SEPTA did not fare well in the most recent state budget, and announced a lot of pain — an active freeze on non-essential hires as well as possible budget cuts, reinstating parking lot fees and fare hikes — is possible if budget talks don’t find additional funding this fall.
The plan would include raising parking prices on Regional Rail, from $1 to $2 in open lots and garage prices from $2 to $4. Continue reading…
For 12 years, the BlackStar Film Festival has showcased the best of films from Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) creators. This year, there are over 90 films from over 40 countries.
“It’s really important that we are programming work that is breaking convention, because so much of our conventions use stereotypes,” noted BlackStar founder Maori Karmael Holmes. “Our hope is that the work we show and what we’re doing as a project is really aiming toward liberation.” Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Reps. Madeleine Dean, Mike Kelly, and Chrissy Houlahan were all named to a bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler County. [Inquirer$]
• Philly’s controversial for-profit eviction system could shut down in the coming weeks as the Landlord and Tenant Office may not have the insurance it needs to continue operating. [WHYY’s PlanPhilly]
• Latest Pa. budget leaves struggling child care industry without much-needed funding to boost staffing. [Spotlight PA]
• The Pa. Supreme Court will hear arguments from the family of Ellen Greenberg, a Philly educator who died in 2011, in a case her family argues was not a suicide as officially ruled. [CBS3]
• Bethlehem’s Moravian Church settlement joins Independence Hall and Stewart Township’s Fallingwater on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [WHYY]
• Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal held public events leading into tonight’s sold-out match at Lincoln Financial Field. BP’s Nick Kariuki will be there and reporting.
• A successful Philly cookbook author doesn’t actually exist, a reporter found after diving into the world of AI-generated cookbooks. [Philly Mag$]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.
• Pa. House Speaker Joanna McClinton and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords discussed gun violence at a Kamala Harris campaign event in SW Philadelphia. [Capital-Star]
• Opinion: Pa.’s “long gun exception” is a loophole in its gun laws that must be addressed. [Inquirer$]
• The trial of Maurice Byrd, a Black veteran, will test “stand your ground” in Pennsylvania. Even as self-defense laws proliferate nationwide, few shootings are deemed justifiable — especially when the shooter is Black. [The Trace]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 32: Shooting victims recorded last week, including 7 fatalities, vs. 27 with 6 fatalities the week prior. [Philly Police]
- 652: Shooting victims as of July 28 were down 39% vs. the previous year. [PCGVR]
- 153: Year-to-date homicides, down 38% vs. last year’s pace; down 18% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker has no public events on her schedule today.
ON THE CALENDAR
🎶 Thursday, August 1: East Passyunk in Center City
East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP) returns to Dilworth Park for its third year at Arts on Center Stage! ePOP offers an evening of the greatest hits from opera and musical theater. (6 to 7 p.m.)
⚽ Saturday, August 3: Family Field Day at FDR Park
The family-friendly field day features youth sports, an Olympic Rings challenge, food trucks, balloon art, free ice cream, a live DJ and more. Free with RSVP. (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
🎭 Saturday, August 3: Benefit for UArts Staff and Faculty
Uartists come together at World Cafe Live! to fundraise for impacted faculty and staff. Performances include UArts alumni, Tiedye Ky Live Band, The Chronicles, and Indoor Yves, as well as displaced UArts students, including Blush, Xemi, and Ren Cinema. $15 in advance; $20 day of show. (7 p.m.)
Catch up on the previous week
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