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Matthew Wolfe, a GOP ward leader in Philadelphia, says he is ready to run against the Democrats' pick in the May special election for the City Council seat recently vacated by Bill Green.
A coaltion of organizations wants City Council to approve a one-percent sales tax extension and use all of the proceeds -- about $120 million -- for the Philadelphia schools.
Council president Darell Clarke is voicing opposition to a councilman's plan that would let skateboarders back in an area of the park once the makeover is finished.
CSX officials today told a City Council committee that despite a January freight train derailment on a bridge over the Schuylkill River, the aging bridge itself is safe.
State rep Ed Neilson (at lectern in photo) said he'll look forward to being closer to his Northeast Philadelphia home and his family if he wins.
Councilman James Kenney notes that there were 4,200 arrests last year in Philadelphia involving people with small amounts of pot.
Members of labor unions representing various groups of Philadelphia municipal workers marched around City Hall both before and after Mayor Nutter's budget address, to push their concerns.
Nutter boasted that his $4+ billion spending plan includes no tax increases, but he warned that something must be done to meet the school district's latest request for an additional $75 million in city funding.
Darrell Clarke has decided to call a special election to fill the vacancy created by the departure of former at-large councilman Bill Green, now chair of the School Reform Commission.
Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez proposes upping the school district's share from 55 percent to 60 percent, which she says would shift about $53 million per year from the city to the schools without raising taxes.
Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter has sent a letter to the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee expressing interest in hosting the party's 2016 national convention.
But members of Philadelphia City Council found no easy answers.
Shane Creamer (left), of the city's Board of Ethics, backed the limit. Ellen Kaplan of the watchdog group Committee of 70 (right), thinks it should be lower.
Now, when Philadelphia police stop an undocumented immigrant for even a minor offense, officers will enter the person's information into a database shared with federal immigration authorities.
The sponsor of the plan, Councilman-at-large David Oh, noted that state elected officials and those from other cities face no such provision, so eliminating it here levels the playing field for city officials.
Amid the growing debate over possible health risks posed by electronic cigarettes, a Philadelphia lawmaker is proposing banning their sale to minors in the city.
Councilman Jim Kenney suggested that the renovation of Love Park include a section for skateboarders, who once flocked there from around the world.
The mayor had proposed selling the garage beneath Love Park and then using city money to renovate the park itself. Council president Clarke proposed turning much of the park over to new restaurants, with money from those leases paying for the renovation.
A group of Fairmount Park advocates says that Council president Darrell Clarke's plan to put restaurants in Love Park would turn that famed site into "a food court."
City councilman Jim Kenney has a long list of concerns about how the Streets Department uses salt during snowstorms. Topping the list is whether road salt poses serious health hazards to dogs or small children.
"We understand that (Streets Department) resources are taxed," said city councilwoman Cindy Bass, "but there were some areas that really seemed to be not touched at all -- some areas in West Mt. Airy, some areas in Chestnut Hill."
City councilman jim Kenney says Mayor Nutter's efforts to crack down on residents who've been ignoring the so-called "School Tax" tax have gone too far.
Councilman Wilson Goode said the Nutter administration has been abusing its ability to grant waivers to the law that requires city contractors pay workers at least 1½ times the federal minimum wage.
"We need the BRT right now," Councilman Mark Squilla says. "We need them to have these hearings. We need them to make sure they're fair and as soon as possible."
The increasing popularity of the website Airbnb.com, which hooks travelers up with people who are renting out rooms, is drawing the attention of Philadelphia City Council.
