State and Local

“The conditions imposed by the DOJ were an unconscionable attempt to bully the City and its residents into changing our policies,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a press release.

Mayor Moran visited AL DÍA to discuss his first year in office, his efforts to spur economic development in Camden, and his vision moving forward for the city just across the river from Philadelphia.

Kenney’s announcement does not come as a surprise. Thus far, just one Democratic challenger has declared his candidacy - former city controller Alan Butkovitz.

City Councilman David Oh sat down with AL DÍA to discuss the controversial soda tax, the recently passed Fair Workweek legislation, violence in the city, the opioid crisis, marijuana legalization, Philly's sanctuary city status, and more.

“Across the commonwealth, we have workers aging out of our workforce, and too often the next generation of worker is not there or doesn’t have the skills to replace them. If we can’t strengthen our workforce, we will fall behind,” Gov. Wolf said.

The plan would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by July 1, 2019, and by 50 cents each year thereafter until reaching $15 an hour in 2025. According to the governor’s office, the increase would affect one million workers.

“We cannot afford an under count, so I encourage all residents to get involved and learn more about what they can do to ensure that all Philadelphians participate,” Mayor Kenney said in a press release.

The announcement of the listening tour comes just a month after Gov. Wolf expressed his intention to look more closely into legalizing recreational marijuana during a Twitter question-and-answer session.

Gov. Wolf and Lt. Gov. Fetterman both struck optimistic, forward-looking notes on inauguration day - a stark contrast to the doom and gloom promulgated by the Trump administration, and which won him Pennsylvania in the 2016 presidential election.

“These recommendations recognize that violence is ultimately a symptom of the larger crisis of pervasive poverty in Philadelphia,” Kenney said.

For both Wolf and Fetterman the loudest cheers were reserved for their remarks surrounding healthcare - this issue will certainly be front and center as the country heads into the 2020 presidential elections.

PA and Philadelphia leaders gathered on Monday to denounce the record-breaking government shutdown and its effects on vital programs like SNAP, which is now seeing an influx of unpaid federal workers.

“Our administration is committed to bridging the divide between government and the residents of Philadelphia,” Mayor Kenney said in a press release.

Treviño is running to fill one of the seven at-large seats on City Council. Should he win, he could become the second Latino on the 17-person legislative body, and its only immigrant.

Drug overdoses were the third leading cause of death in Philadelphia in 2017, behind heart disease and cancer. Most drug overdoses in the city were opioid-related - such deaths rose by 46 percent over the previous year, to 59 per 100,000 people.

There are 2.2 million people locked up in prisons and jails around the country. This number has risen by 500 percent over the last 40 years, thanks in large part to the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentences.

Should New Jersey and New York legalize cannabis in the near future, and yield successful results from doing so, Pennsylvania may be primed to follow suit.

“The Fair Work Week and Minimum Wage bills will go a long way to ensuring that our hard-working residents have the dignity of stable employment and a steady schedule,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a press release.