Sign in

Heather J. Chin

@heatherjchin.bsky.social
8.4K followers 1.1K following 113 posts

deputy editor @billy-penn.bsky.social @whyynews.bsky.social | @aajafreelance co-director + @aajaphilly nat'l board rep | @switchboardnyc | Always curious, often hungry | RT/like=🤔🤣🤗🔖

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Philadelphians can unite at these events to commemorate lives lost and build community. billypenn.com/2026/09/09/p...
billypenn.com
Philly 9/11 events mark the 25th anniversary: What to know
Philadelphia 9/11 events will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with stair climbs, a 5K, a day of service and more.
001
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Mural Arts is helping you use SEPTA to ride to 35 Philly parks. Its new card deck can show you how to enjoy these spaces. billypenn.com/2026/09/04/p...
billypenn.com
Mural Arts map shows how to get to Philly parks using SEPTA
‘Getting to Green: Routes to Roots’ has updated its map and made a new card deck to guide SEPTA riders to 35 Philly parks.
057
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Possibly irreversible damage.
insideclimatenews.org
NOAA Cuts Weather Balloon Launches Due to Staff Shortages After DOGE Layoffs - Inside Climate News
The president-elect of the American Meteorological Society compares the situation to bolts in a steel office building, warning: “Nobody can say how many bolts you can leave out or remove before the st...
0126
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Black Intellect Media @blackintellect.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Here’s what we know about the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences museum’s closure: Public outcry over the closure has led many to call for leadership changes. Here’s what we know. Reporting by @violetcomberwilen.bsky.social & @heatherjchin.bsky.social billypenn.com/2026/09/03/a...
billypenn.com
The Academy of Natural Sciences’ museum closure: what we know
Philly’s beloved Academy of Natural Sciences’ museum is closing at the end of the month. Here’s how the government, organizations and public have gotten involved in the discourse
011
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Shockingly horrible news. Hey, #MackenzieScottFoundation, any chance that the historic & invaluable Academy of Natural Sciences could be a grantee? whyy.org/articles/aca...
whyy.org
The Academy of Natural Sciences museum in Philly is closing
The Academy will continue scientific research and public education, but its museum will go the way of the dinosaur.
0115
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Holy sht. They just celebrated a firstival, too, as America's first museum of natural history. www.inquirer.com/education/ac...
inquirer.com
The Academy of Natural Sciences is closing its museum after nearly two centuries
The closure does not affect the rest of the institution, which builds and maintains the collections and conducts research through departments such as the Patrick Center for Environmental Research.
021
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The Philly Art Map is your new spot for local art news. The social media app hopes to fill a gap in showing you where to explore creative spaces around the city. billypenn.com/2026/08/26/p...
billypenn.com
Can Philly Art Map replace Instagram for your latest local art news?
The new social media app hopes to fill a gap in showing you where to explore creative spaces around the city.
011
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
America’s collective heart broke on Tuesday with the news of Dolly Parton’s death. Here are some of the ways in which Parton made an impact on our city.
billypenn.com
How Dolly Parton made her mark on Philadelphia
A look at some of the late country star’s most notable Philly appearances.
043
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Sam the Popcorn Girl returns to her Phillies concessions duties today! @billy-penn.bsky.social billypenn.com/2026/02/13/p...
billypenn.com
'Sam the Popcorn Girl' will be absent from Phillies games for most of the upcoming season
The 30-year-old will spend much of the baseball season on the high seas. But this isn’t a goodbye to Citizens Bank Park. It’s more of a "see you later."
051
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
"There might finally be a way forward for long Covid treatment—if only you were allowed to talk about it." www.wired.com/story/the-pa...
wired.com
The Painful Truth About Long Covid
There might finally be a way forward for long Covid treatment—if only you were allowed to talk about it.
040
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
This was alarming to experience across the city. It was storming so hard it looked like heavy fog slamming into the city. "...storms known as “microbursts” caused heavy damage Saturday to homes and infrastructure in West and South Philadelphia, &parts of Montgomery County." whyy.org/articles/phi...
whyy.org
Philadelphia recovering from Saturday's microburst that damaged homes
No one was hurt, but reported property damage is extensive after a rare summer storm brought 70 mph winds and major flooding.
020
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Alerts from NWS Mount Holly NJ (Philadelphia) (UNOFFICIAL) @phl.nws-bot.us · 09/07/2026
🚨 Flash Flood Warning issued July 9 at 2:19PM EDT until July 9 at 5:30PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ 🚨 Additional Details Here.
At 219 PM EDT, local law enforcement reported thunderstorms
producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flooding has been
reported along portions of Route 1 and the New Jersey Turnpike.
Between 1 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall
rate is 2 to 3 inches in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to
2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already
occurring.

HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Law enforcement reported.

IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,
urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses.

Some locations that may experience flash flooding include...
New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Somerville, Somerset, Edison, East
Brunswick, Bridgewater, South Brunswick, Sayreville, North
Brunswick, Carteret and Middlesex.

This includes the following highways...
Interstate 295 in New Jersey between mile markers 67 and 70.
New Jersey Turnpike between exits 10 and 12.
Interstate 287 in New Jersey between mile markers 0 and 20.
Interstate 78 in New Jersey between mile markers 33 and 42.
Garden State Parkway between mile markers 125 and 133.
001
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The Ben Franklin Bridge will close for its 100th anniversary celebration this summer on July 11! Here are the details. billypenn.com/2026/03/24/b...
billypenn.com
Philly's Ben Franklin Bridge to close for 100th anniversary celebration
The bridge will close to traffic on July 11 for the celebration of what was once the world’s longest suspension bridge.
072
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
@phillypaws.bsky.social is the city’s largest rescue partner. It provides services across the city that helps ensure animals have homes and pet families have support. Discover more about Philly neighborhoods all around the city at BillyPenn’s City Guide.
0111
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Mary Peltola @marypeltola.com · 09/07/2026
You know the system is rigged when out-of-state trawlers are destroying our fisheries, and subsistence fishermen are the ones hit with restrictions. Our "leaders” are punishing Alaskans to protect the corporations doing the damage. Ban factory trawling.
cbc.ca
Alaskan frustration grows over trawling during the Yukon River salmon moratorium | CBC News
Alaskan tribal nations and small-scale commercial fishers say they are bearing the weight of salmon conservation while the commercial fish trawl industry continues harvesting in the ocean — and tens o...
16937321
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 09/07/2026
"Exactly what that dialog looked like between the government and Anthropic and OpenAI is unclear."
techcrunch.com
How did the government decide OpenAI's frontier model was safe to release? | TechCrunch
"Exactly what that dialog looked like between the government and Anthropic and OpenAI is unclear."
393
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
New research indicates that state voter registration lists — a common administration target — are actually accurate and up to date. And both blue and red states are largely doing a good job maintaining their lists. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
State voter registration lists largely accurate and up-to-date, new research shows
Most of the states with higher active registration rates utilized cutting-edge methods to get voters to register, like automatic voter registration, same day registration, and online voter registratio...
12975942736
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
ICE desperately wants you not to care about this story But we must. The killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national striving for his American Dream, is a moral outrage, and a warning. ICE hopes you won't notice that mass deportation is back My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...
inquirer.com
ICE killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. They want you to be apathetic. Don’t be. | Will Bunch
Salgado came from Mexico, built the American Dream, sent his sons to college, and was senselessly killed by ICE.
5040381964
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 09/07/2026
IDF accused of ‘field execution’ of Palestinian driver bringing aid into Gaza
theguardian.com
IDF accused of ‘field execution’ of Palestinian driver bringing aid into Gaza
The local truckers association has said it may suspend operations, after several eyewitnesses decried the murder of Ahmad Esleem A Palestinian driver bringing food aid from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) into Gaza has been killed by an Israeli soldier, according to eyewitnesses and the local truckers association, which said it may suspend operations in protest. Ahmad Esleem was shot in the head on Wednesday when an aid convoy stopped because of a breakdown to one truck soon after entering Gaza, according to three accounts. Israeli soldiers ordered the drivers to dismount and one of them shot Esleem in the head when his hands were raised. Continue reading...
1223141
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Denise Lee @dadavies.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Reading about abuse of “anti-terrorism” in Trump admin, being pushed by Seb Gorka*. “Mr. Gorka has repeatedly told U.S. officials that ‘there are no lone wolves.’” I’m sure he’d agree this is true for all the mass shootings by anti-semitic, racist shooters. *who should be nowhere near power.
nytimes.com
U.S. Pushes Allies to Chase a New Terrorism Target: The Far Left
111
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Media Matters for America @mmfa.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Right-wing media hawks are scrambling to salvage an unprovoked war with Iran that failed to halt its nuclear program and disrupted global trade.
mediamatters.org
As Trump declares Iran ceasefire “over,” right-wing media hawks push for ground troops, regime change — even nuclear strikes
1310935
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Scoop: NIH is on a mission to enlist one million Americans to share their genetic data to help with health research through a precision medicine program called “All of Us.” What participants don’t know is that at one research site, Palantir stores the data. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Palantir has a hand in NIH's most ambitious health initiative
The defense tech firm's work with public health data has largely flown under the radar.
15927690
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
We don’t need kidnapping and murder squads. Abolish ICE.
333395
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
It's kind of beautiful and awe-inspiring hearing the rolling thunder [hear my cry] and watching sheets of rain come down over Philly, but only because I am inside and not drenched.
130
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
To be clear on this, there are still union work unit staff among the employed at SciAm. The axe just fell heavily on outspoken organizing committee members. see www.wgaeast.org/wgae-scienti... What happens next is an interesting story
wgaeast.org
WGAE-Scientific American Union Statement on Springer Nature’s Sale and Layoffs | Press Room
The following is a statement from Writers Guild of America East members at Scientific American on today’s decision to sell Springer Nature and lay off staff: “Earlier today in an all-staff meeting we ...
33216
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Scientific American is being sold to LabX Media, publisher of Discover: group.springernature.com/gp/group/med... They've fired me and other union staff, ahead of June 26 vote ratification. My rates are suddenly more reasonable, if you need editing or reporting - Argonaut2026@gmail.com
group.springernature.com
Springer Nature to divest its consumer media businesses | Springer Nature Group | Springer Nature
Strategic divestment of consumer media portfolio enables Springer Nature to focus on its core business Transaction supports the long-term development
93961574
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I am not so old that it was that long ago when grade school civics taught us monopolies are something to be wary of and warded against.
030
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
A medical examiner has ruled the death of Daphy Michel, a Haitian asylum seeker, a homicide by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after ICE released her from federal custody in freezing temperatures. #AbolishICE apnews.com/article/hait...
apnews.com
A woman's hypothermia death in Pittsburgh after her release from ICE custody is ruled a homicide
The death of a woman from Haiti seeking asylum in the U.S. who died from hypothermia days after her release from federal custody was ruled a homicide by a Pennsylvania county medical examiner's office...
16943
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 13/06/2026
i really, truly, find this offensive
830145112516
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Philly Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said that the scale of the event was part of the issue, while Jacen Bowman, president of Philly Black Pride, said law enforcement presence was far too excessive. billypenn.com/2026/06/09/p...
billypenn.com
Philly officials respond to backlash against heavy police involvement at Pride festivities
“That is not us,” police commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said, rejecting claims that the department is hostile to Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community.
113
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
When you see the story about how the world now has its first trillionaire, and when you see the story about how laboratories in Congo have run out of supplies to test for Ebola, it is important to understand that in many ways these are the same story.
8258062411
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
When you hear it said that the screwworm poses a threat to cattle and to livestock and to other animals, please understand that “other animals” includes you. * A compendium of the 326th week of plague poems… librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/12/p...
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-Sixth Week
As the week begins I look at the news and wonder which of the four horsemen will take the lead this week? And as the week begins I look at the news and wonder how many more than four horsemen are r…
19227
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 05/06/2026
The Trump administration is expected to shut down all USDA Climate Hubs unless Congress acts to protect them. “Shuttering the program will likely end up costing us far more than what we spend on it,” said @julianjonreyes.bsky.social in a statement:
ucs.org
Congress Must Protect Farmers from Trump Administration Cuts, Save USDA Climate Hubs
The Trump administration reportedly intends to shut down all USDAClimate Hubs. Congress has a critical opportunity to protect them. Statement by UCS.
15541
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Insightful take: "Whether by design or ineptitude, it would essentially make the current system of federal science pretty much impossible. Even if one agrees that the system is in need of reform, breaking the system without having a robust, viable alternative would leave our nation very vulnerable."
13016
Heather J. Chin @heatherjchin.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
RIP Anthony Stewart Head. TY for presenting kindness & bringing to life the Taster's Choice commercial guy, Sir Walter Elliot, a*hole ex husband in Ted Lasso, a*hole aristocrat in Bridgerton, etcetc, and, of course, now and forevermore, the best Watcher & fictional father figure, Rupert Giles.
040
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Will Carless, USA TODAY @willcarless.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
SCOOP: I got exclusive internal documents from the white supremacist group Patriot Front, showing the group is in 49 states and has grown fast. The docs outline strict rules on propaganda and show the group’s expansion into racist “active clubs”: www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
usatoday.com
Exclusive leaked documents expose growing white supremacist group
The documents, provided by a source inside Patriot Front, shed new light on the inner-workings of the group.
25324204
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
NEW: The chair of the President’s Cancer Panel, Dr. Harvey Risch, is a co-author on a study touting ivermectin for cancer. The study is backed by two anti-vax orgs, including The Wellness Company, which sells the drug and with which he is affiliated. www.importantcontext.news/p/chair-of-p...
importantcontext.news
Chair of President’s Cancer Panel Co-Authors Ivermectin Cancer Study Backed By Supplements Company
“It’s marketing disguised as science.”
2091287679
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 03/06/2026
hate to be that bitch but trans people have been BEGGING libs and Dems to get muscular in the trans debate and we were universally demeaned, discounted, and attacked in response.
14728171
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Sam Adams @samadams.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
a world, to say nothing of a Slate, without the Culture Gabfest doesn’t make sense to me. Legends all.
8526
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Acclaimed artist Danny Simmons talks about how Philly inspires his art, and why he believes Philadelphia could be the epicenter of the next great cultural awakening.
billypenn.com
Danny Simmons on why Philly is primed for an arts renaissance
The acclaimed artist talked to Billy Penn about his move to the city’s Logan neighborhood and why art still has the power to change the world.
082
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
The Trump administration's NSF is removing hundreds of ocean sensors that provide incredibly comprehensive and continual data. This is a loss not only for climate scientists, but marine biologists and industries that rely on the health of those waters. www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump administration takes aim at crucial ocean monitoring network
The Ocean Observatories Initiative has been collecting data on physical, chemical, geological and biological conditions in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for the past decade
23935
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 02/06/2026
More magical thinking, if we stop testing... the problem will go away. "The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that was put in place a decade ago to monitor coastal environments, marine ecosystems and powerful currents that affect the global climate."
nytimes.com
Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
1613891
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Some Philadelphians aren't excited for America 250. Billy Penn spoke with some people who say that rising economic and political tension are making them more hesitant to celebrate. billypenn.com/2026/06/01/a...
billypenn.com
Why some Philadelphians aren’t excited for America 250
With economic and political tension rising, not everyone is in the mood to celebrate America’s birthday this summer.
5142
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Science Magazine @science.org · 02/06/2026
Proposed changes by the Trump administration to rules that govern how federal dollars are spent "would inevitably lead to unlegislated reductions in funding and damage US leadership in science, both in academia and industry," writes H. Holden Thorp in a new #ScienceEditorial. scim.ag/4uK0fBj
Text quote on a black background. The quote reads: "... the White House ... has found new ways to circumvent the will of Congress and starve American science." Below, the quote is attributed to H. Holden Thorp, Editor-in-chief, Science journals.
313487
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 03/06/2026
Really chilling read on rape as a weapon of war in Ukraine.
conversationalist.org
“All the Horrors Imaginable”
Since the start of the war, Russian soldiers have targeted vulnerable Ukrainian women for sexual abuse. These are just a few of their stories.
0127
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
It’s really hard to describe how insane this story is. Of course Patel went snorkeling over the USS Arizona - that’s what happens when you put an irreverent internet troll in charge of a government agency. Disrespectful assclown.
24247601358
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Development Assistance for Health dropped 21% in 2025. It collapsed from $80 billion in 2021, to $50 billion in 2024, and is forecast to drop to $36 billion in 2030. The US cut 67% of health aid. UK: 39%, France: 33%, Germany: 12%, Finland: 11%, Canada: 15%
23016
Reposted by Heather J. Chin
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
A Tennessee school district has banned Alex Haley’s “Roots” under the state’s so-called ‘Age-Appropriate Materials Act’
theguardian.com
Tennessee school district bans Alex Haley’s Roots under 2022 state law
With third-highest number of books banned, state removes renowned work about slave trade from library shelves
25472192