The largest health system in Delaware County began closing two hospitals Wednesday after failing to find a buyer amid bankruptcy proceedings.

Why it matters: Crozer Health's shutdown will lead to thousands of layoffs and a major shakeup for health care across the region.

State of play: Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park and Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland are slated to shutter in May, per a bankruptcy plan approved by a federal judge in Texas on Tuesday.

• Prospect Medical Holdings, the California-based private company that owns Crozer Health, is winding down services and transferring patients.
• Crozer will lay off 2,651 employees.

What they're saying: The decision is "going to devastate our entire community," Peggy Malone, union president for Crozer-Chester Nurses Association, told WHYY.

The other side: Prospect Medical's chief restructuring officer Paul Rundell said in a statement the company "recognizes the impact this action will have on patients as well as team members" but it was "unable to reach a viable alternative."

The big picture: The closures will force patients to seek care at nearby hospitals, including Riddle Hospital in Media, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philly, and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby.

• That will tack on 30-40 minutes of extra travel time to get care for some patients, per FOX29.

Many of these providers say they're already seeing a surge of new patients.

• Riddle Memorial Hospital is expecting an influx of patients in its emergency department, the center's president, Shelly Buck, told Chief Healthcare Executive.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) recounted in a Wednesday essay the chilling moment earlier this month when he realized an arsonist had set fire to the governor's residence while he and his family were asleep.

Driving the news: In a New York Times op-ed, Shapiro described the destruction of the state dining room in the Pennsylvania Governor's residence.

• "The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident," he wrote. "It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home."

In the aftermath, "people began to ascribe their own beliefs onto what they thought happened — and why," Shapiro wrote.

• He added, "It is not my job to opine on what the motive was or what the charges should be."
• "Ultimately, prosecutors will determine what motivated this act of violence, and we trust them to do their important work," Shapiro wrote.

Zoom out: Shapiro called for an end to political violence, pointing to the attempted assassination of then-presidential-candidate Trump — which Shapiro quickly condemned at the time — as well as the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

• "I believe our political divide can be repaired," he wrote. "But our leaders must act with moral clarity and take their cues from the good people of this nation, who in times of tragedy always seem to find our better angels."

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🎤 Democratic voters missed out on a chance to see District Attorney Larry Krasner and challenger Pat Dugan go head-to-head during a WHYY debate this week because Dugan declined to participate.

• Krasner had the stage to himself and defended his two-term record. The primary is May 20. (WHYY)

🔥 A wildfire continues to rage in the Pine Barrens of Ocean County. The Jones Road Wildfire has already scorched about 12,000 acres. New Jersey has declared a state of emergency. (Asbury Park Press)

🎻 Ryan Fleur was tapped as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. He had been leading the organization in an interim role since January.

🍽️ Taste the menu at Jansen in Mount Airy before it's gone for good. The fine dining spot will close in September when its chef and owner joins Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. (Inquirer 🔒)

A new art installation recognizing hundreds of Black workers who helped build and run Bryn Mawr College is being unveiled today.

Why it matters: The five-year project, a collaboration with Monument Lab, is a way for the Main Line school to reckon with its history of racism.

The big picture: Artist Nekisha Durrett's installation, "Don't Forget to Remember (Me)," includes 10,000 clay pavers that form a knotted, braided pathway in the Cloisters courtyard near the Old Library, where some of former president and dean Martha Carey Thomas' ashes are interned.

• The space has felt fraught for decades for students of color because of Thomas' antisemitic and racist views and public embrace of eugenics, Durrett tells Axios.

Zoom in: The handmade clay pavers are inscribed with the names of 248 Black servants who worked at the college between 1900 and 1930, while other pavers light up, signifying countless unnamed people whose contributions are lost to history.

What they're saying: "This piece is about reclamation," Durrett tells Axios.

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The NFL Draft kicks off today, and that means the Super Bowl-wining Birds are back in the roost.

Why it matters: The Eagles have the last pick of the first round, and could again be in the market for an edge pass rusher to replace Milton Williams, who left to New England in free agency.

By the numbers: The Eagles have eight picks this year, all of them in the first five rounds.

What they're saying: The Eagles beat writers have their eyes on Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen as a strong possibility, but that might require the Birds to trade up to keep other teams from nabbing him first.

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The Philadelphia Zoo's four tortoise hatchlings made their public debut yesterday.

Driving the news: Visitors can see the endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises daily inside the Reptile and Amphibian House.

✅ Vote online to help name the hatchlings.