Watchdog reporting from Kensington, Philadelphia. We dig into how government agencies, elected officials and local institutions spend money and serve the neighborhood.
The legislation will proceed to a full City Council reading and, if passed, will require Mayor Cherelle Parker’s approval.
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The City of Philadelphia is challenging a state trust’s decision to disapprove $3.4 million in opioid settlement funds earmarked for Kensington.
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City officials cleared two encampments near Interstate 95 on Friday, along Allegheny and Westmoreland avenues.
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The drones will respond to 911 calls and can arrive at a scene faster to give officers perspective, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
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Louis Jung Jr. died after he was allegedly denied insulin inside a Philly prison. His family claims the city and its prison healthcare company showed “deliberate indifference” to his need for emergency medical care.
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The trust ruled in favor of funding for Kensington schools, parks, and housing, but against home repairs and small business support.
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Community leaders and residents believe funding environmental conditions that will improve the lives of families and children is a step toward repairing the harms the open-air drug market has caused the neighborhood.
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The Office of Prison Oversight would amend Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter, which is like the city’s constitution.
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The hearing announcement comes after Lozada introduced a bill earlier this month that would ban mobile service units in most of District 7.
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State Sens. Greg Rothman and Christine Tartaglione, along with most of the 13-member opioid settlement trust, voted “no” to Philadelphia’s spending on Kensington eviction prevention, home repairs, and improvements to schools and parks. The trust will hear the city’s appeal on Oct. 3.
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About 40 people disrupted a criminal legal system panel at the Parkway Central Free Library on Tuesday night to protest the recent deaths of Amanda Cahill and Michael McKinnis.
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Women incarcerated near Cahill at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center said “the banging was so loud that people couldn't sleep."
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Cahill, a mother of two sons, was one of 34 people arrested for narcotics violations and outstanding warrants in a coordinated police sweep under Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Kensington initiative.
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If the legislation is enacted, those who violate the policy could receive up to a $500 fine.
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Police arrested 34 people for “narcotics violations,” including drug paraphernalia and possession, as well as outstanding warrants
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Philly police ordered overdose vigil volunteers to move their tables from their setup near McPherson Square Library down to the street.
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The police oversight agency, known as CPOC, was created by a city ordinance in 2021 to improve transparency and accountability in policing.
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The cleanup was organized by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) “in conjunction with staff from the City of Philadelphia,” according to a PennDOT spokesperson.
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Police will be clearing people and trash for kids’ routes to school starting “probably in the next three weeks.”
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The rally took place a few days after the first anniversary of Irizarry’s death near the intersection of Willard and Lee streets, where a former Philadelphia police officer shot him.
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During an exclusive interview on WHYY’s live talk show Studio 2, Mayor Cherelle Parker discussed policing Kensington’s open-air drug market and said the May 8 encampment sweep didn’t go exactly as planned.
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Local health experts emphasized system-wide challenges, ranging from 16-hour assessment wait times to a lack of coordination among service providers, shortages of medically monitored treatment beds, and insurance policy limitations.
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Several local schools are on the list.
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The state trust that oversees the disbursement of opioid settlement dollars says Philadelphia improperly used $7.5 million on eviction prevention, home repair, and improvements to schools and parks.
