Saturday, October 24, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1882, Philadelphia celebrated the 200th anniversary of William Penn’s landing. The guns of the Navy’s North Atlantic Squadron saluted a stand-in for his ship Welcome, which carried a “representative of Penn” up the Delaware River.

A stage musical based on Mystic Pizza, the 1988 movie that launched Julia Roberts’ career, wraps up its run in Scranton this weekend with a soundtrack of ’80s and ’90s hits. Find out more in Et Cetera. What’s your favorite ’80s movie? Hit reply and tell us.

What are the best and worst grocery stores? Texas swears by H-E-B. Florida won’t hear a bad word about Publix. California gave the country Trader Joe’s. What about Walmart, Albertsons, and Costco? Only one of them can be America’s top-rated supermarket. More than 31,000 shoppers graded the nation’s biggest grocery chains, and the results can be polarizing. Is your weekly grocery store on the best list or the worst? Ayla has the countdown on today’s Flyover Podcast. Tune in and pick a side.

Many of you have used Insurify to compare auto insurance. Today’s sponsor is back with another way to look for savings: homeowners insurance. This is our first time sharing Insurify’s home offering, bringing the same trusted comparison process to another big household expense.

Nine Charged with Illegal Voting

Federal prosecutors announced yesterday that they’ve charged nine Pennsylvania residents with illegally voting in the state’s general elections despite not being U.S. citizens.

The defendants, ages 21 to 80, live across the state, from Philadelphia and Merion Station to Selinsgrove, Luzerne, and Effort, and are citizens of countries including Cuba, Kenya, Poland, and Russia.

Eight are lawful permanent residents, and most face up to a year in prison if convicted, while a Philadelphia man charged with two counts faces up to two years.

The Pennsylvania Department of State says non-citizen voting is extremely rare in the state, with no evidence of systemic voter fraud.

Heating Oil Tops $6 a Gallon

Pennsylvanians who heat their homes with oil are now paying an average of $6.01 a gallon, according to federal energy data.

That’s nearly double the roughly $3.24 a gallon Pennsylvanians paid at this time last year, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration figures.

The agency expects oil-heated households, most of them in the Northeast, to spend about 21% more this winter, citing tight markets for distillate fuels.

A 200-gallon delivery now tops $1,200, and advocates warn state heating grants of $200 to $1,000 will buy less oil, though one Nether Providence retiree who locked in $4.59 a gallon in August expects to come out ahead.

Toy Car Trek Leaves Philly

Two childhood best friends are driving kids’ electric toy cars from Philadelphia to Niagara Falls, hoping to land a Guinness World Record.

Cassie Aran and Lauren Lee, both 32, started the 750-mile trip at Independence Hall and expect it to take about two months, since the cars top out around 10 mph and cover just 7 to 20 miles a day.

It’s the pair’s second toy car road trip, after a nearly 600-mile drive from Jacksonville to Key West in 2024, and they’re posting video diaries along the way.

This time, Guinness waived a fundraising fee that derailed their first record bid, and some police officers who recognize them from social media pull them over just to ask what’s going on.

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You Checked Your Car Insurance. What About Your Home?

Your homeowners insurance renews. You pay the bill. Another year goes by.

But when was the last time you checked what other insurers would charge?

If you’ve used Insurify for auto insurance, you already know the idea: compare your options and see whether there’s a better fit for your budget. Now you can do the same for your home.

Insurify lets you compare home insurance quotes from multiple companies, giving you a way to explore potential savings without visiting each insurer’s website individually.

It’s free to compare, and you can weigh the price, coverage, and deductible against your current policy. Whether you’ve tried Insurify before or you’re starting fresh, here’s another household bill worth a second look.

See what you could save on home insurance.

➤ Statewide: Online raffle ticket sales are now legal in Pennsylvania after years of delays, giving fire companies and other nonprofits a long-sought way to raise money. (Read More)

➤ Also Statewide: Ads made with artificial intelligence will need a disclaimer in Pennsylvania under a law Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Thursday. It takes effect in 60 days and excludes political ads. (Read More)

➤ Johnstown: The Westwood Plaza Theatre & Café showed its last movies Thursday after 17 years under the Fleegle family, closing over a rent dispute with the property’s landlord. (Read More)

➤ Cheltenham: Latosha Ann Cooper, a longtime Walmart manager, was shot and killed by a masked suspect in the Wyncote store’s parking lot after her shift Wednesday. No arrests have been announced. (See Details)

➤ Monroe County: The Monroe County Waste Authority in Blakeslee is using a new machine to recycle Styrofoam, helping it reduce the waste it handles. (See Details)

➤ Millcreek Township: The Old Sterrettania Road bridge closed to all traffic for good yesterday after PennDOT inspections found it structurally deficient. It will be torn down, not replaced. (Read More)

➤ Pitt visits Miami today as a 20.5-point underdog, bringing the nation’s No. 1 run defense against the Hurricanes’ own second-ranked unit. The Panthers started 5-0 but have dropped two straight since losing quarterback Mason Heintschel. (More)

➤ LeBron James dismissed President Trump’s criticism of his apparent warmups during the national anthem before the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener earlier this week, calling it a “slow news day.” (More)

➤ The Steelers canceled a weekend fan event near the Bastille amid ongoing Paris riots. Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, the NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris, is set to go on as planned. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Could you handle an unexpected vet bill? Pet insurance may help cover eligible treatment costs when your furry companion gets sick or injured. Explore pet insurance options with Money.com, and compare costs, deductibles, and exclusions before choosing. See whether coverage makes sense for your pet and budget.

Flying together with our sponsor

Same Trusted Process. Another Place to Look for Savings.

Already compared your auto insurance through Insurify? Give your homeowners policy the same attention.

You don’t have to be moving or buying a house to explore your options. If you’ve been renewing the same policy year after year, comparing quotes can help you see how it stacks up today.

Your home is a major investment. Its insurance deserves more than an automatic renewal.

Compare home insurance quotes for free.

➤ A Mystic Pizza musical packed with ’80s and ’90s hits wraps up its run at the Scranton Cultural Center this weekend. It’s based on the 1988 movie that launched Julia Roberts’ career. (See Details)

➤ The voice of the Eagles for 50 seasons, 84-year-old Merrill Reese, was honored by Philadelphia City Council as the longest-serving play-by-play announcer in NFL history. He says he has no plans to retire. (Read More)

➤ Thirty food trucks will roll into Linvilla Orchards Nov. 7-8 for the final weekend of Pumpkinland, the Delaware County farm’s fall festival. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Could your next grocery trip cost less? When checkout totals squeeze your budget, a few changes to your shopping routine may help. Explore The Penny Hoarder’s grocery savings tips for ideas to try before your next store run. See which tips could work for your household.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country.

➤ What are the best and worst grocery stores in America? Shoppers just ranked them all. (Hear Ranking)

➤ The Trump administration has canceled some of its toughest tariffs on Canada, less than two weeks before the midterms. (Listen Now)

➤ Mexican prosecutors have filed treason charges over a CIA drug raid that left four people dead, escalating sovereignty tensions. (Hear Story)