Rare ‘flex’ puts off SEPTA crisis, annoys Republicans
On the face of it, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s surprise announcement that he would give SEPTA an extra $153 million seemed like a straightforward decision. The money was just sitting there, waiting to be spent on future highway projects, and SEPTA desperately needed it to avoid a huge fare hike and potentially devastating service cuts that […]
Years after dropping out, adults give high school another try
Christopher Ramos sat in a classroom at South Philadelphia High School, his head bent over a paperback of “Death of a Salesman.” Reading aloud, he picked his way through the part of Bernard, Biff Loman’s classmate. “Listen, Biff, I hear miss — Mr. Burham say that he — that if you don’t start studying math, […]
‘Amsterdam’ asks, can we ever step out of shadow of trauma?
Imagine this. You are Jewish and by some miracle, you manage to survive the World War II concentration camps. Exhausted, emaciated, you find your way back to the home you left in terror years or months ago. And there, waiting for you in almost laughably cruel irony, is a gas bill – overdue. Overdue bills […]
City officials urge Philadelphians to return, track, fix mail ballots
Between misinformation, new protocols and a ballooning list of legal challenges to the voting process, it’s fair to say that Pennsylvanians are experiencing some nerves around the voting process. And with just days to go until the election, all eyes are on Philadelphia — a critical source of Democratic Party votes in the most-watched swing […]
Pa.’s Green Party courts Muslim voters as it seeks election gains
When someone mentions the Green Party, what comes to mind? The party’s historic connections to the environmental movement, perhaps? Or its presidential candidate, Jill Stein, and the recurring complaint that she’s a potential spoiler for Democratic nominees? For actual Green Party members in Philadelphia, neither of those is a particularly salient aspect of their politics […]
former Pumpkin chef and Penn professor husband-and-wife team set locally sourced dinner parties
Think of it less as a supper club, more as a leisurely “series of dinner parties” set by a husband-and-wife team of chef and college professor. The former is Ian Moroney, previously co-owner and chef of Pumpkin, the South Street BYOB which ended an almost 20-year run this August. The latter is Sharon Thompson-Schill, a […]
Despite dire funding crisis, SEPTA’s working to attract more riders
SEPTA has big plans to attract more customers and improve riders’ traveling experience — but an ongoing impasse over a proposed hike in state funding threatens to scuttle those ambitions. That was one of the takeaways from a wide-ranging discussion of transit, parking, and mobility on Wednesday that included a top SEPTA executive and officials […]
As legislators dither, SEPTA considers giant fare hike
A state funding plan to close SEPTA’s budget deficit is swimming into view — but very, very slowly, legislators and transit advocates say. A complicated, contentious deal involving new gambling taxes is still being negotiated. Some lawmakers may not want to take a tough vote before the upcoming presidential and legislative elections, and after the […]
Death From Above 1979 celebrates 20th anniversary of ‘You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine’
Twenty years after the release of their debut album, Death From Above 1979 are marking the anniversary by attempting to liberate the USA and Canada and making a tour stop Friday night at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. In 2004, the Canadian punk duo released “You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine,” a collection of 10 tracks […]
What Is Cinamatic?
Nathan Woodward 14 hours ago This was the first and last question I was asked as a student in film school. Is it something that we see on a big screen? That can’t possibly be the answer, you can see just about anything on a “big screen” these days and most cinematic experiences now happen […]