Lots of PA towns rely on volunteer firefighters, but their ranks have become so slim that it’s a ‘crisis’

EPA: There’s a big problem with PA’s drinking water inspections

2017 Who’s Next resolutions: What young Philly leaders want for the city this year

From criminal justice reform to Vision Zero, how Philly can improve.

The design story behind the new light garden at the Spring Garden El stop

It’s public art, and it’s been in the works for years.

Two people killed Sunday after a car slammed into a bus on Roosevelt Boulevard

The Temple mob attack and the Knockout Game in Philly

Philly’s had problems with this before.

Did Pat Toomey ‘cross party lines’ to tighten gun laws for suspected terrorists?

Toomey’s record when it comes to tightening gun laws for suspected terrorists is a bit murky.

The Stanford rape victim’s letter and what city council can do about it here

And why data reported by schools only shows a small fraction of the problem.

Philly could soon have some of the strictest water safety laws in the US

Philly cops and Tasers: How often are police using them?

More Philadelphia police officers are trained every year to use Tasers, but the department decreased its use of the stun guns by more than 60 percent between 2010 and 2015.

Getting a background check for a gun in PA: ‘I could have had my gun in as quick as 10 minutes’

City Council hearing on gun violence happening now and streaming here

The ‘messy’ case at the center of a western PA Attorney General candidate’s ad

Stephen Zappala’s newest ad made a surprising claim — we decided to check it.

Philly Police boost security at transportation hubs b/c Brussels attack

At 5th and Race, part of a wall of a building set to be demolished fell on a school bus; no injuries were reported

Police release video of attack outside Fishtown soup kitchen, seek help IDing suspect

Why Philly police were waiting for an out-of-control teen mob in Center City

A captain tells Billy Penn where the sudden influx came from and how they’re dealing, but “I don’t think I have a formula for 600.”

Hunting Park: After $5M in fixes, is the area that much safer?

Mayor Jim Kenney used the success story of Hunting Park during his budget address last week. We put his claim to the test.

Impossible to check: John Fetterman’s claim that sanctuary cities are safer

There’s no set legal definition for “sanctuary city,” and it only gets more complicated from there.

The truth about lead in Philly, and what you can do about the problem

The first thing you need to know: There is so far no evidence to suggest that the water you’re drinking here in Philly is tainted with dangerous levels of lead.