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After a bruising primary campaign, Philadelphia's Democratic City Controller Alan Butkovitz easily won renomination over two-time challenger Brett Mandel and former city attorney Mark Zecca in a low-turnout election. With over More »
 
  I covered a handful of Obama campaign events in 2008 and 2012 and concluded I'd never dealt with a presidential campaign that was so heavy-handed in trying to control media coverage.   More »
Monday, May 20, 2013
 
The Republicans have been tormenting Obama for his entire presidency.  Now, equipped with what they imagine are dry twigs, wood chips, branches and limbs which they can ignite to destroy his presidency, they wonder why the More »
 
The Obama administration now supports a national shield law that would perhaps have prevented them from secretly seizing phone records of reporters at the Associated Press, searching for evidence of leaks.  "Stop me before More »
 
  Republicans currently in thrall to the scandal trifecta would be wise to heed Newt Gingrich, who knows all too well what can happen when party warriors foam at the mouth. "I think we overreached in '98," he told NPR More »
 
Have you heard the one about Obama and the umbrella? Conservatives who yearn to eject the president from office have been trying to get sufficient traction from the current scandal trifecta, but it's a heavy lift. Ben More »
 
The estimated 1,000 high-school students who marched Broad Street to protest School District budget cuts on Friday were not just visible. They were loud, rambunctious and utterly unmoved by the politics of the moment. More »
Sunday, May 12, 2013
 
I celebrated Mother's Day as I do every year — by celebrating the women who shaped me. More »
 
Who says you have to be old-fashioned to be classic? Heck, who says you need to be classic to be ... classic? More »
 
"North of the Boulevard," the new drama by prolific Philadelphia-based playwright Bruce Graham, is gritty – but is it true grit? More »
 
Design enthusiasts from all over Philadelphia turned out to see the 7th Annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby and to watch the parade of human-powered sculptures roll through the neighborhood last Saturday. For the finale, More »
 
On a Saturday morning in the off season at Cape May Point, a lone bicyclist stops and pulls out his smart phone to capture the spectacle before him: Four birdwatchers have abandoned their Prius in the middle of the street to More »
 
Let's try to do something that Washington has a hard time doing once a whiff of scandal is in the air. Let's keep our bearings. Let's survey all the moving parts of an issue. More »
 
If they ever make hypocrisy an Olympic sport, I think Philadelphia City Council has a real shot at the gold. More »
 
If an advertising agency gets money from clients to produce television ads touting the clients' products, the advertising agency has income on which income taxes must be paid. But if the advertising agency is a non-profit More »
 
I've been a holdout, declining to join the progressive movement to abolish the death penalty everywhere in the United States and the world. I've thought that in an open, democratic society with a fully developed modern legal More »
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
 
In 1954, American Girl magazine published a book of beauty tips for young women. It included helpful suggestions about preparing for the ultimate American beauty contest: the high school prom. More »
 
Stella is getting ready for her big day. As Joanne Dhody brushes Stella's teeth, a pink tongue searches for a random smear of beef-flavored toothpaste. Stella is Dhody's 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier, a registered therapy More »
 
Some are baffled and others saddened by the fact that humans put footprints on the moon more than 40 years ago and have not ventured a fraction of that distance from home since. Have we lost our spirit of exploration? More »
 
Shock and outrage were bound to follow when the famous biologist-writer E.O. Wilson proclaimed that many scientists are at best "semiliterate" in math. When this heresy appeared in an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, More »
 
More people seem to be ditching office chairs in favor of standing desks. A recent article in the New Yorker even tackled the trend of treadmill desks. A mounting body of research suggests that sitting is bad for you — More »
 
It's been a long time coming, but 3rd Ward is now open in Philadelphia. For now, it's arguably the prettiest coworking space in town. In a few weeks, it'll be, in essence, a DIY trade school for the curious at heart. More »
 
Celebrate books with wonderful events and author meet and greets from The Big Blue Marble Bookstore, and this year, a partnership with the Color Book Gallery. Lots of fabulous activities for your little bibliophiles!   More »
Friday, May 17, 2013
 
It's been a lovely spring; the dogwood and azalea flowers held on longer than usual so there hasn't been the typical fifteen minute intermission between the first and second acts in the garden. Now the iris are blooming, the More »
 
May is considered the most beautiful month for Philadelphia gardens, and it's no surprise that it's also the most popular month for horticultural events of every kind. From plant sales to garden tours to educational symposia, More »
 
Top Stories
Philly picks would-be Traffic Court judges
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May 22 - Holly Otterbein, @hollyotterbein

Earlier this year, a federal grand jury indicted several Philadelphia Traffic Court judges in an allegedly widespread ticket-fixing plot. That didn't stop Philadelphians from nominating new candidates for Traffic Court judge in Tuesday's primary election. With 95 More »

The final month: Germantown High pride from a four-generation GHS family
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May 21 - Brian Hickey @GTownWOLane

As the final day of Germantown High School's 99-year history approaches — the Class of '13 will don caps and gowns on June 19 — NewsWorks will present a series of stories including interviews with More »

Butkovitz rolls after nasty Philly controller race
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May 21 - Dave Davies @DaveDaviesWHYY

After a bruising primary campaign, Philadelphia's Democratic City Controller Alan Butkovitz easily won renomination over two-time challenger Brett Mandel and former city attorney Mark Zecca in a low-turnout election. With over 95 percent of the vote More »