Watchdog reporting from Kensington, Philadelphia. We dig into how government agencies, elected officials and local institutions spend money and serve the neighborhood.
The bill, which would ban mobile services from most of the 7th District, is up for a final vote on Thursday.
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The national loss of funding for violence intervention programs will drastically impact local anti-violence initiatives and the communities they serve.
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The amendments, approved in a 12-3 vote, would require mobile providers to obtain permits while also imposing strict location and time limits on their operations.
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Around 2 a.m. on March 13, Frank Trout’s son was walking home from his boxing club when a car struck him near Richmond Street and Indiana Avenue. The driver fled the scene, so Trout turned to security footage for answers. But the street was pitch dark.
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As Philadelphia City Council considered Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $3.7 million request to expand the new Kensington Wellness Court
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The Overdose Prevention and Community Healing Fund, or Prevention Fund, used a community-led grantmaking process to distribute $3.1 million to 43 organizations in 2024.
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Parker’s spending plan includes $216 million over five years on the “wellness ecosystem,” mostly for the Riverview Wellness Village, a 336-bed recovery housing facility for people who have completed between 30 and 90 days of substance use treatment.
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The committee wanted to know three things: how the city-funded programs are spending their money, how effective those programs have been, and whether they need to change.
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The new dashboard provides data on violent crime, property crime, police response times, overdose incidents, and emergency services efforts. It also monitors health, quality of life, and economic opportunity metrics.
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While there was some tension, there were also moments of empathy, vulnerability, and shared struggle. The conversation was not black and white, with many landing somewhere in the middle.
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The city’s new Kensington “wellness court” has led to nine arrests since its launch last week, but questions about its effectiveness remain as two participants left treatment and outreach workers are now searching for them.
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The fast-track court initiative targets people who use drugs by arresting them for summary offenses.
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Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order Tuesday allowing police to take people into custody for certain summary offenses that were decriminalized under former Mayor Jim Kenney.
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Why Gun Violence Dropped in Philadelphia Last Year — And What Happens Next
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The multiphase plan for opening Riverview will begin by offering 336 beds for people leaving short-term inpatient treatment programs.
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Those arrested will face same-day adjudication and be given a choice between entering a drug treatment program or facing criminal penalties.
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As of Dec. 19, Joey Gabor's family said the city has shared little information about his death.
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The arrests come as Philadelphia jails face increased scrutiny over staffing shortages, healthcare delays, and unsafe conditions.
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This marks at least the second death this year of a person arrested for drug possession in Kensington and held in a Philadelphia jail.
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The clinic provides HIV and Hepatitis-C testing and treatment, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), wound care, STI testing and treatment, and more.
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The $1.3 billion proposal, which would move the team from South Philadelphia’s Stadium District to Center City, is scheduled for a third City Council committee vote on Wednesday afternoon.
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Residents are questioning whether the increased enforcement has improved quality of life in their neighborhood.
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Educators hope money from a legal settlement will provide students and families more support and opportunities.
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The civil suit, filed Wednesday, claims the city’s “blatant, conscious, and reckless disregard for the safety of the public” allowed Heron to harm the two plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe and Jane Smith, as well as dozens of other women and girls.
