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PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Jim Kenney today accepted the resignation of Commerce Director Michael Rashid, effective immediately. “Today I offered, and Mayor Kenney accepted, my resignation as Director of Commerce. My continued service would serve as a distraction from the work of the Department, which is far too important to the City and region,” said Michael…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Philadelphia City Commissioners Al Schmidt, right, and Lisa Deeley speak to the media as election workers process ballots for the general election, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) The Committee of Seventy’s Board of Directors announced Tuesday that Al Schmidt has been named president and…

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Illusionist Mervant Vera brings a new type of entertainment to Rittenhouse Square By Afea Tucker “Deceptions: A Magical Night of Mystery and Deception” is Philadelphia’s newest entertainment option on Rittenhouse Square. It features the “master of deceptions,” illusionist Mervant Vera. “I’m a pioneer of sorts,” Vera said. “I’m the first magician who’s had a show…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Retired City of Philadelphia manager and community activist Sultan Ahmad with his wife Harriet and son, Samir.  (File photo courtesy Thera Martin)(File photo courtesy Thera Martin) By Thera Martin Retired city manager and longtime community activist Sultan Ahmad made transition on November 25, Thanksgiving Day. He was 73. “The outpouring of love and…

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By MARYCLAIRE DALE PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, complaining in a petition released Monday the verdict was thrown out over a questionable agreement that the comic claimed gave him lifetime immunity. They said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in June to overturn Cosby’s conviction…

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Partnership among City agencies and the federal government reinforces the City’s commitment to expand housing opportunities for vulnerable communities Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it will receive $735,000 in federal funding from a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant. The award comes from the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI). The program invests in local, cross-system…

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ABOVE PHOTO: John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, talks to reporters outside their lodge in Philadelphia on April 8, 2020. (David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS  Philadelphia city workers will be required to be vaccinated or get an exemption by mid-January, city health officials said last Friday….

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ASSOCIATED PRESS  PHILADELPHIA — Frozen vials labeled “Smallpox” that were discovered in a freezer at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania “contain no trace of virus known to cause smallpox,” federal health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last Thursday that testing showed the vials contain “vaccinia, the virus used in…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Sonia Sanchez appears on board the Norwegian Escape during day 1 of the Summit at Sea cruise in Miami.  (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) Multitalented wordsmith Sonia Sanchez is the winner of this year’s Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. By Denise Clay-Murray Right now, a combination of political differences, a lack of human…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Mayor Jim Kenney speaking at Wednesday morning’s news conference at City Hall over the nearly 500 murders in the city this year. (Photo by Denise Clay-Murray) As the City of Philadelphia approaches a record number of murders, Mayor Jim Kenney joined state, federal, local and community leaders in calling for an end to…

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