Newsroom
PA Legislators Announce New Higher Education Oversight in Wake of University of the Arts Closure
Shapiro ‘confident’ 76ers arena will remain in Philadelphia
Despite news reports that New Jersey is trying to woo the 76ers to build a new arena in Camden, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said he’s confident the team will remain in Philadelphia. “The mayor is the lead on this, together with city council. We’re in...
Pennsylvania’s historic preservation incentive received a huge boost this summer
In a summer filled with explosive political news, even the most assiduous media consumer may have missed the Pennsylvania legislature increasing the value of the state’s historic tax credit. This policy is meant to provide resources to developers to renovate buildings...
Shuttered UArts in Philadelphia Faces $50 Million Debt Repayment Demand
Turmoil continues to surround the abrupt closure of the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia just over two months ago, at the end of the Spring semester. The shuttered school is now subject to a demand for immediate repayment of a more than $50 million debt,...
The Hotelification of Offices, With Signature Scents and Saltwater Spas
Visitors to the Springline complex in Menlo Park, Calif., are surrounded by a sense of comfort and luxury often found at high-end hotels: off-white walls with a Roman clay finish, a gray-and-white marble coffee table and a white leather bench beneath an 8-by-4 resin...
Sereyrath ‘One’ Van emigrated to Philly in 1984 as his family fled genocide. Advocates are fighting his deportation
Sereyrath Van, known to many as “One,” has no memories outside U.S. soil. Now, the 44-year-old is fighting an order from Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) that would deport him to Cambodia — a country Van has never visited. Van had a check-in with ICE on...
Community leaders rally as ICE detains Philadelphia man
Despite a month-long campaign coordinated by Southeast Asian community leaders and immigration advocates, federal authorities detained a man last week and appear to be preparing to deport him to a country he has never visited. Sereyrath “One” Van, 44, was born in a...
The Fight Continues Against Criminalization of Homelessness
The Supreme Court’s momentous ruling last month in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case removed a key protection for unhoused people, allowing criminalization even when there is no available shelter. While some Democrats condemned the decision, several leaders on the West...
The Supreme Court’s Grants Pass Decision Has Lit a Fire Under Homeless Advocacy Groups
The Supreme Court’s momentous June ruling in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case removed a key protection for unhoused people, allowing criminalization even when there is no available shelter. While some Democrats condemned the decision, several leaders on the West Coast,...
Opinion: New pipeline safety rules must be enacted for the health of current and future generations
The blue flame on the stovetops in millions of American homes is fed by a web of some 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines crisscrossing the country – including some 90,000 miles of these conduits in Pennsylvania. Regulated by an outdated set of standards, many of...
Want Students To Succeed? Give Them Safe Homes
Pennsylvania lawmakers are right to celebrate the investment in public education achieved in the recently passed state budget, a much-needed initial step towards equity for the children in our Commonwealth. But for the second year in a row, they failed to include $50...
After New Law Regulates Evictions, Landlord-Tenant Office Shuts Down
PHILADELPHIA – Today, six weeks after the Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act was signed into law, the municipal court announced that landlord-tenant officer Marisa Shuter will cease conducting evictions. As the lawyer appointed to oversee private evictions in...
Majority of Aramark workers in Philadelphia reject latest contract proposal
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Food service workers at the stadium complex in South Philadelphia were voting all day on Wednesday over Aramark's latest contract proposal. The union representing those workers says it does not expect the new proposal to pass, however. The...
PA lawmakers incentivize builders to restore historic buildings
Though Pennsylvania has a lot of historic sites, it has lagged behind other states in providing tax incentives to preserve and restore them. Some classic buildings in Philadelphia are in need. Pennsylvania is packed with historic properties dating back to colonial...
Philadelphia Demands More Than ‘Flex-Post’ Protected Bike Lanes After Motorist Kills Cyclist
The horrific death of a Philadelphia cyclist in the famous Rittenhouse Square neighborhood has local advocates demanding that the city finally install real protection on its bike lanes — and sparking a conversation about why half-measures like flex posts are so common...
Pennsylvania’s Historic Tax Credit Increased to $20 Million
On July 11, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed its 2024-2025 budget. It was 11 days past the deadline, but offered some good news for historic preservationists and adaptive reuse developers. The new budget included tax code changes that raised the historic tax...
More funding for home repair program left out of state budget despite high demand
HARRISBURG — A popular program that helps Pennsylvania homeowners with the cost of essential repairs did not receive more funding in this year’s state budget, despite overwhelming demand in many counties. Almost 18,200 homeowners who applied for help from the...
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...