Philly’s 411
Nearly a year after awarding a $129 million contract for its new fare system, SEPTA said design work for the system is more than halfway complete and should be ready for pilot testing by the summer. The long-awaited system, which will eliminate paper transfers and tokens, will incorporate the latest open-payment technology, allowing riders to pay […]
Members of Philadelphia’s City Council today sounded off on Mitt Romney’s comments at a private fundraiser, made public this week with the release of a video. In the clip, he derides 47 percent of Americans as entitled victims who are dependent on government, stating: “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president […]
For more than 16 years, Woody Woodland and Carol Stone ran two successful jazz festivals a year in Cape May. That ended in a nasty dispute with the festival’s board of directors in 2010, when the couple who had founded the long-running event resigned. That experience would have soured many people on the thought of […]
Philly Beer Week returns for its fifth 10-day extravaganza of all things sudsy on Friday. Your best bet is to parse the calendar by day at http://www.phillybeer week.org or download the iPhone/Android app to create your own schedule. But to get you started, here are six must-hits. Stay hydrated, arrive early, bring cash and prepare […]
In a chilling case of life imitating art, production assistants working on crime thriller “Dead Man Down” arrived in Frankford yesterday to find a real-life murder scene Robert Sneed, 18, of the 1800 block of Widener Place in East Germantown, was shot multiple times during an argument at Kinsey and Ditman streets shortly before 4 […]
As part of May Day events internationally, Occupy Philadelphia protesters blocked traffic on Market Street today and walled off a Wells Fargo bank on Walnut Street. At least two people were arrested. The day marks the international workers’ holiday.
In the wake of its most recent child welfare controversy with the death of 6-year-old Khalil Wimes, Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services told city lawmakers yesterday that it will completely overhaul the way it delivers services, with an emphasis on community support, an increase in accountability on all levels and a decrease in the size […]
When developing her arts grant program, Erica Hawthorne was thinking small. She knew she wouldn’t be able to single-handedly raise the next Roots, but maybe she could come up with $75 to help a band promote their demo release party. She couldn’t fund a residency for a young Zoe Strauss, but $100 goes a long […]
With the recent disbanding of Philly’s well-loved West Oak Lane Jazz Festival, a new showcase has emerged to fill the silence. This weekend’s inaugural Center City Jazz Festival will take place at four venues nestled within a three-block radius in the heart of the city. As envisioned by founder and trombonist Ernest Stuart, the daylong, […]
Trayvon Martin’s killing sparked a national fire storm and 5,000 people participated in Philadelphia’s Million Hoodie March to rally for justice. The Trayvon Martin case and the Million Hoodie March have gone viral on the streets across America and online. People are posting pictures of themselves wearing hoodie sweatshirts on Facebook, and at demonstrations, including […]
Some well-intentioned people trying to cut Philadelphia’s homeless citizens a break by feeding them a hot meal cannot seem to get a break themselves.First the city’s Department of Health started pushing for safety standards and some potentially awkward restrictions, such as submitting menus and dates of operation far in advance. Now Mayor Nutter wants all […]
SEPTA and other cash-strapped mass transit systems across the country gained steam in their argument for a federal transportation bill yesterday with a report that national ridership in 2011 reached its second-highest level since 1957. The American Public Transportation Association reported that American riders took 10.4 billion trips last year, trailing only 2008 when gas […]
