Politics
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FeaturesThe Stobering Reality: Can Andrew Stober pull off the upset of all upsets in Philly elections?
At the 2011 City Council-at-large debate held at WHYY, moderator Dave Davies asked Republican Denny O’Brien if Philly was actually getting a sixth Democrat if they voted for him. That…
Bob Stewart | 10/28/2015 -
FeaturesKristin Combs: A Different Kind of Candidate
When Port Richmond resident and Fishtown school teacher Kristin Combs decided to run for City Council she sought the endorsement of her union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT). It…
Bob Stewart | 10/28/2015 -
FeaturesSubprime Loans Not Dead? A Look at Who’s Lending in the Riverwards
If the mortgage market is a dim cave of paperwork and intrigue, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) is a torch. Given what a serious commitment mortgage loans represent for…
Jack Grauer | 10/22/2015 -
FeaturesTHE POLITICS ARE HYPERLOCAL: Corruption, Clinton and Clash of Candidates in Mayoral Debates
Jim Foster, the now three-time candidate for public office in Philadelphia, has fastened his campaign firmly to tackling Philadelphia’s rampant corruption. That corruption, says Foster, has a far enough reach…
Dustin Slaughter & Kenneth Lipp | 10/21/2015 -
FeaturesThe Astonishing Mutation of Philly’s Real Estate Tax Breaks
State-owned properties with six-figure liens against them, muggers’ alleys for which no one claims responsibility: the Riverwards are a zoo for real estate anomalies. Not least among these is the…
Jack Grauer | 09/17/2015 -
Community in Northern LibertiesSquilla Introduces Legislation to Increase Number of Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
Councilman Mark Squilla has introduced new legislation that would require all existing and future single-occupant restrooms to be designated as gender-neutral. Many city-owned single-occupant restrooms are already designated as gender-neutral…
Ben Smolin | 09/10/2015 -
Features in FishtownPay to Play at the ZBA? How to Participate in Zoning Without Throwing D Batteries
[caption id="attachment_4391" align="aligncenter" width="707"] East Falls residents protest a proposed Zoning Board of Adjustments decision. Philadelphia Bulletin published this photograph in 1952. Credit: Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries,…
Jack Grauer | 08/12/2015 -
FeaturesThe Politics are Hyperlocal: “We are working to actively remap all of the Riverwards”
Mayor Michael Nutter has signed a bill rezoning wide swaths of the Frankford Avenue/Front Street corridor in East Kensington and Fishtown. We first reported on the two proposed companion bills,…
Kenneth Lipp | 07/17/2015 -
Features in KensingtonFemales, Felonies and Food Stamps: How House Bill 222 Could Affect Women in the Riverwards.
The age-old debate between deserving and undeserving, having and having-not, has re-entered the limelight. Those caught in the local crosshairs: single mothers in the Riverwards — an area due south…
Megan Matuzak and Jack Grauer | 07/15/2015 -
FeaturesThe Politics Are Hyperlocal: Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Water
Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Councilwoman of the 7th District, sponsored a bill that passed City Council unanimously last month, which could protect low-income residents from foreclosure over unpaid water bills. Quiñones-Sánchez says…
Kenneth Lipp | 07/09/2015 -
FeaturesThe Politics Are Hyperlocal: A Primer On City Council President Darrel Clarke
In this week’s column we're going to talk about Darrell Clarke — he's the president of Philadelphia City Council and he represents the 5th District, which includes parts of Northern…
Kenneth Lipp | 07/01/2015 -
FeaturesThe Politics are Hyperlocal
Congratulations, Riverwards, you’re where the action is. The housing market in Fishtown is booming and the blush of renewal is coloring even some of the darkest corners of Kensington. There…
Kenneth Lipp | 06/18/2015