“Eds and Meds” have long been considered the driving economic forces in Philadelphia. With over 80 colleges and universities in the region, as well as a multitude of hospital systems, education and…
Category: Policy
Council proposal would add protections for adjacent property construction
Updated 5/10/21 to include comment from Philadelphia L&I. For a city that’s known for its iconic rowhouses – by some counts, up to 70% of its housing stock – Philadelphia doesn’t have…
Philadelphia’s city council addresses gun violence
Philadelphia’s city council met Monday, March 29, to discuss the rising epidemic of gun crimes. There have currently been 120 homicides in 2021 according to the Office of the Controller, a 25%…
Joint Committee discusses COVID-19 in prisons
Prison officials in Philadelphia announced Monday that while COVID-19 cases are down, supplies are in high demand for both staff and inmates. After an original meeting in December 2020, the City Council…
Philadelphia Police Acquiring Digital Extraction Technology that Raises Ethical Concerns
The Philadelphia Police Department has proposed using a software to access locked cell phones that could raise legal and ethical issues, experts say — though the technology is already in use by…
Grassroots organizations demand funds for gun violence prevention 🔉
This week, grassroots organizations and community leaders demanded more city funding for gun violence prevention. Reclaim Philadelphia and CeasefirePA both held events ahead of Mayor Jim Kenney’s budget proposal on April 15th. …
Pennsylvania completes effort to vaccinate school staff
This past Friday, Gov. Tom Wolf declared that the state’s effort to vaccinate a majority of school staff has been successful. Wolf announced that more than 112,500 teachers and school staff received…
Monroe County DA says lethal force justified; family lawyers dispute report 🔉
On Tuesday, a Monroe County district attorney found that the killing of Christian Hall by Pennsylvania State police was justified. Now, the lawyers for Hall’s family are disputing that finding and calling…
Pennsylvania Department of Education to study the pandemic’s impact on schools
This past Saturday, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that Pennsylvania is one of seven states to be awarded a nearly $1 million federal grant that will go toward studying the impact…
Supreme Court rules against Ford, broadens jurisdiction in consumer lawsuits
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that consumers injured by defective Ford vehicles can sue in the states where accidents occur, a unanimous decision that challenges the Court’s historical interpretation of jurisdiction. The…