Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Police reforms underway, vaccine mandate for large businesses

Sam Britt

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=45zx77_0cmXPgch00
Sam Britt/ News Break

Welcome to The Philly Four, a daily recap of four of the top stories from the Philadelphia area, covering everything from local government to the Phillies bullpen. A one-stop shop for the most important news bites in the City of Brotherly Love.

US mandates vaccines for large companies

  • Employees at companies with more than 100 workers will have to get vaccinated by Jan. 4 or get tested every week under a new federal vaccine mandate. This new rule could potentially affect 84 million workers. The OSHA regulation will require unvaccinated employees who test negative to wear a mask in the workplace. Companies could pay $14,000 fines per violation.

Student-athletes in Philly must be vaccinated

  • Students attending Philadelphia public schools who wish to play winter or spring sports must be vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious exemption. The school district said the reasoning behind the mandate was to limit the potential for cancellations, either in single games or entire seasons due to outbreaks.

Philadelphia nearing completion of multi-million police reforms

  • Philadelphia is making good on its promise to complete a series of police reforms in the wake of the shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. Some of the key reforms include funding for additional mobile crisis response teams, a cross-department mobile triage unit, hiring mental health staff to work in the 911 dispatch center and new emergency phone number, 988, for mental health emergencies.

Harry Potter exhibit coming to Franklin Institute

  • Run to Platform 9 3/4 and hop on the Hogwarts Express to the Franklin Institute to experience its new Harry Potter-themed exhibit. Witches, wizards and muggles alike will be able to see props from the films as well as take part in interactive displays. Keep a lookout around Philly as pop-up exhibits allow fans a chance at catching the golden snitch and winning the opportunity to be one of the first four people invited inside.

Read full story in "NewsBreak" App

Comments / 1

Published by

Journalist covering all Philadelphia area news, from last Sunday's Eagles game to the latest from City Hall. For weekly recaps of the news you missed please check out the Philly JAWN newsletter, available at https://newsletter.newsbreakapp.com/

Philadelphia, PA
1K followers

More from Sam Britt

Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Vigilante group accused of harassing homeless

Ex-Philadelphia detective found guilty of sexual assault. A former Philadelphia police detective was found guilty of manipulating three male witnesses into committing sexual acts. Philip Nardo was found guilty of rape, stalking, official oppression and attempted sexual assault. As a result of this investigation, numerous homicide convictions were reexamined and several were overturned due to Nardo's sex crimes and misbehavior. Nardo will be sentenced in August.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: UPenn swimmer speaks out against criticism, transphobia

UPenn swimmer speaks about criticism over transition. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas spoke to ESPN about her decision to transition to being a woman and competing in collegiate swimming. Thomas responded to the common online criticism that she transitioned only to gain an athletic advantage by stating "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself."

Read full story
1 comments
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Philadelphia invest $175 million more in education

Philadelphia makes a massive investment in education. The budget for the School District of Philadelphia will rise by $175 million dollars in the next fiscal year. This investment comes even as the school board projects another decline in enrollment. The Philadelphia Board of Education approved the “highest level of investment in our schools and students since fiscal year 2011.” Some of the places the funding will go include Improving counselor-to-student ratios; adding special education teachers, teachers for English language learners; improvements that move the district closer to goal to certify all schools lead safe by 2024; and supporting the addition of 800 hydration stations in schools by 2025, or sooner.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Forecasters warn of above average hurricane season in Philadelphia

Four Starbucks in Philadelphia voted to unionize on Wednesday, joining a nationwide push from dozen of other stores. The stores at 9th and South Streets, 20th and Market Streets, 34th and Walnut Streets, and Penn Medicine Perelman Center all voted to unionize while the shop at 1945 Callowhill Street rejected unionization. Starbucks has said that they will respect their employees' voices and will bargain in good faith but has also planned to spend $1 billion on improving wages and conditions and non-union stores.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Sixers named of the most innovative sports franchises in the world

The School District of Philadelphia backtracked and decided against pushing back school start times next year, citing "these challenging times." In March, Philadelphia announced that the start of public schools would be pushed back to 9 a.m., a measure meant to help bus transportation. The district said postponing the change was the "caring thing to do" and that it would allow more family stability next year.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Two cops awarded $1 million in verdict over gender discrimination, sexual harassment

Philadelphia accused of undercounting homeless young adults. Advocates for the homeless are accusing Philadelphia's Office of Homeless Services of doing a poor job of counting young adults, ages 18-24, who are experiencing homelessness. Activists like David Fair, a co-chair for Philly Homes 4 Youth, said that these counts can be used to not award funding for groups attempting to address youth homelessness. “They have said to us, ‘You’re asking for 20% but young people are only 9% of the city’s homeless,'” Fair said. “And they know that’s an undercount.”

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Group angry over Central Bucks book-banning policy

City considering replacing street lights with LEDs. Philadelphia's City Council’s Committee on Finance approved a bill that will allow the city to enter into a contract with Philadelphia Energy Authority. The agreement would allow for the group to replace Philadelphia's streetlights with LEDs, something other major cities like New York have already done. The potential contract is estimated to cost around $90 million.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Doctor calls for investigation into string of former Phillies cancer deaths

U.S. News and World Report released their list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2022 and Philadelphia barely made it. The City of Brotherly Love came in at 99th, the lowest-ranked of the seven Pennsylvania cities on the list. The list was based on each city's jobs, housing affordability, quality of life, desirability, and net migration statistics. Philadelphia made the list thanks to its mix of lifestyles and affordability.

Read full story
Pennsylvania State

The Philly Four: Oz, McCormick race headed to recount, Far-right Mastriano wins primary, Fetterman dominates Democrats

The race for the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat is likely headed for a recount as the race remains too close to call. The two candidates locked in a dead heat are former television personality Mehmet Oz and hedge fund manager David McCormick. McCormick has chosen to attack Oz's past liberal beliefs and the fact that he does not primarily reside in Pennsylvania while Oz championed his endorsement from former President Donald Trump and called McCormick a globalist.

Read full story
1 comments
Pennsylvania State

The Philly Four: Election Day in Pa., when will we find out who won?

The General Primary Election is being held on Tuesday and if you still have questions on how or where to vote, click the link above to head to the city's election page. You will find out what to do with your mail-in ballot, where your polling place is and how to check your voter registration. The site also outlines your rights as a voter, that nobody can stop you from voting besides a poll watcher or worker with suspicion.

Read full story
Pennsylvania State

The Philly Four: Pa. primary election tomorrow, vote for gubernatorial, Senator candidates

Philly schools offer masking option for those who are exposed to COVID. The School District of Philadelphia is offering an avenue for students to remain in class even if they are exposed to COVID-19. The Mask-To-Stay option allows for students who have been exposed to the virus but do not have symptoms to remain in the classroom as long as they mask up. The guidelines state that a student can mask for 10 days after exposure and test and isolate if symptoms arise.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Protesters demand city addresses poor conditions in prisons

Hospitals across the country are struggling to deal with labor costs that surged over the course of the pandemic. Between 2019 and March 2022, labor costs rose by 37% per patient. The largest driver behind this increase was the cost of traveling nurses, who earn three times as much as staff nurses. On top of those costs, worker shortages in every aspect at hospitals has compounded the problem.

Read full story
2 comments
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Officials recommend masking as COVID cases rise, busy season begins

City expects appeals after new property valuations. Philadelphia conducted its first valuations of property in three years and decided to raise rates on residential buildings. The new valuations raise property tax on residential premises by an average of 31% from the 2019 rate. Property owners can begin informally appealing the valuation by requesting a "First Level Review" by the Office of Property Assessment.

Read full story
13 comments
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Kenney to spend around $500 per resident on violence prevention

Speed cams curtailing speeding on Roosevelt Boulevard. The speed cameras set up along Roosevelt Boulevard have done their job, slowing drivers down and causing violations to drop. A report from the Philadephia Parking Authority found that after the cameras went up speeding violations fell 91.4%. The cameras levy fines against those who go more than 11 mph over the speed limit. The PPA said that it plans to expand its use of cameras to other streets in the city.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Local school goes viral for accidentally handing out thongs to mothers

An employee at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center allegedly embezzled $500,000 from the hospital by creating fake expense reports. The accounting clerk would create fake travel expense logs under the names of three employees and then divert money into his bank accounts, according to federal investigators. He was charged with theft by way of criminal information.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Middle schoolers getting screened for weapons in Philadelphia

Philadelphia public schools began periodically screening students for weapons on Monday. Weapons screenings were already being utilized in Philadelphia high schools but on Monday middle schools were added to the protocol. The screenings will be conducted at six schools per day and will be handled by school safety personnel who will use hand wand metal detectors and search through students' bags.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: City still feeling the lingering effects of the pandemic on rent, local economy

While Philadelphia itself saw a 6% increase in rental costs over the course of the pandemic, its surrounding counties saw rates double or even almost triple that number. Some of the reasoning for this is these areas were in higher demand due to people wishing to move out of major metropolitan areas during the pandemic. This is an issue across the country as the national average for rent increased by 11.3%.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Harden's second half struggles sink Sixers

Tourism in Philadelphia is on the way back up after being crushed by the pandemic. Early predictions estimated that it would take until 2026 for Philadelphia to see its tourism numbers return to 2019 levels. However, new estimates have pushed that date up to 2024 or even 2023. In 2021, visitors spent $5.3 billion in the city, a 26% increase from 2020.

Read full story
Pennsylvania State

The Philly Four: Pa. activists react to leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

Pa. activists react to leaked Roe v. Wade decision. Reproductive rights activists across Pennsylvania reacted this week to the leaked Supreme Court decision draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing states to make their own laws around abortions. Right now, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortions when Roe is overturned, however, Pennsylvania is not one of them. This means that Pennsylvania may receive an influx of people arriving in the state looking to receive abortions after the ban.

Read full story
Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: Fired officer charged with murder in shooting death of young boy

Fired Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza has been charged with first- and third-degree murder in the shooting death of 12-year-old Thomas Siderio. District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges relating to the March 1 shooting on Monday. New details from the shooting reveal that Siderio had allegedly thrown a gun away before he was shot and was on the ground. Krasner said that Siderio may have been surrendering when he got shot.

Read full story
2 comments

Comments / 0

Community Policy