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Philly Free Library takes steps to turn page on fines for overdue items
Fines make up a fraction of the library’s $49 million budget. They fell to $148,000 last year from $421,000 in 2012.
Healthcare workers, union officials decry Philly’s changing healthcare industry landscape
So-called “Bad actors” were scooping up healthcare facilities throughout the Philadelphia region, threatening to trigger shocks to the industry similar to the sudden closure of Hahnemann Hospital.
Philly Mayor Frank Rizzo’s statue won’t be moved until ‘first quarter of calendar year 2022’
The statute of the former Philadelphia mayor is a subject of controversy -- and a frequent target of vandalism.
Philly Mayor Jim Kenney pushes back rollout of ‘fair workweek’ law as critics cry foul
The Kenney administration postponed the full rollout of the new labor protections to July 1, with part of the law going into effect earlier.
Trucks vs. Bridges: A dangerous and costly collision straining state budgets
They damage valuable infrastructure, create epic traffic jams and can be hazardous for other drivers who may be pelted with fallen debris or forced to swerve into another car.
Under threat from mayor, City Council agrees to push back start date of changes to tax abatement
On Thursday, City Council advanced a proposal to phase out the subsidy incrementally for residential construction, with the legislation going into effect on Dec. 31, 2020.
Philly Mayor Jim Kenney threatens to kill tax abatement bill
The current City Council bill has enough support to override a veto and make it law, but it doesn't have enough time.
Philly City Council committee tables bill to subsidize lead remediation costs for landlords
The delay won the blessing of the proposal’s main sponsor, at-large Councilman David Oh, a Republican.
Johnson-Harrell case trips up Dems in the 190th District — again
Wednesday during a press conference where Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that Johnson-Harrell, winner of a March special election, would give up her seat in the state House and plead guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from her nonprofit. Expected to resign at any time, Johnson-Harrell’s fall comes on the heels of the 2018 resignation of Lowery Brown, who was convicted on bribery charges in October 2018.
Tax-abatement reforms on track for final Philly Council vote by year’s end
The proposal would reduce the overall tax break by nearly half and generate an estimated $270 million in city revenue over a decade.
Philly program aims to bolster number of minority teachers
The program — Aspire to Educate — will provide free or reduced tuition, and mentoring and training to students of color who plan to attend one of seven participating colleges or universities and become educators after they graduate.
Philly’s real estate industry mobilizes to lobby City Council on 10-year tax abatement proposal
The draft bill, proposed by Council President Darrell Clarke, would grant property owners the full 100 percent tax abatement in the first year, then cut the size of the subsidy to 90 percent in the second year, 80 percent in the third year, 70 percent in the fourth year, and so on.