Rebecca Redelmeier

Listen up ppl!

How Philly’s early intervention program is failing the city’s youngest kids When Kimberly Halevy’s son was 3, she started hearing from his preschool that he needed extra support. But more than a year later, she describes the effort to get her kid services through Philly’s ear...

Philadelphia’s youngest learners aren’t getting support services they’re legally entitled to.

Some families say they're waiting months for early intervention services, putting kids behind before they start kindergarten.
www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Philly preschool owners are draining their savings during the state budget impasse More than 100 days into the Pennsylvania budget impasse, some Philly preschool owners are using their own savings and taking out loans to stay afloat. But lawmakers still seem far from a budget agreem...

Hey hi, Pennsylvania still doesn't have a state budget and it's having a REAL impact on our youngest learners www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

SEPTA is restoring some service for Philly students The city said that SEPTA agreed “in concept” to dedicate funding to restore priority bus lines for students next week.

NEW: SEPTA is restoring some bus lines that serve schools after an outcry from Philly students and teachers who said transit cuts made getting to school on time impossible.

The city announced that SEPTA agreed "in concept" to restore some service on Sept. 2.
www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Follow 2 students as SEPTA cuts complicate their commute on the first day of school Students across Philadelphia are waking up earlier and waiting longer for SEPTA to get them to school. But many say they’re bound to be late anyway, with less reliable service and more crowded routes....

The stellar @rebeccaredelmeier.bsky.social got up at the crack of dawn to ride SEPTA to school with two Philly students. The whole trip took over an hour and they missed a bus and had to walk the last mile to Palumbo. These cuts are already having a real impact on Philly's young people:

‘They’ve given her a lot of hope’: A NYC school fights to educate an undocumented teen under Trump For Bridget and Marta, ELLIS Prep often felt like the only public institution with its arms open in a city and country that seemed not to want them.

For 6 months, I’ve followed ELLIS, a Bronx HS for newcomers, to understand what it means to educate immigrant students in Trump’s second term.

Proud to share the 1st of 2 stories about ELLIS, Bridget, an undocumented teen, & the fight to keep her education alive.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Federal judge rules that Philadelphia’s Memphis Street Academy must shut down A federal judge has ordered a Philadelphia charter school to close after years operating on an expired charter agreement. But officials representing Memphis Street Academy Charter School say they plan...

A federal judge ruled a Philadelphia charter school that sued the school district to allow it to stay open despite poor academic performance must close.

But officials representing Memphis Street Academy Charter School say the school plans to stay open in the fall.
www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Philadelphia community leaders ring alarm bells about school closure process School district officials have pledged not to repeat mistakes that fractured communities and hurt students. But parents and community leaders involved in the district’s facilities planning process, wh...

NEW: Philly school district officials have promised any future school closures will be benefit students.

But community leaders involved in the planning process say it's become opaque.

"We are not looked at as resources. We are looked at as obstacles.”
www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Philadelphia community leaders ring alarm bells about school closure process School district officials have pledged not to repeat mistakes that fractured communities and hurt students. But parents and community leaders involved in the district’s facilities planning process, wh...

Philly's school district wants the community to participate in its closure/modernization process. But members of their advisory groups say their time has felt wasted by bureaucratic presentations. They worry the district is using them to add credibility to a flawed process.

It's my first day at @chalkbeat.org, where I'm covering the School District of Philadelphia!

I am so happy to get to dig into the education beat in this great city. If you wanna chat Philly schools, please reach out!

The Middle Ages Follow hundreds of kids as they navigate their treacherous middle school years.

Very cool data visualization from @puddingviz.bsky.social on how middle schoolers are doing, based on survey answers from millions of students.

pudding.cool/2025/02/midd...

‘Disheartening and lonely’: Trump’s federal job cuts leave Cornell scientists in turmoil After thousands of Department of Agriculture employees were fired last month, some early-career scientists have lost advisers. Ph.D. students at Cornell university say they worry about the future of t...

Trump’s federal job cuts have left many early-career scientists in turmoil.

WSKG's Aurora Berry and I spoke to Ph.D. students whose advisors, employed by the USDA, lost their jobs last month. They told us the upheaval has already taken a toll.

www.wskg.org/regional-new...

Lessons from Ithaca's Green New Deal As part of its Green New Deal, Ithaca pledged to decarbonize all of its buildings by 2030. It hasn't gone as planned, but the city has lessons for others trying to tackle this key climate challenge.

Ithaca got a lot of attention when it committed to electrifying all of its buildings by 2030. It partnered with a company called BlocPower to manage the effort.

But the whole thing didn't quite go as planned. For @npr.org, I reported on the lessons learned:
www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...

BlocPower promised to help electrify Ithaca. Now it has ended its support. In 2021, the small city of Ithaca announced it would electrify all of its 6,000 buildings with the help of one key partner: a technology company called BlocPower, whose then-CEO Donnel Baird said the ...

BlocPower promised to help electrify Ithaca. Now it has ended its support.

The company ended its collaboration with the city in New York after completing the electrification of only 10 buildings.

grist.org/buildings/bl...

#GreenSky #Climate #NewYork #Ithaca

F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Stations Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, recently expressed concern about NPR and PBS’s sponsorships.

Support your local public radio stations. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/b...

BlocPower promised to help electrify Ithaca. Now it has ended its support The technology company said it would help make Ithaca the first fully-electrified city in the U.S. It left town after initiating only 14 electrification projects.

BlocPower says it has shifted its focus to decarbonization construction management and financing services.

In Ithaca, it left town after initiating 14 electrification projects.

The company’s only remaining public-private partnership is with the city of Denver.

www.wskg.org/regional-new...

BlocPower promised to help electrify Ithaca. Now it has ended its support The technology company said it would help make Ithaca the first fully-electrified city in the U.S. It left town after initiating only 14 electrification projects.

NEW: The green tech company BlocPower promised to help electrify cities like Ithaca. It raised millions and won awards for its work.

Now, it has apparently given up.

www.wskg.org/regional-new...

The American Climate Corps is over. What even was it? Biden's green jobs program was never what it seemed. Now it's shutting down before Trump takes office.

The American Climate Corps is over. What even was it?

Biden's green jobs program was never what it seemed. Now it's shutting down before Trump takes office.

grist.org/politics/ame...

#Biden #ClimateCorps

New York passed a ban on gas stoves in new buildings. Could Trump interfere? The president-elect is reportedly considering an executive action meant to protect gas stoves from local and statewide bans.

New York passed a ban on gas stoves in new buildings. Could Trump interfere?

www.wskg.org/regional-new...

Fleeing the LA fires alone on a wheelchair: ‘I had to take my chances’ An evacuation order when the Eaton fire threatened Galen Buckwalter’s Sierra Madre home triggered a nightmare odyssey through chaotic streets

Galen Buckwalter, 68, shared with me his harrowing tale of being forced to flee the Eaton fire alone on his wheelchair through dark streets and fierce winds, dodging debris as fire neared his home.

“In emergencies, disabled people are the last to get services…We have no system. You’re on your own”

New York’s ‘Climate Superfund’ law expected to face legal challenges The new legislation requires oil and gas companies to pay for some of the damages caused by climate change. But legal experts say it's expected to face legal challenges.

New York’s new ‘Climate Superfund’ law requires oil and gas companies to pay for some of the damages caused by climate change.

But legal experts say it's expected to face legal challenges before it raises any funds
www.wskg.org/regional-new...

New York’s ‘Climate Superfund’ law expected to face legal challenges The new legislation requires oil and gas companies to pay for some of the damages caused by climate change. But legal experts say it's expected to face legal challenges.

A new law in New York that promises to make oil and gas companies pay for damages caused by climate change is expected to face a court battle before it raises any funds, according to legal scholars and others familiar with the legislation.
www.wskg.org/regional-new...

The Militia and the Mole Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.

Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias.

He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was ProPublica reporter @josh-kaplan.bsky.social.

propub.li/3DGXECO

Child care experiences Hi! As I continue to cover the child care industry in America, I'd love to speak to more parents and providers about experiences finding and navigating child care. I will never publish what you send i...

Do you have a child care story to share as a parent/caregiver and/or provider? I'd love to hear it. Fill out this form and I'll be in touch as I start working on our next early ed stories (nothing will be published before I reach out!): docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class A recent survey finds that more than half of young people aged 16-25 are highly worried about climate change. Some universities are now trying to help them navigate those emotions in class.

A recent survey finds that more than half of young people aged 16-25 are highly worried about climate change. Some universities are now trying to help them navigate those emotions in class.

A freezing rutabaga curl brings joy and competition to Ithaca The unlikely competition involves rolling Rutabagas down a bocce-like course. Costumes and revelry encouraged.

During the dark days of December, it can be difficult to find joy out in the cold. In Ithaca, an annual sporting event based around a root vegetable is meant to bring some cheer to the season.

Very important journalism happening recently in Ithaca

www.wskg.org/regional-new...

College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class A recent survey finds that more than half of young people aged 16-25 are highly worried about climate change. Some universities are now trying to help them navigate those emotions in class.

New for @npr.org: College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class

www.npr.org/2024/12/22/n...

NY's Early Intervention is in crisis, and providers want answers from the state They say decades of disinvestment by NY and a disastrous new software program are the culprits.

Powerful story from @ncprnews.bsky.social: NY's Early Intervention is in crisis, and providers want answers from the state

"It's a repeated pattern for New York State to treat providers poorly. And then we don't have providers."

www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

The Global Fertility Trade: A Story of Extraction, Exploitation and Opportunity Following human eggs as they’re exchanged across open, gray and black markets — reaping rewards for an extremely high price.

🧵 If you can spare a couple of hours, please read this groundbreaking, yearlong global investigation by my @bloomberg.com colleagues into the money, opportunity & exploitation into the booming fertility industry. I guarantee once you start reading you won't be able to stop

🎁 tinyurl.com/fbvykfxa