Axios Philadelphia

May 22, 2025
Thursday, closing in on the long weekend.
- Showers with a high of 59.
Today's newsletter is 927 words, a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Pennsylvania's "invisible workforce"
Retired New Hope resident Diane Chew gave up a second act as a business and life coach to care for her husband, Ben, full time after he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia five years ago.
Why it matters: She's part of Pennsylvania's "invisible workforce" of family caregivers, providing more than $32 billion in unpaid care this year, per a new report from researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. That's up from $22 billion in 2023.
The big picture: Nationwide, millions of families are helping to fill the void of a "shrinking healthcare workforce," per the report.
- The U.S. is facing a nursing shortage that's projected to reach more than 63,000 nurses in 2030, per the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
- With little help from their states, many family caretakers are left drained from juggling competing responsibilities, including work and caring for children.
Zoom in: Chew doesn't qualify for state aid. She has had to dip into the couple's retirement fund to pay for Ben's care, which costs $15,000 a month, including help from a night nurse so Chew can sleep.
- It'd be less expensive to place Ben at a full-time dementia care residential facility, but Chew can't stand the thought of doing that to the "love of my life."
- "I have siblings," says Chew, who posts about caretaking and the couple's adventures on social media. "If I have to end up on their couch one of these days, I will."
How it works: Researchers used Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2024 to assign hourly wages to various caretaking roles — nurse, cook, financial planner — that they used to calculate unpaid labor totals for each state.
Threat level: Nearly half of U.S. states are on the brink of caretaking crises, including Florida ($60.7 billion) and Georgia ($26.8 billion), which require immediate attention, per the report.
- Pennsylvania is one of 21 states that are considered "safe for now," the report says, though researchers warn rising dementia cases could push some of those states over a tipping point.
- Cuts to programs like Medicaid, which some Republicans in the House are pushing, could also propel "some of these states into an at-risk category," McHugh says.
2. World Cup tickets hit the resale market
Tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia are starting to show up on secondary resale markets.
Why it matters: FIFA hasn't started selling its general tickets yet.
State of play: StubHub, Vivid Seats and other resale websites are listing individual tickets for matches set for June and July next year at Lincoln Financial Field.
- Tickets to Philly's first World Cup match, on June 14, 2026, are listed on StubHub from around $1,100 to more than $15,000, per an Axios review yesterday.
What they're saying: A StubHub spokesperson tells Axios that event organizers, sponsors and corporate partners often receive early access to tickets that may make their way to StubHub.
- "There is zero incentive to sell a fraudulent ticket on StubHub," the spokesperson added. "Sellers aren't paid until the buyer gets in the door."
The other side: A FIFA spokesperson tells Axios that fans should be "wary of non-FIFA official ticketing websites that claim to be selling tickets already and only purchase tickets from the official and legitimate source."
- FIFA is expected to begin selling tickets later this year. You can register interest online.
3. News Market: 💡 Flying saucer ideas
🛸 Philly is still on the hunt for a flyer saucer suitor. Parks and Rec officials are looking for ideas from food and beverage providers for the 5,500-square-foot Welcome Center at LOVE Park. (Biz Journal)
⚖️ Fired Philly police officer Mark Dial took the stand in his murder trial Wednesday, telling jurors he believed his partner shouted that Eddie Irizarry was armed with a gun before he fatally shot him in August 2023.
- Prosecutors have said Irizarry was seated in his car and wasn't a threat to Dial. (CBS News)
🗣️ Quote du jour:
"The [expletive] process. [Expletive] the process. I'm done with trusting this [expletive]."— Gillie Da King was def not vanilli on his feelings about injured Sixers center Joel Embiid during a recent appearance on Paul George's podcast.
4. Weekender: 🤘 Metallica and Memorial Day
🐴 The Devon Horse Show runs through June 1 at the Devon Show Grounds in Chester County. It's considered the nation's oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition. Look out for exhibitions, a dog show and Memorial Day festivities.
- Single ticket and priority packets available: $20-$350
🥁 Enter Sandman. Metallica is playing at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday and Sunday with appearances from Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills.
- Single tickets ($92+) and two-day passes available.
🌮 Tacos Saturday and Sunday don't have the same ring. But it does have that same taste. The free Taco Fest at Chaddsford Winery includes some of the region's fav food trucks, plus wine and live music. 2-5pm
Plus: Here's a rundown of Memorial Day events in Philly:
🪖 Explore historic Eastern State Penitentiary for a full slate of programming honoring the country's fallen soldiers.
🆓 It's free admission to the National Constitution Center from Saturday-Monday.
5. ❤️ 1 fun thing to go: Tush Push stays put
The Eagles' "Tush Push" lives on.
State of play: NFL owners voted yesterday on a proposed ban of the play, but the effort fell just short of the 24 required votes.
The intrigue: The 22-10 final vote reflects that the majority of owners are "Tush Push" haters.
By the numbers: The Eagles and Buffalo Bills run the short-yardage play most often, which is successful nearly 90% of the time, per ESPN.
The bottom line: "Push on," the Eagles posted on social media after the vote.
🧠 Mike is brainstorming date-night ideas for Friday.
👋 Thanks for reading!
Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco.
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