by Tom MacDonald, WHYY News
A new report gives high marks to schools managed by for-profit companies in Philadelphia, and much lower grades to schools run by non-profit agencies.  WHYY’s Tom MacDonald reports.
As part of a school district reform effort in 2002, two for-profit management companies took over 25 of the worst performing Philadelphia public schools [...]

by Elizabeth Fiedler, WHYY News
The city is moving ahead with plans to close its $1 billion dollar budget gap.  Last night, Mayor Nutter gathered budget officials and City Council members at the Municipal Services Building in Center City.  City department heads unveiled their 10, 20 and 30 percent cuts as required by the Mayor.

by Tom MacDonald, WHYY News
Some union and civic groups are not pleased with the format for a series of forums on the Philadelphia budget deficit.   WHYY’s Tom MacDonald reports that these groups are calling for a new perspective to the exercise on civil engagement while event organizers defend the openness of the workshops.
The labor [...]

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by Ben Bradlow, WHYY Online
When Italian immigrants arrived in Philadelphia, they made South Philadelphia their home. So it should come as no surprise that over the last ten years the streets of the storied area of the city have been [...]

by Bill Hangley, WHYY News
Mayor Nutter says your trash is safe for now.  But he acknowledged that the city is considering reducing trash pickup as part of its massive cost-cutting effort. At a budget meeting yesterday, city officials floated a number of potentially controversial ideas, including closing homeless shelters and health centers.  Today Nutter asked [...]

by Elizabeth Fiedler, WHYY News
City Council is preparing to gather for its first session of the year.   In just his first few months, freshman City Councilman Bill Green has drawn plenty of attention for challenging veteran politicians and long-standing city political traditions.  His aggressive style has some wondering about the political ambitions of the new [...]

by Peter Crimmins and Elizabeth Fiedler, WHYY News
Across Philadelphia people gathered in auditoriums, classrooms, and on outdoor lawns to watch the historical swearing-in of the 44th President of the United States.  The crowd on Independence Mall stood in rapt attention on the frozen ground.

by Tom MacDonald, WHYY News
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day Of Service, a record number of volunteers are expected to participate in public service projects across the Greater Philadelphia region.
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In yesterday’s episode of Law and Order: Philadelphia, a.k.a. the Vince Fumo federal trial, prosecutors played a tape of a Radio Times interview that WHYY’s Marty Moss-Coane did on Jan. 29, 2004 with the Dark Prince.
At the time, the senator was on a charm offensive, seeking to deflect attention from a series of Philadelphia Inquirer [...]

Reposted from 12/29…
Need a pothole filled? Need to know when to put out recycling? Need help with a barking dog?  If you live in Philadelphia, soon you’ll be dialing 3-1-1.  Philadelphia’s new system will provide one-stop-shopping for information on city services and is set to launch this Wednesday.  But in a city that has a [...]