United States Attorney William McSwain announced charges Wednesday against a woman for allegedly torching two police cruisers during protests in center city on May 30.Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 33, a white resident of Germantown, is in federal custody. She’s charged with criminal arson and faces up to ten years in prison.“We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office fully support the First Amendment right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition their government,” McSwain said in a statement. “ But torching a police car has nothing to do with peaceful protest or any legitimate message. It is...…United States Attorney William McSwain announced charges Wednesday against a woman for allegedly torching two police cruisers during protests in center city on May 30.Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 33, a white resident of Germantown, is in federal custody. She’s charged with criminal arson and faces up to ten years in prison.“We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office fully support the First Amendment right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition their government,” McSwain said in a statement. “ But torching a police car has nothing to do with peaceful protest or any legitimate message. It is...WW…

Philadelphia’s Board of Education voted in April not to renew Daroff and its neighboring sister school Bluford’s charter agreements.By the time kids reach the fourth grade, the function of reading shifts, and young students in Philadelphia are behind. A new nonprofit aims to bridge the gap.Chalkbeat PhiladelphiaFamilies who are set to be forced out of a West Philadelphia affordable housing complex are worried about how their children will get to their schools, or find new ones.Sign up for our weekly newsletter.Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal…Philadelphia’s Board of Education voted in April not to renew Daroff and its neighboring sister school Bluford’s charter agreements.By the time kids reach the fourth grade, the function of reading shifts, and young students in Philadelphia are behind. A new nonprofit aims to bridge the gap.Chalkbeat PhiladelphiaFamilies who are set to be forced out of a West Philadelphia affordable housing complex are worried about how their children will get to their schools, or find new ones.Sign up for our weekly newsletter.Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goalWW…

Just after noon on Wednesday, June 3, storm clouds gathered along a busy commercial corridor in Ridley Township, Delaware County.It was no ordinary summer squall.A violent line of thunderstorms — known as a — was about to sweep through the region, ultimately producing , leaving hundreds of thousands without power, and causing at least three deaths.Inside a Chick-fil-A franchise — wedged between a car-parts store and a pizza joint — employees watched the skies darken and the winds build. As is custom during bad weather, managers called in five employees who’d been outside taking drive-thru...…Just after noon on Wednesday, June 3, storm clouds gathered along a busy commercial corridor in Ridley Township, Delaware County.It was no ordinary summer squall.A violent line of thunderstorms — known as a — was about to sweep through the region, ultimately producing , leaving hundreds of thousands without power, and causing at least three deaths.Inside a Chick-fil-A franchise — wedged between a car-parts store and a pizza joint — employees watched the skies darken and the winds build. As is custom during bad weather, managers called in five employees who’d been outside taking drive-thru...WW…

Updated 9:53 p.m.While George Floyd’s funeral takes place in Houston, Philadelphians continue to take to the streets in protest of police brutality.In West Philadelphia, protesters gathered in Clark Park to call for police reform. In Northeast Philadelphia, rallies were held .  Meanwhile, outside City Hall, sanitation workers gathered to ask for more personal protective equipment and other measures to protect them against the coronavirus.The National Guard remains in Philadelphia with no official indication of when it might depart. But there has been a marked decrease in violence and...…Updated 9:53 p.m.While George Floyd’s funeral takes place in Houston, Philadelphians continue to take to the streets in protest of police brutality.In West Philadelphia, protesters gathered in Clark Park to call for police reform. In Northeast Philadelphia, rallies were held .  Meanwhile, outside City Hall, sanitation workers gathered to ask for more personal protective equipment and other measures to protect them against the coronavirus.The National Guard remains in Philadelphia with no official indication of when it might depart. But there has been a marked decrease in violence and...WW…

Public school students in Philadelphia will soon begin a more official version of online school — and the details of that experiment are taking shape.Starting May 4, teachers will be expected to hold three hours of “daily instruction,” according to a School District of Philadelphia “continuity of education” plan sent to staffers and shared with WHYY. That daily instruction is supposed to include live video chats between students and teachers as well as “small group instruction.”Students are expected to participate in these daily lessons “to the extent possible,” according to the plan. The...…Public school students in Philadelphia will soon begin a more official version of online school — and the details of that experiment are taking shape.Starting May 4, teachers will be expected to hold three hours of “daily instruction,” according to a School District of Philadelphia “continuity of education” plan sent to staffers and shared with WHYY. That daily instruction is supposed to include live video chats between students and teachers as well as “small group instruction.”Students are expected to participate in these daily lessons “to the extent possible,” according to the plan. The...WW…

Thrown games. Rowdy fans. A “great” fire. And a team called the Fort Wayne Kekiongas.Baseball in 2021 may have more polish. But baseball in 1871 sounded just as interesting — maybe moreso.That was the year the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia — known as the Philadelphia Athletics — became the first team to represent the city in a professional baseball league.For the next 150 years, entertainment fads would come and go. But professional baseball would endure.As the Philadelphia Phillies begin another season Thursday afternoon, we’re taking a trip back in time to when it all began.The...…Thrown games. Rowdy fans. A “great” fire. And a team called the Fort Wayne Kekiongas.Baseball in 2021 may have more polish. But baseball in 1871 sounded just as interesting — maybe moreso.That was the year the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia — known as the Philadelphia Athletics — became the first team to represent the city in a professional baseball league.For the next 150 years, entertainment fads would come and go. But professional baseball would endure.As the Philadelphia Phillies begin another season Thursday afternoon, we’re taking a trip back in time to when it all began.The...WW…

Francesca Russo hesitates to acknowledge any good news without crossing herself and knocking on wood.When it comes to COVID, the principal at St. Pio Regional Catholic School in South Philadelphia likes to cover her bases — physical and spiritual.“We have not had many cases,” said Russo, who was a teacher at St. Pio’s for 19 years before becoming principal two years ago. “Thank goodness. Knock on some kind of wood. We did play it scary-mary safe.”Each room at St. Pio’s has a window cracked and a door open. There’s a system for when students can use bathrooms between regular cleanings. And...…Francesca Russo hesitates to acknowledge any good news without crossing herself and knocking on wood.When it comes to COVID, the principal at St. Pio Regional Catholic School in South Philadelphia likes to cover her bases — physical and spiritual.“We have not had many cases,” said Russo, who was a teacher at St. Pio’s for 19 years before becoming principal two years ago. “Thank goodness. Knock on some kind of wood. We did play it scary-mary safe.”Each room at St. Pio’s has a window cracked and a door open. There’s a system for when students can use bathrooms between regular cleanings. And...WW…

Updated: 12:55 p.m.___The School District of Philadelphia is delaying its plan to return some students to classrooms due to ongoing mediation with the teachers union — postponing from Feb. 22 to March 1.The decision comes amid a dispute with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which opposes returning members to buildings until all are fully inoculated against .The district and the union had agreed to a plan to return to schools in the fall that did not include vaccination requirements. Union leaders say several circumstances changed since making those arrangements, including...…Updated: 12:55 p.m.___The School District of Philadelphia is delaying its plan to return some students to classrooms due to ongoing mediation with the teachers union — postponing from Feb. 22 to March 1.The decision comes amid a dispute with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which opposes returning members to buildings until all are fully inoculated against .The district and the union had agreed to a plan to return to schools in the fall that did not include vaccination requirements. Union leaders say several circumstances changed since making those arrangements, including...WW…

Updated 4:36 p.m.The University of Pennsylvania has pledged to donate $100 million over the next 10 years to the School District of Philadelphia, the university and local officials announced Tuesday.The money will be used to improve building conditions and remediate hazards such as asbestos.The university and the school district called the donation the “largest contribution to the School District in its history.”“Nothing is more important than the health and welfare of our children, and few things are more crucial to a community than the safety and quality of its public schools,” said Penn...…Updated 4:36 p.m.The University of Pennsylvania has pledged to donate $100 million over the next 10 years to the School District of Philadelphia, the university and local officials announced Tuesday.The money will be used to improve building conditions and remediate hazards such as asbestos.The university and the school district called the donation the “largest contribution to the School District in its history.”“Nothing is more important than the health and welfare of our children, and few things are more crucial to a community than the safety and quality of its public schools,” said Penn...WW…