Philly summer jobs program for youth gets makeover
The city’s WorkReady program will be replaced by Career Connected Learning PHL which plans to hire 8,000 young people and expand year-round, work-based activities for an additional 2,000,
As WHYY’s Stephen Williams explains, participants will access internships, mentoring, job shadowing and professional development. This program is part of the vision by Mayor Cherelle Parker and Superintendent of Schools Tony Watlington, Sr. to keep young people engaged year-round and focused on workforce development and careers. Continue reading…
Hardcore: Philly’s own brand of professional wrestling
Flying chairs, thumbtacks, broken tables and blood are just some of what made ECW what it was in the mid to late 90s. The legacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling has since expanded globally, but “that brash, loudmouth Philadelphian attitude, sewn into the violence, and the crazy, hectic nature of wrestling” remained.
Now as the wrestling world turns its focus on Philadelphia for WrestleMania next month, BP’s Nathaly Suquinagua takes us on a look back at the promotion that entertained hundreds of fans out of an old warehouse in South Philly. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick will be the only eligible names on ballots for the office in Pa.’s April primary after a ruling by the state’s highest court. [AP]
• Philly prisons commissioner Blanche Carney is retiring, effective April 5, after overseeing the city’s four prisons and jails since 2016, through turmoil, scandal, and the escape of four people within just six months. [WHYY/AP]
• Latino families in Philly say they’re choosing charter schools operated by Latino-led nonprofits because they fill language and community support needs absent in other district schools. [Chalkbeat]
• Phillies Opening Day is Thursday and the team is making moves to their player lineup with hopes to scale the World Series mountain. [Hittin’ Season]
• Quinta Brunson has joined the voice cast of “The Cat in the Hat,” due in theaters in 2026. [Variety]
• Temple junior Jasmine Villaroel is making her Broadway debut as a partial swing dancer in “The Great Gatsby.” [Temple News]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker will join U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves, Congressman Dwight Evans, and entrepreneurs from across the city for a roundtable discussion focused on connecting more entrepreneurs of color to programs, opportunities, and resources that will positively impact their businesses. (10 a.m.)
In the afternoon, she’ll join City Representative Jazelle Jones, city and state elected officials, and members of the community for the raising of the Bangladeshi flag in honor of Bangladesh Independence Day. (3:15 p.m.)
Tonight, Parker will speak at City and State’s Annual Above and Beyond Gala honoring 50 influential and thought-provoking women in Pennsylvania. (7 p.m.)
ON THE CALENDAR
🗣️ Women’s Reproductive Rights – Who Gets to Choose? Join WHYY News and the Bridging Blocks program for a conversation on reproductive rights at the Parkway Central Library branch located at 1901 Vine Street. (Tuesday, March 26, 5:30 p.m., free)
🤝🏼 Gain inspiration at the Women Mean Business networking panel in Society Hill, celebrating women entrepreneurs from East Passyunk. $10 tickets. (6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 26)
🪡 Add your creativity to the Transgender Day of Visibility Quilt Project at the Mazzoni Center, where art materials and snacks will be on hand alongside a safe space for community. Donations welcome. (5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27)
🎞️ Dinner and a movie night returns for the FRIEDAcommunity, this time with “The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché,” the pioneering female filmmaker and director. $35 tickets. (5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27)
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