A daily newsletter by  |
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Your Postmaster: Ed Mahon
August 27, 2020
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Renters left in a lurch, rehabs on the brink, scrambling for child care, how buffets are surviving, and the origins of "Florida man." Happpy Thursday.
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James Pride, who used to work as a drug treatment counselor, struggled to pay his rent during the coronavirus pandemic. So did hundreds of thousands of other renters across the state. But Pennsylvania's signature program to provide relief to renters and help them keep their homes has largely failed, according to a concerning new report from Spotlight PA's Charlotte Keith.
THE CONTEXT: Almost 400,000 households in Pennsylvania couldn't afford to pay their rent during the third week of July, according to U.S. Census survey data. A moratorium on evictions is scheduled to expire Monday and Gov. Tom Wolf says he needs legislative action to extend it. And, as Charlotte explains, many landlords didn't participate in the rental assistance program because the cap of $750 a month was too low, didn't take into account regional differences in prices, and required landlords to further postpone eviction filings.
THE SOLUTION: Gov. Tom Wolf's administration and the agency overseeing the program are urging the legislature to make changes to it to encourage more landlords to participate and to provide more relief. Lawmakers have been aware of the problems for at least a month but have been largely absent from Harrisburg for their summer break.
Are you facing eviction because of the coronavirus? We want to hear from you.
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“In my 30-plus years of doing this work, I have never seen programs closing at the rate that they are right now." — Bill Stauffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance, on the growing concern about widespread closures of drug rehab facilities across the state.
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POST IT: “Such a breathtaking view!” Thank you @chuckie.d36 for this view of Bushkill Falls in the Poconos. Send us your hidden gems, use the hashtag #PAGems, or tag us on Instagram at @spotlightpennsylvania.
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 CHILD CARE SCRAMBLE: Gyms, skating rinks, and dance studios are turning into make-shift day-care centers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The move comes as many schools are offering in-person instruction two days a week, if at all.
 MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Gisele Fetterman, the wife of the lieutenant governor, says the 2016 medical marijuana law changed her life and helped treat her chronic pain. She spoke to TribLIVE about her experience and how she thinks the program could improve.
 ORDER UP: Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Lancaster County added more than 40 hand sanitizing stations and provides printed out instructions for diners, PennLive reports. Meanwhile, other buffets have changed their model or remained closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
 HOTEL CRUNCH: If you've never been to the historic Hotel Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley, it's a gem. But because of continuing COVID-19 capacity restrictions, it's experiencing an equally historic financial strain, just like many other hotels across the state, The Morning Call reports.
 DETAINED IN BERKS COUNTY: For five months, artist and filmmaker Michelle Angela Ortiz visited mothers in one of three facilities in the country that holds undocumented families. In this essay for WHYY, she described the fight over closing the center.
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MAILBAG: We've made a number of changes to our daily newsletter, and we'd love to hear what you think. Send us a note, or ask a question about Pennsylvania issues and we'll answer it here as part of MAILBAG.
TAKE 5: Especially in our neck of the woods, it's been a hot, dry summer, and that has spelled doom for a lot of lawns and gardens. Here's some plants to consider that actually do well without a lot of time, effort, or water.
FREE LAUGHS: Journalists are ready-made nerds (of the best variety), and sometimes we try oh so hard to be cool. So have a laugh at our expense with this hilarious TikTok explaining the "Florida man" phenomenon and why Florida journalists seem to always find the craziest stories.
WHAT TO WATCH IF... You're trying to squeeze in a camping trip before Labor Day: People are visiting state parks a lot more this summer. I'm part of that trend. And in advance of a camping trip to Pinchot Lake, I've been studying up on how to build a fire. REI has this helpful video. Wish me luck! (Or send me tips ... or stop by my campsite and build it for me.)
RANDOM ALBUM OF THE DAY: Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has a new album coming out Friday with what he calls "eight rare / unreleased songs and performances from the previous several years that I love.” I was supposed to see him perform in York back in the spring, but the coronavirus canceled those plans. I plan to check out his live online show at 7 p.m.
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Unscramble and send your answer to newsletters@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out the winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag.
C R L S P P E A
Yesterday's answer: Pothole
Congrats to our daily winners: James G., Tom F., Isaac S., Lynne E., Erica K., Cory, John C., Kathy B., Susan R., Claudia M., Kathy W., Sandy S., Sherri A., Michael S., Jill A. and Curt S.
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