Opinion
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OpinionDid Democracy Die in Philly After the 197th Special Election?
Imagine it’s a Sunday afternoon in late October. The Dallas Cowboys are at the Linc with the ball at their own 20, first and ten. Before the ball is snapped…
Bob Stewart | 03/30/2017 -
HistoryLocal Lens: Remembering Mother Divine
On March 14th of this year, the New York Times ran the following headline: “Mother Divine, Who Took Over Her Husband’s Cult, Dies at 91”. Mother Divine actually died…
Thom Nickels | 03/24/2017 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: All About Bedbugs
Bedbugs have invaded thousands of Philadelphia homes and institutions, and the situation is serious. Philadelphia, in fact, is one of the worst cities in the nation for bedbugs. Don’t ask…
Thom Nickels | 03/15/2017 -
OpinionPhiladelphia Mayor Pens Op-Ed for Spirit News Readers
Since I took office in January 2016, I have partnered with a different neighborhood paper each month to answer their readers’ questions. Spirit News asked if this time, instead, I…
Mayor Jim Kenney | 03/15/2017 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: No Subject is Too Trivial When It Comes to Poetry
Every year, Larry Robin, the founder of Philadelphia’s Moonstone Arts Center, hosts an event called Annual Poetry Ink, 100 Poets Reading. The six hour plus marathon reading is usually held…
Thom Nickels | 03/10/2017 -
OpinionMothers Going Home
Sometimes things have a way of rolling into one another. I recently attended the funeral of the 93-year old mother of a friend of mine. She and her…
Jim McGovern | 03/10/2017 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: Thoughts on Some Local Chatter
There was a time in the city’s history when the Water Revenue Bureau bill was the cheapest household expense. Water expenses were always lower than gas or electricity expenses,…
Thom Nickels | 03/03/2017 -
HistoryThe Local Lens: Thomas Nevell’s Legacy
The year is 1797 and somewhere on Spruce Street in a tiny rented room sits an ailing 75-year-old man. The roomer has a nurse who comes to visit him…
Thom Nickels | 02/23/2017 -
HealthDownsized: Fishtown Native Tells His Interesting Odyssey With Gastric Sleeve Surgery (Part 2)
After my dangerously close call on the mountain, I started getting very tired all the time, and my concentration was noticeably slipping. Then the daily bloody noses started. Fortunately, my…
Frank Stepnowski | 02/22/2017 -
Health
Downsized: Fishtown Native Tells His Interesting Odyssey with Gastric Sleeve Surgery (Part 1)
Big fella, big man, big Step: genial introductions that preceded handshakes, hugs and reunions. That was me, the big guy, for as long as I can remember. To be…
Frank Stepnowski | 02/16/2017 -
OpinionThe Local Lens
This has been the season of unsettling city news items. There was Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s introduction of a bill that would have made it mandatory for…
Thom Nickels | 02/16/2017 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: Farewell, Fiorella
For most, the death of a loved one or family member is a traumatic experience. That’s because most of us assume that our lives will go on for a…
Thom Nickels | 02/09/2017