Phaedra Trethan
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byphaedra.bsky.social
Phaedra Trethan
@byphaedra.bsky.social
370 followers 300 following 89 posts
I read, I write, I live and let live. You can usually find me in Jersey or Philadelphia, near the ocean, at the ballpark or in the woods. Reporter for @usatoday.com
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byphaedra.bsky.social
As I stood beside Benjamin Franklin's grave yesterday, all I could hear in my mind was Louis Prima singing "Pennies from Heaven." Visitors might have to start leaving nickels on the Founding Father's final resting place.

www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
US Mint says it has stamped its last penny, a historic end for a humble coin
The Treasury Department said the last pennies were stamped with a special omega mark and will not go into circulation.
www.usatoday.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
👀

Today’s @usatoday.com front page
Today’s USA Today front page
October 31, 2025 at 11:06 AM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Mark Moran of @weirdnj.bsky.social has a theory about why #MischiefNight caught on here: "We have our own devil; what other state can claim that?

"We just like to raise hell once a year."

My latest for @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Police keep fighting a Halloween Eve 'mischief' tradition
"Mischief Night" is supposed to be the night of harmless pranks, but many police departments have developed plans to prevent the shenanigans.
www.usatoday.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:30 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
@pierrerobert933.bsky.social & Ed Sciaky on @933wmmr.bsky.social were the soundtrack to my teens, the reason I found Springsteen & Grateful Dead & Dylan & all the music that meant the world to me then & now. They helped a lonely, lost kid feel a lot less so, just by playing & talking about music.
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
🪲 🪰 🪳 🦟 🕷️ 🐜

My latest @usatoday.com story, about bugs & bodies & decomposition, just in time for Halloween.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Crime-solving bugs? New tech has big aspirations.
Researchers have long used bugs in complex homicide and death investigations, but new tech aims to make it much easier.
www.usatoday.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
I've long been fascinated by the macabre, dark edges of humanness.

So I was relieved when an academic I talked to for this @usatoday.com story told me, "Morbid fascinations do not correlate with moral character."

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Tragic, scary and fun? Some Halloween attractions have an ethical conundrum
Historic sites like former prisons and asylums were the sites of real-life horrors. Halloween can mean needed revenue, but also ethical questions.
www.usatoday.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:48 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
I had a lot of fun reporting this @usatoday.com story, and managed to sneak in one of my favorite #spooky places.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Tales of perpetual fire, demons and ghosts haunt these creepy US towns
A fire that won't stop. The landscape of a horror film. A legendary demon. Spooky isn't just a seasonal fad at these U.S. locations.
www.usatoday.com
October 20, 2025 at 3:56 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
After serving more than 40 years for a murder he did not commit, Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam was set to go free. But ICE took him into custody & now he may be sent back to a country he hasn't lived in since he was a baby. My latest for @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Exonerated after serving 40-plus years, he's now detained by ICE
Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam was released Oct. 3 from prison after serving over 40 years for a crime he didn't commit. ICE immediately took him into custody.
www.usatoday.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Phaedra Trethan
sarahdwire.bsky.social
Are you a Democrat or no party voter who doesn't know what to do or doesn't feel like it is worth pushing back on the Trump administration's actions? I'd like to talk to you for a @usatoday.com article. Message me at [email protected] or on Signal at sarahdwire.71
October 9, 2025 at 9:53 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
New(sletter) adventures in old journalism:

Starting today (& every Mon-Thurs), I am writing @usatoday.com The Short List, a late dayroundup of the day's events.

We produce a TON of cool content at USAT, and I'm excited to highlight our best work.

Subscribe:

profile.usatoday.com/newsletters/...
The Short List
What happened today? We make the long story short in this snappy news roundup.
profile.usatoday.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
As a GenX parent who's often perplexed by some new word or phrase my kid throws at me, let me say this:

Dude. Your slang is bogus. Like, what in the holy name of Nirvana is so funny about "6-7"? Will you please chill with "Ohio"?

Or don't. Whatever.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Can you understand the most popular slang words of 2025?
An analysis of the most searched slang terms reveals some words that may confuse you. That's kind of the point.
www.usatoday.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Phaedra Trethan
susmiller01.bsky.social
Fun story by @byphaedra.bsky.social

Can you understand the most popular slang words of 2025?

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Can you understand the most popular slang words of 2025?
An analysis of the most searched slang terms reveals some words that may confuse you. That's kind of the point.
www.usatoday.com
October 5, 2025 at 11:10 AM
byphaedra.bsky.social
"Slavery was in America's first White House," Michael Coard told me for this @usatoday.com story. "If you want to call (Washington) a great general, do that. If you want to call him a great President, do that. No one would object to that.

"But this is history."

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Activists vow to protect display on George Washington's ties to slavery
The President's House in Philadelphia educates visitors about Washington's ties to slavery and is a memorial to the people who were enslaved.
www.usatoday.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Stop when the bus stops. The cost of not doing so can be a lot higher than a ticket.

My latest @usatoday.com story.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Thousands of school buses record bad drivers. The tickets can be intense.
Cameras on about 40,000 school buses are helping identify and punish people who pass stopped buses illegally. The penalties can be severe.
www.usatoday.com
September 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
A rare flesh-eating bacteria almost killed this Florida woman, who compared the pain to having her leg set on fire. What the bacteria is, where's been found, and how to protect yourself. Story @usatoday.com and Pensacola News Journal

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Flesh-eating bacteria tried to kill her. Here's what it took to survive.
Genevieve Gallagher was infected with Vibrio vulnificus in July after boating and swimming with her family in Florida. Her recovery is ongoing.
www.usatoday.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Can a hand signal safe a life?

How one victim of alleged #domesticviolence let a bystander know she needed help. Story @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
www.usatoday.com
September 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
The #Powerball lottery jackpot hit $1.3 billion & a lot of the people who stopped into Jaywin Patel's store wanted to win.

Their chances may be slimmer than a slice of deli meat from Patel's counter, though: The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
All eyes on a huge prize: How Americans are picking tonight's Powerball numbers
The odds of winning the jackpot Sept. 3 are 1 in 292.2 million. But that hasn't stopped people from playing a numbers game. And dreaming big.
www.usatoday.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Are you playing #Powerball?

Do you have a special way of picking numbers? A sentimental series of digits that might bring you luck?

Let me know—it’s for a story in USA TODAY. And good luck!
September 2, 2025 at 7:09 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
At 8 years old, Sunny Bryant went before the Texas Legislature, a pint-sized transgender activist.

Now, as she starts middle school, she and her family are starting a new life in California, as the legislative tide turns against kids like her.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
At 8, she spoke up for trans rights in Texas. Now her family is fleeing the state.
Sunny Bryant went before the state legislature to advocate for kids like her. As she enters middle school, her family made the decision to move.
www.usatoday.com
August 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
"Maybe the saved emissions aren't huge, but I felt like this was a gesture. How much more do I need to take from the planet? The soil is part of nature, which is part of what we need to restore. More dirt. More gardens. More life."

Read my story @usatoday.com www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Life after death? A wave of states move to legalize human composting.
More states are clearing the way for a burial process that turns dead bodies into soil that can be used to nurture plants and gardens.
www.usatoday.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
They’re still cleaning up from the deadly floods in Texas.

But even as so many people have lost so much, others are stepping in to help reunite them with family heirlooms and priceless mementos.

Here’s my story in @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Thousands join effort to find treasures in the mud after Texas floods
The deadly flooding of the Guadalupe River swept away priceless belongings, but volunteers have helped reunite families with their possessions.
www.usatoday.com
August 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Why are some pockets of cities hotter than others? And what can be done to change that? The Arbor Day Foundation might have some ideas. Read my story @usatoday.com

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Why is it so hot? If you live in a city, the answer might surprise you.
It's been a brutally hot summer throughout the U.S., and it's even worse in many urban pockets. Trees can help.
www.usatoday.com
July 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
Trash is piling up in Philadelphia as July 4 approaches and a labor dispute between the city and its blue collar workers drags into Day 3. My story @usatoday.com : www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Photos show trash piling up in Philadelphia amid city worker strike
Philadelphia's largest blue-collar union has been on strike since June 30.
www.usatoday.com
July 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
What's the reaction on campus after @Penn changed its position on a #transgender swimmer and made a deal with the Trump administration? Read my story @usatoday.com
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Reaction mixed at Penn to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' records being rescinded
Thomas, who is transgender, competed on the women's swimming team for one year. The university struck her records to comply with a Trump order.
www.usatoday.com
July 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
byphaedra.bsky.social
The USDA announced cuts to food programs totaling more than $1 billion. Scheduled deliveries were halted or cut back. The programs are meant to help farmers, food banks, pantries & schools.

My @usatoday.com story looks at impact on small farms & food banks.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Federal cuts hit farmers and food banks: 'It really hurts'
The federal cuts were announced months ago, but farmers and food banks are now seeing the impacts of missed deliveries and canceled orders.
www.usatoday.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:03 PM