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How do you think the city should spend taxpayer money?
Mayor Kenney’s budget for next fiscal year needs to be approved before July, with details on how to allocate $5.6 billion in funds.
- We asked councilmembers to name their top priorities, and the list includes violence prevention efforts, community policing, and relief funds for Black and brown-owned businesses, among many others.
Jordan Levy asked dozens of Philadelphians their opinion, and few seemed interested. So how do you want City Hall to spend your taxpayer dollars?
Philly fans rally behind Bohm after he curses us out
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm was caught on camera saying “I f-ing hate this place,” as the crowd booed during a home game earlier this week.
- Bohm later owned up and apologized, which of course immediately endeared him to fans. (It helped that the Phils rallied to eventually beat the Mets that night, despite his errors.)
The story made national news — it was at one point trending in St. Paul, Minneapolis — and at last night’s game, Bohm walked out to a standing O.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- Several state legislators from Philadelphia face primary challenges this May, including West Philly Rep. Amen Brown (implicated last summer in deed fraud) and Northeast Philly Rep. Kevin Boyle, arrested last fall for harassment. [City & State/Billy Penn/WHYY]
- The Pa. House passed a bill banning trans girls from women’s school sports. The bill now heads to the Senate, but Gov. Wolf said last year he’ll veto it. [Capital-Star/Billy Penn]
- A mass shooting in a Brooklyn subway yesterday put SEPTA on high alert. Turns out the suspect in the attack has an address in Philadelphia, and may have rented his U-Haul here. [6ABC/Patch]
- Comedian Janelle James still isn’t used to being recognized on the street, which happens since playing Abbott Elementary’s hilariously awful principal launched her to new fame. [NYT$/Billy Penn]
- In two very different South Philly restaurants — Ember & Ash and Gabriella’s Vietnam — cooking with blood runs in the family. [Billy Penn]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting at the Community College of Philadelphia.
- The three Pa. Democratic Senate candidates attended a Gabby Giffords gun safety forum in Philly this week. All said they’d back expanding background checks, limiting high-capacity magazines, and making guns harder to obtain for people legally deemed dangerous. [Giffords/Inquirer$]
- ATF agents identified 400 illegally trafficked guns in Philadelphia that were bought by straw purchasers in Georgia and South Carolina. [WHYY]
- Last fall, Philadelphia opened three evening resource centers for kids and teens open from 7 p.m. till 2 a.m. They’re being used, offering education and a safe haven. [Axios/YouTube NBC10]
- There’s a student die-in protest Thursday at City Hall to demand more city budget funding for anti-violence community orgs. The Kenney admin last year awarded $13.5 million in these grants. [@PCGVR/WURD]
- Nearly half of city shootings this year (44%) have occurred in just five ZIP codes, mostly in North Philly and Kensington. [@PCGVR]
- Police recorded 38 homicides in March; here are the victims’ names. [Philly Obit Project]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 47: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 24 the week prior [PPD Google Drive]
- 565: Shooting victims this year, down 1% from last year [PCGVR]
- 130: Year-to-date homicides, down 7% from last year [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney will not appear at the city’s biweekly briefing on the city’s gun violence response (1 p.m.), sending Managing Director Alexander in his place. You can hear it live on WURD Radio 900 AM / 96.1 FM or watch on Facebook.
ON THE CALENDAR
? “RuPaul’s Drag Race” getting a little played out? Head over to Franky Bradley’s for another installment of Snatcherella 3000, a local drag competition show where some of Philly’s finest queens compete for a crown. Tickets are $10. (9 p.m to 12 a.m. Wednesday, April 13)
✍? Looking for a way to get politically active and meet people? Non-partisan group Vote FWD hosts a letter-writing happy hour at Indy Hall, with beer, snacks, and writing supplies provided. (6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 18)
