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SEPTA's cuts will begin Sunday after fruitless funding discussions in Harrisburg. See how they will affect Media-area riders.

MEDIA, PA — After lawmakers in Harrisburg failed to secure funding for SEPTA and ushered in the transit authority's "doomsday" scenario, nearly three dozen bus routes will be cut this weekend, in addition to other service reductions.

SEPTA is cutting, reducing, or shortening bus and Regional Rail routes Sunday and Monday as a result of the lack of funding and its $213 million budget shortfall.

So how will this affect Media-area SEPTA bus riders?

Below are impacts to the bus routes that service the area:

Regional Rail

Trolley

SEPTA riders are urged to carefully plan their trips and allow for extra travel time due to the service changes. The transit authority said riders should use its trip planner function or the official app when traveling via SEPTA.

A 21.5 percent fare increase will be implemented on Sept. 1, as will a complete hiring freeze for all SEPTA jobs.

Should SEPTA still remain in the red, more austerity measures will be implemented Jan. 1, 2026.

There will be a significant reduction in trips on all rail services, an end to all special service including the Sports Express, 18 additional bus route eliminations, and a 9 p.m. curfew for all rail services.

The cutbacks will include the elimination of the Cynwyd, Chestnut Hill West, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, and Wilmington/Newark Regional Rail lines.

Riders can see full details of the service reductions online here.

The impact of the service cuts will be felt throughout the city and region, as reliable options for everyday travel to school and work are greatly diminished, SEPTA officials said.

The first round of cuts will begin the day before the students in the School District of Philadelphia arrive for the 2025-26 academic year on Aug. 25. Roughly 49,000 of them use SEPTA to get to and from school.

Additional cuts are possible in subsequent years, officials have said.

Efforts to stave off the funding crisis led SEPTA to take on aggressive austerity measures, including a freeze on management pay and cuts to third-party consultants, have resulted in savings of $30 million. Other measures, including a 7.5 percent fare increase and the resumption of paid parking at Regional Rail lots, are generating new revenue.

Reality TV star Billie Shepherd revealed she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease and said doctors believe she was bitten by an infected tick.

The former The Only Way Is Essex star, 35, told the Mirror that the symptoms of the illness came on suddenly.

“One day I was fine, the next I woke up with really bad pains in my elbows and my arms,” the mother-of-three said.

“I thought I must have slept funny. I tried to ignore it but as the days went on, the pain went all over my body to the point where I couldn’t even get out of bed. It was horrendous.

“I would have to crawl.

“Going to the toilet, I was in bits, I was hysterical, crying, because I was in so much pain.”

Shepherd – whose younger sister is Sam Faiers – starred alongside her sibling in ITVBe show The Mummy Diaries, which followed the ups and downs of their family lives.

The 35-year-old said she relied on her husband Greg Shepherd, who she has been married to since 2019, for support as she battled the illness.

“It was hard for me to sit on the toilet without Greg helping me,” she told the Mirror.

“It was so scary.”

According to the NHS, early symptoms of Lyme disease can be a circular rash, but this may not appear until up to three months after being bitten by an infected tick.

Shepherd said she first started noticing symptoms in January and that she went back and forth to doctors for about two months before being diagnosed with the infection, which she said she had “never heard of”.

“I had hard, red lumps all over my legs, which were so painful, a horrible rash on my back and extreme fatigue,” she said.

The worst of her symptoms, she said, was reactive arthritis, which she described as “the most intense, awful pain in my joints”.

Some people with Lyme disease develop more severe symptoms months or years later, the NHS website says, and a few people who are diagnosed continue to have symptoms, like tiredness, aches and loss of energy that can last for years.

Shepherd told the Mirror she is still suffering from fatigue.

She also told of the difficulty in telling her children, her two daughters Nelly, 11, and Margot, two, and eight-year-old son Arthur, about her illness.

“Kids are adaptable, but I was so poorly there’s no way they wouldn’t notice,” she said.

“I explained honestly why I wasn’t very well. Nelly understands, she’s on the ball and will ask if it’s Lyme disease that’s making me tired when I’m not feeling good.”

Shepherd said she hopes talking about her diagnosis in her upcoming show with Faiers will raise awareness of the condition, of which there are around 1,500 laboratory-confirmed cases in England and Wales each year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

She told the Mirror: “If I can raise awareness and offer others comfort at the same time, I’ll be happy.”

Sam And Billie: Sister Act starts on Tuesday 19 August at 9pm on ITV2.

Olympic 800 metres champion Keely Hodgkinson admits she has found it “upsetting” to be out of action for over a year.

The 23-year-old has not raced since claiming gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics after sustaining a hamstring injury in February, then suffering setbacks – twice-postponing her season debut.

Hodgkinson will return to the track on Saturday in the 800 metres at the Silesia Diamond League meet, though Hodgkinson’s signature event is not a “diamond” discipline in Poland.

“It’s been a frustrating year for real,” said Hodgkinson, who still hopes to be in fighting shape for the world championships in Tokyo, now less than one month away.

“Coming back into June, not being able to do anything and it had been so long, coming off the back of winning the Olympics last year, not ideal at all that I couldn’t even get on the start line.

“It’s definitely been a bit upsetting at times. Missing London was hardest for me, because it was so good last year. I just wanted to be there in front of my home crowd, especially coming back after the Olympics.

“It’s been frustrating but it makes the good times sweeter and it makes it even better to be here now.

“I think tomorrow is just a stepping stone on the way there. I’m looking forward to getting out there, just being competitive again. I’ve come out ready to go, so I’m just excited to put something together.”

Hodgkinson was forced to pull out of the inaugural edition of her eponymous Keely Klassic event in February, then the Stockholm and London Diamond Leagues.

It was at the latter last season that Hodgkinson set a new national record of one minute 54.61 seconds in the 800 metres, weeks before becoming just the third British female Olympic champion at the distance after Ann Packer and Dame Kelly Holmes.

Hodgkinson’s trip to Poland has already got off to a speedy start.

She revealed: “The guys yesterday, the organisers, picked us up in a Porsche, we get about 10 minutes in and they were like, ‘do you want to drive it?’

“I was like, ‘of course I want to drive it!’. He was actually being serious, so I got in the car and drove it all the way back. It was fun.”

Hodgkinson hopes to secure her first world title in Japan after back to back silvers at the last two championships, and is making the best of what remains in her control.

The Lausanne Diamond League on August 20th – where the 800 metres is a diamond discipline, is next up.

Hodgkinson added: “It’s been a long time. Over a year since Paris. It wasn’t my plan to be this late, but I’m just super happy to get back on the start line.

“I’ve missed it. I’ve missed it a lot. This is what I trained to do, so I can’t wait to go out there and just give it my absolute best and we’ll see what happens.”

Discussing a prenuptial agreement may not be the most romantic part of wedding planning – but it can be one of the most practical.

With many couples entering marriage with property, businesses, or children from previous relationships, prenups are becoming increasingly common.

But where do you even begin? We spoke to Amy Harris, legal director of the family team at independent law firm Brabners, who has broken down what a prenup is, what it involves and how to approach the conversation, so you can decide whether it’s the right step for you.

What actually is a prenup?

“A prenup is a legal agreement that’s signed by a couple before they get married or enter a civil partnership,” explains Harris. “These agreements are bespoke documents, so they can be different for every couple. However, typically they will outline what will happen to a couple’s assets and finances if that relationship ends, typically in divorce.”

While prenups are bespoke, they must adhere to certain legal requirements to be considered valid. For example, in the UK both parties must enter into it freely, without any pressure or duress from the other party.

“It’s really important there’s no duress or pressure to do it,” highlights Harris. “There should also be full financial disclosure as well, so that both parties are entering into agreement with full knowledge as to what the other person has.

“In addition, both parties should get independent legal advice. It’s really important that anybody entering into a prenups understands what it says and the implications of it for them as well.”

Should everyone get a prenup?

While prenuptial agreements can be beneficial for many people, couples should carefully consider the costs and benefits before deciding if one is right for them.

“It’s something which is available for anybody who wants one, but you have to think about the cost of it as well,” says Harris. “For a lot of people, it might be disproportionate to think about the cost of having a prenup, because they are bespoke documents and there is certain things that we have to do in terms of the advice process to get them across the line.

“I think prenups are most valuable for people who have something to protect that’s valuable to them, like a property or a business. So, it may not be suitable for absolutely everyone, but it’s certainly something worth thinking about.”

Harris also highlights that the circumstances and reasons why people enter into a prenup are wide ranging.

“A lot of younger people tend to have more of a business-like approach to marriage,” says Harris. “We’re not in a situation anymore where the man is always the main earner, it’s likely that a couple are both working independently and have both got their own assets that they want to protect.”

However, she says that prenups still tend to be more common for older adults.

“Prenups are more common amongst people later in life, so those who might have established assets and careers,” says Harris. “They might have had a difficult first divorce and want to protect their assets. We often see that they are also keen to protect businesses that they’ve built over a long time.”

Harris has also observed that recent changes to inheritance tax have prompted more couples to take a strategic approach to protecting their wealth.

“We’re finding with our clients that nuptial agreements are becoming a greater part of a family’s plan,” says Harris. “So, they are considering more gifting of interest in businesses and farms and things like that, and restructuring companies and shares and all that sort of stuff. But they’re doing so on the provison that there is a nuptial agreement in place.”

Are prenups 100% legally binding?

“It’s important to say that, prenups are not 100% binding in England and Wales,” highlights Harris. “However, they are likely to be taken into account by the court if there was a full disclosure of assets, it was entered voluntarily, both parties had legal advice and everybody’s had time to consider the agreement carefully.”

The agreement also needs to be fair.

“You couldn’t have an agreement which says, I keep everything and you get nothing, for example,” says Harris. “So, in those circumstances, when you’ve done all the right things and the agreement is fair, it’s more likely to be upheld than not.”

How can people approach the idea of a prenup with their partner?

It can sometimes be helpful to refer to a prenup as an “insurance policy”.

“I think that’s the best analogy that I’ve found because people insure their house, but they don’t do so on the basis that they’re ever expecting their house to burn down, for them to need to claim on the insurance,” says Harris. “So by doing a prenup, you’re not tempting fate or saying divorce is likely. It’s just a sensible, mature and pragmatic thing to.”

She has also noticed that a lot of clients tend to frame prenups as financial planning.

“For a lot of the prenups I have done this year it has been framed very much as financial planning, whether that’s saying, oh my dad’s making me do it, or it’s part of some broader goal,” reflects Harris. “I think it’s also important to get the message across that a prenup is trying to protect both parties and is providing clarity, transparency and peace of mind.

“I have had a lot of clients who have said ‘I know now if the worst happens, I know I’m going to be okay, because we’ve had that discussion, and there’s openness around it’. I think it is really helpful and sensible to sit down and have those financial discussions at the start of a marriage, because so many people get divorced and don’t even have a basic grasp of what the other person has.”

Who should you seek advice from about a prenup?

It is crucial to consult with a specialist prenuptial agreement lawyer when considering a prenup to ensure the agreement is legally sound, fair, and tailored to your specific circumstances.

“It’s important to try and speak to the right specialist, so somebody who does a lot of these sorts of agreements,” advises Harris. “It’s about having a good connection and a good rapport with the person, and obviously checking out that they do have the relevant expertise to assist with the agreement, because it can obviously have a huge impact on people’s future.”

A boy with a rare skin condition which can cause damage with even the smallest amount of friction has been given hope after taking part in a trial for the first potential treatment for the genetic disorder.

Gabrielius Misurenkovas, 12, from east London, was diagnosed with an inflammatory disease called recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) when he was a baby.

Many symptoms of the painful condition have been alleviated thanks to a new trial in which he received certain stem cells via an intravenous drip.

The rare genetic disease is severely debilitating.

People with the condition have extremely fragile skin which is easily damaged, leading to blistering, deep wounds and scarring.

About 150 children in the UK are affected by RDEB, which is painful and causes itchiness.

With no disease-modifying treatment available, patients and their families manage symptoms by dressing wounds and applying eye ointments.

Over time, the condition can lead to severe complications and many patients with the condition develop a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma when they are young adults – this is the most common cause of death for RDEB patients.

Gabrielius has been under the care of medics at the world-renowned children’s hospital Great Ormond Street (GOSH) since he was a baby.

He said he jumped at the chance to join the clinical trial when it was suggested by his doctors.

“I wanted to take part in the trial as I was excited to see if it could help improve my condition and so I could do more of the things I enjoy, like playing football and spending time with my friends,” he said.

The youngster, who can speak three languages and is a big fan of footballer Lionel Messi, needed his bandages changing three times a day, or more if he was injured.

His mother, Jolita Cekaviciene, said: “Gabrielius did really well on the trial.

“His wounds healed quicker, and his skin was less red and inflamed.

“His skin was also less itchy which also reduced him scratching.

“His sleep was also less disturbed as he didn’t need to have his special wound dressings changed as often, so this was a great benefit.”

She said Gabrielius has managed to do a few things that he was not able to before the treatment, including taking part in some sports at school, riding his bike in the park on the grass, and being able to play football with his friends, with a soft ball.

Ms Cekaviciene said the trial has given her son more freedom than before, but he still needs to be careful in any activity to avoid falling over or bumps.

Gabrielius was referred to GOSH as a baby after medics spotted a wound when he was born, and he was diagnosed with RDEB when he was two weeks old.

Ms Cekaviciene said: “The first two years were really hard as you had to watch him constantly – even rubbing his eyes could cause painful blistering.

“He couldn’t even tell us how much pain he was in or where he was hurting.”

RDEB is a genetic condition which is caused by a fault in the gene that makes a protein which holds layers of skin together – collagen VII.

Medics wanted to assess whether regular infusions with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) improved symptoms for children with the condition, after studies suggested that MSC treatments could promote wound healing, reduce inflammation and stimulate tissue regeneration.

In the trial, funded by NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the charity Cure EB, children were given a treatment called CORDStrom, manufactured by INmuneBio.

Gabrielius is one of 30 children who took part in the new clinical trial at GOSH and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Patients would go into hospital and have a drip which delivers the cells over 10 to 15 minutes.

In the study patients were split into two groups, about half were given the treatment, which is made from umbilical cord tissue, as an infusion, twice over two weeks.

The other half were given a placebo, also known as a dummy drug.

They then had a nine-month gap, known as a wash-out period, where the group that were initially given the dummy drug were given the treatment, while the group that received therapy first were given a dummy drug.

The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, reported a positive outcome of the treatment.

The largest effects were in children under the age of 10, and in the children with intermediate type of RDEB.

Families involved in the study reported a positive impact on daily life and well-being, with a reduction in both pain and itching.

The treatment was said to be well tolerated by the children.

INmuneBio have agreed to provide CORDStrom free of charge for a year for all children who took part in the trial, so researchers can continue to study them, and patients are expected to get two infusions of the treatment every four months.

The company is seeking regulatory approval for the treatment so it can be approved for use in the UK and other countries.

Chief investigator of the study, Dr Anna Martinez, paediatric dermatologist at GOSH, said: “Our study has demonstrated that CORDStrom was safe and can help reduce disease activity in some patients with RDEB.

“Administering the treatment early and at regular intervals appears to reduce itch and improve wound healing, which over time we hope will reduce inflammation, modify the condition and may reduce over time the future risk of squamous cell carcinoma.

“It’s fantastic to see how the patients, like Gabrielius, had improvements in their symptoms and their quality of life.”

She added: “The 12-month open label study will allow us to collect more data to hopefully show an increased benefit from treatments administered in children and young people with RDEB, to continue research in support of the treatment being rolled out more widely.”

Sharmila Collins, founder trustee of Cure EB, said: “Since funding the first trial and by contributing to Mission EB we have been working towards bringing MSC infusions forward for all children in the UK with RDEB.

“We hope these cells will become part of routine clinical care to alleviate the significant suffering of children with this condition.”