philadelphia
Report: Philly’s Black maternal morbidity rates ‘among the highest in the nation’
According to a new report by Blue Cross/Blue Shield as part of its Health of America Report series, severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rates in Philadelphia are nearly 190 percent higher for Black women compared to white women.
Philly Council unveils anti-violence plan aimed at city youth
The plan comes as 822 school-aged youth in Philadelphia have been injured or killed by gun violence since January 2020.
For Black cowboys – from inner-city Philly to small-town Texas – horses and riding are a way of life | Opinion
A Swarthmore College professor explains how his photographs of Philadelphia’s urban riding clubs ended up becoming a broader project on the Black cowboy experience in America.
Plastic bag preemption suit takes aim at long time Harrisburg dealmaking mechanism
A legal challenge filed by Pennsylvania local governments to eliminate a state law blocking them from regulating single-use plastics could also threaten Harrisburg dealmaking as we know it. The suit, filed in Commonwealth Court in March by the cities of Philadelphia and West Chester, the township of Lower Merion, and the borough of Narberth, argues […]
Systemic racism still festering inside city’s courts, Black judges say during legislative hearing
By Michael D’Onofrio Legislators unloaded on the leaders of the city’s court system Monday for their absence from a hearing on a bombshell report that detailed a “troubling pattern of racial resentment” and nepotism in the courts. Court of Common Pleas President Judge Idee C. Fox drew the ire of legislators for her refusal to […]
Philadelphia legislator calls for making every Friday ‘Shop Black Business Friday’
Legislators introduced a non-binding resolution on Thursday that would declare the end of each workweek in December “Shop Black Business Friday” in the city. The resolution could be passed as soon as next week.
City leaders respond to West Philly police shooting
The incident occurred on the 6100 block of Locust Street. Police said they were called to a home on the block for a man with a weapon. When they arrived, they found a man, later identified as 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr., holding a knife.
Diversity is up among Philadelphia’s municipal workers
Diverse employees accounted for almost 53% percent of the City’s salaried workforce in FY19, a 1 percent increase from 2018. While the review shows that there are improvements over last year but City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart said the numbers could be better.
With Pa. primary looming amidst COVID and protests, Wolf extends mail-in ballot deadline for 6 counties
Wolf cited COVID-19 concerns and continued protests as his reason for extending that deadline. The polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. in Pennsylvania’s rescheduled primary election, though a flood of mail-in ballots is expected.
As protests spread statewide, Wolf urges Pennsylvanians to ‘speak your mind and speak it with peace’
“We need to work constantly to eliminate racism,” Wolf said during a Sunday briefing, “from the smallest thought, to the biggest action."
Tensions high in Philadelphia jails as court hearings face delays and case numbers mount
Henry Jackson had a mid-April court date on a parole violation. With courts closed because of COVID-19, he and others are in limbo.
In Philly, library advocates demand $19.3M in new funding ahead of budget negotiations
On Monday, the nonprofit volunteer group Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia unveiled a six-point plan that calls for Kenney and City Council to boost the library’s current $49 million budget to pay for staffing ($12 million), infrastructure upgrades ($5 million each year for the next five years), training, resources, and extending six-day service throughout the year.