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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 14d

Despite escalating anti-vaccine rhetoric, most Americans support vaccine mandates, a University of Pennsylvania survey found.

Despite escalating anti-vaccine rhetoric, most Americans support vaccine mandates, surveys find

An April 2025 survey found that 70% of the public believes children should be required to receive the MMR vaccine before attending public school.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Annenberg Public Policy Center @appc.upenn.edu · 14d

"Despite heightened anti-vaccine rhetoric from the administration, surveys show that most Americans support vaccine mandates for children." Thanks to @inquirer.com @aubreywhelan.bsky.social for looking at our research. cc: @childrensphila.bsky.social @upenn.edu

www.inquirer.com/health/ameri...

Despite escalating anti-vaccine rhetoric, most Americans support vaccine mandates, surveys find

An April 2025 survey found that 70% of the public believes children should be required to receive the MMR vaccine before attending public school.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 15d

Trump on Monday claimed there is a link between Tylenol and autism. A Drexel University scientist who studied the topic found none.

Trump’s claim Tylenol and autism are linked is wrong, Drexel scientist says

Drexel University scientist Brian Lee found no link between a mother taking Tylenol and her child developing autism in a large-scale study published last year in the medical journal JAMA.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer Sports @phillysport.bsky.social · 17d

THE EAGLES WON

React to the game at inquirer.com/EaglesGameday!

A photo of A.J. Brown with a score in white text at the bottom that says "Eagles 33, Rams 26."

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Rob Tornoe @robtornoe.bsky.social · 21d

Penn State's NPR station will be the first to go dark following Trump's cuts to public media.

“The news devastated me,” said Jeff Hughes, WPSU’s former program director who retired in August, "it devastated all the employees.”
www.inquirer.com/news/pennsyl...

‘The news devastated me’: Pennsylvania NPR station will be first in the U.S. to go dark following Trump’s cuts

WPSU, which has been broadcasting out of Penn State since 1953, will shut down following federal cuts to public media organizations

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 29d

OPINION: "The decision to shift capital funding to save operations does not prevent the collapse transit leaders have been warning about for years; it simply delays it." — The Inquirer Editorial Board

SEPTA service restoration is a short-term win | Editorial

The decision to shift capital funding to save operations does not prevent the collapse transit leaders have been warning about for years; it simply delays it.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 29d

An Inquirer article inspired an anonymous $1 million donation to pay off nurses’ student loans at Paoli Hospital.

For Damacia Gilbert, "every little bit helps; to have any amount of money freed up every month is amazing.”

An Inquirer article inspired an anonymous $1 million donation to pay off nurses’ student loans at Paoli Hospital

An Inquirer article about an anonymous $1 million donation to help pay Lankenau Medical Center nurses’ student loans has inspired another donation at Paoli Hospital.

www.inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · 29d

A bit of good news: A while back I wrote an article about an anonymous donor who gave Lankenau Medical Center $1M to help pay off nurses' student loans.

As it turns out someone read that article and decided to donate another $1M to the nurses at Paoli Hospital! www.inquirer.com/health/main-...

An Inquirer article inspired an anonymous $1 million donation to pay off nurses’ student loans at Paoli Hospital

An Inquirer article about an anonymous $1 million donation to help pay Lankenau Medical Center nurses’ student loans has inspired another donation at Paoli Hospital.

www.inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Sep 4

Amid a very chaotic COVID vaccine rollout, Pennsylvania is now allowing pharmacists to give out vaccines based on recommendations from several leading professional medical societies. Previously, they had to wait for the CDC’s recommendation.

www.inquirer.com/health/penns...

Pennsylvania allows leading medical societies to guide vaccine access as new federal restrictions create confusion

The move allows pharmacies to begin administering the latest COVID vaccines. Previously, pharmacists in the state had been in a holding pattern when it came to distributing updated COVID shots.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Sep 3

For the past three years, the city has been giving cash to some struggling renters, no strings attached.

The first-in-the-nation experiment has been even more successful than researchers studying its impact expected.

Philly’s first-in-the-nation experiment giving cash to struggling renters is working, researchers say

Families that got cash rental assistance were less likely to be evicted, experience homelessness, and report having serious problems with their homes, according to a study of the PHLHousing+ program.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

PennLDI @pennldi.bsky.social · Aug 28

📉 Medicaid cuts could strip opioid treatment from 150,000 people, LDI and @bostonu.bsky.social researchers warn.

A @nytimes.com editorial says this threatens the 25% drop in overdose deaths since 2023. Progress is fragile — and lives are at risk. Read the editorial: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...

Opinion | America Was Finally Turning a Corner on Opioids. Until Now.

www.nytimes.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Aug 29

A Philly vaccine expert fired by RFK Jr. reflects on the chaos at the CDC: "Historically, science led the way. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore."

www.inquirer.com/health/cdc-v...

A Philly vaccine expert fired by RFK Jr. reflects on the ouster of the CDC’s director

Charlotte Moser sees a decades-old process for approving and recommending vaccines becoming less transparent and informed by fewer opinions at the CDC.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 25

SEPTA’s massive cuts are here. These tools can help you navigate the new normal:

🗞️ For the latest updates: Inquirer.com/septa
🚌 For a detailed cuts guide: Inquirer.com/septaguide
🚏 For the impact on routes near you: Inquirer.com/septacuts
🗣️ Share your observations: Inquirer.com/septa-feedback

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 25

SEPTA’s massive cuts are here. From students to late-shift workers and drivers on clogged roadways, the impact of the reductions will be felt immediately.

We'll have live updates all day. Follow along 👇

Massive SEPTA cuts continue today as Philly students return to school; Phillies fans were impacted Sunday

32 SEPTA bus routes were cut and 16 were shortened, forced by massive budget deficits and the lack of a new budget in Harrisburg.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Sam Morris @sammorr.is · Aug 21

Next week Philadelphia’s transit agency SEPTA is cutting 20% of service due to underfunding. The cuts come in various shapes and sizes. Enter your address and we'll talk you through how your services will be impacted.

share.inquirer.com/he7l3z

See how the SEPTA cuts will impact you

Look up your address to out how upcoming service cuts across Philadelphia's transit network will impact routes in your neighborhood.

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 19

“It will have absolutely have no bearing on our elections here in Pennsylvania and we will once again have free and fair, safe and secure elections,” Shapiro said at an unrelated press conference Tuesday.

Trump’s push to end mail voting will have ‘no bearing’ on Pa. elections, Shapiro says

Gov. Josh Shapiro said that President Donald Trump has no power to ban mail voting in Pennsylvania.

inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 19

SEPTA provides about 4,000 rides on an average weekday on these services, 54% of them on Shared-Ride and 46% ADA paratransit.

Some SEPTA paratransit riders will lose service due to cuts

A small percentage of riders will lose paratransit service because they’ll be pushed outside the boundaries created by SEPTA's deep service cuts.

inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Aug 20

Last month, RFK Jr. demanded the retraction of a vaccine study in the scientific journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Its Philly-based editor refused.

"He didn’t like the study Annals published," she told me, "mostly because it didn’t align with his beliefs." www.inquirer.com/health/chris...

RFK Jr. demanded that a scientific journal retract a vaccine study. Its Philly-based editor refused

Annals of Internal Medicine editor Christine Laine says she won’t retract the study, as demanded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and "we’re not changing what we do because of threats."

www.inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Aug 20

me when jhoan duran comes to the mound

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 15

OPINION: "As a visitor from Berlin, what strikes me most about the fight over SEPTA funding is how public transportation is looked at by some as a vexatious budget item, when it's the exact opposite." — Adrian Schulz

No matter what some lawmakers think, SEPTA is not a burden — it’s an opportunity | Opinion

As a visitor from Berlin, what strikes me most about the fight over SEPTA funding is how public transportation is looked at by some as a vexatious budget item, when it's the exact opposite.

www.inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Aug 14

Four months ago, the Trump administration froze funding that covered reproductive health care for uninsured patients in the Philly area. The funding is now restored -- but many clinics had already laid off employees or reduced their hours to cope with the freeze. www.inquirer.com/health/sexua...

After a four-month freeze, federal funding returns to dozens of sexual health clinics in the Philly area

The Trump administration had withheld Title X funds from AccessMatters, which distributes the money, while investigating it for compliance with the president's directives.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

The 51st @51st.news · Aug 14

We try to clarify what happened in D.C. this week, what we can expect in the future, and what this all means for the residents who call D.C. home. There's a lot we don't know, but we'll continue following this story in the days and weeks to come. 51st.news/trump-dc-mpd...

Trump’s D.C. ‘takeover’: What we know so far — and where we’re headed

How long will this last? Is it legal? And what are our leaders doing?

51st.news

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 13

Kratom addiction is on the rise in the region, as powerful extracts sold as “7-OH” in smoke shops simulate the effects of opioids.

We explain how the drug has proliferated, and thus far escaped regulation 👇

‘It latches on and doesn’t let go’: 7-OH kratom is fueling addictions across Philly

Kratom addiction is on the rise in Philly, as powerful extracts sold as "7-OH" in smoke shops simulate the effects of opioids.

www.inquirer.com

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · Aug 13

“Anyone and their mother can walk into a gas station and buy this stuff.” Kratom, an unregulated herbal supplement that acts on the brain's opioid receptors, is fueling addictions across the Philly region.

With @maxmmarin.bsky.social and @ryanbriggs.bsky.social:
www.inquirer.com/news/kratom-...

‘It latches on and doesn’t let go’: 7-OH kratom is fueling addictions across Philly

Kratom addiction is on the rise in Philly, as powerful extracts sold as "7-OH" in smoke shops simulate the effects of opioids.

www.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Aug 13

Pa. Senate Republicans have advanced a two-year, $1.2 billion transportation plan to fund mass transit operations and repairs to rural roads.

The move likely means that the state’s budget impasse will continue, as Gov. Shapiro and House Majority Leader Matt Bradford both said they oppose the bill.

Pa. Senate Republicans passed two years of funding for mass transit, but SEPTA says it needs more details

Pennsylvania’s GOP-controlled Senate also advanced a $47.6 billion state budget for 2025-26 that holds spending flat, but Democrats oppose the plan.

www.inquirer.com

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