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You can sign up now to pay for SEPTA rides with your phone

SEPTA is about to launch the second testing phase for tech that will allow people to pay with their smartphone, on all transit modes except Regional Rail.

• Riders who sign up for the pilot can connect their SEPTA Key account to their phone and use it for bus or train fare without any need for a physical card.

A full mobile ticketing rollout (except Regional Rail) is expected this fall, reports Lizzy McLellan Ravitch, who has all the details about signing up for the pilot.

Vinyl is flying off Philly record store shelves — thanks to Gen-Z

Record stores and vinyl printers can’t keep up with demand, as local teens and young adults flock to records for their old-school look and sound.

• Stevie Wonder and Billie Eilish are fan favorites at record stores across Philly. One of the biggest sellers is Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors,” which is always in demand at Manayunk’s Main Street Music.

“There’s something so fun and magical about having tangible music,” one ~youth~ told contributor Davis Giangulio about her love of vintage sounds.

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• The FDA is trying to conserve doses of the monkeypox vaccine, so Philly will only get 700 of the 3,600 vials it was expecting. Meanwhile, cases continue to rise by nearly 50% per week. [WHYY/6ABC/Phila Gov]
• Pa. lawmakers are considering two bills that would open primary elections to independent voters. Right now, we’re one of just nine states that still have closed primaries. [Spotlight/Billy Penn]
• After concerns over inequity with a new system that used written essays, the Philly School District is bringing back standardized testing as selection criteria for magnet schools — with a reevaluated minimum score. [WHYY/Chalkbeat]
• Speeding violations have dropped 90% on Roosevelt Boulevard since it got red light cameras. But the program still needs to be renewed by the state, or it’ll expire in October 2023 (which is long before the area could get a subway). [Axios/Billy Penn]
• The Philadelphia Folk Festival is back for its 60th anniversary this weekend in Collegeville. Organizers say it’s the oldest continuously run outdoor music festival in North America. [Folk Fest/WHYY]
• Pretzels with beer → pretzels IN beer. Auntie Anne’s and Evil Genius are releasing an Oktoberfest lager called “Is Butter a Carb?” (h/t “Mean Girls”). Yes, it’s brewed with actual soft pretzels. [Wooder Ice/Mashable]

MAYOR WATCH

The Community College of Philadelphia is launching a new tech hub in West Philly called the Career and Advanced Technology Center, and Mayor Kenney joins the grand opening ceremony (10 a.m.).

Afternoon takes the mayor from local to international as he attends two events highlighting the first shipping service from PhilaPort to Asia. It’s by Taiwanese transport giant Wan Hai Lines, whose reps first gather at the port to see off the maiden call (10:30 a.m.), then head to the Union League for a welcome luncheon (12 p.m.).

ON THE CALENDAR