The merits and pitfalls of electing judges is a constant source of debate among Pennsylvanians, especially at this time of the year. In this week’s Center Square, WHYY’s Chris Satullo remarks that there is plenty of room for a more equitable approach to the workings of our judicial system.
Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to [...]

by Jason Kleinman
Wouldn’t it be nice to walk through an urban oasis surrounded by open space, fresh farmer markets, and clean air?  According to Mayor Michael Nutter, this is exactly where our city is headed.  This morning, Nutter formally unveiled Greenworks Philadelphia, his plan to make Philadelphia “The greenest city in America” by 2015.
The plan [...]

By Jason Kleinman

Twitter, the popular social networking site, was aflutter this afternoon when Sen. Arlen Specter announced that he was switching political parties. While Twitter’s trending application still showed that tweets about the swine flu taking over the world remained the site’s most popular topic, Specter’s defection from the GOP quickly moved to number two. [...]

By Jason Kleinman
I have a confession to make. Even though I’m an intern for It’s Our City, I don’t actually live in Philadelphia. My experience here is limited to my short walk from the Market East SEPTA station the WHYY building. Occasionally I’ll walk across the street to pick up some lunch, but that’s [...]

By Jason Kleinman
Seth Williams isn’t acting like a candidate who just got kicked off the ballot for the Democratic primary race for District Attorney. This morning, he joined the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity in a press conference, as they endorsed him as their pick for the city’s next DA.
The group was not [...]

By Jason Kleinman
Two recent developments now appear to put the planned SugarHouse casino on a fast track for development. Yesterday’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision to appoint a Special Master to mediate disputes, along with increasing pressure from Harrisburg, now brings the plan closer to reality. As a result of this new momentum, SugarHouse may have [...]

By Jason Kleinman
With all of the commotion and coverage surrounding the Vince Fumo trial, some people may have lost track of the fact that Mayor Michael Nutter is scheduled to present his budget proposal to the City Council tomorrow. This will be one Nutter’s biggest speeches as mayor. His plan will outline the necessary steps [...]

Former state Senator Vincent Fumo could face more than 10 years in prison for his conviction on 137 counts of fraud and obstruction of justice. The trial lasted almost five months, included 1,300 exhibits introduced by federal prosecutors, and testimony from more than 100 witnesses, including Governor Ed Rendell. WHYY’s Susan Phillips looks back at [...]

By: Elizabeth Fiedler, WHYY News
It turns out what may seem like a math problem a 5th grader could solve, isn’t as simple as dividing by five.  The city’s estimated $1.045 billion dollar budget shortfall over five years isn’t evenly spread over each year.  WHYY’s Elizabeth Fiedler has more.
Instead of a cool $209 million or so [...]

By Jason Kleinman
This morning Dr. Arlene Ackerman, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent, appeared as a guest (mp3) on WHYY’s Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. Ackerman primarily discussed her vision for Philadelphia’s school system, including her new five-year plan to improve city schools. Imagine 2014, which Ackerman referred to as a no frills plan, is still [...]