Philadelphia
A 'Reformist' Legal Expert Calls for a Surveillance State
A lawyer who should know better wants to ignore the history of snooping cops to fight guns and crime.
California YouTuber Faces 10 Years for Having Too Much Fun With Fireworks
The feds charged Alex Choi with “causing the placement of explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft” after he shot fireworks out of a helicopter into an empty desert.
Murder Rates Are Plummeting. What Should We Make of It?
In data from over 200 cities, homicides are down a little over 19 percent when compared to a similar time frame in 2023.
William Penn Statue Reversal Shows Positive Power of Social Media
In an era when X (formerly Twitter) is blamed for all the ills of the world, here's a case where it did good.
Philadelphia Relies on Private Sector Chargers To Charge City-Owned E.V.s
Motorists complain about long lines at charging stations as civil servants queue up in city-owned electric vehicles.
Overcrowding Causes 'Unsafe and Unsanitary' Conditions for Youth In Philadelphia Jail
According to legal documents, children have been forced to sleep on the floor of offices and gymnasiums, with limited access to bathrooms and showers.
A Philadelphia Phillies Player's Family Is Getting Screwed by the Immigration System
If multimillionaire José Alvarado can't figure out how to get his family here, what hope do other Venezuelan migrants have?
Five Years Later, Philadelphia's Soda Tax Is Falling Flat
The city wanted to bring in more money, in part for early childhood education. But such taxes are disproportionately paid by the poor.
A Strange Museum Takes a Strange Turn
Attempts to limit access to the Mütter Museum’s collection of medical oddities disrespect the living and the dead.
Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Is Threatening To Veto His Own School Voucher Plan
Josh Shapiro campaigned on a promise to increase funding for schools and expand school choice. Only one of those two things made it into the state budget.
The Absence of a 'Carmageddon' After the Philadelphia Bridge Collapse Doesn't Prove Highways Are Useless
The closure of I-95 is a teachable moment. But highway critics are learning the wrong lesson from it.
Philadelphia Considers Zoning Restrictions on Still-Illegal Recreational Pot Shops
Proposed zoning amendments would bar some existing medical dispensaries from participating in recreational sales, should the state ever decide to legalize them.
Immigration Should Be as Easy for Everyone As It Is for NBA Players
How many incredible would-be immigrants are being kept out unfairly?
Can Larry Krasner Fix Philly's Crime Problem?
Philadelphia's progressive district attorney tried to enact criminal justice reform—and got impeached for his trouble.
One Foot off the Grid, Where We Don't Have To Deal With the City Water Department
Living without government services isn't necessarily cheaper or easier, but it sure beats putting up with municipal bureaucracies.
Pennsylvania Republicans Impeached Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Now What?
If it comes down to a party-line vote, Republicans don't have enough seats in the state Senate to remove Krasner from office.
Maj Toure: Why Black Guns—and Libertarianism—Matter
Gun control is 'the most racist practice in America,' says the Philadelphia native and community leader.
Maj Toure: Gun Control Is 'the Most Racist Practice in America'
The libertarian activist on gun rights, the new BLM ("Black Libertarian Movement"), and his support for the Mises Caucus.
Is Crime Getting Better or Worse? We Don't Really Know.
The FBI changed the way it compiles data, and reporting law-enforcement agencies have yet to catch up.
Biden's Disturbing Speech Outside Independence Hall
Plus: The editors answer a question from a U.S. House candidate.
Drop the Useless Mask Mandates and Leave Us Alone
Revived mandates remind everyone that governments have done far more harm than good in the pandemic.
Grabbing Guns Won't Reduce Urban Violence
Firearm seizures are ineffective, and gun possession arrests are frequently unjust.
Philadelphia's D.A. Sees Little Value and Much Injustice in Gun Possession Arrests
Larry Krasner also questions the effectiveness of "supply-side" measures aimed at reducing criminals' access to firearms.
In a New Survey, Victims of Philadelphia's Forfeiture Racket Highlight the Hazards of Giving Cops a License To Steal
"What they're doing is like robbery," observed one property owner.
A Philly Man Who Spent 37 Years of a 50-Year Prison Sentence in Solitary Confinement Has Been Freed
Arthur Johnson spent his entire adult life in jail for a murder he says he was coerced to confess to by police.
She Was Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Handing Drugs to a Friend Who Overdosed. A Federal Court Wasn't Having It.
The case is a good reminder of the far-reaching effects of the war on drugs.
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Hits Another Legal Roadblock
An appeals court panel rules the Controlled Substance Act's "crackhouse" provision forbids Safehouse from creating the facility.
NIMBY Group Asks Residents To Donate Poop
A Philadelphia activist wants some stool samples, so he can prove a link between "irresponsible development" and colorectal cancer.
40 Years a Prisoner
The new HBO documentary looks at what happened before, during, and after the 1978 MOVE shootout in Philadelphia.
Senseless Restrictions on Outdoor Activities Undermine the Goal of Curbing COVID-19
By arbitrarily foreclosing relatively safe social and recreational options, politicians encourage defiance, resentment, and riskier substitutes.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Whether Religious Agencies Can Reject Gay Foster Parents
New Justice Amy Coney Barrett expresses concerns about wider implications of antidiscrimination policies.
Protests and Looting Continue After Philadelphia Cops Fatally Shoot a Knife-Wielding Man Experiencing a 'Mental Crisis'
Walter Wallace's family says the officers could have defused the situation without using lethal force.
Philadelphia Ordered Restaurants Closed. Then the City's Mayor Went Out To Eat in Maryland.
Public officials are routinely undermining the legitimacy of coronavirus countermeasures by ignoring their own (often arbitrary) rules.
Meet the Philly Judge Standing in the Way of Efforts To Stop Coronavirus Spread in Jails
Judge Anne Marie Coyle has rejected every emergency attempt to reduce prison populations.
Keep Coronavirus Out of Jails by Arresting Fewer People in the First Place
Police departments turn to summons instead of processing people into cells—a change they should keep after this is all over.
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Opening Delayed
Blame angry neighbors, not the feds.
Philadelphia Poised To Open America's First Public Safe Injection Site in Just a Week
Federal judge confirms ruling that it doesn’t violate federal “crack house” law.
Can a City Refuse To Use a Foster Agency That Discriminates Against Same-Sex Couples?
The Supreme Court is about to tackle the issue.
