State has confirmed six measles-related deaths and county at center of outbreak lacks its own health department

The county at the center of Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak is at a clear disadvantage because, local officials say, it lacks its own health department and it will now get special assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania had confirmed 1,222 measles cases, up from 86 the week before. Six measles-associated deaths have also been confirmed by the state.

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© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

The organization We Are the Seeds began planting as part of a push to return land sovereignty to Indigenous people

Xiao Hui Star kneeled on her haunches, with her hands in the dirt as she cleared a spot to plant a flowering perennial in late summer. Surrounding her was a native garden replete with golden sunflowers, beans, squash, pawpaw and corn. She ruffled tufts of sweetgrass, which emitted a vanilla-like fragrance. Birds fluttered by and swooped down into a small bath filled with hard clam shells. Sandwiched between a brick home and a playground in west Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, the native garden featured plants endemic to the region.

“These are very special endangered varieties that we are rematriating back to the soil,” said Star, who is part of Rhode Island’s Narragansett tribe. She is also the manager of new initiatives at the Philadelphia-based organization We Are the Seeds, which hosts public events and education on Indigenous arts and culture. “Who knows how many centuries it’s been since a Lenape corn or a Nanticoke squash have grown in this soil.”

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© Photograph: Melissa Hellmann/The Guardian

© Photograph: Melissa Hellmann/The Guardian

© Photograph: Melissa Hellmann/The Guardian

To celebrate, Boy Throb made its first live appearance as a foursome at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey.

© Bryan Anselm for The New York Times

Four battleground congressional districts in the state reveal fault lines that are echoing nationwide.

© Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times

In Pennsylvania, four congressional districts exemplify the types of seats that Democrats are aiming to flip. Our national political correspondent Shane Goldmacher explains.

Nicole Noren says ESPN sidelined investigations into sports betting companies as gambling partnerships reshaped the network’s priorities

Earlier this week, investigative journalist Nicole Noren did something almost impossible for someone who has spent her career behind the scenes.

She made herself the story.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Toru Utsumi, 60, works as a management consultant, but on his days off, he has become a global internet star — despite some local disapproval.

© Louise Delmotte for The New York Times

Toru Utsumi has won more than a million fans on TikTok and Instagram with short, fancy-free videos.

© Louise Delmotte for The New York Times