Philly marijuana advocates pushing for full legalization
In their most recent “Politically Uncorrected” column, G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young reflect on the most recent Franklin and Marshall polling of Pennsylvania voters by calling marijuana legalization “arguably the litmus test of whether one is culturally conservative or liberal.” They continue to note that while recreational marijuana is still...
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Sen. Hughes wants a vote on Medicaid—and the public is with him
Since Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett openly rejected adding 500,000 Pennsylvanians without health insurance to the state’s Medicaid rolls during his 2013 budget address, state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) has made reversing that decision a front-and-center issue. And yesterday, he issued what’s called a discharge petition to get his bill regarding...
Continue ReadingThe Kermit Gosnell Case: Verdicts
On the tenth day of deliberations, a jury of Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s peers—including eight African-Americans—rejected the defense’s premise that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s case against Gosnell was a “racist, elitist prosecution.” At 2:45pm yesterday, Sheriff Jewell Williams walked into the courtroom donning a small sheriff’s star on his blazer...
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Bills to eliminate Philadelphia traffic court flying through Legislature
The Philadelphia Traffic Court has had its share of problems over the last few years. In January, nine judges or former judges were charged with fixing tickets for friends and political allies by the U.S. attorney’s office. The feds alleged “a widespread culture of giving breaks on traffic citations to friends, family, the politically-connected and business...
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PhillyNow Calendar: civic events, May 13-17
You like bicycles? Sure you do! This week, there are two bicycle-heavy events meant to increase two-wheeled awareness. Wednesday night will be the annual “Ride of Silence,” in which bicyclists ride around the city with a police escort to remember those riders killed on the road. And Friday is “Bike to Work” day. Recent numbers show that just 1.8 percent...
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Cheri Honkala is marching to U.S. Chamber of Commerce next weekend—from Philly
Honkala holds a protest outside the sheriff's office in 2011. Her former campaign is knee-deep in a federal audit by the Federal Election Commission, but former vice presidential candidate and veteran Philadelphia economic activist Cheri Honkala is headed to D.C. this weekend. On foot. “We’re marching to the Chamber of Commerce,” she says. “We’re...
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Poll shows Corbett’s priorities in wrong place, for real
Show me the unskewed poll, please. Hope someone is getting used to this. Because every time we joke about how things couldn’t get any worse for Governor Tom Corbett, they just fucking do. This time, it turns out the governor’s priorities—all of them—are in the wrong place. And maybe you already knew that. But a new poll lays it out clearer than we could...
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Nutter to sign LGBT rights bill
At 3pm today, Mayor Nutter will sign a bill that will make Philadelphia the most LGBT-friendly city in the country, according to a press release. The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Jim Kenney, will provide the first “Life Partner and Transgender Health Tax Credits” in the country, offering tax incentives for private companies to provide benefits to...
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Attempting to quell momentum, anti-gay marriage bill introduced in PA House
There’s always someone willing to fight the inevitable. In Harrisburg this week (and most weeks), that someone is state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who did his best to cut the introductory celebration of an LGBT nondiscrimination bill short, with some legislation of his own. Metcalfe, 50, is a Butler County Republican well-known for being Pennsylvania’s most...
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Children’s Hospital discusses master plan for Southwest Center City
This is happening. (Image: Chop.edu) Over the next 20-or-so years, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia plans to expand its presence in the city by adding a nine-acre, open ambulatory care and research campus in Southwest Center City, on the east side of the Schuylkill River in the section often called the “Devil’s Pocket” in Grays Ferry. CHOP has...
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