battled Protestants in 1655, leading to the execution of four Catholic leaders.

    In this context, 11 years before he would take control of Pennsylvania, William Penn wrote a treatise establishing a rationale for religious toleration. Benjamin Franklin picked up that emphasis when he shared Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania in 1739. In the document that framed the University of Pennsylvania’s early years, Franklin insisted that students would consider “the Advantage of Civil Orders and Constitutions, how Men and their Properties are protected by joining in Societies and establishing Government.”

    Benjamin Franklin statue on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in front of College Hall.

    Penn’s early, religiously inclusive orientation was at odds with the identity politics of the era, which featured an association between Anglicanism and British loyalty. As tensions grew, the university trustees mandated an Anglican majority on the board, contributing to suspicions of loyalist bias.

    After the British occupation of Philadelphia and 2,000 disease-driven deaths among the Continental Army at Valley Forge, state leaders dissolved the university. According to the Pennsylvania Assembly, “the College had been ‘in the hands of dangerous and disaffected men’ who have provoked ‘tumult, sedition, and bloodshed.’”

    A new university was mandated — and the leadership was diverse across Protestant sects, including even Catholic representation. The leaders, however, were uniform in their support for the American revolutionaries.

    This creation of, and commitment to, a civic, secular, tolerant institution of higher learning reflected centuries of conflict in arms, persuasion in conversation, and development of ideals. And, like the Declaration of Independence, it was so near in time and space that Penn’s founding was not a crowning achievement but a milestone on a much longer journey.

    Indeed, America’s hypocrisies at the founding and struggles since that time are understood in terms of American ideals: enacting in life and in law, through shared governance, a country that embraces the dignity of all people.

    A century after William Penn died, Frederick Douglass was born into enslavement — yet he was destined to advance America’s moral imagination.

    Douglass self-emancipated by escaping to Philadelphia at the age of 20 in 1838. Only three years later, he rose to fame through his abolitionist speeches, compelling audiences with his message and oratory power.

    An 1863 photograph (carte-de-visite) of Frederick Douglass, by Edwin Burke Ives and Reuben L. Andrews.

    He also grew through international collaboration. His 1840s tour of Ireland and Britain revealed the interdependence of global struggles for freedom.

    When Douglass returned to the states in 1847, he joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Philadelphian Lucretia Mott in upstate New York at the Seneca Falls Convention for women’s rights. As his reputation grew, he occasionally parted ways with his mentor, the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.

    One critical difference featured a perennial question: Is it possible to reform the system?

    Garrison and many of his followers viewed the U.S. Constitution as a pro-slavery document. He refused to participate in U.S. electoral politics and believed free states should separate from states that permitted slavery. Douglass differed.

    The debate extended across the Atlantic. In 1860, Douglass was invited to Glasgow, Scotland, to defend his position. He began by clarifying that “the American government and the American constitution … are as distinct from each other as the compass is from the ship.”

    In an extensively argued defense of constitutional principles, textual, and moral clarity, Douglass asserted that if Americans honor the Constitution, “we will have no need of a dissolution of the Union — we will have a dissolution of slavery all over that country.”

    In this orientation toward America, emerging ever more aligned with its fullest expression as a birthplace of freedom, Douglass echoed Franklin.

    At the age of 81, in 1787, Franklin urged adoption of the U.S. Constitution — specifically recognizing it had faults he disagreed with. He emphasized union over disunion; he offered faith in the possibility of stepping from the rule of a king to the rule of the people, however small that first step was — it was still a spark.

    Though Douglass would live most of his life in Massachusetts, New York, and the nation’s capital, he gained his freedom by coming to Philadelphia — a city and region awash in abolitionist organizing. Harriet Tubman also established her freedom in Philadelphia before moving northward. In the same era, the nation’s first historically Black colleges and universities, Lincoln and Cheyney, were founded in Southeast Pennsylvania. They would soon educate numerous pivotal civil rights leaders in the U.S., as well as the young men who would later become the first presidents of Ghana and Nigeria.

    Revolutions in human freedom move much more like a river than a straight line. We who work, vote, and struggle for freedom are the water. We hit rocks, cliffs, and eddies — but freedom, like water, finds its path.

    That freedom-finding is not merely metaphorical. In the 1700s and early 1800s, enslaved Africans fleeing Georgia fled not north but south, where the Spanish ruled until 1821. Just a bit north of St. Augustine, Fla., is Fort Mose, established as a legally sanctioned free Black community in 1738.

    The Visitor Center at Fort Mose Historic State Park includes several exhibits and a detailed timeline that tells the story of the first free Black community in the U.S.

    Freedom can be enacted on any soil, by any heritage. And it has been violated — all around the world — by a full range of traditions. Legally sanctioned slavery continued in Brazil through the end of the 1800s; it persisted in the Indian Ocean region well into the 1900s. Religious freedom — and freedom of conscience — remains an ideal that has yet to be fully enacted.

    In the U.S., it is better than it is in much of the world, but we, like people anywhere, will always need to challenge ourselves to fully understand and enact our highest ideals.

    When we celebrate the founding, we celebrate ideals. When we make American progress, we advance their implementation. The rights underlying democracy are not a given; they are the product of a cocreated moral imagination, grounded in shared values, extended through quality schooling, and in need of restrengthening and improving with every generation.

    Eric Hartman recently delivered invited lectures on these topics at Northeastern University and at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. This op-ed is excerpted from a longer article currently under review.

  • 250 years has taught us that freedom comes only with economic security

    250 years has taught us that freedom comes only with economic security

    In America, one broken-down car can cost someone a job. One medical bill can wipe out a bank account. One missed paycheck can push a family from stability to desperation.

    That is not freedom in any real sense.

    As the nation marks 250 years of independence, we should say plainly what too many families already know: Freedom requires economic security. And economic security is only achievable when people have resources that exceed the basic cost of living, allowing them to cover their daily needs and build essential wealth — the savings, assets, and financial cushion needed to withstand life’s inevitable shocks.

    Pathway to opportunity

    Two hundred and fifty years ago, our Founding Fathers made a promise that people would have a right to self-determination. It was a promise that hard work, responsibility, and perseverance would open real pathways to opportunity. As we mark this anniversary, we must ask an honest question: For how many Americans does that promise hold?

    For too many, it does not. Millions of families are working, paying their bills, and doing everything right, yet have almost nothing set aside for the moment life goes wrong. A child spikes a fever. A parent grows too frail to climb the stairs alone. The cost of in-home care lands like a bombshell. One emergency room visit, one layoff, one transmission repair, and stability collapses into crisis. Their rights exist in theory, but their actual circumstances leave people with fewer choices, fewer chances, and far less control over their own lives.

    A mechanic works on a pickup truck in Michigan. The expense of a major auto repair bill can mean the difference between stability and ruin for many Americans.

    The Constitution guarantees liberty, but circumstances can constrain it. People without the resources to withstand hardship face insurmountable barriers to education, purchasing homes, launching businesses, or saving for retirement. They cannot give their children a running start. They may have rights on paper, but lack the economic security to fully exercise them.

    The founders understood at least this much: Liberty could not survive as an abstraction. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, a document that helped supply the moral language of the Declaration of Independence, described the inherent rights of the people as including life and liberty, but also “the means of acquiring and possessing property” and pursuing happiness and safety. That phrase matters.

    Today, we understand “the means” less as land than as essential wealth. This is not wealth in the sense of luxury, privilege, or vast accumulation. It is the modest but vital foundation that allows a family to absorb a shock without being knocked flat. It is the money to repair the car that gets someone to work, cover the childcare that keeps a parent employed, pay for medicine before a condition becomes a crisis, or help an aging parent remain safe at home.

    Essential wealth is what allows families to plan instead of merely react. It is the difference between recovering from a setback and being defined by it.

    For generations, the government has measured economic well-being almost entirely by the absence of poverty. It tracks what people earn while paying little attention to what they own, save, or can lean on when hardship strikes. Income matters, but it cannot tell us whether a family is truly economically secure.

    Wealth, not income

    The real test comes when life happens. And in those moments, the difference between stability and crisis is not income. It is wealth, or the lack of it.

    The cost of ignoring this is written across the country and across Pennsylvania. Tens of millions of American households cannot cover a modest emergency expense, including 48% of households here in the commonwealth, according to the “Measuring the True Cost of Economic Security” report. Wealth gaps yawn across race, geography, and generation, falling hardest on communities long denied the chance to build.

    As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we must think bigger.

    We need policies that help families build assets, not just scrape by. Policies that expand pathways to homeownership, invest in children’s futures, widen access to savings and wealth-building, and tear down the barriers that block economic mobility. We need to ensure every child, no matter their zip code or their parents’ income, has the tools to build a secure future.

    We must stop managing poverty and start measuring the true cost of living, which includes investing in freedom. Two and a half centuries in, the promise of America was never that people would simply get by. It was that they would have the freedom to get ahead. Living up to it now is the work this anniversary demands.

    Michael A. Nutter served as the 98th mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016 and is currently a senior executive fellow at the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. Jennifer Jones Austin is the CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and cochair of the National True Cost of Living Coalition.