Philly is cracking down on unlicensed Airbnb hosts
Philadelphia appears to be getting serious about licensing for short-term rental properties. Two years after a law tightened permit requirements, the city has started enforcement, pushing for listings to be taken down if hosts aren’t complying with the rules.
After a subpoena from city officials, Airbnb and Vrbo appear to be complying — and at least 1,500 listings are at risk, Asha Prihar reports.
Reading Terminal’s Filipino food stand looks to expansion
For chef Kathy Mirano, opening Tambayan in Reading Terminal Market has been the realization of two dreams: honoring the memory of her father, a food cart operator she grew up working alongside in the Philippines, and bringing flavors of her home province to Philadelphia.
Her non-fusion, no frills menu has proven so popular, she’s now planning an expansion to either Fishtown or East Passyunk, Ali Mohsen reports.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• With “oppressive heat” forecast for the end of this week — highs above 95°F Thursday to Saturday — Philly will likely activate its new cooling center plan: less reliance on air-conditioned SEPTA buses, more use of rec centers and libraries. [NWS Mt. Holly/WHYY’s PlanPhilly]
• Jefferson Health plans to lay off 400 workers, roughly 1% of its workforce, in a cost-cutting move the institution says is part of larger “operational changes.” [WHYY]
• As the Philly School District rolls out $70 million in new curriculum materials for the upcoming academic year, some teachers are concerned with the lack of training time. Others worry it will widen the learning gap. [Chalkbeat/Billy Penn]
• Former City Council member, Puerto Rican activist, and community leader Juan Ramos Jr. died last weekend at age 71. [6ABC]
• 90-year-old standup comic Natalie Levant, star of the New Yorker documentary “Still Standing,” has been hit with financial and medical complications. Friends are raising money to help her keep her home. [Inquirer$/YouTube/GoFundMe]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. • The City of Philadelphia is suing three local gun stores over what it says are illegal sales or “straw purchases” of more than 1,300 firearms involved in crimes. [NBC10]
• Homicides are trending down in Philadelphia and in other U.S. cities, with an average 9% drop during the first half of this year, but remain well above pre-pandemic levels. [Trace/AP/NYT$]
• Angel Davis, shot in the head by a landlord-tenant officer contractor, has filed a lawsuit against the city, calling Philly’s unusual for-profit eviction system “reckless.” [WHYY’s PlanPhilly/Billy Penn]
• The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office seizes firearms in just 13% of domestic abuse cases. Some lawmakers in Harrisburg are pushing to pass a “red flag law,” making it easier to remove guns from people at risk of committing violence. [Inquirer$/WHYY]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 41: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 25 the week prior. [PCGVR]
- 1,036: Shooting victims this year so far, down 23% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
- 240: Year-to-date homicides, down 22% vs. last year’s pace; up 39% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney attends funeral services in Mt. Airy for the late Philly Police Officer Lynneice Hill-Smith, who was found unresponsive in her car due to a medical emergency (10:45 a.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
📻 Writer and organizer Heather Bowlan debuts her poetry publication “Highlights & Blackouts” with a party on a Brewerytown rooftop, complete with music and projection art. (7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 29)
👟 Sneakerheads who can get to the shore this weekend can hit the Jus Nice Sneaker Convention, with buy-sell-trade action at the Wildwoods Convention Center. Tickets start at $25. (12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 29)
🚚 A family-friendly food truck festival takes over the parking lot behind the South Philly Walmart, with carnival games and bouncy houses, and proceeds benefiting kids with autism. (12 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30)
📖 Billy Penn is proud to headline the inaugural Philly Story Fest, joining journalists from media outlets around Philadelphia to tell the city’s best stories on stage at the Bok. Early bird tix are $17. (7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5)
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