Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?

City & State
Who would’ve thought a sportsbook would be the savior of SEPTA for the Super Bowl champions’ home opener? As the Philly region faces transit cuts, FanDuel stepped up to provide funds to restore the express Broad Street Line service to help fans get to the stadium for the Eagles’ Thursday night game. And once you’re near the Linc, there’s a good chance you’ll see tailgaters putting down Garage Beer, the Kelce Brothers’ company that’s now worth $200 million following its first institutional round of fundraising. Pour one out for public transit while you’re at it.
Keep reading for more winners and losers!
Pennsylvania pharmacies -
After a change to federal policy forced pharmacies to require a prescription for the COVID vaccine, the state Board of Pharmacy voted this week to allow Pennsylvania pharmacists to follow vaccine guidance from several national medical organizations, allowing wider access to the vaccine in Pennsylvania. Gov. Josh Shapiro framed the move as a win for healthcare access that brings clarity to COVID vaccine guidelines.
“Other” party affiliation -
Philadelphians are flocking away from the two major parties, according to the latest voter registration data. While registration has increased across the board, the “not-affiliated” or “other” affiliation, which skyrocketed to start the year, has increased at a greater rate than Democratic or Republican registration in the city – now sitting at nearly 16% in the area.
LaSalle University -
Bucking a persistent trend, LaSalle was among several area universities celebrating significantly higher first-year enrollments this fall. The Philadelphia institution, whose accreditation is currently on shaky ground, attributes its 40% increase in new enrollment to four new sports teams and expanded academic programs. Temple and Jefferson, which both reported record incoming classes, were among the other local universities reporting higher first-year enrollments, despite a widespread decline in international students.
Guy Reschenthaler -
U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler is facing heat from a national nonprofit dedicated to enacting term limits for members of Congress. The organization, U.S. Term Limits, placed a billboard in Reschenthaler’s 14th Congressional District calling him out for allegedly breaking a pledge to support a term limits resolution in the U.S. House. In a statement, U.S. Term Limits CEO Nicolas Tomboulides accused the congressman of breaking his pledge and “playing the D.C. game.”
Paul Offit -
The world-renowned Philadelphia vaccinologist – and inventor of a children’s rotavirus vaccine – will no longer be lending his insights to the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, from which he was fired this week. Offit – a pediatrician who directs the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – has long been among the most outspoken critics of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose administration has dismissed several high-profile public health officials and seen the resignations of numerous others.
Zachary Cole-Borghi -
Twenty-two people were arrested as part of a three-year, multi-state drug investigation, including Lehigh County Commissioner and Bethlehem Right to Know Officer Zachary Cole-Borghi. Cole-Borghi, who’s been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, was taken into custody last week at his office inside Bethlehem City Hall, with authorities declining to disclose further details about his specific role or if he is part of the wider operation.
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