Philly Coronavirus News: Many of You Should Get Your Stimulus Money Today
Plus, meet the Philly judge who is fighting every single coronavirus-based inmate request for release.
A masked bicyclist rides by a masked Rocky statue in Philadelphia on April 14th, just as Philadelphians began to receive their federal coronavirus stimulus money. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A roundup of Philly coronavirus news.
Your Coronavirus Stimulus Money May Be Sitting In Your Bank Account This Morning
Well, Philly. There is plenty of bad news to wake up to. But it’s also possible that your federal stimulus money has suddenly landed in your bank account.
Millions of Americans reportedly received their stimulus money overnight, and Philly Mag has spoken with several Philadelphians who found theirs in their bank account this morning.
If you previously filed your federal taxes using your bank account information, stop whatever you are doing and go have a look at your balance. Those who’ve opted to have the IRS send tax refunds by mail will have to wait for a check to arrive, but Donald Trump fans will relish in the fact that his name will (quite controversially) be on that check.
You can track your federal stimulus payment (it’s technically called the Economic Impact Payment) by going to the IRS site. Just enter your name, social security number, street address, and zip code, and the IRS will tell you when to expect your money.
Oh, and if you haven’t filed your tax returns yet — most people will have to do this before they’ll see a lick of stimulus money — you can still do so. And then just get in line.
Wondering what amount will be on your stimulus check? The feds are paying out up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. So a couple with two children could see $3,400.
Philly Judge Anne Marie Coyle, who has denied every coronavirus-based inmate release request in front of her. (Photo via the Philadelphia Courts)
This Philly Judge Won’t Approve Coronavirus-Based Jail Releases
If you’re the type of person who got really angry the other day when we told you that judges were releasing hundreds of Philly inmates due to overcrowded prisons and other factors in the coronavirus era, have we got the judge for you!
Meet Common Pleas Court Judge Anne Marie Coyle, a Republican who has been on the bench in Philly since 2013. While some judges have granted inmate requests that have come before them due to the coronavirus — judges have released more than 300 inmates over the last week — Judge Coyle has denied every single one.
And so, the Defender Association has informed the courts that it intends to withdraw all of the inmate-release cases it has before her. A battle is brewing.
The Inquirer has the full story, which includes some questionable decisions from Coyle’s history on the bench.
Philly Bars Could Be Much Emptier After Coronavirus
When non-essential businesses are allowed to begin reopening, there will probably be some pretty stiff social distancing requirements in place, at least temporarily. And so what’s that going to look like for the Philly bar scene? How weird will it be to go into a popular bar on a Friday night and see many fewer people and much more space?
One Philly bar owner we spoke with said that he expects to have to limit his capacity to about 40 people. This is a bar that can get a crowd of 150 or more on a good night.
“It sucks, but I have no choice,” he told us. (The bar owner asked that we not use his name.) He also half-jokingly added “and no coughs or fevers!”
Of course, anybody who tells you they know when the bars will be allowed to reopen is probably full of it. Some bars owners we spoke with are still hoping that they can reopen by May 1st, with social restrictions in place. Others say they feel like they’ll be lucky to reopen by Memorial Day.
