Newsroom
Policy Committee Hearing on Housing Crisis
PA Democrats allowed to intervene in lawsuit challenging fracking ban in Delaware River watershed
The first round in the ongoing lawsuit challenging the Delaware River Basin Commission's authority to ban fracking in its jurisdictional waters has gone to the State Democratic Caucus. A knockout blow could be landing as soon as April. "About two weeks ago in New...
Delco publishes website for emergency rental assistance; hotline to come soon
Delaware County set up a website and will soon have a hotline go live for those interested in applying for the Emergency Assistance Rental Program. Applications won't be accepted until April 1. However, pre-registration is available at delco-era.com. A hotline at...
Pa Senators Put Forth Bold Legislation to Keep Residents in their Homes
HARRISBURG, PA − March 23, 2021 − New legislation introduced by Senators Katie Muth (D–Montgomery/Chester/Berks), Steve Santarsiero (D–Bucks), and Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia) will ensure Pennsylvanians are able to stay safely housed for the duration of the COVID-19...
In wake of Georgia killings, Pa. officials speak out against violence targeting Asian Americans
In the aftermath of the fatal shootings in Georgia, state officials are speaking out against violence and bias targeting Asian Americans, both around the nation and in Pennsylvania. A white gunman has been charged with fatally shooting eight people at massage parlors...
In the Pa. Senate, an object lesson in how not to respond to a national tragedy | Thursday Morning Coffee
There were any number of ways that state Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, could have responded to a murderous rampage in Georgia on Tuesday night that left eight people dead, six of them Asian-American women. But a digressive lecture accusing the chamber’s only...
Senator Saval Responds to the Killings in Georgia
DA Krasner Encourages Philly Workers to Report Employer Crimes as Workplaces Reopen
PHILADELPHIA (Mar. 15, 2021) — District Attorney Larry Krasner today encouraged workers to refer potential crimes committed by employers to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) as workplaces start to reopen due to increased vaccination efforts. The Worker...
Democratic Senators Intervene in Fracking Lawsuit Against DRBC
BUCKS COUNTY − March 12, 2021 − State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) was joined by Democratic colleagues today in New Hope to announce their action to protect clean drinking water for millions of Pennsylvanians from the environmental hazards of fracking. Their...
Senator Saval Questions DHS Secretary on Funds for PA Families
Senator Saval Questions DCNR Secretary About Fees, Access, and Drilling on Public Lands
2 new vaccine distribution sites slated to open in South Philly next week
Mayor Jim Kenney and health commissioner Tom Farley announced the addition of five new City-run mass vaccination sites throughout the city, two of which are located in South Philly. The addition comes just one week after four South Philly elected officials – City...
Senator Saval on Equity in Rental Assistance: DHS Budget Hearing
Watching a Coup From Afar: Local Burmese People Worry for Family and the Missing
When it's past bedtime on the East Coast, the latest stories and images from Myanmar light up the internet and spread around the world. The latest blockade setup by protesters to block military vehicles. Calls for help for food and water, or phone access to evade the...
Bringing good jobs to the port
Work has officially begun on a new $42 million distribution center within a mile of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. PhilaPort officially broke ground on the 201,621-square-foot warehouse on March 4 near 3rd Street and Pattison Avenue, and the new facility is...
Mumia Abu-Jamal supporters say he has COVID, call on Pa. to release all vulnerable incarcerated people
Saying his breathing is “labored” and that there’s “pressure” in his chest, supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal are again calling for the 66-year-old to be immediately released from a Pennsylvania state prison. During a Wednesday morning news conference outside of the...
Lawmakers Call On Gov. Wolf To Release Pennsylvania Prisoners At Highest Risk Of Contracting COVID-19
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Some lawmakers want action from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on prisoners as a result of COVID-19. They say given high rates of infections and deaths in state prisons, the governor should release inmates who are elderly or medically vulnerable. “Our...
South Philly elected officials call on health department for more vaccine distribution sites
As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes increasingly more available to more and more Philadelphians, four local elected officials have voiced their concerns over the lack of access sites in South Philadelphia in an open letter written to Philadelphia health commissioner Tom...
State Legislators, Advocates, Family Members Urge Governor Wolf to Use Reprieve to Save the Lives of Incarcerated People
CHESTER, PA − March 2, 2021 − In a demonstration of unified support for reprieve, nearly a dozen state legislators gathered outside of State Correctional Institution–Chester (SCI-Chester) to urge Governor Tom Wolf to use his executive power to release incarcerated...