How Philly fails foster youth | Morning Newsletter
And ICE fears cancel Mexican celebration.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to a chilly Wednesday, Philly.
The city removes neglected children from homes to keep them safe — but sometimes, they face worse abuse in foster care placements. Below, find the first of a three-part investigation into the city’s child welfare system.
And South Philadelphia’s annual Carnaval de Puebla has been canceled over fears that federal immigration agents might target the Mexican cultural celebration.
Here’s what to know today.
— Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
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The city’s Department of Human Services overhauled its child welfare system more than a decade ago, outsourcing care for children involved in abuse and neglect investigations to smaller, neighborhood-centered welfare agencies.
Since then, those agencies have been sued nearly 70 times for allowing kids in their care to be killed, assaulted, and injured.
The system meant to keep Philly kids safe is too often itself the source of harm, according to an analysis of dozens of recent lawsuits and interviews. Despite attempts at change, long-standing challenges — including a much higher rate of children held in custody than the national average and frequent staff turnover — remain.
“We’ve been talking about the same problems in the child welfare system for 30 years,” one advocate said. “We just never fix them.”
Will leaders view the current crisis as a reason to embrace reform?
Resolve Philly’s Steve Volk and Julie Christie offer a comprehensive overview of a challenged child welfare system. Look for the second and third parts of this series from Resolve and The Inquirer tomorrow and Friday.
Carnaval de Puebla, the Mexican cultural celebration that was expected to draw 15,000 people to South Philadelphia on April 27, has been canceled. Organizers cited concerns that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement might target the event to arrest undocumented community members.
It’s the latest example of how President Donald Trump’s aggressive policies toward immigrants are impacting Philadelphians’ everyday lives.
Philly’s Carnaval typically features a parade, traditional games, food, live music, and dancing, and has run for nearly 20 years — excluding 2017, when it was canceled for similar reasons.
Immigration reporter Jeff Gammage has the details.
In other event news: Gloucester Township Day has been postponed because of threats on social media. Several fights broke out at last year’s carnival.
What you should know today
A man was struck and killed by a subway train Tuesday at the Olney Transit Center.
Three men were arrested for a sex trafficking scheme involving a 13-year-old Bucks County girl, officials said.
SEPTA is investigating an incident caught on a viral video of a bus pushing a vehicle sideways along Roosevelt Boulevard, leaving seven people injured.
The Philadelphia Police Department faces a staffing shortage of 1,200 officers. Leaders say it will take “years of momentum” to fix.
Penn Medicine created an online directory of Black doctors. Now a conservative health-care nonprofit is claiming it discriminates against white providers.
A federal funding freeze is threatening local Philly farms and small farmers throughout the East Coast.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is seriously considering a run for governor in 2026, as the GOP race to challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro heats up. Plus: Shapiro says he’s still deciding how to respond to Trump’s threat to pull school funding over diversity programs.
Crozer Health’s bankrupt owner says it needs $9 million today to keep two Delaware County hospitals open while it negotiates a sale.
The Mütter Museum’s embattled executive director is no longer in her position at the iconic medical history institution.
🧠 Trivia time
In 1980, Dr. J opened a shop in Society Hill that helped to create a business blueprint for future athletes. What did the store sell?
A) Large-size dress shoes
B) Vintage basketball jerseys
C) Beef jerky
D) Life coaching sessions
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🚇 Admiring: PATCO’s Franklin Square Station glow-up from 1936 to today.
🎤 Revisiting: Beanie Sigel’s cult classic The B. Coming as it turns 20.
📍 Anticipating: These 22 spring markets and street festivals in 2025.
🌷 Picking: Tulips at these farms and gardens around the region.
🦇 Considering: How to challenge misunderstood narratives like those of bats and Black children.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Philly-founded fast casual eatery known for its noodle dishes
WHY OREGON
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Maria Ventresca, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Pearl Bailey. The scrapbooks of the Tony Award winner and variety show host, who came of age in North Philadelphia in the 1930s, are on display at the African American Museum.
Photo of the day
🥊 One last healing thing: Every boxer has a cutman who treats wounds in the ring. But Jaron “Boots” Ennis has a cutwoman in his corner. Meet Trish Kuller, the West Philly native will be in Atlantic City this weekend in the corner of Ennis — one of Philadelphia’s two current world champs — as he defends his International Boxing Federation welterweight title.
Enjoy your Wednesday. Thanks for starting it with The Inquirer.
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