Welcome to Friday, Philly.
Today, we start by hearing from local 9/11 first responders, whose heroic work pulling bodies out of the rubble unknowingly exposed them to deadly toxins they’re still grappling with.
Read more 🍎 Let’s pick apples | Outdoorsy Newsletter
Then, we explore how a Pennsylvania company that administers Medicaid benefits is trying to amass political clout.
Plus, Sen. John Fetterman’s colleagues speak out about his Trump-a-palooza comments, and more news of the day.
— Laura Benshoff ([email protected])
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Toxic dust
They called it the World Trade Center cough. Or at least, that’s how it started for retired Philadelphia Police Capt. Mark Fisher.
Now, when Fisher empties the dishwasher or mows the lawn, he gets winded and lightheaded. His doctors say he requires a double-lung transplant soon. At best, the surgery could extend his life by five to seven years.
Twenty-five years ago, Fisher was among tens of thousands of responders who poured into Lower Manhattan after 9/11. He waded into the wreckage to search for survivors, trudging through toxic dust and breathing in smoke from fires burning below the rubble.
The cough started about a year after. Six years later, he was diagnosed with a fatal pulmonary disease.
The Inquirer’s Wendy Ruderman has this story on the wave of complex diagnoses now hitting 9/11 emergency personnel.
Medicaid insurers flex political spending
Medicaid, government-backed health insurance for low-income Americans, seniors, and people with disabilities, is a big business. And that business is about to change in a historic way, as the federal government plans to cut $900 billion from program spending over the next 10 years.
As a result, insurers such as Newtown Square-based AmeriHealth Caritas have radically stepped up their lobbying efforts to try to shape how the cuts roll out.
An Inquirer dive into the company, which is the largest Medicaid provider in Pennsylvania, found that it spent more on federal lobbying last year than any since 2008. It also donated to groups that elect state leaders — both Republicans and Democrats.
That’s drawn criticism from Republican elected officials who say that money should be spent on hospital bills, not building political clout.
The Inquirer’s Andrew Seidman and Joe Yerardi have the full report.
What you should know today
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Pennsylvania Democratic officials said their constituents are “livid” at Democratic Sen. John Fetterman for his remarks at the midterm GOP convention, an event aimed at boosting Republicans at the polls this November.
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Four prisoners serving life sentences in Pennsylvania have asked the state Supreme Court to make its ruling striking down automatic life sentences for second-degree murder apply to all.
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East Norriton police are searching for more information about a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a man over Labor Day weekend.
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The City of Chester is getting an infusion of cash, to the tune of nearly $100 million, much of it going to road and pedestrian safety.
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The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is shutting down its popular pop-up beer garden in Manayunk on Oct. 5, making way for a controversial apartment development.
Read more Historic amusement and water park closes | Inquirer South Jersey
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A Clementon, Camden County, amusement park is shuttering again, just five years after it was reopened following a bankruptcy auction.
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The Flyers updated their rendering of a new arena proposed for South Philly after some fans criticized the lack of women in the digital illustration.
Plus: Why some blocks have Christmas lights all year round
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday, our forum in which readers ask about the city’s quirks and then we report the answers.
It’s not just the Miracle on 13th Street. On certain South Philly blocks, twinkling string lights zigzag between the houses, lending a festive air all year round.
This week, a reader wondered: “How does one get the decorative street lights and who looks after them?”
Reporters Michelle Myers and Isabel Maney tracked down the answers about these winking displays, and found that many have been maintained for generations.
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
This longtime Eagles legend announced this week he’s retiring from the NFL — for real this time:
A) Dallas Goedert
B) Brandon Graham
C) Lane Johnson
D) Jake Elliott
Test your local news knowledge and check your answer in our weekly quiz.
What we’re …
📖 Considering. What happens when ICE pays local police departments to arrest immigrants?Inquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch traveled to Schuylkill County to document the impacts.
🥩 Grilling up. “All-you-can-eat” and “wagyu beef” are not usually found in the same sentence, but Ardmore’s Ogyu Japanese BBQ & Bar has thrown down the gauntlet. Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan put his body on the line to try to eat as much of the luxury meat as he could in 90 minutes.
🌀 Thankful for. This year’s El Niño has contributed to a historically quiet Atlantic hurricane season, writes The Inquirer’s weather reporter, Tony Wood.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Hospital system headquartered in West Philadelphia.
MID NINEPENCE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Karthik Balasubramanian, who correctly guessed Thursday’s answer: Offensive coordinator. Sean Mannion, the new Eagles OC, has a plan to breathe new life into the team’s run game this season.
Photo of the day
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