10 immediate issues Philly’s 100th mayor will have to tackle
Cherelle Parker’s rise to becoming the city’s 100th mayor was by its very nature historic. But when she assumes office in January, things won’t be easy. There’s too much gun violence, too little affordable housing, and rising overdose fatalities, all compounded by severe understaffing across the public sector.
What Parker brings that her predecessor has been lacking is vigor to attack the many responsibilities. Jordan Levy runs down 10 things the next mayor will be dealing with coming out of the blocks. Continue reading…
Fishtown food truck ban? New bill would clear busy bar corner
Food trucks would be banned from a two-block stretch around Frankford and Girard in Fishtown under a new bill being considered by City Council. Supporters of the ban cite noise, trash, and traffic-related issues at the bustling bar and restaurant locus. Opponents say it would diminish one of the city’s best options for late-night eats.
Street vending is officially illegal after midnight, but enforcement has not been consistent. Nick Jaramillo runs down what’s next for the pending legislation. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• We transcribed Mayor-elect Parker’s lengthy but powerful victory speech, where she lays out her vision for Philadelphia and makes clear she hopes to inspire others to follow in her footsteps. [Billy Penn]
• Philly grade-schoolers’ latest scores on the PSSA standardized tests show small gains from last year, recovering from pandemic decline. However, they’re still lower than the rest of the state, and there are major disparities between white and Asian students and Black and Latino students. [Chalkbeat]
• When Greyhound closed its bus terminal, intercity bus pickup moved to 6th and Market, causing crowd sprawl and a traffic crunch that forced SEPTA buses to skip the block entirely. That gets alleviated next week when the temporary stop moves to Columbus Boulevard at Spring Garden. [Billy Penn/WHYY]
• PHS is looking for Tree Tender volunteers to plant more than 1,700 trees across the city in mid-November. Sign up online to participate. [PHS]
• West Philly’s Honeysuckle Provisions and Center City’s My Loup nabbed spots on Eater’s national best new restaurants list. [BP 2022/Eater]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.• Youth shooting survivors are 68% more likely than other kids to have a psychiatric diagnosis, and 144% more likely to develop a substance use disorder, per a new study. To help put the data in context, PGCVR’s Oronde McClain told CNN the story of his childhood survival. [StatNews/HealthAffairs//CNN]
• The documentary “Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia” by West Oak Lane filmmaker Kyra Knox premieres on Prime Video next month. It highlights the work of anti-violence orgs Shoot Basketballs Not People and Mothers In Charge. [YouTube/Metro]
• Who cleans up after shootings in Philadelphia? Finally, professionals will, as the city contracts with a bio waste removal company for a pilot program intended to launch this fall. [WHYY]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 22: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 27 the week prior. [PCGVR]
- 1,495: Shooting victims this year so far, down 27% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
- 361: Year-to-date homicides, down 20% vs. last year’s pace; up 28% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney joins Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker at City Hall to announce transition plans (10 a.m.). Kenney then heads to SEPTA HQ to sign a bill allowing camera-based parking enforcement on public transit vehicles (11:30 a.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
🍻 Billy Penn event! BP Quizzo lands in Germantown at Attic Brewing Co. for Philly news and history trivia, with happy hour specials and prizes. Free with RSVP. Join us! (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16)
🌮 Mobile eats take over Xfinity Live for the annual Street Food Festival, with 20+ vendors, live music, and axe throwing. Tickets start at $15. (Saturday to Sunday, Nov. 11-12)
🎞️ Closing night of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival sends up a tribute to photographer Corky Lee, whose half century of work sought to combat injustice. Tickets are $15 to 50. (6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12)
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