Media Mentions
CHOP doctor struck and killed by speeding driver as she biked near Rittenhouse Square
Barbara Friedes’ life and career were always driven by altruism, those who knew her said. From the moment her husband-to-be, Cole, sat behind her in organic chemistry class at Florida State University, he said, he knew she was special. She was magnetic, he said,...
Dr. Barbara Friedes, 30, Killed In Philly Crash
Barbara Ann Friedes, 30, was struck from behind by a 2018 Volkswagen on the 1800 block of Spruce Street around 7 p.m., Philadelphia police wrote in a release. The Volkswagen then hit three parked cars before coming to a rest, police continued. Friedes was taken to...
County officials, housing advocates upset by popular home repair program’s omission from state budget
A home repair program once passed as a landmark bipartisan initiative failed to receive funding in this year’s state budget, disappointing many county officials and housing and energy advocates. “Indications at the establishment of this initial funding round were such...
Patient actors at Thomas Jefferson University who unionized this year hold rally for new contract
A group of workers at Thomas Jefferson University who are paid to simulate patients for medical students celebrated a victory earlier this year when they won a union election. But six months later, they say they're struggling to be taken seriously in bargaining...
Benjamin Rush Garden re-opens with a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II
When the British Consul General arrived at 3rd and Walnut streets on a drizzly Friday morning for a ribbon cutting of the newly imagined Benjamin Rush Garden, she felt right at home. Not only is the garden dominated by a bell donated in 1976 by Queen Elizabeth II, but...
After SCOTUS OK’s Criminalization of Homelessness, Pennsylvania Democrats Plan Legislative Response to Protect Rights of the Unhoused
“Who sits there and thinks, with all the needs we have in America, of criminalizing the homeless?” wonders Pastor Robert Brown of Bristol’s Bible Evangelical Methodist Church after learning that the United States Supreme Court approved punishing those experiencing...
Pa. Democrats plan to introduce legislation to counter Supreme Court’s ruling on criminalizing homelessness
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Democratic senators in Pennsylvania are drafting a bill to prevent the criminalization of homelessness in the state after the Supreme Court recently ruled that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places.
Pennsylvania Senators Propose Legislation to Protect Homeless from Criminalization
HARRISBURG, PA — In response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, several Pennsylvania state senators announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at preventing the criminalization of homelessness. The proposed law would counteract the Supreme Court’s decision in...
Pa. Democrats rail against Supreme Court homeless decision
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson that cities can punish people for sleeping in public has some Democrats in Pennsylvania seething. The high court said laws regulating camping on public property does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment,”...
2024 Senate Climate Solutions Letter
Dear Democratic Senate Leaders, As the 2024 budget season kicks into high gear, we are writing to ask that you work to ensure that renewable energy legislation and climate solution policies currently pending in the legislature are included in any final budget...
‘Woefully behind’: Pa. advocates hope more support for historic revitalization is part of the state’s budget
Preservationists and developers are keeping their fingers crossed for new state funding to revitalize historic buildings. Two bills introduced this month would significantly raise the annual cap for the state’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, a public...
Pa. Senate approves bill supporting Israel, Shapiro spox says gov supports measure
HARRISBURG — State Senators approved a bill protecting Pennsylvania’s investments in Israel and related companies, one that would allow lawmakers to withhold potentially millions in funds from any university that would choose to divest in protest of the Israel-Hamas...
Pa. Senate passes bill barring state and higher education divestments from Israel
Student protests on college campuses called on universities to pull their investments from Israel over the war in Gaza. While some schools agreed to at least discuss divestment, Pennsylvania higher education institutions will not have the choice if a bill continues...
Housing and Education Go Hand in Hand in Our Vision for a Healthy Pennsylvania
House Democrats, with support from some Republican colleagues, made major headway in Harrisburg with the passing of our education funding bill (HB2370) that would clear the path for equitable access to an adequate and fully funded education for every child. After...
Pennsylvania progressives resolute in Palestinian support
(The Center Square) – Recent critical remarks from top-ranking state officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, have not deterred Palestinian support among progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups in Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill,...
The Best Places to Sit in Town, According to These Philly Celebs
From a park bench to a sky-high restaurant table to a simple seat on a SEPTA bus, here’s where notable Philadelphians prefer sitting. We reached out to some notable Philadelphians to discover their favorite spots to sit and soak in the city. From a park bench to a...
Pa. state Sen. Nikil Saval plans to finally read ‘Ulysses’ on Bloomsday
This weekend, the Rosenbach Library and Museum is hosting its annual marathon reading of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” an event held every year on June 16, or Bloomsday, the calendar day experienced by Leopold Bloom during the entirety of the novel. The Rosenbach owns...
June 13: Rust Belt Strategy
“President Joe Biden’s most likely path to re-election is a narrow one that relies on the same three states that gave Donald Trump the Oval Office in 2016 and then yanked it away from him in 2020 — Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — along with a single electoral...
Dozens arrested as hundreds of Aramark workers protested in Center City
Hundreds of cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers and concessions workers employed by Aramark protested in Center City on Wednesday, June 12. The workers, represented by UNITE Here Local 274, gathered on the bridge near the Aramark global headquarters along 24th and...
Pa. state senator arrested during rally over wages, benefits of Philly stadium workers
State Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) was among around 50 people arrested Wednesday during a protest in south Philadelphia at a rally in protest of Aramark’s treatment of Philadelphia stadium workers, his office said in a news release. Hundreds of people rallied...
50 arrests made during Aramark workers protest in Center City
UNIVERSITY CITY - Union organizers say about 50 people were arrested protesting outside Aramark’s corporate headquarters in Center City on Wednesday. Food service workers from Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park and Wells Fargo Center were calling for higher...
Pa. state senator among dozens arrested during Aramark protest outside Philadelphia headquarters
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Dozens of people were arrested Wednesday afternoon during a protest outside Aramark's headquarters in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval was among the protesters arrested while calling for better wages and health care. Workers...
PA Senator Speaks Out After Arrest At Aramark Protest: ‘Their Fight Is My Fight’
A Pennsylvania State Senator was one of dozens of protestors arrested in Philadelphia this week, and he's speaking out. Represented by UNITE Here Local 274, food service workers from Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field, and Citizens Bank Park picketed at the...
46 people arrested during Aramark workers protest that blocked Market Street
Hundreds of Aramark workers blocked off Market Street in a massive demonstration at rush hour Wednesday. Demonstrators gathered on the bridge outside of Aramark's headquarters at 24th and Market streets beginning at 4 p.m., and disrupted traffic by sitting in the...
At least 45 Aramark food workers arrested during Center City demonstration for better pay and health benefits
Union members working for Aramark at the South Philadelphia sports complex conducted a “civil disobedience” protest in Center City late Wednesday afternoon, with at least 45 participants arrested as they disrupted rush-hour traffic to draw attention to their...
Market Street Bridge reopens after Aramark workers’ protest stopped traffic in Center City Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Aramark workers blocked traffic in Center City Philadelphia for a short time Wednesday evening. Workers protested at Aramark's global headquarters at 24th and Market streets and on the Market Street Bridge, which connects University City and...
Aramark workers protest
Striking Aramark food-service workers protest during rush hour in Philly on Wed., June 12th.
Closure of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts Triggers Attorney General Review
The University of the Arts in Philadelphia abruptly closed its doors at the end of the spring semester last week and fired around 600 faculty members, spurring a review by the office of Pennsylvania’s attorney general. “We’re closed,” a statement on the university’s...
University of the Arts’ sudden closure draws state, city reviews
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office is reviewing the abrupt shutdown, while Philadelphia’s city council is planning a hearing over the matter.
Hundreds Laid Off from Philadelphia’s UArts in Conference Call on Last Day of Operations
Some 600 staffers at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts were laid off on a conference call Friday, on what the college said was its final day of operations. According to local media reports, some staffers were given the option to work through the end of June. On...
600+ University of the Arts faculty and staff laid off on the school’s chaotic final day; hundreds rally
The University of the Arts, an institution with roots dating back nearly 150 years, laid off 613 staff members Friday on its chaotic, final day of formal existence. “We are confirming that the university is closing today, June 7, as previously announced — this means...
Closure of Philadelphia Art School Spurs Review by State Attorney General
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office and state lawmakers said Friday that they were reviewing the abrupt closure of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which blindsided students and faculty members. “We are very concerned by the sudden closure of the...
A Philadelphia arts college closes abruptly, leaving students reeling
Last week’s sudden announcement that the longstanding University of the Arts in Philadelphia would permanently close June 7 sent shockwaves through the school community. The news came amid generational challenges to higher education, from declining enrollment to...
‘Stand up, fight back’: UArts students and faculty mark the abrupt end of a 150-year-old Philly institution
Philadelphia police temporarily shut down the southbound lanes of Broad Street Friday afternoon so that around 1,000 students, faculty and alumni of the University of the Arts could take a final group photo on the day their school closed for good. But first, there...
Philadelphia’s UArts Hit with Class-Action Lawsuit Amid Sudden Closure
Just days after announcing its sudden closure, Philadelphia’s University of the Arts was hit with a class action lawsuit by nine of its employees, including several professors and department directors. The news was first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. The...
Philadelphia’s University of the Arts suddenly closes, prompting president’s resignation, student protests and a class action lawsuit
The sudden closure of the University of the Arts (UArts) has sent shockwaves through the Philadelphia art community and the US arts education field. Outcry over the suddenness of the closure—announced on 31 May, taking effect on 7 June—has led to the resignation of...
Students, advocates, and elected officials rally for dedicated afterschool program funding
HARRISBURG, JUNE 5 -- A coalition of elected officials, students and advocates rallied in the state Capitol today to support a dedicated funding source for after-school programs across Pennsylvania. Led by Sunrise of Philadelphia, a community-based after-school...
‘A crown jewel’: Questions, anger, and a lawsuit threat follow University of the Arts’ announcement of imminent closure
As University of the Arts trustees met Saturday to deal with the school’s shocking, imminent closure, the prevalent question among students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni was effectively summarized by Bradley Philbert, an adjunct professor. “How,” Philbert asked,...
‘A fragile financial state’: University of the Arts to close next week
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — University of the Arts will close its doors for good on June 7. “I’m shocked for sure, disappointed… just really sad,” said Ev Dowling, a rising senior at the University of Arts studying musical theater. He only had one year left at the...
Sen. Fetterman Wants to Take PA’s Whole-Home Repairs Program to the National Level
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WENY) -- Whether you live in a rural or urban area, maintaining your home can be difficult and costly. With rising repair and utility costs, homeowners and renters are often forced to live with leaky roofs, lead paint, mold and other health and...