“Philadelphia has become the go to place for young adults. You know a cool place for smart people to be. You know, like the Google workers who get to play volleyball at work.”
That was just one of the bold goals that was overheard Tuesday night at an unusual town hall meeting in Philadelphia. I say [...]

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter released this video at an afternoon rally to show what Philly will look like under the “doomsday budget” cuts. The video is created using predictive crime models that are part of a secretive division of the city’s new 311 telephone system a/k/a “Total Awareness Project.”
OK, Nutter didn’t really release this video. [...]

Hearing the S.O.S. call from maritime preservationists, Philadelphia philanthropist Gerry Lenfest announced today that he’s willing to give up to $300,000 to help save the mothballed S.S. United States ocean liner. Lenfest plans to use his money as matching funds to help spur current fund raising efforts by SS United States Conservancy.
The big boat [...]

By Dan Pohlig
This article in Wednesday’s Daily News about how the current state budget impasse is halting efforts to get a supermarket built in the city of Chester got me thinking about how government has embraced the “supermarket” as the be-all and end-all of improving public health in low income areas.
In fact, in the very [...]

Apparently the Fumo name still means something in this town. The folks over at the Fumo Family Branch library in South Philadelphia plan to keep the name. Vince Fumo is a former Pennsylvania State Senator who could really bring in the money to his district. The only problem is he felt entitled to skim a [...]

By Dan Pohlig
Tom Skerritt had a great line in Top Gun that I’ve borrowed on many occasions when I need something other than “he went to the well once too often.” When breaking the news of Goose’s death to Maverick (and if you don’t know who these people are, c’mon on!) he says, “You fly [...]

By Mark Berkey-Gerard
When Congress passed the $787 billion stimulus package earlier this year, government officials promised to provide details of how the money is spent on a Web site called Recovery.gov.
“Every American can go online and see where and how we are spending every dime,” President Barack Obama said.
But what began as an effort in [...]

Update: 7/21/09 12:24 p.m. Judge Ronald Buckwalter sentenced Ruth Arnao to one year and one day in prison today. She is to report for prison on Aug 31.
Update: 7/21/09 10:05 a.m. Philly.com live blogging Arnao sentencing hearing.
(Ruth Arnao’s sentencing hearing. Tuesday, July 21at 10:00 a.m. U.S. District Court, Philadelphia. Courtroom 14A)
How much time will [...]

Brooklyn comedian Elon James White has posted a video giving his take on the racial allegations made against a suburban Philadelphia swimming pool club. The first thing you should know [...]

A Philadelphia fire this week has sparked a debate over whether mental health patients in need of supervision should be allowed to live residential apartment buildings.  The fire at the Henry on the Park complex (7901 Henry Ave) in the Roxborough section of the city is being blamed on a woman who may have tried [...]