Pennsylvanians have reported nearly 4,900 UFO sightings since the dawn of the millennium, per National UFO Reporting Center data.

Why it matters: Discussion and reports of UFOs — or the more modern term, UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomenon) — have been going more mainstream in recent years amid a push for answers from lawmakers and others, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick, Erin Davis and Alice Feng report.

• It's no surprise that Nevada's Lincoln County — home to Area 51, a top-secret U.S. Air Force base — had the most reported UFO sightings among U.S. counties with 820.9 per 100,000 residents during that period.

Look up: The Philadelphia metro had 30.2 UFO sightings per 100,000 residents between 2000 and 2023, which trails the national average (34.3).

• That comes to about 1,900 sightings during that time.

Zoom in: While Allegheny County logged the most sightings in the state, Tioga County, located far from city lights in northern Pennsylvania, had the most brushes with the unknown per capita.

• These sightings roughly correlate to dark sky locations. That tracks, given that it's easier to see interesting stuff in the night sky when you're far from sources of light pollution.
• Cherry Springs State Park, in Tioga's neighbor Potter County, is considered one of the best places for stargazing on the East Coast. Maybe it's great for spotting UFOs, too.

The intrigue: Pennsylvania has had its own (supposed) UFO crash-landing sites over the decades.

• In December 1965, witnesses reported discovering an acorn-shaped object about the size of a small car that fell from the sky in the woods at Kecksburg.
• And, in 1974, witnesses believe a UFO crashed into a pond in Carbondale, although some attributed the crash to a railroad lantern.

The bottom line: Despite rising public acceptance of UFO/UAP chatter, there's still no proof that we're being visited by extraterrestrials.

• Many of these sightings are likely military activity (especially those near Area 51, which has a storied history of classified aircraft tests), satellites, scientific phenomena, etc.

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Rideshare service Lyft's new gender-based feature is now available in Philadelphia and the rest of the country.

Why it matters: Advocacy groups have long questioned the safety of ridesharing services. Recent reports indicate a startling number of violent crimes have occurred during Uber and Lyft rides, according to the New York Times.

• Between 2017 and 2019, 4,158 sexual assaults and 10 fatal physical assaults of Lyft passengers and drivers were recorded, Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva reported.

What's happening: Lyft's Women+Connect is a new option in the app that prioritizes matches between women and nonbinary drivers and riders, the rideshare company announced this morning.

• It launched in five U.S. cities in September, then expanded to 55 and is now fully rolling out, a company spokesperson tells Axios.

How it works: Women and nonbinary drivers can turn on a preference in the app to help match them with nearby women and nonbinary riders.

• Riders and drivers can self-identify and update their genders in their profiles.
• The preference is prioritized but not guaranteed.

By the numbers: Women account for about half the riders on Lyft but only 23% of drivers, per Lyft.

• So far, 67% of drivers eligible to use Women+Connect are doing so, per Lyft.
• More than 7 million rides have been completed using the feature.

What's next: Women and nonbinary riders will automatically be enrolled in the program but can turn off the feature in the app.

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🚨 A West Philadelphia apartment was evacuated after an explosion inside the complex injured one person. The police bomb squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene for several hours, but officials offered few details. (CBS News)

⚖️ A longtime activist against overdose prevention sites is playing a bigger role in the city's approach to Kensington. Marnie Aument-Loughrey started in her role yesterday as a "community coordinator" focused mostly on Kensington, where Mayor Cherelle Parker has pledged to end the open-air drug markets. (Inquirer 🔒)

🚦 Southbound lanes on I-95 near Penn's Landing will close between Feb. 24-26 as crews continue to work on capping the highway to build a new park. (6ABC)

13,000 — that's the estimated number of office workers around City Hall during the week, down from 21,000 pre-pandemic, per the Inquirer.

Zoom in: Private-sector office buildings around City Hall are struggling to get workers to their desks, which can hurt surrounding restaurants and other businesses that rely on those buildings being full.

• Only one in six private office buildings around the city's seat of government has an occupancy rate above 80%, which dips lower on Mondays and Fridays.

The big picture: This comes despite a decline in the share of people who work from home in the Philly metro.